The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-04-06


 attorney, and his "confession" that he kidnapped the baby for whose murder Hauptmann was executed Wendell has repudiated the confess sion but he still is held without bail in Mercer County jail. Ellis Par ker, Burlington county detective and Hoffman's friend, is said to have had 8 hand in Wendels seizure. Hofman's opponents undisguisedly hoped that New York or federal in- I vestigators could follow a trail from Parker to the governor. Assistants of District Attorney William F. x. Geoghan Of Kings County Brook lyn), N Y, said that Attorney Gen. eral David T. Wilentz of New Jer- sey, Hoffman's arch enemy in the Hauptmann case, was cooperating" with them.
 Lid May Blow or
 Proponents of both sides predict cd that the Hid will blow off" at tonight's meeting of the legislature. Assernblyman Crawford Jamieson, D. Trenton, announced that he would present resolution signed by President Harold w. Dodds and other faculty members of Princeton university, asking a legislative in- vestigation of the possibility that one or more state officers should be impeached. Jamieson suggested im- peachmont of Hoffman on the as- sembly floor several weeks ago. At the same time Hoffman's friends armed themselves with 8 counter resolution calling for investigation of the investigation of the Lind bergh Kidnapping and Hauptmann's prosecution. Assemblyman John M. Kerner, it was reported, would present it.
 Gov. Hoffman Attacks
 Governor Hoffman rested yester- day in Atlantic City but conferred with several republican leaders. He attacked his critics in the first statement he had made since Hauptmann's execution.
 T have been accused" he said, "of seeking personal publicity in taking such action in the Hauptmann case as it is said that I have taken. I do not think that any reasonable person can believe that went out of my way to invite the criticism of which I have been made the tar- get, or that expected to benefit from 1t.
 T cannot convince myself that the Kidnapping and murder for which Bruno Richard Hauptmann was executed were the work of a single, unaided person. cannot escape the belief that somewhere in the world there are other persons who participated in that dastardly crime. cannot escape the vision of those persons waiting with strained nerves for the news that Hauptmann was dead at the hands of the people of New Jersey and that the Lindbergh Kidnapping and murder was forever closed by death. I can almost hear them say, with deep relief-'we got away with thatl Now let us kidnap another child and share another ransom!"
 Another Common Danger
 "If, instead of Hauptmann not be- ing guilty alone. he was not guilty at all, there is another common danger to be considered. This is the danger that any citizen may walk around street corner into a set of circumstances which will bring the hand of the law upon his shoulder and hurry him to prison or ueath. upon circumstantial evi- dence, for crime he has not com- mitted.
 There is ground for both doubts in the case of Bruno Richard Hauptmann. There are eontradic- ti6ns, impossibilities. and inconsist- encies in the evidence upon which he was convicted. Already there Is the growth of e legend that he was not guilty and that he died unjust l ly. Such Q legend as this may work