ACT ONE
WORD/LINE
A Confederate YOUNG SOLDIER stands alone 1 (1.1)
These old red hills of home
In a town called Marietta
Lights bump up to reveal Peachtree Street
in Atlanta, Georgia
26 April 1913, Confederate Memorial Day
[Atlanta] is the heart of industrial Georgia,
and this frenetic city is as far removed as
possible from the gentility of Marietta and
the antebellum South
I wonder how he lost that leg?
Your men from the 55th
Me and my boys marched into
Chickamauga fifty years ago and well
march down Peachtree Street today!
All that we can see are masses of
Confederate flags
The rushing of the Chatahoochie
Well sing Dixie once again
For the men of Marietta, for the brothers
of Cobb County, for the Fathers of Atlanta
I was hopin we could go and have a picnic
in Piedmont Park
PAGE DEFINITION CONTEXT IMAGE
In 1861, seven states (SC, MS, FL, AL, GA, LA, TX) declared secession Not only does the antique style of the soldiers uniform pinpoint the time
from the United States, forming a Confederate States of America. After as during the Civil War, but colour and style of the soldiers uniform would
the Civil War began between the Union and the Confederacy, four more make him immediately identifiable as a soldier of the Confederacy, due to
states (VA, AR, TN, NC) seceded and two others (KY, MO) unofficially the fact that the Union wore blue (left) and the Confederates wore grey
joined the Confederacy. (right).
In addition to the visual descriptor, this is also an historical reference. The
Georgia is known for its red clay soil, the colour a result of iron oxides, gravestone of Mary Phagan reads Little Mary Phagans heroism is an
1 (1.1)
and the very hilly landscape through the state. heirloom, than which there is nothing more precious among the old red
hills of Georgia.
The town where Mary was born, which will be brought up later as the site
of an idyllic life before she was forced to work in Atlanta. At the end of the
1 (1.1)
play, this is where Leo Frank is brought by the mob to be lynched. Atlanta
and Marietta are approximately 20 miles apart.
Peachtree Street is one of the major roads in Atlanta, crossing through the
2 (1.1) historic section of the city. Its location makes it ideal for most parades in
Atlanta.
Confederate Memorial Day is celebrated in Georgia on April 26 th, the day
Confederate Memorial Day is still celebrated in many Southern states,
that the Confederate Army surrendered at Bennett Place. The day
2 (1.1) though not always under that name and not always on April 26 th. Georgia
honours the 250,000 members of the Confederate armies and navies who
removed the name in 2016, and refers to it now simply as a state holiday.
died during the war.
Atlanta was going through industrial changes, growing in size as citizens
2 (1.1) moved from country to city after the Civil War to work in factories.
Marietta, a smaller town, was still more of a country place.
During Civil War battles, the most common medical or surgical procedure
was amputation. New advancements in warfare and weaponry changed
the way injuries occurred. Minie bullets were soft and slow-moving, and
caused a great deal of damage. If striking bone, the soft bullet would
2 (1.1)
expand and flatten, completely pulverizing the bone. Often, the only way
to save a soldiers life was to remove the limb which had been struck.
After the war, missing limbs were commonplace, and used as a way to
identify men as veterans.
The 55th Regiment of the Georgia Infantry was one of many battle
regiments to fight for the Confederacy.
2 (1.1)
The Battle of Chickamauga was the first major battle fought in Georgia
and was a huge victory for the Confederacy; only Gettysburg had more
casualties.
The most recognizable version of the Confederate flag is the Battle Flag
3 (1.1) of the Army of Norther Virginia. Each star on the flag represents a state
seceding from the Union.
The Chattahoochee River represents the border between Alabama and
3 (1.1)
Georgia.
Dixie (or I Wish I Was in Dixie) is arguably the most famous minstrel In modern times, the black dialect of the songs lyrics is often considered
4 (1.1) songs in American history, written from the perspective of a homesick offensive. During the Civil War, Dixie was considered an anthem of the
southerner. Confederacy.
4 (1.1) Marietta is the county seat of Cobb County.
The Piedmont Exposition was held here in 1887 as a way of showcasing
4 (1.2) Piedmont Park is a large park in central Atlanta.
Georgias prosperity during Reconstruction.

I guess thats what I get for marryin a
Yankee
Dont be such a meshuggeneh
I give you the most popular man in
Georgia, our Governor, the Honourable John 7 (1.3)
Slaton!
