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0:35

Serial killers, strange disappearances,

0:38

unexplained mysteries, terrible disasters.

0:42

I'm Nate Hale. And in my show,

0:44

the conspirators, I'm here to tell you all the

0:46

stories from history your teacher never

0:48

told

0:48

you about. Here the real

0:50

story began the Bermuda Eaglet, or

0:53

about the serial killer operating in Nazi

0:55

occupied Paris. Or

0:57

what dark secret lurked within the walls

0:59

of Scottish castle. Listen

1:01

to the conspirators, an Eaglet Stitcher, Spotify,

1:03

or wherever you get your podcast.

1:06

Warning. This episode describes

1:09

a heinous crime and a

1:11

deeply disturbing tragedy. The

1:14

conclusion of this episode especially

1:16

may profoundly upset listeners.

1:20

Discretion advised. In

1:26

nineteen twenty four, Richard

1:28

Albert Loeb and Nathan

1:30

Freudenthal Leopold Jr.

1:33

Two wealthy University of Chicago

1:35

students who fancied themselves intellectuals,

1:39

abducted and murdered a

1:41

fourteen year old Chicago boy

1:43

simply to prove that they were smarter

1:46

than authorities and could pull

1:48

off the perfect crime. The

1:50

trial of Leopold and Loeb

1:52

for what the press at the time called the

1:54

quote unquote crime of the century

1:58

became a media sensation, inspiring

2:01

great outrage when famous lawyer

2:03

Clarence Darrows impassioned twelve

2:06

hours summation in their defense saved

2:09

them from the electric chair. Besides

2:12

Eaglet and lobe, Most

2:14

headline grabbing crime in those

2:17

years had to do with underworld

2:19

gangsters. Much of it revolving

2:21

around the boot legging of liquor

2:24

during prohibition. Nine

2:26

years after the Leopold and Loeb

2:28

verdict, however, the Wall Street

2:30

crash marked the start of the Great

2:33

Depression. And as authorities struggled

2:35

to enforce the Volstead Act

2:37

during a time when Americans needed

2:40

a drink more than ever, Support

2:42

for Prohibition waned. Shortly

2:45

after taking office, FDR famously

2:47

said, quote, I think this would be

2:49

a good time to have a beer, end

2:51

quote, and not long after

2:54

signed a bill permitting the manufacture

2:56

and sale of beer and wine.

2:59

Boot legging as a lucrative criminal

3:01

enterprise had been on the

3:03

decline for years as

3:05

enforcement of prohibition grew more

3:07

and more unpopular. But at

3:09

the same time, more and more Americans

3:12

were becoming jobless and

3:14

drawn to criminal endeavors. So

3:17

what lucrative crime could

3:19

these desperate individuals pursue?

3:23

The answer came from the famous

3:25

crime of the century. Kidnapping,

3:27

but for ransom not for the thrill

3:30

of getting away with murder. In

3:32

epidemic of kidnapping developed

3:34

in the late nineteen twenties and early

3:36

nineteen thirties that was eventually recognized

3:39

as, quote, a rising menace

3:41

to the nation end quote, by The

3:43

New York Times. This

3:45

forgotten backdrop is detailed

3:48

in David Stouts, The Kidnap

3:51

Years. One metropolitan police

3:53

chief collected statistics from all

3:55

over the nation and learned that

3:57

in nineteen thirty one, alone, there

4:00

had been nearly three hundred

4:02

confirmed kidnappings, and of

4:04

course, likely many more. Since

4:06

it was typical for victims' families

4:08

not to inform the police of such

4:11

crimes as kidnappers usually

4:13

instructed them. There had been famous

4:15

cases of abduction and murder during the

4:17

preceding years of Marion

4:19

Parker in California in nineteen

4:21

twenty seven and Grace Bud

4:23

in New York in nineteen twenty

4:25

eight, the latter killed by the

4:27

notorious serial murderer

4:30

Albert Fish. But in

4:32

nineteen thirty one, it seemed

4:34

to become a standard business

4:36

model. Among the biggest cases

4:38

that year were the ransoming of

4:41

the thirteen year old heir to the

4:43

Anheuser Busch beer fortune on

4:45

New Year's Eve nineteen thirty, the

4:47

abduction of prominent Saint Louis

4:49

surgeon Isaac Kelly in

4:51

April, and the kidnapping of

4:54

successful fashion designer Nell

4:56

Donnelly in December. In

4:58

March of nineteen thirty two, a

5:00

year before FDR would take

5:03

office, a spate of kidnappings

5:05

occurred. On March second, the

5:07

son of a wealthy contractor in Ohio

5:10

was snatched. And on the fourteenth,

5:12

a Peoria Illinois doctor

5:14

was kidnapped by a crew of

5:16

plotters consisting of a petty

5:18

criminal, a Sunday school teacher,

5:21

and a former mayorial candidate.

5:24

Certainly, one or both of these kidnappings

5:26

would have captured the public's interest.

5:29

Had they not been so dramatically overshadowed

5:32

by another kidnapping that had

5:34

occurred on the first of March,

5:36

the abduction of an American

5:39

hero's baby boy. Right

5:41

out of his nursery, a case

5:44

that would quickly take the title

5:46

of crime of the century

5:48

away from Leopold and Loeb.

5:51

Becoming a media sensation unlike

5:54

any mystery before it and

5:56

spawning numerous pet theories

5:58

and alternative views of what

6:00

happened even after the crime

6:02

had apparently been

6:04

solved. This is

6:06

historical Lindbergh, I'm

6:08

Nathaniel Lloyd, and I feel

6:10

compelled to teary a while

6:13

longer in Depression era America.

6:15

To explore a tragic mystery

6:18

that continues to be disputed

6:20

to this day, called

6:22

by journalist H. L. Mencken.

6:25

Quote, the biggest story

6:27

since the resurrection end

6:29

quote. Thank you for listening

6:31

to the Lindbergh baby kidnapping.

