The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1913-05-30

NSA "ASO AD AsVROAs sA0s CASsV"
graph Was Also Used on Mayor
Woodward-Report Alleges that
Atlanta's Chief Executive Told
Certain City Employees to Get Ev-
idence Against Police and They
Would be Paid.
Atlanta, Ca, May 24.-The al
ready widespread interest in the
murder Of Mary Phagan, the pretty
14-year-old factory employee, whose
body was found in the basement of
the National Pencil Factory, April
81, was deepened today by several
developments.
Leo M. Frank, superintendent of
the factory, today was indicted by
the Fulton County grand jury of
numbering the Phagan girl. Frank
was held by the coroner's jury for
investigation by the grand jury and
has been a prisoner in the tower
since few days after the tragedy
was discovered.
The graa.ss jury took no action in
the case of Newt Lee, the negro
night watchman at the pencil factory
also held for investigation in con-
nection with the case. Lees attor-
ney, however, issued statement in
which he indicated that his client
will give testimony calculated to
prove the identity of the girls slay
er.
Sampled His Chirography.
Another interesting feature in con-
nection with the efforts of the local
police department and special detec-
tives to solve the murder was an affi-
davit made by James Conley, negro
employee of the pencil factory, who
has been held by the authorities as a
witness for the prosecution.
In his affidavit Conley states that
on the day preceding the Phagan
girls murder, Frank called him into
his Office in the pencil factory and
had him write several notes "to get
a sample of his handwriting" Con-
ley AYERS that he wrote at Franks
dictation and he believes the notes he
wrote to be the same that were found
beside the slain girls body.
Trying to Obtain Papers.
A further sensational thrill was
provided in local political circles to-
day WHEN it became known that a Sc
cret telephone device had been used
against Mayor James G. Woodward
and Charles C. Jones, proprietor of
a near-beer saloon, in connection
with the fight between a certain po-
litical element in the city and the To-
cal police department.
The developments of today added
to the stir created yestrday when it
was disclosed that the telephone de-
vice had been employed by detect
ives in obtaining stenographic re-
port of conference held by Thomas
B. Fielder, a prominent local attorney
who is interested in the prosecution
of the Mary Phagan case, and G.
G. FEBRUARY, secretary to Chief of De-
tectives N. A. Lanford and A. S. Col
var.
Dictograph Used on Mayor.
The stenographer's report of the
conference of Fielder, FEBRUARY and
Colyar purported to show that Eel
der was trying to obtain papers in
the Phagan case, which he declared
the local police had manufacturedi
and which he believed would be suf-
ficient to "drive Chief of Police and
Lanford from office"
According to the report of the
conference, Fielder Offered to pay
FEBRUARY $1,000 to get the papers
from Lanford's safe.
The publication today in the At
lanta Journal of a record shows that
Mayor Woodward and Jones were
subjected to the telephone device at
different intervals on the same day
last Wednesday-and in the same ho-
tel room as Fielder. The affidavit of
George M. Gentry, the stenographer
who reported the alleged conversa-
tion of Mayor Woodward, states that
FEBRUARY, Colyar and E. o. Miles, an
Investigator, were engaged in the
conference with the mayor.
Evidence Against Police.
The record of this conference
quotes Mayor Woodward as saying
he was seeking evidence against the
police department and particularly
against Chief of Police Beavers, who
was identified with the movement
last fall which resulted in elimina-
ting the segregated districts from
the city.