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Post by Michael on Mar 29, 2013 5:40:09 GMT -5
This is a fair question but it isn't what my point was based on. I was merely saying, in the defense of the Police, that it wasn't a ridiculous angle to pursue. We can't attempt to fit anything together if it was ignored in the first place.
But I will say this..... I do agree that whoever wrote that slip used the Faulkner name and that address because they obviously were aware of it. Once I come to that type of conclusion I would consider and/or ask myself whether was it a stupid mistake, or something intentional?
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Post by xjd on Mar 29, 2013 7:20:50 GMT -5
is the Faulkner address is an apartment building? if so, do we know the names of other tenants in that building, perhaps from census etc.? could be a neighbor or someone who visited the building often spotted the name and it came in handy for the deposit slip.
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Post by stella7 on Mar 29, 2013 7:38:58 GMT -5
Did the police drop it as soon as Hauptmann was found to have ransom money or well before that? Did Govenor Hoffman look into this at all?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2013 10:17:51 GMT -5
About Rudolph/Ralph - Is there anything other than the postmaster who can confirm that Rudolph is a separate person from Ralph? Is there a physical description of Rudolph, beyond the German accent, anywhere in the files? Is there a physical description of Ralph in the files? Could it be possible that the german accent that the postmaster recalls actually belonged to Krippendorf? Did the postmaster know Krippendorf separate from Rudolph? He was, after all, supposedly living with R. Hacker. I guess I am looking for something more solid to make a convincing case that Rudolph is not Ralph. People changed names back then for many reasons. William Krippendorf is the name on the vehicle registration form for his car but he is Wilhelm Krippendorf in the Dept. of Labor records. I think this matters.
LE must have really believed in the Hacker/Condon connection. Didn't they tear into Condon's home searching for ransom during this investigation. Didn't they dig up the ground around his City Island residence also looking for ransom money? If Rudolph Hacker has no connection to Condon why would they have done this?
Who decided to eliminate Theresa as a possible ransom note writer? Did the evaluation of her handwriting go to any experts in that field before this elimination was decided upon? So I should take from this handwriting report that Willie's handwriting was not compatible with the ransom notes???
Krippendorf says he was returning to America because of a failed business venture with his Dad in Germany. Yet the authorities are aware of the telegram sent by Liepold asking Krippendorf to return. Did Liepold ever explain why he sent that telegram?
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Post by Michael on Mar 29, 2013 17:59:04 GMT -5
They continued investigating this angle even after Hauptmann was arrested. Certainly not as they had done before but there are some Reports on this made after his arrest.
Yes. During his re-investigation the NJSP followed up some leads, and some PIs (like Ho-age and Meade) investigated it as well.
It appears from the Report that Meyn knew Ralph and knew of Rudolph. The broken accent, however, comes from Patterson which I believe to be his knowledge concerning previous investigations. He's making a point behind the Postmasters comment that Ralph and Glenn were from Montana and "Yankee types."
They never believed he was on the level and that he knew more then he was telling them. Mainly, I believe, due to all of his lies. Obviously the Hacker connection would have proven this but they still believed it without such a smoking gun this would have provided.
Osborn eliminated both her and Krippendorf.
He did. I remember it was something like..... I told him that because I knew he couldn't afford it and this would save him money. I could try to find that Report if you need me to.
Forgive my delay on the other questions. This can take a considerable amount of time to ensure I don't give you a wrong answer about something.
Good question and yes. The Police had the same idea you have and were trying to cover all of their bases. Here is a copy of just one of the lists they put together:
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2013 21:22:32 GMT -5
Since the postmaster actually knew Rudolph then Rudolph and Ralph are not the same person. Thanks for doing the extra checking. I am good with this now.
I am wondering what the connection was between Liepold and Krippendorf. Liepold felt he needed Willie there for some reason. Did Krippendorf work for Liepold or perhaps Giessler?
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Post by Michael on Mar 30, 2013 8:20:00 GMT -5
I don't want to stifle your doubts. But I also don't want to conceal information either. It's somewhat of a tough spot for me sometimes. Like I said, it doesn't set well with me that Finn still clung to this claim.
