Sunday, 3rd August 1913 Dorsey Pleased With Progress

Atlanta Constitution
August 3rd, 1913

Solicitor Will Put Dr. Roy Harris on the Stand Again on Next Tuesday Afternoon.

While Solicitor Hugh M. Dorsey declined to make an expression of what he believed would be the outcome of the case against Leo M. Frank, which he has been prosecuting all the week, he expressed himself yesterday afternoon as thoroughly satisfied with the present progress.

The solicitor held an extended conference immediately after court adjourned with his assistant, E. A. Stephens, and with Attorney Frank A. Hooper, who is aiding him, and together with the lawyers went over what had been done and mapped out their program for the coming week.

With the attorneys were detectives J. N. Starnes and Pat Campbell and others who have assisted in getting up the evidence and working the preparation of the case.

Dorsey Well Pleased.

The solicitor asked for his opinion of the outcome, based on the evidence he had already placed before the jury and on what he expects to use before he closes his side. He declined to say what he thought about the outcome, but stated that so far he was well pleased and satisfied with what had been done.

"Will you put Jim Conley on the stand this week?" he was then asked.

"Well, I'm not in a position to say right now whether I will or not," he replied.

It is the general belief, however, that the solicitor intends to use Conley during the early part of the week, should nothing unforeseen prevent it, and also that the importance which is attached to Conley's testimony or failure to testify in suf[f]icient to prevent the solicitor from being in position to make a definite statement one way or the other.

During the afternoon Mr. Dorsey called Dr. Roy Harris over the telephone and made arrangements for him to continue his testimony at 2 o'clock Monday afternoon. Dr. Harris was on the stand Friday and during his testimony, which is considered exceedingly strong for the state, was compelled to leave on account of his illness.

Dr. Harris on Monday.

He stated Saturday that he would very probably be ready to appear Monday and complete his statement.

The state has yet several witnesses whom it intends to put up and among them will probably be Detective Bass Rosser, who was not present when called Saturday. Police Sergeant L. S. Dobbs was also called for Saturday, but he was not present. He has been on the stand already for the state and it is not known what is expected to come of his second appearance.

The state has other witnesses, it is said, whose identity is yet a secret, but who will be called upon during the early part of this week. That the state has also some new evidence which they expect to place before the jury is also known.

Just what will be the action of the defense during the present week is kept a careful secret. It has frequently been said during the week that they would place no evidence before the court and would introduce no witnesses. This has been done in some of the most talked of trials in the county and some Atlanta attorneys regard it as very probable that such will be the procedure in the Frank trial.

Character Witnesses Ready.

That scores of Frank's closest friends and associates in business and social life have been formally summoned shows that they are ready, if they think it necessary, to make his personal character an issue.

There may have been a desire to prepare for this and again it may have simply been done to keep the state from knowing what would be done in that matter.

It is exceedingly rare that a man ever consents to make his character an issue when involved in a criminal trial, but with the number of men and women subpoenaed for this purpose should the defense decide upon this move, there is no doubt but what a strong character will be made for him.

That the state's attorneys rather fear that the defense will take advantage of this feature and will do the unusual thing in placing the defendant's character in issue is apparent from various remarks dropped by the attorneys in discussing the case.

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