Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-12-17
SERVED
CONTEMPT ORDER
Missing Oil Witness Gets
Papers in Paris in FALL
Sinclair Case.

II NJ. Blackmer, missing witness in
the Fall-Sinclair oil conspiracy trial,
has been served with an order of the
Supreme Court of the District of Co
lumbia citing him to show cause why
no should not be adjudged guilty of
contempt and 100000 of his property
forfeited. He was served in Paris De-
cember S.
Blackmer, former chairman of the
boa.l of the Midwest Refining Co..
summoned as a witness in the con-
spiracy trial in October failed to APP
near. Government counsel, acting
under the law sponsored by Senator
Walsh. Democrat. Montana, prosecu-
tor of the oil investigation, asked that
he be cited TO show cause why $4,000
of his property should not be seized.
Counsel for Blackmer deposited Lib
erty bonds to that amount in Wash
ington bank, and they were seized by
the Government. Blackmer was no
titled to appear in court January +.
when the return on the contempt
citation will be made.
The citation and order were served
on t0laCkIlleT DN kTeOl &c Otls 2AiliGi ia IL
consul, at Hotel Plaza Athena.
Case Adjourned to Monday.
Sessions of the contempt proceed
ings growing out of the shadowing OF
the Jury in the Fall Sinclair oil con-
spiracy case stood adjourned today
until Monday morning.
Under a recess agreement, the six
respondents in the contempt pro-
ceedings and the Is Burns detectives
held here as witnesses since open
ing of the case two weeks ago may
return TO their homes to spend
Christmas and New Year day. Upon
the suggestion of Martin w. Little
ton of counsel for Harry f. Sinclair,
the court decided before adjournment
yesterday to permit a recess from
December % until January 2. 1t was
one motion. at least, during the Two
weeks of acrimonious arguments
which the Government did not seek
to oppose.
In view of the holiday recess, 1t
is likely that the contempt proceed
ings will continue until a few days
before January 16, the date set by
Justice Frederick L. Siddorls for the
retrial of the Teapot Dome case.
That case will require fully a month
and the Teapot Dome criminal ac-
tion. which started early in October
is likely TO set a new endurance rec
ord in the District courts.
Will Call Other Burns Men.
When the contempt proceedings are
resumed Monday the Government
will call other Burns operatives as
witnesses in its endeavor to SUBJ
stantiate its charges that the surveil-
lance was for the purpose Of intimi-
dating and influencing the action OF
the Teapot Dome jurors. Despite ad-
missions that inquiries had been made
into the credit standing of one of the
Jurors and that the parents OF Ed
ward j. Kidwell, jr., had been ap-
preached, the Government has been
unable to prove thus far that any one
of the IL jurors under surveillance
had been approached by Burns de-
tective. 4
While the Government was success
full yesterday in barring from the
record conversation that took place
between Operative Frank J. O'Relly
and the parents Of Juror Kidweu, the
ruling on at least one occasion. One
question put by the defense. tending
to establish that the trip to the Kid
well home had no direct relation 70
the juror himself, got into the record
with an answer and without being
stricken out by the court.
Charles A. Douglas, counsel for
William ]. Burns, asked O'Reilly:
did you on the occasion of this
trip to Anacostia make any inquiry
of anybody whatsoever, between the
time you went to Anacostia and the
time you returned from Anacostia.
about Juror Kidwell?"
st did not" replied O'Reilly.
Detective Is Reticent.
James j. O'Leary, assistant United
States attorney, tried in vain to have
the answer stricken from the record.
holding ii was not permissible under
the previous ruling Of the court. The
court held, however, the question was
not designed to elicit any portion of
the conversation which the operative
had.
A Burns detective on the stand just
before court adjourned was reluctant
to affirm under oath the absolute &C
curacy of reports he had submitted
to his superiors on the shadowing OF
Jurors Kidwell and Gardner p. Gren-
fell. The operative was Martin
Stewart, who had been assigned to,
trail the jurors on different days.
Unlike O'Reilly, whose remark
able memory" which the defense held
was due to persistent coaching by
the district attorneys office. cause
comment from the bench, Stewart
prefaced most of his answers as TO
whether statements in his reports
were correct with remarks that he
couldn't recollect or that they were
accurate so far as he could remem-
Der. He even refused to say definitely
that his reports identifying Grenteil
were true, declaring the man he
Swallowed was man ne peneVeo 10
have been the juror.
Jurors Examined.
Preparatory to Monday session
number of witnesses. including three
of the Jurors, were examined TINS
morning in the District attorneys or
fee.
Don King, local newspaper man
and ]. Ray Akers, former street. car
conductor, whose affidavits to the Ell.
feet that Juror Kidwell had discussed
the Teapot Dome trial with them'
were among those examined.
Juror Kidwell himself was present
on this occasion. but no reason was
given for the examination OF the wit
nesses. Conrad j. Herzog and Gard
ner T. Grenfell, two other Teapot
Dome Jurors, also were questioned by
the Government attorneys.