May 1, 1913: Last person to Leave the Factory Say Frank Showed No Nervousness
After machinist Barrett testified about two men working on the factory's top floor at noon Saturday, Coroner Donehoo sent detectives to fetch them for the inquest. Identified as Harry Denham and J. Arthur White, they were questioned immediately.
Denham took the stand first.
"Did you see blood on the lathing machine?"
"I spotted it Monday. I was on the top floor Saturday, never went down."
"Did you see Frank that day?"
"Yes. Around 1 p.m., he asked if we'd finish by then. He seemed normal—not nervous or agitated. At 3 p.m., he called from the stairs that we could quit. I borrowed $2 from him in his office afterward; he was writing at his desk. No one else around. I knew Mary Phagan by sight but didn't see her."
White's account matched Denham's, with added details:
"My wife visited after noon. Frank told her to leave as he was locking up, then asked if we'd be done soon. We said no, so he locked us in and left—returned at 3:08 p.m. We punched out at 3:10. His office had a wardrobe closet behind the door, big enough for a body, about nine feet high and four feet wide."