Wednesday, 27th January 1915: Counsel For Burns Men Call On Grand Jurors To Testify, The Atlanta Journal

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Effort Will Be Made to Impeach C. B. Ragsdale and R. L. Barber in Subornation of Perjury Case

TO AIR METHODS USED IN GETTING AFFIDAVITS

Eleven Jurors Obtained to Try Lehon, Tedder and Thurman on Charge Growing Out of Frank Case

Attorneys for Dan S. Lehon, Arthur Thurman and C. C. Tedder, charged with subornation of perjury in the Frank Case, have summoned eight or ten members of the present Fulton County Grand Jury for the purpose of impeaching, by their testimony, Rev. C. B. Ragsdale and R. L. Barber, who made the famous affidavits which resulted in the charges.

In these Affidavits, Ragsdale and Barber swore they overheard a negro answering Jim Conley's description confess to another Negro that he had killed a white girl (presumably Mary Phagan) in the National Pencil Factory. Subsequently, they repudiated the Affidavits and made Affidavits swearing they were paid to make the first ones. The indictment of Lehon, Thurman and Tedder, who were instrumental in working up the first Affidavits, followed.

Solicitor Hugh Dorsey has presented several indictments to several Grand Juries against Lehon, Thurman and Tedder, each new set of indictments taking the place of those previously presented, his purpose being to perfect the indictments and make them proof against technical points which he anticipated the Defense might raise in Demurrers.

Each time the Solicitor has gone before the Grand Jury, he has taken Ragsdale and Barber with him as witnesses to swear as to the methods employed by Lehon, Thurman and Tedder in procuring their Affidavits. They were recently before the present Grand Jury. One of the questions the Grand Jurors will be asked, when the lawyers for the Defense undertake to impeach Ragsdale and Barber, is what impression Ragsdale and Barber made upon them in testifying as to the circumstances upon which the Solicitor bases his Subornation of Perjury charges.

Two more jurors were secured Wednesday morning, making eleven in all that have been secured. The two are A. R. Dyer, treasurer of the Georgia Fire Insurance Company, and Eugene V. Haynes, the well known Atlanta jeweler.

The nine jurors secured Tuesday are C. V. Logan, R. F. Mobley, Dr. J. A. Wise, John Peacock, W. A. Simpson, Claude Williamson, Rosser F. Jordan, A. H. Cain, Curtis S. Buford.

After exhausting a panel of fourteen veniremen to get the two jurors secured Wednesday morning, the Court took a recess until more veniremen could be summoned. Fifteen or more were exhausted without result, and shortly after 11 o'clock, the Court took another recess, until 1 o'clock to summon still another panel.

Among the veniremen summoned Wednesday morning was Werner M. Jeffries, who was a member of the Jury that convicted Leo M. Frank. He was accepted as a Juror by the State, but was struck by the Defense.

Out of the twenty-five Citizens whose names were drawn from the Jury Box during the noon recess, nine were found by the Deputy Sheriffs and brought into the Court, and out of these nine not a single juror was secured. Judge Hill thereupon adjourned Court for the day, and drew from the Jury Box, twenty-five more names, giving the Deputies instructions to round up as many of these possible by Thursday morning.

The Court Room was filled with Spectators Wednesday. Every seat was taken and a crowd stood around the doors, waiting to secure every seat that was vacated.