The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-11-02
lionel R. A. HART
ISFOUND GUILTY
Verdict In EmbezzIement Case
Returned BY Iury After
Long Deliberation

.
Lionel r. A. Hart was found guilty
by a jury last night Of the charge Of
embezzlement and conversion Of 10000
shares Of the wilbert Mining Company,
belonging TO his brokerage clients
which he had used on his own behalf
and Of destroying the books containing
the accounts. I..
The jury retired to consider its yer.
diet at eleven .forty-fye yesterday
morning, and then had luncheon down
town. For three hours the jury de.
bated the case; then IL filed into court
to have some of the testimony read by
the court reporter, particularly that
which related TO the confession obtained
from Hart in a San Francisco prison by
Chester A.. Doyle, Japanese interpreter
of the circuit courts, and Chief McDuf-
fe Of the Honolulu detective depart.
ment, in which Hart stated that he en-
bezzled the property Of his clients,
had burned his books to destroy evi.
dcnee against him, and departed sud.
denly for China to eyade arrest. vi
Long Discussion IT,.
When the testimony was read and the
written confession turned over to the
jury, the latter again retired. Late in
the day an intimation came from the
jury room TO the Judge that they did
not agree, and asked whether they
should continue. The Judge requested
that they continue 60 consider the case
until they arrived at a verdict. Dinner
time came and no verdict They were
permitted to go out in charge Of the
bailiff for dinner and on returning dis
eussed the case until half past eight
when they filed into court with YER
diet Of guilty. ' ~
The jury asked that the court, in
sentencing Hart, to show leniency.
Hart was the Honolulu representa-
tive Of Stoneham 4 Co., a New York
brokerage concern, and had quite list
Of clients. He occupied a suite Of
handsomely furnished Offices in the
brokers section and was a swagRer
man about town, despite the fact that
only a few years before he had been
released from prison after serving a
threeyear sentence for attempting to
burn down the government kerosene
warehouse in Kakaako in order to de.
stroy evidence of shortages in oil ac-
counts, when he was connected with
the Standard Oil Company. I'll.
Former Crime .yra .T .....a '',.. ~,
This was in 1908. Orders for oil
which he had given out as an employe
of the Stahfard Oil Company for oil
taken FROM the Kerosene warehouse
were ontfile in the superintendent $ Of.
fee. He had manipulated the books at
his Office in such way that he covered
his shortages and required the de-
|struetion Of those at the warehouse to
complete his chain of evasion, He hired
an auto, with a Japanese chauffeur, and
drove down to Kakaako, leaving the
auto some distance away. He entered
the warehouse, piled the orders of his
firm and those Of other firms into q
heap and set fire to the room and also
to the rooms Of the first story.
The Aames were, seen by Waterman
and an ALARM turned into the fire de-
partment which responded promptly
and extinguishede the flames. The
charred remains of the books and or!
ders were gathered and fire inquest
held and soon Hart was connected with
the FIRE. He was arrested late at night
and confessed his crime. ?.
In the present case Hart was at first
thought to have fed with about $780,
900 belonging to clients and to Stone.
ham & Co., but when arrested in San
Francisco he said he had gone away
with bnt $2400 and had only 5000 left
when he reached San Francisco. -
Hart was represented by Judge Ly.
mer and the Territory's case was han
died by c. s. Davis, deputy county at
torney. r'...u..