Evening star., 1924-06-12

Throughout the country the gen.
eral reaction to the sequel OF the
Franks kidnapping and murder ap-
parently is one of bewilderment that
two youths. brilliant mentally, sur
rounded from birth with the best that
wealth affords, should so deliberately
carry out such a brutal crime. Re
gardless of whether these youths be
maniacs or criminals, editors agree
that speedy justice should be meted
out to them.
Not only Nathan Leopold and
Richard Loeb, confessed slayers OF
Robert Franks, will be on trial in
the Chicago courts. but our American
sy stem of justice will be on trial. in
the opinion of the Cincinnati Times
Star, which feels that unless the ex-
pc riences of the past have enlighten-
ed Chicago courts, we shall have Leo
pold and Loeb retiring to the cloister-
ed life of some luxurious sanatorium.
there to await the abatement of pub
lie opinion when they may emerge at
the instance of the same lawyers and
physicians" The Indianapolis News
lege graduates will inherit are not
on trial." and the state of Illinois
has an opportunity here to show what
simple justice means; furthermore.
"the presentation of the evidence to
a competent jury and the return of a
verdict should not take long. and it
need not be attended by any of the
frills that have been suggested as a
part of the case The Newark News
suggests the entire absence of the
p; ~ ,cf
which conceivably could grow out of
the entire rejection of responSi bility
to any power beyond man, alone
might explain the cold brutality, the
calculating callousness Of this mur-
der" but law cannot palliate guilt
on such a basis without throwing
down the safeguards of civilization; !;
therefore, either as intolerably dan
gerous maniacS or as perverted Grim
inals these two should be put out OF
the way permanently-it is up to the
law"
The Pittsburgh Gazette Times agrees
unnecessary delay win be contrary
to the interests of pubic justice"
While it is hard ito order capital
penalties against those who may be
proven mentally irresponsible" the
Grand Rapids Herald argues, "it is
travesty on preventive penology to
contemplate the possibility that such
Intellectual depravity as this case
heartlessIy involves can find legal
immunity to the laws maximum ret
ribution," and I'VE shall find all of
our theories put to severe test If the
Chicago defense proceeds as lndf-
Gated" In no case, the Sioux City
Journal declares. should the two
1l 80
cape punishment for their fiendish
crime" for this is one time when
Justice should be blind indeed to the
position the slayers occupied and to
the resources at their commana
decadence," the Detroit Free Press
contends, "is still an unsolved puzzle,
but there is no doubt about what
must be done when such prooucts OF
it as Leopold and Loeb appear-they
must be expeditiously and completely
eliminated as factors In society,"
What is essential. according to the
Baltimore Sun, "is that no mawkisn
cuses Gus I should be permitted to protect
and fullest punishment. If they
manage to- get to comfortable IN
sane asylum lnsteao OF echhnrs hrs
Advance is convinced. "it will but
serve to add to the conviction which
many hold that there is a grlevous
fault somewhere in our legal system
which too often permits the guilty to
escape" The Lincoln State Journal
asks What is there in the modern
life of such young men that turns in
so tragic q direction in search OF ad-
venture% The Manchester Union an
swers somewhere something. was
wrong in the training of these
youths" because. "as post graduate
university students, they can hardly
- lonkef3-auaa Attacking brains Or