Kidnapping of Lindbergh baby

Kidnapping of Lindbergh baby

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 wielded Hauptmann’s army pistol during the commission of this crime. Hauptmann’s other charges include burglarizing a mayor’s house (using a ladder). Released after three years in prison, he was arrested three months later on suspicion of further burglaries. Hauptmann illegally entered the US by stowing away on a liner. Landing in New York in September 1923, the 24-year-old Hauptmann was taken in by a member of the established German community and worked as a carpenter. He married a German waitress in 1925 and became a father eight years later.

- Richard Hauptmann

After arrest his apartment was searched by the police. Considerable amount of additional evidence were discovered that would suggest involvement of Hauptmann in the Lindbergh case. One of them was a notebook that contained a sketch for the construction of a ladder similar to that which was found at the Lindbergh home in March 1932. John Condon’s telephone number, along with his address, were discovered written down on a closet wall in the house. A key linking piece of evidence, a piece of wood, was discovered in the attic of the home. After being examined by an expert, it was determined to be an exact match to the wood used in the construction of the ladder found at the scene of the crime.

Hauptmann was indicted in the Bronx on September 24, 1934, for extorting the $50,000 ransom from Charles Lindbergh. Two weeks later, on October 8, 1934, Hauptmann was indicted in New Jersey for the murder of Charles Augustus Lindbergh, Jr. Two days later, he was surrendered to New Jersey authorities by New York Governor to face charges directly related to the kidnapping and murder of the child.