Friday, 28th May 1915: Dorsey’s Course Still Undecided, The Atlanta Constitution

Solicitor Has Not yet Announced Whether He Will Appear Before Prison Commission in Frank Hearing. Committee Coming to Atlanta. Chicago, May 27. Representatives of Leo M. Frank Committee and the Anti-Capital Punishment Society today appointed a Committee to wait upon the Governor of Georgia in the interest of Clemency for Frank, Sentenced to Death. On the Committee are Judge John M. O'Connor, Chief Justice of the Criminal Court; Rev. Johnstone Meyers, Pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church, and Mrs. Mary Blaney Fisher, representing women's Organizations with a membership of 200,000. The Committee will leave tomorrow night.

It all depends upon the attitude of the Prison Commission toward his Reply to the Appeal for Commutation, and the Attitude of the lawyers for the doomed man, whether or not Solicitor Hugh M. Dorsey will appear before the Board to combat the move to give Leo Frank Life Imprisonment instead of Death. Dorsey himself is non-committal, except to say that he is undecided. It is understood that if the Prison Board gives his written Reply to the Frank Appeal full and thorough consideration, and if the Attorneys for Frank do not attempt to impugn the motives and efforts of the Prosecution, Dorsey will not actively oppose the Commutation Plea.

Among those who joined the widespread Plea for Commutation Thursday were Judge Spencer R. Atkinson, former Justice of the Georgia Supreme Court, and a member of the State Legislature, and Judge E. C. Kontz, prominent Atlantan. Judge A. L. Miller, former Judge of the Superior Court of Macon, has also written to Governor Slaton and the Prison Board.

A strong delegation will come from Savannah on Monday to Appeal to the Prison Board when it takes up the Frank Hearing. It will be headed by Samuel B. Adams, former Justice of the State Supreme Court; A. A. Lawrence, State Senator-Elect, and T. Mayhew Cunningham, a prominent Jurist.

Twenty thousand Petitions signed by men and women in all phases of life have been mailed to Mrs. Leo M. Frank from Chicago pleading for Commutation from the Governor. The Signatures were obtained at the instigation of the Anti-Capital Punishment Society.

Although he has not compiled a list of names, Frank has been informed daily of the numbers of men of Judicial Affairs who have sent Appeals for his Commutation. He manifests renewed hope and is cheerful.