I was searching my Wilson material piece by piece to make sure that Krippendorf hadn't been interviewed when I noticed his "Summary" written (almost by force) for the FBI did not include Krippendorf. Unless I missed it, that's a glaring omission which can be taken 1 of 2 ways: Either he didn't find it important enough, or he was attempting to conceal it. Since it was written in November and most of the Krippendorf stuff was done over the summer then, in my opinion, most of this angle should have been known by then.
Anyway, I'd have to say from everything that I've looked at so far that Krippendorf was not personally interviewed. But if I find something to contradict this at some point I will post it. I did find that Wilson and Meyers spoke with Therese for "about an hour" then secured copies of her handwriting.
Rudoph Hacker: Early thirties, about 5' 6", 180 lbs., light hair & complexion, good dresser. It is believed he was a Chef or Manager of a Cafeteria located in a Bank in NYC thought to be Irving Trust Company. Received a a lot of foreign mail from Germany. (Source: Gustav Meyn, Postmaster AND Thomas Pierson, Letter Carrier- NJSP Report June 1933).
Rudolph Hacker: 36, 5' 8", 150 lbs., blond hair, blue eyes naturalized May 7, 1929. (Source: Drivers License #76671, 1930)
Rudolph Hacker: 36, 5' 4", 154 lbs., blond hair, blue eyes, business address Equitable Trust Company, born in Vienna. (Source: Drivers License #1014980, 1931)
Rudolph Hacker: 37, 5' 4", 154 lbs., blond hair, blue eyes, occupation listed as Bank Clerk - Equitable Trust Company, 11 Broad Street, NYC. (Source: Drivers License #423019, 1932)
Ralph Hacker: 38 years old, 5' 7", 150 lbs., light brown (THW) hair, wore glasses. Born in Iowa, attended Montana State Prep School, studied Architecture at Columbia. This was interrupted when he went into the Army during the War, then he returned to his studies until 1920. His company specialized in school construction. (Source: The Thiel Service Company - January 1934)
See Report Below:
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Post by patrickflynn on Mar 25, 2014 15:51:43 GMT -5
Here's an offhand question that I know someone has the answer to. The name of one of Condon's books - specifically the ones on arithmetic. I know of two, the Civil War in Verse, and there's another on the Louisiana Purchase- but for the life of me I can't recall the name of the two arithmetic books. Maybe Michael, or somebody can help me out.
thanks.
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Post by Michael on Mar 25, 2014 15:58:26 GMT -5
Here's an offhand question that I know someone has the answer to. The name of one of Condon's books - specifically the ones on arithmetic. I know of two, the Civil War in Verse, and there's another on the Louisiana Purchase- but for the life of me I can't recall the name of the two arithmetic books. Maybe Michael, or somebody can help me out. thanks. I certainly don't know all of his books - and I believe there were many - but one of the books to which you refer is probably " Mnemonics" which he wrote in 1893.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2014 11:50:51 GMT -5
John F. Condon is certainly one of the most complex characters in this whole kidnapping case. He became a primary player through the letter he wrote to the Bronx Home News which was published on March 8, 1932. He felt compelled to do this much to his family's dismay. Over the course of time I have spent reading and researching this case, I have come across Condon expressing various reasons why he felt a need to be involved. These are just the ones I have read about. Knowing Condon and his need for self promotion, there may be other reasons out there that I have not come across yet.
PATRIOTIC AMERICAN While at a restaurant that Condon enjoyed patronizing, he was sitting with some friends when he overheard some foreigners speaking negatively about America and saying how a kidnapping like the Lindbergh one could only happen in America. Condon was outraged by these men and their comments. He knew that he would have to step up and defend America's honor so he writes the letter to the Bronx Home News.
MAN OF JUSTICE While eating an evening meal with his family, Condon expressed his strong displeasure about Lindbergh needing to involve criminals to help get his son back. He could not sit back and let that happen so he knew he must intervene by offering his personal assistance and money. He places his letter in the Bronx Home News.
