Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-06-08
ARMY Of WITNESSES
SUMMONED FOR STATE
Forty-eight Men, including All Local
Insurance Agents. VIII be Called
Upon to Testify Against trust.
r. Warren, First Defendant on the
Scene.

Chairman l.. X. Warren, OF the VII
ginia committee, of the Southeastern
Underwriters Association, is the only
one of the twenty-three ofnclals Oh
the Insurance Trust who has arrived
IN this city to answer in the police
court this morning to the charge OF
unlawfully conspiring to fix fire insur-
ance rates in Newport News. MT.
Warren arrived yesterday afternoon
from Richmond and spent the night at
the Warwick hotel.
President Daniel B. Harris, Gen.
eral Manager A. b. Andrews and other
Of the officials of the association Will
arrive here this morning at 1880
O'Clock over the Chesapeake & Ohio
and they will immediately proceed
40 the police court for arrangement
before Justice Brown. 1t is, not known
at this time how many of the officers
will come to answer the charge In per-
son, but the announcement has been
made by counsel for the accused that
ell of them will not be on hand Tor
the trial this morning. All OF the
twenty-three officers are under bond
OF $500 for their appearance before
Justice Brown today.
Great Interest In Trial.
No trial that has been in this city
in many years has attracted as much
attention as that of the insurance
men. Commonwealth Attorney
Berkeley and his assistants, Attorneys
w. G. Stuart and X. NJ. Lett, are seek
its members convicted Of a common
its members convicted OF comman
law misdemeanor. The Trust con
trolls the fire insurance rates IN
many other Southern states and natur'
ally the outcome of the trial is await
ed with more than passing interest
In those states. Insurance people
throughout Virginia and the East are
deeply interested in the case
The public of this city also is
anxiously awaiting the trial and II
is expected that the police court room
will be packed to its capacity through
out the hearing. 1t had been sup
posed that justice Brown would hold
court in the Corporation Court room
so that more spectators could be &C
commodated. but he declares that the
trial will be conducted in the police
court room. The hearing probably
will not begin before IL O'Clock as
most of the accused men will not ar
rive here until 1920 o'clock.
Accused Insurance Men.
The members of the Trust who
were arrested at Hot Springs, Va, on
May IS on warrants sworn out by
Captain Berkeley are:
Daniel 3. Harris, president, A B
Andrews, general manager; A. II. Har'
ris, L. R. Warren, H. Y. Chatterleyl
4. ID. Dewey, George McGoodridge,
B. A. Hamlin, Z. II. Jones, Jefferson
Pearse, VIM. r. Robins, A. H. Travers
r. T. Coldwell, Guy Carpenter, G. II
Collins, A. T. Brooks, r. NJ. Hughes
w. R. Prescott, Dana Blackmore, II. C.
H. NJ. Tanner.
Attorneys Randolph Harrison, OF
Lynchburg, and o. ID. Bachelor, OF
this city, will defend the insurance
men. Mr.. Bachelor said yesterday
that he will be ready for the trial this
morning and no delay in beginning
the proceedings is anticipated.
Forty-eight Witnesses.
Forty-eight witnesses are summoned
TO testify Ia behalf Of the Common
wealth, ten of these being out-of-towr
witnesses. They are: Col. Joseph But
ton, State insurance commissioner; X.
X. Houston and Howard Saunders, OF
Hampton; It. w. Blackstone and
Leonard c. Mears, of Accomac coun-
ty; J. +. West and J. T. Withers, OF
Suffolk, and %. ID. Pitts, w. II. Nc
Carthy and Robert Lecky, Jr., OF Rich
mond. The local witnesses summon
ed are: Commissioner of the Revenue
B. w. Crump. Fire Chief W. X. Stow,
James L. West, Horace Epes. W. s,
Copeland. John Spencer, newspaper
men. Chief of Police Reynolds Presi.
dent Alex Meyers. OF the Merchants
Association; w. b. Livezey, John Nor.
ton. City Attorney J. A. Nsssie, State
Senator s. W. Holt, Hon L. p. Stearues,
Councilman Z. l. Ford, and r. W
REYNOLDS, Thomas A. Reynolds. G. r.
Hoskins. Sol Miller. W. r. Barrett, c,
ID. West. NJ. W. Bryant, Fred Bar.
rett. A. l.. Powell, W. Lee Powell, j.
+. I. Hunter. W. z. Cottrell, J. +.
Warren. 4. w. House, c. 3. Neims, j.
L. Patton. George 7. Kellums, W. J.
Chaplin. c. @. Ncims. H. W. Bowen. A.
A Applcwhite. Frank Bartlett. J. A.
Sommerville and Guy Murray insur'
ence agents.
Il Is expected that the trial viii
continue for the remainder Of this
week as two days undoubtedly VIII be
required for putting on the evidence
Of the State
There Is no limit 20 the amount Of
the fine or the length Of the jail sen.
fence which can be imposed UPON the
insurance men In the event Of their
conviction. The Law says that the
m. shall not be less than 500 ana
the jail sentence shall not be less
than one month.
Co. WIN Ca