The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1915-08-19
LEO FRANK
LYNCHED BY
ARMED MOB
MANY THOUGHT THE MOB
FRIENDS INSTEAD OF FOES
MOB CAME IN AUTOS
All Wires Leading From Penitentiary
to MiIledgeville Were Cut and
Warden J. L. Smith Was
Made Prisoner.

Milledgeville, Ca, Aug. ia we'll
organized mob, no larger than could
be accommodated in five automobiles
attacked the Georgia state peniten-
tiary last night, took Leo Frank from
a dormitory and escaped with him.
Trail Is Lost.
Four hours after the attack no
trace of the automobiles bearing the
mob could be found, but at about
daylight a party of newspaper men
picked up the trail at point on Lit
tie river near Eatonton, Ga. j. X.
Jackson, a white farmer, living near
a bridge over Little river, said that
shortly after midnight he heard sew
eral automobiles stop there. Soon
after he said he heard loud talking
and then many shots. Then the au-
tomobiles left in the direction of
Eatonton. A hurried search of the
immediate vicinity failed to reveal
anything that would indicate that
Frank had met summary vengeance
there. The mob arrived in the vi
cinity of the prison farm practically
unnoticed and proceeded methodical-
ly to it's business. First all wires
from the institution to Milledgeville
three miles away, were cut, and all
wires except the telephone line from
Milledgeville also were severed.
Five men then went to the house
on the prison grounds occupied by
Warden J. T. Smith, awakened him
and made him their prisoner. At the
same time a small squad of men went
to the home of j. NJ. Burke, superin-
tendent of the farm.
Guards Intimidated.
Burke was forced to go to the gate
nearest the dormitory, where it was
believed Frank was kept, and the
only two guards on duty were order
ed, while guns were leveled on them,
to open the gates. The mob rushed
in, quickly got Frank, and hurried
him out to one of the automobiles
He was forced doN.l into the car
while member of the mob is said to
have fourished rope in front of him
and then placed it in the automobile
with him.
Without delay those who had been
guarding Warden Smith left him and
Joined the balance of the mob. The
automobiles were started at once in
northerly direction.
With only a limited number of
guards at the prison and wire COM
munication with Milledgeville inter
rupted, immediate pursuit was i'm
possible. Some time elapsed before
word could be brought here and Off
GERS started in the direction taken by
the mob. None of these officers re-
ported for several hours after they
left. The first report Of the route
| IdhCu SdulC IllC lCWOPopCl hiSAi
who left Macon at about the same
time officers got started from Mil
lledgeville.
Thought It Was Frienus.
In the absence of definite news that
Frank had been lynched, many were
inclined to believe that possibly it
was his friends and not his foes that
took him away and that the display
of the rope and the shooting were
parts of plan to cover the real in
tentions of the mob.
Frank had sufficiently recovered
from the wound in his throat, in
ficted by another prisoner month
ago, to leave the prison hospital Sun
day and take his place in the sleeping
quarters with the other prisoners.
Mrs. Frank, who had been almost
constantly with her husband since
William Green attacked him, was in
formed of last nights developments
shortly after they occurred. She was
reported to have maintained her com