New Britain herald., 1927-10-21
SINCLAIR JURY EXCUSED T0DAY;
 LAWYERS CLASH
Defense Would Block Admission Of Testimony Regarding
 Danger of Drainage
GOVERNMENT BATTLES
 THROUGH BIOLOGISTS

XAANV0VA VAV0VVIHXU " Progress Of Case Interrupted Con-
 tinually by Disputes Between At-
 toneys Over Property of Evidence
 Given by Heald, Among Those Let
 ters Represented as Having Ad-
 vised Fall.
 Washington Oct. 21 R-An at- tempt by the government to intro- duce parts of the testimony Harry F. Sinclair gave the senate oil in- vestigating committee brought the Teapot Dome oil conspiracy trial to an abrupt halt today, so far as the Jury was concerned.
 After a forenoon session devoted to testimony as to whether the Wy omlng naval oil reserve was in dan ger of drainage before Albert B. Fall. as secretary of the interior, leased 1t to Sinclair, the offering of the Sinclair testimony brought on an argument over it's admissibility which attorneys said would last all day and Justice Siddons excused the jury until Monday morning.
 Case Often Interrupted
 The progress of the case was in- terrupted continually today by dis putes between attorneys over the nf GN}J that given by K. C. Heald. a geolo- glst. who was represented as having told Fall there was no imminent danger of drainage. Heald's report was introduced, not as evidence of facts. Owen J. Roberts, special oil counsel, said. but to show that in- formation was before Fall at the time. The defense attacked Heald's report, and developed that he went to Teapot Dome to check up another report and remained there only an hour. Attempts to exclude the re- port failed on insistence of Roberts that 1t was not offered as evidence Of facts concerning drainage.
 At the outset of the trial today the defense placed before the jury correspondence between Fall and the late Senator Robert M. La- Toilette of Wisconsin concerning the naval reserves.
 Falls letter was dated April ,, 1922, three days after the lease was , signed, and it gave the first infor- nation that Teapot Dome had pass ed from government possession. He spoke of what he thought was the danger of drainage and added that it Is not the purpose to sell but simply to preserve oil above the ground If it cannot be preserved un- der the ground"
 Falls Statement
 Fall said also that military pur- poses were involved in the lease and that details could not be made public without the authority of the president, but he enclosed a memor- andum giving the high spots in the lease signed by Sinclair.
 It was after receipt of this letter than Senator LaFollette set in mo- tion machinery of the senate. the operation of which resulted in the sensational investigation of 1923-24.
 As the correspondence was read and as Smith continued his testi- mony, Fall appeared calmer than he did on yesterday when he startled attorneys and spectators by suddenly rising from his seat and addressing the court in an effort to have ad- mitted testimony he said was vital to his defense. He was watched closely by spectators who appar- entity were waiting some other dra- matic move on his part.
 Smith told the court that he sent geologist, K. c. Heald, to Teapot Dome at the suggestion of Fall to investigate reported danger of drain- age.
 ''Heald told Secretary Fall In my presence" said Dr. Smith. that there was no imminent danger of drainage in Teapot Dome. I do not remember that I did more at that time than to vouch for Heald.
 Three days later, went to Falls office with a written transcript of Heald's oral statement, which I gave the secretary. After that was not consulted by Fall about Teapot Dome at any time"
 Quizzed by Court
 Questioned by the court, Dr. Smith said Heald was sent to Tea pot Dome because of a report made in September, 1921. by Carl H. Wag- german. a. government geologist. that there was danger of drainage In Teapot Dome.
 Heald. who now is staff geologst of the Gulf Oil company. identified his report, which recommended against leasing the entire Teapot Dome reserve, but said there was some danger of drainage in the northern part. adjacent to the Sale Creek field.
 Martin w. Littleton of New York. of counsel for Sinclair, took up the cross examination for the first time in the trial. He developed that Waggerman was the geologist who ''laid out" Teapot Dome before its withdrawal in 1915 by President Wilson.
 Were you asked to do any par ticular thing when you were sent out to Teapot Dome?" Littleton in- qured.
 "1 was asked to prove or dis prove Waggcrman's map and report as 10 danger of drainage" Heald replied. The witness disclosed that the Waggarman report telling of drainage was in fact prepared by another geologist. He had no recol- lection that he saw that report in .l but ( L.