The Loeb-Leopold case - The Clarence Darrow Collection

The Loeb-Leopold Case
He followed her, a number of shots were fired, and
it was an insanity defense, the man was convicted,
and so forth. Mr. Marshall makes the comment
that this man was in bad shape. He had syphilis,
goiter, vertigo, and had been struck in the head. He
had army service. There was some excuse for him.
He was a sick man on all the showing made.
And then he goes on: " There were no phantasies,
there were no delusions, there were no hallucina-
tions, but something of substance."
And after being here four weeks! How could he
help you? What is the use? It can make no im-
pression on him. Are delusions not matters of sub-
stance as far as mentality is concerned? Isn't that
the last? Doesn't it mean anything to him?
Undoubtedly what he says is the foreword of what
is going to be said by the State's Attorney. He will
say it is all piffle. Teddy bears, phantasies, we all
have phantasies, everybody has phantasies, even Dr.
Patrick. " I had phantasies," he said.
In this case we were not worried about Dr.
Patrick's phantasies. Dr. Patrick is beyond the
adolescent period, the period of puberty. I don't
know what his phantasies were then, but the kind of
phantasies he has now, getting along as well as he
does, won't do him any harm.
Considerable has been said, your Honor, about
the inability of the State's alienists to come to a just
conclusion from their examination. It is claimed
they made an examination. To repeat what has
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