WASHINGTON, Nov. 5. - (AP) - Criminal proceedings against Harry F. Sin-clair, Edward L. Doheny and Albert H. Fall, growing out of leases on the Teapot Dome and Elk Hills naval oil reserves, now set for November 22, may be delayed by a petition filed today in the supreme court by Sinclair and Fall. November 10 has been fixed as the date for appearance of the defendants in the District of Columbia supreme court to plead to the indictments, but it is expected that counsel for Sinclair and Fall will call the trial court's attention to the effort to get the highest court to pass on the validity of the indictment,

The supreme court is now in recess and since it will not convene until November 22, the earliest possible date it can act on the petition will be November 29, and it may be that the trial court will decide to suspend proceedings until it knows what the supreme court will do.

The indictments were originally challenged in the trial court because of the absence of certain persons in the grand jury room. The trial court sustained them and an appeal was taken to the court of appeals.

Congress later passed the Walsh act, taking away from the court the right tn entertain such appeals, and a month later it dismissed the action. Sinclair and Fall, in their petition filed in the supreme court today, attacked hte dismissal on the ground that the appellate court had given the law a retroactive construction. Counsel for Doheny, however, do not plan to attack the vality of the indictment in the supreme court, and today announced readiness to proceed when the criminal cases are called for trial. United States Attorney Peyton Gordon and the government's special oil counsel, Atlee Pomerene and Owen J. Roberts, meanwhile filed in the District of Columbia court of appeals today a brief in support of their motion to dismiss the special appeal allowed August 29, 1924, to Sinclair in the case in which he is accused of contempt to the United States senate because of his refusal to answer (Continued on Page Eight)

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5. - (AP) - Criminal proceedings against Harry F. Sin-clair, Edward L. Doheny and Albert H. Fall, growing out of leases on the Teapot Dome and Elk Hills naval oil reserves, now set for November 22, may be delayed by a petition filed today in the supreme court by Sinclair and Fall. November 10 has been fixed as the date for appearance of the defendants in the District of Columbia supreme court to plead to the indictments, but it is expected that counsel for Sinclair and Fall will call the trial court's attention to the effort to get the highest court to pass on the validity of the indictment,

The supreme court is now in recess and since it will not convene until November 22, the earliest possible date it can act on the petition will be November 29, and it may be that the trial court will decide to suspend proceedings until it knows what the supreme court will do.

The indictments were originally challenged in the trial court because of the absence of certain persons in the grand jury room. The trial court sustained them and an appeal was taken to the court of appeals.

Congress later passed the Walsh act, taking away from the court the right tn entertain such appeals, and a month later it dismissed the action. Sinclair and Fall, in their petition filed in the supreme court today, attacked hte dismissal on the ground that the appellate court had given the law a retroactive construction. Counsel for Doheny, however, do not plan to attack the vality of the indictment in the supreme court, and today announced readiness to proceed when the criminal cases are called for trial. United States Attorney Peyton Gordon and the government's special oil counsel, Atlee Pomerene and Owen J. Roberts, meanwhile filed in the District of Columbia court of appeals today a brief in support of their motion to dismiss the special appeal allowed August 29, 1924, to Sinclair in the case in which he is accused of contempt to the United States senate because of his refusal to answer (Continued on Page Eight)

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5. - (AP) - Criminal proceedings against Harry F. Sin-clair, Edward L. Doheny and Albert H. Fall, growing out of leases on the Teapot Dome and Elk Hills naval oil reserves, now set for November 22, may be delayed by a petition filed today in the supreme court by Sinclair and Fall. November 10 has been fixed as the date for appearance of the defendants in the District of Columbia supreme court to plead to the indictments, but it is expected that counsel for Sinclair and Fall will call the trial court's attention to the effort to get the highest court to pass on the validity of the indictment,

The supreme court is now in recess and since it will not convene until November 22, the earliest possible date it can act on the petition will be November 29, and it may be that the trial court will decide to suspend proceedings until it knows what the supreme court will do.

