The Loeb-Leopold case - The Clarence Darrow Collection

The Loeb-Leopold Case
name was Mason, that he knew Ballard very well,
and that he could recommend him very highly.
It is fair to infer, your Honor, that the purpose of
renting the car the first time was to establish their
credit so that when they wanted to get the car at
the opportune time, it would be easier.
After having the car out two or three hours it was
returned, and then the next step in this systematic
planning of this horrible crime was to prepare to receive
the money that they were about to demand
from some one who at that time was unknown to
them. So Loeb, starting in some time in April, and
continuing up until May 15th or 20th, would get
on a Michigan Central train leaving the Illinois
Central depot at 3 o'clock standard time, purchasing
a ticket for Michigan City, taking the newspaper
that they had specially prepared, and going to the
rear of the platform, when the train would reach
the vicinity of 74th and the Illinois Central tracks,
where he would toss the package, while Leopold
would watch to see where it would land.
In every detail their plan was worked out, and
they made approximately ten or twelve trips out on
this train solely for the purpose of seeing where the
money would land when they had consummated
their plan and ordered the folks of their intended
victim to throw the money in the designated spot.
So that, on May 21st, 1924, Leopold, driving in
his car, accompanied by Loeb, drove to the vicinity
of 14th and Michigan Avenue. There he left Loeb
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