Grand Forks daily herald., 1914-12-30
WILL EXECUTION OF FRANK
Be JUDICIAL MURDER?
Cards Stacked Against Frank:
CONTINUED from Page ~


Frank was arrested. Four days
later the police tool. into custody
James Conley, Il negro employed in
the factory as sweeper. Conley told
four different stories. They all impli-
, Gated Frank. Detective Scott. q wit
ness for the state, openly said Conley
Was coached in his testimony and told,
! when he said something unreasonable.
that che must do better than that"
Th affidavit of Conley. that the ac-
cused had asked him to write notes
and leave them by the dead girls side.
that with Franks aid he had carried
| the body of the girl down from the
second floor of the pencil factory to
the engine room and that Frank had
given him $500 and then taken il
away from him again, Was the chief
evidence in the trial against Frank
The charge ie made that Solicitor
General Dorsey. who handled tlle
case for the state, acquiesced in the
coercion Of witnesses against Frank.
1t is declared also that Dtrsey's
course tended to further inf'arne the
mob. which was already calling for
Franks death.
During the course of the trial Dor
seN is said to have turned TO Frank
! and stated. pointing his finger at the
defendant: You know that if that
| little girl had left the factory anu told
what advances you had made to her.
men by the thousands would storm
any jail you might be locked in to act
at YOU" He then added in an after
thought. 'of course it wouldn't have
| been right to do that"
AT another point he said: Gentle
men OF the jury. if yon don't convict
this man on this evidence. say, do
away with your courts and your
tnries. and not have any law at all"
The feeling against the defend
ant manifested itself in numerous
threatening letters received by coun-
sci for the defense declared one Of
Franks attorneys. Two men Of
hiel, standing, who dared to state pub
licly their belief in the defendants
| Innocence also received anonymous
threatening communications. / am
reliably informed that one man in
the rear Of the court room actually
reached for and took out his revolver
at one time, and kept 1t out in plain
view Of several Witnesses
Detective Burns Theory.
Detective William ]. Burns came
to Atlanta after Franks indictment,
and after spending several days in
Atlanta studying the case from
every angle. declared his belief that
the negro Conley, who had already
confessed he was an accomplice OF
Frank, was also guilty of the crime.
A'SiS iss L'oIS1tNS butllS IHcOTy
the crime:
"Conlcy. drunken and hard up, was
hiding behind the boxes at the foot
Of the stairway when Mary Phsgan.
who had drawn her pitiful little
wage. went down on her way out Of
the building. She had her money in
her hand. She decided to 70 to the
basement and leaned her paraeoI
against the wall before starting
down the stairs Then Conlcy cauRht
her. not with the intention of killing
her. but with the intention of robbinE
her.
Having struck her. he heard some
one calling her Gas he confessed to
Annie Maud Carter), and then quick-
ly pushed his victim through =
square hole in the floor close ~, q
hatchway, to which a ladder rose from
the basement. SsS III
ut was in this fall, and not fro,,, i
blow OF any weapon. that Mary
Phagah received the great aeat On .isr,
head which killsd her. Not13ar fh
tho factory would hAvs innictod 5uot
that wOund sate the short, 11aAfp
cornered log which lay behind tn /
foot Of the ladder. Bruises on ~ 4
body were such as would have been
made by the ladder as she atrucks
against 1t In the course of her sfafl. N
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