Work on Phagan Case Brings Promotion to Pinkerton Man

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

Atlanta Constitution
July 25th, 1913

As a reward for his success in the Phagan mystery, Detective Harry Scott, assistant superintendent of the Atlanta Pinkerton offices, has been promoted to the superintendency of the Houston, Texas branch, to which he goes immediately following the close of the Frank trial.

Scott’s work has been declared to have been the most successful in the entire Phagan investigation. It was a result of his efforts that the famous Jim Conley confession was obtained, in which admission the negro acknowledged complicity and accused Leo Frank of the actual murder.

The search was at Scott’s direction, which revealed the Phagan pay envelope and the bloody club found in the factory building. He engineered the third degree against Conley, and, assisted by John Black, of police headquarters, procured the evidence which exacted the negro’s confession.

Scott has been attached to the Atlanta offices for two years. He came from the Philadelphia headquarters, where he was assistant superintendent of the Pennsylvania branch. He is married, and is only 27 years old. His experience dates back for seven years, at the beginning of which time he left college for service with the Pinkerton forces.

While promoting the Pinkerton end of the investigation, Scott worked in co-operation with John Black, of headquarters, which made him a semi-associate of the police. Considerable dissent was created at first with his connection with the police department because he was employed by the pencil factory officials. He was practically barred from association with the office of the solicitor general because of this fact.

Scott stated last night that if the Phagan case were postponed on Monday he would leave next Sunday night for his new post. He will return, however, at the date of the trial’s renewal, and will remain in the city until it is completed.

In connection with his career in Atlanta, one of Scott’s master strokes was the ferreting of the famous Gilsey diamond trunk robbery, which happened in Atlanta less than two years ago, associated with George Bullard and John Black, both of the latter of whom were attached to the police department, the famous robbery was cleared within the brief space of two weeks. Three suspects, George Wrenn, Karl Reddy and a man named Kaul, were convicted for the robbery.