Sunday, 26th April 1914: Says Love Letters Written By Conley Prove Him Guilty, The Atlanta Constitution

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Detective Burns Declares They Are Conclusive Evidence That He Was Author of the Murder Notes.

"I have just come into possession of evidence that is proof conclusive that the murder notes found by Mary Phagan's body emanated from the brain of Jim Conley, and, therefore, that Jim Conley slew the girl," stated Detective William J. Burns last night to a reporter for The Constitution. "This evidence is in the form of a number of love letters that were written by Conley in jail to Anna Maude Carter, the Negro woman, who was also a prisoner in the Tower, and who has made an affidavit that Conley confessed the murder to her." Original copies of the letters referred to were furnished to The Constitution, but their contents were so vile and vulgar that their publication is impossible.

Frank Asks Fairness.

A statement in which he makes an appeal to public fairness, and in which he also accuses Chief of Detectives Newport A. Lanford of silly, impudent falsehoods and of uttering idiotic drivel was given out last night by Leo M. Frank. "I submit to the people of Atlanta," a portion of his statement reads, "that Lanford's bluff has been called. He knows perfectly well that the charge of perversion against me was a cowardly lie. I now make this solemn declaration. I am not a pervert, nor an immoral man. These charges against me are a vicious mass of lies." He further stated, "I further state and send my message straight to the heart and conscience of every man and woman in Georgia, that I did not kill Mary Phagan; that I am absolutely innocent of her death, and that my execution will not avenge her death. I simply ask for a fair show for my life."

Confers With Assistants.

Burns was interviewed by The Constitution reporter last night at the offices of his Atlanta agency in the Healy Building. He was busy at the time with a group of his assistants, which included Dan Lehon and Guy Biddinger. He was also conferring with various members of Frank's counsel.

Love Letters Used to Convict Conley.

"An examination of these letters written by Conley will prove conclusively that the murder notes emanated exclusively from the Negro's perverted brain. It is evidence of a nature more powerful and convincing than an actual confession from the Negro himself," Burns explained. "This evidence consists of a large number of letters written by the Negro, Jim Conley, while in jail. They were addressed to the Negro woman, Anna Maude Carter. These letters were some of the letters referred to by the Carter woman in her affidavit as having been written to her."

"They show beyond a peradventure of a doubt that Conley is an abnormal man, just the vile, degenerate creature that I have heretofore pictured him. They are full of the vilest, most abominable language, dealing with Conley's lust. His perverted passion was aroused by her and most of the letters are full of this vile stuff," Burns continued. "It fills one with a loathing disgust to even merely read them. They are the most nauseating things imaginable. As you see here (Burns displayed one of the letters) most of the letters are addressed to Anna Maude Carter, but Conley addressed some of them 'Anna Maude Conley.'"

Explode State's Argument.

"It is also interesting to note that these letters contain the words 'did' and 'Negro.' These words are most significant in view of the fact that at the trial, it was maintained by the state that Frank must have conceived and dictated the death notes, because they contained the words 'did' and 'Negro,' and that if Conley had conceived these notes, he would have written the words 'done' and 'nigger,'" Burns pointed out. "These letters completely explode the argument of the state, because they contain, as before stated, the words 'did' and 'Negro' in the plainest writing. The defense contended on the trial that no white man, especially one of Frank's character, could have possibly conceived and dictated the notes found by the body, and the only answer that the state attempted to make to this charge was that Frank must have dictated them because they contained these aforementioned words."

"The authenticity of these letters is beyond question. A mere glance at them shows the identity of Conley's handwriting. It is identical with the death notes. The Hs, the Ss, the Os, and the Ws are typical," Burns concluded.

Frank's Statement.

