1048 Page – Leo Frank Georgia Supreme Court Appeals Records, 1913, 1914

Visible Translated Text Is As Follows:

17

JOHN R. BLACK, sworn for the State.

I am a city policeman. I don't know the details of the conversation between Mr. Starnes and Mr. Frank over the phone. I didn't pay very much attention to it. I went over to Mr. Frank's house with Boots Rogers. Mrs. Frank came to the door. Mrs. Frank had on a bath robe. I stated that I would like to see Mr. Frank and about that time Mr. Frank stepped out from behind a curtain. His voice was hoarse and trembling and nervous and excited. He looked to me like he was pale. I had met Mr. Frank on two different occasions before. On this occasion he seemed to be nervous in handling his collar. He could not get his tie tied, and talked very rapid in asking questions in regard to what had happened. He wanted to know if he would have time to get something to eat, to get some breakfast. He wanted to know if something had happened at the pencil factory and if the night watchman had reported it, and he asked this last question before I had time to answer the first. He kept insisting for a cup of coffee. When we got into the automobile as Mr. Rogers was turning around Mr. Frank wanted to know what had happened at the factory, and I asked him if he knew Mary Phagan and told him that she had been found dead in the basement of the pencil factory. Mr. Frank said he didn't know any girl by the name of Mary Phagan, that he knew very few of the employees. I suggested to Mr. Rogers that we drive by the undertaker's. In the undertaking establishment Mr. Frank looked at her. He gave a casual glance at her and stepped aside. I couldn't say whether he saw the face of the girl or not. There was a curtain hanging near the room and Mr. Frank stepped behind the curtain. He could get no view from behind the curtain. He walked behind the curtain and came right out. Mr. Frank stated as we left the undertaking establishment that he didn't know the girl but he believed he had paid her off on Saturday. He thought he recognized her being at the factory on Saturday by the dress that she wore but he could tell by going over to the factory and looking at his cash book. At the pencil factory Mr. Frank took the slip out, looked over it and said it had been punched correctly on Monday and Tuesday following Mr. Frank stated that the clock had been unpunched three times. This slip was turned over to Chief Lanford on Monday. I saw Mr. Frank take it out of the clock and went back with it toward his office. I don't know of my own personal knowledge that it was turned over to Chief Lanford Monday. When Mr. Frank was down at police station on Monday morning Mr. Rosser and Mr. Haas were there. About 8 or 8:30 o'clock Monday morning Mr. Rosser came in police headquarters. That's the first time he had counsel with him. That morning Mr. Haslett and myself went to Mr. Frank's house and asked him to come down to police headquarters. About 11:30 Monday Mr. Haas demanded of Chief Lanford that officers accompany Mr. Frank out to his residence and search his residence. Mr. Haas stated in Frank's presence that he was Mr. Frank's attorney and demanded to show that there was nothing left undone, that we go out to Mr. Frank's house and search for