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Post by bookrefuge on Nov 14, 2012 19:26:23 GMT -5
I don’t like Charles Schippell for this crime, and he was cleared by the police. However, what do you think of the concept that, early on, someone intended to FRAME Schippell for the crime? He was of German extraction, reputedly somewhat psychotic, reputedly disliked Lindbergh, had Bucks Brothers chisels (of which only the ¾ inch was missing), wood similar to the kidnap ladder, burlap bags similar to the one Charlie was found in, and a green sedan. If he didn’t have an alibi for the night of the crime (hospitalized, I believe?), I wonder if he wouldn’t have been arrested as a major suspect.
I have to ask if someone was trying to pin the murder on Schippell. It is bothersome that the corpse was found so close to his shack. Let me throw this at you. Suppose the criminals—perhaps around the time of the ransom payment and thumb guard discovery--buried the body right on Schippell’s property. Then Schippell discovers it there to his horror. So in desperation he drags it a few hundred feet to where it was eventually found. Now this wouldn’t have been the brightest thing for Schippell to do—under the circumstances he should have called the police—but I don’t find it incredible that he might have reacted that way. Didn’t Schippell in fact claim that the corpse was re-buried?
And Schippell did say someone broke into his shack around the time of the crime, did he not? And this was the shack previously rented by Gerardi and Maran (spellings?), who had a suspicious habit of being around the Lindberghs, whether in Hopewell, Englewood, or Maine. And wasn’t Schippell connected to the Bronx?
So I’m not asking if you think Schippell committed the crime—I don’t believe he did—but I wonder if it’s within the realm of possibility that, early on, someone tried to frame him, and the frame fell apart. I am annoyed by New York gangster Waxey Gordon’s comment that the crime was the work of a “local madman.” I don’t see how Gordon could have simply said that as an educated guess—but I COULD maybe believe Gordon being told to say that as part of an early frameup attempt.
For me, there are too many coincidences associated with Schippell to simply write him out of the picture completely.
Also interesting that the original file photo of Schippell was recently discovered, on this board, to actually be a photo of his brother. Probably just an honest mistake, but it adds one more annoying question mark to the Schippell scenario.
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Post by Michael on Nov 14, 2012 21:21:23 GMT -5
BR - It's certainly a possibility and not unreasonable to at least consider. But if its true it opens another can of worms that will need to be sorted out.
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Post by Michael on Nov 16, 2012 16:37:24 GMT -5
BTW BR.... I have always considered that may have been part of the original plan myself.
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Post by bookrefuge on Nov 16, 2012 17:52:05 GMT -5
Right. And regardless of whether Lindbergh or various other parties are tagged for the crime, a frame on Schippell could fit.
It’s been said that no crime is perfect unless you have a “fall guy.” Last night Turner Classic Movies replayed The Maltese Falcon. If you’ve seen it, you’ll recall that Bogart refuses to go along with the scheme unless they have picked out a “fall guy”—someone who will take the blame for everything. Of course, the man they select is the character named Wilmer. Now before someone dismisses that as “only Hollywood,” I’ll point out that Dashiell Hammett—who wrote the story from which the movie was lifted almost verbatim—was a detective in real life.
Schippell was even poorer than Hauptmann, and I can just imagine the trouble he’d have had raising money for a defense. Known for being self-deluded, he would probably have looked really bad on the witness stand. And I imagine the NJSP would have had little trouble persuading Millard Whited to say he’d seen Schippell “lurking about Highfields just before the kidnapping.”
I can see Schippell being selected as the original fall guy, only the frame falls apart when Schippell lucks out with an airtight alibi. The ¾ inch Bucks Brothers chisel found at the scene—the same size as the one missing from Schippell’s set—could have been planted as part of the frame. Leaving the body buried on Schippell’s land would have then sealed the frame airtight, except—and I’m guessing—Schippell found it there and desperately dragged it a few hundred feet away. If ever a crime needed a fall guy, the LKC was it. It wouldn’t rest until someone was convicted. I’m going to venture a guess that Schippell was the original choice on day one, and when that didn’t work out, the perps decided to find someone new.
