Evening star., 1935-01-28

Charles A. Lindbergh's, is an indica-
ton Of the same hatred for q person
Of conspicuous position in the COM
munity as the kidnaper showed.
More useful than the pSychiatrist's
report. though hardly as magical
seeming, were the physical descriptions
collected from persons who had seen
the ransom negotiator, or had received
ransom bills. DR.. Condor, Perrone,
the taxi driver: a clerk named Brown,
at Edwards Sport Shop, Ill Nassau
street; salesman named also from
the United Cigar Store at Thirty
fourth street and Third avenue; Mrs.
Barr, and Salvatore Levatino, a clerk
in Raffaele Boccanfuso's fruit and
vegetable store at Third avenue and
street, were the six de-
scribers. DR.. Condor supplied two de-
scriptions.
Handwriting Studied.
The descriptions tailed closely, and
most Of them were fairly detailed. A
Germanic accent, erect build, age be-
tween 80 and 40 but nearer 80, dark
blond hair, wide eyes-all these fea-
lures recurred in several Of them
Both Perrone and DR.. Condor chose
carpentry as possible occupation
and others picked out different iden-
tifying features. In no case did the
descriptions disagree more than vari-
ability Of ordinary human observa-
tion would explain, as in the esti-
mates Of height running from feet
8 inches to feet.
The handwriting experts who
worked on the ransom notes, to whom
specimens of writing by suspected
persons were sent by the score, were
Albert D. Osborn Of New York and
Elhridge Stein Of Washington. By
their deductions the kdnaper was
German, Of methodical habits and Of
small education. Chemical analysis
Of the ransom bills supplied little
information. Traces Of rouge, lip
stick and mascara Of several sorts
were discovered on the bills, and,
more important, glycerin esters were
found on them with fair regularity.
This indicated to the police that the
ransom money was being kept in
some place where they could come
in contact with such things as lubri-
eating oils.
All Stories Investigated.
Such was the picture Of the man
for whom Lieut.. Finn and Corpl. Horn
searched. Their responsibility was the
New York end Of the investigation
while the New Jersey and Federal
authorities handled such matters as
that Of Arthur Koehler, the wood ex-
pert, tracing of the kidnap ladder
boards. Because their province cov-
cred the ransom money, and the ran
som money finally broke the case,
HauptmAnn's arrest was basicallly
their work.
Their investigation of the bills as
they were passed, never described in
detail before, seems an incredible feat,
when 1t Is remembered that
besides tracing each bill, it was their
duty to investigate each silly crank
who came to the New York police with
any sort Of story about the kidnapping.
Cranks came in at the rate Of from
S to 10 weekly, from the time of the
on, and great numbers of
them coyly confessed to having been
the kidnaper themselves.
$5,080 Ransom Picked Up.
A total of 5000 of ransom money
turned up in all. In it there were
many gold notes, both In the $40 and
$40 denominations, and a few red seal
IS bills and Federal Reserve $40 bills.
It is believed that most Of the SIS 900
Of the last two sorts Of bills was
poured into Hauptmann,s brokerage
account at Steiner, Rouse & Co.
The first thing that Finn and Horn
had TO do In tracing the money was to
see that the money was picked up at
all. When the booklets containing the
numbers on the ransom notes were
sent out from Washington the great
majority of banks disregarded them,
and especially the small branch banks
in New York, where it was most i'm
portant that they be used. It was not
for full year after the kidnapping that
the money-checkng system was per-
fected and then only after the two
detectives had made the rounds Of all
the great bankers in the city, and
after that. Of the managers of the
branches, whom they induced to be
cordial with credentials from their
superiors.
Lihdbergh Offered Prizes.
Even when the system had been
put in good order it required constant
checking to see that It was not being
allowed to rust anywhere. As it was
worked out the tellers at the end OF
each day put aside all gold notes and
red seal fives discovered In counting
the banks intake of money during
the day. Then at the end Of the day
each Of these bills was checked
against the Washington reprint Of the
j. P. Morgan list.
This took so long that in some
banks teller was especially assigned
to the work, for an hour or so at the
close Of each day. Moreover Col
Lindbergh offered 50 prize for each
ransom bill discovered, and the New
York Police Department later super
seded this offer with prizes Of IS and
$40 from its own Golfers. Some 81 500
was paid out in prizes altogether. In
spite Of the prizes and the elaborate
nearly so per cent OF
the bills were found at the Federal
Reserve Bank, when they were sent
in in packages Of dirty bills, for de-
struction. Fortunately 1t is the Gus
tom for the teller making these pack
ages to initial them, and write the
date and name Of the sending bank
on them.
Lindbergh Never Mentioned.
The discovery Of a bill was merely
q first step in a long process. Natu-
rally the cashiers were seldom able to
tell which depositor had given them
the bill. Therefore, it was necessary
to interview each of the scores Of
people who had deposited money on
the date of the newly discovered bills
depositing. Sometimes none of them
could remember depositing it. Some
who denied having deposited the bill,
but seemed to be close to the man
pictured by the manifold descriptions.