Vintage Newsreel Footage of the Hauptmann Trial
The kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh Jr. occurred on the evening
of 1 March 1932. A $50,000 ransom was paid, but the infant was not
returned. A corpse identified as the boy's was found on 12 May 1932
in the woods four miles from the Lindbergh home. The cause of death
was listed as a very severe blow to the head.
More than two years later, on 18 September 1934, a gold certificate
from the ransom money was discovered; it had a license plate number
written on it. The New York license plate belonged to a dark blue
Dodge sedan owned by Hauptmann. Hauptmann was arrested the next
day and charged with the murder.
The trial attracted wide media attention and was dubbed the “trial
of the century.” Hauptmann was also named "The Most Hated
Man In The World." The trial was held in Flemington, New Jersey
and ran from 2 January to 13 February 1935. Hauptmann was convicted
and sentenced to death.
The six newsreels that make up this collection cover the following
aspects of the trial: Hauptmann being identified, Hauptmann bail
set, the weapon being found, Hauptmann testimony, State activities
to speed the case up and bring it to a conclusion and other scense.
This DVD has a runtime of 15 minutes. The newsreel footage making
up this collection is very old and in some instances in poor condition
- faded video and static in the audio portions - but still a fascinating
glimpse of a sensational moment in history.
Here are some sample images from the DVD
 
 
 
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