The Clinton chronicle. (Clinton, S.C.) 1901-current, June 05, 1924, Image 9
VOLUME XXIV
CLINTON, S. G, THURSDAY JUNE 5, 1924
NUMBER 24
STUDENTS CONFESS
CLEARING MYSTERY
State’s Attorney Says That Leopold
and Loeb, Sons of Two Chicago
MilHonaries, Admit Kidnaping
and Slaying of Frames.
Chicago, May 81.—Youthful sons of
two Chicago millionaries, today con
fessed the kidnapping and slaying ten
days ago of Robert Franks, 13 year
old son of Jacob Franks, another mil
lionaire, according to Robert E. Crowe,
state’s attorney.
The boys who confessed are Nathan
.Leopold, Jr., and Richard Loeb, both
university students and both residing
within a few blocks of the Franks*
home in a fashionable Southside resi
dential district.
They kidnapped the boy as he
walked home from school, strangled
him in their automobile, concealed his
body and demanded a $10,000 ransom
from the parents, according to Mr.
Crowe.
A pair of spectacles led to their ar
rest and the chance remark of a chauf
feur resulted in their confession when
the authorities, after hours of ques
'tioning were virtually convinced the
youths had established alibis and were
considering releasing them. i
Their motive is a puzzle, §tate At
torney Crowe declaring that they
wanted excitement and the $10,000
ransom, while friends asserted they
could not need the money and doubted
the truth of the confession. Both
youths have records as brilliapt stu
dents, one being the youngest ever
graduated from the literary college of
a leading mid-Western university, and
the other doing special work at a uni
versity here. ■
Sons of Rich Men
Leopold is the son of Nathan Leo
pold, Sr., wealthy paper box manufac
turer, and Loeb is the son of Albert
Loeb, vice-president of Sears, Roebuck
&. Co., a Chicago mail order house.
At one time, according to Mr. Crowe,
the boys said they considered kidnap
ing a relative of Julius Rosenwald,
multi-millionaire head of the firm.
The boys’ confession,' the stdte at'
torhey believes, clears up one of the
strangest crimes in Chicago’s history.
Robert Franks disappeared on the af
ternoon of May 21, as he was going
from a private school to his home, a
few blocks distant. That night a man
posing as “George Johnson” telephon
ed the boy’s mother that her son was
held for ransom and the next day the
father received a letter demanding
$10,000 for the boy’s release and in
structing him that further orders
would follow. In the afternoon came
a telephone call to Franks from John
son instructing him to take the money
which he had ready, to a drug store,
the address of which Franks did not
understand. A few minutes after
wards the nude body of a boy stuffed
into the culvert of a Southside swamp
was Identified as his son.
According to the state attorney,
Leopold and Loeb said that last No
vember they conceived a plan to kid
nap some one and hold him for a ran
som of $10,000. They chose the
Franks boy, whom they knew, as a
victim, on the spur of the moment,
when they saw him walking home
from school.
Luring him into a rented automo
bile in which they were riding, they
said, according to Mr. Crowe, they
struck hm over the head with a chisel
when he resisted, and then strangled
him. The chisel, tossed from their
automobile, was found later and is a
part of the evidence against them.
For hours they drove about the city
with their victim huddled in the ton
neau of the car and covered by -a
robe. That night, they said, accord
ing to Mr. Crowe, they disrobed the
body, applied acid to the face in an
effort to make identification impos
sible and drove to the swamp where
they concealed the body in the cul
vert. They then burned the clothing
at Loeb’s home, according to their
confession, disposed of the shoes and
belt on a prairie and rode about the
city for a time, finally returning home
where Loeb notified the Franks fam
ily that Robert was held for ransom
while I^eopold prepared the ransom
letter. Then they threw the type
writer on which the' ransom letter was
prepared in a lagoon and when their
plans to collect ransom miscarried be
cause Franks did not understand their
instructions, Loeb pretended to assist
the police in finding the drug store
from which he made one of the calls
to Franks.
Hie only clue on which the authoti-
ties had to work was a pair of spec
tacles with tortoise shell rims and of
Identification of the
3,000,000 assumed the proportions of
looking for a needle in a haystack, but
the police, realizing that their only
hope of solving the mystery lay in
finding the owner of the glasses set
to work canvassing every optician,
optical supply and manufacturing
house in Chicago, eventually extend
ing their search to other cities.
After a week’s hunt, a Brooklyn
firm was found which said it made the
spectacles and its Chicago agencies
were then canvassed. Thousands of
records were carefully scrutinized un
til one was found which tallied ex
actly with that of the glasses in ques
tion.
v ■ ►
Such a record Was found by an op
tician Wednesday flight and the trail
led direct to the Leopold home, a few
blocks from that of Franks. Leopold
and Loeb, his bosom friend, were ar
rested at once.
Then came the surprise. Leopold
readily admitted ownership of the
spectacles, explaining that he is an
ornithologist, and in his study of
birds had often visited the swamp
birds ha doften visited the swamp
where the body was found and prob
ably lost his glasses on one of the
trips. The boys told a straight for
ward story of their activities on the
day Robert Franks disappeared, de
claring they spent the day riding about
in Leopold’s car and after a day and
most of a night of questioning, their
story remained unshaken, in any de
tail The authorities were about
ready to admit that their statements
were correct.
Meanwhile, in an outer room of the
state’s attorney office a man had
been waiting patiently for four hours
to have sorpe notice taken of him. He
was the Leopold family chauffeur and
had been called in along with a dozen
others to substantiate details of the
boys’ statements.
