Beneath the Winter Sycamores

by Jim Bahm

This is a creative non-fiction book about the kidnapping of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh's twenty month-old son, Charles Jr. Using new information from Arthur Jones who served on death row with Bruno Richard Hauptmann, the man convicted and executed for the crime, this tragic event has been re-created. Jones claimed Hauptmann had him swear not to say anything about the kidnapping until after his death in 1936. For forty years, Jones attempted to disseminate the information but was unsuccessful in getting anyone to listen, including three New Jersey governors. Using this new information, this book re-creates the entire kidnapping. It also goes into great detail on Charles Lindbergh's strange personality and his role in the crime and investigation. Jones claimed the kidnapping was the work of a loosely organized ring of conspirators that included Hauptmann. A fascinating story, excellent imagery and well defined characters make this book a must read.

316 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2010

Reviews

[Peggy Depiano · Rating 3 out of 5]

For some reason I am fascinated by the Lindbergh kidnapping and Charles Lindbergh. I've read several books with many theories and this book was recommended to me. The premise is that Lindbergh arranged for the kidnapping of his son because he (the son) was developmentally disabled. The alleged disability has never been proven. The story was interesting; however, there were quoted conversations between the involved individuals that the author has no way of being privy to. The author's father worked in prison in Trenton where Bruno Hauptmann was on death row. Hauptmann was friendly with another inmate and allegedly told this other inmate how the kidnapping went down and Lindbergh orchestrated the kidnapping. This inmate wrote this all down and gave this info to the author's father who did nothing with this. When the father died, the author took the written account and wrote this book. It's an interesting read, but based on the conversations that could not be proven, this is fiction.