The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1915-08-18

father and a mother. and whatever we
think of him. they are entitled to have
the body of their son. Men, / appeal
to you for the good name of our coun-
ty. Let all who are in favor of giving
this body over to the undertaken say
aye"
There was a chorus Of ayes"
Now let all who oppose it say No"
said Judge Morris.
The man beside the body, at the
top Of his voice, yelled No
At length the body was cut down
and Judge Morris brought his auto
mobile close to the tree. AS the body
lay on the grass the crowd pressed
close and half dozen men kicked at
the face. Judge Morris and those
who sided with him lifted the corpse
into the tonneau of his automobile.
and then, with Judge Morris at the
wheel, the car broke through the
crowd. AS ne reached the highway
he turned east towards Atlanta In
stead of west towards here. A roar
of disapproval went up from the
crowd. which jumped into the con-
I,veyance which had brought them there
and sped after the Judge.
MORRIS LEADS CHASE,
TAKING BODY TO ATLANTA
| Then followed a chase that has Sell
dom, IL ever, been equaled in weird
ness. In front was Judge Morris, with
! the corpse in the tonneau of his car.
and friend holding the body up
right. Morris was going as fast as he
could go. Behind him was strung out
line of automobiles, wagons. motor
cycles, each going as fast as possible,
stirring up high clouds of dust.
Those in the pursuit, who felt they
were being cheated by the judges &C
ton, were hurting curses at Frank &
body and threats at the judge. Judge
Morris asked newspaper man who
was in his car to drop off and phone
to an Atlanta undertaken to meet him
with a covered wagon.
! The roadway was clutter OF NOV
/ ing. excited humanity. Those with
speedy cars took to the grass along
side of the road. and the wagons and
bicycles were soon distanced. Some
got up in front of the judges car and
stayed there. After about FIVE miles
1.-The line Strengthened out. and wher
1t arrived at the Chattachooche River
five miles from Atlanta, 1t was two
miles long
/ The undertaker's wagon was wait
ing at the river. the corpse was trans.
ferred from the judges car here, and
taken to a secret place In Atlanta,
REVIEW OF BITTERLY
/ CONTESTED CASF
The lynching of Leo Frank was III
elimination of bitter hatred OF TN
young Brooklyn man due to the ma
ture of the crime that had apparent!
been gaining intensity since his arres
on April 20. 1918, three days afte
Mary Phagan, fourteen-year- old girl
had been brutally murdered in tn
basement of the Atlanta factory. wher
, she was employed. and of which Franz
, was the manager. Through all tn
court proceedings this hatred mani
, tested itself, and when Governor Sla
ton commuted Franks sentence o
death TO life imprisonment mol
stormed the Governors home. threat
. ening violence to him and vowing r,a
} Frank should not escape death.
On July IT, within month afte
the communication of sentence, an
while Frank was asleep in the dormi
: tory at the State prison farm. he wa
attacked by William Green, a felloy
prisoner. Green slashed him with
knife and for several days 1t wa
thought Frank would die. He ha
. not entirely recovered from hi
wounds when the mob broke into tn
prison late Monday night and car
: ried him away.
Few murders have aroused tn
widespread interest that showed itsel
, in all the steps leading to the con
, viction of Frank.
JEWS DECLARE TT
, WAS RACE PREJUDICE
: He was q Jew, the president Of tn
: Hebrew Benevolent Order OF B'Na
: BIRTH in Atlanta, and his co-religion
, lists were not slow to urge that tn
! feeling against him was prompted a
much by race hatred as it was by tn
conviction that he was guilty.
1t was on Saturday, April 26, 191:
that Mary Phagan went to the penc
factory TO draw her pay. The mex
: day her mutilated body was found 1
the basement. Two pieces Of pape
lay near the body. They seemed t
NAVE been written by the child to he
/. mother. saying that negro employs
at the factory had thrown her dow
! into the cellar. c. A. CAN'T, white en-
ploye, told the authorities that Franl
had been In the building on the da
, OF the murder. CAN'T and Frank, an,
, Newt Lee, the negro Waterman, VIII
discovered the body, were arrested. i
J few days later Jim Conley, q negr
sweeper, was discovered washin,
blood from shirt. His presence /,
the factory at the time of the murde
was established. and he was arrested
BECAME QUESTION OF
:! FRANK OR CONLEl
1 From that time on II was a auestio,
OF either Frank or Conley. 1t wa
obvious from all the circumstances
that one of them had killed the arr
Coniey told various stories. At ars
ne said he could not write. Then h,
said that he had written one Of IN,
notes found near the girls body. anf
That Frank had written the Other. Fl,
said again that he wrote both note,
at the dictation of Frank Finally h,
said that he had often assisted Franz
In affairs with women at the factory
acting as Waterman
4 On this occasion. he said, Franz
stationed him in pile of packin.
boxes in the factory vestibule. He sal,
he saw the girl 80 to the once q
4 Frank. Then ne heard the footstcp
\ Of man and girl as they left IL.
ONCE. and went toward t.,e metal de-
partment After thatIhe heard the gir
& s ~ S 5z