The herald., 1898-12-23
NOT PRODUCED UNDER ORDER
OF THE COURT
ONE YEAR AND TWO MONTHS
Spent in Learning That Some Of the
Books Have Been Fed to
the Flames
Associated Press Special wire

s\A<lI 1IA<A4NA, OulO, 1JcCs <N~-l uc tuhluK
Of, dispositions by Attorney General Mon
nett to attempt to prove that the Standard
Oil Company has destroyed lot of its books
and papers few days before the Supreme
Court ordered the books to be produced as
evidence in the investigation of the Stand
ard Oil Company, was resumed today.
John McNierney testified that he had
been in the employ of the company for over
two years.
sMcNierney said that on Saturday morn
ing, November 10, he was ordered to burn
a.lot of the Standards books. He burned
them at about 8 o'clock in the furnace of the
shops. Later in the day he said he was
ordered to go to the Euclid-avenue offices
and get some boxes. The boxes were taken
down from the fifth floor in the elevator,
but some one objected to them being taken
out OF the front door. Thereupon the boxes
were taken back to the fifth floor.
McNierney said that he remained around
the Euclid avenue office until five o'clock
that afternoon and then the boxes were
lowered by rope and tackle from one of the
windows. He was assisted by four other
employees of the company. The boxes were
taken to the company's warehouse. Ihey
remained there until Monday.
The witness said that about ten o'clock
Monday morning he and man named
Moran took the books out of the boxes and
burned them in the furnaces. There were
nine boxes of books and six sacks OF papers.
Some of the books were about twenty inches
high and others were much smaller.
McNierney said that the books that were
burned on Saturday morning were taken
from the Euclid avenue Office Friday night.
He received his orders to get the boxes from
George Fields, the car shop foreman.
On cross-examination McNierney said
that he and Moran burned the books that
were destroyed Saturday morning. Moran
helped open the boxes and took out the
books and burned them.
On Monday Fields gave him orders to go
to the warehouse and get the boxes and take
them to the furnaces.
The regular Standard Oil inquiry before
Special Master Commissioner Brinsmaid
was not taken up today because Messrs.
Rockefeller, Squire and Severance, who
were wanted to testify, could not be found.
Attorney General Monnett desired to pro-
ceed with the hearing and to subpoena book
keepers and other employees Of the Stand
ard Company. Attorney Kline for the
Standard Company objected and argued for
more delay. Said Mr.. Monnett: 1--WE have
been a year and two months getting three
days testimony. We have met with moth
ing but delays, and the State is ready to
60 On"
Mr.. Kline stated to the best OF his knowl-
edge Secretary Squire would return to
Cleveland January 4th. He said Mr.. Sever
ance had been out of the city for several
months and he did not know where Frank
Rockefeller was. He further sold none of
these gentlemen had left the city to prevent
service being served on them. After a de-
bate Of some length by the attorneys, Master
Commissioner Brinsmaid ordered the inyes-
tigation postponed until January 4th at 10
.. m. In his order he stated: "Notice of
the proceedings is hereby given the attor-
neys."
At o'clock the taking of testimony before
Notary Mason was resumed. Charles z. no
gan, a foreman in the employ of the Standard
Oil company, was the only witness examined.
He has been in the employ of the company
for 81 years. He said he gave orders in ac-
cordancs with instructions to George Fields
to burn the accounts and books in the boxes
hauled from the offices of the company to
the Independence street warehouse. The
boxes, he declared, contained miscellan-
eous collection of papers and few books
which might have been letter press books,
stock books or order copy books. He de-
clared positively that no ledgers or journals
were burned The burning of this material,
he said, was OF no consequence and was ac.
cordinS to custom.
.ALEl'TER FROM KLINE
Mr.. Virgil P. Kline of the law firm of
Kline, Tolles Il Golf of this city, ATTORNEYS
for the Standard Oil company, sends the fol-
lowing communication to the Associated
Press:
My attention has been called to printed
statement to the effect that previous to the
decision OF the supreme court, as attorney
for the Standard Oil company, spent several
daysin Columbus, and it is ntimated that |
received tip beforehand in regard to- the
courts decision and at once notified the Of
ficials of the Standard Oil company. That
statement is an absolute falsehood and an
insult to the court.
There is no truth in any part OF i'll save
that spent part of one forenoon in (olum.
bus with Mr.. Neal, preparing brief in the.
case.
The statement given out that the companv
has destroyed any of its books of account for
the purpose of evading the order OF the court
is.equally false.
lSigned) VIRGIL p. KLINE.