This video, part of The American Mercury’s centennial series, showcases the first part of Hugh M. Dorsey’s closing arguments in the 1913 Leo Frank trial for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan at the National Pencil Company in Atlanta. Delivered over nine hours on August 22, 23, and 25, 1913, this segment, drawn from the Leo Frank Trial Brief of Evidence, focuses on Dorsey’s opening summation, highlighting forensic evidence—blood and hair in the factory—and Jim Conley’s testimony, alleging Frank’s involvement. Dorsey outlined Phagan’s murder on April 26, 1913, pinning the crime on Frank, the Jewish superintendent, and dismissed antisemitism allegations, citing his respect for Jewish figures. He emphasized factory girls’ testimonies about Frank’s lascivious conduct, countering defense arguments by Luther Rosser and Reuben Arnold. The trial ended with Frank’s conviction, his 1915 lynching after Governor John Slaton’s commutation, and the founding of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). The video notes the racial context of the Jim Crow South, where Conley, a Black man, testified against Frank, a white Jewish man, an anomaly due to the evidence’s weight. As of May 22, 2025, the case remains debated, with the Georgia Innocence Project seeking exoneration, opposed by Phagan’s family. X debates reflect this divide, with some referencing Alonzo Mann’s 1982 affidavit implicating Conley, while others affirm the verdict. The video frames Dorsey’s arguments as a key moment in justice and prejudice debates.
