The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-05-18
TRUSTS STAR WITNESS
An Official Who Was Elected Only
Two Days Ago.
HE TEsTIFIEs AS TO HOLDERS OF STOCK
The Trust Objects to Cross Examination OF This
Witness Touching the Trust ard Its
Connection With the Black
well Company.

wei company
Major VIM. A. Guthrie is camping hard
on the trail of the Tobacco Trust.
Yesterday he came in sight of 1.-The Oc-
topus," as it delights to call itself, but
he never captured it.
Once he tracked it to it's lair and il
looked as if he might either take il
alive or give it a death blow But be-
ing we'll protected by Judge Simonton'
famous supplemental order the brute es-
capped with only a flesh wound or two
For these Trusts, having neither SOU
10 save or body to kick, are elusive
things.
On. July list the hunt will be resumed
and some rare sport is promised That
is the date fixed by Major Guthrie for
taking testimony on his side in the case
Of George Arents and others of The
American Tobacco Company VS.. Black
Wells Durham Tobacco Company. for APP
pointment of receiver to sell its prop
erty
Yesterday the Trust had it's inning be.
fore the Standing Master. 1t came into
the box Just at noon with a batting string
of seven witnesses. The bright particu-
lar star of these was one Chas. X. Fau-
cette, who was on Tuesday elected assist
ant secretary of the Blackwell Company
This two-days- old official was put on tc
prove acts performed by the assistant
secretary on February 2Sth and April 18th
and to testify to facts that could have
been known only to the assistant secre-
tary at that time.
He found no difficulty in testifying.
But when it came TO the cross examina-
ton nothing further could be learned from
him, for he buckled on as his shield and
buckler, that supplemental order of Judge
Simonton which declares sacred. and not
10 be inquired into, 1.-The character, pur-
poses and standing of the American To-
baccO Company.
Attorneys for the Trust were Mr.. W.
W. Fuller, of New York, its general
COUNSEL and. Col. John w. Hinsdale, of
this city.
1t took just two hours and three-quar-
ters to complete the hearing, after which
Attorney Fuller announced that all the
testimony he desired to introduce was
in and that the other side could pre-
sent it's evidence whenever it saw fit
provided it was in the time specified in
Judge Simonton's order.
Major Guthrie, after consultation with
ham, fixed upon July LIST, as the day on
which he will introduce testimony on his
side of the case.
THE TESTIMONY INTRODUCED.
The first witness put on the stand yes-
terday by the American Tobacco Company
was Josephus Daniels, editor of the News
and Observer. He was asked only one
que:s ION:
Did this interview with Major Guth-
RE appear in the News and Observer, >
referring to the interview printed in this
paper in February and on which the
case is based.
word he said.
The second witness was ]. r. Blackwell
of Durham. He testified that w. B
Guthrie, one of the proposed receivers
for Blackwell's Durham Tobacco Com
pany. was a son of Major VIM. A. Guth-
RE: that he was young lawyer and
had never had any experience in the
manufacture or sale of manufactured to-
bacco.
The next four witnesses testified en-.
trely as to j. f. Jordan, of Greensboro
his financial standing and his exper-
fence in the manufacture of tobacco
These witnesses were III. w. Cobb, Dan
vile, Va; bred Peacock, H. G.. Berger
and j. S. Hunter. of Greensboro.
All of them said they had known Jor-
dan for many years. He had been. during
that time engaged in three different bus
inesses: Buying and selling leaf tobacco
manufacturing patent medicines, and
dealing in real estate. None of them re-
garded him as worth more than the
homestead
This testimony was introduced for the
reason that Jordan proposes to organize
an Independent company to buy and oper.
ate the Blackwell factory.
The principal witness Of the day was
Chas. X. Faucette, who labelled himself
when he came On the stand. as assistant
secretary of Blackwell's Durham Tobacco
Company" but acknowledged before he
went off the stand that he did ''clerca
xuor1y} tbo offco of tho Continental To,