The review. [volume] (High Point, N.C.) 1908-19??, 1915-06-24
SLATON CALLS OUT
GEORGIA MILITIA
TOQu||ET BIG MODS
GOVERNOR ENCLOSES HIMSELF
WITH MARTIAL LAW AT HIS
COUNTRY HOME.
FRANK BEGINS SENTENCE
Communication is Received With Wild
Demonstratons.-Go Hang
in Effigy "As Traitor"

Atlanta, Ga.-With several hundred
men and boys clamoring to enter his
front gates, which had been ebarri'
caded and threatening to overpoWer
20 county policemen, Governor Slaton
called upon the militia to protect his
home. Upon the arrival of four COM
panies of militia who had been held
under arms and rushed to the Cover
nor's country home in automobiles, he
proclaimed martial law in a district
extending half mile back and for a
distance of about a quarter Of a mile
on either side.
When the soldiers lined up with
fixed bayonets to dispense the crowd,
stones, bricks and bottles were thrown
at them. A brick struck Lieut.. Ar
mold Parker and rendered him uncon-
scious for a short while. The COM
handing officer, Major Catron, was
struck by a stone, as were several OF
the men.
The Governor proclaimed martial
law at exactly II o'clock and by mid
night the crowd had practically been
dispersed. There was no firing.
A telephone message from Milledge-
vile where the state prison is located
and where Frank was taken after the
Governor committed his sentence, said
that trouble was feared there and
asked that the Governor order out the
Milledgeville company of militia. The
Governor told his informant that such
a request would have to come from
the sheriff of Baldwin county.
The Governor was surrounded In
his home by about a dozen friends,
nearly every one of whom was arm
ed with a rifle or pistol. The unex-
pected arrival of a member of the
mob at a dark corner of the front
porch caused the Governor himself to
hastily pick up large pistol.
In front of the Governors house
were more than 100 automobiles filled
with persons evidently there to see
what the crowd would do. The troops
had great difficulty in clearing the
road of these machines and many of
their orders were met with the retort
of shoot"
A crowd estimated at 700 men and
boys reached Governor Stations coun-
try home on Peachtree road about
1O:45 A force of county police was
on the large estate and the crowd
made no effort to get into the grounds,
standing outside and shouting.
Governor Stations Statement.
Governor Slaton still was at his
country home when he announced
his decision on the case over the
telephone to The Associated Press.
In making this announcement the
governor dictated the following brief
statement:
"All that l ask is that the people
of Georgia read my statement of the
reasons why l committed Leo M.
Franks death sentence to life i'm
prisonment, before they pass judg-
ment.
"Feeling as I do about this case
would be a murderer if I allowed
this man to hang. 1t may mean that
1 must live in obscurity the rest of
my days, but I would rather be plow-
ing in field than to feel for the
rest of my life that 1 had that mans
blood on my hands,"
Governor Slaton issued statement
of approximately $4,000 words explain
ing his action. He maintained there
was reasonable doubt of Franks guilt
of the murder of Mary Phagan. He de-
voted much of his statement to the
part the negro James Conley might
have played in the crime.
Announcement of the governors de-
cision came several hours after Frank
had been secretly taken from the jail
here and hurried to the state prison
farm at Milledgeville. Frank was SEN
fenced to be hanged here June % for
the murder of Mary Phagan, in April,
1913.
Dorsey Issues Statement.