By Vita Duva, Correspondent
The tragic 1932 kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh Jr., son of aviator Charles Lindbergh, has intrigued historians, legal scholars and crime buffs for decades.
On Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m., the Cranbury Public Library will host author and local historian Jim Davidson, who will present “Twelve Theories of Who Kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby.“ The lecture, which will be held in the Cranbury School Large Group Room, will present photos and information rarely seen in public.
In hopes of escaping the overwhelming limelight that resulted from Mr. Lindbergh’s first non-stop transatlantic flight between New York and Paris, “Lucky Lindy“ and his wife, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, decided to move to a private estate in East Amwell. But instead, Mr. Lindbergh’s son was abducted and murdered from his family home when he was only 20 months old.
“He was the most popular man in the world. They were the most popular couple in the world, and when the baby was born, he was the most popular baby in the world,” said Mr. Davidson.
The subsequent arrest, trial and execution of Bruno Hauptmann was famously dubbed “the crime of the century.” Proclaiming his innocence to the very end, Mr. Hauptmann was executed in the electric chair at the New Jersey State Prison in 1936.
Over the years, at least one dozen alternate theories have emerged about the kidnapping. Each will be discussed during the presentation.
Mr. Davidson has some connections to the case. His parents had attended an “execution party” at the Stacy-Trent Hotel in Trenton the night Mr. Hauptmann was executed. Mr. Davidson was also acquainted with William Allen, who found the reminds of the Lindbergh baby; Hauptmann’s attorney, Lloyd Fisher; as well as jurors and other people directly related to the trial.
“There are so many strange things that have happened in this case. It’s like a giant spider web and once you get sucked in, you can’t get out. There’s never an end to this case,” said Mr. Davidson. “It’s probably the most controversial thing that has ever happened in New Jersey, and specifically in central New Jersey.”
An avid collector of Lindbergh memorabilia since youth, Mr. Davidson has one of the largest collections in the nation to date. Thirty of the East Amwell resident’s treasures are currently on display as part of Princeton’s Morven Museum and Garden’s exhibit, “Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh: Couple of an Age” now open through Sunday, Oct. 23. Those in attendance at Friday evening’s lecture will receive a special group admission rate to the exhibition.
“I am delighted to be working with Morven Museum and Garden on this program,” CPL Community Outreach Librarian, Jan Murphy said. “It’s our first time working with a museum in Princeton, and we couldn’t be more pleased.”
Suggested donation for the event is $10. All proceeds are to benefit the CPL Foundation’s building project.
In 2008, Mr. Davidson was appointed local historian of East Amwell Township. He is an active member of the East Amwell Historical Society and the township’s Historic Preservation Society.
Additionally, Mr. Davidson has served on the Hunterdon County Cultural and Heritage Committee for the past 15 years.
Alongside the EAHS, and in part with Arcadia Publishing’s “Images of America” book series, the Hunterdon County lifer co-authored “East Amwell” in 2010. Two years later, Mr. Davidson, in collaboration with Mark Falzini, archivist at the New Jersey State Police Museum, published another book of the same series titled, “New Jersey’s Lindbergh Kidnapping And Trial.”
Mr. Davidson, a former history teacher, is also a member of the Hunterdon Central Regional High School Board of Education. He is the former president and a current member of the Flemington Rotary Club, as well as founder and former president of the East Amwell Education Foundation.
Currently, Mr. Davidson writes a column for East Amwell Township’s monthly newsletter.
The Flemington native’s forthcoming book, “When the Circus Came to Town,” will detail the location of the Lindbergh Trial – Hunterdon County Courthouse in Flemington – and the effect the circus-like trial and execution of Hauptmann had on the town.
Married with two children, Mr. Davidson lives cross the street from the Lindbergh Estate, Highfields with his wife, Dawn and their four horses.
For more information about this event and other CPL events, call, (609) 655-0555 or visit, www.cranburypubliclibrary.org.
