Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1924-06-07
CHICAGO CRIES FOR SCAFFOLD
AS PENALTY IN FRANKS CRIME,
BUT FEARS CLINK OF DOLLARS
Cold Million Put in Hands of Counsel for Boy Sayers as
They Line Up Aienists to Prove Insanity; Lads Pin
Hopes to- 'Papa's Rolf
BY OWEN L. SCOTT
Especial Leased Wire to The Journal
(Copvrioht 1904

Especial Leased WIRE to Ine J0urnal.)
Copyright, 1924
CHICAGO, June 5.-The glib as
surance of Nathan Leopold, Jr., and
Richard Loeb, precocious thrill-seek-
ing slayers of young Robert Franks,
that money-vast sums of twill
save their necks from the hangman's
moose, is shared generally here by
an intensely interested, vindictive
public.
Thumbs are down on the nineteen
year-old killers. The popular cry is
for their execution. The demand of
the state and of the millions Of Jo-
seph Franks, father of the murdered
boy, is that they pay-the full pen
atty on the gibbet. Yet scarcely a
soul, other than States Attorney
Grove and few police officials, pro-
fesses to believe that death SEN
tence will be the outcome of the
pending battle of millions.
Money Their Big Hope
A vast defense fund, exceeding
that which gave Harry *. Thaw,
slayer Of Stanford White, respite in
an asylum, and finally liberty, is
ready now to fight for the lives of
the thrill-killers. Two fortunes, esti-
mated at nearly $20,000,000 are be-
hind the defense attorneys and their
rapidly forming corps of alienists. A
million in cash was put at the law
yer's disposal today. The magnitude
of these fortunes is one of the few
things in the world of realities that
seem to impress young Leopold and
young Loeb.
"We've got a lot Of money" said
Leopold in his analysis of the situa-
ton. "Why couldn't we buy off
some of the jurors?'
1--WE can hire some lawyers and
get out of this, I guess" saidF4oeb
shortly before expressing heNOpin-
ion that the affair would be the
making Of me-"
While the general impression is
that the boys will go free-frOm the
gallows, at least-State's Attorney
Grove insists he has a perfect
hanging case" even without the con-
LESSONS which the slayers' lawyers
are most hopeful of having ruled
out.
The defense almost surely will be
insanity. The jury Leopold wanted
to buy will be asked to believe that
the young minds, which were the
marvels of two universities, expand
ed too rapidly to remain stable-that
TOO much learning hath made them
mad" Doubtless some such catchy
phrase as the Elemental Americana"
which featured the Thaw case will
be coined for the occasion. "Demen-
tia jazziana," perhaps.
They'll Get Their Thrill
A noticeable unwillingness on the
part of mental specialists to give
an analysis of the slayers' minds for
publication, indicates their eXpec-
fancy of juicy retainers when the
legal "battle of the century gets
under way.
Three prominent alienists already
have examined the boys for the
state, and have expressed the opin-
ion that they were legally sane when
they committed their horrible crime
But Clarence barrow, defender of
noted criminals for years, will have
no difficulty in finding dozens of
alienists, if necessary, to testify that
they were temporarily unbalanced.
The thrill-killers lie in the county
jail, dividing their time between read
ing the available, very commonplace
and thrill-less literature the place af-
fords, and worrying through the
humdrum of Jail routine.
A very definite new set of thrills
awaits them, however, when they
are brought into court to watch the
titanic struggle for their lives.