The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1915-05-21

were brought to you, would you take
any part to save a man from life i'm
prisonment?"
stand back of anything that would not
be perfectly fair said Mr.. Rookie
Teller.
Chairman Walsh read to Mr.. Rookie
Teller letter he had written to L. M.
Bowers, chairman of the executive
department of the company, dated De-
cember 26, 1913, in which the witness
referred to his father, John d. Rookie
Teller, as follows:
II know that father has followed
the events of the last few months in
connection with the fuel company
with unusual interest and satisfac-
ton
His Memory Fails Him.
Mr.. Rockefeller said he had written
such a letter, but could not recall just
what reports he had made to his ia
Their.
How did he express satisfaction ?"
asked Mr.. Walsh. Did he say he
was glad to see how things were go
ing or just laugh?'
at is little difficult TO recall, it
being a year and O. half ago." was the
reply.
Mr.. Walsh then recited that on Sep
TENDER 20, prior to this letter that
thousands of Rockefeller'S faithful
employees took to the canyons of Col
orado rather than continue work I'M
der existing conditions in the mining
camps" AMI added:
rs it true that few months prior
to the time you wrote that letter about
your father that Sheriff Jefferson
Farr had deputized 326 gunner and
ALLOWED your company to arm them
and turned them lose in the commun-
ity?"
That is the statement made" Mr.
Rockefeller answered. 81 don't know
from personal knowledge"
'sIs it true that these deputized gun
mo hRfnr2
fathers unusual satisfaction, had rid
died the Forbes tent colony with ma
chine guns and had shot boy of one
of the striking miners er RS. nine times
II cannot say es to that" was the
answer.
Mr.. Walsh also asked, if, before this
letter was written, officers of the
Colorado company had not refused to
"go through door or thin partition
at the state house to meet represen-
tatives of the strikers.
Turned Down by Miners.
THAT I do not know said the wit
ness but I know that officers of the
company met representatives of the
miners in conference, in which Sec
rotary of Labor Wilson was present.
and that the proposition made by the
governor, looking to a settlement of
the disputes, was acceded to ty the
operators and not by the representa-
tives of the miners"
Prior to the time you wrote that
letter about your fathers unusual
satisfaction, had you not received
letter from Mr.. Bowers stating that
he had used every weapon at his
command to coerce the governor of
the state and to whip him into liner"
81 don't recall" said Mr.. Rockefel-
Ter. eff you have such letter from
my office I have seen it,"
do you mean to say that on such
an important matter as that an Of
ficer of your company boosted that he
would whip the governor of the state
into line, you have forgotten 1t. after
submitting it to this commission ~
There is a mass of letters, and I
have forgotten some of them" was
the reply.
us it not a fact that prior to the
time your father expressed this I'M
were being thrown into Jail by the
military authorities, and denied a
hearing before a civil court and that
constitutional government had given
place to despotic rule in southern Col
orado? Is that true?"
You know better than I do" said
Mr.. Rockefeller.
Mother Jones Creates Stir.
Mother" Jones created slight stir
as Mr.. Rockefeller left the stand. She
arose and addressed the chair.
Not now, mother, Chairman
Walsh shouted. I'VE will have in
terruption now
Mr.. Rockefeller walked over to
Mother Jones, who whispered to
him. She wanted him to deny a story
circulating rejecting on John r.
Lawson. Mr.. Rockefeller assured her
and that it was untrue SO far as he
knew.
n VTTEII nEcc