Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-11-16
MRS. FRIEDA FROST,
HUSBANDS SLAYER,
ASTOTC PRISONER
Nlurderess, Serving Life
Term, Works at Making
Prison Clothing and Ap-
pears Satisfied With Lot.

A frall little woman, who, for the love of
another woman's husband and the desire
to wipe out her debts. murdered her hus-
band by giving him arsenic, is in the
Eastern Renitentiary serving life SEN
tence in payment for the crime,
The prisoner. Mrs. Trieda frost, former
proprietor Of saloon at 1901 German
town avenue. who only n week after her
marriage to William frost, on August 1,
1912, murdered her aged husband, and who
was subsequently found guilty by jury
In Judge Audcnried's court, has served
almost year of the term.
When she entered the penal institution
ON December %, 1918 after the Governor
had spared her life by committing the
sentence to life imprisonment she was in
poor health and It was thought she would
not live long.
HER HEALTH IMPROVED.
Although she has been In prison nearly
II months Mrs. frost has greatly re-
gained her health and is almost a diff
ferent woman from the murderess. be-
hind whom the door of the big prison
closed for life.
Warden Bob" McKenty said today that
Mrs. frost was a model prisoner that
she does the work assigned to her with
out a murmur. and seems resigned 'to
her fate. Not once during her imprison-
ment has she said anything about the
crime for which she is being punished
although prior to and during her trial
she steadfastly maintained her innocence,
declaring she had purchased arsenic at a
nearby drugstore to poison cats, and not
her husband
Mrs. frost has few visitors. the only
two being her sister and n minister
From time to time they visit her In
her cell and offer words OF cheer and en-
couragement to the woman. Only once
since she has been i'm prison has her only
daughter, Irene, II years old, visited her,
and her former bartender and lover Ed
mund Geunkle, has never seen her since
December II, 1912, when she was con-
victed.
Like many other women prisoners, Mrs,
frost spends part of each day in the
workrooms engaged in making clothing.
Mrs. frost keeps her cell spotlessly clean
and according to the officials at the
prison. takes great pride in keeping
everything in order about the cell. While
attendance at the devotional exercises at
the institution on Sunday morning Is OPP
tonal, Mrs. frost always listens to the
service. The service is held in the cor
ridor just outside of the cellrooms and
during the religious exercise the prIs-
oners are allowed the privilege OF sitting
on stools in the corridor while the service
is in progress.
ORDEAL OF HER TRIAL
Mrs. frost was arrested at her home
on Germantown avenue by Detectives
Emmanuel and Belshaw few days after
Coroners Detective Paul had determined
her husbands stomach contained arsenic
In the trial that followed witnesses tes-
titled that Mrs. frost had been unduly
intimate with her bartender, Edmund
Guenkle, n good-looking German.
Assistant District Attorney Rogers
placed witness after witness on the stand
who testified that Mrs. frost refused to
kiss her husband on the night OF the
wedding and that she was heavily in
debt He brought the evidence that con-
vinced the jury that she had murdered
her husband by giving him arsenic for
medicine.
After her conviction she was sent to
MoyamensinB prison. While here she be-
came i'll, and her attorneys appealed to
Governor Tener to save her from the
gallows. Her death sentence was COM
muted.