Officials Plan to Exhume Body of Victim
For Second Time in Less Than a Week, Physicians to Make Examination at the Graveside of Mary Phagan
REFUSE TO TELL WHY ACTION WILL BE TAKEN
Search for Finger Prints and New Wounds Is Reported Reason — Inquest Resumed Thursday — Strange Man Sought
The body of Mary Phagan is to be exhumed today for the second time. Bertillon and medical experts will conduct examinations for finger prints and wounds that may have been overlooked in prior examinations. Coroner Donehoo and Dr. H. F. Harris of the State Board of Health will be in charge of the proceedings.
The examination is scheduled to begin between 9 and 10 o'clock. The coroner, Dr. Harris, and members of their staffs are to depart at daybreak by automobile and are expected to return by noon. The examination will take place at the graveside.
This action has been taken at the request of Solicitor General Hugh M. Dorsey. Neither he nor Dr. Harris would speak when questioned by a Constitution reporter …More
Detective Chief Fired for Arresting Bowen as a Phagan Suspect
Former Atlantan, Who Was Taken Into Custody in Houston, Texas, Early on Monday Night, Released After an Investigation by Chief of Police Department, Who Says He Is Convinced of His Innocence
BOWEN WAS IN CHINERO ON DAY OF THE MURDER HE TELLS DETECTIVES
His Father, Cal Bowen, of Newnan, Georgia, Received a Message Last Night From His Son, Declaring That He Had Been Freed — Bowen Is Well Connected in Georgia and His Friends Are Indignant Over His Arrest
Paul P. Bowen, a former Atlantan who was arrested in Houston, Texas, on Monday night on suspicion of involvement in the Phagan murder mystery, as reported in The Constitution extra on Tuesday morning, was released from custody on Tuesday night and declared guiltless by the chief of police of that city.
George Peyton, chief of the detective force, who led the arresting party, has been discharged as a result of the arrest on the ground that he exceeded his authority in taking …More
Dorsey Orders Body Exhumed in Phagan Case
Inquest, To Be Resumed Thursday, Will Bring Out Important Facts Not Yet Made Public, Medical Experts to Be Called by Coroner
A new layer of mystery was added to the Mary Phagan case on Wednesday, May 7th, 1913, when the authorities failed for reasons not yet disclosed to carry out the order given by Solicitor Dorsey for the exhumation of the remains.
Solicitor Dorsey stated that he had issued the order in the hope that new clews might be discovered. A difference of opinion regarding the advisability of the exhumation had evidently arisen among officials, though those involved remained tight lipped on the matter. Coroner Donehoo acknowledged that Dorsey's order had been given but confirmed it had not been carried out, declining to elaborate further.
An earlier report published in The Georgian, based on statements made by officials, had indicated that the body had been exhumed for the purpose of conducting a microscopic examination of every wound …More
Phagan Girl's Body Again Exhumed for Fingerprint Clues
Third Time Unfortunate Victim's Remains Have Been Exhumed — Dorsey Says Officials Are Not Looking for Finger Prints, but Other Clews
The body of Mary Phagan was exhumed early on Wednesday, May 7th, 1913, for the second time in two days.
The unofficial explanation given for the exhumation is that a microscopic and minute examination of every wound on the body is to be conducted, with attention to finger prints and other clews.
Solicitor Dorsey indicated that the police are not operating on the belief that finger prints would prove helpful in solving the mystery, noting that even if any prints remain, the body has been embalmed and handled by numerous persons since it was first discovered in the basement of the pencil factory.
Nevertheless, it may be safely stated that a microscopical examination will be made of every mark found on the body. It was reported prior to the departure for Marietta that a Bertillon expert had been engaged …More
Lee is Quizzed by Dorsey for New Evidence
Important Light is Thrown on Case Also by Girl Companion of Mary Phagan
Armed with new evidence, Solicitor Dorsey made his way to the jail at 3 o'clock on Wednesday afternoon, May 7th, 1913, to conduct an exhaustive questioning of Newt Lee, the night watchman. He pressed the Negro with questions for forty five minutes.
Before closeting himself with Lee, the Solicitor stated that he had never personally questioned Lee before and expressed hope that he would leave the jail later that day in possession of valuable information.
Detective Rosser was reported to have located a 14 year old girl believed to hold important information bearing on the case. The girl was brought to Solicitor Dorsey's office and questioned at length. She is said to have been one of the last persons in the company of Mary Phagan before the tragedy.
Solicitor Dorsey confirmed that important new evidence had been obtained but declined to reveal its nature.
