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A 2 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