MISS IORA SMALL, Sworn In For The Defendant, 63rd To Testify

Miss Iora Small, 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)
Miss Iora Small, a five-year fourth-floor employee, testified that Jim Conley pestered her Tuesday and Wednesday for extra newspapers, grabbing two of the same edition. He read them eagerly on a box by the elevator, grinning. Conley told her Frank was “as innocent as I am” and “God knows I wasn’t around this factory Saturday.”
Small saw Conley Tuesday morning in a tight-buttoned Norfolk coat—collar choking his neck—unlike his usual slovenly style. She never saw Frank speak to Conley in her life.
She never visited Frank’s office after hours for drinking or immorality. Conley’s character for truth was bad; she wouldn’t believe any Black person on oath—including Snowball.
On Tuesday, 8:00–9:00 a.m., Small saw Frank and Miss Carson discuss business in front of her machine. Frank descended the stairs; Conley stood at the elevator with hand on a truck—wide awake, watching everything. The elevator noise shakes the building when machinery is off.
Small joined Mrs. Carson and Mrs. Thompson to inspect the metal-room “blood” spots. They found chipped floor covered in white face powder—nickel- and quarter-sized spots—typical of girls’ makeup. The floor was filthy everywhere.
On cross-examination, Small confirmed:

50-cent raise four months earlier—pre-murder.
No raise since Frank’s arrest.
Conley asked for papers all morning—after Frank left.
Spots looked like spilled powder, not smeared blood.

Small’s fourth-floor vigil, Conley’s own words, and makeup-dusted “blood” turned the State’s evidence into comedy—a grinning, newspaper-hoarding liar and face-powder “murder stains”.