New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-06-17
Insists Negroes Story Was
Invention to Divert
Suspicion.
CONCLUDE HEARING
BEFORE GOVERNOR
Decision Expected Tomorrow
or STANDARDIZATION
Set for Tuesday.

/ Leo VI. Frank, condemned 10 dle TOT 'ne
murder Of Mary Phagan, rests now
with Governor Slaton. The prisoner
plea for Communication was completed
late to-day.
The Governor is studying the rec
ords of the case. He announced that
he would come to decision as soon
as possible. 1t is not expected before
Friday or Saturday.
Next Tuesday, June %, is the date
set for Franks execution. The con-
clusion of the proceedings before the
Governor exhausted the last resource
which Frank may employ to escape the
gallows.
To-day's session was taken up with
an address by William II. Howard IN
behalf of Frank. He covered every
detail of the case. He was interrupted
frequently by Governor Slaton and at
times by Solicitor Dorsey. During the
afternoon session many women were
nresent, but owing to the size OF the
room, they were obliged to stand on
chairs in the doorway to watch the
proceedings.
Attacks COnley's Testimony.
Mr.. Howard attacked the testimony
Of state witnesses and sought to CON
vince the Governor Of alleged lncon-
Il
sistencies and contradictions IN the
testimony and afidavits of Jim Con-
lev. the negro who served prison term
as an accessory after the murder. lie
asserted repeatedly that Conlg's story
was an invention of his own mind de-
signed to diver: suspicion from him-
self.
"Taking Solicitor Dorsey's PROPOSE
ton in his argument to eliminate the
testimony of Jim Conley, the negro
and there is not a single circumstance
Of sufficient weight to influence a ver-
dict against Frank" declared Howard
Mr.. Howard contended that the muir
der notes" which Conley swore he
wrote at Franks dictation, and which
were found beside Mary Phagan's BODY
established the negro's connection with
/ the crime.
eve contend the evidence shows the
yellow paper on which one note was
written was in the basement Of the
pencil factory" said Mr.. Howard that
/ Conley got it there and wrote the
notes there. The record shows that
M ORIGINAL pieces of paper like the order
blank on which the note was written
were in Franks ONCE or in the fac
4 torv's stock. The record shows that
Mr. Becker, former employe Of the fac
tory. before he left mis- position, bun
dled nm al the used order blanks, in
c,udinp the series ~ which this par
ticular yellow sheet appeared, and sent
them to the basement to be burned.
| This yellow murder note shows thaI
| the order blank was used IN the year
| 1909. Mary Phagan was killed IN April
1913"
Would Acquit in Half Hour.
"Take the name of Leo Frank out OF
this case" declared Howard forget all
that has passed in the last two years,
give me a public mind that IS clean
slate, and put this case in any county
in Georgia and | will acquit this de-
PENDANT in thirty minutes"
Mr.. Howard declared that by the tes-
timony Of the states witnesses the rec
ord showed Mary Phagan was not in
the pencil factory at the time the
prosecution contended Frank killed her.
He also declared the record showed
that the girl had not arrived at Franks
Office at the time Conley said he had al
ready disposed Of the body.
The attorney presented TO the Gov
/ ernor a weekly financial sheet Of the
factory which he declared Frank had
made up the day the girl was murdered.
/ eve contend" he said, that person
could not have made out this comph-
Gated statement after he had committed
such a foul murder"
Mr.. Howard said the state set up two
primary facts as corroborating Conley's
! testimony-the finding Of hair on
/ lathe handle in the metal room OF the
factory and the discovery Of few
! blood spots near the dressing room.
"But the prosecution did not or could
not prove that the hair was that OF
! Mary Phagan," asserted Mr.. Howard.
] "No one testified il was her hair. The
cut in the girls head was two and a
\ half inches long and went through the
scalp 20 the skull, and yet no blood was
\ found under the machine. The state
contended she staggered thirty feet
| from the machine TO the point where
/ Conley testified he found the body on
/ the Office floor, yet there was no blood
along the floor and none at the elevator
/ or in il, yet Conley said he took the
7 body from the Office floor TO the base
ment in the elevator.
The piece Of bed ticking in which
/ Conley said the body was wrapped and
carried could not be produced to cor
roborate his story. No one ever saw
such ticking on that floor"
Thomas Hardwick, United States
/ Senator, denied statements published
| recently that he had written letter to
! Governor Slaton urging clemency for
Frank. He said that his reason for
| making this denial was that he wanted
il known that he had not expressed
himself at all regarding the Frank case.
THE BOY on THE FARM TO-DAY.
Does the boy want TO leave the
farm? Well, whose fault is that"
asks a contributor TO Farm and Fire
side"
"Has he been useful? Has he ever
been told that he is Useful7
"Uas he an interest in the farming