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File Name: 1914-04-12-1-000-offered-by-burns-for-evidence-to-support-frank-character-attack-the-atlanta-georgian.mp3
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The Atlanta Georgian,
Sunday, 12th April 1914,
4th Edition,
PAGE 3, COLUMN 1.
Detective Declares Reward Is Open to Dorsey, Lanford, or Anyone Else Who May Give Him Information He Seeks 'I'm After Truth,' He Says.
An offer of $1,000 was made by Detective W. J. Burns Saturday night to any person or persons who would furnish him with definite and satisfactory evidence of acts of degeneracy on the part of Leo M. Frank, such as was testified to by the negro Jim Conley when Frank was on trial last summer for the murder of Mary Phagan.
Burns tied no strings to the offer. He made it in letters addressed to the three Atlanta newspapers and, commenting on it afterward, said it was open to the world.
"I am after the truth," he said, "and if anyone has any information bearing on the point, I want it, no matter who the informant is. The name of the person will be treated in confidence if so desired."
Open to Lanford, He Says.
"The offer is open to Solicitor Dorsey, to Chief of Detectives Lanford or any of his men."
Here is Burns' letter:
Atlanta, Ga., April 11, 1914.
Editor Sunday American:
In making my investigation of the Frank case, it is of the highest importance that I get at the truth of the reports concerning acts of perversion and of immorality on the part of Leo M. Frank.
In the papers yesterday I requested that persons having information bearing in any way on the matter would communicate with me at once. Having received no response at all from anyone, and having obtained no information in this way, I am compelled, on account of the extreme importance of the matter, to make this statement: That I will pay $1,000 to any person, or persons, who will furnish me any definite and satisfactory information on the above lines.
You will understand that I am very anxious to give this offer all the publicity possible, and will appreciate it very highly if you will publish this offer for me.
Chief Lanford was asked what he had to say about the offer of the detective.
Lanford Says He Has Truth.
"I am not so hard up that I am going after that $1,000, but if Mr. Burns will come down here, we can give him all of the information on that point he desires," remarked the Chief. "I am willing to stand by all of the information that was developed by my department and used subsequently in the trial. There was no frameup and no misrepresentation. We were after the truth, and I think we got it."
Dan Lehon, of New Orleans, who has been Burns' chief aide in the investigation into the Phagan case, said Saturday night that the case had been completed so far as determining the murder of the little factory girl.
"We know who slew Mary Phagan," he said. "That has been determined so positively that there is no chance of doubt. That was the crime for which Leo Frank was on trial. That has been cleared up, and so the greater part of our work is done."
"But during the trial other charges were made against Frank, the charges of perversion and immorality of the grossest sort. While we are here we are going to probe every phase of the case to the bottom."
Seek Source of Rumors.
"If Frank is the degenerate that he is pictured, we want to know, and if we find that he is, we are going to tell the people. If he is not, we are going to find the source of the foul rumors, and we will publish those."
"I must confess that, up to this time, we have found nothing which will substantiate the charges that were made by Conley. We are, to be sure, going to continue our investigation until we can say one way or the other without chance of contradiction. Mr. Burns has asked that anyone having information of this sort confer with him at his offices in the Healey Building or at his hotel. So far no one has appeared."
Detective Burns left Atlanta Saturday night for a day or two. His destination was not made public, but it is reported that he took an L. and N. train from the Union Station that goes to Cincinnati.