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Til K ATI. ANT A GEORGIAN - AND NEWS, TUESDAY. APRIL 29, 191?,.
FACTORY HEAD TAKEN INTO
CUSTODY; LAWYER, BARRED,
EATER ADMITTED TO CUENT
YOUTH HELD IN PHAGAN CASE
John M. Gantt, held in connection with the investigation of the strangling of little Mary Phagan
in the National Pencil Factory. Here Gantt is shown reading the warrant for his arrest on a
charge of murder, lie stoutly denies any connection with the crime. An alibi story, told by his
sister, may clear him of suspicion.
STEPFATHER OF DEAD GIRL
FOR JUSTICE AT outspoken against lee
L
Continued From Pag* Ona.
strict orders had been given against anyone seeing Frank.
If Frank was not under arrest, by what right was his lawyer
forbidden to see him?
As soon as the police station was reached Frank wi-r taken
at once into the detectives' office and the doors were barred
against all.
The detectives would say nothing of what took place behind
the closed doors. The detective office is on the third floor. At
thi bottom of the stairs on the second floor Call Officer John
West was stationed to bar all who attempted to go to the floor
above.
Frank To Be Kept Under Guard
Tt was learned late this afternoon that Frank will be held on
the technical charge of “suspicion.” He will not he placed in a
cell, but he will he under guard. An extra policeman will be em
ployed to keep watch over the factory superintendent in the police
slation and Frank will pay for the services of this man.
Luther Z. Rosser, counsel for Frank, would not. make a defi-
r.iG statement this afternoon as to his plans for obtaining the free
dom of his client. He said that he would institute proceedings if
he considered Frank was being held an unnecessarily long time.
At the same time that the Frank proceedings were under wav
Gober & Jackson, attorneys for J. M. Gantt, also in custody in con
nect ^n with the crime, made formal application for a writ of
habeas corpus before Judge Hell and a hearing was set for 4 o'clock
this afternoon.
Frank previously had been questioned by the police. He was
brought to the station Monday morning in company with his at-
•lorncys and there made a lengthy and detailed statement to the
detectives.
The authorities had announced they believed Frank had no
knowledge of the crime. Their sudden action to-day appears to
be freighted with great significance in view of the fact, that they
have already quizzed him as to all he knew in connection with
the affair.
At the factory of the pencil company reporters were suddenly
i xeluded.
"We've been harassed enough by the reporters of the news
papers." was the explanation volunteered by Ed Montag, in
charge. "This plant has had all the notoriety it wants.”
In the working ranks of the National Pencil Company is be
lieved to be the last hope of solving the great strangling mystery.
If these workers are barred to the press and to the public and ad
mission is denied to the factory, those in authority have effectually
closed one of the most important avenue* for the solution of the
crime.
Frank Last in Building
Frank, to a Georgian reporter, just before his arrest, said:
“No one is more anxious to learn of the whereabouts of
Mary Phagan Saturday afternoon and night than 1 am. The com
pany is exerting every effort, to get information and has em
ployed a Pinkerton detective to work on the case. Officials of the
company also thought it best to retain counsel to assist, in the in
vestigation, while every one of the foremen and head men about
ftie factory is endeavoring to find out if any of the employees
know anything.
“I deeply regret the carelessness shown by the police depart
ment in not making a complete investigation as to finger prints
and other evidence before a great throng of people were allowed
to enter the place.
“The affair is exceedingly embarrassing to me. To know
that the authorities even felt that, they should detain me for a
while and (piestion me leaves a bad taste, and 1 am doing every
thing possible to locate the guilty man.”
Arthur White and Harry Denham, the last two workmen in
the factory plant the day of Ihe tragedy, declared to The Geor
gian that when they lefl the building shortly after 3 o'clock in
the afternoon Superintendent Frank was 1he only man remaining.
White's statement follows:
"Denham and 1 went to the - factory to work on Saturday, al
though it was a holdav. We left shortly after 3 o’clock in the
afternoon.
“We punched our time at exactly 3:10 o’clock.
“On our way out I stopped in Mr. Frank’s office and bor
rowed two dollars of him. Denham went in with me. Neither of
us saw anyone else in the building. When we left Frank was tin
only person remaining.
Saw Gantt in Pool Room
"Denham and 1 staved together most of the afternoon, and
the evening we went to the Globe pool roomR on Broad Street,
near Marietta. We had been in there a little while when I saw
John Gantt come in. He did not play, but sat down and watched
the game.
