The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-08-20
THE DEATH OF LEO FRANK
Continued from page -

their proceedings shows that they
were acting, in their own minds, as
such. Grotesque as it may seem else
where, Marietta sees nothing gFotes-
que in the fact that, before hanging
Frank the leader of the band inform
ed the prisoner that the sentence of
the law was now about to be carried
out and asked him formally If he had
anything TO say.
Frank was carried 175 miles in or
der that he might be put to death at
Mary Phagan's former home. This
was done in spite of the fact that
posses were upon 1.-THE track OF the alb
ductors. 1t was not done from any
ferocious motive OF inhicting unneces
sary pain, as is shown by the fact
that Frank was not harmed in any
way before his death, but because ii
seemed to their minds of piece with
the justice they conceived themselv-
es to be executing. The whole affair
was carried out methodically and
with Flooding following out of pre-
arranged details.
The murderers had not only plan
ned the crime for months but had ar
ranged its mechanism scientifically,
and only one of the elements In it
went wrong. That was the plan for
the junction of two parties at Milled
geville at 10 o'clock, the hour for
which the abduction was planned.
That simply postponed the kidnap-
ping until midnight, and resulted in
the hanging OF Frank in broad day
light instead of at little after dawn.
That slight alteration was the only
change made necessary by any hitch
in the arrangements.
Leo Frank died bravely. He did
not beg for his life; indeed, he did
not say anything, except when he
was spoken to, and then he answered
colIcctedly. His abductors had little
to say to him, as was in keeping with
the character they were in their
own eyes-the character OF officers
of justice, sternly and silently execu.
ting sentence already decreed by
regular tribunal.
How this delusion could have set
tied on the whole community may be
hard to understand. But the extent
to which it went may be understood
by the fact that the lynchers would
have with them no men of lawless
character or bad reputation. The law
less and the violent men of Cobb
County, those with celebrity as
such, were not permitted to know
what was going on, and would not
have been permitted to participate.
After the hanging these violent and
lawless elements, furious at having
been ignored, tried to take their ven
geance on the dead body, and Georgia
was saved from an added shame by
the courage and energy of one man.
Judge Newton A. Morris.
This man is the hero Of one of the
most dramatic events in the whole
strange history of the Frank case
The story of the wild scene around
Franks body yesterday has not yet
been fully told. 1t will be told here
Judge Morris is the mau who saw
ed William J. Burns from lynching by
taking him out through a mob bent
upon having his life conveying him
through the midst Of them and escap
ing with him in an automobile. His
motive, then, was no concern Tor
Burns, but deep concern for the good
name OF Georgia, ana the same mo-
tive, no concern for Leo Frank, led
him yesterday to save his State from
the disgrace of j scene of Indian bar !
barity
he men Of substance and standing |
the house-lathers, the educated men |
and church members, who planned |
the death of Leo Frank, had intended |
to carry it out several weeks ago,
There was leak of some kind, no /
one ever knew exactly what. There
VAS no treachery in their ranks, so
far as anybody ever discovered, but
something happened which gave the
authorities a hint, and on the day
planned there were soldiers about the
New plans had to be made, and
Monday was fixed upon as the date.
The conspirators left Marietta at
about o'clock in the afternoon.
They got their automobiles at differ
ent places. They did not go togeth-
err They did not pick each other up
on the road. They were not to meet
or to see each other until they met
at THE rendezvous near the peniten-
tiary.