The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-06-08
ARMED MEN IN CONTROL
HoStiIities May Be Precipitated
by a Supreme Court
Decision.
DYNAMITE is NOT FEARED.
Deputy United States MarshaIs VIII
Prevent the Seizure of the
Properties.

CHICAGO, ILL, June IA local paner
says: Every distillery in the United States
controlled by the whisky trust has been
turned into an arsenal. For nearly a
month past United States Deputy Marshals
have had their quarters in the distilleries.
They are all heavily armed and prepared
to resist any attack that may be made or
any attempt to take possession. 1t is not
incendiaries or dynamiters that the re-
ceivers fear. A decision is daily expected
from the Supreme Court of the State which
may have the effect of precipitating hos
tilities. These may take civil form and
add new phase of litigation to the legal
troubles of the trust. On the other hand
they may be of more forceful character,
in the nature of pitched battle with fire.
arms.
The anxiously expected decision is in the
case of the Distilling and Cattle Feeding
Company VS.. the People ex rel. the Attor-
ney-General. This is the case where Gen.
aral Moloney filed information for writ
of quo warranto declaring the company to
be an illegal corporation; in effect, trust,
and existing contrary to the antitrust
laws of the State. He was sustained by
the Circuit Court. The case was appealed
by the trust to the Supreme Court, and a
decision, it is expected, will be handed
down within few days.
The effect of decision sustaining the
action of the Acknowledgement and the
decision of the lower court would, it is
claimed, be much more far reaching than
to simply cause a disintegration OF the
trust. If the contention of some of the
antitrust attorneys be correct, it will have
the effect of restoring to the original own
ers of the distilleries all right and title to
the various plants, on the ground that all
sales to the trust were Illegal and that any
and all contracts made with the trust were
in violation of the antitrust statutes and
therefore void.
There are twentv-nine bonded distilleries
in the trust and more than eighty plants.
Twenty of these are located in Illinois and
five in Cook County. The value is many
millions of dollars and it seems to be the
opinion of outsiders as well as of the
receivers of the trust that the original
owners will make strong fight to get
possession should the Supreme Court
decision be favorable to them. Such
decision might involve the State of Illinois
in a conflict with the United States au-
UhorlVles III oIuer 10 ehIoFce tne ACTION oI
its highest judicial tribunal, although it is
a remote probability.
P. +. Hennessy, director and late secre-
tary of the trust, said: eve have no
means of knowing what the decision of the
Supreme Court will be, but we have been
led to expect the decision this week. L
have heard that the present receiver of the
trust has located armed United States
Marshals at the various distilleries in the
expectation that the decision would be in
our favor and that we would Immediately
attempt to take possession of the property.
Of course, as former member of the trust,
an original owner of the property, do not
know what we would do if the decision
were in our favor. 1t is safe to say we
would try to regain what has been taken
from us if we have the right to do So"