The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-02-15

Fourteen hundred dollars a week, fol
every week, has been offered A. P. Tay'
lor, chief Of the detective bureau, t.
allow a certain Chinese hui to oper
gambling games under his protection ir
the city of Honolulu and to guarantee
them a monopoly Of the gambling busi-
ness. This offer was made during the
past two weeks, the proposal of the
bride offerers being that they were to
be allowed to open two pakapio banks
now, for the protection Of which Taylor
was to be paid one hundred dollars q
day, payment to be made every night
after the lottery drawings. Later
within few days, two che-fa banks
were to be established, the price Of pro
lection for these to be four hundred
dollars week, payable at the end o.
every three days, and two fan-tar
games, for which to be conveniently
blind the head of the detective force
would receive three hundred dollars a
week, making grand total, as soon
as the gambling business of the hui
was flourishing through the suppression
of all the Independent gambling houses.
of fourteen hundred dollars every
week.
In addition to this amount Of money
the hui offered to supply Taylor with
a list of all the gambling houses and
games in Honolulu and the vicinity and
put at his disposal a force of Chinese
detectives, whose business 1t would be
to ferret out all the games being run
outside of the ring and to act as In
formers in securing the arrest and con-
viction of the players and proprietors
of these games. This was to serve a
double purpose, to allow Taylor to
make good" in his crusade against
the gamblers for the eyes of the public
and also to force out of business any
opposition to the huis banks and
tables.
According to the proposition made by
the Chinese go-between, the game of
pakapio was to have opened last night
and the amount of hush money for the
first three days, three hundred dollars,
was to be paid to Taylor on Saturday
night. AS a proof that business was
meant the go-between advanced to
Taylor on Saturday night last fifty dol
lars in gold, or one-nalf of the first
days receipts. This was to bind the
bargain.
To these proposals and to the accep-
lance of the advance of fifty dollars
of the bride money Taylor submitted,
acting under the advice of Attorney
General Peters, Sheriff Iaukea, w. A.
Kinney and Walter G.. Smith, to whom
every move made in the whole pro-
ceeding was submitted. The intention
has been to see to what lengths the
audacity of the Chinese gamblers of
Honolulu would carry them in their
efforts to prevent justice and bride the
public officials Of the community. Now,
still acting under the advice of his
chief and friends, Taylor has resolved
to expose the conspiracy and the at
tempts made TO seduce him through the
offers of large sums of mcn.y from the
path of his duty, brides offeie ed with
the assurance that hitherto other off,
Gals had accepted equally large sums
of money under the same conditions.
The first advances cane to him
through q newspaper friend, then
through a member of his family, in
both instances the movement being
made in such way that while lot
was intimated nothing discriminating
vas actually said. These advances
we're reported by Taylor to the ones
mentioned above and he was advised
Is stated, to carry the matter as far
Is 1t would go.
Acting on this advice he had a meet
ng arranged, being taken to the store
If Yuen Chong. on King Sweet, between
Maunakea and Smith streets, where he
was introduced to Lee Tong ard Lee
Let, two of the leading Chinese mer.
chants and business men of the city.
After some desultory talk Lee Tong
withdrew, leaving Taylor and Lee Let
alone. Then the direct bi be Was o.
Tered. Taylor pretending to fall in with
he scheme of the briber, Lee Let adj
nitted that he had been familiar with
he big gambling hui which had before
operated in the city, naming the COR
litions under which they had before
1een protected, some of the conditions
being that the bribed official had not |
,nly to let the games run free of mo-
estation, but was pledged to use his
with the prosecuting attorney
md the magistrate to let any protect
I'd gamblers off as lightly as possible,
10 pay their fines and legal expenses
put of the protection fund and to pay
whatever hush money was needed TO
silence other members OF the police
force who might get wise TO the pres
once of the protected gambling houses.
To get positive evidence OF the at
tempted bribery. Taylor asked for an
advance fee and time was appointed
for him to call at the Yuen Chong
store and receive II from Lee Let. In
order that he would have proof that
This money was actually received in
his way, Taylor submitted to being
by Sergeant Aea, at the po-
ice station on the night OF Saturday
last, the search being made in the
presence of an Advertiser reporter, who
IS also a special police officer. This