The Murder of Little Mary Phagan and Subsequent Beatification of Her Murderer, Leo Frank One of the great American controversies is the conviction of Leo Frank, a New York Jew living in Atlanta, Georgia for the murder of one of his employees, Mary Anne Phagan, a thirteen-year-old girl. Frank was arrested for suspicion the week after the girl’s lifeless body was found in the basement of the factory where she worked and of which Frank was supervisor. His arrest was prompted by his behavior and inconsistencies in his statements. Detectives uncovered evidence of Frank’s guilt and the case was sent to the grand jury of which five members were Jews. He was unanimously indicted. He was tried, convicted and sentenced to hang. His lawyers asked immediately for a new trial, then when that failed they filed a series of appeals all the way up to the US Supreme Court – twice – which ruled against him with two objections. The case became a cause célèbres’ for American Jews, particularly those in the North, who mounted a massive letter-writing campaign and prompted hundreds of newspaper articles claiming he hadn’t received a fair trial because he was a Jew. For two years, Jews waged a campaign to have him exonerated. After Georgia Governor John Slaton, whose law firm represented Frank, commuted his sentence to life imprisonment, he was broke out of prison and hung. Jews have been trying to exonerate Frank ever since.
Okay, so it took me time to get back and forth and through it.
I am bemused by anyone who thinks people aren't people regardless of any other label, and power differentials (like bosses and young women) regularly lead to abuse.
I am back where I was when you first talked about this. They had two black men they could have easily pinned this on in the Deep South in the Jim Crow era, and they went after what amounted to a powerful white man? The evidence had to be overwhelming.
The serial killer angle is interesting. Black and mixed race girls would have been easy prey, but serial killers can get sloppy or overconfident, which Leo Frank might have done with Mary Phanagan.
Mann could have seen Conley carrying Mary's body, but that doesn't mean he killed her, especially as he admitted to helping Frank.
Anyway, a wonderful piece. I'm glad I kept coming back.
I want you to know that someone is reading this because it can be disheartening to put this much effort into something and think no one is reading. I'm just having to do it in spurts.
Okay, so it took me time to get back and forth and through it.
I am bemused by anyone who thinks people aren't people regardless of any other label, and power differentials (like bosses and young women) regularly lead to abuse.
I am back where I was when you first talked about this. They had two black men they could have easily pinned this on in the Deep South in the Jim Crow era, and they went after what amounted to a powerful white man? The evidence had to be overwhelming.
The serial killer angle is interesting. Black and mixed race girls would have been easy prey, but serial killers can get sloppy or overconfident, which Leo Frank might have done with Mary Phanagan.
Mann could have seen Conley carrying Mary's body, but that doesn't mean he killed her, especially as he admitted to helping Frank.
Anyway, a wonderful piece. I'm glad I kept coming back.
I want you to know that someone is reading this because it can be disheartening to put this much effort into something and think no one is reading. I'm just having to do it in spurts.