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Post by Michael on Nov 17, 2012 8:09:45 GMT -5
You're right - he would have made a terrible Witness for himself. He kept saying whatever was on his mind and some of it could be seen as incriminating.
The 1st Wood Expert the NJSP utilized (Squire Johnson) returned to help the Governor during his re-investigation, found Schippell an irresistible suspect, and believed he was involved.
I've asked myself exactly how Waxey would have known to point out to George Clarke, matter of factly, that a "Local Mad-Man" committed the crime. It's obvious that I/We are assuming it was Schippell to whom he refers because he fits that bill. I suppose we could be wrong. But if not I considered that an Underworld source would have to be a likely candidate for this information.
That would be Owney Madden, or the Team of Bitz & Spitale. So I looked closely at them to see if they could be that source. Bitz & Spitale believed it was an "Inside Job."
So scratch them.
Nothing I have on Madden, or his connection to this case points to Schippell - or any Local for that matter. While he did have a chat with Birettella, his angle seemed to focus more on possible Mob connections like the Leavenworth, and Purple Gang possibilities. Everything I have seems to indicate he clearly had "no idea" who did this.
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Post by Michael on Nov 18, 2012 8:53:38 GMT -5
More interest from Reporters: Attachments:
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Post by bookrefuge on Nov 18, 2012 14:57:16 GMT -5
Thanks for the interesting post. Makes me wonder where the New York newspapermen were getting their information. Seems they didn’t get it from law enforcement, because they were telling law enforcement about it. Well, I suppose they could have gotten it from another newspaperman who heard someone else in LE discuss Schippell.
This post also shows that in late May 1932, there was still strong interest in Hopewell (as opposed to the Bronx) as the home turf of the perp(s).
Getting back to the fall guy thesis. Schippell and Wilmer. The comparison may be apt. A fall guy can’t be someone too smart or too important. . And I agree on Madden. Despite their criminal backgrounds, it seems that Madden, Spitale and Bitz did make genuine inquiries and came up empty. There was no reason for them not to help out—if they’d helped cracked the case, it would have been feathers in their caps, and maybe given them a bargaining chip the next time any of them ran afoul of the law. (Rosner strikes me differently, though—a man going out of his way to exploit the case for his own gain.)
I suppose it is possible that Waxey Gordon, not learning anything from his own underworld friends, might have simply been repeating something that was (perhaps?) a somewhat commonly ventured guess at that time?
However, I’ll mention another possibility for what it’s worth. Alan Marlis, who of course considers the kidnapping was masterminded by Lindbergh enemy James Warburg, believes that Meyer Lansky’s mob was the muscle end of the job. According to Marlis, Warburg and Lansky played poker together on Friday nights. Lansky was one of those charmed underworld figures who lived to a ripe old age—according to some guesses, worth $300 million in hidden assets--while his peers were either being mowed down on the streets or “retired” to Alcatraz. He was loosely portrayed in The Godfather Part II (the character Hyman Roth).
Marlis points out the interesting fact that Lansky’s son was permitted to enter West Point, despite being the son of a notorious hoodlum. Lansky’s son entered the Point the same year as Schwarzkopf’s son (who went on to become “Stormin’ Norman”), raising the question of whether Schwarzkopf Sr. vouched for Lansky’s son, and if there might have been some association going back between the older Schwarzkopf and the older Lansky.
I’m not sure if Spitale, Bitz and Madden, in making their inquiries, would have had much entrée into the doings of the Lansky mob; Madden was a Capone man, was he not? On the other hand, Waxey Gordon worked with Lansky under Arnold Rothstein (they were all part of what was known as the Jewish Mob), although Gordon and Lansky eventually had a falling out.
