100 Years Ago Today: Leo Frank Takes the Stand

Today, on the 100th anniversary of Leo Frank taking the stand in his own defense, we present a digest of opinion and contemporary sources on his statement. AT THE CLIMAX of the Leo Frank trial, an admission was made by the defendant that amounted to a confession during trial. How many times in the annals of US legal history has Continue Reading →

The Leo Frank Trial: Week Two

The trial of Leo Frank for the murder of Mary Phagan ended its second week 100 years ago today. Join us as we delve into the original documents of the time and learn what the jurors learned. https://theamericanmercury.org/audio/The%20American%20Mercury%20on%20Leo%20Frank%20-%20Week%20Two.mp3 (Click the play button for our audio book version of this article.) by Bradford L. Huie THE EVIDENCE that National Pencil Company Continue Reading →

The Leo Frank Trial: Week One

100 years ago today the trial of the 20th century ended its first week, shedding brilliant light on the greatest murder mystery of all time: the murder of Mary Phagan. And you are there. https://theamericanmercury.org/audio/The%20American%20Mercury%20on%20Leo%20Frank%20-%20Week%20One.mp3 (Click the play button for our audio book version of this article.) by Bradford L. Huie THE MOST IMPORTANT testimony in the first week of Continue Reading →

100 Years Ago Today: The Trial of Leo Frank Begins

Take a journey through time with the American Mercury, and experience the trial of Leo Frank (pictured, in courtroom sketch) for the murder of Mary Phagan just as it happened as revealed in contemporary accounts. The Mercury will be covering this historic trial in capsule form from now until August 26, the 100th anniversary of the rendering of the verdict. Continue Reading →

The Irrepressible Mencken

by Paul E. Gottfried RECENTLY I’ve been thinking about someone whose name is attached to an organization I’m currently president of, H.L. Mencken (1880-1956). For years I’ve tried to understand why the Baltimore Sage has been branded, mostly recently in The Weekly Standard (see here and here) and in a voluminous biography by Terry Teachout, as anti-Semitic and anti-Black. The Continue Reading →