Kidnap: The True Story Of The Lindbergh Case - George Waller

Beginning with the events that occurred in the Lindbergh home on the evening of March 1, 1932 and prior to the discovery that the baby had been kidnapped, it takes the reader step-by-step through the case as events unfold: the early mishandling of the kidnap ladder and other key evidence by the police, Lindbergh’s initial refusal to let the police take charge of the case, the various letters sent by the kidnapper(s), the selection of “Jafsie” as the go-between, his meetings with “Cemetery John” and the subsequent payment of the ransom, the search for “Boad Nelly,” the hoaxes perpetuated by Gaston B. Means and John Hughes Curtis, the discovery and identification of the Lindbergh baby’s body, the hunt for the kidnapper(s), the events leading up to the suicide of the Morrow family maid Violet Sharpe, Arthur Koehler’s exhaustive efforts to track down the wood used in building the kidnap letter, the efforts made to trace the ransom money bills as they were being spent, Hauptmann’s arrest and the discovery of ransom money hidden in his garage, Hauptmann’s trial and the accompanying media circus, the various attempts by Hauptmann’s lawyers to appeal his conviction, etc.

In presenting this information, the author does not interject his own opinions but provides a straight-forward factual account of the case as it unfolds.

Those who are only familiar some of the more recent books on the Lindbergh case might be surprised at some of the “new” information that is presented in this book. For example, the psychological profile of “Cemetery John” that was prepared by New York psychiatrist Dudley Shoenfeld and which identified his nationality, the area where he most likely lived, his probable occupation and, most important, the psychological impulses that made him think and act the way he did. The accuracy of this profile was confirmed after Hauptmann was arrested. It also explains why, despite the overwhelming evidence against him, Hauptmann never confessed to his part in the crime, even to save his own life.

Almost half of the book is devoted to Hauptmann’s trial with many lengthy excerpts taken directly from the trial transcript itself. These include many of the exchanges between key witnesses and the attorneys for the prosecution and for the defense. This section also provides a good account of the “media circus” that took place during the trial.

The book closes with the events that took place on the night of Hauptmann’s execution.

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