Episode 85: After Trust
When the most famous unsolved crime goes from kidnapping to murder, those previously offering help turn into prime suspects.
After Evalyn Walsh McLean has Gaston Means arrested for not returning the ransom money, the Lindbergh baby is found dead on May 12th, 1932. Charles Lindbergh himself led several failed recovery attempts, and now those helping him are considered suspects to murder.
Other people and subjects include: Charles Lindbergh, Jr., Lindbergh kidnapping, Colonel Henry Skillman Breckenridge, Norman Schwarzkopf, Nurse Betty Gow, Elsie Whateley, Al Capone, Morris “Mickey” Rosner, Salvatore “Salvy” Spitale, Irving Bitz, John F. Condon – Jafsie, “Cemetery John,” John Hughes Curtis, Reverend Dobson Peacock, Admiral Guy Burrage, Nurse Betty Gow, Elsie Whateley, William Allen, J. Edgar Hoover, Sinclair Lewis, Victor Hugo, Highfields, ransom, reward, suspects, vengeance, forensics, crime scene investigation, “Lanky” Lou Reichers, Friday 13th, Captain Fried, Amelia Earhart, Bernt Balchen, Varick Frissell, Massie Trial, kidnapping gang, conspiracy theories, pop culture industries, hoax, cover up, pretenders, Simpsons, Grandpa Simpson, King Charles, Prince Harry, Meghan Markle, Jazz Jennings, George Floyd, parasocial relationships
Archival Music provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, www.pastperfect.com.
Extra Notes / Call to Action:
Proud Stutter podcast by Maya
Chupkov
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Publish Date: May 13, 2023
Length: 24:28
Opening Music: My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands
Section 1 Music: Lullaby by Coleman Hawkins, Album Nightfall – Sophisticated Jazz Classics
Section 2 Music: Nightfall by Benny Carter & His Orchestra, Album Nightfall – Sophisticated Jazz Classics
Section 3 Music: I Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight? by Jack Hylton, Album Charleston – Great Stars Of the 20s
End Music: My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands
AS THE MONEY BURNS
Podcast by Nicki Woodard
Episode 085 – After Trust
Outline
Lindbergh Kidnapping
Murder suspects
00:00
[Music – My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands]
AS THE MONEY BURNS is an original podcast by Nicki Woodard. Based on historical research, this is a deep exploration into what happened to a set of actual heirs and heiresses to some of America’s most famous fortunes when the Great Depression hits.
Each episode has three primary sections. Section 1 is a narrative story. Section 2 goes deeper into the historical facts. Section 3 focuses on contemporary, emotional, and personal connections.
00:31
Story Recap
When the Lindbergh baby is kidnapped, Evalyn Walsh McLean makes her own attempt at recovery and nearly endangers her life instead.
Now back to AS THE MONEY BURNS
Title
00:46
After Trust
[Music Fade Out]
Episode Tag
When the most famous unsolved crime goes from kidnapping to murder, those previously offering help turn into prime suspects.
01:02
[Music – Lullaby by Coleman Hawkins, Album Nightfall – Sophisticated Jazz Classics]
Section 1 – Story
[Music Fade Out]
01:21
The world’s most famous baby Charles Lindbergh, Jr. disappeared on March 1st, 1932.
The fever and panic of a missing baby turns into a nightmare. So many jump in to help, ready to be a hero for a hero. The news never stops with updates, theories, and speculations.
As days go by, agony of the Lindbergh family forces desperate attempts to find any information. Their home in Hopewell, N.J., serves as headquarters for recovery efforts. Famed pilot Charles Lindbergh will try any method and even leads flyover missions trying to find the kidnappers.
Secretly and publicly, several recovery attempts are carried out. Paid ransoms that never result in the full exchange.
02:08
Evalyn Walsh McLean went as far as El Paso, Texas, only to realize her own endangerment if she crossed over the Mexican border. Returning to Washington, D.C., she has former FBI agent and her underground liaison Gaston Means arrested on May 5th, 1932 for taking $100k plus expenses (eh-hem that’s the equivalent of $2.18 million in 2023).
