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THE ATLANTA (3E()K(5TAX AND NEWS. WEDNESDAY. AEKI!.:’,(). l!‘i:L
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WATCHMAN NEWT LEE ON STAND TELLS
HIS OWN STORY OF THE PHAGAN MYSTERY
Continued From Page One.
watch Mr. limit? A. When they
turned him off.
« v >. Did you know why Gantt was
discharged? A. No, sir,
Q. How long have yoi
the pencil factory? A Thr
Q. How often do they i
Kvery Saturday.
Q.—Have you told everything that
was said by you and Mr. Frank be
fore he left the factory? A Yes.
again? A. Almost 3 trdock. I wait
ed because I wanted to go into the
basement on my rounds, so 1 waited
and went into th* toilet in the base
ment.
Q. How did you get down into the
■: basement? A. 1 went down the lad
der and went back to the toilet. I
set the ladder on tin* floor against
the side of the toilet. I came out of
the toilet and stepped up a few feet,
sir; only 1 offered him «omc bananas , do „., Unow JuM how far . i i 0 „ ke( i
to see if the back door was all right,
worked in |
e pay day*. !
iy youi
and he wouldn't take them.
Saw Frank Leave Also.
Q. How long did it take Mr. Gantt
to find his shoes. A.- Very little time.
He found his shoes and went out of
the building after he had talked over
the telephone.
Q. Do you know whether Mr.
Frank left the building during that
time? Axllr went outside. I don’t
know whether he
not.
Q.— Did you see
away? A.- Yes.
the windows of the plan were down?
A -When I made the roupd-s .just be
fore making my 7 o’clock jntneh.
Gas Linht Changed.
q. What did you do then? A. 1
went into the basement a few min
es after 7 o’clock.
Q. What is on the top floor? A. A
hole world of machinery.
I 3 q. Where were Gantt's shoes ' A
g In the shipping department, near the
/ front.
Q. How do you get to the base-
* mont? A. Through a scuttle hole
Q. What part of the basement did
Bfl you go to? A. To a light near the
ladder only a few feet from the lad
der.
Q. Did you light the gas in the
basement? A. No, s<r; it was lighted,
hut u wasn't like I *‘ft it that morti-j
ing. It was turned down like a light-
th;
imp Saturday
ophone call?
a exact time,
lied? A. Frank,
it the only call?
night did
A. 1 don't
A Y»
Frank Telephoned Him.
Q. What did you do when the phone
rang? A. I took down the receiver
and said, ‘Hello!’ He said, ‘Hello,’
and said it was Mr. Frank. I said,
‘Is this you. Mr. Frank?* Then he
said, 'How is everything. Newt?* I
♦old him everything was all right and
He hung up.
Q. Had Frank ever called you be
fore over the phone? A. No. sir. he
never had.
Q. Did he say where he was? A
No, sir.
Q. Did you punch your clock every
half-hour Saturday night" A. Yes.
sir; every half-hour from 6 o’clock
until I found the body.
Q. What did Mr. Frank say to* you
Sunday morning? A. He said the clock
bad been punched all right.
Q. Did he say the clock had been
punched regularlv? A. Yes. sir.
Q. You say you pushed the clock
every half-hour? Did you go to the
toilet that night? A. Yes. sir.
Q. Where did you go? A. Up
stairs.
did ypu go to the toilet *
Q.^-n
Q. How did you know the number
of the police station? A. Mr. Frank
gave it. to me and- told me to call It
if anything ever happened around the
plant.
Q. How was the girl lying when
you found her? A. On her back.
(Officers had testified that they found
her on her face.)
Q. How did you Happen to see
her? A l saw her when 1 walked
out to look for a tire.
Didn’t See Whole Body.
Q Did you walk beyond that par
tition in the basement? A No. sir.
1 just saw parts of her. I saw her
legs.
O - Old you put your hands on her?
A. No, sir
Q. What kind of an examination
of the body did you make? A.—None:
1 just looked and saw that it was a
dead body.
Q. Was her head toward you? A. -
No. sir. I couldn't see her head until
I had walked around.
Q Did you see any bruises on her?
A. No, sir. I just blood and lots of
dirt.
Q.—How did you And her? A.—On
the flat of her back.
Waited for the Police.
Q How was the head? A. On one
side.
Q. You didn’t touch her or make
any examination? A. No. sir; 1 didn’t
touch her.
