Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1924-12-30
NEA Service

VIZ Ot'NIt
70, Dec. 30.-An eye for an
tooth for a too,hi
Jan the Mosaic law of old of his
Iathers. So runs the law Of Jacob
Lks today.
Idany weary months Of anguish have
E3ded to his heartache since Franks,
now but a shadow of his f%ortne- self,
end bent under his tragedy, wept beside
the bier CT his slain son, Robert, and
watched him borne away to a premature
grave.
Past the age of unreasoniHg hate,
Franks, cheated out Of dreams and as
pirations in his son by Loeb and Leo
pold, arch fiends. who cut the yaunster
off from his life for a thrill"-be-
speaks his mind Of what real Justice"
IS.
Seated at his desk, on which in an
exact row are three portraits Of the un-
fortunate Bobbie, Franks, in a bitter,
quaking voice and with eyes, that seem
ed to burn with an intense fire, re
peated over ard over: They should
have hanged. They should have hanged.
Never Uses Their Names
That is the way he refers to Loeb AMI
Leopold, nov serving life sentences and
90 years Imprisonment each at Joliet
penitentiary for striking down the boy
my little Bobbie"-for whom F.anks,
the millionaire matchmaker, lad plan
ned so much.
He never calls them by name. 1t is
always they" when he brings the Stay
ers into conversation. His manner IS
impersonal. The pronoun is impersonal.
But it reveals Franks loathirg for
the killers. He will not permit their
names 10 defilc his mouth.
Justice was not done in this case.
he says. They should have hanged.
There was no reason in law or human
Kindness why those two fiends should
not have been done ava with.
,iee is IS ~ %is 2" the "I Inwfrequires ! 1 am
fully satisfied with thE criminal law as
1t is written. In some few cases there
are mitigating circumstances. In this
case there was none"
Sweeping on in a surge of p%ent-up
passion, Franks burst the ~floodgates
Of his grief and with eyes fastened on
the three mute photographs of the little
boy upon his desk he launched into
q bitter attack upon many concerned in
the trial.
Criticizes Cayerly
He is particularly enraged over the
conduct to Clarence Darrow, master
pleadcr, who defended Loeb and Leo
pold, as his son's confessed murderers.
"Darrow is an atheist" Kissed Franks.
"He undertook this defense for the
money there was in it. 1t is said that
he made 81, 900. 1000 for what he did.
and then Judge Caverly-why did
he, a chief justice sit in the case
1T is an unusual procedure fer a
chief justice to sit IN a trial like this.
He should have assigned the case to
some other judge.
Because he didn't do so, makes me
believe that his mind was already made
up before he heard the facts. Likewise
Judge Caverly, when he delivered SEN
tencc on them, sttaed that he disregard
ed the insanity theories of the defense.
Therefore, according to many law
/ yers, his only course OF action legally
kvas TO deliver the death sentence.
When Caverly sentenced the boys he
ksaid that 90 per cent Of the letters ne
4. regarding the case asked for lenlen-
h. | believe | got more letters about
than the judge. and 80 per cent Of nc
brrcspondence ! received asked tor
[%ancing. This would seem to indicate
that Judge Caverly picked out the let
tiers that agreed with his view point
But that part Of it is a story tha'
may never be told