Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-06-22
FRANK IS SAVED
FROM THE GALLONS
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ed down over his face. The few per.
sons who were in the railway station
at the time failed to recognize him.
and 1t was more than an hour after
midnight before the report was circu-
lated that he had been moved from the
cell he had occupied for many months.
Governor Slaton was at his country
home several miles from the city and
telephone connection with his home
had been cut of.
At Macon several persons saw the
sheriff and the prisoner leave the
train and Frank was positively iden-
titled. The party started from Macon
by automobile Immediately for Mill.
edgeville, thirty-one miles distance,
arriving at the state farm at 4:s0
o'clock this morning. So secretive
were the oficials that not even the su.
perintendent of the prison farm had
been notified that Frank would be
taken there today.
Mrs. Frank declared she knew moth
ing of any move to take her husband
to Milledgeville and Franks attorneys
said they had not been notified Of It.
Solicitor Dorsey, who prosecuted
Frank, also said he had not been in
formed Of the plan.
Crowds Gather on Streets.
When reports that Franks sentence
had been committed began to circulate
crowds began to gather on the prinoi.
pal down town street corners. The
arrest of a man who attempted to dis.
mount a policeman by grabbing the
horses reins, stirred one crowd to ex.
citement and they followed the ON.
GERS to the city hall, block away.
Speakers started to harangue the
crowd from the city hall steps, but
were stopped by m extra force OF po.
lice. It was stated that delegation
was coming here from Marietta, the
former home of Mary PhaSan.
Governor Explains Action.
In his statement exhaustively ex.
planning his reasons for committing
Franks sentence, Governor Slaton re-
viewed the circumstances surrounding
the murder of Mary Phagan in the Ma.
tional Pencil factory here on April Is,
1918, the conviction Of Frank and his
appeal for clemency.
Continuing the statement reads:
"The murder was most heinous
one and the offender deserves the
punishment of death. The only ques-
ton is as to the identity of the GRIM
inal. The responsibility is on the
people of Georgia to protect the lives
Of her citizens and to maintain the dig
nifty Of her laws, and If the choice
II NJ hat AN
of citizens of other states and the en-
forcement Of our laws against offend
ers, we music hoose the latter alterna.
tive.
1t is charged that the court and the
jury we're terrorized by mob and the
Jurors were ooerced into their verdict.
When Frank was indicted and the air
was filled with rum0rs as to the muir
der and mutilation of the girl, there
was intense feeling and to such an ex-
tent that my predecessor, Governor
Brown, stated In argument before me
that he had the militia ready to pro-
tect the defendant II any attack was
made, Some weeks
later the defendant was put on trial"
Frank, the governor said, went to
trial without asking change OF venue
and submitted his case to jury that
was acceptable to him.
During the progress Of the trial"
the statement continued. after evi.
dence had been introduced laying the
crime with many offensive details on
Frank, the feeling against him became
intense. If the audi.
ence in the court room manifested
their deep resentment toward Frank,
1t was beyond the courts power to cor.
rect. It would be difficult for court
to grant new trial in such long
case because the audience in the court
room on few occasions indicated
their sympathy.
1.-THE jury found the defendant guilty
and with the exception Of the demon
stration outside the court room there
was no disorder. Nothing was done
which the courts could correct through
legal machinery"
The governor pointed out that the
United States supreme court had sus-
tanned this ruling. He declared the
charge against the state Of Georgia Of
racial prejudice was unftir.
Although crowds on the streets dis.
GUESSING the Frank case did not appear
so excited as the day wore on, the po.
lice ordered all near beer saloons clos
ed shortly before eleven o'clock and an
extra one hundred policemen were put
on duty. Orders were issued to i'm.
mediately arrest any one attempting
to incite violence.
Negroes Testimony Reviewed.
"The most startling and spectacu-
lar testimony in the case was that
given by the negro, Jim Conley, who
finished in the chain gang the state
ment says.
The statement then points out alleg-
ed Inconsistencies In Conleys story
and mentions several contradictions In
his story as related in various afidav.
its. Among them, he said, were evi.
dence that the elevator had not been
used Saturday afternoon; that Frank
could not have carried the girl down
the hatchway, while Conley, pow.
erful negro, could have done so; that
M hod ticking ever had been seen in