The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-12-22
CLAIM BOOKS WERE BURNED
SENSATIONIL CHARGES AGAINST
 STAND1RD OIL COMP1NY,

STAND1RD OIL COMP1NY.
 Trust Had Been Ordered by Ohio Su- preme Court to Present Records Before Investigating Commission Drunken Employees Gave Away Information in . Saloon.
 Cleveland, Dec. 1.-Developments of sensational nature in the Standard Oil investigation came to light to-day, when Attorney General Monett began taking dispositions for the purpose of proving that the Standard Oil company, just previous to the issuance of recent order by the supreme court that the books of the company be produced in evidence, had destroyed a large number of it's books. Upon the strength of the information received by the attorney general from reliable business men and attorneys that it could be proved that the Standard Oil company had burned lot of its books, journals, ledgers and other valuable books, the state served notice upon the Standard Oil company that dispositions would be taken before notary in the office of Attorney Harry c. Mason in this city to-day.
 During the investiga ton of the Stan dard Oil trust before Commissioner Brinsmade few weeks ago the Stan dard company refused to produce it's books in evidence. The matter was taken to the supreme court and on De- cember 1 that court ordered the Stan dard Oil company to produce it's books covering the period from 1892 to 1897 to show whether the company had paid dividends during that time to the hold CTS of the trust certificates. Previous to the decision of the supreme court Virgil F. Kline, attorney for the com pany, spent several days at Columbus, and it is alleged that he received in- formation beforehand in regard to the courts decision and at once notified the officials of the company Attorney General Monett expects to be able to prove that the officials of the Standard Oil company destroyed their books three or four nights before the supreme court ordered F. s. Squire, secretary of the company, to produce the company's $ books in evidence.
 The most important witness produced was John Darmstetter, rabbi of Bo- hemian church. Rabbi Darmstetter tes- tif1ed that one evening three or four weeks ago he went into the saloon of Ty TO1J H. 4or D11 official of his church. Pollock was waiting upon several Bohemian labor CTS who were employed by the Standard Oil company, and he sat down until the saloonkeeper got through. with his cus- toners. Darmstetter said that one of the men in the saloon was quite hiIari- ous and was asked: Why are you fel- lows doing so much trea ting?" Two of the men then flashed a roll of bills and said that they had got some good stuff working overtime. One of them, a teamster, said that he and another teamster had loaded up a lot of books at the Euclid avenue office of the Standard Oil company and had taken them to the company's furnaces, where they were burned.
 
 residence and name of one of the driv- CTS and when a constable went to sub poena him the man exclaimed: My job is gone if I have to testify" Another teamster of the Stanadrd Oil company when informed that he would probably be called upon to testify, is reported to have said "They can't catch me; what we took were boxes, and I can't tell what they contained" Rabbi Darm' stetter when placed upon the witness stand was unwilling to testify, saying that if he did so it would injure the members of his congregation, many of whom were employed by the Standard Oil company. The depositions of five other witnesses were taken, but nothing inportant was brought out. An effort was made to subpoena E. A. Pollock, the saloonkeeper, but he could not be found.
 Frank Rockefeller, L. M. Severance and F E. Squire have been suSpoenaed as witnesses.
 Edward OAhearn, teamster in the employ of the Standard Oil company, was placed on the witness stand. He testified that on the saturday peIore Thanksgiving day he was ordered to go to the office of the company on Euclid avenue and carry some boxes from there to the company's warehouse on Independence street. He said he got tbe boxes. sixteen in number, and de- livered them as ordered. He said he did not know he names of the employees who turned the boxes over to him nor of those who received them at the warehouse. In dimensions they were about two feet long and eighteen inches broad. He declared that he did not know what was in them and denied having made the declaration in sa- loon that they contained account books.
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