Joe
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Post by Joe on May 12, 2019 8:54:17 GMT -5
The FBI also produced a report on Henry Ellersen. It claims that Ellerseon did work for the Armour Meat company after he left work at the Bergen National Bank. This may have been on omission on Henry's part, or it may have been an error on the part of the FBI. Henry at this point was linked to Duane Baker Bacon in the report according to Bacon's own testimony. However the New York Armour office officially denied that Bacon's name did not appear on their list of employees ever, and employees were asked if they knew or remembered him. No one did. Friends of Ellerson are mentioned here. They were not the friends who were identified as visitors to Bacon's four-room apartment when he was superintendent at the Plymouth apartments. Visitors there played cards, shot crap, or rolled dice there. Frank Eilersen appears on the FBI report; Elizabeth was his wife, but she is mistakenly identified as Henry's mother. One interesting comment on the FBI report concerning Henry: he was a "frequenter" of a speakeasy (name not given) in Fort Lee--a speakeasy operated by a well-known sports promoter and a member on the State Boxing Commission. Thanks, I work out of town and had to get home to review a lot of the same things. The FBI Report also states that Baker worked there in 1924 and Ellerson in 1923. Both appear to have done stints as a chauffeur at Armour, so perhaps there is a direct or associated connection within that trade. Regarding the Armour executives denying either man worked there, I also wonder if that might have been a bit of potential damage control on their part, simply not wishing to be associated with the LKC, or perhaps their work was of such a casual nature that they were not officially on payroll. I find it quite interesting that Ellerson, if he had been at all associated with Armour, omitted that fact in his March 11, 1932 statement, considering he seems to have done work for them as both bookkeeper and chauffeur. I still like Baker as a potential suspect and have posted my thoughts on this board over the years. Actually, I don't put a lot of faith within the efforts of those who investigated Baker "extensively." Some characters are very adept at deception and deflection and I count Duane Baker, Charles Ellerson and Hans Mueller among those cut from this same type of cloth. Unfortunately, I don't have much of an actual filing system, long having laboured under the misapprehension that my memory will always serve me faithfully.. big mistake! Here is a link to some previous discussion on Baker: lindberghkidnap.proboards.com/thread/1077/oscar-bush
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Post by aaron on May 12, 2019 13:55:46 GMT -5
In his book "Their Fifteen Minutes" Mark Fanzine devotes a chapter to Hans Mueller, pages 35-39. He does not provide illustrations. however. Mark does indicate that Hauptmann and Hans Mueller took trips to City Island. The photo on Hunter Island someone referred to earlier reveals a man eating a banana. He is not identified on this picture, but he appears in a picture on the occasion of a New Year's party at Hauptmann's apartment, and here he is identified as William Haas who may be a friend of Hauptmann or possibly Hans Kloppenberg. The kidnapping plan seems quite intricate with many details to be worked out, and one member of the gang said they worked for nearly a year in the planning. This attention to detail and planning a process takes a lot of skill, and i doubt that Hauptmann, Duane Baker, Henry Ellerson, Hans Mueller, or Isidor Fisch would have this kind of skill or mentality. Any one of them might have been accomplices, but we need to look for a leader of this gang who can work out a process, and I don't think we have identified him yet. The leader would need to recruit at least two accomplices. Hauptmann was probably recruited to build the ladder and write the ransom notes--which were probably dictated by the leader. He would need to recruit someone from the Morrow or Lindbergh household since he needed help on that end. So there would have to be at least three persons involved. The more members there are, the more likely one would talk or leak information in some way, and more persons would need a cut in the ransom money. The "signature" shows three circles, two interlinked and one sharing space with both in the center, so one might assume that there might have been two accomplices united by a third, the leader. There are also two wavy lines, one in each circle which might represent two auxiliary persons connected to each individual circle. The circles are linked, perhaps indicating that these members are tight buddies. Should he be caught, no member will reveal any information about the others. There may be other factors uniting this group, but that is another for the researchers.
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Post by aaron on May 12, 2019 14:08:55 GMT -5
It also occurs to me that following the payment of the ransom money, the accomplices should have improved their way of life in some manner. Hauptmann had a baby and bought some furniture and an ivory crime. He and his wife also stopped working. He was also planning to return to Germany and probably would have tried to get Deutsche marks in exchange for his share (and possibly another's) share. We do not find that Duane Baker profited from extra money, although he did pay for a month's rent for a stay in another apartment for one week. After that he continued to live in poverty with a sickly wife, and depended on charities for assistance. Hans and Maria Mueller were able to get another apartment but continued to live much as before. Ellerson continued his job as chauffeur until he was fired for drinking--although he was rehired. Isidor went back to Germany, apparently broke. The money found in Hauptmann's garage may have been partly his own and partly money others asked for him to hold. Obviously, someone was spending the money, as ransom bills were turning up, but it could not be said that any one person was profiting very well from the payment of the $50,000 ransom.
