20th Century

Compiled by Wayne Blanchard; last edit 3-25-2025 for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

—  20  Bakersfield Californian. “20 Are Killed in Strike Riots.” 9-11-1924, p. 1.

—  20  Bakersfield Californian. “Wants Filipino Judge in Hawaiian Cases.” 9-15-1924, p. 2.

—  20  Billings Gazette, MT. “130 Filipino Strikers Held. Score Now Dead…” 9-12-1924, p. 1.

—  20  Hill, Tiffany. “A Massacre Forgotten.” Honolulu Magazine, Jan 2010.

—  20  Lowell Sun, MA. “Round-Up of Filipino Strikers.” 9-12-1924, p. 8.

—  20  Oakland Tribune, CA. “Gun Cache Found at Island Riot Scene.” 9-12-1924, p. 6.

—  20  Schmitt, Robert C.  Catastrophic Mortality in Hawaii. 2-2-2009, p. 79.

—  19  San Antonio Light, TX. “Guard Called in Hawaiian Strike.” 9-11-1924, p. 1.

Narrative Information

Hill: “On Sept. 9, 1924, what began as a simple arrest by Kauai sheriffs at the Filipino strike headquarters in Hanapepe quickly turned deadly. Sheriffs had been sent to retrieve two Filipino laborers being held captive by strikers in a Japanese-language school. A struggle broke out between the strikers and the authorities and, minutes later, 16 strikers were shot and killed, many by deputized sharpshooters hiding on a nearby hill. No one knows who made the first move in the incident that has become known as the Hanapepe Massacre….

“neither side was completely innocent—and there were no real aftereffects of the strike; strikers did not win concessions until decades later and the massacre did not spur further strikes, or even a public outcry….

“To understand how sheriffs and workers ended up killing each other on Kauai in 1924, we have to step into the shoes of Filipino plantation workers. Filipinos were the last group of immigrant laborers to arrive to the Islands. The victims of the massacre were among the 37,019 Filipinos who immigrated to Hawaii between 1907 and 1924. According to Honolulu’s predecessor, Paradise of the Pacific, in 1925, the territory of Hawaii had a population of 323,645 and Kauai had a population of 32,000. More than half of the total population weren’t considered citizens, or even residents, only laborers toiling away on the sugar plantations.

“Filipinos working on sugar plantations were given the worst housing and the lowest paying jobs. On Kauai, Filipino laborers worked and lived on the Koloa, Makaweli, Kekaha, Lihue and McBryde Sugar Co. plantations. The majority of the workers were young men, single and uneducated. They came from three regions of the Philippines: Visayans arrived first, followed by Ilocanos and, in much smaller numbers, Tagalogs, each group speaking a different language….

“The workers in Hanapepe were on strike for about a month and a half before what started as a skirmish between Visayan and Ilocano Filipinos escalated into a deadly situation.

“On Sept. 8, 1924, two Ilocano Filipinos (from the Makaweli plantation)—each about 18 years old—rode into Hanapepe on their bicycles to buy a pair of $4 shoes…. On their way back to the plantation, the two passed the strike headquarters, where they were apparently attacked by Visayan strikers and held inside the schoolhouse against their will. Bushnell[1] speculates that the men could have taken them hostage because they were non-striking Ilocanos. ‘The strikers are really frustrated by this time because they’re not shutting down anything,’ he says. ‘They don’t have a lot to eat, they don’t have a great deal to do and the sugar industry is going right on producing sugar and it doesn’t look like anybody [else] is joining them.’