Anyway, if this whole theory held together (and admittedly it probably doesn’t), it raises the possibility that Lansky told Gordon to start a rumor that would give credence to an original frame-up that had been intended against Schippell.
And if all that was true, it would be interesting to know if Isidor Fisch could have been a small-time hanger-on of Lansky’s Jewish mob, and if he was selected, either to be a bag man or a fall guy himself.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 18, 2012 16:52:40 GMT -5
This whole Schippell angle is interesting. I really have not looked at it much because I thought he was in a Bronx hospital on the night of March 1, 1932, therefore unable to have kidnapped Charlie.
Did the police verify that Schippell was in the hospital at the time of the kidnapping? How soon after the crime was he checked out by LE?
Was Schippell's property included in the search that was conducted by police right after the crime occured? Or was it much later?
From what's been posted, it does look like he would have been a good fall guy though. The hidden car, the burlap bags, the missing chisel and the child's body sound like a perfect set up. But like so many other possible leads in this crime, this ended up going nowhere.
BR, you mention Meyer Lansky's mob as being the muscle end of the job. Do you mean that they actually kidnapped Charlie and then carried out the extortion of the money?
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Post by Michael on Nov 18, 2012 18:49:39 GMT -5
It's hard to explain but I am going to try....
The Reporters were always on the hunt for fresh or unique information to "scoop." Like everyone else, some were good, some weren't, and most were in the middle. They would sometimes pay people for information too. This would sometimes "jog" the memories of the Locals who told Cops they saw nothing.
That could have been because they were afraid of dying. Afraid of arrest. Or afraid of losing their job because the Police would constantly harass them.
So some Reporters were like the "Investigative Reporters" we see today. Of course some were better then others. But this idea that they were all Buffoons or Idiots is a mistake. Certainly some were. Some weren't on the level either and they'd print known lies in order to make money. But you had the Police who weren't always the best either and they'd read the paper to get leads on the Case themselves. Many times they would drive out to find it was Bogus, but sometimes it was something worthwhile.
Many Cops, and even the FBI would use PIs as their ears to the ground. Many Reporters had this duel role and were sometimes actually employed as such.
Daws is a good example. He was a Reporter who, as a collaterally duty, worked as a PI. In fact, Governor Moore ordered Squire Johnson to turn over his Reports to him and aid him in his "investigation."
I am not trying to knock down this theory (or your opinion here) but I absolutely do believe they would have known. That's not to say they didn't but kept their mouths shut but I don't believe that either.
Does anyone happen to remember the source for placing Schippell in the Veteran's Hospital on March 1, 1932? I am thinking its in one of the books but at present I can't recall.
My file on Schippell contains his Statement where he tells Police he was home in bed (in NY) then went to the Vet Hos on March 8th. In Johnson's Report to Hoffman he says Schippell claimed he was in the Vet Hos on March 2nd (but Johnson claims he could prove he wasn't). I don't know where Johnson got the March 2nd date from.
I do know that Frank Wilson said Schippell wasn't in Hopewell on March 1st. Wilson is a pretty good source since both he and Keaton investigated the people who supposedly rented his place.
I believe his place was routinely checked out after the crime during the Police Area Search Investigation. I would have to check for it but I seem to remember seeing that. These searches were just cursory-type which were meant to be followed up if they saw something that would call for it.
Schippell became a "target" after the child was found. He seems to have been "cleared" but despite that Koehler and Bornmann went back and took some of his tools and wood. Schippell's place seemed to have gotten quite a bit of attention well into 1933. Sometimes he would come and the Police would be in his house. He complained that some of his tools and items were missing, and according to Schippell, the Police would tell him to be quiet or they'd arrest him.
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Post by Michael on Nov 18, 2012 20:41:58 GMT -5
Just to follow up....
That wasn't a mistake. It was Governor Moore who told Johnson to turn over his reports to and work with Daws. And so I think this exemplifies and underscores my point.
