The Washington times. [volume], May 14, 1932, Page 3, Image 3

About The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939

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RANSOM SWINDLERS ILLITERATE, CORRESPONDENCE REVEALS
CUNNING MOVES
' TO GET MONEY
DISCLOSED
Dr. John F. Condon Bares
Notes and Meetings With
Kidnapers’ Emissary
NEW YORK, May 14 (1.N.5.).
Shrouded in utmost secrecy for
creeks, the negotiations carried
bn by Dr. John F. Condon with
swindlers who convinced him
they were the kidnapers of Col.
Charles A. Lindbergh’s baby
were revealed in full detail
jtoday.
Publication of the cprrespond
ence exchanged between Dr. Con
don and the men who took $50,000
from Colonel Lindberg as “Ran
dom” for a baby already dead re
vealed the swindlers as men of
appalling illiteracy but possessing
shrewd cunning.
Dr. Condon first entered the
Case on March 8, when he received
a letter bearing a strange symbol
Which asked him to obtain author
ization from the Lindberghs to
act as go-between in the payment
of $70,000 in ransom.
Increased by $20,000
This was $20,000 more than
asked in the ransom note left in
the child’s nursery. He obtained
from the Lindberghs two of the
large pins with which the baby’s
blankets had been fastened to his
crib.
When he met the kidnaper
messenger for the first time on
the night of March 12 in wood
lawn cemetery, he showed the
man the two pins and asked him
if he knew where they had come
from. The man replied:
“Sure I do. They were used
to pin the blanket to the crib.”
Dr. Condon then asked to be
taken to the child, but the kid
naper refused.
The messenger, however, gave
Dr. Condon reassurance that the
child was actually held by the
gang he represented and was
alive and well. He said he would
send the baby’s sleeping garment
as conclusive proof.
The sleeping suit arrived on
March 16. Several hours later
Colonel Lindbergh visited the
Condon home and identified the
garment.
The suit received by Dr. Con
den was wrapped in cheap brown
paper, addressed to ‘Mr.. Dr.
John Condon.’. The ‘Mr. Dr.’
vras peculiar in all the kidnapers’
missives. This is a term com
mon in foreign languages, includ
ing German.
A letter with the mysterious
double circle signature was found
in the package. Enclosed in this
letter was a second envelope ad
dressed to ‘Mr. Col. Lindberg,’
■with the suggestion that the ‘en
closed program’ be delivered to
him.
Note to Condon
The note to Dr. Condon read:
“Mr. Lindbergh will findouer
program in the enclosed letter.
If you are willing, you may
confer with Mr. Lindbergh
about it.**
The enclosed stated:
“Yes, sir. Ouer man faill
to collect mony there are no
(Continued on Page 4, Col. 3)
SPOT YIELDING VICTIM’S BODY DRAWS POLICE SEEKING CLUES TO BABY SLAYING
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INVESTIGATORS AT
THE NEWS OF THE discovery of the body of Charles
A. Lindbergh, jr., brought New Jersey detectives and
State police quickly to the scene to go over the ground
PROSECUTOR
SEES HOAX
IN TOKEN
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PROSECUTOR MARSHALL INTERVIEWED
DOUBT THAT Dr. John F. Condon, the “Jafsie” in
negotiations for the return of the Lindbergh baby, was
in touch with the kidnapers of the baby or a repre
sentative of the kidnapers was expressed by Prosecutor
Erwin E. Marshall of Mercer county, N. J., today. Mar-
YARD MAN’S TIP:
KILLER ABROAD
Sir Basil Thompson, formerly
chief of Scotland Yard, Britain’s
great crime-detection organiza
tion, and one of the world’s great
est criminologists, has written the
following opinion of the Lind
bergh slaying for International
News Service.
By SIR BASIL THOMPSON
Formerly Chief of Scoltand Yard
(Written for and copyright, 1932, by
International News Service)
PARIS, May 14. — Intelligent
work will surely result in capture
of the kidnaper-slayer of the
Lindbergh baby.
I am certain the murderer has
fled to Europe.
The hunt was mishandled from
the start by State police, who
probably effaced clues uninten
tionally. It was a job for the
metropolitan police, who would
have cleared up the crime quickly
had it happened in New York
or Chicago.
