Evening star., 1935-02-06

A. Yes, palm marks.
c. Were they photographed. too2
A. They were.
@. You didn't find any fngerprints
with the State police methods?
A. No.
@. But after l3 days, with DR.. Hud-
sons method, some were found?
A. Several hundred people handled
the ladder between March and the
time the silver nitrate process Of DR..
Hudson was used.
@. So after 13 days Sergt. Kelly
IF. A. Kelly. fingerprint exper0
found some?
A. None of value. There were so
many.
The investigator said the State po-
lice had examined the ladder imme-
diately after arrival at the estate after
the crime and found no prints. He
said he understood" the police wore
gloves when handling the ladder and
none of their prints appeared.
Fingerprint Method
Shown by Hudson.
The lieutenant said DR.. Hudson did
not process the ladder. but only dem
onstrated his silver nitrate method to
State troopers, who later employed
it in their hunt for prints. He also
testified he had submitted the ran
som notes to Hudson for examination
@. Did you ever advise DR.. Hudson
1900 fingerprints were taken from
the ladder?
A. No, sir, never did.
@. Or that 1900 pictures were
taken?
A. No.
The SO pictures taken Of the ladder
were then produced and Fisher
brought out the information tina,
there was no information as to the
exact spot the photos showed
Sjostrom said they were classified
merely by the ladder sections from
which they we're taken.
Fisher brought out from Sjostror
that only 10 small pictures had beer
taken of the entire third section o,
the ladder. The section was the tor
part and the States theory Is 1t was
not used by the kidnaper to enter the
nursery.
@. Now you ran down the identitle!
of those fingerprints you found on the
ladder?
A. Some.
@. AS far as possible?
A. AS far as possible.
@. How many were identified?
A. Eight
O. Did at any time you identify the
fingerprints of this defendant, Rich
ard Hauptmann?
A. No.
Take the witness" said Fisher.
Wilentz took up the questioning.
G. If this defendant wore gloves his
fingerprints wouldn't show?
A. No.
@. It's been your experience that
criminals frequently wear gloves?
A. Yes.
Fisher intervened to ask:
@. A mother or a nurse putting a
baby to bed doesn't wear gloves, in
your chpcl lCllCC'
A. Not in my experience.
Many Handled
Kidnap Ladder.
Wilentz brought out that handling
by several persons would probably
obliterate original prints, making them
worthless.
Sjostrom told Fisher that he didn't
know whether the silver nitrate
process would bring back old prints
He pointed out. when questioned by
Wilentz, that the process was un-
known to the State police on March
/, 1892. Many hands had been on
the laoder, including those OF mem
bers of Gov Moore's crime commission
(expert police officials from all parts
of the country, before the silver
nitrate process was applied.
The witness was excused.
Another State trooper. Sergt. Louis
Kubler, a fingerprint expert, followed
Sjostrum to the stand. Fisher i'm
mediately began to quiz him on the
examination of the ladder for finger
prints.
He told of DR.. Hudson's visit to the
Lindbergh estate on March IL or IA,
after the kidnapping.
@. What was he down there for?
A. To demonstrate a new process,
known as the silver nitrate process"
designed to bring out latent finger
prints on wood.
DR.. Hudson, Kubler said, demon
strated his process on two other
pieces of wood in the basement OF the
Lindbergh home.
One section Of the ladder was used
later by DR.. Hudson to make q test
in the back yard.
@. Any prints discovered?
A. Yes, few, but they were not
readable. ,,.
DR.. Hudson left soon after, Kubler
said, and he continued the applica-
ton of the process, of and on" for
two weeks.
@. Eventually, you did complete the
processing of the ladder. How many
prints were found?
A. About 125 markings were found
Only about 20 were readable.
The witness, responding to Fishers
rapid-fire questions, testified he was
the only man who continued the
process on the ladder, but other duties
had interrupted him several times dur
ing the two weeks.
Only 120 Markings
Found. He Says.
@. Now sergeant, don't you know
one of your superiors wrote DR.. Hud-
son that 500 markings were taken
from the ladder?
A. No, I do not.
@. But you say definitely now that
no 500 markings were found2
A. Only 100 or 125 markings werS
found.
Fisher, taking q new tack, asked
him what effect silver nitrate had
when applied to wood. Kuhler said
the lumber turned red. but its color
could be restored by washing it with
q bichloride Of mercury solution. =
Fisher, after asking about the
cleaning solution, inquired cit tends
completely and permanently to eradi-
cate the fingerprints from the lad
der, doesn't it."