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Post by Michael on Nov 20, 2012 16:43:44 GMT -5
Here Schippell is being confused for Hauptmann: Attachments:
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Post by bookrefuge on Nov 20, 2012 21:52:26 GMT -5
Nice post. Seems to confirm that Schippell was still under some suspicion in 1934. In another thread, you commented that the photo of Schippell (which we later found out was actually Schippell’s brother) bore a resemblance to Cemetery John. Makes me really want to see a photo of Schippell HIMSELF! There’s just too much going on with this guy—too many coincidences to completely write him off. I am positive that I read somewhere that Schippell started to go beserk when he heard about Hauptmann getting the chair. But given Schippell’s reputation for delusions, it’s hard to interpret what that really might have meant. Does anybody know why Gerardi and Maran wanted to rent Schippell’s Hopewell shack in the summer of ’31?
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Post by bookrefuge on Nov 20, 2012 22:59:39 GMT -5
I mean, I can buy coincidences. Gerardi and Maran live near Englewood? No problem. They also live in Rockland, Maine, which—I just checked Google maps--is RIGHT ACROSS THE WATER from North Haven? OK, still no problem. But now you tell me that they rented a shack in Hopewell, just a few hundred feet from where the body was found? NOW I have a problem. You’ve just passed my coincidence threshold, and I refuse to buy. Who would have rented a shack in Hopewell? Wasn’t it basically a place inhabited by the locals?
I realize that the NJSP wrote off Gerardi and Maran as suspects. Fine. I’ll go along with that. They didn’t do the actual kidnapping. I'm sure they had excellent alibis for March 1, 1932. But they sure as hell look like they were casing the Lindberghs—SETTING UP the crime. And they weren’t exactly news reporters out for a scoop.
By the way, Michael. Sometimes I get an uneasy feeling that there may have been a “fix” somewhere on the law enforcement end. I mean, if you were a detective, it probably wouldn’t be too hard to occasionally make a piece of evidence vanish, or report an important witness as “unreliable.” You couldn’t do it all the time or you’d get caught. But you could do it once in a while, like a college basketball player on the take, who occasionally “rims” a shot on purpose. Take the Schippell photo. 80 years after the crime (thanks to Kevkon), we figure out it isn’t him. It was probably just an honest mistake. On the other hand, it seems conceivable that someone might have labeled the wrong photo “Charles Schippell” to prevent a good photo from being circulated and prevent Schippell from being recognized.
Michael, was there ever anyone on the LE end of this case who struck you as “not quite right”—who blew it just a couple times too many?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2012 10:32:06 GMT -5
If the searches were of the cursory-type, then they didn't see anything like a hidden green car or any distrubed earth that would have led to a more detailed look at the shack and other buildings and grounds. If Charlie had been buried there initially they would have missed it. I am not inclined to believe he was ever buried there on March 1. When you read the ransom notes the kidnappers imply that they have Charlie in a safe place and would not risk moving him during negotiations. They sound confident that he would not be easy to find. I just feel Schippell's residence was too close to have that degree of confidence. Placing him in that area after the ransom payment so he would be found is more logical to me.
From what I have read here about Gerardi and Maran, it sounds like they could have been stalking the Lindberghs. From what I read in the FBI files they were an odd bunch. It is mentioned in the files that both men were unemployed in 1931 and 1932. Yet somehow they have funds to rent all these residences. That is suspicious. Would like to know how they were paying for these places.
I am confused about the rental of Schippell's shack. In the FBI files on page 426 it says that Agent Wilson's report has the Gerardi Bunch living on a small farm near Rockland Maine in the summer of 1931. This farm is not far from the Morrow summer home in North Haven, Maine. If they are in Maine during the summer of 1931 (when little Charlie was there), how could they have been renting Schippell's Hopewell shack during the summer of 1931? Am I not reading this correctly or is Schippell confused about when he rented his place to Gerardi and Maran? Could it have been later, perhaps the fall, when the Lindberghs started going to the Hopewell house on weekends?
