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Post by Deleted on Feb 18, 2017 12:31:36 GMT -5
Michael,
In Dark Corners, Chapter 14, The Next Phase, page 234, you have the section titled Oscar Bush. I know that we have discussed Oscar in many places on this board. It is his tracking of the footprints from the nursery window to the ladder and from the ladder to what is called Featherbed Lane that was the basis for the kidnappers leaving the scene in this direction.
Going further into this section you bring up a letter written by reporter Sherman B. Altick of the New York Sun (page 241, footnote 735), which calls into question the trustworthiness of Oscar and the Bush family in general. You then tell the reader that it is up to themselves to decide whether Altick's claims in his letter to Breckinridge should influence their position regarding Oscar's footprint trail.
I have always placed great importance on that trail of prints, especially those going from the ladder onto Featherbed Lane(?) and out to the chicken coops. Oscar Bush also ties in the car that was seen by the Conovers the night of March 1, 1932 on that road. I am sure he was following tracks and not making all this up.
Reading over Altick's letter, he mentions an Edward Watts who is supposedly mixed up with the underworld in the rum racquet. I believe it is Oscar's sister, Myrtle who is living with Watts but so is Oscar's younger brother Robert.
Altick also brings up a man by the name of Robert or Ralph Sanders who has been arrested for thievery, as he calls it, who may be connected with people who are connected with the Bush family.
Did the NJSP ever see this letter? If so, did they investigate Altick's findings? Altick claims in this letter that Hopewell magistrate Whitehead confirmed his opinion that the Bush family is a "bad lot" but not intelligent enough to pull off the job (kidnapping) alone. Altick then adds that he has learned Watts is a cleaver man and well educated.
It seems like I always end up back at square one (with questions) when it comes to the footprints found at the scene!
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Post by Michael on Feb 19, 2017 8:55:25 GMT -5
Did the NJSP ever see this letter? If so, did they investigate Altick's findings? Altick claims in this letter that Hopewell magistrate Whitehead confirmed his opinion that the Bush family is a "bad lot" but not intelligent enough to pull off the job (kidnapping) alone. Altick then adds that he has learned Watts is a cleaver man and well educated. It seems like I always end up back at square one (with questions) when it comes to the footprints found at the scene! The NJSP 100% had this Western Union. One thing they might do with handwritten letters was to type it out - they did that with this specific source too and I found it originally in the State Police Collection. As to whether or not they investigated these two men I'd say "yes" but so far haven't been able to locate any reference to it in my files. Sometimes they did so right away but it wouldn't be unusual to find a follow up months - sometimes even into 1933 or 34. It could also be an investigation involving multiple subjects so the report might not be have Watts or Sanders in the subject line but something completely different. I'll keep a look out for it.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 19, 2017 10:15:46 GMT -5
I appreciate that you will keep a lookout for anything that might be available on Watts or Sanders. Altick's communication to Breckinridge is certainly unfavorable towards the Bush family.
I think the use of Featherbed Lane/Road is confusing. The trail that Bush says he followed revealed marks in bushes and in the grass that had been made by an automobile. Could these marks have been from the car the Conovers saw at 6:30 pm.? Could the Conovers see a car that was on the "old road" from their house? Would the Conovers have been able to see a car traveling on the construction road that is outlined on Kevin's map?
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Post by Michael on Feb 19, 2017 14:48:02 GMT -5
I think the use of Featherbed Lane/Road is confusing. The trail that Bush says he followed revealed marks in bushes and in the grass that had been made by an automobile. Could these marks have been from the car the Conovers saw at 6:30 pm.? Could the Conovers see a car that was on the "old road" from their house? Would the Conovers have been able to see a car traveling on the construction road that is outlined on Kevin's map? Amy - When combining all of the accounts I think it shows Bush was following the prints down the access road to Wertsville Road. That includes all of his and the others. Despite differences here and there they all seem to line up. Even considering the Haldeman-Julius source where Bush says the car was on "Featherbed Road" within 100 yards of the house shows Bush wasn't talking about "Featherbed Lane" because only the access road exists within that distance. I'm not sure if they could or not but it's clear to me the Conovers were talking about the actual Featherbed Lane.
