Page A12 MAY 2022 FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Se c t i on A www.vischerfuneralsupplies.com background for theft in Germany. He was a skilled carpenter but never worked after the ransom money was given and was living a bountiful lifestyle. There was nearly $15,000 in hidden cash (verified ransom money) hidden in his home. Eight handwriting experts agreed that the 15 ransom notes were his writing, in a European style like his. Dr. Condon had given the physical description of “Cemetery John” which artists made composites that depict Hauptmann very closely. The wood, examined by an expert, Arthur Koehler of the Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, from the ladder was from a lumber yard near Hauptmann that he regularly bought from. The wood was planed with a wood plane found at Hauptmann’s home. The ladder contained wood from a board from Hauptmann’s attic floor that was missing. A phone number on a door frame in a closet at Hauptmann’s home was Dr. Condon’s. Hauptmann’s defense just declared he was innocent. His wife claimed he was home on the night of the murder. The money was given to him by a friend to hold. The jury convicted him on February 15, 1935, after 12 hours of deliberation. The appeals were filed. On October 9, 1935, New Jersey Supreme Court upheld the conviction. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to review the case. The New Jersey Governor offered life imprisonment, instead of execution, if he admitted the crime. He refused. Hearst newspapers offered $100,000 to his wife if he admitted his guilt. Hauptmann declined. He was executed April 3, 1936, by electrocution at Trenton State Prison in New Jersey. He was cremated and only his late wife Anna knew where his remains were. As with many murder cases resolved by circumstantial evidence, conspiracy theories abound. Lindbergh accidentally killed his son and covered it up. A Jewish mob murdered the child to keep the antisemitic Lindbergh from running for president. Two others helped Hauptmann and were never charged (then why did Hauptmann get all the money?). The FBI documents several cases of fraudulent theories in the investigation. The inescapable fact is the evidence against Hauptmann. Though the principals have long passed, suppositions still abound, and books are still written about the “Crime of the Century”. “Don’t wish me happiness – I don’t expect to be happy it’s gotten beyond that, somehow. Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor – I will need them all. “ —Anne Morrow Lindbergh In January 1935 more than 10,000 people surrounded the courthouse in downtown Flemington as the dramatic Lindbergh baby kidnapping trial played out within the beautiful 1828 historic building. The curious watched the comings and goings of some of the era’s most recognized celebrities including Walter Winchell, Damon Runyon, Edna Ferber and Dorothy Kilgallen. No wonder H.L. Mencken referred to the trial as “the greatest story since the Resurrection.” —East Amwell Historical Society William Allen was riding in a truck along a backwoods highway near Mount Rose, New Jersey. He asked the driver, Orville Wilson, to pull over, nature was calling. He left the truck and walked about 45 feet into the woods to relieve himself. He saw a shape on the ground and realized it was the badly decomposed body of an infant. He had just discovered the remains of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr., 20-month-old son of the famous aviator. It was May 12, 1932, two months after the child was kidnapped from the family home, just several miles away. Charles Lindbergh gained international fame when he piloted the Spirit of St. Louis, a custom-built, single-engine, single seat, high wing monoplane, across the Atlantic in 1927. Lindbergh went on to marry Anne Morrow, daughter of a JP Morgan partner and former Ambassador. They had just built a home in Hopewell, New Jersey, which they called “Highfields,” where the kidnapping took place. On March 1, 1932, the baby’s nurse, Betty Gow, had rubbed medication on little Charlie’s chest, to help relieve cold symptoms, at 8 PM. Colonel Lindbergh arrived at his home at 8:25. At 10 PM, Nurse Gow entered the room and found a chill coming from an open window, which she had shut earlier. She crossed the room to shut it and turned to realize the crib was empty. She asked the Lindberghs whether they had taken the baby from the crib. They had not, and realized the baby had been abducted. The New Jersey State Police were called and Police Colonel Herbert Norman Schwartzkopf, Sr. (father of General H. Norman Schwartzkopf, Jr.) took charge of the investigation. Schwartzkopf, Sr. was a West Point graduate, fought in World War I, later became a Major General. Charles Lindbergh found a ransom note on a windowsill. A broken ladder and footprints leading into the woods were discovered. The ransom message was in a small envelope demanding $50,000 for the return of the infant, nicknamed “the Eaglet” by the press. Lindbergh became very involved in the investigation, to the irritation of the investigators. It was not long before J. Edgar Hoover of the Bureau of Investigation (later the FBI) assisted in the case. The kidnapper demanded the money in 20s-, 10s- , and 5-dollar bills. A second ransom note was received, postmarked March 4, with a larger amount of $70,000. A third note asked for a middleman to serve as the courier for negotiations and money delivery. A retired New York school teacher, Dr. John Condon, placed an ad in the Bronx Home News and offered his services in that capacity and he would contribute $1,000 for the baby’s safe return. The kidnappers accepted Dr. Condon as the conduit between