Kidnap: The Shocking Story of the Lindbergh Case

Kidnap; The Story of the Lindbergh Case - by George Waller Publication date 1961 Publisher - Cardinal edition published by Pockey Books - # GC-774 Paperback 4 x 7 inches, 691 pages While many books about the crime of the century preceded it, Waller's book was by far, the most detailed and thorough examination of the crime and the resulting trial, of all publications up to that point. Reviewing the book for the University of Minnesota Law Review, William L. Prosser accurately stated: "Waller, a free-lance writer and former magazine and newspaper editor, who was a student of journalism at near-by Temple University at the time of the case, has retold the story in considerable detail, and with an unbiased accuracy which has been sadly lacking in some previous accounts." After its American debut, it was published in Germany in 1963 under the title: Der Fall Lindbergh Das Verbrechen. The American edition is massive, just under 600 pages, and it contains 27 period photographs. Waller assumes his readers were well aware of the background and enormous fame of Charles Lindbergh so the very first page has his description of the kidnapping. He reveals in pains-taking detail everything about the Lindbergh estate home and the people within it on March 1, 1932 when a home-made ladder was placed against the residence and the kidnapper climbed up to the nursery window. Waller makes no secret about the strong influence that Lindbergh utilized from the very beginning in terms of the investigation. Relatives of kidnapped victims usually have no say-so in terms of what the authorities do in order to solve the case and return the victim unharmed to the family. But Colonel Lindbergh, with no experience in crime solving, insisted on dictating terms and parameters to local and federal officials handling this case. Sometimes he was successful, but fortunately in the matter of recording the serial numbers of the ransom cash, his views were rejected. Lindbergh forbade any recording of the serial numbers as the first kidnap note demanded, but he was overruled. Had a record not been made of those serial numbers, the case never would have been solved. The role of Dr. John Condon, who successfully maneuvered himself into being the go-between for the ransom payoff to the kidnapper, is detailed very well by Waller, setting forth every communique between Condon and the kidnapper. Their personal meetings were devoid of police surveillance at Lindbergh's insistence. Nor does Waller ignore the more sordid aspects of the crime after the decomposed body of the tiny victim is discovered; an intruder broke into the morgue, photographed the little corpse, and then sold copies of the picture. Efforts of two men, neither of whom was in law enforcement, which almost resulted in the solution of the case, are set forth. Dr. Dudley D. Shoenfeld, an experienced psychiatrist at Mt. Sinai Hospital, was allowed to examine all the ransom notes and other evidence collected. After months of study, he prepared a criminal profile of the kidnapper that proved to be amazingly accurate, although his insightful conclusions were not confirmed until Hauptmann was arrested. Arthur Koehler of Wisconsin, the "Sherlock Holmes of wood," spent months examining the home-made ladder of the kidnapper. With a microscope, he detected that a defective blade at a saw mill had produced a particular mark in some of the boards. He eventually located that saw mill in McCormick, SC and through more investigation, traced their shipment to a Bronx lumber yard. But it was another dead-end; the sale of that batch of those boards was unrecorded at the lumber yard. One half of Waller's book recounts the crime, the investigation, and Hauptmann's capture. The second half is devoted to the trial and the lengthy appeal process. All the highlights of the testimony of both the prosecution and the defense as well as the introduction of physical evidence are covered with objectivity. Portions of the testimony are included, repeating verbatim statements from actual transcripts of the trial, but only to reinforce critical facts. At the book's conclusion, he takes no position on the guilt of Hauptmann but merely lets the mountain of evidence stand in mute confirmation. The only fault in this book, which keeps it from being a convenient reference book, is that it contains no index.