Maui Death Threats
At Least Someone Cares

BY BUCK QUAYLE, 1972

Death threats in Maui are not common but:

Maui Police Chief Abraham Aiona and I were alone in the middle of the night basking in the flames of another school fire which would only be solved some time later. It turned out three students were burning down schools.

As I started to walk away, I remembered, and turned back.

"Oh, by the way, Chief, I've been receiving death threats."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Three times."

"Do you think they are serious?"

"Actually, I don't know. The guy seems absolutely crazy."

"Do you know who it is?"

"No. But I have a suspect. He phones me and rants and raves and swears at me and says he is going to kill me. He never gives a reason why."

"He may be this cook on Front Street. Perhaps at the L------ Grill. I hear he used to be a cop and was fired for being mentally unstable."

"Oh,yeah. I think I know who it is."

"Actually the last time he called and said he was going to kill me, I challenged him. He seems to be a young to middle-aged man. While swearing at me non-stop-he admited he lived in Lahaina, and knew where I lived and worked."

"I checked to make sure he really knew the location, and he did. I said that if he lived in Lahaina, then he could be there in ten or 15 minutes. He said he could."

"Well, if you really want to kill me, you ---, let's get this over. I'll meet you at this location in exactly one hour. With one difference. I'm going to kill you first."

He never showed up.

"If anything happens, Chief, will you please check this guy out for me."

"Okay."

UPDATE

At the age of 75, Chief Abraham Aiona died. Born Aug. 29, 1925, he was, according to himself, "one of the few three-fourths Hawaiians still around." He was forced to retire as Maui's man at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs in 1998, due to a kidney failure, as a consequence of an accident he had on duty.