Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1906-10-19
STANDARD OIL TRIAL
IT COMES TO AN END IN FIND.
LAY, OHIO. N
fHE STATE LOSES POINT
Decidedly important Evidence Re.
garding Rebates Ruled Out by
court-other Testimony Of
Like Nature Not Offered.

Like Nature Not Offered.
Findlay. O.--The end Of the trial
OF the Standard Oil company of Ohio.
for alleged conspiracy against trade,
came suddenly in sight at the con-
clusion OF the session of the court
+ Monday.
Prosecutor David began his argu-
ment at ten o'clock Tuesday morning,
after two witnesses had testified for
the state and the defense had closed
its case with the submission as evi.
dence of a single document, the de-
cision of the supreme court of the
| state declaring the defendant copany
mot guilty." in the contempt pro-
| ceedings of 1900.
The prosecution told the jury that
there never had been an actual cess
| alton of the Standard Oil trust OF
1882, as shown by the evidence, al
| though the form Of the organization
| had been changed.
The defense made its main point
that while the evidence showed all
the so-called subsidiary companies to
be owned by the Standard Oil com
| pany of New Jersey, not one syllable
of evidence had been adduced to show
| that the defendant company was sc
| owned.
Weakness Of Prosecution.
Mr.. Phelps for the prosecution ad
mitted that the state had no means
of showing that the Standard OIL com
pany authorized it's agents to offer OF
! give rebates. The court said that II
was a fundamental rule Of evidence
that the authority of the agent must
! be established.
Then the state will close its case
in ten minutes tomorrow remarked
Attorney Phelps. and the jury, which
had been excused for this argument
of counsel, was called in and court ad
| journed.
A few witnesses for the defense
will be called, but it is stated that
the testimony will be all in on both
sides before the court adjourns Tues
day; that the argument of counsel tc
the jury can be completed Wednes
day. perhaps in time for Judge Bank
er to make his charge to the jury anc
| place the case in it's hands.
Delay for Rockefeller.
An agreement was reached between
Prosecutor David and the attorneys
for the Standard Oil company where
by the case against John D. Rockefel
Ter will not be set for trial until after
the present case has been finally dis
| posed Of, whether this is in the pro
bate court, now conducting the trial
or before the supreme court Of the
state after all appeals have been ia
ken. Until this agreement the Rookie
Teller case had simply been post
poned until after the present trial o
the company in the probate court.
John O'Brien, superintendent O
the Buckeye Pipe Line company, ant
E. R. Curtain, superintendent Of thu
Manhattan Oil company, both tool
the immunity bath" before testify
ing in the case Monday.
With the exception of the last wit
ness, the evidence put in by the STATE
was from officers of the alleged con
stituent companies of the Standard
including the Buckeye Pipe Line, thu
Manhattan Oil company, the Ohit
Oh company and the Solar Refining
company. 1t was testified to by Off
GERS of the Buckeye Pipe Line ant
OIL company that the Standard OF
company Of New Jersey owned prac
tically all Of the stock Of these com
panies.
Must Show Agents Connection.
The last witness, Willis B. Ulsh, ,
local grocer, was proceeding to tel
the jury that when he first went int.
business several years ago he pur
chased oil from the National Refinin,
company, local independent con
Germ, but that two or three years ag,
he was visited by an agent of tn
Standard, since which time he hat
bought oil Of that company. He hat
no means of knowing that the sup
posed agent of the Standard was sucl
agent. and while Attorney Phelp'
stated that he wished to show tina
this agent had offered and paid sc
cret rebate to the witness since hi
visit, and that the witness had bough
all his oil Of the Standard since tina
time, he said the state could no
prove that the Standard had givel
the agent authority to otter the re
bate, and the evidence was thereb!
cut short
1t was understood to have been tn,
intention of the prosecution to plac,
before the jury considerable testimon!
of the same nature. When Jud g
Banker excluded it, the prosecution
announced that w. l.. Finlay, state
inspector Of refined oils, would bt
their only other witness and that hi:
testimony would take but ten minute!
Tuesday.
Cuban Treasury Has $12,o00,0oO.