The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-10-21
C.S. MELLEN, NOW A FARMER, TELLS
 ROADS HISTORY
In Conspiracy Trial, Testifies For Nearly Two Hours
 Without Halting.
RAILROADS STORY
 AT FINGERS ENDS
Government Wins First Point in Legal Battle with
 Directors Counsel.

New York, Oct 6Z1-When Charles s. -MelIen was a boy in Concord, N. H., about the beginning of the Civil l War. his parents hoped for him a career as a musician To the extent of attaining some proficiency on the organ he shared in the dream. Yesterday afternoon, MT Me1len demonstrated what sort of a railroad man would have been lost if he had ! not when he was IS, fOrsaken his organ for a. desk in the office of the cashier of the Northern New Hamp- shire Railroad
 While the eleven past and present directors of the New Haven on trial in :Iu6ge Hunts part of the United States District Court listened as if fascinated while the Jurors who are to decide whether . these directors were guilty of a conspiracy to mon opolize commerce watched in appar- ent amazement, MT. Mellen repro duced the transportation situation of New England as it was in 1890. He talked for one hour and a half with cut av.mg once to pause for fact, a date or a word in which to sum nlarize a condition
 He Used Map and Pointer.
 A map, five feet by six, was spread before the crowded court room, and with a pointer as he stood beside
 
 of AS railroads, 12 connecting lines and five steamboat, lines.
 r He needed never to look before he pointed 10 the town he wanted his wand was touching it by the time he had turned about He told exactly how far apart were the towns he was talking about He knew the mileage of the roads. the amount of traffic they handled, the number of agents they had He knew the times of departure of their principal trains, and the number of cars they carried ordinarily; he even told the colors the cars were painted
 MT. Mel1en was laying the founda- ton for the governments charge that when the Sherman law came into effect on July 3, 1890, New Haven di- rectors had under way an unlawful project for the bringing of these sixty five railroad and steamship lines into a single system and that system their own.
 His story was begun after Frank M sSwacker and R. L. Batts, for the government, had won an hour-long battle with the defense for the right to have the story told in chronological sequence. No more than the opening paragraphs had been set forth when court. adjourned for the day, and it is possible that by the end of this week only the first chapter will have found it's way into the record. 3 In Washington, a year ago, when MT. Mellen was asked what his occu- patton was. he replied:
 working for the Interstate Com merce .Commissi on.
 ..I am a Farmer
 Yesterday, when he took the stand anda was asked the same question, his answer was
 Making two blades of grass grow where only one grew before. am farmer, an agriculturist, and have been since I left the New Haven rail- road presidency, Aug. s1. 1913-"
 MT. Me1Ien spoke rapidly, in a high pitched voice. Sometimes he held his pointer as a drum major holds his baton. Sometimes he gestured with it; sometimes he tucked it back under his arms so that he might emphasize statements with an outstretched fore finger. T \ No one dozed while MT. MeIlen car ried on his swift discourse, that had about it a quality that made his hear | CTS grasp just what he wanted them | to grasp Even when he came, at | the end to tell of the through freight | lines which gave New 5HNgland conz petitive rates to and from all other | sections of the country, he -visuaIized | for his audience a situation with ! which he, perhaps alone, was familiar. | ssThose" he explained, were volun- l tary organizations by which half a | dozen railroads would get together and form a line which they would give a trade mark like the Housatonic | Idne., That line would solicit the business and when the expenses of the different agencies were made up they would be <apportioned among. the different pads in proportion as they got the gross receipts of the federa- ton"
 They were Competitors Then.
 sfWere rh csc lines competitive with one another for business between Boston and points west of Buffalo and 1o41: .adelphia ?'' asked MT. Swacker.
 ..Yes. at that time. The laws were different then. Later there was 10 competition at all-
 Mr Ne;len will resume the stand | this morning, and is expected during the day 1c get around to .acquisi- tions'' by the New Haven during his first service with it-as second vice president in charge of traffic and op- eration from 1892 through 1897.
 Tie already famous "other ex- penees'' of the New Haven in con
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