For the Thrill of It : Leopold, Loeb, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz Age Chicago

From The Publisher: It Was A Crime That Shocked The Nation, A Brutal Murder In Chicago In 1924 Of A Child, By Two Wealthy College Students Who Killed Solely For The Thrill Of The Experience. Nathan Leopold And Richard Loeb Had First Met Several Years Earlier, And Their Friendship Had Blossomed Into A Love Affair. Both Were Intellectuals-too Smart, They Believed, For The Police To Catch Them. However, The Police Had Recovered An Important Clue At The Scene Of The Crime-a Pair Of Eyeglasses-and Soon Both Leopold And Loeb Were In The Custody Of Cook County. They Confessed, And Robert Crowe, The State's Attorney, Announced To Newspaper Reporters That He Had A Hanging Case. No Defense, He Believed, Would Save The Two Ruthless Killers From The Gallows.^ Set Against The Backdrop Of The 1920s, A Time Of Prosperity, Self-indulgence, And Hedonistic Excess, For The Thrill Of It Draws The Reader Into A Lost World, A World Of Speakeasies And Flappers, Of Gangsters And Gin Parties That Existed When Chicago Was A Lawless City On The Brink Of Anarchy. The Rejection Of Morality, The Worship Of Youth, And The Obsession With Sex Had Seemingly Found Their Expression In This Callous Murder. But The Murder Is Only Half The Story. After Leopold And Loeb Were Arrested, Their Families Hired Clarence Darrow To Defend Their Sons. Darrow, The Most Famous Lawyer In America, Aimed To Save Leopold And Loeb From The Death Penalty By Showing That The Crime Was The Inevitable Consequence Of Sexual And Psychological Abuse That Each Defendant Had Suffered During Childhood At The Hands Of Adults. Both Boys, Darrow Claimed, Had Experienced A Compulsion To Kill, And Therefore, He Appealed To The Judge, They Should Be Spared Capital Punishment.^ However, Darrow Faced A Worthy Adversary In His Prosecuting Attorney: Robert Crowe Was Clever, Cunning, And Charismatic, With Ambitions Of Becoming Chicago's Next Mayor-and He Was Determined To Send Nathan Leopold And Richard Loeb To Their Deaths. A Masterful Storyteller, Simon Baatz Has Written A Gripping Account Of The Infamous Leopold And Loeb Case. Using Court Records And Recently Discovered Transcripts, Baatz Shows How The Pathological Relationship Between Leopold And Loeb Inexorably Led To Their Crime. This Thrilling Narrative Of Murder And Mystery In The Jazz Age Will Keep The Reader In A Continual State Of Suspense As The Story Twists And Turns Its Way To An Unexpected Conclusion. The Kidnapping -- The Relationship -- Planning The Murder -- The Murder -- The Ransom -- The Interrogation -- The Confessions -- Clarence Darrow -- Robert Crowe -- The Indictment -- The Scientists Arrive -- Mitigation Of Punishment -- Psychiatrists For The Defense -- Psychiatrists For The State -- Closing Arguments -- Sentencing -- Aftermath. Simon Baatz. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [467]-510) And Index. It was a crime that shocked the nation, a brutal murder in Chicago in 1924 of a child, by two wealthy college students who killed solely for the thrill of the experience. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb had first met several years earlier, and their friendship had blossomed into a love affair. Both were intellectuals—too smart, they believed, for the police to catch them. However, the police had recovered an important clue at the scene of the crime—a pair of eyeglasses—and soon both Leopold and Loeb were in the custody of Cook County. They confessed, and Robert Crowe, the state's attorney, announced to newspaper reporters that he had a hanging case. No defense, he believed, would save the two ruthless killers from the gallows. Set against the backdrop of the 1920s, a time of prosperity, self-indulgence, and hedonistic excess, __For the Thrill of It__ draws the reader into a lost world, a world of speakeasies and flappers, of gangsters and gin parties, that existed when Chicago was a lawless city on the brink of anarchy. The rejection of morality, the worship of youth, and the obsession with sex had seemingly found their expression in this callous murder. But the murder is only half the story. After Leopold and Loeb were arrested, their families hired Clarence Darrow to defend their sons. Darrow, the most famous lawyer in America, aimed to save Leopold and Loeb from the death penalty by showing that the crime was the inevitable consequence