This is part 2 of three on the story of the Kekaha train robbery. Last week’s outlined the robbery on Feb. 11, 1920. The investigation A deputy sheriff and Waimea police were the first to arrive at the robbery scene.
This is part 2 of three on the story of the Kekaha train robbery. Last week’s outlined the robbery on Feb. 11, 1920.
The investigation
A deputy sheriff and Waimea police were the first to arrive at the robbery scene. Shortly later, the county sheriff, a special investigator and several police officers came from Lihue. A cordon of police took charge of the crime scene.
The search focused on the area where the empty sugar cane cars left when the train was reversed. Soon, the cash box, rifled of the pay envelopes, was found. A faint trail of tabi prints led into the sugar cane field. Additionally the searchers found a pile of loaders clothing, a towel hood, but no tabi. But a trail of tabi prints led in the direction of the Mana swamp.
(Mana resident Kaimiola) Hali joined the investigators in searching for the train robber. At Mana Camp a peninsula of land jutted into the swamp. The searchers probed this peninsula. Hali advised that the swamp was too deep for anyone to venture into it.
The sheriff returned to the peninsula to conduct a further search, he walked a few steps into the swamp when he heard stomping on the ground and turned to find Hali. The sheriff noted latter that it appeared that Hali was trying to obliterate the foot prints in the soft earth. Hali said he was trying to kill a centipede.
On a pretext, the sheriff sent Hali to another location. The sheriff and a deputy returned to the peninsula to find that it was a tabi print that Hali had attempted to obliterate and that there were tabi prints beyond indicating that the maker had come from the direction of the swamp.
The sheriff had a man strip and entered the swamp. They found that swamp was not deep. They also found a lard can about 12 inches diameter. Removing the can’s lid, they discovered that there were pay envelopes inside still containing cash. The can contained all but approximately $250 of the $11,000 taken in the robbery, practically all of it in pay envelopes.
On finding the money, the sheriff went to Hali’s home. In his wash house they found damp tabi hung up to dry. The sheriff took these to the peninsula; they fit with the tabi prints in the swamp.
Hali was kept from his home by pretext while his neighbors were questioned. A woman told of finding a discarded bundle of loader’s clothing that was given to Hali, and that she had sewn tie strings on the hood using material from an old towel. The remains of this towel were produced, the material matched the tie strings of the loaders hood that been found in the swap.
A neighbor described a lard can that had been left on his lanai, that Hali had admired this can and that the can later disappeared. This neighbor identified the can found in the swamp as his. The robber’s mask was found to have a laundry mark with part of a trade name of a business Hali once operated. A chain of circumstantial evidence began to identify Hali as the robber.
Next week: The trial
“The Kekaha train robbery” part 2 is the seventh of 12 stories leading to the 100th anniversary of the Kauai Historical Society.
The highlight will be a multicultural festival on May 10, when there will be dances, music, food and stories on the front lawn of the Historic County Building.
In the meantime, The Garden Island is working with the Kauai Historical Society on a centennial crossword puzzle contest. Here’s how it will work:
The Garden Island will publish 12 articles on Kauai history, with one each Thursday or Friday. The first was published Jan. 23. A crossword puzzle will be published by April 17 and also be available at the office of the Kauai Historical Society, Old County Building Ste. 101, Lihue. Answers to the puzzle will be found in the articles.
Here are the contest rules:
• The puzzle must be submitted by May 5 to KHS.
• Submissions may be mailed to P.O. Box 1778, Lihue, HI 96766 or to the office of the historical society.
• Winners will be determined by date and time of submission. If mailed, date will be the postmark and time will be 6 p.m. If delivered to the historical society office, the date and time will be stamped on the submission. Three prizes will be awarded, determined by the earliest date and time of submission.
• Winners will be announced at the centennial celebration May 10, Historic County Building.
