Misplaced Pages

#458541

96-412: On Christmas Eve in 1824, an association was formed to promote the circulation of correct opinions on Religion, Morals, and Education & excluding Sectarian Theology and Party Politics. It was the duty of each member to publish at least once a month in any convenient way some article designed to answer the above object. When at length it disbanded, its religious feature was absorbed and perpetuated by what

192-588: A "virulently racist" characterization of Jim Conley, who was Black. His case spurred the creation of the Anti-Defamation League and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan . In the early 20th century, Atlanta, Georgia's capital city, underwent significant economic and social change. To serve a growing economy based on manufacturing and commerce, many people left the countryside to relocate in Atlanta. Men from

288-467: A blue work shirt; detectives examined it for blood, but determined that it was rust as Conley had claimed, and returned it. Conley was still in police custody two weeks later when he gave his first formal statement. He said that, on the day of the murder, he had been visiting saloons, shooting dice, and drinking. His story was called into question when a witness told detectives that "a black negro ... dressed in dark blue clothing and hat" had been seen in

384-654: A chapter at Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania . The second Chi Phi Fraternity was founded at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on August 21, 1858, by five undergraduate students. The Chi Phi Fraternity of the South was also the second exclusively southern Fraternity established before the Civil War and was very successful in planting six chapters before the outbreak of hostilities and nine afterward, but before

480-681: A counselor, benefactor and organizer of the Witherspoon Street Presbyterian Church and the Second Presbyterian Church, which became known as "Doctor Maclean's Church". Maclean also was involved with the state's prisons. As a member of the New Jersey Prison Association, he conducted weekly services at the state penitentiary in Trenton . After retiring from the university, Maclean's friends bought him

576-494: A different jail, and severed his own relationship with the Georgian . On February 24, 1914, Conley was sentenced to a year in jail for being an accomplice after the fact to Phagan's murder. The Atlanta Constitution broke the story of the murder and was soon in competition with The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Georgian . Forty extra editions came out the day Phagan's murder was reported. The Atlanta Georgian published

672-531: A doctored morgue photo of Phagan, in which her head was shown spliced onto the body of another girl. The papers offered a total of $ 1,800 in reward money for information leading to the apprehension of the murderer. Soon after the murder, Atlanta's mayor criticized the police for their steady release of information to the public. The governor, noting the reaction of the public to press sensationalism soon after Lee's and Frank's arrests, organized ten militia companies in case they were needed to repulse mob action against

768-482: A few days, a shocked state." Different segments of the population focused on different aspects. Atlanta's working class saw Frank as "a defiler of young girls", while the German-Jewish community saw him as "an exemplary man and loyal husband." Albert Lindemann, author of The Jew Accused , opined that "ordinary people" may have had difficulty evaluating the often unreliable information and in "suspend[ing] judgment over

864-505: A house, where he lived during the remainder of his life. In 1877, he wrote a two-volume history of the university entitled History of the College of New Jersey: From Its Origin in 1746 to the Commencement of 1854 . He served as honorary president of the university's Alumni Association and attended an alumni commencement meeting in 1886, just six weeks before his death. Maclean was honored with

960-432: A long period of time" while the case developed. As the press shaped public opinion, much of the public's attention was directed at the police and the prosecution, whom they expected to bring Phagan's killer to justice. The prosecutor, Hugh Dorsey , had recently lost two high-profile murder cases; one state newspaper wrote that "another defeat, and in a case where the feeling was so intense, would have been, in all likelihood,

1056-439: A metal pipe that had been used as a crowbar. Some evidence at the crime scene was improperly handled by the police investigators: a trail in the dirt (from the elevator shaft) along which police believed Phagan had been dragged was trampled; the footprints were never identified. Two notes were found in a pile of rubbish by Phagan's head, and became known as the "murder notes". One said: "he said he wood love me land down play like

SECTION 10

#1732837570459

1152-415: A minstrel or plantation worker. Dorsey's strategy played on prejudices of the white 1900s Georgia observers, i.e., that a black man could not have been intelligent enough to make up a complicated story. The prosecution argued that Conley's statement explaining the immediate aftermath of the murder was true, that Frank was the murderer, and that Frank had dictated the murder notes to Conley in an effort to pin

1248-540: A number of factory girls, who testified that they had never seen Frank flirting with or touching the girls and that they considered him to be of good character. In the prosecution's rebuttal, Dorsey called "a steady parade of former factory workers" to ask them the question, "Do you know Mr. Frank's character for lasciviousness?" The answers were usually "bad". The prosecution realized early on that issues relating to time would be an essential part of its case. At trial, each side presented witnesses to support their version of