6:34

Part one, the Eaglet. Before

6:43

the episode, I want to thank my new

6:45

patrons, Kaylee Tyler Henderson,

6:47

Steve Moody, Corey Harrington,

6:50

Neil Sayer, and Courtney.

6:52

I really appreciate all

6:54

my patrons. If you pledge

6:56

on Patreon, you can get ad

6:58

free and exclusive episodes

7:01

I always release one minisote a

7:03

month at the very least, but

7:05

I'll often drop more. For example,

7:07

I released a minisote on the

7:10

tempted assassination of FDR

7:12

between parts one and two in

7:14

my business plot series, and

7:16

I released another after

7:18

part two about a farmer's labor

7:21

movement that was also seen as

7:23

an insurrection threat during

7:25

the depression. Patreon feeds also

7:27

get episodes early, and as I

7:29

mentioned, their episodes are not interrupted

7:31

by advertisements or patreon

7:33

pitches like this. So visit

7:36

patreon dot com slash historical

7:39

blindness and support the show,

7:41

or you can support the show by making a one

7:43

time donation at historical blindness dot

7:45

com slash donate or

7:47

at the Paypal link in the show notes

7:50

or on Venmo. At historical

7:52

blindness. Now,

7:55

on with the episode. Welcome

8:12

to historical Lindbergh. A

8:14

full accounting of the kidnapping of

8:16

the Lindbergh baby requires

8:19

first an understanding of Charles

8:21

Lindbergh's celebrity. Which

8:23

itself requires a general

8:25

understanding of his accomplishments as

8:28

a pilot. Let us therefore begin

8:30

with a brief description of Charles

8:33

career and life preceding the

8:35

events in question. Charles

8:38

Agust Lindbergh, nicknamed Slim,

8:41

was a tall man

8:43

of twenty five when he earned

8:45

his great fame. The son of

8:47

a Minnesota congressman, he

8:49

had been an army air service

8:51

cadet and later an air

8:53

mail pilot. It was during

8:55

this service that he began to

8:57

dream about being the first person

8:59

to fly nonstop across the

9:01

Atlantic. For

9:03

years, since nineteen nineteen,

9:05

there had been a standing prize

9:08

offered. Twenty five grand would

9:10

go to the first pilot who flew

9:12

an airplane specifically nonstop

9:15

from New York to Paris.

9:17

Numerous transatlantic flights

9:19

had already been accomplished by derigibles

9:22

and by planes if they flew the

9:24

shorter distance between Newfoundland

9:26

and Ireland or

9:28

made a stop at the Azors on the way to

9:31

Europe, but no non

9:33

stop plane flights from New

9:35

York to France. That was

9:37

actually impossible, Meny said,

9:39

due to the weight of the fuel

9:41

that would be required to

9:43

travel that distance without stopping.

9:46

And supporting this assertion was the

9:48

well publicized failure

9:50

of Paul Renee Funk, whose

9:52

plane was so weighed down

9:54

that it crashed. On takeoff.

9:57

Indeed, there were several such

9:59

crashes, a few of which

10:01

resulted in the deaths of

10:03

pilots Nevertheless, Charles

10:04

Lindbergh believed it could be

10:07

done with the construction of

10:09

a custom aircraft. It

10:11

would have to be a single engine

10:13

plane in order to reduce

10:15

weight and additional fuel tanks

10:17

would need to be built into the nose,

10:20

which would block his view from

10:22

the cockpit requiring him to

10:24

use a periscope to see

10:26

ahead of him. He managed

10:28

to get the aircraft built with the promise

10:30

of paying back his financers with

10:32

his prize money. And on May

10:34

twentieth, nineteen twenty seven, He

10:36

took off in the custom designed

10:39

plane, which he had christened

10:41

the spirit of Saint Louis.

10:48

Already, the press was following his

10:50

attempt. And as he flew,

10:52

listeners heard breathless reports

10:54

of his progress on the radio.

10:57

The

10:57

greatest done of all begins on the

11:00

misty morning of May twentieth. As a

11:02

young air mail pilot hastens to be

11:04

the first to fly nonstop from New

11:06

York to Paris. He hopes

11:08

to capture a twenty five thousand dollar

11:10

prize for which the world's top aviators

11:12

are

11:12

competing. His name is Charles

11:15

Aidenberg. He's the dark horse and

11:17

the transatlantic air

11:18

race, but the crowds are with him

11:20

or unlike the others. He

11:23

flies alone. The

11:30

field is soft with rain,

11:31

and the little amount of rain with neither

11:34

radio nor safety equipment is heavily

11:36

loaded with fuel. I had

11:45

thirty six hundred miles to Paris,

11:48

and all America vicariously

11:50

shares every lonely miles.

11:53

In but whole rage on

11:56

when the cars were on

11:58

hand of IT airplanes.

12:02

The next day, by the time he

12:05

triumphantly landed in

12:07

France, greeted by a cheering

12:09

crowd, he was already

12:11

world famous. His

12:13

life changed instantly becoming

12:15

a series of parades and parties,

12:18

encounters with royalty and

12:20

movie stars, and constant

12:23

badgering by news reporters. More

12:25

than just a celebrity though,

12:28

Lindbergh was thought of as an

12:30

American hero. Winning respect

12:32

for US aviators during a

12:34

time when their achievements were

12:36

largely overshadowed by Europeans.

12:38

Above all the phenomenon of Bloomberg,

12:41

what had begun as a

12:43

courageous stunt ends as much more.

12:46

As he

12:46

concludes his tour, the American

12:48

people Eaglet him a decency and

12:50

purity they sense they have lost.

12:53

In the reckless abandon year of

12:55

nineteen twenty seven, through worship of

12:57

Lindbergh, the entire nation

12:59

seems to seek a return

13:01

to innocence.

13:05

For your biggest unknown,

13:08

unknown, unknown,

13:10

you feel. Like

13:12

an angel and fly feel

13:14

to you through the night with

13:17

a whole lot of rain

13:20

for you.

