The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1935-02-07
HAUPTMANN TAKES
STAND IN DEFENSE
Defendant Claims Abb for
Night Ransom Was
Paid.
BY w. c. WEBER

ELEMINGTON, N. 1.-THE state
rests It's case'
David T. WIlentz, attorney gen.
eral OF New Jersey, turns to his seat.
The court recosses for lunch. When 1t
reconvenes, defense attorneys Indulge
in the customary legal maneuvers.
Then dapper. ford Edward ]. Reilly.
chief defense counsel, turns and cries
loudly:
Bruno Richard Hauptmann to the
| stand"
The courtroom buzzea as Tue pale,
| thin-faaed German makes rs way to
/ the stand. Over The wires flashes the
| news that the defendant In the most
| spectacular trial OF recent years Is on
the stand fighting to escape the cleo
trio chair for murder of the first-born
son OF Col. Charles A. Lindbergh
Hauptmann appears nervous. He has
| lost weight during his ordeal In court
and his clothes hang from his big
| frame He sits slightly hunched over
| In the witness chair. his hands clasped.
| He Is wearing the same dark suit he
| has worn every day OF the trial, light
faded blue shirt and polkn-dotted tie.
| Less than twenty feet away sits
| Colonel Lindbergh. father OF the child
whom Hauptmann Is accused OF hav-
Ing killed to satisfy his desire for ease
| without working and to Indulge In
stock market speculation. When the
ex-carpenter takes the stand 1t Is the
first time Llndbergsi has locked at him
| for more than a few seconds. Once
when he was on. the stand he glanced
| at Hauptmann as he identified him as
| the man whom he believed guilty Of
the crime. and again when Hauptmann
cried out at testimony presented by the
state, the colonel looked at him for a
| second or two. Now he stares Mt him
as IL fascinated. as Attorney Reilly be-
gins his examination.
Carefully, step by step, the famous
New York criminal lawyer leads
Hauptmann through recital of his
life up to the time the kidnapping
occurred. Hauptmann answers slowly
In thick, cultural voice. pauslng be
fore making replies as though he has
difficulty In choosing the right words.
His English is none too fluent, and his
accent Is very marked.
Finally Reilly asks Hauptmann II
he left home on the night Of April 2
1882 (the night rhe $4,000 ransom
money was paid by DR.. j. #. Condor IL
a man In st. Rnymonds cemetery
The crowd strains forward to catch
Hauptnann's negative reply. The busl-
ness OF establishing nm alibi has begun
What surprises the defense will
spring can only be conjectured. Rellls
is noted for his ability to turn seem
lngly hopeless cases Into victories for
his clients. 1t Is admitted that the
state has built tip q strong circulnstan
ttal case against Hauptmann. Almost
every type Of evidence with the excep
tion OF eyewlresses, tingerprlnts- ant
footprints has been presented. Among
the most dramatic blows the state has
struck we're those presented by Arthur
n Koehl4T, federal wood expert, who ties
+ tilted that Hauptmanns tools wert
used to make the ladder left on ths
Lindbergh estate out OF wood pur
chased al a lumber yard where Haupt
mann often worked. and part o.
1t with wood taken from the attic o.
Hauptmann's own home In the BEenx
koehler told OF an amazing piece o
detective work-the tracing of the lum
Der used In connection with construc
ton OF the ladder. His investigation
! showed that one uf the knives OF thu
planning machine rsed In finishing thu
wood had nick In It. Other calcuia
tions. he said. indicated that the MIA
chine had eight blades trimming TIL
top OF the board and six blades trim
ming the bottYrn when the board wen
through the machines. and that one 0
the blades was slightly out OF line