1344-407: A pardon in recognition of the state's failures—including to protect Frank and preserve his opportunity to appeal—but took no stance on Frank's guilt or innocence. The case has inspired books, movies, a play, a musical, and a TV miniseries. The African American press condemned the lynching, but many African Americans also opposed Frank and his supporters over what historian Nancy MacLean described as

1440-637: A position with the National Pencil Company, a manufacturing plant in which Moses was a major shareholder. Frank accepted the position, and traveled to Germany to study pencil manufacturing at the Eberhard Faber pencil factory. After a nine-month apprenticeship, Frank returned to the United States and began working at the National Pencil Company in August 1908. Frank became superintendent of the factory

1536-445: A strip from her petticoat had been torn off and wrapped around her neck. Her face was blackened and scratched, and her head was bruised and battered. A 7-foot (2.1 m) strip of 1 ⁄ 4 -inch (6.4 mm) wrapping cord was tied into a loop around her neck, buried 1 ⁄ 4  in (6.4 mm) deep, showing that she had been strangled. Her underwear was still around her hips, but stained with blood and torn open. Her skin

1632-425: A textile mill. In 1912, after her mother married John William Coleman, the family moved into the city of Atlanta. That spring, Phagan took a job with the National Pencil Company, where she earned ten cents an hour operating a knurling machine that inserted rubber erasers into the metal tips of pencils, and worked 55 hours per week. She worked across the hallway from Leo Frank's office. On April 21, 1913, Phagan

1728-505: A two-volume history of the university. He served as the honorary president of the university's Alumni Association until his death. Maclean Jr. was born in Princeton, New Jersey , as the son of John Maclean Sr., the first professor of chemistry at the College of New Jersey. He attended the College of New Jersey and graduated in 1816 as the youngest member of his class. He then spent the next two years earning his Doctor of Divinity degree from

1824-480: A visit from Phagan, produced Helen Ferguson, a factory worker who first informed Phagan's parents of her death. Ferguson testified that she had tried to get Phagan's pay on Friday from Frank, but was told that Phagan would have to come in person. Both the person behind the pay window and the woman behind Ferguson in the pay line disputed this version of events, testifying that in accordance with his normal practice, Frank did not disburse pay that day. The defense called

1920-517: A white woman. He had also taken an elderly black woman's civil case as far as the Georgia Supreme Court. Although Smith believed Conley had told the truth in his final affidavit, he became concerned that Conley was giving long jailhouse interviews with crowds of reporters. Smith was also anxious about reporters from the Hearst papers, who had taken Frank's side. He arranged for Conley to be moved to

2016-662: Is known now as the 'Philadelphian Society' organized in February 1825, and said to be an offspring of the Nassau Hall Tract Society. The old Chi Phi constitution was discovered in 1854 by some undergraduates who emphasized the social and disregarding the religious purpose reorganized the society into the modern Greek letter fraternity of the same initials. The majority of the religious societies founded in Princeton were less general in their scope but more efficient in their work than

SECTION 20

#1732837570459

2112-493: Is most grateful to me." As president, Maclean witnessed the start of baseball at Princeton, heard the first rendition of the university alma mater , Old Nassau , and voted to make orange among the university's official colors. In 1828, Maclean gave an address, advocating for a public education system in New Jersey . He drew up a plan for a state normal school , local boards of education , and nonsectarian public schools. On

2208-518: Is no prejudice entertained for the individual Jew, but there exists wide-spread and deep seated prejudice against Jews as an entire people." An example of the type of tension that Marx feared occurred in April 1913: at a conference on child labor , some participants blamed the problem, in part, on the fact that many factories were Jewish-owned. Historian Leonard Dinnerstein summarized Atlanta's situation in 1913 as follows: The pathological conditions in

2304-661: The Princeton Theological Seminary . Afterwards, he went back to the university and began as a tutor in Greek . He became a full professor of mathematics at age 23. In 1824, he helped to create the Chi Phi Society, a semi-religious, semi-literary organization, which ceased activity the following year when it merged with the Philadelphian Society. In the late 1820s, Maclean devised a plan to enlarge and improve

