The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-04-09
WON'T HANG SAYS BURNS.
Detective Declares He kRows Who
Killed Mary Phagan.

Chicago. April 3.-Willlam j..
Burns. the detective, declared late
to-day thai he knew who murdered
Mary Phagan, the Atlanta. Ga, GIRL
for whose death Leo NJ. Frank is un-
der sentence of death. Whether
the murderer is Frank or someone
else. in his opinion, Burns would not
say, but he intimated that from his
investigations and comparing their
results with the conclusions of the
coroner's jury that he did not con-
slider Frank the sort of man capa-
Bile of making the attack on the girl
alleged to have preceded the muir
der.
Burns, on his arrival to-day from
Kansas City, related the story of his
investigation. He said his attention
first had been called to it by a young
man from Atlanta, who was a passen-
ger on a steamer on which Burns was
returning from Europe. The young
man expressed his regret that Burns
had not become interested in the case
before the arrest and conviction of
Frank. Through him Burns read in
newspapers of the trial and conclud-
ed, from the accounts he saw, that
Frank was guilty. Later, while he
was in Key West, three citizens of
Atlanta, including two personal
friends of Frank, saw the detective
and asked him to undertake an in
vestigation of the case.
Burns Takes Case.
At first, Burns said, he refused, on
grounds that if Frank were guilty his
investigation and final conclusion to
that effect could only hurt the de-
fendant, while if the investigation
tended to throw doubt of guilt on
him, it might serve to thwart justice.
Franks friends declared that they
believed he had not been given a
fair trial, that he was innocent of
the crime, but that if guilty, they
wanted indisputable evidence of his
guilt.
Burns then took the case. His in
vestigations soon showed him, he
said, first, that public clamor, after
a crime wave" had resulted in the
police making extraordinary efforts
to adduce "evidence tending to con-
vict Frank" and second, that a re-
port making out Frank man of alb
normal characteristics was common
ly circulated through the city, put
ting the house open strongly against
him.
His inquiries then convinced Burns
that Frank was a perfectly normal
man. On the other hand, the testi-
mony of physicians was to the effect
that the man who attacked Mary
Phagan was abnormal. -..-
Then Burns interviewed many OF
the witnesses who testified in the
case. At the conclusion of this phase
Of his investigation he said he was
convinced that he knew the n.ur-
derer.
No Mystery in Case.
There was no mystery about the
murder of Mary Phagan," said
Burns. The tracks of the murderer
we're plain and there is no doubt as to
his identity.
''The whole story will be clear in
q few days. 1 have made a complete
report to Franks attorneys in At
lanta and in few days it will be
given out.
Il cannot anticipate my report,
and, therefore, l cannot say more
definitely than l have what the re-
port will contain. The murderer of
Mary Phagan is known to me and he
can't get away
81 will say tat, in my opinion,
Frank will not hang on April II for
the murder of Mary Phagan. I be-
lieve the Supreme Court cannot ig-
more the evidence We have gather
ed
Hearing of an extraordinary mo-
ton for a new trial in Franks case
is set for April 16, the day preced-
ing that on which Frank is sentenced
to die.