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Show WILL COMPETE WITH STANDARD Henry Clay Pierce Obtains Control Con-trol of the Waters-Pierce j Oil Company. ST. L0TJI8, Mo., Beb. 1. John B. Rockefeller and othor Standard Oil interests in-terests have sold their stock in the Wators-Piorce Oil company to Henry Clay Pierce. Announcement of the salo was mado by the company late today. to-day. By buying the Standard Oil interests, which owned about two-thirds of tho stock of tho "WatcrsvPiorco Oil company, com-pany, Mr. Pierce acquires control. Tho company ia capitalized at $400,000, but tho stock is quoted at more than. $600 a share. The Standard Oil jnterostg tried last February to oust Pierce aud his relatives rela-tives from the diroctorato aud a long litigation rosultod. Pierce ohargedi tho Standard people wero trying to porpotunle a monojpoly In spite of tho dissolution docroe ot the fedoral Rupromo court. The Standard interests charged Pierco with mismanagement and with making tho company a family affair. It is ostimatcd that tlio transaction involved tho payment to tho Standard Oil iutcrcsts of about two million dollars. dol-lars. It is undorstooi Mr. Pierce plans to opcrato tho Waters-Pierce company as a competitor of oil conipanios in Missouri, Mis-souri, Kansas. Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana Lou-isiana and Arkansas that are controlled by tho Standard. Tho "W-ators-Piorce company, though founded, by A. R. Pierce, passed under control of the Standard moro than thirty thir-ty years ago. though for a long timo it was operated as a soparnte concorni |