2400-538: The 1854 founders; however, they were later discovered and published in the book "Princeton" by V.L. Collins in 1914. The Chi Phi Fraternity founded by Maclean was also short-lived. The group existed sub rosa only until 1859 when it was abandoned completely. However, before the Princeton chapter died off, it was able to successfully establish a second chapter at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1854. The chapter at Franklin and Marshall in turn planted

2496-604: The States of Louisiana and South Carolina, chartered the Theta chapter of the Southern Order at the University of Edinburgh in Edinburgh, Scotland. This chapter is thought to be the first international and only European chapter of an American college fraternity. Except for a brief period in 1911, three Chi Phis ( Joseph Mackey Brown , John Marshall Slaton , and Nathaniel E. Harris ) held

2592-562: The University of Richmond in 1901. This group went on to found the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. During the subsequent 53-year period, Sigma Phi Epsilon chartered over 140 chapters, while Chi Phi only chartered fourteen. A man named Jerry Reid, who returned to college in a new major at the age of 68 and subsequently pledged Chi Phi, is possibly the oldest new member ever thus far to join a college fraternity. The Chi Phi chapter at Cornell

2688-535: The baffling mystery ...". Lee and Frank were both ordered to be detained. In May, the detective William J. Burns traveled to Atlanta to offer further assistance in the case. However, his Burns Agency withdrew from the case later that month. C. W. Tobie, a detective from the Chicago affiliate who was assigned to the case, said that the agency "came down here to investigate a murder case, not to engage in petty politic[s]." The agency quickly became disillusioned with

2784-469: The basement via the elevator, then returned to Frank's office where the murder notes were dictated. Conley then hid in the wardrobe after the two had returned to the office. He said Frank gave him $ 200, but took it back, saying, "Let me have that and I will make it all right with you Monday if I live and nothing happens." Conley's affidavit concluded, "The reason I have not told this before is I thought Mr. Frank would get out and help me out and I decided to tell

2880-506: The case and prove his innocence. The Pinkerton detectives would investigate many leads, ranging from crime scene evidence to allegations of sexual misconduct on the part of Frank. The Pinkertons were required to submit duplicates of all evidence to the police, including any that hurt Frank's case. Unbeknownst to Frank, however, was Scott's close ties with the police, particularly his best friend, detective John Black, who believed in Frank's guilt from

2976-558: The city menaced the home, the state, the schools, the churches, and, in the words of a contemporary Southern sociologist, the 'wholesome industrial life.' The institutions of the city were obviously unfit to handle urban problems. Against this background, the murder of a young girl in 1913 triggered a violent reaction of mass aggression, hysteria, and prejudice. Leo Max Frank was born in Cuero, Texas on April 17, 1884, to Rudolph Frank and Rachel "Rae" Jacobs. The family moved to Brooklyn when Leo

Chi Phi - Misplaced Pages Continue

3072-554: The city's German Jews, who were integrated, and Russian Jews who had recently immigrated. Marx said the new Russian Jews were "barbaric and ignorant" and believed their presence would create new antisemitic attitudes and a situation which made possible Frank's guilty verdict. Despite their success, many Jews recognized themselves as different from the Gentile majority and were uncomfortable with their image. Despite his own acceptance by Gentiles , Marx believed that "in isolated instances there

3168-407: The city's Jewish community and was elected president of the Atlanta chapter of the B'nai B'rith , a Jewish fraternal organization, in 1912. At that time, there were growing concerns regarding child labor at factories. One of these children was Mary Phagan, who worked at the National Pencil Company where Frank was director. The girl was strangled on April 26, 1913, and found dead in the factory's cellar

3264-544: The conviction a travesty. Within Georgia, this outside criticism fueled antisemitism and hatred toward Frank. On August 16, 1915, he was kidnapped from prison by a group of armed men, and lynched at Marietta , Mary Phagan's hometown, the next morning. The new governor vowed to punish the lynchers, who included prominent Marietta citizens, but nobody was charged. In 1986, the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles issued

3360-411: The crime on Newt Lee, the night watchman. To support their theory that the murder occurred on the factory's second floor in the machine room near Frank's office, the prosecution presented witnesses who testified to bloodstains and strands of hair found on the lathe. The defense denied that the murder occurred on the second floor. Both sides contested the significance of physical evidence that suggested

3456-522: The crime. Gradually, the police became convinced that these were not the culprits. By Monday, the police had theorized that the murder occurred on the second floor (the same as Frank's office) based on hair found on a lathe and what appeared to be blood on the ground of the second floor. Just after 4 am on Sunday, April 27 after the discovery of Phagan's body, both Newt Lee and the police unsuccessfully tried to telephone Frank. The police contacted him later that morning and he agreed to accompany them to