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Post by aaron on May 12, 2019 16:52:31 GMT -5
Sorry, Hauptmann bought an ivory crib (obviously not crime) for his baby Manfred..
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Post by wolfman666 on May 13, 2019 8:38:28 GMT -5
mike, duane baker was researched through the years nothing ever came about him. its just a waste of time digging the same things I heard for years
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Post by aaron on May 13, 2019 11:00:40 GMT -5
I think the captain may be correct in linking the bowing world, the speakeasies, and the bootlegging to organized crime. The leader of the kidnapping gang may have had connections not only to the boxing/speakeasy world but also to the Mob.
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Post by aaron on May 15, 2019 6:16:14 GMT -5
In 1985 the New Jersey State Commission of Investigation issued a report on the history of organized crime in boxing. The report indicates that historically young men who have few financial resources and little knowledge of the world are recruited to become boxers with promises of reward. Remember Charles H. Eilersen, immigrant, who was pictured as a boxer at age 16. There was much gambling connected to boxing matches, and these were often rigged. The Mob became involved with boxing; this sport was connected to illegal sale of alcohol during Prohibition. As someone already observed, the speakeasies were known for gambling as well as drinking and often run by the Mob. John Condon reported that one phone conversation he held with the kidnapper was interrupted by someone yelling "Shut Up" in Italian when his (Condon's) questions were obviously intended to get information. The caller then ended the conversation. Before March 16, 1932, Condon reported that an Italian called at his house and offered to sharpen needles. The man left the neighborhood without calling on anyone else. An hour later, a second man, also Italian, called at his house and offered to sharpen his scissors. Again, this man left the neighborhood without calling at any other house in the neighborhood. These comments are reported in the FBI Report. This report also states that the look-out at the cemetery appeared to be Italian. A handkerchief was used to cover the lower part of the man's face, but CJ and the look-out used handkerchiefs to signal one another, so they were removed from their faces at certain times when signals were needed. All of this detail indicates involvement with the Mob at some level. Condon and Reich probably understood this at some point. Reich, having grasped the connection and knowing the modus operandi of the Mob, concluded that the baby was dead.
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Post by Michael on May 15, 2019 13:23:59 GMT -5
mike, duane baker was researched through the years nothing ever came about him. its just a waste of time digging the same things I heard for years I hear you Steve but it was these same people who missed everything I've written about. So the track record isn't great and I think I've proven that. For example, take the Parker/Wendel matter. Everyone told me exactly what you are saying about this too. But if I hadn't researched it, I wouldn't have found the Mercer County Grand Jury testimony where I was able to prove Lindbergh's REAL conduct and not what history (and the other researchers to whom you refer) have all told us. Same with Gaston Means. If I hadn't researched that, I wouldn't have found Mrs. McLean's unedited manuscript where Swayze told her about Gow's dress, conduct, and attitude at the morgue. So just these examples are things that I believe prove my position - and we all know there are countless more.
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Post by Deleted on May 15, 2019 18:36:42 GMT -5
Remember Charles H. Eilersen, immigrant, who was pictured as a boxer at age 16. There was much gambling connected to boxing matches, and these were often rigged. The Mob became involved with boxing; this sport was connected to illegal sale of alcohol during Prohibition. As someone already observed, the speakeasies were known for gambling as well as drinking and often run by the Mob. You are so correct in what you say about boxing, speakeasies, gambling and the mob. The Trinity Club of New York has an interesting history that relates to such mixing of purposes. This club boasts of many famous early boxers plus a visitor's list of the rich, famous, and crime element stopping by. This club even claims Charles Lindbergh once stopped there! Here is a link to the Trinity Club history: trinityboxing.com/the-legend/The Trinity Club also was involved with the amateur boxing world and had such a boxer fighting during the same competition that Al Reich was fighting in as an amateur.
