New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-10-02
Said TO Have Asserted
New Haven Road Rec
OrdS Were "DOCtored'
FILES IMMUNITY PLEA
TO OLD INDICTMENTS
Understood That He Admitted to
U. S. Grand Jury Truth OF
Charges Against Directors

Charles 5. Mcllcn ~ telling tlc fed
cral grand jury which ia investigating
the New Haven case with view o;
getting indictments under the Shcr-
man act what is described IN the post
Office building rs IAN alright story.
The discrepancies that figured in blr
testimony before tho Interstate Com
morcc Commission arc missing, II ID
said. and the flaws that Lewis Ca5s
Lcdyard and others picked IN tFat
story have. il is understood, been O.
PINNED Dway 10 the sati"fsc.ior Of the
witness if not of the prosecuting At
tornCy5.
One interesting feature Of Nc,icu's
testimony bears upon the Huth 'Tti"ity
Of certain New Haven records. .ld
testimony has been IN conflict yl.h
some Of these. and tho eAplanat ~
which he is understood 10 be oferi; -
for this is that the records were doc
tored" TO suit the eNigcncies Of hc
hour. This applies particularly 10 r'c-
orGs Of board meetings and Of sub
committees. II is Understood that such
minutes were dictated by one person ~
disregard of what might actually have
happened
This course. Nellcn maintains, had
the approval of the active majority Of
the board, but as in his Interstate
Commerce Commission testimony ne
insists that the late j. Pierpont Nor
gan usurped substantially all the func-
tons Of the directors.
Before Melen went into the graz d
Jury room yesterday it developed tha'
he had fled plea N bar to the prose-
cutiou Of the two Indictments already
pending against him growing out Of
the Grand Trunk and other deals, his
contention being that his testimony be-
fore the Interstate Commerce Con
mission bars prosecution. In sub
stance this plea admits the truth OF
the charges against him and his CO.
defendants.
John ". ". Grim. Nellcn's ,,unsel,
was with him at the Federal Building
yesterday, and admitted that Mellcn
was prepared 10 go the limit TO earn
the immunity he expects to get. he
has, Mr. Grim says, some two thou
sand letters and other documents tina.
he took from the New Haven Offices
when lie quit that are expected TO bear
out his testimony in spots, and these
are at the disposal Of the prosecutors.
This confederation the government
has been anxious TO get, and 1t is an
open secret that it would ike moro
than il has got, for lawyers who are
familiar with the governments case
and the story thus far told by helleL
arc frankly OF tho opinion that the eN-
New Haven head will have a mos.
difficult time If in the course of trial
upon indictments that may be found
he is compelled to stand cross-eXam-
ination
"NcIlon," said one of these men yes
torday, makes an ideal ex parte wit
ness. But there are one hundred men
in New York who could tear him apart
and make him do stunts on cross-eX-
animation. he IS temperaments.ly IN
fittco to stand rigid cross-e&amina-
ton.
Furthermore. the persons who NAV
he affected by his testimony have not
been idle. They, too, have been col
lecting testimony. and Their IS small
Loubt they have n lot of things tina.
Mellen would have a lively If not 4
;ovelv time explaining. Much Of the
matter would perhaps be ruled Out. but
enough would come out TO make him Is
comfortable As German would be ~
the Montmartrc district OF Paris Just
4bou+ now y