Thursday, 7th May 1914: Perjury Charges In Frank’s Case Will Be Ordered Probed, The Atlanta Journal

Judge Hill will instruct the grand jury in superior court on Monday week to conduct a thorough and rigid investigation into charges of perjury, coercion, and intimidation of witnesses made by both sides in the Frank case. The judge will essentially turn over the entire case to the grand jury, empowering them to probe all such allegations thoroughly. While his charge will be broad, it will allow the grand jury to call upon the solicitor, the defense attorneys, or anyone else to testify. Solicitor Dorsey has already stated his intention to bring these charges to the grand jury's attention, which aligns with Judge Hill's instructions. Additionally, the solicitor has held Dan S. Lehon of the Burns agency under a $1,000 bond to appear before the grand jury, and it is possible that Burns himself may be subpoenaed.

The perjury charges leveled by the state against the defense, and vice versa, will be thoroughly examined. One specific aspect likely to be investigated is the Ragsdale matter involving Arthur Thurman and C. C. Tedder. At 10 o'clock Thursday morning, Attorney Leonard Haas informed the sheriff's office that Annie Maud Carter, the Negress who allegedly received several notes from Jim Conley in the tower, had been brought back to Atlanta in compliance with the court's order and was at the Burns agency office in the Healey building. Deputy Sheriff George Broadnax promptly retrieved her and brought her to the sheriff's office, where Judge Hill was notified that she would be held pending his orders. Deputy Broadnax mentioned that Carter claimed to have been in Chicago, though she refused to discuss her whereabouts with newspaper men.

It is worth recalling that Detective Burns admitted on the witness stand that he had advised his men to send Carter out of town, but he believed she was still in the city. When the grand jury investigates the case, Carter may be compelled to reveal the identity of the man who purchased her ticket from Atlanta, potentially leading to contempt of court charges against him, as Carter left the city without notifying the court. Carter, previously convicted of robbery and awaiting a new trial, was under a $500 bond when she left. Judge Hill ordered her bond increased to $3,000 and mandated her detention at the tower until the grand jury session.

The Bill of Exceptions regarding Judge Hill's overruling of the new trial was not presented to him on Thursday morning. Although the judge had agreed to sign the bill at 10 o'clock to expedite the case's transfer to the state Supreme Court, the defense attorneys announced they had not yet prepared the brief. It will likely take a week or ten days to complete. It is expected that the defense attorneys and the solicitor will review the Bill of Exceptions together before presenting it to the judge for his signature. When Judge Hill sends the bill to the Supreme Court, he is expected to include a written opinion on the case.

In a related development, Judge Eugene Thomas of the municipal court dismissed a perjury charge against George W. Epps, Jr., a fifteen-year-old newsboy, on Wednesday. The charge stemmed from an aftermath of Leo M. Frank's extraordinary motion for a new trial. The warrant was issued by B. Bernard, an auctioneer implicated as one of three men who secured an affidavit from Epps in Birmingham. Bernard believed Epps had sworn in an affidavit that he was the third man in the Birmingham trio. However, the facts revealed that Epps had identified Bernard to Newt Garner, an attach of the solicitor's office, as the man impersonating the chief of the Birmingham detectives. Garner had sworn to Epps' identification in an affidavit and testified on the boy's behalf. Bernard has been completely exonerated by the sworn statements of C. W. Burke and Jimmy Wrenn, two defense detectives who confirmed that the third man was Austin Dennison, a New York detective.

Annie Maud Carter, the Negro woman who allegedly received numerous notes from Jim Conley while in the Fulton County tower and was sent out of the city at William J. Burns' suggestion, was brought back to Atlanta Thursday morning by agents for the Frank defense and turned over to Sheriff Mangum. She has been lodged in the tower and will remain there pending Judge Hill's decision. If Judge Hill wishes to question her, she will be held until he does so; otherwise, she will be released.