This was actually the reason why Betty Gow accompanied the Lindberghs on their journey from Englewood, where they had been staying at Annes parents estate, to Highfields, their newly built mansion. Would I burn if the baby is dead?" The Lindbergh case is actually how Souder's double life as Detective X came to light. a half-dozen accredited negotiators and a hemispheres police would still be looking for kidnapped, murdered Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr.. The primary identification was of the babys nightshirt, which Gow had hastily stitched together from a bit of cloth given to her by the Lindberghs maid, Elsie Whately. When Anne was seven months pregnant, she broke the transcontinental flight speed record, as if to show she was just as talented a pilot as her husband and could handle anything. 2023 Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. There were no fingerprints on the envelope or the letter. Federal Kidnapping Act - Wikipedia This seemed to indicate the writer was possibly German, as "gut" is German for good. For his part, Schwarzkopf admitted that he viewed Lindbergh as a friend: I admit there wasnt one single, important step taken by us. A few days before Christmas 1935, with Hoffmans investigation underway and Hauptmanns execution imminent, Lindbergh moved his family to Europe, where he remained for the next several years. Questions about whether he actually kidnapped and killed the Lindbergh baby linger to this day, with some experts suggesting that, at the very least, he did not act alone in committing the crime. | Yankee Classic, 1994. Two tablespoons of cooked vegetables once a day. The case of what happened to the Lindbergh baby drew worldwide attention. At the time, it was called the Trial of the Century, and it was a worldwide sensation. On the way down, they speculated, he accidentally dropped the boy to his death, which would account for an extensive skull fracture. Hauptmanns car had New York plates. followed, and Hauptmann was convicted of kidnapping and murder in 1935. In retrospect, Ahlgren identified nine factors of evidence that ultimately sent Hauptmann to the electric chair. What followed was a massive investigation, led by New Jersey State Police. Inside the Capture of the Lindbergh Baby Kidnapper | HISTORY Was the Lindbergh Kidnapping an Inside Job? - Rutgers University He maintained his innocence, even amidst offers to avoid execution if he confessed. They sketched out an outline over Moniers kitchen table one night early in the winter of 1991. We read.. A half cup of prune juice after the afternoon nap. It's not clear exactly why he made this offer or why he decided to take it upon himself to do this, but amazingly, the kidnapper responded the following day by sending a letter directly to Condon, according to Famous Trials. It would require manually checking the numbers. No Ben Lupicas were listed in the phone book, and Princeton Academy no longer existed. Ben Lupica was now a retired chemist still alive in upstate New York. The Tragic Story Of The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping - All That's Interesting The Lindbergh Kidnapping - Crime Museum Hauptmann's arrest and execution, they say, was a big frame job, enabled by the fact that the case was so enormously high profile and the public was desperate to see someone put away for the horrible crime. The exception was granted. He even met with members of the underworld who claimed to have information on the boys location. They lived in England and France for nearly three years before returning to New York in April 1939. The women searched the house for 20 frantic minutes before Lindbergh admitted the hoax. The public were enamored with the Lindberghs, and newspapers reported on their every move, an early example of paparazzi-style celebrity coverage. Inside the envelope was a ransom demand for $50,000. He rushed out of the woods and shouted to his coworker, Dont know about anybody losing a child except Colonel Lindbergh. The image I had was of a hero. In the 1930 census, Flemington had about 2,700 residents. Americans obsession with true crime and unsolved mysteries has led to an entire industrys worth of documentaries, TV networks, hit podcasts and a massive library of magazines and books about high-profile and very grizzly crimes. When he went through the record, Ahlgren was appalled by what he found. People forget that others were also arrested for extortion, says Ahlgren. If the defense had admitted his involvement in the extortion attempt, they would have eliminated most of the testimony against him. While the initial ransom note left in the baby's nursery asked for $50,000, the kidnapper apparently changed their minds later on and decided to ask for an additional $20,000, for