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Contents Acknowledgments ix Introduction xi 1 “They’ve Stolen Our Baby” 1 2 Ransom Notes, Ladders, and Chisels 7 3 The Kidnapper Makes Second Contact 17 4 J. F. C. 34 5 Violet and Curtis: Two Bogus Stories Begin 43 6 “Cemetery John” 49 7 The Negotiations Continue 59 8 Double-Crossed 76 9 The Wild-Goose Chase 86 10 “I Am Perfectly Satisfied That It Is My Child” 95 11 The Police Take the Reins 103 12 The Sad End of Violet Sharp 108 13 From Bad to Worse 116 14 The Frustration Mounts 122 15 Shoenfeld and Koehler 129 16 The Trail of Gold 140 17 Bruno Richard Hauptmann 146 18 The Interrogation Begins 152 19 “I Have to Be Very Careful. The Man’s Life Is in Jeopardy” 162 20 More Pieces to the Puzzle 173 21 Legal Gymnastics in New Jersey 183 22 Extradition 192 23 The Bull of Brooklyn 201 24 The Trial of the Century Begins 207 25 “Der Alte Ist Verrückt” 218 26 “John Is Bruno Richard Hauptmann” 227 27 Paper Evidence 239| vii | 28 “He Is Conceding the Defendant to the Electric Chair!” 245 29 The Prosecution Gains Momentum 253 30 The State Rests 259 31 Hauptmann Takes the Stand 267 32 More Testimony from the Hauptmanns 277 33 “Where Are You Getting These Witnesses? They Are Killing Me” 286 34 The Defense Rests 293 35 Rebuttal and Summations 304 36 Wilentz Closes 314 37 The Verdict 324 Epilogue 331 Notes 346 Index 391| viii | contents ...

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