New Britain herald., 1915-10-21
SAYS MELLEN IS FRANKLY HOSTILE.
 TO GOVERNMENT
Federal Prosecutor Asks Court to
 Instruct Witness to Be More t q ' Responsive in His Answers
JUDGE HUNT FAILS TO-
 SEE HOSTILE ATTITUDE

DEE HUOlIuE HllllUUE Former Head of Road Describes Way
 New HavensGained Control of Hous-
 atomic, Connecticut River and Old
 Colony ,Lines-Expected Govern
 ment Will Call Former President
 Taft to Witness Stand.
 New York, Oct 21-Charles S. Mel len, 8 government witness in the trial of the New Haven directors, was charged by Frank L. Swacker, federal prosecutor, with being frankly hos tile' to the governments case during the continuation of his testimony to- day MT. Swacker asked Judge Hunt presiding at the trial to instruct the witness to be more responsive in his answers, but the court said that he did not see that the witness had given any evidence of hostile attitude
 MT. Swacker~ was trying to gain from the witness information as to the source of complaints made by New Engand fruit shippers against the New York and New England railroad, one of the early competitors of the New Haven. Mr. Mellen, he thought, was disposed to evade making direct answers and to volunteer information not desired by the government How Roads Were Secured.
 Prior to this, MT. Mellen had de- scribed for the attorney the way in which the New Haven had secured control of the Housatonic, the Con- necticut River and Old Colony rail- roads and told how he had been asked by c. P. Clark, president of the New Haven, to start a suit against the New England. This after his entrance into the New Haven as second vice president, two months from the time when. as general manager of the New England, he had made a threat, he said to reduce the fare from Boston to New York to one dollar if the New Haven did not give up it's plan of re- ducing the running of some of it's trains.
 May Call Taft.
 Attorneys for the defense announced to newspaper men today that they ex- pected that former President Wm. H. Taft would be called by the govern ment as witness in connection with an interview Lewis Case Ledyard. one of the defendant directors is said to have had with him in connection with the acquisition by the New Haven Of stock of the Boston and Maine.
 R. l.. Batts, of counsel for the gov ernment, when questioned on the sub ject, said the government would not call MT. Taft if it were possible to avoid doing so.
 Through Freight Lines.
 Having laid the foundation in the two hours he was on the witness stand yesterday, for his story of the New Haven combination, MT. Mellen | went on today with a description Of | such consolidation movements as took ! place from 1892 to 1897 when he was vice president of the road.
 Mr. Mellen was first questioned 1 about the through freight lines or joint freight soliciting organizations maintained by the New England | roads, some of which he described | yesterday. Some of these, mentioned | to him by Attorney Swacker, he did | not recall.
 Steamship Lines.
 Taking up the steamship lines, MT. Mellen described the Merchants and | Miners Line as "Very important" This ran from Boston and Providence 1 to Baltimore, Newport News, Norfolk l and Savannah.
 The witness then sketched the char act% of manufactured products shipped from New England cities. 1 From Boston and Albany, New York and New England, and the Metropoli- tan. Providence and Merchants and Miners Steamship Lines. Then he named the various trunk routes with which these lines connected for freight traffic to the west. The traffic out lets of other New England cities he similarly explained, revealing as yes-s trrday an intimate knowledge of the traffic situation of New Eng land that seemed as fresh in his m emory as if quarter of a century was describing.
 Knows Smaller Cities.
 He was as familiar with the manu- factures and railroad changes of the smaller cities, like Bellows Falls, Vt, Windsor Conn. St. Albans, Vt, Con- cord. N H.. as he was with the larger ce nterS.
 MT. Swacker of counsel for the gov crsment asked the witness about his early connection with the New York and New England as general man g ger.
 Cut Throat Work.
 What were the conditions as re- gards competition between the New |. (Continued on Fourteenth Page.)