COMPASSIONATE DUTY MAN One day a good woman who is a member of a family comprised of mostly bad people comes to Condon, gets down on her knees and asks Condon for his protection. Condon felt sympathetic towards this woman and knew immediately that he must come to her aid by helping to shield her name. He then places his letter in the Bronx Home News. I do want to comment on this. This reason given by Condon for getting involved didn't surface until a couple of days after Charlie's body was found on Mt. Rose. He related this reason to Arthur O'Sullivan of the New York Daily News.
ADVOCATE FOR THE UNDERDOG Having read that Scandinavian Sailor Henry (Red) Johnson was being accused of the kidnapping, Condon does some checking around and hears through the sailor grapevine that Johnson is an innocent man. He knew something must be done to help this innocent sailor be free of this accusation! Condon decides he will write a letter to the Bronx Home News. It should be noted that this reason became known to me when reading Ed Reilly's questioning of Condon during the Hauptmann Trial.
As we can see just from this list, Condon has as many reasons to get involved in the Lindbergh Kidnapping Case as a year has seasons. How is one to really know what his true motivation was if he keeps changing it?
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Post by lightningjew on Mar 29, 2014 17:20:50 GMT -5
Very true. He was completely full of it, in my view, and your list indicates this. We see him here applying various reasons for his involvement--all of them completely self-aggrandizing, showing him in the best light possible--like layers of paint, to cover up the actual nature of his involvement, I think. And if and when he was called on any of these sorts of inconsistencies, he could (and did) always plead senility and/or subjectivity: "Well, that's how I remember it..."
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Post by Deleted on Apr 8, 2014 15:47:51 GMT -5
ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A BOX Lloyd Gardner - The Case That Never Dies - Page 75. Condon is speaking to Col. Breckinridge. "When I order this box made tomorrow, I'll specify that it is to be of five-ply veneer. We'll use different types of wood in its construction. Maple, pine, tulip wood will be good-spruce might warp- and a couple of other varieties of wood. Five different kinds in all. I'll have that box made so that it could be identified in one hundred years from now by anyone acquainted with its construction."Ludovic Kennedy - Crime of the Century - Page 71. Kennedy states the following: In October 1924, they (Hauptmann and his friend Albert Diebig) were employed in the construction of a bungalow in Lakewood, New Jersey and lived in town. Richard spent evenings fashioning a handsome inlaid, veneered box which was his Christmas present for Anna when they returned to New York; a similar one made two years later, today remains one of her proudest possessions.Wayne Jones - Murder of Justice - Page 1022. The following is quoted from his interview with Anna Hauptmann June 23, 1977. "With pride she showed me a handsome chest that Richard had made for her, one he had designed and constructed by inlaying wood of different hues and tones. Only a master carpenter could have fashioned such a chest by using selected varieties of wood."When reading my notes on the wood box Condon wanted made, I found myself wondering if Dr. Condon had somehow seen Anna Hauptmann's handsomely made box? The construction of hers is so similar to the way Dr. Condon said he would have the ransom box made. Was Dr. Condon aware of a carpenter in the Bronx who had such skills to make the type of box he was proposing to Breckinridge? Well, when you read about this case you come to learn that the box Condon had made to deliver the ransom money in to CJ in St. Raymond's cemetery is nothing like the one he said he would have made. The ransom box was made of five-ply maple veneer. Not the more elaborate box he spoke about. So why does Condon tell Breckinridge in such detail about the kind of box he would have made and then doesn't have it made that way? Could Condon have been providing this description as a clue about one of the members of the gang he was negotiating with? That he is a carpenter who lives in the Bronx and has such skills to make a box of this type? Maybe even would have evidence of such skill in his own home? Like Anna's box? Riddles, clues, lies and facts. Condon played his hand with them all.
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Post by Michael on Apr 9, 2014 5:33:01 GMT -5
Great post Amy.
I am a little behind but I plan on posting a picture of the box Hauptmann built (as soon as I can locate it). I also want to add to your point with even more information on the subject because it gets worse.
