The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-09-29
WRIGHT HAS
HIS DEFENSE
Alleged That He Will
Ask for Man With
Key.

B. Haywood Wrights defense to the
charge of embezzlement of public mon
eys preferred against him by the Terri
toria1 government, will doubtless be
the admission of his having cashed
the check of the Hawaiian Electric
Company and placed the proceeds
therefrom in the safe in the Public
Works department, and that others be-
sides himself had access to the safe and
moneys.
On Saturday the prisoner, who has
been held in Oahu prison for two
weeks, appeared before Judge Wilcox
in the police court. Several witnesses
presented proof that the Hawaiian
Electric Company's check for s32S9.53
was given to B. H. Wright, then chief
clerk of the Public Works Department,
and that the same had been cashed at
the Bank of Hawaii.
One of the most important pieces of
evidence brought out in the examina-
|
Dole. He stated that on September 9
he had a conversation with Wright In
formation had come to him on Monday, |
September s, which caused him to have
a meeting with Wright, together with
the latter's counsel and certain officials.
This was at II a. m, at which time no
cd A
that time Deputy Auditor Meyers open
ed the safe in the Public Works De-
partment in. the presence of the assem-
,bled officials, Wright and his attor-
neys The cash was then counted.
There was deficit announced by
the Deputy Auditor of $525O.10,' said
Mr. Dole. He was asked if the deficit
was correct and he stated that there
was no doubt of it, and that he would
refund the money within four days. The
4 amount of the Hawaiian Electric Com
4 pany's check came up and I asked de-
/ PENDANT if he had cashed the check
i which he admitted. I asked him what
q ne had done with the money and he
n
4 answered Tt is gone Further he de-
4 clined to answer. 1 told him he must
i be taken in charge until the facts were
] more fully known though 1 could not
time on a warrant. He acceded to this
s procedure.
Mr. Ashford, counsel for defendant,
asked for postponement at the open
! ing Of the case which was denied by
Z Judge Wilcox. The first witness was
q Manager A. Gartley of the Hawaiian
4 Electric Company. The check in ques-
i ton was shown to Gartley, which he
said had been signed by himself, being
) the amount due on franchise royalty Of
q 215 per cent on certain moneys of the
q gross income by the company for light
3 ing and power Walter S. Binley, the
8 bookkeeper for the Electric Company,
3 testified to having filled in the body of
the check and presenting it to Mr.
Z Gartley for signature. He said he de-
livered the check with a voucher to B.
\ Wright who signed the voucher in his
presence Frank Atherton, cashier of
the Bank of Hawaii recognized on the
check the banks mark of paid" but
1 under cross-examination could not
state definitely whether it had been
casned personally by B. H. Wright.
Checks were cashed in a routine way,
unless there was something extraordi-
nary about it, at which time perhaps
the incident would be more definitely
stamped upon his memory
II Manuel Cook, first bookkeeper of the
Public Works Department, testified
from Wright. 1t was Cooks duty to
| receive the cash during the day. He
could not state definitely whether
Wright mad the power to collect or re-
ceipt for moneys due the Department.
Cook stated there was no entry for the
amount of the check on August Is or
subsequently, in which the Electric
| Company had been credited. In the alb
sence of the cashier Cook sometimes
! receipted for moneys and filled out the
| stubs in the receipt book when Stem
/ sen, the cashier was absent. Cook said
| that the cashier endeavored to hand
! over the cash taken in each day, but he
/! heard Wright say to Siemsen, Never
mind wait a day or So" When the
cash was not so turned over it was held
| in the cashiers private safe. Cook
said he had never received the check in
| question or the money derived there
| from.
j The case was adjourned till next
Thursday.