13:23

He was knighted in Belgium

13:26

and awarded numerous different

13:28

honors, trophies, and

13:30

medals, including the

13:32

Congrats of Honor, which had

13:34

to be awarded by a special

13:36

act of Congress since it

13:38

typically was only awarded for acts

13:40

of valor in battle. Lindbergh

13:43

commenced touring Europe and

13:45

then the US showing off his

13:47

plane and waving to adoring

13:49

crowds.

13:55

All dark channels are Spanish by

13:58

Liberty's tool. He has

14:00

displaced everything sorted writes one

14:01

reporter. He has exhausted the race

14:04

of men. The

14:06

kind of a son makes up

14:08

of a feel proud. Lucky,

14:12

Lindbergh

14:20

The interest of the press only

14:23

increased. And as he was an

14:25

eligible bachelor, much

14:27

attention was given to his personal

14:29

And romantic interests. When

14:31

in nineteen twenty nine, he

14:33

married Anne Spencerborough, daughter

14:36

of a US ambassador to

14:38

Mexico. They conduct the ceremony

14:41

in secret to preserve

14:43

their privacy. In

14:45

nineteen thirty, when Anne bore

14:47

his son Charles Jr.

14:49

And the newspapers began giving

14:51

the boy nicknames like baby

14:53

Lindbergh and the They

14:56

finally decided that they'd had

14:58

enough of life in the spotlight,

15:00

and they bought four hundred acres

15:02

out side the little township of Hopewell,

15:04

New Jersey, about fourteen miles

15:06

north of Trenton, thinking

15:08

that the distance from the hubbub of

15:10

the city might afford them more

15:12

privacy. Little did they

15:14

know they were about to be

15:16

thrust into the spotlight far

15:19

more than ever before

15:21

and for horrific

15:23

reason. On

15:35

the night of Tuesday, March

15:37

first, nineteen thirty two.

15:39

The Lindberghs were at their nearly

15:41

complete new home in

15:43

Hopewell, having come to stay

15:45

for a weekend giveaway. Present

15:47

that evening in the two story ten

15:49

room stone house secluded

15:51

in the woods overlooking Hopewell

15:53

Valley were Lindbergh himself

15:56

and and Little Charles Jr.

15:58

Who both were getting

16:00

over colds. Oliver and

16:02

Elsie Whitley, who served as the

16:04

family's butler and cook

16:06

respectively, and Betty

16:08

Gau, a young nurse made

16:10

recently engaged by the Lindbergh

16:12

to look after Charles junior.

16:14

Because of the baby's sniffles,

16:16

when it had been time to put him to

16:18

bed, his mother rubbed him with Vick's

16:20

vapor rub. And then she and

16:22

Betty pulled two shirts over him

16:24

to keep him warm. One of them,

16:26

a flannel garment Betty had

16:28

hastily cut out and

16:30

sewn together. Before buttoning

16:32

him into his one z sleeping

16:34

suit, placing him in his crib, and

16:36

pinning his blankets down to keep

16:38

him well tucked in. At

16:41

around nine PM, Charles

16:43

would later recall hearing a

16:45

clatter and assuming that an orange

16:47

crate had fallen to the kitchen

16:49

floor. At around ten PM,

16:51

while Charles was in his library

16:53

and Anne preparing for bed,

16:56

Betty Gao went to check on Charles

16:58

junior and not hearing his

17:00

breathing, she approached his crib

17:02

and found he was not in it.

17:04

She rushed madly to

17:06

find Anne, to see if she'd taken the

17:08

baby and finding she hadn't,

17:10

she ran downstairs to see if the

17:12

child was with his father. Answering

17:14

that he did not have the baby and

17:16

sensing Gau's urgency, he went

17:18

to a closet to find his rifle.

17:21

They searched the nursery.

17:24

And experiencing every

17:26

parent's true nightmare found

17:28

it empty. Charles noticed

17:31

specifically that blanket was

17:33

still pinned down such that

17:35

the baby could not have gotten out on his

17:37

own. And he further saw that

17:39

the southeast window was up

17:41

and it shutter open.

17:43

That's when his eyes fell

17:45

to the sill where he saw

17:47

an envelope that he immediately

17:50

suspected was a ransom

17:52

note. They've stolen our

17:54

baby, he cried, and

17:56

ran to another window and

17:58

peered outside. She thought for a moment that

18:00

she heard the cry of her

18:02

child, but Elsie Whitley

18:04

assured her it was only

18:06

the wind. Charles warned everyone

18:08

not to touch the envelope as he

18:10

wanted it fingerprinted first

18:12

and went outside to search the road

18:15

where he saw nothing. By

18:17

ten forty PM, Hope Well,

18:19

police officers responded to their

18:21

telephone call. And by flashlight,

18:23

the first of the evidence was

18:26

discovered. Footprints in the

18:28

mud, two deep impressions as

18:30

from a ladder, and

18:32

some seventy five feet from

18:34

the house the latter itself,

18:36

a homemade affair, separated

18:38

into three sections.

18:41

Lastly, a chisel was discovered

18:43

beneath the window. tool presumably

18:45

used to force open the shutters.

18:48

Upon closer examination of the

18:50

ladder, the neck day, it was clear

18:52

that it had been crudely

18:54

made, though, ingeniously designed

18:56

so that it could be disassembled

18:58

and fit into an automobile. Indeed,

19:01

a set of tire tracks

19:03

had been discovered east

19:05

of the property. But with no clear tread

19:08

pattern. What's more, the side

19:10

rails of the ladder had

19:12

split, causing Charles to suspect

19:14

that the noise he had heard

19:16

had been the kidnapper's ladder breaking as

19:18

he descended with the child. Other

19:21

than these things, the biggest

19:23

piece of evidence was the

19:25

note. Which demanded fifty

19:27

thousand dollars in certain

19:30

denominations and stated that the kidnapper would

19:32

be in contact within

19:34

a few days with the location to

19:36

which they were to deliver it.

