Prosecutor Scores in Oil Fraud Trial

Sun (Auckland), Volume I, Issue 184, 25 October 1927, Page 1

Prosecutor Scores in Oil Fraud Trial

AMERICAN SCANDAL AN UNSHAKEN WITNESS Jtl» Cable. — Press Association. — Copyright. Reed. 9.20 a.m. WASHINGTON, Mon. Giving evidence at the trial of Albert Fall, formerly Secretary of the Interior. and Harry Sinclair on charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States Government in connection with the Teapot Dome oil lease, L. Eddy, member of the Deportment of the Interior, whom Fall asked to report upon the claims pending on the Teapot Dime, testified: (1) That the claims which Sinclair pair a million dollars to settle had been declared to be without a shadow of validity after investigation by Interior Department agents. (2) That Sinclair bought up these claims after Fait said they must be settled before the reserve could be leased. (3) That the reports in connection with these claims declared that the reserve was in no danger of being drained by near-by wells. (4) That Fall personally dictated the preamble of the lease, stating that Teapot Dome was being leased beeause of the drainage of the navy’s oil reserve. The defence lawyers tried hard, but unsuccessfully to break down Eddy’s testimony. Judge Siddons has still deferred declsl ■ n on whether Sinclair’s testimony before the Senate Committee could not be used against him.—A. and N.Z.