Arthur Mullinax, now held in solitary confinement at police headquarters, said his arrest was a grave and painful mistake and insisted he had nothing to do with the death of Mary Phagan. He claimed he had only seen her once, at a Christmas church entertainment, and that this was the only time they had ever spoken. He denied having any closer contact with her and rejected the idea that he had ever sought her out.
Mullinax said that on Saturday night he spent the evening with Miss Pearl Robinson, going with her to the Bijou Theater and then walking her home on the English Avenue car. After talking with her for about fifteen minutes, he returned to his boarding house at 60 Poplar Street, gave Mrs Emma Rutherford one dollar for work on his clothes, and went straight to bed. He said he slept soundly through the night and did not leave the house again until late Sunday morning.
He insisted that the only time he was on Forsyth Street that evening was when he and Miss Robinson got off the trolley near Forsyth and Marietta Streets on their way to the theater. He strongly denied the charge that he was with Mary Phagan after midnight and said he had no reason to harm her, because he barely knew her. He described the entire situation as a horrible mistake and said he believed he would be able to prove his alibi and clear his name.
Comments