a total of $70,000 for the safe return of Charles Jr. Anna Hauptmann died in 1994 at age 95. The kidnapping and death of American aviator hero Charles Lindbergh's infant son in 1932 was labeled the "Crime of the Century." A hand-made wooden ladder left at the scene provided some of the most critical evidence that connected Hauptmann to the crime. Who would be brazen enough to snatch such a famous child? He would still have had time to hide the body in the woods and pull up the drive at 8:25, honking so that everyone noted when he came home. The vast national interest in the case and priority put on it by first Hoover and then President Franklin Roosevelt led to hundreds of tips from well-meaning (and some not-so-well-meaning) citizens. As a former juvenile officer, Marlier knew recent FBI crime statistics showed that over 70 percent of the homicides involving children under nine years old are committed by one or both parents. His neighbors said they noticed that Hauptmann suddenly stopped working in 1932, which Hauptmann chalked up to Wall Street money. Hauptmann denied having anything to do with the missing baby. Once the front-runner, Monier lost the primary to John Sununu, who became governor. Much like Al Capone, a great many people offered their assistance with the Lindbergh kidnapping. For the rest of her life, Anna Hauptmann tirelessly campaigned to have the 1935 conviction of her husband, Bruno, overturned. The man who took the ransom passed along a note that the toddler could be found on a boat called Nelly off the Massachusetts coast. Why didnt the dog bark? In law enforcement, says Monier, we have a truism: The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.. He may have gone to jail for a short period of time, but he wouldnt have gotten the electric chair. He attached a note asking Monier what he thought. At about 9 p.m. on March 1, 1932, a ladder was leaned up against the home of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh and his wife Anne near Hopewell, New Jersey. Yes, my father had a fine sense of humor, she told The Boston Globe. Lindbergh and his wife, Anne, were home at the time, relaxing downstairs under the assumption that their son was fast asleep. During a post-trial interview with New Jersey governor Harold Hoffman, who was so disturbed by the verdict that he launched his own investigation, the old man identified an 18-inch-high silver cup filled with flowers as a ladys hat. After the service station deposited the certificate, a. . They traced the bill back to a gas station. Investigators found the remains of a hand-built wooden ladder leading directly up to the child's second story window. Around 10 p.m., the babys nurse, Betty Gow, discovered he was missing from his nursery on the second floor of the Lindberghs New Jersey home. About 6 kilometers (4 mi) from the Lindbergh estate, Allen pulled to the side of the road to relieve himself in the woods. They even presented a journal of Hauptmann's where he had misspelled "boat" as "boad," similar to the ransom notes. The ransom note said this symbol would indicate future letters from the kidnapper, and indeed, future ones did have it, holes in the paper and all. Another note that claimed to be from the kidnapper, also postmarked from Brooklyn, stated that Condon should be the intermediary between him and the Lindberghs. The trial of Bruno Hauptmann in the Lindbergh baby kidnapping was one of the first cases based on forensic evidence, and that evidence still holds up today. On May 12, 1932, two months after the Lindbergh baby went missing, a babys body was found four and a half miles from the Lindbergh home by a truck driver. The Case of the Lindbergh Kidnapping: How a Microscope - Unitron There were also 5,000 spectatorsnearly double the population of the town. The 1932 kidnapping and death of the then almost-two-year-old Charles "Charlie" Lindbergh was the stuff of tragic melodrama. Steves not your typical, single-minded cop, says Ahlgren. Part of the deal was also that he be released from prison to be the most help. Charles Lindbergh at the grand jury investigation of Bruno Hauptmann on October 2, 1934.  Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), Getty Images / Planet News Archives / SSPL, 10 Fascinating Facts about Charles Lindbergh, https://www.history.com/news/the-capture-of-the-charles-lindbergh-baby-kidnapper, Inside the Capture of the Lindbergh Baby Kidnapper. The only solid pieces of evidence the police had were the ransom letter and the makeshift ladder. Once he took control of the investigation, Lindbergh decided what questions were asked and of whom. A second note was received by Colonel Lindbergh on March 6, 1932. They found nothing. He spent his nights and weekends examining the facts as if the crime had been committed in his town. Surprisingly, the mob was fairly cooperative. The discovery of the childs corpse was made by William Allen, an assistant on a delivery truck with fellow employee Orville Wilson. The body of aviation hero Charles Lindbergh 's baby is found on May 12, 1932, more than two months after he was kidnapped from his family's Hopewell, New Jersey, mansion. That bothered Ahlgren. Still, during courthouse breaks and the occasional lunch, they discovered that both were avid readers with eclectic tastes. They had some reservations. Of course, suspicion immediately turned to the mob. The house sat back a half mile from the road. Forensics Case: The Lindbergh Kidnapping and the Homemade Ladder CRIME OF THE CENTURY: Lindbergh Kidnapper Brought to Justice - YouTube It wasn't until two and a half years later, in fall of 1934, this finally paid off, according to Famous Trials. Hulton Archive/Getty Images A mere two years after Charles' history -making flight, he married Anne Morrow, who he'd known a very short time. Had it not been for the Lone Eagle flight, a friend of Annes told a British writer, [Lindbergh] would now be in charge of a gasoline station on the outskirts of St. Louis., Monier was taken aback. Any other clues that may have existed were obliterated by the horde of police and press who trampled the grounds. It might also be described as the Circus of the Century, a media extravaganza in lousy taste, followed avidly in every corner of America and in most of the world beyond. But if they were right and they firmly believed they were right a hero had permitted an innocent man to die in the electric chair. While it seemed of only mild interest at the time, the ladder would later figure heavily in a criminal trial related to the case. Although it was possible that the abduction and murder were spite work, it seemed more likely that the kidnapers, observing from this lookout point that the alarm was spreading from the Lindbergh home, became frightened, killed their small prisoner and fled, the newspaper's report read. At his sons urging, Monier hired Ahlgren to file a civil suit against the bank official for damages. Manager Walter Lyle walked over to the car and filled it with five gallons of ethyl as the man behind the wheel requested. Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive videos, breaking news, sweepstakes, and more! The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping The FBI Lab's First Major Case. Finally, after a series of in-person meetings in an upper Manhattan cemetery and letter exchanges that took them to the twelfth ransom note and brought the price down to $50,000, Condon handed over the cash and was told that the baby could be found in Marthas Vineyard on a boat called the Nellie.. Hot dog vendors did a brisk sidewalk business as schoolboys picked through the detritus outside Hauptmanns garage for souvenirs and newsreel planes circled above to gather footage. At the trial, one man positively identified Hauptmann as Cemetery John, even though he had previously told the police that the carpenter wasnt their man. After identification, the boys body was cremated almost immediately on the insistence of his father. 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Zwillman later explained that this was simply a matter of business. In this episode, we learn about Arthur Koehler, who pioneered the field of forensic botany. Check out never-before-seen content, free digital evidence kits, and much more! The note stated that another note would be found beneath a stone at a vacant stand, 100 feet from a subway station exit. A trial begins with the prosecution giving their opening argumentsa monologue by a prosecuting attorney that lays out their explanation of how the crime took place and what they plan to prove. The bonus cash fully changed their minds, as a fourth letter sent to Lindbergh indicated that they were fine with dealing with Condon, who sent his messages through newspaper ads that employed the codename Jafsie., The communications soon became an exhausting wild-goose chase, with more notes indicating where to find other notes and, at one point, the kidnapper producing a piece of young Charlies clothing to prove that they werent just opportunistic liars. Here was the only guy to have seen someone driving around Hopewell with a ladder, and they didnt call him , Ahlgren says. The bill was connected to the crime of the century, part of a $70,000 ransom paid to the kidnapper of Charles Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old son of the American icon who completed the first solo, nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927. An investigation discovered more of the gold notes hidden in his garage and Dr. Condons phone number, which