The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-15
Charles s. Mellen on Stand Before Interstate Com
 merce Com-lission
TO TELL OF DEALINGS
 OF THE NEW HAVEN
Former Railroad Magnate Declares He Is Going to Place the Blame Where It Belongs-Fur-
 nishes Papers

Washington, May l4-cool com posed and matter of fact. responding readily and concisely to the fusiilade of questions put to him. former Pres ident Charles s Mellen of the New York. New Haven and Hartford rail road today began before the interstate commerce commission what Is expect | ed to be one of the most amazing stories ever told in the history of high 1 finance.
 Mir. Mellen, placed on the stand over the emphatic protest of Attorney Gen eral McReynolds is the principal wit ness in the proceeding through which the interstate commission. by direction of the United states Senate, is en- deavoring to develop the facts, con cerning the financial operations of the l New Haven and it's subsidiaries. as well as of the much discussed Billiard com- panN. He promised. both personally and through his counsel 10 place at the disposal of the commission every fact and every scrap of paper with l New Haven mark on it. relating to the transactions with which he had to do as president of the New Haven sys- 1 tenn.
 Anxious to Tell Story 1 1t was evident that Mir. Mellen was anxious to tell his story. He had in- dicated his desire in letters heretofore produced in the pending inquiry, in which he said he was tired of bear- Ing the brunt of the criticism heaped upon him for the New Haven transac- tions and that. if blame attached 10 where it belonged.
 As he seated himself in the high- backed cathedral chair he turned smil- 1 ingly to Chief Counsel Joseph w, Folk. Mi. Mellen is bald and his face has the appearance of parchment. Beneath IL closely cropped gray niustaehe Is a mouth. drawn in firm almost hard, lines. His eyes are keen and his glance ldirect He responded iu all inuuiries promptly. at times even emphaticaiIN. His answers disclosed too. s.iise Of humor. some of his responses provol< ; ing outbursts of laughter among the interested auditors
 On Stand for Hour
 i AIr. Mellen was on the witness stand | today only a little moro than an hour. Just before the opening of the hear- ing he was served with n new sub poena which covered much more ground than that originally served upon him. l The new one called for the production i of all documents or papers in possess sion of Mir. Mellen that related iissany way to the operations of the New HS- ven and all of its subsidiaries. Az. though he had brought to Washington several trunks full of papers and books I he did not have all which the commits sion wanted.
 l tA to New England for the desired docu- ments and also to afford the attorneys l of the commission an opportunity 10 | consider and arrange those offered in evidence. an adjournment of the hear ing was taken until next Tuesday
 More than an inkling of MT Mel lens remarkable story was given by him during the brief hour he was on the stand He told how. in the acqui- sltion of the New York. Westchester and Boston railroad by the New ia- ven 5000 shares of the stock of the latter were given for 2f000 shares of the Westchester's stock. although. he said. ho considered tho latter stock
 worth only "1o cents a pound.
 Details Arranged
 The details of the exchange were arr I ranged. Mir. Mellon testified, by for mer Police Inspector Thomas F..
 Byrnes of New York. and he said he found that much of the Nestchester | stock was made out in tile names oi people who did not really hold 1t. MT Mellen testified that at this time the New Haven wanted certain changes made In the proposed charter of the | Westchester and he had suspicion that the Westchester shares were scat teerd around among people who had In fluence He said he "wanted to reach the devil or anybody that 1t was neces- sary to reach
 l Mir Mellen said that often when the holders of Westchester stock came to him and asked for their redemption value he did not always have the cash with him and could not make out checks or give them the New Haven stock On these occasions. he said. he