The
Lindburg Kidnapping
The
Investigation: 1932 - 1934 | Hauptmann
is Located | Indictment,
Trial, and Execution
Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., twenty-month-old
son of the famous aviator and Anne Morrow Lindbergh,
was kidnapped about 9:00 p.m., on March 1, 1932,
from the nursery on the second floor of the Lindbergh
home near Hopewell, New Jersey. The child's absence
was discovered and reported to his parents, who were
then at home, at approximately 10:00 p.m. by the
child's nurse, Betty
Gow. A search of the premises was immediately made
and a ransom note demanding $50,000 was found on
the nursery window sill. After the Hopewell police
were notified, the report was telephoned to the New
Jersey State Police, who assumed charge of the investigation.
During the search at the
kidnapping scene, traces of mud were found on the
floor of the nursery. Footprints, impossible to measure,
were found under the nursery window. Two sections
of the ladder had been used in reaching the window,
one of the two sections was split or broken where
it joined the other, indicating that the ladder had
broken during the ascent or descent. There were no
blood stains in or about the nursery, nor were there
any fingerprints.
Household
and estate employees were questioned and investigated.
Colonel Lindbergh asked friends to communicate with
the kidnappers, and they made widespread appeals
for the kidnappers to start negotiations. Various
underworld characters were dealt with in attempts
to contact the kidnappers, and numerous clues were
advanced and exhausted.
A
second ransom note was received by Colonel Lindbergh
on March 6, 1932, (postmarked Brooklyn, New York,
March 4), in which the ransom demand was increased
to $70,000. A police conference was then called by
the Governor at Trenton, New Jersey, which was attended
by prosecuting officials, police authorities, and
Government representatives. Various theories and
policies of procedure were discussed. Private investigators
also were employed by Colonel Lindbergh's attorney,
Colonel Henry Breckenridge.
The
third ransom note was received by Colonel Lindbergh's
attorney on March 8, informing that an intermediary
appointed by the Lindberghs would not be accepted
and requesting a note in a newspaper. On the same
date, Dr. John F. Condon, Bronx, New York City, a
retired school principal, published in the "Bronx
Home News" an offer to act as go-between and
to pay an additional $1,000 ransom. The following
day the fourth ransom note was received by Dr. Condon,
which indicated he would be acceptable as a go-between.
This was approved by Colonel Lindbergh. About March
10, 1932, Dr. Condon received $70,000 in cash as
ransom, and immediately started negotiations for
payment through newspaper columns, using the code
name "Jafsie."
About
8:30 p.m., on March 12, after receiving an anonymous
telephone call, Dr. Condon received the fifth ransom
note, delivered by Joseph Perrone, a taxicab driver,
who received it from an unidentified stranger. The
message stated that another note would be found beneath
a stone at a vacant stand, 100 feet from an outlying
subway station. This note, the sixth, was found by
Condon, as indicated. Following instructions therein,
the doctor met an unidentified man, who called himself "John," at
Woodlawn Cemetery, near 233rd Street and Jerome Avenue.
They discussed payment of the ransom money. The stranger
agreed to furnish a token of the child's identity.
Condon was accompanied by a bodyguard, except while
talking to "John." During the next few
days, Dr. Condon repeated his advertisements, urging
further contact and stating his willingness to pay
the ransom.
Sketches
of "John," who received
the Lindbergh
kidnap ransom money. |
A
baby's sleeping suit, as a token of identity, and
a seventh ransom note were received by Dr. Condon
on March 16. The suit was delivered to Colonel Lindbergh
and later identified. Condon continued his advertisements.
The eighth ransom note was received by Condon on
March 21, insisting on complete compliance and advising
that the kidnapping had been planned for a year.
On
March 29, Betty Gow, the Lindbergh nurse, found the
infant's thumb guard, worn at the time of the kidnapping,
near the entrance to the estate. The following day
the ninth ransom note was received by Condon, threatening
to increase the demand to $100,000 and refusing a
code for use in newspaper columns. The tenth ransom
note, received by Dr. Condon, on April 1, 1932 instructed
him to have the money ready the following night,
to which Condon replied by an ad in the Press. The
eleventh ransom note was delivered to Condon on April
2, 1932, by an unidentified taxi driver who said
he received it from an unknown man. Dr. Condon found
the twelfth ransom note under a stone in front of
a greenhouse at 3225 East Tremont Avenue, Bronx,
New York, as instructed in the eleventh note.