“When friends of the young men realized they were missing, they reported them to the Kauai sheriffs. Deputy Sheriff William Crowell went to the headquarters that evening and demanded to see the two. Strikers produced the two men, who, it is believed, were coerced into saying they wanted to be there. Crowell tried to convince the strikers to let him take the two but they refused. He left and went to the county attorney, where he was given an arrest warrant—not for the strikers, but for the captives, as a way to free them. He returned the following morning with approximately 40 other men, many of whom were hunters and recently deputized sharpshooters, their weapons and training paid for by the HSPA.[2]

“Crowell went to the strikers’ headquarters with about three sheriffs, plus an interpreter to explain the arrest warrant. The other 37 sheriffs remained at their cars on the dusty Hanapēpē Road up from the strikers’ headquarters. Some were even waiting on a small hill from which they could see the school in the distance.

“The following is from an official account given by one of Crowell’s sheriffs who was present at the schoolhouse: Crowell went in, showed the warrant and demanded that the strikers turn over their captives. The two men were released and were leaving the school grounds with Crowell when some strikers began following and taunting them, waving their cane knives in the air threateningly. The sharpshooters fired upon the strikers when they saw the men try to attack Crowell. The men shot dead 16 strikers in self-defense, while four sheriffs suffered casualties as a result of stab wounds. Crowell himself was injured, but survived.

“Sulpicio Venyan, a striker who participated in the 1979 oral-history project, concedes that some strikers beat up the two Ilocano workers and forced them into the schoolhouse, where they remained overnight. Crowell returned the next morning with a warrant. ‘He was going to rescue the two and grabbed ahold of them and began to run. When they were chased by strikers—that’s when the shooting started. They just started killing the Filipinos.’

“Venyan—who said he wasn’t a part of the violence—ran with others into a nearby banana patch to escape flying bullets. He stayed there until “the war was over,” but was soon caught. Crowell’s men rounded up Venyan and 100 of his comrades and they were transported to the main prison in Līhu‘e. The injured and dead were taken to a nearby hospital. Soon after, National Guard soldiers arrived to Kauai via an inter-island steamer.

“A funeral took place in the days following the massacre, one for the fallen sheriffs and another for the strikers. It is unknown where the strikers are buried; their graves were left unmarked. The newspaper The Garden Island reported, “1[6] rough board caskets … were transported to Hanapepe on trucks where they were placed in one long trench.” The HSPA gave each of the four sheriffs’ families $500 ($6,300 in 2009 dollars), while the families of the 16 strikers had to split about $75 ($947 in 2009 dollars), barely $5 per dead striker.

“The Hanapepe Massacre derailed the Filipino labor movement. Though it may seem strange to us in 2010, there was no public outcry after the massacre, nor did it inspire any greater worker solidarity. ‘The violence reinforced a stereotype prevalent in Hawaii already about Filipinos as being prone to violence, prone to crime and emotionally volatile, especially the young male Filipinos,’ says Okamura. ‘For Japanese, it was another reason for them not to cooperate with Filipinos in labor organizing.’

“Most of the strikers were arrested, including the Kapaa strike leaders. Bushnell says that 57 strikers received 13 months in jail, and returned to work afterward. Seventy-six were indicted on riot charges—16 were acquitted, including Venyan—and two were charged with assault and battery for beating the two Ilocanos; nobody was charged with murder. Most received four-year prison sentences, and some were deported back to the Philippines. The two Ilocano captives continued to work on the plantations. The Kauai sheriffs, however, were not reprimanded for their role in the violence….” (Hill, Tiffany. “A Massacre Forgotten.” Honolulu Magazine, Jan 2010.)

Schmitt: “A confrontation between Filipino strikers and special police at Hanapepe, Kauai, on September 9, 1924 led to the killing of four policemen and sixteen strikers, and to the wounding of many others.”[3]   (Schmitt, Robert C.  Catastrophic Mortality in Hawaii. 2-2-2009, p. 79.)