19:38

The letter contained numerous

19:41

spelling errors. And it

19:43

concluded with a strange circular

19:45

symbol with interlocking rings

19:47

and holes punched

19:49

into the paper. The

19:51

kidnapper indicated that this symbol would appear

19:54

on all future correspondence

19:56

so that the Lindberghs would know

19:58

the communication was truly from

20:00

their son's captor.

20:03

Now for a

20:06

brief intermission.

20:11

Throughout history, royals across

20:14

the world were notorious for

20:17

insas. They married their

20:19

own relatives in order to consolidate

20:22

power and keep their

20:24

blood blue. But they

20:26

were oblivious to the havoc

20:28

all this inbreeding was having on

20:30

the health of their offspring from

20:32

Egyptian pharaohs marrying

20:35

their own sisters to the Habsburgs notoriously

20:38

oversized lower jaws.

20:40

I explore the most shocking

20:43

and such Jewish relationships and

20:45

tragically inbred individuals in

20:47

royal history. And that's just

20:50

episode one. On the History T

20:52

Time podcast, iprofile

20:54

remarkable Queen's and

20:56

LGBTQ plus royals explore

20:58

royal family trees and delve into

21:00

women's medical history and

21:02

other fascinating topics. I'm

21:04

Lindsay holiday and I'm spilling the

21:06

tea on history. Join me

21:08

every Tuesday for new episodes of the

21:11

History Teton podcast wherever

21:14

fine podcasts are

21:16

enjoyed.

21:17

Napoleon Bonaparte rose from

21:20

obscurity to become the most powerful and

21:22

significant figure in modern

21:24

history. Over two hundred years after

21:26

his death, people are still debating his

21:28

legacy. He was a man of

21:30

contradictions, a tyrant and a

21:32

reformer, a liberator, and

21:34

an oppressor. A revolutionary, and

21:36

a reactionary. His

21:38

biography reads like a novel and his

21:40

influence is almost beyond measure.

21:42

I'm Everett Romech, host of the Age of

21:44

Napoleon Podcast. And every month, I

21:46

delve into the turbulent life and times

21:48

of one of the greatest characters in

21:51

history. explore the world that

21:53

shaped him in all its glory and tragedy.

21:55

It's

21:55

a story of great battles

21:58

and campaigns, political intrigue

22:00

and massive social and economic

22:02

change. But it's also a story

22:04

about people populated with

22:06

remarkable characters.

22:08

I hope you'll join me as I examine

22:10

this fascinating era of

22:12

history. Find the age of Napoleon

22:14

wherever you get your podcasts.

22:16

Do you want to know what it's like to hang out with MS

22:19

thirteen, El Salvador? How the

22:21

Russian mafia fought battles all

22:23

over Brooklyn the nineteen

22:23

nineties. Or what about that time I got lost in the Burmese jungle hunt in

22:26

the world's biggest myth lab? Or why the

22:28

Japanese yakuza have all those crazy

22:30

dragon

22:30

tattoos? I'm Sean Williams.

22:32

And I'm Danny Eaglet, and we're the host of

22:34

the underworld podcast. We're journalists that

22:36

have traveled all over reporting on

22:39

dangerous people and

22:40

places. And every week, we'll be bringing you a new story about

22:42

organized crime from all over the world. We

22:44

know this stuff because we've been there. We've

22:47

seen And we've got the near misses and embarrassing tales to

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22:51

our own experiences in the

22:52

field, and we'll throwing some bad jokes while

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22:55

The underworld Podcast the criminal underworld

22:57

that affect all of our lives, whether we know it

22:59

or not. Available wherever you get

23:02

your podcasts.

23:05

Now back to the show.

23:13

The

23:16

house in Hopewell that Lindbergh had

23:19

hoped would be a peaceful refuge

23:21

had turned into a circus. Police

23:24

photographers flashed photographs well into the

23:26

night outside as well as in the

23:28

nursery where they discovered some

23:30

mud presumably tracked in by

23:32

the kidnapper. And by the morning, word

23:34

of the crime having reached the

23:37

press overnight their property

23:39

was swarmed by reporters

23:41

and even just interested

23:44

on lookers. Before police were

23:46

able to control the growing crowd.

23:48

It is very likely that evidence

23:50

not noticed in the Dark of Knight

23:53

was to droid by their careless trampoline

23:55

the next day.

23:58

Message would shock the world

24:00

comes in on the police pelletized. A

24:03

message that stunned the imagination that

24:05

made every current shutter

24:07

and that brings into instant action

24:09

the entire facilities of the nation's

24:11

law enforcing

24:12

agencies. Out over the

24:15

wires,

24:15

And immediately, there begins the greatest manhunt in

24:17

the history of modern crime. Only

24:19

a few minutes have passed since

24:21

the message was

24:22

slash. He isn't

24:24

much beyond midnight. And already

24:26

the state troopers are going through

24:28

the neighborhood with a fine tooth

24:29

comb. To meet the

24:32

challenge, of a criminal degenerate.

24:33

Not a single bed is Eaglet, not

24:36

a single suspicion, unverified,

24:39

in the search for the most famous baby in

24:41

the

24:41

world, innocent twenty months

24:44

old son of the lone

24:46

eagle and his mate.

24:47

The vic of his cruel and

24:50

fiendish crimes as any

24:52

human can be guilty of. The

24:54

crime was committed by means of a ladder

24:56

placed against the

24:57

house. The baby was stolen,

24:59

dressed in his little sleeping suit.

25:01

Police efforts were swift

25:03

and thorough, though. They questioned neighbors,

25:06

notified hospitals, established

25:09

roadblocks, and checkpoints, and

25:11

rounded up known criminals and suspicious individuals across

25:14

New

25:14

Jersey. They might only

25:15

make the search more intense. The

25:17

Jersey side of the Holland Tunnel.

25:20

And the entrance the Great George Washington

25:23

Bridge looking for the writer of

25:25

this message.

