Hawaii holomua = Progress. [volume] (Honolulu) 1893-1895, 1894-12-11
WETMORE.
THE MAN WHO BILKED
THE GOVERNMENT.
Rewarded for Disclosing
an Imaginary Plot.

Since the arrest OF Mr.. Bush
and others a number of people
have remembered the name OF
Wetmore who made himself IA
Their conspicuous short while
ago by giving away" for cash, a
socalled royalist plot.
Mr. Wetmore who is news
paper man Of some ability arrived
in Honolulu a few months ago,
and using his former acquaint-
ance with several prominent peo-
pie here be succeeded in being
listened to when he unfolded
some wonderful plans for the
overthrow of the republic No
body took him aa ssrieu1. but
several people listened to his
wild programme aud fitted with
his wife. We are constantly ask
ed who and what this impudent
stranger is and how he has been
mixed up with the affairs Of Ha-
wall.
The following article from the
!Soa Francisco Post will show some
of his career, and the absu1dity
of the Wetmore episode in Ha-
wall:
From Honolulu by the steam
ship Mariposa comes the story of
an abortive attempt on the part
of the Royalist party to overthrow
the republic and reinstate the
dethroned Queen.
The story has a certain inter
est in this city from the fact that
the head and front of the con-
spiracy was Claude 81. Wetmore,
newspaper man who is we'll
known in several of the principal
cities of the United States, and
who is at the present time in this
city.
Wetmore returned from Homo
lulu last Saturday on the Austria
liza with his wife and since his
arrival has not been in evidence
to any extent.
The Mariposa brings the in
formation that Wetmore left the
islands to escape prosecution by
the Government for treason.
In order to have full under
standing of the story it is neces-
sary to go back to Wetmore's
first connection with the islands.
When the news of the Hawai-
ian revolution first reached the
United States, Wetmore was sent
to Honolulu by Chicago paper
as special correspondent. He
remained in the islands until
June, 1898. During this time he
took very active part in the
little island drama, and was asso-
ciated, so it was said, with a rep
resentative of the New York
World in the attempt. about which
so much was said at the time, to
induce the Provisional Govern
ment to purchase the rights of
the ex-Queen for s25, 900 cash
and an annuity of S25 900, the
payment of which was to be
guaranteed by the Government.
The scheme came to nothing,
owing to the obstinacy of the
Queen. who, at the last moment,
repudiated Paul Neumann, who
was acting under power of at
torney which gave him full auth
ority to act in her behalf.
Wetmore was dramatic and
even sensational In his campaign
and ran up such elaborate bills for
expense that IN the end the Chi
cago newspaper became tired and
be was recalled.
There is a rule In the islands,
which is vigorously enforced. by
the by, that no person can leave
the islands without first paving
all he owes there. Wetmore had
become involved in a dispute with
the stenographer employed by
him, over the amount due for
services. and as the hour for the
sailing of the Australia drew near
the stenographer fled his claim
for services and had Wetmore's
passport stopped.
Wetmore. however, knew
trick that the guileless Hawaiian
stenographer was not familiar
with. He was on friendly terms
with Captain Ludlow, commander
of the United States ship Mohi-
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