The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-04-21
SINCLAIR OIL
FRAUD CASE IS
GIVEN TO Jury
Follow Evidence Instead of
Lawyers, Judge Orders
In Charge.
MAGNATE IS CHEERFUL
Defense Is Entitled to
Benefit of Doubt, Says
Jurist.
BaAGNATE IS CHEERFUL
BY HERBERT LITTLE
United Press Staff Correspondent


WASHINGTON, April 21-A jury
Of twelve men today began con-
sideration of the guilt or innocence
of Harry F.. Sinclair, charged with
conspiring to defraud the Govern
ment.
Justice Jennings Bailey gave the
case to the jury at 1923 a. m. after
charging it to follow the evidence
rather than the lawyers.
The issue is whether Sinclair
plotted to gain the Teapot Dome
naval oil reserve illegally from Sec
retary Of Interior Albert B. Fall, to
whom he later paid $304,100.
Sinclair, sitting in the midst of his
lawyers facing the jury, and Mrs.
Sinclair, attractive blonde, were
cheerful as the court convened.
Both chatted with newspaper men,
but would not discuss the case.
Entitled to Doubt
The oil mans mother, Mrs
Phoebe Sinclair, who has seen her
son rise from a drug store clerk in
independence, Kan, to be one of
the worlds petroleum princes in
twenty years, was also in the Sin
clair pew" a front bench in the
courtroom.
The jury was unusually silent and
intent, without even the usual
rustling of lawyers papers as the
judge opened his talk with an in
junction that the jury itself must
define the facts Of the case beyond
reasonable doubt"
The defense, Justice Bailey said,
IS entitled to the benefit of doubt.
'It is of no matter whether you
believe the defendant guilty of any
other crime than that charged in
The indictment-conspiracy," the
Judge said
Possibility Of early agreement on
2 verdict was seen in the fact that
the jury will have to remain locked
up over Sunday if a decision is
not reached by midnight The case
formally will be turned over to the
Jury for deliberation before noon to-
day. Following Justice Jennings
Baileys charge.
This case is the seventh trial re-
sulting from the Senate's famous
Teapot Dome investigation of 1928
"A. Sinclair and three of his fol-
lowers are the only men who have
been adjudged guilty of crime in
any of them.
He is under sentence Of three
months in Jail for contempt of the
Senate and a six-month sentence
for contempt Of court in having the
first Fall Sinclair conspiracy trial
jury shadowed. Three others were
also sentenced in the jury-shadow-
ing case.
1t is regarded here as likely that
the remaining coil cases" will be
dismissed if Sinclair is acquitted
Former Secretary Fall, originally
indicted with Sinclair for con-
spiracy to defraud the Government,
was granted a severance because of
illness, and conviction of Sinclair
probably would lead to an attempt
to bring the 67-year- old Fall to trial.
Doheny-Fan Charges Pending
Indictments charging bribery
against Fall and E. L. Doheny, who
leased the Elk Hills naval oil re-
serve at the same time Sinclair
leased Teapot Dome, are also pend
ing, but it is believed that since
Falls leases have been held I'M
authorized by the United States Su-
preme Court that the charge OF
bribery could not be supported in
law.
The decision Of the jury, if
reached, will end a four-year case.
Fall and Sinclair were indicted in
April, 1924, few weeks after the
Senate committee closed it's inves-
tigation and secured passage of a
Senate resolution denouncing the