Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-05
AFFIDAVIT NOW
REPUDIATED
BY COOK

Vi UUUN
! Utter Reputation OF the afidavits
which she was alleged to have sworn
10 discriminating conversations in the
. home Of Leo M Frank. indicted for
. the staying Of Mary Phagan, was
made Thursday by Minola Mcknight
/ negro cook for the accused factory
SUPERINTENDENT and his wife's parents.
The woman denies absolutely every
statement attributed to her by the
police. and denies that she even
signed the paper made public by the
/ police
The Georgian presented the Nc
! Knight affidavit to its readers WITH
/ the distinct admonition that it must
| not be- accepted as credible evidence
until passed on in a court Of law The
affidavit was so full Of strange inco-
herencies and the need for some eX-
PLANTATION was so apparent that d
further investigation was decided
upon.
The cooks statement, giving the
| ca 81 "A new and startling turn, s
| therefore presented just as the police
affidavit was-fOr what IT Is Worta
and not as evidence. It Is an utter
and absolute population Of the ATM
davft printed Wednesday and which
purported 70 have been signed and
sworn to by her.
She denied unequivocally that she
had made the startling statements IT
the alleged affidavit which might SEND
Leo Frank to the gailows could their
truth be established beyond a doubt.
Repudiates Whole Affidavit.
She repudicated the alleged afilda-
Wit as whole and In detail. She
made her deuials Willingly and EN-
uhatfraUy There was no hesitation
in her replies. Her first comment on
the alleged affidavit constituted a
complete and absolute denial OF its
truth
Her statements were made at her
home in the rear of 35l PuIiiam
Street Only her husband, Albert
Mcknight, and the Georgian reporter
were present No member Of the
Frank family was about to influence
her replies In any manner If any
influence could have been cxerted 1t
would be supposed to have been In
the opposite direction. as II was her
husband who was said indirectly to
have furnished the information which
resulted i'm her arrest and the three
hours third degree" i'm the office OF
chief L7nford.
Mcknight. however. furnished an
other sensation by declaring that he
never had heard his wife say those
things which he is reported 10 have
told al the hardware shop Of BeCk &
Gregg. and which resulted in her
Erilling.
SAYS She Had No Attorney.
The Mcknight woman even went so
far as To say that she had no attor-
ncy Yet the affidavit she is alleged
10 have signed said:
% You make it Of your own free
will and i'm the presence of Mr.. Cor
don. your attorney
"A Yes sir"
To The Georgian, the Mcknight
woman declared that she aid bot
know who Mr.. Gordon was.
Il amt got no lawyer. 'Cept God.
He's my lawyer" she cried, raising
her right hand toward heaven You
JUS put that i'm the paper. You jus
tell them ! amt got no lawyer, 'Cept
Cod"
Did you sign any affidavit in the
office Of Chief LanfOrd ." was the
first question that was asked the Nc
Knight woman.
No. sir. / never had a pen or pen
Gil in my hand" she replied.
Most All Jack Of Lies
Have. you read what this affidavit
says as II was published in the pa
peTs2"
II was read TO me, ] can't read"
rs there anything in there that YOU
said ."
NO. sir; it's most all a pack of
where did they get all that stuH,
them"
Il don't know. sir. don't know"
The remainder Of her statement, In
| effect was
I did not say that Frank was In the
house only about ten minutes when
| he came home about 1880 on the sat
uri8y Of the murder.
did not say that I understood that
[ "a gigl and Mr.. Frank were caught at
| the Office Saturday.
did not say that I heard Miss Luz
| ellie tMrs Frank say that Frank was
| drunk Saturday night and made her
I sleep uu the floor
did not say that I heard Miss Luz
/ ellie tell her mother that Mr. Frank
had said that he was in trouble and
didn't know the reason why he would
/ murder. and that he told his wife 10
get his pistol and let him kin himself
! didn't say they gave me extra
| money 20 make me keep quiet.
| I didn't say that ! made any aft
d8vft I'm the presence OF Mr. Gordon.
my attorney.
The strange turn that has been
given by the Mcknight woman's re-
pudiatiun Of the affidavit and her dec
Iaratiou that she never even had a
men or pnugU ia her hand adds fresh