25:28

And here are motion pictures of the baby taken

25:30

by members of the family and given

25:32

out by colonel Enberg to aid the

25:34

public in recognizing

25:35

him. They

25:36

are the only films ever made of the child

25:38

and only the gravity of the

25:40

emergency led the colonel to depart from his

25:42

well known version to publicity.

25:45

In everything concerning his family

25:47

and personal matters. When the

25:49

baby was stolen, he was under the doctor's

25:52

care, and missus Wingbake's chief

25:54

mayor was that his might neglected. Therefore,

25:56

she issued an appeal to the kidnappers

25:58

saying that her baby has been ill

26:00

and his recovery depended on the

26:02

treatment he received. She pleaded

26:04

with his captors to observe the strict diet,

26:06

which had been restoring the child to

26:09

health.

26:09

He is twenty months old, When

26:12

stolen, he was dressed in a white sleeping suit,

26:15

his hair is fair and

26:17

silly, his complexion is light,

26:19

He is able to walk a little and propel a few

26:21

simple words such as a child just

26:23

beginning to talk with no. He

26:25

weighs about thirty pounds and is two

26:27

feet nine inches tall. He

26:30

resembles his father allowing for the choppiness

26:32

of his baby face. All

26:34

America has demanded with one voice

26:36

that the inhuman abducted of innocent

26:38

child shall not escape their

26:40

just faith.

26:41

No reliable leads

26:44

turned up, but false

26:46

leads abounded. Many

26:48

were the reports of mysterious

26:50

cars near the Lindbergh estate

26:52

or drivers asking directions

26:54

to their home. Or conversations about the baby

26:57

being overheard, but

26:59

nothing panned out. Likewise,

27:01

forensic examination of the evidence

27:04

yielded nothing. No fingerprints

27:06

could be lifted from the note,

27:08

the ladder, or the chisel.

27:10

And just as no tread

27:12

pattern was discernible and the tire tracks discovered,

27:15

so too no tread pattern

27:17

was visible in the footprints.

27:20

But as the pattern of some kind of

27:22

woven fabric could be

27:23

observed, they suspected the kidnapper

27:26

had wrapped his shoes in

27:28

cloth. The kidnapper wore heavy

27:30

woman socks to disguise his footprints,

27:32

but the search goes on just

27:34

the same. Officers of the law

27:36

as well as the kindly farmers

27:38

of the vicinity trying to help

27:40

their

27:40

neighbors, Lindbergh and

27:43

and a father and mother who

27:45

have lost their child. And the whole

27:47

the Lindbergh home will soon see its

27:49

baby safe in his crib. The

27:51

very same crib they took him from. I

27:54

sure to have that Kit Napper alone

27:56

for just about four minutes. Well,

27:58

come back

27:58

soon, Lindbergh, our hearts are

28:01

with you.

28:12

Concerned that the authorities

28:15

whom the kidnapper had stated must

28:17

not be involved could make

28:19

some miss step

28:21

that would result in harm to

28:23

his son, Charles insisted

28:25

that he be in charge of

28:28

the investigation. In unusual demand, but

28:30

considering who he was and the

28:32

extraordinary nature of the case, one to

28:34

which police investigators agreed.

28:37

Lindbergh wanted to make contact

28:39

with underworld figures, thinking

28:41

they might be able to discover the

28:44

kidnapper's identity. Indeed,

28:46

he brought a local racketeering

28:48

into the investigation who suggested

28:50

that the kidnappers were associated

28:53

with Al Capone's Chicago

28:55

mafia organization, and there

28:57

was even some communication with

29:00

Capone himself. Who was

29:02

in jail at the time before

29:04

tax evasion and

29:06

teased that he could help find

29:08

the baby if only he

29:11

were released. Detectives were

29:14

doubtful, however, believing that

29:16

they were dealing with an amateur

29:18

kidnapper. As a professional

29:20

would have demanded a far larger

29:23

ransom. When these efforts

29:25

also gleaned nothing, It

29:27

seemed they could only wait for the kidnapper to

29:29

mail them the next communication. The

29:32

problem was that the Lindberts had

29:34

begun receiving mass quantities of

29:37

mail, including useless

29:39

leads from people who thought they were

29:41

helping mystical accounts of

29:43

dreams and iconic visions that

29:45

were likewise worthless, and

29:47

new rants of letters that

29:49

were clearly phony, lacking

29:52

the kidnappers. Signature symbol.

29:54

Lindbergh took to placing prominent

29:57

statements in the newspaper, appealing

29:59

to the kidnapper to begin communications.

30:03

On March fourth, the

30:05

next genuine ransom letter

30:07

finally came. In it,

30:09

the kidnapper who as in the first

30:11

letter used the collective first

30:13

person pronoun, we,

30:15

suggesting more than one person's involvement

30:19

expressed anger at the having

30:22

involved police and made the kidnapping

30:24

public and demanded an

30:26

additional twenty thousand dollars

30:29

saying they were forced to involve,

30:31

quote, another person,

30:33

end quote. Not only

30:35

was this letter signed with the

30:37

unique symbol, it contained many of

30:39

the same misspellings as

30:41

the letter left on the nursery window

30:44

sill. After that, Another letter was

30:46

sent to the Lindbergh's attorney,

30:48

this one demanding some go between

30:50

to ensure there would be no police

30:53

interference. In their

30:55

communications. And in a message published

30:57

in the papers, the Lindberghs

31:00

named two bootleggers and

31:02

speakeasy owners. As

31:04

their representatives. Lindbergh

31:06

had made their acquaintance during his

31:09

underworld inquiries, and when he

31:11

named them as his representatives thinking

31:13

that kidnapper would be more comfortable

31:15

dealing with fellow criminals.

31:17

It sparked a great deal

31:19

of public criticism. When

31:22

no word came from the

31:24

kidnapper for more than a week, Lindbergh

31:26

feared that he had made a

31:28

terrible misstep and that

31:30

communication had totally broken

31:32

down.

