Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-01-18

IenOUEn 10 meet tne checks Vi tHe JUN
ior member of the firm.
AT this time Peter was a tall, serious
looking young man. His manners
were quiet and somewhat reserved.
md his DIRE 81. neutral in color, was
we'll fitted though not expensive. No
.iustache had ever dishgured his long,
upper lip. and his hair was always
rushed smoothly and carefully. He
iad never tasted liquor and tobacco
nc abhorred: In fact. the smell of cigar
smoke always produced from him Il
Iquiet. gcnteel cough. He took an in
lterest in charitable affairs and was
regular in his religious observances.
On the whole he was a model young
man.
In spite OF all this he was not pop
ular. Young people did not seem to
like him. As young Forrest, a fellow
clerk. expressed IL, Pete Is too good
Tor young man and too selfish for
an old one"
His connection with the Folsom af-
fair was not forgotten by business
men, and While nothing was ever
proved against him, many people
looked doustful when pleasant things
concerning him were said.
Years went by. The elder Stetson
G.cd. The business was continued IA
the old name. under, the supposed d.
roctions OF the son, but mana srd in
IeAi!ty by Peter.
one day there was sensation Mr..
.i,etson disappeared On the Office
door appeared the name of Peter AL
Herthin in the place OF that OF Stetson.
With the disappearance of his name
the person of Mr.. Stetson also van
ished. He was heard Of afterward in
Algiers and later in Cape Town, but
he never came back. NUMEROUS debts
against him appeared and the insur-
ance companies whom he had repre-
scented had warrants issued for his ar
rest. A receiver was appointed to
take charge Of his assets, but there
were no assets. In court Peter Alwer-
thin produced bill Of sale for all the
personal property of the late firm and
the real estate was mortgaged to its
full value
There was much talk and newspaper
comment, but no flaw could be found
in Peters bill OF sale and the Stetson
creditors bore their loss as they could.
The Alwerthin insurance and real
estate agency continued the business
OF Stetson 4 Co. and soon after the set
Element Of these legal matters Peter
took his first plunge In politics. His
reasons for doing SO were not made
lpublic: he did not regard IL as neces-
sary, but II Is probable that he re-
garded 1t as advantageous to his bust
ness. In his real estate transactions
he frequently found 1t necessary to
look after the assessment and taxation
Of his clients property, and he No
doubt discovered that some acQuaint-
ance with political affairs would inn
prove his knowledge Of revenue laws
and customs.
His father had been Republican,
as had the Stetsons, but he Joined the
Democratic club In his ward. The fact
that the Democrats were In the ma
lJority In the ward ana city may have
influenced him, but II SO he did no,
mention 1t.
He was active In his quiet way in
ward politics and soon after he added
Ia district branch to his business, that
or looking after the assessment OF
property and paying the taxes and
Especial assessments thereon. He did
q good business In this line and at the
m m insrnnSaI 10 lao. ~
l,tical friends.
Three years later there was u polit-
ical revolution. The Republicans
gained control Of his ward and the
lefty. There was an Investigation OF
municipal affairs. Important disclos-
ures were made, Property owners
lswore that certain men had offered To
procure Il reduction OF their taxes for
certain percentage Of the amount
saved them. Some had refused these
offers, Others had accepted them.
! Warrants for the arrest of these tax
! iixers were issued. Some of the men
disappeared, some were arrested, and
several of the latter confessed their
; crime and said that they were en-
ployed by Peter Alwerthin to do this
sort OF work.
Peter was arrested and placed under
heavy bonds, but his trial was put of
from term to term by the shrewd man
agement of his lawyers, and the pros
ecution finally, worn out, abandoned 1t.
In the meantime he had been ex-
lpelled from the Democratic ward club
and at once declared himself Repub-
lican. Later he Joined the Republican
Iclub and his old-tlme Democratic as
sociates limited that this had some
connection with the dropping of the
leases against him. AT any rate, he be-
came an enthusiastic Republican.
In return for this enthusiasm and his
speeches in favor of honest politics he
was nominated for city clerk, but in
the election he was defeated, though
his colleagues on the ticket were elect
ed on the ticket were elected by fair
Ina iDiitips He had usa6 mnna, ,n,b,,,