Cemetery John: The Undiscovered Mastermind of the Lindbergh Kidnapping

by Robert Zorn

Evidence, opinion, and logic have discredited the notion that Bruno Richard Hauptmann --electrocuted in 1936 --acted alone. In this meticulous and authoritative account of the crime, the trial, and the times of the Lindbergh kidnapping, Robert Zorn clears away decades of ungrounded speculation surrounding the case. Inspired by his father's relationship with the actual accomplices --including the mastermind --he presents the clearest ever picture of a criminal partnership, which would shake every class and culture of American society. Using personal possessions and documents, never-before seen photographs, new forensic evidence, and extensive research, Robert Zorn has written a shocking and captivating account of the crime and the original "Trial of the Century."


From the ecstatic riots that followed the Spirit of St. Louis on either side of the Atlantic, to the tragic night that would shake America's sense of security, to the horror of the New Jersey morgue where Lindbergh insisted on verifying the identity of his son, Zorn's skillful treatment meets this larger-than-life story and gives it definitive shape --revealing the true story behind the crime, for the first time.

Genres: True Crime, Nonfiction, History, Crime, Mystery, Historical, Audiobook

320 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2012

Reviews

[David Allen Hines · Rating 4 out of 5]

In 1932 the 2 year old son of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh was kidnapped from the second story window of his New Jersey home. After a series of poorly-written ransom notes were delivered, a go-between delivered ransom funds to a man later called "Cemetery John" who then disappeared with the money, yet the child was not returned. Soon after the decayed body of the toddler was located in a shallow grave with a fractured skull. At the scene, the police had found a broken, home-made ladder, 2 sets of footprints, and signs of a getaway car. Two years went by and after some of the ransom money turned up, a German immigrant named Bruno Hauptman was arrested. Damning evidence then turned up-- thousands of dollars of the ransom money were found hidden in his garage, and sawn floorboards from his attic matched the home-made ladder. He was quickly convicted, sentenced to death, and executed. Yet puzzles remain. The home-made ladder was too short to reach the second floor window and appeared someone inside had to have handed the child down to someone on the ladder. There were 2 sets of footprints at the scene. Much of the ransom money was not found. The descriptions of "Cemetery John" did not resemble Hauptman. Hauptman never confessed and never implicated anyone else, yet it appeared the police ended investigation of the case despite it appearing that others had to be involved.

The author's father was a respected, educated economist and banker and told his son he believed a man he had once known named John Knoll, was in fact Hauptman's accomplice, and that a third man, Knoll's brother, may also have been involved. This book tells the story of the kidnapping and also the author's father's idea. There have been many crazy conspiracy theories about the Lindbergh kidnapping, but this one seems at least plausible.

Yet many parts of the Lindbergh case remain a mystery. Since the ladder was so short, it appeared impossible for one person to get inside the house without making a mess and racket and even if they did, how could they possibly have reached a ladder to the side and significantly below the window carrying a small child, without falling? If someone got inside the house to hand off the child, why even bother handing the child out the window, why not run right out of the house with the child? This part of the author's tale then doesn't make much sense. But crimes are not always sensible and based on the evidence it appears someone must have handed the child out the window, but the child fell and was killed by a fractured skull and the ladder fell and broke. In a panic they left the scene, dropping the ladder, and tossed the child's lifeless body into some nearby woods.

All the evidence suggests Bruno Hauptman was a major player in the crime. But it also appears that at least one other person had to be involved, between carrying the ladder, getting the child out of the house, and who got the rest of the ransom money. Not to mention Hauptman did not resemble Cemetery John in the least.

It appears the author is correct others had to be involved. Whether the man his father identified was that other person or persons likely can never be resolved, so much time has past. A very interesting book about a sad event of history.

