Judge Roan’s Charge to the Jury in the 1913 Leo Frank Trial: The American Mercury’s Analysis

This video from The American Mercury’s series presents Judge Leonard S. Roan’s charge to the jury on August 25, 1913, in the Leo Frank trial for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan in Atlanta. Following Hugh M. Dorsey’s closing arguments, Roan, as recorded in the Leo Frank Trial Brief of Evidence, instructed the jury to decide if Frank murdered Phagan with malice aforethought by choking her on April 26, 1913. Roan stressed that the jury must determine the truth beyond a reasonable doubt, acting as sole judges of evidence and witness credibility, and seeking pure sources of truth. After deliberating from 1:30 PM to 4:39 PM, the jury returned a unanimous guilty verdict at 4:56 PM, recommending a death sentence. The trial, fraught with antisemitism allegations, saw the defense argue bias against Frank, a Jewish superintendent. The verdict led to Frank’s 1915 lynching after a commutation and the founding of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL). As of May 25, 2025, the case remains contentious, with the Georgia Innocence Project advocating for exoneration, opposed by Phagan’s family. X discussions show division, with some citing Alonzo Mann’s 1982 affidavit implicating Conley, while others support the verdict. The video highlights Roan’s charge as a critical lens on justice and bias.