iz., the
purchase of the property of the Backus Oil Company, which has been
variously exploited, and I am made to appear as having personally
robbed a defenceless widow of an extremely valuable property, paying
her therefor only a mere fraction of its worth. The story as told is
one which makes the strongest appeal to the sympathy and, if it were
true, would represent a shocking instance of cruelty in crushing a
defenceless woman. It is probable that its wide circulation and its
acceptance as true by those who know nothing of the facts has awakened
more hostility against the Standard Oil Company and against me
personally than any charge which has been made.

This is my reason for entering so much into detail in this particular
case, which I am exceedingly reluctant to do, and for many years have
refrained from doing.

Mr. F.M. Backus, a highly respected citizen of Cleveland and an old
and personal friend of mine, had for several years prior to his death
in 1874 been engaged in the lubricating oil business which was carried
on after his death as a corporation known as the Backus Oil Company.
In the latter part of 1878, our company purchased certain portions of
the property of this company. The negotiations which led to this
purchase extended over several weeks, being conducted on behalf of
Mrs. Backus, as the principal stockholder, by Mr. Charles H. Marr, and
on behalf of our company by Mr. Peter S. Jennings. I personally had
nothing to do with the negotiations except that, when the matter first
came up, Mrs. Backus requested me to call at her house, which I did,
when she spoke of selling the property to our company and requested me
to personally conduct the negotiations with her with reference to it.
This I was obliged to decline to do, because, as I then explained to
her, I was not familiar with the details of the business. In that
conversation I advised her not to take any hasty action, and when she
expressed fears about the future of the business, stating, for
example, that she could not get cars to transport sufficient oil, I
said to her that, though we were using our cars and required them in
our business, yet we would loan her any number she needed, and do
anything else in reason to assist her, and I did not see why she could
not successfully prosecute her business in the future as in the past.
I told her, however, that if after reflection she desired to pursue
negotiations for the sale of her property some of o