Shortly
thereafter, on the same evening, by following the
instructions contained in the twelfth note, Condon
again met whom he believed to be "John" to
reduce the demand to $50,000. This amount was handed
to the stranger in exchange for a receipt and the
thirteenth note, containing instructions to the effect
that the kidnapped child could be found on a boat
named "Nellie" near Martha's Vineyard,
Massachusetts. The stranger then walked north into
the park woods. The following day an unsuccessful
search for the baby was made near Martha's Vineyard.
The search was later repeated. Dr. Condon was positive
that he would recognize "John" if he ever
saw him again.
On
May 12, 1932, the body of the kidnapped baby was
accidentally found, partly buried, and badly decomposed,
about four and a half miles southeast of the Lindbergh
home, 45 feet from the highway, near Mount Rose,
New Jersey, in Mercer County. The discovery was made
by William Allen, an assistant on a truck driven
by Orville Wilson. The head was crushed, there was
a hole in the skull and some of the body members
were missing. The body was positively identified
and cremated at Trenton, New Jersey, on May 13, 1932.
The Coroner's examination showed that the child had
been dead for about two months and that death was
caused by a blow on the head.
TOP OF PAGE
The
Investigation: 1932 - 1934
On March 2, 1932, after a conference with the Attorney General, J. Edgar Hoover,
Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) (or Bureau of Investigation,
as it was called at that time), had contacted the headquarters of the New Jersey
State Police at Trenton, New Jersey. He officially informed the organization
that the U.S. Department of Justice would afford Colonel H. Norman Schwarzkopf,
the Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, the assistance and cooperation
of the FBI in bringing about the apprehension of the parties responsible for
the kidnapping. He advised the New Jersey State Police that they could call
upon the Bureau for any facilities or resources which the latter might be capable
of extending. The Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the New York City Office
of the Bureau, which at that time covered the New Jersey district, was instructed
accordingly and, upon instructions from the Director, the SAC communicated
with the New Jersey State Police and the New York City Police, offering any
assistance which the Bureau might be able to lend in this matter.
During
the next few weeks the Bureau was acting merely in
an auxiliary capacity, there being no Federal jurisdiction.
However, on May 13, 1932, the President directed
that all governmental investigative agencies should
place themselves at the disposal of the State of
New Jersey and that the FBI should serve as a clearinghouse
and coordinating agency for all investigations in
this case conducted by Federal investigative units.
On
May 23, 1932, the FBI in New York City informed banks
in greater New York that the Bureau was the coordinating
agency for all governmental activity in the case.
A close watch for ransom money was requested.
The
New Jersey State Police announced on May 26, 1932,
the offer of a reward not to exceed $25,000 for information
resulting in the apprehension and conviction of the
kidnapper or kidnappers. In compliance with a request
made by Colonel Schwarzkopf, copies of this notice
of reward were forwarded by the FBI to all law enforcement
officials and agencies throughout the United States.
On
June 10, 1932, Violet Sharpe, a waitress in the home
of Mrs. Lindbergh's mother, Mrs. Dwight Morrow, who
had been under investigation by the authorities,
committed suicide by swallowing poison when she was
about to be requestioned. However, her movements
on the night of March 1, 1932, had been carefully
checked and it was soon definitely ascertained that
she had no connection with the abduction.
In
September, 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
stated in a meeting with J. Edgar Hoover that all
work on the case be centralized in the Department
of Justice. He requested the Director to convey his
views to Attorney General Cummings with the suggestion
that the Attorney General make a request of the Commissioner
of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), either through
the President or directly, for a detailed report
of all work performed by the IRS Intelligence Unit.
On October 19, 1933, it was officially announced
that the FBI would have exclusive jurisdiction in
so far as the Federal Government was concerned in
the handling of any investigative features of the
case.
The
President's Proclamation requiring the return to
the Treasury of all gold and gold certificates was
a valuable aid in the case, inasmuch as $40,000 of
the ransom money had been paid in gold certificates
and, at the time of the Proclamation, a large portion
of this money was known to be outstanding. Therefore,
this phase of the investigation was emphasized.
On
January 17, 1934, a circular letter was issued by
the New York City Bureau Office to all banks and
their branches in New York City, requesting an extremely
close watch for the ransom certificates and, in February,
1934, all Bureau Offices were supplied with copies
of the Bureau's revised pamphlet containing the serial
numbers of ransom bills. The New York City Bureau
Office distributed copies of this pamphlet to each
employee handling currency in banks, clearinghouses,
grocery stores in certain selected communities, insurance
companies, gasoline filling stations, airports, department
stores, post offices, and telegraph companies.
