Wednesday, 10th September 1913 Longer Vacation Given Phagan Case Workers

Search for:

Reading Time: 4 minutes [532 words]

The Atlanta Constitution,

Wednesday, 10th September 1913.

PAGE 2, COLUMN 4

For their work in the Phagan case, ten days' vacation in addition to that to which they are ordinarily entitled were given to Chief of Detectives Newport A. Lanford and Detectives J. N. Starnes, Pat Campbell, S. L. Rosser and John R. Black by the police board at its regular monthly meeting last night.

The action was taken following the reading of a letter from Solicitor General Hugh N. Dorsey to Chief Lanford highly complimenting the good work done by the detectives assigned to help him on the Phagan case. While the name of Detective Black was omitted from Solicitor Dorsey's letter, he was included in the recommendation of Chief Lanford to Chief Beavers, which in turn was submitted to the board, and he got his vacation with the others.

On motion of Commissioner B. Lee Smith, Chief Lanford was also given an additional vacation with his subordinates.

J. H. KELLY, NEW HEAD

OF PINKERTON BRANCH

Letters to Chief of Police Beavers from the heads of the Pinkerton Detective agency in New York, announcing the appointment of J. H. Kelly as superintendent of the local office of the company, to succeed H. B. Pierce, were read to the police board last night. Mr. Kelly was present and was introduced to the board. He was assured that he was highly regarded by the local police force, and in turn gave assurance that he would do all in his power to co-operate with them.

Mr. Kelly comes to the Atlanta office from the Philadelphia office of the Pinkertons, where he has been in the company's service a number of years.

PAGE 9, COLUMN 1

JIM CONLEY INDICTED,

BY JURY ON TUESDAY,

Negro Is Charged With Aiding

in Concealing Body of Lit-

tle Mary Phagan.

While attorneys for Leo M. Frank, sentenced to hang on October 10 for the murder of Mary Phagan, are working to secure a new trial for him, the Fulton grand jury met on Tuesday and indicted on two counts Jim Conley, negro sweeper of the National Pencil factory, an admitted accessory after the fact of the murder. One count is a felony and charges that the negro aided in concealing the body and another is a misdemeanor, charging that he concealed from officers of the law his knowledge of the crime.

On the felony the maximum sentence is three years in the penitentiary, and on the misdemeanor count the maximum is one year.

Bond is the felony case was fixed at $4,000, and in the other at $1,000, so that if Conley could raise a $5,000 bond he would be given his release pending trial. It has been stated that Conley would plead guilty and take his punishment, trusting that on account of his plea and turning state's witness that he would not get the maximum.

It is probable that the trial will be held some time during the present month.

The negro practically pleaded guilty is the charges found against him by the grand jury when he went on the stand during the trial of Frank and told of having aided the latter in concealing the body and of trying for a while to protect Frank from the law.