New Britain herald., 1915-11-23
JURY HEARS STORY
 .0F BILLIARD DEAL
New HaVen'S Business Method h.
 troduCed in Court
CONSPIRACY IN LEGISLATION?
Council Introduces Letter Purporting to Show N, Y., N. H. X HI. Worked With New York Central to obtain Favorable Laws.


 New York, Nov. 23.-Over the pro- tests of the defense Judge Hunt, pre- siding at thetrial of the eleven former New Haven Railroad directors under the Sherman antitrust law, allowed the jury today to hear the story of the famous Billiard transactions, by which, it is alleged, the New Haven concealed from the Massachusetts au- thorities its ownership of the Boston and Maine railroad until it could get legislation clearing the way for the roads legal acquisition. Judge Hunt, however, admitted the evidence con- ditionally, stating that he could not determine whether it was relevant to the case until he had heard it.
 As testified to by c. s. Mellen, John l.. Billiard, coal dealer of Meriden, Conn.,, purchased the New Haven's 109, 900 shares of Boston and Maine stock without putting up a cent of his own money The sum of $11 ,000,- 900 was supplied him for the purchase through a loan which Mellen arranged for him on the stock itself, and the New Haven accepted from Billiard in addition his demand note for $2,I5O,- 900 without security.
  thus supposedly divested itself of the Boston and Maine holdings, it was brought out that Mellen used New Haven resources to buy 25,000 more shares of the. stock, which the gov ernment alleges was then also put into the temporary control of Billiard.
 The Billiard company is the concern which the government alleges was used by the New Haven to conceal it's ownership of Boston and Maine stock until legislation could be obtained legally, enabling it to own the road under the laws of Massachusetts.
 R. l.. BAtts, for the. government, started to introduce letter which he said had to do with legislation. To this the defense also objected.
 We are going to show by this," said MT. Batts, that the New York Central and the New Haven, having agreed to work together in matters of legislation, proceeded to do so. There is no evidence of corruption here"
 Letter Admitted.
 The letter written by Charles s. Mellen to Charles F. Choate, Sr., on May 2, 1908, was admitted and read in part as follows:
 Your favor of the 1st regarding
 
 (New York Central line) with legis- 1ative matters was received this morn ing and ]. have taken the matter up with MT. Newman (president of the New York CentraD a few moments ago.
 MT. Newman says that, without being at all active in the matter and Of course whatever is done will have to be done very quietly, he will in struct his people in Boston to say to such friends as they have in the legislature that what we were un- dertak1ng to accomplish is to ac- cord with their wishes and that they should assist
 "Delicate Position.'
 You understand what a delicate position it is, and the New York Cen tral don't want to take any action openly, for or against, but the in- f7uence will be quickly felt, I think, from this time on''
 Precisely what the subject of the l legislation was did not appear from 1 the testimony. The letter was writ | ten during the time the so-called 1 Cole bill was in effect in Massachu- setts during which time, MT. Mellen testified yesterday, no legislation was taken affecting the New Haven. The 1 Cole bill invalidated the New Haven's | ownership of the Boston and Maine i stock for one year, ending June 30, 1908.
 MT. Mellen said today he had at 1 that time been in favor of the ex- i tension of the bill because of the ac- tivities of the Massachusetts states | men who were trying to apply pa. tent medicines to cure all the ills the | transportation system of Massachu- !