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Post by Michael on Apr 9, 2014 20:01:13 GMT -5
I am reasonably certain this is a picture of Anna holding the "fancy inlaid box" Hauptmann made. This comes from an unknown magazine clipping someone mailed to Gov. Hoffman: Concerning Condon's assertion his box (Ransom Box) had been made with different kinds of wood... He continued to say this even after the FBI discovered Samuelsohn. At trial, for example, Condon pretends not to remember who it was that made the box ( page 767). Later ( page 769) he testifies: "I took whitewood - yes, I am telling you--- I took whitewood, and they call that poplar, they call it honeysuckle; that is the same wood. I took whitewood and mixed it with other styles of wood until I got the color and the kind of a box that I wanted." Then in his Liberty Magazine Series Article ( Part 3, p. 32) he claims: "....Furthermore, when I order this box made tomorrow, I'll specify that it is to be of five-ply veneer. We'll use different types of wood in its construction. Maple, pine, tulipwood will be good - spruce might warp - and a couple of other varieties of wood. Five different kinds in all." Colonel Breckenridge nodded enthusiastically. "I see," he said. "That box later could be positively identified." "Exactly," I agreed.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 9, 2014 22:02:38 GMT -5
I am sure that is the box Richard made for Anna. You can see it in her face and how her hand caresses the lid. It is a magnificent box. For Anna it was a symbol of Richard's love for her.
Very talented hands made that box. It shows a side of Hauptmann that has never been seen before. I have not come across a picture of this box in any book or article I have read. I guess I shouldn't be surprised about that. The image generated about his ability as a carpenter has been a rather negative one. This box certainly flies in the face of that. It is hard to believe the hands that created Anna's box are the same hands that made the kidnap ladder.
You are right. It is worse. I find Condon's comments disgusting. He actually wanted to give the jury the impression he made the ransom box himself. There are no limits to this man's narcissism.
I so appreciate the posting of the box picture. Now I won't have to wonder what Anna's treasured box actually looked like. Thank you Michael.
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Post by lightningjew on Apr 9, 2014 23:42:13 GMT -5
I've never heard Condon's whitewood/poplar/honeysuckle remarks about the ransom box before. What purpose would it serve to put the idea out there that he made the box himself? And Amy: You said it's hard to imagine the maker of Anna's inlaid box and the maker of the ladder being the same person. Just so I'm clear, does this mean you don't think Hauptmann built the ladder? Unless, as some suggest, this piece of evidence was totally faked (and I don't really see how it could've been), wood that was in his attic floor was also in the ladder. And while a carpenter cannibalizing his attic floor for a piece of wood seems pretty unnecessary and therefore unlikely, wasn't there a lumber pile in Hauptmann's basement that also contained wood that was used in the attic floor (hence the match between the attic floorboard and ladder rail)? Going to this lumber pile to build the ladder would be much easier, makes more sense and tends to support him building the ladder, I would think. In addition to this, as we all know, he was also found with nearly $15K in ransom money on him, so I think all this ties him pretty conclusively to having done... something, though certainly not necessarily as a lone-wolf perpetrator. Sorry, just trying to get your take on the extent of his involvement.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 10, 2014 8:28:53 GMT -5
Hey LJ, I said it was hard to believe that the same hands created the ladder because of the stark contrast between the workmanship of one verses the other. I didn't mean to imply he didn't make the ladder. Koehler felt the maker of the ladder was a "slovenly" carpenter. His word, not mine. He felt the ladder was "shamefully done". His words, not mine. He considered its construction "slipshod at best". Again his words, not mine. I think this is the image that was generated about Hauptmann's ability as a carpenter. Then when you see something like that box you realize that he was really very skilled. If you put the two items together you would never think that a man of his skill would produce such a ladder,
I don't really see the wood evidence as faked. I think Kevin and Rab's theory is correct that the attic wood piece was in the basement. Hauptmann then put the piece of attic wood in the garage, where it ended up being used for the ladder. I don't think he went up to the attic just to get a piece of wood for the ladder. It was already in the garage to be used when the ladder was built. Hauptmann had quite a bit of wood boards in the garage. I still find myself wondering why he chose to use that attic board which he had to plane down to make it fit the ladder. Why not use one of the other pieces of wood that were in the garage that might have fit better?