Ill be home again, back again in Brooklyn.
Back with people who look like I do, and talk 7 (1.3)
like I do, and think like I do
I didnt understand that being Southerns
not just being in the South
Home calls, and Im free of magnolia
trees
A wife who would prefer that I say Howdy!
9 (1.3)
Not Shalom!
[Frankie Epps] hums a popular vaudeville
tune
The streetcar lurches on to the stage
Im gonna go to the picture show.. The
Silver Gun Ive been watchin since
chapter three
When do you turn sixteen?
Two years from next June
The National Pencil Factory
Not Fagin as in Dickens, Phagan as in
phalanx
Twelve hours, ten cents an hour. One dollar
and twenty cents.
Has there been a fire? Tell, just tell me! Its
a fire, isnt it?
Britt Craig
Soon the women will vote and well all go
to hell.
Yankee is a term used by Southerners to describe Northerners. Outside In the South, Yankee is a derisive or insulting way to refer to people
5 (1.2) the United States, the term may refer to any American, regardless of from the North. It is unknown how the word originated, although there is
location. speculation that it may be based on an American Indian word.
Mashugana is Yiddish for silliness or nonsense, or for a person who is
5 (1.2)
silly or nonsensical.
John Slaton (Democrat) served as governor of Georgia from 1911-1912,
and again from 1913-1915, and was incredibly popular within the state.
Although born in Texas, Leo Frank was raised in New York City, surrounded
by a heavily-Jewish population.
Being Southern is a way of life, rather than simply a location in which one
People living in the south often consider themselves Southerners before
7 (1.3) lives. The lifestyle is often calmer, quieter, and more focused on family
Americans.
than career.
9 (1.3) Magnolias are one of the defining trees in Georgia.
Shalom is short for the Yiddish phrase Shalom Aleichem, which means
peace be unto you. It is used as a greeting.
Vaudeville was a popular style of variety entertainment with song, dance,
9 (1.3) acrobatics, and more. It was popular from the 1880s through the birth and
growth of cinema in the 1920s and 1930s.
Streetcars were a common mode of public transportation in the days
10 (1.3) before automobiles. They were originally pulled by horse, then powered
by steam or cables.
Picture shows were the precursors to modern movies, and were generally
shown in serial format; rather than seeing one complete story, there
10 (1.3)
would be multi-episode stories split into chapters over several days or
weeks.
Mary Phagan was born on 1 June 1899. At the time of her death, she was
10 (1.3)
six weeks away from her 14th birthday.
Following the Civil War, the Southern economy was crippled as families
The National Pencil Company was a Jewish-owned business founded in could no longer afford to farm. Many moved to cities and were forced to
Atlanta in 1908, and was located in a factory converted from a hotel. The pull their children out of school and send them to work in factories. It
13 (1.4)
factory consisted of four floors plus a dirt-floor basement. Over 170 would not have been uncommon for a child Marys age to work full-time.
employees, mostly preteen and teenage females, worked onsite. Georgia was the only state where children as young as 10 could work in
factories and mills.
Fagin is a character in Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, while Leo has misunderstood the spelling of Marys last name, and also
15 (1.4) phalanx is the name of a bone in the fingers and toes, and also the name provided evidence to the audience of his other-ness by describing the
of a military formation. spelling through literary and scientific or historical terms.
An hourly rate of $0.10 would equal $2.46 in the present day. For
By contrast, Marys siblings working at the cotton mill made only $0.05
comparison, a gallon of milk in 1913 cost $.30, three whole hours of work.
15 (1.4) cents an hour, so her $0.10 earned a significant amount of money for her
A common shift at the factory was five 10-hour days plus a half-day on
family.
Saturday.
A fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City in 1911 claimed
the lives of 146 people (123 of whom were women), and is one of the
17 (1.5) deadliest industrial disasters in US history. Poor working conditions
prevented many of the workers from escaping. The fire led to improved
safety regulations for factory workers.
In 1913, Britt Craig was 19-years old and had been hired by the Atlanta
Constitution newspaper only the year before. He happened to be at the
21 (1.7)
police station when the call came in about the murder, allowing him to
break the news in the paper.
This is an example of how resistant Southern men were to change; they
A reference to the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, ratified in 1920, had just been through a radical change after the Civil War, losing their
22 (1.7)
giving women the right to vote. slaves and farms, and saw womens suffrage as one more change that
would take away their own power and sense of control.

