Leo Frank on Trial: Frances Coleman’s First Testimony in Atlanta, July 28, 2013This AI-generated video covers Frances Coleman’s first testimony in the Leo Frank trial on July 28, 1913, at Fulton County Superior Court in Atlanta. Coleman, Mary Phagan’s mother, testified that her daughter left home at 11:45 AM on April 26, 1913, to collect her pay at the National Pencil Company, where Leo Frank worked as superintendent. She described Mary’s lavender dress, blue hat with pink flowers, and silver mesh bag, later identified as State’s Exhibit M, found at the murder scene. This testimony established Frank’s opportunity, as he admitted to seeing Mary that day, placing him at the crime scene where her body was discovered in the basement, raped and strangled. Coleman’s identification of Mary’s clothing, found in the factory under Frank’s control, directly implicated him, supporting the prosecution’s case that Frank committed the murder. The trial, documented in the Leo Frank Trial Brief of Evidence, ended with Frank’s conviction, his 1915 lynching after a commutation, and the ADL’s founding. As of May 26, 2025, the case remains debated, with the Georgia Innocence Project seeking exoneration, opposed by Phagan’s family. X debates reflect this, with some citing Alonzo Mann’s 1982 affidavit, while others affirm Frank’s guilt based on Coleman’s testimony.
