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THE ATLANTA GEORGIAN AND NEWS )LUB OF TEMPORARY WIDOWS” GATHERS EACH DAY TO GREET THEIR HUSBANDS ON JURY McDermott, Chicago Congress' man, Accused in Connection With Loan Shark Legislation. By JAMES B. NEVIN. (H|The defense 5.9 nearing 1 Its end In the Prank case. wIa few more character witnesses— the e seems to have been no difficulty whatever in securing character wit- iiesscs by the score to testify in be half of the defendant—the statement ©f FYank, and the defense will rest, i, The State will t n introduce *ts -Witnesses in rebuttal of the defense’3 Jcharncter witnesses, and along other lines. Not improbably, the State will undertake to rebut in a measure the ^defendant's personal statement. 4 The entire case should go to the Jury Monday or Tuesday—meaning by r that that the argument should begin then. The State has been all along much tnore sensational an'd spectacular than the defense. That generally is the ’fr’J'ay these cases go. and in respect of .that, therefore, the F ik case has not been particularly remarkable. In the length of time required to ; develop fully both sides, however, the case is in a class by itself, so far ns Georgia is concerned. The Frank case has been noticeable, < too, because of the fact that women I have been excluded from the court- &Xoom practically from the beginning 8©f the trial—and yet in the main there lihasn’t been a great deal said in the | |©ourtroom that might be called par- ! ticularly offensive, as those things go. Innuendo Plays Larpe Part. t } Aside from Conley’s direct state ment as to unspeakable depravity fendant’s lack of character to hold together it3 other story—and that seems to be the way the State is fighting its way along—it must break down the defandant’s exhibits com pletely, or the defendant’s showing is bound to figure tremendously in shaping the verdict. Can the State do it? That is a question Atlantans and Georgians have asked themselves con tinually for the past week or ten days. It is the question they still are asking themselves—and it is the’ question they will ask themselves un til it i9 answered. Upon the rebuttal of the Frank character witnesses much depends— and it has been promised, inferential- ly, at least, that this rebuttal will be complete and final. It must be, if the State hopes to win out. There is nothing now' that goes sc directly to the very core of the is sue between Leo Frank and the State of Georgia as the question of the de fendant's possession or lack of char acter. When the attorneys pro and con come to sum up the case, for the benefit and theoretical enlightment of the jury, it will be found, I think, that both the State and the defense have made out cases remarkable In point of strength for and against the defendant. In other words. I mean it will be found that the State has made the very best of the material it had on hand by way of outlining and estab lishing the charge against Frank, the while the defense has been every bit as circumspect and astute in provid ing for the refutation of the charges. Trial a Fair Fight. Certainly the trial has been such a trial as men call fair. The case was hot called until both sides had had ample time to prepare for it, and until both sides announced ready. The State and the defense each is supplied with as able and Intelligent counsel as might be secured, there has been no limit whatever upon the time taken up, court officials have left nothing undone to have the witnesses both ways on hand at the moments wanted, and the witnesses under the rule while the case has proceeded, have been handled as they should be. Judge Roan, occupying not only a most responsible position, but cer tainly a most trying one, has borne himself with a degree of official dig nity and fair-mindedness that must commend him very highly to the public. The Jury has been taken care of like real human beings—nothing has been left undone for its comfort. Consideration has been shown the defedant, the members of his family, and the warm friends constantly in attendance upon him. The spectators have been orderly, ever, the hours observed by *he court have been adjusted to the ao< ommo- datlon of the lawyers, the defendant and the jury. So far as human ingenuity and law can make it so, therefore, the trial of Leo Frank has been fair, I think—as fair as could be asked. And when I say that I mean fair to both the de fense and the State. The presiding judge let in one big, significant line of evidence supposed ly unfavorable to the defense. It so happens, however, that later he let in another line supposedly as unfavor able to the State. An Even Break There w r as no possible connection, reaily, between these two things, of course, for the judge did. exactly the thing he thought was right in both instances. It merely is a fact that his tw T o biggest rulings cut evenly be tween the State and the accused—and • to that extent is noticeable. In that it makes an even break. I make the foregoing observation now because, looking at the case from the present "dint of view', in advance of the verdict, I feel that he observa tion is true—and whatever the out come of the trial. I for one shall n >t feel that the case has been unfairly tried. Judicial error may have crept In—it certainly is not for Lyraen to say as to that. It perhaps is not Tight end proper even to speculate upon such a thing. Whatever judicial error has crept in, however, if any has, it may be cor rected upon review' before a court higher up. Either that or the error will redound to the defendant’s bene fit—for once acquitted, he never can be tried again for the murder of Mary Phagan. There is on. advantage