Perth Amboy evening news., 1924-07-23
7 BOY S[AYERS
. ON THE MERCY
OF THE COURT
kidnapping of Franks Boy Was
Strictly a Commercial
Proposition, Is Claim
OF STATES ATTORNEY
Death Sentence for Loeb and
Leopold Still Demand in !.
Court at Chicago E
OF STATES ATTORNEY

CHICAGO. July % (By The AS
sociated Press) The kidnapping OF
fourteen-year-old Robert Franks by
Nathan Leopold, Jr., and Richard
Loeb, was a strictly commercial
proposition" the abductors wrote
in their first letter TO the father OF
their victim.
The letter was read today in the
opening of the hearing before Chief
Justice Caverly to determine the
penalty the two college youths shalt
pay for the death of young Hranko,
to which for the Aecond time they
affirmed today their lawyers pl&4'
of guilty.
States Attorney ssopert n croz
In an opening statements fee1te4 &
story of the boys~~i = m
little fellows murder" Frola
what he said was the inception Ut
the plot In the minds of the two
brilliant sons OF prominent families
here. last fall. 7s
Every detail of the planning.
separations, foreseen by the young
conspirators. was reviewed by the
prosecutors.
He told of the perfection of the
details for their plot on May 21,
and of careful deliberation after
ward on the question ~ who should
be their victim.
The sons of numerous wealthy
families were considered before
young Franks was agreed upon.
Leopold frequently sat virtually
motionless for periods of ten or fif-
teen minutes during the recital
Loeb. however. frequently adjusted
his stylish bow tie, moistened his
lips with his tongue and picked ut
specks on his sleeves. Franks, father
of slain boy sat quietly beside his ut
torney chewing gum with apparent
determination but wholly without
outward show of feeling.
Nathan Leopold. Sr., father of one
of the nineteen-year-o intellectua;s
whose fate is at stake, sat within
few feet of his son, and next to an
other son. His brow was creased
and deep lines of grief bore evidence
OF a patients bowed spirit and heavy
heart.
The defendants were styled "cold
calculating murderers."
Listening to the state recital Of
the details of the boys death with
apparent equanimity of spirit, the
two defendants sat calmly in their
chairs behind their counsel.
Frequently one would whisper to
the other.
|. "Of course we are going to insist
on the death penalty at every appro-
pirate opportunity" Mr.. Grove told
newspapermen during brief recess.
AT one point the states attorney
alluded to evidence he would ask to
present to the court In private"
The nature of the evidence" he
said, "as will be seen, and doubtless
appreciated by the court, Is such
That 1t would be improper to reveal
1t in open court"
The same strategy applied later to
Leopold, Mr.. Grove said. produced
like reaction.
Each accused the other of being
the actual murderer, and sought to
save his own neck" the prosecutors
shouted.
Coming to recital of the first
show of weakness by Loeb during
his first questioning by States Attor-
ney Grove. the prosecutor raised his
voice and paced nervously before the
bench.
He told of Loeb's excited cry for a
glass of water after he was told that
his companion had revealed their
secret
My God,' the youth cried. He
then offered to tell the whole story.
In the name of the people of tho
State of Illinois and of the parent
hood and childhood of the state, we
demand the death penalty for both
of these cold blooded and vicious
murderers." said Mr.. Grove in con-
cluding his statement.
Clarence Darrow, sixty-seven-year-
old veteran of the Chicago bar, the
chief defense counsel, Immediately
attacked the Grove statement.
ITO describe the crime as the most
Continued on page 50