davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Washington times., 1915-03-07

The attendant went in and suddenly
switched on the electric light, and ] saw
the body of the little girl Mr.. Rogers
walked in the room and stood to my
right inside the room. ! stood right
at the door. leaning up against the right
facing Of the door. and MIR. Black was
TO the left. leaning up against the left
facing, but a little to my rear.
The attendant, whose name ! since
have learned is Mr.. Gheesling, was on
the opposite side of the little cooling
table TO where ! stood. In other words.
the table was between him and me.
He removed the sheet which was COW
eruG the body and took the head in his
hands. turned it over and indicated
where the wound in the back Of the
head was located put his finger right
on It,
I noticed the hands and arms OF the
little girl were very dirty-blue and
ground with dirt and cinders, the mouth
and nostrils. the mouth being open, just
full OF sawdust and swollen, There was
deep scra tch over the left eye on the
forehead.
The Washington times., 1915-03-07
Girls Body "Sig!1t Enough to Drive a
Man to Distraction" Says
Frank in Plea.

We couldn't see Il. so we eft We
went over to Montag Bros. but III
one was there bade Mr.. Darl"y
goodby and caught a Georgia avenue
car and rode TO the house OF our gem
eral manager, Mr.. Sig Montag, and dis
cussed with him at length and In de-
tail what had seen that morning and
what the detectives had to say.
! returned to my home at about a
quarter to II. | washed up and had
breakfast in company with my wife II
the dining room, and while l was eat
ing breakfast I told my wife OF the
experience l had had that morning
After breakfast we left the house
and went around to the nome Of Mr..
Wolfsheimer, and there We found quite
a company Of people. and the conver-
sation turned largely on what l had
seen that morning
After staying there about an hour
with my wife went in her COMPANY
to visit the home Of my prother-in-law,
a. f.. Marcus.
On our arriva! there the nurse. Lucy,
told us no one was home and that
We would find them probably at the
home Of Mrs. Trsenbach. We then
went to the Crsenbach home and found
them there
OF course. the conversation was
about the little gir who had been killed
in the pencil factory basement. and w
discussed it generally. although il wls
at that time as much "A puzzle to me ds
It apparently was to every one else.
After staying here until I o'clock or
little after ! returned with my wife
20 my home at No. GS East Georgia ave-
nue., where We took oar lunch with my
parents-in-law, with Minola Mcknight
serving.
After dinner I read little while. and
then caught the ten minutes to 3 Geor-
ga avenue car going down town. I got
off at the undertaker's. On entering ;
round quite number Of pencil factory
employees. among them Mr. Schiff. Mr..
barley, Wade Campbell AlonZo Mann,
Mr.. Stelke" and Mr.. Zyganke.
| chatted with them a few minutes.
and l noticed that the people who were
going in to see the body were standing
IN line and moving in and hat Others
from the factory were going in. and !
thought l would go in too and pay my
respects.
The Washington times., 1915-03-07
ELEVATOR CHAIN
HAD GOT OUT OF GEAR,

] turned on the switch. started the
motor which runs the elevator going
Then Mr.. Darley and a half dozen more
Of US and the detectives got on the ele-
vator
l started to pull the rope to start the
elevator going and 1t seemed to be
caught. couldn't move 1t with a
straight pull and couldn't get it loose,
SO jumped out.
We all got of and ask ed Mr.. barley
to try his hand. He's a great deal
larger and q great deal stronger man
than am. so he was SUCCESSFUL In
getting 1t loose. It seemed like the
chain which runs down into the base
msnt had slipped q cog and got out Of
gear and needed something to force 1t
back. Mr.. Darley got It loose and the
elevator started up, and 1 got on and
the detectives got on and ] caught hold
OF the rope and 1t worked all right.
In the basement the officers showed
US just about where the body was
found. just beyond the partition. and In
behind the door to the dust bin. They
showed us where they found the nat
and slipper Oh the trash pile, and they
showed US where the back door had
been opened about IL inches. After
looking about the basement, we all
went back up stairs, and Mr.. Darley
and myself got some cords and some
nails and hammer and went down
into the basement again to lock up the
back door. so that we could seal the
factory from the back and no one could
enter.
The Washington times., 1915-03-07

