Topics in Chronicling America - The Trial and Lynching of Leo Frank

On August 17, 1915 a mob of men abduct and lynch Jewish-American businessman Leo Frank near Marietta, Georgia. Convicted of the April 1913 murder of 13-year-old factory worker Mary Phagan in Atlanta, Georgia, Leo Frank appeals the conviction for the next two years, and the U.S. Supreme Court eventually rejects Frank's final appeal in April 1915. Leo Frank's case energized the press, resulting in nationwide coverage of the trial and Frank's eventual death, and the Frank case is today widely regarded as a flashpoint of anti-Semitism in the United States. Read more about it!

Jump to: Sample Articles

Important Dates:

• April 26, 1913: Employed by the National Pencil Company in Atlanta, Georgia, thirteen year-old Mary Phagan walks to the factory to retrieve her paycheck.
• April 27, 1913: Police in Fulton County, Georgia receive report of a dead body, later identified as that of Mary Phagan, in the basement of the factory.
• April 29, 1913: Leo Frank is arrested and charged with the murder of Mary Phagan.
• August 1913: In a three-week trial, Leo Frank is convicted of the murder of Mary Phagan and is sentenced to be hanged.
• April 19, 1915: Following a series of appeals, the Supreme Court in a 7-2 vote rejects Leo Frank’s final murder conviction appeal.
• August 16, 1915: Residents of Mary Phagan’s hometown kidnap Leo Frank from the state prison and lynch him.

Suggested Search Terms:

• [Try the following terms in combination, proximity, or as phrases using Search Pages in Chronicling America.] Leo Frank, Mary Phagan, Jim Conley, Hugh Dorsey, John Slaton.

Sample Articles from Chronicling America:

• "Frank Guilty of Murder," New-York Tribune (New York, NY)", August 26, 1913, image 1, col. 2.
• "Must Die for Crime," The Mahoning Dispatch (Canfield, Mahoning County, OH), February 20, 1914, image 4, col. 1.
• "Striving to Save Frank's Life," New-York Tribune (New York, NY), April 17, 1914, image 2, col. 6-7.
• "Frank Fights for Life," Evening Public Ledger (Philadelphia, PA), October 26, 1914, Night Extra, page 7, image 7, col. 2.
• "New Trial Denied to Leo M. Frank," New-York Tribune (New York, NY), November 15, 1914, page 12, image 12, col. 3.
• "Leo Frank Loses Again," Evening Public Ledger (Philadelphia, PA), November 23, 1914, Night Extra, image 3, col. 6.
• "Is Leo Frank Guilty?," The Leavenworth Echo (Leavenworth, WA), January 8, 1915, image 2, col. 3.
• "Leo Frank Innocent, Says Detective Burns," Evening Public Ledger (Philadelphia, PA), January 8, 1915, Night Extra, page 7, image 7, col. 3.
• "Leo Frank's Appeal Bond Is Approved," The De Soto County News (Arcadia, FL), January 14, 1915, Second Section, image 14, col. 4.
• "Leo Frank Must Die," University Missourian (Columbia, MO), April 19, 1915, image 1, col. 5.
• "Frank's Plea is Denied by Prison Commission," The Mahoning Dispatch (Canfield, Mahoning County, OH), June 11, 1915, image 6, col. 4.
• Carl Sandburg. "How Hearst Treated the Leo Frank Case," The Day Book (Chicago, IL), July 17, 1915, image 1.
• "Leo M. Frank Dies; Georgia Lynchers Hang Him from Tree," University Missourian (Columbia, MO), August 17, 1915, image 1, col. 6.
• "Leo Frank Lynched by Mob After Swift Ride to Home of Murdered Mary Phagan," Evening Public Ledger (Philadelphia, PA), August 17, 1915, Night Extra, image 1, col. 1.
• "'All Civilized States Should Pity Georgia and Pray for Her,'" Evening Public Ledger (Philadelphia, PA), August 17, 1915, Night Extra, page 2, image 2, col. 3.
• "Leo Frank Hanged by Georgia Mob," The Graham Guardian (Safford, AZ), August 20, 1915, image 1, col. 5-7.