The Washington times., 1935-08-16
WIFE OF FALL
FIGHTS FOR
HOME

tense interest the determined
fight which Mrs. Albert 3. Fall,
wife of the bedridden former Sec
rotary Of Interior, is making to
save the Tres Ritos ranch, the
family home for IS years and the
only residue Of the former Fall
fortune.
Mr.. Fall, former territorial
Judge, United States Senator and
Secretary Of the Interior under
President Harding, has been con-
fined to his bed for several years
suffering spinal arthritis, having
been taken to his ranch at Three
Rivers, New Mexico, three months
ago from an FL Paso hospital,
where he had been a patient since
his release from the New Mexico
penitentiary in 1882.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Fall has been
the family's sole support, operat-
ing a Spanish cafe in FL PaSo
and a mercantile business in
Three Rivers.
k62mCn SOAU 4uuESUay
Thursday the Tres Ritos ranch,
Including ownership or grazing
rights on 100000 acres of New
Mexico rangelands, was sold by
the Petroleum Securities Com
pany to the Tres Ritos Ranch
Company, a New Mexican cor
poration, in a deal closed in Los
Angeles.
The Securities Company, which
Is headed by E. L. Doheny, fore
closed a mortgage on the Fall
property several years ago.
It is this that makes the case
even more interesting, for it was
because of $1OO,OOO "loan" made
to Mr.. Fall, while he was a Cabi-
net member, by Mr.. Doheny that
led to the former Interior Secre-
tary's conviction and prison SEN
tence on a charge of accepting
bride in connection with the Tea
pot Dome oil leases.
Mr.. Fall was sentenced to year
In jail and a fine Of 100000.
Subsequently Mr.. Doheny was
tried on a charge of bribing the
former Interior Secretary with
the 100000 loan and was acquit-
ted.
During the trials, the defend
ants insisted that Mr.. Doheny
made the 500, 900 loan to Mr.. Fall
as "a loan from one old friend to
another" pointing out that the
two had been close personally ever
since their early mining days to-
gether.
DOheney Made Fortune
Doheny piled UP an immense
fortune in oil, while Mr.. Fall
turned to politics and was not so
wealthy. The defendants related
that Mr.. Fall in 1921 called on his
"old friend" Doheny, for the $780,
900 with which to purchase Ger.
tain property adjoining his own in
New Mexico so as to preserve his
water rights.
The oil millionaire related that
he did not have. that amount in
cash with him at the time, so ne
called upon his son, the late E. L.
Doheny jr., to take some of his
money and bring it to Washing
ton. The money was said to have
been delivered in a little black
bag" and was in large bills. Mr..
Doheny said:
"One hundred thousand dol
lars was q mere pittance to me-"
Today, however, it is Mr.. Do
heny's company that has sold the
ranch and brought about the sit
uation under which his "old
friend is threatened with losing
his ranch home. g.
Known to DOheny
At Los Angeles, r. M. Sands,
vice president of the Doheny- con-
trolled Petroleum Securities Com
pnay, asserted that Mr.. Dohney
is thoroughly conversant" with
the order which the Falls have re-
ceived to vacate the ranch.
At the time of the foreclosure
several years ago the Falls
claimed that the spacious two.
story adobe ranch house and 100
acres surrounding it were not in
cluded in the mortgage, and Mrs.
Fall today declared she intends
to obtain the services of 'the best
lawyers in New Mexico" to save
their home. Mr.. Fall said:
"The order to move. came
from Mrs. DOheny. She is
really running the company. It
was a curt letter. DOheny has
been in i'll health and I don't
know whether he knew about
the letter sent me. He and
are still friends. won't move.
have written Mrs. DOheny that
I will not give up possession
Of this place until there has
been q complete settlement be-
tween DOheny and me-"