The Murder Foretold: Three Japanese Laborers Held Without Bail

The three Japanese men—Nakamura, Aoki and Satow—charged with the murder of the Japanese boss Mayeda near Christopher on the night of August 3 were given their preliminary hearing at Auburn yesterday before Justice Bigelow. After hearing the evidence of J. W. Nails, on whose farm the murder was committed; Frank Berry, a young farmer; E. L. Merrifield, storekeeper and postmaster at Christopher; and Deputy Sheriff McDonald, the justice held each to answer without bail before the superior court to the charge of murder in the first degree.

The prisoners were taken down to Auburn on the 9 o'clock train in charge of Deputy Sheriffs Jack McDonald and John Woolery. Accompanying the party were Prosecuting Attorney John F. Miller, representing the state; John Fairfield, representing the three prisoners; and C. Carrothers, the interpreter.

Carrothers was not called into service beyond getting the names of the prisoners correct. The prisoners during the examination did not understand the purport of the testimony given against them, as not one of them speaks or understands good English. The use of a shorthand writer seems also to have been dispensed with, and no verbatim report of the evidence appears to have been taken.

After the examination, while waiting for the train, Carrothers explained to the three prisoners the nature of the evidence given at the hearing against them. All three protested strongly that every word said tending to incriminate them was false; that, if opportunity were given them for securing witnesses, they would be fully able to clear themselves.

Carrothers, at the suggestion of Deputy Sheriff McDonald, urged each man, if he were really guilty, to at once make a full confession. Each protested his innocence, especially Nakamura, who said that even should his life be in danger, he had nothing to confess, as he was innocent. The three men were then told that the preliminary examination just held was no test of the case, and that in the superior court their side of the case would be brought out and all their legal rights protected.

The court was convened at about 10:30 o'clock in the justice's office, and as the excitement of the horrible murder had not yet subsided in the town, the room was well crowded with the people of Auburn and surrounding country, eager to get a look at the man who attempted suicide. It was noticed that the prisoners were the only Japanese present; none of their countrymen were visible in or out of the courtroom.

The first witness was J. W. Nails, the farmer on whose place the murder was committed. He stated that on the morning of the murder, about 7 o'clock, one of the two Japanese living in the house with Mayeda came and told him that 'Charley' (Mayeda) was sick. Nails went back to the house with the man, and on approaching he saw the tracks of three barefooted persons leading from the house and passing through the potato patch into the adjoining hop field. The footprints indicated that they had been made by persons running. He drew the attention of the Japanese to these tracks, who responded, 'Boys.' In Japan, Carrothers explained, the term 'boys' is applied to young men.

Nails then described the condition in which he found the house and the body. Nails had never known of the dead man having had any difficulties or quarrels with the other Japanese, but he had noticed that Nakamura had often visited Mayeda, or 'Charley,' and that he was very talkative, taking up a great deal of Mayeda's time as a result. Mayeda was under contract to clear ground for Nails, and at times had eight or ten Japanese in his employ. Mayeda was found to be an honest and quiet man. The last time Nails saw him alive was Thursday, the day before the murder, when Nails went through the potato patch with him into a blackberry patch. Nails then went into the matter of accounts existing between himself and Mayeda; at their last settlement some time ago there was a balance of $173 due Mayeda; he had since furnished Mayeda with several articles, and he could not state the exact condition of the account at the present time.

On cross-examination Mr. Fairfield got Nails to give a description of the position of the murdered man, the rooms, windows, exits and entrances and surroundings. The dead man was in his nightclothes with his head to the south and legs drawn up. Nails also described the wounds as he saw them.

The next witness was Frank Berry, a farmer's son, who had lived in that neighborhood for nineteen years. He had known both Mayeda and Nakamura long and well. He went to Nakamura's house about 8 or 9 o'clock the evening previous to the murder to secure the return of $1.50 he had loaned to Nakamura. There he found Satow and Aoki, the other two prisoners. Nakamura told Berry that he would go to Mayeda's house to get the money for him. The three Japanese then started toward Mayeda's house, leaving Berry, who went away and returned later. Nakamura then told him that Mayeda would not give him the money. Then Nakamura said to Berry in an angry tone: 'I think Mayeda die at 2 o'clock tonight.'

Berry asked: 'Would you kill him?' and Nakamura answered: 'No, Yankee boy.' Berry understood him to mean that the Japanese working for a man named Yank would do the killing. Berry explained that he got the impression from Nakamura's tone that he meant what he said. The evening following the murder he again met Nakamura, who told him that Mayeda had been killed at 3 o'clock that morning, and Berry at once asked him if he had killed him. Nakamura's face turned 'many colors,' Mr. Berry said, and he answered 'No.' There were two other white men present at this conversation, but their testimony was not given.

Under cross-examination Mr. Berry acknowledged that he had difficulty in understanding the English spoken by Nakamura. He often had to guess at the meaning of what he was saying. Relative to the threat that Mayeda would die at 2 o'clock, Mr. Berry reiterated his former statement and added that on seeing Satow going away from Nakamura's house he (Berry) pointed to Satow and asked Nakamura: 'Will that man kill him?' and Nakamura answered, 'Yes; the man and Yankee boy.'

The next day after the murder in the morning, Berry said, Nakamura came to him and told him that Mayeda had been killed at 3 o'clock that morning. Mr. Campbell and Mr. DeGroot heard him say this.

Edward L. Merrifield, the third witness, kept the store and post office at Christopher. He recognized a butcher knife which had been found in Nakamura's house after the murder as looking like one he had sold to Nakamura two days before the murder. The day before Nakamura bought it Aoki and another Japanese had bought a similar one. When Nakamura bought his knife Merrifield, being suspicious that something was wrong, asked if there was any trouble. Nakamura replied: 'No—Japanese no good,' but he did not seem angry.

Merrifield said he was not positive the first man who bought the knife was Aoki. The cross-examination of Mr. Merrifield brought out no new facts.

Jack McDonald, the deputy sheriff, was the last witness. He testified to making the investigation. Some eight days after the murder he found a butcher knife with blood on it in Nakamura's house. It was not hidden, but only stuck in a crack in the kitchen wall. He did not find any knife in Aoki's house. He also described minutely the character of the wounds on the dead man, the condition of the house and rooms. He had been accompanied by the coroner, who had made an examination of the murdered man's body.

This closed the evidence, and Prosecuting Attorney Miller asked the court to commit the three prisoners to the superior court. Mr. Fairfield protested that there was no evidence to hold Satow and asked for his discharge. Justice Bigelow, however, said the evidence was sufficient to justify holding all three prisoners without bail. The whole examination lasted until about noon, and the prisoners were brought back to the city on the evening train and again lodged in the county jail.