The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-08-20
THE DEATH OF LEO FRANK
Died BraveIy and Did Not Beg For
His Life.

1
ed by the law il it is to be punished
| in the county where it was commit.
| ted. No jury in Cobb County would
convict the murdefers, no Grand
| Jury would indict them, no official
would undertake to prosecute them
This is not to say that Cobb County
| is terrorized, for it Is not; il is to
| say that the vast majority of it's peo-
| pie, even those who deplore the lynch
| ing as a violation of law, believe that
Frank got no more than his deserts,
and that the mob simply carried out
| the verdict of the law after it had
been arbitrarily set aside by a Gov
ernor who was law partner of
| Franks lawyer.
The word mob does not seem de-
seriptive. although it is correct, for
these men did not display the ordi-
nary characteristics of a mob. There
was no outburst of rage no disorder;
the whole thing was done with order,
method and precision, and with u
military attention To- details. Lynch
ing mobs are usually composed of riff
ral1, with few leaders OF a higher
order; but this one consisted of lead
ing citizens in the community, men
prominent in business and social
circles, and even in church
Liquor played no part in it, as it
does in most lynchings. The lynch
ino had bnan t,1apuoJ for ,,1,,.1,-
and the plans of the conspirators con
templated its carrying out on a night
several weeks ago, but the authorit-
les learned of it in some way and it
in some way and it was postponed I'm
was postponed until last Monday.
These leading citizens are today
taking their leading parts in the
cty's business and social affairs,
with no sign upon them of guilty con
sciences, for they have none. Their
consciences approve them, and what
they hear from their fellow citizens
wherever they so adds to their self
approval, for the city approves them.
They are regarded not merely as
men who can plead Justification. but
as men who prevented miscarriage
Of Justice and saved the law from be-
ing set aside and moeked by man
who happened to fill the Governors
clair There are in Marietta men
who do not approve their act be-
cause Of respect for the forms of
law, but even these believe that the
spirit of it was set at naught by the
Governor, aud not one of these men
who are tew--would think OF refusing
TO shake hands with one of the lynch
ers OF Introducing him to his wife or
revealing his identity to an officer of
tho law al
Elsewhere than in Marietta there
is much of the same sentiment, but
there is division There are, but
outside Of Cobb County, men who
fear the growth of the mob spirit at
ter such Il dramatic and spectacular
exhibition and who would like to
take measures to curb it. Many of
them are in Atlanta. Many even of
these believe Frank guilty and are
concerned not with him but with the
future of the State They are consid
ering the taking of steps to bring
about the punishment of his slayers
for that reason alone, but they do
not know what steps to take
Frank was carried through four
counties by his captors and some of
those who would like TO have them
punished talk of having them indict-
ed in some one of the three that were
trayersed before Cobb County was
reached Lawyers of prominence
say that under Federal law they
could not be indicted anywhere but
in Cobb County for murder; in Bald
win County, whore Frank WAS taken,
they could be indicted for abduction,
but not murder, and in niether of the
remaining two counties could theg be
indicted for anything.
Nobody talks seriously of the in
yestigation Governor Harris is prom
ising, and there are very few who be.
lieye there is the slightest chance of
any of the murderers beng put to
any grave trouble much less punish
ed, They are known to many of the
citizens Of Marietta who would die
rather than reveal their knowledge
or even their suspicion.
Marietta today is in a mood of
blaccd purpose and resolve. Every
stranger who comes into town lis I'M.
der observation the moment he ar
riyes. It's mood is one of determine
ton to protect the men who, in its
eyes. executed the law after it had
been trampled on. 1t is resolved that
not q hair of their heads shall be
harmed Detectives or other persons
who cannot give satisfactory ac-
count of themselves are not wanted
in Marietta, and it would be as well
for them not to insist on knowing
why. Marietta once came within an
ace of lynching Detective William ].
Burns for his visit there in the in.
terest of Frank, and Marietta then
was only angry, Today Marietta is
in a mood of high resolve.
The killing of Leo Frank was car
ried out by these Marietta people
for they were from Marietta--in the
firm belief that they were execution