davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1915-03-21
MINCEY'S STORY
NOT IMPRESSIVE.

Further. Dorsey says. When old Jim
Conley was on the stand, Mr.. Rosser
put him through a good deal OF ques-
tioning with reference to some fellow
by the name OF Mincey. Where is
Mincey? Echo answers, 'Where?'
Either Mincey was a myth or Mincey
was such a diabolical perjurer that
these men knew 1t would nauseate the
stomach Of a decent jury TO have him
produced"
Now, I'm glad somebody In the case
has some taste in keeping out perjury.
I'm glad he does give us credit for
knowing a thing we didn't have faith
III, and keeping it out.
The record shows. or rather II must
be inferred from the record. that we
marks OF probable weight and strength
to It, 1t may have been true, but 1t
Gidn't Impress us that 1t was evidence
that was probable and reasonable, and
rather than burden our case with any
thing doubtful. or anything fshy. or
anything like the state has lugged in
here, We waived the putting up OF Min
cey Now, how does that sustain Jim
Conley about this murder in any way
In the world? I would like to know
that. That's rather far fetched.
dorsey says: Gentlemen, every act
Of that defendant proclaims his guilt.
Gentlemen. every word of that defend
ant proclaims him responsible for the
death OF this little factory girl"
That's such a glittering generality
that l beg to be excused from discuss
ing H.
The Washington times., 1915-03-21
CONLEY KILLED" GIRL
GOING DOWN STAIRS.

Conley killed this little girl when
she went down the steps. lie got into
struggle with her, probably over that
little bag, about 12.15 or 12.2O-some'
where along there--just before Lemmic
Quinn came in. She probably injured
herself in the struggle; perhaps Was
rendered unconscious.
It's the work of but a moment to
throw her down into that cellar. He
didn't go right then into the cellar and
move the body. That perhaps would
take some time, and perhaps he thought
she was living, and he had a more da-
boliCal purpose in view. He waits until
Frank leaves, and Mrs. White leaves at
l o'clock, and he goes down into that
cellar and finished the work. He has
the cord; we say he killed her. And
there's no purpose on COnleys part to
burn her, because Conley had not con-
troll of the boiler and the fire and the
parts of the factory enough to do that
Conley's method of throwing people
off the track was by the notes. Conley
never thought anybody saw him there
that morning. He was in that dark
place, half hidden by those boxes. and
had no idea anybody saw him. Great
God! When you think how much closer
this negro was to the tragedy, how he
confessed his part in it, how his char
acter comedies with H. now the com
munity or the jury can let just his
making this infamous charge carry con-
viction against lifetime of good con-
Duct, is thing that shocks the imagin-
alton.
Now, there's another thing Mr.. Dor
sey says sus tains Jim Conley. Mr.
Dorsey says: ALBERT Mcknight who
testified as to the length of time that
this man Frank remained at home, and
the reason why, and the fact that he
hurried back TO the factory, sustains
Jim Conley." Does he? Does Albert
Mcknight sustain him? Albert Nc
Knight says: AT 1.3O l saw Mr.. Frank
in his dining room" He lied, of course;
but that's what he said. He says he
was standing by the door, and saw him
through the mirror. Witness after wit
ness said you can't stand there and see
anybody. But Mcknight gives Conley
the lie, because Conley says at that very
time "he and I were at the factory"
And yet my friend, without telling the
jury how it sustains Jim Conley, yels
at him: THAT sustains Jim Conley."
Does it? 1t cOntradicts him absolutely.
What next does Mr.. Dorsey say sus-
tains him? He says: THE repudiated
affidavit made to the police in the
presence Of Craven and Pickett of Mi
1 uola MckAight-ths Sffidavit which
The Washington times., 1915-03-21
WITNESS TELLS
How ATLANTANS
CHEERED VERDICT
Whole Population Gripped with
Interest in the Frank
Case.
ONLY TOPIC DISCUSSED
Writer Saw Rapid Growth Of
Race Prejudice Against
Accused.
"GET THE MURDERER" CRIT
Wrath OF Whole City Finally
Poured on Factory Super
intendent.
"GET THE MURDERER" CRIT
By AN EYE WITNESS.

