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Clarence Seward Darrow 1857-1938
Originally from Ohio, Clarence Darrow moved to Chicago in 1887.
He became a famous lawyer and a specialist of criminal
law.
In 1924, one of his cases involved the
rich kids Richard Loeb and
Nathan Leopold, who
had kidnapped and murdered 14-year-old Bobbie Franks just for
kicks.
Darrow was hired to defend Loeb and
Leopold and managed to turn an imminent execution sentence into an
actual imprisonment verdict. His defense, arguing against capital
punishment, became somewhat famous.
Here is Darrow's closing argument,
The Book of Love.
Go here for
all things Illinois vs. Leopold and Loeb.
Then there were the Sweet Trials of 1925
and 1926.
When a white mob attacked the house of the black Sweet
family on September 9, 1925, one of the occupants, 22 year-old
Henry Sweet, allegedly fired a bulled that killed one of the
attackers, Leon Breiner.
The National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) hired Clarence Darrow for the
defense.
On May 11, 1926, Darrow had a strong cup
of coffee, took a deep breath, and delivered his 7 hour closing
argument,
The
Law of Love. On May 13, 1926, the all-white jury found Henry
Sweet not guilty.
Go here for
all things about the Sweet Trials 1925 & 1926.
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