Following
the distribution of these booklets containing the
serial number of the ransom currency, there were
also prepared and similarly distributed by the Bureau
currency key cards which, in convenient form, set
forth the inclusive serial numbers of all of the
ransom notes which had been paid. This was followed
by frequent personal contacts with bank officials
and with individual employees in an effort to keep
alive their interest.
Prior
to this time, the passing of ransom bills had been
reported to either the FBI, the New Jersey State
Police, or the New York City Police Department, none
of which had complete information on this point.
Therefore, arrangements were effected whereby investigation
of all such ransom bills detected in the future could
be immediately conducted jointly by representatives
of the three interested agencies.
One
of the by-products of the case was a mass of misinformation
received from well-meaning but uninformed, highly
imaginative individuals, and a deluge of letters
written by demented persons, publicity seekers, and
frauds. It was essential, however, that all possible
clues, regardless of the prospect of success, be
carefully followed, and it was impossible in the
vast majority of instances to determine at the inception
whether they would be material or false.
On
March 4, 1932, a con man named Gaston B. Means was
approached by Mrs. Evalyn Walsh McLean, of Washington,
D.C., who felt that she might be of material assistance
to Colonel Lindbergh in procuring the return of his
child. Mrs. McLean had become acquainted with Means
as a result of some investigative work which means
had performed for her husband some years before.
Means informed her that he felt certain he could
secure a contact with the kidnappers inasmuch as
he had been invited to participate in a "big
kidnapping" some weeks before but had declined.
Means claimed that his friend was responsible for
the Lindbergh kidnapping. The following day, Means
reported to Mrs. McLean that he had made a contact
with the persons who had the child. He successfully
induced Mrs. McLean to hand over to him $100,000,
to be used in paying the ransom which he said had
been doubled. Until April 17, 1932, he kept Mrs.
McLean waiting, daily expecting the return of the
child. During this period, he purported to be effecting
negotiations with the alleged leader of the kidnappers,
whom he called "The Fox." Mrs. McLean finally
requested the return of the $100,000 and additional
money which she had advanced him for "expenses." When
he failed to do so, the case was turned over to the
FBI. Means and "The Fox," who was found
to be Norman T. Whitaker, a disbarred Washington
attorney, were apprehended, and Means was later convicted
of embezzlement and larceny after trust, and sentenced
to serve fifteen years in a Federal penitentiary.
Whitaker and Means were later convicted of conspiracy
to defraud, and were sentenced to serve two years
each in a Federal penitentiary.
There
were other attempted frauds which required extensive
investigations before they could be completely eliminated
from consideration in connection with the Lindbergh
case.
In
all, there were literally thousands of leads in all
sections of the United States which were followed
to their definite conclusions by the Bureau. The
results of all these investigations, no matter how
trivial, were reported. The activities of the known
and suspected members of the so-called "Purple
Gang" of Detroit, and various rumors and allegations
concerning this gang were carefully and thoroughly
investigated. Numerous registries of boats were examined
in a fruitless endeavor to locate the boat "Nellie," on
which the baby was to have been found according to
the 13th and last ransom note handed to Dr. Condon
at the time he paid the ransom money to "John." Records
of cemetery employees who were employed in various
cemeteries in certain sections of New York City and
near Hopewell, New Jersey, were examined. Information
accumulated in various other kidnapping and extortion
cases handled by the FBI was examined in closest
detail and studied with particular reference to any
bearing they might have upon the solution of the
Lindbergh case. Hundreds of photographs and descriptive
data of known criminals of all types and other possible
suspects were exhibited to the few eye-witnesses
in this case in an endeavor to identify the mysterious "John."
On
May 2, 1933, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York
discovered 296 ten-dollar gold certificates, and
one twenty- dollar gold certificate, all Lindbergh
ransom notes. These bills were included among the
currency received at the Federal Reserve Bank on
May 1, 1933, and apparently had been made in one
deposit. Immediately upon the discovery of these
bills, deposit tickets at the Federal Reserve Bank
for May 1, 1933, were examined. One was found bearing
the name and address of "J.J. Faulkner, 537
West 149th Street," and had marked thereon "gold
certificates," "$10 and $20" in the
amount of $2,980. Despite extensive investigation,
this depositor was never located.
