The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-12-23
STANDARD OIL BOOKS
EmpIoye Opposes and Says
That He Burned Them.
ON THE REGULAR HEARING
Attorney General Monet Com
plains of Delay.

Cleveland. o., Dec. e2.-The taking Of
dispositions by Attorney General Monett to
attempt to prove that the Standard Oil
company had DESTROYED iot of IT'S books
and papers few days before the supreme
court ordered the books TO be produced
as evidence in the Investigation Of the
Standard Oil COMPANY, was resumed to-
day.
John McNeirney Of s. Oregon streec .es-
titled that he had been in the employ CT
th= Standard company for over two years.
McNeirney said lha: on SATURDAY morn
ing, November %. he was ordered 10 turn
a lot of the Standard OIL company books
He burned them al about oclock N the
furnace of the shops. Later IN the icy
he said he was orjc.ed TO go 20 the Erolid
avenue Office and get some noxss. The
boxes were taken down from the It-h floor
in the elevator. bu. someone objected to
them being taken out OF The s.ort door.
Thereupon the boxes were taken back to
the fifth floor. McN=iraey said ne renamed
around the Euclid avenue Office until 5
o'clock that afternoon ana then the boxes
OF the windows. He was assisted by four
ether employees of the company Tie boxes
we're taken to the company's warehouse.
They remained there Until Monday.
The witness said thai about &c o'c,cck
Monday morning Re and Il man named
1Ioran took the books ont OF the boxes and
burned them in the furnaces. There were
nine boxes of book and SIX sacks Of pa
pers Some of the boo',s were about TWEEN
~ inches high and Others were E,uch
smaller. McNeirney said that the looks
that were burned Saturday morning were
taken from the Euclid avenue office Friday
night He received his orders 20 get the
boxs from George Fields, the car-shop
foreman.
OF. cross-examination McNierney said
that he and Moran ourn ii the books tina,
were destroyed Saturday morning. Moran
helped open the boxes ami 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 HEARING.
The regular Standard Oil inquiry before
Special Master Commissioner Brinsun&.d
was not taken up today because Messrs.
Rockefeller, Squire and Severance, who
were wanted 10 testify, could not be found.
Attorney General Monet desired pro-
coed with the hearing and 10 Subpoena
bookeepers and other employees % the
Standard. Attorney Kline, for the san
dard. objected and argued for more delay.
Said Mr.. Monett: 1--WE have been a year
and two months getting three days testi-
mony. We have met with nothing but Ge-
lays, and the state is ready TO go on aow.'
Mr.. Kline stated that to the best of his
knowledge, Secretary Squire would return
to Cleveland January f. He said Mr. Sew
erance had been out of the city for sew
eral months, and he did not know where
Frank Rockefeller was He further said
none of these gentlemen had left the city
to prevent service being secured on them
After debate of some lngth by the at
torneys. Master Commissioner Brinsmaid
ordered the investigation postponed until
January at 10 a. m. In his order he
stated "notice of the proceeding is hereby
given the attorneys
At O'Clock the taking Of testimony be-
fore Notary Mason was resumed Charles
c. Hogan, foreman in the employ of the
Standard Oil company, was the only wit
ness examined. He has been in the en-
ploy of the company for twenty-one years
He said he gave orders, in accordance
with instructions TO George Fields, 10
burn the accounts and books in the boxes
hauled from the offices of the company
TO the Independence Street warehouse.
The boxes, ne declared, contained a mis-
cellaneous collection of papers and
few books which might have been letter
press books, stock books. or order copy
books. He declared positively thar no
ledgers or journals were burned. The
burning of this material. he said, was of
no consequence and was according 10 Gus
tom.
In July, 1896, ne said, a lot OF similar
material was burned and in 1SeS more ac-
counts and books Eare destroyed. This
last time a number OF account books were
burned. Hogan said he had been re-
quested TO look at the books before de-
stroying them and not to burn any that
were less than ten years old. He said ne
saved a few less tilan ten years Old that
had been set aside by mistake.
The hearing before the notary viii be
resumed tomorrow morning.