Like everything else in this case, I always consider other possibilities about how something might have happened. With the ladder, I have entertained the idea that the wood for the ladder was planed and sawed in Hauptmann's garage with his old planer and his saw but the ladder was assembled elsewhere. If you read the soil report on the dirt deposits on the ladder, you will find that besides some Highfields deposits, the only other dirt, the older dirt, came from the Bronx matching closest to soil found where Isidor Fisch was residing at the time of the kidnapping. I think this is important and should be given consideration. This is solid evidence.
I have also looked at the possibility that someone else made that ladder besides Hauptmann. I think it is necessary to explore all the options. Perhaps someone else used Hauptmann's garage and old planer to plan the wood there and saw the pieces and then took them elsewhere to assemble the ladder. Perhaps this person didn't realize that it was a ladder that was going to be used in the kidnapping of Charlie but was hired to build it for a different reason.
These are just different theories I have looked at. Right now though, the ladder seems to fall into Hauptmann's column as the maker.
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Post by lightningjew on Apr 10, 2014 18:12:42 GMT -5
Oh I see. Yeah, I think Hauptmann definitely was involved, but not as a lone wolf and probably not directly. What I'm leaning towards at the moment is someone approaching him to build a throwaway ladder that could be folded or collapsed down to fit in a car, no questions asked. Later, this same person could've had a reason to distance himself from the ransom money and asked Hauptmann to keep it for him. And what with soil on the ladder being traced to Fisch's neighborhood--and Hauptmann's later claims that the ransom money he was in possession of was Fisch's--given all this, I think Fisch could've been the nexus between Hauptmann and the actual core kidnappers (not to say that Fisch was necessarily one of them either).
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Post by Michael on Apr 12, 2014 7:24:47 GMT -5
I am sure that is the box Richard made for Anna. In the letter below, you can see that Anna most likely rec'd this box after making this request. From what I've learned, someone wrote " OK" next to those items approved then the " check" mark would indicate they were returned. And so if I am right, it would show the date of that photo being after the date on this letter. The only caveat is that I recall seeing a request made during Anna's wrongful death legal action through her Attorney where she's asking for personal items they believed were still in possession of the NJSP - and the inlaid box was among them. I wrote it off in my mind, but I don't want to do that for everyone else.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2014 9:04:26 GMT -5
I am glad you brought this up. I know that stories and interviews were being done with Anna even after the execution of Richard. I agree that the photo must be after the box was returned. Could even be after Richard's execution. There is obvious sadness in Anna's expression.
I notice that the request for the wooden inlaid box was written onto the letter. Perhaps when she reviewed this letter at the time of signing she wanted it added. If I am reading this correctly, Anna received back the 2 pair of field glasses, 1 steamer trunk, 1 alligator hand bag and 1 fancy wooden box with inlaid wood. Why did the authorities not return the other items? I don't recall the unchecked items coming up at the trial.
This is puzzling. We know that Anna was in possession of the fancy inlaid wooden box. The photo proves this and also Wayne Jones saw the box in 1977. Could it have been possible there was a second wooden box Anna was after? In Ludovic Kennedy's book he says that Richard made the first box for Anna in 1924 and gave it to her for Christmas. This is before Richard and Anna were married. Kennedy then says a similar one made 2 years later is still in Anna's possession. Perhaps Anna was trying to get the very first box back that Richard made for her in 1924. It may not have been as elaborate as the second one but still had sentimental meaning for Anna. Maybe both boxes had been removed from the home in 1934 after Hauptmann's arrest. Have you ever come across any handmade wooden boxes at the archives? Was Anna able to recover any additional items during the wrongful death legal action she filed even if she was not successful in her lawsuit?
