(NUMBERS IN BRACKETS REFER TO PAGE NUMBERS FROM ORIGINAL TRANSCRIPT)
[58] ANNE MORROW LINDBERGH, sworn
as a witness on behalf of the State.
Direct Examination by Mr.
Wilentz:
Q. Mrs. Lindbergh, you are the
wife of Charles A. Lindbergh. A. I am.
Q. And where do you reside,
madam? A. My legal residence is in East Amwell Township, Hunterdon County. I
have been living in Englewood, New Jersey.
Q. When you say East Amwell
Township in Hunterdon County, you mean the home which you occupied in March,
1932. A. I do.
Q. Now specifically referring to
March 1, 1932, you were then living in and occupying the home in Hunterdon
County, were you not? A. I was.
Q. And will you please tell us on
the first day of March, 1932, about the household? A. The occupants of the
household?
Q. Yes. A. I was there myself and
my son, Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr., Mrs. Elsie Whatley, her husband Oliver
Whatley, and later in the afternoon Betty Gow.
[59] Q. So that the household on
that date consisted of yourself and also Colonel Lindbergh in the evening? A.
In the evening.
Q. And Mr. and Mrs. Whatley and Betty
Gow and your infant son? A. Yes.
Q. How old was he? A. Twenty
months.
Q. He was born in June, 1931? A.
June 22nd, 1930.
Q. 1930. And had you come down to
Hunterdon that day or prior to that time from Englewood? A. We came down
February 27th—let me see.
Q. It would be a Friday? A.
Friday.
Q. Yes, ma’am. And you stayed
during the entire week end? A. Yes, stayed during the entire week end.
Q. And I think March 1st, 1932,
was a Tuesday, wasn’t it? A. It was.
Q. Now, referring specifically to
that Tuesday,
you were there all day? A. All
day; yes, sir.
Q. And your son was there all
day? A. Yes, he was.
Q. Did you leave the premises at
all that day? A. I left for a short walk in the afternoon, after Miss Betty Gow
had arrived from Englewood to take care of the baby.
Q. What time did Miss Gow arrive?
A. About 1:30 in the afternoon.
Q. And when she arrived, then you
went for a short walk? A. I went for a walk in the middle of the afternoon.
Q. Did you walk alone? A. I went
alone.
Q. And about how long were you away?
A. Not very long; I could not definitely say, about fifteen, twenty minutes,
perhaps half an hour.
Q. And when you returned were Mr.
and Mrs. Whatley and Miss Gow at home? A. They were all at home.
[60] Q. And the child? A. And the
child.
Q. Now, during that day had you
played with Charles, Junior, spent much time with him? A. I had been with him
all morning, I put him to sleep for his nap about one; and in the afternoon I
played with him after he awoke from his nap.
Q. Now, in connection with the times
that you did play with him in the afternoon, was there one occasion while he
was up in his nursery and you were downstairs and you played from the
downstairs to the window? A. After I returned from my walk, I walked around
from the driveway under his window and tried to look for him. I attracted the
attention of Miss Betty Gow by throwing a pebble up to the window, and she then
held the baby up to the window to let him see me.
Q. When you speak of the window,
Mrs. Lindbergh, you are referring to the east window. Would you like to look at
the map, the drawing, this being the first floor plan and this being the second
floor plan, the arrow pointing to the north, and I take it to my right would be
east? You threw the pebble up to the nursery window, did you not? A. I stood
under both windows.
Q. Under both windows. And on the
side there is just one window, is there? A. There are two—well, yes, there are
two windows on that side.
Q. And you stood underneath each?
A. No, I stood under this one furthest down.
Q. Would you mind stepping down,
Mrs. Lindbergh, please. May I have the pointer. A. I stood first under this
window and then under that one.
Q. Pointing first to the easterly
window and then to the southerly window. Then you threw the pebble up towards which
window? A. I don’t remember.
[61] Q. You don’t remember. Now
you may step back, please. Did you strike the window? A. Yes.
Q. And Miss Gow’s attention was
then attracted to your presence downstairs? A. Yes.
