The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-12
FILL NEVER USED. M'LEAN'S N QNEY
Ex-Secretary Fall Bought Ranch At Time Teapot
 Dome Deal Was Up

PALM BEACH, Fla. Jan. 11.-E. B. Mclean. Washington nswSpaper pub fisher. loaned former Secretary A. B. Fall $100,000. but the checks for this amount were subsequently, returned uncashed with the statement that the former Secretary of the Interior had arranged to secure the funds else- I where, Mir. Mclean told Senator Walsh of the Senate Teapot Dome investigetfng committee today. ac- cording to letter addressed to Mir. Fall by MT. Walsh and made public by the latter.
 MT. Walsh came here to question MT. Mclean concerning tho .fansac- ton. He held . private meeting with the publisher this afternoon, at the close of which he made public a let ter addressed to Mir. Fall, wbo is also In Palm Beach.
 Senator Walsh told Mir. Fall that formation of the committee" any further statement that MT. Fall cared to make.
 | The meeting this afternoon was at- tended by attorneys for Mir. Mclean and MT. Fall, in addition to the principals.
 Fall At Palm Beach.
 The letter was addressed to Mr. Fall at Palm Beach, where he is now staying as a guest of MT. Mclean. It stated:
 "I have the honor to advise you that I have just taken the testimony of Edward B. Mclean. pursuant to the authority and direction of the committee on public lands and sur veys of the United States Senate, in the course of which MT. Mclean agreed to loan you $100.0o0 as stated in your letter to the chairman and members of the committee, of date of December 26, 1928, and gave you his checks. two or three in number for that amount. and received from you your note for the same sum a few days thereafter, toward the close of the year 1921, you returend to him the checks, which had not passed through the banks or been otherwise cashed and that he thereup sur! rendered to you the note referred to-. you stating in that connection that you had arranged to secure funds elsewhere.
 T shall be glad to take. for the
 
 further statement in respect to the matter you may care to make, either orally, before me at your convenience | at any time or in the shape of 8 let ter to the committee if you prefer to take that course"
 The hearing was attended by Sen ator Walsh, Edward B. Mclean, John J. Major. attorney for Mir. Mclean. and William J. Lambert, personal ar- torney for MT. Fall.
 Testimony Fits In. V
 You can see for yourself how it fits in with Mir. Falls testimony" stated Senator Walsh. commenting on his letter. "Mr. Fall bought ranch in New Mexico for $9I,000 about the | time negotiations for loan were be- ing made with Sinclair for the Teapot Dome" he added.
 The Senator declared that he did not know what the next step of the committee would be. He said he would remain here until Saturday morning pending any response MT. Fall may make to his letter.
 Fall Make. DeSiaiH. H Q
 In letter to MT. walsh late this afternoon, Mir. Fall denied that he made use of 6 $100.000 loan made to him by Edward B. Mclean, Washing ton publisher. At the same time, Mir. 1 Fall refused to disclose the source from which he did obtain the money Mexico lands, but stated that this money was "in no way connected with Mir. Sinclair or in any way in volved in any connection regarding the Teapot Dome, or any oil con- cession."
 The former government official stated that he did not wish to go further than this' at this time be- cause of his physical condition, which he did not think would permit him to undergo the ordeal of an examina- tion. Later, he stated, he might ann plify his statement.
 MT. Fall did not make personal appearance before Senator Walsh. who arrived here this forenoon under authority of Chairman Lenroot, of the Senate committee on lands and surveys to take the testimony of Mir. Mclean in the committee's investiga- tion of alleged connection between the leasing of Teapot Dome lands n Wyoming to the Sinclair oil interests and loan of s10o.0o0 secured by MT. Fall late in 1921.
 The letter from MT. Fall to Mir. Walsh follows:
 T am in receipt of your communt- cation of this date advising me that after the taking of MT. McEean's de- position today you are ready, under the authority granted you by the committee, to take any statement that I migh desire to make or to &C., cept from me any subsequent writ ten statement from me to the com- mittee.
 Did Not Use, Money.
 "I desire to advise yor' that I have carefully read the testimony which MT. Mclean gave today and that I indorse the accuracy of same. I will mony MT. Mclean had a conference with me and told him that, so far as I was concerned. it was my wish | that he answer freely. and, in this connection, I will say that 1t Is ah- solutely true that I did not finally use the money from MT. Mclean. which he expressed himself willing to give me, because I found that could readily obtain 1t from othei sources. I wish it thoroughly under stood that the source from which obtained the money which used was in no way connected with MT. Sin clair or in any way involved in any connection regarding the Teapot Dome, or any oil concession.
 Further than this, I would not care to go at the present time. tnas- much as am not in anything like the physical condition to stand the ordeal of an examination. It may be though, that I will desire to amplify this statement to yor' for the com mittee at a later date"
 Because of lack of funds, on ac- count of its heavy postwar expend-