Monday, May 12th, 1913
Burns Called into Phagan Mystery; On Way from Europe
Famous American Detective Cables He Will Return Immediately in Response to Col. Felder's Plea for His Services to Capture Slayer
William J. Burns, the world-renowned detective, is expected to take charge of the Mary Phagan murder investigation.
The man who exposed the dynamite conspiracy and brought the McNamara brothers to justice will likely arrive in Atlanta within days to help unravel the mystery surrounding the strangulation death of the young factory worker. The announcement came Monday following an exchange of correspondence between Colonel Thomas B. Felder and Mr. Burns in the days since the body was discovered at the pencil factory.
Burns is currently en route from Europe and is expected to reach New York by Tuesday or Wednesday. He will confer with detectives in the city before proceeding to Atlanta.
Credit Largely Due Felder
The arrangement is credited largely to Colonel Felder's persistence. After being retained by citizens of Marietta and relatives of the slain girl, Felder traveled to New York to meet with Raymond Burns, son of the famous detective, and explore the possibility of bringing him onto the case. At the time, the elder Burns was abroad investigating the disappearance of Wilberforce Martin. Upon receiving Felder's cable, he replied that he would return at once.
It was confirmed Monday that Burns is now on his way back to America and that Felder intends to work the case alongside him. Felder is understood to be forgoing his own fee to cover the cost of hiring Burns and is also helping raise additional funds for the effort.
The two men share a long personal friendship dating back to the South Carolina dispensary graft case, which Felder prosecuted and on which Burns was employed as an investigator. Those familiar with Burns' remarkable career expressed confidence that he would move swiftly to crack the case.
Grand Jury Preparation Underway
With evidence against Leo M. Frank and Newt Lee nearing a consolidated form, Solicitor General Hugh M. Dorsey spent Monday sorting through the accumulated testimony and eliminating peripheral material in preparation for a Grand Jury presentation.
Whether the case will be ready for the Grand Jury this week remains uncertain. The sheer volume of testimony requires careful organization before it can be presented clearly and effectively. Dorsey stated that he would not rush the matter before the Grand Jury until it is arranged in a clean, coherent form.
Should the Grand Jury find sufficient evidence to hold Frank and Lee for trial, their cases are expected to be taken up immediately before Judge L. S. Roan, who opens the Criminal Court division of Fulton County Superior Court on Monday. The evidence against both men will be presented to the Grand Jury at the same time, according to Dorsey.
Sleuth Leaves Mysteriously
Considerable attention was drawn Monday to the quiet departure of Solicitor Dorsey's personal detective, who left for an undisclosed destination without explanation. Dorsey declined to reveal the purpose or direction of the trip, though investigators believe it is connected to a newly unearthed lead in the Phagan case.
That theory is supported by reports that a large number of character witnesses are being interviewed in Brooklyn, New York, where Frank formerly lived, as well as in other parts of the country. Dorsey acknowledged that his detective has not been working exclusively along the same lines as city police, and conceded the possibility that the investigator has stumbled upon a significant clue.
Wife Visits Frank in the Tower
Frank and Lee remain confined in their cells at the Tower, growing increasingly restless as the investigation continues. Mrs. Frank paid her first visit to her husband on Sunday afternoon, accompanied by her father, Emil Selig of 68 East Georgia Avenue. The two remained in consultation with the prisoner for nearly an hour.
Luther Rosser, attorney for the National Pencil Company, also visited Frank briefly at the Tower on Sunday. He described it as a social call and said the case was not discussed.
Newt Lee Still Under Suspicion
It was confirmed Monday that Chief of Detectives Lanford has not ruled out Newt Lee, the Black night watchman at the pencil factory, as a person of interest. Lee has come to be regarded as the most puzzling element in the entire case.
Lanford said he remains unsatisfied with Lee's account and has spent sleepless nights trying to reconcile the contradictions in his statements. When Lee first telephoned police after discovering the body, he reported finding "a white woman dead in the basement." Officers who responded said it would have been impossible to determine the girl's race from the position in which he claimed to have found her.
Lee also told officers the girl was lying on her back and had a wound to the back of her head. When police arrived, they found the body face down. Investigators have not been able to dismiss these inconsistencies, however innocent they may ultimately prove to be.
Facts Hard to Explain
"Whenever I try to eliminate Lee, those contradictory statements come right back up," Lanford said. "There are many seemingly small things in this case that become impossible to get around when you look at them closely. Lee's statements may have been entirely innocent, but if so, they are very hard to account for."
He added with some dry humor: "If a man doesn't want to go gray or end up in the asylum, he'd better not spend too much time trying to reconcile every angle of this mystery."
Pinkertons Directed to Find the Truth
The Pinkerton National Detective Agency, employed by the National Pencil Company, has been instructed to pursue the investigation wherever it leads. Operatives recently sought direction from Luther Rosser, who told them plainly: "Find the murderer of Mary Phagan. Work with the police, work with anyone, work any way that might bring results. Let your chips fall where they may. It matters not who is guilty."
Five Pinkerton operatives are currently working the case under Assistant Superintendent Harry Scott, coordinating with city authorities through Detective Black.
Chief Lanford said Monday he is satisfied with the overall progress of the investigation, acknowledging that it has necessarily been slow given the enormous volume of evidence gathered. He expressed confidence that new developments are adding material strength to the case his detectives are building.