The Hawaiian gazette., 1898-02-18
Noted Figure Of THE City, Nov
in Honolulu.
LAWYER AND JOURNALIST
Ben Napthaly Who Has Had Career.
When He Was a Star Reporter.
Incident From Life.

here are few in number That the man
Is missed up there is without question.
He is an individual OF remarkable
characteristics in several directions
and will in all likelihood make an i'm
preston in the Islands. Just how San
Francisco managed the Jubilee cele-
bration on a cold day without Ben
Napthaly 10 give warmth and glow to
the occasion will ever remain a mys-
terry. Ben is what the biographical
artist calls "a host in himself" He
has been a figure before the public of
San Francisco for more than a quarter
Of century.
Mr. Napthaly, when it comes to de-
Eailed descriptive, modestly arraigns
himself as an attorney and journalist
He has had a wide and interesting
experience in each of these fields.
Eapthaly may have his peculiarities,
but it must be one of the chief joys
Of life to have the ability that has en-
abled him to trim such a career as has
been his. He says he has come TO
Hawaii to remain. He will be here
till he takes a notion to return to mis-
beloved San Francisco.
This stranger within the gates who
is not a stranger to a good many of the
people here, first came into promin-
ence in San Francisco when he was
1 chip of boy. He assisted the Chron
GcIe IN unearthing a tremendous scan
dal in an orphan asylum. The in
mates received treatment that would
make beasts cut and run. a great
reform was accomplished and the boy
Napthaly was taken up by the De
Youngs and others. He learned the
printing business, became reporter
and a lawyer. He was the star man
Of the Chronicle city staff for long
time. As a lawyer, like the toad, he
has had his ups and downs Ben has
been accused, either justly or unjust
ly Of using a bit too much energy on
behalf of clients. Some of his innoya-
tons 10 the practice were too progress
sive and direct for the staid wearers
of the ermine. As a result Ben has
from time to time since early in the
70's come into collision with various
courts. He has been punished for
contempt Of court and for saying that
he was trying to conceal his contempt
of court Ben has been in politics
ever since he was old enough to wade
into the swim, and no legislative ses-
sion at Sacramento has been consider
ed more than half baked without Ben
on hand to act in any capacity from
coxswain for steering committee, to
full blown lobbyist or bookkeeper for
an oil room. He has been in all of it
and has in his interior department
the secrets of the statesmen of the
Coast and their engineers and man
ayers for % years.
Yes, Napthaly was a star reporter.
One piece of work that he did has no
parallel. II has been told hundreds
of times at gatherings of pressmen.
1t shows to what expediencies men
will resort in loyal service to a paper
or to merely get ahead of the other
fellows
1t was about 1875 that a remarkably
handsome and winsome girl of Is or 10
started from New York for San Fran
cisco with truly and really and alb
solutely no fortune but her face. The
first train she boarded she handed the
conductor note to the effect that she
was deaf and dumb and was endeavor-
ing TO reach relatives on the Pacific
coast. She was about to be put of
the car when passengers interviewed
and took up collection. 1t was the
same right through. The Americans
had not at that date been defrauded
by all sorts of games and pretenses
as they have since.
The girl had very little trouble till
she was somewhere out in Nevada.
At this stage she became so elated
over the success Of her rush that she
spoke TO a lady in the seat beside here.
A train Official and several other gen
tlemen hear her give tone The pretty
girl, looking sweet and innocent. was
a fraud. Upon being discovered she
took refuge in the silence to which
she had been accustomed for several
days Nothing could induce her TO
utter another word, though she would
not deny her deceit. The railroad peo-
pie were so angered over the affair
that they had the girl jailed at San
Francisco.
The papers were mad to get the
story of the interesting imposter. She
smiled and sulked and cried, but not
a word would she yield. The police
tried to brighten her and women re-
porters, then quite rare, used their
Establishments, but she was impervi-
GUS to all manner of inducement.
Finally, Ben Napthaly. then a dash
ing young chap, said that interview
ing the girl was too easy altogether.
that he would get her story in ten
minutes if he could be allowed to meet
her privately. 1t was supposed to be
4 secret conversation, but officers were
listening and afterwards the accounts
were given identically by Napthaly and
the girl. Ben told her a few fairy