Hawaii Holomua, Volume I, Number 73, 13 December 1893 — AFFIDAVIT [ARTICLE]

AFFIDAVIT

Of Harry A. Juen in the Matter Rclating to thc Dynamitc found on the MeKihhin Prcmises. near Miller Street on the 3ist day of May, 1893. Honolulu. Oahu, ss. Juen being <luly sworn, says: I, in lbe month of May. Hairy A was n poliee officer sen ing as a Captain of the Honolulu Poliee uucler E. G. Hitchcock the Murshal. At this time I was approached by Klemaie, au officer in the mounteci poliee who maeie a propos tiou to me to join him in a plot, the object of whieh ahoe.hl be to blow uy) wi‘h «iynamite the resideoces uuel persons of the Queeu, Oolonel Clans Spreckels nu*1 Charles Nordhoff. ivlemmo made me r.nderstand that he be!otigeci to a secret orgunizati<>u uhioh badtheaforesatcl purpose lc»r its <.bject. lie stated th<«t he coa!<I n- t :<t the time let me into tbe <letuiis of their piaua, but wouiei keep me ])ostecl as to tiie iiioveuienta (>f tlie orgau zation. He aLso inaele me uialerstiud tlu»t lhere was u 1 >i»r sum of monev iu it for t!ie meii who wonhl :issi.-i. I preleueleel tllat I was wiiling t * jo.li hini, because l consi<lered it advisable t > g<‘t to the bi>tt >tu <>f the business. In answer to a qnestiou, ho further st ited tliat tbere were a good many meu eonnected with the plan, and that no fear need bo entertained as tbey hael big anel intinential backiug. He refusecl to give me the uaraes of any of the members of the org mization, but told me that the dynamite was easily procured in auy quantity, as one AVaguer, alsoa member of the poliee force, eouhl mannfactnro the necessary explosives. When everything was a!most in readines8, as I was told, 1 eame out flat-footed, auel refused to havo anything to do with such a cowardly and dastardly atfair. Up to this time, I had not got any deeper into their plans and I had not spoken to an}-body about the matter. As I positively refused to join Ihem Klemme proposed anothor schemo, the main feature of whieh was as follows: We woukl plaee the explosives, whieh Wagntr was to manufaeture, in tbe neighborhood of tbe Queen‘s plaee for the purpose of making it appear as if an attempt was mado to b!ow np the barracks across the way, and by aecusing the lioyalists of being the authors of the plot, create a strong feeling against the Queen and give the government sufficient reasou for transporting her out of the countxy together, with her priutipal friends and snpporten?. To this plan I agreed aud t)io work was done in the followiug mannei: Wagner pre]\ared the stnff at the house of Elemme and gave it to that officer. On the night of May 31st, we wero ready to move. Wagner was ordered to remain at home as his presence migbt have created snspicions. Klemme put the explosives in a gunnysack and plaeeel it, according to his nndersianding with me, dose to Miller Street in the lot adjoining the Queen’s residence. Shortly after 2 o’eloek Klemme plaeed officer Cortis of the mouutcd poliee on Beritani» street not far froai Miller street; at the

- • I same time it was arranged tbat j i I should leave my hou.se at the ! corner of Palaee Walk and Punehhowl street ostensib!y going to the Station Honse on dutj, but really to be present on the scene of our work and do my part upon heariug two pistol sbots, the signal agreed upon between us. 1 conseqnently started dowu Beritania Street, and when I was nearly ontside Central Union Church I Le<«rd twu shots fire«l on Miller street, and soi<e horses running. I rusbed up io Miller street aml stop|>ed at the appoiute<l plaee wheie two borses were standing; tbeir riders (Klemme and Cortis) being on a pretended chase after the parties that had drcpped the bundle; the report whieh we had agreed Klemme should mako to the Marshal and whieh he did make was as follows: About 11 o’eloek, I, Klemme, had been talking for a few raiuutes w:th officer Cortis on Beritania Street near Miller, whereafter we parted Upon passing a seutinel of the governmeut at the back entrance to the b irracks, I asked him if he had not seeu a saspicious person or more lurking around on Miller Stieet that night. The soldier said he had not tbut night, but at other tiraes, Shortly after I saw two or three men \valking rapidly up Millcr Street. I fol!owed Uiem and noticcd that | one of thein carried a hamlle i whieh he seemed to be very careful of. I called to them to stop \vhereupon they started running. By this time I was pretty close to them, aml I noticed that tbey were tall aml looked like halfwhites, one of them having a red lei around his hat. Tbey jumped tbrough the fence back of McKibben’s plaee and ran toward s the Queen’s plaeo. I fire<,l at at them twice, jnmped olF my horse and chased them on foot. I saw the man who carriad the bundle drop it, and runiwith the others. I thought all the time that it was opinm. Earlier iu the evening, I had seen a carriage with two trunks passing through Miller Street.—So far Captaiu Klemme’s report. When I arrived at the plaee on Miller Street I called out to Klemme whom 1 knew was back of McKibben’s plaee, asking what was the matter. He answered that he had chased two fellows with opium and that they had ruu towards the back entrance to Washington Plaee. I jnmped over the fence aml we three together with two young fellows, who eame ont from McKibben’s house started looking for the bumlle whieh Klemme statedhad been dropj)ed. After a little while I went to the plaee where I knew the humlle was. and picked it up pretending to be snrprised at my find. I then began to exaraine the conteute of the bundle when Klemme warned me to be carefal as we might get blowed up. In the bundle were several sticks of dynamite, a bottle of fulminate silver some fuse and percussion caps. I rolled them carefnlly up again and we proceeded to tiie Station Honse. The halanee of our scheme was casily carried ont. It was the »rousing of the town, Officials, the mililan forces, the citizeus gmml aud all tbe rest were stirred np. Klemme didn’t leave the telepbone before everybody was astir aml many hard expressions were osed against

