Perth Amboy evening news., 1924-08-27
NEW ONSLAUGHT
ON MERCY PLEA
FOR Z S[AYERS
Grove Makes Further Attacks
Upon Competency of Alien
ist Defense Witnesses
DEFENSE IN OBJECTIONS
Fate of the Two Youths viii
Rest, Alone, with Judge
Caverly of Chicago

CHICAGO. Aug. n tBy The Asso-
ciated Press) States Attorney Rob-
ert T.. Grove, vitrolic in speech and
at times apoplectic I'm gesture. re-
sumed his onslaught today upon ths
mercy plea in behalf of Nathan Leo
pold, Jr., and Richard Loeb.
With q renewed attack upon the.
competency of the defense alienist
testimony describing the mental de-
bility of the youthful murdered OF
Bobby Franks, Mr.. Grove insisted
upon name for "these strange mem
tai sicknesses invented for this caneF,
From the outset the explosive ar
guinent of the prosecutor
| objection of the defense, and an an
suing wrangle on technicalities called
from Chief Justice John r. CaverIy,
to whom falls the duty of fixing sem
tence, the declaration that the court.
will not consider any argument out
side of the record
MIR. Grove, once visibly irritafed
by the objections of the defense.
turned vigorously upon the bench to
assert:
and philosophy here for four days;
=
little citation from the law"
"We have heard everything that
Is in the books and of great deal
that never got into the books from
the three wise men from the East
brought in by the defense; but no.
body has ventured to give this mental
disease a name," said Mr.. Grove.
He then endeayored again to de-
scribe the court proceedings In
case in which the defendant was
found by alienists to have been the
victim of a newly discovered dis
ease" He was checked in this cita
tion by defense objection and the
court ruling, but not before he voiced
the charge that this too is a newly
discovered mental disease-discov-
cred by the three wise men from the
east after every other possible ave-
nue. of escape has been sealed"
'They tell us that Loeb read de-
tective stories and that's bad sign"
SAID Mr.. Grove later. "Well, / re-
member when I used to crawl under
the bed to read Nick Carter. Why
that's not bad sign. That's normal
for boys"
Mr.. Grove charged that the boys
had been advised" what to say to
the defense alienists In their exam
nations in the county jail. He
charged that the youths collaborated
with the attorneys and the doctors
in improvising their weird and un-
canny defense"
The states attorney read an ex-
cerpt from the Hulburt-Bowman re-
port, which one of the authors had
testified "never had been intended to
be read by the prosecutor" The ex-sa
sofd ha sfa
tain legal advantage in thes uppres-
sion of some of the details of the
boys mental processes"
States Attorney Grove continued
the argument he began yesterday
and was expected to consume all day
developing his fiery denunciation of
the defendants and the tactics of
their counsel, Clarence S. Darrow
and the Bachrach brothers, Benja-
min and Walter.
After Mr.. Grove finishes, the court
Is to spend about an hour disposing
of the indictment charging kidnap-
ing of Robert Franks. Thus far.
technically, the proceedings have
had to do only with the pleas of
guilty to the murder indictment.
Mr.. Grove started with sarcastic
renewal OF his reference to defense
alienists as "The three wise men
from the East" He took UP the
mental disease" theory of the de-
fense, saying:
mo one who went on the stand
has been able to give this disease
name. Yet everyone who appeared
for the defense was supposed to
know all there was in the books and
a lot more"
Mr.. Grove began to criticize DR.
William A. Whites record in an
eastern case and Benjamin Bach
raeh objected that the court had not
permitted the defense to discuss that
case. Judge Caverly made no rulins
and Mr.. Grove went ahead
CONTINUED on page %