New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-08-25
Inquest Indicates Little
Effort to Establish
Mems Identity.
ONE WITNESS SAW
MEN IN THE GROVE
Another Watched Frank Pass
By in Auto-Mayor De-
tends Marietta.
fBy Telegraph to The Tribune

Marietta. Ga, Aug. 24.-The verdict
returned in three minutes by the Coro-
ner's Jury here to-day that Leo NJ
Frank came to his death by being
hanged by the neck until dead by
parties unknown" was the verdict tha'
every one in Cobb County ana IN
coorcia knew would be renederd. NO
other was possible, for the Coroners
Jury had not a shred Of evidence as 10
the identity of the persons who iynched
Frank
dozen witnesses were examined
~, rors shed any light on the tragedy.
Two of them-W. j. Frey and d. ~
Renson-testified they were "ith'h
twenty-five yards Of the lynchers az one
.;r. but failed to recognize any OF
tbem. Benson testified he drove past
the oak thicket on the outskirts OF
Marietta while the cars of the "vigi-
lance committee" were parked OUTSIDE
and presumably while the hanging was
under way. He said he saw one or e"o
men step out of the cars IN which 'he'
had ridder dust-covered from the
prison farm at Milledgeville.
The witness frankly stated he had
pretty strong suspicion" OF what was
taking place, for he mad read IN the
morning paper of Franks abduction
from Milledgeville and had been toid
by Frey further up the road that sew.
eral automobiles had just "whizzeo ny
ard at looked like something was do
ing in the way of Frank.
Witness Thrills Courtroom.
As Benson unfolded his story the
iurymen and the several hundred spec
tators. most of them shirt-sleeved or
overalled. bent forward eagerly TO
catch every word. There was no sound
in the courtroom save the voice Oh
acting Solicitor John T. Dorsey, franz
ing the interrogstions, and that OF
Benson in reply. Both men spoke ear
nestly and scarcely above a whisper.
There had been pause of several Sec
, onds in the examination when Mr.. Dor
sey turned to the witness and very
slowly asked
you say you saw at least one of the
men step from one of the automobiles
that had turned off the main road at
the Frey gin?"
Benson moved little nervously in
his chair and then replied: "Yes, SIR"
who was he? ?"
81 do not know"
There was an audible relaxation in
all parts of the courtroom.
"You did not recognize anybody
Nobody"
Benson explained that he did not
tarry in the vicinity of the thicket,
but drove right by at a good rate OF
speed"
City and county officials then testi-
fed that they had tried diligently to
get at the facts of the lynching. but
that so far their efforts had been of
no avail.
No Mutilation of Body.
DR.. c. D. Elder was the first wit
ness called to the stand when the in
quest began this morning. He testl-
fed to viewing the body of Frank
while it was still hanging in the oak
grove near the Frey cotton gin. He
was not present when the body was
cut down. When he arrived on the
scene of the lynching the body still
was warm.
"Was there any mutilation of the
body" he was asked.
mo, sir" was the reply. "The only
mark saw was tho cut in the neck
that had been opened by the rope"
W. J. Frey, owner of the place on
which Frank was lynched, then testi
fled that he was among the first TO dis
cover the body.
when got there, with Gus Benson
and Walter Gann," he said, there
wasn't anybody in the grove but Leo
NJ. Frank.
"Mr. Gam and l." he continued,
"were in the field about $3.50 or 7
o'clock, when three or four automobiles
came whizzing by. They were about
forty yards apart. Having heard about
the break at the prison farm, it popped
right into my mind that there was
something doing in the way of Frank"
Mr.. Frey said the man he afterward
found out was Frank was in the rear
seat of one of the passing cars, with
man on either side of him.
How was Frank dressed"
Looked as if he had on a thin shirt
of some sort He was bareheaded."
did you know at the time this man
was Frank"
~ thought it was him. but | could
not recognize him"
Did you recognize any of the other
passengers in the cars? ?"
"No. sir"
"Were they masked??"
"No, sir. but they all wore goggles
and their faces were covered with red
dust"
Mayor E. p. Dobbs of Marietta, a
State Senator, said in his testimony:
II have seen in the papers that lot
/ of automobiles were .nissing from
Marietta the morning of the lynching.
| The truth is, we did not miss a single
one. have no idea whether Marietta
people or county people were engaged
in this transaction. | do not believe the
! Marietta people are any more respon-