Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-22
THIRTY ARE INDICTED
Action Against Officials of
Cash Register Company.
UNDER ANTITRUST LAW
Grand Jury at Cincinnati Charges
Restraint of Trade.
RETURNS OTHER INDICTMENTS
Adams Express Company Accused of
Attempting to Collect More
Than Established Rates.
OTHER INDICTMENTS

CINCINNATI February 2.-Thrty Of
ficials and employees of the National Cash
Register Company of Dayton, Ohio. were
indicted on charges of criminal violation
of the Sherman antitrust law by spe-
ciaI federal grand jury here today.
The Adams Express Company was in
dicted on eleven counts, charged with
having attempted to collect more than
established rates. Seven Cincinnati manu-
featuring firms also were indicted,
charged with attempting to secure trans
portation at lower rates than those es-
tablished by the interstate commerce COM
mission.
List of Those Indicted.
The following officers and employees of
the National Cash Register Company are
named in the indictments:
John A. Patterson, president; E. A.
Deeds, vice president; G. c. Edgeter, sec
retary; W. F. Bippus, treasurer; Robert
Patterson, A. A. Thomas, Thomas ].
Watson, Joseph Rogers, Alexander
Harmed. F. s. High, NJ. G. Keith, William
Cummings. j. c. Laird. Pliny Ewes, A. A.
Wentz. George E. Morgan, c. T. Walms-
Cool. E. H. Epperson, Myer N. Jacobs.
NJ. L. Lasley, Jonathan B. Hayward,
Alex w. Sinclair, ]. ]. Range, Edgar
Park. alias c. D. Foote; William H. Muz-
zy. William p. Pflum and Earl B. wilson.
There are three counts in the indict-
ments against the officials and employees
of the register company.
Competitors Driven Out.
The first count charges that nearly all
competitors concerned have been bought
out or driven out of business.
1t is charged that restraint has been
in operation for the last twenty years.
although the specific charge is confined
to the last three years. 1t is said to have
been effected by bribing employees OF
competitors and transportation, telegraph
and telephone companies and injuring the
credit of competitors in libeling their ma
chimes The second and third counts
charge the defendants with monorolizing
the cash register business by the same
means
Specifically it was charged that conn
petitors were driven out OF business by
interference with the employes of COM
petitors, by Ebeling the machines of conn
peutors. cutting prices. selling limitations
,.s. CT competitive machines made to use as
knockers, and injuring competitive ma
chimes IN every possible way.
Suits Were Threatened.
1t also was charged that the company's
selling plan included the threatening of
suits merely for the purpose of harassins
manufacturers and purchasers and in
organizing bogus corporations pretending
to be competitors. as well as making, q B.
plicatiOns for patents on the machines
and Improvements invented by c6In-
petitors.
All but seven of the defendants were
thosc named december in the civil
suit started by the government to re-
strain them from attempting to monop-
oiize the cash register business Hay
ward, Sinclair. Range. Park, MuzEy,
Phum and Wilson are sales agents. and
are named in the criminal indictments
only.
J. A. Oswald. S. w. Davies, George G.
Shaw. z. H. Bunstin and Fl. G. Carnell.
members of the board of directors
when the civil action was filed. and
made defendants to it, were not named
IN the Indictment.
80 After Express Companies.
Federal district attorneys in many parts
of the country, it is understood, are ar
ranging to institute criminal prosecutions
against practically all the big express
companies. The action is being taken on
information placed before them by COM
missioner Lane of the interstate COM
ilerce commission, who is the member of
the commission making the. investieat ton
of the express companies of the country.
Commissioner Lane is in Charlottesville,
Va. today, and representatives of the
commission who were reached declared
that the matter is directly in his hands,
and that he is the man to do the talking
on all questions affecting the investiga-
ton of express companies.
The documentary evidence substantial
ing the charges in question. it Is said. is
now in the hands of the various district
attorneys
The evidence is said to be conclusive.
but at the same time the interstate COM
merce commission officials want it under
stood that they do not intend to make a
raid on the express companies and at
tempt to bankrupt them but rather to
regulate the carriers in the performance