Q. After you called the police, did
you go down into the basement be
fore they came? A. No. sir
Q. How did you come to turn her
over? A. 1 didn't turn her over
Q. How did you know she was dead ?
A. I knew she was dead because she
was there. There ain't no white wom
an going to be there if she ain’t dead.
She was all dirt and bloody 1 knew
she was dead, boss.
Q. Was Mr. Frank at the plant
Sunday morning when the police took
you back there? A. No. sir.
Didn’t Come in at Once.
Q. Did he come after you got there
A. Yes. sir; they sent an automobl
for him.
Q. Was he excited when he
H n A. H ,a didn’t come in right
Q. WAt> have keys to the p
and tx> see if there was any flrp in
(he basement. Then I saw the body.
At this juncture Lee’s testimony
began to differ materially with that of
the officers, who said that the body
was lying face downward.
Thought It Was Trick.
Lee continue*: "I thought it was
ante hack in or j something some devilish boys had
put there to stare me. 1 went over
Mr. Frank walk and saw it was a body and I g:>t
: scared. Then I called the police. I
Q. Where did he go? A He went tried to get Mr. Frank ’’
up Forsyth Street toward Alabama. Q Whom did you call first? A.
Q. How long have you worked for The police.
Mr. Frank? A .lust three paydays. Q. What did you say? A. I w.-ys
y. How long have you known him? scared and I don’t know what 1 said
A Just since 1 have been there I tried to tell them that 1 had found
Q. When did you'.see that all of a dead body.
A Me and Mr. Frank and Mr, Darley
I don’t know who else.
Q. Did you ever let anyone In aft i
6 o'clock? A. No, sir.
y. Did you lOv'k the door at
o’clock? A. yes, sir
Q. When do the fireman and the
elevator man leave? A. I don’t know.
They’re all gone when I get there.
y. Who slays in the plant from half
past 5 to 6 o’clock when you're not
there? A. Mr. Frank and the book
keeper. and sometimes the lady who
stays in the office.
No One There After 6 o'Clock.
y Was anyone working there after
6 o'clock Saturday night? A. Not that
1 know' of. There were no lights and
all the windows were like I left them
y. Did you see blood in the ma
chinery room on Saturday night? A.
No, sir; 1 had to go through the room
where they say the lady was killed,
but I never saw no blood.
y. Where are the dressing rooms?
A. Why, there's dressing rooms all
over the building, boss.
y. Did Mr. Frank say the eloek was
punched all right? A. Yes. sir; on
Sunday morning he said I had never
lost a punch.
y. When did you first tell any one
that Frank sent you away from the
factory Saturday afternoon? A. 1
don’t know when 1 told it. boss.
Wont to Basement Every Hour.
Q. Did Mr Frank ever tell you that
the clock was not punched regularly
last Saturday night? A Yes, sir; he
told me on Monday morning that the
clock was not punched right.
y. How often did you go to the
basement Saturday night? A. Every
hour, but only a few feet from the
ladder
w.
< ’ould
anyone have
UMed
the
ele-
vator and
ou not
xtiow
it?
A.
No,
Hpw was the
body
lying vv
hen
you
went b
uk with
the
ofttc
ers?
A.
Like
1 four
d it.
y.
On its
face or
on its b
a ok ?
A.
The
same w
ay, boss
v
Q
When
did you
urn
out
the
rus?
A 1
didn’t
turn it
out.
Q.
Was it
burning
whe
n th
e offl
cers
cam
E*? A.
Yes. sir.
Q
What
kind of
lan
tern
did
you
ha vt
? A J
list an
ordinary
lan!
ern,
boss
Q.
Was t
ne lanter
ii di
•ty ?
A.
Ye-
sir.
Knew
It Was
White G
rl.
1 Q
(’ould
you toll
by*
the
ligh
of
the
lantern
whether
the
woman
was
Wllil
e or bl
ick ? A.
Yes
sir
1 could
tell
>y the
'kin and
by t
he hair.
y. Was the head the only skin of
the girl you saw? You didn't see her
legs or her body? A. No, sir.
Q. Do you know any of the opera
tives? A. No. sir; they’re always gone
when I get there.
Q. What is the back door for—the
one in the basement ? A. I don't know.
Q. Did you ever see it open? A.
Yes. sir; last Friday morning.
Had No Back Door Key.