Hugh Dorsey, the District Attorney, appears 23 (1.7)
Ludie Newton Lee night watchman at the
23 (1.7)
National Pencil Company
We are in Leo Franks cell at Fulton Tower
There is a fountain filled with blood drawn
from Immanuels veins and sinners plunged
beneath that flood lose all their guilty
stains
Good people of Georgia been raisin Hell
about children bein forced to work in
factries. Now theyre gonna read in their
newspapers about a thirteen-year-old girl
fastening erasers to pencil caps 200 caps
an hour, ten hours a day, six days a week.
At the tail end of the line among the other
mourners we see Tom Watson
She liked to see the pictures at the VFW
Hall
(with distaste) I know all about the
Jeffersonian, Mr Watson
I am the resurrection and the life: he that
believeth in me, though he were dead, yet
shall he live. And whosoever liveth and
believeth in me shall never die.
Its in his hands: See how he rubs em both
together like hes tryin to get em clean?
Its in his eyes: Wonder why he stares at the 34 (1.11)
floor and wont look you straight in the
face?
Act more like a good ole boy.
Jim, I got a piece of paper here says you
spent a little time on the chain gang
When a man writes his mother evry
Sunday
Fiddlin John
When her daddy died two years ago, Mary
50 (1.15)
and her mama moved away
Hugh Dorsey was Fulton Countys Solicitor General, and used his
popularity from the Leo Frank case to be elected governor of Georgia in
1916.
Pictured: Newt Lee being questioned on the stand. Leo Frank is seated
slightly left of center, facing the camera.
Leo Frank was imprisoned for two years at the Fulton County Jail, and had
The Fulton County Jail was nicknamed The Tower, due to its most
his cell made as comfortable as possible during his long stay, with books
24 (1.8) prominent feature. The prison housed men and women, whites and
and items from home. The Atlanta Constitution reported that his cell
blacks, and was segregated by both gender and race.
looked like a living room.
26 (1.8) Quote from a hymn written by William Cowper in 1772.
Throughout the 1910s, factory employees periodically demonstrated for
better working conditions, though most strikes achieved very little.
Following the Great Depression, federal laws began to protect working
As mentioned above, factories employed preteens and teenagers for 55
27 (1.9) conditions through unions. Some major legislation included the National
hours a week at a rate of $0.10 per hour.
Labor Relations Act of 1935, which allowed employees to form unions,
and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938, which established a 40-hour
week and minimum wage.
Tom Watson was the editor of the daily Jeffersonian newspaper and
27 (1.10)
weekly Watsons Magazine.
The VFW, Veterans of Foreign Wars, is a veterans organization founded in
29 (1.10) 1899 for the purpose of assisting veterans and their families. VFW Halls
are often a community centerpoint, hosting events such as movies.
The Jeffersonian was a highly prejudiced newspaper, heavily criticizing
31 (1.10
industrialization, factories, city life, and minority races and religions.
33 (1.11) A quote from the gospel of John, chapter 11.
According to police records, Leo Frank was very nervous when the police
arrived at his home, and was trembling and rubbing his hands together.
He had a naturally nervous disposition and often did not make eye
contact. These traits were used against him as indicators of guilt rather
than nerves.
37 (1.12) Good ole boy is a slang term for a traditional Southern man.
Jim Conley had previous been arrested, with seven charges for disorderly Chain gangs were a frequent method of punishment in prison systems,
conduct. The first six resulted in fines, and he was sentenced to a month especially in the South. Prisoners were shackled together and often
41 (1.12)
on the chain gang for the seventh, but was released after three weeks for worked along roads or railways, clearing land, breaking rocks, and doing
good behaviour. other hard labour.
Although not shown in the musical, Leo Frank had a very close
44 (1.13)
relationship with his mother.
Fiddlin John, a character who was removed from Parade between its 1998 His most well-known song was The Ballad of Mary Phagan, pinning the
47 (1.15) and 2007 productions, was a real-life figure who traveled Georgia writing murder on Leo Frank and praising Hugh Dorsey. After the sentence was
and singing folk songs. commuted, he wrote a new version condemning Governor Slaton.
Creative license; Marys father died three months before she was born,
and shortly after her birth, the family moved from Alabama to Marietta. In
1912, Marys mother remarried and the family moved to Bellwood near
downtown Atlanta.