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Post by aaron on May 16, 2019 7:49:23 GMT -5
Thank you for the news clipping and the link to the Trinity Club history! It's interesting and well written. According to the FBI report, Henry Ellerson--though not a boxer himself but had a history of drinking and gambling--frequented a speakeasy in Fort Lee. The name of the operator is garbled, but it looks to me that the name is "Irving Bitz." He was a member of the Mob and was one of the intermediaries that Lindbergh recommended along with his cohort This recommendation was rejected by the kidnap gang, and then Condon made his pitch and was accepted by both parties. Bitz is identified as an owner of speakeasies. It's possible that he and Ellerson were acquainted.
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Joe
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Post by Joe on May 16, 2019 9:58:30 GMT -5
Thank you for the news clipping and the link to the Trinity Club history! It's interesting and well written. According to the FBI report, Henry Ellerson--though not a boxer himself but had a history of drinking and gambling--frequented a speakeasy in Fort Lee. The name of the operator is garbled, but it looks to me that the name is "Irving Bitz." He was a member of the Mob and was one of the intermediaries that Lindbergh recommended along with his cohort This recommendation was rejected by the kidnap gang, and then Condon made his pitch and was accepted by both parties. Bitz is identified as an owner of speakeasies. It's possible that he and Ellerson were acquainted.
I believe the name is "Buzz Kruger." It's not Irving Bitz.
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Post by aaron on May 27, 2019 12:19:44 GMT -5
Jacob Nosovitsky used the alias of Arthur Jack Nosow for several years. He married Rose Matlin in 1933 in Arizona claiming that his occupation was "medical doctor." He lived in Los Angeles, as one contributor to the Board has already noted. He was divorced by 1040 according to the 1040 Census. According to "The Courier New" published on March 24, 1938, he returned to Flemington voluntarily to consult with Ray Bastedo, county detective, and offered to give himself up. He stated at that time he was "in no way connected to the Lindbergh case." He further stated that he had traveled 3000 miles to reach Flemington, approximately the distance from Los Angeles CA to Flemington N.J. Detective Bastedo stated that a complaint had been lodged against Nosovitsky but that a Grand Jury did not issue a bill to indict. The information on the 1940 Census has already been shared, so I will not go into that. Noso was born in 1895, but I have not yet found a death date for him and so conclude that his death was recorded under one of his several aliases. John J. McNally, investigator for Jersey City, allegedly stated that Noso had seven aliases, so it's possible that he stopped using the Arthur J. Nosow alias after 1940 and his death certificate appears under yet another alias. I will try to discover what these names are and get back to you if anything interesting should turn up.
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Post by aaron on May 28, 2019 17:05:16 GMT -5
The social security number of Arthur J. Nosow of Los Angeles CA is 566-24-7128
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2019 19:29:13 GMT -5
aaron,
Do you think that Nosovitsky was involved with the Lindbergh baby kidnapping?
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Post by aaron on May 31, 2019 7:17:08 GMT -5
It's possible that Nosovitsky was involved. Someone asked me to do some research--which is still in progress. Noso lived at one time in New Rochelle, N.Y. and then moved to California, probably in the early 1930s about the time of the kidnapping. The reference to New Rochelle is interesting. John Condon taught part-time at a Catholic college for women in New Rochelle. The owner of a deli or ice-cream shop in New Rochelle (Gustav Mancke) reported that Violet Sharp, Henry Ellerson, and Isidor Fisch (and an unidentified friend of Fisch) lunched at his deli several times in the months prior to the kidnapping. So I was also wondering if there was any connection between Noso and Fisch--among other possibilities.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2019 10:39:32 GMT -5
It's possible that Nosovitsky was involved. Someone asked me to do some research--which is still in progress. Noso lived at one time in New Rochelle, N.Y. and then moved to California, probably in the early 1930s about the time of the kidnapping. The reference to New Rochelle is interesting. John Condon taught part-time at a Catholic college for women in New Rochelle. The owner of a deli or ice-cream shop in New Rochelle (Gustav Mancke) reported that Violet Sharp, Henry Ellerson, and Isidor Fisch (and an unidentified friend of Fisch) lunched at his deli several times in the months prior to the kidnapping. So I was also wondering if there was any connection between Noso and Fisch--among other possibilities. I have not done a lot of research on Nosovitsky' background so I am not aware that Noso had lived in New Rochelle at any time. I believe the Mancke story had Violet Sharp, Ollie Whateley and Isidor Fisch together. No Henry Ellerson. The idea of a Noso and Fisch connection is very interesting. I have not looked into that possibility. I have only considered a Nosovitsky/Gaston Means hook-up. I will have to think about your idea.
