Author: Historical Librarian

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 23rd, 1913 TRACE FOUND HERE OF NEGRO SAID TO HAVE SEEN PHAGAN SLAYING Sister of Will Green Tells Police He Slept at Home at Hour Girl Was Slain; Jim Conley, Factory Sweeer Again Grilled. The two negro principals in the Phagan case—Newt Lee and Jim Conley—were put on the grill together in the cell of the former in the county jail by Solicitor Dorsey and his assistant, Frank G. Hooper, late Wednesday afternoon. Present at the cross-examination were J. M. Gantt, former pencil factory employee, and Detectives Starnes and Campbell, the officers who have had charge of Conley

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 23rd, 1913 Scouts New ‘Proof' of Defense Detective Chief Scoffs at Claim of Evidence That Club Used by Negro Was Found. Chief of Detectives Newport Lanford Wednesday morning ridiculed the story that the defense of Leo M. Frank has in its possession a bloody club, alleged to have been found by two Pinkerton detectives on May 10 in the National Pencil Factory, and with which, it is reported, the defense will contend Mary Phagan was slain by James Conley, the negro sweeper. Asserting that he knows nothing whatever of the alleged bloody club, Chief Lanford declared that, if

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 23rd, 1913 The Discovery of the Body of the Slain Factory Girl and Start of Hunt for Slayer. CHAPTER II. His heart pounding in superstitious fright, Newt Lee, the night watchman, forced himself to approach the strange object on the pile of debris in the pencil factory basement. A step nearer and he could make out what appeared to be a human foot. He recoiled and was on the point of precipitate flight. But he must look closer, he thought. Perhaps, after all, it was only the ghastly prank of some of the factory employees who had manufactured

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 24th, 1913 STATE READY AND WILL FIGHT A DELAY Solicitor Disappointed When Court Fails to Draw Jury Panels at Time Planned. With the belief growing that a serious effort is being made to delay the trial of Leo Frank, set for next Monday, Solicitor General Hugh M. Dorsey Thursday renewed his protest against further postponement in a vigorous statement, declaring the prosecution is ready with a complete case against the National Pencil Company factory head, accused of killing Mary Phagan. The trial date rests entirely with Judge Roan, who is in Covington. The drawing of the jury venire

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 24th, 1913 Leo Frank should be placed on trial Monday for the murder of Mary Phagan. The crime was committed April 26; Frank was arrested April 28; he was indicted Mary 23 and his trial set for June 30. At the suggestion of the judge in whose court the trial is to take place, a postponement was agreed on, and the date of the trial moved up to July 28. Now attempts are being made to secure another postponement. The only reason given to the public is that the weather is hot and it would be disagreeable to

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 24th, 1913 Arrests of Suspects in the Factory Slaying. Sensation as Leo Frank, Manager Was Taken Into Custody. CHAPTER III. Everything that occurred, trivial or important, during those first few days after the body of little Mary Phagan was discovered in the pencil factory basement took on a dramatic aspect. The people were keyed to so high a pitch by the revolting crime that for for a time it seemed to require only a spark to fire them to violent deeds. Let a strange person so much as appear at the police station to confer with Chief of

    Atlanta Georgian July 24th, 1913 JUDGE ANNOUNCES HE IS READY TO TRY CASE; 144 MEN EMPANELLED Says He Has Not Even Been Asked for Postponement, and Sees No Reason Why Trial Should Not Begin On Date Fixed. Jim Conley, the negro sweeper of the National Pencil Factory, was taken from the police station late Thursday afternoon by Detectives Starnes and Campbell to verify certain of his statements and to point out certain witnesses, who, he told the detectives, would be able to refute the affidavit of W. H. Mincey by showing that he was not at the point

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 25th, 1913 Despite Judge's Statement All Is In Readiness, Move for Postponement Is Expected. Despite the fact that Superior Judge L. S. Roan stated everything was in readiness for the trial of Leo M. Frank next Monday, that State's Attorney Hugh M. Dorsey has announced he will fight a delay, and that the defense actually commenced summoning witnesses, the impression still prevailed Friday that a motion for continuance would be made by the defense when the case is opened. Attorneys Luther Rosser and Reuben R. Arnold, declined flatly to say whether they would permit the trial to proceed

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 26th, 1913 The Negro Conley's Confession That He Was Frank's Accomplice and Events Leading Up to Trial. Chapter VI. "He (Leo Frank) told me that he had picked up a girl back there and had let her fall, and that her head had hit against something—he didn't what it was—and for me to move her, and I hollered and told him the girl was dead." With this startling accusation Jim Conley introduced his third confession. Under the rack of a merciless third degree, continued through the long afternoon of May 29, he weakened or became desperate toward the