Newspapers

Sep 10: “Lihu, Kauai Island, T. H., Sept. 10 (AP) – Two special policemen and eleven Filipino strikers were shot dead and Deputy Sheriff Crowell seriously wounded in a fight between police and Filipino strikers on the McBride Plantation at Hanepepe near here. It is reported that-fifteen strikers were killed but this is not confirmed.  The fight began when the police attempted to rescue two working Filipinos, who were kidnapped by the strikers, while returning from work Monday. The trouble is reported to be continuing.”  (San Antonio Light, TX.  “Four Policemen, 11 Filipino Strikers Killed in Disorders.” 9-10-1924, p. 17.)

Sep 10: “Honolulu, Sept. 10 (AP) – The ‘garden isle’ of Kauai was quieter Wednesday after a fight yesterday between police and Filipino strikers resulting in 19 deaths and injuries to many other strikers.

“Mobilization in part of the Hawaii National Guard under orders Wednesday of Gov. Wallace Farrington and private advices from Kauai that conditions were quiet with planters reporting a good labor turnout were the principal developments in the situation Wednesday.

“Reports from Kauai Wednesday stated that no recurrence of Tuesday’s violence was expected.

“The fight between the police and a band of strikers armed with stones, clubs, knives and some guns, followed an attempt by the police to rescue two Filipino workers who were kidnapped Monday by the strikers. Acting Adjutant General E. M. Bolton hurried to the scene of the trouble

by air, reporting back to the governor Wednesday. 

“‘The Kauai affair is a sad, but unfortunately natural result of the vicious campaign which has been carried on among the strikers to prevent men from working even when they greatly desire to do so, and were prevented through fear of personal injury,’ the governor declared Wednesday in a formal statement.  ‘At the formal request of Sheriff Rico (of the county of Kauai) and on the basis of General Bolton’s report I have ordered the commander of the guard to send to Kauai such officers, men and equipment as is deemed necessary to deal with the situation promptly and effectively.’ 

“A provisional company of the guard composed of 75 whites and Hawaiians left the island to the northward at 8 o’clock Wednesday morning. 

“The Filipino plantation workers have been on strike several months, following a dispute with the employers over wages and the length of the working day.” (San Antonio Light, TX. “Guard Called in Hawaiian Strike.” 9-11-1924, pp. 1 & 4.)

Sep 11: “Honolulu, Sept. 11. (AP) – Twenty persons dead, unnumbered injured lying in hospitals, officers under orders to shoot strikers if they approached….

“A. coroner’s jury has been obtained to investigate the cause and fix responsibility for the disturbances, which started when strikers were interrupted by police as the former attempted to kidnap workers on the McBryde plantations, near Hanapepe.” (Bakersfield Californian. “20 Are Killed in Strike Riots.” 9-11-1924, p. 1.)

Sep 11: “Lihue, Island of Kauai. T.H., Sept. 11. – One hundred and thirty Filipino, alleged sugar plantation strikers, were brought to the courthouse here Thursday from the Lihue and Waimea jails under military guard, but their preliminary hearing was continued to permit the gathering of more evidence.

“Honolulu, -Sept. 11. — (AP) — Twenty persons dead, unnumbered injured lying in hospitals, officers under orders to shoot strikers as they approached, distracted widows with children tracking from jails to hospitals and morgues in search of missing strikers — this was the aftermath Thursday of a clash of cane strikers and workers Tuesday at Hanepepe, island of Kauai.

“The dead included 16 Filipinos and four policemen. The list was increased from 15 when another Filipino died here Wednesday night.

“The situation was under control Wednesday, while the funerals of many victims were being held, and Thursday only a few Filipinos could be seen in the vicinity of the outbreak. They were not recognized as strikers however, as strikers who were not killed in the fighting Tuesday were in hiding, in hospitals or in jails.

“The outbreak was said to be the most terrific industrial clash in the history of the territory.”  (Billings Gazette, MT. “130 Filipino Strikers Held. Score Now Dead in Hawaii Sugar Farm Civil War.” 9-12-1924, p. 1.)

