Author Archives: Chief Curator

Audio Book – The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man, part 6

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Testimony indicated that Leo M. Frank, shown, led a secret sexual life at the factory where he supervised dozens of teenage girls.

by Philip St. Raymond
for The American Mercury

PARTISANS OF Leo Frank have often tried to discredit Jim Conley’s testimony by pointing out that his account of the visit of Corinthia Hall and Emma Clark to the pencil factory where the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan took place was off by more than an hour. But these Frank partisans fail to note that Conley never stated that he saw the two young woman at all — he was merely told that they were there by Leo Frank, who had hustled him into a dark, locked closet after Frank announced the two were coming. Could it be that Frank was making preparations for murdering Conley — the only man on Earth, besides himself, who knew about Mary Phagan’s murder?

In this, the sixth audio segment of this ground-breaking work originally published by the Nation of Islam — part of their series called The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews — we hear the words of James Conley, and also the testimony of the many girls and women who were witnesses to Frank’s sexual behavior.

 

Leo Frank’s lead attorney, the famous Luther Z. Rosser, known for his ferocious cross-examinations, could not break James Conley and his story of a panicked Leo Frank employing him to move Mary Phagan’s body and write the deceptive “death notes” — and, in attempting to break him, actually succeeded in eliciting far more information injurious to Frank, such as details about his illicit sexual escapades with young girls — than even the police and the Pinkertons had uncovered.

This new audio book, based on the Nation of Islam’s The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man, the best investigative effort made on the Leo Frank case in the last 100 years, will take you on a trip into the past — to the greatest American murder mystery of all time; a mystery that will reveal to you the hidden forces that shape our world even today.

To read all the chapters we’ve published so far, simply click on this link.

We at The American Mercury are now proud to present part 6 of our audio version of this very important book, read by Vanessa Neubauer.

Simply press “play” on the player embedded above — or at the end of this article — to hear part 6 of the book.

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Click here to obtain a print or e-book copy of this important work, The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews, Vol. 3; The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man.

For further information on the Nation of Islam Historical Research Group, readers are encouraged to visit their Web site, noirg.org.

 

Audio Book – The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man, part 5

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Jim Conley, who gave history-making testimony in the Leo Frank case

by Philip St. Raymond
for The American Mercury

JIM Conley’s testimony in the Leo Frank case riveted the attention of not only all those present in the courtroom, but the entire state of Georgia and beyond hung on his words as they were reported. Despite being a member of a disparaged minority, Conley’s word was given respectful attention — and ultimately was even believed over the word of Leo Frank, an elite Jewish man considered white by the standards of the American South. This was unprecedented, but it was also inevitable given the detail, plausibility, and unshakable nature of Conley’s evidence. Even the best legal minds in the state, led by Luther Rosser, widely acknowledged to be the toughest cross-examiner in the business, could not discredit the “ignorant” Black man, no matter how hard they tried. (ILLUSTRATION: Jim Conley, who gave history-making testimony in the Leo Frank case)

In this, the fifth audio segment of this truly indispensable work originally published by the Nation of Islam — part of their series called The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews — we hear the words of James Conley as he actually spoke them on the stand as that all-White 1913 jury leaned forward and strained to hear.

And that Black man — a man who admitted helping Leo Frank move Mary Phagan’s body, but who ultimately failed to return and destroy it as Leo Frank wished — set in motion a chain of events that would lead to the solution of the mystery and a verdict of guilty in the case. The detectives, the police, the prosecution, the jury, and the vast majority of the people believed that the well-connected businessman — Leo Frank — was a liar and a murderer; and they believed that the lowly factory sweeper, Jim Conley, was telling the truth.

This new audio book, based on the Nation of Islam’s The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man, the best investigative effort made on the Leo Frank case in the last 100 years, will take you on a trip into the past — to the greatest American murder mystery of all time; a mystery that will reveal to you the hidden forces that shape our world even today.

To read all the chapters we’ve published so far, simply click on this link.

We at The American Mercury are now proud to present part 5 of our audio version of this very important book, read by Vanessa Neubauer.

Simply press “play” on the player embedded above — or at the end of this article — to hear part 5 of the book.

* * *

Click here to obtain a print or e-book copy of this important work, The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews, Vol. 3; The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man.

For further information on the Nation of Islam Historical Research Group, readers are encouraged to visit their Web site, noirg.org.

