Lindbergh Kidnapping It was considered the “Crime of the Century” that is still captivating people. What truly happened on the night of March 1, 1932 in Hopewell, New Jersey is still being talked about decades later. Even though one man was tried and convicted for this crime, there are still many conspiracy theories that surround this case. Was it an inside job that had been carefully planned? Was it the result of skillful fabrication done by investigators and police to wrongfully accuse one man? Or was the verdict correct and it was all done by one man alone? The question still remains, who kidnapped the Lindbergh baby? Due to the considerable evidence against Bruno Hauptmann, it is believed that Mr. Hauptmann was the one to kidnap …show more content…
Charles Lindbergh found a white envelope stuck inside the window sill in the nursery. He believed it to be the ransom note. In the ransom note many words were misspelled and there was a symbol on the bottom of the page. The kidnappers asked for $50,000 in exchange for Charles Lindbergh Jr. Other evidence that was found was a ladder propped up outside of the house leading to the baby’s room. It had been built in 3 separate sections, each with a different wood. It was badly constructed and looked to be haphazardly put together (American Hero 125). The Lindbergh’s eventually gathered money together to pay the ransom, but they also had a plan too. Working with the FBI they had $35,000 of the $50,000 turned into gold certificates. All $35,000 of the gold certificates had special serial numbers put on them that could be tracked. Clerks and bankers were made aware of the ransom certificates that could be used (American History 39-40).
On May 12,1932, seventy-two days after the initial kidnapping, the baby’s body was discovered. It was found by a trucker about 4 miles from the Lindbergh’s Hopewell estate. The body was decomposed and was thought to have been dead since the night of the kidnapping from a fractured skull. It was believed to have been dropped off to the Lindbergh’s as a “present.” Charles Lindbergh was able to identify his child from the tattered night suit that was still on the body (New American …show more content…
Even celebrities came to see the trial for the “crime of the century” on January 2, 1935 in the small town of Flemington, New Jersey. The prosecutors presented their vast evidence against Mr. Hauptmann. The discussed the various items found in his house, the gold certificates used as ransom money, and the similar handwritings. The defense team was headed by Edward Reilly. The defense stated that Hauptmann claimed to have been forced to write in a certain style by the prosecutors. Hauptmann also claimed to know nothing about the ladder, despite the strong evidence against him dealing with the ladder (American Hero 167-168). Bruno claimed he only knew about the kidnapping because of the media and the newspaper articles. The witnesses Reilly called to the stand were questionable. One witness he brought up first told the police that he had not seen Mr. Hauptmann somewhere, but once a reward was offered on any information, he changed his story and claimed to have seen Hauptmann. Another witness who testified was considered crazy and mentally unstable by several of his neighbors (American Hero 171). Many believe Reilly put very little effort into the defense and only took the case to gain