[Kathleen Hagen]

Cemetery John: The Undiscovered Master Mind Behind the Lindbergh Kidnapping, by Robert Zorn, Narrated by Sean Runnette, Produced by Tantor Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

This book is based on memories the author’s father had of the likely collaborators in, and master mind of, the Charles Lindbergh baby kidnapping. His father contends that he was with the master mind, John Knowles, when he met his friends, the Hauptmann brothers, at Palisades Park. The author’s father was a teenager, but heard them speak particular words in German which, to him, many years later, had more meaning. While the kidnapping and trial took place in the 1930’s, Robert’s father didn’t tell him of his memories and suspicions until 1980. Since that time, Robert and his father worked together, until the father’s death, and then Robert Zorn afterward, to research the lives of the three suspects and come up with a plausible chain of events leading to the kidnapping and the death of the baby. It is hard to prove or disprove the story now. As the author says, most people believe that Bruno Hauptmann didn’t act alone and couldn’t have carried out the kidnapping plot alone. And the author certainly did a masterful job of collecting research and interviewing remaining witnesses to determine what might have, or even what probably did, happen. However, I think it’s hard to make a claim that this is the “whole story”, that we now know exactly what happened. But it’s very good reading and gives us a view of those times and of the Lindbergh family itself. Very good.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book covers a bit more than I expected, but I think that was a good thing. I had general knowledge of Lindbergh's famous flight and the kidnapping, but I was glad to have information regarding these presented. It's important in understanding the crime and the effects at the time on not only the Lindberghs but also the community to really understand how famous and wildly popular Lindbergh was after his flight to Paris.

I do think it highly unlikely Bruno Richard Hauptmann acted alone, and the author presents what I found to be fairly convincing information regarding a man he suspects was the mastermind.

[Michele · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, I finished this a couple of days ago and I'm still thinking about it, so it definitely left an impression. However, I can't help but feel that the author wants so badly to honor his father's memory (and there's nothing wrong with that, as far as it goes) by lending evidentiary support to a haunting experience from dear old dad's youth that he really goes through some logical contortions to fit a square peg into a rectangular hole. I don't say a round hole because his theory doesn't seem completely far-fetched and, if it does happen to be true, a lot of mysteries about this case that persist today would stand explained.

The problem is simply that I still can't commit to buying what he is selling. Yes, by all accounts, it certainly sounds like John Knoll was a strange ranger and there are a lot of elements about his life story that don't quite add up. I have difficulty overcoming the fact, though, that the seminal event upon which the entire premise of the book rests is vague at best, relying on a tale passed down to the writer by his father about overhearing a neighbor's conversation with purported co-conspirators in a foreign language decades before. The implications of this meeting are purportedly confirmed by the word "Englewood" and the name "Bruno" having peppered the discussion. When the author went on to speculate that said neighbor deliberately orchestrated having his dad, then a teenager, witness this odd exchange in order to preserve his role in The Crime of the Century for posterity, I actually laughed out loud. Not to diss teenagers as a whole, because some of them are pretty darn sharp, but what kind of criminal mastermind would depend on that variable to ultimately pull back the curtain of history and reveal him as the architect of one of the most nefarious plots of all time? Why not simply write a letter containing facts only the kidnapper could know and bury it in a time capsule with instructions that it not be opened until after one's death?

To be sure, there are a lot of "things that make you go hmmm" set forth in Zorn's book. I've been reading about this case since I was twelve (a verrrrrry long time ago!) and have even read the entire trial transcript. In the spirit of full disclosure, I've always been in the camp of those who believe that Richard Hauptmann was unfairly convicted; that being said, I was willing to set aside any preconceived ideas and approach this book with an open mind. Problem is, I didn't find anything in here that rose above the level of circumstantial evidence. There's certainly enough information to convince me that this theory is possible, but absolutely not enough to lock it in as probable.

[William Bond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book on a case that was never completely laid to rest. Hauptmann was obviously a part of the scheme, however, not many ever thought he acted alone. This book looks directly at a person (John Knoll) who the author's father overheard as a teenager planning the kidnapping with a person called Bruno. This is very plausible and if you are interested in the Linberg Case a must read.

[Neill Caldwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well done. Zorn identifies an accomplice to the Lindbergh kidnapping, probably the ringleader. Hauptmann took the fall and died in the electric chair without naming any co-conspirators, but the author makes an almost air-tight case against a fellow German immigrant, John Knoll. (Actually, just comparing a photo of Knoll to the sketch artist's drawing from Dr. Condon's description of the man he met with and delivered the ransom money to was enough to convince me!)

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before reading this, all I knew about the Lindbergh kidnapping could have fit in one sentence: The baby had died, Bruno Hauptmann was executed for the crime, and some people believed that he was either innocent or had help. I’m grateful to Robert Zorn for offering such an interesting and compelling narrative of the crime and its aftermath. Now my sentence can be revised to read: The baby had died, Bruno Hauptman definitely did it, and he surely had help.

