304 Sheet – American State Trials 1918 Volume X Leo Frank Document

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Reading Time: 3 minutes [416 words]

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272 X, AMERICAN STATE TRIALS.

They planted it, but it does look suspicious. Don’t ask us about a planted shirt; ask Scott and Black.

The first thing that points to Conley’s guilt is his original denial that he could write. Why did he deny it? Why? I don’t suppose much was thought of it when Jim said he couldn’t write, because there are plenty of negroes who are in the same situation. But later, when they found he could, and found that his script compared perfectly with the murder notes, they went right on accusing Frank. Not in criminal annals was there a better chance to lay at the door of another man a crime than Jim Conley had.

You see, there is a reason to all things. The detective department had many reasons to push the case against Frank. He was a man of position and culture. They were afraid that someone, unless they pushed the case to the jumping-off place, would accuse them of trying to shield him. They are afraid of public sentiment and do not want to combat it, so, in such cases, they invariably follow the line of least resistance.

[Reading Conley’s statement, Mr. Arnold pointed out the use of words, which he declared no negro would naturally have used. These were long words with many syllables in them. They said that Conley used so much detail in his statements that he could not have been lying! He then read parts of statements which Conley had repudiated as willful lies and pointed out the wealth of detail with which they were filled. And yet they say he couldn't fabricate so much detail! Oh, he is smart! He then read the statement of May 24, in which Conley admitted writing the notes. In this, he shows three different times at which Conley stated he wrote the notes, these being early in the morning, at 12:04, and at 3 p.m.]

The statements were not genuinely Conley’s. Take the word “negro.” The first word that a negro learns to spell correctly is negro, and he always takes particular pains to spell it n-e-g-r-o. He knows how to spell it. Listen to the statement. He says that at first he spelled the word “negros,” but that Frank did not want the “s” on it and told him to rub it out, which he did. Then he says that he wrote the word over.

Look at the notes. He was worried about those notes, and he...

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