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The Atlanta Journal,

Wednesday, 10th June 1914,

PAGE 1, COLUMN 4.

Charges of Graft Made in Recent Campaign Will Be Investigated

A thorough probe of the charges and counter charges involving acts of the Fulton County board was ordered Wednesday by the Grand Jury. The Jury will begin its probe in about a week, it was said. The details were not announced, nor was it stated whether the investigation will be public or secret. In the recent race for vacancies on the county board severe charges were exchanged by candidates, alleging various misuses of office. These are the charges the grand jury will sift. The county board unanimously adopted a resolution recently urging the grand jury to probe the matter to the bottom. At 2 o'clock the grand jury adjourned until Friday morning. Foreman Willingham declined to make any statement concerning the investigation. Friday's session, like Wednesday's, will be devoted to routine jail cases. Enough bills are drawn to occupy the jury all day. This means the bribery and perjury charges growing out of the Frank case will go over to next week.

PAGE 3, COLUMN 1

JIM CONLEY'S LAWYER TO INSIST ON HEARING

Effort Will Be Made Soon to Bring Up Motion for New Trial

Attorney William M. Smith, who represents Jim Conley, declares that in the next week he is going to insist on a hearing of the motion of Leo M. Frank's negro accuser for a new trial. Conley was convicted about four months ago on an indictment charging him with being an accessory after the fact of the murder of Mary Phagan and was sentenced to serve 12 months in the chaingang. Attorney Smith made a motion for a new trial on the grounds that Judge Hill, who presided at the trial, erred in his failure to charge the jury on certain points. The motion was pigeon-holed and apparently forgotten, while two motions in the Frank case were fought out in Superior Court. Now Mr. Smith says he is going to insist on a hearing for the negro. Solicitor Dorsey refuses to discuss the case except to say that "It will be heard in the due course of time" so it is not known whether a hearing in the immediate future is likely. When the motion is heard, if it is denied by Judge Hill, Attorney Smith has announced that he will appeal to the Supreme Court. As a result, when Conley's case is finally decided, it is probable that the negro will have spent in the jail about a year, awaiting the court's final action on a sentence of the same length of time. He had been in the Tower nearly a year when he was tried.

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