Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-10-26
ofAmefie!anIeece, Would,
L Is Claimed,
Show How Triaing Sum Of
I. SIS, O0O,009Nas Qisbursed.
Prosecution stu Seeking to Con-
meet G.. Morse With Company.

ness Win which tn" American Ice Co.,
on trial for attempted restraint of
trade is alleSel 20 have done its work
of sobbling UP Independent competi-
tors was shown today by Deputy
read a list of the businesses purchased
by l. o. Blake at one time a branch
manager for the company.
The independents gathered in were of
varying sig, The assets of some of
then, consisting of nothing more than
single horse and wagon. Most OF
the agreements signed with these in
dependent dealers provided cash PEN
alties if they engaged in the ice bust
ness in New York during period OF
10 years. The penalties varied in
amount from $4,000 to $75,O00
The name OF Charles w. Morse, the
convicted tinancier, was frequently
mentioned in today's proceedings and
the name of Augustus C. Sprague, the
mysterious person who received SIS.
100000 from the company "for value
received,' also figured in the testi-
mony.
New York. Oct 25.-John r. Bennett,
secretary of the American Ice Co today
supplied the prosecution in the trial of
the Ice Company for alleged violation
of che anti-monopoly law with a num-
Der of papers and documents which he
had been summoned to furnish.
Mr.. Bennett who was the principal
witness called by the prosecution last
week, was the first witness to be called
r;,,1 cd tod I,
fore Justice Wheeler of the supreme
court His examination, conducted by
Special Deputy Atty. James w. Osborne,
failed to reveal the whereabouts of a
missing minute book of the company
which has been sought, or to disclose
just what the company received for
81 5 100000 turned over to Augustus c..
Sprague, who is regarded as having
been the agent for the American Ice Co.
in the buying up of independent plants.
Mr.. Osborne introduced today a num-
Der of bills of sale and agreements by
which the Ice Company had acquired
various ice businesses. Among them
were specified upwards of dozen indie
pendent ice businesses in this city sup
plying in the aggregate more than r.
900 customers. The documents showed
that upwards of $3,331,O 900 had been
paid for these businesses. For one
block of companies acquired Charles
w. Morse and William H. Gelshenan
were named as the selling owners and
1856 600 as the price paid.
Of the men mentioned in these trans
actions Sprague and Geshenen are dead
and Morse is in prison.
When Mr.. Bennett was ques toned as
the relations of Mr. Morse to the Amer
lean Ice Co, Mr.. Stanchfield for the de-
Tense objected, declaring that Mr.. Morse
occupied no place in the company at the
time covered by the inquiry.
Il intend to show that Mr. Morse was
the intellect and brains behind this cor
poraton and that he used the others as
dummies and puppets" was Mr.. Os-
borne's rejoinder HE was the real
thing and took charge of the manage
ment of the company" continued the
prosecutor.
After the court had directed the
jury, on request of the defence to dis
regard Mr. Osborne's statements, the
prosecutor started a new line of ques-
tions designed to disclose Mr.. Morses
relations to the company. The witness
said that in the absence of the records
it was impossible for him to say wheth-
er or not Morse with the approval and
consent of the witness. then president
Of the company. and the company's di-
rectors had taken possession of the as
sets of the company. The witness
memory failed him in connection with
other questions regarding Morse's con-
nection with company transactions.