IntroductionIn 1915, an unjust tragedy occurred. Leo M. Frank was lynched because he was found guilty of the murder of fourteen-year-old Mary Phagan. However, was he actually guilty of the crime he was convicted of? More or less, Leo Frank was a victim of the influence of the press on public opinion, the need for Hugh Dorsey (the prosecutor) to have a successful case, and the racial prejudices of the time. Contrary to public opinion, Leo Frank was not guilty of the murder of Mary Phagan. Case Overview Reasons for Conviction When the public learned of the crime, the police dangerously needed someone to blame. If the killer of 14-year-old Mary Phagan is not found soon, the public outcry will become uncontrollable. The public needed a victim to blame for the murder of a young white girl. In Atlanta the conditions were favorable for an outburst against the murderer of an innocent soul, especially if the accused of the murder was not Anglo-Saxon. These are not the only reasons for urgency in finding a killer; Atlanta Circuit Attorney General Hugh M. Dorsey was in desperate need of effective sentencing because he had recently failed to convict two murder defendants. He was concerned about putting together a case that would hold up in court; no matter how far he had to go to achieve this goal. As time passed, it became apparent that Dorsey did not necessarily believe Frank was guilty, but he recognized that the political values ​​of his position were uncertain. Because police opinions and activities helped control public reaction, Leo Frank almost immediately fell victim to public opinion. clamor. The fact that he was Jewish generated both public and legal controversy. The press spreads unstoppable rumors that Frank is... a paper medium... Alphin, Elaine Marie. An Unspeakable Crime: The Accusation and Persecution of Leo Frank. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Books, 2010. Print. Oney, Steve. And the dead will rise: the murder of Mary Phagan and the lynching of Leo Frank. New York: Vintage, 2004. Print.Levy, Eugene."Is the Jew a White Man?": Press Reaction to the Leo Frank Affair, 1913-1915. Phylon (1960-2002), vol. 35, no. 2 (2nd quarter, 1974), pp. 212-222 Moseley, Clement Charlton. The Case of Leo M. Frank, 1913-1915. The Georgia Historical Quarterly, Vol 51, No 1 (March 1967), pp. 42-62. Melnick, Jeffrey. “The Night Witch Did It”: Villainy and Narrative in the Leo Frank Affair. American Literary History, Vol. 12, no. 1/2 (Spring-Summer, 2000), pp. 113-129Rawls Jr., Wendell . "AFTER 69 YEARS OF SILENCE, THE LYNCHING VICTIM IS ERASED." New York Times March 8, 1982, New York Times Special No. page Press.