31:36

In the

31:43

Bronx, meanwhile, An retired

31:45

grade school principal named

31:47

John Condon had been

31:49

following the news. He

31:53

revered Charles and fought

31:55

the crime a terrible disgrace.

31:57

And after the fearer, over

31:59

the intermediaries Linberg had named, he

32:01

took it upon himself to offer

32:03

his own services as intermediary.

32:07

Condon was known to be a hardworking

32:10

educator and a patriotic and

32:12

religious fellow to the point that some

32:14

thought him an arrogant and hatey

32:17

busy body, making a show of

32:19

his principles. In

32:21

a letter published in the

32:23

Bronx home news, He made the offer

32:25

and sweetened the deal by

32:27

saying he would add one thousand

32:29

dollars of his own money to

32:31

the ransom. Many

32:33

thought he was attention seeking by

32:35

sticking his nose in the Lindbergh

32:38

case. His detractors were quite as

32:40

surprised as he was when

32:42

Lindbergh kidnapper sent

32:44

him a letter accepting

32:46

his proposition, in closing

32:48

another letter for CONDIN. To deliver

32:50

to Lindbergh. When Lindbergh

32:53

telephoned Lindbergh, who had him

32:55

open and read the enclosed letter,

32:57

Lindbergh did not seem to take it very

32:59

seriously until Condon described

33:01

the symbol at the bottom of

33:03

the page. That night, Lindbergh

33:05

made immediate arrangement to

33:08

meet with Conden. The letter directed

33:10

Lindbergh to put the ransom money in

33:12

a custom made box and included

33:15

a sketch like something a

33:17

carpenter might draw.

33:19

Conden was to be given the money and

33:21

Eaglet on where to take

33:23

it. Meanwhile, Lindbergh was

33:25

to keep an airplane ready for when

33:27

he was given the location of

33:29

his son. They made arrangements The

33:31

Lindberghs putting messages in the newspaper to the effect that

33:34

they accepted Condon as

33:36

intermediary, though they called him by the

33:38

codename, Jeff C, based

33:40

on his initials JFC

33:42

in order to keep the press

33:44

from identifying him.

33:47

Condon took some toys from

33:49

the nursery, hoping to present them to the

33:51

child if the boy were present at the

33:53

meeting and thereby confirm his identity

33:56

by his reaction to them.

33:58

And he also took the pins from the crib

34:00

blanket, planning to ask the

34:02

kidnapper whether they could say where they

34:04

had seen them before.

34:06

And thus likewise confirmed that he was

34:08

indeed dealing with the genuine abductors.

34:12

After the message was printed in

34:14

the papers, Condon received

34:16

a phone call from a man

34:18

with a German accent who

34:20

instructed him when to be at home

34:22

and expect further instructions. Condon

34:26

believed he heard the caller talking

34:28

to someone else during the

34:30

call, further supporting the belief

34:32

that there were at least two

34:34

kidnappers. By March twelfth, CONDEN

34:37

had in his possession the

34:39

custom built box they'd made to the

34:42

kidnapper specifications. It

34:44

was empty, however, as

34:46

they would not have the ransom money on

34:49

hand for another several days.

34:51

At the appointed time when he had

34:53

been told to always be home in order

34:55

to receive further communication, A

34:57

man rang his doorbell. He was

34:59

a taxi driver who had been

35:02

approached by a man with a

35:04

German accent and given

35:06

an envelope to deliver.

35:08

In it were instructions on

35:10

where to go with the ransom money

35:12

and instructions to be there within forty

35:16

five minutes. In

35:22

a panic, John

35:24

Condon drove to the location

35:27

in the letter. A

35:29

certain porch near a hotdog stand where the

35:32

letter stated further instructions

35:34

awaited. His only hope

35:36

was to meet with the

35:38

kidnappers and explain the situation that he did not yet

35:40

have the money to give them that

35:42

he needed

35:44

more time. the

35:46

he found a note directing him

35:48

into a cemetery across the

35:50

street. Condon went alone

35:53

into the cemetery, and finding no one he thought at

35:55

first that something had gone

35:58

wrong. Eventually though he saw

36:00

a man signaling him

36:02

from afar by waving a

36:04

white handkerchief. Condon

36:06

approached the man who wore a

36:08

dark overcoat pulled a hat down

36:10

over his eyes and held his handkerchief to his mouth

36:12

and nose to hide his face.

36:15

He spoke with the

36:17

same thick German accent Kondin

36:19

had hurt on the phone asking if

36:22

Kondin had the money, and Kondin

36:24

told him he could not bring it until he

36:26

saw the

36:28

baby. Seeing a security guard, the man

36:30

in the overcoat became spooked,

36:32

leaped over an iron fence

36:35

and bolted. Condon

36:37

chased after him calling

36:39

to him, and eventually the

36:41

man stopped running and allowed the

36:43

seventy two year old condo to catch up. Explaining his

36:46

sudden flight, the man said,

36:48

quote, it was too much risk

36:51

I would get thirty years if I am cut

36:54

and I am only go between

36:56

I might burn

36:58

end quote. Condon seized

37:00

on this remark asking what he

37:02

meant that he might

37:04

burn. What if the baby is dead,

37:06

he replied? Would I

37:08

burn if the baby is

37:10

dead? Conden demanded to know if

37:12

the baby was in

37:14

fact dead. And the man reassured him baby was

37:16

well. Conden then sought to

37:18

confirm his identity as the actual

37:20

kidnapper producing

37:22

the safe fifty pins,

37:24

which the man in the overcoat readily

37:26

identified as the pins that

37:28

had fastened down the baby's

37:30

blanket in his

37:32

crib. Conk predicting his previous claim of being

37:34

a mere go between.

