The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-11-24
Rockfeller's Statement
Lr. Rockefeler's statement:


 Referring to the testimony of the Merritt brothers before the Stanley committee in which they charged fraud and misrepresentation by MT. Rocke- feller and MT Gates in connection with the Lake Superior Consolidated iron mines and that they were deprived of their interest In that company by means of loan made them by M-. jRockefeller of s420,000 which he called during the panic of 1893, all of which, statements were denied under oath in the United States court at the trial of the litigation in 1895, it would be ab-' late day the issues in that case, but it is significant that upon the settle- ment which was made at the close of that litigation both Alfred and Leonidas Merritt, the two who testified before the Stanley committee. together with all the other members of the famiiy. gave MT. Rockefeller the follow per:
 " Certain matters of differen he been existing between the und| etzata and Mir John D. Rockefeller, and t litigation has been pending betvzeu i3c undersigned Alfred Merritt and NJ HcNE, eteler in which litigation 1t was mod that certain misrepresentations wssz 4sss94 by MT. Rockefeller and those ae t8s ffe hm concerning certain propertis sslit by him to the Lake Superior lt dated Iron Mines 1t is hereby VI that from recent independent ts lions made by us under our s4< 1t1. we have become satisfied that nuaiie4 resentation was made or fraud cdzss .fs by Mir. Rockefeller or by his aff1ts. 3r attorneys for him, upon the sale As o19H of any property to us or any q @7 to the Lake Superior Consolida ' isiat Mines, or upon the purchase by hl l<o one or more of us of any stocks or -41s terests in any mining or railway company or companies or upon the pledge by us or either of us to him of stocks and se- curities belonging to one or more of us and we hereby withdraw all such charges and claims and exonerate MT. RockefeI- Ter and his agents and attorneys thaa-- from. la
 Signatures to Statement
 'DulLth, Minn., January 2, 1897. In the presence of Merrill M Clark, Joseph B. Cotton. (Sgned,. Alfred Merritt, Jane A. Merritt Leondas Merritt Elizabeth E. Merritt. Andrus R. Merritt, Elizabeth. D. Merritt, Lillian Merritt May l. Merritt, John F, Merritt, Etta M. Merritt, Wilbur d. Merritt. Ida Merritt. Andrus R. Mer- ritt. as surviving partners of the late firm of c. C. and A. R. Merritt; Eliza M. Merritt. Hanson E. Smith, as admin istrator of the estate of Cassius C. Mer-i rnt. deceased Napoleon B. Merritt, Ma tlida T. Merritt, Eugene T. Merritt, Anna Merritt, Thomas A. Merritt, Jennie $. Merritt -
 The facts with regard to the loan were as follows;
 ''The loans aggregating S420,0o0 were made by MT. Rockefeller in various amounts during the summer of 1883 MT. Rockefeller never called these loans In February, 1894. the Merritt Brothers be- ing pressed by other creditors. applied to MT. Rockefeller for further assistance. Instead of calling his loans, as they charge. he furnished them an additional sum of $4S0,000.
 "They sold him 90,000 shares of stock at Sl0 a share, amounting to s9o0,00O, the sew eral members of the family oontrihsst' different proportions Zone one-hy4 this more than enough to cover his Aff to them he gave to each of them affrir tion to repurchase in year at the eff that they had sold it to him. with Na~s cent interest.
 .sPrior to the expiration of the ftf Alfred Merritt, one Of the brothers isHa testified before the committee. brot4ifH suit tagainst Mir RocNereler and he Un't several of the others never endcayored tp exercise the option. Another brother and nephew, at the expirstson of the option, applied for an extension of it on then stock. which was given, and they subse- ouently took back their stock, amounting to lo,0O0 shares, and on the formation of the Steel corporation sold it to that com pany."
 Reference to the manner in which MT. Rockefeller gained control of the ore fields is contained in his book, Random "Reminiscences of Men and Events published in 1909. He alludss to his employment of the Rev. Fred-