Q. Did you have a key to the back
doqr? A. No, sir: the fireman had
one.
y. Was the fireman supposed to be
there at night? A. No; he leaves
when 1 get there.
y. What’s his name'. A. Knox,
y. Is he a negro? A. Yes.
Lee was excused and J. M. Gantt,
who wap in the factory Saturday aft
ernoon to get a pair of shoes ho had
left there, was called be questioned
by Coroner Donehoo and others.
Went Down Scuttle Hole
On Ladder to Reach Body
Previous to Watchman Newt Lee’*
testimony, three police officers, who
were called to the pencil factory when
Mary Phagan’s body was found, testi
fied. Their testimony, with the ex
ception of such parts as were unfit to
print, follows:
W. T. Anderson, police call officer
on duty Sunday morning, was first
witness.
“We went over in an automobile
to the pencil factory and the negro
took us into the cellar where the body
was found." he said.
Anderson told of the location of
the scuttle hole, from which a lad
der led to the basement, and of the
location of the body.
"At the foot of the ladder 1 did not
find anything." he went on. "On the
left of the basement Is a partition
part of the way, forming a room.
The body was at the lower end of
tlie partition, a few* inches from the
partition and about six feet from the
outside wall of the building Her head
was toward the front of the building.
She was lying on her face. The cel
lar was very dark.
“I did not see the body until I
reached It. There is a toilet on the
opposite side of the basement, on the
right side next to the boiler. There
was rubbish, shavings and the like.
I did not see any white trash lying
about.
"Sergeant Dobbs picked up one
of the notes while 1 was there. Think
1 could identify them.”
On being shown several papers An
derson selected one of the papers as
one of the notes found. It was the
note written on yellow paper.
“We also found a tablet and a pen
cil. There w r ere four or five of u$
there, and I do not know who found it.
"Right in front of the body on the
right side, 1 found her left shoe and
hat. She was dressed in a dark col
ored dress. She had no shoe on her
left foot. Her clothes were up to
her knees.
"Her left leg just below the knee
the stocking was torn and her leg
skinned. There was blood on her
head, w hile her eyes were bloodshot.
A piece of wrapping cord and her
underskirt band were tied around her
neck. There was a Cut on the back
side of her head by the left temple.
Her mouth and eyes were filled with
dirt and sawdust. She was covered
with so much dirt that I coultj not
tell whether she was white or black,
and had to pull down one of her
stockings to tell whether she was
white. Her legs below knees w r ere
also covered with dirt and sawdust.
Staple Pulled From Door.
"There was a staple pulled out of
the lock at the back door. It is a
side door. It has a bar with a hasp.
There was h lock In the staple, .but
the door was closed. Sergeant Dobbs
and Brown were there before me.
‘ There was blood on her head,
stomach and legs. I had a flashlight
with me. The watchman had t*i
Continued on Pag# 4, Column 1.
Negro Woman Says Man Accused
of Ptiagan Crime Was Not
Home Saturday Night.
If Newt Lee, the watchman, wei^t
home on Saturday night and discard
ed a bloody, stained shirt. Lorena
Townes, the negro woman with whom
he boarded, knows it. Lorena says
Lee was not home on Saturday night.
Detectives found the blood-stained
shirt in an old barrel in Lee’s room,
and around thi£ point has been built
the theory that after committing the
crime the man went home, changed
his shirt, returned to the factory and
then telephoned the police. Support
ing this belief are the alleged omis
sions in Lee’s time clock checks dur
ing the night.
Lee lived in a nine back room at 4ft
Henry Street; Lorena Townes sleeps
in the front room opening on the
porch. There is no h&Jlway. # There
is a side door to Lee’s room, but it is
always locked from the inside, ac
cording to Corinne Holsey, who lives
in the other half of the house.
• Lee Had No Xoy.
The door to Lee’s room opens into
his chicken yard, the gate of which
is always locked at night and the key
kept in the house. Lee does not carry
a gate key.
His only access at night to his own
room Is through the room of the
woman who says she is his house
keeper. She says she thinks she
would have heard Lee if he had gone
through her room Saturday night.
Corine Holsey, in an adjoining room,
separated by only a thin partition,
thinks she would have heard any un
usual noises.
Barrell Contains Rags.
In Lee’s room is an old barrel
filled with rags and cast-off clothing.
The Torous woman says she has
never examined the contents of the
barrel and supposed that Lees wife
left it ther*>.
Lees wife ran away from him a
few months ago and has not been
heard from lately.
