Friday, 28th May 1915: Many Georgians Ask Clemency For Frank, The Atlanta Journal

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### Letters From Georgia Towns Increased Over 100 Per Cent Recently

During the past two or three days, the Volume of Letters from Georgians to the State Prison Commission and Governor Slaton urging a Commutation of Sentence for Leo M. Frank has increased more than 100 per cent, and thousands of such Letters continue to come in each day from all parts of the United States.

Many prominent Georgians have written Letters beseeching Executive Clemency for Frank, and it is a noticeable Fact that the majority of these Letters come from the smaller Towns and rural Districts. It is also a noticeable Fact that a large number of these Georgia Letters come from Lawyers, a majority of them residing in the smaller Towns of the State. Dozens of women are writing especially urgent Pleas.

There has been a large increase also in the number of Letters from United States Senators, Congressmen, Governors of States, Judges of Courts, and other prominent Citizens of other States.

Among those who have written Letters are: Governor Earl Brewer, of Mississippi; United States Senator John Sharp Williams, of Mississippi; United States Senator George P. Mc Lean, of Connecticut; Congressman Joseph W. Byrns, of Tennessee; Congressman E. J. Hill, of Connecticut; United States Senator George P. Mc Lean, of Connecticut; Congressman Joseph W. Byrns, of Tennessee; Congressman E.J. Hill, of Connecticut; United States Senator J. Ham Lewis, of Illinois; Charles K. Harris, the famous New York Song Composer; Congressman William H. Coleman, of Pennsylvania; Congressman H.G. Du Pre, of Louisiana; Harry Pratt Judgson, President of the University of Illinois; C.A. Rood, President and Editor of the Pittsburg (Pa.) Dispatch; United States Senator R.F. Broussard, of Louisiana; Mayor James H. Preston, of Baltimore; Congressman J.A. Elston, of California; Congressman Cyrus Cline, of Indiana, David R. Forgan, President National City Bank, of Chicago; Judge Louis C. Barley, of the Corporation Court of Alexandria, Va.

### GEORGIA LETTERS.

Some of the Georgia writers of the past day or two are C.D. Bercay, President of the Cordele Chamber of Commerce; C.W. Pidcock, Moultrie, President of the Georgia Northern Railway; J.L. Hand, Capitalist, of Pelham; Dr. William Crenshaw, Dean of the Atlanta Dental College; Attorney John A. Boykin, of Atlanta. Colonel Walter R. Daley, Atlanta Attorney and former President of the City Board of Education; Robert C. Alston, Atlanta Attorney and former President of the Georgia Bar Association; John A. Boykin, Atlanta Attorney; P. D. Mc Carley, Vice President of the Elberton Cotton Oil Mills, with Residence in Atlanta.

Governor Brewer, of Mississippi, who has been a close student of the Frank Case, wrote a very strong Letter. Among other things, he said: "I know from conditions and from the Public Press that you are absolutely overwhelmed at this time with Correspondence from people regarding the Frank Case, and I do not want to bore you with a lengthy Letter as I know Governors haven't much time to wade through long drawn out Letters, but I do desire to say that I kept up very closely with the testimony in this Case, and an uninfluenced by any prejudice or feeling, one way or the other, am unbiased by local surroundings, and look at the testimony as a disinterested Spectator from afar off, and I feel constrained to say that I have never believed this Party guilty. I don't think that a Governor can afford to let a man hang under the testimony by simply undertaking to wash his hands off it and turn him over to the mob."

"While the Heat of excitement is on in your Section of the State, and doubtless strong and great pressure is being brought to bear upon you in this matter, I tell you that the whole civilized world on the outside believes that he is innocent, and I am frank to say if I were you, I wouldn't let him hang."

"I sympathize with you in being called upon to solve a matter about which the people are so hopelessly divided. It is like those questions that we so often find confronting us as Governor when we are damned if we do and damned if we don't. My idea is that the only true way to solve them, as in this Case, when we can't know definitely which side is right, is to take the safe Course and the one dictated by Humanity."

### DOUBT AS TO GUILT.

Mr. Mc Carley wrote that he had been personally acquainted with Frank before the Phagan murder, and that he "knew him to be a man of personal character and habits far above reproach."

Attorney Boykin wrote that Judge Roan had expressed to him grave doubts as to Frank's guilt just as he had expressed such doubts to Judge Arthur Jowell and other well known Attorneys, and Mr. Boykin added, he believed from Conversations he had with Judge Roan that the latter had been intimidated by threatening Letters which he had received during Frank's trial and while his motion for a new trial was pending.

Attorney Alston, in his Letter, discussed his views of the Case at length, dividing his conclusions under various Subheads. He expressed the Opinion that James Conley, the Negro, was the real murderer of Mary Phagan.