Newspaper Page Text
He apparently welcomed the
opportunity to tell of the
famous crime from his view
point.
TPK ATI ' VTA GEORGIAN AND NK1\T5.
LEO
Frank appeared
perfectly calm
and collected
as he went to
the witness
chair in his own
behalf.
FRANK RETAILS
Continued From Page 1.
books and files and wire trays
containing the various imporant
papers which were placed there
the evening before and distribut
ing them in their proper places
about the office. I^ then went out
to the shipping room and con
versed a few minutes with Mr.
Irby, who was at that time ship
ping clerk, about the work he was
going to do that morning,
“According to my recollection,
we did no shipping that day, ow
ing to the fact that the freight
offices were not receiving any
•hipments, due to the fact that it
was a holiday.
“I returned to my office and
looked through the papers and
sorted out those which I was go
ing to take over on my usual trip
to the general manager's office
that morning.
“I then turned to the invoice
covering shipments which were
made by the pencil factory on
Thursday, April 24, and which
were typewritten on Friday, April
25, by Miss Eubanks, who was
the stenographer who stayed at
my office. She had hurried
through with the office work on
the day previous, so that she
could go home and spend the hol
iday in the country where sho
lived. But I didn’t get to check
over the invoices on the shipments
on Friday, due to the fact that
Mr. Schiff and myself were com
pletely occupied the entire day.
So we left the factory with the
payroll. So that naturally, these
invoices covering shipments which,
were made on April 24, ought to
have been sent to the customers,
and I got right to work checking
thorn.
Shows Invoices to
Jury First Time.
“Now I have these invoices here
(taking up the papers and ex
hibiting them to the jury). These
papers have not been exhibited to
you before, but I will explain
explan them. You have seen some
similar to these.
“Of all the mathematical work
in the office of a pencil factory,
this very operation, this very
piece of work that I have now be
fore me is the most important. It
the invoices covering shipments
»•<; ent to the customer, and
•• *"hy important that the
prices are correct, that the
amount of goods shipped agrees
FRANK AS "HE TOLD HIS STORY ON WITNESS STAND
The accused man urged his
lawyers to let the Solicitor and
his aides cross-question him
freely.
FRANK MAKES HIS
II
with the amount which is on the
invoices, that the terms are cor
rect, and that the price is correct.
Also, in some cases, ther were
freight deductions, all of which
has to be very carefully checked
over and looked into, because I
know of nothing else that exas
perates a customer more than to
reoeive invoices which are in
correct.
“Now, with reference to the
work I did on these orders—that
•s not such an easy job as you
might be led to believe. Here are
initials. They represent the sales
man who took the order. Some
times I have to go through a
world of papers to find out to
whom to credit these orders.
“I notice that one of the or
ders to R. B. Kindele calls for a
specialty. That has to be care
fully noted and recorded. One
column represents the shipping
point, another the date, etc.
“The next step is to fill in the
orders on this sheet. On this
sheet I must separate the orders
into prico groups. Evidently no
work has been done on this sheet
since he went away. The reason
this is done —in the pencil busi
ness as in all manufacturing
businesses—it is advantageous to
sell as much of the high-proiced
goods as possible.
“This sheet is the only means
of telling how much of the va
rious goods we are selling. It is
the barometer of our business and
requires most careful work.
Declares He Wrote
Financial Sheet.
“After I have finished that work
I have had to do this, and not
withstanding any i nsinuations
that have been made, I wrote
these requisitions.”
Frank read the namd on each
requisition, which were the same
as the names on the orders.
“Now \'nat i s all my handwrit
ing, except what as written at
a subsequent date to April 26.”
Frank went back to the stand.
He was handed a glass t of water
as he resumed his seat, but de
clined it.
“Miss Hall left my office” he
continued, “on her way home at
this time. There were then in
the building Arthur White, Harry
Denham and Mrs. White. It must
have been from ten to fifteen
minutes after that this little girl
whom I afterwards found to be
Mary Phagan came in. She asked
asked for her pay. I got my r.ash
box, referred to the number and
gave her the envelope.
“As she went out, she stopped
near my outer office door and
said:
“‘Has the metal come?’
Sound of Voice Made
Little Impression.