Zorn effectively conveys just how famous Lindbergh was and why the kidnapping was the crime of the century—a phrase first used in conjunction with the 1932 crime. (Mencken called it “the biggest story since the Resurrection.”) Early chapters, about how and why Lindbergh made his Atlantic crossing, may have seemed like padding in another book, but they are useful here because they give a sense of Lindbergh’s celebrity. When Zorn begins the story of how the world’s most famous baby was taken from his home in a burlap sack, the reader better appreciates the crime for the worldwide event that it was. Zorn tells the story well, without ascribing thoughts to the figures; he knows that the story of Cemetery John, Jafsie, and the New Jersey State Police is incredible and needs little embellishment. More than once, I had the same shock one feels when a major surprise in a film is revealed. The chase, the repeated negotiations with Cemetery John, the press coverage, the all-night strategy sessions of Lindbergh and his advisers, and Hauptmann’s trial and execution are all deftly handled.

I make no claims for the validity of Zorn’s application of modern profiling techniques onto John Knoll, the title figure. Zorn’s conjecture that Knoll deliberately planted clues about his crime—clues that would only make sense decades later—seem stretched. But the physical evidence seems compelling. Alone, any one of the pieces of Zorn’s evidence would fall flat, but the totality of the evidence suggests that Knoll was a terrible person who enjoyed humiliating other people and who would have been willing to plan and execute the kidnapping. But does being a terrible person who may have said "Englewood" in the presence of Bruno Hauptmann make him guilty of kidnapping and murder? For all I know, the Knoll explanation could be like the one given by Dr. Reo Symes to Ray Midge in The Dog of the South about the lost works of John Selmer Dix. At any rate, Cemetery John is worth reading not only for the forensic elements and Sherlockian puzzles, but for the ways in which Zorn recreates the atmosphere of the crime and trial.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author uses modern profiling as well as 1930's information to make a compelling case that John Knoll, a man his father once knew, was Cemetery John was the master mind behind and the fellow who accepted the ransom money for the Lindbergh baby's kidnapping. I learned a lot more about the case for which Bruno Richard Hauptmann was the only on tried and convicted while it looks like his two accomplices got away.

[Lyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very compelling argument for the theory that Bruno Hauptmann did not act alone in the kidnapping of little Charlie Lindbergh, and that the man named within, Richard Knoll, was not only Hauptmann's accomplice aka Cemetery John, but also the mastermind behind the crime. Excellent book.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m convinced.

[Annie Booker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally absorbing and intriguingly believable.

[Jackie Hepburn · Rating 3 out of 5]

To be honest, the book is less than 300 pages, and it felt like 80% of those pages were dedicated to simply recapping the kidnapping, the original investigation, and Hauptmann’s arrest, all of which I was already familiar with. The author also spends about three chapters just trying to explain that Hauptmann didn’t do it alone, which is pointless because most people believe that the kidnapping couldn’t possibly have been carried out by one person. Whether Hauptmann himself was guilty or innocent is a whole other matter, but any person with a working brain can deduce that this wasn’t a one-man job.

Furthermore, I feel like most of the author’s “evidence” is circumstantial. At times, it seems like the author’s only arguments were “John Knoll did this on this date and went to this place on this date, and that surely can’t be coincidence, right?” It seemed to me that the author already believed in his mind that John Knoll was guilty because of his dad’s story of supposedly overhearing the kidnapping scheme, and tried so desperately to fit together puzzle pieces that point to John Knoll. At times, the author jumps to unprovable conclusions, like implying that Knoll’s first two marriages were short-lived because his wives may have discovered his “dark secret”. I personally believe that Lindbergh himself at least had a hand in the kidnapping, so it’s frustrating when the author pushes that theory aside by simply saying “there’s no evidence” and “it contradicts basic facts of the case” without elaborating further.

