An Unspeakable Crime: The Prosecution And Persecution Of Leo Frank

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An Unspeakable Crime: The Prosecution And Persecution Of Leo Frank

by Elaine Marie Alphin

3.76 of 5 stars 3.76 · rating details · 67 ratings · 26 reviews

Library Binding, 152 pages

Published March 1st 2010 by Carolrhoda Books

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Jul 14, 2011 Josiah rated it 5 of 5 stars

I hardly know what to say about this one. An Unspeakable Crime: The Prosecution and Persecution of Leo Frank is in all probability the best nonfiction book I've ever read. It takes an old, generally forgotten court case from the dusty annals of the history of the American justice system and forms from it a story of gripping tension and twisting, burning intensity that hits hard in the gut as forcefully as any masterful work of fiction. This story of a court case in 1913 Georgia is all the more...more

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May 22, 2013 Ashley H. rated it 4 of 5 stars

The book, “An Unspeakable Crime: The Prosecution and Persecution of Leo Frank” is about how an innocent man was wrongly accused of murder. He was convicted of murder, merely because of intolerance of his religion. The book tells the story that began on April 26, 1913, when thirteen-year-old, Mary Phagan planned to meet friends that day in Atlanta, Georgia. First, she decided to stop at the pencil factory where she worked, to pick up her paycheck. Unfortunately, Mary never left the building aliv...more

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Jan 24, 2012 SwensonBooks rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ruth

The case of Leo Frank—the Cornell-educated, Jewish supervisor of the Atlanta Pencil Factory who was convicted for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan in 1913 and lynched for the same in 1915—has been with me much as of late. In the last three weeks, I have reviewed Steve Oney’s And the Dead Shall Rise: The Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank (Pantheon, 2003); attended another performance of Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown’s musical “Parade” (this time with my 13-year-old dau...more The case of Leo Frank—the Cornell-educated, Jewish supervisor of the Atlanta Pencil Factory who was convicted for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan in 1913 and lynched for the same in 1915—has been with me much as of late. In the last three weeks, I have reviewed Steve Oney’s And the Dead Shall Rise: The Murder of Mary Phagan and the Lynching of Leo Frank (Pantheon, 2003); attended another performance of Alfred Uhry and Jason Robert Brown’s musical “Parade” (this time with my 13-year-old daughter); and shopped the Austin Jewish Book Fair where I bought a young adult book by Elaine Marie Alphin: An Unspeakable Crime: The Prosecution and Persecution of Leo Frank (CarolRhoda Books, 2010).

Would that for every superb work of adult nonfiction (such as Mr. Oney’s), there were another equally compelling, young adult version (such as Ms. Alphin’s). Let’s face it: We can’t all invest the time to read the definitive work on every topic of interest. And the Dead Shall Rise is over 700 pages long. An Unspeakable Crime is only 152.

If you want concise, yet substantial information on an important subject, look to the young adult section of your bookstore or library. You may even find, as I have, that reading the young adult version enhances your experience of the adult version. For instance, Alphin provides a timeline and a list of characters—something I had wished for while reading Oney. Most importantly, Alphin offers a trim storyline which is worth reading before the Oney book as a preview or after it as a review.

Alphin successfully presents her young readers with the social context in which this drama unfolded, explaining that not only was Frank a Jew, but also a northerner and an industrialist who was perceived as imposing a new and unwelcome order on the traditionally agrarian south. Just when the teen reader would feel overwhelmed by the failure of Frank’s appeals, Alphin explains: “. . . each court’s decision had to be based on points of law, not common sense.” There were also political scores to be settled and elections to be won—complicated motives that challenge how a teen understands justice and society.

Alphin does not shy away from grim details—the condition Mary’s strangled body was found in, the possibility that blood on her dress was the result of menstruation rather than rape, the knife-wielding inmate at the Georgia State Prison Farm who slashed Leo’s throat, or the grinding of Leo’s face in the dirt after he was cut down from the tree.

There are lurid details that Alphin thankfully left out (my daughter does not need to read about Jim Conley’s anal intercourse with Annie Maude Carter). But there’s one detail I wish Alphin had kept in: the shit in the shaft. When detectives escorted Frank to the factory to identify the body, they rode the elevator to the basement where they were met by a horrible stench as the elevator car landed on fresh feces. Jim Conley had moved his bowels on the basement floor in the elevator shaft while the elevator car was parked above; ergo, he could not have carried Mary’s body with Frank on the elevator to the basement—as he testified in court—without disturbing the feces. Interestingly, the logistics of the elevator car, shaft, basement, and trap door finally made sense to me because of an illustration in Alphin’s book.

