The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-08-31
BLACKMAILERS
UNDER ARREST
Three Japanese Who Demanded
Loan of Twenty-Five at
Point of a Sword.

Three japanese toughs, men with
long criminal records, were arrested
yesterday morning on charges of as
sault and battery and using threaten
! ing language against Hoshide, the
manager of the japanese theatrical
troupe which has been performing late.
ly in the Aala theater. Mixed up with
the alleged assault are attempts at
blackmail.
For some time Fukagawa, one of the
Japanese now under arrest, has been
following Hoshide about, asking for
a loan Of twenty-five dollars, his re-
quest being consistently turned down.
On Thursday night he called at the
theatrical managers room at the cor
ner Of Beretania and Aala streets and |
renewed his demand for the money. |
growing most insistent. Again he was |
refused, whereupon he went away, re-
turning in short time with two COM
panions and armed himself with a
japanese sword. With this weapon he
announced that he was going to carve
Hoshide into cat meat, attempting to |
terrorize him into giving the money
asked for. All Hoshide's attempts to
escape by going down the stairs were
stopped by the two companions of Flu
kagawa, who guarded the stairway.
FINALLY the victim of the persecution ,
OF the three blackmailers jumped out .
OF the window, three stories up, alight-
ing on the roof of an adjoining build :
ing and making his way to the street.
He went to the police station and laid
information, the three arrests being
made yesterday morning
The three men are well known to the :
police. Fukagawa, the principal, was
arrested a few days ago on a, vagrancy :
charge and has been other times in ;.
he prisoners dock. Naruse, one of
he others, is implicated in the muir
ferrous assault made upon another A
japanese some time ago in a billiard II
DOM in Iwilei, while all belong to the u
anne gang of desperadoes which as
aulted a white man a short time ago
n the Iwilei road and split his scalp
pen with a sword cane.
The Jiyu Shimbun in its issue today
reats editorially of this matter and of
he class to which it says these three
len belong. 1t says that some years I'll
go the entire Japanese colony was =;
errorized and tyrannized by a gang
toughs and b1ackmailers who levied 90
'1bute on the whole Japanese COM fr
unity. Through the united and de- tt
,rmined effort of the better element 90
| the community this reign of terror
as ended, and the exactions of these
rrorists We're practically put an end mi
/. The Japanese colony for some in
me has dwelt in peace little disturb mi
by such things. But there is still -
small element of the kind in the =
which is liable at any time
create serious state of affairs The pa
cidents in connection with the arrest n,
these three men indicate the class
things that may happen at any se'
ne. The Jiyu Shimbun points out gel
at the police cannot be expected to sto
ow these characters as well as the not
panese colony, and therefore it is
e duty Of the japanese to do all they rec
n, by giving information and moral the
pport to the police to aid them in wo
inging such men to justice If pet ,or
offenders escape it gives them and
lers encouragement, and there is PIE
niger that unless guarded against yol
2 reign of terror and blackmail car
itch prevailed some years ago may VIII
appear. duc