Murdered child factory worker. Mary Phagan worked in a pencil factory in Atlanta, Georgia in 1913. She was found murdered in the basement of the factory at around 3 a.m., on April 27th, the middle of the night after "Confederate Memorial Day." She was 13 years old. After many suspects were investigated, the blame seemed to point to the supervisor of the pencil factory, Leo Frank. Mary had gone to see him at the factory that day to pick up her wages. Frank's trial was sensational and controversial. He was convicted and sentenced to hang. Evidence and testimony later came out to refute the conviction. In his last day in office, the Georgia governor John M. Slaton commuted Frank's sentence to life in prison. Four weeks later, a mob entered the prison and seized Frank. He was lynched on August 17, 1915. No one was ever prosecuted for the lynching. In 1982, Alonzo Mann, who was a 14-year-old office boy in Frank's factory in 1913, stated he had seen janitor Jim Conley carrying the girl's body and Conley threatened to kill him if he said anything so his family had urged him to keep quiet.
Mary has been memorialized in song, a movie, and a musical.
Mary has been memorialized in song, a movie, and a musical.
Murdered child factory worker. Mary Phagan worked in a pencil factory in Atlanta, Georgia in 1913. She was found murdered in the basement of the factory at around 3 a.m., on April 27th, the middle of the night after "Confederate Memorial Day." She was 13 years old. After many suspects were investigated, the blame seemed to point to the supervisor of the pencil factory, Leo Frank. Mary had gone to see him at the factory that day to pick up her wages. Frank's trial was sensational and controversial. He was convicted and sentenced to hang. Evidence and testimony later came out to refute the conviction. In his last day in office, the Georgia governor John M. Slaton commuted Frank's sentence to life in prison. Four weeks later, a mob entered the prison and seized Frank. He was lynched on August 17, 1915. No one was ever prosecuted for the lynching. In 1982, Alonzo Mann, who was a 14-year-old office boy in Frank's factory in 1913, stated he had seen janitor Jim Conley carrying the girl's body and Conley threatened to kill him if he said anything so his family had urged him to keep quiet.
Mary has been memorialized in song, a movie, and a musical.
Mary has been memorialized in song, a movie, and a musical.
Inscription
ON THIS DAY OF FADING IDEALS AND DISAPPEARING LANDMARKS, LITTLE MARY PHAGAN'S HEROISM IS AN HEIRLOOM, THAN WHICH THERE IS NOTHING MORE PRECIOUS AMONG THE OLD RED HILLS OF GEORGIA.
SLEEP, LITTLE GIRL, SLEEP IN YOUR HUMBLE GRAVE BUT IF THE ANGELS ARE GOOD TO YOU IN THE REALMS BEYOND THE TROUBLE SUNSET AND THE CLOUDED STARS, THEY WILL LET YOU KNOW THAT MANY AN ACHING HEART IN GEORGIA BEATS FOR YOU, AND MANY A TEAR FROM EYES UNUSED TO WEEP, HAS PAID YOU A TRIBUTE TOO SACRED FOR WORDS
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