3552-617: The crowds as factors in intimidation of the witnesses and jury. Both legal teams, in planning their trial strategy, considered the implications of trying a white man based on the testimony of a black man in front of an early 1900s Georgia jury. Jeffrey Melnick, author of Black-Jewish Relations on Trial: Leo Frank and Jim Conley in the New South , writes that the defense tried to picture Conley as "a new kind of African American – anarchic, degraded, and dangerous." Dorsey, however, pictured Conley as "a familiar type" of "old negro", like

3648-430: The day of the murder, Conley said he saw Phagan go upstairs, from where he heard a scream coming shortly after. He then said he dozed off; when he woke up, Frank called him upstairs and showed him Phagan's body, admitting that he had hurt her. Conley repeated statements from his affidavits that he and Frank took Phagan's body to the basement via the elevator, before returning in the elevator to the office where Frank dictated

3744-571: The defense, it would have taken at least thirty minutes to murder Phagan, take the body to the basement, return to the office, and write the murder notes. By the defense's calculations, Frank's time was fully accounted for from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., except for eighteen minutes between 12:02 and 12:20. Hattie Hall, a stenographer, said at trial that Frank had specifically requested that she come in that Saturday and that Frank had been working in his office from 11:00 to nearly noon. The prosecution labeled Quinn's testimony as "a fraud" and reminded

3840-429: The end of Mr. Dorsey, as solicitor." On May 23, 1913, a grand jury convened to hear evidence for an indictment against Frank for the murder of Phagan. The prosecutor, Hugh Dorsey, presented only enough information to obtain the indictment, assuring the jury that additional information would be provided during the trial. The next day, May 24, the jury voted for an indictment. Meanwhile, Frank's legal team suggested to

3936-758: The end of the Civil War, on March 27, 1874, the North and South orders officially formed a united organization known as the Chi Phi Fraternity. At the meeting, three members from each order adopted a constitution and by-laws and established a date for the first convention, which was held in Washington, DC on July 23, 1874. In June 1867, due to the disruption of the American Civil War , a group of Southern students led by Peter Mitchell Wilson, A-A '69, and other students from

Chi Phi - Misplaced Pages Continue

4032-403: The factory. When the police arrived after 7 a.m. without telling the specifics of what happened at the factory, Frank seemed extremely nervous, trembling, and pale; his voice was hoarse, and he was rubbing his hands and asking questions before the police could answer. Frank said he was not familiar with the name Mary Phagan and would need to check his payroll book. The detectives took Frank to

4128-403: The factory. Frank told him to hide in a wardrobe to avoid being seen by two women who were visiting Frank in his office. He said Frank dictated the murder notes for him to write, gave him cigarettes, then told him to leave the factory. Afterward, Conley said he went out drinking and saw a movie. He said he did not learn of the murder until he went to work on Monday. The police were satisfied with

4224-418: The faculty, in hopes of reversing the declining enrollment which had beleaguered the university over the last few years, to the point that university president James Carnahan considered shutting down the institution. Maclean's plan was accepted by the university's trustees in 1829, and he was subsequently named vice president. During his 25 years at that position, Maclean brought in a number of noted scholars to

4320-460: The failure to locate Phagan's purse that other witnesses had testified she carried that day. They were also concerned that Conley did not mention that he was aware a crime had been committed when he wrote the notes, suggesting Frank had simply dictated the notes to Conley arbitrarily. To resolve their doubts, the police attempted on May 28 to arrange a confrontation between Frank and Conley. Frank exercised his right not to meet without his attorney, who

4416-473: The financial support of alumni and beneficiaries to contribute funds for rebuilding. He operated the college on a limited budget for five years and gave up part of his own salary to help rebuild the hall. The university lost a number of students who joined the Union and Confederate armies during the Civil War. Maclean kept the faculty together and managed a complete educational program for the students still attending

4512-432: The floor. The defense argued that Conley was the murderer and that Newt Lee helped Conley write the two murder notes. The defense brought many witnesses to support Frank's account of his movements, which indicated he did not have enough time to commit the crime. The defense, to support their theory that Conley murdered Phagan in a robbery, focused on Phagan's missing purse. Conley claimed in court that he saw Frank place

