The Washington times., 1928-11-13
STEWAR 7 8
PERJURY
TRIAL To
Co ON
BY GEORGE e. DURNO
international News service

The perjury trial of Robert w.
Stewart, Standard Oil magnate,
swung into its second day today
with an atmosphere of tension per-
vading the courtroom.
Grave charges which would imply
that some unknown influence had
sought to tamper with the jury lay
before Justice Jennings Bailey, and
investigators attached to the district
attorneys office were running down
several clues in an effort to ascer-
tain who the mysterious person was
who approached veniremen of the
jury panel Sunday with request to
''hold out on the case.
Jury Locked Up
Meanwhile, the jury of nine men
and three women finally selected to
try Colonel Stewart. had spent a
night in a local hotel under the
watchful eyes Of three deputy mar
shals. Justice Bailey had ordered
them locked up after the disclosures
of Robert Caldwell, the prospective
juror who was approached. They
will remain in custody for the dura-
tion of the trial.
Frank j. Hogan, chief defense at.
torney. readily admitted he. had had
the jury panel looked up" 1t
was in the customary way, how
ever. he said, Nthrough a credit
company. 1T is not customary for
credit concerns to approach subjects
of inquiry personally, and Hogan
was most emphatic in the state.
hnA
dered any such approach. The in
quiry, he said, was merely for the
purpose Of giving the defense at
torneys a line on the characters
tics and social status of the ve-
niremen.
Loan Agency List
On a chance, however, District
Attorney Leo Rover's men We're
looking into the methods employed
by the agency, and also were scan
ming all the agency's employees to
see if any fitted the description Of
the Young man. who went to-
Caldwe1l's house.
Caldwell and his wife were sched.
uled for a visit to the District
Attorneys office, where they will
be asked to amplify the circum-
stanc of the mysterious call. The
venireman also ust decide exactly
what his visitor said. In court he
told Justice Bailey the man had
asked him ito hold out in this
case" In the corridors later, Ca1d.
we'll told newspaper men he had
been asked If he was "going to
stick with the others
Wife Backs Story
10
do with religion, as Caldwell told
reporters his caller had asked him
IL he were Catholic, Both Colonel
Stewart and Hogan, his lawyer, are
Catholics.
Mrs. Caldwell when seen at her
home, said:
'.The young man said that he
was a Catholic and came to Mr..
Caldwell because he was a Catholic
also. He then explained his mis-
sion and Mr.. Caldwell ordered him
out of the house. Mr.. Caldwell is
not a Catholic, but a Presbyterian,
although l am Catholic
The man gave his name to Cald.
well as "McGinnis.' One man, a
young local lawyer by that name,
already has confronted the yenire-
man and proved not to be the per-
son wanted.
Second Oil Jury Scandal
This Is the second criminal case
arising from the oil scandals of the
Harding Administration in which
intimations of jury tampering have
figured. The first conspiracy trial
of Harry F. Sinclair, millionaire oil
operator, came to an abrupt end
when it was found Sinclair had en-.
gagged the Burns Detective Agency
to trail the jury, and Sinclair and
others received Jail sentences for
contempt of court.
While the investigation of the
Caldwell episode continued on the
outside, Justice Bailey proceeded
with the trial proper. Stewart is
charged with having sworn falsely
to q Senate committee about his
connection with the activities of
an oil company that figured in the
lease scandals and the prosecution
planned to put its first witnesses
on the stand today.