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Post by Michael on Apr 12, 2014 13:11:09 GMT -5
Why did the authorities not return the other items? I don't recall the unchecked items coming up at the trial. I believe their position was that some items were products and/or a benefit of the crime somehow. One example would be claiming they were purchased/connected with ransom money (or laundered ransom money). I am pretty sure I saw a letter from Wilentz to Fawcett telling him to prove where the money came from for the return of certain items but I don't have that one in front of me. Maybe both boxes had been removed from the home in 1934 after Hauptmann's arrest. Have you ever come across any handmade wooden boxes at the archives? I am going to let you in on a little secret.... I came across a document that claimed Hauptmann had made a secret compartment in a box or trunk. Knowing he made that wall safe in his garage to hide the gun & money it sounded legit. And so I went to the Archives and had Mark pull out the trunk which had been on the back of Hauptmann's Dodge. We searched for a false bottom and secret compartments but found none. I immediately thought of the inlaid box but its not down there. There are other things stored in crates off-site but Mark has opened and examined the contents of each of them. As examples: One contains Hauptmann's shoes, and another has Samuelsohn's lumber. Anything left to be discovered is probably in someone's attic because it isn't in possession of the NJSP. Was Anna able to recover any additional items during the wrongful death legal action she filed even if she was not successful in her lawsuit? I am not sure but for some reason I don't think so.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 12, 2014 15:51:33 GMT -5
So Hauptmann made a secret compartment in a box or trunk and the item is not at the archives. This puts me in mind of something I read in Lloyd Gardner's book The Case That Never Dies. On page 71 of the latest issue (softcover) of his book it says:
"At Condon's house the night the sleeping suit was received, he entertained his guests (Breckinridge, Al Reich, Lindbergh) at a late-night supper with a "magic box." There was no opening to be seen on any side. Turning it over and over, Condon said the case was not unlike this magic box. One had to find the key first and then the keyhole. The trick was to move sliding panels until the key fell out, and then move more panels until the concealed keyhole appeared."
Could Hauptmann have possibly made this box too? Condon connects this little charade to the kidnapping and the return of the sleeping suit. When Condon does these things they always have a meaning. Was the key to where Charlie was being kept locked within this "magic" box? Condon flaunts his secret knowledge by putting things into riddles. How much did Condon really know and how well did he really know Hauptmann? Anyone who thinks Condon was some silly old man or crazy needs to step back and take another look at this guy, seriously.
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Post by Michael on Apr 12, 2014 21:49:23 GMT -5
So Hauptmann made a secret compartment in a box or trunk and the item is not at the archives. Well there's nothing at the Archives to back it up. It sounded true but without anything to show for it. That story about the "magic box" from Condon has always interested me. One would think he couldn't lie about stuff like this without someone who's named in the story coming forth to claim it wasn't true. I highly doubt Lindbergh figured it out before everyone else, but in making him look superior would he dispute it? Or would anyone else who was there make Lindbergh out to be the guy who figured it out last?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 13, 2014 18:25:45 GMT -5
No, I am sure none of them would. The only advantage Lindbergh had was that he was able to watch two other people figure it out first which no doubt would have aided him when it was his turn, if any of these gentlemen actually tried to begin with.
Would you know how good of a going over the steamer trunk received while in the hands of LE? Is this steamer trunk the same one that Hauptmann claimed was the one he kept the $4000 dollars in?
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Post by Michael on Apr 13, 2014 20:27:34 GMT -5
Would you know how good of a going over the steamer trunk received while in the hands of LE? Is this steamer trunk the same one that Hauptmann claimed was the one he kept the $4000 dollars in? I do not know the answer to either question. I do know that Koehler looked over just about anything made of wood that the Hauptmann's had - so if if there's something to be found on it then I believe it would be in a Koehler Report. I know he looked over the fancy box we've been discussing.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 9:40:16 GMT -5
Really? Can you share what he thought of it? Was he impressed with its construction? Koehler had such a negative opinion of the ladder maker as a carpenter. Did this change his opinion any about Hauptmann's ability or skill level? I have been looking through my Schrager book and haven't come across any reference to this fancy box. He does mention a cigar box found in Hauptmann's closet(page 161) that contained an NYPD envelope with nails, screws, tacks, and keys in it. Hmmmmm. Wonder if they were able to trace the keys to anything.
