The Murder Of Mary Phagan Trivia Quiz

Answer: Atlanta, Georgia

Little Mary Phagan was murdered in Atlanta, Georgia, at a time when hatred against the Jewish faith was at its highest.

Answer: April 26, 1913

Mary Phagan was murdered on April 26, 1913 in the National Pencil Company in Atlanta, Georgia. That day was known as the Confederate holiday. The state was having a parade and Mary Phagan left her house to go get her pay from the factory and then go on to the parade. Sometime after she left her house, Mary was murdered.

Answer: The National Pencil Company

Mary worked at the National Pencil Company for a few months before she was murdered. Her family had moved to Atlanta, Georgia, so they could find better jobs and to give their children a better life. Her father, however, was unable to find employment and it fell to Mary to get a job. Her first and only application was put in at the National Pencil Company.

Answer: Newt Lee

At 3:00 A.M., on Sunday, April 27, 1913, Newt Lee, the night watchman of the factory was on his way to relieve himself when he saw what he thought was a mannequin lying in ashes in front of the furnace. Lee immediately ran upstairs to summon the police.

The police arrived within ten minutes. The police had never seen a body in the condition that Mary's body was in. Who could have done such a horrible act to a little girl?

Answer: Two handwritten notes

Two handwritten notes were found next to the body. They were crudely written and the paper they were written on had come from old ordering pads. The notes said that the "night witch" had murdered Mary. They were made to look like Mary herself had written them. Because of this, and because the police thought "night witch" meant "night watchman," Newt Lee was arrested on suspicion of murder.

However, a few days later he was released when another suspect by the name of Leo Frank was arrested for the murder of Mary Phagan.

Answer: 3

Leo Frank was born in Paris, Texas, on April 17, 1884. A few months after he was born, his parents moved to Brooklyn, New York. Leo had a normal Jewish upbringing. He attended Brooklyn Public Schools, the Pratt Institute, and in 1906 graduated from Cornell University.

At Cornell, he received a Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering. After he graduated from Cornell, his uncle, Moses Frank, asked him to come to Atlanta, Georgia, to help him establish the National Pencil Company. Soon after the completion of the factory, Leo became part owner of the business.

In 1910, Leo married the daughter of a wealthy Jewish family named Lucille Selig. At the time of the murder, Atlanta had a small Jewish community. When news of Leo's arrest reached the Jewish community, they stood behind him and declared him incapable of such an act. Leo was arrested for the murder of Mary even though no evidence and no witnesses were provided to prove he had done it. Leo said he saw Mary on the day of the murder and gave her her wages. Mary arrived at the factory at noon, and Leo told her she looked pretty. That was the extent of the conversation between Leo and Mary. Days later, this little conversation and the time it happened would become crucial in the evidence against Leo. Numerous witness coroborated Leo's whereabouts on the day of the murder. On April 29, 1913, three days after the murder, Leo Frank was arrested.

Answer: Hugh M. Dorsey

Hugh M. Dorsey needed a conviction to keep his political aspirations alive. Dorsey wanted to eventually become the Governor of the state of Georgia. Dorsey actually believed Leo Frank to be guilty, even though there was a man in jail who knew a little too much about the case and who kept changing his story about his own whereabouts on the day of the murder. That man was Jim Conley, he was the factory's janitor. Conley gave three depositions about the case.

The first, on May 24, 1913, said that Leo Frank called him to his office the day before the murder to dictate letters to him. Conley said that during this time, Leo said, "Why should I hang?". Even though at first Conley claimed he couldn't write, when he changed his story about writing the notes, the police believed him and also believed Frank to be guilty. Four days later, Conley said the notes were dictated to him on the day of the murder. Finally, on May 29, the day after the second affidavit, Conley said he helped Leo carry the body of Mary to the basement, its final dumping place.

His story was that Leo called him to his office and told him that a girl fell against the lathe in the machine shop area of the factory, and died. He also said that after Leo convinced him to carry the body to the basement, they returned to Leo's office where the notes were dictated. He also said that Leo gave him $200.00, then took it back and said he'd get it in a few days. Conley was held as a material witness in the police jail until the trial, in virtual isolation from anyone other than the police or Dorsey, and pointedly unavailable to questioning by the defense lawyers.

