The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-02-05
A NEW WAY TO
STOCK
Up
How a Hardware
Co.'S Concern
Was Robbed.

Vim Chan, bookkeeper for the Chi
nese hardware company Of Sing Chan
& Co., King street, Palama, was ar
rested last night and held by the police
under heavy bail on a charge of grand
larceny. The incidents leading to his
arrest as told in the charges filed
against him by I. s. Dillingham;, man
ager of the Pacific Hardware Com
pany, and Percy Benson, treasurer Of
the same company make a novel
story. Vim Chan is alleged to have
used a young half Chinese boy, Will
liam Ayau, who is employed as a clerk
in the Pacific Hardware Company's
store, in carrying out new game.
In the presence Of Manager Dilling-
ham and Deputy Sheriff Chillingworth,
last night. Percy Benson, treasurer of
the company, made the following state
ment concerning the affair.
For about five months" said Mr.
Benson. "this boy, William Ayau,
clerk in the store and a son of Chi
naman who has been a trusted en-
ploye of the company for about twenty
years, has been taking a certain num-
Der of original entries of charges
against Sing Chan & Co. every month
before they We're entered on the led
gers of our company and also taking
the sale tags and the bills made out by
our billing clerk of goods sold to Sing
Chan & Co.. and selling them to the
Chinese firm. He would take this bill
and the original sale tag to the firm
of Sing Chan & Co. and for small
proportion of the amount of the bill
would receipt it in full and surrender
the original sale tag to them as a
guarantee that no charge for the goods
would be entered against them upon
our books. The boy would keep the
money he received from Sing Chan &
Co.
when a quantity of goods sold at |
wholesale in our store Is ordered the !
selling clerk makes out a tag, showing
the quantity and the price. This card
then goes to the shipping room. The
goods are made up and the tag is then
sent to the billing clerk. The clerk
makes out a bill which is sent with the
goods. Then the tag goes to the man
ager Mr.. Dillingham;, and after he
looks it over it is the duty of young
Ayau to take all the tags for the day
and arrange them in alphabetical or
der and take them to the bookkeeper.
However, before taking them to the
young Ayau distracted
nearly all of the tags and bills of the
Sing Chan Company. He then took
them to the debtors, collected small
amount of the bill for himself. receipt
ed the bill in full, and turned over to
hem the sale tags, thus destroying all
,ept the receipts which our dray drv-
,rs took when delivering the goods.
During the last month Mr. Dilling-
nam noted that the tags concerning
goods sold to the Sing Chan Company
to indicate heavy purchases on
heir part. He looked up the ratings
# the firm and at the end of the month
.sked the bookkeeper concerning their
account. BY referring to the ledger
lie found that they We're charged with
tut a small amount in comparison with
he goods he remembered had been
hipped them. He became suspicious
md this afternoon called in Deputy
sheriff Chillingworth. Mr.. Dillingham;
hen got the receipts which had been a
aiken by dray drivers for the amount a
f goods delivered during the month
o the firm and found that wide dis S
repancy existed between the amount i
4 goods they were charged with on
he ledger and the amount they had
ctually receipted for. On investiga- t
Ing, the boy was called in and after
few minutes admitted that he had
cen doing as I have previously out
ned. The boy was frightened. We
ad bill in hand then for sl4i against I
he Sing Chan Company. This bill O
'as given to the boy. We also gave S
i'm the original sale tags. Then he C
tent to the Sing Chan Co. Mr.. Chill \
Mr.. Dillingham;. and my n
ELF accompanied him. When we d
cached the, store We stayed outside. Ii
he boy entered. handed over the bill, S
he original evidence OF the sale. re- 1
eived twenty-five dollars. and then n