Free press., 1906-05-19

never tell when / would need the SER
vices of any of them.
Once I received a letter from Mr..
Pratt in New York advising me Of
certain car of oil that was consigned
to Topeka. He said he wanted a sam
pie of the oil and told me that if 1
found it necessary Sc.uld get in touch
with Charles Kelly, who was then
state oil Inspector
This statement by the witness was
Immediately followed up by Attorney
AIarchand, who sought TO use it as a
basis to prove that the oil Inspectors
of many states are really in the Stand
ard Oil employ.
Did you make use of his services?"
Mr.. Marchand asked hurriedly, half
rising from his seat, expecting the
testimony to take a sensational turn.
mo, 1 did not 1 was able to get
the sample without him. 1 got it
through a ~bribed agent Of the inde-
pendent company"
Did you ever make use of Mr.
Kelly's services?'
NOs L ASfSI lOUAQ II uSCSSSdIS. 1
saw him only a few times and never
talked with him about the Standard.
do not know what his relations
were'
When you were told to get inform
alton and to bribe if need be to get
it how were those instructions given
to you?'' the witness was asked.
I'VE were always summoned to the
main Office and our instructions were
given in person. Letters were not
written on such points. The only let
ter 1 ever received in connection with
such matters was one from Mr. Pratt
in which he told me to keep up stock
This letter was virtual order to sell
short weight. 1t referred to agents
who sold 205 to 2OS gallons of oil out
of a tank of 200 gallons.
mo Standard Oil agent ever inquiries
about the grade of different oils. That
is not his business. He is supposed
to take the company's word for it.
81 had arrangements with the Mis-
souri, Pacific, the Rock Island and the
Santa Fe employees at Topeka, they
wereIon my bribery pay roll
Mr.. Wilhoit testified at the hearing
in Kansas City. At that hearing G.
w. Mayer, the Kansas City agent
testified that he never sent checks
for bribe money to any agents. Mayer
will be called here and confronted
with the testimony given by Wilhoit.
A large number of witnesses are in at
tendance and will be summoned to
testify concerning rebates and other
alleged practices of the Standard Oil
company.
1t developed in the witness testi-
mony that some of Commissioner Gar
fields information in his recent report
came from Wilhoit
E. P. Ripley, president of the Atchi-
son, Topeka 6 Santa Fe railway was
called to the stand. He was asked con-
corning agreements of the railroad
company with a number of companies
alleged to be subsidiary companies of
the Standard Oil company.
1.-The first contract said President
Ripley, was with a man in Kansas
City to lay a pipe line on our right of
way for $40 a mile The next was for
line from Kansas City to Joliet, and
for this we received $50 per mile We
got $250,000 for hauling the pipe. /
was very sorry to see the pipe line
built but rs it had to be done I did
the best l could out of it."
Didn't you raise the rate in Kansas
on oil when the pipe line was put in?
asked Attorney Monett.
I'VE did but we carried oil before
the pipe line was put in, and we have
carried none since"
He was asked if the rate on gas
oil was not lowered, and that on crude
oil raised. and answered that it was
when the crude oil was piped the
rate was raised, but the rate on gas
oil was lowered, it being shipped;
isn't that so?'
Yes replied President Ripley.