HAWAIIANGROUP. 43 



neighbouring house ; he then sent a silver coin to Pitt (Kalanimoku), 

 who, having heard of the crime committed by Kanihouni, imme- 

 diately understood the secret signal. He at once repaired to the 

 king's house, where he received his orders, and several of the high 

 chiefs were also ordered to aid him in the execution. 



Kamehameha I. was greatly importuned to grant a pardon to 

 Kanihouni, for all the higher chiefs were his relations ; but he was 

 inexorable, and finally threatened them, if his orders were not carried 

 into effect, he would cause some of them to be substituted instead 

 of the criminal. 



The chiefs, finding that entreaty was in vain, went openly to the 

 house of Kanihouni, and put him to death in a very unusual manner. 

 A rope being put around his neck, and the ends of it being passed 

 through the opposite sides of the house, they took hold of them and 

 strangled him. 



After the introduction of edged tools, and especially axes, beheading 

 secretly in the night became a common form of execution. The last 

 instance of this occurred in 1822. 



The king sent an ili-muku in the night, who found the criminal 

 fast asleep, his wife by his side ; and it is said that the ili-muku gently 

 pulled the woman's head on one side, and with a broadaxe instantly 

 severed the head of the husband from his body. 



In 1824, an officer at Hawaii was guilty of high treason in at- 

 tempting to give up the fort (in which he was serving) to the rebels. 

 By the order of Kalanimoku, he was taken on board a vessel, under 

 pretence of being sent to Oahu ; during the passage, at night, he was 

 taken on deck, stabbed, and thrown overboard. This is said to have 

 been the last punishment in the form of assassination. Since then, 

 capital offences have been regularly tried by jury, and executions 

 have been by hanging, of which the first instance was in 1826. 



The whole number of executions for murder since 1826, have been 

 as follows : 



On Kauai . 3 



Oahu 7 



Maui 2 



Hawaii ...... 1 



In all .... 13 



Besides another murder on Hawaii, in which the culprit committed 