Audio Book – The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man, part 4

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Jim Conley, center, being led away in custody after his testimony

by Philip St. Raymond
for The American Mercury

WHEN LEO FRANK was first arrested for the murder of Mary Phagan, his and his defense team’s major focus was placing the blame on Newt Lee, the Black night watchman who discovered the murdered girl’s body. They were so eager to avoid any attention being given to another Black man, Jim Conley, the factory sweeper who later was shown to be Frank’s accessory after the fact — that they totally ignored the sighting of Conley by a witness on the day of the murder. This was a most unusual and revealing omission, since the sighting could have been used by the defense early on to place suspicion on Conley, but they deliberately decided not to do that. This lends considerable credence to the prosecution theory, backed up by Conley’s own testimony, that Conley helped Frank move the body.

In this, the fourth audio segment of this excellent book originally published by the Nation of Islam — the best book we have seen on this subject — we also learn how the Frank team, having failed to fix the murder on the watchman, suddenly “discovered” Jim Conley and tried to blame him for the crime.

Leo Frank even attempted to take credit for alerting investigators to the fact that Jim Conley could write (he had been feigning illiteracy to avoid any connection with the “death notes” found by Mary Phagan’s body), though the testimony of all the detectives, even the detectives hired by Frank, was that Frank had nothing to do with that discovery.

This new audio book, based on the Nation of Islam’s The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man, the best investigative effort made on the Leo Frank case in the last 100 years, will take you on a trip into the past — to the greatest American murder mystery of all time; a mystery that will reveal to you the hidden forces that shape our world even today.

To read all the chapters we’ve published so far, simply click on this link.

We at The American Mercury are now proud to present part 4 of our audio version of this very important book, read by Vanessa Neubauer.

Simply press “play” on the player embedded above — or at the end of this article — to hear part 4 of the book.

* * *

Click here to obtain a print or e-book copy of this important work, The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews, Vol. 3; The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man.

For further information on the Nation of Islam Historical Research Group, readers are encouraged to visit their Web site, noirg.org.

Audio Book – The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man, part 3

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Leo M. Frank, center, on his way to the coroner’s inquest

by Philip St. Raymond
for The American Mercury

THE JEWISH Anti-Defamation League (or ADL) — back in the days when they and their allies had a near-monopoly on public discussion of the Leo Frank case — once made the claim that Leo Frank was arrested and indicted and convicted of the murder of Mary Phagan “without evidence.” Listen to this audio book and learn of the vast amount of evidence amassed during four separate investigations into the case — evidence that strongly indicates Frank’s guilt — evidence that convinced the coroner’s jury, the grand jury, the trial jury — and evidence that on appeal was reviewed and found unexceptionable by every possible level of the judicial system, up to and including the Supreme Court of the United States.

In this, the third audio segment of this excellent book originally published by the Nation of Islam — the best we have seen on this subject — we also learn of the very strange behavior of the pro-Frank forces when it came to the factory sweeper, James Conley, who said he was hired by Frank to act as a lookout during Frank’s hoped-for tryst with Mary Phagan — an encounter that ultimately led to her death.

After hearing the evidence, you will never again be able to take seriously the “received narrative” of an innocent Leo Frank, persecuted by vicious “anti-Semites,” which the major media continue to vend to the public.

This new audio book, based on the Nation of Islam’s The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man, the best investigative effort made on the Leo Frank case in the last 100 years, will take you on a trip into the past — to the greatest American murder mystery of all time; a mystery that will reveal to you the hidden forces that shape our world even today.

To read all the chapters we’ve published so far, simply click on this link.

We at The American Mercury are now proud to present part 3 of our audio version of this very important book, read by Vanessa Neubauer.

Simply press “play” on the player embedded above — or at the end of this article — to hear part 3 of the book.

* * *

Click here to obtain a print or e-book copy of this important work, The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews, Vol. 3; The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man.

For further information on the Nation of Islam Historical Research Group, readers are encouraged to visit their Web site, noirg.org.

Audio Book – The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man, part 2

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by Philip St. Raymond
for The American Mercury

LOOK AT THE headline and lead article in the Atlanta Georgian newspaper of April 29, 1913, we have illustrated above. Simply click on the image to see a large and easy-to-read version. “LEE’S GUILT PROVED, Detectives Assert” — “SUSPICION LIFTS FROM FRANK” — “We Have Sufficient Evidence Now to Convict Negro Nightwatchman of Killing Mary Phagan” — “Additional clews furnished by the head of the pencil factory [Leo Frank] were responsible for the closing net around the negro watchman” — “what suspicion had rested on Frank was being rapidly swept away by the damaging evidence against the black man.”

