, 1924-09-24
MURDERERS GET
LIFE SENTENCE
YOUTH ALONE SAVED NATHAN
LEOPOLD AND RICHARD
LOEB FROM DEATH
Pen WILL PART THE SlAyERS
Court Urges that Parole Privilege
Never be Extended to
Two Criminals

Two Criminals
Chicago.-YOuth alone saved Nathan
"a opold, Jr.. 10, and Richard Loeb, Is,
from death on the gallows for the kid
mapping and murder. last May, of Rob-
ert Franks. Instead, Judge John Il.
Caverly, retiring chief justice of the
criminal court of Cook county, Sept.
10, sentenced the two young intellec-
tuals to life Imprisonment on the muir
der charge and to terms Of 90 years
Imprisonment for the kidnapping.
Under the latter. 1t was stated, they
cannot be released on parole until they
have served more han 81 years In the
Joliet ~penitentiary. The life term
alone would have permitted such re-
lease after about 20 years.
But the court urged that this priv.
llege be never extended to the self
confessed doors of what he called IAN
abhorrent crime"
He found no mitigating Circumstance
es In the evil deed itself, Its motive or
lack of motive or in the personalities
and a~ntecedents of the boys, hut he
said that he chose Imprisonment in
stead Of death because of the age of
the defendants.
"It would have been the path Of
least resistance to impose the extreme
penalty OF the law" said the gray
haired Judge in his decision. "In
| choosing imprisonment instead of
death, the court Is moved chiefly by
the age of the defendants, boys of IS
and 10 years"
at is not for the court to say that
he will not in any case enforce capital
punishment but he believes 1t Is within
his province to decline to Impose the
sentence Of death OF persons who are
not Of full age.
This determination appears tn he In
accordance with the progress Of GRIM
Inal law all over the world and to the
dictates OF enlightened humanity.
More than that. It SENS 10 he in ac-
cordance with the presidents In this
state.
Nathan Leopold. .Jr., and Richard
Loeb were started on their way to
Toilet ~penitentiary Thursday night.
Sent. II. and arrived at the big prison
that evening Mt 7:45. Tho two youth
full murderers of Bobbie Franks, both
nattily dressed. were bundled into one
of the three waiting automobiles and
whisked away or the 4O-mile trim
which will take them to the prison. In
the same a were five armed deputy
sheriffs.
Heading the procession was Sheriff
Peter Hoffman with a half dozen other
deputies In another closed car. The
deputies were armed with rifles and
s%hotguns. The third automobile con.
tanned newspaper men.
Leopold and Loeb passed through
the lines of waiting newspaper men.
smiling hut silent. Neither would talk
bn' tn humble, gootlhyc. As they en-.
tered the car. flashlights doomed and
both boys were vislbly startled.
Just before they were to leave, the
boys were handcuffed to two deputy
sheriffs In whose direct charge they
were to he until delivered to the war.
den at Joliet. No one in the party
spoke MS the pair was taken down into
the jailyard. where the automobiles
we're awaiting. As they appeared. hun.
dreds Of persons gathered in windows
and on rOofs In the vicinity craned
their necks to get a glimpse of the
m%urderers.
The two boys Will receive exactly
the same treatment accorded any other
prisoners In the state prison and he
gan to expiate their crime a few mo-
ments after passing into the grim gray
stone structure which houses more
than 1000 prisoners.
The boys will he assigned to manual
lnbor of some kind. the warden said
The prison conducts shoeshops. furni.
ture shops, rattan shops, a stone
quarry, a machine shop and smaller
shops. In n of these the bows will
be put to work.
They win have no office Mt the
start" Warden whitman said. "New
prisoners are often spoiled by beIns
given office positions. They do NOT
learn to adapt themselves to prison
life. That IL the real essential and
that Is why Loeb and Leopold will he
put ut some kind Of manual labor when
we find to whnt they are best adnpted.'
Warden Whitman made It plain that
they Will not he confined In the same
celi. One viii he on one side of the
old prison building. the other on the
opposite side. They may possibly see
one another In marching or In the din.
ing halls, but viii have no opportunity
to nvers For n time at least tbey
VIII not have ~cellmntes, but will be
kept alone. the warden Indicated.