Bowen Given Liberty, Makes Full Statement
P. P. Bowen, who was arrested in Houston on suspicion in connection with an Atlanta case and subsequently released, issued the following statement on Wednesday, May 7th, 1913:
"My father is S. C. Bowen. He lives at Newnan, Georgia. I told the detectives that they had made a mistake at the time they arrested me, and knew that they would soon find this to be so if they investigated my references and letters. Of course, I was scared when they entered my room. I did meet them at the door with an open knife, and before I knew who they were I did say that if I had a gun they would not have come into my room. I meant it, too."
Bowen provided the following account of his movements since 1908:
"Left home in 1908 to work for a transfer and storage company in Atlanta. In 1910 worked for the Southern Railroad. In 1912 went to the Rock Island Railroad at Eldorado, Arkansas, as a master car builder's clerk. In 1913 went to Tyler, Texas, as private stenographer …More
14 Houston Policemen Fired on Bowen's Account
HOUSTON, Tex., Wednesday, May 7th, 1913 — Although young Paul P. Bowen, arrested in Houston on Monday as a suspect in the Mary Phagan case, has been released by the chief of police, the release was ordered against the wishes of the chief of detectives, who has since been summarily discharged for opposing his superior despite a telegram received from Chief Beavers of Atlanta directed to Chief Davison of the local department.
Bowen was released twenty four hours after the message was received. Chief of Detectives Peyton stubbornly refused to let the young man go free, at which point Chief Davison personally procured the keys and acted as turnkey himself. He subsequently discharged Peyton, setting off a dispute that has thrown the police department into considerable turmoil. Fourteen members of the department were discharged in connection with the affair.
Local Pinkerton agents as well as private detectives, claiming that Bowen's discharge was …More
Two New Witnesses in Phagan Mystery to Testify Thursday
INQUEST WILL BE ENDED THURSDAY, SAYS DONEHOO
Paul P. Bowen Has Been Released by Houston Officials — Chief Detective and 14 Policemen Are Discharged
Two new witnesses recently located by detectives are expected to deliver testimony of considerable importance at the final session of the Phagan inquest on Thursday, May 8th, 1913.
One of the witnesses is Miss Grace Hix, of 100 McDonough Road, daughter of James E. Hix. Miss Hix worked at the same machine as Mary Phagan but has not returned to the factory since the young girl was slain. She was closeted with detectives for two hours on Tuesday evening, May 6th, 1913, though the precise nature of her testimony remains unknown. Speaking to a Journal reporter on Wednesday afternoon, May 7th, 1913, at 2:45 o'clock, Miss Hix stated that she had been uptown on the Saturday Mary Phagan was killed but did not see her.
"The last time I saw Mary Phagan was on the Monday before she was killed," …More
Tuesday, May 6, 1913: Leo M. Frank's Full Account of His Actions on Mary Phagan's Murder Day
Tuesday, May 6th, 1913
(Page 11, Column 1)
For Three Hours and a Half, Mr. Frank Was on the Stand, Answering Questions About His Movements Every Hour and Minute of the Day—He Was Calm and Unruffled When Excused From Stand and Returned to the Tower
HE TELLS OF VISIT OF LEMMIE QUINN TO HIS OFFICE TEN MINUTES AFTER MARY PHAGAN RECEIVED WAGES
Introduction of Quinn Gives the Factory Superintendent an Important Witness, in Confirmation of His Statements. Only Three Witnesses Examined by Coroner at Session Monday Afternoon
For three hours and a half, Leo M. Frank, general superintendent of the National Pencil factory in which Mary Phagan was murdered, faced the coroner's jury Monday afternoon [May 5th, 1913] and told minutely, detail by detail, in precise sequence, where he was and what he did during practically every minute of Saturday, April 26, Saturday night, and Sunday, April 27 [1913]. When he …More
Tuesday, May 6, 1913: Fifty Girls' Photos Discovered in Bowen's Trunk Search
Tuesday, May 6, 1913
(Page 1, Column 5)
By Kenneth Todd
Formerly of The Atlanta Journal, now special correspondent in Houston, Texas
(Special Dispatch to The Journal)
Paul P. Bowen, a round faced youth of twenty years, fell into custody of Houston detectives Monday night. Authorities link him to the murder of Mary Phagan in Atlanta several days earlier.
Mrs. A. Blanchett, from Texas City, provided the key tip that sparked the arrest. She and Bowen shared adjoining rooms at the St. Jean Hotel Sunday night. According to her account to detectives, she spotted young Bowen reading an Atlanta newspaper. He collapsed upon reaching the murder story.
Later that night, she heard him moaning loudly in his room, preventing her sleep. She phoned the chief detective. Monday evening, Bowen grabbed his trunk and suitcase, relocating to a boarding house. Detectives arrested him there just two hours later.
