The Washington times., 1936-01-10
BOUGHT HOT
MONEY, HE
WRITES
Mystery Man in Case
Says Prisoner Hoped
ToAttain Wealth
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to say the court will meet in
the usual place-in the execu-
tive offices Of the State
House."
The meaning of this statement
was Immediately clear-that the
court will not hear the plea Of
Bruno Richard Hauptmann from
the doomed man himself.
Governor Hoffman had stated
earlier that Hauptmann would
not be brought out Of prison.
There remained possibility
that the court might meet at
the State House and adjourn to
he prison. This possibility is re-
mote
Two handwriting experts today
reported that the script OF an
amazing letter, which declared
Bruno Richard Hauptmann limo
cent Of the Lindbergh murder and
begged mercy for him, is very
similar" to the handwriting Of u"
j. Faulkner" the mystery man
sought for two years in the Lind
bergh case but never found.
The experts telephoned their
sensational findings to Governor
Hoffman who had received the
letter a week ago. Later today
they will make their formal re-
port.
Signed by "Faulkner"
The letter was signed u. J..
Faulkner" the name Of the mys-
terious person who exchanged
$2,98O in Lindbergh ransom bills
at a New York city bank in May,
1888. Faulkner" was one Of the
chief suspects in the Lindbergh
crime until Hauptmann's arrest.
Written in plain, literate style,
it asserted Hauptmann is 1nno-
cent Of the crime for which he
is scheduled to go to the electric
chair next Friday night. The let
ter intimated Hauptmann came
into possession of the $14,87O
ransom money found in his Bronx
home through his stupidity and
greed, that he bought the "hot"
money in hopes Of becoming indie
pendently wealthy.
When the letter was discovered
among the hundreds Of misSives
the governor receives daily on the
Hauptmann case, it created SEN
sation among his investigators.
si Fantastic Turn
The misSive was taken to New
York Immediately where two ex-
perts were secretly put to work on
it to compare the writing with
that of the signature on the now
famous bank exchange slip filled
out in 1888. Enlarging the speci
mems to Is times their normal size
the experts worked a week before
reaching their conclusions.
Their report will be submitted
to the court Of pardonS here to-
morrow morning when they meet
to pass on Hauptmann'S plea for
mercy.
II the report of the experts and
the full implications of the letter
are accepted, the epochal crime
mystery will have taken one Of
its most fantastic twists Of all.
Those close to the governor
conceded, pending a formal report
from the handwriting experts,
that a clever forger might have
written the three-and-a-half page
letter, but they pointed out the
possibility that here, at least, was
the real master mind" OF the
Lindbergh crime coming out OF
the shadows.
There were unconfirmed ru-
mors at the State house that SINH
lar letters have been written by
the supposed Faulkner to Col.
Charles A. Lindbergh, father Of
the slain baby, and to officials
who helped convict Hauptmann.
The letter to Hoffman was
mailed in New York on New Year
Day. Addressed ITO His Excel
lency the Governor of the State
of New Jersey, Mr.. Harold G..
Hoffman," the letter said:
"Sir:
GAS the zero hour in the
Hauptmann case draws near, I
feel impeIled to direct these
few lines to your excellency in
order to diSpel the precOn.
ceived idea of the guilt Of
Hauptmann, or rather to sus-
tain and affirm you in your
own and rightly so formed idea
Of his innocence.
'Tn spite of all the confusion
and artificially created hateful
atmosphere attending his trial,
you seem to have been the only
person who was capable Of pre-
serving an objective view of the
case, Notwithstanding all the
animOSity and antagOniStic feel
ing and outside pressure which
factors combined were able to
sway a Jersey jury of IL good,
but spineleSs people to return a
verdict of guilt against an in
nOcent man in q capital case on
purely superficial - yea-artifi-
Cially created evidence.
"Hauptmann, an expert car
penter, made the kidnap ladder,
the work on which an appren-
tice boy Of one months standing
would be ashamed of. Haupt-
mann guilty of this crime he
stands convicted Of?
money MAD"
"DOeS Your ExcelIency be-
Iieve that. In the own words