The Leo Frank Case: Crime Stirs Atlanta - Inside Story of Georgia's Greatest Murder Mystery

This is the fifth Chapter in the 22-part series on the Leo Frank Case: Inside Story Of Georgia's Greatest Murder Mystery.

The murder of Mary Phagan in the basement of the National Pencil factory in Atlanta was a sensation that lasted for months and became the most famous case in Georgia's criminal annals. The public was filled with rumors, many of which claimed would lead to the discovery of the murderer. Arthur Mullinax, a former streetcar conductor and alleged friend of the dead girl's, was arrested on the statement of E.L. Sentell, an employee of the C.J. Kamper grocery company. Mullinax was easily apprehended by the police and positively identified as the man he saw with Mary Phagan right before the murder.

J.M. Gantt, another suspect, was arrested at Marietta and was known to have been acquainted with Mary Phagan. He had been at the factory Saturday afternoon and had previously worked there. Gantt sought to get out of jail by applying for a writ of habeas corpus but was released before it could be acted on. Mullinax was released largely due to the testimony of his fiance, Pearl Robinson, who came forward and said she was the girl seen with him by Sentell.

The rumors surrounding Gantt and Mullinax were just two of many that the police had to run down, explore, or confirm during the days following the murder. Rumors of a girl being kidnapped in an automobile and drugged led to the arrest of Paul Bowen, a former Atlanta boy who knew Mary Phagan. Bowen succeeded in providing an alibi on May 7, the day after his arrest without having to make the long trip back to Atlanta.

On April 28, the coroner's jury met with Coroner Paul Donahoo in the metal room of the Pencil factory, and blood spots on the floor led detectives to think that the Phagan girl was killed there and not in the basement, as initially supposed. Find out the reasons why many of the initial individuals like Arthur Mullinax, J.M. Gantt, and Paul Bowens, were apprehended and then ruled out from the list of potential suspects who had committed that heinous crime.

Seeking Justice for Little Mary Phagan
https://www.LittleMaryPhagan.com

Please purchase the book, 'The Frank Case: Inside Story of Georgia's Greatest Murder Mystery by The Atlanta Publishing Company' to learn more about the Leo Frank case.