I the Queen and ber adhereats that nigiit and'after«rards. Some- ; time afterwards I noticed that Klemme was getting rather shv i i of rae and I realize»l that I conld leani no more of his plana. I ) tben concluded to lay the whole j raatter before Marshal j As soon as he returned frora Hawaii I went to hira and told him all about it. I did not j go iuto all the details of our I work but I toid hira the plan īn | general. Captain W. L irsen for I some reason snspected our garae and in making enquiries at the drug store he found that Waguer and his gang had at different times been purchasing raaterial for expiosives at several stores. I told the Marsbal that to my knowledge Klemme and his friends had stoleu quite a lot o giaut powder frora th« l’ali road, and that Klemmo had told me that it was buried in his yard on Fort Street. The Marshal told me tliat he knew it and miide me understand that he desired that the whole affuir be kept quiet. He theu told me to prepare ray self to go to Mtni where he i wouhl give me an appointraent as Deputy SheritF and he gave rae again to understand • that I was not to say anything abont the dyuaraite uftair. I made the necessary preparations to leave towu. but when the tirae eame, the Marshal refnsed to give me a ■ coramission aud gent another j man. Althongh aware of the : tull history of this dynamite scare whieh created snch a great sensation, the Marshal has never raoved in the matter, but has retained all the ofiicers connected with it on the force. The plot agaiust Spreckels and Js T ordhntF's lives was abandoned ' on my refusing to join Klemmo, but after the dynamite episode Klemme told me that he intended to put a placard of a threatening natnre on the gate of Claus Spreckels, so as to scare him out of the Islands. This I did in company with him. The card is well kuowu here. The inscription was; Gold and Silver won’t stop Lead. Beside this the caid was ornamented with a coftin, daggers, ■bullets, and other fearful pictures. That all of the above is true, I solemnly afiirm nnder n\y oath. Habry A. Juen. Subscribed and sworn to before me this 12th day of December, A. D. 1893. Chas. T. Gi*lick, Notaiy Public, Island of Oahn. UARDEX’S AEFIDAVIT. Hawaiiau Islands ) Island of Oahu \ SS: On this 13th day of December, A. D. 1893, personally appeared before me Francis L. G. Harden, who being duly sworn on his ojth deposes and says; that within a week preceeding the arrest of Col. V. V. Ashford in 1892 Wagner uow on the Honolulu Poliee force, told me that he had burieil in Klemme’a yard on Fort street, Honoluln, a qnantity of giant p>owder, said giant powder having been stolen by said Wagner from the deposit at Nunann Pali, belonging to the party at work cutting the new road: that to af&ant's personal knowledge said Wagner experimented witb fulrainate of silver as a detonator in the mauofacture of bombs; said fulminate of silver bav'ng boen made by said Wagner from an old silver watch case together with old coins and

the like; that certain bombs were : : manofactnred by August Herriug j and by him bnrieil at his plaee j on the slope of Pnnohhowl hili, after having experimented with j some of them in the crater of the | hill. S Sabscribed andsworn'f tobeforeme thisl3th i F. L. G. div of December A. ; Harden. D.‘ 1893. 1 # Chas. T. Gcuck. Notarv Pnblic. Island of Oahn.