"In a little while we went out. but returned in a few min
utes and stayed until after 10 o’clock. Finally he said that he
gm ssed he would go home, and that was the last I saw of him.”
Denham's statement is substantially the same. lie said
. : he saw no one else in the factory aside from his fellow work-
i an. White, and Superintendent Frank.
Mrs. Leo Frank, wife of the superintendent of the pencil
factory, declared to-day before the arrest that her husbnad was
anxious to do everything in his power to dear up the Mary Phagan
mystery and regarded tlje feeling against him as totally unwar
ranted.
"I do not care to go into any of the details of the crime,”
aid Mrs. Frank. "My husband is at the office flgd is perfectly
competent to give out all information. Any knowledge 1 have of
the affair I got from him.
“All that 1 know is that he is doing everything to solve the
mystery. He has engaged detectives and is personally investigat
ing many of the clews.
An investigation was conducted at the plant of the pencil
factory this afternoon in an effort to find some employee who pos
itively had seen the Phagan girl after she drew her pay Saturday
noon at the office of Superintendent Frank. The canvass of em
ployees was made under the direction of Frank lmiself.
Mrs. Leo M. Frank, wife of the factory superintendent; his
father and brother called at the police station this afternoon to aid
the closely guarded Frank.
They were not given admittance at once, as Frank was under
going an examination in the office of the detectives. They were
taken to the office of Probation Officer Coogler, where they waited.
Restraining her tears with difficulty, Mrs. Frank declared her
belief in the entire innocence of her husband. She preferred not
to talk at length of the case and said that it had not been discussed
in their home.
She broke down several times while talking and burst into
tears, but recovered herself and contnued the conversation.
“My husband is absolutely innocent and able to take care of
himself in the matter,” she said. “I would rather that any state
ments should come from him. We discussed the matter hardly at
all in our home.”
Mrs. Frank is a striking appearing woman of about 30 years.
With her were her father, E. Sclig. 68 East Georgia Avenue, of the
West Disinfectant Company, and a brother-in-law, A. E. Marcus,
of the Marcus Clothing Company.
Frank's Rise in Company Rapid
Frank is ‘27 years old and has been married three years. His
wife was Miss Lucile Selig. Frank and his wife live with her fa
ther at 68 East Georgia Avenue.
Frank was induced to come to Atlanta about five years ago by
his uncle, E. M. Frank, of this city. He formerly lived in New
\ork, and was in the employ of the Sturdevant Fan Company.
He is au expert mechanic and his rise has been rapid with the Na
tional Pencil Company. Coming here in a minor capacity, he was
not long in being promoted to a position of authority. A short
time later he was made superintendent.
URGED BK MAYOR
Brown Offers $200 for Capture
of Slayer—C. C. Jones
Also Gives $100.
TO CONDUCT PRAYER MEETING.
Rev. John S. Purser, of the West
End Baptist Church, will conduct the
Wednesday evening prayer service at
the First Baptist Church this week.
Dr. Daniel, the pajstor. is conducting
revival services in Griffin. Ga.
PRESSED BY DEBTS, ENLS LIFE.
GADSDEN, ALA.. April 29.—Ernest
Dwell, 36 years old, despondent be
cause his creators were demanding
settlement, t allowed arsenic and
was found dead early to-day near hia
home in .Marshall County.
SCHOONER IS WRECKED
OFF THE FLORIDA COAST
SAVANNAH, GA., April 29.—The
United States cutter Yamacr v has
returned from a cruise along the
Florida reefs, bringing definite news
of the fate of the s hooner Alice Hol
brook.
The Holbrook pounded to pieces
upon the Florida coast. The schoon
er ami cargo are a total logs, #, J.'G. WOOD,WARD, Mayor,”
Governor Joseph M. Brown to-day
offered a reward of $200 for the ap
prehension and conviction of the mur
derer of little Mary Phagan and May
or James G. Woodward issued a call
for a special meeting of Council for
tomorrow morning at 10 o’clock, urg
ing a $1,000 reward.
Governor Brown’s decision was
reached on receipt of the following
letter from Solicitor Hugh M. Dor
sey :
“From the best information obtain
able, it is my belief that the circum
stances surrounding the death of lit
tle Miss Mary Phagan indicate a most
brutal murder, probably attended with
another horrible and detestable crime.
