The San Francisco call., 1910-05-13
Call Gathers Evidence Which Will
Be Used By Fickert AS Basis
For Indictments
Catch Limited. Surplus Thrown Overheard
And Independent Concerns Destroyed
To Keep Up High Prices

/ , ROCEEDlNG under the criminal provisions of the
T Cartwright law and vigorously aided by The Call
District Attorney Fckert made the first public move
against the fish trust last night when he began ping up
before the grand jury evidence gathered under his dec
ton by the trained investigators of this newspaper I'm
the opinion OF the district attorney the proofs are so plain
and their volume is great that the indictments are ncv
liable and the chances of conviction under them remark
ably strong.
THE CALL cLINCHES EVIDENCE
Not only has the district attorney had the aid and CO.
operation of The Call and its staff in running down and
cnchng evidence but he has been and is in close touch
with Attorney General Webb whose interest in the mat
ter is explained by the further provisions of the Cart
wright law under which he may proceed civv to break
up the illegal combination When the district attorney is
through with the fish barons then the ATTORNEY general
will doubtless take them for another kind of legal
struggle
Both District Attorney Fickert and Attorney General
Webb kept keen close watch the recent inquiry of
the senate committee into the operations of the fish trust
So did The Call. When the testimony was all in this
paper determined to do all that newspaper could to
break up the outrageous combination that has made
luxury OF what should be of the cheapest and most
plentiful kinds OF food for San Francisco and all central
California The Call found that District Attorney Flick
er anxious to proceed but that he had not at his
command the and the money needed to gather and
sft the evidence Attorney General Webb was in much
the position. Mr. Fckert and Mr. Webb both vel
coined The Call and gladly accepted its offer of assistance
INVESTIGATORS PROVIDED
AT once the task of massing and arranging the test
mony begun Not only did The Call provide the
necessary force of Investigators but put at the com
mand of the district attorney the legal skill of Attorney
Dudley d. Sales in whom both Mr. Fckert and The Call
have the utmost confidence For weeks The Calls inves-
tgators have been engaged night and day. under the
direction of Mr. Fickert, running down witnesses and
interrogang them Day and night every of the fish
combine and It's agents has been under scrutiny great
of documentary evidence has been collected and
arranged for presentation to the grand jury and trial
juries Unseen by the subjects many photographs that
may be of extreme value have been snapped Bit by
bit the district attorney has gone the evidence gath
cred by The Call for his He has conferred again and
again with Attorney General Webb and with Attorney
Sales And during all these weeks of investigation and
there has not been the slightest hint to the
intended objects of the prosecution of what moving
The work quietly and effectively done that
until the first witnesses subpenaed yesterday for the
grand jury did any of the members of the unlawful
bne suspect that justice their track and close up.
few days ago. in conference with Attorney General
Webb and Attorney Sales, District Attorney Fickert
declared himself fully satisfied with the case
"The evidence is sufficient believe said the dis