Report Of L P Whitfield

The following pages contain a correct copy of the report of L. P. Whitfield, dated May 16, 1913, and sent to the National Pencil Company on May 21, 1913.

L.P.W.
Atlanta, Georgia Friday, May 16th, 1913.

At 7:00 A.M. I went to Police Headquarters and met W. D. MacW. and city detective Black. We requested Black to secure the handwriting of Conley and Bailey, the two prisoners now in the barracks and to learn their movements on April 26th, 1913.

At 8:30 A.M. W.D. MacW. and myself went to #59 Bonnie Brae Ave., in East Point, Georgia, for the purpose of interviewing Mrs. J. A. White, who stated that on April 26th, 1913, she went to the pencil factory for the purpose of seeing her husband, who is an employee of the factory, and who was working on that day, and that she went into the factory twice. The second time she entered the factory was at 12:30 P.M., and she then went to the fourth floor of the building and talked to her husband a few minutes and then came downstairs and out of the factory about 1:00 P.M. and as she came out of the room on the ground floor, she saw a negro sitting on a box near the elevator; that she did not pay very much attention to this negro and did not know whether she could identify him or not, that this negro had on a dark suit of clothes and appeared to be a black negro, but it was dark and she could not give a good description of him. I asked Mrs. White if she would go to Police headquarters and see if she could identify Bailey or Conley as the negro whom she saw, and she stated that she could not go at that time, as she had a baby that she could not carry on account of her health.

I then returned to Police Headquarters and met Detective Black, who stated that he had interviewed James Conley, and the latter stated that he could not write, and that he left home on Saturday April 26th, 1913, at 9:00 A.M. and went to Peters St. remaining there until 6:00 P.M. at which time he went home.

I then went to the pencil factory and interviewed Mr. Schiff for the purpose of learning whether or not Conley could write. Schiff stated that he did not know, and informed me that Conley had bought watches from various jewelry stores.

W. D. MacW. and myself then went to Patrick & Thompson's jewelry store, Alabama and Broad Sts., and secured a contract which had been signed by James Conley, but he had signed this contract as Willie Conley. We then went to Jones and Phillips Jewelry store, #287 Marietta St., and secured another contract signed by James Conley, after which we went to Saul and Abelson's jewelry store, corner of Broad and Luckie Sts., and secured another contract signed by James Conley.

We then returned to the Agency and compared the handwriting of Conley with that found on the note that was alongside of the body of Mary Phagan, and the handwriting appeared to be identical.

We then went to the home of Mr. and Mrs. Coleman on Lindsey St. for the purpose of securing a minute description of the mesh bag that Mary Phagan carried with her away from home the day she was murdered. Mrs. Coleman stated that this mesh bag was about 5 inches square and had a fringe on the bottom, and had a hole on one side of it, that the chain handle had been broken, but had been repaired, that it had been in use for about two years and cost about $2.50. Mrs. Coleman also stated that Mary always brought her pay envelope home intact, so that she could see how much salary Mary drew, and that Mary seldom if ever opened her pay envelope unless it was to make a purchase, and Mary never spent any money unless she, her mother, told her to do so or Mary told her what she had spent the money for.

W. D. MacW. and myself then went to the residence of Dr. Palmer (col) on Mitchell St. for the purpose of learning the habits of James Conley, as one of the contracts which had been obtained from a jewelry store stated that Conley had been employed by Dr. Palmer. Dr. Palmer stated that he had known James Conley for about ten years, that Conley worked for him about two years ago and he considered Conley a good reliable negro at that time, as he would always be at his work on time, but that Conley was a thriftless boy and had always been that way. Dr. Palmer stated that he was sure that Conley could write.

We then went to #92 Tatnall St., and interviewed the aunt of James Conley, who stated that James did not live with her, nor had he lived there for about two years, and that Conley lived with a woman on Rhodes St., that Conley's mother lives on Humphries St. and worked at the Capitol City Laundry, that James Conley could read and write, and that he had attended the Mitchell St. school for two terms.

We then went to #172 Rhodes St., and met James Conley's wife, who stated that her name is Lorena Conley and that she had been married to Conley about three years, that on April 26th, 1913, James Conley left home about 8:00 A.M. and returned at about 2:00 P.M., that Conley did not leave the house again until Monday, April 28th, 1913; that Conley gave her $3.00 to pay her rent with after he returned home on April 26th, 1913, and that he also gave her some more money and she went to a nearby store and bought about $1.25 worth of groceries, that about 3:00 P.M., on Saturday, April 26th, 1913, she left James Conley sitting in front of the fireplace in her home while she went to a nearby store to get some snuff, that when she returned to her home she did not see Conley and she stepped to a washstand to get some vaseline and Conley jumped up from behind the washstand and she said that she screamed and Conley said he hid from her just to scare her. I inquired of Lorena if James Conley brought home the mesh bag that he bought and she stated that he did not bring any mesh bag to her house. She also stated that Conley had four shirts but that two of his shirts were in the laundry and that she had lost the laundry ticket, and he had one white shirt now, which was in the bureau drawer, that Conley had the shirt that he wore to the factory on Friday, April 25th, 1913; that he did not change shirts on Saturday or Sunday, but that he walked about in his undershirt all day on Sunday, April 27th. She also stated that it was unusual for Conley to remain at home on Saturday afternoons and evenings. I endeavored to secure some of Conley's handwriting but Lorena stated that there was none in the house.

I discontinued at 10:00 P.M.

Reported.
Atlanta 5/21/13.
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