The Cases That Haunt Us by Douglas John & Olshaker Mark

Author:Douglas, John & Olshaker, Mark [Douglas, John & Olshaker, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, Non-Fiction, Autobiography, Crime, Historical, Memoir
ISBN: 9780671017064
Amazon: 0671017063
Barnesnoble: 0671017063
Goodreads: 94340
Publisher: Pocket
Published: 2000-11-14T00:00:00+00:00

PUTTING TOGETHER THE PIECES

I think there has to be serious question as to whether Bruno Richard Hauptmann got a fair trial. Forgetting even the circus atmosphere and the nation’s call for blood, particularly against a foreigner whose country had been on the opposite side in the Great War, other factors stood strongly against him. His own lead counsel, Edward Reilly, privately thought his client guilty and stated that he hoped Hauptmann would get the chair. Reilly was at odds with the rest of the defense team for his poor handling of several aspects of the case and spent a total of thirty-eight minutes with Hauptmann before the trial. Reilly came up with only one handwriting expert, whose testimony was lackluster, and drove away another expert who was convinced she could prove the handwriting on the notes was not Hauptmann’s. Reilly’s five-hour summation was chaotic and lame, delivered after a drinking bout at lunch. Most people there thought he was intoxicated.

If we take into account not only Hauptmann’s lead attorney making a mess of the case, but also the strong possibility that witnesses were swayed and that Hauptmann was abused by the police while in custody, what can we still say about the case against him? Not whether he got a perfect trial or even a fair trial, but whether or not he was the right guy.

You may have noticed something curious in the way this narrative unfolded. In relating the events following the night of March 1, 1932, I generally referred to the kidnappers in the plural. In fact, the existence of multiple offenders was the working assumption of both the New Jersey State Police and the FBI. Yet once Bruno Hauptmann was arrested, all thought of more than one person’s involvement seems to have evaporated. In fact, once Hauptmann was identified, most, if not all, serious work to uncover any other suspects ceased.

Does this make sense? I don’t think so.

A couple of evidentiary items suggest more than one person. The first is Dr. Condon’s belief that he heard some discussion between Cemetery John and another individual during his telephone conversation. The second is the impression by both Lindbergh and Al Reich that John had lookouts at the cemetery observing the car and looking for police.

Then there are the details in the notes themselves. I don’t pay serious attention to whether a ransom note speaks of I or we.In itself, that’s meaningless in determining if more than one person is involved. What I tell my people is to stand back and look at what the entire communication is saying. And in this case, an elaborate story was presented about how the baby was being cared for by two nurses on board a boat. Clearly, this did not happen. The baby was dead and discarded the very night of the abduction.

But this story is too elaborate for an otherwise unsophisticated offender to have made up just to get the money. In my opinion, the story of how the baby was being cared for, and by whom, represents the plan of what was supposed to happen.

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