The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1915-12-21
SHORTAGE OF HART .
now KNOWN TOBE
more THAN $500
@E,.at. ---L-,.r y p 7
Records and Accounts Of Second
( 3tecVMtturt AreiIn Chaotic
Condition y"
q.
.rF 49,
ESTATES AND TRUSTS bod.
s., LOOTED BY OFFICIAL
r. T..
Maui County Auditor Admits
..u Books Were Not Exported y
In Four Years

Though approximately $500 of the
funds of the second circuit court at
Waikiki. Maui have been checked as
missing, il Is regarded as unlikely that
the entire amount of the shortage in
the accounts of Edmund II. Hart, clerk
Of the court, ever win be ascertained
definitely. Hart, II will be remember.
ed, was arrested last week on a charge
of embezzlemcnt. He was arraigned be-
fore Judge Edings and admitted to bail
in. the sum of $4,000.
When Judge Edings took office year
ago, Hart renewed his $4,000 bond as
clerk, ". T. Robinson and A Garcia mp
pearing as his surety. While this bond
does not cover the amount said to have
been disclosed already in shortage, it is
thought his former bondsmen may be
held for such shortages as may be
found in his accounts of dates prior to
the acceptance of the present sureties.
Estates and Trusts Looted
The clerk 5 bank balance is only $500
while his cash book shows a balance of
approximately 5000. But much money
was handed to him from time to time as
administrator Of estates, trusteeships
and the like, and ii is these which can.
not be checked with any degree of ac.
curacy. The only manner in which
shortages in such accounts can be
checked is through claims which may
be filed later by persons to whom they
are due.
Thorl,. N;Ioox oo,n4,, o,l;tor ,.,ko
has been engaged the last week in ex-
aiming Hart s books, says they appear
hOpelessly tangled. The county super.
visors this week set aside special APP
preparation of $1,000 to defray the cost
Of the audit now in progress and A. G.
Dickens, q local accountant. is employ
ell in going through the books.
Records In Chaotic Condition
n is found that Hart was far behind
in writing up his daily docket of court
proceedings, many of the records being
no more than memoranda for his own
work later. W. S. Chiliingworth! the
court stenograPher, is acting as clerk
at present and probably win be named
Hart s successor. He is finding much
trouble in an effort to bring the record
of proceedings up to date because of
the chaos Hart left behind him.
The accused man probably will be
tried at the March term of circuit court
Judge Edings, because of his official
connection in the affair, probably will
not preside in tho case and iurist
from one of of the other islands likely
will be called in.
The first of number of suits which
,,.nhahlt ,,,tn rnllnu, -, fl.n Ia, 81 a
disclosure was filed immediately after
Hart 3 arrangement, by Attorney Flu,
gene Murphy, seeking to recover Ger.
tain funds entrusted to the clerk.
County Auditor On Defensive
The arrest Of Hart has put County
Auditor Wilcox on the defensive. He
is quoted as admitting that he has made
no audit of the court s accounts in the
last three or four years. and a Maui
newspaper expresses the opinion that if
Hart s bond is found insufficient to
meet the total shortage an effort may
he made to recover on the auditor :
bond.
Wilcox says the laxity on his part
is due to the fact that he has never had
sufficient assistance in his own office to
permit audits of other offices. More
over, he declares, the law is not specific
on the point and it is an open question
whether heels required to do the work
lie says he underworld to obtain the
passage by the last two legislatures Of
an act authorizing him to make annual
audits of all county officials accounts
and requiring them to render monthly
reports to him.
Bill Fails Both Times
The bill failed both times he AYERS,
losing through a pocket veto by Cover
rOr Pinkham last spring, the executive
giving no reason for Withholding action
on it.
1t is said that recent order by
Judge Edings resulted in the Hart ex.
pose. This order, the story goes, re-
Quired the court clerk to deposit in
-lank all funds entrusted to him, max.
ing the deposit in the name of the party
to whom each belonged. This prevent
ed the clerk from transferring monies
received in administration affairs to the
court fund leaving him no alternative
lut confession of his defalcations.