Evening star., 1934-09-23
Warden Tells of Prisoners
Kidnap Tip From ''Bruno"
COnrict Baked at Police
Scheme to Trap
Hduptmann.
Little Credence Put in
Story by Jersey
authorities.

Copyright 1894, bv the Associated Press.
COLUMBUS, Ohio, September 22.-
A startling disclosure. further linking
Bruno Hauptmann with the Lindbergh
kidnapping case came from behind the
walls of Ohio Penitentiary today.
Preston E. Thomas, veteran warden
of the prison, was authority for the
sensational statement that one OF his
prisoners, George Michael Paullin, had
received a code letter from Bruno"
late in 1881 or early in 1882 stating,
will kidnap Lindy baby. Hope for
me"
The warden's story in part was:
George Paul, whose right name is
George Michael Paullin. was received
at the Ohio Penitentiary January 25,
1880. from Mahoning County (Youngs-
town. Ohio. for the crime of robbery.
which carries a statutory sentence of
10 to IS years.
Quotes Letter.
"On or about the last of 1881 or the
first part of 1882 this prisoner received
letter as follows:
I 1rill write you a few lines to-
dav TO let you know that all is well.
Old kid how wish you were here
with us. A nap is taken by Mildred
every afternoon since she came from
the hospital. Mr.. Indy went to Red
Bank last week and while skating
caught a severe cold and has pneu-
monia. Old baby wish you could have
been with us last week as we surely
had a grand time. I hope everything
is going well with you AS tOr me,
things are not going so good. Oh
me. oh my. tSigned) Bruno"
1Note-Italics inserted by The Star
to clarity code)
On account of the peculiar word
ing and disconnected sentences the
letter was particularly noted by Miss
A A. Thomas, Maine censor tthe war
den's daughter. Soon after the kid
naping I received several notes from
Prisoner Paullin asking for an inter-
view.
He showed me the letter and asked
me what it meant to me. l told him
that I did not figure out anything
from it, and then he told me that it
was a code letter that the second
word IN each sentence should be
taken and put together, which We did,
and which read as follows
Will kidnap Lindy baby. Hope
for me-
When I read this letter the sigma
ture was torn from it. and therefore
I personally did not see the signature.
My daughter did and remembered the
name signed to it. She now recalls
that he received other letters signed
Hauptmann. but does not remember
of any having been received with both
names on them.
Goes to New Jersey.
This matter resulted in a trip by
myself. Guard P. J. Deuber and the
prisoner, George Paul. to New Jersey
through certain towns and to the
home Of the Lindberghs. Paul, at
that time. did not care to give the
name of the suspected kidnaper, but
he wanted to get in touch with him
so that the life of the baby could be
saved.
Officers stationed in the Lindbergh
home did not seem to take much stock
in Pauls story, nor in his proposition
to try to get in touch with the kid
naperS and he was returned to the
Ohio Penitentiary. The night before
the day of his return to the Ohio Pen
itentiary he was lodged in the jail
at Trenton. N j.. and at that time
he told the story that he wrote a
letter from the Jail to party in Perth
Amboy, N. j., to let the kidnaper
know that he was there and what
his mission was. He afterward claimed.
and still claims, that Bruno Haupt-
mann with a woman was at the
railway station in Newark, N. J.. while
We were waiting for the train: that
they endeavored to get in touch with
him while 1 was buying tickets, but
that the watchfulnesS of Officer P. F.
Dueber prevented them from so doing
Deny Resemblance.
"Mr. Dueber and I remember this
couple and l cannot see, and neither
can he. that there is any resemblance
between the pictures in the newspapers
of today and the parties seen there
Il talked with the prisoner yester-
day. I had before me in my desk a
picture appearing In the Cleveland
Plain Dealer purporting to be the
picture of Bruno Hauptmann, and
when the prisoner George Paul was
shown this and asked whether he
recognized it he said That is the
man. Then I asked him if he was
the man who wrote the code letter
and he said Yes.
"Paullin said he met Bruno Haupt-