The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1906-01-26
FORGERY BY THE
OIL TRUST Barred
Hadley of Missouri Says He Has
Evidence to Imprison
Standard Men.
journal Special Service.

Cleveland, Jan. 2e.-Attorney General
Hadley Of Missouri declares that he
has uncovered fraud and forgery in
connection with the formation of the
Republic Oil, company by the Standard
and that he will report the result of
In the oil hearing to District Attorney
Jerome Of New York. He says he be-
lieves Mr.. Jerome will have sufficient
evidence to incriminate high officers Of
| the Standard and send them to the
penitentiary.
Yesterdays testimony shows that the
Standard owns absolutely the Republic
concern. L. III. Turrell Of Detroit, a
former secretary and treasurer of the
| Republic company, was the sole wit
ness, and he exposed the business of the
Louis FL. Turrell, fog fourteen years
an employee. Of the Standard Oil COM
pany, has given us the best exposure
Of Standard Oil methods than anything
which we have yet, obtained.
-" Mr.. Turrell has sworn here said
4 induced by Standard Oil officials to
documents, when in reality his name is
Louis H. Turrell. His testimony fur
Their shows that his signature was never
| sworn to and the notary who took his
affdavits can, under the laws Of New
1 York, be prosecuted for forgery in the
! first degree. It will be up to Mr..
Jerome to say whether the persons who
induced Turrell to sign his name false
ly can be included in the prosecution.
Second Days Hearing.
The second day $ session Of the inves-
tigation by Attorney General Hadley Of
Missouri into the Standard Oil COM
pany's methods of doing business be-
gan before Special Commissioners
Schwenter here today with B. W.
Browne, president and treasurer of the
Great Western Oil company Of Cleve-
land as the first witness. Mr.. Browne
said:
. ''I have been in the oil business for
twenty-three years, and for eighteen
years was connected with the old oil
firm of Scofeld, Schurmer & Teagle,
which sold out to the Republic Oil
company. Our company was the larg-
est competitor of the Standard Oil COM
pany in the state of Missouri and the
central west. The firm ceased to do
business in June, 1901. I was manager
Teagle conducted the negotiations for
the sale of the properties and what in
formation / gained of the sale, I OBJ
tanned from him. I have no documen-
4 tary evidence of the negotiations which
began several months before the deal
was contaminated. Mr.. Teagle asked
me early in the year of 1901 to assist
in the preparation of schedules of the
properties of the company, which he
said he wanted to submit to j. A. Moi
fatt and H. M. Tilford Of the Stand
ard Oil company Of New York city
Mr.. Teagle made several trips to New
York to confer with the Standard Oil
company's officials, and number of
statements were prepared
Trusts Man Objected.
Attorney Hagerman had been object
: ing to all of the questions Of Mr.. Had
ley and at this point asked Commits
! sioner Schwenter to rule on the rele
vancy of the questions, saying that, al
the witness knew of the transaction.
being obtained from Mr. Teagle, thu
evidence was merely hearsay and there
fore illegal. Commissioner Schwentne
ruled that the evidence should go ii
under objection and that the prope
court must pass upon it's legality Mr.
: Browne then continued his statement
as follows: as
The Republic Oil company appeared
upon the scene Immediately after tn,
deal was contaminated, Louis III. TurreH
!: who testified Yesterday, coming in her
and taking charge Of affairs temper
arily. Mr.. Turrell told me when I wa
first introduced to him that he was
representative of the Standard Oil com
! pany. am somewhat familiar with tn
!: methods of the Republic Oil compan.
: since it took charge of the property 0
Z Scofeld, Schurmur & Teagle. The Stand
ard Oil company has always had wha
!: is called dissatisfied trade, whic
: business was easy for the Independent
5 companies to obtain.
The Republic company went afte
: this trade under the guise of being a
. Independent concern.