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Post by aaron on Jun 1, 2019 12:13:12 GMT -5
Gustav Mancke may have misidentified Ollie Whateley although Ollie had worked for a woman in New Rochelle prior to his job with the Lindergjhs. Mancke identified the members of the party from photos--with the exception of Isidor Fisch to whom he was personally introduced by Isidor's friend. Manqué described Whateley as a man with "thinning blond hair." Whateley's hair was indeed thinning, but his hair was dark (not blond) according to the official description when he entered the country. Motorcycle photos taken from the scrapbook/diary of Violet Sharp show her in men's clothing on a motorcycle. A second woman is "presumed to be Violet's sister." The woman does not resemble Violet's sister (Edna/Emily); she does look very much like Betty Gow. The man accompanying the two is "not identified," but he does resemble Henry Ellerson. Violet evidently sent the photos to England to be developed as indicated on the reverse side of the photos. (NJ State Archivist). I am not suggesting that Mancke confused Whateley and Ellerson, however. But Gow, Sharp, and Ellerson did spend some time together, probably about late spring or early summer of 1931 before the Lindberghs went on their trip to the Orient and Gow spent three months in the Maine summer home of the Morrows. The three months the Hauptmanns and Hans Kloppenberg spent on their trip to California corresponds almost exactly with the three months the Lindberghs spent on the flight to the Orient.
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Post by aaron on Jun 1, 2019 12:44:56 GMT -5
According to one source Mancke identified Henry Ellerson as bing one of the group who accompanied Fisch and Sharp to his ice cream parlor but mistakenly referred to Ellerson as "Charlie." Betty Gow was also with them sometimes, he claimed. Sorry, I am using my memory on these details and do not recall the source but will look for it.
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Post by aaron on Jun 1, 2019 13:31:50 GMT -5
I have the following address for John Jacob Nosovitzsky prior to the kidnapping: 39 Fountain Place, New Rochelle, N.Y.
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Post by aaron on Jun 2, 2019 18:13:38 GMT -5
Two motorcycle photos belonging to Violet Sharp can be found on the Google: Violet Sharp/ Lindbergh Kidnapping Hoax.
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Post by hurtelable on Jun 3, 2019 8:48:12 GMT -5
I have the following address for John Jacob Nosovitzsky prior to the kidnapping: 39 Fountain Place, New Rochelle, N.Y. Not surprised. Nosovitsky has had addresses and connections to a whole slew of geographic areas over the years. The location in New Rochelle would put him reasonably close to the Bronx, where he was known to come in contact with his former prison-mate Dennis Doyle, a cousin of John F. Condon. Note that for this New Rochelle address, Noso is using one of gazillions of aliases. His real first name WAS Jacob, NOT "John". And his last name did not contain a "z". As all should realize, Jacob Nosovitsky was The Great Pretender, a man of too many disguises and aliases to count. In fact, his use of "John" makes him a candidate for "Cemetery John" and, separately, he has been known in NYPD records to have used the alias "J. J. Faulkner," which is consistent with the "John Jacob" used in the New Rochelle address.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2019 15:09:46 GMT -5
I have the following address for John Jacob Nosovitzsky prior to the kidnapping: 39 Fountain Place, New Rochelle, N.Y. I have seen this address attached to someone else, Wally Stroh. What is your source for attaching it to Nosovitsky?
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Post by hurtelable on Jun 3, 2019 17:31:18 GMT -5
I have the following address for John Jacob Nosovitzsky prior to the kidnapping: 39 Fountain Place, New Rochelle, N.Y. I have seen this address attached to someone else, Wally Stroh. What is your source for attaching it to Nosovitsky? Again, not surprising. If that was indeed Stroh's address, remember that Stroh and Nosovitsky were at one time prison mates. So Nosovitsky may have lived there briefly with Stroh, or he may not have lived there but used the address to further obfuscate his whereabouts. All typical of the "Great Pretender" mindset of Nosovitsky.
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Post by aaron on Jun 4, 2019 8:32:55 GMT -5
According to Dr. Patricia Doyle, a member of this Board, her great uncle Dennis Doyle knew Wally Stroh and also spoke with Jacob Nosovitsky about Jphn Condon (to whom he was related) when Condon offered to enter the kidnapping case. Dr. Doyle also wrote that Nosovitsky knew Isidor Fisch through the fur business. Dennis (Dinny) Doyle wrote his recollections on paper before he passed away. These memoirs can be found on file in the NJSP archives. Has anyone taken a look at Dinny Doyle's memoirs? Since he knew Stroh, Condon, and Nosovitsky, they might contain some useful information.
