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File Name: 1914-04-19-m-knight-in-jail-denies-affidavit-aiding-frank-the-atlanta-georgian.mp3
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The Atlanta Georgian,
Sunday, 19th April 1914,
4th Edition,
PAGE 3, COLUMN 1.
Negro of Police Station Since Last Thursday for 'Protection,' He Says. Returns to His Original Story on Stand.
Witness Reported to Have Told Dorsey Agent for Defense Had Him Discharged at Terminal So He Would Leave the City.
Albert Mc Knight recanting State's witness in the Frank trial, came back into the fold of the prosecution Saturday night with a straight-out declaration that he had sworn to lies in his affidavit for the defense in which he had said his testimony against Frank was perjury.
Lying on a cot in a cell at the police station, where he had come, as he said, for "protection," the negro laughed as he described to a reporter for The Sunday American the statements in his affidavit for the defense as "most all lies," and his testimony against Frank on the stand as the whole truth.
It was to the same reporter that Mc Knight a few weeks ago solemnly related that every word in the affidavit was the truth and that he had lied against Frank on the stand.
Reasons Rather Vague.
He was rather vague Saturday night as to why he had signed the affidavit for C. W. Burke, a private detective for the Frank defense. He said that Captain Burke had offered him no money and no job, although he added that he thought he would have had a job along toward the end of the year had he stuck to his affidavit.
On the stand Mc Knight swore that he saw Frank enter the Selig home at about 1:30 the afternoon of the Mary Phagan murder. In the affidavit for Burke and to the reporters Mc Knight said that he did not see Frank at all that day.
Now he returns to his first story, and says that he saw Frank; that Frank stayed in the house only a few minutes about five or ten and then hurried away.
Says He's Through Lying.
He swore on the stand that Frank did not stop to eat anything, although members of the family said he did. In the affidavit he said that, not having seen Frank, he did not know whether he ate or not.
At the police station Saturday night Mc Knight reiterated his original declaration that Frank walked about the dining room a few moments, went to the sideboard, and then left the house, without sitting down to the dining table.
"I ain't going to tell no more lies," he said. "I jus' threw up both hands yesterday, and said I wasn't going to sign no more papers for nobody. They been pestering me to sign papers right along, and I've been going from one job to another till I got tired of it. So I come here."
"I did see Mr. Frank the day the little girl was killed, yes, sah. I lied in the affidavit when I said I didn't. I don't know why I signed that jus' to help Mr. Frank, I suppose, and because Mr. Burke asked me to.
At Station Since Thursday.
"Mr. Frank, he come in the house and walked around a little bit. I see him through the looking glass. He went to the sideboard. I don't know whether he went there for a drink or not. Then he went into the hallway. No, sah, he didn't eat a thing. He jus' went on out. He wasn't there but a few minutes maybe five or ten."
Chief of Detectives Lanford admitted that Mc Knight had been at headquarters since Thursday. The Chief denied that Mc Knight was under arrest.
The negro lost his job Thursday at the Terminal Station. He went at once to Solicitor Dorsey's office, where he made a statement.
Mc Knight is said to have told the Solicitor or an assistant of the Solicitor that an agent for the defense had him discharged at the Terminal, so that he would get out of town. His statement was taken, and it was suggested that if he had anything to fear he had better go to the police station.