The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-06-03
BOYCOTT DAMAGE SUIT
TAFT, Haltenhoff and Hart Against
the Butchering Company.
DRIVEN OUT OF BUSINESS
Would Not Join the Association and
They Alleee That Retailers Were
Notified Not to Have Any
Dealings With Them.

Ehh'Ahtt hdifdEf sun fpNlb oul VI
hat popular institution, the boycott.
was on trial before a jury in Judge
Clancy's our yesterday. The case
was hat of A. TAFT, George Haltenhoff
and William Hart, formerly in the
wholesale b%utcherlng business under
the firm name of TAFT a. Co, against
the Butte Butchering company. Silver
o Meat company, Beaverhead Meat
company, Butte Dressed Meat COM
pany. the Montana Dressed Meat COM
pany. Samue Binder and Frank Hem
berger. alleged members of the Mon
tana Retail Butchers Protective ASSOC
citation. TAFT a. co. were forced out Of
business because they would not Join
the association and put up a bond not
to sell meat below a price fixed by the
association. All retail dealers were no.
titled that they must not buy meat
from the ~boycotted firm on penalty of
"a heavy fine. The victims of the boy
colt then brought suit for So 900 dam
ages. The jury called to try the case
was composed of r. H.. Tonkin. Ed
Sweeney, Amos Booth. Phil II. Pryor,
Thomas Walker. &. III. Moore, =. H..
Almon, c. w. Gideon. Terry Lennon.
James Bret, j. Walter and William
Stolte. The plaintiffs were represented
by T.. n. HARDWOOD and j. Nj. Hinkie.
and the defense by A. J. Campbell and
G. NJ. Parr.
Charles Bresbin, secretary of the
Butchers association. was the first
witness. and his testimony indicated a
Hank movement on the part of the de-
PENDANTS similar to that of the defend
ants i'm the famous Chinese boycott
case. He said the records of the assoc
citation had been lost or stolen. The
suit for damages was brought I'm July,
1897. and the records Of the association
covering the entire period prior to
about the LIST of August are lost. Bres-
bin was excused and told to make a
search for them. NJ. T.. lie Blanc. an
ex-secretary of the association. was
next called. but he. too, knew very lit
tie about the books. and before his ex-
animation concluded the court adj
journed for the noon recess.
When court reconvened i'm the after
noon Bresbin was put on the stand
again and was asked if he had found
any trace of the missing book. He
said he had not.
Have you seen IL since about the
LIST of last August"
Il don't know as ] saw Ii then"
ON cross-examination Mr.. Campbell
asked the witness IL the plaintiffs were
members of the Retail Butchers asso-
citation. Mr.. Harwood objected to the
question and said il was evident that
the defense tried to show that N OF
the three plaintiffs, after they a
been driven out of business and had
been compelled to dissolve partnership,
was forced to join the as
ISOLATION in order to be able to do any
kind of business. The objection was
overruled and the witness said Hart
was now a member of the association.
lie Blanc was recalled and identified
"A written notice sent out by him to "a
South Butte meat dealer in June. 1897.
The notice gave warning that dealers
should not buy meat of any ofirm not
a member of the association. II stated
that the only companies that belonged
to the association were the Butte
B%utchering company, Silver Bow Meat
Beayerhead Meat company,
Butte Dressed Meat company and
the Montana Dressed Meat
Ii also gave notice that TAFT a. Halten-
hon had refused to join the associa-
ton and that nyone buying meat
from them would be subject to a fine.
Turner. the next witness, testified
that he had been a member of the
Butchers association. and named some
of the retail firms that were m
of IL. but could not remember any
wholesale firms that were. He said he
had received a note from the associa-
ton i'm June. 1897. not to buy meats OF
TAFT & Haltenhor.
What effect did that note have on
you, relative to buying meat from
them
We'll. It didn't have very much eff
feet" was the answer.
The witness said he was called to ac-
count i'm the meeting of the association
because ne bought meat of TAFT * Co,
and was asked to stop IL.
Did you cease buying meat from
them"
Not right away but some time aft
erward."
why did you stop buying from
them"
Because | couldn't buy all the
meat from them | wanted, and If |
bought from them at all i couldn't buy
Fl nm othe RS"
"What others-other Wholesale deal
ers?'
Yes. sir"
Turner said that when he was called
up in meeting to civ" an accounf OF
mself he was given Is days in which
To close up his business with TAFT a
Haltenhoff. and at the end of that
time he stopped dealing with them. On
cross-examination the witness said he
had never been refused meat from any
wholesale dealer because he purchased
from TAFT a Haltenhoff. The whole
salers at one time for a period of two
months refused tn sell him neat be-
use he did not belong 10 the associ-
alton.
TAFT. one of the plaintiffs. testified
concerning his experience with the as
ISOLATION and aid his customers left
him on receiving notice to do so from the
association. He also testified as To the
actual dam ,,:e he suffered and on
cross-exaIn,na;ibh le said he was still
i'm the bu.ch ~ = BUSINESS, but had quit
wholesaliug His - animation was not
concluded when court adjourned.