Tuesday, May 13th, 1913
New Theory Is Offered in the Phagan Mystery
Detectives Not Centering All Their Efforts on Frank and Lee Now
Investigators working the Mary Phagan murder case are no longer directing all of their attention toward Leo M. Frank and Newt Lee. New theories have been put forward, fresh leads are being examined, and every plausible line of inquiry is receiving consideration.
Street rumors circulating Tuesday held that Solicitor Dorsey had picked up an entirely new lead, one that could potentially clear both Frank and Lee of suspicion. Dorsey himself paid the reports little mind.
"There are no developments so far which would tend to swerve the prosecution from its present course," he said. "The cases of the two men held will be placed before the Grand Jury as soon as the evidence against them can be properly shaped, unless other developments justify a change."
New Theory Investigated
The new theory drawing attention was brought forward by a private detective working for the Solicitor's office. The man's identity has not been disclosed, and he has been pursuing lines of inquiry entirely independent of those followed by the prosecutor's main team. Dorsey acknowledged that no evidence has yet emerged to support the proposed solution, but said his investigators have taken it up and intend to follow it to its conclusion. Every available means will be employed to either confirm or dismiss the theory.
Two affidavits of potential significance were added Tuesday to the already substantial body of evidence in Dorsey's possession. One was submitted by Miss Maggit Wyatt of 44 Pickett Street, a former employee of the pencil factory. The other came from Miss Willie M. Ross of 259 Crew Street, said to have heard screams from the direction of the pencil factory at 4:30 in the afternoon on the day of the murder. Miss Ross appeared at Dorsey's office Tuesday morning and provided an exhaustive signed statement. When approached afterward by reporters and asked what she knew of the case, she said she had absolutely no knowledge of it.
Dorsey Would Welcome Burns
Asked about the report that the celebrated detective William J. Burns is headed to Atlanta to take charge of the investigation, Dorsey said he would welcome Burns without reservation.
Colonel Thomas B. Felder, whose correspondence with Burns gave rise to those reports, said Tuesday morning that he expected to know definitively by Wednesday whether Burns would agree to take on the case. Burns is due to arrive in New York from Europe sometime Tuesday.
Grand Jury May Hold Extra Session
The Grand Jury is likely to convene an extra session this week to clear its routine docket, ensuring nothing stands in the way when the Phagan case is eventually brought before it by Solicitor General Dorsey. Dorsey and his assistant, F. A. Stephens, discussed Monday whether to call the jurors together for a single extra day before Friday's regular meeting, with Wednesday being a possibility. Even so, Dorsey acknowledged it may take both sessions this week just to handle routine matters, meaning the Phagan case might not reach the jury until Friday of the following week or a specially called session in the first part of that week.
Frank's Mother Speaks
Mrs. Rudolph Frank of Brooklyn, mother of Leo M. Frank, was reached by newspaper reporters at her home Monday for the first time. She expressed her firm belief in her son's complete innocence, though the ordeal has left her visibly shaken. She had said nothing to her neighbors about her son's situation until Monday, having held out hope that the Coroner's jury would release him.
"My son is entirely innocent," she said. "But it is a terrible thing that even the suspicion should fall on him. I have every confidence that he will be proved guiltless of this terrible crime. He is suspected merely because he was the last person known to have seen the girl on the day she was killed. I know it will be shown that he had no knowledge of who put the girl to death."
Mrs. Frank has not seen her son in nearly three years, since she and her husband traveled to Atlanta to attend his wedding to the daughter of Emil Selig. She is understood to be preparing to return to Atlanta if Frank is indicted by the Grand Jury.
She has always taken pride in her son's accomplishments and in his rapid advancement in the business world. Though only twenty-nine years old, Frank has served as superintendent of the National Pencil Company's plant for several years. Before coming to Atlanta approximately five years ago, he worked with the National Meter Company in Brooklyn. He is a graduate of Cornell University.
Burns Leaves New York
William J. Burns is expected to arrive in New York on Tuesday afternoon. As previously reported, the renowned detective has been engaged to work personally on the Phagan mystery at the solicitation of Colonel Felder, who represents the friends and relatives of the slain girl. Felder met with Raymond Burns, the detective's son, in New York, and a cable was promptly dispatched to England, where Burns had been investigating the mysterious disappearance of J. Wilberforce Martin, a wealthy Memphis man whose vanishing had attracted attention on two continents. Burns determined that Martin was safe and withdrew from that case. He is expected to arrive in Atlanta on Thursday, en route to Macon, where he is scheduled to address the Georgia State Bankers' Association.
Who Is the "Mysterious Sleuth?"
Chief of Detectives Lanford responded with a knowing smile when the subject of Dorsey's undisclosed private detective came up. Dorsey had announced days earlier that he had the best detective in the world working the case.
"The sleuth is either Detective John Starnes or Patrick Campbell," Lanford said. "Both are attached to the local staff and are working under the Solicitor."
Dorsey continued to deny the man is a local detective.
"I intend to withhold his name until the proper time," Dorsey said. "He is out of the city at present working on several new phases of the Phagan case. Upon his return I may be able to give out some startling information."