Reading Time: 3 minutes [382 words]

272 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.

they planted it, but it does look suspicious. Don’t ask ua
about a planted shirt, Ask Scott and Black.

‘The first thing that points to Conley’s guilt is his original
denial that he could write. Why did he deny it? Why? I
don’t suppose much was thought of it when Jim said he
eouldn’t write, becausa there are plenty of negroes who are in
the same fix. But later, when they found he could, and
found that his script compared perfectly with the murder
notes, they went right on accusing Frank. Not in eriminal
annals was there a better chance to lay at the door of another
man a4 crime than Jim Conley had.

You see, there is a reason to all things. The detective de-
partment had many reasons to push the case against Frank,
He was a man of position and culture. They were afraid
that someone, unless they pushed the ease to the jumping off
place, would aceuse them of trying to shield him. They are
afraid of public and sentiment, and do not want to combat it,
so, in such cases, they invariably follow the line of least
resiatance,

[Reading Conley’s statement, Mr. Arnold pointed out the use of
words, which he declared no negro would naturally have used. These
were long words with many syllables in them. They said that Conley
used so much detail in bis statements that he could not have been
lying! He then read parts of statements whieh Conley had repudi-
ated as willful lies and pointed out the wealth of detail with which
they were filled. And yet they say be couldn't fabricate so much
detail! Ob, he is smart! He then read the statement of May 24,
in which Conley admitted writing the notes, In this he shows three

different times at which Conley stated be wrote the notes, these
being early in the morning, at 12:04 and at 3 p.m]

The statements were not genuinely Conley’s, Take the
word ‘‘negro.”? The first word that a nigger learns to spell
correctly is negro, and he always takes particular pains to
spell it n-e-g-r-o. He knows how to spell it. Listen to the
statement. He says that at firat he spelled the word ‘‘ne-
gros,” but that Frank did not want the ‘‘s’ on it and told
him to rub it out, which he did. Then he says that he wrote
the word over.

Look at the notes. He was treed about those notes, and he

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