2025-01 Raynors Historical Collectible Auctions
Absentee bidding for this session ends on Sunday, January 26, 2025 at 10:00 AM EST.
The live portion of this session begins on Sunday, January 26, 2025 at 10:00 AM EST
Fabulous grouping of seventeen letters, cards and annotated newspaper articles sent to Hauptmann trial Juror Robert Cravatt along with two passes. The trial of Hauptmann began on January 3, 1935, at Flemington, New Jersey, and lasted five weeks. The case against him was based on circumstantial evidence. Tool marks on the ladder matched tools owned by Hauptmann. Wood in the ladder was found to match wood used as flooring in his attic. Dr. Condon’s telephone number and address were found scrawled on a door frame inside a closet. Handwriting on the ransom notes matched samples of Hauptmann’s handwriting. On February 13, 1935, the jury returned a verdict. Hauptmann was guilty of murder in the first degree. The sentence: death. The defense appealed. At the time of the trial Robert Cravatt, juror, was a 28 year old camp supervisor. The deliberations that lasted eleven hours, took five ballots. Cravatt was the last hold out and was finally convinced to vote for execution. The correspondence to Cravatt was mixed. An unsigned type postcard Feb 13, 1935 inpart, “Why were you not man enough to stand on your own feet ... and not send an innocent man to his doom. ... the police covered it up to screen the Morrow-Linbergh homes. ... The baby was handed over to sailors ....” Then a typed signed letter by “Anthoney M. Hauck, Jr.”, prosecutor, Febr. 14, 1935 ... In small part, “I want to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your fairness in bringing in your verdict ...” ALS, Feb. 24, 1935 signed “Luther”. In part, “I cannot understand why you, who are an educated advisor,should have been influenced by those who seem to lack the most essential quality in such a serious decision - that of Mercy ....” Postcard signed by H.L. Bundy, in part.” Anyone who sanctions capital punishment .. is fundamentally ruthlless ... condemns another to death ... 7unchristian .. His mandate is Thou Shall Not Kill ... An unletter from Allentown Feb 18, 1835, in part “everyone knows you tried to do the right thing ... the citizens are raving mad at that rotten verdict ... Planted Jury with framed evidence ...”
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