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Post by bookrefuge on Nov 21, 2012 12:49:02 GMT -5
Amy, I very much agree with you. My feeling is that Charlie’s body was probably buried in Hopewell at the same time as the placing of the pristine thumb guard, which was found on April Fool’s Day.
There’s no way you can safely negotiate a ransom with that corpse lying exposed a few yards off the road.
But if they left the corpse, where it was found, on April 1, there would still be a slight risk of discovery before the ransom was paid—a window of about 24 hours. I’m going to guess that they didn’t leave it there, but buried it on Schippell’s property.
Now it’s been stated elsewhere on this board that Schippell himself said he believed the body had been dug up and re-buried. How in the world would he get that idea? My guess is that he said it out of first-hand knowledge, rather than from logical reasoning.
If Schippell hadn’t been hospitalized on the night of the kidnapping, he probably would have been arrested. The circumstantial evidence against him was comparable to the circumstantial evidence against Hauptmann. His ¾-inch Bucks Brothers chisel was missing—the very claim Wilentz made about Hauptmann’s tool box in court. If the perps buried Charlie on Schippell’s property at the time of the ransom payment, discovery of the body there might have sealed his fate. Your perfect fall guy—a poor man of German descent, living near the Lindberghs, connected to the Bronx.
I’m guessing Schippell foiled the scheme--found the body on his property, and in terror dragged it to where it was found. Of course, I’m just speculating. Michael may know of some serious problems with this theory.
Back to Maran and Gerardi. They were staying in Rockland, Maine in the Summer of ’31. Now if you look at the map, it appears that of all the towns in Maine, none are closer to North Haven (where Charlie was staying that summer) than Rockland. That’s an unlikely coincidence by itself. But when you put it together with them renting out Schippell’s shack, the coincidence becomes unbelievable. I’m going to go along with Amy’s guess that they stayed in Rockland first, and that they probably began to case Hopewell after the Lindberghs returned from the Orient.
If I was going to look for a thread to pull in this case, I would start with Gerardi and Maran. I have no quarrel with the claim that they didn’t do the kidnapping. But it certainly looks like they were casing all three Lindbergh residences. I’d want to know everything I could about Gerardi and Maran, and who they were connected with.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2012 15:06:16 GMT -5
I agree with this. It appears like they were keeping tabs on Charlie. They seem to go where he goes. Since they weren't reporters, one wonders why they would be doing this. Even more so, WHO they were doing this for. They are unemployed but yet moving from place to place. This takes money. They must have been working for someone who set them up in the residences they needed to be in.
The FBI files say that Schippell rented his Hopewell shack to Charles Maran. Charles Maran is the son of New York attorney Joseph Maran. Wonder who some of Joseph Maran's clients were?
Am I understanding you correctly when I say that you mean they buried Charlie April 1 on Schippell's property and then Schippell found it sometime later and then moved it to the place where it would later be discovered on May 12, 1932?
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Post by bookrefuge on Nov 21, 2012 16:58:20 GMT -5
Yes. This is admittedly all just a guess. However, I am wondering why Schippell said the body was re-buried. Was it because he knew? I like the April 1 date because of the thumb guard discovery—don’t really buy that it was always there. It’s too approximate to the ransom payment date for me to take as coincidence. I figure if the perps returned to Hopewell, they didn’t want to go back more than once, so they dropped the thumb guard and placed the body on the same day. Just a theory.
The placement of the body where it was found has always been a little puzzling to me. It doesn’t seem to me that the perp(s) would negotiate the ransom with the body in a spot where it would be relatively easy to find. So I originally thought that maybe they left it there on April Fool’s Day as a double-cross “present” for Lindbergh. But then again, how could they be sure someone like William Allen would stumble across the “present”? It could have been a much longer time before someone came across the remains.
