Monday, 8th September 1913: Trainmen Ask Funds For Phagan Monument, The Atlanta Journal

Reading Time: 5 minutes [820 words]

 

Anything From One

Cent Up

Will Be Acceptable-

Reso-

lutions Adopted

Atlanta lodge No. 720, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen

Sunday appointed a committee to solicit funds for the erection of

a monument in memory of Mary Phagan, murdered in the plant of

the National Pencil factory. Amounts from 1 cent up will be

received.

An effort will be made by the trainmen to induce the Atlanta

Federation of Trades to appoint a committee to work in

conjunction with their representatives in raising the necessary

amount.

The intentions of the lodge are embodied in the following

resolution:

Whereas, Mary Phagan, working for the National Pencil

factory, met her death in a foul manner, and by reason of the

absence of means no suitable monument has been erected to

mark her last resting place, and,

Whereas, much publicity has been given to the case and a

large number of citizens of this state and county sympathize with

the family of Mary Phagan;

Whereas, some fitting memorial should be erected in her

honor, it is right and proper that the public pay funds tribute to

this young woman by a small contribution from each, and that

from the many expressions of respect and honor, given in this

financial way, a composite memorial of public regard may be

erected in her honor;

Therefore, be it resolved, that a committee form this lodge

be appointed to solicit funds from the public for the purpose

above stated and that all contributions from 1 cent up be

accepted for this purpose, and that these contributions be

requested up to November 1, 1913, and thereupon on the

opportunity be closed and the amount so received be expended

for the purpose set out in the preamble of these resolutions.

Resolved, further, that this resolution be presented to the

next meeting of the Atlanta Federation of Trades, and that the

federation be requested to appoint a committee to work jointly

with a committee from this organization.

 

PAGE 7, COLUMN 5

TWO DETECTIVE

VOUCHERS

TURNED DOWN BY

MAYOR

He Refuses to Pay for

Dicto-

Graph and Refuses

to Pay

For Stool

Pigeons

The city comptroller's office Monday morning returned two

vouchers to Newport A. Lanford, chief of the city detectives, which

Mayor Woodward has refused to sign.

One is a voucher for $19.75 to cover the expense of using a

dictagraph on Attorney T. B. Felder, Mayor Woodward and others,

in the Williams house several months ago. It has been several

weeks since this voucher was presented to the mayor. He states

that he will never sign it.

The dictagraph business was an outrageous piece of work,

and I won't allow the city's money to be spent to pay the

expense, he has said.

The other voucher turned down by the mayor is for $24.75 to

pay stool pigeons employed in the detective department.

The mayor is against stool pigeons both as a matter of law

and as a matter of principle. He doesn't believe it is legal to spend

money this way, in the first place; and in the second place, he is

emphatically opposed to the use of stool pigeons by the

detective department.

In returning the stool pigeon voucher, the comptroller's

office suggests that Chief Lanford obtain a ruling from the city

attorney as to the legality of the expenditure. In the event the city

attorney rules it to be legal, it is possible that the mayor will sign

this voucher, but put the detectives on notice that he will sign no

more.

PAGE 7, COLUMN 5

SNOWBALL BAILEY

YET

MAY BE SENT TO

PRISON

Former Suspect in

Phagan

Case Now Being Held

on

Hold-Up Charge

If allegations by the police are proven, Gorden Bailey, alias

Snowball, negro elevator boy at the National Pencil factory, who

came into the limelight when arrested two days after Mary

Phagan's murder as a suspect, may languish in prison after all.

Snowball and two other negroes are charged with highway

robbery. John Evans, another of the trio, was bound over on the

charge Monday morning, having eluded the police since the

alleged hold-up a month ago. Will Page, the other negro

implicated, was bound over to the city criminal court on August

19. On the same day Bailey was held. The latter has been

released under bond of $500.

Bailey was arrested before Jim Conley and for several weeks

was subjected to the same cross examining that brought forth

Conley's confession, later he testified at the trial of Leo M. Frank,

convicted of the murder, declaring, among other things, that

Conley's character was bad.

Lon Chapman, of 79 Parson street, and Edwin Dardin, of 1

Jett street both colored, are the alleged victims of the robbery.

They declare that they were held-up on Decatur street.