The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1915-06-24
FRANK DOOMED TO
DIE TOMORROW, IS
SAVED BY SLAT0N
Georgia Governor Commutes
Death Sentence to Life I'm
observation-disclosures
Spirited Away.
RESPONSIBILITY roo GREAT
Act May Mean obscurity For
Him, Says Executive, But
Gould Not Have Blood
on His Hands"

Atlanta, Ga, June 21.-Leo M.
Franks death sentence was committed
to life imprisonment today by Cover
nor Slaton. Announcement Of the gov
ernor's decision came several hours art
err Frank had been secretely taken from
the tail here and hurried to the state
prison farm at Milledgeville. Frank
was sentenced to be hanged here to-
morrow for the murder OF Mary
Phagan In April, 1918.
Governor Slaton still was at his
country home when he announced his
decision. In making the announcement
the governor dictated the following
brief statement:
IAN that 1 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 / do about the case. ]
would be a murderer TX I allowed this
man to hang 1t means hat / must
live in obscurity the rest Of my days,
but 1 would rather be blowing In q
field than to feel the rest of my
life that / had that mans blood on
my hands"
Governor Slaton was completing q
| long statement, giving his reasons for
| his action. and this, he said, would be
made public later.
Two hearings were held here on
Franks application for executive
clemency, one before the state prison
commission May 81 and the other be-
fore the governor. The latter hearing
extended through several days and
ended June 16.
Fight for His Life.
Before the prison commission oral
| argument on Franks behalf was made
by his counsel and the jurists, lawyers
and prominent citizens OF Georgia, Ili-
nois and Massachusetts,. Petitions
bearing hundreds of thousands of
names from various state legislatures,
societies and committees n thou
sands Of individual letters urging
the commission. In opposition to the
application there were filed a letter
from Solicitor Dorsey, who prosecuted
Frank, and a protest from citizens OF
Cobb county, Georgia, where Mary
J Phagan formerly lived. The commits
sion recommended against clemency.
Franks counsel, prior to the Glenn
ency appeal, had made eve unsuc-
cessful attempts before the county SUI
perior and state supreme courts to OBJ
/ tain a new trial, or to have h verdict
set aside. The federal district court
refused to grant a writ of habeaS cor
pus and the United States supreme
court declined to grant a writ of error
for review of h case, and also denied
Franks appeal in habeas corpus pro-
ceedings. Four times the sentence OF
death was passed .Ipon lin.
Frank Spirited Away.
Leo M. Frank. under sentence to' be
hanged tomorrow for the murder Of
Mary Phagan, was secretly removed
| from tho nnIInfxy 1oil hnra shortly after
midnight last night, n taken under
heavy guard to the state prison farm
at Milledegeville, upon orders OF Gov
ernor Slaton. The governor said pos
itively he had not officially acted or
announced his decision upon Franks
application for Communication of his
death sentence to life imprisonment,
but that he expected to do so within a
few hours. He said he a ordered the
prisoner removed to Milledgeville as a
precaution against any demonstration
which might result from any decision
he might make. The action was re-
garded here as a strong indication that
he intended to grant clemency to
Frank.
Franks removal from the jail here
was carefully planned and the officers
were able to exclude n~ewspapermen
inc others who might have recognized
their prisoner. Leaving the Jail by a
rear door shortly before midnight they
went in an automobile to the terminal
station where a deputy purchased
tickets for the party to Macon. Frank
was not handcuffed Inc was without
the heavy spectacles he usually wears.
A black louch hat was pulled down
over his face. The few persons who
were in the railway station at the time
failed to recognize him and 1t was more
than an hour after midnight before the
report was circulated that he had been
removed from the cell he had occupied
for many months.
Telephone connections with the coun-
ty jail here had been cut off and Jail
officers refused to verify the report.
Governor Slaton was al his country
home several miles from the city n
telephone connection with his home al
so had been cut off. Mrs. Frank de-
clared she knew nothing OF any move
to take her husband TO Milledgeville
and Franks attorneys said they had
not been notified OF II as did Solicitor
Dorsey, who prosecuted Frank.
People Are Reused.
When early reports that Franks SEN
tence had been committed began to cir
culate, crowds began to gather on the
principal downtown street corners. The
arrest OF a man who attempted to dis
mount a policeman by grabbing the
horses reins, stirred one crowd to ex-
element, and they followed the officers
to the hall, a block away. Speakers
started to harange the crowd from the
city hall steps. but were stopped by an
extra force Of police. 1t was stated
that a delegation was coming here from
Marietta, the former HON of Mary