Evening star., 1933-05-13
MEANS RANSOM
STORY COLLAPSES
None Of Lindbergh Money
Found in Deposit Box
Rented by HasseII.

Preliminary investigation has con-
vinced Federal officials that CASTOR B
Means astounding tale Of his self
styled contacts" with the kidnapers
Of the Lindbergh baby is, to quote one
of them, "a figment Of weird imag-
ination that makes Baron Munchausen
look like a piker"
One important angle Of the story
ghbly related by Means to a jury try
ing him and Norman T Whitaker ir
District Supreme Court for a ransom
fraud conspiracy against Mrs. Evalyr
Walsh Mclean collapsed completely
today.
This phase was Means matter-of- fact
climactic statement that the $4,000
ransom paid by Col. Charles A. Lind
bergh through DR.. John F. Condor
alias "Jafsie" and the 500 900 paid
Means by Mrs. Mclean could be found
al the Elizabethport Banking Co.. Eliza
beth, N. j.. in the name of Max Hassell
recently murdered beer baron.
No Lindbergh Money In Box.
Means had declared connections" OF
Hassell and another murdered gangster
Max Greenberg, stole the Llndbergh
baby. in connivance with wellington
Henderson" and Irving Fenton, fg-
ures held by the Government to be
purely fictitious. No such persons hao
been located today at an address IN De-
troit. given yesterday by Means.
United States Attorney Leo A. Rovel
said today an investigation at the De-
troit address has disclosed that this L
the headquarters Of group OF Com
munists we'll known to police of Detroit
who have had number OF clashes with
Reds" chiefly at the Ford factory
Rover said Federal agents found a White
man and two colored men at the ad-
dress and that the trio denied ever nav
ing heard of either "Fenton' or Hen
derson."
Rover said there were no such name!
of suspected radicals on a list kept BY
Detroit police nor by authorities at
Dearborn. site Of the Ford factory. The
prose cutor also said that list Of Com
munists compiled by the D. A. r. con-
tanned neither name.
Government authorities said that a
safety deposit box rented from the New
Jersey concern by Hassell and which
was opened shortly after his death anc
found to contain $214,000 in cash and q
$4,000 note. did not have dollar o,
Lindbergh's money in it."
$50 Lowest Denomination.
The lowest denomination of the cur
rency found in HasSells box. Rover wa!
advised by agents of the Internal Rev.
enue Bureau. was $50. whereas the
largest bills in the Lindbergh ransom
money were twenties. The "Jafsie'
package consisted of f1ves, tens ane
twenties, the serial numbers of which
we're kept by Lindbergh. The Hassel
cache consisted of $50. 500. $500
81 900 and $4,000 bills. The note wa!
signed by two prominent New Jersey
bankers.
Furthermore. not more than $4,000
of Mrs McLean's money could have
been in the lock box. since it was testi.
fed in the trial that $4,000 of it wa.
in 500 bills, the remainder being ir
$l0O bills.
Story Abused, Official Says.
Indicative of the contempt" with
which the Government received Means
fabulous two-day story of his purport.
ed dealings with the Lindbergh kid
napers, Rover yesterday declined t<
cross examine Means on any OF tht
details.
One Government official explained
that Means story was too absurd tc
dignity by serious cross-questioning.
In closing arguments to the jury, how.
ever, it is expected Rover will EN-
phasize that all of the persons who
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