The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1903-05-12
(From Mondays daiiy.)

I Qrom Mondays daiiy)
Six thousand dollars per month a.
hush money" was the price which the
agent of four proposed Chinese gam
bling houses of Honolulu offered tt
Deputy Attorney-General Emil c
Peters yesterday afternoon in the At.
torney-Generals office in the Capito
Building, to gain his help in nolle
pressing gambling cases in the Circuit
Court.
Fifteen hundred dollars per week
was the offer which Tong Kai made to
the Deputy Attorney-General out OF
which he was to bride Attorney-Gen
eral Lorrin Andrews, and IL necessary
other members Of the Department
This money was to be the price of
their. silence While the gamblers piled
their profession.
But the briber and his agent, well
known Hawaiian, sounded the wrong
man. The Deputy was not to be
bribed and Tong Kai is now confined
at the police station with a charge of
attempted bribery lodged against him.
The entire negotiations were con-
Quoted in the Attorney Generals office
yesterday afternoon shortly after 5
o'clock, with Mr.. Peters, Tong Kai
and the Hawaiian, who acted also as
the interpreter, supposed to be the
only ones in the room. On one side
of the Attorney-General's office there
Is a large wardrobe, part of the old
royal furniture, a central portion with
two side panels The back of one of
these smaller closets had been re-
moved, and in this small compartment,
Acknowledgement Andrews and A. p.
Taylor, reporter of the Advertiser,
were concealed. Every word that
passed between Deputy Attorney-G Gen
eral Peters and the briber and his 60
between, was clearly heard in the
little closet, a stenographic record
being taken of the talk.
For half an hour the negotiations
were conducted when Mr.. Peters
brought the proceedings to a sudden
close with the words:
Excuse me, I've got to telephone"
This was the signal agreed upon
by Mr.. Peters with Acknowledgement
Andrews for the latter and the other
witness to step out into the room. In
the outer room was w. S. Fleming of
the Acknowledgements department,
ready to enter at the proper moment.
The details leading up to the arrest
had been carefully planned by the two
officials, and the offer of the bride was
to be made definitely and several
times over, before the climax was to
come.
In the small compartment the two
witnesses were compelled to stay for
more than half an hour, not daring to
move lest their presence become
known and the entire proposition fall
through. When Mr. Peters gave the
signal, the Acknowledgement threw
open the door and rushed to the center
of the room.
THE ARRESTS MADE.
II place you under arrest! ex-
claimed Peters, and at that instant the
Chinaman rose hastily to his feet, his
hands reaching to his pockets. Mr.
Peters at once drew a revolver and
levelling it at Tung Kai, told him to
sit down, or throw up his hands. The
interpreter said never a word. From
his seat he was looking into a mirror
which reflected the wardrobe. When
the Attorney-General emerged from
his place of concealment, making con-
siderable noise as he did SO, followed
by the reporter, he did not have to
dIouuu W oSc WHO was III luo
room. His eyes saw everything In the
mirror and he remained quiet. The
Chinaman sat down, and then burst
into hysterical mutterings, appealing
to his agent for an explanation. He
rolled from side to side, tears spring
ing up in his eyes, but the Deputy At
torney- General sharply ordered him to
keep still.
Attorney General Andrews at once
notified the Chinaman that he was
under arrest for attempted bribery,
which the agent interpreted. Mr.. An
drews then telephoned to the police
station for the patrol wagon and ac-
companled the prisoner to the station
where he lodged the charge against
him, bail being fixed at $500 cash.
Last week an agent sounded Mr..
Peters as to accepting money to pro
tect" various gambling huis which
were to open paka pho games. His part
was to look after any gambling cases
in which the huis would be interested,
should they reach the Circuit Court.
The agent made the tempting offer OF
SO 900 per week. Mr.. Peters seeming
ly fell in with the offer, and invited