Gaston appears in court and pleads not guilty to charges of “larceny after trust.” The newspapers splash the headlines of Evalyn’s trek across the nation. The Washington Post newspaper magnate’s wife is the topic of conversation yet again. Not much better than their bitter and rather bizarre divorce.
The articles cover the Lindbergh approval, the overly complicated plan with codenames, and Evalyn admitting her misguided intentions that led to getting in way in over her head. Lindbergh cousin Captain Land confirms that Evalyn was approved by the family to attempt this recovery while Lindbergh himself had no direct involvement.
03:12
Meanwhile that same day, newspapers also report more recovery efforts especially John Hughes Curtis going on a ship Marcon to meet with the kidnappers off the Virginia coast. These hopeful expeditions repeatedly fail. Lindbergh remains obsessively focused on his son’s recovery.
Then the announcement is made. One everyone anticipates, but no one ever wanted.
03:41
Day 72 – May 12th, 1932 in Hopewell, N.J.
3:15pm
A timber truck travels from Mount Rose to Hopewell, New Jersey. The truck pulls over to the side higher up from the recent rain puddles. Driver Orville Wilson waits while his companion African American William Allen hops out and heads into the woods. Allen didn’t stop at a gas station restroom, and now the call of nature is too strong. He goes 75 – 100 feet away from the road into the heavy wooded growth. Allen pushes away a branch from his head then notices a glimpse of a small foot jutting out from a hollow wood stump.
He calls out, and Wilson comes over and immediately heads to the police station.
04:32
Quickly, the police gather comparative evidence to identify the remains. Scottish Nurse Betty Gow offers the leftover flannel shirt with an embroidered collar material used to create the baby’s clothing that very night of the kidnapping. The other servant Elsie Whateley hands over the blue thread.
A call is made out to Lindbergh who is in Cape May on another recovery attempt with the kidnappers as negotiated by John Hughes Curtis. They are both informed of the discovery.
05:01
5:30pm
At Hopewell, Colonel Schwarzkopf gathers 2 dozen reporters back into the garage with the doors locked. No one is allowed to leave until the full announcement is made.
A baby’s body is found not 4.5 miles away. A fractured skull, wearing clothing, and identified through the oddly shaped overlapping toes.
It’s Charles Lindbergh, Jr.
The eaglet is dead.
The press nearly crawl out of their seats needing to relay the information to the rest of the world.
05:38
6:00pm
Nurse Gow views the remains and upon seeing the toes within a minute identifies the body then leaves the room. Long time family friend and Lindbergh’s right hand Henry Breckenridge along with the coroner and another physician will also identify the body. Lindbergh will view the body 2 days later before sending it to cremation.
6:12pm
The first of endless media announcements goes out.
Immediately, those who were most at forefront in recovery assistance are now suspects for murder.
06:12
Under police escort, John Hughes Curtis is brought all the way to Hopewell for questioning. His answers do not satisfy New Jersey police superintendent Norman Schwarzkopf.
11:30pm
Lindbergh arrives shortly after Curtis, but they are kept apart from private consult as the police interrogate Curtis. Lindbergh is insistent that Curtis has real contact with the kidnappers.
Next move, round up all those helpful strangers in more direct contact with Lindbergh now arrested as top suspects.
06:47
Somewhat ironically, already arrested and waiting a June 1932 trial, Gaston Means is merely considered a criminal and a fraud but not a direct suspect. Still, he too will be questioned by his former boss FBI head J. Edgar Hoover in regard to what Gaston might know about the kidnapping and murder on May 13th.
07:09
Morris “Mickey” Rosner – the low level gangster who was trying to get a plea deal for an unrelated charge. He got New York gangster mafia boss Salvatore “Salvy” Spitale and his lieutenant Irving Bitz appointed by Lindbergh to be the mafia liaison. Only they seemed more interested in getting Al Capone released for “assistance” – something the authorities were skeptical and unwilling to do despite Lindbergh’s desperation.
