Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-09
FRANK ANSWERS
QUESTIONS ON
OWN CASE
Continued From Page I.

Continued From Page I.
had been employed as Waterman
said Frank Lee had been employed
only two weeks, so anything, almost,
that might have been done for him
would necessarily be for the first
time
Didn't Insist on Lee Going.
CAS- a matter of fact, l told Newt
he could have the afternoon off il he
! chose, as was going to be there my
! self / had planned to go to a ball
game that afternoon, but, on account
of the press OF work. l called off the
engagement when l was at luncheon
at home | returned TO the factory
and told Lee he could take the after
noon Off but must be back at 6
| o'clock | did not insist that he. go.
! did not care whether he went or
stayed"
Frank then took up the possibility
| of Mary Phagan's having been killed
in another part OF the factory than
the metal room while he was in the
building, without his hearing any
| thing to make him suspicious.
Mary Phagan may have been at
tackled on the steps as she went down.
That, in fact, is my theory Of the
crime. She might have been attacked
In such a way that she made no cutlery
Even if she did, my Office was 20 feet
away. Halfway down the stairway ii
heavy door was kept closed The
thick flooring, plastered underneath
was between me and the room below.
The Two windows on my floor, open
ing on the street, were open, allowing
a large volume of noise to come in.
was Immersed in work, not being on
the lookout for anything out of the
ordinary 70 happen. Also, please re-
member that Lemmie Quinn was N
my office within from three to FIVE
minutes after Mary Phagan received
| her pay envelope, talking to me.
"As 10 the wording Of the notes
and the suggestion that they might
have been written by a negro from
substance suggested by white man,
have this to say.
Detation Theory Silly.
The very idea of writing such
notes and putting them beside the
body to divert suspicion was the idea
of a drunken ignorant negro. The
whole dictation theory is silly. AMI
it should be remembered that 1t was
| who directed attention to the fact
that Conley could write. did this as
soon as I heard that Conley had de-
MED being able to write.
Another point has been called n
question frequently. and the prosecI-
ton tried to make much Of 1t.
1T was said that l gave one time
at the Coroner's inquest for the ar
rival of Mary Phagan at the Office
and another at the trial. This is not
| . h. I coil iC
! pretty hard to give the exact time, but
she got there, as nearly as l can re-
member, between 1910 and 1915
o'clock At the trial I saidl: Miss
Hattie Hall finished the work and
started to leave when the IL o'clock
whistle blew. She left the office and
returned. Il seemed to me almost at
once, calling into my office that she
had forgotten something. Then she
went away for good. To the best of
my recollection, II was some ten or
fifteen minutes after she left that the
girl, whom ! afterward found out to
be Mary Phagan, came into my office
and asked for her pay envelope
And let me say right here that II
had been guilty OF this crime, moth
ing on earth would ever have in
duced me to admit that l had seen
and talked with Mary Phagan only a
few moments before the time when
the prosecution claims she was killed.
IT, therefore, | did not hesitate to say
that / had seen her and talked with
her, what object could ! have had in
misstating the timer"
Didn't Hurry Mrs. White.
Concerning the assertion of the
state that Frank was eager to get
Mrs. White out of the factory. and
that he did not mention in his state
ment TO the police that Lemmie Quinn
had been in his office, he says;
q was in no hurry to get Mrs.
White or anyone else out of the fac
tory that afternoon. l merely told
her that she would have to go unless
she wanted to be locked in with the
two Workmen then at work on the
fourth floor. as was going home to
lunch and was going to lock up the
| factory | said nothing about haste.
las To the visit of Lemmie Quinn,
and my failure to mention II to the
police, the matter simply had slipped
my mind. although il was a circum-
stance favorable to me. AS soon as
Quinn referred to the fact himself.
recalled ii ~ once. SO far from
telling him 70 say nothing to the po-
! lice until ! had consulted with my
| lawyers, | told him to tell the truth.
I told him I would report the fact to
my lawyers, and I did so, because l
was not certain Just what the police
We're claiming at that time, and did
! not know what bearing Quinns visit
! would have as evidence"
And here is a point that has been
/ talked about as much. probably, as
J any other in the trial Again and
again it has been asked, IF Frank
was innocent Of any misconduct why
/ did not his lawyers cross examine the
! character witnesses put on by the
! state who swore that his character
| was bad?"
This is what Leo frank says him
| self
My experience with Dalton, the