Answer: Jim Conley

Jim Conley was a short, heavy set, sandy haired African American. He was a 27 year old man who had been arrested for petty thievery and fined for disorderly conduct a number of times. He was also a known liar, and would wiggle his thumbs when he was lying.

Answer: Pinkerton Detective Agency

Leo hired the Pinkerton Detective Agency to investigate the murder. After recognizing the public hatred against Leo, Harry Scott, the chief Pinkerton detective decided to gather evidence against Leo. Scott knew that Pinkerton Detective Agency would be run out of town if Leo Frank was set free.

Answer: True

At the opening of the trial, the prosecutors were determined to prove Leo's guilt circumstantially. They called two expert witnesses who claimed that the blood found on the lathe was Mary's. This was not so because no scientific anaylsis was done on the blood.

Answer: Strands of hair

The prosecution also claimed that strands of hair found on the lathe belonged to Mary. They had the same expert witnesses who said the blood was hers to say that the hair was also hers. Again, no scientific analysis was done the hair found on the lathe. The experts only gave their "professional opinion."

Answer: Monteen Stover

Monteen Stover testified that she arrived at Leo's office at 12:05 P.M. to collect her paycheck. She claimed that upon seeing no one there, that she left the building at 12:10 P.M.. Her testimony contradicted Leo's statement to the police that Mary was in his office at 12:05 P.M.. Leo also claimed that he was in his office between 12:00 P.M. and 12:30 P.M..

The prosecution, having believed Monteen Stover, said that Leo must have murdered Mary within the five minutes that Monteen Stover claimed she was outside Leo's office.

Answer: Jim Conley

Jim Conley was the prosecution's star witness. When he made his courtroom appearance, he was freshly shaved and was wearing new clothes. This was in full contradiction to the dirty and torn clothes he always wore. With Hugh Dorsey's guidance, Conley smoothly elaborated on his three earlier depositions. Conley now said that he arrived at the factory at 8:30 A.M. on the day of the murder and was told by Leo to run some errands for him.

It seems, according to Conley, that Leo was expecting a young lady.

This meant, again according to Conley, that when Conley returned from running Leo's errands he had to lock the door when he heard Leo stamp his foot on the floor above. Conley also claimed that when he heard Leo whistle, he was to unlock the door. Conley also claimed that this prearranged signal was used on other forays by Leo.

Answer: True

Strange as it sounds, according to the prosecution, Mary had been killed three ways. The first was when she supposedly hit her head on the lathe. The second was when she was supposedly strangled by Leo, and the third was when she was bludgeoned. The prosecution entered Conley's testimony into the record, even though it was full of lies and contradictions. Conley's testimony is as follows: Mary Phagan arrived and went upstairs to Frank's office. Soon he heard a scream from the area of the second-floor workroom, (the room that the prosecution contended was the murder site). Almost immediately, Monteen Stover entered and went to the second floor where she stayed, according to Conley (and contrary to her earlier testimony) "a pretty good while." After Miss Stover left, the janitor dozed off and was awakened by foot stamping, the signal to lock the front door.

Then came the whistle. He unlocked the front door, went upstairs, and, at the top of the stairs, found Frank shivering and trembling, with a small rope in his hands. Dorsey showed Conley the rope. "That's it," Conley said. Conley also said, Frank told him that he had hit the girl when she had resisted his advances, and that she had struck her head on the lathe.

He told the janitor to wrap the body in cotton cloth and to carry it to the basement. He did as he was told, but the body of Little Mary Phagan was too heavy for him to carry alone. Frank took the girl's feet, he took her shoulders, and they carried her to the elevator, rode to the basement, deposited the body, and took the elevator back to the second floor. Back in Frank's office, he dictated the notes to him, using an order pad, and then gave him $200.00, telling him to burn the body. Conley said he refused, Frank took back the money, and told him to come back for it later in the day. Conley then went home, drank and ate, and fell asleep, not awakening until after 6:30 P.M..

Answer: 200

The defense called 200 witnesses to testify for Leo Frank's character. They were all white and most all of them came from the north.

Answer: Judge Roan

According to the case of Leo Frank, Judge Roan was for the prosecution. He dismissed valid objections by the defense to allow Hugh Dorsey to continue his persecution of Leo Frank.

Answer: No

After four hours of deliberating, the jury returned a verdict of guilty. Judge Roan sentenced Leo Frank to death by hanging.