07:33
Then there is John Francis Condon aka “Jafsie” with his not so secret correspondence with kidnappers through a local Brooklyn newspaper. This retired 70+ year old educator served as liaison handing over part of the ransom to “Cemetery John” inside a cemetery while Lindbergh waited in the car. On May 13th, 1932, Condon will be first questioned in Brooklyn then sent to New Jersey.
08:03
And of course, the new potential hero du jour and now prime suspect – John Hughes Curtis, a boatbuilder with ties to Lindbergh’s associates Captain Burrage and Reverend Dobson-Peacock.
Rosner, Condon, and Curtis are all taken to Highfields for interrogation. They eventually start pointing the finger at each other. Condon the most vocal of them all.
It takes five days of intense questioning for Curtis to break and admit he had no such luck nor contacts nor the special 5 member kidnapping gang. It was all a hoax on his part. For Lindbergh, the betrayal of Curtis is the worst. Curtis even had Lindbergh suspecting his own staff. The conniver’s seemingly special details and knowledge – well with the extensive press coverage so much was in the public and either intentionally or unintentionally absorbed in what might appear to be firsthand knowledge.
Condolences from all over are sent to Lindbergh, but another emotion bubbles up. And now, the whole world cries for vengeance.
09:15
Meanwhile Evalyn Walsh McLean faces another complication. The soon-to-be ex-wife of the Washington Post owner hides from the press. Seeing the headlines and now knowing the baby is gone, she clutches the heavy Hope Diamond to her heart. Her divorce proceedings still complicated, and finances are a bit tight. For the $100k, she took a small quick mortgage on one of her homes, and it is now coming due.
All the money in the world means nothing when a young life is lost.
09:52
Now another hunt begins. No longer for the baby and the kidnapper, but now for a murderer.
How fever pitched will this get too?…
One thing is for certain, Schwarzkopf and the police take full control, and Lindbergh must wait for their efforts and their duller more traditional police work to solve the Crime of the Century over two years later.
Hint – one of those failed recovery ransom attempts will lead to the prime suspect and a conviction.
10:28
[Music – Nightfall by Benny Carter & His Orchestra, Album Nightfall – Sophisticated Jazz Classics]
Section 2 – History & Historiography
[Music Fade Out]
10:40
On May 20th – 21st, 1927, Lindbergh made his solo 33.5 hour flight from New York to Paris making him an overnight sensation. Days shy of the fantastic feat’s anniversary five years later, Lindbergh gets the worst news of his life.
The discovery of Charles Lindbergh, Jr.’s body causes an immediate shift in the investigation. For two months, Lindbergh spearheaded the hunt for the kidnappers and often thwarted and subverted police involvement in vetting out his efforts. When the baby’s corpse is found, New Jersey police superintendent Colonel Norman Schwarzkopf seizes control of the investigation and puts Lindbergh on the sidelines. Public and government involvement remain intense, and the discovery further increases outcries to pass the legislation where kidnapping becomes a federal and capital crime, meaning death penalty if the victim is harmed.
11:41
The Lindbergh case is also a history of crime scene investigation, the early nascent forensics we so heavily rely on today to solve a crime. Fingerprints and handwriting experts, plus the construction of the ladder all examined and documented. Only the autopsy is done in less than 10 minutes and not considered later to be thorough enough for doubts on identification. For the time, the evidence seems pretty straightforward, and no other baby was reported missing nor dead nearby for the timeline. From the location of the body, 10 barrels of dirt are hauled off and inspected to pull together any potential evidence.
Badly decomposed, the death likely occurred the night of the kidnapping or within a few days. Forewarning gruesome details to follow –
Tufts of blonde curly hair, the makeshift outfit, most of the organs and flesh missing, likely dead for two months, right forearm missing, left hand missing, left leg carried off by animals, the one remaining right leg showed the key identifying feature – the deformed toes that bend over the others. Teeth. The skull suffered 2 blows, one hole the size of a quarter and likely the cause of death.
13:05
In reviewing this story, I think another aspect to consider is how the whole event becomes more than one solo crime, but something much larger and that is due to the Lindbergh celebrity, the wealth involved, and the ongoing press attention.
A crime that spurs more crimes. Most importantly the grab for the ransom, the false accusations, and other attempts at recovery. The publicity hounds and those needing to be the center of attention.
