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-0ne
Meat Packers, Charging Con-
spiracy To Hold Up Prices.
Penalty Upon Conviction Is Fine Of
$1,000 or Three Years
Imprisonment.

JERSEY CITY, n. j.. Feb. 26.-Tho
Hudson county grand jury handed up
To Judge Blair in tie 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-
eii, the resident director of the com
any here They are charged with
increasing and depressing the prices
q toodstuffs contrary 10 the laws of
New Jersey and In violation OF public
policy.
The big packing companies affiliated
with the National company are also
indicted. They are Armour g. Co,
swift IL Co, Morris & Co.. the Ham,
mond Packing Co. and G.. H. Ham
mond & 60.
The men agains; whom the true
bills have been returned are: j. Og-
den Armour, A. W. Armour. l.. +.
Swift, +. r. Swift. G.. W. Swift. Ed
ward Morris, "a Meeker, Edward C.
illdcn, Samuel l.. McRoberts, r. j.
Conrors, !. A Carston, Thomas l..
Wilson, -. III. Heyman, r. A. Fowler,
James T.. Bathgate Jr. George j. Ed
wards. Fred Is Cooper. ID. T.. Sart-
well, Ira H. Morris. Henry +. Darling
ION. Lemuel f. Patterson, a. a. Fuller.
None OF the accused were in court
and il was stated that they will bo
notified at once anG if they do not
put in an appearance extradition pro-
Ceedngs will be instituted The in
dictment is four pages long and ac-
Cuses tn companies and the indi-
Niduals named OF entering into a con-
sniracy in Jersey City on March /,
1908, by which they feloniously in
cured shippers and impoverished the
city for their own individual gain and
Ioft
The companies and individuals are
accused OF causing a scarcity in the
supply OF meats anC poultry and en-
HANGING prices by the combination TO
which they were party. BY virtue
Ci their wealth. says grand jury,
these companies and individuals werc
able to acquire a monopoly of the sup
ply OF meats and they did not market
he product that came into their hands
/ but doled it out in Inadequate supplies
/ and by this means raised the price
so that the consumer suffered while
thcy were able 70 earn enormous
profits.
The National Packing Co was
formed seven years ago with a capital
stock Of $4,000 00 and il is said Il
handles in a year fully $500 900 900
dollars worth OF meats and foodstuffs.
It's Eigges- business Offices are in Chi.
cago.
Tie grand jury called many wit
uesses before il and obtained from
them statements regarding the man
ner in which food products were
brought into the state ami stored here
while waiting for prices to be main
tanned.
The penalty for the offense charged
IS a fine Cf $1,000 or three years i'm
prlsonmeGt, or both The prosecu-
tors office said the case would be
pushed .o a speedy trial which is
possible Under the New Jersey laws.
The National Packing CO. has a New
Jersey cdarter and maintains its OF
fees i'm ,ae Offices e the Corporation
crust Co
All The biz Chicago meat packers
art In ID concern. its officers. accord
me 10 the last statement fled by IL,
hehe
President. Edvmc c. Tilden: first
vice-presidCnt 4 J.. Peterson. sec
oud vice president. f. r Fuller: sec
ictarv. G. Stow assistant treas
eyer Arthur Colby
The Armour interests are represents
cd on the board hy j., Ogden and ~.
Watson Armour Meeker r J Cen
uers and samuel M Roberts: the
Swift interests ay louis f. Edward
r and Charles F. Swirl and L. A.
Carton. the Mo, is interests by Ed
ward Morris. while ridden. president
.o the company is associated with to
rVifts iu other enterprises.
when ,1e lrand iary convened yes-
ter6ay Afternoon kenneth McLauren.
treasurer of the Corporation Trust
CO.. Appeared witb the minutes OF the
.1st meeting az the directors OF the
company aud other data, which the
ury had demanded When that body
umshed agth him, DC summoned repre-
,utatiyes OF th, Merchants Refriger-
atgr Co... tae Union Terminal Co. and
SyhWarzchUd * Su'zterger and ques-
TONED them regIrG.us he operation
ot th, cold storage plants OF the city.