what happened during the Leo Frank case
The Leo Frank case was a highly controversial legal saga that took place in the early 20th century, involving the murder of a 13-year-old girl named Mary Phagan in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1913. Leo Frank, a Jewish factory manager, was accused of the crime and subsequently convicted. The case attracted national attention and highlighted various issues, including antisemitism, racial tensions, and the functioning of the American legal system.
Leo Frank was initially found guilty based on circumstantial evidence and the testimony of an African American janitor named Jim Conley, who had a history of criminal activities. Many believe that the prosecution's case was weak, relying on unreliable witnesses and prejudice against Frank due to his Jewish background.
Despite numerous appeals and public outcry from both supporters and opponents of Frank, the Georgia Governor, John M. Slaton, commuted Frank's death sentence to life imprisonment in 1915. This decision sparked outrage among those who believed Frank was guilty and resulted in his transfer to a prison in Milledgeville, Georgia, for his safety.
On August 17, 1915, a mob of 25 men, calling themselves the "Knights of Mary Phagan," stormed the prison where Leo Frank was held, kidnapped him, and hanged him in Marietta, Georgia. The lynching was widely condemned, and it further heightened national and international attention to the case.
The Leo Frank case had significant ramifications in terms of antisemitic sentiment and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan. It also led to the establishment of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) by the Jewish community as a means of combating bigotry and advocating for justice.
In 1986, over seven decades after Frank's unjust conviction, the state of Georgia officially acknowledged its failure to maintain law and order during the case. The Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles posthumously pardoned Leo Frank, acknowledging the injustice he had suffered.