The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1908-08-25
THE KENTWELLS
AGAIN IN FOCUS
j. Lightfoot Presents a Partial Report
AS Receiver or Swindling
Concern.
ASSETS LARGELY WORTHLESS.
Money of Dupes for Investment Goes
Into Pockets of l.. X.
Kentwell and Wife.

j. Lightfoot has made partial re-
port as receiver of the Hawaiian Real
ty and Maturity Co., the concern whose
looting by l.. K Kentwell and wife
was made public last year. The liza
bilities of the company are $5O915 so,
while the assets consist of real estate,
leases, promissory noUes, secured and
unsecured, and l. o. US. Some of the
real estate is of doubtful title and a
large proportion of the paper worth
less. Lessees of land in Hamakua,
with one slight exception, have ignored
| demands for rent and the receiver hav-
ing been unable as yet to view the
land cannot state it's value. The larg-
est of the notes is that of William
| Webster for $1461 "a and the maker,
the receiver is informed, lis in the
Philippine islands and is a person alb
solutely without property or credit"
| Webster went to Manila to manage a
| branch of the company there but be-
fore long the local authorities inter-
fered with it and the company had to
send large amount of money there to
square matters.
The story of the wrecking of the
concern by the Kentwells has been full
ly told before. This statement of the
mode of operation of the concern is
] oiupO 10 ranaiuar.
Persons were invited to invest in
the company their savings at the rate
of two dollars per month for which
| they were to receive one certificate
with four coupons of $50 each at
tached After the payment of seventy
I five monthly instalment the certificate
'matured' whereupon the investor was
entitled, upon giving certain notice to
cash each of the four coupons for $50
each, or to receive in all 5000 for their
investment of $3.50.
The certificate provides for fines
and penalties for hardness in payment
of monthly instruments; provides fur
Their that in case payment shall be neg
lected or refused before 500 has been
paid in, everything paid in shall be
forfeited to the company; and in case
of such delinquency after the payment
of $40, the investor shall be entitled
to receive fifty per cent of the amount
paid in by him. The certificate also
provides for the investment in a GER
tain prescribed manner, of the funds
received from subscribers. When the
payments were made, they were enter.
ed in a small book kept by the in
vestor"
For while things ran smoothly but
the books were kept in such manner
as to be practically valueless for the
purpose of showing the receipts ant
expenditures of these moneys. II
seems to be clear, however, that the
moneys received, found their way will
little delay, into the pockets of L. K
Kentwell and Annie Holt Kentwell, hi
wife" Among victims of the swind
ling were residents of the leper settle
ment who lost six thousand dollars. Il
conclusion Mr.. Lightfoot says:
"The receiver has on occasions call
ed the attention of the Attorney Gen
eral and the United States District At
torney to breaches of the criminal Law
committed by l.. X. Kentwell and hi
brother A. H. Kentwell, but the las
named gentlemen were shrewd as the,
were dishonest and it has, as yet, beef
found impossible to have them brough
back to the Territory on a crimina
charge. 1t is hoped, however, tina