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Post by Joe on Feb 20, 2017 11:02:54 GMT -5
Okay, I'm getting a clearer picture so bear with me. We know the Conovers saw a vehicle on Featherbed Lane, the very rough road that runs east - west about 6/10 of a mile south of the Lindbergh house, just after dinner on the night of the kidnapping. With all of the footprint / paw print activity actually happening on what we can probably call Featherbed Road, ie the access road, or the "old road," and a point where Bush saw telltale signs of vehicles having been near or on Wertsville Road, what was the "Conover vehicle" originally doing on Featherbed Lane? Did it get lost? Make a wrong turn, with the driver then realizing this and having to come back out? Or did it originally come from the west along Featherbed Lane? Given that we have no accurate description, did it actually have anything to do with the kidnapping?
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Post by Michael on Feb 20, 2017 13:26:04 GMT -5
Did it get lost? Make a wrong turn, with the driver then realizing this and having to come back out? Or did it originally come from the west along Featherbed Lane? Given that we have no accurate description, did it actually have anything to do with the kidnapping? It's my opinion the driver may have been attempting to turn around. It's the nearest place to Lindbergh's private lane to do so without using a neighbors driveway. I've seen it suggested the lights going off and on was a signal, but I tend to agree with Conover's belief the car was almost stuck in the mud as evidenced by the lights and the Moore's later sighting of this car.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2017 15:34:46 GMT -5
The above is from a post that Joe made on Jan 3, 2007. This is the Henry Conover story as recalled for the Princeton Recollector, Spring 1977 issue. When you read this accounting it sounds very much like the car is coming west to east towards Werstville Road on Featherbed Lane from the direction of the Lindbergh estate. This is at 6:30 pm March 1, 1932.
Could this car on Featherbed Lane have been on its way to meet up with the Ladder car (seen by Ben Lupica at 6 pm) which was traveling north to south on Wertzville Road? I really think two cars were involved with this kidnapping.
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Post by Joe on Feb 20, 2017 18:56:38 GMT -5
Kudos and thanks Amy, as I had actually dug out all of my Princeton Recollectors and had found that reference from Henry Conover, which I was going to post. Along the lines of a second vehicle, I'll try to dig out my Doc Ashton account, also from the Recollector. He observed a vehicle speeding through Hopewell on the night of the kidnapping. Before I try to remember what type of vehicle and at what time, I'll just post it when I locate it.
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Post by Joe on Apr 13, 2017 18:04:00 GMT -5
Amy, better late than never here.
Here is that account from the Princeton Recollector, which I believe is attributed to Doc Ashton of Hopewell, as I've seen it somewhere else with his name referenced. The problem with these accounts in the Recollector is that they're listed anonymously, with little or no reference points given, and also recalled for this publication some 45 years later. (Spring 1977) For what it's worth though, and there may be something to this one:
"I was in my brother-in-law's ice cream store on the corner of Greenwood and Railroad Place that night, and there was some of the other fellas in there playin' cards. When I started for home, I opened the door and I heard this car comin' down Greenwood Avenue at a terrific rate of speed, makin' an awful noise. When he come over the bridge (it ain't like it is now), there was a bump an' that car looked to me like it went up off the ground three feet.
"It was either a Packard or an old Overland, had a hood on like the old Packards back in the 'twenties had. It was a convertible. It went down to the corner and turned left down East Broad. I firmly believe that baby was in that car. That was about ten or fifteen after nine that night."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2017 22:05:00 GMT -5
Here is that account from the Princeton Recollector, which I believe is attributed to Doc Ashton of Hopewell, as I've seen it somewhere else with his name referenced. The problem with these accounts in the Recollector is that they're listed anonymously, with little or no reference points given, and also recalled for this publication some 45 years later. (Spring 1977) For what it's worth though, and there may be something to this one: "I was in my brother-in-law's ice cream store on the corner of Greenwood and Railroad Place that night, and there was some of the other fellas in there playin' cards. When I started for home, I opened the door and I heard this car comin' down Greenwood Avenue at a terrific rate of speed, makin' an awful noise. When he come over the bridge (it ain't like it is now), there was a bump an' that car looked to me like it went up off the ground three feet. "It was either a Packard or an old Overland, had a hood on like the old Packards back in the 'twenties had. It was a convertible. It went down to the corner and turned left down East Broad. I firmly believe that baby was in that car. That was about ten or fifteen after nine that night." Thanks Joe for posting this. It is an interesting sighting. Looking at a map this car would have been traveling south on Rileyville Road which would have run on the west side of the Lindbergh house. Rileyville Rd would turn into Greenwood Ave. once entering Hopewell. If this car were involved in the kidnapping, I suppose this car would have left the Lindbergh house and went north to Buttonwood Corners making a left on Ridge Ave. and then a left onto Rileyville Road and head south into Hopewell. Doc Ashton says the car crossed the RR tracks and makes a left onto E. Broad St. If the car travels a short distance on E. Broad St. and then makes a right onto Princeton Ave. this road becomes Hopewell Princeton Road which is the road where the body was found in Mount Rose woods. Do you know if Doc Ashton ever told the troopers about this sighting in 1932?
