Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1915-06-25
FRANKS SENTENCE
COMMITTED TO LIFE
CLEMENCY GRANTED PRISONER
CONDEMNED FOR MURDER OF
MARY PHAGAN.
GOVERNOR FEARS VIOLENCE
Georgia Executive Is Threatened by
Mobs Reported Bent on Vengeance
Police Prepared for Violently
Hostile Demonstrations.

Atlanta, Ga, June 23.--With several
hundred men and boys clamOring to
get into the front gates of his country
home on Peachtree road which had
been barricaded with barbed wire en-.
tanglements and threatening to over
power 20 county policemen, armed
with riot guns, Governor Slaton called
lection.
Upon the arrival of four companies
of state guardsmen which had been
held under arms and rushed to the
estate in automobiles, the governor
proclaimed martial law in d district
extending a half a mile In front OF
his home, a half mile back and for a
distance of about a quarter of d mile
on either side.
Throw Stones at Soldiers.
When the soldiers lined up with
fixed bayonets to dispense the crowd,
stones, bricks and bottles were thrown
at them A brick struck Lieutenant
Arnold Parker in the stomach and rem
dered him unconscious for a short
time A bottle thrown at Private ".
w. FoOpe struck his gun and cut his
hand
The commanding officer, Major Ca
tron, was struck by a stone as were
several of the men.
The governor proclaimed martial
law at exactly IL o'clock and by mid
night the crowd had virtually been dis
persed There was no firing.
A telephone message from Milledge-
vile, where the state prison farm is To-
Gated and where Leo NJ. Frank was
taken after Governor Slaton had COM
muted his death sentence to life i'm
prisOnment, said that trouble was
feared there and asked that the gov
ernor order out the Milledgeyille com
pany of militia.
The governor told his informant that
such a request would have to come
from the sheriff of Baldwin county.
At midnight the sheriff had not re-
quested troops.
Atlanta, Ca, June CLEO NJ.
L ICIIh - USdLh SCILCl1IC ldE bGCh boAA'
muted to life Imprisonment by Cover
nor John NJ. Slaton. Announcement
of the governors decision came sew
eral hours after Frank had been Sc
cretly taken from the jail here and
hurried to the state prison farm at
Milledgeville. Frank was sentenced to
be hanged here for the murder Of
Mary Phagan in April, 1913.
First news of the decision appeared
in extra editions of the papers just
after breakfast.
Prepared for Demonstration.
At first the publics attitude was I'M
expectedly calm Officials had pre-.
pared for violently hostile demon.
stration. Surprised, but gratified they
thought for a time that their arrange.
ments had been unnecessary. Later
developments showed their original
guess to have been the correct one
AS the news circulated crowds began
to gather in the street, the police be.
came active at once. Mounted officers
tried to keep the throngs on the move
and postoftice.
Police Chief Beavers ordered 22C
beer saloons and 20 clubs closed, fear
ing drinking might lead to serious vi
olence in connection with the Frank
case
Five Mountaineers Arrested.
Five mountaineers from Marietta
county. where Mary Phagan lived, re.
fused pointblank to move on from
the vicinity of the Grady monument
and were promptly arrested.
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