Evening star., 1935-02-01
|BRUNO'S BACKERS
DECLARED WARNED
Reilly Claims Seven of Wit
nesses Intimidated by
"PIug-UgIies."
fcopyrisht, 1885, BY the Associated Press J

tCopyright, 1885. BY the Associated Press.)
PENNINGTON. N. J., February l.
Defense counsel. introducing the first
Of their expert testimony today to
counteract the States evidence that
Bruno Richard Hauptmann slew the
Lindbergh baby, charged intimidation
Of the prisoners alibi hackers.
Edward j. Reilly, burly chief Of the
defense staff, said:
Seven of my witnesses have been
intimidated by men-plug uglies-who
came to their homes and claimed they
were representating the State Of New
Jersey"
He expected to call several addi-
tional alibi witnesses, but 'if should
give you their names, you can be
sure they never would get here"
Lonter Trial Threatened.
Became OF the prosecutions tactics
against has witnesses-putting police
on their a all while still keeping them
under relentless ton
he might call so more persons to teS-
tify. This would prolong the trial
two or three weeks"
Reilly said the plug uglies" showed
no credentials.
"They warned our witnesses to stay
out of New Jersey If they knew what
was good for them," he asserted.
III say this much: I know they
did not come from Attorney General
Wilentz or the prosecution staff. but
I have q pretty good idea where they
came from"
Handwriting Expert Called.
The seven witnesses were under
stood to live in New York, whert
Hauptmann's alibis place him or
March /, 1892, when Charles Lind
bergh, jr., was stolen from his crib al
Hopewel, and on April 2, 1882. wher
$4,000 ransom was paid In vain.
Reilly planned to continue the de-
fense case today with testimony thai
Hauptmann did not write the IA note.
leading up to the ransom payment.
His first witness was John M
Trendley, a handwriting expert from
East st. Louis, III. Trendley qualified
Yesterday, Just before court recessed
for the night. He had no chance te
support Hauptmann's denial OF guilt
but outside the court the expert as
serted:
"He never wrote 'em. He's still
holding the fort"
TrendIey Under Fire.
Trendley's qualifications were vigor-
ously denied by the State, which drew
from him admissions that he had con.
tradicted himself and given curb
stone" opinions in other cases.
Reilly contended that Trendley
merely proved his honesty by his ad-
mission "he might have been mistaken
in three or four cases" out of 1887 OF
more" in 40 years. Justice Trenchard
ruled that the 67-year-old witness
experience qualified him.
Discussing his ability to initiate sig
natures, Trendley said he was second
only to one forger. and he went to
jail'
Beyond limiting it might seek to
establish that the notes were penned
by q left-handed writer, the defense
did not disclose IN advance its attack
on the States handwriting case.
Reilly Shows Satisfaction.
Trendley, however. planned to use
the prosecutions charts, seeking to
prove by the same enlargements which
the State used that Hauptmann could
not have written the originals.
Reilly expressed satisfaction with
the alibi and surprise witnesses who
took the stand yesterday.
Three of them testified they saw
Hauptmann in Bronx bakery about
the hour Of the kidnapping, and the
fourth said two men, neither Of them
Hauptmann, drove an automobile
with q ladder through Princeton the
same day and stopped to ask him the
way to the Lindbergh estate.
'They had the courage Of their own
convictions to get up there and tell
the truth" Reilly said. "The defense
now has about o dozen witnesses on
the alibi phase Of the case, and we
are going to prove Hauptmann inno-
cent In an orderly, routine way"
State Maps Rebuttal.
The prosecution, however, found
satisfaction In having made one admit
. reforluatory and jail record, another