themselves and the Lindberghs. $70,000 in gold cerBy Steven Palmer tificates was obtained, and the serial numbers were recorded by federal investigators. Dr. Condon placed an ad to inform the kidnappers that ransom could be delivered. The kidnappers instructed Condon to go to Woodlawn Cemetery. Lindbergh demanded that Condon go alone and get proof they had his son. A man waving a handkerchief summoned Condon. He claimed his name was John and became known as “Cemetery John”. Condon informed him he did not have the money. It would be brought when proof of the baby was given. John, who spoke with a German accent, became spooked and started to leave. Condon grabbed his arm and led him further down to a bench where they talked for almost an hour. They shook hands and went in separate directions. A package was received containing the infant’s sleeper. The instructions were to go to Bergen’s Flower Shop in the Bronx. Charles was along this time. A note at the flower shop sent them to St. Raymond Cemetery. Dr. Condon heard “Cemetery John’s” voice from hiding. Charles was waiting in the car. Condon told him he had the original figure of $50,000. The money was accepted, and a note was given for Charlie’s location. The note said he was on a 28-foot boat near Martha’s Vineyard. Lindbergh flew to the area, there was no boat, no child and the kidnappers had the ransom. When baby Charlie’s remains were found, he was face down. Animals and mother nature had their way with his little body. The tragic discovery was that he most likely died the day he was kidnapped. Dr. Charles H. Mitchell, a county physician, supervised the autopsy. His arthritis made such procedures difficult, so he enlisted the help of the county coroner, funeral director Walter Swayze of Trenton, New Jersey. The finding of the autopsy, on Swayze’s letterhead, stated decomposition was too far advanced to determine sex, left leg from knee down missing; left hand missing; right forearmmissing; and abdominal organs, except liver missing. Prominent shape of the head, teeth, and light curly hair all helped identify the remains. The attending pediatrician, Dr. Philip Van Ingen was present for the post-mortem. The cause of death was a massive skull fracture. A hole was found in the skull, but it was probably from an inspector who poked it with a stick at the scene. There was a possibility that the infant was dropped on the descent from the ladder. When the autopsy was complete, Lindbergh had Charlie cremated and scattered his remains over the Atlantic Ocean. On September 15, 1934, at a gas station in Manhattan, a man drove a dark colored Dodge sedan in and purchased 98 cents of fuel. He paid with a $10 gold certificate. Many businesses and banks were on high alert for counterfeit bills. The station manager mentioned that he didn’t see many of that size and type of bill. TIME magazine reported that the man answered, “Ah, yes, you do, I’ve got a hundred of them left at home.” He took his change and drove off. The manager wrote down the license plate number on the bill. The next day it was taken to a bank, then shortly thereafter it was discovered to be a bill from the Lindbergh ransom money. The authorities were watching the home where Bruno Richard Hauptmann lived. When he backed out in the Dodge, they stopped him and found he was carrying a $20 bill from the ransom money. The evidence was very damning. Six weeks of trial presented 40 witnesses and 300 pieces of evidence. Hauptmann had a criminal The Eaglet Steven Palmer entered funeral service in 1971. He is an honors graduate of the New England Institute of Applied Arts & Sciences. He has been licensed on both coasts, he owned theWestcott Funeral Homes of Cottonwood and Camp Verde, AZ, where he remains active in operations. Steve offers his observations on current funeral service issues. Hemay be reachedbymail at POBox 352, Cottonwood, AZ 86326, by phone at (928)634-9566, by fax at (928)634-5156, by e-mail at steve@westcottfuneralhome.comor throughhiswebsite at www.westcottfuneralhome.com or on Facebook. F U N E R A L H O M E & C E M E T E R Y N E W S w w w . N o m i s P u b l i c a t i o n s . c o m Monthly Columnsonline at Call: 661-250-1507 • Visit: www.XLIndustries.com Available Through Quality Suppliers Made in USA Unique items found only at xl industries Providing the Best-Designed Tools for Your Services Since 1926. Dozens of products that give you years of service and store compactly when not in use. Lightweight and easy to take to gravesides or churches. Pole Rack with Shelves extends from the floor to the ceiling Combo Expansion “B” Rack “J” Casket Floral Rack Sets down on top of casket Platform Shelf O-1 additional display surface for many XL large stands SCI contributes $500,000 to Encourage Organ, Eye and Tissue Donation with Donate Life America HOUSTON,TX— Service Corporation International (NYSE: SCI) and its brand, Dignity Memorial®, is once again partnering with Donate Life America In addition to DLA, for the past 14 years, Dignity Memorial has been a sponsor of the Donate Life Rose Parade® Float. The company has honored the lives of 61 remarkable organ and tis- (DLA). The company renewed as a Donate Life Platinum Partner with a $250,000 donation. This is the second year in a row that SCI has contributed $250,000 to DLA. Funds will be used for programs and initiatives designed to increase awareness of organ, eye and tissue donation and to improve the process of becoming a donor. Continued on page A14 sue donors through “floragraphs,” portraits made of floral and natural materials, which are placed on the Donate Life float entry produced by the OneLegacy Observations
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Nzg4MQ==