The Waterbury Democrat., 1936-03-30
HauptmdnnP PrdysAS
 Pardon Board Meets
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N&0AtAAAegNA board, was prepared to allege that some of the evidence presented at Hauptmann's trial was framed, that some of the witnesses who tes- tiled against him had been proven incompetent or had committed per- jtlr-r that newly discovered evidence had created a reasonable doubt that had not existed at the time of his trial.
 Another in Jail
 Another man was in jail charged with the crime for which Attorney General Wilentz wanted the court to send Hauptmann to death tomorrow night. Each member of the court had a copy of Wendels confession, also a copy of his newest repudia- tion. Each knew that tomorrow his case would be presented to the Hunterdon county grand jury. They knew that no state authority gave Wendel,s story the least considera- ton but the salient fact remained --they were asked to condemn one man to death for crime of which another man stood charged.
 All members of the court has had Wendel's confession at least since Friday. None, with the exception of Hoffman, knew anything about his repudiatoin until today, except what they had read in the newspapers. Copies of the confession had been mailed to each one by person or persons unknown. But this was only one element of mystery.
 Wendell Was Tortured
 Wendell was taken into custody by three unknown men in New York city February IA. According to his own story, he was held prisoner, tortured, and, finally, forced to con- tess the Lindbergh Kidnapping. On February 24 he was turned over to Detective Ellis Parker of Burling- ten county, who has national reputation because of his work in the Hall-Mills case. Parker had been working on the Lindbergh case at the request of his friend, Governor Hoffman.
 Parker, according to Wendell, held him in the new Lisbon institution for the feeble-minded, and exer- cised duress to obtain another con- fession. Parker and Wendell had known one another since 1924 when Parker signed the petition that re- suited in Wendels reinstatement to the bar, from which he subsequently, resigned.
 Last week rumors--so insistent that they obviously had some merit of truth-began circulating in New York and Trenton that suspect was in custody. On Thursday, the United Press in a copyrighted dis patch reported the possibility of their truth. On Saturday word reached Attorney General Wilentz that the suspect was in Parker's custody. He notified Col. Schwarz- kopf, who telephoned Parker and ordered him to deliver his prisoner to Mercert county authorities a once.
 Jailed on Old Charge
 Late Saturday afternoon Mercer County Prosecutor Marshall was mo- tif:ed. He instructed County Detec- tive James Kirkham to put Wendell in jail on the basis of three bench warrants issued against him in 1881 charging embezzlement. Kirkham received the prisoner Saturday night. He took him before justice of the peace at once and charged him with the murder of the Lind sbergh baby. In explaining to Mar shall, his superior, why he had dis obeyed instructions, he said he had misunderstood.
 Kirkham's error forced Wendell before the grand jury when it meets tomorrow, approximately eight hours before Hauptmann is sched- uled to die on charge of murder
 Wilentz, Schwartzkopf and Mar shall all agreed that Wendell could not be guilty, that not one shred of evidence, beyond his repudiated confession, existed against him. Hoffman denied emphatically that he had had anything to do with Wendel's arrest, with his detention, or with his confession, or that he had had any prior knowledge of 1t. Parker denied that he had exer- cised duress to force Wendell to confess, insisted that his status should be looked into thoroughly before Hauptmann was executed, and went fishing-beyond the reach of question -askers. The Haupt- mann defense was silent.
 Hoffman Talks More
 Gov. Hoffman chose the eve of the courts meeting to issue an- other statement questioning the justice of Hauptmann's conviction. It was in reply, indirectly, to the