The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-10-21
PROF. TAFT
 WITNESS IN
 R. R. TRIALS
Former President May Be Called By Government To Tell of Conferences With Lewis Class Iledyard Re- garding B. 8 M. DeGl.
Charles S. Mellen, Appear ing For Prosecution, Con- tinues His Story of How the New Haven Made New England Monopoly.

England Monopoly.
 New York, Oct 2LACounse1 for the defense announced today that they would call former President Taft as z witness in connection with a confer ence between MT Taft and Lewis Cass 1sedyards in regard to the taking over Of Boston & Maine stock by the New Haven
 IL Batts, attorney for the gov ,srnment. said that the government would If possible. avoid calling the former President
 Having laid the foundat1on in the two hours he was on the witness stand yestarday, for his story of the New {I4aver co7n4fraaaiDa1. Char7es g. Mallens today continued with a desrdPtion of such consolidation movements as took place from 1ss2 to 1887 when he was vice-president Of the road
 Mr. Meuen was frat qnes51oneu about the through freight lines or ici5at freiett soliciting organizahons maintafned by the New England roads some of which he described yester-. tisav Some of these. mentioned to him by Attorney Swarle1s he dad not recall
 Taking up the steamship lines, Nr- Me1Ien descTibed the Merchants &  ran from Boston and Proyldenoe to. Baltirnore. NeHport News. Norfolk and Savannah
 The witness them alxetehed the character of manufactured produces shipped from New England cities. the Boston & Maine. Fiteh5urg. Bos-. ton & Albany, New York and New England and the BLetropo politan. PEpni-s dencs and Merchants Sx Miners St9axnsfi4p Hx1a8 Then ne named fae various trunk lines with WnAcn hc to tho west
 s.sgs4a traffsg outlets Of other New England citaes he similarly e2plaineds revea ling as yesterday an intimate knoN4eAEe of the railroad traffic sit nation Of New England that seemed as fresh 4n his memory as if A dslar-s ter of a century had not elapsed since the events he was describing.
 Mr Swaeker, of counsel for the government, asked 4he witness about his early connection with the New York &s New England as general man ager.
 eards competition between the New York 6 New England and the New Hayen7's he asked. The worst ever knew-5I1st cut-throat work on both sides.y was the reply.
 Mr 6wackex wanted to know if MT. Clark. then president Of the New Ha- ven and named as a co-conspirator in 4he case, had had a conversation with the witness about the competition.
 Mr. MelIen said at that time the New Haven had announced the reducs tfon in the running time Of three pas set1eer trains from Boston to New York and that he went to Clark and protested that this reduction was un-. fair to the New York & New England
 T persuaded him not to make a change in these trains,@ the witness said
 4What did you do to persuade him ?''
 1T told him all the things that were likely to happen
 ssWhat were those things?''
 Well, I had in my pocket a copy of an advertisement which I said I was going to put in the papers that after noon announcing that we would run train to AIlyn's point to connect by boat to New York and that the fare Between Boston and New York would be $1. Clark said. Is that Honest In jun?s and I said, It is.' 2
 I've months after this. Ne11eh said he became second vice president in charge ef traffic of the New Haven.
 Who employed you ?''
 Charles Ps Clark. :,
 What duties were assigned you 2''
 s.To look after the tramc.y replied the witness curtly.
 Did he say why he employed you ?''
 tsHe said made tes much of nui- sance oE myself on the New England. ''s
 MT. Swacker then took up with the witness tbe5 New Ravens acquisition Of the Housatonic, which was one of tlae New York and New England con- ncctions with New York. There was a freight connection by car floats from Wilson Point, Conn.
 After the Hes1santenle as secured. s.tf1e New HSven,' said <1fr Mellen, sssRewed a disinclination te come for ward with its proportienaI share of the deficit
 Whether the New Haven then eas7s- ed the foreclosure Of ths terminal company's property, the witness said he was not sure.
 Tt was possible, he thought, that trIe New Haven purchased outright the New EnsIand's interest in the com pany before. the foreclosure or-t that 1t was Joint foreclosure. At any rate, the New Haven got the property in the foreclosure sale.
 s.Do you know whether ,. P. Nor gan participated in the negotiations for the aequisitioni of the Housa- tonic 2's
 sonI2 in the most general way.,' said the witness.
 Returning to the subject of his en- trance into the New Haven, MT. Mel len testified that Clark asked him to institute a suit against the New Eng land and that he did it through Bos- ton brokers The suit, the govern naent alleged, was intended to embar- sass theE New England.