So perhaps an unexpected “wild card” move by Schippell provides the explanation—he finds it on his property, realizes he’s been made the fall guy, and drags the corpse at night a few hundred feet to where it was later found.
Returning to Gerardi and Maran--They were also Bronx natives, which stretches the coincidences even further. We have an old thread under “General Discussions” called “The Cerardi Bunch” in which Dena wrote:
In that old thread, Kevkon pointed out that high urban population density may make these addresses seem closer than they truly are. Nevertheless, Cerardi (Gerardi) has yet another coincidence in his record--he was at one time a Bronx resident, living a few doorsteps from Condon’s mother. It is also interesting that he was an ex-prizefighter, and it would seem credible that he and Al Reich might have encountered each other in the New York world of prizefighting—whose rings were certainly no strangers to members of organized crime.
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Post by Michael on Nov 21, 2012 22:16:50 GMT -5
According to Maran: About 2 months after we came back from Maine, Cerardi decided he would like to be on a farm, especially as the summer month were coming on. This could be my "mistake" actually. It makes sense that Schippell would have a picture of his Brother among his things. Sometimes there are items in the files that are mislabeled and/or placed in the wrong spots. For example, there is an entire collection that has been created by the 1st set of Researchers and the 1st Archivist that came from material from the other collections that was not properly refiled. I believe this is explained in Mark's Researcher Guide to the NJSP Archives. Anyway, its a possible explanation outside of the usual one. I think each individual was guided by their own "moral compass." That is almost everyone was willing to do something unethical but exactly to what extent depended upon that individual personality. I am still surprised at some of the testimony which, when compared to their Reports, doesn't match. Even from some of the men I respect the most for their efforts. We also have to try to put things into proper perspective as well. Like for example, Owney Madden's legitimate efforts to help solve the case. You can tell he cared about children enough to get mixed up in something he had no business getting involved in. It's surprising actually. But then you get angry at the Cops for beating the hell out of Hauptmann. So you may find yourself liking the Mobster who murdered people in cold blood for a living but disliking the the guys who tried to stop crime because they beat up someone they truly believed murdered a baby. I guess my answer to your question would be "any of them" if the circumstances were right. I think though, that at this point if Schippell looked guilty, they wouldn't try to make him look innocent. Maran paid for them. For Schippell's place, he paid $60.00 up front for 3 months rent. Maran says they went to Hopewell after they came back from Maine. According to him, they went to Hopewell at the end of July '31. I honestly don't think he was. His statement claims he was sick but home in bed and didn't go to the VA Hospital until the 8th. I'd like to investigate the source that claims he was in the VA Hospital on the 1st if you know what it is. But either way, it appears the Police were satisfied he was in NY and not in Hopewell on the 1st. It's as good as any. Of course its speculation but you have him pointing to a hole claiming the child was there originally. So trying to make sense out of it is a reasonable thing to do.
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Post by bookrefuge on Nov 22, 2012 6:40:27 GMT -5
Could be true, but “would like to be on a farm” sounds pretty vague, if not hokey, as a motivation. And I wonder how they settled on Hopewell. Thanks for the quote. It would be interesting to see the full statements of Maran and (if there is one) Cerardi.
So it sounds like Schippell was definitely not in the hospital the night of the kidnapping—my mistake. I probably just mis-remembered this from another thread.
It’s interesting that the police were satisfied Schippell was in New York on the night of the kidnapping, yet he remained a suspect.
Michael, do you know exactly where the hole was? And did anyone attach credibility to Schippell’s claim that Charlie had been buried there?
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Post by Michael on Nov 22, 2012 20:03:23 GMT -5
Agreed. And 60 Bucks wasn't disposable income for most people. I've wondered if it didn't have something to do with his Wife. I gotten into the habit (for good reason) to try to come up with other explanations for different things that occur throughout the crime and/or investigations.