We then left the undertaking es-
tablishment, got in the autom obile
and rode over to the pencil factory.
Just as we arrived opposite the pencil
factory I saw Mr.. Darley go in the
front door with another man whose
name | didn't know.
We went up to the second floor, the
office floor; | went into the inner Of
fice and hung up my hat and in the
inner office l saw the night watchman,
Newt Lee, in the custody of an officer
who l think was Detective Starnes,
the man who had phoned me.
l then unlocked the safe and took
out the payroll book and found that
IT was true that a little girl by the
name OF Mary Phagan did work in
the metal department.. and that she
was due to draw S1.2O. The payroll
book showed that. and. as the de-
tectives told me that some one had
identified the body OF that little girl
as Mary Phagan. there could be no
question that it was one and the sam e
girl.
The detectives told me they wanted
! to take me down in the basement and
show me exactly where the girls body
| was found and the other parapher-
MALTA that they found strewed about.
and l went to the elevator box-the
switch box-so that | could turn on
the current. and l found it open.
In reference to that switch hoy
being open or shut. l had given in
| structions to the factory to keep II
open. Those instructions were given
| because member OF the fire depart
| ment had gone through all that mart
OF the city, the National Pencil fac
| tory among other places. and told us
| that no switch box. no box in which
! there was an electric switch, could
be locked up, but had to be open so /,
could be easily accessible in time OF
| fire.
Because the switch box was
found open Monday merning and
The Washington times., 1915-03-07
Informs Pinkerton Detective Woman
SAN Negro Go Down Into Base
nent on Day of Murder.

returned to the Office after max
ing this examination. l gathered up
what papers I had to take over to
Montag Brothers, and ! took over the
financial record which had made out
the Saturday afternoon previous. |
returned from Montag Brothers to the
pencil factory.
In few minutes Mr.. Harry Scott of
the Pinkertons came in. and l took
him into my Office, my private office,
and spoke to him in the presence of
Mr. N. V. Darley and MI. Herbert
Schiff.
I sat down and gave him all the de-
tails that ] could, and in addition |
told him something which Mr.. Darley
that afternoon had communicated to
me, viz. that Mrs. White had told him
that on going to the factory at about
~ o'clock noon on Saturday, April rs.
she had seen some negro down there
by the elevator shaft.
Mrs. whites testimony on the
The Washington times., 1915-03-07
GIRLS DROPPED BOTTLES
OF PAINT, HE SAID.

For instance. person cuts a finger.
We give first aid to the injured in tho
office and we don't have anv report on
that The only reports that We have
are those that incapacitate the worker
or affect his health. where they demand
the money for the time thev have lost
due to the accident. and We will have
our Employers Liability Insurance
Company to pay the employees, but
where people Just cut their fingers and
60 back to work We don't mako any
record Of that.
We have people cutting their ffng-
ers there very often and when they
cut their fingers their line Of travail
Is right by that place where Mr.. Bar
rett found those spots. right to tho
Office.
Now. we use paint and varn!sh
around there. a great deal Of 1t, and
while do not say this is not blood
it may bet also could have been
paint. / have seen the girls drop bot
ties of paint and varnish and havs
seen them break there on the floor.
have seen that happen right close to
that spot, but the main point about II
is this, gentlemen: When got down
and looked at 1t you could have
scratched away from the top Of those
dark stains an accumulation Of dirt
that was not the accumulation OF a
day or two days or three days or
three weeks, but II was at least three
months. That dirt could be scraped
from off the top Of those spots with
out touching the spots themselves.
Moreover. that white stuff unques-
tionably was haskolne compound.
and 1T must have been liquid when it
leaked or was placed on the floor be
cause 1t showed all evidences of haN-
ing been swept while still in fluid
state.
Now, II that had been fresh red
paint or II it had been fresh red blood
and that haskoline compound with the
soap in it, which is a great solvent.
should have been put on there in a
liquid state. 1t would not have shown
up white. as it did show up, but it
would have shown up either pink Or
red. but that stuff was white and not
pink or red
The Washington times., 1915-03-07
INSPECTED ALL FLOORS
OF THE BUILDING.

