Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-06-27
SLOWER GIRL
PLAYS STAR
PART IN
c A s {

With the selection Of the court roocn
made Thursday. all is virtually in
readiness for the trial OF Leo M
Frank, accused OF strangllnF Mary
Phagan. The venlre Of jurymen has
been selected and July rs fixed as the
date and both sides have announced
they are ready to go into court.
A definite decision was reached bv
Judge L. S. Roam to hold the trial
on the FIRST floor Of the old CITY Hail
building. The decision was reached
after a conference with. Solicitor c,en.
eral Dorsey, and It was represented
as impraetieable to hold the trial N
the small and not weii-ventilats
court room in the Thrower building
The State is maintaining its deter
mined attitude toward the subpenas
duces tecum issued by the defense
Frank A. Hooper, assisting in the
prosecution, has branded them a. .
palpaoie trick to dlseredit the testi-
mony of the States witnesses.
Girl Star Witness.
Inc witnesses will be present with
the afndavits called for. but a hot
hght VIII be put up by Solicitor Dor
sey and Attorney Hooper to proven,
their use by the defense.
Monteen Slower, timid little IA
year-old girl will be star witness IN
the trial. according to all indications
Thursday.
The State, II 1t is able to establish
that Monteen Slower entered the fac
tory on the day Of the crime inst
after Mary Phagan went inside viii
nave scored a most significant vic
tory. The evidence viii still be cir
oumstantial, 1t Is true, but It win be
OF greater weight even than the ws,rd
stories Of the negro sweeper, Jim Con.
lev who has sworn that he aided
Frank in disposing of the body
Adds to Mystery,
Her story, however until n a. s,,h
stantiated or disproved In court onlv
ADDS to the mystery of a crime which
already abounds in battling and mvs-
FERROUS phases. Her appearance on
the witness stand may mean everv-
thing or nothing-because there IA m.
startling fact that every indics,idn
points to Monteen Slower having en-
'ered the factory BEFORE Mary
Phagan.
Monteen Slower is the daughter ~
Mrs. Homer Edmonson, of III south
Forsyth Street. She formerly was
employed at the pencil factory. and
on the Saturday Of the murder went
to the BUILDING to get her money she
said that she arrived there at 10 Ak
and remained about Ave minutes she
said that Frank was not in his of4ea
and that she was not able to and
him.
Pitted against the declaration Of
the little girl is the Statement ~
frank that he was In his Office al ths
time one OF the two apparently has
spoken falsely or mistakenly II Il
tne theory Of the State that Mary
Phagdn had preceded Monteen Slower
into the factory; that Frank had at
lacked her probably IN the metal
room. ana that this is the reason the
SStoyer glri was unable to find Frank
in his Office when she was in the
building from u 05 to 1910.
The Phagan girl left her homs az
II 80 She lives in Bellwood and the
ride to town takes mere than is min
utes. The time that she left the car
IN the city is fixed by William III
Matthews, Motorman No 1447. OF the
Cooper and Hendricks Streets run.
who says that his car arrived "a
Broad and Marietta Streets that dav
between 1907 and 1910 o'clock
II Mary Phagan had hurried, she
barely could have got to the factory
by the time the Slower girl was leav
ing, II this testimony can be relied
upon implicitly. The Slower girls
story falls down utterly. so far as its
value Is concerned, therefore. lAMary
Phagan did not come into the @ftory
until after the Slower girl had EFT.