Evening star., 1927-10-17
Jury TENTATIVELY
SELECTED TOTRY
FALL AND SINCLAIR
Box Filled This Afternoon in
Teapot Dome Oil Fraud
Case.
BOTH SIDES PREPARING
TO EXERCISE CHALLENGES
More Talesmen May Be Called Be-
fore Final Choice Is
Made.

Secretary Albert B. Fall of the In
4arior DEPARTMENT and Harry F. Sin
clair. New York oil magnate, charged
with conspiracy to defraud the Gov
eminent in connection with the lease
of Teapot Dome, which opened In
Criminal Division 2, was filled with
~ prospective jurors at 2:SO O'Clock
this afternoon, after 20 talesmen and
women had been examined.
AS soon as the twelfth chair was
filled the Government, through United
States Attorney Peyton Gordon, exer'
cised the first of it's 10 peremptory
challenges by excusing George Frager,
23.year-old hardware store clerk, OF
142 Carroll street southeast.
Inasmuch as 19 peremptory chal'
1enees remain to be exercised by Doth
defendants and the Government, the
nresent composition of the jury box
NAV be materially changed before the
final Jurors are determined upon.
This afternoon five talesmen were
examined. Two of them were
cbaIlanped for cause, one of these
being a woman. Miss Laura +. GIL.
man. 2515 Hall place, secretary ana
assistant treasurer of the Institute or
Economics. declared she had t1Xed
oninion on the case which would be
difficult to change and she was forth
with challenged for cause by the Gov
hrnment. The other talesman excused
was Ralph P. Gibson, 1854 New Hamp-
shire avenue, an electrical contractor
who likewise had an opinion on the
case.
Three Chosen This Afternoon.
This left Joseph j. H. Joholske. 81
wears old, al Claiming street north
: east, painter; Harry Katz, auto ac-
cessory dealer, 514 Four-and-a-half
street southwest, and Julius Hensen,
S5 years old, GOT Otis place, tester
for the Chesapeake & Potomac Tele-
phone Co.
Under circumstances rivaling in
their intensity the scenes enacted in
fhe same courtroom 10 months ago,
trial got off to afying start this morn
This second trial in the criminal
procedure brought by the Government
was opened amid a scene almost iden-
teal to that which characterized the
Initial trial when Edward L. Doheny
of Los Angeles stood as the defendant
before the bar beside former Secretary
Fall.
Just before Justice Siddons, who is
presidiug over Criminal Court No. 2.
I'm place of Justice A. A. Hoehling,
the trial Judge OF 10 months age. ap-
peared in the courtroom the defend
ants and the array of counsel on both
sides had assembled.
Separated by two associate counsel,
Mr.. Fall and Mr.. Sinclair, the two
central figures in this drama, sat be-
: hind the counsel table facing the
bench.
Mr.. Fall is suffering from cold and
sheltered himself with an overcoat,
which he held clutched tightly across
his breast. Mr.. Sinclair strangely un'
like the diminutive Doheny who sat
with hand cupping his ear during most
of the previous trial, appeared quite
at ease and converSed freely with his
counsel.
Wives of both defendants were in
j court today.
The first dramatic touch to the pro.
ceedings came at 1920 o'clock, just be.
fore the recess, when Owen j. Roberts.
one of the chief counsel for the Gov.
ernment, called for the appearance of
II. NJ. Blackmer, who was at the time
Of the leasing of Teapot Dome, chair
man of the board of the Midwest he.
fining Co. Blackmer has been absent
in Europe since the beginning of the
Senate investigation Of the oil matter,
more than three years ago.
BIackmer's Absence Noted.
When the chief Government witness
failed to answer to his name, ex-Gov.
Nathan Miller of New York, as one of
his counsel, attempted to explain his
absence. Mr.. Roberts. however, de-
H. IL \ o. srnf.,
that and meant merely for the record
to show that Blackmer did not re-
Spond to his name.
According to Associated Press ad-
vices today from Paris, Blackmer was
comfortably established in one OF
Paris leading hotels. as the pending
trial opened.
1T is evident / won't be in court
when the trial opens," he is quoted
as having said, Il have no statement
TO make, none at ALL.
1t developed today that Mr.. Roberts
will not move to cite Blackmer in con
tempt of court for failing to answer
court summons served on him ir
Paris. He indicated that later on he
would take the necessary steps to &C,
under the Walsh act to seize Black
1ner's property because of his failure
to answer the courts summons.
An array of counsel assembled al
this trial forecasts q legal battle
which may continue for five or sis
weeks before the jury is ready t.
render its verdict.
Mai. Gordon There.
At the Government table sat MAJ
1seyton Gordon, United States dist-ic
attorney. who identified the case t
the prospective jurors, owen j. Rob
ePts of Philadelphia and forme
Senator Atlee Pomerene, chief coun
sci in the oil prosecutions, ant
George G. Chandler and other assist
ants.
Attorney Martin w. Littleton o
New York, a former member of Con
eress and noted criminal lawyer, an
George p. Hoover, one of the leader
of the local bar. appeared for Sin
clair. Counsel for Fall consisted
William Z. Leahy of Washington an
Mark B. Thompson of New Mexico
an old friend of Mr.. Falls, who par
ticipated in the previous trial.
Despite the absence of BlackmeI
nv whose testimony Government
counsel had hoped to strengthel
their case against Fail and Sinclair
the lack of this testimony viii nc
seriously affect the outcome. accord
ing to the Government attorneys.
sThe same old courtroom and tn
.saxnA old scene," one of the attache
remarked as the few fortunate spects
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