The Sentinel=record., 1914-06-05

Washington, June 4.--Charles s. Mellens recent testimony that he as president of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad allowed himself to be indicted in the Grand Trunk case to shield the late J. Pier pont Morgan, was rlatly denied be- fore the Interstate Commerce Com mission today by Lewis Class Led yard of New York, a New Haven director at the time
 "I want to say in the most un- qualified terms" Mir Ledyard de- clared, that Mir. Melen did not offer himself as a yicarious sacrifice for Mir. Morgan"
 Telling of the letter in regard to the Grand Trunk investigation to the United States district attorney at New York written by Mir Mellen in the presence of E. D. Robbins, coun- sel for the New Haven, and himself, MT. Ledyard said:
 That letter was not the letter of a man accepting responsibility. It was the letter of a man claiming in- nocence"
 MT Ledyard took the stand as a voluntary witness in the cOmmis- 5ion's investigation into the New Ravens financial affairs and was not sworn The subpoena issued for him some time ago had been withdrawn but he urged that he be allowed to make a statement. Earlier in the day William Skinner completed his testimony begun yesterday He said he could not recall any instance in which Mir Morgan had tried to domi- nate the board of director q went to Europe and returned in December to find a conflasration all around the New Haven, and Mr. Mel len in process of being indicted I saw Mir. Mellen and his story at that | time was just about the same as he has told here. He told me about hay | ing negotiated with Mir. Chamberlain and Mir. Smithers of the Grand Trunk in regard to some traffic agreement. He said he had not discussed the ac. | quisition of the Northern and New England railroad
 'Mr. Mellen said While | was talking with Mr. Chamberlain and | Mir Smithers, Mir. Morgan strOlled in and jocularly asked what we had been talking about. We told him, and he casually remarked there never
 would be peace until we got the l Northern and New England road We went out and there was no dis. cussion afterward as to the Northern l and New England
 'I told Mir. Mellen I did not think | he could be indicted. Mr. Mellen said he would dictate a letter to the United States district attorney at | New York. He called in a stenog- rapher and did so. The stenographer, think, brought the letter back and think possibly Mir. Mellen made a | few corrections.
 | "l want to say in most unqualified terms that Mir. Mellen did not offer himself as a vicarious sacrifice for l Mir. Morgan. It was a letter not of a man accepting responsibility; it was | a letter Of man claiming in. nocence, for it was letter to the ldistrict attorney stating that as he | was the only one who conducted whatevev negotiations were taken up
 as he was the only one who knew what had been done, therefore he de
 sired to go before the grand jury and
 tell his story Of what those nesotia tions were"
 Mr. Ledyard denied that the letter
 was written at the suggestion of him self and Mr. Robbins.
 The suggestion. he said came from Mir Mellen himself and that he Ledyardl then had acquiesced. 1 With Mir. Ledyard's statement m
 completed, the hearing was ad iourned until tomorrow