This video, part of The American Mercury’s centennial coverage, examines Judge Leonard S. Roan’s charge to the jury on August 25, 1913, in the Leo Frank trial for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan at the National Pencil Company in Atlanta. After Hugh M. Dorsey’s closing arguments, Roan, as documented in the Leo Frank Trial Brief of Evidence, instructed the jury to determine if Frank, with malice aforethought, murdered Phagan by choking her on April 26, 1913. Roan emphasized the jury’s role as sole judges of evidence and witness credibility, urging them to seek truth beyond a reasonable doubt through direct evidence. The jury deliberated from 1:30 PM to 4:39 PM, delivering a unanimous guilty verdict at 4:56 PM, recommending death “without mercy.” Roan’s charge occurred in a trial marked by antisemitism allegations, with the defense claiming bias against Frank, a Jewish superintendent. The verdict led to Frank’s 1915 lynching after a commutation and the founding of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). As of May 25, 2025, the case remains debated, with the Georgia Innocence Project seeking exoneration, opposed by Phagan’s family. X debates reflect this divide, with some citing Alonzo Mann’s 1982 affidavit implicating Conley, while others affirm the verdict. The video frames Roan’s instructions as a key moment in justice and prejudice debates.
