Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-01-20
[OST FOR reward
Seen IN TESTIMONY.
Witness Admits Framing" VIC
tim In Allentown Theatre
Fire, Says Rumor
MAN WENT TO JAIL ALONE

man walked up ia the door OF the
Eastern Penitentiary, on November 8,
1921. alone and unattended, and pre-
.snted to the doorkeeper papers which
committed him to that institution to
serve six years on an arson charge.
Today, or in the near future, there
n more than a good chance that the
same man will be allowed to walk free.
lv ont the same door, exonerated Of the
crimc which placed him behind the bars.
The man is Frank Emmett, OF AL
,.ntown, who was accused Of burning
,hs Lyceum Theatre, in his town. Four
,eers after the flames had devoured the
st,ucture Emmett was arrested. -Four
,nsn had gone to the authorities, In re-
snonse 10 a huge reward, and claimed
Fmmett was the man who had applied
the torch.
+he chief of these witnesses against
Emmett, has recanted and admitted
Emmett was innocent, has reached
ncb proportions that II is being inves-
tiyated by the authorities. .''a
Went to Prison Alone
Emmett was much in the public eye
from the time Of his arrest to the
time OF his surrender at the Eastern
penitentiary. In the first place 1t at
trcted great attention when he was
syrested nearly four years after the
Are he was accused of starting. Again
bc had two trials, replete with eensa-
Honal features. Then when he found
that, while he was out on $4,000 bail,
the Court had refused to notice his
latest appeal, he went to the court
house and surrendered. Offering to 90
TO the prison alone.
He was allowed to so by himself and
there was great public interest In his
trip. And then, suddenly, It developed
that Emmett was missing. He had not
arrived at the time he should have.
lust as the authorities decided the
honor system of Warden Mckenty was
failure Emmett turned up. 1t de-
yelopcd he had come to this city from
Allentown by the way of Harrisburg
bis purpose being to bid his wife fare
we'll. She was employed as a cashier
in motion picture theatre In the State
capital.
Since his incarceration Emmett has
been model prisoner. He has never
admitted his guilt, but on the other
his innocence. This steady plea on the
part of the majority of prisoners rapidly
gets to be a bore to'prison officials. Few
prisoners will admit their guilt. EN-
NETT simply has not discussed 1t.
There was $50, 900 insurance on the
theatre Emmett Is accused Of burning.
Several employees testified he had hired
them to set fire to the structure, but
none could bring out that he had OBJ
tanned more than an old organ out or
the blaze The chief witness against
lin was Roy Wernett.
One Witness Recants e
1t now appears certain that Wernett
has appeared before magistrate and
made q sworn statement that he lied
en- tho witness stand. At the time Of
Emmett's conviction there was much
talk Of "frnme-up.' This was so
strong that after his first conviction
the Pennsylvania Superior Court or
dered new trial, but the result OF
that was the same.
Lawrence II. Rupp, former Demo-
cratic State chairman, and attorney for
Emmett, has always expressed his
strong belief in his clients innocence,
and Is now investigating TO ascertain II
the rumors of Wernett's recanting are
founded on fact. IL they are, 1t is like
" the United States courts will be
brought into the case, and it Is more
than possible that before long the heavy
doors Of the penitentiary will swing
open as easily and willingly to release
him as they did to admit him few
months ago.