New Britain herald., 1928-02-04
ARREST STEWART
 FOR KEEPING MUM
Teapot Dome Witness 0rdaa
 to Tell Of OH Lass

Washington, Feb. { R-Held un. der arrest by the senate because he refused to give its Teapot Dome committee certain desired informa- tion. Robert W. Stewart. Indiana Standard Oil official, stood at a crossroads today. deciding course of action.
 One path led to the bar of the senate where. in the custody of deputy sergeant at-arms who re- mained with him all night. he was ordered to appear to maintain or abandon his refusal of yesterday to tell the oil committee what he knows of deposition made of profits of the Continental Trading Co. of Canada.
 | The other led to the District of Columbia courts and recourse to habeas corpus proceedings by which he might sue to escape the senate's clutch upon him.
 Should Stewart elect to face the senate and cling to his refusal to an- swer. the senate then would have to decide whether or order him to Jail for contempt or turn his case over to the courts. If the senate itself sentences Stewart, he still would have recourse to the courts with habeas corpus action that would bring before the legal bar the ques- tion whether the senate in fact holds power of Imprisonment.
 Stewart. who is chairman of the board of the Indiana Standard, was arrested at his hotel last night soon after the senate. with dramatic swiftness, ordered it by adopting | resolution presented by 6enatoe Walsh. democrat. Montana, prosecu- tor of the renewed oil inquiry by the lands committee.
 Promptly then, David s. Barry, the sergeant-at-arms. and his deputy. John McGrain. went to Stewards hotel. the Willard. Be- hind locked doors they took the oil man into custody.
 It was over ill q few minutes. Barry emerged but McGrain stayed in the room, as is cust tomary in such SdoCe VHCIl iIuIliCuitlC u iIlSlVI lO d jsil Is not made.
 Barry announced that Stewart had been nice and agreeable" and would make no trouble" He said the oil magnate was 'calm and cool when We served the warrant" l The arrest and senate action cap- ped a tense day before the oil com mittee where Stewart, with renewed flashes of temper and jocularity, per sisted in his declination to relate his knowledge of Liberty Bond trans actions of the Continental company. which already in testimony have in- volved payments by Harry +. Sin clair, Teapot Dome lessee, to Albert B. Fall, former interior secretary. He based his refusal on the ground that the case is at issue in the courts and that his testimony should be given before a jury. No amount of hammering by committee members could shake his determina- ton to Ssilent. He talked freely about all phases of the inquiry except that concerning the disposi- tioi ilduc Ol tuc COuiphIy piOliH from its contract to buy oil from the fields of the late F. A. Humph- reys of Denver, md sell it to tho Standard and other companies, in some of which Sinclair is interested. The arrest of Stewart offers parallel with the case of Sinclair. who likewise was held in contempt of the senate for refusal to testify. In the Sinclair case, however. the senate turned his case over to the District of Columbia courts, and he now is under a three months sen- tence. Senator Walsh desires that this time the senate itself sentence because it offers quicker action.
 Having thus surrendered Stewart to the custody of the senate. the oil committee turned today to other witnesses in the hope tha they would be able to throw some light on the Canadian company's dealings. An unidentified witness. an official of the Prairie Oil and Gas company. was summoned for the morning session. along with other prominent figures in the oil inquiry.