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“Murder on the Orient Express,” one of Agatha Christie's bestselling detective novels, though entirely fictional, was inspired by a real-life crime dubbed the “crime of the century” in the United States.
The Allure of Real-life Crime
Agatha Christie, also known as the 'Queen of Mystery,' is the British novelist with the highest-selling crime novels of all time. In her books, Agatha created two beloved detective characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple.
The novel “Murder on the Orient Express,” first published in 1934, is one of the most famous novels by the British author. Since its publication, the book has become a global phenomenon, adapted into films in 1974 and 2017.
“Murder on the Orient Express” tells the story of the hunt for a blood-soaked murderer on a journey from Istanbul to London aboard the Orient Express.
The victim, Samuel Edward Ratchett, a smuggler of antiques, was found murdered with 12 consecutive stab wounds. With 12 suspicious passengers aboard the train, detective Poirot unraveled secrets one by one and brought the culprit into the light.
The book evokes memories of the famous nationwide kidnapping in the United States during the 1930s. In the book “Agatha Christie’s True Crime Inspirations: Stranger Than Fiction,” the author's process of creation confirms this.
Around 7:30 p.m. on March 1, 1932, nanny Betty Cow placed 20-month-old Charles Jr., son of pilot Charles Lindbergh and Anne Morrow Lindbergh, in a crib in the child's room on the second floor.
About two hours later, Lindbergh, 30, heard a loud noise resembling a broken kitchen shelf while reading a book in the library just below the child's room. Around 10 p.m., Betty Cow discovered the baby missing and reported it to Lindbergh.
Immediately, Lindbergh entered the child's room and found a ransom note for $50,000 lying on the windowsill. The kidnappers demanded a 2-4 day extension for the Lindbergh family to prepare the ransom money before informing the location for the transfer. A ladder lay directly under the windowsill along with the baby's blanket.
After his first transatlantic flight in 1927, Charles Lindbergh became an aviation icon in America at the age of 25. He flew non-stop from New York to Paris, covering a distance of 3,600 miles in 33.5 hours with the single-engine aircraft Spirit of St. Louis.
Americans dubbed him with impressive titles like 'hero,' 'real-life superhero'... Thus, the Lindbergh baby kidnapping became the center of attention and was deemed the 'crime of the century'.
The day after the kidnapping, the news reached the White House, even President Herbert Hoover took an interest in the case. At that time, kidnapping was considered a state crime rather than a federal offense. However, Attorney General William D. Mitchell declared that the entire Department of Justice would collaborate with the New Jersey authorities to apprehend the culprit.
Crime of the Century
According to the New Jersey State Investigation Bureau, the kidnapping scene had numerous mud traces, footprints, but it was challenging to determine the perpetrator's shoe size due to overlapping prints.
The ladder used by the perpetrator to climb up from the second-floor window was found broken, possibly due to the perpetrator's ascent or descent. There was no blood inside or around the baby's bedroom, nor were there any fingerprints. The household help, including the maid and butler, were questioned and investigated.
Among those investigated, the police suspected a household helper at the Lindberghs', Violet Sharpe. On the night of the incident, Violet confessed to going out with a man but couldn't remember his name or the movie theater they went to. Later, she claimed that another couple accompanied them as witnesses, but she couldn't recall their names either.
Other members of the Lindbergh family showed cooperation with the police except for Violet. This made the police suspect that Violet either colluded or leaked information to the kidnapper, placing her under suspicion.
By March 6th, Colonel Lindbergh continued to receive a ransom letter postmarked from Brooklyn, New York City on March 4th. The ransom amount increased to $70,000. Two days later, a third ransom letter was sent from Brooklyn, stating that John Condon would act as the intermediary between Lindbergh and the kidnapper.
Mr. John Condon, a retired school principal living in Bronx, New York, expressed interest in the kidnapping case. He wrote to a local newspaper, offering a reward of $1,000 if the kidnapper returned the baby. On the same day, Condon received a letter from the kidnapper, requesting to be the intermediary for both sides, which Lindbergh agreed to.
Around 8:30 p.m. on March 12th, after receiving an anonymous call, Mr. Condon received the fifth ransom note, sent by an unidentified person to driver Joseph Perrone. Following the instructions on the note, Condon went to meet the self-proclaimed kidnapper named John that night at Woodlawn Cemetery, Bronx.
