The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1927-10-25
PICTURE FALL
GUARDING U. 5.
OIL INTERESTS
Spared Constantly in Be-
half of Government, Lease
Witness Says.
DEAL AT ARMS LENGTH
Pure Business Transaction
by Secretary, Sinclair,
Expert Asserts.
BY HERBERT LITTLE e

United Press STAN Correspondent
WASHINGTON,AO ct. 25.-Former
Secretary of Interior Albert d. Fall
was setched in court today as hav-
ing spared constantly in the Gov
ernment's behalf while signing the
Teapot Dome naval oil reserve over
to Harry F. Sinclair.
= Lawyers for Sinclair and Fall, who
are seeking to disprove charges that
the two made the lease in plot to
defraud the Government, definitely
painted Fall as attempting to guard
the Nations every interest in the
lease negotiations.
BY lengthy cross-examination of
A. w. Ambrose, one of the oil ex-
perts who in 1922 helped Fall draft
the lease, the defense elected a
statement from Ambrose to the eff
feet that it was business transac-
ton" with Fall and Sinclair dealing
at arms length.
Argument OH Lease
A deposition by the late j. w.
Zevely, Sinclair attorney, stating
that Fall and Sinclair talked about
the Teapot Dome lease at Falls
ranch New Years day, 1922, was
produced by the Government.
Thereupon the defense produced a
cross examination deposition in
which Zevely said there was argu-
ment between the Teapot Dome
lease negotiators on nearly every
part of the lease"
Ambrose said he did not know
whether Fall or Secretary of the
Navy DENLY was chiefly responsible
for the lease. The prosecution pre-
sentation Of Zevely's testimony
stated that Secretary Fall decided
the controversial question Of the
lease.
William E. Leahy. Falls attorney,
after comforting with his client,
asked Ambrose a half dozen queS-
tions which were blocked by govern
ment objections. In them Leahy
sought to show that Fall late in
1921 received information from the
bureau of mines bureau in Denver.
Decision by Fall
Prosecutor Owen j. Roberts, on
redirect examination, asked Am
brose if he had been asked for any
opinion on how much of Teapot
Dome should be leased.
mo-" the witness said.
"Who made the decision that the
whole reserve was to be leaSed?"
GAS far as I know it was Secretary
Fall" Ambrose said. The defense
vain1y sought to have the answer
stricken from the record.
George P. Hoover, Sinclair attor-
ney, asked if Fall, at a conference
with the Government oil experts,
did not ask Admiral Robson what
are you going to do about that?"
and if Robson did not say he was
going to urge Secretary of the Navy
DENLY to lease the lands.
Ambrose said he did not remem-
Der.
"As a matter Of fact" Hoover said,
"you don't know whether Fall or
DENLY made the lease?"
"No," the witness said.
After Ambrose was excused, for
mer Senator Atlee Pomerene, Gov
eminent lawyer, read to the court
the testimony of the late j. w.
zevely, Sinclair lawyer, who accom-
panied the oil man to Falls Three
Rivers, N. NJ, ranch, where the lease
was discussed early in 1922.
Both sides had agreed to the
reading of the evidence. In it,
zevely said Teapot Dome was dis
cussed at the meeting.
Zevely, after whom the famous
race horse "Zev" was named, told
in his dispositions Of the lease nego-
tiations for the lease, saying most
of the meetings were in Falls office
and Zevely's Washington office.
Secretary Fall decided questions
on which there was any controversy,
zevely's statement said.
Back and Forth Fight
Defense Chief Martin Littleton
read a transcript of the cross-ex-
animation of zevely on the same
matter. In this Zevely told of sew
eral divisions between the parties.
EFT was a mutual back and forth
transactions, wasn't it?" zevely was
asked. His answer was: Eyes"
Zevely also said there was argu-
ment among company and govern
ment negotiators on nearly every
part of the lease"
G. T. Stanford, lawyer for Sin
clair's Mammoth Oil Company, who
also helped in drafting the lease,
was called and asked for a list of
his conpany's stockholders.
Sinclair owned all but ten of to-
tai of 1,001 500 shares, Stanford said.
PASTORS ENTERTAINED