The Washington times., 1935-02-06
ST|GAT|ON
QUICKLY MADE
BY PHONE
BY KENNETH T. DOWNS

mann at MS Trial LOT Ine murQer
Of Baby Lindbergh. A look of
; momentary aStonishment crosses
the faces of the prosecuting attor.
neys. Plainly they have never
heard of the witness before and
are completely unfamiliar with
him as he climbs into the witness
chair.
Yet, when the witness has told
his story and Attorney General
David T. Wilentz takes him over
for cross-examination a few min
uteS later, the prosecutor, consult
ing a handful of freshly written
memoranda, seems thoroughly ia,
miliar with the witness and his
past.
This is the amazing sight the
audience at the trial is seeing
as surprise witness after sur.
prise witness is called in Haupt-
mann's defense by Chief De-
Tense Counsel Edward j. Reilly,
only to be all but blasted out
Of the witness stand by his own
past when croSs-examination
commences.
Check by Telephone
It Is one of the most spectacu.
lar and fascinating performances
ever staged in a criminal court.
room and it was explained to.
day to International News Ser.
vice by Assistant Attorney Gen
eral Joseph Lanigan.
Mr.. Lanigan told how, behind
the scenes at the trial, some of
the best police brains of the
nation are constantly at work
supplying the prosecution with
information. Direct telephone
communication between the
Hunterdon county court room
and the Department of Justice
at washington and the police of
New York, the Bronx, Brooklyn,
Jersey City and other cities is
constantly maintained.
Thus, when the defense yester-
day produced Benjamin Heller,
the astounding witness who said
he saw Isador Fisch leap over
the fence of st. Raymond's Gene
terry in the Bronx the night the
Lindbergh ransom was paid
there, messages began to buzz be-
tween the courthouse here and
Brooklyn, where Heller lives.
And though Mr.. Wilentz had
never heard of Heller before he
was called to the stand-Mr.
Reilly himself had never seen
him until few hours before
the Attorney General knew a
great deal about the young man
when he began croSs-examination
shortly afterward. He knew
within II minutes from the time
he first heard Heier's name men
toned, for example, that the
youth had been convicted on
January IA, 1884, in connection
with the operation of a Brook
lyn "clip joint" He knew of
He1er's association with certain
notorious persons in New York.
Witness Shaken
The same performance was
seen when Louis Kiss and August
VanHenke, alibi witnesses. testified.
BY the time Mr.. Wilentz began
croSS-axamination he knew Kiss
was a former bootlegger and that
Nan Henke was poSsessor of long
an speckled police record. While
Lou Harding was teStifying for
Hauptmann, Mr.. Wilentz'S men
were at telephones learning he
was an ex-convict and had served
q prison term for attacking a
woman.
These facts were drawn from
the startled witnesses on cross
examination and if their testimony
was not completely discredited, at
least its effect was viSibly reduced
in the eyes of the jurors. Ordi-
nar1lys it would require days or
weeks OF investigation by the
States ''leg men" to dig up this
information so damaging to the
defense.
Mr.. Lanigan said that in addi-
lion to keeping in direct touch
with all the major police head
quarters of Greater New York city,
the State can reach picked Lind.
bergh squads" stationed at Stra-
tegic points in the metropolitan
area on a moments notice These
crack detectives go hurrying out
on assignments in New York and
the Bronx on telephoned instruc.
tions from New York police Off
GERS who occupy unobtrusive posi-.
tionS in the court house here.
Fast Service
Agents from the Bureau Of In.
veStigation of the United States
Department of Justice, whose
names have never been publicly
mentioned in the Lindbergh case,
operate similarly from the court
room. Almost on a moment S
notice they can obtain from Wash.
1ngton records on anybody ever
arrested in America or Europe. All
OF these telephone calls from the
court room are "high-balled"
ahead of all others out of Fleming
ton.
A corps Of motorcycle police IS
kept on hand constantly to make
any quick investigations around
HopeWell or in this vicinity. Thus,
Elvert CarlStrom, another alibi
witness, had scarcely mentioned
that he lived at Dunellen, N, J.,
at the time of the kidnapping be.
fore a flock of bluecoated State
police were roaring away from the