was more than enough to charge him with a crime. Im afraid of inflation, he told police. The ransom letter included some unusual writing choices, as archived by the FBI. Charles Lindbergh, Jr. was kidnapped at about 9:00 p.m. on March 1, 1932, from the nursery on the second floor of the Lindbergh home near Hopewell, New Jersey. In exchange, they wanted certain favors or even release from prison. The other forms of identification were the childs teeth, hair, and overlapping toes. Throughout the proceedings, Lindbergh sat at the prosecution table with a holstered pistol under his arm. Previously, kidnapping was considered only a local crime though it would later become a federal crime when congress passed legislation informally dubbed the "Lindbergh Law.". The two men who kidnapped them had . "In Search of" The Lindbergh Kidnapping (TV Episode 1980) - IMDb Twenty minutes later, Betty Gow checked on the boy one last time. Minimal precautions were taken to preserve evidence outside the house, where the police found two holes in the soft ground below the nursery window with the warped shutters the only window in the entire house that didnt latch from the inside. Ahlgren believes they could get an indictment against Lindbergh based on their research. Most, like the daughter of an airplane mechanic, claim that their parents had told them over the years that Lindbergh was somehow involved in the death of his son. The opposite was the case: Before the trial, he had told the police he hadnt seen anyone suspicious prior to the childs disappearance. Some believe him. Yet as far as Monier could tell, neither Lindbergh was ever a suspect. Apparently, someone had sneaked a camera into the courtroom. Get HISTORYs most fascinating stories delivered to your inbox three times a week. Now, nearly 100 years later, alternative theories about the case continue to perpetuate. Although Hauptmann was executed for the crime, he maintained his innocence until the day he died. Prosecutors argued that Hauptmann, who had a criminal record in Germany and was on parole when he arrived in the United States as a stowaway, used his carpentry skills to build the ladder and showed the jury that the grain of the yellow pine on a ladder rail matched that of a board in his attic. When the body was found, why did he order the cremation before a full autopsy? Both Gow and Whately testified to this in court and identified the cloth and thread used in the garment. While the meetings between John and Condon were going on, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover stated that the organization would be involved in finding those responsible for the crime. Implicating an icon even a dead icon in the death of his child is painful. The ladder was broken, and investigators assumed it failed when the kidnapper tried to scale back down it. The arrival of their first child came shortly after the senior Lindbergh had completed his transatlantic flight, which earned him multiple awards, including Time magazine's Man of the Year and a Medal of Honor. As the boxes in Moniers home office overflowed with documents, he and Ahlgren strongly suspected that the killing was an inside job. While plenty of doubt has been raised about nearly every single piece of evidence in the case, to date there's no proof Hauptmann was convicted unjustly, according to Jim Fisher, a crime writer, former FBI agent, and professor of criminal justice at Edinboro State College. It was also rumored that Hauptmann had burgled the home of the mayor of Kamenz, his hometown, using a ladder to gain access to the second story, which is the same method of entry used in the Lindbergh kidnapping. To pay for his gas, the driver reached into his inside coat pocket retrieved a gold certificate, which had been pulled from circulation over a year earlier. After this, the Lindberghs and Dr. Condon didn't hear from the kidnapper again. Handwriting experts claimed his handwriting matched that of the ransom notes. The authors think he was. Using the license plate number, police arrested a German carpenter named Bruno Hauptmann. Speculations ran wild as to who might have kidnapped the Lindbergh babyand why. One of these people was Hauptmann's own wife, Anna. Any evidence that might have identified the killer literally went up in smoke. News of Hauptmanns arrest remained a secret for more than 24 hours before the news leaked out. The note, postmarked from Brooklyn, increased the demand to $70,000. Medical examiners determined the child had died from blunt force trauma to the head. For the first time, Americans were able to watch an intense a high-powered criminal trial in almost real-time; as a result, cameras were banned from courtrooms for many years to come, though upon their return they would once again