Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-25
RIVAL COUNSEL IN OIL CASE
MAY SEEK MISSING WITNESSES
Pomerene and Leahy in Europe; Former
Hopes to Bring Back Two to Testify on
Conspiracy Charges.

News that rival counsel in the
| forthcoming Fall.Sinclair oil con.
| spiraCy trial are in Europe, where
two witnesses long sought by the
Government are still in hiding led to
much speculati ton in Washington polit.
| zeal circles today over events bearing
on the last of the sensational cases
growing out OF the Teapot Dome in
vcStiRati0n.
The two witnesses, whose testimony
the Government considers highly i'm
portant In prosecuting the case, are
Harry NJ. Blackmer, former chairman
of the board of the Midwest Refining
Co, and James Il. O'Neill, former
president of the Prairie Oil and Gas
co. The rival counsel in this inter
national game of hide and seek" are
former Senator Atlee Pomerene of
special counsel for the Government
and William r.. Lcahy of Washington,
one of the attorneys for Albert r.
Fall, the former Secretary Of the In
terror, who is a principal defendant
in the trial.
Before leaving Washington early
last week, Senator Pomerene let it be
| known to associates here that he
nODen DTI1S Ddth Will nm tiic b"O
missing witnesses, the absence of
! whose testimony was one reason why
| the Government sought n delay last
| Winter when the Fall-Sinclair case
came up before Justice Hitz in the
| District Supreme Court. If he sue
| cecds he will have to his credit some
| thing which Government servers OF
| subpoenas have failed to accomplish
| during the last two or three years.
Just what the real purpose Of Mr..
| Leahy's Journey to Europe is, no one
| here seems to know exactly. Rumor
! has it that Falls counsel got wind Of
| the fact that Mr.. POmerene was benz
upon stalking the two missing wit
nesses and decided to reach them first.
At any rate, Mr.. Leahy got a two
weeks start on his rival, and if the
hiding places of the witnesses, Black
| mer and O'Neill. is his objective, it is
| more than likely that he will reach
there ahead of Mr.. Pomerene.
At Mr.. Leahy's office today no one
could shed any light on the coinci,
dence that he and Mr.. Pomerene both
happen to be in Europe at the same
time. George p. Hoover of defense
| counsel said that if Leahy went to
Europe for the purpose OF consulting
with the two witnesses, he knew moth.
| ing about it.
Will Return Next Month.
According TO Mr.. Hoover, the testi-
mony of either Blackmer or sO'Neill
could not be detrimental to the de-
Tense case and there was no reason
why the defense should seek to block
their return to this country to testify
| at the October trial. 1t was said here
by associates of Mr.. Leahy that the
attorney had no particular destina
ton, so far as known, and would so
all over Europe. He is expected to
return here next month.
Whether Mr.. Pomerene has any
definite knowledge Of the present
whereabouts of the two witnesses so
earnestly sought by the Government
he did not make known here before
his departure. Blackmer is supposed
TO be in Monaco, or at least he was
there when his passport was Cancelled
by the State Department. AS for Mr..
O'Neill, the last heard from him was
! in Czechoslovakia Government Off.
Gals apparently do not know the
exact location of either, except that
they are somewhere in Europe"
| Aside from attempting to persuade
the witnesses to return to the United
states 1t Is apparent that there is
little that Senator Pomerene can do.
lie cannot take dispositions from
either. as the Constitution provides
that the defendant in a criminal ca
must be faced by witnesses who give
testimony, though the defense itself
could take dispositions in the present
case.
If Mr.. Leahy cares to confer with
Mr.. Blackmer and Mr.. O'Neill. if this
is possible, it was explained here that
such q course would be entirely