The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-20

 bills as ] gave. In such circumstances paid my own cash and took the stock. Thus 1 became quite a stockholder. check for $l0 450 issued by Mir. Mel- len to his own order oh February ,, 1909, was offered by MT. Folk who asked what it was for
 Amount Due In Cash
 That amount was paid to me in cash, and with the cash l took up certain que bills and paid also dividends on the stock which had accumulated. l frequently paid dividends to the holders of the stock. These persons were sent to me by h. spector Byrnes"
 MT. Mellen said that the Westchester stock seemed to be punched in the hands of certain people.
 Did the special committee know of your holding the New Haven stock and about this Westehester transaction?'
 Yes"
 Did you make report as to the due bills?''
 No"
 The changes you wanted in the Vest chester franchise were nader
 MT Mellen nodded.
 Did you talk with Rockefeller or Nor gan about these matters?'
 T think not. 1 completed the whole transaction and then reported"
 MT. Mellen, asked if he remembered any who presented due bills to him, re- piled:
 'T might remember if I heard the names.'
 Many of them. he hinted, were just messengers. sf
 Was the westchester stock of any value?'
 Stock of Potential Value
 Tt had a potential value It runs through goodf territory
 "Is the Westchester operated now at a loss of sI,45o,oOo a year?'
 Well, you have the figures"
 Mr.FMellen testified that the question of Sthe New Haven acquiring the West chester was first brought to his atten- 6ent of the Westinghouse company This was about 1905.
 Melen's letter in reply indicated that he did not think much of the proposition Among other things he said:
 Tt looks to me as 1T the company was organized as a strike, to sell out to us at the proper time.'
 When did the Westchester proposi- tion come up next?"
 ''Feelers' came to me at various times to ascertain if I would be interested in  tention and refused to lay the matter be- fore the directors of the New Haven un- til Oakleign Thorne came along. MT Thorne wanted me to take it up with the directors and l said I had no objec- tion.'
 He had no idea the board would con slider the matter favoraby, but laid the proposition before the board and MT. Nor gan moved that committee look into the matter.
 Mr Mellen named Messrs Morgan Rockefeller and Miller as the committee. He, himself was a member ex-offlco, MT Mellen said when the committee reported a year later that the sum of $11, ,155, ,000 had been expended, he found fault with the report, as not being sufficiently In detail.
 T saw MT. Morgan he said, "and told him that al, details of the matter should have been set down and that the report should have told how each separate sum was spent Mir. 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 hu- mlliated.'
 What did Morgan say?''
 Mellen Objects
 Mir Mellen objected that the conversa- tion was personal and as MT. Morgan was dead he did not see any reason for repeating it. -si5r He said that the conversation was hu-- initiating to him and he did not care to repeat the interview on the witness stand. Commissioner McChord. who was presid- ing, ruled that MT. Mellen should answer the question and the witness then said:
 T told Mir Morgan,' said MT. Mel- len, that the r.<ter was not in the shape it should be-"
 Do you think you know more about how it ought to be drawn than I do?" Mir. Morgan said.
 'I allowed I didn't and dropped It."
 An amount approximating se.s5o.0O0 was paid for the Westchester as a beginning suggested MT. Folk. How was that pay ment provided for?'
 MT Mellen explained that the finance committee of the directors reported in favor of the transaction, which he thought involved about $1OO0,OO0.
 'The proposition" said MT. Mellen was submitted by the committee headed by MT. Morgan and was adopted by tho oirectors.''
 'I thought" continued Mir Mellen, that I was entitled to know more about the transaction than did know. thought was entitled to know why we were pay ing $l1000,000 for a great big basketful of stuff that we didn't know the value of
 Did Not Know Motive
 'T never did know what the real mo- tive for the deal was. I tried to find out and failed. l do not mean to convey the idea that anybody got away with money he was not entitled to- The coni- mittee presented it's report and it was ratified. That was all there was to 1t at the directors meeting
 MT. Melen explained that. in an ef- fort to obtain from Mir. Morgan informa- tion about the report. he was subjected to further humiliation. Mir Morgan, he iptimatcd, treated aim brusquely and re fused to give him any more information than the report contained.
 ''I felt" said MT. Mellen, that in dis agreeing with MT Morgan I would be wrong nine times out of 10'
 Did you have a conference with President Roosevelt concerning the Boston and Maine purchaser" asked MT Folk
 T had" replied MT. MelIen, some time in the spring of 1907"
 Why did you confer with President Roosevelt?"
 'In those days I frequently conferred with MT. Roosevelt admired Theodore Roosevelt very much and did not want to do anything contrary to his wishes" What did Mir. Roosevelt say?" He (Mr. Roosevelt) told me, as near as l can recall" said MT. Mellen. that he was not a lawyer; that he did not Know whether the law would permit anything of that kind, and he could not assure me, if l was in violation of the law that I would not be treated just the same as anybody else. but the req I h it