New Britain herald., 1928-02-06
SENATE COMMITTEE
 LEARNS BUT LITTLE
Makes Futile Effort to Get Teapot
 Dome Information
EXAMINES TWO WITNESSES

Chilled by Senators Walsh and
 Bratton Yield Nothing of substan-
 tial Value.
 Washington. Feb. 6 R-Two ad- witnesses were examined to- day by the senate Teapot Dome com mittee in futile effort to throw light on the famous Continental oil deal which Senator Walsh, of Mon- tana. described as traught with sus- picion at every turn.
 Wickershaw Appointed
 Having appointed George W. Wickershaw. former attorney gen. eral. to represent it in the court tangle growing out of the refusal of Robert w. Stewart, of the Standard Oil company of Indiana. to answer questions on the subject, the com- mittee sought without success in a short session too obtain evidence as to the disposition of the huge profits of the concern. It is charged that AL bert s. Fall received $233.OO0 in Lib erty bonds through the Continental Trading company after he leased Teapot Dome to Harry F. Sinclair.
 Witnesses Testify
 Sheldon Clark, of Chicago. vice president of the Sinclair Refining company. and H. L. Phillips, of Tulsa, Okla., president of the Sim clair Crude Oil Purchasing com pany, were today's witnesses. The questioning was concerned mainly with the deal whereby the crude owned jointly by the stan dard Of Indiana and the Sinclair in terests. bought oil from the Conti- mental at $7.75 a barrel almost si- simultaneously with the latter com- pany's purchase of it at &1.50. Neither could give the committee any great amount of detailed infor- 
 Finally, Senator Walsh. of Mon- tana. the committee prosecutor. brought the session to a close with one of the questions which Stewart refused to answer, even in the face of a contempt charge.
 What. if anything. do you know about the disposition of the bonds of the Continental Trading company" he asked.
 T know nothing about them" Phillips, who was on the stand, re- piled.
 Stewart Up Tomorrow
 Stewart will be given hearing to- morrow on the writ of habeas cor pus by which he was snatched from the custody af the senate. Mean- while, it .s expected grand jury &C., tion will be sought against him dur ing the week by the office of the dis trict attorney.
 Chairman Nye, of the oil commit tee. announced today that sub poena had been served on G. s. Ta- Der, Jr.. former president of the Sin clair Crude company. and that Taber would be here tomorrow.
 Sheldon Clarke. of Chicago. vice president of the Sinclair Refining company. the first witness, told the committee that he knew nothing of the Continental company or the dis position of its bonds.
 "Is your company the owner of any of the bonds in question ?' asked Senator Walsh.
 T could not tell you off.hand," Clarke said. but I think not
 Phillips Called
 H. l.. Phillips, of Tulsa, Okla, president of the Sinclair Crude Oil Purchasing company. was next called. Asked about the whereabouts of G. s. Taber. Jr., president of the Sinclair company at the time that company bought one-half of 33,333,- 333 barrels of oil from the Continen- tai company. Phillips said he is now in Pittsburgh. The oil was bought for $1.50 a barrel, on the guarantee of Harry Sinclair and Stewart. and was immediately resold to Stewart and Sinclair companies for $1.75..
 Phillips could not recall whetfier the board had before it the supple mental contract by which the com- panies purchasing the oil from the Continental-the Sinclair crude and the Prairie Oil and Gas company guaranteed to the late A. E. Hum- phreys that the Continental would fulfill it's agreement to purchase and pay for the S3,333.333 barrels of oil.
 W Don't Know
 "Well, let us get to something you may know something about" the committee prosecutor suggested, as he asked about the purchase by the Sinclair Crude and the Prairie Oil of the Continental contract in 1923 for $400.000 when it still had a potential value of $5,oo0,oo0.
 The witness said that before the purchase he had conference in New York city with H. g. Osler. of Toronto, president Of the Continen- tai company, who obtained the con- cCAlI ol NhC dll SdS SoIhPdhS to the agreement.
 How was the S4oo,N0o price ar rived at?" Walsh asked.
 'I do not know" Phillips replied. agreeing. however, that 1t was ''an extraordinary transaction"
 Describing the meeting of the di- rectors of the Sinclair Crude Oil. at which the contract with the Conti- mental was approved, Phillips said that both Stewart and Sinclair were present. Stewart represented the Standard Oil of Indiana. which owns one-half of the Sinclair Crude stock. and Sinclair represented the S.n- clair Consolidated. which owns the other half
 Phillips testified that he, as direc- tor of the Sinclair Crude, ratified the Continental contract with little or no investigation.
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