The Mena weekly star., 1906-08-16
'STANDARD0L SURPRISED
Indictments Returned by the Chicago uo Grand Jury Were Not Expect c 10 ia ed So Quickly.uiFl 3
TIE CORPORATION ONLY IS INDICTED
No OniciaIs of tie Company and No Rail- rond Were Named in the True Bill Re-
 Indictment Contains 10 Counts
 and the Company is Liable to n Fine of
 t36OOO0. serss8 n tN kN

Chicago; Aug l0.-The indictment returned by the federal grand jury. accusing the, Standard Oil company of receiving rebates, came as sur prise inasmuch as the jury began it's only Wednesday, sif
 n The Standard oil company is the only defendant, no officials of the company and no railroad conipaniee or officials being namedj The bond of the defendant was fixed by Judge Bethea at $25,000.
 This is the case investigated by the grand jury in Cleveland, O., where it was found that the grand jury had no jurisdiction. The testimony taken there was transferred to Chicago and the documents In evidence were identi- fled by witnesses who testified tu Cleveland It was on this testimony and eyidecne that Wednesdays in- dictment was returned so quickly. The grand jury immediately resumed it's session to take up the investiga- ton of the charge that the Standard Oil company was given direct rebates by some railroads. The indictment returned accused the company of re- ceiving rebates in the form of non- payment of storage charges.
 The indictment contains IS counts each count constituting separate charge. The true bills come under the Elkins law, which provides fine of from $1 900 to $20,000 for each vio- iation. Under this indictment, should the government procure conviction on the trial of the issues, a fine of $3S0,000 as maximum under the Eikins law may be assessed.
 The indictment alleges that by a system of granting the Standard oil company certain concessions the oil company benefited to the extent of s8.50672 during period of time from August, 1903, to February, 1905. The indictment, as explained by the gov e,nment attorneys, means that In l9 instances certain consignments of oil for the Standard oil company were stored by the Lake Shore X Michigan Southern Railroad company and that the railroad company received no payment of five cents. ton day from the oil company for such storage, but that It's competitors were com pelled to pay this amount This is equivalent to granting a conces sion, 1t is charged, the nonpayment of the storage charges being practically a rebate in favor Of the oil company.
 Each count sets up discrimina- ton of from $500 to $500 a month in favor of the oil company. It will be necessary for officials of the Standard oil company to appear in court and present bond of $25.000 for the cor poration.
 A large number of subpoenas were issued Thursday for witnesses to ap- pear before the federal grand jury which will convene next Tuesday to take up the Standard oil company in vestigation. The processes were foi the same railroad officials who were called to testify before the jury now in session. No new su3poenas were issued.
 An Appeal to the President.
 Oyster Bay, l.. l., Aug. 10.-Presi- dent Roosevelt was appealed to by the Standard Oil company Thursday in the matter of its controversy with the department of the interior regard ing oil line leases in the Indian tG'- ritory. Former Senator James K. Jones, of Arkansas, representing the company in the legal car acity and Mir. Barnesd le, of Pittsburg, repre- senting the company directly, were callers at Sagamore Hill Thursday. They arrived cn the morring train and after spending several hours with the president, returned to New York in an automobile. Both declined to discuss the object of their visit.
 MT. Jones said the call related to purely matter of business and he refused to say what results were ac- complished. The oil lease contro- versy in the Indian territory has been a matter of lively contention before the department of the interior for some time and the status of these leases was made the subject of pro- tracted consideration by congress in the recent statehood legislation.
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