The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1910-02-26
BEEF BAR0NS MUST
GO To NEW JERSEY
FOR TRIAL
Hudson County Grand Jury Indicts
Six Companies and Twenty One
Meat Packers, Charging Con-
spiracy To Hold Up Prices.
Penalty Upon Conviction Is Fine of
$1,000 or Three Years
Imprisonment.

Hudson county grand jury handed up
Ia Judge Blair I'm the supreme court
here yesterday blanket Indictment
against all of the officers and directors
o. the National Packing Co. with the
single exception OF Kenneth McI.aur.
cIi. the resident director of the com
,any here. They are charged with
increasing and depressing the prices
Ct foodsuffs contrary to the laws ct
New Jersey and in violation OF public
policy
The big packing companies affiliated
with the National company are also
indicted. They are Armour & Co.
swift a. Co, Morris & Co. the Ham
inond Packing Co, and g. II. Ham
nond & Co.
The mon agains; whom the true
bills have been returned are: j. Og-
den Armour, A. w. Armour. l.. +.
Swift. f. r. Swift. G. W. Swift, Ed
ward Morris. A. Meeker, Edward c.
Tldcn, Samuel L. McRoberts. T. ].
Conrors, J.. A. Carston. Thomas l..
Nilson. .. III. Heyman, f. A. Fowler
James +. Bathgete. Jr., George J. Ed
wards Fred b. Cooper. d. +. Sart
well. Ira II. Morris, Henry p. Darling
ton. Lemuel f. Patterson. A. a. Fuller
None OF the accused were in court
md il was stated that they will be
rotifled 1t once and if they do n0t
mt in an appearance eXtradition pro-
ceed!ngs will be instituted The in
dctment is four pages long and ac-
cases tn companies and the indi-
Nduals named OF entering into a COZ
spiracy in Jersey City on March |,
1908, by which they feloniously in.
Jared shippers and impoverished the
city for their own individual gain and
ITotit.
The companies and individuals are
accused OF causing q scarcity III the
supply OF meats an6 poultry and en-
HANGING prices by the combination 10
which they were party. BY virtue
o. their wealth says grand jury.
these companies and individuals were
able to acquire monopoly of the sup.
lily OF meats and they did not market
;he product that came into their hands
Int doled il out in Inadequate supplies
s,nd by this means raised the price
50 that the consumer suffered while
they were able 10 earn enormous
profits.
The National Packing Co. WAS
formed seven years ago with a capital
tlOGk OI slbNUV,tNN anu IL IL Sdlu -
handles in year fully $500 900 600
collars worth OF meats and foodstuifs.
us higgest business offices are in Chi.
Cago
The grand jury called many wit
resses before il and obtained from
them statements regarding the man
ner in which food products were
brought into the state and stored here
IN ~ hn In.
tanned
The penalty for the offense charged
Is fine IL 81 ,00G or three years i'm
2rlsonment, or both. The prosecu-
tors office said the case would be
pushed - speedy trial. which is
POSSIBLE under the New Jersey laws.
The National Packing Co. has New
Jersey cdarter and maintains its Of
fees i'm ne Offices Cf the Corporation
crust Co.
Ali the big Chicago meat packers
ere I'm thu concern its officers, accord
ing to the last statement filed by 1t,
being
President. Edward C. Tilden; first
yice-presldent A. T.. Peterson; sec
nnd vice president F. T. Fuller; sec
tetary c G.. Snow; assistant treas.
rrer. Arthur Colby.
The Armour interests are represent
ld on the board by J. Ogden and y.
Watson Armour. A. Meeker. T. J. Cen
lers and Samuel NJ Roberts, the
Swift interests by Louis F.. Edward
y. and Charles II. Swift and f.. 4.
Carton: the Morris interests by Ed
ward Morris. while Tilden. president
Of the company. is associated with tho
Swfts in other enterprises.
When the grand jury convened YES
tcrGay afternoon, Kenneth McLauren.
treasurer OF tho Corporation Trust
Co. appeared with the minutes of the
Last meeting Of the directors of thD
company and other data. which the
,ury had demanded. When that body
finished with him. &c summoned repre-
sentatives of the Merchants Refriger-
ator Co. the Union Terminal Co. and
Schwarzchild & Sulzberger and ques-
toned them regarding the operation
of the cold storage plants of the city.