00:00Burns investigator will probe slaying Atlanta, Georgian, Thursday, May 15, 1913,
00:05noted detective himself to take up case June 1st, one of his experts coming soon.
00:10Colonel Thomas B. Felder noted Atlanta lawyer, Thursday issued the positive statement that
00:15William J. Burns would take charge of the Fagan investigation immediately upon his return from
00:19Europe June 1st. In the meantime, a criminal investigator will be sent from the Burns
00:24agency's New York office to prosecute the investigation. Colonel Felder gave out the
00:29following dispatch received from Raymond J. Burns, son of William J. Burns in New York,
00:34which tells of the father's determination to take up the Fagan mystery. Father still in Europe
00:39returns about June 1st. He consents to take charge of Fagan investigation immediately upon his return.
00:45He suggests I send a good criminal investigator to start investigation immediately before same
00:50gets too cold. Colonel Felder declared his supreme confidence in Burns's ability to clear up the
00:56Fagan mystery and bring to light the person or persons guilty of the murder, thinks fund can
01:01be raised. He declared that his action in securing the detective was given impetus by the demands of
01:06Atlanta citizens to clear up the mystery regardless of cost, and he expresses his belief that sufficient
01:12funds to cover the investigation will be easily forthcoming. Already, he declared, the foundation of a fund
01:19had been secured through the generous donations of friends of the Fagan girl and other people who have
01:24interested themselves in the work. Colonel Felder himself has turned over to the fund the fee paid
01:29his legal firm to assist in the prosecution, and now, with the subscriptions well underway, he declared,
01:35the public-spirited citizens of the city, by popular subscriptions, would be asked to make up the
01:41shortage. Colonel Felder's statement in full is as follows. Statement by Felder. The time is at hand when
01:47I deem it not only proper but necessary that I take the public into my confidence relative to the
01:52further proposed investigation of the Fagan murder case. My firm was employed by neighbors and friends
01:58of the deceased shortly after the crime was committed to aid in the preparation of the case and the
02:04prosecution thereof. Without intending to reflect in the slightest degree upon the vigilant detectives
02:10engaged upon the case, who seemed to be doing their utmost to ferret out the mystery, it occurred to me
02:16that the
02:16magnitude of the crime justified an effort to secure the services of William J. Burns, a man with a record
02:23of successes covering a period of thirty years or more, and without a single failure charged against
02:28him. Women aid and move. A committee of prominent women of the city, distinguished for their philanthropic
02:35work, called upon me, assuring that that funds sufficient to cover the expenses of Burns' investigation
02:40could be raised by public subscription. I assured these good women of my willingness to contribute
02:46our fee, and some additional amount if necessary. I immediately got into communication with Mr. Burns,
02:52and the result of my efforts will be reflected by a cablegram which reached me by way of his New
02:56York
02:57office, which is published herewith. I feel that those interested in seeing justice vindicated by fixing
03:02this crime upon the guilty parties, whom I feel certain will be brought to punishment through the
03:08efforts of this distinguished detective, are to be congratulated that we have been able to secure his
03:13services. The fund thus far raised by the friends and neighbors of the family of deceased, and through
03:19the efforts of the good women who have interested themselves in this work, falls far short of the
03:24amount required to carry it forward. Public asked to donate. The public is therefore invited to contribute
03:30to the fund. At the conclusion of the work, an itemized statement of receipts and disbursements in this
03:35behalf will be published by the Press of the City for the information of the subscribers to the fund.
03:41In conclusion, I desire to say that in what I am doing, I have the approval of the Solicitor General,
03:47Honorable Hugh M. Dorsey, who will supervise and direct all work in this behalf.
03:52Thomas B. Felder.
03:53For Felder, Anderson, Dillon, and Whitman.
03:57Solicitor General Hugh M. Dorsey said that he expected no developments along the line of a new
04:01arrest, nor had there been anything at all in the case that would lead him to change the direction of
04:06his prosecution.
04:07There is absolutely nothing new in the case, he said Thursday morning, unless it is evidence that
04:13has not been made public. Our investigation has been extensive, and some rather important points have
04:19been brought out since the coroner's inquest, but there is nothing that could be called new.
04:24For the last two days, our efforts have been directed toward getting the different statements
04:28in shape and corroborating what evidence we have. New arrest, not unlikely. It became no,
04:35however, that for two days deputies from the offices of the Solicitor have been contemplating making a
04:40new arrest in the case, and that it is not unlikely the arrest may be made Thursday or Friday. One
04:46of the
04:46deputies was responsible for the statement that there was almost as much evidence against the party,
04:51or parties under surveillance as there was against the two suspects held in the tower.
04:56He said he had not made the arrest yet because the persons could not get away, and he wanted to
05:02get the
05:02sanction of the Solicitor, which had thus far been withheld. The Solicitor said that he attached little
05:07importance to the slip of paper found in an old purse at Mary Fagan's home on which was written the
05:13slain girl's
05:14name and address. Other than as a specimen of her handwriting, he said, it was of no importance. He said
05:21he did not
05:21believe the girl expected to meet her death or had the slip of paper as an identification card for the
05:27reason that it was left in an unused purse and at her home. The Solicitor had several conferences
05:32yesterday with handwriting experts and intimated the evidence along this line would play an important
05:38part in the trial. The grand jury meets Friday, but it is not probable the Fagan case will be submitted
05:44then. Mr. Dorsey said that he might call a special session sometime before Friday of next week,
05:49but the probabilities were it would be considered on that day. All the cases on the docket, with the
05:55exception of the Fagan case, were placed on the grand jury calendar Thursday to clean up everything
06:00for the Fagan investigation, which probably will take several days.
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