This video, part of The American Mercury’s centennial series, features 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, Dorsey’s arguments, drawn from the Leo Frank Trial Brief of Evidence, emphasized forensic evidence—blood and hair in the factory—and Jim Conley’s testimony, alleging Frank’s involvement. Dorsey refuted antisemitism claims, citing his respect for Jewish leaders, and argued Frank’s actions, like avoiding Conley, indicated guilt. He highlighted factory girls’ testimonies about Frank’s lasciviousness, 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, who cite the trial record. X debates reflect this divide, with some referencing Alonzo Mann’s 1982 affidavit implicating Conley, while others affirm the verdict. The video highlights Dorsey’s arguments as a key moment in justice and prejudice debates.
