The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1915-05-28
Atlanta Journal Joins in the
Demand for Justice for Frank

Atlanta journal JOINS In the
Demand for Justice for Frank
To whatever extremes OF passion the popular
mind may be swept. reason eventually resa.n'
It's sway: after the wind and the earthquas
and the fire there always speaks. A siili, stnti
roice" Il is in this spirit that the p"o0ie H'
Georgia have come 20 consider The case Of L..
NJ. Frank. They are thinking quietly and pr"
foundiy OF this man who stands IN the deepe@
ing shadow OF death. They look back unlr
his trial which was conducted amid the frowus
and clamor OF a packed courtroom and he
echoes OF threatening crowd upon the stree
and remembering they ask. Was II possible
that justice could then be done They recall
that In the subsequent reviews OF hts case hy
higher courts questions OF legal procedure
alone passed upon They realize that the
essential evidence and the broad merits OF his
cause have been presented 10 only one Jury. and
that jury which sat under the glare and heaf
OF mob consciousness Pondering these things,
fair-minded people ask. Can our state afford.
In honor and Justice 10 hang a man who really
has not been convicted and whose blood. II he
be innocent. will rest upon our heads In tragic
and everlasting shame
According 10 law. a defendant should be
presumed innocent until his guilt Is proved BE-
yond q reasonable doubt But Frank pre-
sumed guilty at the outset OF his trial Every
doubt in his favor rejected, while the light.
cot trifles against him welcomed and mag
nified The chief and. indeed. the only consid-
Of criminal record, who implicated himself ~
the crime tina, he charged 20 Frank. On this
negros unsupported testimony, Frank vas con
victed.
The atmosphere within and without the
courtroom such to make a fair trial i'm
possible. The jury was confronted with TOW
upon row OF onlookers who vented, sometimes
In noisy outbreaks, their approval Of the prose
cution and their hostility toward the defendant
The streets about the courthouse were throng-
ed with an ominous crowd. and il is matter
OF common knowledge that In the closing hours
OF the trial the carried over from
Saturday afternoon untl the following Monday
~ q precaution against violence =
The presiding Judge himself declared after
wards from the bench that be was not convinc-
ed Of the defendants guilt. bur inasmuch a.
IL was solely the iury's province 90 pass upon
the evidence he refused 10 set the verdict aside
And to this hour. no court has reviewed tn
evidence on which Frank was convicted The
case has been appealed twice 10 the supreme
court OF Georgia and twice TO the supreme court
Of the United States, but in every instance the
questions considered and decided wholly
questions OF Law and OF legal procedure u H.
noteworthy that even on these points th.ro
were strong dissenting opinions in both the
state and the United States supreme court
In this clear language and with this
convincing argument that great and
forceful newspaper, the Atlanta Journal.
joins the Detroit Times in asking for
the communication of Leo VI. Franks
sentence from death 10 life imprison-
ment.
Atlanta is the city in which the crime
was committed and in which Frank was
convicted and sentenced to death.
The Atlanta Journal charges that
Frank NEVER WAS PROVED GUILTY.
The Atlanta Journal charges that
Frank NEVER HAD A FAIR TRIAL.
The Atlanta Journal charges that
MOB SPIRIT INFLUENCED THE
JURY.
Does the Atlanta Journal know these
facts to be true?
1T CERTAINLY DOES.
The Atlanta Journal reported the
Frank trial IN ATLANTA in the most
minute detail
1t carried the testimony Of the wit
nesses almost verbatum.
It's corps of reporters never overlooked
single point made by the defense or
by the state during the investigation
into the murder of Mary Phagan proceed
ing the trial, during the trial itself and
during the investigation for new evil
dence following the trial
The Atlanta Journals men have in
terviewed time and again, the con
demned man and his chief accuser, jim
Conley, a Negro with a criminal record.
who admits that he TOOK part in the
crime.
y Some members of the Journals staff
knew the late Judge l.. s. Roam, the trial
judge, intimately.
Some of them have conversed with
him privately; they know how Judge
Roam felt concerning Franks guilt
THEY KNOW THAT JUDGE ROAM
mn NOT RELIEVE THAT FRANK