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Post by aaron on Jun 9, 2019 8:33:49 GMT -5
As a new member of the Board, I have been studying some of the earlier threads and topics of interest in order to catch up. (My interest in the Lindbergh kidnapping goes back only about two years when I was preparing a course on Famous Trials.) Regarding the J.J. Faulkner deposit and address of 537 West 149th St., the Plymouth Apartments, a researcher suggested that the address might have been taken from a New York phone directory listing. A mother and daughter, both named Jane Faulkner, lived for a number of years at the Plymouth Apartments. While the daughter Jane married in 1921, the mother continued to live there until her death in 1923. It had been suggested that the J.J. Faulkner name(s) had been taken from an old list of occupants found near a dumbwaiter in the basement apartment of the superintendent; however, the researcher suggested that the names were taken from an old phone directory. Following up on this suggestion, I found that in his statement to the police on March 11, 1932, Henry Ellerson stated that he worked for the New York Telephone Company at 24 Walker Street as a wire chief's clerk for three years. During that time his father (Charles Henry Eilersen) died, and he then moved to Norwood, N.J. Henry's father also died in 1923, and Henry would have had ready access to the New York phone directory at that time. Has any comparison been made of Ellerson's handwriting with that of the so-called J.J. Faulkner?
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Post by Deleted on Jun 9, 2019 20:15:36 GMT -5
Following up on this suggestion, I found that in his statement to the police on March 11, 1932, Henry Ellerson stated that he worked for the New York Telephone Company at 24 Walker Street as a wire chief's clerk for three years. During that time his father (Charles Henry Eilersen) died, and he then moved to Norwood, N.J. Henry's father also died in 1923, and Henry would have had ready access to the New York phone directory at that time. Has any comparison been made of Ellerson's handwriting with that of the so-called J.J. Faulkner? It is an interesting connection you suggest between Henry Ellerson and his possible access to New York directories where, I am assuming, you think he might have noticed the JJ Faulkner listings. How likely is it that Henry would have remembered such a listing 10 years later. The Faulkner deposit slip was written in 1933. I am not aware if Henry Ellerson's handwriting was checked against anything. This is something that Michael may be able to comment on for you.
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Post by aaron on Jun 10, 2019 2:53:26 GMT -5
Thank you for your question. Henry Ellerson worked for the New York Telephone Company when mother and daughter (Jane and Jane) lived at the Plymouth Apartments. He left about the time his father passed away and then moved along with his family from Jersey City to Norwood N.J. He then took another job. My suggestion is that Henry while working he had access (and probably worked with) the telephone directory that carried the listing for the Faulkner women. When he left the job, he very likely would have taken that directory with him since he would wanted to maintain contact with some individuals and businesses in New York. Since he went back to New Jersey, he might not have had an opportunity to acquire another N.Y. directory and so continued to use his old one for a time. It is not a question of Henry's memory. I am suggesting that he had an old N.Y. phone directory acquired when he was working for the N.Y. Telephone company. It's a simple matter to find out if a phone number is still working and then use the address if the individual listed is no longer there. As to the handwriting, I do not possess much by way of a sample. Henry's signature on his police statement shows a neat, rounded hand, similar in some respects to the handwriting of the J.J.Faulkner letter to Gov. Hoffman. I am not a handwriting expert (though I have read literally thousands of college student handwritten essays), The Ellerson/Faulkner similarities appear at least to warrant further comparison.
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Post by aaron on Jun 10, 2019 9:44:25 GMT -5
The Walker Telephone Company is located in the southern part of Manhattan while the Plymouth Apartments appear also to be in Manhattan at the very northern tip, about ten miles distant. So the telephone directory in question would be the Manhattan phone directory. The telephone companies at one time put out phone directories for their customers every year or two. They have not provided this service for several years, but I kept the last one issued in my area (central part of the state) and still use it to track down individuals from time to time. (Directories of yellow pages are still issued though.)
