The Washington times., 1934-12-13

Americas greatest reporter.
BY JAMES L. KILGALLEN
Copyright 1924, by International News
ServCe)
PENNINGTON, N. j., Dec. 13
N.N.S0 Bruno Richard Haupt'
Misunderstanding his Il am in
nocent" contention in the face of
discriminating evidence-continues
to be an enigmatic figure.
Today, some three months after
his arrest with Lindbergh ransom
bills in his possession he Is as
Adamant as ever that he wasn't
the man who went up the ladder
at the Lindbergh home at Hope
well, N. j., on the night of
March l, 1882, seized little Charles
A. Lindbergh, jr., from his crib
and subsequently killed the baby,
whose body was found weeks later
In the brush not far from a New
Jersey highway.
Closely Guarded
On January 2 Hauptmann will
be the lone defendant answering
in the Hunterdon County Court
to the charge that he murdered
the Lindbergh baby.
Hauptmann is being closely
guarded in his cell in the county
jail here. He was arrested in
New York on September 19 and
. put up a losing fight against
extra dition to New Jersey.
He has lost some weight during
his incarceration in the Fleming.
ton jail. But he remains the
same cold-eyed, steel-nerved, poker
faced individual who mystified
the authorities from the moment
of his arrest. He is one of the
Cagiest prisoners ever caught in
the tolls of the law.
Protests Innocence
Hauptmann still claims he is In
nocent and that he has no knowl-
edge of the kidnapping of the baby.
He has been visited many times
in the jail here by his loyal wife,
Ami. and their year-old son,
Manfred. and also by the chief
counsel for the defense, Edward
j. Reilly, a veteran Of a thousand
homicide cases.
Hauptmann released James M.
Fawcett, the attorney who de-
Tended him during the extradition
proceedings in New York and took
over Mr.. Reilly as his new chief
counsel. He and Mr.. Reilly have
gone over defense plans quite
thoroughly.
Claim Alright Case
Nearly everybody was convinced
that the State of New York had
an alright" eXtortion case
against Hauptmann. But there is
a sharp difference Of opinion as
to whether the State of New
Jersey has a sure-fire murder case
against the defendant. New Jer.
Sey, however, insists that it has.
Ask the average man or woman
for an opinion of Hauptmann and
the average answer at this writing
Is something like this:
II think he is guilty in the
sense of having been in on the
getting of the Lindbergh ran
som money. But, as for the act
ual kidnapping and killing of the
baby-well, don't know
whether 1 would convict him Of
that on the evidence SO far re-
vealed by the State of New
Jersey"
The fact police found $14.59O of
the $50,O00 Lindbergh ransom
money in Hauptmann's home and
garage in the Bronx New York
City was regarded as highly in
eliminating by the authorities.
Story Branded "Fishy"
Hauptmann's explanation was
that this money was left in his
safekeeping by a former friend
1sidor Fisch. now dead. Fisch
went to Germany in December
1888, and died in Leipzig of tuber'
culosis last March. Hauptmann
claims Fisch left two suit cases
and a shoe box with him when he
left New York for abroad.
Tomorrow: Mr.. Kilgallen will
discuss Hauptmann's alibi as to
his whereabouts at the time the
Lindbergh baby was kidnapped.