Answer: John M. Slaton

At the time of the murder and of Leo's many appeals, the Governor of the State of Georgia was John M. Slaton. Slaton had been a very popular Governor and before that he was a highly respected member of the Georgia legislature. Slaton was nearing the end of his term when the case of Leo Frank was brought to him.

He was asked to give clemency to Leo. Slaton believed Leo to be innocent of the crime, but Slaton's immediate concern was keeping Leo alive long enough to be exonerated. The problem was Tom Watson. Watson was backing Slaton as U.S. Senator, and he thought if Slaton gave clemency to Leo that he would blow his chances to become Senator. During Slaton's deliberations he received thousands of threatening letters.

Answer: False

Governor Slaton did not exonerate Leo Frank, even though he believed him to innocent. However, after twelve days of wrestling with the case, Slaton did commute Leo's sentence to life in prison. The reason he did this was because he believed that if Leo was set free that his (Leo's) life wouldn't be worth a nickel.

Answer: The Governor found that the star witness was lying.

During Slaton's deliberations he recalled Jim Conley. Conley made the mistake of telling Slaton he lied sometimes. When Slaton asked Conley how he could tell when he was lying, Conley said that when he wiggled his thumbs that meant he was lying. One piece of evidence caught Slaton's attention, but to prove it he had Jim Conley brought to the factory. According to Conley's story, he relieved himself at the bottom of the elevator shaft BEFORE he and Leo brought down Mary's body via the elevator. As Slaton discovered, the way Conley told the story could not have happened. During the first few minutes after Mary's body was discovered, the police used the elevator.

The elevator, always hit the bottom of the shaft very hard. Thus, when the police used it and it went to the bottom, it crushed Conley's excrement, releasing a foul odor. Still, Hugh Dorsey wanted Leo Frank to hang. Only after Governor Slaton reenacted Conley's testimony, did Hugh Dorsey actually believe Leo Frank innocent, but Dorsey would not admit it to the public.

Answer: Milledgeville Prison Farm

Nathaniel Harris, successor to John M. Slaton, increased security at Milledgeville Prison Farm where Leo was housed. Leo fared better here than in the county jail. Leo was able to have visitors and he was able to be outside. Leo Frank really thought he would eventually be vindicated.

Answer: August 17, 1915

Sadly, Leo Frank never knew what it was like to be vindicated. Shortly before midnight on August 16, 1915, 25 men entered the Milledgeville Prison Farm. They overpowered the guards and kidnapped Leo. They drove all night and in the early morning of August 17, 1915, hung Leo Frank in a grove of Oak trees outside of Marietta, Georgia.

The leaders of the lynching party tried one last time to get Leo to confess to the murder, but Leo would not confess. After hearing Leo deny that he murdered Mary, some in the group didn't want Leo to hang.

However, the leaders of the party prevailed, they told the others in the party that there was no turning back. Leo asked that his wedding ring be given to his wife. Leo Frank's body was still hanging from the Oak tree hours later, until the Mortuary van came and removed his body.

His request about his wedding ring was honored when his wife received it in the mail a few days later.

Answer: No

Governor Harris immediately ordered an investigation be brought forth for the murder of Leo Frank. Although every single person who was at the lynching party was known by the police, no charges were ever brought against them.

Answer: The Knights of Mary Phagan

The KKK was formerly known as The Knights of Mary Phagan. Even today they disgrace America with their racial thoughts. The Knights of Mary Phagan had a big hand in the lynching of Leo Frank.

Answer: Alonzo Mann

In 1982, an old man by the name of Alonzo Mann, came forward with information. Mann said that on the day of Mary's murder he saw Jim Conley dragging her body. At that time Alonzo Mann was a 13 year-old office boy at the factory. Mann said the reason he didn't testify for the defense was that on the day of the murder Conley had threatened to kill him if he ever told what he saw. Finally, the Anti-Defamation League, along with Alonzo Mann's testimony, convinced the Georgia Board of Pardons to grant Leo Frank a posthumous pardon.

At first, the Georgia Board of Pardons rejected the application, then on March 11, 1986, more than seventy years after his murder, Leo Frank was given a posthumous pardon. There was no doubt that Alonzo Mann was telling the truth.

He was given a lie detector test and passed with flying colors. All information can be found at the "Crime Library -- Leo Frank" website.