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 26th, 1913 Says Pierce Broke His Promise Detective Head Also Asserts Phagan Evidence Private Sleuth Unearthed Was Plant. Chief of Detectives Lanford roundly scored H. B. Pierce, head of the Pinkerton Detective Agency in Atlanta, Saturday for what he termed questionable procedure in connection with the Phagan murder investigation. When application was made by the agency for permission to operate in Atlanta and the matter was under consideration by the Police Board, the promise was made that the Pinkerton's would work in harmony with the city detective department and would co-operate in the apprehension of criminals. This promise,

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 26th, 1913 Both Sides Hide Vital Phagan Facts State's Prosecutor Shrouds Identity and Stories of Scores of Witnesses in Secrecy. Prosecution and defense continued their preparations for the Frank trial Saturday, the last-hour hurry of interviewing new witnesses and gathering up the stray ends of evidence giving a fair promise that the trial will start as scheduled next Monday forenoon. That Solicitor Dorsey has nearly a score of important witnesses whose testimony has been carefully guarded from the defense and the general public is well known. These witnesses have come to his office from time to time, and

Atlanta Georgian (Hearst's Sunday American)July 27th, 1913 Colonel P. H. Brewster has written The Georgian a letter correcting a statement in The Sunday American. The letter quotes the report that Colonel Brewster had aided Mr. Dorsey, and proceeds: "Where such information could have been obtained I can not understand, since it is absolutely false. "I have had nothing whatever to do with the Frank case. My advice has not been even sought as to any question involved in the case, nor have I volunteered it, and I have prepared no briefs on any phase of the case. Mr. Dorsey, the

Atlanta Georgian (Hearst's Sunday American)July 27th, 1913 Theory Is That Watchman Surprised Sweeper Attempting to Dispose of Body and Entered Into Pact. An amazing chain of evidence, laying bare the mystery of the two notes found beside the body of Mary Phagan, which have proved the most baffling of all the facts connected with the girl's murder, came to light as in the possession of the defense Saturday. According to the theory of the defense, Conley murdered the girl and was unexpectedly discovered with her body in the basement of the pencil factory by Newt Lee; that the night watchman

Atlanta Georgian (Hearst's Sunday American)July 27th, 1913 Solicitor-General Hugh Dorsey, who will prosecute the case against Leo M. Frank, last night gave the Sunday American the following statement: Without going into the merit of the State's case against Leo M. Frank, charged with the murder of little Mary Phagan, the possibility of a mistake having been made is very remote. To say why the State believes Frank to be guilty of this murder would be hurtful, and lay before the defense the evidence we have so carefully guarded. We have employed only the fairest methods and have accepted no evidence

Atlanta Georgian (Hearst's Sunday American)July 27th, 1913 Dorsey Ready to Avenge Mary Phagan Mystery of Months Is Still Unsolved Most Bitter Legal Battle in History of Atlanta Courts Is Expected—Case Will Probably Last for Weeks. After three months of mystery in the death of Mary Phagan, a climax is at hand more tense, more dramatic, more breathlessly interesting to Atlanta and all Georgia than any situation of fiction. Leo M. Frank, employer of the little girl whose tragic death, April 26, stirred a State, will be brought to trial Monday on the charge that he killed her. Frank's trial is

Atlanta Georgian (Hearst's Sunday American)July 27th, 1913 This newspaper article is a continuation from the first page of an Atlanta Georgian newspaper. The first page is missing from our archives. If any readers know where to obtain the first part of this article, we would appreciate any help! Thank you! Mary Phagan by strangulation. This was followed by the request of the defense that the State's witnesses be called, sworn and put under the rule. The prosecution opened by announcing its readiness to go on with the trial and called the list of witnesses. Bailiffs brought them down from the

Atlanta Georgian (Hearst's Sunday American)July 27th, 1913 Emphatic denial of the charges by Chief of Detectives Lanford that he had kept bad faith with the city department in connection with the investigation of the murder of Mary Phagan was made by H. B. Pierce, superintendent of the Pinkerton Detective Agency in Atlanta, Saturday night. Chief Lanford's accusations against the Pinkerton official were mainly that he had withheld evidence from the city police, especially the bloodstained stick and the pay envelope of the Phagan girl, both of which were found by Pinkerton operatives on the first floor of the factory and

Atlanta Georgian (Hearst's Sunday American)July 27th, 1913 The venire of 144 men from which twelve will be selected to decide the fate of Leo M. Frank is considered to be one of the most representative ever drawn from a petit jury box in Fulton County. Prominent among the prospective jurors are Joel Hurt, Dr. E. L. Connally and J. W. Alexander, capitalists: David Woodward, president of the Woodward Lumber Company; George Law, of Law Brothers; R. F. Shedden, of the Mutual Life Insurance Company; Thomas D. Meador, vice president of the Lowry National Bank, and Edwin F. Johnson, advertising man.