4608-540: The focus of social, regional, political, and racial concerns, particularly regarding antisemitism . Modern researchers generally agree that Frank was wrongly convicted. Born to a Jewish-American family in Texas , Frank was raised in New York and earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University before moving to Atlanta in 1908. Marrying Lucille Selig (who became Lucille Frank) in 1910, he involved himself with

4704-460: The following month, earning $ 180 per month plus a portion of the factory's profits. Frank was introduced to Lucille Selig shortly after he arrived in Atlanta. She came from a prominent, upper-middle class Jewish family of industrialists who, two generations earlier, had founded the first synagogue in Atlanta. They married in November 1910. Frank described his married life as happy. In 1912, Frank

4800-433: The institution, such as Joseph Henry , Arnold Henry Guyot , John Torrey , Stephen Alexander and Albert B. Dod. Maclean also shifted his professorship from mathematics to ancient languages until 1854, when he succeeded James Carnahan as the tenth president of the university. During his 14-year tenure as president, Maclean led the university through some difficult times. In 1855, after Nassau Hall burned down, he sought

4896-411: The jury that early in the police investigation Frank had not mentioned Quinn. Newt Lee, the night watchman, arrived at work shortly before 4:00 and Frank, who was normally calm, came bustling out of his office. Frank told Lee that he had not yet finished his own work and asked Lee to return at 6:00. Newt Lee noticed that Frank was very agitated and asked if he could sleep in the packing room, but Frank

SECTION 50

#1732837570459

4992-515: The lobby of the factory on the day of the murder. Further investigation determined that Conley could read and write, and there were similarities in his spelling with that found on the murder notes. On May 24, he admitted he had written the notes, swearing that Frank had called him to his office the day before the murder and told him to write them. After testing Conley again on his spelling – he spelled "night watchman" as "night witch" – the police were convinced he had written

5088-443: The many societal implications of the case, most notably the notion that Frank was able to evade prosecution due to his being a rich Jew, buying off the police and paying for private detectives. The prosecution based much of its case on the testimony of Jim Conley, the factory's janitor, who is believed by many historians to be the actual murderer. The police had arrested Conley on May 1 after he had been seen washing red stains out of

5184-491: The media that Jim Conley was the actual killer and put pressure on another grand jury to indict him. The jury foreman, on his own authority, convened the jury on July 21; on Dorsey's advice, they decided not to indict Conley. On July 28, the trial began at the Fulton County Superior Court (old city hall building). The judge, Leonard S. Roan, had been serving as a judge in Georgia since 1900. The prosecution team

5280-532: The merger with the Northern Order. All but the UNC chapter suspended operations as a result of the Civil War. The founders of the Southern Order were: On November 14, 1860, the third independent fraternity to be named Chi Phi was founded at Hobart College, Geneva by twelve men who took the initiatory oath and received a badge. The twelve men later became known throughout Chi Phi as the "Twelve Apostles". The fraternity

5376-427: The morgue to see Phagan's body and then to the factory, where Frank viewed the crime scene and walked the police through the entire building. Frank returned home about 10:45 a.m. At this point, Frank was not considered a suspect. On Monday, April 28, Frank, accompanied by his attorney, Luther Rosser, gave a written deposition to the police that provided a brief timeline of his activities on Saturday. He said Phagan

5472-467: The murder notes. Conley was cross-examined by the defense for 16 hours over three days, but the defense failed to break his story. The defense then moved to have Conley's entire testimony concerning the alleged rendezvous stricken from the record. Judge Roan noted that an early objection might have been upheld, but since the jury could not forget what it had heard, he allowed the evidence to stand. The prosecution, to support Frank's alleged expectation of

5568-608: The naming of university's Maclean House, which has served as the office of the Alumni Council since 1968. Leo Frank Leo Max Frank (April 17, 1884 – August 17, 1915) was an American lynching victim convicted in 1913 of the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan, an employee in a factory in Atlanta , Georgia where he was the superintendent. Frank's trial, conviction, and unsuccessful appeals attracted national attention. His kidnapping from prison and lynching became

5664-469: The new story, and both The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Georgian gave the story front-page coverage. Three officials of the pencil company were not convinced and said so to the Journal . They contended that Conley had followed another employee into the building, intending to rob her, but found Phagan was an easier target. The police placed little credence in the officials' theory, but had no explanation for

5760-483: The next morning. Two notes, made to look as if she had written them, were found beside her body. Based on the mention of a "night witch", they implicated the night watchman, Newt Lee. Over the course of their investigations, the police arrested several men, including Lee, Frank, and Jim Conley, a janitor at the factory. On May 24, 1913, Frank was indicted on a charge of murder and the case opened at Fulton County Superior Court, on July 28. The prosecution relied heavily on