The most important clues now
are the shirt found on the baby’s
body and the sleeping suit re
turned by the supposed kidnapers.
I should advise cabling fullest
details of what is known through
out Europe, especially to Vienna,
the world’s center of criminality,
and to Sweden, because the ran-
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
☆ ☆☆☆ ☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
Note Shows Baby Slayer Was Maniac, Says Psychiatrist
\
U. S. Pats Best
Men on Trail
Os Slayers
Several of the most highly
trained experts in the intelli
gence division of the Internal
Revenue Bureau have been as
signed to Col. Charles A. Lind
bergh to render any assistance
they can in running down the
slayers of his child.
These men have participated
in the Government’s long drive
against under world figures,
which has resulted in sending
a number of them, including the
Capones, to Federal prison for
violation of the income tax laws.
som note indicates one of the ab
ductors is Swedish.
If the American police have
any clue to their identity, they
ought to cable “speaking por
traits’’ of the suspected persons.
Such complete descriptions have
in the past been successful in
effecting captures of 'criminals
on the European Continent.
Again Miss Siems,
After Reno Divorce
RENO, May 14 (I.N.S.)Mrs.
George Drexel Steel today had
resumed her maiden name of
Vemon M. Siems following her
divorce from the New York social
registerite, whom she charged
with cruelty.
ALLEN
in search of clues. The body was discovered by William
Allen, colored, and Orville Wilson, a truckman, who
were hauling a load of lumber on the road between
shall is shown as he issued his statement in which he
expressed belief the “kidnap token” given to “Jafsie”
was fraudulent. The body of the slain baby was
cremated after it had been viewed by Col. Charles A.
QUIZ OF ROSNER
GIVES NO CLUE
TRENTON, N. J., May 14
(1.N.5.). —Search for the kid
naper-slayers of the Lindbergh
baby is centering on the leads
developing from the questioning
of John Hughes Curtis, Norfolk
negotiator, who, it is believed,
was in contact with them.
Nothing of any importance has
developed from the questioning
of Morris Rosner, It was dis
closed in Colonel Schwarzkopf’s
bulletin today.
The bulletin follows:
“A written statement is being
taken from Rosner. Nothing in
any way connecting him with
the kidnapers has been dis
closed during his questioning.
“Mr. Curtis is being ques
tioned as to the contacts he
had with the alleged kidnapers.
These contacts were by tele
- phone and in person. This is
being continued, and the check
up on such information as we
get from him is being vigorous
ly pursued.
“All of the scrapings off the
ground in the vicinity where
the body was found, together
with the burlap bag, are being
sent to experts for detailed
analysis. Any findings that will
not interfere in the possible ap
prehension of the criminals will
be published in subsequent bulle
tins.”
’he National Daily
KIDNAP REWARD
PLAN POSHED
TRENTON, N. J., May 14 (IJi.
S.).—A reward for capture of the
Lindbergh baby’s slayer, suffi
ciently large to assure that he will
be hunted down relentlessly the
world over, is favored by Gov.
A. Harry Moore of New Jersey, the
State’s chief executive indicated
today.
Governor Moore announced he
would discuss the question of a re
ward on Monday at a conference
with Attorney General William A.
Stevens and Erwin E. Marshall
and Anthony M. Hauck, jr„ prose
cutors of Mercer and Hunterdon
counties respectively.
At the conference, Governor
Moore said, it will be decided
whether a reward is to be offered
and what its amount will be. He
indicated he anticipated no diffi
culty in having the State legisla
ture authorze any amount decided
upon, even though it exceeds the
legal limit of SIO,OOO now fixed
by law.
In the early days of the search
for the kidnaped child. Governor
Moore was prepared to offer a re
ward of SIO,OOO and members of
the legislature indicated their
readiness to increase this amount
to $25,000 by a special act.
WILSON
Mt. Rose and Hopewell, N. J. The body was taken to
an undertaking establishment in Trenton and a crowd
quickly, formed in front of the establishment. A detail
SATURDAY—MAY 14—1932
HEARSE NEARS CREMATORY
Lindbergh in the morgue at Trenton. The hearse bear
ing the body is shown nearing the Rose Hill Crematory
at Linden, N. J. Photos by International News Photo
graphic Service.
“Red” Johnson
Voices Grief
For Lindy
NEW YORK, May 14 (1.N.5.).