Atlanta Georgian (Hearst's Sunday American)July 27th, 1913 Old Police Reporter Sees No Cause for Delay Either Side Asking Postponement Will Reveal Weakness, as Time Has Been Given for Preparation. Conley Is Center of Interest. Defense Must Break Story of Negro or Face Difficult Situation. State Will Base Case on Chain of Circumstantial Evidence. By AN OLD POLICE REPORTER. The defense in the case of Leo Frank would have made a mistake, if current street comment counts for anything, had it decided to move for a continuance of the case to-morrow. Indeed, the fact that the defense even was suspected of

Atlanta Georgian (Hearst's Sunday American)July 27th, 1913 Solves Discrepancies of Time Mistaken Identity To Be Plea Leo M. Frank Goes to Trial for the Slaying of Mary Phagan Monday, With Both Prosecution and the Defense Confident. All Preparations Are Made for Big Crowds—Judge Roan to Be on Bench, Despite Recent Illness—Bitter Battle Expected. Leo M. Frank will go on trial for his life to-morrow forenoon. With the beginning of the great legal battle, hardly more than 24 hours distant, it has been learned that the prosecution has overcome to its own satisfaction the greatest obstacle with which it has been

Atlanta Georgian (Hearst's Sunday American)July 27th, 1913 Within a minute or two after Deputy Sheriff Plennie Minor had called the court to order the examination process was applied to the venire panel of 144 men. From each panel of twelve one or more men were excused after being asked the formal questions and furnished a sufficient reason to bar them. J. H. Jones, Deputy Clerk, called the names. F. W. Stone, No. 82 East Linden street, was excused on account of illness. R. F. Shedden was refused on an excuse of military exemption. Only one man was excused from the

Atlanta Georgian (Hearst's Sunday American)July 27th, 1913 Veniremen Searchingly Examined by Both State and Defense Slightest Objection Used to Disqualify—Attorneys Shrewdly Gauge Candidates from Every Angle. In the selection of the twelve men to comprise the jury which will try Leo M. Frank for the murder of Mary Phagan, one of the bitterest contests of the great legal battle which begins Monday is anticipated. That counsel for both the defense and State will probe deep into the character of each of the men drawn from the venire of 144 who take the stand for examination for jury service in this

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 28th, 1913 Frank was escorted from the Tower to the courthouse shortly after 6 o'clock in the morning, nearly three hours before the trial was schedule to begin. This was done to avoid the curious crowd which it was expected would be about the courthouse and thronging the corridors at 9 o'clock. Frank was up and dressed and freshly shaven when Deputy Sheriff Plennie Miner appeared before his cell at the early hour. "How are you feeling this morning Mr. Frank?" the deputy inquired. "Tip top, only, I'm mighty hungry," replied Frank. Exhibiting the same poised confidence that

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 28th, 1913 Here is the Frank jury complete: A. H. Henslee, 74 Oak street; salesman. F. V. L. Smith, 481 Cherokee avenue, manufacturer's agent. J. F. Higdon, 108 Ormewood avenue. F. E. Winburn, 213 Lucile avenue, claim agent. A. L. Wisbey, 31 Hood street, cashier of the Buckeye Oil Company. W. M. Jeffries, a real estate man, with offices at 318 Empire building. Marcellus Johemming, 161 James street, a machine shop foreman with offices at 281 Marietta street. M. L. Woodward, cashier King Hardware Company, 182 Park avenue. J. T. Osburn, an optician for A. K. Hawkes, was

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 28th, 1913 Wife Helps Prisoner Pick Men to Try Him All in Readiness for Real Trial to Begin After Short Recess Events on the opening day of the trial of Leo M. Frank, accused of the slaying of Mary Phagan in the National Pencil Factory, moved with such unexpected swiftness that it was apparent that the trial proper would be under way and the first witnesses called before the close of the first day's session. The jury had been completed by the time recess was taken at 1:30. After a few preliminary clashes between the opposing attorneys which

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 28th, 1913 Newt Lee Repeats His Story in Court Room Negro Watchman Swears Frank Acted Oddly Day of Crime Here are the important developments in the trial of Leo M. Frank for the murder of Mary Phagan. Jury chosen at 1:30 p. m. Mrs. Coleman, girl's mother, takes stand after recess, at 3:15, and tells of Mary leaving for the factory 11:45 a. m. on April 26. George W. Epps, boy companion of Mary Phagan, repeats his story that he had an engagement to meet her on the afternoon of the fatal day. Newt Lee, night watchman at

