The Omaha morning bee., 1924-07-24
Unnnoved as
Parents OF
Victim Sob
Leopold and Loeb Hear Sor-
rowing Mother and Father
Identify Clothing of
Slain Son.
Death Demand Made

Chicago, July 23.-Nathan Leopold.
H., and Richard Loeb faced the sor-
rowing parents of their boy victim
today at the bar of justice.
They watched them on the witness
stand as they told with tear-moist
eyes the story of their sons disap-
pearance and heard obchoked voices
whisper affirmative answers to the
states preferred exhibits Of the little
fellows clothing.
Leopold, motionless. and with an
expression of only casual interest on
his features, watched the mother Of
young Robert Franks with scarcely
the blinking of an eye.
Loeb Shows Reaction.
Loeb, his companion, gave little out
ward sign of perturbation.
Throughout the day, however. Loeb
showed some reaction to the proceed
ings. He came into court with eyes
staring and jaw pendulous and fire.
quently licked his lips or picked at
threads on his sleeves.
Loeb leaned forward In his chair.
Leopold slouched down on his shoul-
der blades.
The two young intellectuals, whose
academic achievements branded them
in their university standings as en-
dowed geniuses, were in court today
In the first days hearing before Judge
Caverly chief justice of Cook county,
In the somewhat unorthodox legal
proceedings which are to determine
the fate of the confessed slayers.
Facing the states attorney. Robert
F.. Grove, with fixed eyes as he styled
their crime the most cruel, cowardly
and dastardly murder ever committed
in the history of American jurisprud-
ence," the 19-year-old defendants ap-
parently found mental stimulus in the
oratorical effort of the prosecutor.
Leave Court Jauntily.
"In brief pause which followed
this climax in Mr.. Groves opening
statement, the defendants whispered
10 each other words afterwards des-
cribed by Loeb as really funny.
After hearing a detailed recital OF
their carefully laid plans, their ex
ecution and the finding Of the nude
body of their 14-year-old victim In a
water-filled culvert beneath a rail
raod crossing In a desolate outlying
section, once described by Leopold as
an ideal spot for pathological field
work, the young defendants left the
court room jauntily. AS they entered
an elevator to return to their guarded
cells. they laughed audlbly at each
others writings.
The proceedings are designed to in
form the court exactly on the evidence
in the case, to assist him in fixing
a just sentence.
Formal pleas of guilty to two in
dictments for kidnapping for ransom
and for first degree murder were en-
tered Monday, reversing previous
pleas OF not guilty. Today. in firm
voices the youths once more affirmed
their pleas of guilty. Their fate now
rests. in the language Of Clarenc'
Darraw, chief council for the defense
on "the mercy Of the court"
Death Demanded Twice
Both prisoners were pointed ou
I'm court today by various witnesse!
as principals In activities described
by the states attorney in his two
hour opening presentation, as the exc
oution of their carefully laid plan'
for their crime.
Twice during the day did the states
attorney demand the death penalty
for the boys-once in the name o.
the parenthood and the childhood o
the state" in his opening statement
Again It was determined late in th'
day when the defense tried to shorter
the testimony and Mr.. Grove said III
needed it to support his request To-
n death sentence.
The defense strategy was almos
cryptic. There was but brief re