Kidnapping of Lindbergh baby
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 fellow German immigrants and among the community he gained the reputation of shady businessman. Often he offered them the chance to invest in his business schemes, most of which were non-existent.
In 1932 he became business partner of Richard Hauptmann, although it is still not clear what was the character of the partnership. Reportedly Fisch was connected to mob and was involved in money laundering.
Fisch had applied for a passport on 12 May 1932, which was the same day that the Lindbergh baby was found dead. On 9 December 1933, Fisch set sail on the ocean liner to Germany, shortly after the ransom money was paid by the Lindbergh family. He paid for his ticket with $420 worth of gold certificates purportedly lent by Hauptmann. He had also purchased, with the Hauptmann money, $600 worth of Reichsmarks. According to Hauptmann, on 5 December 1933, Fisch left various items, including a shoe box in which Hauptmann claimed to have later found $14,000 in gold certificates.
Fisch died of tuberculosis in Leipzig, Germany on 29 March 1934. Police investigation of Fisch conducted after the Hauptmann’s arrest, reportedly discovered that Fisch was so poor that his parents had to regularly send him money from Germany. He was constantly sick and always virtually starving to death. An interrogation of Fisch’s brother, Pinkus Fisch, by the German police, revealed that Isidor had never made any mention of Hauptmann prior to his death.
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