The Loeb-Leopold case - The Clarence Darrow Collection

The Loeb-Leopold Case
Why should the idea of insanity ever have entered
Mr. Crowe's mind? The answer is quite clear in
the testimony of one of his own experts, Dr. Patrick,
when he was asked his opinion upon his observations
made of these defendants on the first of June in the
State's Attorney's office. He said: "With the ex-
ception of the facts surrounding this crime, exclud-
ing those facts, in my opinion there is not any evi-
dence to show that the boys were mentally diseased
on the 2ist of May, 1924."
Excluding those facts! Now, why did he exclude
them?
Because those facts were of such a peculiar char-
acter that the first suggestion that would come into
anybody's mind would be that it was the act of the
insane or mentally diseased.
Suppose that some one were to come to your
Honor, or to anybody who knows my associate, Mr.
Darrow, who has known him for years, and knows
the kindly individual that he is, and say that Mr.
Darrow had kidnaped and murdered a boy fourteen
years old, and brought you proof that he had done it.
Would your Honor say that Mr. Darrow was a
hardened murderer, or would you not rather sug-
gest that his mind had become affected?
Now, that was the situation, if your Honor please,
that was presented to Robert Crowe. These were
respected boys, intelligent, without the earmarks of
criminals, the sons of respected parents of wealth
and stability. When they had confessed the crime,
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