5856-464: The night witch did it but that long tall black negro did boy his slef." The other said, "mam that negro hire down here did this i went to make water and he push me down that hole a long tall negro black that hoo it wase long sleam tall negro i write while play with me." The phrase "night witch" was thought to mean "night watch[man]"; when the notes were initially read aloud, Lee, who was black, said: "Boss, it looks like they are trying to lay it on me." Lee

SECTION 60

#1732837570459

5952-407: The notes. They were skeptical about the rest of his story, not only because it implied premeditation by Frank, but also because it suggested that Frank had confessed to Conley and involved him. In a new affidavit (his second affidavit and third statement), Conley admitted he had lied about his Friday meeting with Frank. He said he had met Frank on the street on Saturday, and was told to follow him to

6048-465: The office of governor in the State of Georgia from 1909 to 1917. Brown was vehemently opposed to Slaton's pardon of Leo Frank in 1915 and since he died in 1932, Brown has been implicated as a conspirator in Frank's lynching. Chi Phi's conservative expansion philosophy that only the old, well-established schools were suitable for a chapter led to the denial of a petition for a charter by a group of students at

6144-480: The old Chi Phi. The founders of the Chi Phi Society were: Records of the original Chi Phi Society were discovered in 1854 by John Maclean, Jr. of the class of 1858. Maclean found the records in his uncle's (also named John Maclean, Jr. ) paperwork, who happened to be president of the college at that time. Maclean joined with students Charles Smith DeGraw and Gustavus W. Mayer to form a new Chi Phi Fraternity that

6240-416: The outset. On Tuesday, April 29, Black went to Lee's residence at 11 a.m. looking for evidence, and found a blood-smeared shirt at the bottom of a burn barrel . The blood was smeared high up on the armpits and the shirt smelled unused, suggesting to the police that it was a plant. The detectives, suspicious of Frank due to his nervous behavior throughout his interviews, believed that Frank had arranged

6336-407: The place of the murder. Material found around Phagan's neck was shown to be present throughout the factory. The prosecution interpreted the scene in the basement to support Conley's story – that the body was carried there by elevator – while the defense suggested that the drag marks on the floor indicated that Conley carried the body down a ladder and then dragged it across

6432-448: The plant. Frank was subsequently arrested around 11:30 a.m. at the factory. Steve Oney states that "no single development had persuaded ... [the police] that Leo Frank had murdered Mary Phagan. Instead, to the cumulative weight of Sunday's suspicions and Monday's misgivings had been added several last factors that tipped the scale against the superintendent." These factors were the rejection of rumors that Phagan had been seen on

6528-469: The police interpreted it as further implicating Frank. On Wednesday, April 30, a coroner's inquest was held. Frank testified about his activities on Saturday and other witnesses produced corroboration. A young man said that Phagan had complained to him about Frank. Several former employees spoke of Frank flirting with other women; one said she was actually propositioned. The detectives admitted that "they so far had obtained no conclusive evidence or clues in

6624-442: The prisoners. Coverage of the case in the local press continued nearly unabated throughout the investigation, trial, and subsequent appeal process. Newspaper reports throughout the period combined real evidence, unsubstantiated rumors, and journalistic speculation. Dinnerstein wrote, "Characterized by innuendo, misrepresentation, and distortion, the yellow journalism account of Mary Phagan's death aroused an anxious city, and within

6720-503: The purse in his office safe, although he denied having seen the purse before the trial. Another witness testified that, on the Monday after the murder, the safe was open and there was no purse in it. The significance of Phagan's torn pay envelope was disputed by both sides. The prosecution focused on Frank's alleged sexual behavior. They alleged that Frank, with Conley's assistance, regularly met with women in his office for sexual relations. On

6816-455: The sense that he was different. Mary Phagan was born on June 1, 1899, into a Georgia family of tenant farmers. Her father died before she was born. Shortly after Mary's birth, her mother, Frances Phagan, moved the family back to their hometown of Marietta, Georgia . During or after 1907, they again relocated to East Point, Georgia , in southwest Atlanta, where Frances opened a boarding house. Phagan left school at age 10 to work part-time in

