Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1914-12-18
Sentenced To Die

Sentenced 10 Die
ATLANTA, Ga. Dec. 9 Leo M g.
Frank to-day was sentenced for the
third time to die on the gallows for
the mur der of Mary Phagan. killed
in the National Pencil Factory on
April ,26, 1918. Judge Ben Hill set
the execution for Friday, Jan. %,
1914.
There now remain between Frank
and death only Gov. John M.
Slaton and the State Prison Com
mission. Within week it is ex-
pected the Governor will be asked
to grant re, pite, SO that a plea
for clemency may be entered Def IRE
the commission.
The court room was jammed to-
dai- Very few women were pres,
eat. The murmur that greeted
the entrance OF Frank, walking
.lowly with a deputy sheriff on
i'her side, died away as he rose i'll
A yer to Judge Hills question as
to whether he had anything to say
why sentence should not be passed
pom him. ;.
May it please Your Honor, ,
Frank said, "this is momentous
iay-a day of far greater impor-,
ance to the State of George and
the majesty of the law even
han to myself, for under the guise
Of law Your Honor is about to
pronounce words that will condemn
to death an innocent man. Trans
cending In Importance the loss OF
my own life is the indelible stain
md dishonor resting upon the
anne Of this State by reason of its
judicially numbering an innocent
man
1.-The jur,'s verdict of August
rs 1913, finding me guilty OF the
meath of Mary Phagan. did not
then, and does not now, speak the
truth. | declare to Your Honor
and to the world that that verdict
was made in an atmosphtr, seeth-
ing with mob violence and clamor
for my life verdict based or
evidence absolutely false, whicl'
under othe circu rnrtsnces would
not have been given a moments
ere lence.
Your Honor, / deeply sym=
pathize with the parents OF Mary
Phagan, The brute that brought
so n uc'l ri # on them has plunged
me into sorrow and misery un-
speakable, and is about to accom-
plish my undoing.
"But this I know; Nv e1ecu-
item viii mark the edv,nt of a new
era In George, where good name
and stainless honor count for
naught against the word of a vile
criminal; where the testimony of
southern white women of unim-
peachabIe character is branded
as false by the prosecu-
ton and disregarded by the
jury, and the perjured vspprings OF
black brute alone accepted as the
whole truth; where q mob crying
for blood invaded the court room
and became the dominant factor IN
what should have been solemn
judicial trial. Oh, shame, that
these things be true!
Life is very sweet to me: 1t is
not an easy thing to give up the
love of dear ones, of wife and par
ents, of ever loyal friends. Though
this be tfpe, death has no terrors
for me. | go to KY cpd in full
consciousness of innocence, and In
the firm conviction that, as there
is a God in Heaven, my full vlndi-
cation must come some day. With
the dawn of the day there will
come to the people of George a
full realization of this horrible mis-
take "a mistake irretFieVeable-
the execution of an INNOCENT man,
victim Of perjury. prejudice and
passion"
Franks face was paid, but his
manner was, calm and his voice
firm.
Only ONCE was he interrupted.
As he spaks Of 'prejudice and
passion" the crowd fnufmured. A
sharp rap from the gavel and
admonition from deputy sheriffs
scattered thought the room brought
quiet.
When Frank had finished, Judge
Hill pronounced sentences and the
condemned man was taken back to
his cell.