The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-02-03
GOVERNMENT AFTER
4 BATH TUB TRUST
Criminal Case Against Six
teen Firms Heard at De-
troit, Tuesday.
(NatIonal News Association)

(NatIonaI News ASSoclatlon)
DETROIT. Mich. Feb. 3.-The gov.
ernment's criminal case against the
ais In the so-called Bathtub Trust, who
are alleged to have obtained control
Of IS per cent. OF the annual output Of
enamel ironware bathtubs, sinks. Law
atories. ETC.. in the United States, will
be called for trial In the Federal Court
here Tuesday. The case. which has
been pending in the courts for nearly
two years, Is regarded as one Of the
most important In the antitrust cam
paign OF Attorney General Wicker.
sham.
The criminal proceedings grew out
Of a civil suit to dissolve the alleged
combination. begun by the Government
in the Federal Court at Baltimore in
1910. The evidence adduced in the
hearings of the civil suit was present
ed to the grand jury here by Edwin P.
Grosvenor, special assistant to the
Attorney General, and indictments
were handed down on December s..
1910.
Government Charges.
II Is charged by the Federal oficials
that as a result of ten days meeting
at Mount Clemens, Mich. in April,
1910. fund of $1,000 was sufficient to
set in motion a plan that resulted in
giving to the defendants control OF six.
teen manufacturers and nearly 400 job
hers, representing an output Of approx
iunatolv an OOO 0CO q year
The indictments charge that the de-
PENDANTS compelled the j0bbers to en-
ter into uniform contracts, and that all
the defendants. refused to sell to any
jobber unless he would sign such q
contract. The government officials
take the ground that the evidence in
the civil suit showed that the defend
ants attempted to disguise their COM
bination by the subterfuge of pur-
chasing the patents on certain tools
and Mcensing certain firms to use
these tools.
The Government places great weight
on the testimony of Edwin L. Way.
man of Pittsburgh, who Is described as
the Ncenser of the alleged combina-
ton. and whose testimony in the civil
suit has rendered him immune from
being made q defendant In the crimi.
nal proceedings. The Government
charges that Wayman obtained $1,000
from the Peoples State Bank Of De-
troit by giving 100 shares of the Stand
ard Sanitary Manufacturing Company
40 security and that. in using this fund
to. purchase several patents, $1,000
went back to the Standard Manufacture
ing Company for patents that It Is al
legged to have turned over to the COM
bination. The Government charges that
Wayman collected s. per furnace per
day from each Of the sixteen defend.
ant firms, some Of which had 40 many
40 eiShty furnaces. and that after two
months those Arms that did not vio-
late the agreement were to receive a
rebate OF so per cent. OF this contribu-
ton. Wayman's collections, 1t Is alleg-
ed, ran AZ high az 500 pei. day.
Plans Of Defense.
4 Full plans for the defense Of the
firms and individuals under indictment
have been made at 4 conference here
Of attorneys interested in the case.
The attorneys appear satisfied that
they will be able to put up strong
defense of the indicted men, They con-
tend that the case hinges on the exact
classification of the Arrott patent, for
the use of which licenses were issued
to the sixteen indicted Arms, thus Gre
ating the alleged trust. The points in
volved being 80 finely technical, the
attorneys say the defense still 10 sur
prised that the government attorneys
talk Of asking Jail sentences for the in
dicted magnates II they succeed in
convicting them Of conspiring to res.
train trade.
The individual defendants who will
be placed on trial are as follows:
Theodore Ahrens. Francis J. Tor
rance, +. L. Dawes and w. A. Hyler.
oficers Of the Standard Sanitary Man
ufacturing Company. Of Pittsburg; C.
NJ. Voegele and 7. r. Barnes. presi-
dent and secretary Of the Barnes Man
ufacturing Company. Of Mansfield. O;
Frank II. Caldwell and J. J. Mahony,
president and vice president of the Ca
hill Iron Works, Of Chattanooga; Jesse
T. Duryea and b. o. Tilden, president
and secretary Of the Caldwell Lead
Company. New York City: w. G. Wini-
field and A. G. Ward. Of the Hayward
Company. Warren. O.: s. NJ. Ford and
Reid Carpenter. president and secre-