Perth Amboy evening news., 1911-06-30
The Companies Involved.

New York, June 3O.-The federal
grand jury has returned indictments
against eightyfour wire minufactur-
ers, charging them with violating the
Sherman antitrust law and having
formed nine pooling associations said
to have operated In restraint of trade.
William F. Palmer, head of the
American Steel and Wire company,
which it is alleged was In seven Of
the pooling associations, was indicted
seven times. Others are the General
Electric company, the National Con
du1t and Gable company and the
Sti ndard Underground Gable com
pa =. John A. Roebling's Sons hold
the record, having been indicted on
eight different counts.
In the list of defendants appear the
names of Erskfne Hewitt, son of Abram
s. Hewitt and secretary of the embassy
sent to London for Queen Victoria g
jubilee; Herbert L. Satterlee, son-in
law of ]. P. Morgan, who gets in be-
cause he is president of the Hablrshaw W
Wire company; Charles F. Brooker,
vice president of the Ansonia Brass
and Copper company and Republican
national committeeman from Connect-
cut; Karl and Ferdinand Roebllng,
Edward S. Perot, who is president Of
the National Conduit and Gable com
pany; Frank ]. Gould, on the score of
his being president of the Old Domin-
ion Iron and Nail works; LIE Baron C.
Colt of Rhode Island, and E. E. Jack.
son, Jr., a lawyer, Of this city. MI.
Jackson was indicted nine times on
the ground that he was supervisor of
all nine pools. Ferdinand Roebling
was named eight times and Joseph W.
Marsh, president of the Standard I'm
derground Gable company, was indict-
ed six times. Statesmen and minor
officers Of the various companies were
indicted many times also.
The indictments cover the whole
field of the wire industry, including
electrical cables, steel and copper wire
wire nails and horseshoes. The gov
ernment alleges that the nine associa-
tions controlled from 70 to 95 per cent
Of the business In their respective de-
partments.
The investigation looking to the
present proceedings began early last
May. The matter was in the hands of
United States Attorney Wise and his
assistant, Felix Frankfurter. They
called upward Of eighty witnesses,
avoiding those most closely allied with
the conduct of the associations, so that
these men would not be able to plead
immunity in case of Indictment
They got hold of much correspond
ence Of the members Of the associa
tons, some Of which bore recent
dates. In the indictments the govern
ment doesn't allege that the associa-
tions are now existing. Most of them
went out Of business In 1909 But the
correspondence seized by the govern
ment is said to indicate that the mem
bers of the associations here carried
out in most details the intent for
which the associations were formed
A lawyer aware Of the activity of the
wire manufacturers in this respect
added that the government had learn
ed also that the wire men were meet
Ing for lunch and that these luncheons
were regarded as suspicious"
A member of the United States at
torney's Office said there would be no
arrests. The case would go before the
United States circuit next week, he
said, and that each man indicted would
appear then In person or by counsel.