The Silent and the Damned

Résumé du livre

Contends that antisemitism played a major role in the conviction and lynching of Leo Frank. Reviews events following the discovery of the murder and evidence given at the trial, showing the weakness of the prosecution's case and mob pressure on the jurors. Notes that although the veteran German-Jewish community of Atlanta was well accepted, the arrival of Eastern European immigrants had helped to whip up antisemitic sentiment, encouraged by Tom Watson, the local populist leader. Local Jews preferred to keep a low profile, while prominent New York Jews, including Louis Marshall, organized Frank's defense. The national press also defended him - as a white man accused of a "typical black" crime. Traces the process leading to the posthumous pardon of Frank in 1986, after the discovery of new evidence. Pp. 159-230 contain appendixes on coverage of the trial in the Christian and non-religious press, and an extensive bibliography.