Hauptmann Pleads 'Not Guilty' In October 1934

Get into a conversation with a long-time

t he opening of the Triborough Bridge would open a new home building era in Queens. At the then current speed limits and traffic volume, one could easily drive from a job in The Bronx home for lunch and return, if your home were in Central Queens. Queens resident

and you're likely to discover a subscriber of the Long Island Star- Journal, a daily paper that informed the community about local and world news until it folded in 1968. Abanner across the Star-Journal masthead reminded readers that the newspaper's name came from the merger of the Long Island Daily Star (1876) and the North Shore Daily Journal-- The Flushing Journal (1841).

Welcome to October 1934!

On October 24, Bruno Richard Hauptmann, a Bronx carpenter, pled not guilty at his arraignment in Flemington, New Jersey, on charges of murdering the 20-month-old infant son of celebrity Charles A. Lindbergh, who was the first man to fly solo across the Atlantic. The child was kidnapped from Lindbergh's home in Hopewell, New Jersey on March 1, 1932. Lindbergh paid a $50,000 ransom, a fortune in 1932. The child's body was found in woods near the Hopewell-Princeton road on May 12, 1932. Over $14,000 of the ransom cash was found in Hauptmann's garage when he was arrested.

The trial would begin January 2, 1935 and end on February 13, 1935, after a jury of eight men and four women took 11 hours to reach a unanimous verdict: guilty, despite Hauptmann's ongoing claim of innocence. There were appeals and stays of execution by a new New Jersey governor, Harold Hoffman. But in the end, Hauptmann, still refusing to confess, would go to the electric chair at Trenton State Prison on April 2, 1936.

On April 6, 1936, Hauptmann's remains were cremated at the Fresh Pond Crematory in Maspeth. By the time of the memorial service, a crowd of about 2,000, mostly women and children, had gathered. They were kept off the crematory grounds by 28 policemen and six detectives. Secrecy attended the services because New Jersey law did not permit a public funeral for an executed felon, and Mrs. Hauptmann had agreed not to hold a public funeral in order to get her husband's body out of state. She hoped to return his ashes to his native Germany.

In a speech, Public Works Commissioner John J. Halleran pointed out that the opening of the Triborough Bridge would open a new home building era in Queens. At the then current speed limits and traffic volume, one could easily drive from a job in The Bronx home for lunch and return, if your home were in Central Queens. When in addition the Bronx- Whitestone Bridge was completed with the required connecting highways, all parts of Queens would be within an hour's drive of Manhattan.

Statistics on subway ridership from January 1 through September 1 were released. The total number of riders in Queens was 85,068,091. The Astoria line collected 13,796,442 fares. The most heavily trafficked station was Main Street in Flushing with 6,496,003 fares, an increase of 525,105 versus the same period in 1933.

Walter Johnson of the real estate firm of Quinlan, Terry and Johnson in Flushing proposed that owners of some mansions convert part of their partially empty houses into apartments. He was aware of "as many as 200 such houses within walking distance of the subway". According to Johnson, many owners had come to his office hoping to sell their property for apartment house sites. But the lack of mortgage money made such a sale unlikely. In fact, no new apartment buildings had been built in Flushing in the last year. Johnson further said: "Not only would this plan be beneficial to the mansion owners, for there is a real demand for such apartments, but it would beautify Flushing. These old mansions would be improved in appearance. The work done upon them would give local employment. And the renters of these new homes would increase our population."

On October 31, three Queens residents won a total of $375,000 on the Irish Sweepstakes. Mrs. E. Frenz of Maspeth and King Macnesson of Astoria had bet on a 9-to-1- odds horse, Wychwood Abbot, which won the race. They collected $150,000 each. R. Frieda Schiebel of Ozone Park bet on Commander III, which placed second and paid $75,000.

James Fatigate, an inmate at the Welfare Island Penitentiary, was treated for a wound resulting from a 4-inch knife driven to the hilt into his forehead. Doctors were certain that this injury would be fatal, but Fatigate survived, a circumstance the doctors proclaimed "amazing". Although the blade passed through the frontal bone into his brain, Fatigate did not lose consciousness, but joked and smoked cigarettes while doctors worked on him. Several hours after the injury, the blade was finally removed.

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t Fatigate had been stabbed by a fellow inmate during exercise period. Guards learned of the injury when he ran screaming to them with the knife hilt projecting from his forehead at a 45-degree angle. He refused to name his assailant, and prison officials found no clues.

A Camel cigarette advertisement proclaimed: "21 Out of 23 St. Louis Cardinals Smoke Camels." The Cardinals had just become baseball World Champions. Of course, the ad asserted, Camels made a nerves." "Pepper" Martin chimed in with: "I like Camels because when I light one I can actually feel all tiredness slip away." And 'Rip' Collins claimed: "A Camel has a way of 'turning on' my energy. And when I'm tired I notice they help me to snap back quickly."

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's elaborate traveling movie studio visited Loew's Prospect Theater in Flushing on its world educational exhibition major contribution to their well-being. "The Cardinals' virtually unanimous preference for Camels is worthy of every smoker's attention. Enjoy Camel's 'energizing effect' which science has studied and confirmed. Camels are mildermade from a matchless blend of finer, more expensive tobaccos. They never get on your nerves!" Famous Cardinals' pitcher "Dizzy" Dean testified: "A Camel sure brings back your energy after a hard game or when you're tired, and Camels never frazzle the tour. Borough President George U. Harvey officially welcomed the studio to Queens. The studio on wheels combined the facilities for both the recording and projection of sound motion pictures. The studio's visit was brief, but during that time, the public could enter the studio and see the equipment that made "talkies" talk and the operations required for both filming and projection on the screen. One of Hollywood's outstanding makeup artists, Miss Ruth Webb, gladly answered any questions about makeup asked by visitors to the studio. MGM was sending the studio around the world with two purposes in mind, to educate about the movie making process and also to discover new screen personalities for MGM Pictures and Hal Roach "Our Gang" comedies.

Playing at the movies were "She Loves Me Not", starring Bing Crosby and Miriam Hopkins; "Charlie Chan in London", starring Warner Oland; "Chained", starring Clark Gable and Joan Crawford, and "Cleopatra", starring Claudette Colbert, Warren William and Henry Wilcoxson.

That's the way it was in October 1934!

Greater Astoria Historical Society exhibits are open to the public on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at Quinn's Gallery, 4th floor, Thomas M. Quinn & Sons Building, 35-20 Broadway, Long Island City New exhibit, "Lager, Leisure, and Laughter: Long Island City at Play", now on view. For more information, call the Greater Astoria Historical Society at 718-278-0700 or visit www.astorialic.org.