Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-11-23
Leonidas Merritt, Once Own
er Of Railroad, Says Oil
King Broke Him When he
Wouldn't be in on Steal
JOHN D. WILL BE
CALLED. AS WITNESS
Members Of Committee At
tempt to Stop Merritt's
Story as Irrelevant but
Stanley Insists He Go On.

| OCdA1ey llSlSCS he NO Slus
Washington, D. c., Nov. 22.---With q
bitterness that lent emphasis to hi1
utterances and at times fairly besides
himself with pent up rage, Leonidaa
Merritt told the Stanley steel truse
committee today personal narrative
OF his dealings with John ID. Rocke-
feller and how the latter forced him
out of the copper business In Minne-
sofa.
4 Mr.. Merritt declared that it war
after he had turned down proposi.
tion from Mr.. Rockefeller which ha
characterized as Stealing that Rocke4
feller called on him to pay a million
dollar loan and brought about hia
downfall. The proposition, Mr.. Mer.s
4 rift said, came through the Rev. DR..
Gates, Mr.. Rockefeller's almoner.
* listened In amazement to it, said
Mr.. Merritt. 1T meant that several
men would be thrown out Of the COM
4 pAny and their stock taken. I turned
Ito Gates and said Mr. Gates, you came
4 from John D. Rockefeller. Go back
Ht0 John d. Rockefeller and tell him
Ithat when steal for a living I VIII
steal for myself, |" At one time dur
lag the remarkable recital OF his deal
fhgs with Mr. Rockefeller, m eneoen.
y Ter with the witness and tssap, Murray
leotinsel for the Standard on ma6nafn
s|5was narrowly ayerted. II Mr.. Merritt
Effsaid that Gates told him, Rockefeller
sEwah hard up" Ee believed it at th0
time, but today he said Mr.. Gates 'had
lied" . 81 !. & 81 q 80 -
i During the controversy between At
i torney Murray and the wiIness; Chair.
man Stanley said |: 4. y @
Mr. Rockefeller ought to be sum.
! moned here and will be summoned,
ne committees, however, up to the
luncheon recess, had taken no formal
action. Representative Danforth. re-
publican, OF New York, at the con-
clusion OF Merits testimony, moved
that all the testimony Of the Merritt
brothers be stricken from the record
on the ground that 1t was irrelevant.
The motion was lost, Represents.
tives Stanley, Beall, and McGillicuddy.
democrats, voting "No'' and Repre-. /
sentatives Danforth and Gardner re.
pur!icans. voting Aye. l5'8s'
Mr.. Littleton, the only other member
OF the committee In Washington, was
mot present. 4 a b 4!
Pioneers in orc Fields.
| Leonidas Merritt, brother OF Aired
Merritt. who yesterday told the story
of the family loss Of valuable ore and
railroad property to John D. Rocke-
1 teller, reiterated today many of his
brothers statements In detail he
described how his father back IN the
fifties, predicted great future for the
Mesaba region and how he and his
brother sank the first ore pit In that
country In 1891. Later, he said, there
was rush to the territory.
| Soon afterward. Merritt said az
perts went over the range and con.
ldemned the oar as useless. That pre-
vented the Merritts borrowing money.
But they worked away on their own
resources and began negotiations with
capitalists to build a railroad. which
led up to the subsequent dealing with
Mr.. Rockefeller.
These transactions described by
my brother yesterday Merritt said.
4 caused the downfall of our family.'s =
4 He further testified that among the
4 men he tried to interest In the ore
i properties and railroad projects with
out success were H. G. Frick and
Andrew Carnegie. s
Prick, who was then in the Carne.
gle company, invited me to see him."
said Merritt. HE bulldozed me. cut
me of short and ridiculed my pro-
liect.'' sf
/ After the completion Of the road IN
! 1892 some OF the officers OF tho COM
pany tried to sell out 81 per cent of
the stock In the mines and railroad to
the Minnesota Iron Co., rival con.
cern That deal was blocked.
1 At that time Senator Clapp, who was
i a stockholder with the Merritts and
1 their attorney, urged them to sell, but
they did not. It was at this time that
they first had Mr. Rockefeller suf-
gested to them as the man who might
be interested in the project.
Told Rockefeller Was Broke.
Merritt related how in 1893 he went
to Ne~ York with Rev. s. D. Gates.
Mr. Rockefeller's almoner. Gates was
his constant companion and urged
him to accept the consolidation OF In
4 terest proposed by Mr.. Rockefeller.
i Gates took me to Rockefeller" said
4 Merritt. II felt honored at being called
before such magnate. He seemed to