Clarence Darrow

Darrow based his argument on the claim that his clients weren't completely responsible for their actions, but were the products of the environment they grew up in.

During the Leopold-Loeb trial, when Darrow had allegedly accepted "a million-dollar fee", many ordinary Americans were angered at his apparent betrayal. In truth, Darrow and his two co-counsels were given $40,000 to split three ways after being denied payments for months by Leopold-Loeb family.


SCOPES (MONKEY) TRIAL


In 1925, Darrow defended John Scopes in the famous "Monkey Trial."

The Scopes Trial of 1925 pitted against each other lawyers William Jennings Bryan and Clarence Darrow (the latter representing teacher John T. Scopes) in an American court case that tested a law passed on March 13, 1925, which forbade the teaching, in any state-funded educational establishment in Tennessee, of "any theory that denies the story of the Divine Creation of man as taught in the Bible, and to teach instead that man has descended from a lower order of animals". This is often interpreted as meaning that the law forbade the teaching of any aspect of the theory of evolution. It has often been called the "Scopes Monkey Trial".


OSSIAN SWEET


In 1925 , he defended Henry Sweet, a young black man living in Detroit with his brother, Dr. Ossian Sweet , in the shooting death of a member of a white Mob . The mob of at least a 1,000 people had gathered outside Dr. Sweet's home to force him to move from the neighborhood. Eleven people were originally charged with the murder, and after the first trial ended in a mistrial, Darrow requested separate trials for each defendant and Henry Sweet's was the first. Darrow referred to the trial as one of his best argued, finishing with a legendary eight-hour impassioned closing argument which won acquittal for Henry Sweet from the eleven-man jury, shocking the city. Following the acquittal, charges against the remaining defendants were dropped.


MASSIE TRIAL


After the 1925 Scopes Trial , Clarence Darrow largely retired from practice, emerging only occasionally to undertake cases, such as the 1934 Massie Trial in Hawaii .


BOOKS BY DARROW


A volume of Darrow's boyhood Reminiscences, entitled "Farmington," was published in Chicago in 1903 by McClurg and Company.

Darrow shared offices with Edgar Lee Masters , who achieved more fame for his poetry, in particular the '' Spoon River Anthology '', than for his advocacy. Darrow also took Eugene V. Debs as a partner, following his release from prison.


WORKS ABOUT DARROW


After his death, a full-length one man play was created, featuring Darrow's reminiscences about his career. Originated by Henry Fonda, many actors, including Leslie Nielsen, have since taken on the role of Darrow in this play. The Scopes Monkey trials were fictionalized in another play, entitled " Inherit The Wind ." This was later turned into a film. Darrow is also mentioned in the musical, "Lil Abner".


REFERENCES

• Clarence Darrow biography by Judge Alfred W. Mackey

The Story of My Life, Clarence Darrow

• The Clarence Darrow Home Page


• leopoldandloeb.com

• The Trial of Bill Haywood - detailed account of the Bill Haywood murder trial