R. Barri Flowers - Murder at the Pencil Factory: The Killing of Mary Phagan 100 Years Later (A True Crime Short)

(A True Crime Short)

Copyright 2013 by R. Barri Flowers atSmashwords. All rights reserved.

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OTHER TRUE CRIME BOOKS BY R. BARRIFLOWERS

The Dynamics of Murder: Kill or Be Killed

Mass Murder in the Sky: The Bombing of Flight629 (historical short)

Masters of True Crime: Chilling Stories ofMurder and the Macabre (editor)

Murders in the UnitedStates: Crimes, Killers, and Victims ofthe Twentieth Century

The Pickaxe Killers: Karla Faye Tucker & DanielGarrett (true crime short)

Prostitution in the Digital Age: Selling Sexfrom the Suite to the Street

Serial Killer Couples: Bonded by SexualDepravity, Abduction, & Murder

The Sex Slave Murders: The True Story ofSerial Killers Gerald & Charlene Gallego

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PRAISE FOR TRUE CRIME BOOKS BY R.BARRI FLOWERS

"Selected as one of Suspense Magazine's Bestof 2011 books." John Raab, CEO/Publisher on THE SEX SLAVEMURDERS

"A gripping account of the murders committedby husband-and-wife serial killers Gerald and Charlene Gallego....Flowers knows his stuff. Compelling reading." Gary C. King,author of Blood Lust on THE SEX SLAVE MURDERS

"A model of exposition not to be missing byanyone interested in the annals of American criminal behavior." Jim Ingraham, Ph.D., professor emeritus of American Studies atBryant University on THE PICKAXE KILLERS

"R. Barri Flowers always relates anengrossing story." Robert Scott, author of The Last Time We SawHer on THE SEX SLAVE MURDERS

"Striking, well-written tales sparkle inthis ocean of murder. Crimes spanning a century and stretchingacross an ocean are a diverse collection of the macabre." DianeFanning, author of Mommy's Little Girl on MASTERS OF TRUE CRIME

"Exhaustively researched,each storyteller brings their own unique prose to these pages,creating what will soon become a truecrime classic ." Kevin M. Sullivan,author of The Bundy Murders on MASTERS OFTUE CRIME

"This book should be a mandatory purchaseand read for any true-crime buff. It is, indeed, an exceptionalcollection of true-crime stories." Steven A. Egger, Ph.D.,associate professor and chair of Criminology Program at theUniversity of Houston-Clear Lake on MASTERS OF TRUE CRIME

"Incredible cases,psychopathic killers, unwitting victims, along with the very bestwriters, make for an exciting, no-holds-barred, soon-to-betrue-crime classic." Dan Zupansky, host of True Murder: The Most Shocking Killers in True CrimeHistory on MASTERS OF TRUECRIME

"An indispensablesourcebook for anyone interested in American homicide, fromlaw-enforcement professionals to armchair criminologists....Consistently fascinating read." Harold Schechter, professor ofAmerican Literature and Culture and author of The Serial Killer Files on THE DYNAMICS OF MURDER

"Vivid case studies of murder to complementthis well researched criminology text. Mr. Flowers' clear andconcise writing style make this important new book a terrificaddition to the classroom and home library." Scott Bonn, Ph.D.,professor of Criminology and media analyst on THE DYNAMICS OFMURDER

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In memory of Mary Phagan and other childrenwhose lives have been cut short as crime victims.

And to Michigan State University's School ofCriminal Justice that gave me my start as a student and propelledme to a longtime career as a literary criminologist.

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As the author of thebestselling true crime reference book, MURDERS IN THE UNITED STATES: Crimes, Killers, and Victims of the TwentiethCentury , I have researched thousands ofhomicide cases in this country.

The tragic tale of thirteen-year-old MaryPhagan, who was murdered a century ago, stands out as one of themost shocking crimes in its brutality and the aftermath. As such,it has stood the test of time and is worth taking a fresh look atfor true crime fans and historians as part of my true crime series,R. Barri Flowers Murder Chronicles.

Best,

R. Barri Flowers

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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The Killing of Mary Phagan 100 YearsLater

On Saturday April 26,1913, Mary Phagan, age thirteen, became the victim of a violentdeath at the National Pencil Factory in Atlanta, Georgia where shewas employed. Her job at the factory was putting erasers into themetal casing atop pencils. The appalling crime left residents ofthe city outraged and wanting justice for the victim. Fingered forthe crime and convicted was factory superintendent Leo Frank, a Jewish-American, who would behanged by a lynch mob in spite of controversy surrounding Frank'sguilt. The century old case was every bitas captivating and publicized as any high profile crimetodaycomplete with a shaky investigation, anti-Semitism, racism,stereotyping, rush to judgment, injustice, and murderwith theeffects and outcome of the case still being felt to thisday.

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Mary Phagan was born in Marietta, Georgia onJune 1, 1899 to tenant farmers John and Frances Phagan. Followingher father's death shortly thereafter from the measles, the familyrelocated to East Point, Georgia where Frances ran a boarding housewhile her children went to work in the mills.

Mary dropped out of school when she was tenyears old and worked part-time for a textile mill. By 1911, she hadgone to work for a paper manufacturing plant. The owner of theplant, Sigmund Montag, was the National Pencil Company treasurer.The following year, Frances Phagan married John WilliamColeman.

During the spring of 1912,Mary went to work for the National Pencil Company in Atlanta, whereshe operated a knurling machine that fitted rubber erasers into the metalcasing atop pencils, earning $4.05 a week for a fifty-five hourwork week. The factory superintendent was atwenty-nine-year-old Jewish-American named Leo Frank.

On the cool, crisp late Saturday morning ofApril 26, 1913, thirteen-year-old Mary Phaganwho had beentemporarily laid off earlier in the week because the factory wasshort on brass sheet metaltook the trolley to Atlanta from EastPoint in order to collect wages she was due for a twelve hour workweek. Afterward, she had plans to get together with friends tocelebrate Confederate Memorial Daya holiday in some Southernstates since 1866 that honored soldiers who fought for theConfederacy during the Civil War.

It was around noon whenMary arrived at the Pencil Factory, a four-story stone building indowntown Atlanta that encompassed the entire block of 37 to 41 South Forsythe Street. Shecame inside the main entrance on the first floor and made her waytoward the stairway en route to the second floor, where she hadperformed her duties in the "tipping department" section of themetal room prior to being laid off. It was also the floor wherefactory superintendent Leo Frank's office was. Not far away fromthe stairs on the first floor was a hole, often covered by a hatch,which led to the basement via a ladder.