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Post by Deleted on Jun 10, 2019 10:12:19 GMT -5
It is not a question of Henry's memory. I am suggesting that he had an old N.Y. phone directory acquired when he was working for the N.Y. Telephone company. It's a simple matter to find out if a phone number is still working and then use the address if the individual listed is no longer there. Thank you for the response and clarifying your theory about the phone book usage. If, indeed, Ellerson had kept an old New York directory for reference, I am still troubled by how Ellerson would have chosen the name Faulkner for the deposit slip. It doesn't seem likely that Ellerson would have been dialing every listing in that directory to find a phone number that is no longer working with the name and address listed. There were hundreds of names and addresses before you came to the name Faulkner. More than likely there would have been other earlier names where the listing was no longer attached to the person it was listed to that Ellerson would have come across that he could have used. So why keep going all the way to the "F" section? I am sure you are aware of the possible Duane Bacon/Henry Ellerson connection that could have provided the Faulkner name and address specifically. Not to be overlooked is the JJ Faulkner connection that leads back to Dr. Condon, as he had had a former student, John Faulkner, who had lived for a time on Balcom Ave. which runs behind St. Raymond's cemetery. For myself, the use of the Faulkner name was known to either the writer of the deposit slip or was known by the person who had an associate use it to make that ransom money exchange. I am having trouble seeing the use of this name and address as being randomly selected based on an inactive phone number listing. Anything is possible, of course, so I am not saying what you theorize occurred, did not happen. Do you see Henry Ellerson as someone who was involved with this crime and that is how he came to have ransom money to exchange?
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Post by aaron on Jun 11, 2019 1:43:37 GMT -5
When Henry Ellerson left his job with the New York Telephone Company, he was not planning to use the reference for a specific purpose ten years later. Since he lived in New Jersey, he would not have been issued a New York phone directory, and he would have wanted the information in order to call individuals or businesses in N.Y. Since he had worked for the telephone company for three years in the wiring department, he would have known a good deal about the neighborhoods through the orders to repair or add telephone wires in Manhattan. It's possible that he was aware of the Plymouth apartments and was acquainted with some of the residents.
There had to be a link between the Morrow/Lindbergh staff with the kidnapping gang. Someone on the inside gave out information concerning the whereabouts and activities of the Lindbergh family not only the week of the kidnapping but very likely had been doing so for some time. Twice there was a communication from the kidnappers that the plan had been worked on for about a year. At some point certain members of the staff were recruited by at least one member of the kidnapping gang with promises of rewards for participation. So the question arises how and by whom was this accomplished?
In Michael's book on The Dark Side of the Lindbergh Kidnapping (Vol. II) there appears a sketch of one of the kidnapping gang as described by John Condon. It does not bear much resemblance to the sketch later depicted and usually intended to identify Richard Hauptmann. I inquired the NJSP archivist about the sketch that appeared in Michael's book. He indicated that this sketch is authentic. Yes, I know that Condon is not always consistent in his stories and details, but if we take a look at the motorcycle pictures in Violet Sharp's diary/scrapbook, we find that the "unidentified man" seated on the motorcycle behind Violet bears a striking resemblance to the Berryman sketch. The photo is not the best in focus, but I asked for and received clearer photos. Interesting that Violet did not choose to have the films developed in this country, but sent them to England to be developed, so there was some secrecy evidently needed in her judgment. There is a second woman in the pictures. She is "presumed to be Violet's sister," but she does not really resemble Edna/Emily Sharp. The second woman does resemble Betty Gow. A picture of Betty Gow appears on page 66 of Mark Falzini's book 'Their Fifteen Minutes" which would have been taken about ten months later, and the resemblance is clear even to the dress which has a v-neck but with a rounded collar. Two motorcycle photos can be found on another Lindbergh kidnapping board; they are listed under "Violet Sharp."
The "unidentified man" in the motorcycle photo and the man in the Berryman sketch look very much like Henry Ellerson. I obtained a photo of Ellerson in which he is a few years older but found resemblance in the hairline and facial features. The motorcycle pictures would have had to be taken in late spring or early summer of 1931. Ellerson said that was the time of his employment with the Morrow family. He was hired as a gardener though he did not list any previous experience with gardening in his statement to the police and did not remain in that position; he was working as the second chauffeur at the time of the kidnapping. He had been unemployed for about a year previous to his employment with the Morrows, not surprising given the economic times. He had lived in Englewood at one time, but at the time of the kidnapping he, his wife, and two year old daughter were living in his mother's house in Norwood.
It is entirely possible that Henry Ellerson is the connection between the kidnapping gang and the Morrow household and that recruiting key members of the staff was his assignment as the gang began to plan the snatch one year in advance. Henry would not have been the leader of the gang. He would have had the opportunity to make a phone call at the drug store where he and Betty Gow stopped before leaving Englewood on the day of the kidnapping. His activities after he left Hopewell at about 3 p.m. are not well documented. He shows up at a speakeasy about 8 p.m. and so has an alibi beginning at that time, but he had a few hours to make some connections and complete other assignments.
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