Teenage workers in the pencil factory played a pivotal role in Frank’s trial, and Alphin uses their stories to pose important questions to her young readers: Why did so many people lie on the witness stand? Was it peer pressure or emotional mass hysteria? She concludes the book with the story of Alonzo Mann, Frank’s 14-year-old office boy, who, almost 70 years later in 1982, signed an affidavit stating that he saw Conley carrying Mary’s body, but failed to testify to this because he feared retaliation from Conley and because his parents told him not to get involved.

In 2011, An Unspeakable Crime received both IPPY (Independent Publishers) and NCSS (National Council for the Social Sciences) Carter G. Woodson awards for young adult nonfiction. I look forward to giving my daughter this book for Hanukkah.
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Apr 03, 2011 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars

"The murder of Mary Phagan must be paid for with blood. And a Negro's blood would not suffice."

This incredible statement sums up the feelings of frightening number of Atlanta's population in 1913, the year thirteen-year-old Mary Phagan's body was discovered in the basement of the pencil factory where she worked. Though police initially suspected the black night watchman and later evidence showed that another black employee likely committed the rape and murder, detectives and then the prosecutor...more "The murder of Mary Phagan must be paid for with blood. And a Negro's blood would not suffice."

This incredible statement sums up the feelings of frightening number of Atlanta's population in 1913, the year thirteen-year-old Mary Phagan's body was discovered in the basement of the pencil factory where she worked. Though police initially suspected the black night watchman and later evidence showed that another black employee likely committed the rape and murder, detectives and then the prosecutor seized on the idea that Leo Frank, the northern, Jewish factory manager had to be responsible. And they seized on that notion with the ferocity of a pack of pitbulls.

Leo Frank was the type of man deeply disliked by the majority of Atlantans, people who were still smarting from the "War of Northern Aggression" and the aftermath of the Reconstruction fifty years after the fact. Indeed on the day Mary Phagan died, the city was celebrating Confederate Memorial Day with a parade Mary intended to attend. She never made it. She went to pick up her small paycheck at the factory, and, as the author puts it, "She never left the building alive. And she was not the only one to die."

Here is a harrowing story of twisted Southern "justice," anti-Semitism, racism, and willful disregard for evidence. Leo Frank and his family were the victims of a hideous injustice, and the extent to which the prosecutor persecuted Frank cannot be overstated. The prosecutor not only hid evidence that spoke against the theory of Frank as the killer, but put pressure on multiple witnesses to lie. When one witness recanted her statement, she was badly beaten--and this was allowed to happen because she was black. The sheer number of people willing to lie or who were too afraid to speak out boggles the mind. This story is a tragedy all the way around, yet nearly 100 years later, some descendants of the town still believe in Leo Frank's guilt.

Frustratingly the copy of the book that I read is missing pages 97 through 112. Instead it repeats the previous ten pages, then leaps ahead to page 113. And it's our library's only copy too! So, I missed a little bit, but I got the jist. And the jist is chilling.(less)

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Feb 13, 2011 Karen Ball rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: cybils-mg-ya-nonfic-2010

Atlanta, Georgia: April, 1913. 13-year-old Mary Phagan went to pick up her week's pay at the National Pencil Company before she was to join her friends at a parade. She was murdered shortly after collecting her wages, and her badly beaten body was discovered in the factory basement the next morning. There were bloody handprints, some poorly written notes near her body, and very few suspects. The police virtually ignored the factory janitor, and instead focused their investigation on Leo Frank, t...more

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Nov 30, 2010 Marjorie Ingall rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, grownups

I was shocked by how much I liked this. Would be a great gift for budding true-crime fans ... and I know whereof I speak. When I was a kid, I devoured The Stranger Beside Me and read everything I could about the Black Dahlia. I would have LOVED this – and it would have been way more educational than the dreck I was reading. It’s rigorously researched and very, very gripping. The story, in case you haven't had it drilled into your head as part of growing up Jewish and paranoid in America (or in c...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Ethan rated it 2 of 5 stars

