Imperial Valley press. (El Centro, Calif.) 1907-current, 1927-10-18
FALL AND
SINCLAIR
ON TRIAL
Former Cabinet Officer
and Wealthy Oil Opera
tor Face Conspiracy
JU RY COMPLETED
Two Women on Jury
Which Is to Decide Tea
pot Dome Case.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1s. - Two
women and 10 men from varying
walks Or life settled down in the
District of Columbia Supreme Court
box shortly after noon today as the
jury to decide whether Albert b.
Fall and Harry +. Sinclair conspred
to defraud the government.
\ few minutes later Owen j. Rob
erts, chief government counsel, open
ed with speech in which was out,
lined the conspiracy' he expects
to prove in connection with Fall $
leasing of the lannon's Teapot Dome
Oil Reserve to Sinclair's Mammoth
Oil company.
This marked the real opening of
the criminal prosecution of the two
men. The lease was signed in 1922.
Fall, thin and old looking coughed
during the proceedings.
He had suffered high fever during
yesterdays initial day of the pro.
ceedings and the necessity of post.
poning today's session was feared
for time.
Sinclair, more srurdilv built
showed no trace of worry as Roberts,
a former school dean, leaned on a
desk and talked in friend Ito friend
manner to the jury. The latter, ad.
averaging 40 years, showed a sprink.
ling of bald heads to match Sin
clair 8. The oldest member was g.
the youngest 90. The women did
not give their ages, but each looked
about 50.
Charges Conspiracy
The II were selected yesterday
and this morning after a total of "a
veniremen,. including four women
had been called.
The government, outlining its
ease, told the jury today it would
attempt to prove that former Sec
rotary of the interior Fall and
Harry +. Sinclair conspired to de
fraud the government when Fall
leased the Teapot Dome Reserve Ia
Sinclair's Mammoth Oil company in
1929.
Roberts told the two women and
10 men jurors that the lease by Fall
to Sinclair was linked with transfer
of nearly 100000 worth of Liberty
Bonds from Sinclair to Fall through
n "chain Of secrecy. private deal
ing and faVoritism, between the
government official and citizen.
Roberts said the government
would show that, Sinclair visited
Falls New Mexico ranch three
months before the lease was granted
and that later Liberty Bonds, parts
of the profits of an oil deal in which
both defendants were allegedly in
volved, were found in possession of
Falls ranch manager.
Defense Outlined
Martin w. Littleton of the de-
Tense lawyers, said he and his col
leagues would furnish the "othcr
side of the (Teapot lcasc) picture
to make it complete.
He described the growing need of
the navy for fuel oil. to be drilled
from its reserves, and cited as a
precedent for the Teapot lease the
leasing by President Wilson s secre-
tary Of interior on March 3, 1921,
of G400 acres of Salt Creek oil land
immediately north of the Teapot
Reserve.
The leases on this land required
drilling, he pointed out, adding 4
short exposition of how oil could be
drained from underneath land by
nearby wells.
The indications were the defense
would set up plea that the lease
was vital so other fields would not
get all the oil by drainage.
Littleton also indicated that his
side would try to show that former
Secretary of the Navy DENLY was
the original proponent of the lease
Such a defense would tend to take
some or all of the responsibility
from Falls shoulders.