The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1911-11-24
JOHN D. DENIES
HE'S PIRATE OF
THE MONEY Main
Rockefeller Issues Statement
That Merritt Kin Absolved
Him of All Blame


efeller. in a statement given out to-
night. replied to the charges made by
Merritt brothers before the Stanley
steel investigating committee regard
ing the methods used by Rockefeller ii
securing control Of the Missabe ore
mines and the Duluth. Missabe and
Northern railroad. pointing out thai
these charges were denied under oatf
as long ago as 1895 in litiSationyove
the Lake Superior Consolidated Iror
mines
Rockefeller submits the text OF q
paper dated January %. 1897, to which
are attached the names of Alfred and
Leonidas Merritt and ''all the other
members OF the family declaring
themselves satisfied that neither Rock
efeller nor his agents committed fraut
or made Misrepresentation in the mat
ter in question
Rockefeller then sets forth what hi
says are the facts in regard to the
loans" to which the Merritts testified
and denies that the loans in question
were ever called by him"
Statement by Rockefeller
The statement, which was issued to-
night from &c Broadway. follows:
In the matter of the evidence of
the Merritt brothers before the
Stanley committee in Washington,
ID. c. rejecting upon John ID.
Rockefeller, in connection with
some ore and railroad properties
on the Missabe range. Mr.. Rookie
feller authorizes the following
statement:
Referring to the testimony of
the Merritt brothers before the
Stanley committee, in which they
charged fraud and misrepresenta-
tion by Mr.. Rockefeller and Mr..
Gates in connection with the Lake
Superior Consolidated iron mines
and that they were deprived of
their interest in that company by
means of a loan made them by
Mr.. Rockefeller Of 100000. which
he calIedaduring tire fE2sa icl Of 1888.
all of which. statements were de-
MED under oath in the United
States court at the trial of the
litigation in 1895. it would be alb
surd to try in the newspapers at
this late date the issues in that
case, but it is significant that
upon the settlement, which was
made at the close of that litiga-
tion. both Alfred and Lenoidas
Merritt the two who testified be-
fore the Stanley committee. to-
gether with all the other members
of the family, gave Mr.. Rockefeller
the following paper:
Certain matters of difference
have existed between the under
signed and Mr. John D. Rockefel-
Ter and a court litigation has been
pending between the undersigned,
Alfred Merritt and Mr.. Rockefeller.
in which litigation it was claimed
that certain misrepresentation
were made by Mr.. Rockefeller and
those acting for him concerning
certain properties sold by him to
the Lake Superior Consolidated
iron mines. 1t is hereby declared
that from recent independent In
vestigations made by us or under
direction we have become salts
fed that no misrepresentation was
made nor fraud committed by Mr..
Rockefeller or by his agents or
attorneys for him, upon the sale by
him of any property to US or any
of US, or to the Lake Superior Con-
solidated iron mines, or upon the
purchase by him from one or more
of us of any stocks or interests in
any mining or railway company or
companies, or upon the pledge by
us. or either of us, to him OF
stocks and securities belonging to
one or more of us; and we hereby
withdraw all such charges and
claims and exonerate Mr. Rockefel-
ler and his agents and attorneys
therefrom.
"Duluth, Mimi, January p,
1897. In the presence of Merritt
NJ. Clark, Joseph r. Cotton.
"'(Signed) Alfred Merritt Jane
Merritt. Leonidas Merritt, Eliza
beth E. Merritt, Andrus r. Merritt.
Elizabeth d. Merritt, Lillian Mer-
ritt, May l. Merritt, John Merritt,
Eta Merritt, Wilbur Merritt, Ida
NJ Merritt.
"Andrus r. Merritt. a surviv-
ing partner of the late firm of G.
&. and a. r. Merritt; Eliza M. Mer-
ritt, Hanson e. Smith, as admin
Merritt (deceased); Napoleon B.
Merritt Matilda Merritt, Eugene
T. Merritt. Anna Merritt. Thomas
a. Merritt, Jennie S. Merritt
Facts Regarding Loan"
.sThe facts with regard to the
loan were as follows
The loans. aggregating s42o.
600. were made by Mr.. Rockefeller
summer of 1893. Mr.. Rockefeller
never called these loans. In Feb
ruary, 1894, the Merritt brothers,
applied to Mr.. Rockefeller for fur
ther assistance. Instead OF CALI
ing his loan. as they charge, he
furnished them an additional sum
shares of stock at $40 snare,
amounting to $4,000 the several
members of the family contribut-
ing different proportions. For one
half of this, more than enough to
cover his loan to them, he gave to
each of them an option to repur-
chase in year at the price that
they had sold to him with per
Prior to the expiration of the
year Alfred Merritt, one of the
brothers who testified before the
committee, brought suit against
Mr.. Rockefeller, and he and sew
eraI of the others never endeav-
ored TO exercise the option. An
other brother and nephew. at the
expiration of the option. applied I
for an extension of it on their
I stock. which was given and they
subsequently took back their
stock. amounting to 10000 shares,
and on the formation Of the steel
corporation sold 1t to that COM
pany-