The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-09-09
PHASE OF A FEUD?
Recent Railroad Indictments Now
Said to Be Inspired by Van
derbilt Railroad Interests.
Special Attorney John F. Marchand's
Peculiar Course as to News
paper Publicity.

: Us a. s i. p +
Runior is still busy trying to explain
why John r. Marehand, attorney for the
Interstate commerce commission, dis
missed all the witnesses in the illegal re-
bate cases last week after hearing only
three. It is suggested that he wanted a
special jury called. This would be neces-
'sary, it is stated, only In case the jury
already subpoenaed was believed to have
been successfully approached" Such
a belief was not entertained In this case.
This morning an interesting: theory was
propounded that the whole investigation
Is only a. phase of the feud between the
Could and Vanderbilt interests, and that
the special attorney feared that If the
jury investigated too far ii might stumble
upon the Minneapolis & st. Louis Peoria
cases over which it reported certain Off
Gals are very anxious., = a.
It IS Believed that the Ann Arbor road,
certain officials Of which were indicted,
is a Gould property. The Lake Shore is
a Vanderbilt. road and is said to have
gathered the testimony which resulted in
the indictments -
Now it is argued that if the inquiry
were pushed too far it would have been
found that the Big Four a Vanderbilt
road, was carrying Minneapolis & St.
Louis freight eastward at an 1ndictable
rate. On the other hand It is argued from
the same premises that there is no truth
in the Vanderbilt feud story for If
the Vanderbilt interests furnished through
the Lake Shore the evidence in the pres
ent case, they were cogniZant Of the fact
that in the ST.. Louis cases they were open
to assault by the Goulds. The Toledo,
Peoria G. Western, a Pennsylvania line,
is the outlet for the ST.. Louis and against
the Pennsylvania there is no fight.
! Mr.. Marchand pursued a rather peculiar
course during his recent stay in Mime
apolis He was very mysterious about the
indictments he was seeking to procure,
but he never failed to impress it on news
paper men who called on him that what
ever credit there might result from the
investigation was the sole and individual
property Of John F. Marchand. While not
giving out anything. for publication, he
made it clear that if perchance anything
did come out, it must be printed stimuli
taneously with a long credit mark for Mr..
Marchand.: After he had secured the four
indictments on the testimony of three wit
nesses, he laid a strict seal Of silence On
the lips of the United States district at
. torney and his assistants and the court
officers. Then he went down to Chicago
and tipped OFF, the whole story to Chi
cago paper which was willing to- spell
Marchand in capital letters. 49, e.. ii: r
AS it happened, however, Judge Munger
saw no reason for such mystery and Sc
crecy. The indicted officials weren't 60
ing to run away. He: readily gave a
j o ur n a. man, who put the case to him
an order for the facts, SO it happened
that II h e j u rn a l printed the story
Saturday, one day ahead of the Chicago
paper favored of Marchand and from this
account the Associated Press secured the
dispatch 1t sent out to the country.