6912-491: The son of the first professor of chemistry at the College of New Jersey, grew up in Princeton, New Jersey . He attended the College and later Princeton Theological Seminary . At age 23, he became full professor of mathematics at the university. Six years later, he became university vice president. He was responsible for bringing a number of renown scholars and academics to the college. During this time, he also left mathematics and became professor of ancient languages . Maclean

7008-529: The streets, making Frank the last person to admit seeing Phagan; the dropped charges against two suspects; Frank's meeting with the Pinkertons; and a "shifting view of Newt Lee's role in the affair." The police were convinced Lee was involved as Frank's accomplice and that Frank was trying to implicate him. To bolster their case, the police staged a confrontation between Lee and Frank while both were still in custody; there were conflicting accounts of this meeting, but

7104-405: The subject of religion and public education, Maclean stated: There should be in no case the least interference with the rights of conscience, and no scholar should be required to attend to any lesson relating to morals or religion, to which his parents may be opposed. The state legislature soon afterwards adopted his public education plan. Maclean also took interest in local churches. He served as

7200-678: The testimony of Conley, who described himself as an accomplice in the aftermath of the murder, and who the defense at the trial argued was, in fact, the perpetrator of the murder. A guilty verdict was announced on August 25. Frank and his lawyers made a series of unsuccessful appeals; their final appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States failed in April 1915. Considering arguments from both sides as well as evidence not available at trial, Governor John M. Slaton commuted Frank's sentence from capital punishment to life imprisonment. The case attracted national press attention and many reporters deemed

7296-502: The time card with police on Sunday. At Rosser's insistence, Frank exposed his body to demonstrate that he had no cuts or injuries and the police found no blood on the suit that Frank said he had worn on Saturday. The police found no blood stains on the laundry at Frank's house. Frank then met with N. V. Darley, his assistant, and Harry Scott of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency , whom Frank hired to investigate

7392-514: The time she had not yet arrived. Lemmie Quinn, foreman of the metal room, testified that he spoke briefly with Frank in his office at 12:20. Frank had not mentioned Quinn when the police first interviewed him about his whereabouts at noontime on April 26. Frank had said at the coroner's inquest that Quinn arrived less than ten minutes after Phagan had left his office, and during the murder trial said Quinn arrived hardly five minutes after Phagan left. According to Conley and several experts called by

7488-434: The timeline for the hours before and after the murder. The starting point was the time of death; the prosecution, relying on the analysis of stomach contents by their expert witness, argued that Phagan died between 12:00 and 12:15 p.m. A prosecution witness, Monteen Stover, said she had gone into the office to get her paycheck, waiting there from 12:05 to 12:10, and did not see Frank in his office. The prosecution's theory

7584-403: The traditional rural society felt it degrading that women were moving to the city to work in factories. During this era, Atlanta's rabbis and Jewish community leaders helped to resolve animosity toward Jews. In the half-century from 1895, David Marx was a prominent figure in the city. In order to aid assimilation, Marx's Reform temple adopted Americanized appearances. Friction developed between

7680-443: The trial, the prosecution alleged bribery and witness tampering attempts by the Frank legal team. Meanwhile, the defense requested a mistrial because it believed the jurors had been intimidated by the people inside and outside the courtroom, but the motion was denied. Fearing for the safety of Frank and his lawyers in case of an acquittal , Roan and the defense agreed that neither Frank nor his defense attorneys would be present when

7776-410: The university. During the war Maclean, as voted by the board of trustees, conveyed an honorary Doctor of Laws degree to President Abraham Lincoln . Lincoln accepted, and wrote to Maclean that "[t]he assurance conveyed by this high compliment that the course of the government which I represent has received the approval of a body of gentlemen of such character and intelligence in this time of public trial

7872-415: The whole truth about this matter." At trial, Conley changed his story concerning the $ 200. He said Frank decided to withhold the money until Conley had burned Phagan's body in the basement furnace. The Georgian hired William Manning Smith to represent Conley for $ 40. Smith was known for specializing in representing black clients, and had successfully defended a black man against an accusation of rape by

7968-405: Was arrested that morning based on these notes and his apparent familiarity with the body – he stated that the girl was white, when the police, because of the filth and darkness in the basement, initially thought she was black. A trail leading back to the elevator suggested to police that the body had been moved by Lee. In addition to Lee, the police arrested a friend of Phagan's for

8064-408: Was based on some records of the original society but also with many characteristics that differed from the original society. While the Chi Phi Fraternity of today was founded in 1854, the members place great emphasis on the 1824 date because of many aspects that were carried over from the original records discovered in 1854. The names of the founders of the original society of 1824 were not even known to

