00:00No Fagan trial before last of June declares solicitor Atlanta Journal Thursday May 15th
00:041913. If indictments are returned by grand jury when bills are presented there will be no immediate
00:10trial W.M. J. Burns coming says those. B. Felder. He calls upon the public to subscribe a fund to
00:16pay the expense of bringing great detective to Atlanta. Should the Fulton County grand jury
00:21when it meets next Thursday or Friday return a true bill against either one or both of the men
00:26held by the coroner's jury in the Mary Fagan murder investigation the state will not attempt to bring
00:32them to trial before the latter part of June. The rumors to the effect that the state would rush the
00:37trial at a special court session if Leo M. Frank or Newt Lee is indicted for the killing by the
00:42grand
00:42jury were set at rest Thursday by this statement from solicitor general Hugh M. Dorsey. The examination
00:49of witnesses by the solicitor continued on Thursday and a number of witnesses in the case appeared at
00:54the solicitor's office to make statements of which a stenographic record is kept. In working out new
01:00theories of the crime the detectives have found no tangible evidence which has yet served to turn
01:05the authorities from the theory to which they have held practically since the beginning of the Fagan
01:09murder investigation and it now appears that when the grand jury meets to consider the case the
01:14authorities will present no names as suspects except those of the two men who were ordered held by the
01:19coroner's jury after its exhaustive inquest. Identification slip. Wednesday the solicitor
01:25general ordered before him a reporter for a morning paper who has had in his possession several
01:30specimens of the dead girl's handwriting. One of these specimens was a slip of paper on which Mary
01:36Fagan had written her name and address and the date April 20th 1913. The slip was in the purse she
01:42usually carried and presumably was made out by the girl for use in event it should become necessary to
01:47identify her body. The identification slip is simply another point in the perplexing mystery and no
01:53circumstances developed which have as yet made it appear that the slip of paper may help to solve
01:58the mystery. While the handwriting seems to be playing an important part in the probe of the
02:03mystery nothing has yet developed in the handwriting investigation which throws much light on the
02:08tragedy. Attorney Thomas B. Felder is authority for the definite statement that William J. Burns the
02:14famous detective will in person take up the Fagan murder investigation while Mr. Burns will not arrive
02:20in person for several weeks. Mr. Felder states that a special investigator from the famous sleuths New
02:25York office will be on the ground within a few days to take up the case and Mr. Burns will
02:30come on
02:30later. Mr. Felder has not yet raised the funds necessary to pay for the investigation by Mr. Burns
02:37but hopes to do so by public subscription. Regarding the employment of Mr. Burns Mr. Felder has made the
02:43following written statement. Mr. Felder's statement the time is at hand when I deem it not only proper
02:49but necessary that I take the public into my confidence relative to the further proposed
02:54investigation of the Fagan murder case. My firm was employed by neighbors and friends of the deceased
03:00shortly after the crime was committed to aid in the preparation of the case and the prosecution
03:05thereof without intending to reflect in the slightest degree upon the vigilant detectives engaged upon the
03:11case who seemed to be doing their utmost to ferret O2 the mystery it occurred to me that the magnitude
03:17of the crime justified an effort to secure the services of William J. Burns a man with a record of
03:23successes
03:24covering a period of 30 years or more and without a single failure charged against him. A committee of
03:30prominent ladies of the city distinguished for their philanthropic work called upon me assuring me that
03:36funds sufficient to cover the expenses of Burns investigation could be raised by public
03:41subscription. I assured these good women of my willingness to contribute our fee and some
03:46additional amount if necessary. I immediately got into communication with Mr. Burns and the result of
03:53my efforts will be reflected by a cablegram which reached me by way of his New York office which is
03:58published herewith. I feel that those interested in seeing justice vindicated by fixing this horrible
04:05crime upon the guilty parties whom I feel certain will be brought to condign punishment through the
04:10efforts of this distinguished detective are to be congratulated that we have been able to secure his
04:15services. The fund thus far raised by the friends and neighbors of the family of deceased and through
04:21the efforts of the good women who have interested themselves in this work falls far short of the
04:27amount required to carry it forward. The public is therefore invited to contribute to the fund. At the conclusion
04:33of the work an itemized statement of receipts and disbursements in this behalf will be published by the
04:39press of the city for the information of the subscribers to the fund. In conclusion I desire to say that
04:45in what I am
04:46doing I have the approval of the solicitor general Honorable Hugh M Dorsey who will supervise and direct all work
04:53in this
04:53behalf. Signed, Thomas B Felder. For Felder, Anderson, Dillon, and Whitman. Copy of telegram. Leaving out the exact cost of
05:02the
05:02investigation through courtesy to Mr. Burns, Mr. Felder also gave out for publication the following
05:08telegram. Colonel T. B. Felder, Equitable Building, Atlanta, Georgia. Father still in Europe. Return about June 1st. He
05:16consents to take charge of investigation immediately upon his return. His charges dollars. He suggests I send good
05:22criminal investigator to start investigation immediately before same gets too cold. Investigator
05:28charges. Dollars per day. Advise. Signed, Raymond J. Burns. Who wrote this poem? A poem recently published
05:36in two Atlanta newspapers as said to have been written by Mary Fagan has caused considerable comment. The poem
05:42in question first appeared in The Household Guest and has since been reproduced and accredited to that
05:47magazine by the April successful farmer and by other publications. The poem follows. My PA. My PA ain't any
05:56millionaire, but gee, he's awful smart. He ain't no carpenter, but he can fix a feller's cart. He ain't no
06:01doctor, but you bet my PA he allus knows just what to do to fix a boy what's got a
06:05bloody nose. My PA
06:06ain't president because he says he never run, but he could do it just as well as any president has
06:11done. A president
06:12may beat my PA at piling up a vote, but he can't beat him, I will bet. A Whitlin out
06:17a boat. My PA ain't
06:18rich, but that's because he never tried to be. He's no electrician, but he fixed a telephone for me.
06:23My PA ain't never wrote a book, but I know that he could because the stories that he tells to
06:27me are
06:27allus good. My PA knows everything, I guess. And you bet I don't care, Coase. He ain't president or rich
06:33as any millionaire. Whenever things go wrong, my PA can make him right, you see. And though he ain't a
06:37president, PA's good enough for me, household guest.
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