The Washington times., 1935-03-12
By JAMES L. KILGALLEN
Copyright, 1895, by International
News Service)

NEW YORK, March IL GN.SO.
Bruno Richard Hauptmann does
not fear for himself the prospect
of dying in the electric chair. His
concern is for his wife, his child
and his mother.
The condemned man told me
this in the most comprehensive in
terview he has granted since his
arrest last September.
Hauptmann was leaning against
the bars of his cell as he talked.
His demeanor was calm, almost
detached. I asked him how he
felt about the prospects OF dying
in the electric chair. His voice
was low as he replied:
"YOu can imagine how I feel.
For myself, 1 have no fear.
feel only for my wife and my
child and my old mother in Ger
many. My conscience is clear.
If 1 have to die, / will die like
a man. Certainly"
Won't Quake
Somehow, l cannot imagine
Hauptmann quaking as he walks
"the last mile" He just doesn't
seem to be the type. Both in the
Bronx during his extradition hear
ing and at his trial in Flemlngton
for murder, the most vicious queS-
tions failed to break his nerve.
l have seen them executed. I
saw Ruth Snyder and Judd Gray
electrocuted at Sing Sing. Ruth
broke" Judd didn't. 1 saw Iron
Irene" Schroeder and Glenn Dague
burn" at Bellefonte. Pa, and
both sat in that deadly contrap-
ton known as "the chair" with
out flinching. I covered the hang
ing of Gerald Chapman at Hart
ford. Conn, and he took it
coolly.
Convicted Kidnaper
I cannot imagine Hauptmann,
a man who faced death as a ma
chine gunner in the Kaiser's army,
losing his nerve at the last minute.
did Hauptmann actually kid
nap the Lindbergh baby?"
This is a question which pro
vokes sharp difference of opinion
wherever it is debated. I don't
know, Of course.
I do know he was convicted on
circumstantial evidence on this
point, at least. Nobody testified
they saw him enter the baby's
nursery and abduct the child.
Either you believe the sworn
testimony of prosecution witnesses
that they saw Hauptmann in a
car containing a ladder in New
Jersey shortly before the crime
was committed, or you believe the
stories of defense witnesses, in
cluding Hauptmann himself, that
he was in New York city the night
the baby was kidnapped.
did Hauptmann do the job
alOne?"
During the trial the defense
sought to show, inferentially at
least, that the kidnapping was an
"inside job" and that servants in
the Lindbergh households knew
something about it.
Gang Job Denied
This contention was vigorously
denied by State witnesses and
Colonel Lindbergh himself made
it apparent he placed no credence
whatever in such intimations.
Intimation that "a gang" perpe-
trated the crime was also Scoffed
at by the prosecution.
"Is there any chance Haupt-
mann will make a cOnfeSSiOn?"
Hauptmann himself told me the
answer to this one. He said:
81 have nothing to confess.
'If 1 had a confession to make,
j would have done so five
months ago and would have
saved my wife and my child
and my mother all the misery
they have gone through.
"I am innocent. If they were
to come into this cell and say to
me: Confess and you can walk
out free,' / could not tell them
the story of this kidnapping be-
cause / do not know anything
about it. 1 was not there when
the baby was kidnapped. 1 told
the whole truth on the stand. 1
am not covering up anybody.
have nothing to cover up. /
have told all know"
Derided BY Prisoners
Hauptmann, now Convict IT,.
400" in the New Jersey State
prison. awaiting death, occupies
"Cell 9" in the death house. He
wears a convict's uniform. His
head is shaved.
Other prisoners are making him
as uncomfortable as they can, but
he is receiving all the attention
from prison authorities that death
house prisoners usually get. He
has the some food as the prison
guards, all the smokes he wants
and reading matter.
Mr.. KiIgaIIen takes readers
behind the scenes Of the trial
of the century" in the third
article of this series, tomorrow.