The Washington times., 1935-01-21
WILL NOT SWAY.
JURY, WRITER
DECLARES
Powerful and Convincing AIibi
Seen as Only Hope for
Accused Carpenter
BY ADELA ROGERS ST. JOHNS
international News Service

international News Service
FLEMINGTON, N. j., Jan. 81.
While the State carefully nails
down its case against Bruno
Hauptmann for the murder and
kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby,
nails it down with actual nails
that Hauptmann is supposed to
have bought to make the famous
ladder, we sit tense in the court
room awaiting the moment when
Hauptmann walks to the witness
stand.
The evidence against him has
ben overwhelming. It has been
vivid and convincing.
When Hauptmann takes the
stand he must answer it, he
must refute it. he must explain
it.
Can he do it? Can he put a
reasonable doubt into the minds
o. jurors who have listened to
the many, many witnesses
against him, can he put q reas-
enable doubt in their minds con-
corning his connection with the
Lindbergh kidnapping? I can tell
him one thing now-Fisch stories
won't do it! Fisch stories won't
get him out of this.
Defends Police
There was a strange feeling
once upon a time that the State
didn't have anything on Haupt-
mann. That they just grabbed
the first guy caught with ran
som bill and said:
"Hey, this bird will do as
well as anybody. He had some
Of the dough, let's try him and
get the darn thing out of the
way"
People who are inclined when
they are perfectly safe at home
to dislike cops, but who will yell
for one fast enough if somebody
breaks in their house at night or
they get in trouble, seemed to
feel convinced that the cops had
made UP their minds to hang the
whole Lindbergh kidnapping on
the first gent they found passing
any Of the Lindbergh bills.
Now, I do not hold any great
brief for cops.
There have been bad cops.
There have been crooked cops in
every department. There have
been cruel and untrustworthy
members of every police force.
But there have also been great
heroes on the police force.
Lauds U. S. Agents
Why, when Dillinger was rum
ming mad throughout this nation,
killing right and left, numbering
the fathers of families, taking
the lives of American citizens
without reason, lot of people
thought it was awfully cute wnen
he fooled the cops with a fake
gun and either cheated Or faxed
his way out of Jail to murder
other innocent people.
The Federal boys got him,
finally, and shot him down like
a poisonous snake. But not before
he had killed many of them, who
went fearlessly after him with all
odds against them, who took their
lives in their hands and lost them,
to protect us, to help wipe out
the lawless and wholesale murder
under which we have lived for
years.
I've heard a lot of folks laugh
about Dillinger, but I've heard
very few stop to praise the men
who lost their lives trying to get
q man who might at any moment
kill any citizen who stepped in
his path.
Hits LawleSSnesS
Believe me, I have seen the time
when I was mighty glad to behold
a policeman looming up beside
me. Mighty glad. And if some
numbering gangSter came crawl
ing through the window of your
nursery after your baby, you'd be
pretty glad to yell for a cop, too,
and pretty glad if he got there in
time to shoot down that menace.
We have more murders than
any other nation on earth, and
one of the reasons is our utter
lack of support for and coopera-
tiion with our law enforcement
departments. We have kidnapping
as a major racket, which no other
nation on earth has ever had, be-
cause we don't like cops"
We're almost ready not to be-
heve the irrefutable case against
Bruno Hauptmann because the
cops arrested him, and testify
against him.
What did you want them to do
when they found the ransom
money on him? Say:
"NOw, now little boy, you
hadn't ought to have that
mOney-be careful and don't
take any more. It's no gOOd?"
What did you want them to do,
these men from the Department
of Justice of the United States,
from the police force of New York
and New Jersey, when they caught
a man with the red hot ransom
money all over him? Refuse to
investigate? And when they
found evidence-and evidence
and evidence-not to prosecute
him?
Does anybody seriously believe
that these forces entered into a
giant conspiracy against Bruno
Hauptmann?
Oh, there are many things
Hauptmann himself cannot an.