Kidnapping of Lindbergh baby

Kidnapping of Lindbergh baby

The kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr, son of famous American aviator Charles Lindbergh, was one of the first big trials that gathered massive media coverage. The 20-months-old baby was took from its crib on March 1, 1932 and for next few months it was the main theme of American press.

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Events connected to Kidnapping of Lindbergh baby

The kidnapping

The kidnapping of Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr, son of famous American aviator Charles Lindbergh, took place on March 1, 1932. At the time of the kidnapping the baby was only 20-months-old. Charles Lindbergh Jr was taken from his crib in family home in East Amwell, New Jersey some time after 8 PM. ...

Police investigation

The police started with searching the area miles around the Lindbergh house. After midnight a fingerprint expert arrived to examine the note left on the window sill and the ladder. The ladder had produced 400 partial fingerprints and some footprints, but due to actions of local police and reporters ...

Ransom notes and Jafsie

Few days after the kidnapping Lindbergh received a new ransom letter via mail. Postmarked in Brooklyn, the letter had exactly the same symbol as the one found on the night of kidnapping. Another ransom note then arrived by mail, also postmarked from Brooklyn. A third letter with ransom note was late...

Ransom is payed

The ransom was put in a wooden box that was custom-made in the hope that it could later be identified. The ransom money itself was made up with a number of gold certificates that were to be withdrawn from circulation in the near future. It was hoped that anyone passing large amounts of gold notes wo...

Body is found

Over two months after the kidnapping, on May 12, 1932 delivery driver William Allen pulled his truck on the side of the road and went into bushes to relieve himself. But between the trees he has found body of Charles Lindbergh Jr. The place was about 4.5 miles away from Lindbergh home. The body was ...

Further investigation

In June 1932 officials began to suspect an "inside job" as the explanation to the kidnapping. Suspicions fell upon Violet Sharp, a British household servant in Lindbergh house. She had given contradictory testimony regarding her whereabouts on the night of the kidnapping. It was reported that she ap...

The ransom money

Since it was obvious that the ransom was paid after the baby was already dead the police and Bureau of Investigation started the investigation to trace down were the ransom money ended up. Few of the ransom bills turned up in various locations, some as far away as Chicago and Minneapolis, but the pe...

Hauptmann’s trial

Hauptmann was charged with capital murder, which meant that he can be sentenced to death penalty. He pleaded not guilty. Daily Mirror, in exchange for rights to publish the story in their newspaper, have financed hiring Edward J. Reilly as attorney for Hauptmann. Reilly wasn’t smart choice - alth...

People connected with Kidnapping of Lindbergh baby

Charles Lindbergh

Charles Augustus Lindbergh was bord 4 February 1902. As a 25-year-old US Air Mail pilot, Lindbergh rose to fame by winning Orteig Prize for his solo non-stop flight Long Island to Le Bourget Field in Paris, France in custom made monoplane Spirit of St. Louis. As a result of this flight, Lindbergh wa...

Isidor Fisch

Isidor Srul Fisch was born 26 July 1905 in Leipzig, Germany. His family emigrated to America in 1925. Upon his arrival, he went to live with the family of Herman Kirsten, his former boss back in Germany, and continued to work in the fur trade as a cutter. He lived in rented rooms together with fello...

Richard Hauptmann

Hauptmann was born in Kamenz in the German Empire, the youngest of five children. He served during the World War I and was wounded. After the war, Hauptmann and a friend robbed two women wheeling baby carriages they were using to transport food on the road between Wiesa and Nebelschchütz The friend...

Kidnapping of Lindbergh baby theories

Was Bruno Hauptmann innocent?

Just like in case of many other famous trials that took place in United States where heavy media coverage was present investigation and Hauptmann’s trial was in many points a farce. There are still doubts if he was involved in any way in the crime and if so what was his role. That’s why many peo...