New Britain herald., 1915-08-23
"INSIDE STORY" OF
 LYNCHING OF FRANK
Never Replied When Asked if He
 Killed Mary Phagan

Atlanta, Ga, Aug. 23.-The first actual story of all that took place on the death ride of Leo M. Frank from Milledgeville to Marietta between | midnight and dawn last Tuesday morning became available to The As sociated Press yesterday. The recital came in a manner which seemingly placed it's authenticity beyond all question. The narrator, however, will not be witness before the Cobb county grand jury, which on Septem- Der first will be asked to undertake
 thorough investigation of the lynch ing of the man alleged to have been
 the slayer of little Mary Phagan. It also became known yesterday that Governor Nat E. Harris during 1 the past few days has received several anonymous threatening letters pur- l porting to warn him not to go .too ! far'' in his investigation of the lynch ing. The governor is not inclined to take theletters seriously.
 Points of Narrator.
 The Inside story' of events which preceded the finding of Franks life
 less body swaying from the limb of
 the big oak tree cleared up many phases of the tragic incident which heretofore have been yelled in mys- tery. Points asserted by the narrator were:
 First-Frank did not confess He twice was asked if he had anything
 to say, but on each occasion replied ''NIo.' Asked pointedly if he killed the Phagan girl, he is said to have l made no reply whatever.
 Second-No attempt was made to force a confession Franks state ment, just prior to his death, that he loved his wife and mother better than he did his life, came unexpectedly and without questioning
 Third-Frank was not maltreated in any way prior to the actual lynch ing. Stories that he may have met violent death before he was hanged to the Frey oak tree are without foundation.
 Frank Never Battered.
 Fourth-Frank walked a distance
 of 200 yards from the autom obile to
 the death tree without faltering
 step; without sigh. Or semblance of
 3 protest. Fearing perhaps that his
 body might never reach his relatives,
 he asked that the wedding ring he
 wore be delivered to newspaper
 man with the solemn promise that it
 would be turned over to his wife. This wish was carried out.
 F1fth-Frank was told from the start that he was to be executed as the court had directed that he be and every effort was made by the so-called Vigilance committed to see that the legal hanging" as they termed the lynching, was carried out in an or derly manner Membe of the Vigilance committee' are said to re- sent any intimatiOn that Frank was "maltreated'' while in their custody. They assert he was given exactly the same consideration usually given to a
 condemned man on the day of his
 execution. The rough handling of the
 body after it was down was matter
 concerning which members of the
 "committee'' feel they were not re- sponsible.
 Felt They Had Sacred Duty.
 Sixth-The members of the "vigi-
 lance committee felt they had a
 sacred duty to perform in "carrying
 out the mandate of the courts of the
 state and of the United States" There
 
 and there is said to have been no
 idea of hanging Frank in the public
 square at Marietta or in the cemetery
 where Mary Phagan lies buried.
 There was, however, a determination
 that the execution should take place
 in Cobb county, inasmuch as all the members of the ''committee" are said to be residents of Cobb county, the reason for this is obvious
 Seven, automobiles were required to transport the "vigilence committed from Marietta to Milledgeville. Only four returned, including the car Tn which Frank rode. All the machines ! were small cars, of a popular make.
 These cars were especially selected because of the difficulty in identifying them. No car of conspicuous design or color was wanted. There were probably twenty eight men in the lynching party. X Still in Hospital.
 The machines left Marietta sing1y Monday afternoon and reached the prison farm shortly after 10 o'clock. After Warden Smith and Superin- tendent Burke had benen called from their homes and handcuffed the par ty proceeded to the prison house in which Frank was known to be quar- tered. Frank was just recovering
 from the wound inflicted on his throat by William Green, a fellow prisoner, and was to have been returned to the
 regular sleeper dormitory on Tuesday night. On the night of death, how ever he was still in the hospital room adjoining the warden's office When the lynching party had entered the
 prison and it's members were disarm- ing the outer guards, one of the "trusties" at the prison, who was also
 on guard duty, blew out an oil lamp burning inst outside Era nlx,s dnnr IIo