A city seldom has taken a holiday to
celebrate the conviction even of the
most atrocious murderer.
A oty's population-or a vocal part
of it-rarely has yelled itself hoarss
in venting its joy that a man IL to
be sent to the gallows.
But mighty cheer and uproar from
hundreds of voices welcomed the CON
viction of one man as a murderer. The
man was Leo M. Frank. The voices
were those Of jubilant men who had
surged about the court house in At
lanta, Ga, from the hour the doors
opened the morning OF August n, 1918
until late afternoon when the verdict
of guilty was returned.
The writer was in Atlanta when the
now celebrated Mary Phagan murder
took place. He witnessed the develop
ment Of a well-defined hostility toward
Frank and was a spectator at the trial,
the longest and most bitterly fought
criminal case in the history OF the
South:
The trial Of the young superintendent.
food from the first for the excitement
and passions of the people Of Atlanta
and all Georgia, mounted steadily In
its appeal to the violent emotions OF
those who probably should be de-
scribed as the lawless element until It
eliminated in this remarkable express
sion Of hatred and savage Joy.
Frank was a Northerner. He had
lived in Brooklyn most of his life
Mary Phagan was a child of the South.
Frank. as superintendent Of the Ma
tional Pencil factory. represented to
those who worked for him the rich en-
ployer. Mary's parents were poor, and
the Southerner still resents the neces
sty OF his daughters leaving home aLd
seeking employment In factories and
mills, condition that has arisen since
the war.
Frank is a Jew. Mary was a pretty
Gentle girl, just coming into young
womanhood. She was known as the
prettiest girl in Bellwood, a suburb OF
Atlanta, and was petted and beloved
in this section, which mostly was in
habited by people of the poorer class.
How great a part these circumstances
of race and position played in engen-
dering the animosity that flared up in
the days Of excitement that followed
the crime and reached its height in the
closing days of the Frank trial It is
impossible to gauge. They undoubtedly,
however, exerted a considerable inf1u
ence among those whose pretudices ran
In this direction.
The Washington times., 1915-03-21
WHOM COULD CONLEY
HAVE STOPPED?

In the next place. who on earth could
Jim Conley have ever stopped If any
body had started in there? Do you
think he could have stopped a white
man who tried to get in? That's the
rotten improbability of this whole thing
from the start, and | don't see how
anybody has aver swallowed 1.-THE
need of having to watch. Suppose Dar-
ley had come in there and the negro
watching. had said: "Mr Darley. don't
go In there" why not?" That would
have given Frank away more than II
he had never had a watchman at all
why, what are you telling me not to
go in there for, you black rascal! Get
out of the way" That's what Darley
would have said, and 1t would have
excited any mans suspicious.
Suppose Holloway had come there,
do you reckon he could have kept him
out? He didn't even keep this timid
little girl, Monteen Slower, out. She
just came in and tripped up stairs like
an antelope, and he let her in at the
very time he ought not to have let
anybody in. The proof of the pudding
10 in the eating.
Now, say. how could Conley have
done him any good by watching and
did Frank have any need for his watch
The Washington times., 1915-03-21

little girl was coming on Saturday. Mr..
Hooper says it was planned at o'clock
Friday to attack the little girl Satllr-
DAY. when he didn't know she was COM
ing Saturday.
wouldn't do; that would show premedi-
tation: Scott said: II pointed out to
Conley that his statement wouldn't fit
and we wanted another statement"
Great God, 1t sickens me. Wanted
another statement" No, II didn't At,
but they finally got 1t so It did At; II
fitted the blood in the metal room: 1t
fitted little Monteen Slower coming up;
1t fitted the cry in the metal room. and
everything else. And at the eleventh
hour my friend Dorsey dragged out
from Conley the purse" statement:
II pointed out to him that his state
ment wouldn't fit, and we wanted an
other statement: he declined to make
any other sta atement; said he had al
ready told the truth. On May 2S Chief
Lanford and 7 had another talk with
him, quarreled with him fve or six
hours, stayed with him most of the
day."
(Mr. NArnold here read another
portion of the statement made by
the witness Conley. and admitted
by him to be untrue.)
That's the man; why. at that time he
was trying to shield not Frank, but
simply himself. He had given Frank
away by the notes. He couldn't have
pointed his finger more at Frank than
he did by saying that Frank told him
The Washington times., 1915-03-21