Objection! Leading the witness
Objection sustained
lavender cotton pongee dress a straw
hat with a parasol and white stockings
I got rich folks out in Brooklyn if I need
somewhere to go
The noon bells start to chime in sync with
the repeated word Guilty.
WORD/LINE
It is hereby adjudged that the appeal of
Leo Max Frank for a new trial be rejected.
Act of God. Affidavit. Alias. Alibi. Appeal
Writ of certiorari
Theres a black man swingin in everry
tree but they dont never pay attention
Singing a snatch of Camptown Races as
he goes back to his nap
Demurrer, deposition, evidence.
Habeas corpus. Indictment
Incompetence.
Malice. Mandamus. Quo Warranto. Statute
77 (2.1)
of Limitations. Subpoena.
And this one goes to Mr Adolph Ochs at the
77 (2.1)
New York Times.
I read in this book that the prosecution in
78 (2.1)
a murder case carries the burden of proof.
And Hugh Dorsey was not fooled by the
slippery Jews oily demeanour. He took one
look at Leo Franks bulging satyr eyes and
protruding sensual lips and nailed him for
the pervert sodomite he is.
A lawyer may object to a question if it is felt that the question may
indicate to the witness how he or she should respond to it, which is called
58 (1.15) a leading question.
When a judge rules that an objection is sustained, the lawyer must
rephrase the question.
59 (1.15) Pongee is a lightweight silk fabric imported from China. Pictured: Mary Phagans clothes were used as evidence during the trial.
Jim Conley claimed that Leo Frank said to him Why should I hang? I have
65 (1.15)
wealthy people in Brooklyn.
At the actual trial, the noon bells coincided with the end of Hugh Dorseys
70 (1.15) Pictured: The men of the jury
closing arguments before the jury left for deliberation.
ACT TWO
PAGE DEFINITION CONTEXT IMAGE
I am not thoroughly convinced that Frank is guilty or innocent But I do
not have to be convinced. The jury was convinced. There is no room to
72 (2.1) Judge Roan rejected Leo Franks appeal for a new trial.
doubt that. I feel it is my duty to order that the motion for a new trial be
overruled.
Act of God a natural catastrophe which could not have been prevented
Affidavit a written document signed under oath
Alias a name other than an individuals given legal name
72 (2.1)
Alibi an excuse or explanation for why a person could not have committed a crime
Appeal a request for a high court to reverse a lower courts decision
Writ of certiorari a writ which orders a lower court to deliver records to a higher court for review
Lynchings were most common in the period from 1890 through 1920, with
Lynching was a common racially-motivated hate crime, as blacks were
Georgia having the highest total number. Although anyone could be
abducted and hung for their crimes (or suspected crimes). Despite
75 (2.1) lynched, victims after the Civil War were more often black than any other
attempts to pass laws, lynching was rarely prosecuted and ran generally
race. The popular American poem Strange Fruit, recorded as a song by
unchecked in the South.
Billie Holiday, became an anti-lynching anthem.
Camptown Races is another of the countrys most popular and well-
75 (2.1)
known minstrel songs.
Demurrer a response to a complaint pleading for a case dismissal
76 (2.1) Deposition the process of taking testimony before a trial begins
Evidence legal proof presented to a judge or jury during trial
Habeas corpus a court order directing law enforcement officials to bring a suspect or prisoner to court
Indictment a felony charge based on testimony and evidence; indictment does not mean a person is guilty, only that the person should be
77 (2.1)
tried in court
Incompetence the inability of a person to manage their own affairs due to mental or physical deficiency or disability
Malice a conscious and intentional wrongdoing
Mandamus a write ordering a public agency or government body to perform an act which had not been completed
Quo warranto a writ challenging a persons right to office
Statute of limitations the maximum amount of time one may way before filing a lawsuit; differs based on the crime
Subpoena a court order for a witness to appear in court or provide information
The New York Times, under the leadership of Adolph Ochs, was committed
to providing unbiased reporting on Leos trial.
In a murder case in the United States, the defense does not need to prove
that their client is innocent, however, the prosecution does need to prove
that the client is guilty.
Paraphrase of a quote by Tom Watson: You could tell that Frank is a
lascivious pervert, guilty of the crime by a study of his picture: look at
83 (2.3)
those bulging, satyr eyes, the protruding sensual lips, and also the animal
jaw.
I doubt if Jewish money is in back of Henry
84 (2.3)
Ford.
