218 Page – American State Trials 1918 Volume X Leo Frank Document

Here is the translated text as follows:

186 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.

Frank denied the truth of Conley's story in its entirety and stated that Mary Phagan came into his office around noon. He claimed that he gave her the envelope and that she left him, and he had not seen her since. To support his character, he introduced nearly one hundred witnesses, including citizens of Atlanta, college mates from Cornell, and professors from that college.

The defense also produced the statements and affidavits that Conley had made to law enforcement officers before the trial. In his first statement on May 13, Conley provided a detailed account of his actions on April 26, including the saloons he visited, the whiskey and beer he bought, and an itemized list of the denominations of money he had and what he spent on beer, whiskey, and sausage. He made no mention of Frank or Mary Phagan in this statement.

On May 24, Conley made an affidavit in which he claimed that on the Friday before the Saturday on which the murder was committed, Frank asked him if he could write. Conley stated that Frank dictated to him the contents of one of the notes found by Mary Phagan's body. Frank then took a brown scratch pad, wrote on it himself, and gave Conley a box of cigarettes containing some money. Frank allegedly said to him that he had wealthy relatives in Brooklyn and asked, "Why should I hang?"

On May 28, 1913, Conley made another affidavit for the detectives. In this statement, he claimed that on the Saturday morning after leaving home, he bought two beers for himself and then went to a saloon where he won 90 cents with dice. He bought two more beers and a half-pint of whiskey, some of which he drank. Conley stated that he met Frank in the street, and they went over to the factory. Frank told him to sit on the step until he whistled. From his place of espionage, Conley mentioned various people he saw going up the stairs to Mr. Frank's office. When Frank whistled, Conley came up the stairs and found Frank trembling. They went into the private office, where Frank exclaimed that Miss Emma Clark and Corinthia Hall were coming, and he concealed Conley in the wardrobe. Conley said that he stayed in the wardrobe for a considerable time, affected by the whiskey and the situation.

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Note: The date in the last paragraph was corrected from "1918" to "1913" based on the context of the trial.