The striking statement of Leo Frank, which was written by him in his cell in the Tower, is published in full below. It is headed: To the people of Atlanta:

"I make this appeal to your fairness. It was the horrible charge that I was a pervert that poisoned your minds, infuriated you against me, and put me beyond the pale of human sympathy, where nothing that I said would be believed, where the word of a vile Negro and self-confessed perjurer was eagerly accepted in preference to mine, and where I could not obtain even the common privilege to which every man is entitled, a fair and impartial trial. It was this charge that so enraged the crowds around the courthouse that the judge upon the bench, fearing that I and my lawyers might be killed if the verdict was one of acquittal, advised them to remain away, and keep me out of the courthouse. It is this charge that has poisoned and still poisons the minds of the public against me and denies me the commonest rights of a human being."

"About two weeks ago, Mr. Burns made, through the newspapers, the request that if anyone had information as to any acts of immorality on my part that they would communicate with him. He received not a single response, and on the next day, through the same newspapers, he made an offer of $1,000 for such information. Again, there was no response, except from Newport A. Lanford, the chief of detectives of the police department of Atlanta, who stated that he had in his possession the information that Burns was seeking and added, sneeringly, 'Probably more than he wants.' Mr. Burns being then out of the city, Mr. Lehon, his assistant, called, and the chief of detectives told him that while he had the information that he could not show it to him, but would show it to Mr. Burns when he returned. When Mr. Burns returned to Atlanta, he immediately called on Lanford and was told then by him that while he had the affidavits, he would not show them to him, because the motion for the new trial was then pending. How that could be any reason for him to conceal this information, if he had it, I do not understand, but this is what he is quoted as saying in The Constitution: That he refused on the ground that he did not believe it would be doing justice to himself, to the state, or 'even to Frank' for any publicity to be given as to the perversion affidavits until after the hearing, and then added: 'At the trial of Frank, we did not bring up the subject of perversion. It was brought out by Frank's lawyers.' On last Friday again, after my side had closed its evidence, Mr. Lanford was again approached for these affidavits and he repeated the statement that neither the state nor the police department of Atlanta had ever claimed and did not now claim that I was a pervert, and that that charge had been put into the case by my own lawyers!"

An Idiotic Statement.

"To this silly drivel, this pitiful failure of the man to realize his duties as an officer of the public, it is difficult for me to make any reply. I can only say that his idiotic statement that the charge of perversion was brought into the case by my own lawyers is known to be a silly, impudent falsehood by thousands, if not millions of people, who know perfectly well that it was brought into the case by the testimony of Conley when he was first put upon the stand and examined by the Solicitor General, representing the state of Georgia."

"I submit to the people of Atlanta that Lanford has only taken this position because his bluff has been called. He knows perfectly well now and he has always known that the charge of perversion against me was a miserable, cowardly lie; and I further charge that if Mr. Burns had not demanded his proof, he never would have opened his mouth, but would have allowed the public and the courts to remain under the impression that he and the police still believed and charged me with being a pervert. I now make this solemn declaration, that I am not a pervert nor an immoral man in any sense of the word, and that these charges against me are a mass of horrible, atrocious lies. I further state and send my message straight to the heart and conscience of every man and woman in Georgia that I did not kill Mary Phagan; that I am absolutely innocent, and that my execution would not avenge her death."

"The charge of perversion having been withdrawn against me, I do not see how any man, with a love of justice and fair play in his heart, could deny me the privilege of a new trial, a fair trial, which I have never had. I am asking for that which the people of Atlanta would not refuse to a dirty mongrel cur slinking through its streets"the right to a fair showing before its life is taken. The charge of perversion that is now withdrawn made it impossible for me to get a fair trial. I have had none. I simply ask that I be given a fair show for my life; that I be allowed to make my defense before a jury that knows the truth that I am not a pervert; a jury that will not be intimidated by fear of being shot down and killed should it acquit me; a jury whose minds will be calm to weigh my testimony against that of a self-confessed Negro perjurer. A fair trial is what I want, is what I am entitled to and what no fair-minded man should deny me, and I appeal to the fair-minded people, whose silent influence stands back of the courts and whose servants the courts are, to see that I am given a fair trial."

LEO M. FRANK.