439 Page – American State Trials 1918 Volume X Leo Frank Document

Here is the translated text as follows:

LEO M. FRANK, 407

THE VERDICT AND SENTENCE

At 4:55, the jury returned to the court with a verdict of guilty. The courtroom had been cleared of spectators; the prisoner himself, as well as his counsel, were absent (see post, p. 410). Only the judge, the officers of the court, the state counsel, and some other members of the bar were present. When the verdict was rendered, the windows of the courtroom were closed due to the noise made by the crowd in the streets.

While the jury was out for nearly four hours, and each and every member was pledged to secrecy, it is definitely known that only one ballot was taken and that the verdict was reached in a comparatively short time. When the crowd that filled the courtroom was driven out Monday afternoon on the order of Judge Roan, it flowed to the streets to await the verdict, increasing in size as the minutes passed.

A veritable honeycomb of humanity spread over the section from Whitehall to Central Avenue on Hunter Street, and from Alabama to Mitchell on Pryor. Men and women clung to the walls of buildings and sat in doorways. Windows were crowded with women, girls, and children. It was as though a street audience had gathered to watch an eventful procession. The shrill orders of the mounted policemen arose over the hum of the crowd. A knot of men clustered around the press room, the windows of which front Hunter Street, just opposite the new courthouse building. As the reporters at the telephone shouted the verdict to their offices, the word came through the windows. It was received with a shout. The cry of "guilty" took winged flight from lip to lip. It traveled like the rattle of musketry. Then came a combined shout that rose to the sky. Pandemonium reigned. Hats went into the air. Women wept and shouted by turns.

A great ovation was accorded Solicitor General Dorsey. As he appeared in the doorway of the courthouse while the crowd yelled its reception of the Frank verdict, there came a mighty roar. —Atlanta Constitution, Aug. 26, 1913.

The jury reached their verdict within two hours after Frank’s life had been placed in their hands. On the first ballot, the vote was ten for conviction, one blank, and one doubtful. The second ballot was taken just one hour later and resulted in a unanimous vote for conviction. —Atlanta Journal, Aug. 26, 1913.

Two thousand people, mostly men, awaited the announcement of the verdict in the streets around the courthouse, and the demonstration following the news of the verdict drew double that number to the scene. The windows of the courtroom were ordered closed, so great was the din from outside the court. As the solicitor passed, the excitement continued to escalate.