New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1915-08-17
Parents Begin Mourning.

| New York, Aug. 17.-When Ru-
! dolph G. Frank and his wife, parents
| Of Leo M. Frank, learned definitely
| today that their son had been hanged
| near Marietta, Ca, they drew the
! shades at all windows of their home
in Brooklyn and refused to answer
the door bell or telephone.
Neighbors said the Frank family
had begun an eight day period of
mourning, which was customary I'M
der the Jewish religion.
| Early callers at the Frank home
were met by Otto Stern, Franks
| brother in law. He said that Mr.
| Frank and his wife We're asleep and
| had not been told of the kidnap-
| ping of their son. Stern said he
learned of the matter through the
newspapers. Within two hours the
| family had received word that
Franks body had been found hang
ing to a tree.
| A we'll organized party Of armed
| men who came in five autom bikes at
| who came in five automobiles at
| tackled the Georgia state pen1tentiary
here last night, took Leo M Frank,
| serving a life term for the murder of
Mary Phagan at Atlanta, from a dor
| niitory and escaped with him.
For hours after the attack no trace
| Of the automobiles bearing the party
| could be found but at about daylight
newspaper men picked up the trail
at a point on Little River, near Ea-
| tonton Ga. j. K. Jackson a white
| farmer, living near a bridge over
| Little River said that shortly after
midnight he heard several automo-'
biles stop there. Soon afterward he
| W fol md
many shots. He heard eight auto
mobiles leave in the direction of Ea-
| tonton after the firing. A hurried
| search of the vicinity rallied to re-
veal anything that would indicate
! that Frank had met summary ven-
| geance there,
Wire Communication Destroyed.
The armed men arrived in the vi
oinity of the prison farm practically
| unnoticed and proceeded metho dica1-
| ly to it's business All means of wire
| communication from the institution
| to Milledgeville, three miles away,
| were destroyed and all wires, except
! enc telephone line, from Milledgeville
! also were cut.
Five men went to the house Of the
warden, J. T. Smith, awakened him
and made him prisoner. At the same
time a small squad Of men went to
the home of J. M. Burke, superin-
tendent Of the farm. Burke was
| forced to go with them to the gate
| nearest the dormitory where it was
believed Frank was kept. The two
! guards on duty there were or
| dered, while guns were 1eveled on
them, to open the gates.
Hustled Into Auto.
The party then rushed in quickly
got Frank and hurried him to one of
the waiting automobiles. He was
forced down into the car, while a
member of the party is said to have
/ fourished a rope in front Of him.
Without delay those who had been
guarding Warden Smith left him and
Joined the party at the gates. The
automobiles then started off swiftly in
a northerly direction. With only a
limited number of guards at the
prison and wire communication with
Milledgeville interrupted, immediate
pursuit was impossible Some time
elapsed before word could be brought
here and officers started in the direc-
ton taken by the party. None of
these officers reported for several
hours after they left. The first re-
FORT of the route taken came from
neWspapermen who left Macon at
about the same time the officers got
started from Milledgev111e. In the
absence of definite news that Frank
had been lynched, many were in
clined to believe that possibly it was
his friends and not his foes who took
him away and that the display of the
rope and the shooting were parts of
{, plan to cover the real intentions of
the party. Frank was sufficiently re-
| tho l.
inflicted by another prisoner a month
ago, to leave the prison hospital Sun
day and take his place IN the sleep
ing quarters with the other prisoners.
No Comment From Wife.
Mrs. Frank, who had been almost
constantly with her husband since
William Greene attacked him, was in
formed Of last nights developments
| shortly after they occurred. She was
! reported to have maintained her
composure and declined to comment.
Handcuffed Prison Head.
ct was called to the door just as T
was preparing to retire. said Cap
: tain J. M. Burke, superintendent of
| the state prison farm today. when
! passed the threshold two strong
men grabbed me and snapped hand
cuffs on my wrists -Four others
stood guard over me, two with shot
!, | guns and two with heavy pistols.
| demonstrated and they declared it
. was no for me to squirm as they
, | had come for Leo Frank and were
going to get him.
! 81 told them that Frank was not
at my house and they said they knew
!, that, but that they were going to take
| me where they knew Frank was
| quartered I was marched up to the