Q. And you say she then exhibited
the baby? A. She held the baby up to the window.
Q. Was the window then open? A.
No.
Q. It wasn’t? And in that
procedure and particularly that time that you were throwing the pebble up and
walking along the walk there, do you recall your walking on the wooden walk or
did you get off of it? A. I walked from the driveway along by the side of the
house where it was quite muddy and then on to the flagstones, flagstoned porch
at the back.
Q. Well, with particular
reference to the easterly side of this house and particularly with reference to
that portion of it underneath or near that portion which would be underneath
the east window, you say you did walk in the mud there? A. Yes.
Q. Was the condition of the
ground such that when you walked there you left foot prints of your walk? A. It
was.
Q. So that in the afternoon, as I
understand it while walking around on the east side of that building in the
vicinity of that portion of the house which would be immediately underneath the
east window, the second floor east window, you left your foot prints. A. I did.
Q. Then too as I understand it
there was a little wooden walk there, was there not? A. Yes, there was.
Q. It extended along the east
side of the house, did it, Mrs. Lindbergh? A. It did.
Q. You recall about how wide it
was and what it was? Give us your best judgment on it. A. As I remember it I
should say that it was the width [62] of two planks, if not wider, I cannot
recollect that completely.
Q. A sort of irregularly placed
walk I take it? Or quite regular? A. It was not a regular walk placed there.
Q. After that—that was about what
time in the afternoon, would you say? A. It was, say, around three-thirty—I
cannot give it exactly.
Q. Will you tell us then, if you
don’t mind, please, what you did for the rest of the afternoon and how you
spent your time? A. After my walk, I went up into the baby’s bedroom where I
found Miss Betty Gow and Mrs. Whatley. Then I went down again, I think, into
the sitting room. About five o’clock I had the baby down in the sitting room
playing with me. He left me to run into the kitchen. After that I did not see
him until I went up into the nursery about 6:15 or after, when he had almost
finished his supper. From that time on for about an hour or a little more than
that, I was with the baby, helping to dress him and prepare him for bed.
Q. Now, during the afternoon, as
I understand it, you stated that you were with the child and the child was
playing around. Will you tell us about the child, about his playfulness that
day. Was he a normal child? A. He was perfectly normal.
Q. Healthy? A. He was very
healthy.
Q. Playful? A. He was a great
deal better than he had been the preceding two or three days when he had had a
cold, slight cold.
Q. Was he able to talk yet? A. He
talked.
Q. To what extent, Mrs. Lindbergh?
A. I don’t remember any particular conversation on that afternoon. Of course,
he called for all the members of the household by name, and he played about the
floor with me in the living room.
[63] Q. Did he understand when he
was addressed, understand what was being said to him? A. He did.
Q. And did he know the toys by
name? And his food, was he able to tell about his cereal and his toys and
things of that kind, that took up his immediate life? A. Is that a question?
Q. Yes, ma’am. A. Yes.
Q. Will you tell us, please, what
was the color of his hair? A. It was light golden.
Q. Was it curly? A. It was curly.
Q. And the color of his eyes,
please? A. Blue.
Q. I show you a picture and ask
you if that is a picture of the child? A. It is.
Mr. Wilentz: I offer it in
evidence.
Mr. Large: It ought to be marked.
Mr. Wilentz: I offered it in
evidence.
The Court: No objection; it will
be marked.
(The photograph was received in
evidence as State Exhibit S-6.)
Q. Will you please, to the best
of your ability and recollection, describe the nursery room for us? A. Do you
mean the placing of the windows, or—
Q. Yes, ma’am, and generally
about the room as best you can, and the condition in which it was the night of
March 1st, 1932. A. As you enter the nursery from the hall you face a large
French window. Just below the French window was a window box with two doors
below it which opened out, for toys.
[64] Mr. Wilentz: Pardon me just
a minute. If your Honor please, can we not have—there seems to be so much noise
right in back of me that I just cannot think.
The Court: Everybody will please
remain as quiet as possible.