Finally, the chauffeur was asked a
few prefunctory questions. He chanc
ed to remark that the Leopold car was
in the garage throughout the day of
May 21. Questioners rushed to the
two boys with this information and a
few minutes later, as dawn streaked
through the Windows of the' state’s
attorney’s office, the youths admitted
the slaying.
Tonight authorities were working
feverishly to corroborate the most in
timate details of the boys’ story. The
lagoon where the youths said they
threw the typewriter was being drag
ged and the boys were taken to a
lonely prarie, where they pointed out
the spot where they tried to burn a
blood smeared robe that they said
they placed over their victim’s body, a
search was being made for the
Franks boy’s shoes and belt and the
proprietors of the garage from which
they rented the car in which Robert
was kidnapped had already identified
them. Late today the boys, under
heavy guard, were taken over the
route they said they pursued and to
the place where the body was found
to reenact details of their confession.
Leopold tonight stj^ll appeared non
chalant although he showed effects of
the great strain under which he had
been placed for more than 24 hours.
Loeb, however, collapsed when a
druggist, at whose store he called the
Franks home in connection with the
ransom demand, positively, identified
him.
Meanwhile plans were completed
for quick action in the courts. The
inquest, indefinitely postponed the
day after the body was found, will be
reopened Monday morning, and it was
announced that the case will be the
first to be submitted to the June
grand jury. State’s Attorney Crowe
said kidnapping for ransom was a
capital offense in this state, and that
it was possible to try the slayers of
the boy for two crimes, each punish
able by death—murder, and kidnap
ing for ransom—in case indictments
are returned.
The story of the boys, Mr. Crowe
said, indicated that their victim was
dead five minutes after he entered
their automobile.
Mr. Crowe, said that his questioning
revealed tha£ the slaying was a part
of the plan and that the youths had
no intention of returning the boy to
his parents after payment of the ran
som. After the crime was committed
and the evidence of it were destroyed.
Mr. Crowe said, the boys engaged in
& card game until they went to bed.
KILLED ElY WIFE
IN MORNING ROW
THE CORNER STORE
We have just received a bale
of jpod quality sheeting which
wUl go on sale at 10 yards for
$1.00. Saint, SO inches wide, 8
for $1.00. Excellent
checks and plaids, 10 .
of tlM' gkuMs in a otty of for $1.00. Tfcr Goner Stqiig
George Siskron Dies From Wounds
Following Attack Upon
Wife.
Florence, May 31.—George Siskron,
30, who was shot, according to a cor
oner’s jury, by his wife at their home
three miles from Florence early this
morning, died this afternoon. Mrs.
Siskro%qpvas released from the cus
tody of the sheriff tonight when her
attorneys procured an order for bond.
She was not placed in jail but was
held in custody during the day pend
ing the outcome of her husband’s in
jury. The coroner’s jury reridered a
verdict that George Siskron had come
to his death from a pistol shot at
the hands of his wife.
The shooting occurred at 7 o’clock
this morning. Mr. and Mrs. Siskron
were in their bedroom and it is un
derstood that while they were dress
ing they became involved in an ar
gument. It is alleged that Mr. Sisk
ron had been out of work for some
time and that he had not properly
provided for his family. According
to Mrs. Siskron’s statement voluntar
ily made through her attorney, George
H. Edwards, of Darlington, and veri
fied by her, she spoke to him about
securing work and he became engaged
and attacked her, knocking her down
and attempting to choke her. Mrs.
Siskron’s neck, shoulders and chest
show pitiful evidence of the struggle.
Scarcely knowing what she was do
ing,’ according to the statement, Mrs.
Siskron seized a pistol lying on the
chiffonier and shot her husband. Only
one shot was fired. The bullet took
effect in Siskron’s head, passing
through beneath the ear. Mrs. Sisk
ron’s sister, Mrs. Rosa Lee Barnette,
who was in the house at the time and
to whom the pistol belonged, testified
that she came to the Siskron home
yesterday afternoon at the request of
Mrs. Siskron, who had written her
that she was fn need of provisions.
She said she carried the pistol in her
car when she traveled alone and on
retiring had placed it on the chiffon
ier so that the children could not
reach it. Mrs. Barnette testified that
when last night she suggested that
her sister and the children go home
with her, Siskron flew into a rage
and declared that he would kill him
self and family before he would see
them leave the house. She said she
knew of her own knowledge that
Siskron had often abused his wife
Mrs. Siskron’s statement was to the
same effect.
Mrs. Siskron also said she and her
children had suffered from Siskrdn’s
failure to care for the family.
Mrs. Siskron is a daughter of C. T.
Evans, formerly supervisor of Lee
county. The dead man was a son of
the late John Siskron, reputed to have
been one of the wealthiest men of
Darlington. The couple had four chil
dren all under seven years of age.
Cakes You’ll Like
• •
e »
They are made just like you would make
them at home—the same flour, the same
high grade ingredients and prepared and
baked under the most sanitary conditions.
Try one today and then you will know
how good they are.
The Clinton Bakery
Phone 124
“Your Breakfast is more complete with Toast.”
Such popularity must be deserved
O LD records to break, new
ones to make! Grilling tests
of speed, stamina, power! And
for the winner—popularity, hard-
won and deserved.
So with everything else. To
win popularity even a cigarette
must deserve it. Chesterfield, for
example, has long been winning
an average of over 1000 smokers
a day.
One thing alone—Chesterfield’s
better taste — can for
such popularity.
Chesterfield
CIGARETTES
MM, k Mfm Tobacco Co.
—millions I