37:36

That is when the man

37:38

opened up. He said his name

37:40

was John, that he was part of

37:42

a six person gang, the

37:44

leader being a, quote, high

37:46

level government

37:48

employee. End quote. He stated that Charles junior

37:50

was aboard a boat,

37:52

moored some six hours away

37:56

Condon offered to be taken

37:58

hostage so that he could be shown the

38:00

baby. But John, who would come to

38:02

be called

38:04

cemetery John, refused promising instead to

38:06

send the baby's sleeping

38:08

suit as

38:10

proof. A few days

38:12

after this initial meeting,

38:14

the baby's pajamas were

38:16

indeed mailed to conduct. In

38:20

good faith, Lindbergh collected

38:22

the ransom money. However,

38:24

on the advice of the IRS

38:26

investigator who had famously put

38:29

Al Capona Way, He recorded the serial numbers of all

38:31

the bills, and the bulk of the

38:34

money would be in

38:36

gold certificates. For

38:38

already, it was believed that the country

38:40

may soon end the gold

38:42

standard. At which point,

38:44

the kidnapper would draw

38:46

attention when spending them

38:48

or would have to exchange

38:50

them affording some further

38:52

chance of apprehending him. The

39:03

Lindbergh continued to

39:05

communicate with their child's abductor through vague

39:07

newspaper ads and received several more

39:10

increasingly impatient

39:12

letters from

39:14

cemetery John or from his superior in

39:16

the

39:17

gang, each

39:17

containing the same familiar

39:20

spelling errors and

39:22

circular symbol.

39:24

It would take another two agonizing

39:26

weeks to prepare the ransom package

39:28

and communicate their readiness

39:30

to make the payoff. On

39:33

April second, at the specified time, another

39:35

cab driver left another

39:37

envelope at Conden's

39:40

doorstep. This one directing

39:42

him to carry the ransom to a certain

39:45

Florist's greenhouse where he

39:47

would find a further note. This

39:50

time Lindbergh came

39:52

with Conden and he was

39:54

armed. Upon

39:56

their arrival, The note once again told him to walk

39:58

alone to a graveyard

40:00

located nearby, which Condon

40:04

did Though he disobeyed the instructions to bring the money

40:06

with him. He was cagey

40:08

realizing that he might be murdered

40:12

for being the only person who had seen cemetery John's

40:14

face. He skirted the

40:16

graveyard looking for an ambush

40:20

And eventually, cemetery John called out

40:22

to him. They walked to

40:24

meet one another, and cemetery

40:26

John crouching behind a bush

40:29

demanded he go and get

40:31

the money. When Condon came back

40:33

with the ransom, cemetery John

40:35

checked it and then gave Condon

40:37

an envelope in trucking him

40:39

not to open it for six

40:42

hours. Condon and Lindbergh

40:44

drove some distance up the road,

40:46

before Condon convinced Linden to stop and open

40:49

the envelope. His hands

40:51

trembling, Linden Lindbergh,

40:54

that his son was being cared for by

40:56

two innocent women aboard a boat called

40:59

Nellie, moored near

41:01

the Elizabeth Islands. That

41:04

very night, at two AM, he drove to an airfield and took

41:07

off in a large amphibious

41:10

Sikorsky aircraft. To search

41:12

for the boat. For six

41:14

hours that morning, he scoured

41:16

the waters surrounding the Elizabeth

41:18

Islands, buzzing dozens

41:20

of boats none of

41:22

which matched the description

41:24

of the Nellie provided by

41:27

senator John. He would continue for

41:29

days to search the coast

41:31

for the boat containing his son to

41:33

no avail. Thinking themselves

41:36

double crossed, they left

41:38

new messages in the newspapers. But

41:40

there was no answer. As they

41:42

waited, the US treasurer distributed a

41:45

pamphlet to banks everywhere

41:48

containing the serial numbers of the ransom bills. And

41:50

a couple days later, the

41:53

press sleuthed out that

41:55

this meant Linenberg had paid the ransom

41:58

but not received his

42:00

child in return, and they

42:02

made it front

42:04

page news. The press further discovered that

42:06

Camden had been the Lindbergh's

42:08

intermediary and began

42:10

hounding him making

42:12

him useless as their go between if

42:14

the kidnappers decided to

42:17

initiate communication again. With doctor

42:20

J. S. Condom wearing the derby hat,

42:22

now rest the hope of baby Lindsay's

42:24

return. He first contacted

42:26

the kid numbers and paid the fifty thousand dollars

42:28

ransom. Doctor Condinet held

42:30

many important meetings in his New York

42:32

home. Gassy, as he is

42:33

known, is extremely optimistic in his

42:35

first news real interview. I have

42:38

been asked to say a few

42:41

words concerning the

42:43

most dastly crime

42:45

of modern times. Too much publicity

42:48

has injured contact,

42:51

but nobody is

42:53

going to give up. The

42:56

American spirit that prompted

42:58

Charles the lone

43:00

eagle, to cross the ocean. And

43:03

their credit to America

43:06

will find that the

43:08

American people

43:10

not give up. The baby

43:12

will be returned I hope

43:14

in a short

43:16

time. We are in contact

43:18

and nobody is giving up.

43:26

These developments caused the Lindberghs to

43:28

despair of ever seeing their

43:31

child again, but Six

43:34

weeks later, after continuing

43:36

to chase false hope in the form

43:38

of hoax claims, they

43:40

did see their baby again.

43:42

Though only in the most awful way.

43:45

A truck driver hauling

43:47

timber near the Lindbergh's

43:50

Hopewell property happened to

43:52

stop to relieve himself on the

43:54

side of the road, and as he made

43:56

his way into the woods to do

43:58

so, he discovered the

44:00

remains of Charles Lindbergh

44:03

The eGlett could

44:05

be positively identified as

44:07

his curls and dimples were

44:10

discernible despite decomposition

44:12

and the activity of scavenger animals.

44:15

But more than that, the baby remained

44:18

in his undershirts, including

44:20

the one his nurse made had sown

44:22

for him out of flannel

44:24

on the night of the kidnapping

44:26

while his sleeping suit was missing because of

44:29

course his kidnapper had

44:31

removed it and later mailed

44:34

it to Conden. Detectives

44:36

also found a burlap

44:38

sack near the road in which

44:40

some blonde hairs matching the

44:42

babies had been discovered.

