The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-01-19

be the friend of we'll known
financiers, a recent arrival from the
Coast who is known as Mr.. Allen is
running confidence game on Homo
lulans with success. Allen is known in
the East, San Francisco and along the
Coast as a smooth confidence man and
! a professional gambler. His record is
an unsavory one and the police of
other cities have him on their list.
! Allen came to Honolulu on the
steamer Sierra in company with his
better half and another man who is
known as Beckwith or Beckelman, or
Beckley, or any other name that fits
the occasion. Beckwith is an accom-
plice and is always at hand when a
victim is to be heeced.
! Allen is a man of sleek address and
Beckwith a specious second. Both have
been making use of the barrooms and
corridors of hotels since their arrival
and have made any number of "ac-
quaintances" by their easy manners
and suave tongues.
! On the voyage down from San Fran
cisco the two men showed they We're a
pair of, card sharps and. some of the
passengers mourned the loss of all they
possessed. Two young men in particu-
lar are the losers and upon arrival in
Honolulu acknowledged being out sew
eral hundred dollars.
Two men who went back ito San
Francisco yesterday on the steamship
China were victimized by the sharps
J in the following manner:
| On Wednesday night the two victims
were at the Hawaiian hotel. One of
them, a Southerner of prominence
| (whose name is at our disposaD, had
already met Beckwith, who had treat
ed him at various times and whom he
considered a perfect gentleman"
Beekwith introduced "his friend Allen"
and in turn the second victim was
made known to the two sharps. Allen
claimed to have just met Beckwith,
but nevertheless all lined UP to the bar
and drank one anothers health
| Allen said he was also a Southerner
and knew the friends, family and rela-
tives of one of the victims. AS the
wine flowed the victims became more
and more enamored of Allen because
he was "Southerner. too"
| The victim, in the exuberance Of his
spirits, unwittingly displayed to the
eyes of the sharps handfuls of gold
which he had just received. The mon
ey amounted to big sum and belong
ed to himself and a friend who had
placed it in his keeping. The other vic
tim also had 5000 but was careful then
not to show it. Finally Alien proposed
that the entire party call a hack and
! go to Waikiki to the hotel of his
friend Smith, The others acquiesccd.
.! They went first to the Hotel Annex,
where dinner was promised to be serv-
ed, and then to the Waikiki Inn. Later
on the party adjourned to a small cot
tage which seemed to have been little
used.
| Wine was procured and when the
hackrnan went to the cottage to in
uuire about his passengers he found
/ them in the midst of a poker game and
all but Allen much under the influence
of liquor. The victims stated they were
/ drawn into the game and that they
/ parted with their money and that Al
! len and Beckwith simulated drunken
! ness At length Beckwith claimed to
be i'll and Allen sent him away in a
hack. The hack driver was directed to
a house on Wilder avenue near Puma
hou, which is the residence of Allen
and his wife.
Some one suggested toward the con-
clusion of the game that the party go
to Iwilei. Allen had the party driven
there, but no one except the young
man who had had 5000 was dropped off
there The Southern victim states
positively, and the hackman's evidence
is corroborative, that he did not get
out of the hack there. Allen then
drove the balance of the party up town
and the next morning the victims
found they had not cent left in their
pockets. Allen proposed to give them
back 5000 the same morning but they
did not see him again.
I Thursday afternoon the two victims
hunted up an attorney and hunt was
made for the sharps. Allen was de-
scribed and a visit was made to the
house of an old HoHolulan of the same
name who was able to direct them tc
the house of the Allen sought after
The attorney found the house on VIII
der avenue.
The wife answered his knock ant
claimed her husband was out of towr