The Sentinel=record., 1914-05-15
PRESIDENT MELLEN
 GIVES TESTIMONY
FORMER HEAD OF THE NEW HAVEN TELLS WHAT HE
 KNOWS ABOUT ITS DEALS.
Promised to Place Before the Com Scrap of Paper it Desired.

of questions put to him, former President Charles S. Mellen of the New York, New Haven and Hartford railroad today began before the in terstate commerce commission what is expected to be one of the most amazing stories ever told in the his tory of high finance
 Mr. Mellen placed on the stand over the emphatic protest of Attor- ney General McReynolds, is the pres ent witness in the proceeding through which the interstate commerce com mission by direction of the United States senate is endeavoring to de- yelop the facts concerning the finan- cial operations of the New Haven and it's subsidiaries as well as of the much discussed Billiard company He promised both personally and through his counsel to place at the disposal of the commission every fact and every scrap of paper with a New Haven mark on it" relating to the transs ctions with which he had to do as president of the New Haven system.
 It was evident that MT. Mellen was anxious to tell his story. He had n- dicated his desire in letters hereto fore produced in the pending inquiry in which he said he was tired of bearing the brunt of the criticism heaped upon him for the New Haven transactions and that if blame at tached to them, he proposed to put the blame where it belonged.
 As he seated himself in the high backed cathedral chair he turned smilngly to Chief Counsel Joseph w Folk. Mir. Melen is bald and his face has the appearance of parchment. Beneath a closely cropped gray mus tache is a mouth drawn in firm, al- most hard lines His eyes are keen and his glance direct. He responded to all inquiries promptly, at times even emphaticaly His answers dis closed, too, a sense of humor, some of his responses provoking outbursts of laughter among the interested au- ditors.
 MT. Mellen was on the witness stand today only a little more than an hour. Just before the opening of the hearing he was served with new subpoena which covered much more ground than that originally served upon him. The new one called for the production of all docu- ments or papers in possession of MT Mellen that related in any way to the operations Of the New Haven and all of it's subsidiaries. Although he had brought to Washington sey- eral trunks full of papers and books, he did not have all which the com mission wanted.
 To enable him, therefore, to return to New England for the desired dOcu- ments and also to afford the attor- neys of the commission an Oppor- tunity to consider and arrange those offered in evidence, an adjournment of the hearing was taken until next Tuesday.
 More than an inkling of Mir. Mel ltlA 0 itAAAAA hAblt 0lOl Wd0 6AN'lA h9 him during the brief hour he was on the stand He told how in the acdui, sition of the New York, West Ches- ter and Boston railroad by the New Haven 5000 shares of the stock of the latter weV given for 24,0oO shares of the Westchesters stock, all though. he said. he considered the lat ter stock worth only ten cents a pound"
 The details of the exchange were arranged, Mir. Mellen testified, by former Police Inspector Thomas F. Byrnes of New York, and he said he found that much of the Westchester stock was made out in the names of people who did not really hold it. Mir. Mellen testified that at this time the New Haven wanted certain changes made in the proposed char ter of the Westchester and he had a suspicion that the Westchester shares were scattered around among people who had influence" He said he wanted to reach the devil or any DOuN lldl II was necessary LO ItdNis
 MT Mellen said that often when the holders of Westchaster stock came to him and asked for redemp- ton he did not always have the cash with him and could not make out checks or give them New Haven stock. On these occasions, he said, he gave them personal due bills. About fifteen or twenty of the hold CTS of these he testified, had come to him later, some after he resigned from the New Haven, and he had given them the cash. He said he had redeemed about $150,00O worth of the due bills in this way but that there now were outstanding against him the equivalent of $50000
 While the examination was in prog | ress counsel for Mr. Mellen made public a long statement dealing par ticularly with the relations of the New Haven with the Grand Trunk. This was not put in evidence but it