Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 91, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 19 July 1907 — JOHN D. BEFORE JUDGE. [ARTICLE]

JOHN D. BEFORE JUDGE.

Oil Magnate in Court for First Time in Nineteen Years. In Chicago Saturday John Davison Rockefeller, billionaire, head of America’s greatest trust, entered a court room for the first time in nineteen years. By the testimony of the oil king and his associates, all the Information which Judge Landis has been seeking for the purpose of fixing the size of the fine he is expected to impose on the Standard Oil Company of Indiana, was obtained. It was announced immediately after the hearing that the court was through with Rockefeller as a witness. These secrets were revealed by Rockefeller and his aids: < Standard Oil Company of New Jersey holds $499,500 of the $1,000,000 worth of the capital stock of the Standard Oil Company of Indiana. Outstanding capital stock of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey amounts to $98,300,000. Net earnings of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey for the years 1903, 1904 and 1905 approximate $179,800,000. Dividends paid on the capital stock of the Standard Oil Company of New Jersey during those years approximated 40 per cent a year. Standard Oil Company of New Jersey holds “by far the major portion" of the stock of the Union Tank Line Company. - Union Tank Line Company, with a cap!ta 1 stock of $3,500,000, is $5,000,000 in debt and has paid no dividends since 1901. Judge Landis probed into the secrets of Standard Oil, hidden for years, and obtained answers to all the questions he had asked the defending attorneys > by the time he bad examined five of the twelve witnesses who were In court. He then adjourned fi». ther bearing of the case until Monday morning, making It necessary for Rockefeller and the other witnesses to remain in Chicago over Sunday. * A gasp of awe ran around the crowded room when Rockefeller, pinned down by Judge Landis after he had Claimed ignorance of much of the Information asked, said that the dividends paid by the Standard Oil Company during three years covered by the Indiana indictment amounted to 40 per cent. This proved to be the sensational Item in the testimony. Thousands of jiersons besieged the Federal building fully half an hour before the arrival of "Rockefeller. They entered the structure and fought their way past the outside guards to the sixth tloor, where they were stopped at the entrance to Judge Landis’ pourt room. ■ A Scattered-among the spectators were a score of secret service operatives. •They wore no uniform, displayed no insignia of office, yet they pushed In and out among the members of the crowd. This led to confusion and p. riot ensued. Lawyers demanding admission to the court were knocked down in the conflict which followed. The majority of the spectators were In and seated when Mr. Rockefeller made his appearance at the end of the ball, attended by a few friends and bis counsel. A passageway was opened for bhn aod be walked slowly down the hall toward the court room, the crowd closing In behlhd eager to catch a glimpse of the so-called richest man in’the’world.

The Standard Oil Company Monday refused Judge Landis’ invitation to submit testimony to show that it never had violated the Interstate commerce law prior to 1903. Judge Landis thereupon set Aug. 3 as the date for the entering of the final order, at which time he will impose a fine upon the company of not less than $1,000,000 and not more than $29,240,000. The attorneys for the defense replied to Judge Landis’ invitation in a bitlngly sarcastic statement, which openly criticised his attitude in asking for the information.