    Atlanta Georgian, July 28th, 1913, Page 2, Columns 3 And 4 Bottom As Leo Frank faces to-day the ordeal decreed by law that for man's life, man's life shall pay, interest in his case that has held Atlanta, Georgia and the South enthralled for three months has diminished not a whit since the Sunday morning the body of the little factory girl was found. Wise judges of news, men who are paid thousands of dollars each year for their knowledge of the fickleness of the public, men who can time to the second the period when interest dies

  Atlanta Georgian, July 28th, 1913 Page 2, Columns 1 and 2 No murder trial in Fulton County ever has approached the spectacular interest which is in prospect in the Frank case from the first, sharp skirmish between the opposing attorneys, through the long, bitter legal battle, and to the final pleas of the prosecution and the defense. The presence of Luther Z. Rosser and Reuben R. Arnold in the brilliant array of legal talent at once made certain that the trial would be out of the ordinary. Neither has the reputation of making a half-hearted fight when there is

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 29th, 1913 STATE TRIES TO SHOW GIRL WAS STRANGLED ON THE SECOND FLOOR Here are Tuesday's important developments in the trial of Leo M. Frank on the charge of murdering Mary Phagan in the National Pencil Factory, Saturday, April 26. Newt Lee, negro night watchman at the pencil factory, leaves the stand after four hours and forty minutes of examination and cross-examination with the essential points of his story unshaken. Efforts to discredit the negro's story result only in showing several discrepancies in the story he told before the Coroner's jury and his testimony on the stand at

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 29th, 1913 By L. F. Woodruff A page was ripped from a story of Harris Dickson. "Old Reliable" was paraded in the life in as somber a setting as was ever conceived and the temper of the audience that is following the fortunes of Leo Frank through his struggle for life and liberty was revealed. Some sinister things have been said of the spirit of Atlanta in reference to the trial of the pencil factory superintendent as the slayer of Mary Phagan. It was whispered once that the law would not be allowed to take its course, but

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 29th, 1913 Outwardly Quiet and Singularly Lacking in Excitement, Frank Trial is Enactment of Grim Drama. By JAMES B. NEVIN. One of the most commonplace things in the world—crime—is riveting the attention of Atlanta and Georgia to-day. Crime is almost as commonplace as death—and yet death, in a thousand ways, never is commonplace at all. If I were a stranger in Atlanta and should walk into the courthouse where Leo Frank is being tried for the murder of Mary Phagan, doubtless I should be utterly astounded to discover what I had walked into. That pale-faced, slight, boyish-looking party

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 30th, 1913 That a sensation is be sprung by the defense by the production of the mysteriously missing ribbon and flowers from the hat of the murdered girl was repeatedly indicated by Attorney Rosser's line of questioning Tuesday and the afternoon before. Beginning with Mrs. J. W. Coleman, mother of Mary Phagan, the attorney for Frank interrogated every witness who saw the girl alive or dead that day in regard to the ribbon and flowers. Mrs. Coleman said that the ribbon and flowers were on the hat when Mary left home. Newt Lee said that he had seen

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 30th, 1913 By O. B. KEELER. The trouble is, plain human emotions won't stick at concert pitch all the time. And so the Frank trial, after the first twenty minutes, say, becomes much like any other trial. Except in the flashes. You get into the courtroom with some formality. At once you are in the midst of order. It is rather ponderous, made-to-order order. But it is order. Officials stalk about, walking on the balls of their feet, like pussy cats. But they do not purr. They request you to be seated. You must not stand up; you

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 30th, 1913 Defendant Perfect in Poise, His Wife Picture of Contemptuous Confidence. By L. F. WOODRUFF. Arm akimbo; glasses firmly set, changing position seldom, Leo M. Frank sits through his trial with his thoughts in Kamchatka, Terra del Fuego, or the Antipodes, so far as the spectators in the courtroom can judge. He may realize that if the twelve men he faces decide that he is guilty of the murder of Mary Phagan, the decree of earthly court will be that his sole hope of the future will be an appeal to the Court on High. His mind

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 30th, 1913 STATE ADDS NEW LINK TO EVIDENCE CHAIN BY BOOTS ROGERS' STORY Sensational testimony by J. M. Gantt, discharged pencil factory employee, was promised Wednesday by Solicitor Dorsey and Frank A. Hooper, who is assisting him. They admitted that Gantt had testimony that had never before been published and would be one of the State's most material and direct witnesses. The defense has heard that Gantt will testify he saw Frank and Conley together on the day of the crime. Gantt was expected to follow Grace Hicks on the stand. The State added another link in the

