New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-15
new HAVEN JURY
GETS MYSTERY NOTE
N. L. Bassett Tells of Or
phaned 81, 100000 in Ex-
Governor Hills Safe.
SECURITY FIRST TOLD
OF BY THE TRIBUNE
Maine Lawyer Tells Also OF
Steamship Deals in Which the
Morse Interests Had Figured.

The mysterious note for $l,5OO,OOV
,,sda nv a New Haven subsidiary and
found in the strong box OF the ia'c
John +. Hill, Ex-Governor OF Name
hearing the Endorsement, "Ihls ooes
not belong to me-" exclusively told OF
in The Tribune last Friday, was taken
I'd by the federal grand Jury Whlch -
investigating New Haven affairs yes
terday. TT, r.;h
une James w. Osborne, speclai As
sistant United States Attorney 1ssueu
q subpoena for Norman l.. Basset',
cornsei for the Hill estate and one OF
is trustees. He was served at ms
home in Augusta, Ne, and appeared IN
the Federal Building yesterday AFTER
noon. his testimony taking up the
greater part Of the session.
Bassett. 2 clean cut young man, mas
Tor wears been in the confidence OF tne
nolitical leaders of Maine and IN touch
l,itb the inner workings OF the Legs
lature. fac. that led TO rumor 'haV
ne was 10 be questioned as 70 lhe &C
.i,,;t;es IF The Now Haven lobby at Au-
rusta when that BODY was IN session
However. IT, is understood that TINS was
not touched upon. his testimony peing
confined % the Hill note ana 10 the
ramifcations Of the various steamshlp
deals. including those whereby In ms!
that had been held by Charles "
Morse when that finaneier was IN tnC
heyday Of his glory were acquired .!
New Haven interests. II was IN ms
connection, it is understood thet we
HIi note was originally issued 10 IN
Billiard company. ..,.,
,oaSor of the Maine bar called for IN"
,,roduction of all books and papers ne
night possess bearing upon the case
and as a result Of the testimony gwen
nv him il is expected that others VINO
aTe supposed TO know something or me
note and of the manner IN when INe
Now Haven obtained cOntro! OF various
s4earoship lines are expected 10 DC
called as witnesses. ,..
Prior TO his appearance as wines
Mr.. Bassett said he had nothing 10
withhold from the grand jury ana as
serted that he would waive any ques-
zion of privilege that might accrue 10
MIN as q lawyer. l. :.
He was particularly insistent. II is
understood. in seeking to make u CleeI
4bat. whatever others might nave oohe'
ex-Governor Hill was absolutely inno-
cent of any wrong doing, either as an
accessory before or after the TACT ana
expressed himself MS pleased at an
opportunity TO explain in what ne qe-
scribed as the proper place the rela'
tions OF the Hill estate 20 the noLe
and 20 far as he, as Its representatives
could tell its history. A..
The only other witness before the
crand iury Yesterday was BENJAMIN
Q Ward, who was described as q law
YER and also rs a member OF the fam
;lv from whom Morse bought the
Ward Line of steamers and made part
~ the holdings Of the Consolidated
Steamship Company. a Maine corpora
tion formed to hold all Of the Morse
lines. This went to smash in l9O!
when Norse's various enterprises got
into trouble. and with the Eastern
Steamship Company, the predecessor
OF the Eastern Steamship Corporation
End the Metropolitan Steamship Com
aauv went into the hands Of receivers
chief Of whom was William ]. COBB,
former Governor Of Maine.
Mr.. Cobb handled these receiver
ships so successfully that the Consoll-
dated and Eastern companies paid lOO
cents on the dollar when reorganized.
II was found impossible to save. the
METROPOLITAN, its creditors receiving
nothing. Mr. bdsSell' WI" - NV
friend Of Ex-Governor Cobb. assisted
in those receiverships, and is supposed
20 have an intimate knowledge OF the
inner developments while those com
NAMES we're in the hands Of the court.
No question has ever been raised as
% the effciencv Of the receivorships
or 70 the conduct Of the receivers, but
Morse ever since his release from A.
lanta has been hard at work in the
courts trying to prove that prior to
the reeeiverships there was much She
nanigan," as he terms it, by. which
New Haven interests obtained prop
erty belonging to him and to other
minority stockholders.