Sep 12: “Honolulu, Sept. 12. (AP) – Filipinos compose the second largest national group in the Territory of Hawaii, being exceeded in number only by the Japanese.  The board of health estimates the Filipino population at 39,608 and the Japanese 125,368.  There are 19,000 Filipino males working on the plantations.  The planters estimate that between 2,000 and 2,500 of these are on strike.  Pablo Manlapit, the Filipino strike leader, says there are 10,000 out.

“Honolulu, Sept. 12. – Pablo Manlapit, the Filipino strike leader, who has just returned from Hilo where he has been working, denied knowledge of any preconceived plot to precipitate the Kauai clash.  He declared that he had warned the strikers against violence.”  (Bakersfield Californian. “Filipino Population of Hawaii is 39,608.” 9-12-1924, p. 11.)

Sep 12: “Lihue, Island of Kauai, IP. H., Sept. 12 (By the Associated Press) — Police, aided by National Guardsmen with fixed bayonets and machine guns, continued their round-up today of Filipino strikers involved in a riot last Tuesday at the McBryde plantation, near Hanepepe in which sixteen Filipinos and four policemen were killed.  One hundred and thirty alleged strikers are held in jail here on charges in connection with the disturbance.”  (Lowell Sun, MA. “Round-Up of Filipino Strikers.” 9-12-1924, p. 8.)

Sep 12: “Lihue, Island of Kauai, T.H., Sept. 12. (AP) – Police, aided by National Guardsmen, continued their round-up today of Filipino plantation strikers involved in a riot at the McBryde plantation, near Hanepepe, in which 16 Filipinos and four policemen were killed, while territorial officers continue to accumulate evidence against 130 alleged strikers held in jail here.  The police confirmed their theory that the outbreak was premeditated when several pistols and many cane knives were found near the scene of the outbreak.”  (Oakland Tribune, CA. “Gun Cache Found at Island Riot Scene.” 9-12-1924, p. 6.)

Sep 12: “Lihue, Island of Kauai, T.H. Sept. 12. – (AP) — Nine Filipino strikers, today, who pleaded guilty to possessing weapons for the purpose of inciting a riot received suspended sentences of 13 months.”  (Nevada State Journal, Reno. “Strikers Enter Plea.” 9-13-1924, p. 1.)

Sep 12: “Honolulu, Sept. 12. (AP) – Vigorous steps to control the situation created by the strike of Filipino sugar plantation workers in the Hawaiian Islands will be taken immediately, Gov. Wallace H. Farrington declared Friday night in a formal statement.”  (San Antonio Express, TX. “Hawaii To Control Plantation Strikers.” 9-13-1924, p. 9.)

Sep 13: “Honolulu, Sept. 13. – (AP) – Manuel Roxas, former speaker of the Philippine legislature has cabled Pablo Manlapit, the Filipino labor leader, through C. Ligot, the Philippine government’s labor commissioner, that the immigration committee of the legislature had been holding hearings on the subject of the strike.  Roxas added, ‘I desire to inform you however, that in view of the real cause of the strike as stated by you and recent developments, I do not believe the legislature can see its way to intervene, at least not in the immediate future.’

“A group of Filipinos and Japanese, which has been backing the strike, has cabled the Philippine legislature declaring that Gov. Farrington and Commissioner Ligot are ‘tools of the planters,’ and asking for the immediate recall of Ligot. The cable described the conditions as ‘most terrible’ and asked for prompt financial help.  It declared that ‘justice is not to be had here for the Kauai victims and the survivors.  Troops are now assisting in the arrest of the helpless undefended strikers.  Planters retain the greatest legal talent.’

“The Attorney general, John A. Mathewman, has appointed A. G. M. Robertson, former chief justice of the territorial supreme court, and Former Judge W. L. Stanley to assist in the prosecution of the strikers on the island of Hawaii.  The sugar planters association is paying the expense and compensation for the appointees.”  (Nevada State Journal, Reno. “Solon Aid Doubted in Island Disputes.” 9-14-1924, p. 4.)

