The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1904-09-14
WHERE DID
He GET IT,
Roses Case Attracted
Attention on the .
Mainland.

All across the continent young Rose
of Hilo who was arretsed in Delaware
for nurIoining a Panama hat from the
mails while he was in the Hilo post
Office, heard the sad, worn refrain,
where did you get that hat?" Roses
case attracted much attention wher-
ever the train stopped and the ubiquit-
GUS reporter could get his pencil work.
ing on the story. The Salt Lake Tri-
bune says of him:
! A chase across half the globe, now
ended will soon result in retribution
overtaking a luckless Kanaka for the
theft of an old Panama hat. The ka-
naka, in custody of Delaware's United
States Marshal, passed through ogden
yesterday on the Union Pacific west
bound No. 1. The pair are on their
way to the Hawaiian islands, whence
| the thief took his departure some
months ago.
In it's details the case affords an
other example of the foolishness of toy
ing with Uncle Sans mails, for Amer
ica's postoffice department and Amer
cised over the hat save for the facl
that it was distracted from govern
ment postoffice.
FANCIED THE HAT.
Tt seems that the Kanaka, ignorant
of the vigilance with which his new
government watches the divers articles
consigned to it's care under the pro-
lection of postage stamps, took a fancy
to the hat. Such hats are common in
Hilo where this native lived, and this
one was old at that. But the luckless
native happened to want this particu-
lar article of headgear, and took it,
thereby taking his place as first starter
in a sort of relay race, which endured
across the Pacific and the American
continent.
After the theft some one told the
thief what he had done, and he pro-
ceeded to put as much salt water as
possible between himself and the scene
of his crime Meantime the postal de-
partment got wind of the fact that the
hat had vanished. and investigation
was thereupon instituted. Any one who
has lost a letter in the mails and has
gone through the red tape of getting
it back knows what this means. It took
TIME, Oul II was nC pOSl--
master communicated with Washing
ton. and Washington communicated
with an island inspector. Then the in
spector got busy and did lot of in
vestigating by himself. He wrote back
for instructions and reported progress.
This was done time or two. and when
it was all over the Kanaka had become
a fixture in his newly adopted mother
Ia He had inoid00faIlv crT11a fo Y-e-
gard the hat affair as closed incident.
HAT TO THE JUNK PIE.
But while that Panama hat, long
since reposing on some Hilo junk heap, ,
had passed into history so far as it's :
on-time possessor was concerned, it .
was very evident matter of present
to some half score of federal
officials. These continued to write let
ters of instruction and reports on pro-
gress to one another, until it finally de-
veloped that the Panama had been ,
stolen, and the thief had disappeared.
Then the secret service department
Of the American government became a
factor in this story The secret service
department is terrible affair, as more !
than one offender against the federal !
laws can testify, and it never stops
much as possible accomplished. And
the secret service department doesn't
particularly care whether the crime of
the offender be in the ethical nature of
petty larceny or murder, SO long as it is
set upon his heels The article stolen
may be postofice In it's entirety or
an old Panama hat, and the result is
generally the same.
WANDERED TO DELAWARE.
So it came to pass that the investi- |
cation took a new turn and the Ka-
naka became a wanted man. By this
time ne had wandered along in happy
ignorance of his desirability until he
reached the State of Delaware.
No necessity exists for going further
into details. Mail was watched and
photographs We're sent out until the
wanted man was located. Then Della
wares United States officials arrested
him. His trip back to the islands be-
gan soon after, a trip which took him
through Utah a sadder and wiser man
when it comes to the subject of an
nexing Panamas, at the time in care Of
Uncle Sam.