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Post by Michael on Dec 15, 2012 12:29:39 GMT -5
In the same vein as the thread "Who was....?" I decided to start a thread for posting/discussing some of the Letters that were recieved concering the Kidnapping. (There is another Thread "Letters" which is similar located in the General Discussion but I wanted a fresh one to start here) Here is a letter written by William J. Case of Flemington: Attachments:
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Joe
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Post by Joe on Dec 15, 2012 17:13:03 GMT -5
An interesting point, but I think that in Hauptmann's case, it would have been ineffective. This was one man intent on carrying his guilt, lies and deception right to the bitter end. Dudley Schoenfeld was bang on.
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Post by Michael on Dec 21, 2012 6:31:04 GMT -5
Sorry for the delay. I have been filing some recent material and had a couple of those "aha!" moments. 3 to be exact. So its, once again, back to tracking down some more to find out whatever I can. No kidding. I've had this happen over the years but it was 3 in a row. Hard to imagine after all of this time finding "new" stuff (or old that I just overlooked somehow). Anyway Joe (or anyone else): Don't you buy into any of the theories that Hauptmann was about to confess but that Governor Hoffman's inter-meddling is what prevented it? This was something his critics often pointed out. Here is a link to the other "Letter" thread to anyone who is interested in viewing some of those letters I've posted in the past: And another letter written by Attorney Paul L. Bowers of Pittsburgh (if Vovina is still checking the Board he will enjoy this one):
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Joe
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Posts: 2,615
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Post by Joe on Dec 21, 2012 10:59:11 GMT -5
Certainly Governor Hoffman had the heart and altruistic desire to bring anyone else involved to justice so that Hauptmann himself was not hung out to dry and held solely accountable for the crime. But he also had his own well-engrained political motivations at heart, in the spirit of the old boys league of the time. He knew exactly what he was doing and what he stood to gain or lose. Unfortunately for him, within all of his political posturing and maneuvering, I doubt he had ever met anyone as stolid, deceptive and unrepenting as Hauptmann. In Hoffman's open arena battles with Wilentz and Schwarzkopf, there was a certain predictability or give and take, which he was well accustomed to. But with Hauptmann, there was nothing but weepy denial in the face of overwhelming evidence towards a deep involvement. While I'm sure Hoffman's private, and then public crusade helped to fortress Hauptmann's position further, I believe Hauptmann himself was already in too deep to spill his guts, given his distrust over the tactics that had been used on him to that point. His defense of others really took him no further than outside a circle of his immediate family and closest friends. Four years after the crime, at a time that was still very emotionally charged, no one yet seemed to have the patience and resolve to approach Hauptmann for the purpose of opening him up in the way that Dudley Schoenfeld had prescribed when he was first arrested.
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