The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-07-01
Have Been Caught in the Gov
ernment's Dragnet.
EIGHTEEN TRUE BILLS.
One Indictment Covered so
Typewriter Pages.
Charges Combination and Con.
spiracy in Restraint of Trade.
Trials Are Expected to Begin
at the July Term.

Chicago, July IAN Indictment was
voted against eighteen persons and
four packing corporations by the fed
eral grand jury today. This ended the
investigation which has lasted over
three months and brought out testi-
mony of over 100 witnesses One in
dictment of more than sixty type
written pages was voted, covering
charges including combination in re-
straint OF trade, conspiracy to mo-
nopoIize trade and receiving and
granting rebates. The vote on the IS
individuals and four corporations was
unanimous for indictment. Trials of
those under indictment will probably
begin in the July term of the district
court. The United States district at
torney's Office, although somewhat
reticent admitted that the heads of
the chief packing companies are on
the Indictment list.
Court Was Crowded.
In expectation of the return of in
dictments in the beef cases, following
one of the most thorough investiga-
tons ever made by the United States
government, the federal district court
was crowded today with people direct
1y or indirectly interested. It was ex-
pected that indictments would be re-
turned against 18 men, all of them
leaders in the packing industry.
Six months ago S. H. Bethea, then
United States attorney, reported after
an investigation that the injunction of
Judge Peter Grosscup restraining the
larger packing firms from combining
in restraint of trade, was being vio-
lated in Chicago. Conferences with
Attorney General Moody at Washing
ton and President Roosevelt were
held and a large corps of secret serv-
ice men kept at work. United States
Deputy Marshal Edward st. Clair was
made special agent of the investiga-
ton and placed in charge of secret
service work.
The investigation widened daily and
soon st. Clair was receiving reports
from his agents in all parts of the
world concerning the identity of men
who could testify to certain facts con-
corning the packing industry, heads of
packing concerns, underground agree
ments and the like. Last February 1876
subpoenas were sent to IS large cities
throughout the United States with in
structions that at 10 o'clock on the
morning of February 1 deputy mar
sf1als should begin serving the papers.
At the hour stated the action which
resulted in one of the largest investiga-
ment, was begun as a concerted move
ment in various parts of the country.
Later the number of witnesses called
for reached a total of ESQ.
1t Caused CONSERVATION.
The attack of the government on
the so-called beef trust created con-
sternation in many quarters but all
though it was sudden many men de-
sired as witnesses escaped service.
Some have been found in Canada
some in Europe and others in various
parts of the world where they are safe
from subpoenas which are still in the
hands of deputy marshals. Leading
packers were Swallowed and on one
occasion a stenographic report of a
conversation between two leading
packers in the lobby of a downtown
hotel was taken by a detective. At
this time it was discovered that private
detectives acting for some of the pack
ers were following federal officials and
secret service operators, making daily
reports to their employers. In their
turn the government had the detec-
tives followed. The investigation is
calculated to have cost the government
100000.
Big Ones Indicted.
Among the persons indicted today
were J. ogden Armour, Chas. w. Ar
mour, Edward Morris, Ira N. Morris
Louis F. Swift, Edwin C.. Swift, Edw
A Cudahy.
In addition to the individual indict-
ments, the following corporations are
indicted: Armour & Co, Swift & Co,
Cudahy Packing Co., and Morris & Co