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 30th, 1913 By JAMES B. NEVIN. If Mr. Luther Z. Rosser's bite is one-half so dangerous as his growl undoubtedly is disconcerting and awe-inspiring, there will be little save shreds and patches of the prosecution left when the State comes eventually to sum up its case against Leo Frank. Rosser's examination of Newt Lee was one of the most nerve racking and interesting I ever listened to. It reminded me much of a big mastiff worrying and teasing a huge brown rat, and grimly bent eventually upon the rat's utter annihilation. A witness up against one of Rosser's

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 31st, 1913 Although the State's witnesses were on the stand all of Wednesday the day was distinctly favorable for Frank, partly because nothing distinctly unfavorable was developed against him—the burden of proof being upon the State—but most largely because of two other factors, the utter collapse of the testimony of one of the State's star witnesses, City Detective John Black, and the testimony in favor of Frank that was given by another of the State's witnesses, Miss Grace Hix, a 16-year-old factory employee. Girl Helps Frank. Miss Hix testified that the strands of hair found on the lathing

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 31st, 1913 By L. F. WOODRUFF. The sun's heat is broiling. No man can stand it without suffering. And still men stand, not one man, but scores of them, on a blistered pavement gazing on a red brick building as unsightly as a gorgon's head and look at nothing by the hour. They are led there by a trail of crimson, and they are held there by the carmine charm that—since Cain committed his deed of fratricide—has made murder the deed that the law most severely punishes and has made it the act that most interests man. Go

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 31st, 1913 Here are the important developments of Thursday in the trial of Leo M. Frank: Harry Scott, Pinkerton detective, is accused of having "trapped" the prosecution by Solicitor Dorsey, when he testifies that Frank was not nervous when he first saw him. He is fiercely grilled by the defense after having testified to finding blood spots on the second floor, wiped over with a white substance. He testifies in addition that Herbert Haas, attorney for Frank, asked him to give him reports on his investigations before he gave them to the police and that he refused. He

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 31st, 1913 He Raps With the Barlow Blade and Waves the Oriflamed Kerchief Judiciously. Plennie Minor, chief deputy sheriff, has a man's sized job on his hands and he handles it with the aid of a red bandanna handkerchief and a pocketknife. More formidable armament has been invented, but the oriflammed kerchief and the barlow blade are all that Plennie Miner requires to perform a duty that many would deem arduous, all of which shows that the deputy sheriff is a man of resource and ability. It is his job to keep order in Judge Roan's courtroom, while

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 31st, 1913 FRANK NOT IN OFFICE JUST AFTER 12 ON DAY OF SLAYING, SAYS GIRL The deliberate charge that he had been "trapped" by Pinkerton Detective Harry Scott was made by Solicitor Dorsey at the trial of Leo M. Frank Thursday. Scott played a curious part in the trial, being attacked by both sides. He was given the same fiery baptism that annihilated City Detective Black the day before, but he passed through the ordeal in much better shape than his brother detective. Scott left the stand at 11 o'clock and Miss Monteen Stover was called. The Stover

Atlanta GeorgianJuly 31st, 1913 By JAMES B. NEVIN. Poor John Black! With this unwitting assistance of the Solicitor General and the assistance of Luther Rosser, he furnished all the "punch" there was in Wednesday's story of the Frank trial. Black evidently was undertaking to tell the truth, and was unwilling to tell more or less than the truth, but that didn't help matters much, so far as the State was concerned. When Solicitor Dorsey exclaimed "plant!"—which means nothing more than "faked" or "framed up" evidence for the benefit of the defense—I glanced rapidly at Rosser. I saw precisely what I

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 1st, 1913 Lawyers Wrangle Over Frank's Nervousness DORSEY WINS POINT AS ROSSER BATTLES TO DEFEND ACCUSED Jim Conley, accuser of Leo Frank, will take the stand Saturday morning, according to all indications Friday, to repeat the remarkable story he told concerning his part in the disposition of the body of Mary Phagan and undergo the merciless grilling of the defense. Solicitor General Dorsey said that he expected to have his case completed by Saturday night and police, believing he will call the negro to-morrow, had him shaved and cleaned up and in readiness for his appearance. Regardless of

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 1st, 1913 By JAMES B. NEVIN. Has the State succeeded in thoroughly establishing the fact that little Mary Phagan's tragic death was effected on the second floor of the National Pencil Factory, in Forsyth street? It has not, of course—but it has set up by competent evidence a number of suspicious circumstances, which, if properly sustained later along, will prove damaging in the extreme to Leo Frank. Unless these circumstances, trivial in some aspects, are braced up and backed up, however, by other much stronger circumstances, they will give the jury, in all probability, little concern in arriving

