I STRAUSS, Sworn In For The Defendant, 78th To Testify

I. Strauss, witness for the Defendant 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)
I. Strauss arrived at the Selig residence at 10:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 26. Leo Frank himself opened the door—calm, composed, no agitation.
Strauss joined a card game in the parlor. Through the open doorway, he had a clear, continuous view of Frank sitting in the hall, reading for the entire evening.

Nothing unusual in Frank’s demeanor.
Frank went to bed immediately after Strauss arrived.
Lucile Frank retired shortly thereafter.

Strauss’s unbroken line of sight and hour-by-hour vigil shredded the State’s claim that Frank returned home drunk, frantic, or confessing.
A quiet family card night—witnessed by a neutral guest—became the final nail in the prosecution’s “guilty conscience” coffin.