In my remarks, so far, l have left
out one delightful gentleman that this
prosecution, which represents law and
order has presented to the public. It's
hard to describe him. If there ever
was q case where the dregs were fished
in to get witnesses It was in this case.
II there ever was a case whore the
lower strata of society were seined for
the uEiiest and dirtiest fish and reptiles
that swim and move about in the oose
oS the bottom it's this case. To con-
Not q man who had heretofore been
decent, to convict a man who had there
tofore had nothing against him. on such
evidence. Dalton was brought in to
bolster up Jim Conley as to watching
on other occasions. In any ordinary
case he would have disgusted court
jury, lawyers and spectators; and yet,
so receptive were the minds of the jury
to anything against Frank-so hard
pushed were they for corroboration OF
Conley-that they reached into the dirt
and the miasma and the poisonous at
mosphere in which tais man lived and
yanked him forth and brought him in
as a material witness. Surely. these
policemen knew that fellow when they
put him up.
Well, he began by stealing, and he
( ended with Daisy Hopkins in the pen
Gil 1dClOiy anu u ~ Oil IilC
stand.
He was there with Daisy Hopkins,
and he said she was a peach. He's
about as near right about everything
else as his judgment that Daisy was
a peach. We brought in Daisy just 10
show what sort of peach she was.
Daisy said he lied, of course; that she
was never there with him; that there
wasn't a word of truth in it from be-
ginning TO end. The other women he
named as having known in that fac
tory gave him the lie. We produced
his fellow citizens from Gwinnett
county and Walton county, who said
he was unworthy of belief But they
produced two or three kind hearted fel-
lows down there who said: "Oh. well;
he's reformed; he's jined the church
but his conduct i'm this case shows, il
he ever did reform, he was a back
slider.
But don't care If he did slip in that
The Washington times., 1915-03-21

Ing? Frank could simply have put a
bolt on the stairway door tthe stairway
tnat led up to the second floor of the
pencil factory, and in that way locked
everybody out. If there was bolt OIL
ii, he could have bolted it If there was
no bolt on 1t, he could have put a bolt
on it, and have absolutely kept every
body out; and then he wouldn't have
had to take anybody, any watchman,
into his confidence.
Mr.. Dorsey continues: "Monteen
Stover, when she tells you that she
found nobody IN that office. sustains
Jim Conlcy."
Yes, and shc clears Frank. too. be-
cause if Epps tells the truth, If the
schedule of the car tells the truth II
the men i'm chargS of the car tell the
truth, Mary Phagau had never reached
the Office at that time, and had never
reached town at that time.
Mr Dorsey says: "Frank's statement
that he would consult his lawyers be-
fore using Quinns statement that he
Quinn had visited MIN in his office,
sustains jim 'unlcv.' You remember
what that was Quinn hat talked with
Frank and told him ihat he reColcCtcd
seeing him that morning, April 26,
about l2.@o. and gave him the informa-
;iOn. That was the substance of
Franks reply, as ! reColleCt it. We'll,
I'm tell my lawyers about what YOU
say. and they'll pass on whether it is
Of any value Poor Frank didn't
know. He knew he was innocent. He
didn't know what every Tom, Dick and
Harry were swearing to. He didn't
know the exact value of It, and III his
innocence he says: Well I'll tell 1t
to my lawyers. and see what use they
can make of It," and that's used against
him.
Mr.. Dorsey further argues: The
blood on the second floor, testified TO
by numerous witnesses, sustains Jim
Conley. The appearance OF the blood,
the physical condition of the floor
when the blood was found Monday
morning, sustains Jim Conley."
Oh. they are finding and manufac-
turing that blood before Jim Conley
ever made his statement, and Jim
just fitted in with the blood. That
isn't a conceded truth that comes UP
TO sustain Jim. That's a contested
fact that Jim comes up and fits in
with. That's a funny way of sustain
ing something! Why, any liar on
earth can be sustained by some we'll
known physical fact that in the
course of his lying he ran across.
The Washington times., 1915-03-21
FOUND SPOTS WERE
NOT BLOOD AT ALL.

The chemist who took the four
pieces Of wood that the State Clipped
up to analy1e found that three Of the
spots they thought were blood were
not blood at all. He found a trace Of
blood on the fourth. and swore that
one -eightieth part Of a drop Of blood
could have made ali that he found
He swore 1t may have been there for
years without having been destroyed.
The floor there was extremely dirty.
On the other three pieces Of wood,
what they took for blood was paint,
because there were spots on the three
that were found not to be blood.
These men took them for blood. and
the proposition Is that the drop with
the little trace that was blood, didn't
make any spot at all Practically all
they saw was paint-and In the weeks
and months gone by this drop OF
blood found by the chemist had
gotten there by some accident It
could have gotten there in various
ways. Two mon were hurt right
along there.
Now, that's all the evidence Of blood
they have--one-eight of drop Of
blood was found on one Of the pieces
that they Clipped up where the body
was found: but this negro, in fixing
up his tale. knew where the blood
had been Clipped up. He saw the
place, and he was made to say and to
account for it. that they dropped the
body right at that place. He was
making his tale coincide with the
earmarks that they had already
found, making it fit in. That's all
there Is to the blood.
The Washington times., 1915-03-21
SHOWS GIRLS WERE
AFRAID OF FRANK,

