Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-09

Hattie Hall finished the work and
started to leave when the 10 o'clock
whistle blew She left the Office and
returned, ii 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 IL
had been guilty of this crime, Moth
ing on earth would ever have in
duced me to admit that | had seen
and talked with Mary Phagan only a
few moments before the time when
the prosecution claims she was killed.
| II, therefore, | did not hesitate TO say
that had seen her and talked with
| her what OBJECT could | have had in
misstating the time ?"
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:
II was in no hurry to get Mrs.
! White or anyone else out of the fac
| tory that afternoon. / 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 az ] was going home TO
lunch and was going to lock up the
factory. ] said nothing about haste.
AS to the visit Of Lemmie Quinn,
| and my failure to mention It to the
police, the matter simply had slipped
my mind, although II was a circum-
stance favorable to me. As soon as
Quinn referred to the fact himself,
recalled it at once. So far from
| telling him to say nothing to the po-
| lice until ! had consulted with my
lawyers / told him to tell the truth.
l told him would report the fact to
my lawyers, and | did 80, because
was not certain just what the police
were claiming at that time, and did
not know what bearing Quinn's visit
would have as evidence
And here Is a point that has been
! talked about as much, probably. as
| any other in the trial. Again and
again II 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 p"
This is what Leo frank says him
self.
! "MN experience with Dalton. the
first character witness against me
had given me and my attorneys fail
! Warning what To expect from the So
called character witnesses. Here was
a man upon whom | never had laid
eyes before nc took his seat in the
Witness chair, and OF whom | hac
never heard and yet he sWore sol
EMMY To acts and doiugs With me
that were utterly ana absolutely un-
true and without the slightest foun-
:. dation
My lawyers decided that II they
Cross examined these so-Called char,
iaCter witnesses against me, il woulC
merely be a way Of allowing thes,
hostile people to tell all they haC
heard about me in the way of vii,
sander-not what they knew. whicl
was nothing. My lawyers felt thai
these witnesses had been loaded witt
SANDERS about me just for the pur'
poses of cross examination. They die
not want to give them the chance L
repeat malicious tales against ms
]
Nestgate or answer"
As to the terms prejudice" anC
persecution, Frank asserts that TIL
prosecution of himself became perse
( cution from the moment of discovery
OF a negro brute" with knowledge OF
the crime, admitting that he wrote
the notes found beside the dead girl!
body after steadily denying that n,
could write az all, and inally, after
repeated visits by detectives and III,
solicitor lnventing a "preposterou'
. and unbelievable tale" putting III
, crime on the man previously arrested
ir order 10 saye'his own neck
Z And as for prejudice said Frank
] 81 should say that the influence @
. prejudice was evident from the mo.
ment chat 10 was sought to convic
/. me 2 an costs after Z; was shoWr
. that another had fan opportunity {,
commit the crime