read this post on Reddit /r/UnresolvedMysteries
As I said on Friday, I had the privilege of rooting through the NJSP Archives last week. It was an enjoyable, though overwhelming, experience. I wound up leaving with a sheaf of photocopies and a minor headache. All in a day's work!
The archives are located in the room next to the reception desk at the NJ State Police Museum. The room is filled with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and file cabinets, the vast majority of which are materials related to the Lindbergh case. The archivist handed me a manila folder to start, which contained the preliminary case report, two binders of statements (I photocopied those of the Lindbergh household and immediate reporting policemen), and when I asked, I got a binder of crime scene photographs, as well.
As I said on Friday, I had the privilege of rooting through the NJSP Archives last week. It was an enjoyable, though overwhelming, experience. I wound up leaving with a sheaf of photocopies and a minor headache. All in a day's work!
The archives are located in the room next to the reception desk at the NJ State Police Museum. The room is filled with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and file cabinets, the vast majority of which are materials related to the Lindbergh case. The archivist handed me a manila folder to start, which contained the preliminary case report, two binders of statements (I photocopied those of the Lindbergh household and immediate reporting policemen), and when I asked, I got a binder of crime scene photographs, as well.
I’m going to start with the photographs, because, well, those are the easiest to share! Also, I haven’t really gone through the statements in detail yet... that's today's project.
So far I haven’t seen anything we didn’t already know, although since the statements were given years before the trial, they’re a bit more detailed, and give us a better idea of the household's immediate reactions to the crime.
So, on to the pictures.
Teasers:
Anne Lindbergh's signature - You'll notice this isn't even in a sheet protector or anything. The papers were as thin as tissue paper, I was having a very quiet mental freakout the entire time I was touching it.
I'm going to list out all the documents I have the full text of right now. If you have questions about something in particular, ask!:
- Major Initial Report - first police report on the case, Cpl. Joseph A. Wolf, 3/1/1932
- Case report, Trooper N. DeGaetano, 3/3/1932
- Statement: Trooper DeGaetano, 3/9/1932
- Statement: Trooper Harry V. Cain, 3/16/1932
- Statement: Trooper Frank A. Kelly, 3/16/1932
- Statement: Trooper Lewis Bornman, 3/9/1932
- Statement: Cpl. Joseph Wolf, 3/15/1932
- Statement: Asst. Chief of Police of Hopewell, Charles E. Williamson, 3/9/1932
- Statement: Betty Gow, 3/10/1932 [nursemaid]
- Statement: Charles A. Lindbergh, 3/20/1932
- Statement: Charles A. Lindbergh, 3/11/1932
- Statement: Olly Whateley, 3/3/1932 [butler]
- Statement: Elsie Mary Whateley, 3/10/1932 [cook/maid]
- Statement: Anne M. Lindbergh, 3/13/1932
- Statement: Violet Sharpe, 3/10/1932
- Transcript of interview of Violet Sharpe, 3/24/1932
- Correspondence from Scotland Yard re: Violet Sharpe
My next post will probably be the Violet Sharpe stuff.
Hi. I was wondering if you were going to be posting the items you found in their entirety? I've always been interested in the case, but now I have the chance to write a paper on it for my college criminology course and a lot of the places I've found information (including the FBI webpage) seem to be lacking certain aspects of the case or contradict themselves. I'd like to be about to speak with you to pick your brain as well. If you could please email me? jmack98550@gmail.com
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Jessica
Sorry I didn't see this sooner! I sent you an email. Let me know how I can help!
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