The Hawaiian star., 1906-01-18
EXAMINER HANDS
REYNOLDS A ROAST
SAN FRANCISCO DETECTIVE WHO
CAME TO HONOLULU WITH PRI-
VATE DETECTIVE CALLUNDEN
GETS A HOT WASHING.

nolds of the San Francisco police force
for the part he took or rather the part
he did not take i'm the suicide of EN-
bezzler Meier off New York harbor this
month. Reynolds is the detective who
came to Honolulu last spring with Pri-
vate Detective Calunden to work up
the Stanford case in behalf of the Stan
ford trustees.
THE article in the Examiner under
date of January 9, is as follows:
Charles E. Meier, the bon vivant, the
good fellow who embezzled nearly
$4,000 from Charles Graef & Co., wine
merchants, by whom he had been en-
ployed as a bookkeeper at q Sutter
street. shot and killed himself on board
the steamhip Carmania at the New
York harbor entrance early yesterday
morning.
Detective Harry Reynolds of this
city was i'm charge Of the prisoner,
bringing him back on eXtradition from
England, where, by the persistent work
of Detective Ed Wren, the embezzler
had been located and captured.
Reynolds, who had been acting as
chief of the detectives, took the oppor-
tunity to have a European trip by go
Ing a4tel the man that the either . -
,..s had carmed. Now it is bell sved
that. on account of his loss of the
prisoner before American soil had been
reached. the Governor and the State
Board of Examiners will. refuse to
audit the bill of expenses and that
Reynold will be brought before the
Police Commissioners on a charge of
incompetency.
"The Police Commissioners and Gov
ernor Pardee will likely want to know
what sort Of negligence was RESPONSE
bic for the suicide of Meier. The in
quiry may even reach back to the rea-
son for the appointment of Detective
Reynolds as the State agent in the
matter of the extradition of Meier. 1t
may possibly happen that there will be
some question concerning the expense.
of little side trip to Paris that was
executed by Reynolds while he was
waiting for the English courts to sur
render his prisoner.
The Examiner criticized the ap
pontment of Reynolds as State agent
in the Meier extradition at the time
the appointment was made. 1t was
shown that Reynolds appointment was
made without reference to his compe- !
tency or ITO his previous connection |
with the Meier case. 1t was made |
quite plain that Reynolds was named
for the London trip simply because he .
had 'butted in when Detective Ed
Wren, who had been handling the
Meier case, declared that he did not
care to go to London. There were sew
eral competent detectives who, if as
signed to the task, would have gone
to London and returned safely with .
Meier. But these men were all over
looked, and Reynolds who had on .
number of occasions shown himself 20
be grossly incompetent was given the
Chief Dinan stated at
that time that he had named Rey-
lolds for the trip to London because he
wanted to please the Old man. 1t
would seem now that the business of
pleasing an old man is rather a severe
strain upon the public treasury.
Reynolds had been repeatedly warn
I'd that Meier would try to kill him
self.
"Those who knew the prisoner well
old Reynolds that he would never
Dring Meier home alive. Colonel Mar
in Brady told the detective that he
hought Meier would jump overheard.
others prophesied that the fugitive
would throw himself from the train or
.hoose some other method of self-de-
;truction rather than undergo the dis
race of a trial for felony. \ German
who was particularly
lose to Meier sent him a letter beg
ring him to have courage and to ac-
,ept the inevitable like a man, also
Issuring him of aid. Reynolds laugh
d at the forebodngs of Meier's ac-
but nevertheless resolved
o be specially vigilant
"Close watch of the prisoner was
,ept, and no opportunity Of jumping
,verboard was given. Early yesterday
morning, before he awakened Meier
Reynolds unlocked his trunk and took
,ut his revolver, a revolver that had {
,een found on Meier when arrested, and
, pair of handouts. The break me-
.hanism Of the prisoners weapon had
become clogged and rusty and it had
1een left loaded. Reynolds put the
gun in his satchel pocketed his own
lut the satchel in a clothes locker in
me corner of the staterOom, then
Meier and they went up on
leck Sandy Hook light was in sight
md some one said: All there is the
and of liberty.
Land of Liberty! 1t has no liberty
or me-, observed Meier bitterly.
Shortly after that Reynolds told his
prisoner that when the liner reached
quarantine he intended to handcuff
lim. Meier had been regarded as an ,
passenger by those on the
ship and this troubled him. He plead
I'd with his captor not to humiliate
lin with shackles and promised to be {
,bedient and submissive. When the
breakfast call sounded they went >be-
ow to leave their overcoats in the 4
itaterOOm.
meier entered the small compart-
nent and partly closed the door that
lie might open the clothes locker be- I