The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-12-23
THE BOOKS WERE BURNED
Testimony Of Q Standard Oil
Company Employe.
HIS DEPOSITION TAKEN
The Inquiry Delayed by the Absence OF
witnesses-A Years Work to Get
Three Dsys' Tessimony-Con-
tinued to january 4

Cleveland. ONO, Dec. 2Z.-Tne taking
OF dispositions by Attorney General
Monnett to attempt to prove that the
Standard OIL company had destroyed a
lot OF its books and papers a few days
before the supreme court ordered the
books to be produced as evidence in the
investigation OF the Standard company
was resumed to-day. John McNieyney
testified that he had been In the employ
OF the Standard company for over two
years. McNierney said that on Satur.
day morning. Nov. 10. he was ordered TO
burn a lot of the Standard companys
books. He burned them at about
o'clock in the furnace of the shops.
Later in the day. he said. he was order
ed TO go to the Euclid avenue offices and
get some boxes. The boxes were taken
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 fioor.
McNierney said that he remained
around the office until : o'clock shat
afternoon and then the boxes were low
cred by a rope from one of the win
dows. He was assisted by four other
employees OF the company. The boxes
were taken to the company's warehouse.
They remained there until Monday.
The witness said that about 10 O'Clock
Monday morning he and a man named
Moran took the books out of the boxes
and burned them in the furnaces. Some
or the boxes were 20 inches high and
others much smaller. McNierney said
that the books that were burned ON Sat
urday morning were EaEen from the
Euclid avenue Office Friday night He
received his orders 70 get the boxes from
George Fields, the carshop foreman.
On cross-eNamination McNierney sad
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.
The regular Standard oil inquiry b.
fore Special Master Commissioner Brins-
made was not taken up to-day, because
Messrs. Rockefeller. Squire and Sever
ance. who Were wanted to testify, could
no. be found.
Attorney General Monnett wanted to
proceed with the hearing and to sub
poena bookkeepers aud other employees
of the company, Attorney Kline. for
the company. objected and argued for
more delay. said Mr. MOnnett:
we have been year and two
months getting three days testimony.
we have met with nothing but delays.
and the state is ready to go on now"
MS knowledge Secretary Squire would
return To Cleveland Jan. T. He SAID Mr..
severance had been out of the city
for several months and he did not know
where Frank Rockefeller was He fur
ther said that none Of these gentlemen
had left the city to prevent service be-
ing secured on them. After a debate
OF some length by the attorneys. Master
Commissioner BTinsmade ordered the
nOnRd To n
10 a. IN.
AT 4 o'clock the taking Of testimony
before Notary Mason was resumed
Charles G. Hogan. a foreman i'm the en-
ploy or the Standard oil company. was
the only witness examined. He has
oeen In the employ Of the company for
Il years He said he gave orders. in
accordance 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 miscellaneous collection Of
paper and few books which might
have been letter press books. stock
books or other copybooks. He declared
positively that no ledRers or journals
were burned. The burning OF this ma
terial, he said. was OF no consequence
and was according to custom.
In July. 1896. he said. a lot Of similar
material was burned. and i'm 1898 more
accounts and books were DESTROYED.
The last time number of account
books were burned. Hogan said he had
been requested to look at the books be-
fore destroying them and not burn any
that were less than 10 years old. He
saved a Few that were less than 10
years old that had been set aside by
mistake. The hearing before the mo-
tary will be resumed tomorrow morn
ing.