The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1907-10-09
|ND|CTS LUMBERMEN
Federal Grand Jury at Minneap
oils Votes True Bills.
little BLACK BOOK INQUIRY
Defendants Accused of Attempting to
Put Catalogue Houses Out of Busi-
ness by an Alleged Fraudulent
Conspiracy.

ness by an Alleged Fraudulent
Conspiracy.
Minneapolis, Oct. 9.-As a result Of
Sts investigation of the so-called little
black book" the federal grand jury
has returned nineteen indictments
against we'll known lumbermen and
officers of the Northwestern Lumber
mems association, charging conspir-
acy to defraud by the use of the mails.
The black book plan was pursued
by lumbermen and other opponents of
mail order houses and provided simply
that the victims of the device were to
be made to answer futile correspond
ence and send out 1nnumerable cata-
logues. all with no result in trade.
The penalty of the offense is fine
Of not more than $4,000 or imprison-
ment for not more than two years, or
both.
A separate indictment was also re-
turned against Theodore S. McLaugh-
lin for misuse of the mails. It con-
tanned four counts and the penalty is
q fine OF not more than $500 for each
offense or Imprisonment for eighteen
months. or both.
Bench warrants have been issued
against each Of the parties indicted
and they are to appear before Judge
m II nm tn mi 06
States district court at Minneapolis
the latter part of the week.
The scheme to defraud, as charged
in the Indictment, was that the alleged
conspirators, knowing that certain
catalogue houses sold lumber and mill
supplies by catalogue system and that
the catalogues cost the firms on the
average of about 81 each, devised a
fraudulent scheme to get the firms to
send these catalogues out on the pre-
tense of entering into negotiations
with the senders, with no intent to
enter into business relations.
Prominent Men Indicted.
The persons named in the indict-
ment are indicted as individuals and
not as members Of any company or
association. They are: Ralph Burn
side, Oslxaloosa, a., 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 association; George B.
Ingram, Sank Center, MIMI, director
of the Northwestern Lumbermen's as
ISOLATION; Stanley Moore, Waterloo,
a., director of the Northwestern Lum-
bermen's association; c. E. Trees, Ell
dora, Ia, up to last year vice presi-
dent of the Northwestern Lumber
mems association; N. S. Darling,
Oklahoma City, Okla, president of the
Oklahoma City sash and door factory;
Theodore S. Mclaughlin, Minneapolis,
general manager of the Phoenix Lum-
Der company ;,~Leonard Welles, Mime
apolis, vice president of the North
Star Lumber company; George T.
Thompson, secretary and treasurer Of
the North Star Lumber company;
Elijah Hutchins, Minneapolis, vice
Central Lumber company; Nesbitt
Tate, Minneapolis, president of the
Wisconsin Lumber company; James
G. Melville, Minneapolis, Of the Wis
consin Lumber company; Rufus G..
Clark, Minneapolis, general manager
of the J. H. Queal Lumber company;
D. S. French, Hawarden, a., vice pres
ident Of the J. H. Queal Lumber COM
pany; William ]. Bruce, Minneapolis,
manager Bruce-Edgerton Lumber COM
pany; J. W. Lucas, Winona, Mimi,
president Of the Hayes-Lucas Lumber
company; O. M. Betsford, Winona,
MIMI, general manager Laird-Norton
yard, and A. R. Rogers, president, and
George H. Rogers, vice president, of
the Rogers Lumber company, Mime
apOliS