Q. Yes, ma’am, please. A. As you
entered the nursery from the hall there were two windows to your left, sash
windows. Between them was a fireplace and a mantel. To the left of the door as
you entered was a small chiffonier. To the right of the door was a table. On
the wall facing the two windows there was a door into a closet. That is to your
right. The crib faced the fireplace, running along the length of the wall.
Between the crib and the French window was a screen covered with paper of a
colored design.
Q. What sort of paper was that
that you talked of, of colored design? A. With small figures. Small toy figures
on it. The general colors were pink and green.
Q. Pink and green, you say? The
general colors were what? A. Pink and green.
Q. Pink and green. Was that
screen used to—A. Protect the crib from drafts.
Q. Does this picture correctly
portray the screen and the crib? A. It does.
Q. The very ones that were in
that room that night. A. Yes.
(Hands photograph to defense
counsel.)
Mr. Wilentz: May I proceed while
counsel is examining that? I understand there is no objection to it being in
evidence.
[65] Mr. Reilly: No, none at all.
Mr. Wilentz: I therefore offer
it.
The Court: It will take the usual
order.
(The photograph was received in
evidence and marked State Exhibit No. 7.)
By Mr. Wilentz:
Q. I exhibit to you another
picture, Mrs. Lindbergh. Does that show the east window, the sash window so
called? A. Yes.
Q. And also the dresser? A. And
the dresser, yes.
Q. And those articles exhibited
and shown by this picture, Mrs. Lindbergh, are exactly as they were on March
1st, 1932? I don’t mean with reference to the exact position—but in the room? A.
Exactly, as I can remember.
Q. Exactly, as far as you can
remember.
Mr. Wilentz: I therefore offer
that.
Mr. Reilly: I assume, Mr.
Attorney General, they were taken right at the same time, or shortly
thereafter?
Mr. Wilentz: She says so. She
says it indicates the exact condition at that time. I don’t know when they were
taken.
(Photograph received in evidence
and marked State Exhibit S-8.)
Q. I show you another picture
which shows the crib and a little table and other articles of furniture; were
those articles of furniture in that room on March 1st, 1932, as they are shown
in this picture? A. They were.
Mr. Wilentz: I will offer it
first before I refer to it.
Mr. Reilly: No objection.
Mr. Wilentz: I offer it in
evidence.
(The photograph was received in
evidence as State Exhibit S-9.)
Q. I notice in Exhibit S-9, that
is the picture before me, there is a tray with some articles upon it. Were
those articles there that night? A. They were.
Q. And what are those articles,
if you know? Is it a food tray or a medicine tray? A. It is a tray of articles
for the bath of the child.
Q. I see. A. And one container of
medicine.
Mr. Wilentz: That has been
marked. If any of the members of the jury are unable to hear either counsel or
the witness, I am asking the jury through the Court if they won’t please say
so.
The Court: Yes; do you apprehend
that the jury is not hearing?
Mr. Wilentz: I understood that
possibly some of the jurors do not hear.
The Court: If the jurors do not
hear [67] the testimony, let them speak up and we will see to it that they do
hear.
Mr. Wilentz: I really can talk
much louder, if your Honor please.
Q. Now, Mrs. Lindbergh, does this
correctly depict, and is it a correct and accurate picture of the baby’s crib
as it was in that room on that night of March 1st, 1932? A. It is.
Mr. Wilentz: I offer it in
evidence.
(Photograph was received in
evidence and marked State Exhibit S-10.)
Q. Will you look at Exhibit S-10,
please, and tell me whether or not there are any pins shown by that photograph?
A. I do not see them.
Q. All right. I want to show you
two more pictures of that room from different views and ask if they correctly
indicate the room, a certain portion of the room that night? A. Yes, they do.
Mr. Wilentz: I offer them in
evidence.
(Photographs referred to were
received in evidence and marked State Exhibit Number S-11 and State Exhibit
Number 30 S-12.)
Q. These pictures indicate, I
take it, numerous toys in and about the room, Mrs. Lindbergh. Were those toys
there? A. They were.
Q. And were they the toys of Charles
Lindbergh, Junior? A. They were.
Q. Now, I think you stated a
while ago that
you were in the room at 6:15? A.
