The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1910-03-02
BEEF TRUST PROSECUTIONS.
GRAND JURY INDICTS MILLION.
ARE PACKERS.
The Armours, SWifts, MOrrisses and
Others OF Less Prominence Are III
c!uded-NOt One Will BE Spared.

New York, Feb. 25.-The beef trust
Of the United States, embracing six
great packing companies and 21
packers, several Of them multi-mil
lionaires, socially and industrially
prominent, were indicted by a grand
jury In Hudson county, n. j., today
charged with conspiracy in limiting
the supply Of meat and poultry.
The warrant is drawn under the
law OF New Jersey. which provides,
upon conviction, a maximum penalty
of three years in the penitentiary or a
$1,000 fine, or both. The offense is
eXtraditable, which means that prac-
tically the meat barons Of the coun-
try must either successfully escape
eXtradition or come to Jersey City for
trial.
Pierre Garven, the public prosecu-
tor Of Hudson county, announced TO-
the defendants of the indictment and
would be ready to force extradition in
every case where the individual con-
cerned is not willing to face trial VOL
UNFAIRLY. None, he says, will be
spared
The defendants as named are as
follows:
Corporations: The National Pack
ing Company. Armour & Co., Swift &
CO., Morris & Co., Hammond Packing
Company, G. H. Hammond & Co. In
divduals: j. Ogden Armour, O, Wat
son Armour, Louis F. Swift, Edward
F. Swift, Charles H. Swift, Edward
Morris, Ira Morris, Arthur Meeker
Edward Tilden, L. A. Carlton, Thomas
e. Wilson, Thomas ]. Conners, F. A.
Fowler L. H. Heyman, James E.
Bathgate, Jr., George j. Edwards,
Frederick B. Cooper, D. e. Hartwell
Henry b. Darlington, A. A. Fuller,
Lemuel c. Patterson.
Ira n. Morris sent a lawyer to Jer-
sey City this week from Chicago to
inform Prosecutor Garven that he
had retired from the directorate of
Morris G. Co., but, nevertheless, he
was indicted.
Frederick B. Cooper, James E.
Bathgate, George ]. Edwards, D. E.
Hartwell, Fl. B. Darlington and A. A.
Fuller are said to be officers and Eas-
tern agents of the National Packing
Company. Capiases for the arrest Of
all the defendants will be issued i'm
mediately and the grand jury will re-
5ume its Investigations on Wednesday
next. Cooper Is the New Jersey man.
ager for Swift & Co.
The Indictment which br'stles in
its arraignment of the men named,
also refers to divers others" as being
responsible. These, however, are not
specified
The foregoing list of names, it will
be seen, represents the very backbone
Of the great packing industry Of this
country, containing, as it does, two
Armours, three Swifts and two Nor
rises, all for the most part residents
Of Chicago, together with less import
ut figures in the packing world.
Their indictment brings to a climax
the first concerted effort in the East
TO fix responsibility Tor the prevailing
ties.
jersey City, as q cold storage CEN
tre, where the packing companies Of
the West maintain vast warehouses in
which countless thousands Of pounds
ed fruitful source Of investigation.
More than a month ago the inquiry
by the grand jury was started, cold
storage plants were inspected, wit
nesses were examined and today the
indictment was handed up in the Su-
premc Court before Justices Blair and
Carey. The proceedings were formal
in the extreme, and there was nothing
dramatic in the presentation of the
document which will mean the trial
by jury Of some Of the most promi-
ncnt men in the United States, charg-
ed, in effect, with cheating the public
by manipulating the food supply
thrc IN the medium of cold storage