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SECOND SECTION__PRICK: 0n Trains. flVK CBNTH In Atlanta. TWO CENTSlAL OF COCA-COLA IS FAR FROM FINISHIt Will Probably Be Two Years Before the Case Is Completed.HALF-MILLION DOLLAR SUITGovernment Spent $100,000 and Defense Several Times as Much. ;Chattanooga, Tomv, April 7v—It wll!probably bo two years or more before a nnal verdict Is returned In the case of 40 barrels and 20 kegs of Coca-Cola i syrup, tried hore during the past four weeks under a libel and selsure of the. United States government, upon the aharge of violating the pure food and drugs law. The case must first go to the United States court of appeals for the Sixth circuit, upon appeal by the ; government, and there be remanded to the lower court for retrial or go on to i the United States supreme court on a second appeal. It will not be argued In I the court of appeals at Cincinnati until | late next fall or early next winter, six or eight months hence. After that It will go over for another twelve to eighteen months, if appealed to the supreme court.In the meantime, several other similar suits the department of agriculture and department of Justlco have under consideration, bearing on other compounded beverages, will be held in abeyance. The principles involved in the .Coca-Cola case will apply In a' large measure to the others.The construction of the pure food and drugs law as to what is intended by added and deleterious Ingredients Is the chief question at Issue. Until tho final construction of tho law on that point, the question of fact will remain secondary. It was to appeal purely on points of law that the government counsel, at tho conclusion of the trial Thursday, moved to dismiss those points the court directed should go to tho jury and tg take the appeal on tho points where Judge E. T. Sanford had passed on the law.The Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta.It Is stated, has not defended this coso alone, but has been financially aided by the large manufacturers of caffeine, which drug It has been proven enters largely into the manufacture of Coca-Cola syrup, and Is sold to be used In large quantities by other manufacturers of soft drinks.This trial may be termed a half-mll-Uon-dollar lawsuit It has cost tho government alone more than S 100,000, and the defense Is said to have spent three or four times as much. Tho de-fense had 37 expert chemists, physicians, etc., retained at fees averaging , probably IS,000 each, totaling cloae to 1200,000. Some of these were employed for more than a year In making experiments with caffeine and preparing lines of technical defense. Tho government had about half as many experts, soveral of whom, tho, wore from the department of agriculture and, therefore, did not receive special fees. Court costs for the government, Including minor witness fees, wero approximately 310,-000. Stenographers' fees and expenses were about 120,000. Attorneys' fees probably exceeded 130,000. Hotel anlt;l railroad expenses beforo and during tho trial amounted to about $16,000. Thousands of dollars were spent on both sides In the making of experiments and preparation of ovldence. There wero many other Items entoring Into the total cost of tho trial.Tho legal end of the trial was handled by W. B. Miller, of Chattanooga, epe- i ctal assistant to tho attorney general of i the United States; J. B. Cox; of Knoxville. United States district attorney, and Arthur H. MeConvUle, of Washington, assistant to tho solicitor of that department of agriculture, for tho gov-1 ernmcnt. For the defense, J. B. Slier.R. H. Williams and R. B. Cooke, of Chattanooga, and Judgo John S. Con- | illcr, Harold HIrscta und Asa Warren, Candler, of Atlanta, wero present throughout the trial. In delivering his* opinion on the motion for peremptory instructions Thursday, Judgo Sanford1 declared the attorneys on Doth sides had ably presented their case and, showed marked familiarity with the1 maze of technical Issues Involve*!.The stenographic record tn this case exceeded 1,500,000 words. There were 3,300 typewritten pages of about 350 words each. One firm of stenographers, Hacker A- IIIscox. of KnnxvlUe, reported the trial for both sides. Edward Hacker, of that firm, was In charge, with expert stenographers from Louisville and Chicago assisting him. Eight! to ten copies of each day's report were made.The array of experts present represented the leading men in the country In the science of chemistry and Its allied branches. Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Mtchlgun and Chicago universities, leading medical colleges and hospitals end firms of analysts, besides the government’* leading chemists from tho department of agriculture, wero represented. Most of these men remained In Chattanooga throughout the trial and were In conference or poring over scientific textbooks until late Into the nights, preparing for thd next day's sessions.Secret service agents for the government and private detectives for tho Coca-Cola Company wore on hand, each tc watch the movements on thi* other side. The government had a special officer detailed to watch each on* of the twelve Jurors to prevent any attempts lit tampering with the Jury.The Interest manifested In the trial by people of Chattanooga was market!. Every day the court room was well filled, lawyers, physicians, clergymen.
Newspaper Details
Atlanta Georgian and News
Atlanta, Georgia, US
Fri, Apr 07, 1911
Page 13
Full Page
Clipped by
Christopher E.
MA, USA 21 Feb 2025
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