The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-05-02
PEDDL|NG CASES
IN COUNTY COURT
APPEALED FROM MAGISTRATE.
CHE ATTAIN WILL BIZ HEARD
BY JUDGE WATSON.

Chesterfield CountE Court will con-
vene next Monday and II will be enc
of the most Important sessions held
ia "A very long time, The peddIing
charges against the oil companies
will. Of course, he the most import
ant cases en- the docket. and ~iA over.
shadow everything else that Judge
Watson will have for his eonsidera-
ton,
When the warrants were served on
the Standard ou Company. the Rich
mond OIL Company and the National
oil Company in March, charging
them with peddling oil II created
sensation ia court circles and there
was no end OF speculation ~ 10 the
final outcome Of the matter.
The charges were preferred By Of
iicers Jerrali, OF the county police
force, and the oh companies were
laled before Justice Gheatham, who,
after hearing the evidence, fined each
of the companies $3.50, and a driver
Of each company sloo. Appeals were
AT ence taken in each case, and the
defendants feei satisfied that the de-
cisinn of the lower court Will be re-
ycrsed by Judge Watson.
The drivers who were fined BY the
justice were proven 10 he only the
hired men Of the oil companies. doing
a duty that they had been instructed
10 perform. There are no doubt about
the fact that they were not selling
their own oil. "a sthey made this asser-
ton on the witness stand, and the
managers of the oil companies stated
that the drivers were only carrying
out their instructions.
The oil paHfes made the defense
that they were simply furnishing oil
10 regular customers who had given
standing orders fer the wagons to call
and deliver whatever quantity want
ed. This, they claimed, was not In
violation of the law and was not ped
ding,
The result OF these cases viii be
watched with the keenest interest.
as large per cent. of the business
done by the oil com pauies liz ~ the
tank wagon system. Should the courts
decide that this mode of delivering
oil is not legal, II VIII change the en-
tire system of the OIL business and
pay several cents more In the gallon
for his OIL
The oil companies claim that they
can furnish the oil n great deal
cheaper by the tank system than II
forced To furnish the stores in bar.
rel lots and it will be- al great ca
more convenient for the storekeeper
who has only to give his standing
order TO the company and the driver
VIII call regularly and nil the tani
II the merchant II this plan ts dis
continued the merchant Will be for
ced to buy his oil In barrels at
cost Of about three cents gallon
t4e If tt iTt-t, from the wagon
Then he Will have to 20 TO the ex'
pense of pumping the oil out of the
barrel into his tank before he car
sell h. ia h1s ea&lofaarsi = Il tt.,s ses
time and money and tho consumer
win have IL to pay.
Some of the smaller dealers sa,
they can not afford to handle oil Il
they are forced To buy 1t in barrel lots
This Of course would mean that theii
customers would be- compelled TO e.
elsewhere to get Oil
PeddUng Cheese Case.
Another peddIiBg case that vii
come up for consideration at this tern
of the court will ba that of SAN
Straus, the cheese merchant He was
also charged with peddling To MGR
chants and In the magistrates court
was fined 500 His attorney, KirA
Mathew also took an appeal to tbs
higher court
At the trial OF the cheese case At
torney Mathews iutimated very
strongly Alht oiGfET 3tIfAAi was IN
fiuenced in the arrest by the kn0wl.
edge that in case of conviction he
would get half the fine. which Is the
law In such cases.
AS officer Jerran has made all tia
arrests ia these peddltng cases, should
the higher court confirm the Nerdici
OF the lower tribunal. he would he
very rich man.
In the magistrates trial of tho
cheese merchant Attorney Matthews
attempted to show that Officer Jer.
rail offered TO pay half the cost oi
a cake of cheese II the merchan
would tay it.