On June 22, 1930, Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr. was born. He was the son of Charles A. Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh.
When Charles Jr. was 20 months old, the happy couple were expecting another baby. They went to Anne's parents house in Englewood, which was fifty miles away, for a visit. Betty Gow (the child's nurse) and a housekeeper couple came along also. Charles and Anne planned to go home on a damp weekend in March,1932. Since Charles Jr. got a cold, they decided to stay a little longer. Except for the grandparents no one else knew they were staying.
Between 8 and 10 PM on the night of Tuesday, March1, Charles A. Lindbergh Jr. was kidnapped from the second-floor nursery. The kidnapper left a ransom note on the window sill that said:
2500$ in 20$ bills 15000
in 10$ bills and 10000$ in 5$ bills.
After 2-4 days we will inform you
were to deliver the mony. We warn
you for making anyding public or for
notify the police the child is in gute care.
Indication for all letters are singature and 3 holes.
Noticing the baby was gone, Charles called the police. Police and the press came to the scene, trying to figure out any clues that might help find out who the kidnapper was. Even though they were trying to help, they were destroying the remaining evidence of the kidnapper. Radio news bulletins were getting announced by 10:30 that night. Soon, sightings of Charles A. Lindbergh Jr. were coming from all over the United States. None of them turned out to be authentic. A $10,000 dollar reward was given to anyone that returned him back safely.
Dr. John Condon claimed to have contact with the kidnapper. Condon had written a letter to the Bronx Home News , offering to act as a messenger between Lindbergh and the kidnapper. Under the alias "Jafsie" , Condon was allowed to try to contact the kidnapper. On April 2, the $10,000 was given to Condon so he could deliver the ransom money to the kidnapper. Condon said that the kidnapper had given him a note containing the whereabouts of the child. The note led Condon and Lindbergh to search for a boat named "Nelly" between Horseneck Beach and Gay Head which was near Elizabeth Island. They found no boat or baby. Later Charles found out Condon had double crossed Charles so he could get the ransom money.
On May 12,1932, 72 days after the kidnapping, the baby was found........dead. He was found in the woods near Lindbergh's house decomposing. The cause of death was believed to be a skull fracture, which occurred on the night of the kidnapping. Charles identified his son's body by examining his teeth. The case turned into a murder investigation.
On September 19, 1934 police arrested Bruno Richard Hauptmann ( pictured above ), despite his pleas of innocence. They searched his house and found $14,000. Hauptmann claimed to be holding the money for his friend, Isadore Fisch, who had already died. Hauptmann was found guilty in October, 1934.
60,000 people crowded into the tiny town of Flemington, NJ. Both Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh were called in as witnesses. Charles testified that he had heard Hauptmann's voice at the cemetery when he and Condon delivered the ransom money. When Hauptmann was on the stand, he denied any involvement in the crime. He testified that he was beaten by the police and forced to change his handwriting to match the ransom note. Testimony ended early February,1935. After 11 hours of deciding, the jury found Hauptmann guilty of murder in the first degree. Hauptmann was sentenced to death. On April 3, 1936, 8:44 p.m, Bruno Richard Hauptmann was put to death in the electric chair.
After Hauptmann's execution, several reporters and detectives asked numerous questions concerning how the case was run, the justice of the trial and execution of Hauptmann. Anna Hauptmann sued the state of New Jersey twice in the 1980's for the unfair execution of her husband. Both times the case was dismissed.
