Evening star., 1933-04-30
.L|NDBERGH TO TELL
?
K|DNAP STORY HERE
Will Testify Against Means
/ and "Fox" in Ransom
Hoax Case.

nrSC son IN the 1OrulcOmluS raISOH
conspiracy trial Of CASTOR B. Means
and Norman T. Whitaker in the Dis
trict Supreme Court, it was indicated
yesterday in official quarters.
Col Lindbergh, now in California
with Mrs Lindbergh on an extended fly
ing tour, is expected to fly back here in
time for the opening phases of the dra-
matte trial, which begins May before
a jury in Criminal Division 2, with
Justice Daniel w. O'Donoghue pre-
siding.
Government officials are Of the opin-
ion that Col. Lindbergh's own story Is
necessary to support the prosecution in
its effort to prove that Means and
Whitaker conspired to perpetrate de-
liberate fraud on Mrs. Evalyn Walsh
Mclean, victim of $104,000 ransom
hoax. Means already is under Is
year sentence for engineering the ran
som fraud.
Believed Willing to Testify.
1t is understood Col Lindbergh has
implied he will be willing to testify if
called. At first it was thought that
testimony by Betty Cow, nurse of the
kidnapped child, might suffice, but since
1t will be necessary to establish that
the baby's body was properly identified
after Its discovery in the brush . few
miles from Hopewell last May, the ap-
pearance Of Iindbergh was deemed es-
sential. The nurse saw the wasted re-
mains of the baby, but swooned before
she could identify it. and final identi-
flcation was made by the father at an
undertaking establishment.
United States Attorney Leo A. Rover,
who will prosecute the case, Is de-
sirous of showing by testimony con-
cerning the condition of the baby's
skeleton that the child probably was
dead at the time Means and Whitaker
allegedly claimed they could return it.
At the time the murdered child's
body was found on May II last, half
Mountain. medical examiners said the
baby must have been dead for two
months or more. Since the kidnapping
occurred on the night Of March !, it
was agreed the infant was killed shortly
after it was taken from the nursery
probably on the same night.
Said Baby Was Alive.
Means and THE Fox later identi-
AACQ CD WAlLdhGl, 0SSOLunlk W VQIS
McLeanS testimony in the previous
trial, were advising her the baby was
'alive and WELL five or six weeks after
the kidnapping time when the
baby actually must have been dead
for q month.
Whitaker, Mrs. Mclean has testified,
posing variously as THE Fox" mo
10" and Neil Williams" self-styled
chief kidnaper" Of the Iindbergh heir.
told her on one occasion he had held
the baby in his arms and 1t was in
good health.
There are two conspiracy indictments
against Means and Whitaker. One,
returned upon Whitaker's arrest in
New York on June 81 last, charged
the pair with c0nspiring to defrsud
Mrs. Mclean of 100000 intended as
ransom and $4,000 additional for ''ex-
penses." The other, retained April l3
of this year accused the two of at
tempting to dsfraud kuB. Mclean Of
$35 ,0o0, which she says Abe was asked
for $4,000 of the $4,000 paid by
DR.. John r. Condor to John"
Mrs. Mclean testified In the Means
trial that THE Fox" explained his
gang had succeeded in disposing of
81 900 OF Lindberghs money before 1t
was learned that the money was hot
that Is, could be identified by the serial
numbers, which Lindbergh had record
ed. The gang Mrs. Mclean said she
was told. were 'sore" about the trick
that had been played on them by Col.
Lindbergh, and were demanding that
the money be made good before they
agreed to return the baby.
Attorneys Tipped on.
Mrs. Mclean said she did not have
any more cash, but she finally consented
to pawn some of her jewels to raise q
compromise sum Of $4,000. Her at
torneys. whom she had kept in the dark
about her negotiations, were tipped of
by q friend about Mrs. McLean's plans
and the deal promptly was called OF.
On advice OF her attorneys, Mrs. Nc
Lean called on Means to return the
$l04,000 she had paid him. and when
he told fantastic tale about having
given the money to a mysterious agent
mo. H." whom he thought represented
Mrs. Mclean, the Department Of JUS
tice took charge Of the case and caused
Means arrest at his home in Chevy
Chase.
At the time of Means trial the iden-
tity of The Fox" alias mo. 49," alias
Neil williams" was not disclosed, as
Whitaker had not been apprehended.
Wdo SdPtulSo lAA 4SAoOhiyAt ~ \ - ~
special agents of the U. S. Bureau of
Investigation after Nationwide search.
Mrs. Mclean identified Whitaker as
the chief kidnaper" whom Means In
troduced to her at Aiken, s. c. on
March %, 1892 under the most melo.
dramatic circumstances. The "chief
kidhaper," she said, was to have brought
her the Lindbergh baby at her Aiken
horse, but he explained that he had
beer trailed from Washington by ofh-
GERS armed with machine guns and his
plans sad been frustrated. Mrs. NC
Lean said she was told the baby had
been taken to Mexico and it would be
necessary to go to Ell Paso, Texas, to
get 1t.
More Money Asked at El Paso.
She went to Ell Paso as directed and
met Means and Whitaker there at a
hotel on April Q, she declared. 1t was
in El Paso, she said, that the demand
for S35, 900 additional was made: This
occurred Just q week after DIR. Condor
handed bundle of bills to the mys-
terious John" at midnight rendez-
yous near cemetery. i
Among other witnesses to be called
by the Government next week are
Rear Admiral Emory S. Land. U. s. n.
cousin of Col Iindbergh's mother. who
obtained Lindbergh's permission lor
Mrs. Mclean to negotiate with Means;
Col. M. Robert Guggenheim, U. s; A..
friend of Col. Lndbergh. with whom
Means was negotiating when Mrs Nc
Lean entered the picture and whom
Means dropped when Mrs: Mclean
paid him the $1,000 900, and Rev. Fran
els J. Hurney Catholic priest, to whom
Means related the story about agent
''No. H."
TESTIFIED AGAINST CURTIS.
Lindbersh Related Details et Baoy's
{n Gos,vt