The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-08-21

A bakers dozen of automobiles have
been stolen in or about Honolulu dur
ing the past month or SO and the
police and. detective department has so
far failed to bring to book single
one of the robbers. And this doesn i
begin to comprise all the ears stolen!
A few months ago a car used to be
stolen every now and again. Then the
thieves, emboldened by the inactivity
of the police department, grew more
reckless and more impudent, until
things have, come to such pass that il
is a very cold day on which one or
more cars are not reported stolen.
IL Saturday night saw the theft of two
ears. And there have been mo- arrests.
Yesterday the theft of no less than
four cars was reported to the police,
And up to midnight there had been no
arrests, More reports of stolen cars
are due today. d.. IT, .E'.,.. ~. "a
The police and detective departments
appear to be absolutely unable to get
line. on who is perpetrating the rob
berries. Chief of Detectives McDufie
is daily busted with arrested patches
OF pai,kau players, and the police are
keeping their batting average with re,
gard to the number of miscellaneous ar.
rests made, but SO far there hash I been
a single arrest made on charge of
having swiped buzz-wagon.
Citizens Complaining
Things are getting to such pass that
local garage men are sending deputa.
tions to the police, offering to cooper,
ate with them in an effort to run down
the Honolulu Automobile Club is plan.
ming to take drastic measures in the
matter, and private citizens who own
automobiles are lying in wait for the
marauders with loaded gun close at
hand.
Not only have no arrests been made,
but there has been apparently no effort
whatever made by the police and de-
tectiye bureau to ascertain who the
culprits are.
Two theories are held as to who are
responsible for the epidemic of whole,
sale robbery. Soldiers are Thought in
part to be responsible, but IL is gener.
ally thought by auto owners and gar.
age men that many of the thefts have
been committed by youths on joy riding
bent, to whom the lack of action of the
police has lent much encouragement.
First of yesterdays thefts to be re.
ported was that of a car owned by Mrs
Ivy Young, who resides at Kapiolani
Street, Kalihi. The machine was left
standing in front of the house late on
Sunday night. Half an hour after mid
night the noise of machine was no
ticed by a member of the family but no
notice was taken of it. Yesterday
mr. a lnaa g hn
cred and reported to the police. The
car is No. 1890 and a Chandler.
Car Is Found .t,.t... -
d The missing car was located about
one O'Clock yesterday at Moiliili. Some,
one phoned the police station that they
had seen ear with all the curtains up,
in a back yard near the baseball
ground. The machine was found in
vacant lot on the town side of the base
ball park. ~.
The ear had been stripped of all its
tools and the magnetic had been strip.
ped of the distributor The wiring sys.
TEN Of the car was utterly ruined. The
car must have been started by pulling
the ground wire off the magnetic, for
Mr.. Young stated that he had locked
the ear before leaving 1t in front of
his residence at Kalihi.
Auto Is Wrecked
Car No. l6l, Ford owned by. Y.
Yamaguchi, and which was reported
missing on Sunday, was towed to town
early yesterday morning, having been
located by Motorcycle Officer W. Ferry
Mt Aiea. Outside the police station it
presented a sorry looking sight. All
the accessories had been stolen and the
ear had been completely wrecked by
the robber'vandal who carried it of.
Automobile No. 1928, a Studebaker,
tho property of the White Seal Laun,
dry, was discovered early yesterday
morning in a taro patch on School
Street. The car was up to the running
board in mud when found, but the en-,
CINE was still running The driver had
evidently started the engine and then
l.. . IA