John A. Burns

2. Policeman

T·W·O Policeman THE POLICE DEPARTMENT to which John A. Burns applied in 1934 was a department under siege. At the heart of the problem lay the smoldering question of race. Most Americans saw the annexation of the Hawaiian Islands in 1898 as a part of the nation’s strategic plan for the Pacific.The Organic Act of 1900 provided a carefully circumscribed area within which local government was allowed to function. One of the areas of civilian government that was granted to each county in the Territory of Hawaii was its own police department. But when local police came in conflict with those who represented the strategic interests of the United States, the military, the whole arrangement was called into question.This was particularly true in 1931–1932, when the Massie case focused the nation’s attention on Hawaii. On 12 September 1931, Thalia Massie, the wife of a young lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, claimed to have been raped and beaten by five young local men.The case against the five was doubtful,at best,and their first trial ended with a hung jury. While awaiting a second trial, one of the defendants, a Hawaiian named Joseph Kahahawai, was abducted by Thalia Massie’s husband, her mother, Grace Fortescue, and two accomplices recruited by Lieutenant Massie from the Navy’s local boxing team. In a rented home in Manoa, Lieutenant Massie, his mother-in-law (described in the local press as a “southern gentlewoman”), and their accomplices killed Kahahawai. The four perpetrators were arrested while attempting to dispose of the body near Hanauma Bay. For their crimes, the four were found guilty of second-degree murder . On 4 May 1932, the four were sentenced to ten years at hard labor in Oahu Prison. Then, in a deal struck between Clarence Darrow, the 18 Policeman 19 defense attorney, and the federally appointed governor of the Territory of Hawaii, Lawrence M. Judd, the prisoners’ sentences were commuted to one hour, to be served in the custody of the high sheriff. Throughout the Massie case, mainland newspapers and U.S. Navy officers in the Islands questioned whether a white person could receive justice in Hawaii.Critics called for a permanent military government for Hawaii. Governor Judd called a special session of the territorial legislature . The governor’s message was clear: if we cannot maintain law and order in Hawaii, the military will do it for us. The legislature responded by creating a five-member police commission charged with the reorganization of the Honolulu Police Department and the selection of a new police chief. The commissioners chose William A. Gabrielson, a veteran of police work in Berkeley, California. Gabrielson was a disciplined, tough, somewhat autocratic cop. He stressed professionalism in the Honolulu Police Department.This meant, among other things, competitive testing for new officers, regular instruction and training, and frequent evaluation of the force. These reforms opened the doors of the Honolulu Police Department to Jack Burns. When Chief Gabrielson looked at the results of the police examinations taken in March 1934, the name John A. Burns stood at the top of the list. Burns also came highly recommended by Riley Allen, editor of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin; D. L. Conkling, treasurer of the City and County of Honolulu; and Father Alphonsus, friend and spiritual adviser to the Burns family.The fingerprints of Flo Burns were all over the recommendations , but the test score was Jack’s alone. On 1 April 1934—April Fool’s Day, as Burns delighted in pointing out—Burns joined three others as probationary officers of the Honolulu Police Department.The entire Burns family celebrated.Bea Burns made clear her principal reason for joy on that day: “We were delighted because of the larger income.” Like most probationary officers, Burns began his police career walking a beat. He covered the area around Queen’s Hospital, lower Makiki, Kakaako, and Punchbowl. Jack’s friend, Leon Strauss, remembered Burns as “a quiet but effective street cop.” All of the fitness reports during his probationary period indicated that Jack Burns would have a promising future with the Honolulu Police Department. On 26 October 1934, he was promoted to motor patrolman and granted a coveted automobile allowance. The Burns family had much to celebrate between Thanksgiving and Christmas 1934. Jack was doing well in his new job. His promotion meant more money for the family. But most important...