Part of The American Mercury’s series on the 1913 Leo Frank trial, this video examines the latter part of the fourth week (August 18–24, 1913), following Leo Frank’s testimony, as the defense continued its case in the murder trial of 13-year-old Mary Phagan at the National Pencil Company. Drawing from the trial’s Brief of Evidence, it highlights the defense’s efforts to present character witnesses, including factory workers who testified to Frank’s professionalism, and their attempts to shift blame to Jim Conley by questioning his credibility. The episode also covers the prosecution’s closing arguments, which reinforced forensic evidence and Conley’s testimony, resulting in Frank’s conviction on August 25, 1913. Amidst antisemitism allegations and societal tension, the trial led to Frank’s 1915 lynching and the establishment of the Anti-Defamation League, a landmark event in American history still debated today.
