Sabine's Memoir Historical Investigation

Memoir Historical Investigation for Lindbergh Child

By Sabine Stolwijk

Primary Source:

This is a picture of the first ransom note sent to the Lindbergh’s from the kidnapper of the child. The note includes a lot of spelling mistakes and a hand-stamped symbol that represents a signature. This is what it says: “Dear Sir, Have 50,000$ redy…” “After 2-4 days, we will inform you where to deliver the mony…” “We warn you for making anyding public or for notify the police…” “The child is in gut care…” “Indication for all letters are singnature and 3 holes.”

I chose this to be my primary source because it was an important piece of evidence in the actual investigation. It is connected with the book because it is the first contact between the Lindbergh’s and the kidnapper and the exact note is copied inside the book.

The note also gave the baby’s parents hope in finding the child.

Secondary Source:

This picture is a newspaper article, talking about the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. This is the New York Times from March 2, 1932. The title of the article states: “Lindbergh baby kidnapped from home of parents on farm near Princeton; taken from his crib; wide search on� The rest of the article is too small and blurry to read.

I chose this as my secondary source because it includes a picture of the family and it shows what the people in New York learned about the situation. It is connected to the book because this news article is specifically about the main idea of the book, the kidnapping of the Lindbergh child.

Summary: In The Lindbergh Child by Rick Geary, the Lindbergh’s baby was kidnapped from the nursery. In the first ransom note, the kidnapper stated that he would give the child back in return for $50,000. The two sides kept contacting each other by posting ads in the newspaper to get the message across. While this was going on, the police didn’t stop looking for clues and evidence to find out who the kidnapper was and where the baby was.

Review: I think other 8th graders would enjoy this book because it is a mystery/detective story. The book keeps you engaged, especially when new clues are being found and slowly parts of the story are being solved. Another reason is that it is a comic. Therefore, the book is easy and fast to read and it gives you a visual of how people looked and dressed back then.

Short Story: Sabine Stolwijk Ms. Cross LA8 C October, 2012 Sunday Payday “You can always quit your job” is what the Lindbergh’s nanny told Jacques early on Sunday morning. He knew that option. He thought about it repeatedly but money was needed before becoming a painter. Betty. The nanny, Betty Gow, recognized the look on his face. It was a disconsolate and miserable expression. He wore it every Sunday morning when he waited for the door to be opened. She knew how he felt. They both were immigrants with what seemed impossible dreams.

He went inside of the house and got himself a cup of coffee. He chatted with the staff and then went into the garage. He put on his overall, rain boots, and carried gardening tools outside.

Quietly and independently, he began to work.

There was a cold breeze in the air and clouds were covering the sun. Concentrated, Jacques was trimming the hedges but a noise grabbed his attention. There was a rustle coming from the bushes covering the fence. The rustle became more aggressive and the bushes were shaking unnaturally. Trembling, he walked up to the bushes with behind it the fence. Behind the bars, stood a man dressed in a brown leather coat and a black hat, shadowing his face.

“What do you want?” Jacques said, clearly annoyed.

“Meet me in 5 minutes right where my car is parked,” the stranger pointed at a black car in the distance. “I’ve come to offer you a deal.”

Although Jacques didn’t want to meet the stranger at the car, he was more afraid of what would happen if he didn’t show. He sneaked out of the gate when there was no one in sight. He ran across the field towards the black car with the wind in his back pushing him forward over the meadow.

As Jacques approached the car, the man in the hat turned around. There was a cigar clenched between his teeth and the Sunday paper in his left hand. “So I see you are interested” the man mumbled, finding it hard to talk with something in his mouth.

Trying hard to sound tough and careless, Jacques replied, “Make it fast, I have to get back to work.”

“You need money, I see,” guessed the stranger, this time the cigar was pinched between his two fingers. Jacques nodded. “I know Mr. Lindbergh owns a set of handcrafted silverware, the expensive kind.”

“How do you?” Jacques pondered.

“It was all over the news, when he imported it from Italy last summer,” the man answered.

“I want it. I will pay you a lot of money if you can get it for me.”

“How much?” Jacques questioned with a tremble in his voice.

“I was thinking two grand would be a fair price.” He responded raising one eyebrow.

Jacques didn’t know how to reply to this. He knew stealing was wrong but two grand was a lot of cash. With that he could easily pursue his dream of being a painter. Not spending too much time thinking of the consequences, he shook the man’s hand.

“Wonderful. The cash is yours if you can get me the entire cutlery by 6 p.m. today. Same spot.” The man put the cigar back in his mouth and stepped in the car. Jacques hadn’t paid much attention to it but noticed two men inside. Before Jacques could see if they were armed, the car took off.

It was 12:02 when Jacques got back to work. He had about 6 hours to complete his mission.

While he was mowing the lawn, he came up with a plan. He had to wait until 4 o’clock because then Mrs. Lindbergh took the baby outside for a walk, Betty was upstairs cleaning the nursery, the staff would be preparing dinner in the kitchen, and Mr. Lindbergh would be busy working in his office. He could easily sneak in then. The silverware was located in the dinette, in a dark-wooden closet with glass windows.

Jacques was working diligently yet time seemed to slow down. As minutes passed, his heart rate increased. He tried not to think about all the things that could go wrong but he couldn’t help himself.

The short hand finally struck 4 and a few seconds later the door shut. Mrs. Lindbergh and her child were gone and the coast was clear. Jacques took off his dirty shoes and opened the back door silently. He tip-toed through the living room and went into the hall with the crystal chandelier He heard voices coming from the kitchen. Opposite of the kitchen was the dinette but the kitchen doors were slightly open. He had a solution. Burlap sacks for the leaves he gets from the kitchen and he needed one to put the silverware in. Being polite, he knocked on the door before walking in.

Carrying a burlap sack, he left the kitchen and shut the door behind him. Slowly, Jacques turned the door knob, and pushed. The dinette door flew open and he rushed towards the closet, got the silverware and hurried out of the house.

It was another couple hours before Jacques received the money. He was nervous but excited. Questions where circling through his mind, most of them started with ‘what if’. But it wasn’t long before he saw the black car appear on the fields. He dropped the rake and started running towards freedom with the burlap sack over his shoulder. The wind in his face pushed back his brown, curly hair and he saw his future in front of him.

The man was still wearing his black hat. Under his arm, he carried a wooden box. He stuck his hand out and Jacques handed over the silverware. The man took a quick glimpse inside the sack and a pleased expression appeared on his face. The exchange happened without a word. When the

silverware was counted, Jacques found himself holding the box. He checked if there was two grand and there was. A smile appeared on both men’s’ faces.

Work Cited: "First Ransom Note." Letter to Lindbergh's. The Lindbergh Kidnapping. FBI. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. <http://www2.fbi.gov/libref/historic/famcases/lindber/ransomnote.jpg>.

Geary, Rick. The Lindbergh Child: America's Hero and the Crime of the Century. New York: Comics Lit, 2009. Print.

Geary, Rick. The Lindbergh Child. Digital image. The Right Book at the Right Time. The Fairfield Public Library, 2009. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. <http://fairfieldpubliclibrary.org/blogs/adults/?tag=abduction>.

"Kidnapping of the Lindbergh Baby." The New York Times 2 Mar. 1932. Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 16 Oct. 2012. <http://quest.eb.com/images/140_1670880>.