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

Here is the translated text as follows:

LEO M. FRANK

195

A man who had been discharged on April 7th by Mr. Frank for an alleged shortage in the payroll, and who had known Mary Phagan since she was a little girl, recounted an incident. One Saturday afternoon, Mary came into the office to have her time corrected. After he had finished, Mr. Frank entered and remarked, "You seem to know Mary pretty well," despite not having been told her name. On April 26th, around 6 PM, he saw Newt Lee sitting in front of the factory. Remembering he had left a pair of shoes there, he asked Newt Lee about retrieving them, but was told he couldn't go up. As Mr. Frank was descending the stairway, he stepped back upon seeing him. He greeted Mr. Frank, who seemed startled. He mentioned wanting to retrieve his shoes, and Mr. Frank asked if he wanted to go with him or if Newt Lee would be alright. He described the shoes as tan, and Mr. Frank mentioned seeing a negro sweeping them up the other day. He then mentioned having a pair of black shoes there as well, and Mr. Frank instructed Newt to accompany him until he retrieved his shoes. Both pairs were found where he had left them, and Mr. Frank appeared pale and nervous.

Mrs. J. A. White saw her husband at the pencil factory at 11:30 AM and stayed until about 10 minutes to 12. She left him there and returned around 12:30 PM, leaving again at about 1 PM. At 11:30 AM, she saw Miss Hall, the stenographer, Mr. Frank, and two other men. She asked Mr. Frank if she could see her husband, and he said she could, sending word through Mrs. Emma Freeman. She talked to her husband for about 15 minutes before leaving. Upon her return at 12:30 PM, Mr. Frank was in the outside office standing in front of the safe. She asked if Mr. White had gone back to work, and Mr. Frank, seemingly surprised, turned and said, "Yes." She then went upstairs to see Mr. White. When she came down, Mr. Frank was sitting in the outside office, writing at a table. As she descended the steps, she saw a negro sitting on a box near the stairway on the first floor.

Harry Scott, the Superintendent of the local Pinkerton Detective Agency, had worked on this case with John Black, a city detective, and was employed by Mr. Frank. He saw Mr. Frank on Monday afternoon, April 28th, at the factory. They went into Mr. Frank's private office, where Mr. Frank mentioned he had just come from the police barracks and that Detective Black seemed to suspect him of the crime. He then detailed his movements on Saturday, April 26th: he arrived at the factory at 8 AM, left between 9:30 and 10 AM with Mr. Darley for Montag Bros. to collect the mail, and returned around 11 AM. Just before 12 PM, Mrs. White came in and asked permission to go upstairs to see her husband. Mary Phagan entered the factory at 12:10 PM to draw her pay, and he paid her off in his inside office. She then asked if the metal had arrived, to which he replied he didn't know. He thought Mary Phagan then reached the stairway, and he heard voices but couldn't distinguish whether they were men or girls talking. Around 12:50 PM, he went up to the fourth floor and asked White and Denham when they would finish their work, and they replied they wouldn't finish up for a while.