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THE TRIAL OF LEO FRANK : Reuben R. Arnold's Address To The Court In His Behalf. Introduction by Alvin V. Sellers. BAXLEY, GEORGIA: Classic Publishing Co., 1915. FIRST EDITION, FIRST PRINTING, with the date 1915 on the title and copyright pages, and "The Trow Press, New York" on the copyright page. Printed wrappers, 5.25x8 inches, frontispiece, 69 pages plus two pages of Publisher's ads at the rear. GOOD condition, the spine folds are tender and pulling from the textblock but holding, internally the pages are just lightly used, tight, bright, clean, clear and unmarked. A nice, complete, presentable copy. LEO FRANK, a Jew, was tried and convicted for the 1913 murder of 13 year old Mary Phagan who worked at the factory where Frank was a superintendent. Frank was convicted based substantially on the testimony of Jim Conley, an African-American who worked as a janitor at the factory. Frank appealed his conviction and his last appeal was denied in April 2015. He was sentenced to life in prison. A few months later Leo Frank was pulled from his cell by an armed mob and lynched. From Wikipedia: "Leo Frank and his lawyers made a series of unsuccessful appeals; their final appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States failed in April 1915. Considering arguments from both sides as well as evidence not available at trial, Governor John M. Slaton commuted Frank's sentence from capital punishment to life imprisonment. The case attracted national press attention and many reporters deemed the conviction a travesty. Within Georgia, this outside criticism fueled antisemitism and hatred toward Frank. On August 16, 1915, he was kidnapped from prison by a group of armed men, and lynched at Marietta, Mary Phagan's hometown, the next morning." Anti-semitism and racism infested the trial of Leo Frank and continues to infest it today. Many historians believe Leo Frank was innocent and that Jim Conley was the real murderer, while others believe that trying to blame Conley is ongoing racism. "Leo Frank's case spurred the creation of the Anti-Defamation League and the resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan." - Wikipedia You can read all about Leo Frank, Mary Phagan, Jim Conley, and the trial on Wikipedia and numerous Internet sites. This book, published in the year of Leo Frank's lynching, is quite rare. From the "Leo Frank Case Archive" site: ******The Trial of Leo Frank, Reuben R. Arnold?s Address to the Court on his Behalf. Introduction by Alvin V. Sellers. Classic Publishing Co., Baxley GA. Copyright, 1915 by Alvin V. Sellers and The Trow Press, New York. Booklet format, 69 pages and published in 1915. Original booklets are extremely rare and difficult to find.****** About Leo Frank (from Wikipedia): ******Leo Max Frank, b.1884 - d.1915, was an American factory superintendent and lynching victim. He was convicted in 1913 of the murder of a 13-year-old employee, Mary Phagan, in Atlanta, Georgia. Frank's trial, conviction, and unsuccessful appeals attracted national attention. His kidnapping from prison and lynching became the focus of social, regional, political, and racial concerns, particularly regarding antisemitism. Modern researchers generally agree that Frank was wrongly convicted. The African American press condemned the lynching, but many African Americans also opposed Frank and his supporters over what historian Nancy MacLean described as a "virulently racist" characterization of Jim Conley, who was Black.******. Seller Inventory # 003959
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