The Wheeling intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1903-1961, 1917-03-07
VIRGINIA
COAL MACNATES
NOW INDICTED

: grand jury when mas b''i uN'~S'e">
,ng tho high cost Of fondStIn aHd reel
I returned two indictments today naming
! AZ defendants in tn" first III" corpor,
! atoms and 81 individuals IN the Secoun
len corporations and sixteen lhdlrlduhi"
in the business OF producing ~ Seliihs
! coal.
The defendants in tie first indictment
! ar. charged with participating in a COM
/ hination among selling agents ana pro- o
duccrs OF 1000. 900 out of i1.DVo.PV'
| IONS Of coal produced annually III Ger
| tain districts Of West Virginia. arb1,
| trarily to FIX prices at which inns cuaI
is marketed.
The defendants IN the second hnuin
J m.nt are charged with combining
through ninr mining companies produC-
! ing 5000, 0n0 tons of such coal ana Win
/ u selling agent. arbitrarily 10 Tx prices
and to pool TIL" proceeds OF The sale OIL
| The CJal.
Tho coal in question. produced IN the
! P~ncahnntaS and New River districts IN
! West Virginia.. and I'm the western part
Of Virginia Is of smokclcSs character
used extensively for stcaming purposes
! by manufacturing plants. steamships.
I railroads. schools. hospitals and other
! institutions.
The defendants. according 10 a sum
! mary Of the in~dictmrn-S made by FRANK
I VI. Swarkcr. tinted States special
deputy attorney general. who has con.
Quoted tn" inquiry, ar" understood 10
have agreed during January TO more
than double the price at which coal
should he sold under contract during the
wear beginning April | from $l.25 to
So Il ton at The mine.
1t was stated that rs the result of the
proposed increase IN The contract price.
spot coal is being sold at present nj
more than treble price, this coal selling
recently in Boston for $l3 d ton
The indictments were found under the
Sherman anti trust law:
During the past three years. IL is
charged against tn" defendants III the
irSt Indictment. they have engaged in Il
combination 10 eliminate competition
under a plan which has involved the
fixing from time 10 time OF uniform
prices"
The defendants, the Indictment charg-
IS. have caused virtually al Of the coal
they produced. about 80. 300. 400 tons an
, nually. To be mined ami marketed con-
Ccrtcdly At the prices fixed by them,
thus drprOVing consumers OF the hcnc-
Its OF competition.
Tho second Indictment makes similar
charges covering the mining and dis
. puSNl of 5000. 600 tons annually. by The
corporations and individuals named.
during the last riI:." years. These de-
PENDANTS. II il rlnrGrd. cuncrrtedly tn
gagged tIStncr. turran and Built, inc,
a corporate defendant. as Il common sell
ing agent. which l. alleged to have sold
I coal AT IiX"d prices.
The proceeds Of these saIaS were pool
! ed, the Indictment asserts. and from
time t. lime distributed among the de-
PENDANTS III proportion to The quantities
! they furnished. with tn" alleged selling
agent compensated upon Il tonnage basis.
Those Indicted.
The grand jury inquiry has been In
progress for several months. Witnesses
included W. W. Wllleit. Of Boston; w
L. J. Zimmerman. -; Nrertun. w. Va,
and I.rmucl BurrnW"S. Jr.. Of New York.
These men, while they are mentioned III
either one ur noth 81 the Indictments,
are not named as defendants. The sec
uniS indictments says specifically that
lSurruWcS WAS not indicted because he
has test iticd before said grand Jurors,
Zimmerman is general manager OF the
branch Coal & Cox" Company. Wlllett
is president OF the Chesapeake & Ohio
Coal Agency Company. Burrowcs is
president " Cashier. curran and Bull
: lit. Inc. The individual defendants in
the first Indictment are: k. II. j. Adams,
I .Jr, Charles {. R"!ry. Thomas e. Bcury.
william J. Bcury. &. H.. ~Boardn;an, u.
W. BUnn". William 4. Brown. Eicorg" IA.
Carertu1, George {. CIau*Son. JuSiuS
collins. X. y. Coulter. T. $. Crockett,
oscar NJ. Ecy"rl". Frank Ellison, Thomas
r.. Farrell. John {. G;lland"t. j. Frant
Grimct. Robert II. Gross. W. II. Holland
Jr.. kipcr Hood. Thomas +. Houston,
G,nrr" w. Jones. Matthew G. Jones.
John Laing. George Iawt"n. William
Lcckic. John J. Lincoln. +. e. Luther
! Isaac Z. Mann, Edward j. McUuail
James \. McQuai!. Thomas Nicloi. J. Z.
Pnrk. Louis T.. Page. lr.. j.. IL. barrott'
Robert II. Patterson. :. vs.. Patterson
John y. K"naham, Il. II. t"thwcll: 5. \,
scott. Will'am T.. SlauGhlcl. W. L
Stephenson. &C. sullivan. W. r. Inms'
Jr.. John J. Ti"rn,y. Lawrence t.. Tier
ney. Edward Thomas. ". DE J.; WAL
bridge. T.. T., White. W.. r. Williams,
1uhn r. Wilson. ';"urgr Wolfe. Walter
:. Wood and John NJ. Wright.
Tn- individual defendants in the sec
urd Indictment arc: William Heury'
William j. E"ury. ". G.. STEVENSON. 4.
II. T"fr. Worlh kilrarr'ck. J. a: Arm
sirur. William l.. Lewis. Samuel w
patt rrsnu James \. McQuail. I:dwnri
j. McQun!l. ". !. Ei"in'rh<. Wi'l'"w o j..
dnmnn. r. f.. Whit. ami Preston y.
kuu-ht.
tn. Defendants ar" officials "l cGai
concerns doing BUSINESS chiefly IN 'h'
p~prahouta ana New River districts.