Throwback: The Bloody South

Every city reflects upon its past with the typical positive memories of their history. Atlanta is no exception. From Margaret Mitchell’s writing of Gone With The Wind, to hosting the 1996 Summer Olympic Games and even the Atlanta Braves winning their division from ‘91 to ‘05, the “New York of the South” has a lot to boast in terms of historical milestones.

Rarely does a major metropolis care to get nostalgic about the tragic events that they have endured. Why should they? It’s bad for growth, tourism and the overall state of the city. Unless they can make a buck, you will never hear a slogan like “Never Forget!”. With autumn finally creeping into our warm southern climate and Samhain, Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) and our own celebration of Halloween upon us, I find it fitting that we pay tribute to some of the more horrific events in Atlanta’s history.

Only Hollywood would care to reminisce about a “serial killer” like Wayne Williams who supposedly murdered a 12 year old girl by asphyxiation in March of 1980. Her body was found 6 days after she disappeared; tied to a tree with an electrical cord around her neck. Someone else’s panties had been jammed down her throat. She was 1 of the 23 African American victims of the Atlanta Child Murders who were killed and disposed of around Memorial Dr.

Williams, who claims innocence to this day was only convicted of killing two ex-cons, but was blamed for the Atlanta Child Murders. If truly responsible he would be one of the most horrific serial killers in the United States history. Conspiracy still surrounds the case, but one fact still remains– after Wayne Williams was arrested, the killing spree stopped. Williams might not have committed the murders, but maybe his “Dark Passenger” did.

In 1947, Atlanta’s own Arnold Hardy won the Pulitzer Prize for Photography. Unfortunately, it was for a photo he took of a woman falling through the air who had plunged out of her 11th story window in the Winecoff Hotel. In December of 1946, the “absolutely fireproof” hotel on Peachtree Street caught fire and 119 people died as a result, making it the deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history.

The Winecoff Hotel was Atlanta’s version of the Titanic. Completed in 1913, it stood 15 stories tall and was built of brick and stone. It was a behemoth compared to every building previously constructed in Atlanta at that time. William Fleming Winecoff, who owned and built the hotel believed that it was so indestructible that neither fire escapes or a sprinkler system were ever installed.

Back in 1913, before child labor laws were passed, 13-year-old Mary Phagan made $.10 an hour working at the National Pencil Factory on Decatur Street. On April 26th of that year, Mary arrived at the Pencil Factory to pick up her wages for the week. Later that night her bloody corpse was found in the cellar of the factory with an electrical cord around her neck. She was last seen speaking with the manager, Leo Frank.

With today’s forensic technology, this case would’ve probably been solved quickly based on the amount of evidence at the crime scene. Bloody finger prints, hand written notes, blood stained clothing and even human feces were all found within feet of Mary’s lifeless body. Due to an improperly handled crime scene the finger prints were lost and never analyzed along with evidence that was “borrowed by reporters”.

With nothing factual to go on, fingers were pointing in every direction. Leo Frank, being the prime suspect, didn’t help his claim of innocence by lying about whether or not he knew Mary Phagan. Jim Conley was the janitor of the factory and also the prosecutions main witness. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to shed any light on the case giving four different contradictory accounts of what happened, thus making himself a suspect.

Ultimately, Leo Frank was convicted of the crime and sentenced to death. John M. Slaton, Georgia’s Governor, doubted Frank’s guilt and reduced his sentence to life in prison. Lacking objectivity, he was also a partner of the law firm that defended Leo Frank. All hell broke loose as the people of Atlanta were outraged; inciting riots and marching to the Governor’s house in protest.

A lynch mob of 25 men soon formed that called themselves the “Knights of Mary Phagan” that sought their own brand of justice. The “Knights” were composed of local government officials and prominent citizens that included former Governor Joseph Mackey Brown and the Mayor of Marietta, E.P. Dobbs. They openly plotted the murder of Leo Frank.

Less than two months after Frank’s reduced sentence, the “Knights” sieged the Milledgeville prison where he was being held and kidnapped him. Two days later they hung him from an oak tree on a farm outside of Marietta. Pictures of the “Knights” posing in front of Leo Frank’s hanging body were sold as postcards in Georgia for years after.

It’s unfortunate that some of the most gruesome crimes and horrific events in U.S. history have occurred on Georgia’s soil, but sometimes tragedy can bring about much needed change. Though it may be hard to believe, some of these stories have a silver-lining.

Due to William Fleming Winecoff’s arrogance regarding his “absolutely fireproof” hotel, building codes were overhauled nationally within days of the Winecoff Hotel fire to prevent future catastrophes across the United States. In response to the lynching of Leo Frank, the Jewish human rights group known as the Anti-Defamation League was started with the main purpose of “securing justice and fair treatment to all citizens alike…”.