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Post by Joe on Apr 14, 2017 8:48:53 GMT -5
You're right, Amy in that if the car was involved in the kidnapping, it would basically have to follow the route you described, to end up where Doc Ashton saw it. Rewinding the scenario and if the vehicle was actually involved, the driver's most efficient escape would have been by simply heading south down Hopewell-Amwell Rd. from the Lindbergh house towards Hopewell, and turning east along Hopewell-Rocky Hill Road, (extension of Broad St.) thereby avoiding Hopewell entirely.
I can just visualize old Doc Ashton leaving his brother-in-law's ice cream store on that cold and nasty night, his attention drawn to the north by the sound of the approaching speeding vehicle just after 9:00 pm, watching it go airborne over the railway tracks and whiz by him. Someone not aware of the hump in the road where the tracks ran across or could not slow down soon enough to avoid going airborne, meaning a non-local? I haven't seen any contemporary investigative or press accounts of this, but I know Doc Ashton's name comes up a number of times within eyewitness account statements, so perhaps Michael can help out here.
It would be interesting to know more about the road conditions that evening. And again assuming this vehicle was involved, could he have been somehow restricted from coming south down Hopewell-Amwell Road at that specific time, his aggressive driving being an indication of his frustration? Ben Lupica, would have most likely come home from Princeton earlier in the evening that way and there doesn't seem to have been any restrictions on that road for the police and press that I'm aware of. Did the driver make a wrong turn / get lost? Would he have even been aware of that route which would take him into Hopewell via Hopewell-Wertsville Road?
And yes very importantly, the location of the body, just south of Hopewell, off the Hopewell-Princeton Road in the Mt. Rose Woods. Could it actually have been placed there that evening, based upon this siting? From here, I believe that if the driver had kept south on Hopewell-Princeton Road, he could most easily connect with the Interstate East.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2017 13:04:46 GMT -5
You're right, Amy in that if the car was involved in the kidnapping, it would basically have to follow the route you described, to end up where Doc Ashton saw it. Rewinding the scenario and if the vehicle was actually involved, the driver's most efficient escape would have been by simply heading south down Hopewell-Amwell Rd. from the Lindbergh house towards Hopewell, and turning east along Hopewell-Rocky Hill Road, (extension of Broad St.) thereby avoiding Hopewell entirely. It would be interesting to know more about the road conditions that evening. You mention Rocky Hill Road in your post. In Michael's book, Chapter One, Strange Vehicles, on page 16, he writes about Archie Adams. This sighting takes place earlier in the evening (before the kidnap) and Archie almost has a collision with two cars that turn sharply off the country road which I think might be Rocky Hill Road. These cars are turning onto the road that leads to the Lindbergh house. Perhaps one of these cars is the one Doc Ashton sees just after 9 pm racing across the RR bridge into Hopewell. Something to consider! It had been raining quite a bit on March 1. The main roads would have been ok but the country roads probably were quite muddy and rutted. Cars driving on those roads would have been mud splattered no doubt; like the car Moore saw the night of the kidnapping.
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Post by Joe on Apr 14, 2017 18:13:04 GMT -5
From Michael's book, Adams' sighting is very interesting, as one of the vehicles was noted to be "an old Dodge," possibly an indication it was the same vehicle sighted by Lupica, Mrs. Henry Wendelin, as well as Carrie Conover and Mrs. Henry Conover. About the other vehicle sighted by Adams, the best he could say was that it was a "sedan" and so with Doc Ashton having seen what he believed to be an old Packard or Overland convertible, we have a bit of an quandary within that connection, unless Adams was mistaken about the sedan.