Sep 15: “Manila, Sept. 15. (AP) – J. S. Manaran, president of the National Confederation of Farm Laborers of the Philippine Islands, today sent a communication to the legislature here recommending the establishment of a Justice of the peace court in Hawaii with a Filipino Judge to handle cases in which Filipinos are involved.

“The recommendation came as a result of an armed fight between strikers and police recently in Hawaiian territory on the island of Kauai, in which 16 plantation workers and four policemen were killed.

“The Filipinos were brought from Manila under an agreement with cane plantation owners. Pending receipt of an official report from Governor Wallace R. Farrington of Hawaii, Governor General Leonard Wood today told Caszo Cruz, labor director here, to cease his agitation for official intervention by Wood in the Hawaiian affair.”  (Bakersfield Californian. “Wants Filipino Judge in Hawaiian Cases.” 9-15-1924, p. 2.)

Sources

Bakersfield Californian. “20 Are Killed in Strike Riots.” 9-11-1924, p. 1. Accessed 10-12-2012 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=166755455

Bakersfield Californian. “Filipino Population of Hawaii is 39,608.” 9-12-1924, p. 11. Accessed 10-12-2012 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=166755467

Bakersfield Californian. “Wants Filipino Judge in Hawaiian Cases.” 9-15-1924, p. 2. Accessed 10-12-2012 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=154730832

Billings Gazette, MT. “130 Filipino Strikers Held. Score Now Dead in Hawaii Sugar Farm Civil War.” 9-12-1924, p. 1. Accessed 10-12-2012: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=76840843

Hill, Tiffany. “A Massacre Forgotten.” Honolulu Magazine, Jan 2010. Accessed 10-12-2012 at: http://www.honolulumagazine.com/Honolulu-Magazine/January-2010/A-Massacre-Forgotten/index.php?cparticle=1&siarticle=0#artanc

Lowell Sun, MA. “Round-Up of Filipino Strikers.” 9-12-1924, p. 8. Accessed 10-12-2012 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=56400163

Nevada State Journal, Reno. “Solon Aid Doubted in Island Disputes.” 9-14-1924, p. 4. Accessed 10-12-2012 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=5037257

Nevada State Journal, Reno. “Strikers Enter Plea.” 9-13-1924, p. 1. Accessed 10-12-2012 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=5036432

Oakland Tribune, CA. “Gun Cache Found at Island Riot Scene.” 9-12-1924, p. 6. Accessed 10-12-2012 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=32117729

San Antonio Express, TX. “Hawaii To Control Plantation Strikers.” 9-13-1924, p. 9. Accessed 10-12-2012 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=68145091

Schmitt, Robert C. Catastrophic Mortality in Hawaii. 2-2-2009, 86 pages. Accessed 9-20-2012 at: Catastrophic Mortality in Hawaii – eVols – University of Hawaii. Accessed at: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fevols.library.manoa.hawaii.edu%2Fbitstream%2Fhandle%2F10524%2F150%2FJL03074.pdf%3Fsequence%3D2&ei=UPSvVK2bLoO4yQTO74L4DA&usg=AFQjCNHER9A57xAr6d0m9mJcnsc4F2Z8Gg&bvm=bv.83339334,d.aWw

San Antonio Light, TX. “Four Policemen, 11 Filipino Strikers Killed in Disorders.” 9-10-1924, p. 17. Accessed 10-12-2012: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=78483818

San Antonio Light, TX. “Guard Called in Hawaiian Strike.” 9-11-1924, p. 1. Accessed 10-12-2012 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=68145065

[1] Andy Bushnell, retired Kauai Community College history professor.

[2] Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association.

[3] Cites:  Honolulu Star Bulletin (HSB), Sept. 9, 1924, p. 1; HSB, Sept 10, 1924, p. 1; Kuykendall, Ralph S. and A. Grove Day. Hawaii:  A History (rev. ed.).  Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1961, pp. 281-282.