I wish I could post it. It's a copy of a duplicate on onion skin which I xeroxed without the cover being shut. I can barely read it myself. As far as Cerardi.... I've always believed there was a Statement but I have never been able to find one. I will put it on my "to do" list for my next trip down to the Archives. I'll check out a few other places it could be. Most likely it's not there or I would have it - but I will double check.
I remembered reading that somewhere myself. I just can't remember where at the moment. I did see a NJSP Report which states Schippell wasn't consistent but "cleared it up" during his interview. Still though, I have a recollection of seeing something else. If I find it I will post it.
BTW.... I found a report referencing the picture of Schippell's Brother. It claims it was a picture found in Schippell's place, and was shown to Condon who said it "was not" Cemetery John.
I don't know maybe its me - although its not - that picture looks very much like Hauptmann. So the point is a valid one regardless if this was Schippell or his Brother instead.
What I know is this hole was very near to Schippell's place. He pointed it out to several people who all saw the hole. Schippell also claimed there was a marking on a tree presumably for those to find the place. He claimed the child was dug up then disposed near the road so he could be found.
It's always been my position that the child was not found where he was originally. So its interesting that Schippell is saying this very same thing. Now whether or not the child actually was in the hole he pointed out is a mystery we may never solve. I have never found a Report where the NJSP follows up this point. In fact, they mention other things but omit this one. It's asked of him during Gov. Hoffman's re-investigation again but the time to ask was during the initial investigation.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2012 18:53:12 GMT -5
I did a little reseach and found out that Charlie did not leave Englewood for Maine until July 27th and remained there until Dwight Morrow's death which occured Oct. 5th, 1931. Charlie was brought back to Englewood shortly after this happened. This means that when Charlie was in Maine, Gerardi and Maran were in Hopewell. If there is any connection between Gerardi and Maran to the kidnapping, perhaps it is the homes they are interested in.
It does sound phony considering that the place they stayed while in Maine before they came to Hopewell was described as a farm. I guess they just can't get enough of the farmers life.
About Schippell's place. I have heard it described often as a shack. Considering what the term shack implies, why would someone pay $60.00 during the depression to rent a shack for three months. Do you know what kind of farm Schippell had? Was it crops, dairy, chickens or what?
I agree with you. There is a definite resemblence between the Schippell picture and Hauptmann. Any chance Charles and his brother could be twins?
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Post by bookrefuge on Nov 23, 2012 21:24:58 GMT -5
What I find interesting is that, even though Schippell was considered a suspect, he openly said the child had first been buried quite close to his place. If the child was really buried there, it COULD have tended to incriminate Schippell—so I’m surprised he would originate this theory.
Of course, it’s been reported that Schippell was delusional, so it’s hard to interpret. Nevertheless, it could gel with the theory I’m tinkering with--that someone was trying to frame Schippell by burying the child on his property. Again, let’s say Schippell discovers the body, realizes he’s been set up to take the fall, and drags the body at night a few hundred feet to where it was eventually found.
It might then make sense that Schippell, fearing that forensic experts might still trace the body to the hole near his shack, would volunteer his belief that the child had been buried there—hoping to forestall in advance any heat that might come on himself.
Also interesting that Cerardi and Maran first lived in Rockland, which is right on the coast of Maine; then Cerardi suddenly gets a hankerin’ to live in the Sourland Mountains. That’s quite a switch in terrain. Three months in Schipell’s shack would have given these city boys quite a bit of time to case not only the area around Highfields, but to get to know Hopewell very well in general, and Schippell’s land and personal property (for instance, what kind of chisels were laying about). What better way to case the vicinity than to actually live there? Cerardi and Maran could have also played host to visitors unknown.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 23, 2012 22:05:45 GMT -5
Do you think it is possible that Charlie was buried there on March 1? There was supposedly a tree that was marked which would of helped to locate the burial spot.
