The San Francisco call., 1910-02-26

NEW YORK, Feb. 25.-The "beef
trust" Of the United States. embracing
six great packing companies and q
packers, several of them muitimillion-
aires was indicted by grand jury in
Hudson county, n. J., today. charged
with conspiracy in limiting the supply
Of meat and poultry.
The Indictment is drawn under the
law of New Jersey, which provides,
upon conviction, a mailman penalty
OF three years in the penitentiary, a
$1,000 fine or both. The offense is ex-
trsditsble, which means practically
that the meat barons either must sue
cessfully resist extradition or come 10
Jersey City for trial
WILL FORCE EXTRADITION
Pierre Garven, public prosecutor of
Hudson county, said tonight that he
would forthwith notify the defendants
OF their indictment. and would be
ready TO force extrsdition in each case
where the individual concerned is not
willing TO face trial.
Ira y. Morris sent q lawyer TO Jer-
sey- City this week from Chicago TO
inform Prosecutor Garven that he had
retired from the directorate of Morris
& Co, but nevertheless he was indicted
Cooper is the New Jersey mana ger
for Swift & Co; Bathgate, Edwards.
Hsrtweu. Darlington and Fuller are
said 70 be officers and eastern agents
Of the National packing company.
while others named either are directors
or officers or former directors or Of
fcers OF the National packing com
pany. Capiases for the arrest of all
the defendants will be issued i'm
nledistely. and the grand jury will re-
sumo its investigation next Wednesday.
The indictment. which bristIes in its
ARA ignment Of the men na med. also re-
fers to divers others" as being respon-
sible. These latter. however, are not
specified
BACKBONE OF INDUSTRY
The list OF names represents the
backbone Of the great packing industry
OF the country, containing as il does
two Armours, three Swifts and two
Morrises. most of them residents Of
Chicago.
Their indictment brings TO q climax
the first concerted effort in the east to
tx responsibility for the prevailing
high price of food.
Jersey City as a cold storage center.
where the packing companies of the
west maintain vast warehouses in
which thousands Of pounds Of meat and
source Of investigation. More than a
month ago the inquiry by the grand
Jury was started. cold storage plants
were inspected, witnesses were exam
ined. Today the indictment was
handed Up in the 81 irene court before
Justices Blair and Carey
The proceedings were formal in the
extreme and there was nothing dra-
matte in the presentation of the docu-
nnent that will mean the trial by Jury
of some Of the most prominent men in
the United States, charged in effect
with cheating the public by manipu-
lsting the food supply through the me-
dunn Of cold storage.
CHARGES IN INDICTMENT
or this alleged manipulation the in
dictment charges that the defendants
conspired within the jurisdiction of
this court willfully, unlaW-
fully and feloniously devising, contriv-
ing and intending for their own unjust.
excessive, immoral and unlawful profit
and gain, TO injure, defraud, prejudice,
damage. cheat, impoverish and oppress
the public and the people by cornering
md limiting the necessary and reason
able supply Of meats and poultry for
consumption by the public and the peo-
pie Of said city and said country, so as
"a rroduce an artificial scarcity in the
suppIv OF said meats and poultry and
70 greatly. excessively and extortion-
atelv enhance and increase the cost and
price thereof"
The Indictment goes on to state that
mere driblets of the supply were put on
the market at stated intervals, small
quantities agreed upon by the defend
ants. thus to curtail and restrict the
supply for the purpose of fctitiously,
arbitrarily and unlawfully increasing
,,-ices to the public
Witnesses Are Examined
CHICAGO. Feb. 25.-Seven witnesses
snneared before the federal grand jury
today in its investigation of the so
called beef trust. Among those on the
stand was Fred o. Cunningham, man