that has come of the long drawn out battle, perhaps, and that is in the time it has given the public to weigh oarefin - ly and discriminatingly every bit of evidence as it has fallen from the lips of witnesses. There is no reason why any person able to read the English language should be unfamiliar with any detail of the trial. The newspapers certainly have done theiir part in ©reading the story, as told by each side, before the public from day to day. WASHINGTON, Aug. 16. Startled by the testimony of T. H. McMichael. former chief page of the House, con cerning the official conduct of Repre sentative James T. McDermott, of Illinois, the House Lobby Investigat ing Committee has decided, it is said, to make a preliminary report on Mc Dermott to the House at the earliest possible opportunity. This report, will he separate from the committee’s proposed general re port on the subject of lobbying, anri when It is presented It will be in order for any member of the House to move for McDermott’s expulsion. If such a motion is made, it will he necessary for the House to vote di rectly on the question. According to the rules, a two-thirds vote of the membership Is necessary to expul sion. Loan Sharks Raise Funds, Whether such action will be taken depends largely on the testimony of four pawnbrokers of the District of Columbia, who now are under sub- pena by the committee. These pawn brokers. according to McMichael. raised a fund to defeat the District Ipan shark bill w hich passed Congress some time ago. McMichael testified that McDer mott made a trip to the Hotel Na varre. New York City, anri there he says he learned the money, or part of it. was turned over to McDermott. McMichael admitted he never saw a cent of the alle^d fund. It was learned to-day that mem bers of the committee believe this phase of Me Michael’s testimony i.-> the most serious matter they have yet disclosed and constitutes a direct accusation of bribery Future testi mony, they admitted, might entirely disprove this. Searchlight on McDermott, Acting on this theory, the general investigation of lobbies which they have been conducting was to-day turned entirely into an investigation of McDermott’s persoal conduct. The committee may go into a re port of a liquor lobby raising cor ruption funds to defeat the reforms proposed during the close of tho Cannon regime. which precipitate^ the so-called rules fight. They have chosen Mrs. W. M. Jeffries forewoman. There Are Eleven Full-Fledged Members and “Associate” Mem ber, Who Waves at Bachelor. Atlanta has a brand new club. It is called “Thfe Club of Temporary Widows.” Its membership, as its name indi cates, is made up entirely of women. There are just eleven of them. All w'ere brought ta their temporary widowhood by the trial of Leo M. Frank. All are wives of jurors in the great murder case, or, at least, they were before the trial began. All are thoroughly tired of the tedious pro cesses of the law which have kept them in their somber w r eeds for three long w'eeks. Mrs. Jeffries, “widow” of W. M- Jeffries, a real estate man, who is serving on the Frank jury, has been elected the “forewoman.” They do not have a president in the Club of the Temporary Widows. They Meet Every Day. Every night the eleven widows may be seen at Alabama and South Pryor streets as the jurors file by under as close a guard a£ though they. were prisoners, and very dangerous pris oners at that. They are privileged only to wave their handkerchiefs—the young bride of the club throw’s kisses^—as the men go by on their w'ay to the Kim ball House for the night. This same young bride—or young widow—rush ed up to the line the first day of the trial and tried to speak to the hus band of whom she had been bereft. A stern look from one of the depu ties repulsed her. Softening, the of ficer explained that it would be worth as much as his job if he should let her or any of the widows say just one little word to one of those jurors. There’s One Associate Member. Several times another young woman has been noticed on the edge of the little group making up the widows’ club. She has had eyes only for the bachelor of the jury. He has had eyes only for her. It is said that she is to be taken into associate mem bership in the club. Report also has it that she will qualify for full mem bership soon after the trial. None of the widows knew each other before the trial began. Now a number of strong friendships have been formed. In addition to the daily gatherings at Alabama and South Pryor streets, meetings are to be held each w r eek during the life of the club, which its members hope to per petuate for years. The meetings will be held at the members’ homes, and the regained husbands may be per mitted to attend once in a while. HRS. M. F. WOODWARD MRS. F. V. L. SMITH Death Was Accident, Grubb Family Says; Suicide Story Denied Many fast friendships have been formed. That Andrew J. Grubb’s death was not a suicide is the statement made by members of his family, who assert that it resulted from an overdose of strych nine, which the deceased had taken on account of heart trouble. Mr. Grubb died Thursday morning at the family home on DeKalb avenue, North Decatur, while the other mem bers of his family were attending the funeral of his favorite sister, Mrs. So phia Smith. Owing to the condition of his heart, Mr. Grubb had remained at home, fearful lest he he overcome at the funeral. At home with him was his 19-year-old son,. Harvey Grubb. According to his family, Mr. Grubb had suffered with heart trouble for many eyars and had been compelled to take strychnine to get relief. The only way In which he could get the strych nine without a doctor’s prescription