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Aruba case has
Hawaii parallels

It's one of those "mystery in paradise" stories played out across newspaper pages throughout the United States: a distant tropical isle, a lovely white woman possibly the subject of a vicious attack by several "local" men, the FBI dispatched to investigate, politicians worrying about the impact the case will have on the image of an idyllic tourist destination and, well, books and movies to follow.

It's happening on the tiny Caribbean island of Aruba right now. But that sense of deja vu you're having might be because of the similarities between the disappearance of 18-year-old Natalee Holloway on Aruba and the infamous Massie case of Honolulu 75 years ago.

Hopefully, the memories of the Massie case will stop people from jumping to conclusions in the Aruba affair. The main difference so far is that the presumed "victim" in the Hawaii case, 20-year-old Thalia Massie, Navy wife and daughter of a wealthy and powerful mainland family, falsely reported that she had been kidnapped, raped and beaten by several nonwhite men.

As of this writing, the whereabouts of Natalee Holloway are unknown, and an islandwide search is under way. But here are some of the amazing similarities in the two cases:

» In 1931, Hawaii was a territory of the United States. Aruba is a semiautonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands whose governor is appointed by the queen.

» Massie was allegedly assaulted after leaving a Waikiki nightclub alone. Holloway disappeared after leaving a club called Carlos 'N Charlie's alone.

» Five nonwhite "local men" were arrested in the Massie case. So far, three "local" nonwhite men are considered suspects in the Holloway disappearance. They admit meeting Holloway but say they dropped her off at her hotel on the morning she disappeared.

» The local men arrested in the Massie case were from mostly impoverished or working-class backgrounds. One of the men arrested in the Aruba incident is from a housing project for poorer islanders, and the other from an "average" home, according to news reports.

» The FBI sent a team of investigators to Hawaii. The FBI has sent a team of investigators to Aruba.

» Every major newspaper in the country ran stories on the Massie case. Every major newspaper in the country is running stories on the Holloway case.

» Hawaii officials worried that bad publicity of the Massie case would create the impression that Honolulu was not safe for visitors. Aruba officials are concerned that the Holloway case will hurt tourism, which the island depends on.

From here the stories diverge, but there still are some instructive points to consider: The five men charged in the Massie case were freed after a mistrial. One of the men, Joseph Kahahawai, was later murdered by Thalia's husband and her socialite mother, and another of the accused was severely beaten by sailors.

According to an excellent book on the Massie case, "Honor Killing," by University of Hawaii American-studies professor David Stannard, it became clear that Thalia Massie had not been abducted and raped. Although her mother and husband, represented by the celebrated lawyer Clarence Darrow, eventually were convicted of manslaughter, they were sentenced to just one hour in custody, served in the office of territorial Gov. Lawrence Judd, and then allowed to leave the islands.

In a recent essay on the strange events and rabid news coverage surrounding the Massie case, Stannard wrote, "The example should cause all of us to consider what we would have done under those circumstances."

Those circumstances are with us now in the Holloway case. We should reserve judgment on the disturbing events in Aruba. Natalee Holloway likely has been the victim of foul play. But many people thought the same about a certain "runaway bride" only several weeks ago.

We should allow the Dutch, U.S. and Aruba authorities to complete their investigation without jumping to conclusions. And we should hope the suspects in custody are treated to justice, not hysterical reaction pumped up by tabloid journalism and a misguided desire by authorities worried about the tourist dollar to put a messy situation behind them as quickly as possible. What happened in the Massie case should not be repeated on another island, in another ocean, so many years later and yet so close to home.