308 Slide – American State Trials 1918 Volume X Leo Frank Document

276 ¥. AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.

for that statement he put in Frank’s mouth. It so happened,
though, that Frank really did not have rich relatives in
Brooklyn. His mother testified that his father was in ill
health, and had but moderate means and that his sister worked
in New York for her living.

Gentlemen, am I living or dreaming, that I have to argue
such points as these? This is what you’ve got to do: You've
got to swallow every word that Conley has said-—feathers and
all, or you’ve got to believe none of it. How are you going
to pick out of such a pack of lies as these what you will believe
and what you will not? Yet, this is what the prosecution has
based the case upon. If this fails, all fails,

And do you remember about the watch, where Conley said
that Frank asked him, ‘‘Why do you want to buy a watch for
your wife?’ My big, fat wife wanted me to buy her an auto-
mobile, but I wouldn’t do it!’ Do you believe that, gentle-
men of the jury4

I tell you that they have mistreated this poor woman ter-
ribly. They have insinuated that she would not come to the
tower to see Frank—had deserted him. When we know that
she stayed away from the jail at Frank’a own request because
he did not want to submit her to the humiliation of seeing him
locked up and to the vulgar gaze of the morbid and to the
cameras of the newspaper men. The most awful thing in the
whole case is the way this family has been mistreated! The
way they invaded Frank’s home and manipulated his ser-
vants, I deny that the people who did this are representative
of the 175,000 people of Fulton county! We are a fair peo-
ple, and we are a chivalrous people. Such acta ag these are
not in our natures.

Conley next changes the time of the writing of the notes to
Saturday, but denies knowledge of the murder. That, of
course, did not satisfy these gentlemen, and they went back
to him. They knew he was dodging incrimination. So they
had him to change the statement again. Seott and other de-
toctives spent six hours st the time with Conley on occasions,