Mr.. barley and myself accompa MED
Chief Lanford on a tour OF inspection
through the three upper floors OF the
factory--to the second floor. the third
floor and to the fourth floor. We looked
into each 'and each partition and
each dressing room and each work
r. ON.
We even passed through the metal
room and looked into that very dress
Ing room that has figured so prom-
mel tly in this trial. and neither Mr..
Darley nor myself noticed anything pc
culiar on that floor, nor did Mr.. Lam
ford. chief OF the Atlanta detectives,
notice anything peculiar
We then returned to the front and
took out Of the clock the slip on which
Newt Lee had punched the night pre-
vlous. and that clock slip, OF course,
was dated April 2S.
Frank. in speaking NJ the np-
pearance OF the floor. Is referring
to the alleged blood spots which
r. p Barrett the next morning
The Washington times., 1915-03-07

stand was that she saw the ne
gro shortly before l o'clock.
Her brother swore that she first
told him that it was about Il
o'clock.
After | had told Mr. Scott all l could
l took him around the building; took
him first to the metal room and
showed him the place where the hair
had been found, looked at the machin-
cry and at the lathe, looked at the ia =
BILE on which the lathe stands, and the
lathe bed and the floor underneath the
lathe. There wasn't spot, much less
a blood spot. underneath.
This was the place in the
pencil factory which the prose
cution designated as the scene
of the struggle between Frank
and Mary Phagan. Frank hurled
the girl back against the lathe
and her head struck on the
metal handle, causing" the
tVontinued on Following Psse.)
The Washington times., 1915-03-07
Frank Tells Hon Chief Lanford Asked
Him for "A Statement About
the Case.

The next morning (Monday) I
arose about o'clock and washed and
shaved and dressed. While | was so
occupied the doorbell rang and there
were two detectives down there. One
was John Black and the other. be-
lieve, Mr.. Haslett. finished dressing
and went downstairs and they told
me they wanted me to step down to
headquarters with them. I told them
7 would. but l stopped and got my
breakfast before I went with them.
We walked all the way to police
headquarters. On the way down l
asked Detective Haslett what tho
trouble was down at the station
house and he said: We'll, Newt Lee
has been saying something. and Chief
Lanford wanted to ask you few
questions about it." ! asked: What
did Newt Lee say" and Haslett re-
piled: Well. chief Lanford will tell
YOU when YOU get down there
The Washington times., 1915-03-07

There seemed to be some alterca-
ton about Mr.. Rosser coming into
Chief Lanford's Office and | heard Mr..
Rosser say: II am going into that
room; that man is my client" That
was the first intimation | had that
Mr.. Rosser was to look after my in
terests IN this matter. Chief OF Police
Beavers said that he wanted me to
give them a statement and he said:
Mr.. Frank, will YOU give US a state
ment?" and | said: "Certainly, | will
give you a statement" l considered
II only right that anybody who was
It the factory that day should give
the police a statement, telling whom
ne had seen, where he had gone and
what he had done, and l gave them
a statement freely and unreservedly.
While l had no idea that ] had to
make a statement at that time. | did
give it to Che very best of my ability
and freely. and answered every Ques-
ton that Was put to me.
Mr.. February Ithe stenographer) was
sitting on the opposite side of the table
from me. Chief Lanford was sitting at
desk. and Mr.. RosseH = was sitting quite
distance away, probably twenty-five
feet, sitting in the front window with
his back 10 US. After ! had given the
The Washington times., 1915-03-07
COMPARES FRANK WITH WILDE.

He compared Frank with Oscar Wilde Wides family,
he sad did not know his real character until the shocking details
exposed court of justice So might Frank have been
guilty all that charged against him in respect to his conduct
with the pencil factory without his wife and associates
being any the wiser.
The defense had brought up the celebrated Duran but
acted boomerang the solicitor using Theodore Duans
conduct after he had murdered Blanche Lamont and Minnie Will
ams in striking comparison with the conduct of Frank the
Sunday and Monday after the Staying of Mary Phagan.
Dorsey the third day of his address to the uy-he spoke
only part of each daycame into court exhausted and
out but the fire of his determination to hang the before
him lent him eoquence that made this day the most impressive
of ALL He drove home his conception of the jurors duty the
concluding of his remarkable endeavor, which he
exclaimed that if they guided by the evidence they would
bring in a verdict of "Gulty! Guilty! GUlLTY!'
Frank the early part of his address, which appeared in
last Sundays of this paper accounted for his movements
Friday April 25 the day before the staying Mary Phagan and
then, greater detail gave his version of the he had
occupied virtually every time Saturday. the day
the little girl met her death
TodayS nStament begins with his description of the en-
trance of the three together with William Gheesng the
undertaken into the little in which Mary Phagn body lay
The Washington times., 1915-03-07