44:44

It appeared that the Eaglet

44:47

whom all the world was searching for

44:49

and hoping to find

44:52

alive had actually been

44:54

dead more than

44:56

ten weeks. Killed on the very night of the

44:58

kidnapping by a fracture of the

45:00

skull according to the

45:02

autopsy and

45:04

dumped less than two

45:06

miles from the bed out

45:08

of which he had been taken.

45:13

Following the

45:22

discovery of the remains, the Bureau of Investigation

45:24

under Jay Edgar Hoover took

45:26

a more active role in

45:29

coordinating the search for anyone

45:32

spending the ransom money,

45:34

which more and more looked to be the

45:36

only legitimate avenue that the

45:38

investigation had left. Besides the

45:40

continued interrogation of Lindbergh

45:42

household servants and further

45:45

fruitless searches for a

45:47

vote called Nellie. A year after the

45:49

kidnapping, Franklin Delano Roosevelt took office

45:52

and initiated his sweeping

45:54

new deal

45:56

programs. Which included

45:58

his proclamation to return to

46:00

the US treasury, all gold,

46:02

as well as all gold

46:05

certificates like those given to cemetery John,

46:07

which meant that about forty

46:09

thousand dollars of the ransom

46:11

money would soon

46:14

become rare and even more noticeable when spent than

46:16

it already had been.

46:18

After his first hundred

46:20

days, Roosevelt centralized the

46:22

investigation within the Department

46:24

of Justice giving exclusive jurisdiction

46:26

to Jay Edgar Hoover's BOI. resentment

46:30

over Roosevelt's reforms developed

46:33

and the suspicion of anti Semites

46:35

that he was part of

46:38

some Jewish communist conspiracy grew. FDR

46:40

was actually accused of

46:42

having something to do with

46:45

the Lindbergh kidnapping. To many

46:48

in the depression, a crime

46:50

against a wealthy individual

46:52

like Lindbergh must de

46:54

facto be a

46:56

communist plot. And wherever one cried

46:58

communist, another cried Jewish.

47:02

Incredibly, an

47:04

anonymous widely a circulated

47:06

Eaglet, alleged that Roosevelt

47:09

was protecting the murderer

47:11

of the Lindbergh baby. Supposedly

47:14

because he was Jewish.

47:16

In fact, Roosevelt had done

47:18

far more than his predecessor to

47:20

ensure the killer was caught. In

47:23

early nineteen thirty four as the second anniversary of the

47:25

child's abduction loomed, the

47:27

BOI demanded close

47:30

scrutiny of all bills being passed in New York, where

47:33

the ransom currency was turning up

47:35

at a rate of about forty

47:37

dollars a week. Beyond

47:40

just banks, they provided the

47:42

booklet with the ransom money's serial numbers

47:45

as well as handy key

47:47

cards to help identify ransom

47:50

bills quickly to nearly

47:52

every employee handling money in

47:54

New York City. From grocery

47:56

store clerks to postal employees,

47:58

from department store cashiers,

48:00

to gas station attendants. Moreover,

48:04

a New York City police detective

48:06

assigned to the case sent

48:08

letters to every gas station

48:10

urging attendance

48:12

to take down the license plate of any customer

48:14

spending a gold note.

48:16

That's September two and

48:18

a half years after the crime.

48:22

These efforts would finally pay off

48:24

and an arrest would be

48:26

made. To most, this would

48:29

prove the final resolution of

48:31

the mystery. But to many

48:33

others, the mystery would never seem

48:35

to have been solved.

48:37

Next time on historical blindness,

48:40

I will discuss the apprehension of

48:42

the man believed to be cemetery

48:43

John, the trial of

48:46

the century. And the

48:48

several alternative theories and

48:51

conspiracy claims that still

48:53

surround the case today.

49:06

Thanks for listening to historical

49:08

blindness. Check out the blog post

49:10

for this episode, which should go

49:12

up on historical blindness dot com

49:16

sometime before the next episode

49:18

for further reading related

49:20

imagery and a

49:22

transcript. As always, thanks go out to my partner

49:24

patrons. Diane Lane, Joe

49:26

Escott, Sean Munger,

49:28

Devlin Hoff,

49:30

Michael Markham, Jessica Reeves, Fred

49:32

from Colorado, Robin Inn,

49:36

Matteo, Empey, Rebecca,

49:38

Don Mundus, Eunice Allen

49:41

Bradley, Juliet O'Connor,

49:43

Jonathan Williams, John Ashuah

49:46

Ludington, Logan Houlihan,

49:48

Lilly Powers, Lonnie Crawford,

49:52

Nancy, and Ralph Finn. Consider these my

49:54

cryptic messages to you

49:56

publicly posted

49:58

and untraceable. Perhaps

50:00

I should sign them, null, a code name

50:02

derived from my initials. This

50:05

podcast is part of the

50:07

Airwave Media podcast network.

50:10

Visit airwavemedia dot com to listen

50:12

and subscribe to their other fine

50:14

shows, like the venerable

50:16

Eaglet of Napoleon, and

50:19

my history can beat up your politics. Some music on

50:21

this episode is copyright

50:24

Alex Kish. Visit

50:26

alixkish music dot com and contact him to

50:28

get compositions for your own projects.

50:31

Additional music from

50:34

Kai Eaglet. And from Kevin MacLeod licensed under a

50:36

Creative Commons attribution license.

50:38

Check out the show notes for a list of the

50:42

tracks used. You can support the show by pledging on

50:44

Patreon or on PayPal.

50:46

Find those links in the show notes,

50:48

or find me on Venmo.

50:52

At historical blindness. Until next

50:55

time, remember, the press

50:57

is a fundamental pillar

51:00

of democracy. But as we saw in the last

51:02

series, they can easily get

51:05

things terribly wrong. And as the

51:07

story of the Lindbergh baby

51:10

kit napping shows, they can also sometimes

51:12

do more harm than good.