New-York tribune., 1914-10-09

Governor were found confused. -,
"lf the thing can be explained, would
| il not be best 10 explain II now ana
not make mystery OF IL longer
asked .he Tribune correspondent. "lhe
/ dnd;nc OF sl,a00,000 in these eircum-
stances and the possibility that not
| only that amount but the SlOO,00o
may be recovered by those now IN
charge OF the affairs Of the New Haven
make j; impossible 70 suppdess the
! facts even now. would be glad TO
present any explanation you may
have" M,
II am sorry" said the lawyer, but
! | have made up my mind. In time IL
may be explained in court. Until tneh'
nothing"
Ex-Governor Cobb, whom the Tribune
man had known for years, was en-
phatic in saying that tho note never
had been considered by the appraisers
as part OF the estate.
81 assure YOU" said he, chat il never
came before ne as an appraiser. - IL
! o. public Importance AT this t;me
Assured that the circumstances
under which the note was found led
20 the Inference that the sl.5OO,0OO
represented by the note really be-
longed 20 the unfortunate stockholders
Of the New Haven, Mr.. Cobb replied
that there could be no doubt o: the
honesty Of his old friend.
Il was az this interview. in Mr..
Cobb's homo in Rockland, that the
persons interested In the Hill estate
received the frs; int!mation that the
matter had become public. In confer
cnces that followed IL was decided 20
maintain the policy OF silence and
secrecy, and later Mr. Bassett, speak
ing tor the estate and the family, de-
Cl;ned 10 tell what the estate haG sue
Ceeded in finding out about the note.
From another source, however, X
vas learned that as late as two weeks
ago the trustees had not succeeded in
establishing to their own satisfaction
the identity Of the owners of the ST.
100000 note, one Of the trustees then
asserting that they knew as much
about the affair as the day when the
note and the collateral, with the unusu-
a. Endorsement, had been uncovered,
now more than two years ago.
Elliott Thanks The Tribune.
Howard Elliott knew nothing of the
Lote or the circumstances until the
Tribune correspondent disclosed to
him the facts unearthed in Maine. The
chef executive of the New Haven did
not have this note in mind when the
Billiard suit was decided upon; in fact,
it was an entirely new matter to HIM,
and, though he had but few minutes
10 catch the train for his home IN
Boston. he made careful note Of the
facts here presented.
81 am much obliged TO The Trib-
une." he said, "but | cannot comment
on the matter. You can say for me,
however, that | will at once present
the matter to Moorfield Storey and
Mr.. Hyde, our lawyers, and have them
take the matter up Immediately. It's
the first I have heard Of this thing.
I've shall certainly go into the
matter thoroughly. If there is any
boay VINO has Sl,500,000 or any other
sum of money belonging to the New
Haven. we want it. and we propose to
gca it,"
Il is Storey and Hyde who are
prosecuting the Billiard suit for more
than $4,000 900. which the company as
serts the Meriden coal dealer did not
p-operly account for. that action, 1t IS
understood, being but one OF many
which may follow the Investigations
they have been making since early IN
:he year.
The discovery of the $780, 900 note
il. the possession of the Hill estate
fits in with the belief generally held
in New Haven circles and by those
familiar with New Haven matters that
not all of the millions he was credited
with making in the various New
haven deals remained with the Merl-
den coal man. i
At various times Billiard las stated
that he did not make all he was cred
tied with making. and at other times
Il was explained by former officials OF
the company that Billiards. profits
would not be as large As they might
have appeared 10 be, because of the
way in which the notes which from
time 10 time passed to him worked out.
May End Billiard Mystery.
II also fits in with the theory that
tbe obscure coal dealer, of more than
middle age, who suddenly emerged
from obscurity TO become power
m the financial world, was really the
:ccnt OF others better known TO fame
and TO railroading and banking CIR
cles. who. standing behind him. ma
ripulated the wires that were TO proht
them fortunes at the expense OF the
New Haven, not caring TO appear IN
person.
For this reason it is believed by
those who know of the Hill note that
/ the Ex-Governor, in whom everybody
| had confidence, was selected to be the
Jerson through whom certain of these
| profits should flow to those they were
| intended for, but who, for various rea-
| cons, could not afford, or did not wish,
/ TO appear on record in any way as par
| ticipating. Friends of the Ex-Governor
| believe that he entered into the trans
action merely to help out acquaint-
ances. and not with any idea of profit
! ing or participating in any enterprise
of questionable merit.
| Hill was one of the best known men
r. New England, and, in his way, one
| Of the prominent publishers Of
America. The son of physician of
Augusta. he was educated in medicine
and started to follow in the footsteps
Of his father, but abandoned the pro-
fession when he married. in 1898.
Lizzie. the only child Of p. O. Vickery,
who was in his day an unique charac-
ter in the publishing world. Nickery
many years before had hit upon the
idea Of publishing chcsp weekly fic-
| ton sheet, which should be the means
! Of distributing minor household ar
| ticles and knicknacks of various kinds.
The plan produced sheet un-
known in the larger cities of the coun-
try. but gaining nationwide circu-
lation. chiefly in rural communities
and the smaller cities. This became
great organ for mail order business,
and because Of it and other publica-
tions and activities of Vickery. and
| latnr of the nntnrnrises which his