Evening star., 1926-06-16

WAN WINS FREEDOM
BY ORDER OF COURT;
WAS ONCE CONDEMNED
Continued from First Page)
three different counts. one for the
killing of DR.. r. Theodore Wong. dl-
rector of the Chinese Educational Mis-
sion; another for the killing OF Chang
Hsi Hsie secretary of the same inst1-
tuition. and the third for the killing OF
Pen Sen WI. clerk at the mission.
The three men were found shot to
death in the mission on kaiorama
road in January, 1919. Justice
Hnehling ordered that each count be
nole pressed.
Brother Also Freed.
At the same time the court ordered
that the charge OF forgery against
Tsung Ing Van, Vans brr' her. who
was accused of forging signatures to a
check for $4,000, which had direct
bearing on the murders. should also
he nolle pressed. This order. too was
made at the request of Mr.. Gordon.
who declared that the Government
had never been able to find such It
check, and said that ne did not be-
lieve il would be possible to make
out even prima facie case against
VAN
In granting the United States at
torney's request, Justice Hoehling
pointed out that although Wan had
been convicted by the first jury that
tried him and sentenced to be hanged,
the United States Supreme Court
ordered new trial and two sub
sequent juries had disagreed. And
! understand that at the second trial
the vote was 10 to for acquittal,
While at the third 1t was 10 3 for
acauittal," he said.
1t was generally known that the
last chapter OF the famous Wan trial
would he closed at 10 o'clock this
morning and the courtroom was pack
ed with lawyers and interested spec
tators. Aisles were jammed. door
ways completely blocked and even
the window stills were crowded with
men and women who struggled for a
view of the proceedings. A minute
after Justice Hoehling entered Wan
was brought in through the prisoners
door and was motioned to seat at
the counsel table. where he had sat
SO many times before
Difficulties Pointed Out.
Mai. Gordon came to the point
quickly. Although he did not admit
that the Government = case had failed
completely. he pointed out that five
important witnesses had died. seven
others had returned TO China, and
said he was confident no jury would
agree unanimously. In the case Of,
Vans brother. however, the United
States attorney made no effort To con
ceal the fact that the Government had
no basis whatever for criminal pro-
ceedings.
Wilton j. Lamberi, who assumed
charge of Vans defense at the last
two trials, was the first to grasp the
freed mans hand. Immediately the
two We're surrounded by men and
women who crowded each other to
reach both Wan and his attorney and
congratulate them. When bailin
finally got Wan outside a throng raced
after him through the corridors of
the courthouse. milling and fighting
around him and shouting approval
of the termination of the long case.
Wan gayly shouted back his own
thanks. but he headed straight for
the prisoners cell under the court
house. There he had waited day after
day during his trials. and 1t was there
that he was carried the day he was
sentenced to death. lie had left that
cell once never expecting to return
to It.. Twice he had been returned to
1t Ell route to the courtroom to hear
his execution stayed. Today he seized
the iron bars and rattled them
loudly:
Goes for His Hat.
Joe" he shouted to the turnkey.
Let me in. l want my hat
The turnkey unlocked the door.
slapped Wan on the hack and he was
Immediately surrounded by prisoners
whom he had come to know we'll In
the District Jail. Wan had spent much
OF his time. selling pies to the other
prisoners at the jail--a business that
cost him $160 in bad debts. but which
helped him take his mind off Of his
own situation. "S'long Wan. old boy,
GUESS yo won't be sellin' no pies TO-
Night" yelled big negro as Wan
dashed out again.
This afternoon Wan will visit the
District Jail unce more to get his be-
Then he intends to turn his
back on it and try to forget every
thing. When reporters called early
this morning they found Wan already
at the door to the rotunda. He was
neatly dressed in a gray suit. gray
felt hat tilted at jaunty angle over
his left eye and tan shoes. He had
heard that he would probably he freed
today. and he feelingly bade good-by
to some of his prisoner friends.
Looks at Fatal Spot.
When Deputy United States Mar
shall Cerimele called that he was ready
to take him to court, Wan requested
him to wait a minute and deliberately
walked over to the door OF one of the
long mess halls. His eyes rested for
a full minute at the wall at the end
of the corridor. 1t was there that he
was to have been hanged on Decem-
Der /. 1920. Later at the courthouse.
after he had been freed, the only sad
minute he experienced svas when he
recalled his narrow escape.
",Iust think" he exclaimed, becOm-
ing serious for the first time. II was
only two days from death once. I
don't see how ] stood It. ] had seen
others pass my cell on their last
journey through life; had heard the
singing, it was awful, and the pray
ing. And then a dull thuA az the
trap was sprung. I decideA didn't