The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1914-04-11
Taking of $40, 100000 from
Vaults of New Haven Was
Only Admission
MANY WITNESSES
REFUSED TO ANSWER
Said They Were Acting on the Advice
of Counsel = Hearing Postponed to
29th Mandamus for Producing
Books, Records and Contracts

WASHINGTON, April l1-Vain eff
forts were made by the interstate com
merce commission at a public hearing
here yesterday to obtain details of fl
nancial transactions between the New
York, New Haven & Hartford railroad
and its subsidiary, the New England
Navigation company and the s0-called
Billiard company, through which mil
lions of dollars are alleged to have
been improperly diverted from the
New Haven. Witness after witness re-
fused point-blank to testify to any of
the affairs of the Billiard company, or
to produce any of the books, records
or agreements said to be in existence
concerning its financial transactions.
Joseph w. Folk, chief counsel for the
commission, announced at the close of
a day of virtually fruitless questioning
that he would institute in the supreme
court of the District of Columbia Mon
day proceedings in mandamus to compel
the recalcitrant witnesses to reply to
| questions put to them and to produce
| the books, records and contracts called
/ for by the subpoenas of the commission.
Further proceedings were postponed I'M
i til the Goth, by which time it is hoped
! the courts may have passed upon the
mandamus proceedings.
1t had been expected that Charles s.
Mellen, former president of the New
4 Haven, and John L. Billiard of the Bill
lard company would testify at yester-
day 5 hearing, which was conducted by
the commission by direction of the
Senate with a view to disclosing wheth
er the financial transactions of the New
4 Haven under NJ. Mellen 5 management
with the Billiard company had been
legal and whether any sums improperly
diverted from the New Haven could be
recovered. Because the foundation fol
their testimony could not be laid with
out the records they were not called
upon to testify. Lawyers for the com
mission declared that they expected tx
show from the books and from certain
witnesses details of the Billiard com
pany 5 organization; that it had finan
cial relation with the New Haven ant
its subsidiaries; that immense profit
had been made by certain individual
officially identified with the New Havei
=. and with the Billiard company through
novel transactions in finance between
the two corporations and that much o
hhi9 AiShtS was itNO' tidhiN ~ the -NCN
Haven
just what the Billiard company is wa
not disclosed at yesterday 5 hearing
No witness except Samuel Morehous
Of New Haven would admit that h
: had any connection with the company
/ either as stOc khOlder or an officer
although the presumed president, treas
urer and some stockholders were on tn
witness stand. They declined ''by ad
vice of counsel" to answer any ques
r tions concerning the affairs of the Bi
: lard company. 1t was maintained b
their counsel that neither the commits
sion nor the Congress had the powe
> to require them to give the informatio
sought.
, Mr. Morehouse, who said he was tn
: lawyer for the Billiard company, was tn
: only exception to the rule. He ADM
y ted that he was the company s lawyer
- that Sin looking after the company
= business he had taken from the vault
- of the New Haven railroad 100000
. of securities which had been kept theI
% by the Billiard company; in fact, tha
&c he had cleaned the vault out. He sait
- however, that he knew of no contract
y between the New Haven and the Ri
lard company; and declined positivel
is to tell anything else concerning tn
d company.