Now. as I understand this Miss
Jackson, she says he put his head in
there and she says another thing CI
believe she is the one who said iD :
That whenever those girls were loung-
ing In there, and Frank came in, they
All wepr to work, too. Wasn't she the
one who said that? All of which
showed they were afraid of Frank. and
AFRAID, of him because he made them
work. Frank not only wasn't on inti-
mate terms with those girls, but was
pretty severe with them. The proof
showed that he did not go and look In
thepe to see, whether in working hours.
they were playing Off on him, because
some girls will play, OFF as we'll as a
Plan. If you Let them
Now, right there on that watching
proposition-the utter absurdity of ii!
10 have watchman overhear immoral
acts of that sort just amounts to TAX
ing another man into your confidence
and weakening the secrecy. The very
object of having a watchman was to
keep the immoral act secret, and yet,
having watchman made it more or
less of an ODen secret
The Washington times., 1915-03-21

George Gordon, q lawyer, with the
knowledge that he could get habeas
corpus and take her within thirty min
utes out Of the custody OF the police,
but which he sat there and allowed her
to make, sustains Jim Conley."
On the contrary, ! say Minola NC
knights af1davit sustains US; that
the whole case is a fabrication. 1t
shows like a nash OF lightning In the
black sky dark transaction. that
otherwise would have remained dark
always. and makes you wonder how
many similar things were done in this
case to get evidence. How do you fig
ure out that Minola's affidavit sustains
Jim Conley? Can you figure anything
out OF that except the arrest OF a negro
woman, illegally. without warrant,
after she had made a truthful state
ment? Then the bringing of her to the
Solicitors ONCE: the attempt to get
her to agree with her husband, who
was in the hands of two men here;
then taking her to the station house,
and putting her behind the bars, and
forcing her to make the affidavit? Is
there anythng in Minola's affidevit
except duress and violation of law by
officers of the law? How does that
corroborate Jim Conley?
Mr.. Dorsey says: THE use OF that
cord, found in abundance, to choke
the girl to death, sustains Jim Con
lev"
The Washington times., 1915-03-21
Lawyer Scores Dalton as Man Who
Would Have "Disgusted Court
in Any Other Case.

factory with the Hopkins girl, two or
three times. He said he never saw
Frank do anything wrong. but saw
him two or three times with girls up
there. Does Your Honor believe II
Frank had any amours, that he would
nave had an associate like this fellow
Dalton. What would Frank want with
a companion like him there? II Frank
was doing that sort of thing, II was
secretiVe. But they got Dalton to boil
ster up this monstrous lie Of Conley's,
Mt the expense of common sense. They
have reached out and got this man.
simply to corroborate Conley in this
unreasonable tale. Now that doesn't
bear on the murder We objected to
that evidence strenuously. Your Honor
let 1t in. and ! think Your Honor COM
mitted very serious error in letting
1t in. 1t tended to becloud the jury's
mind, to obscure the issue.
I've got right here--I wasn't on that
subject. but I'll come to it-a list of
lies Scott says Jim Conley had told him
and Black. and which they got him to
correct. Let me count: Twenty-nine
substantial lies: not mere technical
little lies. but good, big, fat lies. Why.
YOU could no more impeach Jim Conlev
by showing he lied than you can
saturate ducks back by pouring water
on it. He's impervious to a lie; he'll
admit it any day In the week. That's
the way they said he stood Rosser's
bombardment-by admitting he lied and
when he didn't want to admit he lied
he said. 81 don't know" The only other
way Rosser could have finished him was
to get big battle ak and cleave him
on the stand; that would have done II
physically. Now, in all seriousness
Q'm not going to stop to read them alO
ri just read you a few of them.
The Washington times., 1915-03-21

