The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-05-20

CONTINUED from Page Three.
times to ascertain if I would be in
terested in acquiring the Westcaester.
[ paid no attention and refused TO lay
the matter before the directors Of the
New Haven until Oakleigh Thorne
came along. Mr.. Thorne wanted me
to take it with the directors and
said l had no objection"
He had no idea the board would
consider the matter faVorably but laid
the proposition before the board and
Mr.. Morgan moved that a committee
look into the matter
Mr.. Mellen named Messrs. Morgan
Rockefeller and Miller as the commit
tee. He himself was a member ex-
ofiiciO. Mr.. Meilen said when the COM
mittee reported u year later that the
sum of S11.155, 900 had been expended
he found fault with the report as not
being sufficiently in detail
81 saw Mr. Morgan" he said, land
told him that all details of the matter
should have been set down, and that
the report should have told how each
separate sum was spent. MI, Morgan
was very abrupt in his answer to me.
He was disturbed at that time. as it
was during the panic. and I left his
office feeling much humilated.'
What did Mr.. Morgan say?"
INUNDATED BY MORGAN.
Mr.. Mellen objected that the CONFER
gan was dead he did not see any rea-
son for repeating it.
He said that the conversation was
humiliating to him and he did not care
to repeat the interview on the wit
ness stand. Commissioner McChord,
who was presiding, ruled that Mr..
Mellen should answer the question and
the witness then said
II told Mr. Morgan" said Mr.. Mellen.
that the matter was not in the shape
| it should be-
DO you think YOU know more about
how it ought to be drawn than / do ,"
! Mr. Morgan said.
4 allowed | didn't and dropped"
AN amount approximating S9.959.oO0
was paid for the WeSIcheSter as a be-
ginning suggested Mr. Folk How
was that payment provided for? ."
| Mr. Mellen explained that the finance
committee Of the directors reported in
| favor of the transaction. which he
| thought involved about S11.000.O00.
! 1.-The proposition" said Mr.. Mellen
| was submitted by the committee
! headed by Mr.. Morgan and was adopt
| ed by the directors
! Il thought" continued Mr. MelIen.
| that was entitled to know more
about Abe transaction that I did know.
! l thought L was entitled to know WY
we were paying $11,000,000 for a great
big basketfuI of stuff that we did not
! know the value of.
| Il never did know what the real
motive for the deal was. I tried to
! find out and failed. I do not mean to
! convey the idea that anybody got
away with money he was not entitled
| to. The committee presented its re-
port and it wSS ratified. That was
all there was to it at the directors
meeting"
Mr.. Mellen explained that in an eff
| fort to obtain from Mr.. Morgan in
| formation about the report he was
subjected to further humiliation Mr..
! Morgan. he intimated, treated him
| brusquely and refused to give him any
more information than the report con-
tanned.
| 4 felt" said Mr.. Mellen, that in
disagreeing with Mr. Morgan I would
| be wrong nine times out of ten"
| Were you afraid of Mr.. Morgan ~
asked Mr.. Folk.
| Perhaps there was some measure
of CoWardiCe about my feeling. You
can put it that way. [ stood in great
awe of Mr.. Morgan. greater than of
any other man l ever met
Mr.. Mellen explained that after the
meeting of the board, at which the
! report had been adopted, S c. Hem
inGway, a director entered his office
and said: We're flying here, spend
iing SIT 100000. I'd like to know some
| thing about ito"
Suppose suggested" said Mr..
Mellen, THAT you go and find out.
/ have barked my shins trying"
In fact" continued Mr.. Mellen, Il
| offered to appoint any director on a
committee to get the information. but
they all 'duCked.'"
After the meeting Of the board
there was quite 'Sanhedrin' in my
office" Mr. Mellen declared. Several
directors were disguised because they
-