The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1907-07-11
JOHN D. IN COURT
Rockefeller Appears as Wit
ness Before Judge Lands.
WAS EQUAL TO A CIRCUS
Morbidiy Curious Crowd Packed tho
Court Room to Suffocation-Court
Learned But Little from
Oil Magnate.

John D. Rockefeller, president of the
Standard Oil company of New Jersey,
occupied the witness stand in the Uni
ted States district court at Chicago,
Saturday, while Judge Lands piled
him with questions regarding the
financial strength and the business
methods of the corporation Of which
he is the head.
Mr.. Rockefeller was a very willing
and an equally unsatisfactory witness.
He was ready to tell all that he knew,
but he said he knew practically moth
ing. The net result of his examination
was that he believed that during the
years 1908, 1904 and 1905, the period
covered by the indictments on which
the Standard Oil company of Indiana
was recently convicted, the net prof
it's Of the Standard Oil company of
New Jersey were approximately forty
per cent of an outstanding capitaliza-
ton of s1OO,C0O,000.
The investigation by Judge Lands
was instituted by him for the express
ed purpose of determining whether or
not the Standard Oil company of In
diana, which was convicted of viola
ton of the law, was really owned BY
the Standard Oil company Of, New
Jersey, whether the Union Tank Line,
whose cars were used for the ship
ments made in violation of law, was
similarly owned, and also to obtain
an idea of the financial resources Of
the convicted corporation in order to
infict a fine proportioned to the Of
fense and the assets of the convicted
company.
It was stated by officers of the STAN
dard Oil company of New Jersey that
it owned the greater part of the stock
Of both the Union Tank Line and the
Standard Oil company Of Indiana. Spe-
cifc figures as to the earnings Of the
parent corporation were given by
Chas. M. Pratt, it's secretary, and they
were close to the estimate given by
Mr.. Rockefeller.
Tho nroe,aoti,,o annearanca II, court
of the man reputed to be the richest
in the world brought about spectacle
the like of which has never been wit
messed in the vicinity of a Chicago
court room.
The hour set for the appearance OF
Mr.. Rockefeller was 10 o'clock and
an hour before that time the low-ceiled
hallway outside the court room door
was densely packed by crowd, all
of whom were anxious to obtain seats
and hear the testimony. A large squad
of United States deputy marshals, un-
der the direction Of United States
Marshal Hoy, and a numerous detail
of police were on hand; but even they
were unable at times to control the
crowd The people pushed and shov-
ed, and at times by sheer weight &C
tually bore the police and deputies
down the hall. The crowd was so
dense that frequent cries for assistance
were heard, and people who were Jam
med against the wall frantically beg
ged for relief from pressure to which
they were subjected.
Admission to the court room was by
card only, but many people succeeded
in evading the guards, and when the
Judge took his seat upon the bench,
the court room was packed to the last
inch.
No formal announcement was made
that the inquiry was ended, but Judge
Lands said Immediately after the 3D.
journment that the investigation was
concluded as far as he personally was
concerned, and that the witnesses
were discharged.