told me where 10 put the pencils.
Lemmie Qulnn's office is right
there; don't know. whether any
OF the other girls saw him talking
to her or not IL was just before the
whistle blew at noon. Mr. Frank
told her he wanted to speak to her,
and she said she had to go to
work, and the girls came in there
While the conversation WAS going
on: I can't describe Mary Phagan.
No he couldn't, he never saw her.
don't know any-of the other
little girls In there: 7 don't remefn-
Der who called her Mary Phagan;
man on the fourth floor told me
her name was Mary Phagan. 1
don't know who he was; don't
know anybody in the factory. ]
can't describe any Of the girls
I don know a single one In tho
factory.
No, don't believe he was there;
that's what We were handed out I'm
sorry I am so constituted that | just
cant help calling an ace an ace aud a
spade a spade, it's rather unfortunate.
I'm looking through all the paint and
the varnish and the coat that surrounds
1t; I'm looking at the hideous thing
that's inside of this prosecution. IL
makes me sick to think of 1t, and max es
me sick to think there is any doubt. /
hate 10 think Of that man in Jail being
in peril.
There is one thing in this case
that as soon as II got into the case
I knew was fraud and a monu-
mental fraud-and that was all that
evidence about blood on the second
floor. There never was a more CO.
1nSSat foLe than that a ~ n n
to be foisted on a court and Jury. OF
course, that was done in the effort to
show that the girl was killed on the
second floor and killed by Frank As
a matter Of fact, the negro could just
as we'll have killed her in the metal
room as Frank could-better.
If the little gir1 had happened to
go back there, he could have come
there to the head Of the stairs and
have seen her go back. He could
have opened those doors and in the
quiet Of that room there perpetrated d
all this wrong on her. or gagged her,
or have, come back and taken her to
the basement.
That's no argument that the negro
didn't do II, but yet it's a fake. pure
and simple. Bear in mind, the body
is found there at the rear OF the Sec
ond floor. the Solicitor says. Tho
presumption Is that's where the
struggle took place, that's where she
was killed-and never drop of
blood. There was no water there.
nothing to wash it out. 1t Is mex
plicable, If she was killed there, that
there wouldn't have been blood where
the body was found.
They found three or four stra nds
Of hair on a machine-an inventive
gentleman by the name OF Barrett
found all these things. He was the
gentleman who afterward went on
the roof with Mr.. Dorsey and busted
himself a good deal. He was the man
who told somebody that he was go
ing to work for the reward and going
to get 1t.
The Washington times., 1915-03-21
NEGRO COULD HAVE
USED CORD HIMSELF.

Couldn't jim Conley use the cord
Just as we'll as Leo Frank? II mao
that loop in II always. 1t was tied
around a bundle OF pencils. That was
its natural and normal condition, with
that loop in it That cord was founo
from the cellar to the garret. Jim
Conley knew where they hung on the
second floor, and why should that De
any more evidence against Leo Frank
than against Jim Conley? I'm snow
ing Your Honor that everything Dor
sey says condemns Jim Conley much
more strongly than il does Leo M.
Frank
Dorsey continues: He Is sustained
(that is, Conley) by the evidence In this
case and the statement Of Frank that
he had relatives in Brooklyn"
Let's see about that Everybody
knew he was from Brooklyn. The negro
had worked around the factory for two
years. The newspapers had stated he
was from Brooklyn. This negro reao
the newspapers eagerly. We have shown
all that; so he knew Frank was from
Brooklyn. He doesn't merely make the
statement that he had relatives in
Brooklyn II he had, that would have
been a commonplace statement, and 1t
would have had no bearing or corrobo-
ration; but the negro lied in what he
did state. He said Frank said, I've
got wealthy relatives in Brooklyn" and
we overwhelmingly showed he didn't
have wealthy relatives there.
The Washington times., 1915-03-21

proof showed there was no lock on it
at alb, and the mother working right
there in the same room and seeinl it
all; does anybody, who has grain
of sense. believe that? There was
nothing wrong in that
Now, Dorsey says that sustains jim
Conley; that suhtains him. Again he
says: Your own witness. Miss Jack .
son, who says that this libertine and
rake came whom those girls were in
there reclining and lounging after they
had finished their piecewor and the
sardonic grin that lit his countenance
sustains Jim Conley."
The Washington times., 1915-03-21
PURSE STATEMENT
AT eleventh HOUR,

Mr., Arnold here read a number
Of parts OF the various statements
made by the witness Conley and
admitted by him to be untrue.
Now, any fool would know ther,
wasn't any generalization on Frank
part Friday, when he didn't know tn,
The Washington times., 1915-03-21

The absorbing narrative de.
scribing the closing day of the
Frank case will be continued in
next Sundays instalIment of
the story of this remarkable
trial.