J T HEARN, Sworn In For The State, 154th To Testify

J. T. Hearn, witness for the State in rebuttal, at the Trial of Leo Frank in the Fulton County Superior Court of Atlanta, Georgia, in 1913 (Testimony Portion From July 28 - August 21, 1913; Closing Arguments August 21-25, 1913)
J. T. Hearn, who had known C. B. Dalton from 1890 to 1904, testified that Dalton’s general character was initially bad but improved by the time he left Walton County. Hearn stated he would believe Dalton on oath.
On cross-examination, Hearn admitted he had heard of Dalton’s indictments for stealing and illegal liquor sales, but noted that in Dalton’s final year in Walton County, he joined the church and Hearn heard no further complaints against him.
This testimony was offered to partially rehabilitate Dalton’s credibility after defense attacks on his criminal past, emphasizing a claimed moral turnaround—though cross-examination highlighted the earlier convictions.