“The officers of the local police and
detective departments seem to be
using their best efforts toward the
solution of the mystery, but I believe
it advisable to ask that you offer a
reward for the apprehension, with evi
dence to convict, of the guilty par
ty.”
The Mayor's message follows:
“To the General Council, City of At
lanta:
“Gentlemen—The General Council of
the city of Atlanta is hereby called to
convene in special session to-morrow
morning at 10 o’clock, April 30, 1913,
to take cognizance, in an official way,
of that most brutal crime that was
committed in this city on last Sat
urday night.
“I think it Is proper that the city
government should take some befl:*
ting action as regards this most de
plorable matter, which, as it Is, is
liable to cast unenviable criticism
upon the name of our fair city, and I
would suggest that your honorable
body offer a suitable reward of not
less than $1,000 for the captu of the
brute or brutes that committed such
an outrageous crime. I feel satisfied
that every taxpayer of this ci . will
heartily co-operate in indorsing the
action of the Mayor and General
Council in offering this reward. Re
spectfully submitted.
Mother and Aunt of Mary Phagan
Swoon at Burial in Marietta
This Morning.
A thousand persons saw a minister
of God raise his hands to heaven to
day and heard him call for divine jus
tice.
Before his closed eyes was a little
casket, its pure whiteness hid by the
banks and banks of beautiful flow
ers.
Within the casket lay the bruised
and mutilated body of Mary Phagan.
the innocent young victim of one of
Atlanta’s Blackest and most bestial
crimes.
The spirit of the terrible tragedy
filled the air. An aunt of the stran
gled girl suddenly screamed, fell over
in her seat and was carried from the
church in a swoon from which she
did not fully recover for hours.
The stricken mother collapsed and
it was feared that her condition might
become critical.
The scene was in the Second Bap
tist Church at Marietta, where Mary
Phagan had lived when she was a
child of only three or four years. An
immense crowd was at the statl.ii
when the funeral train arrived at 10
o’clock. Many of them were young
people who had played about with
the strangled victim when she had
lived there years before.
Mother Collapses at Station-
Just as Mrs. W. J. Coleman, mother
of Mary, was being helped into a cab,
the pure white coffin was lifted from
the car. Mrs. Coleman saw it aid
the single glance was sufficient to
awake afresh the torrent of fearf.il
memories.
She screamed and fell into the arms
of her husband. It was some time
before she could be taken to the
church to witness the rites over her
daughter whose life had been sacri
ficed to the brutality of some man.
“Nearer, My God, to Thee, ' sang
the choir when the little casket was
borne into the church and carried 1
forward, where it was covered with
flowers.
Rev. T. T. Linkus, of the Christian
Church at East Point, whose Sunday
school Mary had attended in the
earlier years of her laughing, happy
childhood, was the minister.
“May God bring the man guilty of
this terrible crime to justice.” was
the supplication of the minister as
he raised his hands above him.
“May God aid the officers of the
law in detecting and bringing be
hind the bars such a man," he con
tinued.
Aunt Screams and Faints.
His words were interrupted first by
the sobs of one member of the fam
ily and then by another. Miss Lizzie
Phagan, an aunt of the strangled
girl, uttered a piercing scream. She
was unconscious when those by her
picked her up. She was taken home
in a carriage and Dr. W. M. Kemp
was called. He had great difficulty
In reviving the grief-stricken woman
W. J. Phagan. the girl’s aged
grandfather, sat with his white head
bowed in sorrow. The tears ' ran
down his furrowed cheeks unheeded.
He was utterly broken and crushed
by the calamity which had visited
him and his family in his last years.
All the way from New York, whero
he was on board one of the United
States battleships, came Benjamin
Phagan to witness the tragic funeral
of his innocent young sister. With
him were his brothers, Joshua and
Charles, and his sister, Ollie Phagan.
A sad procession moved to the lit
tle cemtery where the coffin was low
ered into the grave that had been
prepared. Mrs. Coleman collapsed
again at the grave and it is greatly
feared that she will be seriously af
fected by the ordeal through which
she has passed.
Anarchy Reported
In Mexican Capital
300 Refugees Arriving in New Or
leans Say Battle in City
Is Imminent.
NEW ORLEANS, April 29.—Mex
ico City le in a state of anarchy, .a~-
eordlng to 300 Mexican and Ameri
can refugees -who arrived heTe by boat
from Vera Cru* to-day.