www.google.ca/search?q=1927+packard+343+touring+car&espv=2&tbm=isch&imgil=AZ-TJBArsToyqM%253A%253BcjStEQ64zDUcqM%253Bhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.vaultcars.com%25252F1927-packard-343-touring&source=iu&pf=m&fir=AZ-TJBArsToyqM%253A%252CcjStEQ64zDUcqM%252C_&usg=__0rr5ukjrVo9YrwcacvhpqbkEbDA%3D&biw=1229&bih=608&ved=0ahUKEwiB4LalsqbTAhVHyoMKHU4qDq4QyjcILQ&ei=qQjyWMHnI8eUjwTO1LjwCg#imgrc=AZ-TJBArsToyqM:
I've long had an interest in Duane (Bacon) Baker, former superintendent of the Plymouth Apartments at 537 West 149th St. (location given on the JJ Faulkner $2980 deposit slip dated May 1, 1933) He was known to invite people he met through his duties there, to play cards in the basement of the Plymouth, which I believe is where the unknown person who exchanged those ransom gold bills, originally noted the name Faulkner on the building's basement dumbwaiter as inspiration for the deposit slip information. One of Baker's previous positions was as a chauffeur for the corporate headquarters of Armour and Co. Investigators discovered that that position had previously been filled by Henry Ellerson, although I don't know if a definite connection between Baker and Ellerson was ever established.
www.google.ca/maps/place/537+west+149th+street+new+york+ny/@40.8284177
While Baker didn't have his own car, he did borrow vehicles from people he came to know. One of these vehicles was owned by Louis McQuarrie, who had come to the Plymouth from Rosendale, a township of Boston, for three or four weeks during October of 1931, to help a Mrs. Wadsworth move her furnishings into and decorate apartment #4 at the Plymouth. During this time, and on two consecutive Sundays, MacQuarrie loaned his personal vehicle, a light coloured, old open touring car to Baker.
Over the period of April 1931 to mid-April 1932 when he suddenly absconded with the mid-month rent, Baker also had access to two other known vehicles, one of these being an old two door Chevrolet owned by Edward Stewart who lived in an apartment directly opposite the Plymouth. The other vehicle was a large, dark blue open touring car. According to Stowe Studley, superintendent at 568 West 149th St., who had met Baker outside the Plymouth early in 1931, he took drives with Baker on several occasions, one of these being into New Jersey and on the Interstate Park. Studley did not know from whom Baker had obtained loan of the car and last saw Baker in late 1931 after an argument.
So we have a couple of old open touring cars, or convertibles, which were known to have been loaned to Duane Baker, a closely investigated suspect, although he was ultimately cleared by investigators after they had finally caught up with him. Oscar Bush believed there were two cars parked where the trail of kidnapper footprints ultimately led. Could one of these vehicles have been the old convertible sighted by Doc Ashton between 9:10 and 9:15 pm? And perhaps Ellis Parker was right about Wilmer Moore's sighting of the mud covered vehicle that drove by his place at 8:22 pm. Could that vehicle have been driven by Hauptmann who was there only to drop off his homemade ladder and supplies when Anne Lindbergh heard what she thought was the sound of car tires on gravel? Could he then have driven back to Fredericksen's Bakery in the Bronx to pick up Anna late, while the actual perpetrators in an old open touring car, readied themselves for the actual abduction of CALjr? Somewhere in the back of my head, I'm hearing Hauptmann's protestations of innocence for the crime for which he was convicted..
Here is a link to some previous discussion around my original post of Feb. 18, 2007 with regards to Doc Ashton's account, (pg. 2) as well as some other interesting discussion on the topic Strange Vehicles Sightings Around Hopewell: lindberghkidnap.proboards.com/thread/56/strange-vehicle-sightings-hopewell
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Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2017 17:31:43 GMT -5
Here is a link to some previous discussion around my original post of Feb. 18, 2007 with regards to Doc Ashton's account, (pg. 2) as well as some other interesting discussion on the topic Strange Vehicles Sightings Around Hopewell: Wow!! Thanks Joe for the great, informative post. Thanks too for the links. The one on the cars is really helpful as I am not very good with telling one car type from another, especially these older cars. I am going to review everything and then get back to you about what I review. Have you given any consideration to the car seen by John Donnelson Guinness. He operated a gas station on Rileyville Road. He reported a strange car, possibly a Wiley Knight or a Buick or a Packard that was trying to go down Minnietown Lane but had to turn around and come back out because it wasn't really passable. Perhaps this car was trying to get on the Lindbergh estate through a "back door", if you will. The description of the driver sounds like he could have been Duane Baker/Bacon. Maybe in one of the cars you said he would borrow??
