The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-03-13

ward the end of the voyage, that ne
has been had by a crook, and he is
also pretty likely to tell his wife of his
suspicious, In order TO square with her
his purse-fabby conditions. 1t is from
the angry wives of soft marks Of this
sort that the steamship companies have
received perhaps the bulk of the COM
plants about the professional card /
swindlers who follow the Pacific liners. .
Perhaps the largest sum yet drop |
ped on a Pacific steamer TO a shark |
was lost about seven months ago by
prOiligate young chap with a we'll
known name from Butte, Mont., on a
cruise from San Francisco to Yoko-
hama. The story Of this gouge never
got into the papers. This young spend
thrift who, until his Montana relatives
got hold of him last fall and put him
In rum-cure institution, hadn't on his
own admission, been quite sober for
eight years, lost $4,000 TO the shark
in the course OF the voyage. At the
beginning of that costly trip he met in
the smoking room a clever, engaging
sort of a chap of thirty-hye or 50, for
whom he conceived a great liking. This
fellow pretended TO be a writer, and
said that he was going out TO Man
churia for the purpose OF doing some
writing for a magazine. Not only that,
but he exhibited some fne-reading
credentials, which were no doubt forg-
ed. This shark had not made any
previous trips on any boats of the
line. The dissolute young chap from
Butte and the pretended literary per-
son were at cards the day they met
on the Yokohama-bound steamer, ana
for half the trip down TO Honolulu the
shark was content to pose as a heavy
loser, which in fact he was. lie HAD
coDdescendingly allowed the rapid ana
befuddled young man at the other side
Of the Tablet was twO-handed game
throughont-tO win thousands from
him during the first three days. As
the young Butte chap had always been
} a steady and prodigious loser at every
= game Of chance he was naturally flush
] ed with delight over his winnings,
and those VINO listened to # told me
that his Dragging was something pain
? full In view Of what happened later. On
the fourth day out, and a day and q
) half from Honolulu, he began rapidly
p to lose his winnings. Before nightfall
7 that day he was $4,000 I'm the hole, and
p he was scribbling checks on his Homo
r lulu banker as If they were trading
Q steamps. The crafty shark, feeling that
e he'd picked up enough FOR one trip
Y and perhaps In some dOubt as To
Y whether the checks were right or not
70 advised the Butte man to abandon this
game at that stage OF 1t.
3 or course, cant myself quit, now
e that I've got you in 80 deep, said tho
s swindler, but I'd advise you to chucl
II 1t now. | didn't mean TO get into THU
s thing SO heaWly-contrary to my Gus
+ tom, 1 assure you
i "'We'll play on TIL we fetch Dia
u mond Head, doggedly replied the Butt
o youth, referring to the promontor!
Il which announces steamers nearnes
e to Honolulu. Then some OF the 9th
SC er passengers got around the imbecil
o young chap. Are you acquainted witt
g the man you're playing WITH som
n OF them asked the Butte soft mark. NJ
n I'm not-neither do ! know you wa
n his reply. And / don't care whethe
" he's right or not, he cant play an
ii better cards than ] can. I'd take
+ kindly If all Of you Dutters-in woul
sc mind your own blazing business
l. Nothing Of course, could do don
l. with a fellow who talked I'm this fash
rs ion, and he was permitted 10 go hi
ID way without any further expostulatlo
10 on the part Of his feIfow yoyagers som
n of whom, solid business men OF sa
rs Francisco, had known the young man
n father. The young man quit the gam
e. only when the steamer pulled into lie
ID nolulu harbor lie was then S22,OO
Jf TO the bad.
" Sorry to'ye dug 30 deep into yol
u said the shark to the mark before th
is general debarkatiOn to look over He
ne nolulu. IL you say 80, I'll split III
pile with you'-he was probably woI
~ derlng whether the pile Of checks o
&c the Honolulu bank would be cashabl
On Just you walt TIL / boiler befol
ne you let out any cracks like that r.
no piled the bone-headed but rather gan
On young man from Butte,
en- "The sharper found upon going
an the Honolulu bank, that the checl
ad were as good as United States Treasul
no notes. And the man who identihC
'st him at the bank and thus enabled hi
&C. to cash the checks was the lunkhea
o. ed Butte youth from whom he'd pra