The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1912-01-18
BOOKS ARE LOST
!. SAY BEEF PACKERS
Witnesses "Forgetful' But Men,
cries Are Refreshed.
GRAND JURY PROBE LIKELY
Titanic Struggle Expected When Gov
eminent Tries to Force Produo-
ton Of Records and Ae-
counts In Court.

Chicago, Jan. 12.-After three gov
eminent witnesses had repudiated
their former sworn testimony and de-
serted the prosecution in the beef
trust case, District Attorney Wilker-
son made the defense sit bolt upright
by dangling under the noses OF two
witnesses a transcript of their testi-
mony before the grand jury and Civ
ing them an opportunity to refresh
their memories"
The sinister suggestion of the per-
Torrance left the courtroom in an
atmosphere Of chilled silence and
memories improved instanter.
Grand Jury Inquiry Likely
The government has let it be known
that no action will be taken at pres
ent in any apparent case of perjury.
but at the close of the trial a real
upheayal is expected. Investigators
already are busy comparing the testi-
mony of witnesses before the grand
Jury with their sworn statements on
the present hearing.
One startling development was the
discovery that full sets of books Of
the different pacl 8 concerns which
had been scrutinized by one or more
grand juries have disappeared. Those
OF Morris & Co., which were returned
to that company in 1909, were swal
lowed up by the great vaults in the
company's Office and have not been
seen since.
Harry A. Timmins, chief accountant
for Morris & Co.. testified that he
kept the records of the two sorts of
costs which are used in the business
of the company, the one the memo
randum cost which Is used as a
basis In selling beef and the other
the bookkeeping cost which is used
as the basis upon which annual state
iments are made.
J He had learned a lesson from the
care with which the government COM
pared the testimony of the former wit
ness with his grand jury testimony
and was able to remember his three
performances before that body.
Unable to Find Accounts.
He remembered identifying the rec,
:ords showing the cost accounts Of
the company, but said that he had
been unable to discover the records
since they were returned by the gov
eminent
Previously H. F. Meyer, chief of
the auditing department for Armour
e Co, had reported that similar ac.
counts of that firm had disappeared
at about the same time and in the
same mysterious manner.
Both were sent home with orders
ito come into court refreshed in men,
DRY and armed with documents to
show what they had been doing for
three years previous to the return of
the beef trust indictment.
NThe colossal proportions OF the
pr ssent struggle to convict the heads
of big trust on criminal charges is
number of witnesses to be heard. The
government has supoenaed IS of the
packers employees, 200 Independent
packers and butchers and commission
men and about thirty government in
vestigators.
Would Take Nearly Two Years.
The defense is expected to sub
.poena fully as many. If each witness
consumes but half the average time
of the eight witnesses heard thus far
It will require 6O0court days to finish
the case.
A bitter battle is expected when
the government demands that the
packers honor subpoenas for practic-
ally all the books and accounts of all
the. great concerns. There are car
loads of this matter.