That said, the evidence that the author does provide is certainly interesting, such as Knoll’s sudden large expenditures after the kidnapping, the “fleshy mass” on his left thumb matching Condon’s description of Cemetery John, and Knoll’s departure from America after Hauptmann’s conviction. However, there’s nothing provided to directly link Knoll to either Hauptmann or the scene of the crime. The author makes a vague assumption that Knoll and Hauptmann probably knew each other because they were both German immigrants living in the same area, without any physical proof to suggest they had ever meet or were well-acquainted enough to carry out a high-profile kidnapping. Again, the author’s evidence is definitely interesting, and if the investigation were conducted today, Knoll would likely be a person of interest. But, unfortunately, too much time has passed to definitely prove many of the author’s theories and assumptions.

In conclusion, I think this book is worth a read if you’re unfamiliar with the case. However, if you’ve already read on this subject, there isn’t much new information in this book.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m generally wary of mystery-solving books that rest on someone else’s memory of a seemingly innocuous meeting decades in the past. In this case, it is the author’s father’s memory of being a fifteen-year-old boy taken along by his adult German friend John Knoll to a meeting involving “Bruno” and another German where the topic of Englewood was mentioned. This conversation took place some nine months before the kidnapping of Charles Lindbergh, Jr., and apparently it did no more than linger in Zorn’s father’s mind throughout the following months and years, when the “crime of the century” dominated headlines from the crime itself through the trial and execution of Bruno Richard Hauptmann – and indeed for several more decades. I in no way doubt the sincerity of the author and his now-deceased father or their conviction that John Knoll was the man known to history as Cemetery John, but the evidence presented in this book is almost entirely circumstantial and fails to convince me of its indelible truth. Part of the problem for me is that Zorn’s theory requires one to believe that Hauptmann was definitely a participant in the kidnapping plot, and I have never been convinced of that, especially given the circus-like nature of the trial which convicted him. I do agree with Zorn that Hauptmann was most certainly not Cemetery John, at least.

Somewhat ironically, much of Zorn’s evidence for Knoll’s guilt comes down to handwriting analysis, just as handwriting testimony played a large part in Hauptmann’s trial. Zorn brings in scientific handwriting analysis that declares a 95% chance that John Knoll wrote the ransom notes in the Lindbergh case, but the handwriting samples included in the book itself look quite different to my eyes. The rest is circumstantial – very interesting and worthy of consideration but less than convincing to me. Zorn tries too hard to make the case, ultimately, even suggesting that John Knoll brought along a fifteen-year-old Eugene C. Zorn, Jr., to the pre-planning meeting with his would-be accomplices because he was grooming the young man to be the archivist who would one day realize Knoll’s genius as the never-suspected mastermind behind the audacious Lindbergh kidnapping plot. I also find Zorn’s imagined recreation of the crime itself as questionable, particularly in terms of Hauptmann supposedly sneaking in and out of the house through the front door while his two accomplices did ladder duty outside. He fails to mention why only two sets of footprints were found outside if there were three kidnappers actively involved, just as he fails to explain what happened to the ransom notes that Knoll supposedly kept himself. Ultimately, Cemetery John is an interesting, even thought-provoking work well worth reading for anyone interested in the Lindbergh kidnapping case, but I’ll need more convincing proof before I can possibly equate John Knoll with Cemetery John.

[Caitie · Rating 1 out of 5]

The kidnapping of the Lindbergh is considered on of America’s greatest unsolved but actually solved mysteries. Even though a man was convicted of the crime, questions remain. My belief, which many others agree with, is that the guy who did it didn’t act alone. So I figured this would be an interesting read. Well, I was mistaken. Despite the fact that Zorn wrote a whole book about a man named John Knoll who he thinks was involved, I didn’t see (or read about) any actual evidence that Knoll helped plan and/or commit the crime. It all seemed circumstantial to me, which is hard to prove in court (but since all the people involved are now dead, it’s a moot point).

For one thing, the main witness to the three men—because apparently there were three men—was a small boy. Who takes a ten year old to water park and then discuss your kidnapping plot? This boy turned out to be Zorn’s dad, whom I’m not calling a liar or anything, but maybe these guys were talking about something else or he misunderstood. I agree that many things don’t make sense about Knoll, like where did he really get all that money? But I personally didn’t see that fleshy lump that was supposedly on Knoll’s thumb. Frankly, after so many years it’s hard to know the real truth.

