1707 Sheet – Supreme Court Georgia Appeals of Leo Frank, 1913, 1914

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my hat upon the rack and said "Come on over to Mr.Rosser's office, the attorneys". I brought them to Mr.Rosser's office where they were first interrogated by Mr.Brandon, as Mr.Rosser was not present It was during the noon hour. Later Mr.Jones came - and in my presence and in the presence of young Mr.Dufton, I think it is, the stenographer, and Ragsdale and Barber, their affidavit was taken by Mr. Rosser. They were not brought in by Mr.Thurman and Tedder, they were brought in by Mr.Thurman. Tedder called me up on the telephone and stated Mr.Thurman was coming to my office with those men. After Mr.Rosser had taken the affidavits of both Ragsdale and Barber and then asked them for the names of some of their associates or some reputable men here in Atlanta or elsewhere in the State of Georgia that could vouch for their good characters, and both Ragsdale and Barber furnished Mr.Rosser with a number of names, mostly of Atlanta citizens, and Mr.Rosser then furnished me with his list, and I immediately instructed our department operatives, and went personally to some of them myself, and interviewed two gentlemen at least in regard to Ragsdale. They are connected with the State Mission Board here; one of them was a preacher named Page, and the other man was acting secretary of the State Mission Board, Bernard, I think his name is. I don't know whether he is an auctioneer. He was acting secretary of the State Mission Board in the absence of J.J.Bennett, who was sick in the hospital and whose name Mr.Ragsdale had furnished us, I called at the State Mission Board for the purpose of interviewing J.J.Bennett and found that he was sick. That is the first time I made an investigation, that is the first time I knew Ragsdale and Barber's names. I think it was a day or two previous to when I first got the affidavit that I obtained the information from Tedder that affidavit could be made. When I first mentioned the matter to the Governor about a preacher being in existence who knew something about this and when I mentioned he was in an alley-way he says, "No more of that alley business. We have run enough of that", and didn't take the thing seriously at all. I could not say exactly how long it was previous to the time that affidavit was actually executed that I and W.J.Burns had this talk, but it was only a few days. I don't think I communicated this matter immediately and directly to the Governor. The reason for the delay