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Post by Joe on Apr 16, 2017 7:59:08 GMT -5
Touring cars, or convertibles were popular in the 1920's and originated from the earlier incarnations of the "horseless carriage" design. Until all-metal body sedans became more le in the 30's, they were a mainstay. Touring cars were ideal for fair weather, open air driving but were not designed for comfort at all. They had no side windows and the only way to protect yourself from the wind and cold was with the use of button-up side curtains. Doc Ashton described the touring vehicle that sped through Hopewell on the night of the kidnapping as a Packard or Overland, due to it's long hood feature. It's important to note here that the descriptions of Overland and Willys Knight at the time were basically synonymous, the car being produced by the Willys Overland Co. Guinness's sighting of Sun. Feb. 28, (FBI Report, pg. 120/124) is one of the ones I consider most significant in the days leading up to the kidnapping. As it potentially relates to Duane Baker, Guinness described the car as a 1926 or 1927 Willys Knight, Buick or Packard and bearing upstate New Jersey plates. His description of the man for the most part, seems to fit Baker well. Guinness also noted the man had a woman passenger with him but I don't think he was able to describe her. I believe this woman could have been Baker's wife Margaret, or a girlfriend. As you noted, the driver was apparently unfamiliar with his surroundings, driving off Rileyville Road, a couple hundred yards down Minnietown Lane, finding it impassable, coming back out and then heading back north to Van Lues Corners. Regarding the New Jersey plates, this is where I find things get very interesting. From the Baker Investigation, Duane Baker's mother, Mrs. Marjorie Main, lived in Union City, NJ just across the Hudson River and from Baker's address at 537 West 149th St., NYC, it was a short trip across the Hudson via the Holland Tunnel, George Washington Bridge (opened Oct. 1931) or the Dyckman St. Tubby Hook ferry. www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtynNDxKtN4When he was finally located and questioned by investigators on Nov. 20, 1933, Baker claimed to have owned a car in the early 1920's, but since that time, had only driven cars occasionally, one of these occasions when he drove his mother to Washington, DC about five years previously. Baker was also forthcoming about his borrowing the car of Louis MacQuarrie, the man from Boston who was helping a Mrs. Wadsworth move into the Plymouth Apartments in Oct. 1931. What he failed to mention to investigators though, and as I noted in my previous post, was that he had borrowed a dark blue touring vehicle and driven with Stowe Studley into New Jersey and onto the Interstate Parkway. It was Studley who later told investigators that he rode with Baker at least once into New Jersey taking the ferry across. Here I believe Baker was essentially shielding himself from any association whatsoever with that particular vehicle, the same one I believe was seen by both Guinness and Doc Ashton in and around Hopewell. Guinness noted New Jersey plates on the vehicle he saw on Rileyville Road and so I consider the possibility that Baker borrowed the dark blue touring vehicle from someone who lived in New Jersey, possibly his mother or a friend of the family. Baker was also known to have a cousin, allegedly from New Jersey who owned a car. Studley also told investigators that Baker had something wrong with one of his feet when he knew him in 1931, and Baker was known to relate to others he had injured it during WWI. But when investigators questioned him, Baker claimed only to have injured his foot in a man-hole earlier in 1933 and nothing previous to that. No mention of any previous injuries relative to the time of the kidnapping or WWI. So again, he seems to be dodging and diverting the thread of investigation. From the details within the Baker Investigation, he was the type of individual who would have been very adept at this sort of behaviour, based on interviews with people and given his decidedly unfavorable reputation. And if memory serves me correctly, it was Oscar Bush who claimed one of the kidnappers had a turned-in foot, was pigeon-toed or bow legged and the other kidnapper had smaller feet, and was possibly a woman. I believe I may have developed a connection, however tenuous it might seem now, among Duane Baker, his wife Margaret, Jacob Nosovitsky, Richard Hauptmann and Isidor Fisch. I'll try to post more on this during the coming weeks.
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Post by Joe on Apr 17, 2017 8:09:39 GMT -5
FBI Report - Description of Duane Baker: (pg. 278/282)
Age: 37; born New York City; December 23, 1896; height 5'9"; weight 160 pounds; build, well built; eyes, blue; hair; dark blonde; smooth shaven; wears horn-rimmed eyeglasses at times; peculiarities, thin face, thick lips, peculiar eyes, set deep; sunken jaws, heavy eyebrows; pigeon toed; nationality, American of German descent.
