Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-10-09
Black Book" Investigation at
Minneapolis Charges Made
Against Lumbermen
Northwestern Business Men Line UP
With Defendants, Because of the
Mail Order Interests Back Of tho
Prosecutions-Eldor and Waterloo
Men Among the Indicted.

charging nineteen persons with con-
spiracy to defraud by use of the mans
was returned by the federal grand
i,,ry in Minneapolis yesterday after an
investigation of the little black
book"
The investigation began last Tues
day under the direction of r. a. EWart'
assistant United States district at
torney. Bench warrants have been is
sued against each of the men Indicted
and they are to appear before Judge
William H. Munger in the United
States district court in Minneapolis
this week.
In case of conviction, which the de-
PENDANTS profess not to fear the PEN
atty is a fine of not more than $4,000
or imprisonment for not more than
two years. or both.
A separate indictment was also re-
turned against Theodore S. McLaugh-
lin charging misuse of the mails. III
contains four counts and the penalty
is fine of not more than $500 for each
offense or Imprisonment of not more
than eighteen months. or both.
The black book was the basis OF
plan enthusiastically pursued by all
northwestern opponents of mail order
houses 1t was simple device. being
merely piling up of useless corre-
spondence on the mail order houses
and creating tremendous demand for
expensive catalogs without corre-
spending increase Of business.
Long List Of Defendants.
The persons named in the main In
dictment are indicted as individuals,
and not as members Of any company or
association. They are: Ralph Burn
side, Oskaloosa, Iowa, president of the
Northwestern Lumbermen's Associa-
ton and president of the Hawkeye
Lumber Company: Willard G. Hollis
Minneapolis, secretary Of the Retail
Lumbermen's Associations; George c.
Ingram. Sank Center. Mimi, director OF
the Northwestern Lumbermen's Assoc
citation; Stanley Moore, Waterloo Iowa
director OF the Northwestern Lumber
mems Association; G. f. Greet Eldora
Iowa, up to last year vice president OF
the Northwestern Lumbermen's Asso-
citation: ~ s. Darling, Oklahoma City
Okla, president of the Oklahoma Sash
and Door factory; Theodore c. Nc
Laughlin, Minneapolis, general man
ager of the Phoenix Lumber Company;
Leonard Welles, Minneapolis, vice
president of the North Star Lumber
Company George P. Thompson, Mime
apoFs, secretary and treasurer of the
North Star Lumber Company: Elijah
Hudson, Minneapolis, vice president
and active manager of the Central
Lumber company; l. Nesbit- Tate, Min
neapolis, president of the Wisconsin
Lumber company: James G. Melville
Minneapolis, of the Wisconsin Lumber
company: r. B. Clark. Minneapolis
general manager of the j. H. Queal
Lumber company; B. F. French. Ha-
warden. Iowa, vice president of the j.
Fl. Queal Lumber company: William
~. Bruce. Minneapolis. manager Bruce
Edgerton Lumber company; j. w
Lucas, Winona, Mimi, president of the
FIayes-Luc Lumber company; o. M
Botsford Winona. Mimi, general man
ager Laird Norton yards.
The alleged conspiracy charged
against these nineteen men is that
they Wrongfully, knowingly combined
confederated and agreed together to
commit an act alleged to be crime
against the government of the United
States, described in section $3.50 of the
revised and amended statutes of the
United States, (Which said scheme and
artifice to defraud, so devised was to
defraud the Gordon-Van Tine COM
pany Of Davenport, Iowa. Waterman
Hunter company, Minneapolis; T. NJ.
Roberts COOPERATIVE Supply company
Minneapolis, and certain other cor
porations at Chicago"
Then follows list of these firms
also alleged to have been affected:
Chicago Mill Work and Supply COM
pany, John Spry Lumber company
Schaller-Hoer & Co., Sears, Roebuck &,
Co.; South Side Lumber company
George Greene Lumber company
Mont Ward & Co., Chandler
Lumber company, Street, Chatfield &,
CO., White River Lumber company
Chicago and Riverdale Lumber COM
pany, and the Chicago House Wreck
ing company.
While the indictments made dis
tinct stir in business circles. there
seems to be a general impression thai
convictions will be difficult owing to
the simplicity of the black book plan
AS one businessman put it today, the