The evening times., 1899-03-18
HOT SHOT FOR MIR. RICE.
He Gets n Severe Scoring at the
Standard Oil Hearing,

New York. March 1S.-At a hearing at
the Hoffman House yesterday in the case of
the attorney general of Ohio against the
Standard Oil Company, John ID. Archbold,
of that company, took the opportunity that
the witness chair offered of attacking
George F. Rice, who, it is asserted, has
followed the company for years with pros
ecutions, and who. it is asserted, is respon-
sible for all of the present prosecutions
now carried on in the State of Ohio. At
torney General Monett, with his brother
in-law, s. w. Bennett and Lawyer Flagg,
who is assisting him, came ON from Ohio
to meet Mr. Rice and to conduct the States
case. NJ. f. Elliott and Virgil p. Kline.
with Mr.. Archbold, were first at the hotel
in the morning. The particular case In
which testimony was to be taken was the
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 the
Standard Oil Trust had not been obeyed
but had been evaded. Mr.. Archibald was
sworn and explained his connection with
the Standard Oil Company. He said he
! had been one of the liquidating trustees
of the trust since 1898, when the OHIO su-
| preme court made its order. Regarding
his relations with MIR. Rice about the sale
of refining plant in Ohio, he said:
Rice came TO see me at the Office of the
! oil company. | told him / was willing to
| listen TO any proposition he had and he
| began general talk in relation to the
! oil business and what ne could 40 and
what he had done in the matter Of litiga-
| ton and some of the methods he had used
against us and what he intended 10 use
I against us in the future. He said further
! that he was in the oil line 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 | did not
for moment concede that he could do
anything of the kind but that he had made
himself considerable OF a nuisance
asked him what he wanted He said he
wanted $500 600; $3.50 coo in cash and $50,
coo year for five years.
Mr.. ArChbold locked at Mr.. Rice as he
said this. Il said 10 him" continued Mr.
Archbold: IF | make this deal with you
what do you propose to do? He said
he would put all of his business into our
hands and run it under our direction.
said to him: And does this deal mean
| the withdrawal of all such litigation as
you speak ot?' He replied; "Oh. yes.
| we'll work along together and I'll do ev-
| erything for your interests We'll.
said, it strikes me that $500. 900 is good
ueIl OF money, anu asked MN again
| what he proposed TO do whether he
| thought that bis plant was worth that
much money. He said he was not maxim.
any claim to the value OF his plant, no
for a moment.
At this point Mr.. Monnett began TO OBJ
ject, but ne was oyerruled.
Mr.. Archbold went on: Il told him that
500, coo was a big sum, and that did not
believe his oil plant was worth anything
like that amount. He did not dissent from
my opinion but he said he could, through
litigation, hurt us TO the extent OF more
than 81 600. .O00. and that il would be much
better for us 10 pay S5O9.o than to have
to pay s1.o00,O00 year. perhaps. in the
future. | told him | thought his pTopo-
sitiOn wes eXtrayagant. but that We would
take it into consideration"
MIR. Archbold said: He has rot got a
cent, and he Won't get a cent. II was a
pure, unadulterated attempt al blackmai'.