John Donnelson Guinness - Description of Driver of Touring Car, Feb. 28, 1932: (pg. 121/125)
In his 40's; average height; chunky build; possibly weighing 170 pounds; fairly light complexion; clean shaven; bluish grey eyes; possibly thin shell rimmed glasses; eye sockets appeared to be set out instead of being set in; he was definitely pop-eyed. His face was jowl-like and his chin was not prominent.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2017 11:17:31 GMT -5
FBI Report - Description of Duane Baker: (pg. 278/282)
Age: 37; born New York City; December 23, 1896; height 5'9"; weight 160 pounds; build, well built; eyes, blue; hair; dark blonde; smooth shaven; wears horn-rimmed eyeglasses at times; peculiarities, thin face, thick lips, peculiar eyes, set deep; sunken jaws, heavy eyebrows; pigeon toed; nationality, American of German descent. John Donnelson Guinness - Description of Driver of Touring Car, Feb. 28, 1932: (pg. 121/125)In his 40's; average height; chunky build; possibly weighing 170 pounds; fairly light complexion; clean shaven; bluish grey eyes; possibly thin shell rimmed glasses; eye sockets appeared to be set out instead of being set in; he was definitely pop-eyed. His face was jowl-like and his chin was not prominent. The two descriptions are quite similar. The notable discrepancy between the two is the FBI report saying Baker's eyes are deep set and Guinness saying the eyes were pop-eyed. Guinness' description is from 1932. I don't know the date of the FBI report you quote from (perhaps 1933?). I question how the eyes could have changed in appearance. Have you ever seen a picture of Duane Baker? A couple of questions about Baker: 1) Did Baker have a criminal record that would have included violet crime? 2) Why would Baker need to abscond with the April 1932 rental monies if he had been part of the kidnap gang that collected $50,000 on April 2, 1932?
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Post by hurtelable on Apr 17, 2017 15:27:54 GMT -5
As I've posted several times, there is little doubt that Nosovitsky was "J. J. Faulkner." So there is a connection between Nosovitsky and Baker, because "Faulkner" used the address of the building where Baker was once superintendent on his deposit slip. Do you know of any other connection between Noso and Baker? Noso and Hauptmann? Noso and Fisch?
BTW, Noso and Condon were connected through Condon's cousin "Dinny" Doyle, who was a prison pal of Nosovitsky.
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Post by wolfman666 on Apr 18, 2017 11:37:55 GMT -5
I have the fbi documents on baker. seems like a good suspect but e was cleared even though people think he was involved.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2017 12:57:23 GMT -5
I have the fbi documents on baker. seems like a good suspect but e was cleared even though people think he was involved. Steve, Did Duane Baker have a solid alibi for the night of March 1, 1932 and that is why they cleared him?
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Post by wolfman666 on Apr 20, 2017 8:44:16 GMT -5
don't know amy I have to read it again. you will learn when you step away from this case for a period of time you tend to forget what you have.
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Post by Joe on Apr 20, 2017 11:12:42 GMT -5
Amen Steve.. a few days ago, I realized I've been through this entire Duane Baker sequence along with the Guinness and Doc Ashton account 15 years ago. I'm not ready to let it go yet though!
Amy / Hurtelable, will try to respond and post some additional thoughts this weekend.
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Post by Joe on Apr 22, 2017 9:29:38 GMT -5
Amy, the eyes certainly have it, as they seem to the major difference within the two descriptions. It's funny, as I now recall going through this very same exercise years ago after first reading Joyce Milton's Loss of Eden, when she had Baker in her sights as a potential kidnapper. I believe she essentially relaxed that position later on. Anyway, here is some more information and personal observations relating to my favorite usual suspect.
Firstly, the information I gave is from the FBI Summary Report - Part 1, which covers the kidnapping from March 1, 1932 until February 1, 1934. It was prepared jointly by Special Agents Sisk, Seery, Seykora and Manning and is dated February 16, 1934. It's basically a compilation of all information obtained from the Bureau's New York Office. Part 2 deals with events from August 20 to September 21, 1934, relating to Hauptmann's arrest and is dated October 17, 1934.
Baker was the only previous superintendent of the Plymouth Apartments investigated who had a criminal record and that included a pretty lengthy rap sheet dating from 1915 through 1927. Convictions with prison time, resulted from multiple counts of grand larceny (auto) multiple violations of parole, and as a fugitive. I don't believe he was ever arrested for violent crime, but it was well known he beat his wife Margaret frequently, one time punching her in the jaw and knocking her to the floor in the building hallway. He seemed to project the attitude "don't mess with me or else" and often bragged to friends and associates that his brother in Jersey city was a "tough character." Based on the number of times during his superintendent duties at various places where he ran off with the rent, I'd say he could have added a few more larceny (theft) charges to his criminal record!
As far as absconding with the Plymouth mid-month rent, I believe that if he was involved he was simply making himself scarce and doing what he felt he had to do to make ends meet in the meantime. He could have been waiting for whatever share of the ransom was coming to him, or he may have chosen to dissociate himself entirely, believing the heat of the investigation would become too intense. I've long believed there were others involved at the beginning but that Hauptmann (with some participation from Fisch) was the only one with the nerves of steel required to proceed onwards to the ransom payment and then beyond with the laundering.