An Unspeakable Crime is a nonﬁction book about the murder of Mary Phagan. Mary Phagan was a thirteen-year-old girl who lived in a poor part of atlanta, Georgia. She was killed on Saturday, April 26, 1913, Confederate Memorial Day. Their ﬁrst suspect was Newt Lee, a Black security guard who was working when Mary was killed. But the detectives knew that the people of Atlanta wanted someone who wasn't black to be convicted because they thought if someone who was black was convicted it would just be...more An Unspeakable Crime is a nonﬁction book about the murder of Mary Phagan. Mary Phagan was a thirteen-year-old girl who lived in a poor part of atlanta, Georgia. She was killed on Saturday, April 26, 1913, Confederate Memorial Day. Their ﬁrst suspect was Newt Lee, a Black security guard who was working when Mary was killed. But the detectives knew that the people of Atlanta wanted someone who wasn't black to be convicted because they thought if someone who was black was convicted it would just be because they were black and not because there was enough evidence. Their next suspect was Leo Frank. The detectives who talked to him thought he seemed very suspicious, and therefore everyone Atlanta agreed. Leo ended up being convicted because of the prejudice people of Atlanta peer pressured all judges into convicting him. All of the judges thought that if the did anything to help Leo Frank, they would be endangered. Leo Frank kept ﬁghting and postponing the date execution, and because of this, on August 16, 1915, a group of people decided to take matters into their own hands. They kidnapped Leo from his cell, and hung him. Nearly 70 years later, Alonzo Mann signed an affidavit saying he had seen Jim Conley carry Mary Phagan down to the basement which had proven Leo Frank innocent. This mystery book which I thought was not very good, because there were a lot of slow parts, was divided into chapters, each titled a quote from within the chapter and also a regular title. It also had a lot of pictures, and it was organized very well. One thing that I thought the author did really well, was not being bias. I read the whole book, without knowing who the author thought was guilty. Also, He gave a lot of information, without giving away what actually happened until the very end. I could also tell that the author was very educated on this topic. I recommend it to anyone who is a good reader, and likes nonﬁction books about crimes or mysteries. I also would like to point out, that there are some parts explaining the crime scene that are very graphic and explicit, and may be viewed as disgusting for a certain audience. I rate this book a five out of ten.
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Aug 03, 2012 Andrea Mullarkey rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction

I’m not usually a fan of true crime books, but the story of a 1913 murder and execution really caught my interest. It also helps that it’s a YA book so I was counting on it being somewhat shorter and perhaps less graphic than some other true crime out there. I was rewarded by this gripping story of the murder of 13 year old Mary Phagan and the subsequent case against the Jewish superintendent of the factory where she worked in Atlanta. It’s a story of racism, classism and mob justice that was hi...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Jordyn Braun added it

Shelves: children-s-literature

Audience: This book is a 4th-7th reading level. Anyone studying African American History, injustice, or the story of Leo Frank would definitely be interested in this book!

Appeal: This book tells the story of a terrible crime committed in 1913 in Atlanta Georgia, and the historical pictures and facts that go along with it are unbelievable. This book can capture the hearts of readers by describing the injustice that was done, and how horrible times were in that era of life. This book could be used...more

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May 15, 2010 Donna rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: crime, history, nonfiction, teen, truecrime

In 1913, 13-year-old Mary Phagan went to the pencil factory where she worked to pick up her paycheck. That was the last time anyone saw her alive. Police arrested Leo Frank, the factory superintendent, who was both a Northerner and a Jew.

I was grabbed immediately by the story, and pulled through very quickly. Photographs of the people involved and images from the trial and aftermath appear throughout. Reproductions of newspaper headlines about the case are also integrated into the text. The stor...more

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May 08, 2011 Krista the Krazy Kataloguer rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-true-crime, read-ya

I had heard of this murder before reading this book, but I had no idea that it lead to the birth of the Jewish Anti-Defamation League of B'nai B'rith and to the revival of the Ku Klux Klan. I will NEVER understand prejudice. It's so illogical. Yet when a mob gets hold of an illogical idea, everyone is afraid to think contrary to it for fear of being attacked themselves, which makes those few, like Governor Slaton, who did speak out all the more heroic. Leo Frank certainly did not get a fair tria...more

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Jan 22, 2013 SharonJH Harman rated it 5 of 5 stars

