The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-07-23
SLAYERS TO FACE
 VICTIMS FATHER LIN. PRELIMINARY
State Has Numerous Wit nesses To Testify
 Against Youths
fRy Associated PreSs,l

i,.... CHICAGO, July 22.-Fixing of the :, degree of moral turpitude' may be the ' legal problem by which will be deter 7 mined the ultimate fate of Nathan Leo :. bold, Jr.. and Richard Loeb, who kid l. mapped and killed young Robert Franks for a thrill.
 | Upon the development of this ques- [. ton, legal experts say, will hinge ' whether they shall hang or go to the ? prison. First steps in arriving at r solution of the question will be taken [: tomorrow when the youths, who yes <, terday pleaded guilty, will appear in 3 court for hearing preliminary to their ' formal sentences.
 S-r' Must Await Sentence
 Admission of the crime by the two sons of Chicago millionnaires before z Judge John R. Caverly wiped out the possibility of plea of insanity at least until after sentence has been passed. 'A The defense asked permission to present evidence fin mitigation of punishment based upon the .'outh of the defendants 2 and their degree of mental responsi- bflitt." Attorneys agreed, however, that If mental responsibility is linked in this ' ease with the question of moral turpi- tude' it will be the first such instance in the histo of Illinois courts.
 Clarence S. Darrow and Benjamin Bachrach, attorneys for the defense, were cryptic in their discussion of this phase. We can go as far as we like i'll the presentation of insanity evidence and we probably will' Mir. Darrow said.
 Robert E. Grove. states attorney, however, declared that he will not agree to the presentation of any evi- dence tending to show the boys insane except before jury. He spent today in seclusion, busted with last minute prep aration of the statement with which he expects to open proceedings tomorrow He expects to finish his statement dur ing the morning session and perhaps will start presenting oral testimony be- fore adjournment for luncheon.
 The courtroom, where will be decided the punishment to be meted out for one of the most startling and sensational crimes in Chicago's history, was given over today to carpenters and wire men. who were busy installing benches, tele- graph circuits and seats for one of the largest assemblages of writers III the history of local courts. Harrassed court attaches were kept at work issuing passes and settine disputes as to the seating arrangements. A count of@neses showed nearly one hundred press tickets were issued.
 The fact that no Sury win be em. panelled for the hearing assisted ma terially in solving this problem. The big comfortable arm chairs re eserved for the usual "twelve good men and true'' were removed from the jury box and II stalled there.
 S1 Witnesses Scheduled
 No less than S1 witnesses will be called by the state to inform Judge Cavelly of the facts developed b.; tEe prosecutie7 unless the court decides that he does not need all this detail. The e state will also offer about 50 .Sxhibit-,s ranging from the chisel with MlSf7.,fl the youth was killed and the typewrite. on which the ransom demands were writ ten to the hotel registration cards filled out by Loeb in an effort to cover the tracks of Leopold and himself in case they had to flee.
 The oral testimony, according to plans, will begin tomorrow with the calling to the stand of Jacob Franks. father of the murdered boy. It was he who identified the body of his son after it was found stuffed into a cul- vert of southside swamp. and the latter's shoes. belt and some other per sonal possessions found on the road to Gary, Ind. where they had been thrown by Leopold and Loeb after the murder.
 Received Second Threat
 Mir. Franks will also tell about the ransom letters which he received and the telephone calls by which he was instructed when. where and how to de- liver the $10,000 demanded by the de- fendants. Today Franks appeared be- fore a grand jury to testify regarding second threatening letter sent by two other youths now in custody, in which his daughters life was threatened. These letters are believed to have been inspired by those written by Leopold and Loeb. In a statement today, the father of the slain boy termed his son q martyr, declaring that he. by dying, saved the lives of five other children Leopold and Loeb were considering as victims.
 After the fathers testimony will