Evening star., 1927-05-20
Magnate Appeals From Sen
tence, Including 3-Month
Imprisonment.
UPPER COURT HEARING
RESTS WITH DEFENSE
Next Step in Case May Not Be
Heard Before January, if Sum-
mer Rule Intervenes.

Harry F. Sinclair, oil ma9nate of
New York, was sentenced today by
Justice William Hitz of the District
Supreme Court to pay a fine of $500
and to serve three months in the Dis
trict Jail for contempt of the United
States Senate in refusing to answer
four questions propounded to him dur
ing the oil investigation in 1924. He
noted an appeal to the District Court
of Appeals and gave bail of $4,000
pending a hearing in the appellate
tribunal.
United States Attorney Peyton Cor
don moved for sentence at the con-
vening of court and Attorney Martin
Lttleton of New York, of defense
counsel, made short statement, de-
claring that he had advised MIR. Sin
clair that as the law stood i'll 1924
Congress had no power to compel the
attendance of witnesses. This view
of the law, he pointed out. was adopt
ed by Judge Cochran in Ohio when
he dismissed the service of the Sem
ate subpoena on NAL Daugherty. The
United States Supreme Court, Little
tom said Wrestled with the PROPOSE
ton for more than two years before
reaching the decision upholding the
power of Congress.
Appeal Is Noted.
The lawyer pointed out that there
was no moral turpitude involved in
the refusal of his client, on his
advice, to answer the Senate ques-
tions, and that the misdemeanor of
which Sinclair had been convicted was
a technical violation of law and a
1.N,
court not to impose sentence that
would bring the blush of shame to
Sinclair and be q reflection on his
family.
Attorney George z. Hoover, when
asked by the court if he wanted to
supplement the remarks of Col. Little
ton, declared he had nothing to say.
Sinclair was then called on by the
court and said he had nothing further
to add. He remained standing while
the court referred briefly 10 the de-
cision in the Nal Daugherty case as
binding on him. and announced the
sentence of $500 fine and imprison-
mcnt for three months.
Attorney Hoover gave notice of the
appeal. aud. the bail bond being ar
ranged, the parties left the courtroom.
Sentence Is Surprise.
The question of when the case will
be heard in the Court of Appeals will
depend entirely on counsel for the
defense. They have 20 days in which
to prepare the record on appeal and
80 days in which to docket the case i'll
the appellate tribunal. Should they
desire to expedite the hearing by de-
clning to take advantage of the Sum-
mer rule of the court, the case might
be prepared for hearing by the Novem-
Der term. Under the Summer rule
counsel could delay filing their brief
until October, in which event hear
ing prior to next January would be
unlikely.
The sentence caused some surprise
at the Courthouse, where 1t was
generally regarded that the term of
imprisonment would not be made to
exceed the minimum of one month
which had been imposed in the case
of Elverton K. Chapman, the New
York stock broker sentenced for con-
tempt Of the Senate in 1896. The fine
of $500 was the general guess about
the building. but the predictions as
to the term of Imprisonment varied
from one month to four months.
Accompanying Mr.. Sinclair to court.
was A. l.. Watts, representative of the
DAIitldlI VII CtiIiiJctlI4CS III AICA1SOs wiz
recently left that country.
The four questions which Sinclair,
on advice of Martin w. Littleton. his
counsel in the trial and also at the
time Of his appearance before the
Senate committee March %, 1924.
refused to answer, and as they ap-
peared in the indictment, each being
embodied in a count, are:
Senator Walsh-Mr. Sinclair, I
desire to interrogate you about a
matter concerning which the COM
mittee had no knowledge of or reliable
information at the time when you had
heretofore appeared before the com
mittee and with respect to which you
must then have had knowledge, l
refer to the testimony given by Mr..
Bonfils concerning a contract that
you made with him touching the
Teapot Dome. l wish you would tell
us about that.
Senator Walsh-SinCe you were on
the stand last, John c. Shaffer told
us about an agreement between your
self and Secretary Fail. under which
Mr.. Shaffer was. to receive from you
certain portion of the territory
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