The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1936-01-11
READY TO ACT !
IN DEFIANCE OF
PARDON BOARD
Executive Willing to Dare
Public Opinion and His
Political Future.
MOVED BY INTUITION
Convinced Carpenter Is Not
Slayer of EagIet, He
Indicates.
BY FORREST DAVIS
Copyright, 1886. by Scripps- Howard
Newspapers.)

Copyright, 1895. by Scripps Howard
Newspapers.)
TRENTON, N. j., Jan. 11.-At q
sleep-defying early hour today, Gov.
Harold G. Hoffman of New Jersey
was prepared to fly in the face Of
his political future and reprievs
Bruno Richard Hauptmann, cons
victed kidnaper of the Lindbergh
infant, regardless of today's action
by the New Jersey Court of Pardons-
Under the law, he may stay q
death sentence for 80 days.
The Governor, surrounded by
documentary testimony pro and con,
pondered the dilemma deeply in his
suite at the Hotel Hildebrecht. He
personally has studied the case for
weeks. Early today he determined
on course of action.
Feels Bruno Innocent
He was guided by a feeling. an
intuition amounting to conviction.
that Hauptmann, awaiting his doom
in death house cell No. / at this
Trenton State Prison, is innocent Of
the actual kidnapping and murder.
The Governor has numerous rea-
sons for his skepticism. In the main
they are superstition.
But, predominating and tangible.
he believes, I am told, the assur-
ance of voluntary witness, pro-
fessional penman, to the fiat and
unequivocal effect that Hauptmann
could not have written the ransom
notes.-the blunt, illiterate demand
found pinned to the window seat in
the nursery at Hopewell and the Is
subsequent communications.
Impossible, Says Expert
Moreover, this witness, who may
be called before the Pardons Court.
insists that the writer of the ram
som letters was man at least so:
Hauptmann is So.
He is slated to die next Friday
at p. m.
Samuel Small, New York City, an
engrosSer of Is years standing, was
seen entering the Governors suits
at the hotel last night. He re-
manned nearly three hours. From
other sources, it was learned that
Small submitted to the Governor a
detailed series of charts, magnified
handwriting, etc., and from the
charts reasoned that it would have
been physically impossible for the
youthful 7 Hauptmann to have
penned the ransom missives.
Smalls deductions, it was said,
were based upon facts regarded by
handwriting experts as incontrov-
ertible.
Explains Two Systems
He maintained that Hauptmann
writes the Zaner Palmer style Of
penmanship, a system taught In
the German schools during Haupt-
manns youth. The ransom notes,
on the contrary, were written, he
says, by a man trained in the
vertical, round style, which was
taught up to 40 years ago around
the world The Zaner Palmer sys-
tenn is one of slanting ovals, writ
ten with a wrist movement. The
earlier method is finger movement
writing.
Small convincingly told the Gov
ernor that Hauptmann, however he
might have wished to disguise his
chirography, could not have writ
ten in the vertical script. He quoted
innumerable authorities - including
works by experts who testified for
the state at Flemington-to prove
that adults are unable to alter the
basic style Of their writing.
Other douots, as have been said,
move the Governor to his startling
determination.
Doubt Body Lindbergh's
The defense attorneys, led by
Lloyd Fisher, have assembled an ar
ray of affidavits. They propose to
attack the identity of the child's
body found near Hopewell, contend
ing that its reconstructed skeleton
was five inches longer than Charles
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