Evening star., 1936-03-30
Hopes Simmer
as Death Day
Nears.
HICKS TO SHOW
NEW EXHIBIT
Evidence Offered
to Gain Stay for
Prisoner.
BACKGROUND

BACKGROUND
Eighteen months since Bruno
Richard Hduptmann's arrest for
kidnap- murder of Charles A. Lind
bergh, jr., hape brought dozens OF
Uersions OF Americas most noted
crime, but none has shaken the
States case.
Thus today, in Trenton, N. j.,
the Sthte Court OF Pdrdons is
called upon to hear Hauptmann's
discriminate plea to be Saved from
the electric chair.
Gou. HOFFMAN. uitdlly interested
In case. has gathered oil available
data for presentation to court today.
BY the Associated Press.
TRENTON, N. j., March 30
A representative of the New Jer-
sey State Police was called before
the Court of Pardons today with
the Pennington trial testimony
of Arthur J. Koehler, Federal
wood expert, who swore it was
his opinion Bruno Richard
Hauptmann built the Lindbergh
kidnap ladder.
The call for the testimony
which included th't part per-
tanning to Koehler' J qualifica-
tions as an expert, was made
after the court had been in ses-
sion about two and a half hours.
1t was regarded as an indica-
ton that Gov. Harold G. Hoff-
man, who has questioned the
States contentious Hauptmann
built the ladder, was pressing his
fight in Hauptmann'S behalf in
this direction.
1t was learned the court, composed
of the Governor, Chancellor Luther
A. Campbell and six lay judges of the
Court of Errors and Appeals, only
five Of whom attended the executive
session, was especially interested In
the testimony that qualified Koehler
as an expert.
Gov. Hoffman last Thursday Wis
tied Hauptmann's Bronx home to see
for himself the attic flooring from
which, the State contended, Haupt-
mann took a board which became
rail 16 of the ladder, and one of the
most damaging pieces of evidence in
the trial.
Loney Aided Governor.
On his Bronx visit the Governor
was accompanied by Arch w. Loney,
p. w. A. engineer, who later reported
to the Governor it was his opinion
the disputed rail did not come from
the attic.
At Hauptmann's trial Edward j.
Reilly, then the carpenters chief de-
fence counsel. strenuously fought
Koehler's qualifications as an expert.
AS the court convened this morn
ing, Robert w. Hicks, Washington
criminologist, who was employed by
the Governor to carry on several
phases of the Governors personal in
vestigation, brought to the State
House a contrivance used last week
on the Bronx visit to measure the
angle of saw marks on the attic floor
ing and on the ladder rail.
The ladder was one of the three
major pieces of evidence at the trial,
and the Court of Errors and Appeals,
in denying Hauptmann's appeal for a
new trial last October wrote in its de-
cision that the ladder. handwriting
testimony and possession Of ransom
notes pointed "unerringly to guilt"
Governors Observations.
The Governor himself pointed out
last week the ladder had been ham
died by many police officers and others
at Hopewell and later in Washington,
that it had been taken apart for study,
and that while hundreds of finger
prints were found on 1t, none of
Hauptmann's had ever been found.
At the trial New York physician
and fingerprint expert, DR.. Erasmus
M. Hudson, described how he had used
his special process to obtain finger
prints, how he had found numerous
prints scattered all over the three
section affair, but had found none of
Hauptmann.
Albert B. Hermann, clerk of the
court, came from the conference room
shortly before o'clock and said that
a decision would probably not be
reached before 4 pm.
Hermann said the lawyers had not
vet completed their arguments.
Gov. Hoffman sought to convince
the 'Pardons Court-which is a court
Of mercy rather than of law-that it
should 60 over in detail the circum-
stances which have convinced him
that Jersey justice is endangered If
Hauptmann goes to the chair.
The clemency appeals success was
further threatened because of Haupt-
mann's continuing insistence that he