captivate the nation. There are just too many unanswered questions.. The son of Charles Lindbergh, the famed. On a whim, Ahlgren mailed a copy of the story to Stephen Monier, the Goffstown chief of police and a former president of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police. Since it was an extremely high profile kidnapping, and Lindbergh had made quite a fortune since he made his famous flight, the kidnapper apparently felt comfortable asking for a larger ransom. Given the police limitations and Lindberghs stature as one of the most famous men in the world, few objected when the aviator took virtual control of the investigation not even when he threatened to shoot any police officer who disobeyed his orders or when he used his political muscle to discourage the FBIs involvement in the case. He worked out the dates when Lupica might have graduated and then placed a call to Princeton Universitys alumni association. Monier suspected the same thing. Follow Chris on Twitter @historyauthor. What they needed was an eyewitness who could place Lindbergh in Hopewell early in the evening on March 1, 1932. He won, says Monier. Crime PEOPLE Explains: Infamous Kidnappings Throughout History From the disappearances of Charley Ross and Charles Lindbergh Jr. to the abductions of Patty Hearst and Adam Walsh, these. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Overnight, Lindbergh became a household name and an American icon, a name we still remember today. The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case is a 1976 American television film dramatization of the Lindbergh kidnapping, directed by Buzz Kulik and starting Cliff DeYoung, . That steady routine was altered on Monday, February 29,1932. Lindbergh's first son, Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr. was kidnapped. Feeling this was suspicious, the teller contacted the police. Reilly often showed up for trial with a hangover. He had some prominent supporters, including the governor of New Jersey, Harold Hoffman. This is one strange duck, he told Ahlgren. Anne, he said, they have stolen our baby.. According to a 2014 article inNational Geographic, the initial $50,000 would have been approximately $850,000 in 2014 dollars. Mobster Abner Longie Zwillman also offered a reward for the return of the Lindbergh baby. It seems to me obscene to blame the father of a murdered child for the murder without any evidence at all, says Ward, who concluded Hauptmann was guilty as charged. The Tragic True Story Of The Lindbergh Baby Kidnapping The bank immediately notified federal investigators, who traced the license plate number written on the bill to a German immigrant carpenter named Bruno Richard Hauptmann who lived in a quiet, leafy residential neighborhood in the Bronx. Handwriting experts testified that Hauptmanns handwriting matched that of the ransom notes and that he consistently misspelled certain words. Every time the subject of Hauptmann came up, the woman wrote, my dad would say, They killed an innocent man. Several searches for the baby near Marthas Vineyard were unsuccessful. Worse still, he had been dead since the night of his kidnapping, according to History. When the baby disappeared two months later, one of Anne Morrow Lindberghs first thoughts was that her husband had taken the child as a joke, according to a letter she wrote to her mother-in-law. Although at the time of his arrest there was no further evidence linking Hauptmann to the murder, the police decided that he was the killer. The Lindbergh Kidnapping Case - Wikipedia How, they asked one another during their skull sessions, would an outsider know Anne was there on that particular Tuesday evening when they were almost never there except on the weekends? Lindbergh baby kidnapped - HISTORY But in a case with no eyewitnesses to the crime and no confession, plenty of room for doubt remains. When the owner remarked he didn't see many gold notes anymore, the man replied, "No, I only have about 100 left.". They didnt call him the Lone Eagle for nothing, Monier says. Five newsreel companies Fox Movietone, Hearst Metrotone, Paramount News, Path News and Universal Newsreel descended on the scene with over 100 men, 50 cameras and 35 sound trucks. The only clues left behind were the muddy footprints leading to an unlocked window, a homemade folding ladder left near the house and a ransom note on the windowsill. While they apparently didn't have any useful information (at least, not any that was ever made public), they were on Lindbergh's side, and even infamous gangster Al "Scarface" Capone himself offered up a $10,000 reward for anyone with information regarding the whereabouts of Baby Lindy. At the time, it was called "The Trial of the Century," and even became a global sensation.