The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-02-14
HOLD SIX GUILTY
or CONSPIRACY
CELEBRATED INSURANCE. CASE
DECIDED nv JUDGE BARHAM
IN NEWPORT NEWS.
FOURTEEN ARE SET FREE
COMBINATION NOT OF ITSELF w
Lawful BUT ABUSE OF IT'S
POWER rs pyNisHABLE--A
NOTEWORTHY CASE.

NEWPORT NEWS, VA. Feb. IA
Holding that only the men who ae-
tually promulgated the raise of 10
per cent. in the rates of fire insurance
ia Newport News should have been
found guilty of criminal conspiracy
under the evidence adduced at the
trial, Judge r. J. Barhsn sitting in
the Corporation Court. yesterday
morning set aside as to fourteen or
the defendants Tho verdict returned
In his court on November ~, 1917,
10y a Southampton jury imposing a
fine of s4ee on each OF twenty of the
officers and members of the south
eastern Underwriters Association.
Judge Barham announced that the
verdict of the jury as TO the six men
who were present at the meeting IN
Richmond when the famous pink
slip" was caused TO be issued woulu
be allowed to stand.
Immediately after the judge had
rendered his decision, Attorneys o.
u. Bachelor and J. Winston Read, Of
counsel for the defense. objected to
the entering OF Judgment against the
six men held on the ground that IL the
court set aside the verdict as to any
one Of the defendants II must set aside
the verdict AS to all of them. Coun-
sci said that they had Virginia au-
thority which holds that where two
or more persons are convicted of con-
spiracy new trial as TO one involves
D new trial 40 to all" Judge Barham
announced that he would hear arEu-
uIent on that point at some late time,
but no date for the argument was
agreed upon.
sax Held Liable.
The men who are refused new trials
are:
L. r. Warren, Richmond. chairman
Of the Virginia committee.
A. III. Harris. Richmond, secretary
of the Virginia committee
e. j. Jones, Richmond. member of
the Virginia committee and special
agent Of the Hartford Fire Insurance
Company.
E. p. Dewey. Goldsboro y. c.,
member of the Virginia committee
and special agent of the Queen In
sarance Company.
b. A. Hamlin. Danville. member of
the Virginia committee and special
agent of the Pennsylvania Fire In
suranee Company.
member of the Virginia committee
and special agent of the Virginia
state Fire Insurance Company.
Those Granted New Trial.
The members of the Virginia and
the executive committees who are
granted q new trial under the ruling
Of Judge Barham ares
A. b. Andrews. Atlanta, Ga. man
ager Southeastern Underwriters As
sociation.
W. X. Prescott. Atlanta, president
southeastern Underwriters Associa
ton, and special agent OF the Hartford
Fire Insurance Company.
A. M. Travers. Richmond. member
Virginia committee and special agent
Commercial Union.
Dan h. Harris, Atlanta, GA, MEM
Der executive committee and special
agent of the Security Fire Insurance
Company. of New Haven. and the
Aschen IL Munich.
X. r. Caldwell, Atlanta. member ex-
ecutive committee and special agent
OF the Westchester Fire Insurance
Company,
Guy Carpenter. Atlanta, member
executive committee and special agent
of the Norwich Union.
George III. Collins. Atlanta. men,
her executive committee and special
agent OF the Scottish Union.
A. l.. Brooke. Atlanta. member ex-
ecutive committee and representative
of E. q. Siebeis general agency.
II. y. Hughes, Atlanta. member
executive committee end specisl aGent
FOR Peoples National and other com
panies.
Dana A3lackmar. Columbus, Ga,
member executive committee and
sice-president Georgia Home Fire
Insurance Company. ..,. --,.--4,
IL e. Hare, Jacksonville, member
executive committee and agent for
various companies.
J. q. Middleton, Atlanta. member
executive committee and special agent
FOR the Aetna company.
Benjamin j. Smith, Charlotte, ".
G., member executive committee and
special agent Of the Home Fire In
surance Company of New York.
III. Al. Tanner. Atlanta, member
executive committee and special
agent of the Agricultural Insurance
Company.
Combination Not UnlawfuI.
Judge Barham rendered an oral
opinion. He held that such a combi-
nation an the Southeastern Under
writer's Association is not in itself
illegal but when any members of
the combination in concert abused it's
powers by doing some act from mali
cfous motives, which is injurious tn
any considerable number of the pub
lie. those 50 abusing the power of
the combination are guilty of crimi-
nal conspiracy.
In line with this he held that in
this case the overt act was commit
ted by the six members OF the Viz