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

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Reading Time: 3 minutes [431 words]

Here is the translated text as follows:

LEO M. FRANK, 331

I am as proud of being elected to the position of Solicitor General by the people of this community as I am of anything else. However, I have never yet seen a man whom I would take as my model or pattern; I follow the dictates of my own conscience. If there is one act since I have been Solicitor General of which I am proud, it is the fact that I joined hand and glove with the detectives in the effort to seek the murderer of Mary Phagan. When your influence poured letters into the Grand Jury in an effort to hang an innocent man, negro though he be, I stood firmly against it. If that be treason, make the best of it. And if you don’t want me to do it, then get somebody else to fill the job, and the quicker you do it, the better it will suit me. I will not pattern myself after anybody or anybody’s method, not even Mr. Hill, and, bless his old soul, he was grand and great. I have wished a hundred times that he was here today to make the speech that I’m now making. There wouldn't be hair or hide left on you—he was as noble as any Roman that ever lived, as courageous as Julius Caesar, and as eloquent as Demosthenes. Such talk as that doesn’t scare me, doesn’t terrify me, doesn’t disturb the serenity of my conscience, which approves of everything that I have done in the prosecution of this man.

Now, let’s come back here and discuss this thing of perjury. Let’s talk about that a little; let’s not get up here and say that everybody is a liar without citing any instances and that they are crack-brain fanatics. Let’s knuckle down and get specific instances. So, this Mrs. Small says she saw Jim Conley. "Did you see Mr. Frank up there on any of those days?" "I saw Mr. Frank after that crime on Tuesday." "What time Tuesday?" "I couldn’t tell you, I guess between eight and nine o’clock. He and Miss Carson were coming up from the back end of the factory (Miss Rebecca, I presume)." "He and Mrs. Carson were coming up from the back end of the factory, and I stepped up in front of him and I said, 'Here, Mr. Frank, wait a moment, O.K. this ticket.' He says, 'Are you going to put me to work as soon as I get here?' and I says, 'Yes, it’s good for your health.' He..."

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