“The safe door was open and I
could not see her, but I answered
‘No.’ The Iasi I heard was the
sound of her footsteps going down
the hall. But a few moments after
she asked me, I had the impres
sion of a voice saying something,
but it made no impression on me.
“The little girl had hardly left
the office when Lemmie Quinn
came in. He said something to
me about working on a holiday
and went out. A few minutes
before 1 o’clock, I called up my
wife and told her I was coming to
lunch at 1:15. I then went up
stairs to where Denham and
White were working and found
they had a bit of the floor taken
up and were sawing.
“I explained to them that I was
going to lunch and would look the
door when I left. Mrs. Whit®
left at this time. Some lady said
that at 12:35 o'clock she found
me in front of the safe. It is bare
ly possible that she did. I don’t
recall her being there. Her mem
ory probably is fresher than min©
on this jjoint.
‘When I went up stairs I asked
Mr. White i.f his wife was going
to stay there with him. She saia
no, that she would go. She left
and then I got mv nat and coat
and left, locking the outer door.
“Now, gentlemen, to the best
of my recollection from the time
the whistle blew until I went up
stairs to see Mr. White, I did not
stir out of my office. I went on
home.
“I called up my brother-in-law,
Mr. Ursenbach, to tell him I was
unable to keep the engagement to
go to the ball game. The cook
answered the phone.
“My wife and mother-in-law
were going to the opera. My fa
ther-in-law and I ate lunch. He
went into the backyard while I
lit a cigarette and lay down for a
moment.
“I left and while passing the
home of Mrs. Wolfsheimer, saw
Mrs. Michael on the porch. I
went in to see her and saw Mrs.
Wolfsheimer, Mr. Loeb and oth
ers.
Watched Parade When
Street Cars Stopped.
“To catch th e next car I ran
down to Glenn street. On the car
I met my wife's cousin, Mr. Loeb.
The car was blocked at the cor
ner of Washington and Hunter
streets. I walked up to White
hall street and stood there possi
bly for fifteen minutes watching
the Memorial Dav parade.
“As I walked down Whitehall
street I met Miss Rebecca Car-
son. This was probably 3:10 or
3:15 o’clock. I greeted her and
. walked on. I stopped at Jacobs’
Pharmacy and walked on. I went
from there to the factory.
"When I reached there I went
upstairs and let the boys know I
had returned. A minute later, I
returned to my office and started
to work on the financial sheet.
"In a few minutes the clock bell
rang and Arthur White came into
the office to borrow two dollars.
It was while I was at work on
the sheet at probably 4 o’clock
that I went to the toilet.
"As I returned toward the of
fice, Inoticed Newt Lee coming
toward me from the head of the
stairs. I told him he could go on
off but to be sure and be back at
6 o'clock. I told him I was very
sorry I could not let him know
about the half holiday but that
he was at liberty to enjoy himself
as he saw fit, but that he must
not fail to return at 6 o’clock.
“The first night that Newt Lee
came to work at the factory, I
took him over the building, and
stressed the fact that he must ao
into the basement, especially tne
dust bin, every half hour.
“I told him it would be part
of his duties to watch the back
door. He was to malt: a complete
tour every half hour and punch
the clock.
“Now, I will return to the work
of the financial sheet. This sheet
DIRECT DETAILED STOP!
The eyes of Leo M. Frank's wife
and his mother-in-law, Mrs. Emil
Selig, were constantly upon him as
he sat in the witness chair talking
conversationally with the jurors. His
mother seldom looked at him, main
taining her usual attitude, looking
slightiy downward and toward the
judge’s bench.
Frank had been talking only 10
minutes when he unexpectedly was
interrupted by a heated argument be
tween the opposing attorneys over
Frank’s explaining the time slips,
including the on e which the defense
claims was taken from the time clock
Sunday morning following the finding
of Mary Phagan’s body.
Frank had mentioned the time
slips and was undertaking to make an
explanation of the manner they are i
used when Attorney Rosser called
for the slips for Frank to explain
before the jury.
Solicitor Dorsey made an instant
objection, arguing that the slips had
not yet been placed in evidence. All
four of the principal attorneys inter
ested in the case were on their feet
at once, two and sometimes three
of them, were talking at the same
time.
Papers Withheld.
Judge Roan was compelled to cau
tion them to proceed parliamentarily.