Pictures of Fifty Girls …More
Tuesday, May 6, 1913: Paul Bowen Held in Houston, Known Locally But Left Atlanta in October and Has Not Returned
Tuesday, May 6, 1913
(Page 1, Column 5)
A solid negative alibi, backed by family and friends including his brother and father in Newnan, appears to exonerate Paul P. Bowen. Detectives arrested the young man Monday night in Houston, Texas, as a suspect in Mary Phagan's Atlanta murder on April 26. Yet nothing ties him to the area that day.
Houston police report "strong evidence" at Atlanta's request. Telegrams describe a photo of Mary Phagan in his trunk, a bloodied girl's vest, letters from Atlanta signed "Mary" or initialed "M. P." and "M. J. P.," plus a blood stained, hole riddled woman's shirt found in an alley behind his hotel just before his move to a boarding house.
A neighboring room's female occupant grew suspicious after seeing Bowen react emotionally to Phagan murder details. She heard him moan that he wished he had not "done it" and that he would avoid the same …More
Tuesday, 6th May 1913 Brother Declares Bowen Left Georgia in August
Tuesday, May 6th, 1913
Paul P. Bowen, arrested in Houston, Texas, on suspicion of complicity in the murder of Mary Phagan, could not have been connected with the Atlanta mystery, according to members of his family here.
Albert Bowen, a brother, said Paul Bowen has been in the West since last August, when he went to Arkansas to work for the Rock Island Railraod. He has never been back to Georgia since, he declared, but has spent the time in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
On April 21, Albert Bowen declared, he received a letter from Paul written at Alto, Texas, April 17 and mailed at Tyler, Texas, April 18, in which he mentioned having been to Lufkin a few days before. Another letter, he said, was written from El Reno, Okla., April 4, and one was received just previous to that from Warren, Ark.
The Bowen family stands well here, the brother, Albert and father being connected with mercantile establishments here in responsible …More
Tuesday, 6th May 1913 Newest Clues in Phagan Case Not Yet Public
Tuesday, May 6th, 1913
Body of Slain Girl Exhumed and Bloodstains on Factory Floor Analyzed.
NEW THEORY ANNOUNCED
Solicitor Believes Victim May Have Been Thrown, Still Alive, Down Elevator Shaft.
Solicitor General Dorsey, Chief of Detectives Lanford, Chief of Police Beavers, and all men working under them in the Phagan case seem thoroughly satisfied with the progress they are making in the great mystery. They are actively engaged in many unknown directions—as they say, "piling up evidence to strengthen the case."
What evidence the officials have other than that which has already been made public they refuse to divulge. Solicitor Dorsey declines to make public his case in the newspapers. He is investigating every phase of the matter through trusted men working under this own direction.
It is perfectly proper for the chief prosecuting officer to withhold any and all evidence until such time as he may present his case to the …More
Tuesday, 6th May 1913 How Frank Spent Day of Tragedy
Factory Superintendent Explains Every Hour of the Saturday the Phagan Girl Was Slain
Tuesday, May 6th, 1913
Here is told how Frank passed the whole day of the Saturday when Mary Phagan was killed. The following is taken from Frank's testimony:
7:00 a.m. Arose and dressed at home.
8:00 Left home for factory.
8:20 Arrived at factory.
8:50 or 9:00 M. D. Darley and others entered there.
10:00 Went over to office of Sig Montag, factory manager, on Nelson Street.
11:00 Went back to the factory office.
12:00 Stenographer and office boy left him alone in office.
12:10 p.m. Mary Phagan came for her pay, got it, and left. He heard her footsteps die away and went on with his work, thinking no more about her. When she left he thought he heard her voice in the outer office.
12:15 or 12:20 Lemmie Quinn, foreman of the department where Mary worked, came in.
12:25 Quinn left.
1:00 Left the factory.
1:20 Arrived home.
1:40 Finished lunch with his …More
Tuesday, 6th May 1913 Phagan Case and the Solicitor General's Power Under Law, Dorsey Hasn't Encroached on Coroner
It is absurd to say, as some people have been saying in Atlanta of late, that Solicitor General Dorsey "has taken the Phagan case from the Coroner," or has "butted in" on the Coroner's business in some way.
It would be equally sensible to say that the commanding general in a battle had "butted in" on a captain's business, when, as the battle progressed, the general gave directions of one sort and another to the captain as to its conduct.
The truth of the matter is, Solicitor General Dorsey has been in charge of the Mary Phagan case ever since it was brought to light.
Murder is a crime against the sovereign State, and not particularly against either the city of Atlanta or the county of Fulton, save in so far as they are a part of the State.
