Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1924-03-25
Oil Magnate's Case as Well as
Son-in-law Fall Will Be
Heard April 10-Times Re-
porter Tells Where He Got
Story of Oil Stock Contribu-
tiOn to Republican Fund

: Washington. Mar. 24.-Harry F.
Sinclair. lessee of Teapot Dome, was
certified to the federal courts here
today by the senate for contempt
proceedings because of his refusal to
answer any further questions put by
the Oil investigators.
At the same time. another wit
ness, G. c. Chase, customs collector
at Ell Paso, and son-in-law of AL
bert B. Fall, also refused to testify
before the committee, taking the
position that his answers might tend
to incriminate him.
+ Special government counsel in the
oil cases returned to Washington
from the west. conferred with Pres
ident Coolidge and announced that
they would present the cases to a
grand jury here about April 10.
A subpoena was issued for Lewis
w. Baldwin, president of the EN-
pire Trust Company of New York,
from whom the committee will seek
to learn what collateral was used
to secure a note in that bank which
Will H. Hays, former chairman of
the Republican National committee,
has testified was paid off with a con-
tribution Of $4,000 from Sinclair.
Harold Vivian, u New York Times
reporter, told the Investigators that
Joseph J. O'Neiil. attached to Hays
New York. was authority for an ar
ticle written by him that it was
understood Hays would testify that
Sinclair had made large stock con-
tribution to help wipe out the ST.
100000 deficit of the Republican Ma
tional committee after the 1920
campaign.
Chairman I.add read into the
record a telegram from O'Neill deny
ing that he had authorized any such
statement. Vivian on the witness
stand declared this telegram was
almost in it's entirety false"
Carmi A. Thompson of Cleveland,
campaign manager in Ohio for Pres
ident Coolidge and q close friend of
the late President Harding, testified
that he knew nothing of any "oil
deals" at the Republican national
convention at Chicago in 1920.
* From Charles E. Oelschlager and
Michael Circelli, both of PhiladelN
phia, the committee received testi-
mony that Martin j. Powers, q
philadelphia attorney, had said that
he. James G. Darden and John Nc
Glynn. were interested in obtaining
lease of Teapot Dome and + that
they were to put up $4,000 each.
Powers denied that he was in any
way interested in the Wyoming nav
al reserve and asserted that other
stories told about him were 'igno-
minious lies"
w. w. Targeli, an oil operator of
New York. told the committee that
there had been q good deal Of sore
ness among representatives of oil
companies" over the lease of Tea
pot Dome and that n dozen COM
panies would have bid on that re-
serve.
Chase was on the witness stand
only a few minutes. To Senator
Walsh's inquiry whether he had
come east last fall. the witness re-
fused to answer and said he would
take the same position with respect
to all questions. Since he stood on
his constitutional grounds. as did
Fall when he last was before the
committee, no court action against
him will be proposed by the investi-
gators.
Chase had been referred to in
previous testimony for the purpose
of asking that Mckinney say he had
loaned Fall 100000. Mckinney re-
fused. according to his testimony,
and Fall obtained the cosent of Ed
ward B. Mel can, publisher of the
Washington Post, to say that he had
made such a loan.