("gut" for "good") and phonetically spelled other English words as he believed a German immigrant might pronounce them. A German struggling with the English language often says "d" instead of "th" as the "th" sound does not exist in German. For instance, the English definite article "the" in German is "Der", "Die" or "Das", depending on the gender of the following noun. In conformity with this, the note used the word "anyding" instead of "anything." What is patently false is that the use of a "d" sound instead of the English "th" is an enunciation problem. A German would not spell a word with a "d" instead of a "th"; it is not the case that he thinks that the word is spelled with a "d"; rather he knows it is spelled with a "th" but he simply can not pronounce the "th." The writing of "anyding" is simply the attempt of one trying to imitate a German immigrant's speech.
The European method of placing the monetary symbol "$" after the numerals was also employed. And lastly, Lindbergh used the plural "we" to make it appear that the kidnapping was the work of a gang.
Lindbergh then sealed the envelope, after making sure his prints were not on it or the note, and awaited his opportunity to begin his role as the victim. That opportunity arrived with Betty Gow's 10:00 p.m. entrance to his study asking if he had the child.
It must have been nerve racking, waiting for the knock on the door he knew would come. When it did he sprang into action almost too quickly and thereby almost made a fatal mistake. Fortunately for him, no one at the time noticed.
He quickly bounded up the stairs to the child's room, the note safely hidden on his person. His wife and Betty Gow looked at the empty crib. He knew that it was time to get everyone immediately focused on an outside kidnapping.
At Hauptmann's trial two and onehalf years later Betty Gow remembered, and testified, as to the Colonel's exact first words. "Anne," he said, "they have stolen our baby."
At that point the note had not been placed, let alone discovered or read. Its contents were known only to its author. The note referred to a kidnap gang and specifically used the plural "we." However, Lindbergh's use of the plural "they" before he supposedly found the note never raised any police suspicions.
Lindbergh dashed outside with a loaded rifle to look for the kidnappers. Anne and Elsie searched for the child. Oliver Whately eventually went outside to help and was dispatched into town. By the time Lindbergh came back inside Betty, Elsie and Anne had completed their search and had assembled in the downstairs living room.
It was here that Charles Lindbergh reentered the nursery where he remained alone. The room could be hurriedly wiped down with a handkerchief in less than sixty seconds while Anne, Betty and the Whatelys remained downstairs. Until this point no one else had seen a note, despite the search by Anne, Elsie and Betty Gow. It was here, upon emerging from the nursery, that Colonel Lindbergh called to Betty to come upstairs. She did, whereupon the Colonel showed her an envelope on the sill of the southeast window. At Hauptmann's trial she specifically testified that she had not seen that envelope earlier. The Colonel asked her to go to the kitchen to get a knife and she obliged.
Lindbergh needed someone to see that envelope, and recalling Betty upstairs so that he could tell her to go downstairs to get a knife to open the envelope served that purpose. For reasons of logic, it served no other.
With that one act Charles Lindbergh was home free. The child was gone, the time of the kidnap had been established with Anne as an alibi for Charles, the fingerprints were wiped away, and the ransom note verifying this as a kidnap was written and planted.
All that now remained was to play out the role of the victim, to let events take their course come what may. Lindbergh would become the central power of the investigation, tracking its course and ensuring it did not come back to him. An analysis of the subsequent events reveals that he accomplished this fifth and last goal very well indeed.
This composite photograph, from the New Jersey State Police archives, displays several items from the "Crime of the Century" (courtesy New Jersey State Police Museum).
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