LINDBERGH BABY CASE

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21386, 31 January 1935, Page 11

LINDBERGH BABY CASE

HAUPTMANN TEN HOURS IN WITNESS-BOX LONG CROSS-EXAMINATION FLEMINGTON, January 29. Bruno Richard Hauptmann, who is accused of murdering the Lindbergh bady, spent a difficult day, in which Mr Wilentz, the prosecutor, showed again and again that he had lied. The fn-osecutor broke down every suggestion that Hauptmann had obtained the ranson money from Fisch, his friend, who died some time ago, and showed striking similarities between errors in English in the ransom notes and expressions used by the witness in answering questions. Mr Wilentz alleged that Hauptmann tried to arrange a trip to Germany to escape the consequences of the kidnapping. Hauptmann said he had planned the trip "for a year already." Mr Wilentz picked up the ransom notes, cautioned Hauptmann to listen carefully, and read: "This kidnapping has been planned for a year already. It has been prepared for a year already." In letters which Hauptmann had written'to Fisch, certain words were underlined in red and blue crayon. Similar underlining was found in the ransom notes. However, 10 hours of rigid crossexamination by the prosecutor ended with the accused unshaken in his denial of guilt, and although his explanations of the circumstances apparently linking him with _ the crime were vague and sometimes nlmost incredible, he failed to "break" under the grilling, and left the stand calmer than when he was called. After Mr Wilentz finished questioning him, Mr Reilly, his counsel, recalled him and began a counter-attack to indicate again that Fisch was the kidnapper. The accused declared that some of his letters from Fisch had been suppressed to Mr Reilly, and "demanded that the state should produce them.