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

The Atlanta Georgian

Monday, July 21, 1913

Four young women, three of whom had been caught in Chief Beavers’ vice dragnet last week, escaped from the Martha Home during chapel exercises Sunday night.

The women were Effie Drummond, who after being caught in a raid on Mrs. Lula Bell’s place at Peters and Fair streets, declared she was a minister’s daughter from North Carolina, and had been the victim of a white slaver; Maude Doughetry, apprehended at the same house; Beatrice Renfro, companion of A.N. Trippe, a Whitehall street clerk, arrested on complaint of Tripp’e [sic] wife, and Myrtle Bell, who was placed in the home at the request of her parents.

The dragnet has been recast for the fugitives.

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The Atlanta Georgian, July 21st 1913, “Four Women Caught In Vice Net Escape From Martha Home,” Leo Frank case newspaper article series (Original PDF)

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

The Atlanta Georgian

Thursday, July 17, 1913

Joe North, Alleged White Slaver, Declines to Talk Before Hearing in Recorder’s Court.

Joe North, alleged white slaver, arrested on the statement of Effie Drummond, a young woman who told the police he lured her into a rooming house, will be tried before Recorder Nash Broyles at 2:30 o’clock Thursday afternoon and every effort made to get from him the names of other persons in the “vice ring,” to which Chief of Police James L. Beavers says North owes allegiance.

North was arrested Wednesday night after a search of very nearly a week. He was put through a severe grilling Thursday morning by Chief Beavers, but declined absolutely to make any statement until he was forced to do so by the court.

Effie Drummond, the girl who was arrested in the raid on the house at Fair and Peters streets operated by Lula Bell, will be brought in from Martha’s Home to repeat her sensational story of how she came to Atlanta from the country and was caught in the net of a white slaver. Chief Beavers said he confidently expected the trial Thursday afternoon to establish the fact there was a vice ring in Atlanta and that cases similar to the Drummond affair were not uncommon.

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The Atlanta Georgian, July 17th 1913, “Youth Accused in Vice Ring on Trial,” Leo Frank case newspaper article series (Original PDF)

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

The Atlanta Georgian

Tuesday, July 15, 1913

Chief Beavers Opens Real Fight on Doubtful Places—Several Under Watch.

Active steps against doubtful rooming and boarding houses were taken by Chief of Police Beavers Tuesday morning. He declared that he intends to close every “shady” rooming house in the city against which he can obtain evidence.

He intimated that he has the addresses of a number of boarding houses where, it is alleged, young girls and men visit and where the roomers are in reality inmates of the place, and his campaign is to be directed especially against these.

They will be thoroughly investigated, and if evidence is found to sustain the action, will be closed and the Council asked to revoke the licenses of the persons who operate the places.

Orders closing two boarding houses were issued from headquarters this morning. Mrs. Lulu Bell, whose hotel at Fair and Peters streets was raided last week, resulting in the arrest of half a dozen persons and the telling of a white slave story by Effie Drummond, was ordered to vacate the place and close it up.

The Bell place, Chief Beavers firmly believes, is one of those under the control of the “higher-ups” in the vice ring, against whom he is now obtaining evidence, and he regards the arrest of the Bell woman and the closing of the place as one of the significant steps of the campaign he is waging against vice.

The negro joint at 76 Chestnut street, which was raided by the police Sunday morning, was also ordered closed by Chief Beavers Tuesday. Sev-eral [sic] white men were arrested when this raid was made, and evidence has been obtained that the place was one of the most vicious in the city.

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The Atlanta Georgian, July 15th 1913, “Police Close 2 Rooming Houses,” Leo Frank case newspaper article series (Original PDF)

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

The Atlanta Georgian

Monday, July 14, 1913

Young Woman From the Country Says She Was Lured to Resort on Peters Street.

Raid Frees Victim of Alleged Gang From a Resort on Peters Street.

Five White Men and Dozen Negroes Arrested in Raid Are Convicted in Court.

*Editor’s Note: This article was also published under the headlines “Police Hunt Vice Band’s Leader” and “17 Caught in Vice Drag Fined,” the latter article containing the following six paragraphs in brackets. The sub-headlines for each article are listed above in the same order. There is also a continuation of the article on a second page, which does not show on the scanned source text.

[The police crusade against vice resulted Monday afternoon in the conviction and fining of five white men and twelve negroes who were caught in a raid on a negro dive at 76 Chestnut avenue early Sunday morning.

Judge Broyles sharply scored the existence of such alleged dives, and declared every effort must be put forth to close them. Chief Beavers has ordered the house closed immediately.

The trial created a stir in police court, as eight of the negroes were chauffeurs for some of the most prominent men in Atlanta, who were on hand to make bond for them.

