The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1902-10-03

The authorities have sent an officer
to the Coast for the purpose of arrest
ing William H. Wright, the abscond-
ing treasurer. The officer left Homo
lulu last Tuesday on the S. 5. Sierra
The latest effort of the police to secure
the absconding treasurer has been kept
a secret and not until today were facts
of the case ascertained.
officer McDuffie, one of the special
officers of the police department, is the
man who was dispatched after Wright
The circumstances of McDuttie's de-
parture bear, by strange coincidence,
some similarity to the escape Of w. Ii.
Wright last week aboard the Alameda
McDuihe boarded the vessel in
much more open fashion however than
did Wright. 1t was shortly before the
Sierra sailed that the officer boarded
the vessel. He was dressed in an or
dinary blue serge suit and carried no
valise or parcel one of the special Of
ficers had gone aboard the vessel a
minute before McDuflie appeared, and
when the latter approached the gang
way and passed aboard nothing usual
was surmised. 1 was supposed at that
time that McDuflie was merely going
aboard to search the vessel for the
purpose of finding j. Comes, who was
the defendant in a civil suit. The Off
GERS were desirous of securing service
on Comes and, as an uniformed officer
had gone aboard, McDutiie was sup
posed to have followed to assist him
in locating Comes. This surmise prov
ed entirely incorrect, however, for Nc
Duffie did not leave the Sierra and
sailed away in her for San Francisco.
1t is not positively known what char
acter of paper was given McDuff1e for
hp a a q I
unnecessary to have "a warrant based
on an indictment in such a case. 1t is
reported that McDuflie was given a
warrant issued from the Circuit Court
calling for the arrest of Wright. En-
bezzlement is understood to have been
the charge preferred in the warrant
against Wright
Whether McDufie has been sent on
a wild goose chase or the police au-
thorities have secured information
which caused them to believe that they
could lay their hands on Wright, Is not
certain. 1t seems hardly probable that
an officer would be dispatched to the
Coast and the Territory put to a use
less expense especially with the treas
ury in such a depleted and pilfered con-
diton, unless there was some strong
prospect of catching the fugitive. Such
things have happened in other places
of course. II is understood that the
authorities think they will be able to
effect the apprehension of the abscond-
ing treasurer.
Wright left here September "a and
the officer sent in pursuit of his de-
parted September 80. Wright has
therefore a start of six days over his
pursuer. 1t is not improbable that
Wright will hunt up James II. Boyd,
the Superintendent of Public Works,
who is now in San Francisco on vis-
it, and McDulIie may be able to secure
from Boyd some information which
will lead to the apprehension of the fu-
gitive Those who are acquainted with
Wright are inclined to think that he
will believe himself secure from any
danger of eXtrad1uon and will wait
around San Francisco indefinitely. In
such an event his capture seems GER
tain. On the other hand those who
have watched the progress of the en-
tire affair OF Wright and detect some
funny" features to his escape think
that there is little danger of Wright