The Hawaiian gazette., 1907-09-13
LIONEL HART 5
DAMAGING
TALE


Admissions of most damaging char
acter were made at secret session OF
the inquest looking into the govern
ment kerosene warehouse fire last night,
the session being held in the office of
Sheriff Iaukea behind closed doors
Lionel Hart, who has been the clerk
in the office of the Standard Oil Com
pany here, confessed that the orders
substituted among those found intact
after the fire, ordering Standard Oil oil
from the warehouse, had been prepared
by him, substituted among the orders
and the ones taken out destroyed. This
he did, he stated, at the orders of his
superior, George H. Mayer, manager
of the local Standard Oil agency.
As result of the confessions made
Hart was placed under arrest and is
now in detention at the police station
under investigation. After he had
made his confession before the jurors
state of funk after being placed hs-
hind the bars in his cell for the night
He denied strenuously, however, that
he had had any hand in setting fire
to the warehouse. His statements as
to his doings on the morning Of the
fire are contradictory, however, at one
time stating that he had spent the night
at Waikiki and last night stating that
he had been at his home in Nuuanu
r. w. Breckons, United States Dis
trict Attorney, conducted the case last
night before the jury on behalf Of the
Territory and 1t was at his request
that the session was held in secret and
the representatives Of the press sx-
Of the jury there were present at the
inquest Deputy Attorney General Whit
ney, e. w. Sutton, the newly appointed
criminologist, Superintendent Of Public
Works Holloway, Sheriff Iaukea, Chief
Taylor and Detective Reeves. @. B.
Reynolds, the caretaker of the ware
house, was also present as witness
but was excluded from the hearing.
Hart was taken in before the jury
as soon as the session opened and was
put through searching course Of
questioning at the hands of Breckons.
Much of the evidence secured was not
given out after the session adjourned
What was learned was that Hart had
confessed his share in the substitution
of orders, substituted at the direct or
ders of Mayer. He stated that he
had thought that sucn orders were rath-
er strange but had in no way ques-
toned them. No reasons were given
him by Mayer and he had asked none.
He knew, he said, that there was a
shortage of oil at the warehouse, the
oil seeming to be going out without
any orders being issued by either him.
self or Mayer, "or at least through
any orders Of mine" he said as if
correcting himself. -
Since the fire inquest began Hart
has been under suspension, explaining
last night that he was in the office
only to finish off the work of the month.
It has been definitely learned by the
Department of Public Works that the
shortage of oil at the warehouse
amounts to seventeen hundred cases.
Reynolds, the caretaker, stated last
night that he wished to give some evi-
dence at the inquest, being especially
desirous of putting on record his denial
Of the statement made at the last ses-
sion of the inquest by Juror Berry, who
had stated that oil had been delivered
to May & Co. on the firms order, con-
trary to the rules of the warehouse.
Reynolds states that at the time this
remark was made he had regarded it
as a joke, not realizing that it reflect
ed on him so seriously until he read
it in the Advertiser the next morning.