Monday, May 26th, 1913
Chief Detective Declares He Has No Direct Evidence of Attempt to Influence Witnesses, as Published
CONLEY STICKS TO STORY UNDER SEVERE GRILLING
His Statement That He Wrote Notes at Frank's Dictation a Disturbing Element—Search for Evidence Continues
Chief of Detectives Lanford positively denied to The Journal Monday afternoon that he has secured any proof of efforts to bribe witnesses in the Phagan case proper.
The official made this statement, when questioned about the numerous rumors and reports of bribery of witnesses, some of which have been published and given general circulation.
Chief Lanford states that he is in possession of no affidavits relating to attempts to bribe Phagan witnesses, nor has he proof of any sort, he says, which would show that friends of the man indicted for the murder or anyone else, had sought to bribe any witness.
Chief Lanford says, however, that he personally believes that efforts to influence witnesses have been made, and that he is vigorously probing the rumors.
The indictment of Leo M. Frank, on a charge of murdering Mary Phagan has not halted the several investigations of the case. Monday morning neither the city detectives, the Pinkertons nor the Burns forces ceased their efforts to unearth new and cumulative evidence in the case.
The principal efforts of the detectives are now as they have been since from the beginning, directed towards securing evidence to building up the state case against the factory superintendent.
Harry Scott, of the Pinkertons, who was first employed by the National Pencil company to search for and prosecute the murderer of Mary Phagan, now states that he has secured sufficient evidence to convict Frank.
When the case comes to trial the Pinkertons will join in the prosecution and the evidence they have gathered will be submitted to the courts.
Chief of Detectives Newport A. Lanford shares the opinion of the Pinkerton man that evidence sufficient to convict has been gathered against the factory official.
A DISTURBING ELEMENT.
The sensational statement of James Conley, the negro sweeper, that he wrote at Frank's dictation notes believed to be the ones found by Mary Phagan's body, is proving a disturbing element in the case, and detectives have made every effort to break the negro's story.
If his story is not true, they say that they want to know it now. However, they say that they are becoming more and more convinced that the story told by Conley Saturday morning is the absolute truth.
"Conley certainly wrote the notes," said one of the detectives Monday. "It doesn't take an expert to realize that beyond a shadow of a doubt his hand penned the words on the two bits of paper. The only question is to make sure that he is telling the truth as to the time of the writing and circumstances, and he tells a might straight story."
Conley tells the detectives that he only realized some days after the crime that he was the writer of the all important notes in
