1932 : Lindbergh baby kidnapped
On this day in 1932, in a crime that captured the attention of the
entire nation, Charles Lindbergh III, the 20-month-old son of aviation
hero Charles Lindbergh, is kidnapped from the family's new mansion in
Hopewell, New Jersey. Lindbergh, who became an international celebrity
when he flew the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927,
and his wife Anne discovered a ransom note demanding $50,000 in their
son's empty room. The kidnapper used a ladder to climb up to the open
second-floor window and left muddy footprints in the room.
The Lindberghs were inundated by offers of assistance and false clues.
Even Al Capone offered his help from prison. For three days,
investigators found nothing and there was no further word from the
kidnappers. Then, a new letter showed up, this time demanding $70,000.
The kidnappers eventually gave instructions for dropping off the money
and when it was delivered, the Lindberghs were told their baby was on
a boat called Nelly off the coast of Massachusetts. After an
exhaustive search, however, there was no sign of either the boat or
the child. Soon after, the baby's body was discovered near the
Lindbergh mansion. He had been killed the night of the kidnapping and
was found less than a mile from home. The heartbroken Lindberghs ended
up donating the mansion to charity and moved away.
The kidnapping looked like it would go unsolved until September 1934,
when a marked bill from the ransom turned up. The gas station
attendant who had accepted the bill wrote down the license plate
number because he was suspicious of the driver. It was tracked back to
a German immigrant and carpenter, Bruno Hauptmann. When his home was
searched, detectives found a chunk of Lindbergh ransom money.
Hauptmann claimed that a friend had given him the money to hold and
that he had no connection to the crime. The resulting trial was a
national sensation. The prosecution's case was not particularly
strong; the main evidence, besides the money, was testimony from
handwriting experts that the ransom note had been written by
Hauptmann. The prosecution also tried to establish a connection
between Hauptmann and the type of wood that was used to make the
ladder.
Still, the evidence and intense public pressure were enough to convict
Hauptmann and he was electrocuted in 1935. In the aftermath of the
crime--the most notorious of the 1930s--kidnapping was made a federal
offense.
history.com/tdih.do
1932 : Lindbergh baby kidnapped
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52364
1692 : Salem Witch Hunt begins
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4801
1954 : Puerto Rican nationalists wound five representatives
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4802
1961 : Peace Corps established
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6823
1966 : Soviet probe crashes into Venus
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4803
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On this day in 1932, in a crime that captured the attention of the
entire nation, Charles Lindbergh III, the 20-month-old son of aviation
hero Charles Lindbergh, is kidnapped from the family's new mansion in
Hopewell, New Jersey. Lindbergh, who became an international celebrity
when he flew the first solo flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927,
and his wife Anne discovered a ransom note demanding $50,000 in their
son's empty room. The kidnapper used a ladder to climb up to the open
second-floor window and left muddy footprints in the room.
The Lindberghs were inundated by offers of assistance and false clues.
Even Al Capone offered his help from prison. For three days,
investigators found nothing and there was no further word from the
kidnappers. Then, a new letter showed up, this time demanding $70,000.
The kidnappers eventually gave instructions for dropping off the money
and when it was delivered, the Lindberghs were told their baby was on
a boat called Nelly off the coast of Massachusetts. After an
exhaustive search, however, there was no sign of either the boat or
the child. Soon after, the baby's body was discovered near the
Lindbergh mansion. He had been killed the night of the kidnapping and
was found less than a mile from home. The heartbroken Lindberghs ended
up donating the mansion to charity and moved away.
The kidnapping looked like it would go unsolved until September 1934,
when a marked bill from the ransom turned up. The gas station
attendant who had accepted the bill wrote down the license plate
number because he was suspicious of the driver. It was tracked back to
a German immigrant and carpenter, Bruno Hauptmann. When his home was
searched, detectives found a chunk of Lindbergh ransom money.
Hauptmann claimed that a friend had given him the money to hold and
that he had no connection to the crime. The resulting trial was a
national sensation. The prosecution's case was not particularly
strong; the main evidence, besides the money, was testimony from
handwriting experts that the ransom note had been written by
Hauptmann. The prosecution also tried to establish a connection
between Hauptmann and the type of wood that was used to make the
ladder.
Still, the evidence and intense public pressure were enough to convict
Hauptmann and he was electrocuted in 1935. In the aftermath of the
crime--the most notorious of the 1930s--kidnapping was made a federal
offense.
history.com/tdih.do
1932 : Lindbergh baby kidnapped
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihVideoCategory&id=52364
1692 : Salem Witch Hunt begins
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4801
1954 : Puerto Rican nationalists wound five representatives
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4802
1961 : Peace Corps established
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=6823
1966 : Soviet probe crashes into Venus
history.com/tdih.do?action=tdihArticleCategory&id=4803
#########################################
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