Newt Lee, the nightwatchman of the National Pencil Company was being framed for the murder of Mary Phagan. We know now without the slightest doubt that Lee was innocent. But the pro-Frank forces, even at this early date in the case, were already engaging in the planting of evidence, impersonation of detectives, and other skulduggery in order to pin the crime on an innocent man — and this would not be the last time they would do this.

Just as there is no doubt today that Newt Lee was innocent, there should just as little doubt today that the principal behind this framing attempt was not innocent. The framing of a man who had nothing to do with the murder is not the act of an innocent man.

This new audio book, based on the Nation of Islam’s The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man, the best investigative effort made on the Leo Frank case in the last 100 years, will take you on a trip into the past — to the greatest American murder mystery of all time; a mystery that will reveal to you the hidden forces that shape our world even today.

We at The American Mercury are now proud to present part 2 of our audio version of this very important book, read by Vanessa Neubauer.

Simply press “play” on the player embedded above — or at the end of this article — to hear part 2 of the book.

* * *

Click here to obtain a print or e-book copy of this important work, The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews, Vol. 3; The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man.

For further information on the Nation of Islam Historical Research Group, readers are encouraged to visit their Web site, noirg.org.

* * *

Source: The American Mercury

Now an Audio Book: The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man, part 1

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by Philip St. Raymond
for The American Mercury

THE AMERICAN MERCURY is proud of its decades-long reputation for seeking the truth without fear or favor. As such, we do not flinch when a part of that truth can best be discovered in the words of those whom the Establishment has deemed “radical” or “controversial” or even “evil.” (When the current murderous regime in Washington, or its Hollywood/New York media machine, says someone is “evil,” we immediately start to suspect that there must be something good about that someone.)

So even if the New York Times or the Anti-Defamation League excoriate us for saying so, it still remains true that the Nation of Islam (NOI) Historical Research Group — yes, that Nation of Islam, headed by Louis Farrakhan — has published the very best book we have seen so far on the Leo Frank case. It’s titled The Secret Relationship Between Blacks and Jews, Vol. 3; The Leo Frank Case: The Lynching of a Guilty Man. It’s a collaborative effort, written by the NOI Historical Research Group, and they have assembled a comprehensive digest of all the known facts surrounding the case, detailed excerpts from the press of the time, relevant (and extremely revealing) passages from books and statements by contemporaries and significant figures in the case, and original research and analysis that will leave you breathless with amazement at how the “mainstream” media have lied to you.

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New Audio Book: The American Mercury on Leo Frank – Judge Leonard Roan’s Charge to the Jury

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Judge Leonard Strickland Roan

THIS WEEK we present our final installment of our audio books on the subject of the 1913 trial of Leo M. Frank for the strangling and sex murder of his 13-year-old sweatshop employee, Mary Phagan. Today we hear the words of Judge Leonard Strickland Roan in his charge to the jury, exactly as they were uttered more than a century ago. A few hours later, the jury returned its verdict of guilty.

The Leo Frank case was one of the major factors that led to the founding of the prominent Jewish pressure group, the ADL.

This new audio book series encompasses the American Mercury’s extensive coverage of the 1913 Frank trial. We are presenting the extensive arguments, both for the defense and the prosecution, in order and in full — a monumental, book-length project. Judge Roan’s charge to the jury is the last section of this audio book presentation.

Click on the “play” button to listen to the audio book, read by Vanessa Neubauer.

Here is the text version of Judge Roan’s charge to the jury:

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New Audio Book: The American Mercury on Leo Frank – Dorsey’s Closing Arguments, part 6

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Leo Frank

THIS WEEK we present the sixth and last audio book installment of prosecutor Hugh Dorsey’s closing arguments in the 1913 trial of Leo M. Frank (pictured) for the strangling and sex murder of his 13-year-old sweatshop employee Mary Phagan. In this dramatic conclusion, you hear the words that the jury heard, the words that would lead them, a short time later, to find Leo Frank guilty of murder.

Even more than 100 years later, we are still feeling the repercussions of this case — which led to the founding of the prominent Jewish pressure group, the ADL, and which profoundly influenced the course of Jewish-Gentile relations in the United States.

