Tuesday, 17th March 1914: Burns Is Digging Up All Facts Involved In Leo Frank’s Case, The Atlanta Journal

Reading Time: 5 minutes [800 words]

Detective Is Leaving No Stone

Unturned in

Searching for Truth About Murder of Mary Phagan

MAY SEEK INTERVIEWS WITH DORSEY AND POLICE

Chief Lanford Says He Is Willing to "Swap Secrets"

if Burns Will Show Proper Attitude That

William J. Burns is making his investigation of the Mary Phagan murder case "from the ground up" has been demonstrated by the movements of the famous detective both on Monday and Tuesday.

Monday, he visited the National Pencil factory, the scene of the crime, and went over the physical points in the case.

Tuesday at the office of his agency here he interviewed at length W. W.

(Boots)

Rogers a young man who was with the police when they found the body of the slain girl.

Rogers was one of the principal witnesses at the trial.

He carried a squad of policemen to the factory in his automobile when they received the murder call.

Later he went in his machine to the residence of his sister-in-law.

Miss Grace Hix, who worked in the pencil factory, and she was the first person to identify the body as that of Mary Phagan.

Rogers, a former bailiff, was active in assisting the police during the first investigation of the case.

Burns, before his arrival in the city, carefully read the evidence in the case and has shown himself thoroughly familiar with the printed records by the questions he asked when he was shown over the factory by Captain C. W. Burke, a detective in the employ of the Frank defense.

Burns' reply to all questions about his work is simply to the effect that he is going to make a thorough and exhaustive investigation.

Further than that he refuses to discuss the case.

SEEK FRANK AGAIN.

Monday afternoon he held a conference with Leo M. Frank in the Tower, and Tuesday morning, he appeared at the jail again.

On this visit he was accompanied by Don C. Seltz, manager of the New York World, but they remained in Frank's cell only a short time.

On leaving the Tower Burns said probably he would talk to Frank again during the day.

Frank after the conference had little to say to newspaper men except to again express his gratification that the famous detective was at work on the case.

Solicitor General Hugh M. Dorsey refuses to discuss any phase of the Frank case and would make no comment when told of the rumor that Burns would seek his co-operation in his investigation.

The detectives who worked on the Frank case are almost constantly with the solicitor, who is said to be preparing to fight Frank's extraordinary motion in the vigorous manner in which he has conducted the entire case.

Burns will seek interviews with the solicitor general and the various city detectives who worked up the case against Frank, it is said.

Chief of City Detectives Newport Lanford, when told Burns would probably seek interviews with his men, declared he would co-operate with the detective if the latter showed the proper attitude in the case.

"In other words, I will swap secrets with Burns if he will come clean with us," said Chief Lanford, "but if he expects our assistance, it must be a mutual sort of a transaction."

Burns as yet has made no effort to interview Frank's accuser, the negro Jim Conley, and it is likely he will not attempt to see the negro for several days.

SET HEARING FOR SUNDAY.

Through some peculiar mistake, the date fixed for the hearing of the motion for a new trial for Conley, filed following his conviction, and sentenced to one year in the chain-gang as an accessory, was fixed for March 15, which was last Sunday.

Naturally the motion was not heard on that date and since that time there has been no effort on the part of (Continued on Page 2, Col. 2.)

PAGE 2, COLUMN 2

BURNS IS DIGGING UP ALL FACTS INVOLVED IN LEO FRANK'S CASE (Continued from page 1.)

the solicitor general or Conley's attorney, William M. Smith, to get a hearing of the motion.

Motions generally are heard in the criminal division of the superior court on Saturdays, and it is possible, although not probable, that one of the interested attorneys will seek a hearing of the Conley motion next Saturday.

Until the motion is heard, Conley naturally remains in the tower, and if the motion is denied, his attorney will appeal to the supreme court, and this appeal will stay the execution of the chain-gang sentence.

Attorney Reuben R. Arnold, of the Frank defense, is in Washington engaged in the trial of a case before the United States supreme court.

He is expected to return to the city Wednesday or Thursday, and with the other attorneys engaged in the defense will resume work on the extraordinary motion for a new trial for the convicted man.