Corine Holsey declared to-day she
say Lee at about midday Saturday,
in his back yard cutting wood arid
that he wore a brown flannel shirt.
When Lee was arfested he wore a
heavy shirt answering that descrip
tion:
HAYWOOD ON TRIAL AS
INCITER OF STRIKE RIOTS
PATERSON, N. J.. April 30.—
Scores of deputy sheriffs and police
men guarded the court of special
sessions to-day for the arraignment
of William D. Haywood. Elizabeth
Gurley Flynn. Carlo Treska. Patrick
Quinlan and Adolph Lessig, Industrial
Workers of the World leaders, in
dicted for inciting the Paterson silk
mill strikers to riot.
CROSLAND BANK SHORTAGE
SAID TO TOTAL $10,000,00
MOULTRIE, GA„ April 30.—An au-
dit of the books of the Bank of Cros-
land. just completed by a State bank
examiner sent to Crosland following
the alleged confession of an official
that he had embezzled several thou
sand dollars of the bank’s funds, it is
said reveals a shortage of $10,000.
Girl Parts Battling
Newsies; Both Hurt
Saves Lads, Armed With Club and
Stone, From Serious Injury
in Street Fight.
Only the interference of a young
woman who had the courage to take
a hand In the melee saved Arthur
Wilson and Johnnie VonLiebman, 13-
year-oid newsboys, from seriously in
juring each other in Peachtree Street.
Young VonLiebman attacked the
Wilson lad with a heavy club, and
the latter retaliated by banging a
stone on VonLfebman’s head.
Both were injured enough to cause
their removal to the Grady Hospital
for patching before being turned over
to the probation officers.
Mrs. Dodd's Funeral
Set for To-morrow
^ell-Known Atlanta Woman Died
Last Night at Aragon Hotel
From Apoplexy.
The funeral of Mrs. Barbara C.
Dodd, prominent Atlanta woman, who
died at her apartments in the Aragon
Hotel last night as a result of a stroke
of apoplexy Monday, will be held from
Patterson’^ Chapel to-morrow morn
ing at 10:30 o'clock. The burial will
be in Oakland Cemetery.
Mrs. Dodd was reputed to have in
herited an estate worth half a million
at the death of her husband. Philip
Dodd.
The deceased is survived by one
sister. Mrs. Fannie Ackerman, of New
York, and one brother, O. C. Dibble
of Atlanta.
MANY ENTRIES RECEIVED
FOR AUTO HILL CLIMB
Arrangements are being made to
day for the annual *hill climb of the
Atlanta Automobile and Accessory
Association on Stewart Avenue May
17.
L. S. Crane, chairman of the com
mittee. to-day said entries this year
would be larger than last.
Many entries have been received.
EDMONDSON RE-ELECTED
AS MAYOR OF LAGRANGE
LAGRANGE. GA . April 31.—J. D.
Edmondson defeated P. H. Hutchin
son for Mayor of LaGrange in the
city primary yesterday by a vote of
3S5 to 140. Edmondson is the
incumbent. The Council men were
re-elected without opposition.
WOMEN STRIKE RIOTERS
HURL STONES; ARRESTED
AUBURN, N. Y.. April 30.—Six
strikers, three women and three men.
were arrested to-day in riots near the
International Harvester Company
twine mill when employee* who aban
doned the strike and returned to work
were met by 150 strike pickets. Stones
were thrown, mostly by women.
HO, STOLEN
Brother Says Rich Italian’s
Daughter Was Kidnaped by
Their Father’s Secretary.
PHILADELPHIA, April 30.—Lena
Bussemy, the 16-year-old daughter of
Boston's wealthiest Italian importer,
who has been famous in art circles
as* a model, and who disappeared from
her home a week ago, has been traced
to this city by her brother and de
tectives, w ho say she is held by black-
hand abductors.
The girl’s father, who is known as
Mayor of Boston’s Italian quarter, re
ceived many threatening letters which
set forth that his daughter would be
kidnaped.
Frank Bussemy, who i« directing
the search for his sister, say the
kidnaping was carefully planned un
der the leadership of his father’s for
mer private secretary, for whom the
police are searching. The detectives
say that this man. Luigi Olivier, dis
appeared at the i*ame time the girl
was Inst sight of
It was also discovered that $974. a
personal fund which he had charge
of, was also gone from his desk at
the Bussemy place of business. It is
raid that two men compelled the girl
to accompany them from the city by
the use of drugs, which they forced
her to take and which kept her in a
semi-comatose condition.
