Leo Frank Lynched in Georgia After Governor Commutes His Death Sentence

Leo Frank, a Jewish factory superintendent in Atlanta, was convicted of murdering Mary Phagan based on dubious evidence, with credible evidence pointing to janitor Jim Conley (Black) who became a prosecution witness. After Governor John Slaton commuted Frank's death sentence, a mob calling itself the 'Knights of Mary Phagan' abducted Frank from prison and lynched him. The case exposed the intersection of anti-Black and antisemitic violence in the South and led to the founding of the Anti-Defamation League. Jim Conley, the more likely perpetrator, was never seriously reinvestigated.