The Washington times., 1932-05-18
CURTIS FICTION
! HAD RING Of
HONESTY

ttOPEWELIL, N. j., May 10
IU.S).-The entire fantasy which
John H. Curtis conceived as the
basis of his hoax negotiations"
for the Lindbergh baby'S return
was made public tonight in Cur
tis' own words by Col. H. Norman
Schwartkopf
Embracing more than 5000
words in all and given to
the police before his confession
in an attempt to convince them
Just as he had Colonel Lindbergh
that he actually was dealing with
the kidnaperS, Curtis weird tale
began as follows:
''It started on the night OF
March 8. A man who L call
Sam came down to see me at
the Norfolk Country Club. He
swOre me to absolute secrecy
and then said two people had
approached him and he told
J me all about the kidnapping,
stating he was sent by two
men to see if he could get in
touch with Colonel. Lindbergh.
Dean Cool at First
Curtis said the first thing he
did was to get in touch with
Dean H. Dobson-Peacock. At
first, he said, the dean was cool
toward the proposition but finally
agreed they ought to get in
touch with Colonel Lindbergh.
Finally, Curtis explained, at his
wife's suggestion he went to Ad-
Iniral Burrage, on whose flagship
Lindbergh returned from his flight
to Paris in 1927.
Admiral Burrage, according to
Curtis, managed to get Lindbergh
on the phone and the next day
they went up by auto to interview
the Flying Colonel. Curtis said:
eve interviewed Colonel Lind
bergh and at that time he stated
he and others were skeptical
and asked that we get some
proof. So later, / got in touch
with my original man, Sam, and
told him what Colonel Lind
bergh wanted.
/ THE "WHOLE WORKS"
'Five days later, he agreed to
meet me in New York. 1 met
him at the Manhattan Cafeteria
on Seventh Avenue and Forty
first Street. He agreed to take
me over to meet the whole
works and work out a plan.
"This was the first time I met
John and two of his associates.
Dim, another, was coming in a
boat, but was prevented by fog.
The next night we went down
to Cape May, and went on board
his boat, called the Theresa Sal
vatOre."
Sam, he said, eventually brought
him a letter containing the actual
characteristics of the baby.
Then, at another meeting in
Newark, the gang showed him
"Some of the marked money and
q list showing the serial num-
bers of the ransom bills paid
by Colonel Lindbergh on April
e" Curtis said.
In Gangs Power
Curtis said he then went down
to the dock at Cape May to meet
the "kidnapers on a boat" and
suddenly found himself in the
midst of the whole gang of five
men, who told him he was in
their power.
Curtis said that when he told
them he had complete record
of their descriptions, names and
transactions since he met. they
arranged for meeting Cn the
high seas at which the child
was to be returned
. Nowhere in Curtis statement,
strangely enough, was the amount
of ransom mentioned, but it is
understood he induced Colonel
Lindbergh to bring a large sum
of money with him.
The first designated location
for the meeting was off Block
Island, between Long Island and
New London, Conn.,, Curtis said.
Colonel Lindbergh accompanied
Curtis on the trip. The child was
not returned and no trace of the
kidnaperS was seen.
Curtis said he was then in
formed that he should seek a
contact off the Virginia Capes.
That, apparently. was the time
when the Yacht Maroon, with
Colonel Lindbergh also on board,