The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-01-06
Asked Him by the Attorney Cen
eral Of Missouri.
A WILLING WITNESS.
Mrs. Ida Bulls, of Marietta,
Ohio, Speaks Out.
Replies to Questions Regardless
of Attorneys Objections.

New York, Jan. 6.-Henry H. Rogers
vice president and director of the Stand
ard Oil company of New Jersey at the
commissioners hearing today refused to
answer a question as to whether he is
stockholder of the Standard Oil COM
pauy of Indiana. Mr.. Rogers had pre-
viously said he is a director of that
company. Counsel for the Standard Oil
interests advised Mr.. Rogers not to an
swer and said the question of the right
OF Attorney General Hadley of Missouri
to have a list of the stockholders of this
company is pending in the courts and
that he wanted the court to decide it.
81 beg to be excused. said Mr.. Rog-
ezs.
Attorney General Hadley then asked
that the question and refusal to answer
be serHfed to the supreme court
The installing of a typewriter and
operator in the room before today's ses-
sion opened by the order of Mr.. Hadley
indicated an effort on his part to save
the commissioner from the necessity of
writing down i'm long hand the words of
the questioners and witnesses which was
insisted upon yesterday by counsel for
the Standard Oil company.
Before the opening of proceedings Mr..
WeHman announced that after today
the hearing viii be transferred to the
offices of a reporting company at 81
Wall street.
The first witness today was Mrs. Ida
NJ Butts of Marietta o. When the ex-
animation of Mrs. Butts was begun the
typeWIftest began his work, but Frank
HageIman for the Standard Oil COM
pand= demanded that the operator re-
peat each question and answer after
he had written it. Mr.. Hadley agreed
to this
Ohio Woman Testifies.
Mrs. Butts said she was stepdaughter
of the late George r. Rice of Marietta
and had been employed in his office
Mr. Rice was an independent Oil opera
tor and was engaged in litigation with
the Standard Oil company almost con-
stantly for more than twenty years, up
TO the time of his death, about year
When Mr.. Hadley asked the wit
ness if Rice was ever connected with
the Standard Oil company counsel
for the oil companies objected, but the
"If holding certificates is a mem
bership he was a member of the
Standard Oil trust"
Were those certificates issued by
the Standard Oil trust?"
YES
Counsel also objected to this ques-
tiOn and answer
Witness said the Standard Oil COM
pany was organized in 1882 George
Rice died last year, and witness now
holds these certificates as his ad-
ninistrat trix.
so far as you know are these the
only certificates of the Standard Oil
trust in existence2"
so far as I know" Mrs. Butts re-
piled 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 a request by Mr..
Hadley for a statement of the history
of that litigation and what the STAN
dard Oil company did in deefnse,
Mrs Butts said:
"The Standard Oil rust moved to
dissolve i'm 1892 and these We're liqui-
dating trustees certificates. This went
on until about 1897, very few certifi-
Gates being liquidated. General Mon
nett attorney general of Ohio.
brought suit and L think the supreme
court decided that the trust should get
out of Ohio i'm 1899 and then the
Standard Oil company of New Jersey
became the holding company"
Transferred to New Jersey.
'Was this move to dissolve the
Standard OIL company after a judg-
ment of the Ohio courts against the
Standard Oil company of that state 20
asked Mr.. Hadley.
81 think So
Mr.. Hadley asked if after the ad-
verse judgment of the Ohio court the
Standard Oil company did not enter
on a dissolution by using liquidating
certificates in place of the original
trust certificates and if i'm 1899. when
the Ohio state courts enforced the or
der of dissolution the Standard Oil
company of New Jersey became the
holding company
MIR. Hagerman objected. but Mr.
HadIey said he has a right under a
decision of the supreme court of Mis-
souri, to ask leading questions. Mrs.
Butts said in reply to Mr. Hadley's
question that the statement was eX-
Mr. Hadiey asked if the Waters
Pierce Oil company was one of the
ORIGINAL members of the Standard Oil
company Couhsel ODJected, DuU Mrs
Butts replied
1T is one of the companies named
fu the trust agreement"
She never saw the original agree
4nent. but saw certified copies. She
does not know where the original trust
agreement is now. She said that she
does not know of any other trust
certificates and the liquidating certih-
cafes than the one she holds.
Asked for the names of the COM
panies which composed the original
Standard Oil company. she said there
we're so many of them she could only
give them from the trust agreement.
Mr. Hadley showed Mrs. Butts
three different kinds of trust GER
4f6cafes zone of Them" said She
sereDresents six shares in the original
Standard Oil trust
esTn the original Standard Oil trust.
The second is a share of an assignment
Of legal title ard the third such a share
0f ASSIGNMENT converted into scrip of
the twenty diherent coIporauons now
In the great grand division of the trust.
Each piece of scrip bears the name of
company.
ROGERS called.
Fl Rogers was called after Mrs.
Butts Fad been excused Mr. Hadlev