His ruling was that Frank might
refer to them as much as he pleased,
but that he must not go before the
jury with them until they had been
properly identified and offered for
evidence. The same situation de
veloped when Frank sought to ex
plain the details of his work by means
contains the cost o fall the pencils
made that week. There are no
names but this sample case will
show you.”
Evidence Excluded
But Jury Sees It.
Frank unfolded a sample case.
Dorsey: “We object to this being
used as evidence.”
Judge Roan: "I sustain you."
Frank placed the sample case to
one side.
“Well,” he said, “you got a suf
ficient glance at those pencils to
see there were a great many.”
"In making up this sheet it was
necessary to go through the list
of all that were packed. Specials,
of course, have to be figured sep
arately.
"For instance, there is a special
60-60-x pencil known as ‘Cr«ck-
erjack.' Now I notice that the
two expert accountants reported
two errors. While they were un
important, I wish to explain that
those errors were not mine. They
were made by Mr. Schiff. I never
checked his figures. I checked
over mine, but not his.
“Now the next is ‘jobs.’ The
accountant found the only error
in my finanoial sheet there in the
item ‘jobs. It was not an error,
as I will show you. He did not
know my method of figuring.
“Two iterrtf her© are totals.
The total gross amount is 791
aross._ the total value amount
$396.75. In figuring the average
I obtained $50.01. In that average
he discovered an error. It was not
an error. | simply did not go as
far into the decimals as he did.
One-tenth of a cent was close
enough for my purpose.
“Now some of the items in her#
are taken from the reports of the
foremen of the different depart
ments.”
Frank then exhibited a report
from the foreman or forewoman
of each department and explain
ed it.
“Then there is the report of Mr.
Schiff, showing the gross of pen
cils shipped each day of that week
—that week was an exceptionally
heavy one.
“Now there is a little report
here that constitutes one of the
most difficult calculations. It i>
from the packing room. We have
a trick of the trade to put the
pencils that do not sell very fast
into fancy packages to make
them go.
“Now, very often these pencils
are taken from the shelf, where
they have laid for more than a
year, and repacked in the fancy
cases. I made all the calculations
on this that afternoon, despite
everything that has been said
here to the contrary.
“Now here is a little sheet that
deals with the grades of the pen
cils. It shows the totals for each
class of pencils shipped that
week. This data sheet—we have
had very few clerks at the For
syth street office capable of keep
ing it, because it requires rather
advanced mathematics to reach
the totals.”
of papers and records of his office.
He was allowed to sit in his chair
and refer to them but not to ex
hibit them to the jurors.
Fearless and Direct.
Frank taked to the Jurors directly
and fearlessly. There was no trace
of uncertainty in his voice or in his
manner. He appeared exactly as
though he were in an informal con
ference with some persons interested
in the factory and was outlining his
duties and leading up to some par
ticular incident that had engaged
their attention and interest.
He was entirely at ease. He as
sumed an easy pose in his chair,
gestured frequently as he proceeded
with his narrative, and occasionally
changed his position. His hands
most of the time were clasped in
front of him. except when he illus
trated a point with an unconscious
gesture. He found it necessary often
to adjust his glasses which seemed
not to fit him perfectly.
Tells Complete Story.
He touched only brifly on his
early history, telling merely of his
place of birth, his career in school
and college, his short business exper
ience after his graduation and finally
his coming to Atlanta in 1908 to take
charge of the National Pencil Factory.
He began with Friday, August 25,
the day before the crime and re^»
counted his movements almost min
ute by minute. Coming to th e fatal
Saturday, he told of leaving his home,
reaching his office, talking with his
employees and taking up the work of
the day.
He was given orders, records, ac
knowledgment of orders, record
sheets, financial sheets and all the
other minute details that are involved
in the work of the office. Those that
had been submitted in evidence he
took before the jury and explained at
length and in detail the amount of
work required In getting these out.
His Owin Best Witness.
Notebook in hand. Solicitor Dorsey
took a seat almost directly in front
of Frank, but this appeared to dis
turb the prisoner not in the least.
Through the major share of the
remarkable addness, with its clear-cut
statements and explanations, there
was little or.no attempt at oratory,
but the speech was unquestionably
a most eloquent argument. As had
been prophesied, Frank was his own
best witness.
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a P- R-I-N-T-O-R-I-A-L- S
No. 220
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