Henderson daily dispatch., 1935-02-06
LOOk1n' On
BY q HystHNder


rOOK OLD BRUNO.
TO my mind. this Hauptmann trial
has developed all the earmarks of a
farce comedy. There is seemingly SO
much clearly evident lying on both
sides that the jury could not be blam-
ed if it declared the man not guilty
or refused even TO pass on the case
at all.
1t would really be a tragedy for the
jury not to come to some conclusion
when so much money has been spent
1t would constitute the creates,
burst of law enforcement forces in
recent years. 1t has been called a mil
lion dollar trial and l am not dis
posed to dispute the claim.
| do think this, that the whole
thing has been grossly over-played. 1t
looks a whole lot like politics is q.
tremendous factor on both sides. I'll
be surprised if this Prosecutor
Wilentz does not turn up a candidate
for governor in New Jersey next
year, and. while they say Haupt-
mann's defender, Reilly, is doing bis
end of the job for nothing and at
his own expense, he ptVbably don't
calculate he's working for nothing
You just wait until some fellow with
some real money gets in dutch and
calls in Reilly to defend him. because
Of Rcilly's nOtoriety in this instance
Well. then and there's when Edward
J. Will get his pay for defending
Bruno.
SO far as Reilly is concerned ]
dou2t seriously if he has even the
rcmOtCst idea of clearing his client.
I'll be badly fooled if that jury doesn't
convict Hauptmann-nOt on the evil
dencc, mind you, hut just because of
what he Is charged with. You or /
or anybody else arrested charged with
kidnapping and numbering that Lind
bergh baby would be convicted on
general principles. Public sentiment
would do it. and it's going to do it
in this instance, but there's so much
douEt about it that the jury amt go
ing TO dare say first degree and
"clcctric chair" Maybe I've got q
wooden head, or something, but Mr..
WiIcntz hasn't convinced me by his
evidence that Bruno got the baby.
don't say he didn't. Maybe he did
| maybe he did the whole works he's
charged with and all by himself but,
sonny. they amt produced the evil
dence yet that cOnviccs me the Ger
| man is guilty. That is. of course, III
| reference to the kidnap-murder
charge, AS to tho eXtortiOn, there
amt no doubt in my mind that Bruno
was in on that. He may have been
| in on the whole thing; l rather think
he was. If he got old JafsiC's $4,000
| Lindy bills that night in the ceme-
! terry. he's bound to have had some
| connection somewhere with the folks
who stole the baby, or else how did
he ever get hold of the baby's sleep
| ing garments? And so there you go,
+ It's another one of those mysteries
and while they've got imam, only the
Lord an l:runo know whether or
/ not he's the right one.
}. Anyhow public interest in the trial
| is rapidly on the wane Both sides
have shot their big guns The public
! knows now about everything they've
got to offer. Wilentz and Reilly amt
got much more to grip the popular
| imagination and they know it. and
so they're now fixing to close the
show out. 1t has had a pretty good
run, much longer than most of them,
hut like all good shows, the public
eventually tires. and that time has
come in Hauptmann's case. If a mans
life were not at stake. it would be
a real joke. And, if you ask me. Til
say the way me Whole thing has been
handled in a manner that casts no
great credit on American jurisprud-
ence-whatever that word may mean.
Just the same, they're making poor
old Bruno the goat. or maybe he's the
goat already; I dunno.