The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-03-18
RICE TRIED BLACKMAIL.
WANTED THE STANDARD on TO BEY
HIM OUT, y. ID. ARCHBOLD SAYS.

Concern In O~hio-Yisit Rice Paid Him.
There WAS n hearing at tine Hoffman House
yesterday in the case OF tho Attorncy-Genera
OF Ohio against the Standard Oil Company.
and John u. ArchbOli ~ that company
took tho opportunity ,ha5 the witness
chair offered of showing NJ Gaorge I. Rice.
the man who. it Is asserted. has followed the
company for years and years with proseru-
lions. and who. H. Is asserted. is responsible for
ali OF the present prosecutions, now carried on
in the State Of Ohio. Mr.. ArchhoIh is n man Of
few words. but they ara strong ones.
Acknowledgement Monet, with his brother
in-law. s. W. Bennett. and Lawyer flagg. who
Is assisting him. camr on from Ohio to meet
Mr.. Rice and to conduct tho States case.
NJ. +. Elliott ana Virgil +. Kline. with
Mr.. Archbo!d. were first at the hotel in
the morning. The particular case in which
testimony was t. bc taken was tho
charge Of contempt Of court. the Attorney
General asserting that an order of the Ohio
Supreme Court for the Standard oil Company
OF Ohio to Withdraw from tho STANDARD oil
Trust had not been Ohcycd. but had been
evaded.
Mr.. Archboll was sworn and explained his
connection with the Standard OH Company.
He said he had been on" or the ltluidatinG
trustees Of the trust sine" 1898. when tn" Ohio
Supreme Court made its order. Mr.. lice sat
VII q N'lo l'"l 'l' NFFA ''''' ~ r''' 'Nfs
much Interested when Mr.. Elliott said:
Mr.. Archbold. state wh"th"rat any time you
had any conversation with Mr.. George Rico
relative to the sale Of a refining plantat Mariet-
ia. and also with reference t. the withdrawal
OF the litigation which h. had instituted or
caused to he Instituted in various courts and
the abandonment uf further litigation"
Mr.. ArchbOld sat comfortably back in his
chair and said with considerable emphasis:
ct did hnS, SIlpl "a conversation Ii tIp office
OF the Standard OH Company at % broadway
In tho latter part OF 1885,
Mr.. Monet saw what was coming and made
strenuous objection, but the supreme Court
Master who was hearing the estimony said it
was proper, and Mr.. Arrhbold said:
THE interview came about at the request OF
Charles T.. Orvis. the broker. who came to mo
with a Statement that he desired to negotiate
in reference to litigation and to the purchase
of an oil plant from Mr.. Rice. was unwilling
20 deal with Orvis. and insisted upon seeing
Rice, il he had any propositions to make.
Then Rice cam" u-"" me at the Office OF the
oil company. told him Twas willing to listen
70 any proposition h" had. and be began a gem
eral talk in relation t. the oil business and
what he could do and what he had done in the
matter OF litigation and some Of the methods
he had used against us and that he intended to
use against us in the future. He talked about
railroads and said ho had many things
in the way Of litigation in contempla-
ton. He said he had been before tho
Interstate Commission about our
interest in All Ohio road and he was able to
have the charter Of that road annullcd. He
said further that he was in the oil limo
and he had the ability to put up
oil in small quantities in various
markets and make us conform to the
price. told him that I did mot for a moment
nopoada that ba could do apvtbipr pf tba
kind, but that he had made himself consid-
cradle of a nuisance, aud poseibly he, might
hnpys sGms effect fb w ON the mm ia r Sefa and r" ! asksd
100000: S2?n,oOO in cash. and 10000 year
MIR. Archbold looked at Mr.. Rico as he said
this; ~ said to him" CONTINUED Mr.: Arch
direction. He said that no one need know
ly independent of each other, which would
greatly increase our profits. | sid to him;
sSeh i%i ii a ti3r as as y%H speak Of. lie TregI!e%l::
oh. yes. well work alono 'oRether and n do
him. 1t strikes mo thai s5OO.OOo is a good deal
OF money and ! asked him again what he pro-
posed to DO. whether he thought that his plant
wasn't making any claim as to the value Of his
plant; tR RGt f Fai a m MF. Monet. began to objec,
sRain. but he was oyerruled. Mr.. Archbold
"ftold him, that s5oo;oUo was a big sum-
plant was worth anything like that amount.
said he could. through litigation, hurt Us
a. the sTteH Mori IF 10 NOR" than $1,000
pay 100000 then than 10 have TO pay a mil
t hS9 6bGIIIars t : y y EEGf s nL@rd in the fHtgr"; l
giant, but that we would take it into con-
ro M5 & cent snG h Sm Won,t a. e 1t a se cent. A And Rf I dct
sire to state here; and with emphasis, that |
Pps sstGs sSns mbn Dr. R i n1 "tlsr q RroP prnIoa,t Of a
In any way, It was a pure. nnaduIterated at
tempt at blackmail He simply waited to make
Holding over our heads The threat that # We
did not yield 70 his demands he would con-
us MIR, Ricei in the room, asked Mr., Elliott;
M ArrchboId pointed his finger q Rice and
hes here re%afksd' Mr. Nice. there's no
Mr.. Archbold next said that in 1890 Orvis
called on him n madn b %nH Ri nro, ,G With him man an
the question OF the negotiations, He. said
he knew Rice's SIGNATURE; and that there
s strerts q on r sSs part e q & Il !9KSiI ce'@, M FoI ArcS H'sSi
ddffifi~ sr rent indiVidaaIs to see him i'm about IS% sf the % sams
In this connection testimony hitherto I'M
missioner at Columbus, 1t was as follows;
~ Att ~ Na" - ~ PN va - ~
to have an interview with him2 A.-Not at
.0,-Did you at any time? Al may have
done so.
O.-Now, coming to the second interview.
did you have another interview in June, 1880
with MI, Archhold at his Office in the Standard
Oil building, ~ Broadway. New York =? Al
do not recollect.
Odd you then, make n similar offer to
him 7? Al did not have Il second interview
with Mr.. Archbold.
Odd you at that time authorize Mr.. Orvis
70 go and make an offer Of S5Oo.OoO? A.-les.
guess | did.
$50.O0O.a year for 1--WE years A guess so,
Q.-What were YOU to give Mr.. Archbold for
that consideration ? Al was to sell out my
plant and get out Of III" business.
Q.-Were you to refrain from bringing any
further litigation Z A.--That was to settle IN
the whole trouble, was 10 do nothing further:
have no further litigation or anything OF that
kind.
Another part OF this testimony which Mr..
Kline showed To the reporter from the official
minutes contained this answer Of Mr., Rice to "A
he wanted to know what would take tn
90 out Of business, and | tod him S2jO.uOO
go INN U. A..