8160-417: Was covered with ashes and dirt from the floor, initially making it appear to first responding officers that she and her assailant had struggled in the basement. A service ramp at the rear of the basement led to a sliding door that opened into an alley; the police found the door had been tampered with so it could be opened without unlocking it. Later examination found bloody fingerprints on the door, as well as

8256-614: Was elected president of the Atlanta chapter of the B'nai B'rith , a Jewish fraternal organization. The Jewish community in Atlanta was the largest in the Southern United States , and the Franks belonged to a cultured and philanthropic community whose leisure pursuits included opera and bridge. Although the Southern United States was not specifically known for its antisemitism, Frank's northern culture and Jewish faith added to

8352-401: Was in his office between 12:05 and 12:10 p.m., that Lee had arrived at 4 p.m. but was asked to return later, and that Frank had a confrontation with ex-employee James Gantt at 6 p.m. as Frank was leaving and Lee was arriving. Frank explained that Lee's time card for Sunday morning had several gaps (Lee was supposed to punch in every half-hour) that Frank had missed when he discussed

8448-576: Was insistent that Lee leave the building and told Lee to go out and have a good time in town before coming back. When Lee returned at 6:00, James Gantt had also arrived. Lee told police that Gantt, a former employee who had been fired by Frank after $ 2 was found missing from the cash box, wanted to look for two pairs of shoes he had left at the factory. Frank allowed Gantt in, although Lee said that Frank appeared to be upset by Gantt's appearance. Frank arrived home at 6:25; at 7:00, he called Lee to determine if everything had gone all right with Gantt. During

8544-409: Was laid off due to a materials shortage. Around noon on April 26, she went to the factory to claim her pay. The next day, shortly before 3:00 a.m., the factory's night watchman, Newt Lee, went to the factory basement to use the toilet. After leaving the toilet, Lee discovered Phagan's body in the rear of the basement near an incinerator and called the police. Her dress was up around her waist and

8640-445: Was led by Dorsey and included William Smith (Conley's attorney and Dorsey's jury consultant). Frank was represented by a team of eight lawyers – including jury selection specialists – led by Luther Rosser, Reuben Arnold, and Herbert Haas. In addition to the hundreds of spectators inside, a large crowd gathered outside to watch the trial through the windows. The defense, in their legal appeals, would later cite

8736-588: Was officially known as the "Secret Order of Chi Phi" and the first chapter would be called the Upsilon chapter . The Secret Order of Chi Phi at Hobart planted four additional chapters, and then in 1865, negotiations began regarding a merger with the Princeton Order. Negotiations were completed on May 29, 1867, and chapters from both groups united as the Northern Order. The founders of the Secret Order were: Following

8832-423: Was one of the chief architects of the state's public education system. His plan for a state normal school , local boards of education and nonsectarian public schools was adopted by the state legislature . He became president of the College of New Jersey in 1854. He led the university through the 1855 burning of Nassau Hall and the American Civil War . After retiring from his post after 14 years in office, he wrote

8928-466: Was out of town. The police were quoted in The Atlanta Constitution saying that this refusal was an indication of Frank's guilt, and the meeting never took place. On May 29, Conley was interviewed for four hours. His new affidavit said that Frank told him, "he had picked up a girl back there and let her fall and that her head hit against something." Conley said he and Frank took the body to

9024-404: Was suspended after an individual reported an incident of being drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple assailants on October 25, 2024. John Maclean, Jr. John Maclean Jr. , D.D. (March 3, 1800 – August 10, 1886) was an American Presbyterian clergyman and educator who served as the tenth President of Princeton University , then known as the College of New Jersey. Maclean,

9120-488: Was that Stover did not see Frank because he was at that time murdering Phagan in the metal room. Stover's account did not match Frank's initial account that he had not left the office between noon and 12:30. Other testimony indicated that Phagan exited the trolley (or tram) between 12:07 and 12:10. From the stop it was a two- to four-minute walk, suggesting that Stover arrived first, making her testimony and its implications irrelevant: Frank could not be killing Phagan because at

9216-422: Was three months old. He attended New York City public schools and graduated from Pratt Institute in 1902. He then attended Cornell University , where he studied mechanical engineering. After graduating in 1906, he worked briefly as a draftsman and as a testing engineer. At the invitation of his uncle Moses Frank, Leo traveled to Atlanta for two weeks in late October 1907, to meet a delegation of investors for

#458541