vanishingevidence

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Monday, 28th April 1913 - Apprehended as the Maiden’s Murderer [JOHN M. GANTT], Atlanta Georgian

Monday, 28th April 1913 - Apprehended as the Maiden’s Murderer [JOHN M. GANTT], Atlanta Georgian chronicles the arrest of J. M. Gantt, ex-bookkeeper at the National Pencil Company, implicated in the murder of 14-year-old Mary Phagan, found strangled on April 26, 1913, in the factory basement. Detained in Marietta, Gantt insisted to a Georgian reporter he was innocent, stating he was home at 284 East Linden Street after a parade, ball game, shoe collection with Leo Frank and Newt Lee, and pool with Arthur White and O.G. Bagley until 10:30 p.m. Mrs. F. C. Terrell, his landlady, refuted this, noting his absence for three weeks. Gantt’s description aligned with Edgar L. Sentell’s midnight sighting with Phagan. The Atlanta Georgian outlined the investigation—Lee’s find, Mullinax’s arrest, Skipper’s report of three men with a dazed girl—prompting factory closure and advancing the Leo Frank case, reflecting 1913 Atlanta’s racial and social dynamics.

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Monday, 28th April 1913 - Trio of Youngsters Observed Steering a Faltering Maiden [Unnamed Observers], Atlanta Georgian

Monday, 28th April 1913 - Trio of Youngsters Observed Steering a Faltering Maiden [Unnamed Observers], Atlanta Georgian provides a vital clue in the investigation of 13-year-old Mary Phagan’s murder, her body found strangled on April 26, 1913, at the National Pencil Company. On this Monday, E. S. Skipper of 224 1/2 Peters Street reported to police that at 10 p.m. Saturday, he saw three young, well-dressed men leading a crying, unsteady girl resembling Phagan along Forsyth Street. Skipper described her drug-like dizziness and resistance, overcome by the men’s persistence, and followed them from Pryor Street near Trinity Avenue to Whitehall, then toward Mitchell Street, before departing for Terminal Station, able to identify the trio. Adam Woodward, night watchman at 35 Forsyth Street, heard screams around 11 p.m., corroborating the timeline and abduction theory. Published in the Atlanta Georgian, this account intensified the Leo Frank case’s early phase, reflecting 1913 Atlanta’s racial dynamics.

#crime #evidence #fyp #trending

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Leo Frank 1913 Case: Roan’s Charge, ADL Pardon Conflict, Apr 2025

Leo Frank 1913 Case: Roan’s Charge, ADL Pardon Conflict, Apr 2025 reviews the trial of Leo Frank, a Jewish leader (B’nai B’rith, 1912-1914), accused of Mary Phagan’s murder, with Judge Roan’s August 25, 1913, charge defining murder, malice, and the requirement of proof beyond reasonable doubt. Roan permitted Frank’s character to generate doubt, though not to override evident guilt, with sentencing choices. The 1986 pardon, facilitated by ADL’s Dale Schwartz, drew scrutiny in the Phagan Family Newsletter (April 2025) and Mary Phagan Kean’s 2025 book, refuting Schwartz’s racial epithet attribution to Roan, traced to Frank’s attorneys (Rosser and Arnold). Frank’s use of racial stereotypes against Jim Conley, including a poison plot, is noted. The ADL, founded in 1913 as ADL of B’nai B’rith under Frank, dropped the name post-1986. This 2025 analysis reveals the trial’s racial strategies and the pardon’s contested history.

#usa #marypaghan #crime# trial #evidence

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12-Year-Old Girl Vera Epps Mourns Slain Mary Phagan, Atlanta Georgian, Mon, Apr 28, 1913, Atlanta, GA

12-Year-Old Girl Vera Epps Mourns Slain Mary Phagan, Atlanta Georgian, Mon, Apr 28, 1913, Atlanta, GA portrays the heart-wrenching reaction of 12-year-old Vera Epps, a close friend of murdered 13-year-old Mary Phagan, found strangled on April 26, 1913, at the National Pencil Company. From her home at 246 Fox Street, adjacent to Phagan’s, Vera’s tearful eyes blazed with anger as she told the Atlanta Georgian, “I’d help lynch the man that killed poor Mary,” wishing to “hold the rope” in vengeance. The sight of Phagan’s battered, swollen face, seen at the morgue, left her trembling and nearly hysterical, her young mind grappling with the crime’s horror. She lauded Phagan’s goodness, recalling their daily play and her refusal to engage with men, a detail that fueled local speculation. Vera’s comment, “It’s a heap worse for a white man,” echoed racial biases of 1913 Atlanta. Her memory of carving “M. P.” with Lillian Waignel on Thursday highlighted their bond, now a painful relic. This emotional outburst, reported amid the Leo Frank case’s early stages, reflected a community’s collective mourning and demand for justice.
#crime #evidence #trial #leofrankcase

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10,000 Flock to See Mary Phagan’s Remains, Atlanta Georgian, Mon, Apr 28, 1913, Atlanta, GA, Leo Frank Case

10,000 Flock to See Mary Phagan’s Remains, Atlanta Georgian, Mon, Apr 28, 1913, Atlanta, GA, Leo Frank Case recounts the extraordinary public response to 13-year-old Mary Phagan’s murder, her body found strangled in the National Pencil Company basement. Displayed at Bloomfield’s chapel with rope marks on her throat, she drew 10,000 viewers by Monday morning, a record for Atlanta’s crime history. Crowds formed before daylight, growing to over 1,000 by 8 a.m., with factory girls, laborers, and veiled women joining the line. An old family friend stood vigil for minutes, a poignant moment amid the chaos managed by extra police. The Atlanta Constitution noted 4,000 visitors Sunday and 6,000-7,000 Monday. At 10 a.m., Coroner Donehoo started the inquest, with the jury—Homer C. Ashford, John Miller, J.C. Hood, C.Y. Sheets, Glenn Dewberry, and Clarence Langford—examining the body and crime scene, including the basement and tip plant. Adjourned until Wednesday, the delay fueled speculation in the Leo Frank case, reflecting 1913 Atlanta’s social unrest and racial undertones.