This new audio book series encompasses the American Mercury’s extensive coverage of the 1913 Frank trial. We are presenting the extensive arguments, both for the defense and the prosecution, in order and in full — a monumental, book-length project. Today’s presentation is the sixth and last section of Hugh Dorsey’s final statement.

Click on the “play” button to listen to the audio book, read by Vanessa Neubauer.

Mr. Dorsey powerfully recounts all the evidence in the case that sustains Jim Conley’s version of events (the Frank forces were, by this time, attempting to frame Conley for the crime):

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New Audio Book: The American Mercury on Leo Frank – Dorsey’s Closing Arguments, part 5

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The jury listens attentively in the Leo Frank trial

THIS WEEK we present the fifth and next-to-last audio book installment of prosecutor Hugh Dorsey’s closing arguments in the 1913 trial of Leo M. Frank for the strangling and sex murder of his 13-year-old sweatshop employee Mary Phagan. Even more than 100 years later, we are still feeling the repercussions of this case — which led to the founding of the prominent Jewish pressure group, the ADL, and which profoundly influenced the course of Jewish-Gentile relations in the United States.

This new audio book series encompasses the American Mercury’s extensive coverage of the 1913 Frank trial. We are presenting the extensive arguments, both for the defense and the prosecution, in order and in full — a monumental, book-length project. Today’s presentation is the fifth section (of six) of Hugh Dorsey’s final statement.

Click on the “play” button to listen to the audio book, read by Vanessa Neubauer.

Mr. Dorsey argues that the proposition of the defense (after they gave up on framing night watchman Newt Lee) that Jim Conley was the real murderer was a preposterous one, and one tainted with the fake “bloody club” that someone among the pro-Frank forces had planted — weeks after the murder — near the place where Conley was keeping watch for Frank on the fatal day:

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New Audio Book: The American Mercury on Leo Frank – Dorsey’s Closing Arguments, part 4

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Lucille Selig and Leo Frank

VANESSA NEUBAUER’S audio book reading from the 1913 Leo Frank case this week is the fourth part of prosecutor Hugh Dorsey’s closing arguments. Leo Max Frank (pictured with his wife Lucille in happier times) was ultimately convicted of murdering his 13-year-old pencil factory employee, Mary Phagan, in a case which set the stage for Jewish-Gentile distrust and recriminations for a century and more afterward. Frank was the president of the Atlanta, Georgia B’nai B’rith and the Frank case was a major factor in the establishment of the Jewish pressure group, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), over 100 years ago.

This new audio book series encompasses the American Mercury’s extensive coverage of the 1913 Frank trial. We are presenting the extensive arguments, both for the defense and the prosecution, in order and in full — a monumental, book-length project. Today’s presentation is the fourth section (of six) of Hugh Dorsey’s final statement.

Click on the “play” button to listen to the audio book, read by Vanessa Neubauer.

Mr. Dorsey argues that there was something strange about the fact that Mrs. Leo Frank didn’t visit her husband in jail for some time after his arrest:

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New Audio Book: The American Mercury on Leo Frank – Dorsey’s Closing Arguments, part 3

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Solicitor Dorsey in his office; a snapshot of the Phagan case prosecutor taken by a Georgian photographer.

THIS WEEK’S audio book presentation on the 1913 Leo Frank case is the third (of six) parts of prosecutor Hugh Dorsey’s closing arguments. His arguments, along with the evidence in this case, were ultimately successful — and Jewish pencil factory superintendent Leo Frank was convicted of murdering 13-year-old Mary Phagan, his sweatshop employee.

Frank was the president of the Atlanta, Georgia B’nai B’rith and the Frank case was a major factor in the establishment of the Jewish “anti-hate” group, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), over 100 years ago.

This new audio book series encompasses the American Mercury’s extensive coverage of the 1913 Frank trial. We are presenting the extensive arguments, both for the defense and the prosecution, in order and in full — a monumental, book-length project. Today’s presentation is the second section (of six) of Hugh Dorsey’s final statement.

Click on the “play” button to listen to the audio book, read by Vanessa Neubauer.

