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Chronicling America is a searchable digital collection of historic newspaper pages through 1963 sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Library of Congress.
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Also, see the Directory of U.S. Newspapers in American Libraries, a searchable index to newspapers published in the United States since 1690, which helps researchers identify what titles exist for a specific place and time, and how to access them.
Convicted of the April 1913 murder of 13-year-old factory worker Mary Phagan in Atlanta, Georgia, Jewish-American businessman Leo Frank appeals his conviction for the next two years. The U.S. Supreme Court eventually rejects Frank's final appeal in April 1915. On August 17, 1915 a mob of men abduct and lynch Leo Frank near Marietta, Georgia. Leo Frank's case energized the press, resulting in nationwide coverage of the trial and Frank's eventual death. Read more about it!
The information in this guide focuses on primary source materials found in the digitized historic newspapers from the digital collection Chronicling America.
The timeline below highlights important dates related to this topic and a section of this guide provides some suggested search strategies for further research in the collection.
| April 26, 1913 | Employed by the National Pencil Company in Atlanta, Georgia, thirteen year-old Mary Phagan walks to the factory to retrieve her paycheck. |
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| April 27, 1913 | Police in Fulton County, Georgia receive report of a dead body, later identified as that of Mary Phagan, in the basement of the factory. |
| April 29, 1913 | Leo Frank is arrested and charged with the murder of Mary Phagan. |
| August 1913 | After a three-week trial, Leo Frank is convicted of the murder of Mary Phagan and is sentenced to be hanged. |
| April 19, 1915 | Following a series of appeals, the Supreme Court rejects Leo Frank's final murder conviction appeal in a 7-2 vote. |
| August 16, 1915 | Residents of Mary Phagan's hometown kidnap Leo Frank from the state prison and lynch him. |
