The Hawaiian gazette., 1910-11-08
.EE-LOCAL MAN
An EMBEZZLER?
mysterious Thayer" Disappears
from Manila With Calamba
Estate Funds.

Mysterious circumstances surroun
the disappearance of Afford Finle,
Thayer, noted by Manila files receive,
yesterday on the transport Logan, ant
he is now being searched for by tn,
police of various oriental cities, is a.
eused Of embezzlement by some, by 9th
eB said TO be suicide, and is generally
the storm center of varying Indignation
and sympathy.
About September 81 he left Manila
for HOngkong in company with a rep
resentative of the stockholders in the
Calamba Sugar Estate, of which h,
was manager and representative. Fol
several weeks it had been known tina.
his affairs were in a complicated condi
tion, his accounts overdrawn, and he
was also charged with misrepresenta
ton.
About a week later rumor reached
Manila to the effect that he had dis
appeared, and investigation showed that
all the company's money had disap.
peared with him. Stockholders in the
estate asked that his affairs be placed
in the hands of receivers, which was
done.
His announced intention of going to
HongkOng was to interest British CAPT.
tai in the enterprise and pull himself
out of the hole in which he rad placed
himself. The next heard of him from
the British oriental capital was that he
had disappeared from that city.
Instead of being discouraged by the
disappearance of the estates funds and
manager, the stockholders petitioned
the courts to cite him to appear and
show cause why he should not be pun.
ished, and went ahead to clear up the
company g affairs and put it en- a work.
ing basis again. In their petition they
stated that 'he left Hongkong for
parts unknown in secret and clan.
destine manner, and that he owes large
sums of money in Manila, a part of
which debts were incurred under cir.
cumstances which would render him
liable to answer under the criminal
laws of these islands,
1t seems that 100000 of Manila
capital is interested in the deal, besides
the money Thayer is known to have
taken with him from Honolulu. The
Manila ~press unite in saying that the
Calamba estate contains the richest
sugar lands on Luzon, and incidentally
express the belief that the Dillingham;
interests in Hawaii, which Ihayer
claimed he represented, would help the
estate out.
Finally a cable reached Manila from
Hongkong, saying in effect that Thayer
had disappeared and all the funds were
gone. Notification was cabled for, and
the answer stated that he had left his
trunk in the hotel and gone to Canton.
That was the last trace of him found.
Later issues of the Manila papers as
sert the belief of many of his friends
that he had committed suicide. His
financial difficulties we're stated as par
tally deranging him, making him de-
spondent, worried and nervous.
Finally all his papers were turned
over to the courts, included among
them, according to report, being his
correspondence with the Dillingham;
people. Walter F. Dillingham; several
months ago made public copies of all
the correspondence he had ever held
with Thayer, it all being confined to
reports on the prosperity which the
estate seemed to be enjoying. They
proved conclusively that the Dillingham;
interests had no financial connection
with the matter at all.
Thayer was formerly city editor of
the Bulletin here and was well known
around the city. He then became as
sistant to Doctor Clark in the taking
of the census of Hawaii, and earned
the highest approval from the latter.
He left for Manila on two days. notice,
that he represented Hawaiian
sugar interests and claiming to have
$4,000 of local money.
He was the author of several books,
one, the "Forest Empire,'' being pub
lished here, and the second, the "Big
Steal, " being published in Manila. His
next book win probably be entitled the
Getaway