A murder in Atlanta is as much Savannah's business as it is Atlanta's so far as the violation of the laws of Georgia are concerned.
…More
Tuesday, 6th May 1913 Pistol Toting is Condemned by Judge Ellis in His Charge
Tuesday, May 6th, 1913
The instructions given the new Fulton county grand jury by Judge William D. Ellis in his charge at the empanelling of that body Monday morning placed especial stress upon the call of the Mary Phagan case for the "immediate and vigorous attention" of the grand jury. He also urged the jury to investigate the locker and social clubs of Atlanta and to "find true bills against all who conduct clubs which are run for the purpose of selling liquor."
In this connection he also urged that the grand jury declare war upon the Sunday tippling house. "Pistol toting" and the operation of assignation houses are also due for considerable annoyance at the hands of the new grand jury.
The Charge in Full.
Judge Ellis' charge to the grand jury in full is as follows:
Under our system of judicial procedure, we have in the superior court of this county, six terms each year. Grand juries are drawn and empanelled …More
Tuesday, 6th May 1913 Probe Phagan Case Grand Jury Urged.
Tuesday, May 6th, 1913
Crime Calls for Your Immediate Attention, Declares Judge Ellis, in His Charge.
"The Mary Phagan case calls for your immediate and vigorous attention. The power of the state is behind you. What appears to be an awful crime has been committed, and the welfare of the community, the good name of Atlanta, public justice and the majesty of the law demand at the hands of this grand jury and of all officers of the law the most searching investigation and the prompt bringing to trial of the guilty party."
Such was the charge made by Judge W. D. Ellis, of the superior court, to the grand jury for the May session empannelled [sic] Monday morning. Judge Ellis declared that a thousand crimes would not equal in horror the murder of little Mary Phagan.
Solicitor-General Drosey expressed the opinion that the grand jury would not take the matter up immediately. To do this, he declared, would interfere with the coroner's jury …More
Sleuths Believe They Can Convict Phagan Murderer. The Atlanta Constitution, Monday, 5th May 1913.
Monday, May 5th, 1913
Detectives Are of Opinion They Have in Their Possession All Evidence That Is Needed by the Jury.
INFORMATION SECURED FROM MYSTERIOUS GIRL
Coroner's Jury Will Resume Inquest at 2 O'Clock This Afternoon — Factory Girls Will Be Witnesses.
Detectives working on the case of Mary Phagan, the 14-year-old murdered girl whose body was found in the basement of the National Pencil company at daybreak Sunday morning a week ago, believe that today they have in their possession evidence which will lead to the conviction of the girl's murderer, according to the statement of Harry Scott the Pinkerton man on the case, Sunday afternoon.
So important in fact, do the detectives consider the new evidence declared Mr. Scott, that its nature will not be publicly disclosed even at the coroner's inquest which is resumed today.
No particulars would be given out except that the information came …More
Monday, 5th May 1913, The Exhumation of Mary Phagan
Monday, May 5th, 1913
[Coroner and County Physician Will Have Girl's Stomach Examined — Added from May 6th article — Ed.]
The reason for the delay in beginning the Coroner's inquest was that Coroner Donehoo was in Marietta up to 2:30 o'clock.
The body of Mary Phagan was exhumed by direction of the Coroner who went to Marietta for the purpose. An examination of the contents of the stomach will be made for the purpose of determining whether the child had been poisoned before she was attacked on the day of her death.
It will probably be several days before this examination can be completed.
The examination was done very quietly, and few people in Marietta knew anything about it.
[With the coroner were Dr. J. W. Hurt, County Physician, and Dr. H. F. Harris, of the State Board of Health, acting under the direction of Solicitor Dorsey.
It is understood that the analysis of the stomach's contents will be made by Dr. Harris at the laboratory …More
May 5, 1913, Judge Charges Grand Jury To Go Deeply into Phagan Mystery
Monday, May 5th, 1913
Judge Ellis, in his charge to the May Grand Jury, took up the Mary Phagan case. The address is published in full in this issue of The Georgian. What Judge Ellis said specifically about the Phagan case follows:
The Mary Phagan case calls for your immediate and vigorous attention. The power of the State is behind you. What appears to be an awful crime has been committed, and the welfare of the community, the good name of Atlanta, public justice and the majesty of the law demand at the hands of this Grand Jury and of all officers of the law the most searching investigation and the prompt bringing to trial of the guilty party.
This is a good community. There are thousands of intelligent and law-abiding people—a vast majority of our people are good and virtuous—but, like all other communities, there are bad people in it. The reputation and progress of Atlanta attracts to it large numbers of people …More