Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1905-1919, 1911-11-24
DENIED BACK IN 1895
SAYS MERRITT FAMILY UNDER
OATH COMPLETELY EXON
GRATED ROCKEFELLER.
never Called The LOAN
Even Loaned Them More when the
Brothers Were Hard Pressed
During IA Panic.

NEW YORK, Nov. 2S,--John d. |
Rockefeller In a statement given out
here tonight replied to the charges
made by the Merritt brothers before
the Stanley steel investigating COM
mite regarding the methods used by
Mr.. Rockefeller In securing control
of the Misabie ore mines. and the Du-
luth. Misabie a. Northern railroad
pointing out that these charges were
denied under oath as long ago as
1895 as litigation over the Lake Su-
perior consolidated iron mines.
He finally submitted the text OF
paper bearing the date Of Jan. 22,
1897, to which are attached the names
OF Alfred and Leonidas Merritt, and
all the other members Of the famil-,
declaring themselves satisfied that
neither Mr.. Rockefeller nor his agents
committed fraud or misrepresenta-
tions in the matter in question
A sweeping Denial.
Mr.. Rockefeller then sets forth
what he says ARE the facts with re-
gard to the loans to which the Mer-
r,tts testified, and denies that the
| loan in question were ever called by
him. The statement which was issued
tonight from No. &c Broadway, fol-
lows:
In the matter of the evidence of
the Merritt brothers before the Stan
ley committee in Washington, d. c.,
reflecting upon Mr.. John ID. Rookie
| feller in connection with some ore
land and railroad properties. Mr..
Rockefeller authorizes the following
statement"
Mr. Rockefeller continues:
Charges Are Absurd.
referring to the Merritt brothers
before the Stanley committee In
which they charge fraud and misrep-
resentation by Mr.. Rockefeller and
Mr.. Gates in connection with the Lake
Superior and Duluth, Misab'e and
Northern railroad, and they were de-
prived of a loan made by Mr.. Rookie.
feller of 100000, which called dur
/ ing the panic in 1903, all OF which
statements were denied under oath in
1 the United States court at the trial
/ Of litigation In 1905. II would be
absurd to try in the newspapers at
| this late day the issues in that case
but It IS significant that upon the
settlement which was made at the
close of that litigation both Alfred
and Leoni1as &erritt. the two who
/ testified before the Stanley committee
together with al the other members
Of the family gave Mr.. Rockefeller the
| following papers:
Exoncratcs Rockefeller
1T is hereby declared from recent
/ Independent Investigations made by
MS or under our supervision we want
to state no MISREPRESENTATION was
made or fraud committed by Mr.
Rockefeller or by his accents or at
{ torneys for him upon the sale by
him Of any property 20 MS, or to any Of
MS. of the Lake Superior consoli-
dated iron mines. or upon the pur-
chase by him from one or more OF
us Of any stocks or interests in any
mining or railway comnaries or upon
the pledge by MS or either Of MS to
| him OF stocks ana securities belonS-
| ing to one or more Of ua; and we here
| by withdraw all such charges and
and claims and evonerate Mr. Rookie
fener and his agents and attorneys
tberefrom."
The statement recites that the pa
per was slened at Duluth, Mimi.
Jan. 90, 1897. in the presence Of Mer-
| rltt NJ Clark Joseph Cotton and ap-
pended are the names Of twenty mem
hers Of the Merritt family.
The facts working 20 the loan. &C.
cording TO the statement are as fol-
lows:
Never called the Loan.
The loans ags>,T u2o.ooo
were made by Mr. SR~eller never
called these loans In February, 1894.