statement several Of the officers came
into the room. among them Chief
Beavers. Chief Beavers and Chief Lam
ford and Mr.. Rosser were apparently
having a sort Of argument. and ! over
heard Mr.. Rosser say: why. it Is pre-
posterous a man who had done such a
deed must be covered with scratches
and marks and his clothing must be
bloody"
Mr.. Rosser must have had an inklinE
that they were suspicious Of me. and as
soon as ! heard that I turned and
showed them all my clothing and that
l had no marks Of any sort on my face,
hands or body.
After that Mr.. Rosser insisted that
two Of the detectives. Mr.. Black and
another detective, accompany Mr.. Her.
bert Hads and myself TO my home to
look over my soiled clothing for the
past week, which l anticipated had not
been given to the washwoman.
We went to my home, and the detec-
tives Immediately went up stairs to my
room with Mr. Haas and myself and
took the laundry bag in which my soled
clothing Is always kept and emptied it
out on the bed
They examined each and every article
Of clothing that l had discarded that
past week. and ] again showed them
the clothing that I was wearing, which
included tho brown suit that was wear
ing the day of the murder. and I wore
that suit continuously since then until
the weather became so hot. 1t has
neither been cleaned nor pressed since
and ! show 1t to you for your eXami-
nation.
The Washington times., 1915-03-07

to the jury. At the top Of these notes
where 1t showed the series and the date
you can see 1t either has been worn OF
rubbed out, but the date was originally
on there. Down below is the seria
number.
The old order pad was found to
be Of q style used several years
before, and 1t was asserted by the
defense that none of that sort
was kept In Franks Office, where
Conley said the murder notes were
written, but had been thrown
away in the trash and taken to
the basement
The Washington times., 1915-03-07

r. F. Holloway. day watchman In
an affidavit to the solicitor, said
that he had left 1t locked when
he left Saturday noon, the prose-
cution contended that this went
to support Conley's story Of Frank
opening the switch box and using
the elevator to carry Mary Pha-
gan's body to the basement. On
tho stand, Holloway said that he
was mistaken In his statement
and that he recalled opening the
box to run the circular saw and
neglecting to relock IL.
The Washington times., 1915-03-07
ella lined to have discovered near
the dressing room

the dressing room.
] removed the time slip from the
clock, and in the middle OF the sheet |
wrote on it: Taken out at S26 a. m
and underscored II twice. With a
casual look at that Slip you cannot now
see IT, ! can see il. When looking
casually at the slip you can see notn-
ing. and by the way. this sheet has
been identified.
1t is the one to which reference has
been made so many times. and. If YOU
will look at 1t. you will see the date,
April IS, which We put there on the
evening Of Saturday, April 26. Now, II
you will look very carefully you can
see where has been era ased from 1t what
identify It, the words. Taken out at
identify It. the woords. Taken out at
S26 a M" and the two lines under
meath. but they couldn't erase It care
fully enough They even erased some
OF the printed line which runs across
that sheet.
The Washington times., 1915-03-07

the same kind as these sheets which
still remained on this pad back The
other was written on a sheet OF yellow
paper, apparently sheet from the
regulation order pad or order book Of
the National Pencil Company. This
sheet was yellow sheet with black
ruling on it and black printing at the
top.
These are the notes displaying notes
The Washington times., 1915-03-07
PROVES VICTIMS IDENTITY
nv THE PAYROLL,

