Wednesday, 16th July 1913 No New Indictment Says Jury Foreman

Wednesday, July 16, 1913

State Has No Intention of Changing Plan of Action in Phagan Case.

The declaration of W.D. Beattie, foreman of the grand jury, that the grand jury had no intention of taking steps to indict James Conley, and a statement from Solicitor General Hugh M. Dorsey that as far as he was concerned the state would continue its present plan of action in regard to the Mary Phagan murder, apparently put a block to the rumor that the grand jury would go over the solicitor's head and indict the negro sweeper for murder.

The same rumor was put into circulation in regard to the former grand jury which served during the May term, but nothing ever came of the reporta [sic].

Solicitor Dorsey stated positively that he had no intention of shifting the present plan and would continue to prosecute on the indictment returned against Leo M. Frank by the previous grand jury. Newport Lanford, chief of detectives, also declared that as far as the detective department was concerned that there would be no shift.

It apparently means that the state will continue an even course in the matter with the intention of threshing out the matter of the guilt of Superintendent Frank before taking up the question of the guilt of the negro.

It was rumored Wednesday that the solicitor had given Conley another grilling with a view to extracting further statements from him in regard to the case. He declined to discuss this feature of the case and also refused to state anything further in regard to the Mincey affidavit.

Should the solicitor in the week and a half left before the Frank trial obtain a confession from Conley or secure evidence from another source that would brand him as the guilty party that would, of course, change the entire affair.