The evening world., 1912-05-09
BURNED EVIDENCE,
BUT FORG0T DATE,
STEEL Man SAYS
Cragin, of Wire Pool, Tesdiles
He Destroyed Record Afef /,
Baackes's inquiry.
j.. P. MORGAN
General Manager Swezrs Poor
Showing Failed to Lure
X \ Money King.
J. P. MORGAN KEPTCUT5

Ooofge 4. Cfa01a ooooUou1e 49,
ogsnx q ~ Amss1saA 0tsa end WIN
Company. waD ~ ara w>tnses today
q the hearing n <hs Customs HBouss
10 TIE sult a ne Government 10 dls-
solve the Unstsd ststss stssi Corpora
tion. CrAsin figured IN ths Testimony
given yesterday BY Hsnry a. whitney.
. former employee Of the stsei n wire
company. WHO sald chat ~ burned
the records Of the wire rops pool. on
I'M order OF Frank BaAckes. the vtcs-
President and General Manager Of the
American steel and wdD Company.
Cragln. Whitney said. wanted 70 a.
sumo the responsibility for the order
concerning the burning Of the papers.
insisting that he. and not Baackes. had
given II. Former Secretary Of Wa
Jacob NJ. Dickinson. conducting the case
for the 0~ovsrnmsnt, tried 70 show that
Cragin sought 70 influence whiney's
testimony at the inquiry concerning the
burning Of the records held hero by the
Federal Grand Jury.
oAAckEs Asked ~ PAPERS
HAD BEEN DESTROYED.
Did o represent the American Steel
80 Wire Company at the meetings Of
ths following associations: The Wire
Rope Association. the Bare Copper Wire
Association. tho Wsatherproof and
Magnet Wire Association and the Rub
her. Lead M Case Cable Associa-
toni" asked Mr.. Dickinson.
II ala"
Q. DID Mr.. Baackes know Of your at
tsadancsf A. He did.
Q. DID you have a opnNersation With
htm regarding . trunkcui Of papers that
contained the records Of the Wire Rope
Association which had previously been
D%rsv1ously sent TO the United States
posuict-Attorney and WAS returned?
\. Ys. Mr.. Baackss asked me Il
those papers had been Destroyed. I said
that ] would Give the matter my attsn.
tion.
q. What did you mean BY THAR A.
Il was an svasivs auswsr.
Q. The papers were destroyed? 4.
Yea After that.
Q. That vas IN the month Of Novem.
ter3 A. Yes.
Judge Dickinson was trying to pin the
witness down to the date Of the de-
etruction Of tho papers. for Il 10 con.
tssded by tho Government that they
we're destroyed At some time neal Dot.
=. when the present action was orousht.
ASSURED DAAckgs PAPGRe
WE'RE oEsrRovGD.
Q. DID Baackes ash you u . later
,lnGe n the papers had been destroyedf
~ Yes. some 1ms after. but I don't
know how Ions. I told him they had
Assn destroyed.
Q. DO you know James A. Farrell.
Yresidsnt Of tho United States Steel
corporataonf A. Yes.
Judge Dickinson then took the W.T.
noes back to the time several years
$50 when Farrell was Presdsnt Of the
UnIted states Steel Products Company.
~ exporting arm Of the corporation.
@. Who was ; supervisor Of the -.
nodstion from lses down to the time Il
alabandedf A. Il. u. Jackson.
q. He wal the supervisor Of other a.
0oelations. tool A. Yes.
q. After the dtsbandment Of the WIZ
HOpe Association, aid it, membssv meet
laformally? A. The representatives o.
sems o. them did. at luncheon. chou
every Gig weeks.
9. Don't substantially the same Poo
pc meet at these iuncheons q me
a the meetings Of the Wire Rop
!. Association: A. Yes.
q. Weren't these meeting held for th,
tprpose Of maintaining prices? A. Well
the purpose was 20 have some idea o.
what the market was to be.
LACK or CONFIDENCE COMMON
TO ALL POOLS.
01r. CraGin said the announcement
made At these meetings were not In
variabiy followed. because OF . lack o
confidence In ZONE Of those present.
THAT 10 the trouble with most pools
1an't ~" asked Judge Dickinson.
~Yes," said the witness.
On cross-examination c. A. Sever
ance tried to bring out that the par
ttcipation In the pools by the Ameri
can steel and Wire Company wa
small compared with that Of othe
companies.
"You accepted the advice Of e. i