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 1st, 1913 Up Against a Hard Proposition Youthful Solicitor Is Fighting Valiantly to Win Case. By L. F. WOODRUFF. Georgia's law's most supreme penalty faces Leo Frank. A reputation that they can not be beaten must be sustained by Luther Rosser and Reuben Arnold. Atlanta's detective department's future is swaying on the issue of the Frank trial. But there is a man with probably as much at stake as any of the hundreds who crowd Judge Roan's courtroom, with the exception of Frank, and he is accepting the ordeal, though he realizes it, as calmly as a person

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 1st, 1913 Was Mary Phagan killed at or very near the time she entered the National Pencil Factory April 26 to get her pay envelope or was she merely attacked at this time and murdered later? The line of questioning pursued by Luther Rosser in his cross-examination of two of the State's witnesses Thursday afternoon indicated this will be one of the questions the jurors will have to settle before they will be able to determine the innocence or guilt of Leo M. Frank. Rosser was most persistent in his interrogation both of William A. Gheesling embalmer, and

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 1st, 1913 There are enough "hists," "aha's" and those other exclamations that mark a true detective besides the badge on his left suspender to fill a whole volume of Gaborieau thrillers at the Frank trial. A stranger whirled from the Terminal Station to Judge Roan's courtroom would be convinced before he had been in that temple of justice five minutes that all Atlanta earns its living following clews, and that if Sherlock Holmes was made a material being he could beat Jim Woodward for Mayor by 8,000 votes. Ever since the body of Mary Phagan was found, practically

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 2nd, 1913 Newspaper on Judge's Desk Causes Protest DR. HURT UNDER FIRE OF DEFENSE, HITS A DR. HARRIS TESTIMONY A genuine sensation was sprung at the trial of Leo M. Frank Saturday morning when Luther Rosser and Reuben Arnold, attorneys for the defense, asked the State to consent to a new trial on the ground that Judge Roan had allowed the jury to catch a glimpse of a headline in the first extra of The Georgian. Judge Roan had laid the paper on the stand in front of him, and, according to the defense, the headline across the

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 2nd, 1913 O. B. Keeler. The juror's life is not unmixed with care. Look him over next time you attend the Frank trial. Size up his little job. Weigh his responsibility. Consider his problems. And then, if seeking employment, go out and sign a contract to make little ones out of big ones. It's a more satisfactory way of earning $2 a day. The juror's business is to collect evidence by the earful, sift the same, separate the true from the false, and make it into a verdict as between the Stat of Georgia and Leo Frank. On

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 2nd, 1913 By L. F. WOODRUFF. Emotion's entire gamut is daily run on the screen of faces watching the Frank trial. A student of facial expression can find anything he seeks by watching the throng of spectators a half hour. A glance at one man may show a sneer of hate as bitter as gall. His neighbor in the next seat will probably be smiling in amused content as if her were witnessing the antics of his favorite comedian. Looking to the left he may see fear as vividly depicted on a countenance as trapped felon has ever

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 2nd, 1913 By JAMES B. NEVIN. The testimony of Dr. Roy Harris, chairman of the State Board of Health, and one of the most learned and approved physicians in Georgia, was dramatic, both in its substance and in the manner of its delivery Friday. It was not calculated to help Leo Frank—and it did not. The exhibition of a portion of the contents of the dead girl's stomach, for the purpose of approximating the time of her death, held breathless the packed courthouse—and the fainting of the physician during the progress of his testimony gave a final touch

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 2nd, 1913 Are five and half ounces of cabbage to be the principal factor in sending a man to the gibbet? If the prosecution is warranted in its belief in the vital and incriminating importance of the testimony of Dr. H. F. Harris, director of the State Board of Health, this is exactly the outcome to be expected in the trial of Leo M. Frank, charged with the murder of little Mary Phagan. It remains, however, for the State to show explicitly just how the sensational statements made last Friday afternoon by medical expert any more clearly connect

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 3rd, 1913 Negro's Testimony Now Supremely Important Both Sides Stake Their All on His Evidence STATE FORGES CHAIN TO TAX ALL THE INGENUITY OF DEFENSES LEGAL ARRAY First Week of Battle Has Fixed the Time Almost Exactly According to Theory of the Solicitor—Doctors' Testimony His Important Bearing. BY AN OLD POLICE REPORTER. There are two tenable theories of the manner in which little Mary Phagan met her tragic death in the National Pencil Factory on Saturday, April 26. Either she was murdered by Leo Frank, as charged in the indictment, or she was murdered by James Conley, the

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 3rd, 1913 Solicitor Dorsey Indicates That Real Sensation Will Be Developed for State in Closing Days of Famous Mary Phagan Mystery Case. ANOTHER WEEK OF ORDEAL IN THE HEAT IS EXPECTED Routing of Detective Black and Surprise in the Testimony of Pinkerton Agent Gives the Defense Principal Points Scored—Newt Lee Hurts. Slow and tedious, almost without frills, full of bitter squabbles between lawyers, made memorable by oppressive heat, the first week of Leo Frank's trial on the charge that he killed Mary Phagan, the little factory girl, has drawn to an end. With the close of the week

