New Britain herald., 1914-04-29
BILLIARD HEARING IS
 RESUMED AT CAPITAL
Inquiry Into Boston & Maine Sale
 ReoDtne1 by Commission.

washington, Apr1l 29.-OakleiRh Thorne, former president of the Trust Company of America, today told the interstate commerce commission of the acquisition of the New York, Boston and Westchester railroad and the Portchester railroad by the New York, New Haven and Hartford rail- road in the commissions new Haven Investigation. MT. Thorne described the deal which resulted Tn the safe of the franchises of these two roads to the New Haven for $S,5O0,00O, on which he collected a commission of 1-2 per cent. MT. Thorne said that after retiring from the presidency of tie Trust Company of America he had burned all the papers relating to the transaction.
 A letter from MT. Thorne to former President Mellen of the New Haven, advising secrecy as to the proceedings prior to the consummation of the sale, was read into the records.
 Refers to Influences.
 The letter referred to influences on Fourteenth street which might block the proceedings" This, Mr. Thorne explained, referred to certain leaders of Tammany Hall who were interested in the roads to be acquired.
 MT. Thorne said the papers in the case lay about his house for some time and he finally threw them into the furnace"
 The money for the purchase of the roads, MT. Thorne said, came to him through J. P. Morgan & Co.
 Refused to Testify. 'a
 April 10 last, Harry V. Whipple, nf hn ono ptc, No Bank of New Haven; Samuel Heming- way president of the Second National Bank of New Haven; Edward E. Field of New Haven, Samuel c. More house of New Haven, an attorney. and John l.. Billiard of Meriden, Conn.,, all connected with the Billiard con- cern, appeared before the commission. but the first four declined to answer some of the questions put to them and to furnish books or papers of the company.
 Commissioner MoChord overruled their objections, but they still declined to testify. Solicitor Folk of the corl- mission then went before the federal grand jury and asked that the men be indicted.
 
 When MT. Folk announced that the indictments would be returned, Messrs. Whipple, Hemingway and Field, through their attorneys, gave him to understand. that they would testify MT. Warehouse raised the point that he was counsel for the Bii- lard company and could not divulge the private affairs of his client. In view of this it was expected he might again refuse to testify.
 Willing to Answer.
 MT. Whipple, who was the first witness, declared his willingness to had bought twenty shares of stock in the Billiard company last October for $10,0OO from John L. Billiard. and that he had received the money for this purchase from Samuel c. Warehouse, attorney for the Billiard company. ,ss-
 1T did not know whose money it was or where Warehouse got it,'' said Whipple.
 Five shares of the stock, MT. Whip pie explained, he disposed of to Ed ward F. Field, who became president of the Billiard company, and five to man named Kelly, who was made secretary. Ten of the shares he re- tained, he said.
 Treasurer of Company.
 MT. Whipple said he was treasurer of the company from October, 1913, until March, 1914, when it's dissolu- tion was effected and that he sold his stock to Hallgarten & Co.,, of New nf So 1o1 house, receiving $11,00O for it. Mir. Whipple admitted that he saw one of the company's books at Warehouses office at meeting of the directors, but that he did not examine it closely and could remember no figures it con- tained. During his incumbency as treasurer, whipple said, he signed one check for $1,5OO drawn in favor of Samuel c. Warehouse at the lat ter's request. He did not know what 1t was for.
 Not Dummy Director
 Asked by MT. Folk if he considered himself a dummy director MT. Whipple said that he did not regard himself exactly so''; that he thought he had been placed in the Billiard company merely to close up it's af. fairs. Asked what it's affairs were, he replied 1T think it was a holding company for the Boston and Maine Railroad. I was told by Morehouse that the company only had ten or eleven thousand dollars in the treas ury He denied knowledge of any transactions whereby former Presi- dent Mellen of the New Haven road had borrowed s375,OOO from the Bill lard company or that the Billiard con~ pany had notes outstanding to the New Haven railroad to the extent of $1O,SO0,00O.
 BLOOM-ROBINSON.