If Schippell is a bit unbalanced then I could see him doing something like this. My only problem with it is that he brings LE down onto himself with this action. I don't think they looked at him suspiciously until the child's body was found. Then they really began to check out his shack and property and tools, etc.
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Post by Michael on Nov 24, 2012 11:32:46 GMT -5
Schippell claimed it was a "40 Acre Farm." I know there was a chicken coup on site. I've seen his place called both a shack and a house. Squire Johnson called it a "rude shack" with a "lean-to" built next to it. He said it was 1000 ft. from where the child was found.
I don't think so. He had several brothers... I plan on searching for a real picture of him next trip to the Archives.
I know I've said this several times but there are so many places to search. Not everything is in the index cards, plus there are so many different collections to check. Next, so many people had an alias or two or three and some reports misspelled names. So persons filing those documents originally used that name and not the right one. And so if you don't know the wrong spelling then how do you look it up?
The good thing is that I do know most of them, and I've gathered those reports together in my personal collection as a result. For example, I found a Report on Schippell listing the person as "Sheppele." And another one on Maran where his name was mentioned as Mairne. Also some that have been filed under Cerrardi's alias "Frank Jerome."
It's why so much can exist that might be missed, overlooked, and/or accidentally disregarded - even from someone who spends some time specifically looking.
I remember someone floating out the idea that whoever lived in Schippell's place would know if the body was missing or had been found. Therefore they be able to prevent a "trap" at the ransom drop by the Police by alerting the Kidnappers to the find.
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Post by bookrefuge on Nov 24, 2012 13:15:53 GMT -5
I suppose it’s possible he was buried March 1. That way, if the perp(s) were stopped by police on the getaway trip to New York, there would be no chance of Charlie being found with them.
But I can’t see such a burial being done with Schippell’s consent. Even if he was a co-conspirator—who wants something that could send you to the electric chair on your property?
And on the night of the kidnapping, I can’t see the perps hanging around in Hopewell, taking the time to dig a hole. On the other hand, if Cerardi and Maran had pre-dug a hole when they were living on Schippell’s property, then disguised the hole by covering it up, it would give perps a spot to drop the body real quick without needing the time to dig. Maybe the marked tree was actually intended for March 1st.
However, I still have some problems with the kidnappers doing a March 1 burial, then returning to bury again. It would seem kind of risky for the kidnappers to return to Hopewell, just to dig up the corpse and move it 1000 feet or so, to a spot where there was still no guarantee it would soon be found. This is why I’m thinking Schippell may have discovered and moved it—to get it off his property.
The advanced decay of the body has suggested to some that the body was initially kept someplace warm—someplace inside, even a car trunk inside a garage. An idea that I’m tending to favor is that the perps returned during the wee hours of April 1st, planted the thumb guard, and deposited the body on Schippell’s property intending to frame him.
Wow! That’s intriguing. If true, it WOULD pretty much make Schippell a co-conspirator. By being out of town on March 1st, he has an alibi established for the night of the kidnapping. But when he returns to Hopewell, he keeps an eye on the burial sight. I do recall reading that Schippell went nuts when Hauptmann got the electric chair. Wish I could find the source on that. This could have been more of Schippell’s delusional behavior—or it could have been guilt raising its head.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 25, 2012 19:48:57 GMT -5
My guess is that it had been a functioning farm in the past but not at the time that Cerardi and Maran were renting it. I really don't think those two guys were interested in farming.
I have thought about this myself. I have read comments about the darkened bones suggesting warm conditions for a good period of time. The burlap bag found near the body had "Animal Food" stamped on it. Oat hull was found inside and along seams. Thought this might suggest the bag came from a farm with animals, especially horses, as they have oats as part of their diet. A car truck is an interesting idea, especially if the car is stored in a garage or building. Schippell had a green car that was hidden on his property. I wonder if LE ever checked out his car trunk.
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