10/16/2018
It's not every day that I hold a piece of history in the palm of my hand. In the early stages of researching historical walking tours in Atlanta, I came across a diary that Leo Frank kept from March-July 1915, during which time he was held in the Fulton County Jail.
For those who are not familiar with his story, Leo Frank was from New York who moved to Atlanta for work in the early 1900's. Falsely accused in the murder of Mary Phagan, a young employee at the Pencil Factory that Frank managed, he was put on a sham trial and sentenced to death, which the Georgia governor commuted to life-in-prison.
In April 1915, Frank notes his 31st birthday.
Months later, due to fears for his safety, he is moved to a prison in Millidgeville, GA where his journal abruptly ends, with one additional entry. His wife, Lucille Selig Frank, wrote on July 17: "At around 10pm, Leo was attacked [by another inmate] and his throat cut from front to back on the left side. Although it nicked his windpipe and his jugular vein was cut, through some miracle he did not die...although this is not my diary, it would not be complete without a record of conditions at the time I spent in Millidgeville" while Frank recuperated. One month later, on August 17, a mob calling themselves the Knights of Mary Phagan stole Frank from the prison infirmary and publicly hanged him.
More than 100 years later, we are still trying to make sense of such a miscarriage of justice and the devastation it wrought on the Frank family, the American Jewish community, and the New South.
More stories/narratives are in the works, so keep your eyes peeled!
Huge shoutout to Jeremy Katz and the The William Breman Jewish Heritage Museum for preserving these artifacts and helping make this moment happen!
