The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1906-05-26
PROBING OF THE OIL TRUST
SOME TESTIMONY BORDERING
ON THE SENSATIONAL.
Former EmpIOye of the Standard Oil
Company Testiaes to Being Sent to
Several Places to Force the Independ-
ents to auit-His Instructions to
XIII Them.


Cleveland, O.. May 25.--A total OF
nineteen witnesses were called by In
terstate Commerce Commissioners
Prouty and Clements in the Standard
Oil inquiry here to-day, which was pro-
life of substantial results. Testimony
bordering on the sensational was OBJ
tained from several witnesses. That OF
George L. Lane, Of Mansfield, Ohio, a
former employe Of the Standard OIL
company, was regarded as particularly
important. According to his evidence
Lane for about fourteen months in 1901
and 1902, was employed by the Stand
ard OIL company for the particular pur-
pose of driving all the independent oil
peddlers in dozen or more of the
principal cities of Ohio out of bust
ness.
He said he was sent to several des-
ignated places to force the independents
to quit. He described the methods pur-
sued in detail.
'tMy instructions" he said, were tc
lill them, and / was told that if
couldn't do the job somebody else would
be sent to take my place. worked ir
Youngstown and surrounding small
towns, Canton, Girard, Warren, Raven.
na Massilon, Mansfield, Elyria, Ober.
lin and other places In all of these
towns with the exception of Youngs.
town, the Independent peddlers were
forced to bandon their business. Ir
Youngstown a man named William H
Vahey was encountered, and despite
everything we could do he held his
trade. We gave oil away by the barre
and tank load but 1t did no good, Va.
heys customers threw 1t away"
Miss Elizabeth Protzman, stenog.
rapher In the Dayton, O., office of the
STANDARD OIL Co., testified that informa.
tion concerning the oil shipments of ri.
walls was brought into the office by
draymen, and that she made careful
record of them and gave them - hei
superior. John O'Brien general super
intendent of the Lima division Of the
Buckeye Pipe Line Co., STANDARD con
Germ, was asked particularly about The
Standards telegraph system, especially
that part connected by the pipe line
company. The inquiries succeeded II
establishing the general fact that The
Standard has an immense telegraph
system Of its own extending to nearly
every part of the country, and that II
carrying on its great volume of trade II
does not often require the use of tht
regular lines Of the two big telegraph
companies. The company has its owr
wires leased or owned, its operators
officers, regulations, blanks and Other
stationery, and sometimes sends mes
sages for persons not connected witt
the company. The witness denied thai
the company exchanged business Will
the western Union Telegraph company
at points where one had an office ant
the other did not.
Frank ]. Heimerich Of Bellevue, O.
told how his independent oil business
was all but ruined by the methods ot
the Standard.
e. M. Gibbs, a merchant of Kipton
O., said he was compelled to handle
the Standards oil because the Stand.
ards agents threatened to start anoth.
er store close by and sell every article
he sold in competition.
Charles A. Kicks, of Cleveland, en-
ployed in the Cleveland office of tht
Standard from 1889 to 1901, his last po.
sition being that of assistant genera
manager, denied upon close examina.
ton that a large amount of STANDARD
Oil literature was prepared in his Office
and offered to papers throughout Ohio
at so much per column.
Special Counsel Monett had been in.
formed that books Of the company haC
been recently burned in the works in
this city, and he subpoenaed F. w. Nil
Ter and George Bear to testify. Bott
denied that they had seen or heard O.
any such occurrence, and they wer,
speedily excused.