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The Atlanta Constitution,
Sunday, 17th August 1913,
PAGE 6, COLUMN 3.
:: Pretty Girls Who Testified Friday ::
MRS. J. G. WARDLAW,
Who testified to Frank's good character. MISS LOVEY HAYES,
Who testified she saw Frank a few minutes after murder was committed.
PAGE 6, COLUMN 3
TRIAL'S THIRD WEEK REPLETE
Strong Points Scored by Defense
WITH SENSATIONAL INCIDENTS
By far the main feature of the evidence brought out during the third week of the Frank trial was the testimony of pedestrians in the uptown district and residents of the vicinity in which Frank lives, to the effect that the accused man had been seen calmly walking around only a few minutes after the time the murder is claimed to have been committed.
This chain of testimony, forged with a number of links, has established a seemingly unbreakable corroboration of Frank's account of his whereabouts during the time he was gone from the factory for dinner. One person saw him leaving the factory, a girl saw him at Whitehall and Alabama streets, and a woman resident of Georg avenue saw him get off the car near his home.
A witness rode to town with him, a forelady of his factory met him uptown, and an employee of the plant saw him enter the building upon his return from dinner.
Another feature of the third week was the avalanche of character testimony produced by the defense. Business men of undisputable reputation and prominence came forward in the accused man's behalf-neighbors, relatives, and girls and women by the score from the factory of which he was superintendent.
A large part of the week was occupied in the introduction of testimony of this nature. The entire list of working girls on the fourth floor of the plant were subpoenaed. They all testified to the good character of their employer.
Negro's Character Attacked.
Also a significant feature of the testimony of these girls of the pencil factory was their widespread testimony against Jim Conley, Frank's main accuser. Nearly every one declared on oath that the negro's character was low, and that they would not believe him on oath. On cross-examination, however, the prosecution managed to learn from the girls that the opinion of the negro was based largely on his unwillingness to repay his debts and his penchant for borrowing money which he seldom returned.
A number of girls and women testified that not only would they not believe the negro on his oath, but they would not believe any negro on his oath.
A dramatic incident of the week was the outburst of the mother in the courtroom, when she blazed upon the solicitor during an attack upon her son's character.
There followed an effort on the part of Dorsey to exclude Frank's wife and mother from the courtroom, which was warmly contested by the defense. Judge Roan's ruling admitted the two women under condition that they allow no further outbreak under penalty of future exclusion.
Accused Man Impassive.
Taken all in all, the third week of the Frank trial has been replete with significant developments. The accused man sat throughout with impassive face, laughing, now and then, at some remark of a witness. His smiles are fleeting, short-lived, but they are there. Saturday noon, upon adjournment, he strode through the front entrance into the morbid crowd that swarmed the sidewalk, confronted the battery of newspaper photographers that grouped around his automobile, smiling, apparently as carefree as though he were only a spectator.
Big Crowd Saturday.
During the earlier part of the week, interest seemed to lag in the case. The crowds dwindled rapidly, and at each session, many vacant seats stared out throughout the scattered crowds in the courtroom. During Thursday and Friday, however, when the character testimony began, the throngs grew larger and larger.
Saturday morning at 7 o'clock, the police guards found a long serpentine line of people that extended from the corner of Central avenue on Hunter street to the doorway, and from the end of the alley alongside the building on the northern side, a stream of impatient men hugged the walls in the regulation line.
The requests of women to be again allowed in the room have become so frequent that, it is predicted, they will again be admitted next week. A number of girls and young women sought admission Saturday morning, but were turned down by the guards with orders from the judge to permit no women spectators within the place.