I find it interesting that the FBI Part 1 describes Baker's eyes as not only "deep set," but precedes that with "peculiar." I wish they had been a little more specific in their description and I've never seen a photo of Baker to understand what they meant*. Deep set eyes is a very common trait, so it would be helpful to know just what they meant by adding "peculiar" to the mix. Additionally, Guinness in his March 3 statement makes no mention of the driver's eyes, other than to note that he wore glasses. What I'm wondering here is given the driver's apparent need to wear glasses for his inability to see objects clearly at a distance, and if his glasses were of a fairly significant prescription, they could cause the eyes to appear larger than normal, and therefore give the appearance of being "pop-eyed." A possibility?
From his March 3, 1932 statement, Guinness described the driver as having a "ruddy complexion" and a "large frog type mouth, although these descriptors don't appear in the FBI Summary relating to Guinness's account. Baker was described in the FBI Summary as having "thick lips" and so again I wonder if these two features are somehow related.
From the FBI Summary, Guinness also noted the driver's face was "jowl like." Baker, from the same source is described as having "sunken jaws," which I learned from the NJSP Baker Investigation, was apparently the result of several teeth from both sides of his mouth having been extracted, so perhaps these two conditions are also related.
Very little seems to be known about Baker's later life other than that he died in NJ where he had family, in 1973 at the age of 76. He had two children by his second wife, Margaret (nee Legner), his first wife being Anna McGrath, who died in child-birth. I believe investigators just lost interest in him within their desire to prosecute Hauptmann alone, but it would be interesting to know if anyone ever interviewed him in later life.
* Michael, from Sgt. Zapolsky's NJSP Report 319 dated July 20, 1933, he indicated that Baker had no criminal record at the Central Bureau of Identification in Trenton, but that a photo of Baker had been requested from Washington, D.C. by Lt. Snook. Do you know if that or any other picture of Baker was ever obtained?
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Post by Michael on Apr 22, 2017 12:23:08 GMT -5
* Michael, from Sgt. Zapolsky's NJSP Report 319 dated July 20, 1933, he indicated that Baker had no criminal record at the Central Bureau of Identification in Trenton, but that a photo of Baker had been requested from Washington, D.C. by Lt. Snook. Do you know if that or any other picture of Baker was ever obtained? On December 4, 1933 Snook sent a memo to Det. Horn to let him know he rec'd Baker's arrest records from the Rahway Reformatory. These packets were usually sent with the Mug-Shot so I'd have to say yes. However, it was from an arrest in 1915 so the picture would have been from that year.
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Post by hurtelable on Apr 22, 2017 15:54:52 GMT -5
So with all that going on in Baker's background and his familiarity with the Plymouth Apartments and quite possibly the name "Faulkner," do you think that there is a chance that Baker was the "J. J. Faulkner" who made the infamous May 1, 1933 deposit of ransom bills at the Federal Reserve Bank? I'm thinking that Noel Behn gives a convincing argument that "J. J. Faulkner" was Jacov Nosovitsky. Do you know of any connection of Baker to Nosovitsky or vise versa?
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Joe
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Post by Joe on Apr 23, 2017 7:12:02 GMT -5
Yes, I believe Nosovitsky was involved in both the JJ Faulkner deposit slip as well as the Jan. 1, 1936 letter to Gov. Hoffman. J.V. Haring said the two signatures were not written by the same hand but I'm not convinced by his position and at least one other handwriting expert said they were written by the same hand. Haring also said the writer of the letter was trying to obfuscate any comparison by the ink smudge but it seems clear to me whoever was writing the letter and whoever signed it, (two different people, the missive being written by a woman) were simply having trouble with their fountain pen depositing excessive ink within the last few lines of the letter.
I think Nosovitsky is the archetypal "shadowy figure" in this case, who exerted major influence within the planning stage and then maintained a hands-off distance as a self-styled manager, poking his head in when it suited him.. and when he needed money. This kind of behaviour would seem to align with his secretive Department of Justice background and continual appeals for funds. His alleged complaint with the Morgan Bank as related to Wally Stroh and Arthur Graham at Hart's Island Prison, being the impetus for the crime. The timing of the JJ Faulkner letter is significant in my mind, January 1, 1936, New Year's Day and within sight of Hauptmann's impending execution. I think he basically felt bad about getting involved and getting others involved, and was helping to clear his own conscience through this letter, which carries a somewhat penitent tone, and written as a fresh start for the new year.
