L. T. Kendrick — Sworn In for the State — 187th Witness to Testify

L. T. Kendrick, 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)
L. T. Kendrick, former night watchman at the National Pencil Company for approximately two years, testified that he could punch all the factory clocks for a full night’s watch in two to three minutes. He stated the factory clock required resetting every 24 hours and varied 3–5 minutes in accuracy. Kendrick identified State’s Exhibit P as a clock slip he had punched. He claimed that elevator noise would not be audible on the top floor if machinery was running or if someone was making noise on any floor. After the murder, he observed that the back stairway was very dusty, indicating it had not been used recently. Kendrick also confirmed he had seen Jim Conley at the factory on Saturday afternoons when he went to collect his pay.
On cross-examination, Kendrick admitted he typically arrived at the factory between 1:45 and 2:30 p.m. to get paid, and the clock was usually corrected every morning. He acknowledged the clock sometimes ran slow or fast. This testimony was offered to support the State’s contention that Newt Lee’s clock punches could have been manipulated, that Conley was a familiar presence on Saturdays, and that the back stairs were unlikely to have been used in the crime.