Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-17
BODY HANGS FOR HOURS
BEFORE GREAT CROWDS
Mutilation of Body Urged by Speak
er, But Vote of Spectators
Prevents Course.
CORPSE IS SPIRITED AWAY
Started Toward Atlanta, After Being
Cut Down, Upon the Advice
of Former Superior Court
Judge.

MAKlEl A, "a, August ~
A small but we'll organized mob
took Leo M. Frank from the
state prison farm at Milledgeville
Ga, late last night, brought him
100 miles to almost within sight
OF the former home of Mary
Phagan, the girl he was charged
with killing, and hanged him to a
tree. No shots were fired.
The body, barefooted and
clothed only in prison trousers
and shirt, was found two miles
from Marietta at $3.50 o'clock this
morning. 1t was believed the
lynching occurred at about day
light.
While officers were searching
the country about Milledgeville
early today, local officials viewed
as significant the fact that several
automobiles, we'll loaded, had left
this town in the direction of Mill
edgeville last night. After the re-
turn of some of these machines
today officers started out on
the road which they believed
the automobiles had travelled.
They had gone only two miles
when they saw the body of Frank
not more than $50 yards from the
roadside.
News that the body had been
found spread rapidly in the town
and surrounding country. Within
short time hundreds of persons
crowded the Roswell road on the
trip to view the body.
Mutilation Is Advocated.
The crowd increased rapidly as the
day wore on. BY 10 o'clock many
women and children were seen ming
ling with the men in the woods at the
edge of which the body still hung.
At that hour no effort had been made
to dispose of the body, although
Coroner Booth had been summoned
Sheriff Hicks is not in town.
Franks body was cut down at 1O:15
r. ri h,,f
tacular phase had been added to the
case. A man in the crowd advocated
mutilation of the body.
Newton A. Morris spoke Immediately
after Howell, and pleaded with the
throng to allow an inquest to take
it's proper course.
Vote Is Taken on Course.
AS there was an evident difference OF
opinion a vote was suggested and
taken 1t was overwhelmingly in
favor of allowing the coroner to take
charge of the body. 1t then was cut
down and the two-mile trip to Mar
ietta started.
At the suggestion of Newton A. Nor
ris. who was former superior court
Judge here, the body was taken from
the undertaker's wagon, in which it
was pldceu at tne lyncnlnS scene, anu
put into an automobile on the out
skirts Of the town. The automobile
started toward Atlanta.
Many Go to Cemetery.
Reports that the mob intended lynch
ing the prisoner and placing his body
on the grave of Mary Phagan drew a
large number of persons to the little
cemetery here early today. Many went
out as early as $40 o'clock this morn
ing
At 1880 o'clock there was no evidence
that the plan to take the prisoner was
known in Marietta before 1t was exc
cuted. Efforts to learn if several large
automobiles had left here last night
brought the response from at least one
citizen that he noticed several of the
best automobile drivers in town are
not around this morning."
Search of the underbrush about the
cemetery was made later on the the
ory that Franks body might have
been brought in and deposited there.
Nothing was found.