The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1905-08-18
SHERIFF BROWN
WANTS TO FIND
MAYOR BELCHER

long before the vessel gets up to the
dock.
And that will be the finish OF Mr..
Belcher's hopes of escape. AS to how
the sheriff was advised. that is a mat
ter that nobody Will talk about, but
there is always a certain routine in
such things. Generally It is kept from
public knowledge, perhaps properly
enough. The public should be kept
posted On public affairs. but 1t is not
always wise to post the public at all
stages. In this case. however, the
sheriff seems to have invited discovery
and the newspaper man always ac-
cepts that kind of invitation. And as
Belcher, If he is expected on the Sono-
ma, cannot well escape, there is no par
ticular harm done.
Belcher seems to have cut rather a
deep swath, in financial way at home
and to have been threatened with trou-
BILE before it actually came. In fact,
he vanished for several days. appar-
emily. before detection came so close
to him that he had to absent himself
altogether. This dispatch, for example
was sent out just two days before the
former one:
PATTERSON, N. J., Aug. Mayor
Belcher of this city returned to town
today after an absence of one day,
which gave his friends much. concern.
The Mayor has been much worried by
the investigation of certain collateral
. ia Ia eyix &c,
by the State Banking Department that
the signatures on the present collateral
had been forged.
After meeting today of prominent
business men, who announced that the
Mayors friends would put up 81, 900, 900
| If necessary to relieve his financial
strain his partner announced that Bel
cher had returned
Later came the evanishment, and
then this was sent out from Paterson:
PATTERSON IN. j., August 5.-NIrs.
William C. Belcher wife of the fugi-
tive Mayor of Paterson, in an interview
In the Belcher homestead this after
noon, declared it was her firm belief
that her husband either had gone to
Europe or committed suicide
A worldwide search was begun this
! afternoon for Belcher. A circular
| bearing his complete description, to-
gether with a picture from his latest
: photograph, was mailed to every chief
of police in the United States and to
! the police heads of every capital in the
United States.
This reform Mayor" and late idol of
thousands of citizens known in Pater-
son for years as Honest Bill" B lcher
Is being sought as a common criminal
on the accusation of Mrs. Cecilia Ma
rino, a washerwoman, whose S1,S29 in
savings was taken with the missing
official. His populations may exceed
| $780, 900.
This man." said Assistant District
Attorney Shaw of Paterson, eff reports
are true, has led long life of crooked
ness, but for some unfathomable rea-
son he has never been brought to the
bar of justice. We shall search this
country for him, and If we get him he
will face indictments which, If he is
convicted, will send him to prison for
the rest of his natural life"
Evidently the world wide search for
Belcher was begun, and prosecuted tc
some purpose, too. Also it seems prob
able that Mrs, Belcher was mistaken
and that her husband neither commit
! ted suicide or sailed for Europe. There
will, perhaps, be more definite informa
ton at hand today.