About the neck there was twine, a
piece Of cord similar to that which Is
used at the pencil factory, and also a
piece OF white rag. After looking al
the body identified that little girl as
the one who had been up shortly after
noon the day previous and got hel
money from me.
w. w. Rogers testified in the
presentation of the States case
that he did not see Frank look
at the body. Detective Black said
he thought Frank just glanced"
at It. Solicitor Dorsey wished the
. jury to believe that Frank, having
strangled the girl to death. did not
dare trust himself to look at the
body of his victim in the presence
a the others
The Washington times., 1915-03-07

course. at more or less length. Then
Mr.. Quinn said he would like to take
me back to the metal department on
the Office floor. where the newspapers
mat morning had said that Barrett OF
the metal department had claimed he
round blood spots, and where he found
some hair.
Mr.. Quinn first took me to the little
lathe back in the metal department, and
told me that Mr.. Barrett had told aim,
Just the same as he said here, that
those strands Of hair were so few in
number that he didn't see them until
ne turned the handle and they wound
around his fingers: and, moreover, that
the position Of the handle Of the tool
was the same relatively to the work
IN the lathe as they left 1t on Friday
previous to that Monday.
Iney then took me over to the place
IN front OF the dressing room where It
was claimed the blood spots were found
now, l examined those spots. I didn't
examine them standing up. didn't
oepend on the light from the windows.
put stopped right down to those spots,
and ! took a strong electric flash lamn
tnat we had around there, and looked
AT them and examined them carefully.
ana / made certain conclusion after
that examination. Now, geItlemen. IL
there is any one thing in and about n
factory, after my seven years of prac
tical experience in factories, that l do
not know, 1t is the care and cond;tio,
OF factory floors.
The Washington times., 1915-03-07
DOUBTS WHETHER SPOTS
WERE OF BLOOD.

Take that metal plant. for instance
That plant, as you 1now, is place
Where We reform, shape and spin sheet
brass, and. of necessity, we use a great
deal of lubricant there
NOW, the lubricant that is used on
this eyelet machine. these large ma
chlnes that change the sheet metal from
a ribbon into a shape, is known as
haskoline compound.
The main ingredients Of that compound
are, for practical purposes, soap and Oil.
and in use, 1t Is diluted to a great eX-
tent with water. so that ii will flow
easily on to the tools or on to the
metal That haskoline compound is
carried to these machines in the metal
room almost up to that dressing room.
and that haskolihe remains on them
and sticks to them. and you are apt to
ma that haskoline compound on the
floor anywhere around in that metal
room near any of those machines, and
"hen 1t is spilled on the floor il is not
secured up; it is just swept up vita q
broom.
Moreover. point that has not been
brought out. so far as know. right
opposite that metal room is kept the
scrap brass The scrap barrels in which
the scrap brass from the eyelet ma
chimes is put always contain haskoIine.
'''"' 'ic'di peinS put IN tne barrels, OF
course, with the fluid on it,
the huid flows to the bottom and is
apt to leak out OF the bottom upon the
moor. But. getting back to the floor OF
the metal room. there is constant
spilling Of lubricants. and the lubri-
cants are composed largely of soap and
oil. and that floor bv experiment is
covered to a thickness VARYING from a
quarter to half inch: that is, you can
scrape away that much before YOU get
down to the original color OF the wood
On top OF that grease-soaked floor there
is more or less of dirt and somebody
comes along with sprinkler to sweep
1t up and they go over the top OF that.
The result is that there Is coat after
coat of grease and dirt on that floor.
Now. in reference to those supposed
blood spots found bv Mr. Barrett. [
don't claim they are not blood. They
may have been. We have had acci-
dents there. and. BY the wav. the acci-
dents OF which We have records are not
the only accidents that have happened
there
The Washington times., 1915-03-07
RETURNS ARGUMENT OF DEFENSE.

Every argument that the defense had used he flung
them. He bitter. There gainsayng that Some
said that he vndcve and that the three days scougng
the prisoner there venom possibly accounted
for by the in which his motives had been attacked by
attorneys for the defendant.
If it made any difference Dorsey that Franks and
mother sat in the court aroused him to greater effort
He spared neither of them He branded the prisoner sitting
between them unnatural being, infamous who
only would srange death little girl who defended herself
against his demands but would coo plot put the around
anohers neck pay the penalty the terrible
had committed
He sneered the mother She had risen and denounced
him in court in fury of indignation. He did not wonder it,
he sad for when did any thief feel the halter draw with good
opinion Of the law"
He ridcued the idea that Franks wife had believed
him innocent and nfeenialy charged that the younger
Franks show of loyalty and devotion the trial staged for
the effect the jury If she believed him innocent he asked
why that she failed to visit him for weeks at the police
station and the Fulton County Tower.