The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1910-05-06
DID CHARLES GET
DONE HIMSELF?
Former Frenzied Financier of
Honolulu Now Is Doing
Howl Act.

B. r. Charles, who started in to give
Honolulu a few animated limitations OF
frenzied finance here some three years
ago, has evidently been plying the same
line of trade in Portland, to judge from
letters and newspaper clippings receiv
ed here by the last mail, and he seems
to have been rather more successful
than he was here.
When Charles got out of Honolulu
on the Canadiau-Australian liner Mo
ana one bright September morning in
1907, he left behind him string of
mourning creditors, but none of them
was "stuclS" for any great amount.
Charles seems to have found folk more
gullible on the mainland.
Charles showed evidences of most
fertile brain while here and by turns
he thought of becoming a publisher, a
real estate magnate, merchant prince
and a patent medicine king. The only
thing that stood in his way was the
L 'm.from-Missouri spirit which he
found inBtiled into most of the
moneyed folk in Honolulu. He seems
to have carried out his schemes to bet
ter advantage in Oregon. The United
Electric Garment Company is one OF
the stunts which Charles fathered in
Portland and now the other members
of the concern are showing a great
desire to learn little about Charles.
The following is an extract from a
letter received here by the last mail
from the manager of the aforemention-
ed company:
"some time during the month of
January, 1907, an article appeared in
your publication, in which the charac-
ter rs well as the business methods of
one B. r. Charles was very thoroughly
aired, according to the statement made
by Miss G. Elsener, a former music
teacher and leader in Mental Sugges-
ton idea, of your city.
''In order that you will understand
why we are so anxious to get. his past
record [ will enclose you clipping
from one of our local papers, which
think will be self-explanatory.
owe understand from Miss Elsenel
that several business concerns of Ho
nolulu would like to interview this
man could he be brought before them
and if such is the case we should be
greatly your debtor if you would see
your way clear to get us the names
or a statement from them.
"Through association with quite 9
, genius he conceived the idea of al
electric bath or Longing robe, he was
granted a patent, by using whatever
means he thought fit, he got the atten
ton of some very good people, late
) the present corporation was formed
with him as the president, because o.
his patent rights, since he has mad'
contracts upon contracts that have no
been carried out and the suits are nov
coming up against this individual
But to hear Charles tell it through
i the Portland papers, what he did t.
, other people pales into insignifcanct
+. before what some other man did Il
. him. He, so his story goes, received
$500 from one Arthur Steubling fo
!, stock in the United Electric Carmen
F: Company. This money he deposited il
safe deposit box in the German
d American bank of Portland. Late
: some person flimfammed President
!. G.. Reed of the bank into chiseling opeI
!. the box and let him get out the money
}. or rather the $4,000 of it which was left
J Charles having taken his wife East oil
z, $25OO.
The president of the bank was evi
IDENTIFY under the impression that tn
man for whom he opened the box wa
the owner and just how he was buncoe'
! is not quite clenr. But the skein i
z, tangled little more because of tn
4. Il. \
fictitious name, his excuse for doin
a so being that he did not want his cred
itors to get wise to the fact that h
had so much money.
s. At any rate he liked to the ban
'. when he got back from the East an
). found his $4,000 gone. Then he howle
r loud and long.
9. The Portland Journal, which publish
I ed the story of the robbery on Apr
Is, hints that Charles is suspected Q
knowing more than a little about tn
y disappearance himself. a "short fla
5. man. is supposed to have gotten tn
n, money, but he knew the name undC
r which Charles had taken the box an
" he supposedly counterfeited the signi
Z. ture pretty closely, according to tn
Portland authorities.
nc bdhh HNbBA1 eNaAS NA0N AAN AAAea
who induced the president to open til
" vault, gave the name of A. b. Carson
the phoney title to which Charles lai
claim, that he knew the number an
IN location of the box and that his signi
"a ture Tailed exactly with that whic
Charles placed ON the bank Is slip whe
'h lie first secured the box.
h 1t is also pointed out that Charlie
e. and his wife had sundry suits pendin
:. against them, and that they had goc
; reason for wanting that $4,000 TO di
~ appear, provided of course that the
ig could make it reappear when they g
nj ready.
~ When Charles first came here he wei
~ into the employ of the Hawaiian ST.
~, as a collector aud solicitor He did NJ
~ make good in that capacity h0wey
, and one fine day he was given the sac
nu Then he arranged to put the big kibol
~ on all OF the business district not loe
az ted Ia Fort street, with the idea
81 making that thoroughtaTc sort
nc Broadway and Strand rolled into on
no But be failed 10 make the persons wi