Henry “Red” Johnson, suitor of-
Betty Gow, Lindbergh nurse, who
for 37 days was questioned in
connection with the case, and is
now held at Ellis Island for de
portation, expressed overwhelming
grief today over the tragic news
the Lindbergh baby was found
dead.
His attorney, Hult L. Wilson,
reported Johnson was completely
exonerated in the case by a letter
which Acting Police Chief Brex,
of Newark, N. J., sent to Com
missioner of Labor Doak in Wash
ington.
Johnson is under deportation
sentence for illegal entrance into
the United States.
Baritone Assails
Met Opera Clique
NEW YORK, May 14 (1.N.5.).
Clarence Whitehill, for 17 years
a leading baritone of the Metro
politan Opera, began a talking
picture career today with an at
tack upon the management of
the opera. At present, the star
declared, the Metropolitan is being
run more as an Italian theater
than an American organization.
He charged the opera stars were
told “to act, not sing.”
CROWDS IN FRONT OF UNDERTAKING ESTABLISHMENT
1,500 DREAMS
OF BABY WRONG
BOSTON, May 14 (1.N.5.).
Gazing backward over more than
two : .onths of local activity pre
cipitated by the kidnaping of the
Lindbergh baby, today revealed
many interesting facts and fan
cies.
Boston police ran down more
than 350 clues, furnished by in
formation which ran the gamut
from ouija boards, teacup read
ing and dreams, to cranks, de
mented persons, and “grudge”,
tips.
And out of the welter of let
ters, telegrams, and telephone
calls to police stood only one
which paralleled the actual facts.
It was the message to police from
a Roxbury woman who said she
had a dream that she saw the
Lindbergh baby lying in the
woods, five miles from the Lind
bergh home, while two men
talked on a road nearby.
The Harvard psychological
clinic, under direction of Dr.
Henry A. Murray, conducted a
dream survey. A review of 1,500
reports revealed, Dr. Murray
said, that not one approximated
the actual facts. Only a few, he
said, reported the baby dead.
I of police kept the crowd on the sidewalk. The curtains
in rear of the establishment were drawn. Photo by
I International News Photographic Service.
KILLING MOTIVE
FOR KIDNAPING,
HIS THEORY
Writer of Ransom Note Seen
As German Insanely Jealous
of Famous Persons
By MARGARET LANE
NEW YORK, May 14
(1.N.5.). —The ransom note
left in the Lindbergh baby’s
crib on the night of the kid
naping has been analyzed by a
prominent psychiatrist, wljp
in an exclusive interview to
day, issued it as his authorita
tive conclusion that the crime
had been committed by a
maniac whose intention was
not kidnaping for ransom, but
murder.
The name of this prominent
doctor cannot be disclosed, on ac
count of his confidential position.
His theory, however, has
borne out sc far, for when the
ransom note was submitted to his
analysis shortly after the kidnap
ing two months ago, he pro
nounced it the work of a particu
lar type of homicidal maniac and
was confident that the child
would be murdered within a few
hours of its disappearance.
Note Abnormal One
In an interview the doctor re
viewed his previous analysis of
the note and explained the men
tal abnormalities which the note
betrayed and on which his con
clusions were based. He said:
“I have examined many kid
napers* notes. This is in every
sense an abnormal one. I
would say that the writer suf
fers from a combination of ‘de
mentia praecox’ and ‘manic de
pressive’ insanity. In plain lan
guage, he would be a maniac of
the paranoid or grandiose type,
identifying himself with famous
people, or insanely jealous of
famous people.
“He would also have periods
of elation and maniacal out
bursts, but he would probably be
legally sane and would be ex
tremely cunning at concealing
his symptoms.
SEEN AS GERMAN
“If you examine the note you
will find in it several insane dis
crepancies of a type readily
recognisable by psychiatrists. In
the first place, it tells Lindbergh
to have the money ready, but
does not actually demand it.
In the second paragraph it
says: ‘Four days we will inform
you to redeem the money.’ Note
that. Clearly they meant re
deem the child, and it is a well
known substitution of the un
conscious mind to confuse the
words ‘money’ and ‘child.’ This
may sound unlikely to the lay
mind, but I can only assure you
that in the freudian symbolism
it is so.
“The fact that the note says
(Continued on Page 4, Col. S)
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