Before I leave this world behind, I have to
89 (2.4)
speak my mind.
We hear the voice of a black man, with a
call-and-response chorus of black men 99 (2.6)
singing with him.
Im already doin a year as an accessory. 101 (2.7)
Means she had to be breathin in the
basement, because there isnt any sawdust
103 (2.7)
on the second floor. Means she was alive
when you carried her into the basement.
Two thousand years ago, another governor
washed his hands and turned a Jew over to
105 (2.8)
a mob. Ever since then, that governors
name has been a curse.
If today another Jew went to his grave
because I failed to do my duty, I would all 106 (2.8)
my life find his blood on my hands.
I have decided to commute his sentence
from the death penalty to imprisonment for 106 (2.8)
life.
And the news spread like wildfire. An angry
crowd marched north on Peachtree Street
108 (2.8)
toward the Governors Mansion yelling
Hang the Yankee Lover!
Windows were smashed in Jewish stores.
Jacob Seligman, a clothier, was beaten and 108 (2.8)
left for dead.
Crazy fool Billy Creen come at him in the
111 (2.9)
shower room with a razor.
Leo is led onstage by his captors. His hands
are manacled. He is barefoot and wears only 117 (2.10)
his night shirt not even his glasses.
Take that croaker sack yonder. 118 (2.10)
I want my wedding ring to go to my wife. 120 (2.10)
Shma yisroel, Adonai elohainu, Adonai
echod. Baruch sheym kvod malchuso lolam 120 (2.10)
va-ed.
I go to fight for these old hills behind me. 123 (2.11)
Judge Roan, shortly before his death, wrote a letter to Governor Slaton
urging him to re-examine the case and commute the sentence.
It is a dominant trait in the music of many African cultures, and was
Call-and-response is a musical style wherein one phrase is played by one
brought from Africa to the Western World, where it has continued to
musician, followed by a second phrase played in response by a second
evolve, appearing in religious hymns, childrens songs, and popular
musician.
African-American musical traditions through the present.
Jim Conley was sentenced for his role as an accessory to the death,
having testified to helping move the body to the basement.
Reference to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who did not feel as
though Jesus had committed a crime, but washed his hands of the case
and turned him over to the mob.
Commutation is the process of reducing a criminal sentence, and can be
done by a Governor or President. A commutation does not change a
conviction, only the terms of the sentence.
As is reported in the text, Leo Frank was attacked by a fellow prisoner and
had his throat deeply slashed.
At his lynching, Leo Frank expressed concern for his wife and mother.
The Shma is a Jewish prayer from the book of Deuteronomy, which
translates to: Hear, Israel, the Lord is our God, the Lord is One. Blessed be first and last words of the day. It is also recited on ones deathbed as a
the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever.
Henry Ford was famously anti-Semitic.
Pictured: A diagram showing how Conley claimed he moved the body
from the office to the basement.
Paraphrase of Governor Slatons actual quote: Two thousand years ago
another governor, Pontius Pilate, washed his hands of a case and turned a
Jew over to a mob. For two thousand years that governors name has
been accursed.
Paraphrase of: If today another Jew were lying in his grave because I had
failed to do my duty, I would all through life find his blood on my hands
and would consider myself an assassin through cowardice.
The commutation ended Governor Slatons political career, he was vilified
in the Southern press, and mobs protested outside his home.
The Marietta Vigilance Committee posted flyers warning Jewish-owned
stores: NOTICE: You are hereby notified to close up this business and quit
Marietta by Saturday night, June 26, 1915, or else stand the
consequences. We mean to rid Marietta of all Jews by the above date. You
can heed this warning or stand the punishment the committee may see fit
to deal out to you.
Pictured: Front page of the Atlanta Constitution the day after Leo Franks
abduction and death.
Tom Watson was responsible for printing inflammatory comments inciting
a mob to lynch Leo Frank: Let the rich Jews beware! The next Jew who
does what Frank did is going to get exactly the same thing that we give to
Negro rapists!
Leo Frank was wearing only a nightshirt. Photographs of the lynching
show a piece of fabric wrapped around his waist.
I think more of my wife and my mother than I do of my own life.
Traditionally, Jews pray the Shma every morning and every night as their
reaffirmation of faith.
Just as Parade begins in flashback to the pride of Southern soldiers
preparing for the Civil War, it ends on Confederate Memorial Day 1916,
with the U.S. preparing to enter The Great War.