The Hawaiian gazette., 1916-05-26
HAWAI|ANS B|LKED
BYCOUNTRYMENIN
BIG LAND FRAUDS
Territorial Officials Reported To
Be Hard On Trait Of Alleged
Land Sharks
WOMAN WANTS PROPERTY
DECIDED TO D. K. DlM0N0
Mrs. Heleloa Declares That Thir-
ty Acres Were Obtained From
Her BY SwndIe

Territorial offieials are working upOr
what they say il n big land fraud, by
which number of humble Hawaiian
men and women have been defrauded
Of lands belonging to them by shck
land sharks.
Some of the cases which have como
under the observation of the official
are pitiful in the extreme. One in par
t:eular, that of woman well past
eighty years old, and destitute save for
the thirty acres Of land in the Koolau
district, has enlisted the personal sup
port of several officials. This woman
Mrs. II. Hcleloa, is said to have been
dispossessed of her holding on the Op,
posite side of Oahu, by Dick X. Di'
inond, Hawaiian. The understanding
Il is alleged, was that the property was
&c be sold on commission and the bulk
of the money, 5000 or $500 turned over
n her.
Instead of selling the property Di.
Tnond, is said to have "sat down AMI
Waited doing nothing to dispose OF
the land, until Mrs. HelelOa took the
matter up with some of her friends,
who suggested that she go to Charles
A. X. Hopkins, a land agent.
When Hopkins heard the story he
advised Mrs. Heleloa to go at once
to the attorney general. There she
laid her ease before Deputy Attorney
General Heen. Heen at once took ac-
ton, getting in touch with DimOnd,
and demanding that the property be
reeonveyed to Mrs. Heleloa. Dimond
II Is asserted, promised to do this, and
did make out a conveyance, which he
gave to Mrs. HelelOa to have filed.
IS While on her way to file the paper.
50 the story runs, Mrs. Heleloa showed
IL to friend, and it was found that
instead of thirty acres, the amount
decided to DimOnd by Mrs. HelelOa in
the first place, only twenty-five acres
we're menti0ned In the conveyance.
Dimond Sorry For Mistake
The woman then went again to the
attorney general office, and Heen
again began search for Dimond.
When found the man apOlogiZed for
his mistake, and said thatthe would al
once make out a correct conveyance
After waiting for some weeks, and
finding that nothing had been done
Heen advised that a proper conveyance
to Mrs. Heleloa, be made out and
placed in the hands of a notary public,
p. Silva. He notified DimOnd what had
been done. The Hawaiian again pro,
missed that he would sign the instru
ment, but though several weeks have
elapsed he has not done so.
Instead of that he recently trans
ferred all of his property, which h,
estimates at between $4,000 and $50.
900 TO his Sons, for love and 81
That transfer, il is alleged, contained
among other parcels Of land, the thirty
acres decided TO him by Mrs. Heleloa
This is the status Of the HelelOa case
at present, and Hecn declines to say
what step he win take next.
One Of Several Gases
The Helel0a. case, it ~ asserted by
friends Of the old woman, is but on,
of more than thirty similar cases il
which DimOnd has been involved. In
all Of them, il is said the plan followed
was practically the same. Ignorant Ha-
waiian owners of patches of land were
persuaded to sell, and DimOnd offered
to act as agent in the transaction on
a commission basis. Glittering prom
ises Of the prices likely to be paid
we're made, II is said, and the owner
induced to give quit claim deeds tC
their land, with the understanding that
Dimond could get more money if the
property appeared to be his own.
NJ Once the deed was signed Dimond
simply waited. In many cases, the
story goest he did not have to wait
very long, for the owners died. leaving
Dimond with deed that gave him a
clear claim 10 the property.
Holdings Amount To $4,000
Only in one or two instances has he
been forced to recOnvey land obtained
IN this fashion, and his holdings have
mounted to- considerable size-he him
self puts an estimate Of $4,000 upon
them.
Dimond IL is asserted is not the only
one who Is working this game success
fully in the Territory. 1t has been
done in Maui, on Hawaii and Kauai
with varying degrees of success, and Is
still being done. 1t is difficult to prove
anything illegal against the perpe-
traitors, say attorneys who have investi-
gated the cases but in one or two in
stances the. operators have left them.
selves liable. Unless restitution is
made in these cases Territorial officials
declare that they can proceed criminal
ly against the swindlers.