13:36
Gaston Means fleeces Evalyn Walsh McLean. According to Gaston’s widow, he was interested in restoring his tarnished name by saving the baby. In private as early as March 10th, 1932, Gaston relayed his own suspicions to his wife that the baby was likely already dead. Though he continued to pursue the game with Evalyn, possibly out of spite for a previous investigation when she had stiffed him on payment.
Gaston and his wife held onto the $100k ransom in their house for a couple of weeks – for safety from theft his wife even took it in a shopping bag to watch a movie, but eventually Gaston took the money one evening for it to never appear again. It might have been used for gambling or some other failed scheme.
14:24
The New York gangsters appointed by Lindbergh Salvatore “Salvy” Spitale and Irving Bitz seemed to be more interested in furthering their gangland influence by helping Al Capone get out of jail. Lindbergh was willing to pursue a temporary release, but the authorities were less trusting pointing out that Capone would most likely skip out of the country.
14:46
Retired educator and local Brooklyn blowhard John Francis Condon, aka Jafsie in secret press messages, sadly miscalculated his influence, or did he?
14:59
Then there is the bankrupt boatbuilder John Hughes Curtis who took all the info gleaned from the press and became convincingly “in the know” completely duping Lindbergh. In June 1932, he too goes on trial and will serve one year in prison for providing false information and hindering a criminal investigation. He will resurface when the final suspect is arrested offering to corroborate for Schwarzkopf.
15:27
It will be nearly 2 more years before the final suspect is caught then 2 more years to be tried, convicted, and executed. That suspect will be caught in relation to circulating ransom bills, those noted on a special watchlist. When caught, many will claim they were influential in tracking down the criminal.
15:49
One note, William Allen – the African American man who first discovered the body of baby Lindy, will receive $5k of the reward upon the conviction. That would be roughly $112k today in 2023. The rest of the reward money will be split amongst others who contributed in small parts to locating the final suspect. There will even be fighting between 2 recipients trying to claim more responsibility for one of the final clues.
16:19
And now one of the more hideous notes, shortly after the birth of the second Lindbergh baby – another boy in August 1932, the Lindberghs began receiving more letters threatening kidnapping and murder of the new child.
In reviewing key news articles in relation to the Lindbergh investigation, I trip over other crime stories. Most importantly the Massie trial in Hawaii, where a wealthy socialite avenges the alleged rape of her daughter by having one of the suspects kidnapped and killed (covered in Episode 75: Fiery Eruptions).
16:56
On a lighter note, Al Capone receives continual press coverage. One story talks about him getting a haircut and shave behind bars and adjusting to the prisoner look. Much like Lindbergh, Capone is one of those historical figures that much has been written and feels familiar enough, and yet something different emerges about him when he overlaps into our story. During his incarceration, he has taken to reading at first detective novels and other pulp fiction before graduating to the serious classics such as Babbit and Main Street by Sinclair Lewis and By Order of the King by Victor Hugo. Capone’s diet, press, visitors, his cell accommodations, and his model prisoner behavior all find their way into various articles as the most notorious gangster awaits appeal for his tax evasion conviction.
Other crimes featured in adjoining columns include a young lady smuggling opium in candy boxes, other kidnappings, and another Hawaiian assault and rape.
17:57
And then right in time for the anniversary of Lindbergh’s epic flight, other attempts to repeat or beat his record while Lindbergh is solely focused on his missing child.
On May 12th – 13th, 1932, American “Lanky” Lou Reichers attempts to break Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight in under 18 hours going from Newark to Paris. Oh and on the unlucky Friday the 13th, technical issues force an emergency landing 47 miles off the coast of Fastnet, Ireland. Reichers survives but the plane does not and is unable to be salvaged from the rough sea. He suffers a broken nose and some skin lacerations. Reichers is rescued by Captain Fried aboard the USS Roosevelt, and this Captain Fried has rescued over 25 people stranded at sea and is hailed a hero again in the press. The awaiting exhuberant and some dressed up French crowd disappointed in the no show at the Paris airfield.