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Post by Michael on Apr 14, 2014 17:41:12 GMT -5
Really? Can you share what he thought of it? Was he impressed with its construction? Koehler had such a negative opinion of the ladder maker as a carpenter. Did this change his opinion any about Hauptmann's ability or skill level? I have been looking through my Schrager book and haven't come across any reference to this fancy box. He does mention a cigar box found in Hauptmann's closet(page 161) that contained an NYPD envelope with nails, screws, tacks, and keys in it. Hmmmmm. Wonder if they were able to trace the keys to anything. This report proves that there are some things missing from the NJSP files. Obviously Koehler did submit it, however, by a stroke of luck I have a copy of his own copy of that report. Without guessing at the reasons why some stuff goes missing, its just proof that things did. Anyway, as you can see by looking at the picture of Anna with that box it appears to have the same dimensions as the Ransom Box. Koehler immediately disproves this by his measurements and comparing it to the duplicate Samuelsohn built for the NJSP after being found despite Condon's efforts to prevent his discovery. Next, Koehler makes this observation: " All four sides are veneered on the outer side with triangular designs of decorative wood which required painstaking work and fine, sharp, tools quite different from what could have been made with Hauptmann's tools." Remember, it was Koehler's observation that Hauptmann's tools were dull. That's most interesting since the chisel found dropped by the Kidnappers at Highfields was razor sharp. The cigar box you mention contained all of Hauptmann's wood chisels - only the cold chisels were found among his other tools in his tool box in the garage. The scene in the Courtroom where Koehler was on the stand rummaging through the toolbox was staged.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2014 18:21:44 GMT -5
Yes, it does look dimensionally like the ransom box would have looked. So how different in size was the duplicate box Samuelsohn made for the NJSP? Bigger or smaller? Does this mean Condon might not have given Samuelsohn the same dimensions to work with as the ransom note asked for?
Well it should have been obvious to someone with Koehler's expertise that the garage tools are not the tools Hauptmann used to create the box. And with the chisel found at Highfields being razor sharp, didn't anyone consider that Hauptmann may have had other tools that were not in his garage but were stored somewhere else? So the police did find Hauptmann's wood chisels but kept it secret?? Did Koehler know about the wood chisels yet testified the way he did anyway??
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Post by Michael on Apr 14, 2014 20:15:29 GMT -5
Yes, it does look dimensionally like the ransom box would have looked. So how different in size was the duplicate box Samuelsohn made for the NJSP? Bigger or smaller? Hauptmann's box was too wide and too long to have been a copy (or made from) the ransom box. However, the Duplicate Ransom Box actually had more total inside depth because its cover had more depth. Well it should have been obvious to someone with Koehler's expertise that the garage tools are not the tools Hauptmann used to create the box. And with the chisel found at Highfields being razor sharp, didn't anyone consider that Hauptmann may have had other tools that were not in his garage but were stored somewhere else? No. The fact that chisel was razor sharp was one that was conveniently "forgotten" or ignored. So the police did find Hauptmann's wood chisels but kept it secret?? Did Koehler know about the wood chisels yet testified the way he did anyway?? If you believe in Scaduto's discovery there were chisels discovered that we're kept secret. But the one's that were not kept secret....if they were the wood chisels they were in the cigar box NOT in the toolbox. Koehler knew what was found where as his very own Report indicates. So yes, it was a big charade used to impress upon the Jury that Hauptmann was missing a 3/4" wood chisel from his toolbox which implied the 3/4" inch wood chisel left behind at Highfields was his. It was a dirty trick that required all involved to be completely on board with it.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 19, 2014 9:49:42 GMT -5
Michael,
Is there anything you can tell me about Condon's trip to Becket, Mass.? This is after the recovery of Charlie's remains and after the Bronx Grand Jury hearing in 1932. Is he trying to distance himself from the media for a while (hard to believe) or was he told to leave town for a while? Did he go to wait for further contact from the kidnappers? How long was he in Becket?
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