The Ghosts of Hopewell: Setting the Record Straight in the Lindbergh Case

For goodness' sake, how much evidence do the conspiracy wackos need before they come back to planet Earth? Fisher shows how Hauptmann a) had the money, b) owned the wood that was used to make the ladder, c) owned the nails that were used to make the ladder, d) had a criminal record involving threats on babies and the use of ladders, e) gave up work as soon as the ransom was paid, f) never worked again once the kidnapper was paid his money - and much more. His book (and his original and more comprehensive earlier work) should be a breath of fresh air for the conspiracy theorists. Unfortunately, absolutely nothing will convince them that Bruno Richard Hauptman was a thoroughly evil child murderer.

Author Jim Fisher is a professor in the Department of Political Science and Criminal Justice at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, and a former FBI agent. His direct, "Just the facts, ma'am," style is crisp and refreshing. In this, his second volume on the Lindbergh kidnaping, he takes on the revisionist theories that have accumulated over the years. He debunks them all and concludes the Bruno Richard Hauptmann did indeed carry out the heinous crime, and that he acted alone.This book is loaded with details. A few burning questions are answered--Q. Why was Hauptmann tried in Hunterdon Co., NJ, when Hopewell (where Baby Lindbergh's body was found) lies in Mercer Co?A. The prosecution theorized that Baby Lindbergh was killed in or near his crib in the Lindbergh residence, which is near Hopewell, but just over the county line in E. Amwell, Hunterdon Co.Q. Just under $15K of the $50K ransom was recovered. What happened to the rest of the money?A. After the ransom was paid Hauptmann gradually became a big spender buying nice things for his wife and himself with what he claimed were profits earned on Wall Street. Records indicate over $26K deposited to his accounts after the ransom was paid. He probably was able to launder the money and spend it undetected.Ransom notes, the first left in the baby's room, used a symbol and three hole punch pattern that firmly linked the ransom payment to the kidnaping-ruling out numerous imposters.The baby's autopsy was performed at Walter Swayze's Funeral Home in Trenton, with mortician Swayze, county coroner, functioning under the direction of Dr. Charles H. Mitchell, the Mercer County physician.Three days after the ransom was paid, April 5, President Roosevelt called in all gold bullion, coins, and gold notes. This made the ransom money, all but $14K in gold notes, easier to spot once everyone else traded in their gold notes. The serial numbers of the ransom money was published in a fifty-seven page ransom book. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York was asked to check the serial numbers of all incoming gold certificates against the list (suggesting that money spent as near as Princeton or Hopewell-which use the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank-was never checked).John Condon's (the man who paid the ransom for Col. Lindbergh) phone number and address were found pencilled on a board in Hauptman's house. He did not deny he wrote it.The Museum of the New Jersey State Police in W. Trenton has the kidnap ladder and the serial number list of the ransom money on display. The Hauptmann case was the subject of repeated lawsuits by Mrs. Hauptmann. As a result, the State Police site continues to house the Lindbergh Collection consisting of 200K documents, 518 pieces of physical evidence, 300 court exhibits, and hundreds of photographs, all completely indexed on 35K name and subject cards, now computerized.In 1985, 23K Lindbergh case documents that had been collected by Gov. Harold G. Hoffman were discovered in

Here's the real story, the only story worth reading. Fisher is thoughtful, careful, and factual is his enlightening account of the true and complete story behind the famous Lindbergh kidnapping and the subsequent "Trial of the Century." Every aspect of revisionist history is addressed with intelligence and evidence (and sometimes a touch of wit). Hauptmann's guilt is proven within these pages, leaving no room for doubt and fulfilling the title's promise to close the book on these events. GHOSTS OF HOPEWELL is a book worth opening, a book worth reading, a book worth buying, and most certainly a book worth recommending.

I have spent the last 10 years researching and writing my biography of Anne Lindbergh, and Jim Fisher's work has been indispensable to me. In a field of crackpot theories and self-serving, half-baked conclusions, Jim Fisher remains a disciplined, educated, objective eye to the people and the events, the crime and the investigation that has stumped scholars for nearly seventy years. A former FBI agent who has devoted 25 years of his life to solid scholarship, Jim Fisher and his book deserve to be honored. Anyone serious about exploring the facts and theories of this fascinating subject should not miss Fisher's new book.