Lessing Rosenwald Thinks Murder Was Part of Plan to Know "Life."
Source: Chicago Daily News, 2 June 1924, pg. 3.
From outside the official investigation of the Franks murder there came to-day a character study of the two young slayers that led to the conclusion that their motive was a wish to taste every experience of life, even murder. It was advanced by Lessing Rosenwald, son of Julius Rosenwald, a friend of both Nathan Leopold Jr. and Richard Loeb and so close to Loeb that he regards him, he said, as a brother. A grandson of Julius Rosenwald was reported to be one of the students' intended victims.
"Richard Loeb is a fine fellow, and I can't understand why he would do a thing like that," said Mr. Rosenwald. "If he wanted money all he had to do was to ask for it. I don't know Leopold as well, but I do believe he dominated Richard and I suspected he was the influence in this awful affair."
Lessing Rosenwald is general manager of the Philadelphia branch of Sears, Roebuck & Co., of which concern his father is president. Young Loeb's father, Albert H. Loeb, is vice-president of the mail order company.
"His father is a very good friend of mine, he practically broke me into the business," said Mr. Rosenwald. "There can be no finer man than Mr. Loeb. I knew Richard as a brother, and I can't believe this thing about him.
"As for Leopold, I did not know him as well. I know him, of course. He was considered a genius. When he was 16 years old he had one of the finest collections of butterflied in the world. Eight different departments in Washington would write to him for opinions and he contributed to magazines and has written several books about ornithology. He was the youngest man ever graduated from the University of Chicago, receiving his diploma when 18. Leopold thought he must get experience and the only reason I can conceive for his doing that [the Franks murder] would be that he thought the experience was worth it. He had probably been reading modernistic literature and had obtained this idea of experience from that."
