The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1915-01-10
ANL.LEHON TALKS
| DEMONSTRATION
/ OF THE FRANK CASE
Detective Who Helped w. ].
Burns Reiterates State
ment Is Innocent
FRANK HAS NEVER
SHOWN WEAKNESS
Detective Denies That Franks Law
yers Agreed to His Remaining in
Cell, But Claims He Was So
Ordered to Do So

men employed by William j. Burns, ana
who for months worked, on the Leo Frank
case In Atlanta, has been here several
days and during that time has talked of
the celebrated criminal case which has
SO stirred Atlanta.
He declares, without ton, that
Frank has been framed that he is no
more guilty than man in cuba and that
the killing of the Phagan girl was crime
similar to those for which negroes are
lynched.
Mr.. Lehon was very reluctant to talk
for publication, and said that while some
persons might believe him at the same
time 1t might be stated that his remarks
were not to be taken seriously coming
as they do from a man who was en-
ployed on the Frank case in the interest
of Frank.
81 will say this Mr. Lehon remarked.
THAT neither Mr.. Burns or myself were
employed to prove Frank innocent. We
were asked to ascertain the truth and
give that to whoever was interested. !
have a family of six girls and one son
and would not be party in helping to
free Frank If l thought he. was guilty. 1
think he is innocent and do not believe
he will ever be hung.
There was a systematic effort to poison
the minds of Atlanta citizens against
Frank. Every class of people were whis-
pered information about his alleged i'm
pure life and this poison soon permeated
the whole fabric of the town. We traced
down the rumors to detectives there who
had been criticized for inability to cope
with lawlessness and they are responsible
for the situation of Frank.
1,a1 bod IL
case for three weeks or more Mr.. Burns
and myself were having breakfast at
the Georgian Terrace ! suggested that
we invite anyone with damaging informa-
ton about Frank to come to us. This
was done. No one came. We then Of
fered $1,000 deward for any information
against Franks character. No one came
forward. We increased that reward to
$1,000, and yet no one came.
Finally newspaper reporter went to
the detective who was prosecuting the
case and said to him, See here. where is
all that dope you had against Frank?
Why don't you get Burns money?
''The detective was finally faced by Mr..
Burns and an attorney and myself and
his reply to our request was amazing.
He said there was not scintilla of evil
dence against Frank as a moral man and
not one word in the evidence. And that
Is positively and uncontrovertibly true.
There is not an item that reflects upon
him. Every brow beaten witness that
swore against Frank has repudiated their
testimony and charged the police with
bullying them. The woman who alleged
that Frank called her for room Is now
| almost insane from worry and openly
says she has hung Frank. If Frank is
hung my prediction is that the woman
will, out OF remorse. kill herself.
Found Nothing Against Frank
"Our agents traced Frank from his
babyhood and we have never found any
thing abnormal about him. His career
at Cornell was absolutely spotless and
! no less than half of the faculty of that
college wanted to testify for him.
1--WE were employed to ascertain the
truth and we did not let our interest
sway us from that strict course. The
truth of the matter is that Mary Phagan
was killed by the negro Connolly. He
| is a self-confessed ex-convict, drunkard
| and a shiftless negro. He even slept in
the factory behind some boxes. He was
drunk the holiday on which Miss Phagan
| was killed and when he saw her enter
dark corner of the factory within six feet
or less of where he. lay crouched he hit
her over the left eye, knocking the girl
down a hole into the basement. He did
not intend to kill her in my opinion, but
the brute blazed forth and ne did murder
the girl.
| Frank in the meantime was in his
office working and did not know anything
of the murder until 1t was generally re-
ported. He went to the morgue and said
| Yes, that is Mary Phagan. She was in
! my office yesterday. That is the only ev-
| idence they have against Frank and 1t is
| his own words.
II have talked with Frank hour after
hour He has faced juries courts, law
| yers and detectives galore, but he has
yet to make changed statement, and he
has yet to contradict himself in any par
| ticular. He Is Jew that went to Ger
many after leaving Cornell and studied
pencil making. We traced him in Ger
many, and when he returned to America
an uncle backed him in pencil factory
| of which he was superintendent. He
had been in Atlanta about one year
when this thing happened. He has been
| in jail % months as guiltless as IL he had
been In Germany when Miss Phagan was
murdered
unprecedented Feeling
There never has been yet such feel.
| ing as there was in Atlanta during that
trial. think 1t is gradually dying away.
| L do: not believe Frank secured fair
| trial, for Judge Roam said on the stand
before the verdict was rendered that if
Frank was acquitted or a nlistrial was
entered the jury, court. Frank, lawyers
and all would be lynched. Naturally IL
Judge Roam thought that. the feeling
must have>been rather high. SO the court
ordered Frank to remain in jail That is
where the constitutional question comes
| In. 1t Is untrue that counsel for Frank
agreed to his remaining In JAIL He was
\ ordered to remain in JAIL and that Is the
truth.
| II have never yet been mixed up In a
palmer case of murder I have never yet
been face to face with death SO many
| times as / was in Atlanta, Ca, simply
because we we're working to prove or dis
prove the guilt of Frank. When we en-
tered the case we had 8 contract stipu-
Hating that we were hired to sift the case
Ito the bottom and that only. I never
shall forget what a rabbi in Atlanta told
me. He said: OF all the clean Jews that
! live in the state of Georgia, Frank Is the
best say this for know. Some of my
boys do things for which they should be
punished and am constantly talking
land preaching to him. but. Mr.. Lehon,
/ they have picked the beet one to perse-
cutei in this case.
| ~ have read every, word Of the evidence
| In the Frank case, and to any fair minded
| man II issas disgrace to the state Of Geor-
| gia that this verdict has been renders Sd,
fand this sentiment worked up against
that harmless young Jew. If he had been
tried in Knoxville, Tenn, Nashville. or
Jacksonville, Fla, or Birmingham, with
the same witnesses. the same jury, the
same counsel and the same attorneys for
the prosecution. he would have been freed
in ~ hours, which would have been nearly
= year before either Mr.. burma or myself