The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-02-20
General Brings Action
Against McCaskey Register Co.
Every Effort Made to Stifle
Competition Charge Says.
KNOCKERS" MADE AND SOLD.
In "Grave Yard" Other Ma
chimes Were Shown as Junk.
Employees of Other Concerns
Bribed, Complaint Says.

Cleveland, O.. Feb. 20.-Sensational
charges of violations of the Sherman
antitrust law are leveled at the Nc
Caskey Register company in a civil
suit filed here today by order of At
torney General Wickersham. To ac-
quire a monopoly of the interstate and
foreign commerce in the sale of ac-
count registers, appliances and syS-
TENS for keeping credit accounts, the
company it's officers and agents have,
1T is charged, wrongfully and fraudu
lently obstructed and suppressed the
business of competition, bribed their
employees, employed agents to spy
upon their business, have waged an un-
fair campaign of patent suits and
threatened suits, and of other unlawful
methods to stif1e competition. The
federal district court here was asked
to restrain the defendants from further
monopoly and to prohibit a series of
alleged unlawful and unfair practices.
Among the defendants is John H.
Jones of Kansas City. Mo. The de-
fendant company is said to own ex-
clusively the Dominion Register com
pany, Ltd, of Toronto, Canada, which
also maintains an agency in London.
A campaign of fierce and unfair
competition has been planned or con-
sented to by officers of the company
the government alleges, a force of spe-
cial men, some times called the fly
ing squadron" or knockout men," was
employed, it is declared to impart to
statesmen and agents instructions to de-
stroy the business of competitors and
for the purpose of interfering with ne
gotiations and inducing the cancella-
ton by the customers of their contracts
of sale with competitors.
Agents were also employed, it is
charged, to spy upon the business of
competitors and fraudulently obtain
information as to their sales and ship
ments and the addresses of their Gus
toners or prospective customers.
Business Secrets Purchased
Employees of competitors We're Sc
cretly engaged, it is charged. to fur
riSh officers of the desfendant company
with confidential Information con-
cerning the business of competitors.
Defendants are declared to have in
structed agents to procure information
from employees of railroads. express
companies and hotel companies and
others as to plans and shipments OF
competitors. The government asks
for an injunction to prohibit the brlb-
ing of employees of railroads and eX-
press companies to obtain such data
Employees of competitors are alleged
to have been coerced, persuaded and
paid to abandon their employment,
violating their contracts, to come with
the defendant company, bringing with
them as many as possible of their as
sociates and all the available informa-
ton as to competitors business.
A multiplicity of suits and threat
ened suits have been brought it is
charged against competitors for al
legged infringement of patent rights in
a systematic campaign of harassment.
Some defendants are alleged to have
studiously copied advantageous feat
ures of competitors products and at
tached them to the McCaskey account
register They are declared to have
built registers known as knockers,
resembling the machines of competi-
tors and sold them without regard to
cost to ruin rivals.
Defendants are charged with having
maintained a display room known as the
1.graye ward or bonfire at its factory
at Alliance Here it is added, We're ex-
hibited pictures representing pile of de-
vices of competitors being burned as use
less.
The following We're named as defend
ants: =,
The McCaskey Register company; Al
fred G. Riley, Stewart s. kurtz, Samuel
G. Zimmerman, Edward A Langenoach
and Austin Lynch of Canton. Ohio; Henry
Pollock. Theodore c. Uran. George G.
Russell VIM G.. F'arnum, Milton Bejoch
and Grant Kizer of Alliance. Ohio; Josiah
w Phipps Boston, Charles I. Baxter
New York city; David c. Bower, Pitts
burg; Harry Rowley, Chicago; Wn
Hughes, San Francisco; John H. Jones,
Kansas City Mo-; Fred Schneider, Seat
tie: Geo Hayes, Memphis, Tenn; Leslie
G. Sailor. Atlanta and Edward T. Blhs-
ham washington. D. c.