The Sixteenth Rail

May 13, 2013
Plenty of intriguing yet tragic details come to light in this chronicle of the 1932 kidnapping and murder of Charles A. Lindberg Jr., the 20-month-old son of the first aviator to cross the Atlantic Ocean, and the ensuing manhunt for the kidnappers. Schrager, a winner of more than 20 Emmys for his work as a producer and reporter for Wisconsin Public Television, painstakingly profiles the players involved, the surrounding media frenzy (which H.L. Mencken dubbed “the biggest story since the Resurrection”), the police inquiry, and the forensic science that finally, after a two-year investigation, fingered Bruno Richard Hauptmann as the culprit. In particular, Schrager focuses on Arthur Koehler, a wood technologist with the U.S. Forestry Service and his research in xylology, the study of wood. It was Koehler’s crackerjack work with the only piece of evidence at the crime scene—a ladder—that led investigators to the Bronx and to Hauptmann, or—more precisely—his garage, where a cut plank in the attic matched the wood used to build the ladder. Based on the evidence, Hauptmann was found guilty and executed. Casual readers might find Schrager’s account overly detailed and repetitive, but for those who have an interest in the Lindbergh kidnapping, this is a comprehensive addition to the literature about the case.

June 1, 2013

People lie, but wood doesn't. As journalist Schrager (The Principled Politician: The Story of Ralph Carr) tells it, Arthur Koehler, a pioneer in forensic science, was often called into court as an expert witness. The most well-known case in which Koehler testified, though, was the kidnapping of Charles and Anne Lindbergh's son. When he saw the pictures of the wooden ladder used by the kidnappers, Koehler knew he could make that wood talk. After nearly two years on the case, he was able to provide damning evidence by explaining the origin of the wood, the way it was used, and a piece of wood found in Bruno Hauptmann's attic that perfectly aligned with a piece missing from the ladder. Hauptmann was found guilty, and Koehler was considered a new Sherlock Holmes. VERDICT The hero worship so often reserved for Lindbergh in books about his child's kidnapping is here placed onto Arthur Koehler, a key but little-known player in this drama. Framing the story around the kidnapping case, Schrager has written a much-needed biography about Koehler and his important work in the early days of forensic science. Dynamic and compelling, Schrager's book is a perfect read for anyone interested in the history of criminal justice.--Kathleen Quinlan, Library Journal

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