Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-24
NEGRO FOUND
GUILT AS
FRANK AID
Defense of Doomed White Man
Gives Twenty-one Grounds for
Reconsideration Of Appeal.

Jim Conley's conviction on the
charge Of being an accessory after
the fact in the murder Of Mary PhR-
gan. and the fling by Leo Franks
counsel of a motion for a rehearing
of arguments before the Supreme
Court, were Tuesdays important de-
velopments in the Frank case.
1t took the jury only IL minutes
to find the negro Conley guilty of
the misdemeanor charge, Judge ELL
having ruled that the felony charge
could not be pressed, and inside OF
another minute the judge had called
Conley before the bar and sentenced
him to ~ months IN the chaingang,
the limit.
Solicitor Dorsey clearly Indicated
that his personal desire was that Con-
ley be. set free, but that he was
bound by the law and the evidence to
ask for conviction if the jurors en-
tertained no reasonable doubt of his
guilt.
Hair Strands Again Figure.
The strands of hair found on q
lathe in the pencil factory metal room
figured again in Tuesdays trial, the
Solicitor showing that he was not at
all ready to give up his contention
that they were from the head of the
murdered factory girl in spite Of DR..
II. f, Harris belated acknowledge
ment that in his opinion the hair was
not Mary Phagans.
Twenty grounds for a rehear-
ing OF arguments in benalf or a re-
versal of the lower court were set
forth by Franks lawyers in their
motion filed with the Supreme Court.
All of them contended that the high-
er court, in handing down its recena
unfavorable opinion, overlooked ma
terial points in the written and oral
arguments. that were made by the
attorneys for the defendant.
No Oral Argument.
There viii be no oral arguments
on tho motion for a rehearing. The
judges may announce their ruling at
any time after reviewing the reasons
submitted in the motion
In the event of an unfavorable de-
cisiou, Franks lawyers are expected
at once to file an extraordinary mo-
ton for a new trial on the ground
Of newly discovered evidence. They
viii cite DR. Harris statement, the
reputation of his testimony by AL
bert Mcknight and a number of other
points that have not been made public
yet.
The trial Of Jim Conley ended at
il.08, when the jury returned with
its verdict Of guilty.
Conley Refuses to Talk.
Coney, asked for a statement as he
was being led back to the Tower, had
only this to say:
mo, sir: l don't want to talk to no.
body about nothing"
Albert Mcknight, sought for by half
O. dozen detectives from the city de-
partment and by attaches OF the So
licitor's office, could not be found in
time to become a witness at the trial.
He was earnestly desired by the So
licitor, who wished to grill him on his
astonishing confession of perjury
which was made public last Saturday
night.
Solicitor Dorsey spoke briefly in flis
closing address. He said.
Jim Conley helped Leo NJ. Frank
murder Mary Phagan. and the defense
admits il. II is a remarkable fact
that no one ever has been produced
~ '.DilNipNNi { Ns'iii'J . otNhNSAilGiAto ca
cept Leo NJ Frank convict UNDER
sentence Of death, and Conley says
that he met Frank by previous agree.
ment on the day Mary Phagan ws;S
murdered
Witness Saw Negro on Stairs.
Mrs Arthur White saw the negro,
sitting on a box at the foot of the
stairs in the pencil factory just wher9
Continued on Page 4, Column L.