MRS RACHEL JACOBS FRANK, Sworn In For The State, 71st To Testify

Reading Time: 3 minutes [417 words]

MRS. RACHEL JACOBS FRANK, sworn for the Defendant.

I am the mother of Leo Frank. I live in Brooklyn. I lived in Texas

three years, where Leo was born. Mr. Moses Frank of Atlanta is my

husband's brother. I saw him at Hotel Mc Alpin in New York City on

April 27th and April 28th 1913. The letter that you hand me (Defendant's

Exhibit 42) I saw on Monday, April 28th 1913. It is my son's handwriting.

This sheet (Defendant's Exhibit 43) is a sort of financial sheet. I had

lunch with Mr. Moses Frank at Hotel Mc Alpin on Monday, April 28th 1913.

His wife read this letter to him in my presence and it was handed to me

afterwards. I also saw that sheet (Defendant's Exhibit 43) but I did

not understand it. The handwriting on that envelope (Exhibit for Defendant,

44) is that of my son. The word "Yondiff" in the letter is Hebrew,

meaning "Holiday. "

CROSS EXAMINATION.

The letter was folded exactly as it is now to the best of my recollection, just in that shape. Mr. Frank has no rich relatives in Brooklyn.

That is my son's handwriting (State's Exhibit "K"). It is a photographic

copy. There was another paper included in the envelope which

that letter came in, some price list, but I didn't look at it. It had numbers of pencils and prices on it. That letter was read in Hotel Mc Alpin,

in Mr. Moses Frank's room. As to what relatives Mr. Frank has in

Brooklyn, my brother-in-law, Mr. Bennett, is a clerk at $18 a week. My

son-in-law Mr. Stearns is in the retail cigar business. As to what my

means of support are, we have about $20,000 out at interest, my husband

and I, at six per cent. We own the house we live in. We have a $6,000

mortgage on it. The house is worth about $10,000. My husband is doing

nothing. He is not in good health. Up to a year ago he was a traveling

salesman. These are the only relatives my son has in Brooklyn. Mr.

Moses Frank, my brother-in-law, generally spends a Sunday with us in

Brooklyn, before he sails for Europe. He spends Sunday with us in

Brooklyn and has dinner with us. He was not in Brooklyn on April 26th.

He is supposed to be very wealthy. I don't know how much cash my husband has in bank. A few hundred dollars possibly. My husband is 67

years old. He is broken down from hard work and in very poor health.

He was too unwell to come down here.