The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-26
The Prosecution Introduces Written Testimony in
 Big Case
NEW HAVEN co. WAS
 BITTER ANTAGONIST
Letter From MelIen While Connected With New Hayen's Rival Was Bitter in It's Pronunciation
 of Huge Combine

l New York, october 25.-Letters to and from Charles S Mellen, which he identi- l fled today in the trial of Il New York, New Haven and Hartford directors on charge of monopolizing New England g l transportation traffic, furnished written evidence of the steps taken by the New ] Haven to crush it's principal competitor, l the New York and New England Rail- road company. The letters, dating back to 1893 and 1894, set forth the action taken l by the New Haven to require the pre- l payment of freight charges by the New England on traffic interchanged between the two roads at connecting points, and | the steps taken to induce trunk line rail roads outside of New England to route ] their traffic over the New Haven instead of over the New England road which had connected with them by way of the Poughkeepsie bridge over the Hudson | river.
 Our bitterest antagonist" was the ap- pellation given to the New England in one letter which MT. Mellen. then sec ond vice president of the New Haven, | wrote:
 1 Your whole intention seems to be to l drive us out of business, if you can, wrote H. C. Randolph. then general traf- 1 fic manager of the New England, to MT Mellen, in protesting against the require l ment for the prepayment of freight 1 charges.
 l MT. Melen wrote back, December 13 1 1893 that mo railroad is bound under any existing laws to make joint rates. billing
 ,>r divisions with any other railroad un.
 less it finds it is for it's interests to dc | so." Randolph replied protesting that his
 road was being discriminated against. tt which the New Haven vice president re- piled that he might wait and see l whether the rule was not applied to l other roads with which the New Haven l connected
 l Was that rule applied to other roads? ! asked Frank l.. Swacker, examining at I torney for the government.
 Well, that was so long ago that ] l don't remember" replied the witness. l It is the government contention thai l the rule was devised for the sole purpose of injuring the New England. To prove
 that the New Haven officials had no other purpose in mind, the government at torney introduced letters apparently satir l ical exchanged between MT. Mellen ant C. Peter Clark, general freight agent O the Old Colony, one of the lines the New Haven already had absorbed. MT. Weller | wrote that he had no doubt Clark coult
 fix up a good letter that will draw tear
 to the eyes of those who receive it, let
 ting them know that are only driver
 to this by dire necessity" To this Clarl
 replied that to write letter would malx
 too much evidence but that he woul,
 send an employe to see the New Englan,
 people. who twill reflect our grief at tn
 cruel situation"
 The New Haven, subsequent letters re
 vealed, had a traffic arrangement witt
 the Pennsylvania railroad for its througl
 freight in and out of New England an, began negotiations with the Lehigh Val ley, the Jersey Central, the Reading am , the Baltimore and Ohio to get their busi
 hess also, but only on condition that the
 should cease sending it by the New Eng land roads route.
 'The business referred to-" explaine
 MT. Mellen, was the New England } business via the Poughkeepsie bridge.
 The letters showed that the roads men
 toned agreed to give up their Pough
 keepsie bridge-sound route and that ar ) engagements were made for Long Islan l sound steamboat connections with ther , as well ~