Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-23

questiosn, was convicted in the District
Supreme Court, appealed to the United
states Supreme Court, lost the appeal
and served q sentence of three months
in the District jail. CThis term later
was made to run concurrentiy with a
six-month sentence meted out for con-
tempt of court in the notable Jury
sl1adowing case, to be referred to here
after.)
The oil scandals approached the
criminal phase on April as, 1924. when
a special oil grand jury was convened
to investigate possible criminal aspects
Of the rapidly unfolding revelations.
After less than q month of hearings.
during which rumors new thick and
fast about the court house, the grand
jury on April IS, 1924, reported GRIM
inal indictments charging Fall and
Sinclair with conspiracy to defraud the
Government, Fall and Doheny with con-
spiracy, and Fall. Doheny and the lat
ter's son, Edward L., jr, with bribery.
growing out of Doheny's disclosure
about the little black bag"
Quashing Of Indictments.
The indictments hung fire in the
courts for year and on April 3, 1925,
were quashed as illegal.
The grand jury promptly reopened
the hearings and all four were re-
indicted on May ~, 1925.
In the meantime things were begin
ming to happen in the civil courts at
Cheyenne and Los Angeles. Two days
after the reiudictment of Fall. Sinclair
and the Dohenys the Los Angeles court
voided the Doheny lease on Elk Hills
and about two weeks later Federal
Judge Kennedy Of Cheyenne Court dealt
the Government its first setback by de-
Gliding that the Sinclair lease on Teapot
Dome was valid.
Doheny appealed from the decision of
the Los Angeles court and the United
States appealed from the Cheyenne
verdict. Doheny lost his appeal in the
United States Circuit Court of Appeals
in San Francisco and the case was car
ried to the United States Supreme Court
on q writ of certiorari. The highest
court on February 28, 1927, ordered the
Elk Hills reserves returned to the Gov
eminent on the ground that the lease
to Doheny was invalid because it had
been obtained by fraud and corrup-
tion''
The Governments appeal from the
unfavorable decision at Cheyenne was
carried to the United States Circuit
SOuAV Va ARpGWAS III at. LOUIS, WHICH
reversed Judge Kennedy's decision and
declared the Teapot Dome lease illegal
September 40, 1925. Sinclair appealed
to the United States Supreme Court
and lost, the high court holding that
the Teapot lease was invalid because of
"colllsion and conspiracy"
With their reindlctment by the spe-
cial grand jury, Fall, Sinclair and the
Dohenys began q sensational battle in
the courts. The validity of the new
indictments was attacked bitterly on
various grounds, and the fight finalIy
was carried to the United States Su-
preme Court, which held the indict-
ments legal.
Three Sets Of Trials.
The stage thus was set for three sets
Of trials in the criminal courts of the
District Of Columbia. Fall and Sinclair
were to be tried on the charge of con-
spring to defraud the government i'll
the Elk Hill case, and Fall and the two
was carried 10 the United States SUI
spring to defraud the Government in
the Teapot Dome case, Fall and Doheny
were to be tried for conspiracy to de-
fraud the Government in the Elk Hills
case, and FAN and the two DohenyS
were to be tried on charges of bribery