Civil rights and lynching stories for teens usually involve crimes against blacks during the early-mid 1900s. This outstanding non-fiction work, though, chronicles the wrongful conviction and eventual lynching of white Jewish businessman Leo Frank. Alphin gives us inside view of the legal system in Atlanta and the motives of lawmen and prosecutors and judges that led to Leo's conviction. It was interesting that most Georgians passionately believed he was guilty, while many letters and support ca...more

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Sep 24, 2010 Kate rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: amer-culture, creepy, history

Once again I'm reminded of Michael Cart's definition of YA including readers 18+. This title is great for high school/college, and is flat out fascinating for true crime buffs. It gives a different dimension than most true crime, focusing on the trial and lynching of a man convicted of, but not likely guilty of, the murder of a young girl. Well-written and well-researched, the book occasionally reads as though the author supposes you familiar with the case, which I was not.

I wonder if this title...more

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May 04, 2010 Marsha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya-secondary

A wonderful, but disturbing book. Ever since moving to Georgia and learning more about the state's colorful history, this particular story has fascinated me. The mob mentality unfortunately still exists even today and I think this book is perfect for the secondary student. Mary Phagan, Leo Frank, the KKK--all part of Georgia's history, yet far too often overlooked or intentionally ignored. The story is compelling, the pictures hook even the non-reader, and the tale is true. What more could a YA...more

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Jan 31, 2011 Lisa Delaine Youngblood rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-for-tayshas

This non-fiction account of the prosecution of Leo Frank brings home the injustice that occurred when a young girl is found murdered in a factory in the South. Regardless of the evidence, lack of evidence, and numerous suspects, hardworking Jew Leo Frank is accused of the crime. Photographs, illustrations, and reprints of historical newspaper articles extend the readers vision into the lives and lifestyles of Americans during the early 1900s.

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Feb 26, 2010 Maurene rated it 5 of 5 stars

A tragic crime led to a tragic series of events, which Alphin chronicles in this excellent overview of the trial of Leo Frank in the early 1900s. Written for young adults, the information is presented in an engaging way, leading the reader through the events as they unfold. Definitely worth reading.

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Mar 20, 2010 Abby Johnson rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: blogged

In 1913, thirteen-year-old Mary Phagan went by the pencil factory where she worked to pick up her paycheck. She didn't make it out alive. Police searched for clues as to who had beaten and raped her, at first suspecting the African-American watchman. Eventually they arrested and prosecuted Leo Frank, the factory's Jewish superintendent. Leo Frank was lynched... for a crime he may not have committed.

Painstaking research obviously went into this book and it's a fascinating and important story. I...more

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Feb 23, 2011 BreAnne rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you like true crime stories, this is well written. It happened back in the early 1900s and the author did a good job showing all the different view points. So sad what really happened. I still think about the families.

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Feb 05, 2011 Hannahlily rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010, non-fiction

Clear, Informative, and thoroughly compelling – I read it from cover to cover in one sitting – the most suspenseful book I’ve read in ages. I only wish that the text wasn’t quite SO completely prejudiced in Leo Frank’s favor.

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Apr 11, 2011 BCPL Youth Services Librarian added it

Shelves: non-fiction

Click to see book in BCPL's online catalog

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May 19, 2013 Sue rated it 3 of 5 stars

I can only think that this was karma, but God sees all. Leo is in a better place and so is the little victim, Mary Phagan.

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Dec 30, 2011 Tammy Cordeiro (devadasi7) rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was actually much better than I thought it would be. Interesting case. Non-fiction is just not my thing....

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Jan 07, 2011 NATALIE is currently reading it

its a good book so far:))

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May 19, 2010 Edward Sullivan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult-nonfiction

Excellent historical writing.

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Feb 18, 2013 Brittany rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very compelling read. Fascinating story. Very visually appealing.

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May 20, 2013 Debbie Feder added it

2 if eligable

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May 23, 2013 Emma H. marked it as to-read

May 20, 2013 Pierce Holohan marked it as to-read

May 04, 2013 Diane marked it as to-read

Apr 12, 2013 HVA Library Nonfiction marked it as to-read

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About Elaine Marie Alphin

I was born on 30 October 1955 in San Francisco, California, and attended Lafayette Elementary School in San Francisco. Then my family moved to New York City, where I attended William H. Carr Junior High School. This is a school picture of me from my junior high school days. After that we moved to Houston, and I went to Westchester High School and on to Rice University.

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