The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-09-14
HART Is STILL
TELLING THINGS
Confesses to Cashing Checks
Belonging to Company and
P0cketing Coin.

Lionel Hart is still confessing. Yes
terday afternoon he acknowledged
having taken checks which had come
into the office of,the Standard Oil Com
/ pany in the regular line of business.
endorsing them with Mayors name,
per his own initials, and cashing them,
converting the money to his own use.
| He also confessed the truth of the
accusations made against him by
Mayer. that of having shipped three
/ hundred cases of oil to Eva and pock-
| citing the money. He reiterates his
statement that the manipuIations Of
| the orders and the books We're made
/ at Mayors direction. however, and
/ persists in denying any completely in
or knowledge of the fire at the kero-
sene oil warehouse.
All day yesterday Chief Taylor and
his men were working on the case and
considerable additional evidence was
| secured. A great deal of this points
| to Hart, but there are several points
uncovered that viii require a great
deal of explanation from Mayer.
AS to the actual incendiarism at the
kerosene warehouse nothing has as
vet been discovered by the police that
they have made public. The chase
seems to have shifted altogether on
+bo ,,oI1- ,,oa;,, o,,ae4;o,, &c - x,,bo &c
guilty Of the large thefts of oil from
the warehouse. When the whole truth
concerning the thieving is learned the
police think that the matter of clear
ing up the fire mystery will be an easy
task.
A definite charge against Hart was
made yesterday, he having been de-
tanned by the police SO far only on
investigation. He was formally charg-
ed yesterday. on, complaint of Superin-
tendent of Public Works Holloway, of
having destroyed public records. If
any charges should arise out of the
matter against Mayer they will prob
ably be of the. same nature as have
been laid against Hart, that of de-
stroying public records. In Hart's
confession he states that his crime
was done under Mayors orders. if the
charges contained in the confession of
an embezzler are worth anything.
Yesterday Mayer stated that he had
in his possession the written statement
of his clerk, Hart, that he (Mayer)
had no share whatever in any of the
shortages of oil. This statement was
written. Mayer says, when he had de-
tected Hart in sending oil out with
out making any returns to the COM
pany for it. In this instance the
amount of money short was $555, res
titution of which was demanded.
Hart brought in the money from some
source within a few days. That was
the occasion of Hart's suspension, re-
ported yesterday.
Mayer processes to be not worrying
about the outcome of the affair. He |
states that he has had an investiga-
ton of Hart's affairs under way for |
some time, quite Independent of the |
police investigation. Experts are go- |
ing over the books and Harris past /
actions are being gone into He inti- |
mates that the Territorial authorities
are clpuding the issues now by maxi
ing every possible effort to clear them
selves of any responsibility in the mat
Ter of shortage Concerning Hart, he
said yesterday:
Il did not know at the time that
Hart applied for the position that he
lad had trouble elsewhere, but after
making inquiries about town / heard
hat he was a fine bookkeeper and a
good man in the office, but needed
I thought I would give the
elbow a chance, determining not to
,ut any temptation in his way and
that I could guard against
my mistakes. I was busy for long
ir1e with the erection of the ware
ouse here and I have frequently had
o make trips to the other islands,
uring which absences from the office
naturally left matters in his hands,
rusting him for the handling of the
rders. Everything appeared to be all
ight until recently. I refer partfcu
arly to the case of the 800 eases Of
il for Eva plntation.
Il told him he would have to make
ood and he made good the s555.
$50 told him that in the event of his
laking good all that he had taken ne
ould be immune from prosecution as
If as 1 was concerned. Necessarily c
suspended him