18:56
On May 20th, 1932, Amelia Earhart will make her *solo transatlantic flight, also having to land earlier than the projected Paris and instead lands near Derry, Northern Ireland. Earhart was prepped for her flight by Norwegian American aviator Bernt Balchen, who prepped a decoy flight for his own trip to the Arctic. Balchen previously attempted to help in the recovery efforts searching for Varick Frissell after the Viking ship explosion near Newfoundland (covered in Episode 53: Stroke of Luck).
Yep, history and people definitely have their cycles, especially darker ones…
19:40
[Music – I Wonder Where My Baby Is Tonight? by Jack Hylton, Album Charleston – Great Stars Of the 20s]
Section 3 – Contemporary & Personal Relevance
[Music Fade Out]
19:58
Let me be straightforward. The Lindbergh kidnapping and murder case is huge. There is no way I can sit down, read, and research all that has been written about it over the decades. The newspaper output alone is tremendous every day, day after day, week after week, article upon article. The inundation of speculation and the proliferation of nearly duplicate articles can be overwhelming. There are plenty of true crime books, documentaries, and podcasts that delve into the subject. I even met at last year’s Podcast Movement convention a man whose father was obsessed with solving the case.
For this podcast and my sanity, I am only going to cover highlights that feel like they overlap with our overarching story at hand as either directly related to others already covered like Evalyn Walsh McLean or parallel to their experiences as some will have future kidnapping threats and other misguided security efforts and broken trusts.
20:54
As well, I am interested in how the public and outsiders become interested and invested in those that are relatively strangers except via media. That is completely relevant to our current parasocial relationships with different various public figures, celebrities, and even social media influencers.
The mental construction one will go through in getting vicariously involved in another distant person’s life. The microscopic obsession with Lindbergh and to a lesser extent some of the other wealthy during the Great Depression shows the profound ability and need for humans to identify and reflect on other’s experiences as their own.
21:30
And yes, there is ongoing speculation and conspiracy theories for this particular crime especially over how Lindbergh was overly involved leading some to think it was a more sinister cover up. Even back then, there were pop culture references and industries developed to profit off the known elements of the crime photos and the ladder. And of course, there are also several pretenders later claiming to be the Lindbergh baby. In the long running animated series The Simpsons in Season 7 Episode 8 “Mother Simpson,” Grandpa Simpson declares he’s the Lindbergh baby.
22:07
In today’s world, we have even more media coverage and at times very personal involvement digitally transmitted providing plenty of room for both praise and criticism. The coronation of the now King Charles of Great Britain, the issues surrounding his son Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle, and even down to Jazz Jennings and the transgender debate for children and teens. And we need not forget the hysteria in the wake of George Floyd, someone who was unknown to the public until his death was caught on video.
22:40
The fervor that escalates as people attach to those outside of them. Whether as ideals they represent, or as targets for hostilities.
The mass hysteria that resonates outwards. The pent up emotions and frustrations that can be disastrous for a harmonious society at large.
Many of our characters will be caught in such maelstroms whether small or large, and as the Great Depression intensifies so does the scrutiny.
23:08
This week May 8th, 2023 is National Stuttering Awareness Week. If you are interested in learning more about the various forms of stuttering then check out my friend and fellow podcaster Maya Chupkov’s Proud Stutter podcast. She recently won this year’s Ambies Award for Best DIY – Do It Yourself Podcast. That’s Proud Stutter. Links in the notes and transcript section.
If you enjoy As The Money Burns, then please share, like, & subscribe.
Hook
23:39
[Music – My Heart Belongs to Daddy by Billy Cotton, Album The Great British Dance Bands]
Next when we return to AS THE MONEY BURNS…
The times are getting tougher, and one of the largest mansions closes to prevent a potential Versailles ending.
Until then…
Credits
23:55
AS THE MONEY BURNS is an original podcast written, produced, and voiced by Nicki Woodard, based on historical research. Archival music has been provided by Past Perfect Vintage Music, check out their website at www.pastperfect.com.
Please come visit us at As The Money Burns via Goodpods, Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. Transcripts, timeline, episode guide, and character bios are available at asthemoneyburns.com.
24:28
THE END.