Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-02-13
MARGARINE IN Hoo.
Over One Hundred Bogus But
ter Sellers Caught Up
AND WILL BE PROSECUTED.
The Commission Merchants Associ-
alton Gets in Its Work.
PROMINENT DEALERS ARRESTED.
Complete Expose of Trade Secrets and
Enormous Profits.
AND WILL BEPROSECUTED.
PROMINENT DEALERS ARRESTED.
RUSE OF A LAWYER AND DETECTIVES

and mildest question in the world: SIS there
anything new to-day"
The unexpected answer to this question
addressed to William Yost, ESQ the we'll
known Diamond street lawyer-was that
most certainly there was something new to-
day, and that the news related to decided
sensation in an oleomargarine way, and
that this news affected many prominent bus
iness houses and the people at large, as it
concerns two of the most vital issues in this
life-a mans pocketbook and his stomach.
'Yes," said MIR. Yost there is some
thing new to-day, and, as starter, would
remark that we have now nearly 100 cases
of oleomargarines selling on hand, and ready
10 try at any moment.
"You remember" continued the gentle
man, "about November 26, all the papers
published sort of proclamation, signed by
all the leading merchants of the two cities,
saying that the selling Of butterine or oleo.
must stop. As matter of course, no atten-
ton was paid to this prorunciamento, as
they shortly afterward ascertained, and,
about December l, they put affairs into my
hands, with full freedom of action in order
to detect these sellers, as they had reason to
believe the law was utterly disregarded. A
committee was also appointed to take charge
of the matter and to raise fund for the
purpose of prosecuting the cases and in
short while five times the amount of money
necessary was subscribed. 8"
THE WAY IT WAS DONE.
''would you care to tell how YOU man.
aged to ferret out so many cases in such
short while?''
well, it's scarcely proper to give away
ones methods, but the evidence is all in,
and no harm will now result from any pub
lication, but, on the contrary, think a
great deal of good will result in showing
these people and their business up to our
people, who have suffered and been victim
lied for so long owing to this fraudulent
business.
81 went to work at once and employed
six men as detectives to look up these deal
ers and secure samples of their goods. We
did intend to bring suits before the last
grand jury, but it met such sudden and
pathetic death through an overdose of court
opinion that we held our cases back for this
ju@y; and am glad we did, for these jurors
are mostly honest farmers, and they are GER
tainly calculated to know butter when they
see il. Inasmuch as we couldn't DO any,
thing until the next grand jury, we turned
our attention to gathering in more cases,
with fattering success.
fElNa hapa eaourad paar1v 10n ooeae
cred from all over Pittsburg and Allegheny,
and in many of the surrounding towns; but
many of the cases, of course come from the
Pittsburg and Allegheny market places.
We have already entered suits in 20 cases,
some of them to-day. In regard to the other
cases, we have not yet decided exactly
whom or how many we will sue."
IT is VERY SEVERE.
"What is the penalty for this illegal sell.
ing?''
''The law has been printed often enough.
The act OF 1887 provides two remedies. In
one, the arresting party can have an Of
fender indicted and fined; and, in aggra-
waited cases the Court has been imposing
fines of 5000 with 20 days in Jail. For in
stance, c. A. Watson has just come out OF
Jail after serving 20 days and paying $500
fine, besides $50 costs" Attorney Yost
then continued, as follows:
The other remedy is not nearly so severe or
harsh. 1t is simply a-civil suit for penalty of
800, and the party is not subject to arrest or to
the disgrace of serving sentence in jail, as the
payment of 500, with probably small costs be-
fore Squire, is the limit of this penalty In
the cases have On hands, the milder remedy
will probably be sufficient; but if not criminal
prosecutions will most certainly be instituted
in order to bring those people to terms. The
association, let me say is not actuated by
malice or anything of that Sort and the mild
remedy will be used if possible; but, as the
severe penalty is just easily applied it will
be used for there is no alternative; this illegal
butterine selling must stop. We have begun 10
civil suits in order TO see what effect it will
have, and they are nearly all against small Of
tenders. while the others for which we have
evidence may be brought at any time.
There are some cases, however, where the
ofense has been so notorious and unblushing
that we thought we might as well begin at once
with something severe, and push these cases
without any delay or quibbling, and to-day we
instituted criminal suits against these parties.
One of the most prominent arrested to-day
was J. W. Scott, of thei Western Dairy Com
pany, who has probably been doing nearly
threefourths of the wholesale oleomargarine
business. We also arrested one OF his en-
ployes. and we have a number of cases against
them of the c!earest kind. Scott keeps at No.
IS Diamond square, and he has been getting his
goods from Chicago, and has been
SELLING NDIscRIMINATELY.
Frank Y. Over has also been arrested, and
Joseph Mckee, of Allegheny, with his en-
ployes, for we expect to hold the clerks of
wholesale dealers just as responsible as their
principals. They must understand some way
OF other that the law does not protect a man
in wrong doing, no matter for whomS he may
be working.
Another one of the leading. largest and
boldest dealers. Frank McCann of the Pitts |
burg market, with his employe, John Deylin |
was arrested to-day. and as McCann plead
guilty to the same charge in 1887 you can see
he is no spring chicken in the business |
Among other things We have been quietly dis |
posing OF old cases, for instance Caskey and |
Kelly. and Henry b. Rea, the latter pleading |
guilty and promising to quit the selling
when 1Started in on this work the commit |
tee gave me positive information that in case |
any of our local dealers were prosecuted the |
Chicago manufacturers had agreed to paw their |
fines and costs; but they fell little short in this
respect; they haven't agreed to suffer impris- |
onment Tor their customers, and in all proba- |
bility the court will look up these little agree
ments. when the proper time comes.
A few sporadic cases were prosecuted by |
constables, and when the small storekeepers |
were hned they not unnaturally called on their /
Whoesale houses to whack up the fines and /
costs Tor them as per agreement. have inves- |
tigated these cases, and have invariably found |
that instead Of doing so they have evaded the \
point on some pretext or other, and have not |
held up to their agreement
The people we now have on hand have been
expecting suits for some time, and the only de- /
vice or point they have argued that they think |
Will aio them In evading the law, is to have the /