Investigator for Celebrated Detective Believed Already in City Hunting Phagan's Slayer; Will Operate on Same Terms as Pinkertons; State Office Will Not Share Evidence
Solicitor General Hugh M. Dorsey made clear on Friday that William J. Burns and any assistants he brings to Atlanta will be held to the same conditions previously applied to the Pinkerton Detective Agency. While Mr. Dorsey stated he would welcome any information Burns might develop, he was equally direct that nothing gathered by his office would be passed to the outside investigators in return.
Mr. Dorsey issued the following statement on the matter:
"Mr. Burns is welcome. We are delighted to have assistance in arriving at the truth from whatever source it comes. However, Mr. Burns would be expected to obtain his information firsthand, so far as this office is concerned. We accept without question that his employment is entirely in good faith, but our position toward him is the same as our position toward the Pinkertons: he will be expected to give information, not to receive it. The work being done by the city detectives is entirely satisfactory."
Mr. Dorsey added that there had been no significant development of any kind in the case on Friday, beyond steady progress in the work of organizing and preparing the evidence for presentation.
GRAND JURY RUMORS DISMISSED
Reports circulated Friday that the case was about to be placed before the grand jury that same day. The confusion arose because witnesses in the matter had been summoned on the same form of subpoena used by the grand jury. Those witnesses appeared before Mr. Dorsey directly, however, and he stated without qualification that the case would not be formally presented before the following week.
BURNS AGENT DISPATCHED TO ATLANTA
The Burns investigation into the Phagan murder mystery got underway on Friday. William J. Burns, who is expected to personally direct the inquiry after returning from Europe around June 1, cabled instructions to his New York office as soon as the arrangements were confirmed. One of his most capable men was immediately sent south to begin assembling evidence ahead of his chief's arrival. The operative departed New York shortly after midnight Wednesday and was expected in Atlanta by Thursday night or Friday morning at the latest.
He will take every precaution to conceal his identity and keep his findings confidential until reporting either to Burns directly or to Colonel Thomas B. Felder.
SUBSCRIPTION FUND GROWS
The public fund to cover the costs of bringing Burns and his New York staff to Atlanta continued to grow on Friday, gaining momentum following The Georgian's Thursday announcement that donations were being solicited.
