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The Atlanta Constitution,

Friday, 13th March 1914,

PAGE 1, COLUMN 3.

Story of Alleged "Frame Up" by Detective Black Told Defense by Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins.

A further attempt to show a "frame-up" on the part of Detective John Black, of the city detective force, and at least one other detective in obtaining evidence against Leo M. Frank, condemned to die April 17, for the murder of Mary Phagan, was made by the attorneys for the defense on Thursday, when they made public the statement of W. S. Jenkins, a bricklayer, of West Fourteenth street, and his wife, to the effect that Black and another detective had tried to intimidate and to bribe Mrs. Lula Belle Brown, their daughter, into swearing that she is the "girl in the red dress," who was said to have accompanied Mary Phagan to the National pencil factory on the day of the murder.

In the face of the stinging charges of the trio, Detective Black maintained an absolute silence.

"I have nothing at all to say. The defense has tried to pull this sort of stuff before. Wait till 'wash day,' and you will see it all come out," was Black's only comment.

New Affidavits Expected.

It is expected that from now until the day of the filing of the motion extraordinary for a new trial before Judge Ben Hill, of the criminal division of superior court, the attorneys for the defense will keep up a fusillade of revelations of new affidavits, repudiation of old ones and new evidence upon which they will base their motion.

The expected arrival in Atlanta Friday of Detective William J. Burns, to continue his investigation of the Phagan murder, and the probability of his questioning Jim Conley, the negro floor sweeper, who is under sentence as accessory after the fact of Mary Phagan's murder, injects further interest in the case.

Mr. and Mrs. Jenkins appeared in the office of Reuben R. Arnold, attorney for the defense of Frank, Thursday afternoon, and told their story of Black's alleged attempts to coerce their daughter to confess to being the mysterious "girl in the red dress."

The Girl in Red.

Black, they allege, asked the girl whether she were not the "girl in the red dress" who went with Mary Phagan to the pencil factory on the day that she was murdered, to which the girl replied that she was not.

It is further alleged that Black visited her upon the next Monday and on other occasions, telling the girl that he "had something on her" and would lock her up if she did not testify as he said.

He finally, it is said, offered the girl "a part of his salary" if she would give the desired testimony.

Her parents alleged that she refused flatly to give the testimony Black is said to have attempted to get out of her, and further, that she knew neither Mary Phagan nor Frank, nor had she ever visited the pencil factory.

Conley states that he is willing to be questioned by Detective Burns, and will answer all questions, provided that the questioning is done in the presence of a white man disinterested in the case.

Chief of Detective, Newport Lanford, is confident that despite Burns' reputed dexterity and shrewdness as a detective, he will be unable to shake Conley's story in any detail.

Friday, 13th March 1914: Burns Expected To Arrive Today, The Atlanta Constitution

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