Examination
of the ransom notes by handwriting experts resulted
in a virtually unanimous opinion that all the notes
were written by the same person and that the writer
was of German nationality but had spent some time
in America. Dr. Condon described "John" as
Scandinavian, and believing he could identify the
man, spent considerable time in viewing the numerous
photographs of possible suspects and known criminals.
In this connection, the FBI retained the services
of an artist to prepare a portrait of "John" from
descriptions furnished by Dr. Condon and Joseph Perrone,
the taxi cab driver who had delivered one of the
ransom letters to Dr. Condon.
In
a further endeavor to identify the individual who
received the ransom payment, representatives of the
New York City Bureau Office engaged Dr. Condon to
prepare a transcript of all conversations had by
him with "John" on March 12 and April 2,
1932, the dates on which Dr. Condon personally contacted
the kidnapper in order to negotiate the return of
the child and the payment of the ransom. These conversations
were, during March, 1934, transcribed in detail on
phonograph records by Dr. Condon who imitated the
pronunciations and dialect of "John." In
this manner the nationality, education, mentality,
and character of the kidnapper were more clearly
defined and permanently preserved for future use.
Another
interesting attempt to identify the kidnapper centered
around the ladder used in the crime. Police quickly
realized that it was crudely built, but built nonetheless
by someone familiar with wood who was mechanically
inclined. The ladder had been thoroughly examined
for fingerprints and had been exhibited to builders,
carpenters, and neighbors of the Lindberghs in vain.
Slivers of the ladder even had been analyzed, and
the types of wood used in the ladder had been identified.
Perhaps a complete examination of the ladder by itself
by a wood expert would yield additional clues, and
in early 1933, such an expert was called in -- Arthur
Koehler of the Forest Service, United States Department
of Agriculture.
Koehler
disassembled the ladder and painstakingly identified
the types of wood used and examined tool marks. He
also looked at the pattern made by nailholes, for
it appeared likely that some wood had been used before
in indoor construction. Koehler made field trips
to the Lindbergh estate and to factories to trace
some of the wood. He summarized his findings in a
report, and later played a critical role in the trial
of the kidnapper.
TOP OF PAGE
Hauptmann
is Located
For a period of seven months prior to August
20, 1934, no gold certificates were discovered except
for
those received in the Federal Reserve Bank, previously
mentioned. Starting on August 20, 1934, and extending
into September, a total of sixteen gold certificates
were discovered, most of them in the vicinity of
Yorkville and Harlem. The long-awaited opportunity
had finally
arrived. As each bill was recovered, a colored pin
marking the location of the recovered bill was inserted
in a large map of the Metropolitan Area, thus indicating
the movements of the individual or individuals who
might be passing the ransom money. When the first
few made their appearance, it was decided to concentrate
on gold certificates, as experience had proven the
futility of tracing the ordinary currency included
in the ransom money. In keeping with the cooperative
policy previously established with the New Jersey
State
Police and the New York City Police Department, teams
composed of a representative of each of these police
agencies and a Special Agent of the Bureau were organized
to personally contact all banks in Greater New York
and Westchester County. As a result, the various
neighborhood banks discovered the bills close to
the point at which
they were passed, and it then became possible for
the investigators to trace the bills to the person
who
had originally passed them. For the first time in the
history of the case, the investigators succeeded in
finding that the description of the individual passing
these bills fit exactly that of "John" as
described by Dr. Condon. It was determined through
the investigation that the bills were being passed
principally at corner produce stores.
About
1:20 p.m. on September 18, 1934, the assistant manager
of the Corn Exchange Bank and Trust Company, at 125th
Street and Park Avenue, New York City, telephoned
the New York City Bureau Office to advise that a
ten-dollar gold certificate had been discovered a
few minutes previously by one of the tellers in that
bank. It was soon ascertained that this bill had
been received at the bank from a gasoline station
located at 127th Street and Lexington Avenue, New
York City. On September 15, 1934, an alert attendant
had received a bill in payment for five gallons of
gasoline from a man whose description fitted closely
that of the individual who had passed other bills
in recent weeks. The filling station attendant, being
suspicious of the ten-dollar gold certificate, recorded
on the bill the license number of the automobile
driven by the purchaser. This license number was
issued to Bruno Richard Hauptmann, 1279 East 222nd
Street, Bronx, New York.
