Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-02-23

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla, Feb. FL.
Agnosticism, atheism and advanced
radicalism caused Frank Mcdowell,
confessed murderer Of his. father,
mother and two sisters, to commit
the crime Of removing them from
his path and to make plans for the
removal of another-a beautiful
young college girl, whom he be-
lieves stands in his path and defeats
his prograss towards becoming q
world power.
According to the story told by
young Mcdowell in his cell today to
the st. Petersburg Independent, he
knows he is abnormal, but firmly be-
lleves that the day Of the superman
is near at hand and that if it were
not for his BIRTH he would be the
first real superman.
Mcdowell was questioned so close
ly and apparently tried So hard to
enlighten his questioner regarding
the strange twists of his brain, that
he began to show signs Of breaking
down, and, grabbing the cell bars,
he jerked himself back ard forth
and said he wished they would place
him in the electric chair, that his
life was ruined, that he had been
a failure when he should have ac-
icomplished so much.
Deputy Sheriff. Horton Belcher
said today that he would ask for a
commission Of three doctors to inves-
tigate the sanity of Mcdowell and
have him declared insane. If de-
clared insane, Mcdowell would be
sent to the state asylum at Chatta.
hoOchee.
Sitting on the side Of a bench in
the inner steel cage Of the Pinellas
county Jail in Clearwater today at
noon, Frank talked freely about
himself and his crimes.
TO introduce the lad, who says he
is nineteen, it must be stated that
h els remarkably bright, well edu-
Gated. well bred and beautifully
hammered
President OF Perfect World
Frank said that he was possessed
Of a great ambition to make the
world perfect, and to be the presi-
dent of this perfect world. However,
he realized that he must first make
himself perfect, and to do this must
remove all obstacles to perfection.
At the age of ten, or eleven, no
believed he had committed the I'm.
pardonable sin of Disappearing
against the Holy Ghost, though now
he declares his non-belief in any
religion other than a supreme pow.
err, a God, and he says he cannot
see how anyone with intelligence
can believe in the Trinity. He add.
ed, however, that it is a terrible
feeling to think there is NO great
power on which one may lean when
trouble comes. He said that a be.
lief in a hereafter seemed to him
childish and foolish, though he
wished it was possible for him to
believe it, that there must surely
be great comfort in such belief.
Crime Against Holy Ghost
The crime committed against the
Holy Ghost occurred when about
ten. said Mcdowell He was living
in Forsyth, Ga, at that time, and a
girl, Miss Mary Birdsey, one month
younger than himself came to the
house. He was trying to get a
clean shirt on, ana finding it minus
some buttons, he swore at the Holy
Ghost. He said the young girl was
not a sweetheart, but he admired
her. He admired all girls, but Is not
especially fond of any He said he
had hoped to see the Birdsey g.sss
again, as he had seen her picture
in her school annual and she is very
pretty.
He said she attended school in
at Dana Hall.
Referring to his blasphemy against
the Holy Ghost, he said he did not
think Of it at the time, but later he
went to church and heard the minis
ter tell of the objectionable crime
and realized he had committed it.
This preyed on his mind, and when
in a sub-conscious state he was pos