Never Saw Any Women in Office of Frank Says Negro Witness

Another in our series of new transcriptions of contemporary articles on the Leo Frank case.

Atlanta Constitution
August 16th, 1913

Walter Pride, a negro employee in the National Pencil factory, who is named in Jim Conley’s story, was put on the stand in the middle of the afternoon.

“Where do you work on Saturdays?” he was asked by Arnold.

“I work every where anything is to be done on the machinery.”

“Have you missed a single Saturday since May?”
“No.”

“What floors do you work on on Saturdays?”
“From basement to the roof.”

“What do you do on the office floor?”
“Work on the toilets.”

“What time do you generally leave on Saturdays?”
“4:30 o’clock.”

“Ever see any women come to Frank’s office?”
“No.”

“Jim Conley?”
“No.”

“Ever see him watching the first front door?”
“No.”

“If he had you’d have seen him?”
“Yes.”

“Is there or not any difficulty in hearing the elevator when machinery is not in motion?”

“No.”

“Would you believe Jim Conley on oath?”
“No.”

Cross-examination by Hooper.

“When did you make up your mind you wouldn’t believe Jim?”
“Four or five months ago.”

“Why did you?”
“Him and his whole family is liars. They got me in trouble once by lying.”

“You’re a high class nigger, eh?”

“No, sir, but I’m a different grade from him.”

“Your animosity then is based on a single lie?”
“Yes.”

“You heard no one else speak bad of him?”
“No.”

* * *

Atlanta Constitution, August 16th 1913, “Never Saw Any Women in Office of Frank Says Negro Witness,” Leo Frank case newspaper article series (Original PDF)