Mr. Dorsey dismisses the defense’s contention that the blood stains found were not Mary Phagan’s blood:

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New Audio Book: The American Mercury on Leo Frank – Dorsey’s Closing Arguments, part 2

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Jim Conley on the witness stand; prosecutor Hugh Dorsey; ladies in the audience

THIS WEEK WE present the second part of the closing arguments of Solicitor Hugh Dorsey (pictured in a  contemporary newspaper illustration), the prosecutor in the 1913 murder trial of Leo Frank for the slaying of his sweatshop employee Mary Phagan. This prosecution has been presented in the major media as a case of “anti-Semitism” — but a reading of the evidence and Dorsey’s closing arguments casts that allegation into the realm of the ridiculous. The Frank case was a major factor in the establishment of the Jewish “anti-hate” group, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), over 100 years ago.

This new audio book series encompasses the American Mercury’s extensive coverage of the 1913 Frank trial. We are presenting the extensive arguments, both for the defense and the prosecution, in order and in full — a monumental, book-length project. Today’s presentation is the second section (of six) of Hugh Dorsey’s final statement.


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New Audio Book: The American Mercury on Leo Frank – Dorsey’s Closing Arguments, part 1

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Hugh M. Dorsey

TODAY WE present the closing arguments of Solicitor Hugh Dorsey (pictured), which were the very last arguments heard by the jury, in the 1913 murder trial of Leo Max Frank for the murder of Mary Phagan. These powerful, successful, and historic arguments span some six hours, and they will be presented here over the next six weeks beginning today. They give the lie to the common media narrative — often the only one presented to students today — that the state had a “weak case” against Frank.

This series encompasses the American Mercury’s coverage of the 1913 trial and conviction of Jewish sex killer Leo Frank — a case which was one of the inspirations for the establishment of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).

We are presenting the extensive arguments, both for the defense and the prosecution, in order and in full — a monumental, book-length project. Today’s presentation is the first section of Hugh Dorsey’s final statement.

Mr. Dorsey states that prejudice against Jews had nothing to do with the prosecution of Frank:

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New Audio Book: The American Mercury on Leo Frank – Rosser’s Closing Arguments, part 2

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Leo Frank posing for Collier’s Weekly. The photo would later become the front cover for the book The Truth About the Frank Case by C.P. Connolly.

THIS WEEK in our audio book series we present part 2, the final part, of the powerful, skillful closing arguments of Luther Z. Rosser for the defense of Leo Frank (pictured) in his trial for the murder of Mary Phagan, read by Vanessa Neubauer. Rosser, possibly the most feared lawyer in Atlanta in his day, was a mouthpiece and “fixer” for the rich and powerful.

This series encompasses the American Mercury’s coverage of the 1913 trial and conviction of Jewish sex killer Leo Frank — a case which was one of the inspirations for the establishment of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). We will be presenting the extensive arguments, both for the defense and the prosecution, in order and in full — a monumental, book-length project. Today we present the concluding arguments of Luther Z. Rosser for the defense.

Mr. Rosser denies in his speech that the pro-Frank forces planted false evidence to implicate the Black night watchman, Newt Lee, in the murder:

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New Audio Book: The American Mercury on Leo Frank – Rosser’s Closing Arguments, part 1

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Luther Rosser

THIS WEEK in our audio book series we present part 1 of the powerful, skillful closing arguments of Luther Z. Rosser (pictured) for the defense of Leo Frank in his trial for the murder of Mary Phagan, read by Vanessa Neubauer. Rosser was respected — and feared — as one of the best attorneys of his generation. He was the “go to” man for the wealthy and powerful in early 20th-century Georgia who found themselves in legal difficulty and needed their troubles “swept away.”

This series encompasses the American Mercury’s coverage of the 1913 trial and conviction of Jewish sex killer Leo Frank — a case which was one of the inspirations for the establishment of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). We will be presenting the extensive arguments, both for the defense and the prosecution, in order and in full — a monumental, book-length project. Today we present the arguments of Luther Z. Rosser for the defense.

Mr. Rosser states in his speech, about the factory girls who testified that Frank had a bad character for lasciviousness:

Well, gentlemen, the older I get the gentler I get and I wouldn’t think or say anything wrong about those misleading little girls who swore Frank was a bad man. I guess they thought they were telling the truth. Well, did Miss Maggie Griffin really think Frank was a vicious man and yet work there three years with him! Don’t you think she heard things against him after the crime was committed and that when she got up here and looked through the heated atmosphere of this trial, she did not see the real truth! And Miss Maggie Griffin, she was there two months. I wonder what she could know about Frank in that time. There was Mrs. Donegan and Miss Johnson and another girl there about two months, and Nellie Potts, who never worked there at all, and Mary Wallace, there three days, and Estelle Wallace, there a week and Carrie Smith, who like Miss Cato, worked there three years. These are the only ones in the hundreds who have worked there since 1908 who will say that Frank has a had character. Why, you could find more people to say that the Bishop of Atlanta, I believe, had a bad character, than have been brought against Frank.

