The New York Jew Who Was Wrongly Convicted and Lynched

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The New York Jew Who Was Wrongly Convicted and LynchedThe Story of Leo Frank Changed America ForeverElad SimchayoffFollow13 min read·Nov 25, 2020 --

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Leo Frank. Photo: GeorgiaEncyclopedia.orgThe Murder of Mary Phagan It was Confederate Memorial Day and 13-year-old Mary Phagan couldn’t be more excited.

There was a parade scheduled, with a firework display, and Mary was due to meet her friends for the celebration. First, however, she had to pass by the National Pencil Company’s factory and

collect her weekly pay.

Mary Phagan came from a poor family of farmers who moved to Atlanta for financial gain. Like many other teenagers at the time, Phagan too was working for a living. On Saturday, April 26,

1913, she entered the pencil factory to speak to the superintendent, Leo Frank, and receive $1.20 for the two shifts she had that week.

Mary Phagan never left the factory alive. Her murder set off a chain of events destined to change America forever.

Mary Phagan. photo: Kenan Research Center at the Atlanta History Center While working the night shift at the pencil factory, Newt Lee, the night-watchman, found a body of a girl laying in

the basement, partly hidden by the storage shed.