Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-06
He REFUSED TOANSWER
Sensational Feature of Stand
ard Oil Inquiry.
IN NEW YORK CITY TODAY
H. H. Rogers Advised to Keep Mum
by Counsel.
IN NEW YORK CITY TODAY
AWAITS A DECISION PENDING
Hearing Resumed in the Missouri Ex-
clusion Case-Clever Legal Bat
tie for Trust Secrets.

1ISiil IL. NOSSio, WIZ liSSibNhe
and director of the Standard Oil
Company of New Jersey, at the
commissioner hearing in New York
today, refused to answer question
as to whether he is stockholder Of
the Standard Oil Company of ln-
diana. Mr.. Rogers had previously
said he is director OF that company.
Counsel for the Standard Oil IN
terests advised Mr.. Rogers not to
answer, and said the question OF the
right of Attorney General Hadley Of
Missouri to have list of the stock
holders of this company is pending
in the courts, and that he wanted the
court to decide it.
Il beg to be excused, said MIR.
Rogers. Attorney General Hadley
then asked that the question and re-
fusal to answer be certified to the
Supreme Court.
NEW YORK, January 6-H. H. Rogers.
vice president and director of the Standard
Oil Company, was expected to be a witness
before Commissioner Frederick II. Sanborn
today in the hearing to secure evidence by
which Attorney General Hadley of Missouri
is seeking to exclude the Standard Oil Com
pany Of Indiana, the Waters-Pierce OIL
Company and the Republic Oil Company
from doing business in Missouri or operat-
ing under q pooling agreement alleged to
have been made between the cornpa MES
named TO crush competition. Mr. Hadley
said before the hearing opened that he in
tended TO have Mr.. Rogers on the stand
today.
The installation of a typewrting machine
and operator in the hearing room before
today's session opened, by order of Mr
Hadley, indicated an effort on his part 10
save the commissioner from the necessity
of writing down in long hand the words OF
the questioner and witnesses, which was
insisted upon yesterday by counsel for the
Standard Oil Company.
Before the opening of proceedings Mr.
Wc,lman announced that after today the
hearings will be transferred to the offices
of a reporting company at 81 Wall street.
The First Witness Today.
The first witness today was Mrs. Ida NJ.
! Butts of Marietta, Ohio. When the exam
| ination Of Mrs. Butts was begun the type
writer began his work but Frank Hage-
man, for the Standard Oil Company, de-
manded that the operator repeat each ques-
| ton and answer after he had written It.
| Mr.. HauIey agreed TO this.
Mrs. Butts said she was q stepdaughter
| of the late George Rice of Marietta and
| had been employed in his Office Mr.. Rice
was an Independent oil operator and was
engaged in litigation with the Standard
OIL Company almost constantly for more
than twenty years up to the time of his
death, about a year ago.
When Mr. Hadley asked the witness If
Rice was ever connected with the Stand
ard Oil Company counsel for all the oil
companies represented objected, but the
witness said: IF holding certificates is a
membership he was a member of the
Standard Oil trust"
Were those certificates issued by the
Standard Oil trust?"
Counsel also objected to this question
and answer.
| Witness said the Standard Oil Company
was organized in 1882. George Rice died
last year and witness now holds these
certificates as his administrators.
so far as you know are these the only
certificates of the Standard OIL trust in
I'eXistence?"
| $50 far as I know" Mrs. Butts replied
| She said that suit was brought against
| the Standard Oil Company of Ohio to
drive them out of the trust or out of the
state If they remained in the trust.
In response TO request by MIR. Hadley
for d statement of the history of that
litigation and what the Standard Oil
Company did in defiance. Mrs. Butts said ::
The Standard Oil trust moved to dis
solve in 1892. and these were liquidating
trustees certificates. This went on until
about 1897, very few certificates being
| liquidated. Gen. Monnett, attorney gem
| eral of Ohio. brought suit, and think the
supreme court decided that the trust
should get out of Ohio in 1899. and then
| the Standard Oil Company of New Jer-
! sey became the holding company"
WAS this move in 1892 to dissolve the
4 Standard Oil Company after a Judgment
| of the Ohio courts against the Standard
| Oil Company of that state?" asked Mr..
| Hadley.
| Il think So
| preteDded Dissolution