The white men, who were fined $15.75 each, are C.F. Smith, clerk, of 54 Angler avenue; S.B. Moore, clerk, of 131 South Pryor street; A.B. Arnold, of Macon; J.W. Little, of Macon, and C.D. Kirk, of 348 North Jackson street.

Eight of the negro men were fined $10.75 each.

Eilene Lester, who, it is alleged, runs the place; Henry Lester, her husband, and Theresa Gilbert and Minnie Jones, two other negro women implicated, were bound over to the Superior Court under $500 bond each.]

General Order Issued.

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

The Atlanta Georgian

Monday, July 14, 1913

Revocation of License Will Be Asked if Law Is Violated. Girl Sentenced.

The vice inquiry Monday morning resulted in a close surveillance of hotels which, it is alleged, harbor young girls for immoral purposes. If the law is violated, the police authorities say, the police committee of Council will be requested to revoke the license of the hotel involved.

Chief Beavers has detailed men to watch for violations of the law following information given by Corinne Wilson and Dora Rosthstein [sic], sentenced to the Reform School Saturday afternoon.

The new information, it is understood, involves one more well-known downtown hotel and several other parties, one of whom is said to be prominent. Developments are expected to-day as a result of work along this line.

In the meantime five cases, made out against four women and one man following a raid Saturday on the home of Mrs. Lula Bell on Peters Street have been set on the Recorder’s docket for trial Monday morning.

One of Saturday’s victims, Corinne Wilson, has called upon her husband, who resides in Marietta, to come to her.

“I love him,” said the girl, “and I believe he loves me. If he only will come to me and keep me out of the Reform School, I will be straight.”

Dora Rothstein probably will be sent to the Reform School the latter part of the week.

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The Atlanta Georgian, July 14th 1913, “Vice Pickets Posted at Hotels,” Leo Frank case newspaper article series (Original PDF)

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

The Atlanta Georgian

Thursday, July 10, 1913

Chief of Police Beavers caused a stir Thursday morning when he went before the day watch and addressed the men on their conduct. His talk resulted from the recent scandal in which several policemen were found guilty of visiting a resort in the rear of 127 Auburn Avenue.

“Any man who hangs around a negro dive has no place on the police force of Atlanta,” the Chief said, addressing the men. “If you get positive evidence that any of your brother officers are engaged in discreditable practices and frequenting disreputable places, it is your duty to report it.”

The Chief will make a similar speech to the night and morning watches.

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The Atlanta Georgian, July 10th 1913, “Beavers in Speech Warns Policemen to Keep Out of Dives,” Leo Frank case newspaper article series (Original PDF)

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

The Atlanta Georgian

Thursday, July 10, 1913

MEN NAMED BY GIRL ARE SOUGHT

Chief Beavers Declares New and Startling Arrests Are Near. Alleged Procuress Held

With the principals in the sensational vice case, Hattie Smith, a 17-year-old girl victim; Mrs. Lena Barnhart, a flashily-dressed woman, alleged white slave procuress; Lige Murray, negro ally, and Clyde Cox, the youth who was arrested in the hotel raid, all bound over to the higher courts, the police Thursday turned the full flare of a searching investigation directly on the hotels and alleged immoral resorts, with the result that new arrests and startling developments were expected during the day.

Chief Beavers Thursday morning declared that his crusade would include the men principals in the vice system as well as the women.

A number of names were given him by Hattie Smith. He will use these as a start along this line of his investigation, and sensational results are expected.

Girl Tells Story in Court.

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

The Atlanta Georgian

Wednesday, July 9, 1913

Accused Prisoners in White Slave Inquiry Held for Higher Court.

That sufficient evidence had been produced in court to make a case against one of the city’s most prominent business men was the statement of Recorder Broyles Wednesday afternoon at the trial of the persons involved in the latest vice scandal.

Lena Barnhardt, alleged white sliver [sic] and procuress, was bound over to the higher court under a bond of $500.

Hattie Smith, who claimed in court to be a white slave victim of the Barnhardt woman, was placed under $100 bond for the higher court.

Clyde Cox, who is alleged to have been trapped with the Smith girl, was put under the same bond.

Elijah Murray, colored bellboy at the Cumberland Hotel, who, the Smith girl testified, had arranged dates for the woman inmates of the hotel, was held in default of $100 bond.

Hattie Smith repeated the sensational story she previously had told to the detectives in regard to her meeting with the Barnhardt woman, and of the manner in which she was lured into a life of shame.

Aside from the sensational revelations of a systematic white slavery business carried on in some of the city’s hotels, the girl’s most startling testimony had to do with the prominent business man whose name she mentioned in open court.

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