was to tell the pharmacist that he wanted it for the purpose of killing a dog. Thurs day morning he obtained the strychnin* in this manner, which his family says started the suicide rumor. [ circumstance has served to size the presence of the de It’s Wife and mother, and ,o them at all times conspicuous ; the spectators—as they must seen, in a large degree, in any A Practical Painter A Perfect Job A Pretty House A Pleased Owner A Permanent Customer Widows Remember “It’s Cheaper to Paint Than Not to Paint. ’ ’ Phones: Main 1115; Atl. 329. perpetuate club when widow Old Sol, as Barber, Singes Lem’s Beard hood is over, adding SiIDDTJ2TOWN, OHIO, Aug. 16 — Lem Buhler got in the way of a sun beam reflected through a prism glass here, and it set fire to his whiskers. He may lose one eye. twelfth 31 South Broad Street member. Grand opening with up - to - date quality and service. All welcomed. Under new manage ment HELEN WOODWARD, DAUGHTER OF JUROR Wisconsin to Begin Sterilizing ‘Unfit' Solicitor General Dorsey asked him if he knew of any acts of perversion Frank had committed. Then the volcano that had been dormant for ages became ‘active. Then the race that has endured martyrdom broke its silence. Then the mother, who believes in her heart that her boy could do no wrong, spoke. "He never heard such a thing, and neither have you,” and her voice was blazing when she spoke it. Then the drama was furnished. The audience rose from the seats. Eyes were fixed. Breaths were short ly drawn. Seconds seemed hours. It had taken mother love, the ten- derest of all passions, to furnish the incident that had really stirred. v possibly can be—no human being would expect less of her than that ^tut her calmness and deliberation on V the stand Friday showed that she ap preciated the material value of the evidence she was then giving, and | that it was necessary then that her Mbest and most discriminating intelli gence be given full play, no less than heretofore her heart had been. | I think the public now is looking forward to the defendant’s statement with far more interest than anything ■1^-unless it be to the forthcoming evidence of the more or less myste rious witnesses the State still has in 1‘eserve. MpFrank never has told his own story. He has maintained a reserved silence ever since he was arrested, and it will be particularly interesting to hear What the main actor in the drama has to say in his own behalf, after all else has been said on that side. It is by no means too much to say that Frank’s statement may make or^ mar his cas^-it may clear him entirely, for that tiding has happened, a»cl many more times than once—or it may cut the other way. It certain ly will be a ' dramatic utterance— ^whether the thrill of it be pronounced or, repressed. It looks as if the defendant has said about the last word that can be said in jteLablishing his good character. Good character can be proved only 1 in the way he has gone about it. If the State relies upon the de- 34 Peachtree St, MADISON, WIS., Aug. 16.—The State Board of Control of Wiscon sin. which has the management of the State charitable, penal and re formatory institutions, is receiving a large number of inquiries from relatives and friends of criminal in sane, feeble-minded and epileptic per sons regarding the provisions of the new law providing for the steriliza tion of such degenerates. The Board of Control Is the judge as to the advisability of sterilizing any degenerate in the public charge, and there is no appeal from its de cision. The board intends to begin with the female degenerates and later take up the males. Several hundred fe male degenerates v/ill be sterilized this year. CHICAGO, Aug. 16.—No more will Mrs. Michael Raymond, eighteen years old, be led Into trouble by her beauty. Her winning face captivated two hus bands, but each had quit her because she could not help attracting every man who saw’ her. To-day she occupied a cot at Colum bus Hospital. Doctors said she might not recover. Her face, neck and body were slashed in more than a dozen places. Raymond heard other men were pay ing attention to his wife. When he re turned home last evening, he kissed her as usual, then drew’ a razor and cut her. He fled. Men’s Shoes Soled Sewed at 50c GWINN’S SHOE SHOP 6 LUCKIE STREET, OPPOSITE PIEDMONT HOTEL. . BELL PHONE IVY 41S1. ATLANTA 2340, kA a Guaranteed Work John D, a Prodigal; Gives Berries Away Tree Spender’ Out Of Asylum a Day AFTER NEW YORK, Aug. 16.—The har vest of crabs and blackberries at Tarry town this year beats all records. Thousands of crabs are being caught in the Hudson daily. One man daught 150 in two hours. Blackberries are so plentiful that half of the boys of the village are picking them. The favorite and best field is on John D. Rockefeller’s es tate. Mr. Rockefeller has not inter fered with the picking, and it Is es timated that 300 quarts are picked from his busfces daily. Evelyn Again Takes Up Name of Thaw NEW YORK, Aug. 16.—Edward Stewart, once well known In Broad way as a lavish spender and who has ben confined in the State Asylum for Insane at Center Islip, escaped from that Institution to-day and for one whole day he lived over again the former life that eventually landed him :n the asylum. He cashed a check and was spend ing money freely when he was recog nized by some former acquaintances who notified the authorities. NEW YORK, Aug. 16.—Evelyn Nesbit Thaw, with the accent on the Thaw, began her second week at Hammerstein’s Victoria more of a favorite than when she started. .She has stopped shying at the name Thaw, which now is plastered from the ground to the roof, where It bAazes forth in electric glory. 2 TRAINS DAILY Lv.7:12AM,5:10PM.