You can follow along with the original text here.

Mr. Rosser also makes light of the claim by the prosecution that Frank’s nervousness on the day after the murder was an indication of guilt:

Now, what else have they put up against this man! They say he was nervous. We admit he was. Black says it, Darley says it, Sig. Montag says it — others say it! The handsome Mr. Darley was nervous and our friend Schiff was nervous. Why not hang them if you’re hanging men for nervousness! Isaac Haas — old man Isaac — openly admits he was nervous. The girls — why don’t you hang them, these sweet little girls in the factory — all of whom were so nervous they couldn’t work on the following day! If you had seen this little child, crushed, mangled, mutilated, with the sawdust crumbled in her eyes and her tongue protruding; staring up from that stinking, smelling basement, you’d have been nervous, too, every mother’s son of you. Gentlemen, I don’t profess to be chicken-hearted. I can see grown men hurt and suffering and I can stand a lot of things without growing hysterical, but I never walked along the street and heard the pitiful cry of a girl or woman without becoming nervous. God grant I will always be so. Frank looked at the mangled form and crushed virginity of Mary Phagan and his nerves fluttered. Hang him! Hang him!

Rosser made no mention, however, of Frank’s extreme nervousness the day before, after the murder had taken place but before the body had been discovered.

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New Audio Book: The American Mercury on Leo Frank – Arnold’s Closing Arguments, part 2

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Reuben Arnold

REUBEN ARNOLD’S closing arguments (part 2) for the defense of Leo Frank — on the charge of murdering his sweatshop employee Mary Phagan — are our presentation this week in our new audio book series, read by Vanessa Neubauer.

This series encompasses the American Mercury’s coverage of the 1913 trial and conviction of Jewish sex killer Leo Frank — a case which was one of the inspirations for the establishment of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). We will be presenting the extensive arguments, both for the defense and the prosecution, in order and in full — a monumental, book-length project. Today we present the second section of the arguments for the defense, the words of one of the most skilled and formidable Georgia attorneys of his time, Mr. Reuben Arnold.

Mr. Arnold states in his speech:

This case has been made up of just two things — prejudice and perjury. I’ve never seen such malice, such personal hatred in all my life, and I don’t think anyone ever has. The crime itself is dreadful, too horrible to talk about, and God grant that the murderer may be found out, and I think he has. I think we can point to Jim Gonley and say there is the man. But, above all, gentlemen, let’s follow the law in this matter. In circumstantial cases you can’t convict a man as long as there’s any other possible theory for the crime of which he is accused, and you can’t find Frank guilty if there’s a chance that Conley is the murderer. The state has nothing on which to base their case but Conley, and we’ve shown Conley a liar. Write your verdict of not guilty and your consciences will give your approval.

You can follow along with the original text here.

Mr. Arnold also makes a case for Frank — had he been guilty — having no need, except pure honesty, for admitting he ever saw Mary Phagan on that fatal day; adding that “hatred against his [Frank’s] race” was the real reason for Frank’s indictment. He also tries his best to convince the jury that Jim Conley was the real murderer, and a “lustful animal” — one of a thousand Black men in Atlanta “who would assault a white woman if they had the chance.”

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New Audio Book: The American Mercury on Leo Frank – Arnold’s Closing Arguments, part 1

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REUBEN ARNOLD’S closing arguments (part 1) for the defense of Leo Frank — on the charge of murdering his sweatshop employee Mary Phagan — are our presentation this week in our new audio book series, read by Vanessa Neubauer.

This series encompasses the American Mercury’s coverage of the 1913 trial and conviction of Jewish sex killer Leo Frank — a case which was one of the inspirations for the establishment of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). We will be presenting the extensive arguments, both for the defense and the prosecution, in order and in full — a monumental, book-length project. Today we present the first section of the arguments for the defense, the words of one of the most skilled and formidable Georgia attorneys of his time, Mr. Reuben Arnold.

Mr. Arnold states in his speech:

I’ll tell you right now, if Frank hadn’t been a Jew there would never have been any prosecution against him.

