Newt Lee, the night watchman at the
National Pencil Factory, discovered the body of Mary Phagan. At one
time during the investigation, he was considered a prime suspect.
Examination by Hugh Dorsey
Dorsey: “When
you appeared at the factory to report on afternoons what did you
generally do upon going up to the second floor where Mr. Frank’s office
is situated?”
Lee: “Say, ‘Howdy,
Mr. Frank.’ He usually called, ‘Hello, Newt,’ and if he wants anything
he calls me into his office.”
Dorsey: “What did he do when
you went to the second floor on Saturday, the 26th?”
Lee: “He came to the door,
rubbing his hands and saying he was sorry I had come so early. I told
him I needed sleep and was sorry, too. He said go out in town and have
a good time because I needed it.”
Dorsey: “Could you have slept
in the factory?”
Lee: “Yes sir. In the packing room.”
Dorsey: “What did Frank say
when you came back?”
Lee: “I went to the door
and told him I was back, and he says, ‘What time is it?’ And I says, ‘It lacks two minutes of 6:00.’ He says,
‘Don’t punch yet, there is a few worked today and I want to change the
slip.’
Dorsey: “What did he do then?”
Lee: “Put in a slip for
the time clock. It took him twice as long this time than
it did the other times I saw him fix it. He fumbled putting it in while
I held the lever for him and I think he made some remark about he was
not used to putting it in.”
[Lee testifies at this point about his
discovery of the body of Mary Phagan early Sunday morning and his
unsuccessful attempts to reach Frank at home by phone.]
....
Dorsey: “When did you [next]
see Frank?”
Lee: “I saw Mr. Frank
Sunday morning at about 7:00 or 8:00. He was coming in the office.”
Dorsey: “How did he look at
you?”
Lee: “He looked down on
the floor and never spoke to me. He dropped his head down this way.”
Dorsey: “Was any examination
made of the time clock?”
Lee: “Boots Rogers, Chief Lanford, Darley, Mr. Frank and I were there when
they opened the clock. Mr. Frank opened the clock and said the punches
were all right.”
Dorsey: “What did he mean by
all right?”
Lee: “Meant
that I hadn’t missed any punches.”
Cross-examination by Luther
Rosser:
Rosser: “You said yesterday, that
when Frank put on the clock tape that Saturday it took twice as long as
it did the other times you saw him do it. Why didn’t you tell the
coroner it took twice as long as it did before?”
Lee: “I did tell them it
took longer.”
Rosser: “Then all this record
[the transcript of Lee's interview with the coroner] here is
wrong?”
Lee: “I can’t help about
those records.”
Rosser: "Were you down in the
basement when the police found some notes?”
Lee: “They said something
about a book.”
Rosser: “They read you
something about the night watch doing it?”
Rosser: “When he said ‘the
night witch,’ didn’t you say, ‘Boss, that’s me?’”
Lee: “No, sir. I said,
‘Boss, it looks like they are trying to lay it on me.’”
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