Sunday, 5th April 1914: Burns Will Seek Talk With Conley Early This Week, The Atlanta Constitution

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On his return to Atlanta, Detective William J. Burns announced that he would confer with Solicitor General Hugh M. Dorsey, Detective Chief Newport A. Lanford, and William M. Smith, counsel for Jim Conley. Burns denied various stories that had circulated during his trip to New York and Chicago, stating, "I have not made my final report. Neither have I said whether or not I believed Leo Frank to be innocent. Also, I have not made the statement that I believe a third man to be guilty."

Burns asserted that he knew who murdered Mary Phagan and promised to reveal conclusive proof to the public in due time. He claimed that the Phagan mystery was no longer a mystery and that their work had been simple, following the criminal trend of mind evident in the tragedy.

Speaking to a Constitution Reporter at the Georgian Terrace, Burns mentioned that one of his first moves would be to seek conferences with Dorsey, Lanford, and Smith. He aimed to speak with Conley, who had recently issued a scathing attack against him. Burns did not expect opposition from these sources and felt assured of their full cooperation.

Burns emphasized that he had sought only to uncover the truth and did not believe public officers would protest against assisting him. He specifically mentioned that he did not think Dorsey would resist cooperating with him.

Having just returned from a journey to New York, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Missouri, and Chicago, Burns had worked on mysterious aspects of the Frank case, which he was not yet ready to divulge. When asked about these angles, Burns replied, "I cannot give it out at present. I can only say that our investigations in Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Illinois, and Missouri were successful as successful as we could have desired." This suggested that he had brought new and startling evidence from the north.

Until the early hours of the morning, Burns worked in his hotel apartments with his lieutenants, Dan Lehon and Guy Biddinger, reviewing the amassed evidence. Burns planned to render his final report the following Friday, which would be made public through the newspapers. He concluded by saying, "And then, the public and everything concerned will know positively who killed Mary Phagan."