Tuesday, 5th May 1914: Many Sensations Sprung By Dorsey At Frank Hearing, The Atlanta Journal

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Detective Lehon was ordered held under a $1,000 bond for his appearance before the grand jury, following a vigorous defense that was assailed in numerous affidavits. George W. Epps Jr. charged a frame-up in getting his affidavit, while Aaron Allen swore he was left alone in a Burns' office with a pile of money. The defense offered evidence in rebuttal during the hearing of the extraordinary motion for a new trial for Leo M. Frank, which was adjourned by Judge Benjamin H. Hill at 2 o'clock on Tuesday afternoon until Wednesday morning. By that time, Solicitor Dorsey had concluded his counter showing against the granting of the motion, and the defense was well into reading their affidavits in rebuttal.

One of the morning's sensations was an order issued by Judge Hill, placing Dan S. Lehon, southern representative of the William J. Burns Detective Agency, under bond to ensure his appearance before the Fulton County grand jury. This was in connection with his alleged involvement with the Ragsdale affidavit. At 1:15 o'clock, Lehon appeared in court, and his bond was signed by Milton Klein.

Another significant feature was the affidavit of George W. Epps Jr., a newsboy who reaffirmed his testimony given at Frank's trial and told a sensational story about being intimidated into signing an affidavit of repudiation for the defense. Epps swore he was taken to Birmingham by a man posing as Terry, met by a man wearing glasses who seemed almost blind, and upon arrival at 3 a.m., was arrested by a man claiming to be Detective Kelly of the Birmingham police department on charges of theft from a messenger service.

Epps further swore that Terry pleaded for his release, and Detective Kelly agreed to phone the chief of detectives, who allegedly wanted him held for perjury in the Phagan murder case. Epps claimed he was not allowed to sleep and was pressured into signing an affidavit by three men, whom he later identified as Jimmie Wrenn (posing as Terry), C. W. Burke (posing as Kelly), and B. Bernard of Atlanta (posing as the chief of detectives).

Aaron Allen, a colored man, provided an affidavit detailing alleged efforts by Detective Burns and his agents in Chicago to get him to swear he had heard Conley confess to the murder of Mary Phagan. Allen described being left alone in a room at the Burns agency with a large pile of money, which he swore he did not touch.

Charles A. Isom claimed in his affidavit that he was employed by the Burns agency to go to Chicago and obtain a statement from Allen. Anna Maude Carter, the woman to whom Conley allegedly confessed, swore in her affidavit that an unknown man offered her a bottle of poison and urged her to put it in Conley's food.

In rebuttal, the defense read affidavits from Albert Mc Knight repudiating his trial testimony, from J. M. Minor, a newspaper man who interviewed Mc Knight, and from Minola Mc Knight, who swore her husband had admitted to her that he had sworn falsely. Additional affidavits from Dan S. Lehon and Dan R. Mac Intyre confirmed Mc Knight's repudiation, stating he had sworn to the truth of his affidavit in their presence.

Solicitor Dorsey requested that Dan S. Lehon be held on a reasonable bond for his appearance before the Fulton grand jury in connection with the C. B. Ragsdale affidavit. Judge Hill directed that an order be drawn requiring a bond of $1,000 from Lehon.

Following the publication of the previous day's proceedings, which included L. P. Eubanks' attack on the character of Miss Nellie Wood, Miss Wood appeared at the solicitor's office in tears and requested to reply in open court. She testified that she had worked at the National Pencil Factory for two days and quit because she was insulted by Mr. Frank. She also recounted a phone call from Eubanks, who wanted to discuss business with her and later met her in person.

During cross-examination by Attorney Rosser, Miss Wood denied ever being arrested and provided details about her past residences and employment, including working as a milliner, telephone operator, and in a cotton mill. She expressed frustration at the questions, feeling they were an attempt to scandalize her.

The solicitor read an affidavit from Harry A. Alexander, confirming the authenticity of the murder notes' engravings and denying any retouching. Indictments against L. P. Eubanks, J. E. Duffy, Mel Arnold, and others for carbreaking were introduced, along with affidavits from factory employees Mrs. George W. Jefferson and Mary Perk, who faced pressure to change their testimonies.

George W. Epps Jr. provided a detailed affidavit recounting his experience with Terry, the blind man, and Detective Kelly, describing how he was coerced into signing an affidavit in Birmingham. Anna Maud Carter's affidavit detailed an encounter with a man who offered her poison to use on Conley.

Mrs. Homer C. Edmondson and her husband provided affidavits about a visit to Attorney Samuel Boorstein's office, where they were questioned about Monteen Stover's visit to the pencil factory on the day of the murder. Mrs. Edmondson recounted a confrontation with a stenographer and a subsequent meeting with Burns, Rabbi Marx, and Mrs. Frank.

Aaron Allen's affidavit described his interactions with Detective John Black, his time in Indianapolis, and his trip to Chicago with a man named O'Neal, where he was pressured by Burns and others to change his story about Conley. Charles A. Isom's affidavit detailed his involvement in trying to obtain an affidavit from Allen in Chicago.

The state rested its counter showing, and the defense began reading rebuttal affidavits, including those from Albert Mc Knight, John M. Minor, Minola Mc Knight, Dan S. Lehon, and Dan I. Mac Intyre, all supporting Mc Knight's repudiation of his trial testimony. Additional affidavits from Dr. Thomas H. Hancock, Herbert J. Haas, William J. Burns, Charles Phillips Jr., and Fred Lynn further corroborated Mc Knight's statements.

The defense also read affidavits from Austin G. Dennison and C. W. Burke regarding Ruth Robinson's affidavit, and from Rabbi David Marx and others present when Anna Maud Carter made her affidavit. Further affidavits from Lehon, Burke, and others confirmed the authenticity of various affidavits used by the defense.

George W. Epps Jr. provided another affidavit clarifying Stiles Hopkins' involvement in his case, admitting he had sworn falsely at the inquest and trial due to pressure from Detective John Black and Solicitor Dorsey. Stiles Hopkins' affidavit detailed his visit to Milledgeville to obtain Epps' affidavit.

Jimmy Wrenn's affidavit denied any attempt to bribe or coerce R. P. Barrett and detailed their conversations about the Frank case. Frank H. Neely's affidavit recounted S. A. Pardee's harassment after giving an affidavit about seeing Frank on the day of the murder.

Additional affidavits from Joseph C. Logan, J. O. Knight, and C. W. Burke supported the credibility and voluntary nature of various witnesses' statements. Burke's affidavits regarding C. B. Dalton, Helen Ferguson, and Ivy Jones denied any attempts to influence their testimonies.

The defense concluded by reading affidavits from handwriting experts Harry A. Alexander and James I. Innis, confirming that the same person wrote the murder notes and the Annie Maud Carter letters. Attorney Rosser requested until Wednesday morning to respond to the affidavits read by the solicitor, and Judge Hill adjourned the court until 10 o'clock Wednesday morning.

Dr. George Wrenn, recently released from the county jail, denied allegations of conspiring to frame a confession from James Conley, labeling the accusations as lies. He stated he had not been subpoenaed by the solicitor but was ready to answer any summons and respond to questions in court.