Courtroom Studies of Leo Frank: Three typical poses of the defendant in the famous Phagan case are show, while in the upper left of the picture is a study of Luther Rosser, his leading counsel. Here is what a study of Frank's face reveals: His face is immovable, except, perhaps, for the eyes. But fixity of countenance does not always go with unconcern. In this case it is a part of the man's nature. Immobility is the essential part of his physiognomy. It is the immobility of the business man given to calculation, of the gambler, of the person given

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 4th, 1913 By JAMS B. NEVIN. When a prospective juryman is on his voir dire in a given criminal case, he is asked if his mind is perfectly impartial between the State and the accused. If he answers yes, he is competent to try the case, so far as that is concerned. If he answers no, he is rejected. How many people in Atlanta and Georgia, having heard part of the testimony in the Frank case, still feel themselves to be perfectly impartial between the State and the accused? How many people, having heard part of the evidence,

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 4th, 1913 There was a murmur of excitement following the calling of Jim Conley; there was a wait of several minutes, officers having just left the police station with the negro a minute or two before he was called. Judge Roan impatiently ordered the Sheriff to bring in the witness. A number of spectators who were crowded up too close to the jury box were moved back by the court deputies. "The Sheriff hasn't got Jim Conley," said Attorney Rosser, after a statement from Deputy Sheriff Plennie Miner. "Mr. Starnes will bring him in," returned Solicitor Dorsey. "See

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 4th, 1913 NEGRO SPRINGS NEW SENSATION, ADDING TO STORY.James Conley, the negro sweeper in the National Pencil Factory, was called to the stand in the trial of Leo M. Frank, whom he accuses of the murder of Mary Phagan, at 10:15 Monday; under the skillful questioning of Solicitor Dorsey began the recitation of his sensational story.The negro was taken to the court in Chief Beavers' automobile and was accompanied by his lawyer, W.M. Smith. It was learned for the first time Monday that Conley would swear that he saw Mary Phagan enter the factory just before Monteen Stover,

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 4th, 1913 L. O. Grice, a stenographer in the offices of the Atlanta and West Point Railroad, was the first witness called. He said that he saw Frank on Sunday morning after the murder and Frank attracted his attention by his undue nervousness. Grice said he was on the way to the Terminal Station when he bought an "extra" stating that a murder had been committed at the National Pencil Factory. He said he stopped by the pencil factory and saw eight men on the inside of the building. "Did any of these men attract your particular attention?"

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 4th, 1913 By L. F. WOODRUFF. A policeman's life is not a merry one. The thought was expressed and event set to music in those dim days of the distant past when people heard the lyrics and listened to the charming lilts of Gilbert and Sullivan opera instead of centering their attentions on a winsome young woman with a record in the divorce courts and not much else in either ability or raiment. Gilbert and Sullivan, now being tradition, can be considered authorities. Wherefore the thought is repeated that a policeman's life is not a merry one. But

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 4th, 1913 During the long wait for Conley to appear, Frank, his loyal wife and his no less loyal mother gave no sign of fear. Accuser and accused were about to face each other, a dramatic situation which the authorities had sought to bring about since the negro made his third affidavit charging Frank with the terrible crime. If Frank at last were on the edge of a breakdown his calm, untroubled features were most deceiving at this time. He seemed no more concerned than when John Black, floundering and helpless on the stand, was making as good

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 4th, 1913 Deputy Sheriff W. W. ("Boots") Rogers, witness for the State in the Frank trial, is taking the Pasteur treatment at the State Capitol Monday after being bitten half a dozen times on the right ankle by a rabid dog that pulled him from his motorcycle at Henderson's crossing, on Capitol avenue, Sunday night about 11 o'clock. After a battle of more than fifteen minutes Rogers finally drove the dog away, and though his right leg was badly torn and lacerated, rode the two miles from the crossing to Grady Hospital. When he arrived at the hospital

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 4th, 1913 By O. B. Keeler. Jim Conley, hewer of wood and drawer of water. On the witness stand at the Frank trial this morning, Jim unfolded a tale whose lightest word—you know the rest. It was a story that flexed attention to the breaking point: a story that whitened knuckles and pressed finger nails into palms; a story that absorbed the usual courtroom stir and rustle, and froze the hearers into lines upon lines of straining faces. And Jim Conley told that story as he might have told the story of a day's work at well-digging, or

