The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-04-19
KEEPING UP
With
THE NE WIS
BY LUDWELL DENNY


i started at the bottom, who be-
came a high Government official,
who made a mistake and was driven
from public life. The story of a
man who returned willing to take
all the blame to save an associate
from prison, and they drove him
away.
They would not listen. So he
failed again, and he dragged him
self back to his obscurity, a little
dazed and wondering in his mind
Just as he never had been sure what
it was all about.
Perhaps you remember DENLY. A
big fellow, hearty, always laughing.
People liked him, he was so willing.
They elected him to Congress. 4
When the war came, of course he
went right in. And as private,
though everyone said he could nave
obtained a commission if he had
tried. After the war, he saw more
or less of his friend Mr.. Harding.
When Harding went to Washington
as President, he went, too, as secre-
tary Of the Navy.
Pretty soon, something came up
about transferring naval oil reserves
to the secretary of the interior, Mr..
Fall. That seemed all right, any
way it was what the admirals and
his friends wanted, so he did it.
After that everything went to
pieces. There was scandal, charges
of bribery and corruption. 1t seemed
that Mr.. Fall had leased the Teapot
reserve to Mr.. Sinclair, and taken
money from him for some reason.
The Senate began investigating.
Finally there was such hue and
cry. the public got excited and-they
said he and the others had done
something crooked. OF course he re-
signed. That was the only thing to
do, they said.
YESTERDAY he came back 10
! Washington to tell jury that
his friend, Fall, was not to blame;
that he, himself. had decided the
reserves should be leased because
the admirals thought there might
be war with Japan ard the oil was
needed above ground.
He was to be the star witness for
the Sinclair defense, and clear both
the oil man and Fall whom they
said was dying down in FL Paso.
He climbed I'D into the witness
chair, slowly, heavily. 1t was high,
it took a lot of strength. Perhaps
he was getting old, or maybe just
tired. He would smile anyway, just
to show them that
The Government attorney was
speaking: Yes, he was saying to the
Judge, he objected to DENLY testify
ing because it would be irrelevant
and have no bearing on the case.
That was queer. Hadn't they let
him testify in the Fall-Doheny case
and hadn't his testimony helped
bring an acquittal? How was per-
son to understand, indeed had he
ever understood
objection sustained" said the
Judge. Witness dismissed"
And DENLY crawled down from
the stand, moving his hand across
his eyes hesitatinglly, and Shuffled
away-dismissed.
n
MYTH DENLY gone and the ia
w panese-war plea not deep in
the minds of the jurors, the prose-
cution moves on to convict Sinclair,
and later Fall, Of criminal con-
spiracy to defraud the Government.
A scrap of paper" may decide the
case. Up on Capitol hill, where the
Senate committee continues its long
investigation, there is what seems to
be new evidence against these men.
Every time the Senate investiga-
ton slows down, suddenly mys-
FERROUS piece Of paper has a way
of bobbing up-and there are new
revelations.
SO it was with the penciled note
containing the word Andy" which
revealed how former Postmaster
General Will Hays tried to use Sec
rotary of the Treasury Mellon and
others to conceal the Continental
Trading deal bonds donated by Sin
clair to the Harding campaign de-
felt.
The new mystery paper is a de-
tailed memorandum on Falls rela-
tons with Sinclair. 1t has been III
the files since 1928, but its source
is unknown. 1t states Fall never
discussed his purchase or proposed
purchase of this ranch property or
any other property with Mr. Sin
clair"
Who wrote it? Falls son-in-law,
Clarence G. Chase, told the Senate
committee he knew of none but
himself and Fall who could have
written it and he did not know
enough.
"Then it was done by Fall?" he
was asked. 81 don't know. I would
think So" Chase replied.
The Sinclair-Fall defense is based
on the claim that the money Sin
clair gave Fall was not a bride,
but part payment for the ranch. Did
Fall write the mystery memoran-
dun? If so, what is left of the de-
Tense? The Government wants to
know.