of sexual and psychological abuse that each defendant had suffered during childhood at the hands of adults. Both boys, Darrow claimed, had experienced a compulsion to kill, and therefore, he appealed to the judge, they should be spared capital punishment. However, Darrow faced a worthy adversary in his prosecuting attorney: Robert Crowe was clever, cunning, and charismatic, with ambitions of becoming Chicago's next mayor—and he was determined to send Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb to their deaths. A masterful storyteller, Simon Baatz has written a gripping account of the infamous Leopold and Loeb case. Using court records and recently discovered transcripts, Baatz shows how the pathological relationship between Leopold and Loeb inexorably led to their crime. This thrilling narrative of murder and mystery in the Jazz Age will keep the reader in a continual state of suspense as the story twists and turns its way to an unexpected conclusion. A true crime account of the historic 1920s case from the killers'point of view, detailing their explosive relationship that culminated in murder. It was a crime that shocked the nation: the brutal murder in Chicago in 1924 of a child by two wealthy college students who killed solely for the thrill of the experience. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were intellectuals—too smart, they believed, for the police to catch them. When they were apprehended, state's attorney Robert Crowe was certain that no defense could save the ruthless killers from the gallows. But the families of the confessed murderers hired Clarence Darrow, entrusting the lives of their sons to the most famous lawyer in America in what would be one of the most sensational criminal trials in the history of American justice.Set against the backdrop of the 1920s—a time of prosperity, self-indulgence, and hedonistic excess in a lawless city on the brink of anarchy—For the Thrill of It draws the reader into a world of speakeasies and flappers, of gangsters and gin parties, with a spellbinding narrative of Jazz Age murder and mystery.Praise for For the Thrill of It“Baatz's comprehensive account of the case succeeds in identifying their peculiar personality traits as well as what it was in the nature of their relationship that made them believe in their infallibility in performing the ultimate crime.... [An] exhaustively researched and rivetingly presented account.... One of the best true-crime books of this or any other season.” —Booklist (starred review) It was a crime that shocked the nation: the brutal murder in Chicago in 1924 of a child by two wealthy college students who killed solely for the thrill of the experience. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb were intellectuals--too smart, they believed, for the police to catch them. When they were apprehended, state's attorney Robert Crowe was certain that no defense could save the ruthless killers from the gallows. But the families of the confessed murderers hired Clarence Darrow, entrusting the lives of their sons to the most famous lawyer in America in what would be one of the most sensational criminal trials in the history of American justice. Set against the backdrop of the 1920s--a time of prosperity, self-indulgence, and hedonistic excess in a lawless city on the brink of anarchy--For the Thrill of It draws the reader into a world of speakeasies and flappers, of gangsters and gin parties, with a spellbinding narrative of Jazz Age murder and mystery It was a crime that shocked the nation, a brutal murder in Chicago in 1924 of a child, by two wealthy college students who killed solely for the thrill of the experience. Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb had met several years earlier, and their friendship had blossomed into a love affair. They believed themselves too smart for the police, but they were soon caught. They confessed, and the state's attorney announced that he had a hanging case. Set against the backdrop of the 1920s, a time of prosperity, self-indulgence, and hedonistic excess, this book draws the reader into a world of speakeasies and flappers, of gangsters and gin parties, when Chicago was a lawless city on the brink of anarchy. The rejection of morality, the worship of youth, and the obsession with sex had seemingly found their expression in this callous murder. But the murder is only half the story.--From publisher description.