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

Here is the translated text as follows:

230 X. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.

The nostrils and mouth were full of sawdust and swollen, and there was a deep scratch over the left eye on the forehead. Around the neck, there was twine—a piece of cord similar to that used at the pencil factory—and also a piece of white rag. After looking at the body, I identified that little girl as the one who had come up shortly after noon the previous day and got her money from me. We then left the undertaking establishment, got into the automobile, and rode over to the pencil factory. Just as we arrived, I saw Mr. Darley going into the front door with another man. We went up to the second floor, the office floor. I went into the inner office, hung up my hat, and in the inner office, I saw the night watchman, Newt Lee, in the custody of an officer, who I think was Detective Starnes—the man who had phoned me. I unlocked the safe and took out the pay roll book and found that it was true that a little girl by the name of Mary Phagan did work in the metal plant, and that she was due to draw $1.20. The pay roll book showed that, and as the detective had told me that someone had identified the body of that little girl as that of Mary Phagan, there could be no question but that it was one and the same girl. The detectives then told me they wanted to take me down to the basement and show me exactly where the girl's body was found, and the other paraphernalia that they found strewn about. I went to the elevator box—the switch box, so that I could turn on the current, and found it open. I got on the elevator and started to pull the rope to start it going, and it seemed to be caught, and I couldn't move it. However, Mr. Darley was successful in getting it loose, and it started up.

In the basement, the officers showed us just where the body was found, and behind the door to the dust bin, they showed us where they found the hat and slipper on the trash pile. They also showed us where the back door, where the door to the rear was opened about 18 inches. We all went back upstairs, and Mr. Darley and myself got some cords and some nails and a hammer and went down to the basement again to lock up the back door, so that we could seal the factory from the back and nobody would enter. After returning upstairs, Mr. Darley and myself accompanied Chief Lanford on a tour of inspection through the three upper floors of the factory. We did not notice anything peculiar.

We removed the clock slip. After putting a new slip in the clock, we all went out of the factory, went downstairs, locked the door, and went to the police headquarters.

Now, gentlemen, I have heard a great deal, and so have you, in this trial, about how nervous I was that morning. I was nervous, completely unstrung. Imagine being awakened out of a sound sleep, and then rushed down in the cool of the morning in an automobile driven at top speed, without any food or breakfast, rushing into a dark passageway, coming into a darkened room, and then suddenly an electric light flashed on, and to see the sight that was presented by that poor little child. Why, it was a sight that was enough to drive a man to distraction. Of course, I was nervous; any man would be nervous if he were a man. We rode to headquarters very quickly, and Mr. Darley and I went up to Chief Lanford's office.

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