I’m asking my own people to turn him loose, asking them to do justice to a Jew, and I’m not a Jew, but I would rather die before doing injustice to a Jew. This case has just been built up by degrees; they have a monstrous perjurer here in the form of this Jim Conley against Frank. You know what sort of a man Conley is, and you know that up to the time the murder was committed no one ever heard a word against Frank.

You can follow along with the original text here.

Mr. Arnold also denigrates the character of the witnesses who themselves called into question the character of Leo Frank and his behavior towards some of his women and young girl employees.

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New Audio Book: The American Mercury on Leo Frank – Hooper’s Closing Arguments

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THIS WEEK our new audio book of the American Mercury’s coverage of the 1913 trial and conviction of Jewish sex killer Leo Frank moves into the closing arguments of the attorneys to the jury. We will be presenting these extensive arguments in order and in full — a monumental, book-length project that will add another sixteen weeks to the seven weeks already presented here. The closing arguments begin with the earnest, low-key, yet powerful presentation of prosecutor Hugh Dorsey’s assistant, Frank Arthur Hooper (pictured), who makes his case for Leo Frank’s guilt.

Mr. Hooper states in his speech:

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New Audio Book: The American Mercury on Leo Frank – 100 Reasons Leo Frank Is Guilty

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by Penelope Lee

THIS WEEK, as we are preparing the (very long) audio book version of the Leo Frank defense team and prosecution team closing arguments, the American Mercury is proud to present the new audio book version — never before available in its entirety — of our editor Bradford L. Huie’s 100 Reasons Leo Frank is Guilty, read by Miss Vanessa Neubauer. (ILLUSTRATION: Rare diagram/photograph showing rear of the National Pencil Company building and insets detailing where blood, hair, and body of Mary Phagan were found. Click for a large, high-resolution version.)

As you listen, you can follow along with the text of the original piece.

 

Click on the “play” button to listen to the audio book, read by Vanessa Neubauer.

Be sure to be with us next week as we continue our audio book series of all the best writing from the American Mercury on this, the greatest murder mystery — and trial — of the century.

Click here for a list of all the chapters we’ve published in audio form so far — keep checking back, they will be updated regularly!

Here is a description of the full series which will be posted as audio in future weeks; once all segments have been released, the Mercury will be offering for sale a complete, downloadable audio book of the full series.

1. Introduction

100 Years Ago Today: The Trial of Leo Frank Begins

2. WEEK 1

The Leo Frank Trial: Week One

3. WEEK 2

The Leo Frank Trial: Week Two

4. WEEK 3

The Leo Frank Trial: Week Three

5. Leo Frank mounts the witness stand by Ann Hendon

100 Years Ago Today: Leo Frank Takes the Stand

6. Week 4

The Leo Frank Trial: Week Four

7. Closing arguments of Rosser, Arnold and Hooper

The Leo Frank Trial: Closing Arguments of Hooper, Arnold, and Rosser

8. Closing arguments of Hugh Dorsey

The Leo Frank Trial: Closing Arguments, Solicitor Dorsey

Be sure to look for next week’s installment here at The American Mercury as we continue to follow the trial that changed the South — changed America — and changed the world.

via The American Mercury

New Audio Book: The American Mercury on Leo Frank – Frank’s Trial, Week Four

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The victim, Mary Phagan

TODAY our audio book of the American Mercury’s coverage of the 1913 trial and conviction of Jewish sex killer Leo Frank moves into the fourth exciting week of the trial, in which the defense brought forth young female witnesses who claimed that Frank had never made improper sexual advances toward them, rebutted by the defense with young female witnesses of their own who detailed their personal experiences with Frank’s lascivious behavior toward them and others among his numerous teenage girl employees. You can follow along with us by reading the original piece on which this new audio book is based.

As William Bradford Huie of the Mercury stated:

On the heels of Leo Frank’s astounding unsworn statement to the court, the defense called a number of women who stated that they had never experienced any improper sexual advances on the part of Frank. But the prosecution rebutted that testimony with several rather persuasive female witnesses of its own. These rebuttal witnesses also addressed Frank’s claims that he was so unfamiliar with Mary Phagan that he did not even know her by name.

Also covered were details of the autopsy of Mary Phagan, and the diametrically opposed affidavits made by the Frank family’s servant Minola McKnight — one made in the presence of the police and her lawyer, and another made after she had returned to work for the Franks. (The affidavit of her husband, Albert McKnight, was in substantial agreement with her first affidavit.)

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