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

Here is the translated text as follows:

LEO M. FRANK, 229

On Saturday, I called the factory and asked Newt Lee if Mr. Gantt had gone again. He said, "Yes." I inquired if everything else was all right at the factory; it was, and then I hung up, had supper, and phoned my brother-in-law, Mr. Ursenbach, to see if he would be at home that evening. He said he had another engagement, so I stayed home reading a newspaper or magazine. Around 8 PM, I saw Minola pass by on her way home. That evening, my in-laws, Mr. and Mrs. Emil Selig, had company, and among those present were Mr. and Mrs. Morris Goldstein, Mr. and Mrs. M. Marcus, Mrs. A. E. Marcus, and Mrs. Ike Strauss. I sat reading in the hall until 10:30 when I turned out the gas, went into the dining room, bade them all good night, and went upstairs to take my bath. A few minutes later, my wife followed me upstairs.

On Sunday, April 27th, I was awakened before 7 o'clock by the telephone. The man who spoke was City Detective Starnes; he said, "Is this Mr. Frank, superintendent of the National Pencil Company?" I said, "Yes, sir." He said, "I want you to come down to the factory right away." I asked, "What's the trouble? Has there been a fire?" He replied, "No, a tragedy. I want you to come down right away." I said, "All right." He said, "I'll send an automobile for you." I said, "All right," and hung up and went upstairs to dress. I was in the midst of dressing when the automobile drove up, the bell rang, and my wife went downstairs to answer the door. She had on a nightdress with a robe over it. I followed my wife a minute or two later. I asked them what the trouble was, and the man, who I later found out was Detective Black, hung his head and didn’t say anything. They asked me if I knew Mary Phagan, and I told them I didn’t. They then said to me, "Didn’t a little girl with long hair hanging down her back come up to your office yesterday sometime for her money?" I said, "Yes, I do remember such a girl coming up to my office that worked in the tipping room, but I didn’t know her name was Mary Phagan." They said, "Well, we want you to come down right away with us to the factory." I didn’t have breakfast but went right on with them in the automobile. They took me to the undertaker’s, as they wanted me to see the body and see if I could identify the little girl. One of the two men asked the attendant to show us the way into where the body was, and the attendant went down a long, dark passageway with Mr. Rogers following, then I came, and Black brought up the rear until we got to a place that was apparently the door to a small room—very dark. The attendant went in and suddenly switched on the electric light, and I saw the body of the little girl. Mr. Rogers stood to my right, inside of the room. I stood right in the door, leaning up against the right facing of the door, and Mr. Black was to the left, leaning on the left facing, but a little to my rear. The attendant, whose name I have since learned was Mr. Gheesling, was on the opposite side of the little cooling table from where I stood. He removed the sheet which was covering the body, and took the head in his hands, turned it over, and put his finger exactly where the wound in the left side of the head was located. I noticed the hands and arms of the little girl were very dirty—blue and ground with dirt and cinders.