Kalaupapa: A Collective Memory

Chapter 13. Indignity Keenly Felt by All: Experience in the Lahaina Prison

153 13 Indignity Keenly Felt by All Experience in the Lahaina Prison ambrose hutchison was the twenty-seven-year-old superintendent of the settlement­at the time of the tragedy and ensuing trial of Momona and Lohiau, to which he was summoned as a witness. His account reveals not only the tragedy (his own brother-in-law and his brother-in-law’s uncle were the two men who were killed) but his able handling of the situation, the indignity he and others experienced when summoned as witnesses, and his subsequent demand that they be treated with dignity and respect. Clearly he felt that it was important that the whole incident be remembered, since he devoted fifty-five pages of his memoirs to the tragedy and its aftermath. The following account is summarized from his memoirs.1 On November 2, 1885, a steamer arrived at Kalaupapa bringing Walter Murray Gibson, president of the Board of Health; his son-in-law, Fred Hayselden, secretary of the Board of Health; and a posse of four policemen headed by Captain William Tell of the Honolulu Police Force, who would later serve as superintendent of the settlement for less than a year. When Hayselden took Hutchison aside, anxious to know the details of the tragedy, Hutchison recounted the events and assured him that the settlement was “quiet and in orderly condition” and there was nothing to worry about. Hayselden sent for R. W. Meyer, who lived on upper Molokai. Laurenzio Costales, sent to Kalaupapa as a young boy, was keenly interested­in preserving the history of Kalaupapa. Photo by Wayne Levin. Indignity Keenly Felt by All    155 Gibson told the crowd gathered that he himself was not responsible in any way for the tragedy as he had given no order to remove the girls. He placed the responsibility,­and the blame, on Rudolph Meyer, Dr. Mouritz, and Ambrose Hutchison. Immediately following his speech, Gibson returned to the steamer. Hutchison noted that both Meyer and Dr. Mouritz absolutely denied any responsibility and described them as “Two good angry men,” “offended officials,” who were fussing “over the sayings of a wily astute politician.” The next day, Captain Tell and the other officers took Momona and Lohiau on a steamer to the Lahaina jail, where they remained until their trial in December. On December 3, Ambrose Hutchison received a letter from the deputy attorney general directing him to have all the witnesses summoned in the case of Momona and Lohiau ready to depart for Lahaina. Two days later, a steamer arrived to deliver supplies to the settlement and convey the fifteen witnesses, including Ambrose Hutchison, Father Damien, and seven mea kokua, to Lahaina. The seas were so rough that the passengers were seasick and “spewed” most of the way. Upon reaching Lahaina, the mea kokua were taken ashore in one boat, while Ambrose and the others were put in another boat. They were met by Sheriff Everett, Deputy Sheriff Treadway, and other police officers. They learned that David Kaaua, a mea kokua who had accompanied the girls to the Kapiolani Home, was already there. The mea kokua were provided with lodging. Father Damien was allowed to go to the Catholic Mission. Ambrose Hutchison and the other witnesses, all of whom had leprosy, were taken to the Lahaina prison where, Sheriff Everett assured them, everything had been provided for their comfort during their stay. Hutchison, who always referred to himself in his memoirs as the superintendent, “gracefully accepted ” the jail quarters for himself and the others, fully believing that they would be well taken care of: “The Superintendent, a native of Maui during boyhood grew up and attended the English boarding School founded by Arch Deacon George Mason, M.A. at Luaehu in Lahaina, once the Capital and seat of the Hawaiian Government . . . knew where the prison stood.” The jailer led them to a two-story building lined with cells separate from another building where other prisoners were housed. He provided them with no food and left them to fend for themselves. Fortunately, David Kaaua had agreed to stay with them at the jail. Ambrose later recalled the ordeal: [David Kaaua said, “]This is the third day I am living here. I was informed 156   chapter thirteen you folks were coming here. I accepted to live in this prison as I have no relatives or friends here in Lahaina to go to and I am happy...