The Mena weekly star., 1910-02-24
PACKERS INDICTED
CHARGED WITH CONSPIRACY BY A GRAND JURY IN NEW
 JERSEY.
A LEGAL STRUGGLE PREDICTED
Directors of the National Packing Company Accused of Using Cold Storage Plants to Raise Prices of Foods-lmprsonment the Penalty.

New York, Feb. 20.-The beef trust directors. with the exception of one were indicted for conspiracy by the grand jury of Hudson county; that in Jersey City.
 The indictment is not based upon and new antitrust law or upon any old one drawn to correct the trust evil, but upon the old common law of conspiracy. This law has been upheld by the highest court of the state and is epitomized in the expression that "it is a crime to do lawful thing in an unlawful manner, or to do an unlawful thing in a lawful manner"
 The indictment Is against every director of the National Packing com. pany, with the exception of Kenneth K. McLarin. The indictments will be handed up by the grand jury on next Wednesday before Judge Francis c. Swayse. The men indicted may be extradited if necessary. The charge is criminal one and the punishment provided Is three years in states prison or $1.000 fine. or both.
 The officers and directors of the Ma tional Packing company are Edward Tilden, president; L. B. Patterson. A. T. Fuller, vice-presidents; c. G. Snow. secretary; Arthur Colby, assistant treasurer: Directors J. Ogden Armour. L. F. Swift, Edward Morris, E. F. Swift, Ira N. Morris. Arthur Meeke> Edward Tilden. T. J. Connore, L. A. Carton, K. K. McLarin, T. E. Wilson, c. H. Swift, l.. H. Heyman, Samuel McRoberts, F. A. Fowler and A. W. Armour
 The reason for the failure to indict McLarin, it is stated, was that he was merely a representative here in the East and was not supposed to have had any part in the fixing of the prices of food stuffs.
 The indictment charges that the de- fendants conspired to raise the price of food stuffs by putting them fin cold storage and releasing them from time to time.
 The indictment of the beef trust oi- rectors who have through the National Packing company set at defiance the law of supply and demand, raised prices on food stuffs as they saw fit and forced the prices of meat beyond the reach of the poor, was brought about by Prosecutor Pierre Carvin aft. CT weeks of hard work
 It was announced that the indict- ments are based upon the testimony of the employees of the storage plants and packing houses in Jersey City. For weeks. employees high and low, have been trooping into the grand jury room in the cort house in Jersey City.
 One witness was played against the other just as the police would question witnesses in a murder mystery seek Ing to get at the truth.
 It was soon discovered that some of the emplyes were not telling the truth and they were kept on the grid dle until they did tell it. The result was that the 23 grand jurors were con- vinced that through the National Pack ing company. the beef trust fixed the prices of meats and other food stuffs, and in doing so, was guilty of the crime of conspiracy under the common law of New Jersey.
 IL is not expected that the cases of the indicted officials of the beef trust will be brought to trial without struggle but that there will be any long delay in bringing the cases to trial is not believed