Approximately.
Q. Approximately 6:15. And when
did you see [68] the child again? At that time he had already had his dinner?
A. He was finishing his dinner.
Q. Finishing his dinner. Where
did he have his dinner, by the way, in the nursery? A. In the nursery at the
maple table, which is in the center of the room.
Q. By the way, your room is
connected with the baby’s room? A. Through a bathroom.
Q. Through a bathroom. Who had
dinner with the baby that evening? Who was with him while he was eating dinner?
A. Miss Gow was with him and I came in at the end of the meal.
Q. I see. Then did you leave the
nursery and where did you go? A. I stayed in the nursery until the baby was in
his bed. He had been dressed, he had been given medicine, he had been rubbed
with some kind of grease—
Q. Vicks Vapor rub? A. Yes, for
his cold and he had been put in his bed.
Q. About what time was that? A.
It was a little later than that, about 7:30.
Q. Had he had a cold? A. He had
had a cold for three days.
Q. Was he then suffering with a
cold? A. He was much better.
Q. Did he still have a little
cough or had it disappeared? A. He was a good deal better, breathing easily.
Q. So that you were not
particularly alarmed about his cold? A. No.
Q. Notwithstanding that, however,
as I understand it, you applied these medical aids. Will you tell us then if
you were there when the child was put to bed? A. He was in his bed when I left.
Q. Who dressed him for bed? A.
Miss Gow and I.
[69] Q. Will you tell us then
about that, please? A. What he wore?
Q. Yes, ma’am. A. He had next to
his skin a home-made flannel shirt which Miss Glow cut out and sewed that night
out of a flannel petticoat for an infant which I had had since the child was an
infant.
Q. Mrs. Lindbergh, I want to
exhibit to you a piece of clothing that I have and ask you whether or not you
can tell what that is? A. That is the flannel shirt cut out of the flannel
petticoat.
Q. Is that the flannel shirt that
your child Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr. had on that night in that crib when he was
put to bed on March 1st, 1932? A. It is.
Mr. Wilentz: I offer it in
evidence.
Mr. Reilly: No objection.
The Court: It will be admitted.
(The garment was received in
evidence as State Exhibit S-13.)
Q. Is Exhibit S-13 just
introduced in evidence, the shirt which you have just described? A. It is.
Q. I notice a green—I think it
is—thread—possibly I am mistaken about the color—is that a green thread on the
right side? (Handing Exhibit S-13 to the witness)? A. It is blue.
Q. Blue. Was there a blue
thread—I think you said Miss Gow sewed that afternoon. A. I did not sew the
garment and I did not get the thread.
Q. Now, will you tell us what
else the child had as its bedclothes that night? A. On top of the home-made
shirt he had a small sleeveless wool shirt, cut very low in front and back.
[70]Q. Will you tell us, please,
whether or not you can tell from looking at this piece of clothing what it is?
A. It is the sleeveless shirt.
Q. Is this the sleeveless shirt
that you just described as having been worn by your child that night, March
1st, 1932? A. It is.
Mr. Wilentz: I offer it in
evidence.
(Sleeveless shirt received in
evidence and marked State Exhibit No. 14.)
The Court: If there is no
objection, it will be admitted.
Q. What else did the child wear
that evening as bedclothes? A. He had diapers, fastened to the small shirt, to
the second shirt, and on top of that he had a sleeping suit, a wool sleeping
suit.
Q. Did you buy that sleeping suit
yourself? A. I did.
Q. I show you what purports to be
a sleeping suit, No. 2 Dr. Denton, and ask you whether or not you recognize
that sleeping suit. A. I do.
Q. What sleeping suit is that,
Mrs. Lindbergh? A. It is the sleeping suit that was put on my child the night
of March 1st.
Q. 1932? A. 1932.
Q. And it is the sleeping suit
then that your son wore that night as he went to bed? A. It is.
Mr. Wilentz: I offer it in
evidence.
The Court: If there is no objection
it will be admitted.
(Sleeping suit received in
evidence and marked State Exhibit No. 15.)
