Massie case
The Massie case refers to a controversial legal incident that unfolded in Hawaii in 1931, involving Thalia Massie, who claimed she had been raped after returning home from a nightclub. She identified five local young men as her assailants; however, the evidence was weak, leading a jury to refuse a verdict in the initial trial, Hawaii v. Ahakuelo. In response to what they perceived as a failure of justice, Thalia's husband, Lieutenant Thomas Massie, along with two naval officers, took matters into their own hands by abducting one of the accused. This act resulted in the death of the defendant during the confrontation, leading to the case Hawaii v. Massie, where the perpetrators were convicted of murder. Despite their conviction, the sentence was notably commuted to mere hours of detention by the governor. The case sparked significant outrage and became emblematic of racial tensions, highlighting the disparities between white Americans and the local Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities. It remains a pivotal moment in discussions of race relations and justice in Hawaii's history.
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Massie case
One evening in 1931, Thalia Massie, wife of naval lieutenant Thomas Massie, walked home from a nightclub in Waikiki, Honolulu, Hawaii. Arriving home with her face bruised and her lips swollen, she claimed that she had been raped by dark-skinned local men. After police arrested five young men who were having an altercation with a couple in another car, they took the five men to her hospital room, where she identified the five as her rapists but only after police brought them into her hospital room four or five times. The evidence was so slim that a jury of local residents refused to bring in a verdict in Hawaii v. Ahakuelo (1931).
Incensed that justice had not prevailed, the Massies sought revenge. With the aid of two subordinate naval officers, the Massies arranged to abduct one of the defendants, who was tortured and accidentally shot. In Hawaii v. Massie (1932), the conspirators were convicted of murder despite an eloquent defense by their attorney, Clarence Darrow. After sentence was passed, Governor Lawrence Judd commuted the sentence to one hour of detention in the office of the governor. For Asian Americans and native Hawaiians, the Massie case became the symbol of white misrule over nonwhites.
Bibliography
James, Bill. Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence. New York: Scribner, 2011. Print.
Leverenz, David. Honor Bound: Race and Shame in America. New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 2012. Print.
Rosa, John. "The Legacy of the Massie-Kahahawai Case, 80 Years On." Hawaii Independent. Hawaii Independent, 8 Jan. 2012. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.
Rosa, John P. Local Story: The Massie-Kahahawai Case and the Culture of History. Honolulu: U of Hawaii P, 2014. Print.
Wright, Theon. Rape in Paradise. New York: Hawthorn, 1966. Print.