Condon claimed not to have seen John's face, but his accent indicated that he was a foreigner. John claimed to belong to a Scandinavian gang and that the baby was held on a boat offshore. When Condon expressed doubt, John promised to return the baby's sleeping clothes.
Four days later, true to his word, John sent Condon the baby's clothing, which Lindbergh confirmed. On April 2nd, Condon met John for the second time with a ransom of $50,000. John accepted the ransom, claiming that the baby was being cared for by two women but provided no further information. The Lindbergh family waited patiently but did not receive their child.
The ransom included some gold certificates (certificates of ownership of gold used as currency in the US from 1863 to 1933). The bills were unmarked, but the serial numbers were recorded to aid authorities in tracking if circulated.
Lindbergh Law
On May 12th, a truck driver discovered the body of baby Charles in a grove about 4.5 km from the Lindbergh residence. Charles's skull was severely damaged, and the body was decomposed, indicating that the baby was killed by a blow to the head shortly after the kidnapping.
Subsequently, the maid Violet was called in for questioning. Through investigation, the police discovered Violet had 5 lovers. Her suspicious relationships drew special attention from the police, although Violet couldn't disclose all her boyfriends' names. Violet was released, but she committed suicide that same evening.
Later, the police continued to track the serial numbers from the ransom bills. In September 1934, they identified the suspect as German immigrant Richard Hauptmann, aged 35. He had a prior conviction for robbery and had served time in prison.
In early July 1923, Hauptmann boarded the SSHanover from Bremen, Germany, arriving at the Port of New York on July 13th. He was immediately arrested and deported for willful entry without inspection. It wasn't until the third attempt in November 1923 that Hauptmann successfully entered the US. Two years later, Hauptmann married Anna Schoeffler and settled in New York. Prior to the kidnapping, he worked as a carpenter.
When Hauptmann was arrested in New York, a $20 gold certificate and over $14,000 ransom money were found in his garage. Hauptmann denied involvement in the kidnapping, claiming the money was left by his deceased friend Isidor Fisch, who passed away in March 1934.
However, during the search of Hauptmann's home, the police discovered wood similar to the ladder found at the crime scene, as well as the phone number and address of John Condon. Despite continuous pleas of innocence, Hauptmann was convicted and sentenced to death, executed in April 1936.
The kidnapping of baby Charles became one of the most widely discussed cases in American public discourse. The case spurred the US Congress to pass the Federal Kidnapping Act, commonly known as the “Lindbergh Law.” Under the law, kidnapping victims transported across state lines became a federal offense.
In early 1934, with the release of “Murder on the Orient Express,” readers couldn't help but draw parallels to the kidnapping case. According to the book, at the crime scene of the murdered victim Ratchett, detective Poirot found a burnt piece of paper with the words “remember little Daisy Armstrong.”
Detective Poirot believed that the victim Ratchett had previously kidnapped a 3-year-old girl named Daisy Armstrong, heiress to the famous Armstrong family. Ratchett successfully escaped with a ransom of $200,000 after disposing of the victim.
The story of the kidnapping of baby Charles, the $50,000 ransom, and the failed rescue mission has inspired Agatha Christine to incorporate a valuable detail into her storyline.
While investigating the 12 suspects aboard the Orient Express, detective Poirot discovers that although these 12 individuals do not know each other, they all have a connection to the Armstrong family and have motives to murder Ratchett for revenge for the little girl.
From there, detective Poirot presents two hypotheses. First, the perpetrator killed Ratchett to avenge Daisy and left when the snowdrift caused the train to stop midway through the journey. Second, everyone on the train could be suspects in the case.
Another interesting detail is that the author Agatha greatly enjoys traveling by the Orient Express, and the train serves as inspiration for her work. On a trip in 1931, her train was delayed due to a snowstorm, while another trip in 1929 was stuck for 5 days due to an accident.
This has been incorporated by Agatha into 'Murder on the Orient Express' through the detail of the train stopping abruptly due to bad weather.
In her memoir, Agatha Christie also shared that she had a rich imagination and was not hesitant to draw inspiration from everyday life stories.