[71] By Mr. Wilentz:
Q. Now you have told us about the
sleeping suit and if I may be defensively leading for a minute, did the child
have any thumb protectors on? A. Pardon?
Q. Did the child have a thumb
protector? A. Yes, he had.
Q. Will you describe that thumb
protector and how it was fastened, if it was fastened? A. It is a wire thumb
guard which had a piece of tape through the sides of it and was fastened around
the wrist of the sleeping suit on the outside.
Q. How was it fastened? A. I did
not put it on—
Q. Well, do you know? A.
(Continuing.) — myself.
Q. Do you know how it was
fastened? Did you see it done that night? A. No, I don’t remember seeing it
done. I know the thumb guard and I have done it myself.
Q. Do you know whether— A. But
that night I did not put it on.
Q. Did you see it on though after
it was put on? A. I don’t remember seeing it on.
Q. You don’t remember.
Disregarding this little piece of paper please, Mrs. Lindbergh, will you tell
us whether or not you recognize that as being one of the thumb guards the child
had on, one of the thumb guards that was used for your child? A. Yes.
Q. And is it one of the thumb
guards owned by you and which you used for your child on occasions to affix to
the sleeping garment? A. It is, yes.
Mr. Wilentz: I offer it in
evidence, except the paper. (Showing to counsel for defense.) There is no
objection.
(The thumb guard was received in
evidence and marked State’s Exhibit S-16.)
By Mr. Wilentz:
Q. How would you fasten this
thumb guard, Mrs. Lindbergh? Would you take this string and attach it to the
sleeping garment? A. No, the guard is slipped over the thumb and the tape is
tied twice around the wrist.
Q. Securely tied? A. Yes.
Q. I suppose the purpose of it is
to have it so secured that the child cannot, either playfully or otherwise,
remove it during the night? A. Yes, and to have it on top of the sleeper so it
will not cut his wrists.
Q. I see. Now, I take it that the
last time—I withdraw that. Now, on the night of March 1st, 1932, after you saw
your child dressed for sleeping, with these articles, did you then leave the
bedroom, the nursery? A. I left the bedroom and went down into the living room.
Q. About what time was that, if
you recall? A. About 7:30.
Q. Was Colonel Lindbergh home
yet? A. He was not home.
Q. Had you heard from him that
afternoon or evening? A. I had heard that he was coming, that he would be late.
Q. That he would be late, he had
called you, had he? A. He had called me that evening.
Q. All right; now, at 7:30, when
you came down, that was when you left the child’s nursery, [73] what did you do
then, Mrs. Lindbergh? A. I sat at the desk in the living room, which is opposite
to the door from the hall.
Q. Would you like to point it
out, please? A. (Witness indicates on map.)
Q. You are pointing to what is
marked on Exhibit S-4 as the living room of the first floor plan. A. I am.
Q. Yes, ma’am. And you say you
did what? A. I sat at the desk which is opposite two doors from the hall for
approximately an hour.
Q. Were the doors leading to the
hall open? A. They were usually open—they were open that evening.
Q. They were open that evening,
they were? A. Yes, sir.
Q. And that would take you, you
say, to about 8:30? A. To about 8:30, about 8:25.
Q. About 8:25. And then what did
you do, Mrs. Lindbergh? A. At 8:25 I heard the horn of my husband’s car; he
drove into the back court and into the garage. He then came in through the back
hall, the kitchen, and the dining room, into the living room. We then went
upstairs for about five minutes on my husband’s watch; we went down again into
the dining room and had supper. I think that we finished supper at
approximately nine o’clock, perhaps a little after nine. We went into the
living room, sat down by the fire for a very short period—perhaps five minutes.
We then went upstairs into my bedroom and we sat for about fifteen or twenty
minutes, talking. After that my husband drew a bath, took a bath, and went down
again, downstairs into the library, and I got ready, to go to bed.
Q. Were you also suffering with a
cold that day and that evening? A. I had caught the cold [74] from the baby.
After my husband left I rang the bell for Mrs. Wheatley and when she came,
asked her for a hot lemonade to take before going to bed. I then drew a bath
for myself.
