Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-21
Improvement of New Mexico Property
Led to Disclosure of 100000 Bride.

DENVER, Colo, July 81 ga
thing of beauty was not a Joy forever
for Albert B. Fall.
Large sums of money spent to i'm
prove and enhance the natural beauty
of his peaceful Tres Rios Ranch put
Senatorial inquisitors on the trail of
the moneys source, which ultimately
led to conviction of the former Secre-
tary of the Interior on bribery charges.
The shadow of a little black satchel
cast a pail over the thousands OF acres
Of the New Mexico ranch. In that
satchel, delivered at midnight, was
100000. Fall said it was loan. The
Government contended it was bribe
From the farmer and school teacher
of Frankfort KY, where he was born
in 1861; the mill boy OF Tennessee, the
prospector OF Texas and Mexico. TO the
Senator from New Mexico, Falls life
was varied. He was self-taught. AT
% he married Emma Morgan OF
Clarksville, Tex.
Chased Horse Thief.
After being appointed territorial Judge
of New Mexico by President CleVelano,
Fall was removed because he lett the
bench to lead a posse chasing a morse
thief He later served several terms IN
the Territorial Legislature and then
became a captain in the Spanlsh-Amer-
lean War
After the war Fall re-entered politics,
although he changed his party afhlla-
tions from Democratic to Republican.
AS a Republican in 1912 he was elected
to the United States Senate. He was an
antagonist of the late President WOOD
row Wilson in all affairs concerning
Mexico and foe of the League OF Ma
tons.
FAN, March 4, 1921, became Secretary
of the Interior. in the cabinet OF the iate
President Warren G. Harding. he hao
wanted to be Secretary of State, but
Charles Evans Hughes was selected for
that post.
The Secretary of the Interior re-
signed two wears later and retired TO
his ranch to spend his declining days
in the territory he helped build.
This quiet was short lived. october
%, 1923. he appeared before the Senate
Committee investigating oil leases ne
had made in the cabinet. He told the
committee his leases to Edward l.. Do
heny and Harry Sinclair were good
business.
Doheny and Fall had met as friends
years before when each was pennies
pr0pector. Fall made a trip to Europe
for Sinclair in connection with some
Russian concessions in June, 1924. A
FeGeral grand jury indicted Fall, Do
nSny anu OlIlCldIl O4l COiISE4Ia NS ClA'A SS''
He and Doheny were acquitted Decem-
Der 26, 1926
The Senatorial Committee delved fur
ther. Money spent on improvements at
the ranch came under scrutiny.
Fall sought, by his own testimony and
through friends of long standing, to keep
from the record story that, as finally
written by evidence, was described in
Senate debate as "a disclosure OF pub
Ito ha4r Of CT Vxrith no q
half a century"
Conviction Confirmed.
October Z, 1929, Fall went on trial in
Washington or a bribery charge. He
was convicted october 25, the same year,
and sentenced to one year in jail ano
ordered TO pay fine of 100000. An
appeal to the District of Columbia Court
of Appeals followed. That court af-
firmed the conviction April 6. this year.
May 81 Falls attorney asked the Su-
preme Court to reverse the decision, but
the court, June /, refused to review tbs
case.
presidential pardon was sought vain
~ in petitions from Falls friends. Then
followed an effort to stay or Suspen.
the sentence because of Falls age and
state of health. His personal phySic an
said he was suffering from tuberculosis
and other ailments.
Thereafter, the court offered Fall a
sentence of a year and a day, which
would permit him to serve his time in a
penitentiary instead of county Jail.
Fall elected to accept the additional day
rather than serve in the county jails at
either Ell Paso, where he was then, or
Washington.
Thus he was permitted then to enter
the prison of his home State, where the
altitude and climate would not adversely
ffocf him