St, Louis Dedicates
Jefferson Memorial
Governor Edward F. Dunne, of Illi
nois, Makes Address—Peace
Envoys Attend.
ST. LOUIS, April So.- St; Louis is
in gala spirit for the dedication cere
monies which formally gave the Jef
ferson memorial building in Forest
Park into possession of the city.
Thousands of visitors from Illinois,
Missouri, the Southwest and the na
tion in general, attended the cere
monies—the largest crowd ever as
sembled on a similar occasion in the
city’s history.
Governor Edward F. Dunne, of Il
linois, and members of his official
staff arraived from Springfield. The
Governor will deliver an address.
Envoys to the fourth American
Peace Congress, which opens Thurs
day, w'ere guests.
DR. B0WD0IN NEW HEAD
OF ROYAL ARCH MASONS
•MACON, GA., April 3n. -Dr. Joe P.
Bowdoin, of Adairsville. was this* aft
ernoon elected grand high priest of
the Grand Chapter of Royal Arch Ma
sons of Georgia.
Judge H. W. Hill, of Atlanta, was
elected grand sire, which means that
in 1915 he will be cho £bn grand high
priest.
REPUBLICAN WOULD REPEAL
FREE CANAL TOLL MEASURE
WASHINGTON, April 30.—Represen
tative Britten, of Illinois, introduced a
bill in the House to-day to repeal the
free rolls section of the Panama Canal
act.
Britten declares free tolls is a thinly
veiled ship subsidy for American ships.
N. C. ROADS ASK AID OF
COMMERCE COMMISSION
RALEIGH. N. C„ April .30.—Rail-
road officials this afternoon finally
declined to accept the State's propo
sition for a settlement of the North
Carolina freight rate controversy,
and urged that the whole matter be
refenred to The Interstate Commerce
Commission. The conference now in
progress here will be fruitless.
The State claims rates from Vir
ginia cities are inequitable. There
was talk to-day of Governor Craig
calling a special session of the Legis
lature to consider this matter.
NOTED BIBLE STUDENT TO
SPEAK AT GRAND SUNDAY
George B. Raymond, of Brooklyn,
Bible student of note and eloquent
speaker, will ’lecture at the Grand
Sunday in the second of a series of
weekly religious meetings. The first
lecture was delivered by J. F. Ruth
erford last Sunday.
Considerable interest in the lecture*
is being manifested.
Drive away that tired feeling
or it may drive you down hill so
fast your health will be shattered.
Put on the brakes. Hood’s
Sarsaparilla stops the decline,
purifies the blood, creates appe
tite and lifts one back to the
crest of the hill —the summit
of perfect health. Get it today.
SEWELL'S
SPECIALS FOR
THURSDAY and FRIDAY
We retail at wholesale
prices.
Solid carload Fancy
Lemons... 15c per doz.
Solid carload Pine
apples 9c each
Solid carload New
Irish Potatoes, per
peck 371/ 2 c
15c can Condensed
Milk 8 l-3c
15c can Corn 7%c
15c can Hominy .... 7y 2 c
15c can Salmon 5c
15c can String Beans. 5c
1,00C pounds Fresh
Country Butter,
per pound 22y 2 c
SEWELL COMMISSION CO.
WHOLESALE AND RETAIL
11-13-15 Whitehall St.
Branch S'ore, 164 Decatur St.
! FLOWERS and FLORAL DESIGNS!
ATLANTA FLORAL CO.j
l Both Phones Number 4. 41 Peachtree'
itreej
ATLANTA
THEATER
Mailners
Wed. end Sal.
25c
Nights 15c to 50c
ALL THIS WEEK
Except Wed, & Thun, Nlghti
Miss BILLY LONG
And Company In
A Butterfly
on tha Wheel
First Tima In Atlanta
This
Week
Mats. Tues.,
Thura., Sat.
BILLY THE KID
A DRAMA OF THE WEST.
With the Young American Star,
BERKELY HASWELL.
Home Again With Vaudeville
Forsyth
Sophye Barnard--Lou
Angler & Co.—Chrla
Richards — Gaby —
Heim Children—Barr
& Hope—Muriel <8.
Francis and Others....
NEXT SEEK
Ous Edward*
Kid Kabaret
If