The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-19
EMERSON HEAD
 AND HIS DEPUTY
 HELD FOR BRIBE
Sartain And Fletcher Are Arrested In Atlanta
 Scandal
BOTH ARE RELEASED
 UNDER $5,OOO BOND
Stone Intimates Other Penitentiary Officials
 Will Be Removed
(Ry Associated Press. )

A., Sartan, deposed warden, and l.. J: Fletcher, suspended deputy warden oi the United States penitentiary here, ch..r .rged with soliciting and accepting bribes from prisoners, were held in bonds of $5,0OO each late today by United States Commissioner Joe Abbott.
 District Attorney Clint W. Hager contended for minimum of Slo,ooo each, while the defense attorneys stood out for having Fletcher and Sartaln released on their own recognizance or paroled by the court in custody of thelr counsel.
 Sartain and Fletcher sprung sur prise on the government by appearing before Commissioner Abbott and de- manding an immediate hearing. They came presumbly to arrange bond, having been arrested at II o'clock this morning. Appearing in court with them and sign ing their bonds were Joseph Jacobs, wealthy proprietor of string Of drug stores in Atlanta; l.. J. Hood and Q. J, Morris. The private fortunes of the bondsmen were said to run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
 Hearing Is Set
 After considering argument by counsel and the district attorney, Commissioner Abbott set tomorrow afternoon at l o'clock as a tentative date for the hear ing. At this time, the government, which contended for a continuance un- til Saturday morning, must either make a legal showing as to why a further continuance should be granted or con sent to dismiss the warrants.
 In the argument, counsel for the de- fense charged the district attorney with delaying tactics not in keeping with what was termed his rush to get Sar- tain and Fletcher arrested. They charged that Hager and secret service officials, accompanied by Assistant At torney General w. J. Donovan, spent all night at the prisan interviewing con yicts to get evidence in the case. Hager stated that not all his witnesses were inmates of the prison, that he had others to bring from Savannah and Columbus, and that it would be physically impos- sible to get subpoenas served and have them here before Saturday morning.
 Accused Of Bribery
 Sartain and Fletcher were arrested on warrants charging them with soliciting and accepting bribes from prisoners upon infmoration furnished by Graham Baughn, convicted in the Savannah rum ring sensation, and E. J. Sweeney of Detroit, reported to be detective.
 It was charged by the two convicts that Fletcher received $2,500 each from Emmanuel Kessler and Morris Sweet wood, wealthy New York bootleggers, for obtaining them soft and easy jobs about the prison" The warrant also charged Fletcher received $5,000 from Mrs. R. K. Walthall, which, it charged, influenced him in showing favors to Kessler and Sweetwood.
 Sartain is accused in the warrant of receiving $5,000 from Baughn and from c. c. Tuten to have Tuten appointed chauffeur for the prison physician. Shortly after their arrest, counsel for Sartain and Fletcher issued the fol- lowing statement:
 Charged Frame Up
 "This is nothing but a dastardly and contemptible political frame-up from be- ginning to end and those in charge of the investigation we'll know it. We ask for our clients a suspension of the judg ment of their position to overwhelmingly refute every single charge and allegation against them. At later date we will have much more to say"
 That even more arrests are in sight was intimated by Hager, although on direct questioning he declined to state whether other officials are being in vestigated. He said it would be un fair to name others being investigated in event no indictments were returned against them.
 Probe Is Still On
 "Other conditions and certain off cials at the prison are being investi- gated" he said. The investigation will proceed in an orderly manner until finished. When all the indictments are in we will proceed to speedy trials which we hope to call in January or February"
 The grand jury, after an all morning session, adjourned. However, Judge Sibley had gone home for the day and could not receive the report of the jury. Consequently, it could not be learned if indictments were returned.