They left the city, fearing a battle
was imminent More than 100 of
those who fled from the Mexican cap
ital were compelled to sleep in the
hold of the vessel. They said an ex
odus from Mexico City had been go
ing on for several days.
SCRANTON, PA., DYNAMITE
PLOTTER’S BOND APPROVED
CHICAGO. April 29.—Michael .T.
Hanon, of Scranton* Pa., will be re
leased from .the Pederal prison at
Leavenworth, Kans., to-morrow.
Supersedeas bonds to the amount of
$30,000 were approved in United
States Circuit Court here to-day.
Hanon was convicted in Indianapolis
of being a party to the dynamite
conspiracy.
That Mary Phagan never left the
factory after she entered it at 12:15
o’clock Saturday, the day of her mur
der, and that she was killed and her
body dragged into the basement by
the negro night watchman, Newt
Lee, now In jail, Is the firm belief
of the child’s stepfather, W. J. Cole
man, and other members of her fam
ily.
As for Arthur Mullinax, former
street car conductor, held on suspi
cion. Mr. Coleman told a Georgian
reporter he thought him Innocent of
the crime. He was also very doubt
ful if J. M. Gant, ex-bookkeeper for
the pencil factory, where the girl
worked, had anything to do with her
murder or knew anything about it.
“If the negro watchman did not kill
the child, how would it have been*
impossible for him to hear her j
screams going on in the building?’
he asked. "A livery stable man next
door heard them, and it would have
been much easier for the watchman
to. If the black did not do it him
self, then he must have known
something about it, and who the per
son was who did it.”
Outlines Theory of Murder.
Then, in broken tones, for he had
just returned from making all ar
rangements for taking the girl’s body
to Marietta, Ga., to be buried, he out
lined his idea of how she met her
death. 4
“When Mary turned from the win
dow after receiving her money,” he
said, "I think that, instead of going!
directly out, she went to the dress
ing room, perhaps for a drink of wa- 1
ter, as one of the notes found said.
Superintendent Frank, missing her
when he came out and supposing she
had left the building, locked her in.
The negro watchman must have seen
her go into the dressing room, and
a little later seized her c.|d gagged
her.” •
Later developments in the story go
to show that the spot where the
child’s hair was found caught on a
steel lathe was not the scene of her
struggle with her assailant. In the
dressing room, it was said by a mem
ber of her family, there were plain
evidences that the attack was made.
She was also gagged in the room, for
a strip of her new lavender dress
was cut off from the front and bound
around her mouth to keep her from
screaming.
Ribbon Found Near Boiler.
Another bit of evidence, it was
said, that went to throw kdded sus
picion on the black was’a bow of
the child’s blue ribbon and a hand
kerchief found dow n near the boiler
where he constantly stayed
“The negro evidently kept the child
in the factory all day,” Mr. Coleman
said, “and was afraid to attack her
until midnight for fear she would
scream or somebody would come. He
may or may not have knocked her
senseless from the first, or he may
have tied her. I do not know, but
when Gant entered the shop it is
more than likely that he knew noth
ing of the girl’s presence there and
simply went up and got his shoes, as
he said, and went out again.
“All this about Mary having been
seen on the street at midnight or at
any other time after 12 o’clock in
the day I dp not think can be true.
I believe she remained all day in the
building. After the negro did the
work, he was afraid to leave or not
to notify the police, which would
make appearances worse for him.
Therefore he called the officers.”
Now Clears Mullinax.
Mr. Coleman said he had at first
given credence to a report that Mary
had come home at 6 o’clock Saturday
afternoon, and that Mullinax, meeting
her as she got oft of the car, had
taken her back to town with him.
This report, Mr. Coleman said, turned
out to be untrue. The conductor had
made a mistake, and the girl Mulli
nax was with was Miss Pearl Rob
inson, of Bell wood, as he swore in
jail.
This w'as corroborated by the con
ductor himself. J. C. Horne, 11 Coral
Place, on whose car the reporter rode
out to the Coleman home on Lind
say Street. The conductor said that
Mullinax and Miss Robinson had
taken his car out and, knowing Mul
linax, he had talked with him and
the girl, who at that time he thought
was Mary Phagan. When Mullinax
and Miss Robinson reached their cor
ner Mullinax remarked that it was
a bit chilly and he was going home
to build a fire. It was later that
they returned to the theater, the
conductor said, but on whose car he
did not know.
Start Tifton Postoffice.
