The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-28
MIR. osBoRNE's LETTER.
Waikiki Inn, August q, 10

+ Waikiki Inn, August q, 1901. |
Editor Advertiser-If practical joking |
is a diversion that has your sympathy |
and approval. do not peruse these |
pages; if otherwise, you are welcome !
TO use them as you see fit.
/ am a guest at the Waikiki Inn. On |
Sunday morning between 1:30 and ?
O'Clock, three men came up to my room
just as I was about to turn in and ask
ed if 1 could find Mr.. Amy, as there
was a body on the beach. The men
stood in the5 shade of the veranda and
| doorway, and being very tired and
sleepy, and not concerned at the news,
l did not trouble 70 scan my visitors
closely, but Immediately hurried down.
stairs and up to Mr.. Almy's rooms.
When he came downstairs we could
find neither men or body, so concluding
the affair was meant for joke, we
soon retired and thought no more of it.
But after dinner, about $50 p. m.t
gain had two visitors, one introduced
to me as a police department official
| of some sort {and he isl. He told me
| a story of three men and q body for
which I was responsible, that was get
ting about town, and he Just wanted
to know the facts in the interest Of
| hisE department. He asked who were
| the men? I told him straight off that
| the spokesman was as like him as
could be Che was the mani, but the
others didn't see. L then resumed my
mail work, from which | had been dis
| turbed, only TO be called away again
| by Mr.. Amy, who said I was wanted
on the telephone, where, with some
| eight or nine persons in the room, some
| strangers to me, | was kept IN ner-
/ Vous excitement and annoyance for I
cannot say how long-an hour at least
listening TO series of questions sup
posed to emanate from the different
newspaper offices in town. Who had ar
ranged this irregular telephoning? The
police officer or official who came to ME
} in an official capacity TO Investigate a
bogus story for my discontinue. And
now through the telephone the story of
the three men and a body is further
embellished with two women: the body
turns out to be that of a woman [ was
seen with, on the evidence of another
woman immodestly dressed, with
whom l had been seen bathing rather
= improperly at O'Clock in the morning
= AS these stories leaked out I had tc
face a defamation of character (by my
denial of them) before a number OF
persons. some Of whom I don't know
and who were not in the plot. and 6
fIady known 20 me was outside. Even
tually l had phone purporting t
come from the High Sheriff, Mr.
Brown. TO meet him at the Office OF tbs
Daily Advertiser, so l went dowr
town, late though it was, and being
\ about, waiting for Sheriff Brown som'
, three-quarters OF an hour, but no
knowing the exact location Of the Dali!
Advertiser. l looked into the adjacen
restaurant to- enquire and I found th'
same police official there quietly enjoy
ing a newspaper, doubtless with extr;
relish, having put stranger to i'm
mense Inconvenience, annoyance, ex
pense, extreme mental excitement ant
tuneasiness, loss of valuable time, miss
u Ing a mail. and some expense also
tell him Sheriff Brown hasn't come yet
q SO he actually advises me to bottle
him with his joke, and ring him UP
I In all innocence l do so. to learn tina
y ne has no recollection of the appoint
lment. Then / request an interview
q with the editor of the Daily Advertise
and find he knows nothing about tn
+ matter. To an outsider it may appea
: that l might have detected the frau
% sooner; but is that the point; if I an
. an over-gullible fool, that does no
give me over carte blanche to practica
q jokers. I also made the mistake o
suppoSing the police official TO be
perfect gentleman when I had the mis-
fortune to be introduced to him
there. are doubtless many here under
similar deiusion-aud now thanks I
his efforts, my nerves never over
strong. and recently much weakene
by insomnia, are quite unstrung. n
mind disquieted and spirit mortified
Not being without little proper self
= respect. 1 take my meals in my room
being ashamed TO meet in public an
guests who may have participated i
IN or know Of the fun and as soon a
I can pack up my trunks I am goin
to q hotel where the manager has
| better conception of his obligations {
his guests, and does not allow them {
, be wrought into an anxious nervou
, state for the sport of himself, polio
officials, or inconsiderate guests VIII
p derive untold delight out Of another
II discontinue l. perhaps, fall the easie
\ prey to persons of such tastes. havin
II from my birth up associated with kind
", trustworthy, sensitive people an
having. I hope, at least acquired som
such disposition myself. I've no use fc
< persons who trife with it; particular
for strangers just introduced, whom