Evening star., 1934-09-22
Code Letter
Mailed to
Convict.
WARDEN TRIED
TO FOIL PLOT
Prisoner Taken
East, but Police
"NOt Interested

COLUMBUS, Ohio, september IL
Evidence that Bruno Hauptmann.
arrested in the Lindbergh kidnapping
case. had sent a code letter to an
Ohio Penitentiary convict late in 1881
or early in 1892 revealing he intended
to kidnap the famous aviator's child.
was disclosed here today by Preston
E. Thomas, veteran warden OF the
old prison.
The warden said the prisoner here
made a trip to New Jersey with him
shortly after the kidnapping. in the
hope he could return the child to its
parents. But, said the warden, New
Jersey officers took no interest in 1t,
and we returned to Columbus"
The prisoner in question, the ward
en- said, was George Paul, whose
right name is George Michael Paul
lin," sent up from Mahoning County
for robbery.
The warden said Department of
Justice agents were investigating the
Columbus end of the case and indi-
Gated that it was possible other per-
sons might be involved in the kid
naping.
Daughter Recalls Name.
The fact that Hauptmann had writ
ten to an Ohio penitentiary convict
became known shortly after Haupt-
mann was arrested. Thomas said.
Miss Amanda A. Thomas, daughter OF
the warden and prison mailclerk,
recalled that she had handled let
ter late in 1881 or early in 1882 and
that it was signed Bruno Haupt-
mann" The letter. she said. was so
peculiarly worded it drew her special
attention. but she passed it along to
the prisoner to whom it was ad-
dressed.
This convict, the warden said, had
sent him a note late in 1881 request
ing an interview, but failing to name
the subject to be discussed. The
warden paid no attention to the note,
but early in 1882 another note from
the same man urged an interview and
said the subject matter would be the
Lindbergh kidnapping"
The code letter. the second word OF
each sentence of which was to be
read said:
"I will write you a few lines today
to let you know that all is we'll. Old
kid, how I wish you were with us. A
nap is taken by Mildred every after
noon since she came from the hos
pital. Mr.. Lindy went to Red Bank
last week and while skating caught
a sever cold and had pneumonia. Old
baby, wish you could have been with
us last week as we surely had grand
time. l hope everything is going well
with you. AS for me. things are not
going so good. Oh, me! Oh. my.
(Signed) Bruno.
Mailed in New Jersey.
Immediately the warden summoned
the prisoner and he displayed the let
ter Miss Thomas recalled. The sig
nature had been torn from it. The
prisoner claimed it was in code, the
code having been invented by the
writer. The second word in each SEN
tence was to be read, and when so
read the missive said, will kidnap
Lindy baby"
The letter was posted at Perth
Amboy, N. j., and Miss Thomas re-
called that other letters, addressed to
the same convict later, were signed
either Bruno" or "Hauptmann."
After the code letter was decipher-
ed, the warden said, he took the pris-
oner East when the convict told him
my only interest is to save the life
of the child and return it to its par
ents." At that time the warden
knew nothing of Hauptmann or his
possible connection with the case.
While in the Newark, N. j.. rail-
road station, the warden recalled,
man and woman stood near the
Ohio prisoner and appeared to seek
to communicate with him. The guards
stopped this and later the prisoner
told the warden the man was Haupt-
mann.
Today a picture Of Hauptmann, as
printed by the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
was shown to the prisoner by the war
den and a Department of Justice
agent. The prisoner, the warden said,
declared that is the man"
Shooting Delays Story.
As the warden got to this point in
his story an alarm bell sounded and
within a few seconds the prison was
in an uproar. Guards rushed about
with riot guns and soon shots re-
sounded in the IL" cell block, the
death house, where were housed the
Dillinger gangsters. News men fell
over each other getting to telephones
Among those present was r. p.
Cronin, jr., Ohio bureau chief of the
Associated Press. Even before Cronin
knew what was going on he had tele-
phoned his Office and told them to get
set for big break Within few min
utes the prison telephone sounded and
then came the word "Pierpont and
Makley tried to break and were shot. I"