The indictments were originally challenged in the trial court because of the absence of certain persons in the grand jury room. The trial court sustained them and an appeal was taken to the court of appeals.

Congress later passed the Walsh act, taking away from the court the right tn entertain such appeals, and a month later it dismissed the action. Sinclair and Fall, in their petition filed in the supreme court today, attacked hte dismissal on the ground that the appellate court had given the law a retroactive construction. Counsel for Doheny, however, do not plan to attack the vality of the indictment in the supreme court, and today announced readiness to proceed when the criminal cases are called for trial. United States Attorney Peyton Gordon and the government's special oil counsel, Atlee Pomerene and Owen J. Roberts, meanwhile filed in the District of Columbia court of appeals today a brief in support of their motion to dismiss the special appeal allowed August 29, 1924, to Sinclair in the case in which he is accused of contempt to the United States senate because of his refusal to answer (Continued on Page Eight)

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5. - (AP) - Criminal proceedings against Harry F. Sin-clair, Edward L. Doheny and Albert H. Fall, growing out of leases on the Teapot Dome and Elk Hills naval oil reserves, now set for November 22, may be delayed by a petition filed today in the supreme court by Sinclair and Fall. November 10 has been fixed as the date for appearance of the defendants in the District of Columbia supreme court to plead to the indictments, but it is expected that counsel for Sinclair and Fall will call the trial court's attention to the effort to get the highest court to pass on the validity of the indictment,

The supreme court is now in recess and since it will not convene until November 22, the earliest possible date it can act on the petition will be November 29, and it may be that the trial court will decide to suspend proceedings until it knows what the supreme court will do.

The indictments were originally challenged in the trial court because of the absence of certain persons in the grand jury room. The trial court sustained them and an appeal was taken to the court of appeals.

Congress later passed the Walsh act, taking away from the court the right tn entertain such appeals, and a month later it dismissed the action. Sinclair and Fall, in their petition filed in the supreme court today, attacked hte dismissal on the ground that the appellate court had given the law a retroactive construction. Counsel for Doheny, however, do not plan to attack the vality of the indictment in the supreme court, and today announced readiness to proceed when the criminal cases are called for trial. United States Attorney Peyton Gordon and the government's special oil counsel, Atlee Pomerene and Owen J. Roberts, meanwhile filed in the District of Columbia court of appeals today a brief in support of their motion to dismiss the special appeal allowed August 29, 1924, to Sinclair in the case in which he is accused of contempt to the United States senate because of his refusal to answer (Continued on Page Eight)

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5. - (AP) - Criminal proceedings against Harry F. Sin-clair, Edward L. Doheny and Albert H. Fall, growing out of leases on the Teapot Dome and Elk Hills naval oil reserves, now set for November 22, may be delayed by a petition filed today in the supreme court by Sinclair and Fall. November 10 has been fixed as the date for appearance of the defendants in the District of Columbia supreme court to plead to the indictments, but it is expected that counsel for Sinclair and Fall will call the trial court's attention to the effort to get the highest court to pass on the validity of the indictment,

The supreme court is now in recess and since it will not convene until November 22, the earliest possible date it can act on the petition will be November 29, and it may be that the trial court will decide to suspend proceedings until it knows what the supreme court will do.

The indictments were originally challenged in the trial court because of the absence of certain persons in the grand jury room. The trial court sustained them and an appeal was taken to the court of appeals.

Congress later passed the Walsh act, taking away from the court the right tn entertain such appeals, and a month later it dismissed the action. Sinclair and Fall, in their petition filed in the supreme court today, attacked hte dismissal on the ground that the appellate court had given the law a retroactive construction. Counsel for Doheny, however, do not plan to attack the vality of the indictment in the supreme court, and today announced readiness to proceed when the criminal cases are called for trial. United States Attorney Peyton Gordon and the government's special oil counsel, Atlee Pomerene and Owen J. Roberts, meanwhile filed in the District of Columbia court of appeals today a brief in support of their motion to dismiss the special appeal allowed August 29, 1924, to Sinclair in the case in which he is accused of contempt to the United States senate because of his refusal to answer (Continued on Page Eight)