Palisadian., 1915-10-02
Observations
By The Editor
On A Little Trip Away

On A Little Trip Away
Leaving New York at this season
of the year for a trip into the heart
of the South | found myself on Sep
tember % in a Southern Railway
Special bound for Atlanta. Just at
this time no finer moment could have
been selected for a getaway into the
southern country.
The recent cool snap | found had
extended all the way to the Georgia
capital, so that aside from a little
dust in crackerdon after we passed
South Carolina no finer trip could
well be imagined.
The Southern Railway is fast get
ting double track all the way from
Washington to Birmingham, and
when it is finished better schedules
will be arranged. AS it is, the trains
are as good as any one finds on the
best eastern lines, and twenty-four
hours for trip of over 800 miles is
quite speedy enough.
My observations en- route to At
lanta would not fill book. | found
few old friends in the same sleeper,
and the daylight run from Danville,
Va.,t Atlanta passed all too quickly.
Agreeable companionship VIII lie
travelling is always a great annihi-
lator of distance.
Block, one of the
.--ol9els OF
D UllS at
- sUOAl, anu tOIu
NE manly interesting things OF his
home city. Quite the oldest thing |
ever heard, however, was Mr.. Blocks
statement that Notwithstanding he is
president of over 400 miles of sur
face lines, operating in and around
Atlanta, he pays his own fare the
same as all other passengers.
81 could not see the justice of max
ing our stenographers pay fare while
the officers rode free, so we finally
made the old rule of passing any
body thing of the past. This is
one way we had of paying our own
dividends, but it works."
Atlanta is volcano. At this time
the Frank case is an eruptive element
that is provocative of just about any
kind of talkfest row one wants.
The belief in Franks gilt is growing
stronger and stronger, as | view the
case from casual talks with many of
the most intelligent men of the city.
When a man undertakes to express
an opinion that there was no other
evidence except the negro Conley's
against Frank, they begin to ask,
Have you read the testimony?"
NO" you say, "Not thoroughly" !"
"Then get a copy and read it," you
are told.
"Where can it be obtained?"
"You may get it in pamphlet form
from Hugh Dorsey, who prosecuted
Frank for the State, or you may go
over to the capitol and get it from
Gen. Phil Cook, acknowledgement of
Georgia"
An old friend of mine, Walter
Duke, who has been around the
Georgia capitol for many years, told
me this about the Frank case:
"The other day a northern man
went into General Phil Cooks office
and began to ask questions about the
Frank case. General Cook is always
courteous and asked the man, Have
you read the evidence?' No, l have
not, Can | see it? he asked
"'Yes, but it is forty pages long.
When the man got through he re-
turned the copy of the Georgia Re-
ports (Supreme Court decisions), and
remarked, Il am satisfied. Frank
was guilty."
Mr.. Duke went through the testi-
mony with me in many of its details.
| asked him,
"What part of the evidence in
dicates Franks most clearly?"
"Two things. The Jewish marriage
ceremony requires each party to give
a gold ring as token of loyalty. If
either party to the marriage breaks
the vow, the ring is returned. The
first thing Frank did was to return
the marriage ring to his wife be-
fore he was even arrested. The other
thing is that before Frank was ever
accused Rosser appeared at the pre-
liminary trial as his lawyer. Yet
Frank testified that when he was ar
rested he thought it was practical
joke some of his friends had played
on him. He was accused so suddenly
that he anticipated his own accusa-
JlOn before IL was cNCn ViOuShC VI
by employing lawyer. The murder
was discovered on Sunday morn
ing. Yet on Monday before anything
at all was done Rosser was there as
Franks counsel. This is the most
significant thing in the whole case
that has stirred a ration. Georgia
has been damned all over the country,
but it is because the people didn't
know the facts" said Mr.. Duke, "The
outside interference was what hurt
us most The people away from here
know nothing of this case whatever,
= tr=1 condemn a people for the
few. Mini you, | do not
aoh law. Slaton blundered.
lie kn0Vs it now.'
This is the one subject just now that
will not profit any man to volun-
tarily bring up in Atlanta, II un-
happily by chance one would happen
to fall upon the subject, out will go
"feeler" to find out what side you
may be on. Then comes question