MURDERER'S FATE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 173, 24 July 1942, Page 4

MURDERER'S FATE

LEONSKI IN PRISON PSYCHOPATHIC STUDY (0.C.) SYDNEY, July 22. Private Edward Joseph Leonski is reported to be spending quite calmly the three months he may have to wait in a Melbourne prison cell under an armed U.S. Armv guard, until confirmation is received from Washington of his sentence by court-martial that he is to be hanged for the murder of three Melbourne women—two of them by strangling. Self-educated, self-taught artist, avid reader and heavy smoker, Leonski easily spends his days and at night sleeps soundly. It is said that after he had been sentenced and returned to his cell, he stamped on the butt of a cigarette and said to a guard, "Chief, I'm going to give up smoking. It's bad for the throat. During his trial he is also said to have made this grim joke: "George, I'm going to have a party—a necktie party—and I invite you and everybody else. But I believe I'll be wearing the big necktie! I have wanted to die since I was sixteen. I want to see what is on the other side." The trial Judge Advocate referred to the case as "a story of human tragedy and depravity which has few parallels in the history of criminal justice in the United States Army." The trial of a case of this kind by court-martial had no precedent in the administration of justice, he said. Value of Human Life "The people of Australia and the people of the United States have the same basic concepts of justice," he said. "They share the same value of human life; they have the same fundamental beliefs in human order and decency. We have the same abhorrence of crime, particularly crimes of violence. "Every citizen of either country who has heard the details of this case has felt complete revulsion and horror, but it is not only the fiendish character of the crimes that makes us recoil. This youth has placed a foul blot on the service in which we are engaged." The preservation of the basic concepts of human decency, justice, and order was one reason why Americans were in this country. Resistance to international plundering, murdering, and wreaking of violence on the defenceless and weak was only an enlargement of our concept of internal justice and order, the trial Judge Advocate said. His sole concern was to see justice done—"justice even to this poor, unfortunate youth." "I believe that in the eyes of the people of this nation, these proceedings have a meaning which is more thn solely the issues of this tragic case. The American system of justice is also on trial," he added. At the court-martial the Judgeadvocate described Leonski as "cold, cruel, hard and vicious, a big showoft." He repeatedly referred to the murders as "fiendish," and added: "It will be argued that he is emotionally unbalanced. Baby-Face Nelson and Hauptmann were also emotionally unbalanced. But juries found them to be sane. They went to the chair." Study of Case Advocated A leading Melbourne alienist, however, is reported to have expressed other views. He is reported as having stated: "To hang Leonski would be to throw away valuable study material to gratify the community's desire tor retribution. After all, his crime is against society, and society is repaid nothing by his death. But something might be gained if he were kept in prison and his mind studied by experts. If every man suffering from disease were put to death doctors would know little about disease."

The alienist said there was a remarkable similarity between the cases of Arnold Sodeman and Leonski. Sodeman was hanged six years ago in Melbourne for having; strangled four children. Leonski and Sodeman had similar family histories and psychological backgrounds the alienist said.

The alienist said it was possible Leonski had been influenced by having seen the film, "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde." In the film Hyde chokes a girl as she sings to him, and says: You have a marvellous voice I want to hear that voice. I want'that voice.' Leonski, in his confession sfia °f one woman he had murdered: .She had a lovely, fascinating voice. I wanted that voice." Leonski also *°t .. a ,, camp mate that he was a Jekyll and Hyde." "The female voice has sexual attraction," the alienist said.: T h e reason Leonski resorted to choking was probably because of some association. Sodeman used to see his u lB mother by the throat, scious "° W aside almost uncon-

Sane Under Civil Law Discussing Leonski's sanity, the alienist said that under civil law a man was sane if he knew the nature and quality of his act. ~^F" d ° U n te , dly „ Le °nski was sane undei civil law, the alienist stated but, from a psychologist's point of biHtv TTnf ai t S Rraf , les of responsiHil, nfom ! nate J y our civil law does not recognise that a man can be mentally diseased yet sane. I think Leonski would know what he was doing at the time of the murders Dut could not help himself. He is personal ity n " Wn SS 3 psycho P athi c The alienist said that psychopathic personalities could be divided into three types: (l) The small group who 9> Tv! ne i dlstincti on, such as Hitler • Tl} e large group, in which can be included crackbrained visionaries fanatics, reformers, and unsuccessful inventors. (3) The type who beoomi criminals, such as Leonski me v.r.T!? e allen ' st .added that from childdravn to hi* pi , obabl y been arayn to his mother aeairiQt Sub-consciously, he woufd fight against that mother attraction In the girls he killed, he probablv hn«o mother substitute," perhaps through a voice similaritv symbofised "° men who