The Most Famous Kidnapping Case in America

On March 1, 1932, the 20 month year old son of famous pilot Charles Lindbergh was taken from his crib between 8-10 p.m. A ransom note was left demanding the payment of 50,000$, and it was obviously written by a foreigner who had very poor english...

It read... Dear Sir, Have 50,000$ redy in 25,000$ in 20$ bills 15000$ in 10$ bills and 10,000$ in 5$ bills. After 2-4 days will inform you were to deliver the Mony. We warn you for making anyding public or for notify the Polise the child is in gut care. Indication for all leters are singnature and 3 holds. 

 The trial was held in Flemington, New Jersey and was watched by hundreds of spectators and reporters, making it a very famous case. The babies body was found on March 12; a chisel, ladder, and a number of notes from the kidnappers were found with the body, but there were no useful fingerprints or footprints. 

THE TRIAL-

  The defendant in the case was a man named Richard Bruno Hauptmann, a 35 year old German born carpenter who lived in the bronx. He was found with one of Lindbergh's gold notes, the currency the Lindbergh's used to pay the kidnapper and later $14,000 of the ransom money was found hidden in the walls of his garage. In the trail, Lindbergh testified that he had heard the kidnappers voice and it was the voice of Hauptmann. There were also a number of police witnesses brought in and a handwriting specialist. Hauptmann's lawyer was a man named Edward J. Reilly, who is described as "florid, hulking, bombastic-he wore a swallowtail coat and striped trousers- and something of a boozer". Is it widely spectated that he hired and invented witnesses and deliberately misled the jury. The prosecution had too much substantial evidence that Hauptmann was indeed the kidnapper, and he was sentenced ( after 29 court sessions, 162 witnesses, and 381 exhibits) to death on Wednesday, February 13, 1935. He was finally put to death on April 3, 1936, but his death did not rid the Lindbergh family of their troubles. They exiled themselves  to England and received death threats against their second son.