J. N. STARNES Sworn in for the State 192nd Witness to Testify

N. Starnes, 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)

Detective N. Starnes testified that immediately after the discovery of Mary Phagan’s body, he and Detective Campbell inspected the scuttle hole and ladder area in the factory basement and found **no blood spots** there. He detailed the arrest and interrogation of Minola McKnight, the Franks’ cook, stating that he and Campbell detained her to obtain a statement. They placed her in a patrol wagon and did not see her again until the following day, when detectives Craven and Pickett interviewed her at the police station while Starnes and Campbell remained outside. Starnes emphasized that he instructed McKnight to tell only the truth, and her eventual affidavit (implicating Frank in suspicious behavior on the night of the murder) was taken in the presence of Craven, Pickett, Campbell, Albert McKnight (her husband), and her attorney, William Gordon. The statement was read aloud and signed by McKnight in their presence. Starnes denied that Solicitor General Hugh M. Dorsey directly ordered her detention, though Dorsey was informed and did not object.

On cross-examination, Starnes admitted that McKnight was **arrested without a warrant** and had committed no crime; he justified the detention as “reasonable and right” to extract the truth in the murder investigation. He acknowledged that McKnight began screaming only after leaving Dorsey’s office, upon realizing she was being taken to jail. Starnes confirmed that Dorsey told him over the phone that he (Starnes) could release her at his discretion, especially after her attorney intervened. He reiterated that Dorsey played no direct role in her confinement but was kept informed due to his oversight of the case.