Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-09-20
Two indictments Against Five
OF COmpany's Officials
And The Largest Stakeholder,
James ". SiOrT0w, Boston.
Will Plead In 10 Days.-How the
Case Was Worked Up.

Boston, Sept. 1.-TWO indictments
We're returned today by the Federal
grand jury against five officials and a
large stakeholder of the United Shoe
Machinery Co, charging conspiracy
and restraint of trade under the Sher-
man antitrust law. The officials are
Sidney w. Winslow of Orleans, Mass,
president, Edward 2. Hurd of New
ton, Mass, vice president, assistant
treasurer, director and member of the
executive committee: Geo. w. Brown
of Newton, vice president, member of
the executive committee and director;
William Barbour of New York, vice
president member of the executive
committee and director, Elmer p.
Howe of Boston. counsel. member of
the executive committee and director
and James j. Storrow, the largest
stakeholder and formerly a member
of the executive committee and direc-
tor. Mr.. Storrow resigned from the
hoard on Dec. 9. 1910. a month pre-
vious To the municipal election In
which he was candidate for mayor
The penalty for the alleged crime is
a fine of $4,000 or Imprisonment for one
year or both
The six defendants did not appear
today. but will be summoned and will
probably plead in the next 10 days.
The grand jury returned two indict-
nents. the second one in three counts,
According to William s. Gregg of
the department of justice at Washing
ton. who has been in charge Of the
case and who was present today the
indictments charge that the six do
PENDANTS have been working through
the instrumentality of the United Shoe
Machinery Co. in a way to make them
eriminally liable under the Sherman
act.
The second indictment alleges that
the carrying on of the business under
the merger of the three old shoe ma
chinery manufacturing companies
which took place in February 1899.
was engaging in a combination in re-
atraint of trade, that it was a con-
spiracy in restraint of the trade of
shoe manufacturers and that the
whole transaction was a monopoIiza-
ton of interstate trade
Mr.. Gregg supplemented Il synopsis
Of the indictments. which are embrac-
ed III more than 100 typewritten
pages, with a statement that the
prosecution by the government had
nothing to do with the action of the
Massachusetts Legislature last spring.
lie said that special agents had been
working ON the case since March and
that 10 witnesses had been examined
representing all sections of the coun-
try but principally New England
As soon as the Indictment had been
handed to the court, Mr. Gregg gave
out the following summary of the
document:
The United States circuit grand
jury under the supervision of L. S.
Dist. Atty. Asa p. French, assisted by
William S. Gregg and Oliver L. Pagan,
representatives of the department of
justice from Washington today pre-
scented to the court two indictments,
each being against Sidney w. Wins
low, Edward p. Hurd, George w
Brown, James J. Storrow William
Barbour and Elmer p Howe, all
prominent in the management of the
so-called "shoe machinery trust" CEN
tering in Boston.
In these indictments the district
attorney has varied the charge in diff
ferent counts to meet possible variable
NdfldtioHS IN the eNiuence IN the trial
and possible variations in the views
of the trial court and higher courts as
to the applicability of the different
provisions of the Sherman law to the
facts stated.
Both indictments charge that the
six defendants have been working
through the instrumentality OF the
United Shoe Machinery Co.. which
they have dominated and controlled in
way to make them individuals
criminally liable under the Sherman
act.
The indictments first describe the
shoe manufacturing business and the
shoe machinery manufacturing busl-
ness as they existed prior to and on
Feb. Z. 1899 and then set forth all the
facts pertaining to the merger on that