Q. Did Mrs. Wheatley bring the
lemonade? A. She did not bring it, she went down to fix it, and after I had
taken my bath, Miss Betty Gow came in to me through the hall door and asked me
if I had the baby, and hearing that I did not, asked me if my husband had the
baby, and I sent her downstairs. I then went into the baby’s room through the
connecting passage. This was after ten o’clock, shortly after ten o’clock. I
went into the baby’s room through the connecting passage, looked hastily at the
bed, found it to be empty, came back into my room, where I met my husband and
Miss Betty Gow. My husband went into the closet to take out a rifle, and we all
three went into the baby’s bedroom and searched it. I was still in the baby’s
bedroom when Mrs. Wheatley came upstairs, and I went with her back into my own
bedroom and got dressed and we started to search the house.
Q. By that time I suppose Colonel
Lindbergh had notified the police? A. He had spoken to Mr. Wheatley and he had
gone outside with Mr. Wheatley to look around the house. I don’t know what he
did downstairs.
Q. When you left that room at
about 7:30 o’clock, did you observe whether or not the east window, that is,
the casement window I think it is referred to, was closed? A. All the windows
were closed when I left that room at 7:30.
Q. At 7:30. And there were
shutters on the outside of the windows, were there not? A. Yes.
Q. Were they drawn and closed? A.
Miss Betty Gow and I closed all the shutters on all the windows before I left.
[75] Q. With particular reference
to the east window, was it possible to lock it in addition to closing it? A. It
was not possible to lock it. We both pulled on it and tried to lock it.
Q. But the window and shutters of
the room in that nursery were closed, as I understand it? A. Closed when I
left.
Q. You haven’t seen that child
since the first of March, 1932, have you? A. No.
Q. And when it was revealed that
the child was missing, did you join with Colonel Lindbergh in an appeal to the
person who had the child for its return? Did you join— A. What do you mean by
that?
Q. Did you make a statement
asking the person who had your child to return it? A. I joined with my husband—
Q. Colonel Lindbergh, yes. Did
you on another occasion soon after the child was found missing make a radio
appeal and statement giving the baby’s diet? A. I gave out the baby’s diet.
Q. Do you recall whether or not
you gave it out in the form of a statement or whether you personally spoke over
the radio? A. I did not speak over the radio.
Q. You did not. And you gave that
diet out in order, I take it, that the child might be better cared for? A. Yes.
Q. On the night when you walked
into that room did you observe whether or not the room had been changed, its
appearance had been changed at all from the time that you had seen it at 7:30?
A. I saw no change in the room at all. I noticed no change.
Q. Did you notice the bedclothes?
A. The bed clothes were apparently untouched, as though the child had been
taken out. The pins were still fastening the bed clothes to the mattress.
[76] Q. Had you had pins affixed
from the bed clothes to the mattress? A. I left the baby before he was
completely put in for the night.
Q. I see. But when you did get
there, Mrs. Lindbergh, you found the bed clothes affixed to the mattress by
pins? A. Yes.
Q. About how large were the pins?
A. They were large safety pins.
Q. About four inches? Give us
your best judgment. A. I would say about the length of a finger, three inches.
Q. About three inches? A. Yes.
Q. And they were still securely
fastened, were they? A. Yes.
Q. How about the windows in the
room? Do you recall their condition? A. I did not look at the windows.
Q. You did not? Do you recall
seeing any paper note there? A. No.
Q. Now when you went in there who
had preceded you in there, do you know? A. As far as I know only Miss Gow.
Q. I see.
Mr. Wilentz: May we have just one
minute, if your Honor please?
The Court: What is that?
Mr. Wilentz: May we have just one
minute, if your Honor please?
The Court: Certainly.
Mr. Wilentz: Take the witness.
Mr. Reilly: Are you through, Mr.
Wilentz?
[77] Mr. Wilentz: Yes, sir.
Mr. Reilly: The defense feels
that the grief of Mrs. Lindbergh requires no cross-examination.
The Court: Nothing further, Mr.
Attorney General?
Mr. Wilentz: That is all, thank
you, Mrs. Lindbergh.
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