New-York tribune., 1912-12-24

uiv after it, morning session "''u
Irdee Hough's courtroom 10 fioSeI
the indictment 4 rumor oil us coiii'l
I'D enread through the buildine' an" !
o.. ,,,i,,,tes the room was crowd ,
ed to its capacity. ~.
George f. Wood, an architect ot 40
al Madison avenue, foreman OIL '"o
grand Jury. handed the indictfheIi' "
William Leary. the court CLERK Jus
tIoueb thanked the jurors for 'he"
,,ork and ordered them TO report again
on January I.
Wickersham Ordered Inquiry
lcsse c. Adkins, Assistant Attorney
General. made the following statement
concerning the investigation;
,,-,,bi, @ dav or two of the announce
.,,a,,t in tho public press on NONeihuVI -
1912 of the stOppage OF Woih "" f,.o1n
Southern New England EXTENSION "a
palmer to Providence @i @i,ere1 Wick
srsham called me into conIeIth.e As
iv,eon himself and James a row 4'i 'Gi
sistant TO the Attorney EeheIdt' F The
- rbarre Of the enforcement ol vi
investigate the matter. ,,a,, ond T.
cnecial Agents W. T.. Benharh anu
y Schmid were put upon tne Saoeeasrted
on their reports ana me 41,,tIic service
nv tho members OF the IupIlC SSvd,sa
'ov,,yufssions of Rhode Island ana Mass
cbusetts IL was determineo thdl Wy ;,,rN.
ter should be laid before the gram, nu,stant
For the last three weeks c,1'iIar ond
n,vscif have been steadily ehssageu "a ~
,,r,esontinr tho evidence TO that oooy' anu
ditrfrg this time we have been IN lCnI Cot,I
stqnt touch with the AttokncS S,,ort CON
and have had the benefit or fTe4uent ~ ~
ference with and advice OF DiS''0
,rbs present federal grand jury Is az az
unusually intelligent BODY OF tieg ef tb cir
;hcir action to-day is the reSuiitt reSuiittAro,ion or ,'
pstient inquiry and careful delloera, ,n,Ii tloI,
Air NelleD did not appear Oeiore tieuii;
the grand Jury has ADJOURNED un'i'
early IN January. - 80. o,e % the
many stems taken by the Attorney Sen
eral in his vigilant and impaI ual ~
forcement of the Sherman antitrust Il"
The indictment contains but one
count. which charges conspiracy anu
cites seven overt acts of the defendants
in carving on the conspiracy 10 Ic-
strain interstate trade. After descIlo-
ing in detail the two railroad systems
and the competitive possibilities oil
their business, the indictment se'S
forth the plans of the Grand Trunk u
extend its lines to connect with bostoh
and southern New England, as wen DIS
the operation Of steamships between
Providence and New York.
CHARGES a Conspiracy
II then AYERS that Charles ;. Melieh'
nresidcnt Of the New Haven Raiiroau
Companv; Edison j. Chamberlin, presi-
don't Of the Grand Trunk Railway Cohl-
panv. chairman of the board of uirec-
tors of the Central Vermont Railway
Company and of the Southern ne"
England Railway Company and OF inc
southern New England Railroad Cor
h,oration. and Alfred W. Smithers'
chairman of the board Of directors OIL
the Grand Trunk Railway. on August o.
1919 at the City of New York, engaged
and have since engaged and are no"
engaged in an unlawful combination
and conspiracy 10 prevent the con-
struction and completion OF any Oh salu
extensions in New England, to prevent
the operation of said steamships De-
tween the cities Of Providence ana New
York. and to prevent the uansporta-
ton of persons and property IN inter
state and foreign commerce over said
lines of railroad and steamships ana
that said defendants did thereby en-
gage in an unlawful combination ana |
conspiracy to restrain commerce among |
the states and with foreign nation
Seven Illegal Acts.
Seven overt acts are then set forth |
in the indictment, as follows:
I. That the defendants met IN New S
York CITY on August ., 1872, ana as
cussed a memorandum heretofore eA-
changed between Mellen and CnamoeL
i'm. which memorandum Is sci iortn III
fun in the indictment, ana ",tCn PIE
Vides. among other things: that me me
Grand Trunk should sell 70 the New ia,
ven system all its interest IN the Oehtttdhi
Vermont and its subsidiaries, WnICh
would include all of the proposed extern
sions of New England. -,,--.,s.
. That on August 6, 1912. said Chamocr-
lin wrote T. one Dalrymple, vice-presldent T
of the Grand Trunk Railway COMPANY;
stating that he and Mr.. SmtherS nau
had a long and satisfactory interview
with Mr. Mellen. and that II was agree9i
that MIR Dalrymple and Mr. Campbeii
should meet quietly at Mr.. Mellen OF
fee for the purpose Of discussing ne"
divisions on New England business.
That the defendants held a further
meeting in New York City on SEPTEMBER
That another meeting between the !
defendants was held IN New iorh NitS !
on October !, 1872.
2 That at the last mentioned meeting
the defendant Mellen initialled ana gave
10 his co-defendants a memorandum OF
which is set forth In full, anc
which provided. among other things that
trail Vermont and existing controlled
lines and continue its existing business
6. That on November Z. 1912, the de-
fendant Mellen caused 10 be withdrawn |
q petition heretofore filed by his direc-
tion with the Public Service Commission
OF New Hampshire asking authority 10
extend one Of the New Haven lines par
allelinG and to compete with portion
OF the Central Vermont Railway.
: That on November g. 1912. the de-
fendant Chamberlin caused the work or
the line from Palmer 10
Providence 10 be abandoned.
Shows Control Of Lines.
The Indictment first describes the
system OF the New Haven Railroad and
shows that it's tracks spread over the
whole OF New England and into New
York and Canada. II specifically men |