Omaha daily bee., 1912-01-09
LETTER DEMANDS
HIGH BIDUN BEEF
Former Assistant Manager of the
Armour Packing Company Identi-
fies Missive Received by Him.
PRATT TEsTIFIEs ENTIRE DAY
Annual Meat Contract of Old Sol
diers' Home in Question.
SHIPMENTS AND PROFITS SHOWN
Witness Tells of Combine From
Nineteen Three to Seven.
EXPLAINS MEANING OF FIGURES
Pratt, After Many Objections by De-
fense, Asserts that ''Margin" Sig
nifIes Average Price 10
he Charged.
PRATT TEsTIFIEs ENTIRE DAY
Annual Meat Contract of Old Sol
diers' Home in Question.
SHIPMENTS AND PROFITS SHOWN
Witness Tells of Combine From
Nineteen-T Three to Seven.
EXPLAINS MEANING OF FIGURES

CHICAGO, Jan S-A letter showing
alleged collusion on the part of Armour
x Co. in bidding for the annual meat
contract of the old soldiers home at
Togus, Me, November G, 1905, was intro
ducod in evidence today by the govern
nent i'm the trial Of the ten Chicago
packers charged with criminal violation
Of the Sherman law.
The letter was received by Jerome II.
Uratt. former assistant manager of Ar.
mour & Co.'S dressed meat department,
and was signed with the initials f. A. r.,
which Pratt said indicated it was written
by Francis A. Fowler. one of the defend
ants in the case and head of the dressed
meat department Of Swift and company.
The letter reads as follows:
u. II. p. Please bid over bee "a, NUT
ton 81, Togus home. You have had for
a year +. a. f. 11-6-O5."
Jerome II. Pratt was on the stand
throughout the day and his story for
The government will be continued to-
morrow.
The witness said that i'm the period be-
tween 1908 and 1907 each member Of the
packers combination knew the percentage
of shipments and profit margins of every
other member, including Armour, Swift,
Morris and the National Packing com
pany
slips of Paper Destroyed.
The Information was sent out on slips
of paper each week and the figures were
frequently discussed by the managers of
the dressed beef departments of the diff
ferent companies.
What became OF these slips of paper
containing this information?"
They were always destroyed after we
were through with them"
Who told you to destroy the memo
randums?'
Those were the orders and / obeyed
them. ] don't remember who first told
me about it,
The witness was shown summaries of
shipments and margins sent him by Ar
thur Meeker in 1908 and was asked to
explain the figures
lie said the figures were the shipments
and margins of Armour, Swift, Morris
and tho National Packing company.
did you make any use of the National
Packing figures?"
"es, we kept track of their shipments
to see that they did not exceed their
percentage to different points" replied
MET. Pratt
The witness said he often spoke to Mr..
Meeker about the National Packing
companys overshiping into certain mar
kets.
Mr.. Pratt said the order in which the
margins were entered on the weekly re-
ports was, Armour. first; National Pack
ing company, second: Morris third, and
swift. last.
Explains Terms.
Every question put by District Attor-
ney Wilkerson to have the witness ex-
plain the Significance of the percentage
and margin figures alleged to have been
written by ]. ogden Armour, Thomas j.
Corners and Arthur Meeker, was met
with volley of objections from the de-
fense, nearly all of which were sus-
tained by the court
District Attorney Wikerson persisted
and finally the witness was permitted 10
explain the meaning OF plus" minus. -
test cost and average margin," and
other technical terms used by the packers
i'm the conduct Of their business. He de-
clared that the word margin" as used
sguified the average price TO be charged.
Judge Carpenter early today indicated
that he would rule out Of the record the
testimony of Mr.. Pratt Identifying the
handwriting of ]. Ogden Armour and
Continued on Second Page)