There is an apparent connection between Nosovitsky and Baker through the Plymouth Apartments basement dumbwaiter of course, but there's also another possible one I discovered through the Baker Investigation (NJSP) and one which may have brought Nosovitsky to the Plymouth in the first place. Although they don't seem to have ever been in prison together that I'm aware of, both individuals appear to have been involved within the selling of automobile tires. Nosovitsky's request for a credit reference from J. Edgar Hoover for his tire selling business is written on "National Tire Company" letterhead. A Mrs. Beck, who was the wife of the superintendent of another building, and who with her husband visited Baker on many occasions to play cards in the Plymouth basement, told investigators that Baker very often talked about making deals for loads of tires purchased in the Bronx. In addition, the report (Cpl. Samuel Leon - No. 621) was submitted December 8, 1933, so given that Hauptmann was not arrested until September of 1934 and that he lived in the Bronx, I don't know if they ever tried to establish whether a connection between Baker and Hauptmann also existed here. A possible business relationship here to at least two of the above characters, within the selling of automobile tires? I think it warrants a closer look.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2017 11:05:58 GMT -5
I find it interesting that the FBI Part 1 describes Baker's eyes as not only "deep set," but precedes that with "peculiar." I wish they had been a little more specific in their description and I've never seen a photo of Baker to understand what they meant*. Deep set eyes is a very common trait, so it would be helpful to know just what they meant by adding "peculiar" to the mix. Additionally, Guinness in his March 3 statement makes no mention of the driver's eyes, other than to note that he wore glasses. What I'm wondering here is given the driver's apparent need to wear glasses for his inability to see objects clearly at a distance, and if his glasses were of a fairly significant prescription, they could cause the eyes to appear larger than normal, and therefore give the appearance of being "pop-eyed." A possibility? I think you make a good point about how the lenses of the glasses could have made his eyes appear more protruding than they really were when Guinness saw him. What is your thoughts on the Schindler car that was found parked near the Plymouth Apartments and recovered by NYPD on March 2, 1932? The witness who saw this car placed there described a man who resembled Duane Baker. She mentioned the pop-eyes in her description. I don't know if she had said anything about the man wearing glasses. Michael - There was a small grey blanket recovered from the Schindler car which I believe traced back to B. Altman Co. This would be an expensive blanket. Do you know what became of this blanket? Was it turned over to the NJSP? I know there was talk of a missing blanket from the Hopewell house. Was this missing blanket a regular sized blanket or a crib type blanket? Anne mentions a blanket in one of her diary entries in Hour of Gold, Hour of Lead. It is the day CAL went to the morgue to view the corpse. In that entry she says the following among other things: Hopewell, Friday, May 13, 1932
C. to Trenton - the cremation - the blanket. C going through that - even in the brief news account - is unbearable. (underscoring is mine) Do you know if Lindbergh brought a blanket either to the morgue or returned with one to Highfields??
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Post by kate1 on Apr 23, 2017 13:53:57 GMT -5
Amy, hope you don't mind my commenting but the funeral home most likely would provide a blanket unless the family wanted to provide one which would be understandable. My memories are of a blanket being taken with the baby, and you are right about B. Alton. This was where the undershirts were purchased.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 23, 2017 14:50:46 GMT -5
Glad to have you comment, Kate. I was not aware that a funeral home provided a blanket. That is a great explanation. Thanks for sharing it!
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Post by Michael on Apr 24, 2017 5:18:32 GMT -5
There was a small grey blanket recovered from the Schindler car which I believe traced back to B. Altman Co. This would be an expensive blanket. Do you know what became of this blanket? Was it turned over to the NJSP? I know there was talk of a missing blanket from the Hopewell house. Was this missing blanket a regular sized blanket or a crib type blanket? Yes, all of the contents of that car was turned over to the NSJP. Schindler said neither blanket was his. The Police felt this car was connected to the crime, at that time, but once the J. J. Faulkner slip turned up that was something that almost confirmed it to them. Unfortunately, it was only then they seemed to put 2 & 2 together that the blanket in the car was similar to the blanket at Highfields. So when the Highfields blanket was sought out to compare them, by that time, that blanket had mysteriously disappeared. Had they done it from jump-street we would have known more. I have no idea where the contents of Schindler's car is now... I've never seen anything attached to it at the Archives so maybe it all went back to NY unless it's in a crate in the warehouse it's not here now.
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