Hauptmann's
house was closely surveilled by Federal and local
authorities throughout the night of September 18,
1934, until at approximately 9:00 a.m. on September
19, 1934, an individual, closely fitting the description
of "John," as supplied by Dr. Condon, and
the description of the purchaser of the gasoline,
as supplied by the service station attendant, left
his house and entered his automobile parked nearby.
He was promptly taken into custody by representatives
of the three interested agencies.
After
some investigating, he was found to be Bruno Richard
Hauptmann, the individual to whom the automobile
license had been issued, a German carpenter who had
been in this country for approximately 11 years.
A twenty-dollar gold ransom certificate was found
on his person. His description fitted perfectly that
of "John" as described by Dr. Condon, and
in his house was found a pair of shoes which had
been purchased with a twenty-dollar ransom bill recovered
on September 8, 1934. Hauptmann admitted several
other purchases which had been made with ransom certificates.
On the night of September 19, 1934, he was positively
identified by Joseph Perrone as the individual from
whom he had received the fifth ransom note to be
delivered to Dr. Condon. The following day, ransom
certificates in excess of $13,000 were found secreted
in the garage of Hauptmann's residence. Shortly thereafter,
he was identified by Dr. Condon as "John" to
whom the ransom had been paid. It was also ascertained
that he was in possession of a Dodge sedan automobile
which answered the description of that seen in the
vicinity of the Lindbergh home the day prior to the
kidnapping.
Shortly
after his apprehension, specimens of Hauptmann's
handwriting were flown to Washington, D.C., where
a study was made of them in the FBI Laboratory. A
comparison of the writing appearing on the ransom
notes with that of the specimens disclosed remarkable
similarities in inconspicuous, personal chacteristics
and writing habits, which resulted in a positive
identification by the handwriting experts of the
Laboratory. Upon the apprehension of Hauptmann, it
was found that he bore a striking resemblance to
the portrait of "John" which had previously
been prepared from descriptions furnished by Dr.
Condon and Joseph Perrone.
Further
investigation developed that Hauptmann, 35 years
old, was a native of Saxony, Germany. He had a criminal
record for robbery and had spent time in prison.
Early in July 1923, he stowed away aboard the SS
Hanover at Bremen, Germany, and arrived in the Port
of New York City on July 13, 1923. He was arrested
and deported immediately. After another failed attempt
at entry in August, Hauptman successfully entered
the United States in November 1923, on board the
George Washington. On October 10, 1925, Hauptmann
married Anna Schoeffler, a New York City waitress.
A son, Manfried, was born to them in 1933. During
his illegal stay in New York City and until the spring
of 1932, Hauptmann followed his occupation of carpenter.
However, a short while after March 1, 1932, the date
of the kidnapping, Hauptmann began to trade rather
extensively in stocks and never worked again.
TOP OF PAGE
Indictment,
Trial, and Execution
Hauptmann was indicted in the Supreme Court, Bronx
County, New York, on charges of extortion on September
26, 1934, and on October 8, 1934, in Hunterdon County,
New Jersey, he was indicted for murder. Two days later,
the Governor of the State of New York honored the requisition
of the Governor of the State of New Jersey for the
surrender of Bruno Richard Hauptmann and on October
19, 1934, he was removed to the Hunterdon County Jail,
Flemington, New Jersey, to await trial.
The
trial of Hauptmann began on January 3, 1935, at Flemington,
New Jersey, and lasted five weeks. The case against
him was based on circumstantial evidence. Tool marks
on the ladder matched tools owned by Hauptmann. Wood
in the ladder was found to match wood used as flooring
in his attic. Dr. Condon's telephone number and address
were found scrawled on a door frame inside a closet.
Handwriting on the ransom notes matched samples of
Hauptmann's handwriting.
On
February 13, 1935, the jury returned a verdict. Hauptmann
was guilty of murder in the first degree. The sentence:
death. The defense appealed.
The
Supreme Court of the State of New Jersey on October
9, 1935, upheld the verdict of the Lower Court. Hauptmann's
appeal to the Supreme Court of the United States
was denied on December 9, 1935, and he was to be
electrocuted on January 17, 1936. However, on this
same day the Governor of the State of New Jersey
granted a 30-day reprieve and on February 17, 1936,
Hauptmann was resentenced, to be electrocuted during
the week of March 30, 1936. On March 30, 1936, the
Pardon Court of the State of New Jersey denied Hauptmann's
petition for clemency, and on April 3, 1936, at 8:47
p.m., Bruno Richard Hauptmann was electrocuted.
TOP OF PAGE