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 4th, 1913 Dramatic in its very glibness and unconcern, Conley's story, if it failed to shake or disturb Leo Frank, at least had a wonderful impression upon each member of the jury. Conley told of seeing Mary Phagan enter the factory. This was the first time he had admitted to this, so far as the public had known. Frank showed only a mild interest, but the jurors strained forward in their seats. Conley told of hearing the footsteps from his vantage point on the first floor of two persons coming out of Frank's office. Frank still exhibited no

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 4th, 1913 Wife and Mother of the Accused Pencil Factory Superintendent Sit Calmly Through Trial. By TARLETON COLLIER Women are brought into a court room, as all the world knows, for one of two purposes. Their presence may have a moral effect in softening the heart of a juror, particularly if they be young, pretty or wistful of countenance. Or they may be there on the affectionate mission of cheering and encouraging a beloved defendant. Two women sat with Leo Frank through all the hot, weary days of last week. Their object was the one or the other.

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 4th, 1913 A bitter, determined cross-examination of Jim Conley by Luther Rosser was marked by a prolonged battle between counsel for the defense and State over the method of questioning the negro. The defense won a complete victory, Judge Roan ruling that the accuser of Leo Frank could be cross-examined on any subject the prisoner's lawyers saw fit. In the course of this legal tilt Luther Rosser said: "I am going after him (referring to Conley) and I am going to jump on him with both feet." Turning to counsel for the State he added significantly: "And I

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 5th, 1913 By JAMES B. NEVIN. Black and sinister, depressing in its every aspect and horrible in its gloom, the testimony of Jim Conley in the Frank case was given to the court and the jury under direct examination Monday. The shadow of the negro had loomed like a frightful cloud over the courtroom for days—the negro himself came into the case Monday. And he came into it in an awful and unspeakably sensational way! The public was prepared for most that Conley said—it was not quite prepared for all he said. The State, in its direct examination

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 5th, 1913 The defense of Leo Frank will bring out vividly before the jury Tuesday that the striking feature of Jim Conley's dramatic recital on the stand Monday was that it differed not only from the first two affidavits signed by the negro, which he later repudiated in large part, but it also conflicted in several particulars with the last sensational affidavit in which he charged Leo Frank with the killing of the girl and related that he (Conley) disposed of the body and wrote the notes that were found at its side at Frank's direction. As a

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 5th, 1913 Judge, Favoring Defense, Reserves Decision as to Striking Out Testimony CONLEY CONTINUES TO WITHSTAND FIERCE ATTACKS OF ROSSER Reuben Arnold created a sensation at the opening of Tuesday afternoon's session of the Frank trial by making a motion that all of the revolting testimony concerning Leo Frank's alleged conduct before the day of Mary Phagan's murder be stricken out of the records. He also demanded that all of Jim Conley's testimony in reference to watching at the door at Frank's direction be expunged except the time he claims he watched on the day Mary Phagan was

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 5th, 1913 The determined onslaught against Jim Conley, his string of affidavits and the story he told before the Frank jury had its real beginning Monday afternoon. Luther Rosser, starting with the avowed purpose of breaking down the negro's story and forcing from the negro's lips a story more incriminating to himself than any he had uttered, went deeply into Conley's past history, his home life, his prison record and everything that directly or remotely might have a bearing on the solution of the murder mystery. Before taking up the events of the day that Mary Phagan was

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 5th, 1913 By L.F. WOODRUFF. Sinister as a cloud, as raven as a night unaided by moon, planet or satellite, Jim Conley is to-day the most talked-of man in Georgia. His black skin has not been whitened by the emancipation proclamation. The record of his race for regarding an oath as it regards a drink of gin, something to be swallowed, remains unattacked. But Georgia is to-day listening to the words of Jim Conley with breathless interest. His every syllable has ten thousand of eager interpreters. His facial expression is watched as keenly as he answers the questions

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 6th, 1913 Deplores Newspaper Publicity, but Poses Merrily for the Camera Brigade. W. H. Mincey, the school teacher and insurance solicitor who made an affidavit that Jim Conley confessed to him that he had already killed a girl that day and didn't want to kill anyone else, was the center of attention for the crowd on the outside of the courthouse Wednesday mornin. While deploring newspaper publicity, he readily agreed to pose for a group of newspaper photographers, assuming many poses, some of which were rather grotesque. He followed this with implicit instructions to the photographer that his

Atlanta GeorgianAugust 6th, 1913 By James B. Nevin. "Gentlemen of the jury, having heard from James Conley, the blackest, most damning story ever told in Atlanta by one human being against another, having sat there and listened as he smudged with unspeakable scandal the defendant in this case, Leo Frank, although it is irrelevant, immaterial, and has nothing to do with this case, you will kindly forget it, being on your oaths as jurymen to consider the evidence declared competent!" And the jury, being like most other juries, in one way or another, and having heard all the things as