The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1914-09-05
GREGORY INSISTS
ION PRISON Terms
Attorney General WillNotAc-
cept Fines for Food Price
Manipulators.
THIRTY-ONE INDICTED
District Dealers Hasten to Furnish
Bail as Soon as Grand
Jury Acts.
THIRTY-ONE INDICTED

jury HCtS.
Attorney General Gregory announced
yesterday, following the indictment o.
thirty-one dealers here on the charge Of
combining TO control food prices, thai
he would insist upon jail sentences fol-
those found guilty. He said:
Under conditions now existing through
out the world capitalization Of misfor-
tune and oppression Of our own people
/ by the arbitrary increase OF foodstun
prices are SO peculiarly reprehensiblt
that, whenever convictions can be OBJ
tanned, the government will insist upon
sentence of imprisonment-no fine and
no civil remedy will be deemed adequate,
United States district attorneys are
being instructed promtly to ask for in
dictments whenever the facts will per-
NIT, TO push these to early trial and.
upon conviction, to insist upon prison
sentences. 1t must be remembered that
out OF the District OF Columbia only
those agreements and combinations
which AFFECT directly interstate or foreign
commerce can be reached. AS to other
matters, State statutes must be relied
upon"
There was some lively stepping and
bail hunting among the thirty-one Wash
ington merchants after the grand Jury
had returned indictments against all OF
them.
Justice Ashley NJ. Gould was handed
the indictments about ! o'clock and at
once issued bench warrants for ALL the
accused. They hurled to the courthouse
in person or by attorneys as soon as pos
/ sible TO arrange bail
All the indictments are predicated upon
the Sherman antitrust law, which means
that the men are accused OF having COM
bined to control prices and in restraint
of trade
All the accused are engaged in selling
produce on commission. Ten are tndi-
vidual dealers, eleven are members Of
co-partnerships, and ten are officers of
corporations. Several gave bond in the
sum OF 1900 each. and all the others are
expected to furnish bail today.
Names of the Indicted.
The accused individuals are Daniel p.
Collins, Frank B. Guest, James w. Beas-
ley. John w. Lynn. David w. Ballinger,
AlOnzO r. Lawrence, William Brayshaw,
Andrew W. Kelley, Oliver o. Spicer, and
James NJ. Holloway.
The firms indicted are B. D. Strohecker
& Co, composed OF Brevard D. Stro-
hecker and T. Hamlin Strohecker: John
son & Jesse. comprising William NJ. John
son and ]. Edward Jesse; Krey. Price &
Co. comprising Louis P. Krey and Albin
Price: Grove * Price, composed Of John
F. Grove and Harry r. Price; Simons
Carter & Co. comprising Theodore F.
SimOns and John H. Carter. and Joseph
T. Folk, trading as G. X. Andrews & Co.
The officials of corporations indicted
are Thomas p. Hickman, president, and
Roy NJ. Hickman, secretary and treas
urer OF the Hickman Company; Willis S
Hoge- PRESIDENT, James NJ. Hoge, vice
president, and Willis Hoge, jr., secre-
tary, Of W. S. Hoge e. Bro; Albert J.
Simons, president; Frank J. Ehlers sec
rotary. and Louis P Krey. treasurer OF
A J. Simons & Co.: Robert A. Golden,
president; William @. Carter. first vice
president, and Willis S. Hoge, Jr, secre-
urer, Of Golden Co.
The Carriers and BeasIey retained coun-
sic and gave bond. Others who furnished
bail were Alonzo r. Lawrence William A.
Sacks Frank 3. Guest, Andrew W.
Kelley. Willie S. Hoge and Willie, jr,
and James NJ. Hoge.
District Attorney Clarence r. " Ison
and his assistant, Samuel McComas Hak-
ken, were engaged for several days be-
fore the grand jury In presenting the
evidence against the accused. The in
vestgation began shortly after the war
commenced. food prices having increased
Immediately after that event. The trials
may HoA btblH ullll IdIe IN lne lal
PrIcc-nxInE Is Charged.
1t is alleged in the indictments that the
accused mot being content to carry
on their trade and commerce. after the
usual and normal method. by purchasing
and selling such produce in competition
with each other at prices fixed by
such competition, have themselves, BY
Agreement fixed. from lay to day. ar
bitrary and non-competiuve prices for
the purchase and sale OF the same pro-
1uCe; and by way OF accomplishing this,
and to obtain control OF said markets,
so far as the purchase and sale OF such
products in the same has been con-
,erned, said defendants have employed a
common agent for collecting from said
defendants and concerns. in the morning
Of each market day, verbal and written |
and printed suggestions and ballots in /
Heating the prices such defendants and |
would respectively pay on that
lay for the different kinds of such pro-
luce, and have required said agent there |
after, on the same day. to print a pub |
icatiOn for said defendants, entitled |
Washington City Daily Market Report |
n the Interests of Shippers, Receivers |
md Wholesale Buyers of Country Pro- |
luce, which has pretended to quote |
prices prevailing in said markets on that |
lay as a result of competition between |
said defendants and concerns. but which |
has really quoted only the arbitrary |
md non-competitive prices selected by |
said agent to agree. as nearly as pos
sible, with the result OF said sug-
yestions"
The witnesses from whose testimony |
he details OF the alleged unlawful COM |
oine among the commission merchants |
was obtained by the grand jury were |
Cecil Fielding. E. o. Whitford George |
J. Krouse Gustavus wallerstein, Arthur |
VI. Murphy. Howard F. Williams, Ed |
ward Matthews, Milton ]. Hines, and /
ERNEST NJ. Merrick
The punishment provided is a fine not /
exceeding $780, or by Imprisonment not ]
exceeding one year, or by both fine and
Imprisonment. in the discretion of the
curt.