[Jose Guerra Aleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I give credit to the author for spinning an interesting hypothesis. Unfortunately, it fails to convince me and others. I will address just a couple of issues. Bruno Hauptman was a Master carpenter, he even laughed at the poor construction of the ladder during his trial. His trial was a travesty of justice. He was convicted in the press and treated with the racism and prejudice that they often used to influence the public. The maid who committed suicide is certainly one person who should have been investigated more, as well as Isidor Fitch who I think, if the author's father is to be believed, was the third man at the meeting with Knoll. And lastly, in no way would Bruno Richard Hauptmann sacrifice himself and abandon Anna and Manfred, a wife and son he loved so dearly.
Bruno Richard Hauptmann was an innocent man!!!
And Lindbergh, or what he turned out to be, a Nazi sympathizer and a friend of Hitler.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The entire truth will probably never be known about the tragic death of the Lindbergh baby. But of the many different theories about the crime, this intriguing book offers one that seems very plausible.
The book is well written, and the author seems to have done his homework, judging from the meticulous notes documenting his research and sources. I found it to be a very compelling read.
My only problem with it is the absence of any explanation for how the kidnappers knew the Lindberghs would be at Hopewell that fateful night, which was a last minute change to their normal routine. This is not mentioned at all, and it would seem to be an important fact, pointing to the possible involvement of one of the Lindbergh servants.
Other than that, the book makes a lot of sense, & the author comes across as a sincere seeker of truth and justice. I would recommend it to anyone interested in this case.

[Mike Barat · Rating 1 out of 5]

New rules as the comedian Bill Maher would say. If your going to write a book about a kidnapping/murder you have to mention something about the kidnapping/murder. The first chapter was acceptable and than it was downhill after that. All of chapter two not a word about the kidnaping/murder was mentioned, however I was able to live with that since chapter two had only about six pages. Than I read ten or eleven pages of chapter three without a word about the kidnapping/murder being mentioned. Maybe it's because I'm a four year old but I just couldn't take it anymore and stopped reading this book on roughly page forty five.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating read of the Crime of the Century. Reading how insane the public was over the case, grabbing any kind of souvenir, selling mini versions of the crime ladder and basically being out of control mobs sadly reminds me of the MAGA crowds of today and how there was a rush to judgement of "Bruno" without making any real effort to find who else was involved in the kidnapping. Zorn's dad, in my opinion, had credible reason to believe that his "friend" could have been involved. Sadly time and the lack of technology will never "solve" the case but there is good reason to consider the evidence presented in this book

[Susan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very well-written account of the Lindbergh kidnapping, told with both passion and insight. The authors knowledge, passed on from his father, provide many realistic clues of evidence that was not known and not even looked for at the time of the arrest of Bruno Hauptmann. The case presented is compelling. Who was Cemetery John, perhaps we now know.

Donated to a Little Free Library in Savannah, GA.

[Martin Petersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating examination of the Linbergh kidnapping, and Zorn gives us his analysis on who all was involved. It is a circumstantial case, of course, but one that I found myself nodding in agreement with as Zorn rolled out his theory and the evidence to support it. He tells the story very well. The book is a must read for anyone interested in the case.

[John King · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good summery of the facts of the case. And a plausible theory on who might have worked with Hauptmann. One question to ask is why law enforcement stopped looking for accomplices after arresting Hauptmann when it was quite evident that it was not a one-man job. Another case where we'll never know.

[Jane Considine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many questions about the Lindbergh kidnapping and investigation are raised by the author. Seems to me that the man (Bruno Hauptmann) electrocuted for his role in the kidnapping was almost certainly not the only person involved in the crime.

[Kristi · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was decent, with a lot of evidence pointing to John Knoll as being the ringleader. My main objection is that I am having a hard time believing that Bruno went into the house, up to the nursery, handed John the baby, and snuck back outside without any detection.

[Jennifer Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trip back in time, yet compelling

I did not expect to be as completely engaged with this book as I have been since 1st reading it. It is very well written from both a human perspective as a legal and historical one.

[Karen Hough · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent. Very well researched. Very interesting. Well written.

[Mrs. LF · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book needed a good editor. It was engaging and very convincing.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Man! This book had me hooked!

[Donna Covell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting story - This event took place before my time but I grew up in this area - heartbreaking event.

[Cia Mcalarney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating.

[Mary Enright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so good. It was like watching CSI.