New Britain herald., 1924-08-25
DARROW ATTEMPTS
 ID ANALYzE LIVES
Traces Psychology of Franks
 Killing in Chicago Court
Ry Tha A.sorlalsa rrfss.


 s, Darr0w today as he pleaded anew hefore Judge cayerly for the lives ol
 Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold Jr, easkidnapners and murdereTs ol Robert Franks.
 "The weird, mad act" of the youths, was mentioned only inei' dentally as Dafrow went back of the crime itself to trace from childhood the influences which had surrounded his clients. The effects Of these hs acknowledged could not be told with certainty. hni limits of human knowledge were blamed for that,
 Wealth opening ihe doors 10 no ways which led to denial of desire was "ihe terrible misfortune Tn this terrible case" Mr Darrow said. and then he took m the eases of each of the boys. starting with Loeb, He spoke of him as "Dickie," and said that Inc phsntasy of being able to produce 6 "perfott crime" grew naturally from the youths habitnal reading of detective stories, stper- | imposed upon brain forced like a hoi house plant to absorb book after book"
 Ills parents might have done bet- ter If they hadn't had any money" said Darrow.
 Nature is strong and pitiIess." he ! philosophical. "She works in her own mysterious way and we haven't much to do with it ourselves.
 "Let us he honest with each other. We all know youth is without thought and without care" and he drew audible comment from his au- dience as he added
 "Congressmen. Judges, lawyers - yes, even states attorneys--have in youth done something that was wrong. That they were not caught is their own good fortune"
 He quoted St. Pau's epistle: When I was a child I saw as child, l spoke as a child. l thought as child. but when became man. l put away childish things"
 That was written 20 centuries ago." he said, but let us not forget 1t here"
 A tense silence in the court room echoed the Scripture. Darrow con- tinued in tones scarcely audible.
 ITO hang these boys would be cruel an act not of an advancing civilization, but the product of the savagery and harbarity from which we are so lately come."
 Mir. Darrow paused and court re- cessed for five minutes.
 Science Is not interested so much in criticism as it is interested in finding out the cause of things" Darrow began in his analysis of Leo- pold,
 He was just half boy--an in- telectual machine. He sought to fathom all the philosophies, to un- derstand all things and to put away all feelings. He learned quickly. and he grew up in his own way. Naturally his father did not under stand him.
 He became enamored with the philosophy of Nietzsche---the strans- est philosophy that has been given the world in modern times"
 "A boy never should have seen Nietzsche's philosophy Darrow said
 These things teach contempt for all the fine things and tender those which are the basis of the learning of the young throughout the world.
 Leopold, Mir. Darrow saiI vas "an intellectual machine, running with out a governor and without bal ance, without emotional life in any degree"
 The pleader spoke of him as Babe, explaining he thought the | family nickname more fitting than | the states attorneys use of the word H'man".
 This intellectual machine was, of course, not understood. by his father" said MT. Darrow. and he | launched into a dissertation of the 1 Nietzschean philosophy of the sup beyond good or evil He denounced that philosophy as idola- try and added
 'Ihe question here, is how did this affect the mpressonistic, wis., ionary dreaming mind of Babe, who read it while normal boys were playing baseball. He never should have seen it."
 "But he got from 1t finally an ob- session that he and his chum, Dicie Loeb, were indeed super. men"
 Darrow contended that the boys were equally responsible for the Heath of young Franks.
 Neither could have committed he crime by himself.
 They met each other. and their minds met, and the strange alchemy ,f their minds turned them to their ,ct.
 "The death of little Bobby Franks hould not have been in vain.
 This poor tragic death of this weak young lad should mean some hing. It should mean an appeal to he fathers and the mothers and to he teachers and to the leaders to i've closer to the young, It should mean that the death of Bobby franks will come to the mothers and athers, and the brothers and the isters who have read Of i his ease as a warning to look into he lives Of their children, to en- eayor to understand them, to know , That moves them and 10 guide and 1 irect them that they may dodge he pitfalls of life" Court then recessed ( ..... la,.. Agx I1a r1Au-