TIFTON.—James Devault, of Can
ton. Ohio, who has the contract for
building the Tifton postoffice, is here
to begin work. Devault got the con
tract last week for $47,500* J^iddpn,
TEST
PUTS 10 NEGRO
Experts Declare Note Written by
Lee Resembles That Found
Near Slain Girl.
Handwriting experts said to-day
that they were able to determine a
resemblance between the handwriting
of Newt Lee, the negro watchman in
the National Pencil factory, and that
in the mysterious notes found by the
body of Mary Phagan in the base
ment of the factory.
They were of the opinion that the
negro wrote both notes, as they as
serted that many of the peculiarities
in the handwriting of Lee were found
in the messages that lay In the dirty
basement.
The Georgian already had drawn
attention to the probability that the
negro wrote the notes, or directed
them written to divert suspicion.
That the notes were written to
throw suspicion on another was sug
gested by the wording of one of the
notes which, as deciphered by a
Georgian reporter, was as follows:
‘He told me he wood love me laid
down play like the night watch did
but that long tall black negro did it
by his self."
The theory immediately arose that
Lee wrote the notes to turn suspicion
on another negro that had been about
the building either from himself or
from another person he -was trying
to shield.
Waters To Fight
Paving Contract
Atlanta Will Loae $25,000 This Year
on High-Priced Aaphalt, Com
missioner Says.
County Commissioner Tull C. Wat
ers to-day announced he would open
a fight on the county's asphalt con
tracts at the next meeting of the
Commission. He said he could not
understand why Commissioners Shel
by Smith, W. T. Winn and S. B.
Turman insisted on higher price ma
terial when scientific tests proved it
was not better than low priced ma
terial.
“Chief of Construction Clayton is
right In this controversy," said Com
missioner Waters. "Chemical analysis
is the proper way to determine the
worth of asphalt. Why should the
county pay $44 a ton for asphalt when
the analyses show we can buy mate
rial just as good for $21.75? This
would make a difference of more than
$25,000 this year.”
Commissioner Waters said the
Commission did not advertise for
bids. The plan to buy the high
priced lake asphalt, he said, came to
the Board as a written report signed
by three members—Commissioners
Smith. Winn and Turman.
This was a majority. Although
Cummissioners Waters and Cli! rd
Anderson protested they were owr-
HO CHECK IET1
TSRIFF Bill TALK
Underwood Permits Free Discus
sion—Republicans to Offer
Flood of Amendments.
WASHINGTON, April 29.—Wli?l
Democratic Leader Underwood deter
mined to pass his tariff bill at the
earliest possible moment, the House
to-day plunged Into actual considera
tion of the measure under the five-
minute rule.
Underwood still was determined to
allow full and free discussion and
ample opportunity to otter amend
ments. He Is not disposed to resort
to gag rule. It was known, though,
that the Democratic leader will re
sort to a gag as soon as he becomes
convinced that an attempt is being
made to delay the bill.
The best opinion was that If no re
sort to a rule is had it will take at
least two weeks to complete the read
ing of the bill. On th e other hand,
Underwood can force Immediate ac
tion by making a rule. Some idea
of the number of amendments that
will be offered can be obtained by the
statement of a prominent Republican
w r ho declared he had fifty amendments
to offer to the chemical schedule
alone.
LEGISLATORS PLAY BALL.
COLUMBUS, OHIO, April 29—
Democrat and Republican baseball
"bug3" in the lower house of the Ohio
Legislature crossed bats at the Amer
ican Association Park here to-day.
FLOWERS and FLORAL DESIGNS
ATLANTA FLORAL CO.
Both Phones Number 4. 41 Peachtree!
ATLANTA
THEATER
Matinees
Wed. and Sat.
Rights 15c to 50c
ALL THIS WEEK
Eicept Wed. & Thurs. Nights
Miss BILLY LONG
And Company In
A Butterfly
on the Wheel
First Time In Atlanta
LYRIC
This
Week
Mats. Tues.,
Thurs., Sat.
BILLY THE KID
A DRAMA OF THE WEST.
With the Young American Star,
BERKELY HASWELL.
Home Again With Vaudeville
rADCVTU Mat. To-day 2:30
rUK9l I n To-night at 8:30
Sophye Barnard—Lou
Angler & Co.—Chris
Richards — Gaby —
Helm Children—Barr
& Hope—Muriel A
Francis and Others....
NEXT WEEK
Gus Edwards
Kid Kabaret