NOVEMBER 30, 1955 1

Wednesday, November 30, 1955

HEADLINE: KENNETH E. LINDBERGH FOUND BRUTALLY SLAIN NEAR CLEAR LAKE, MINNESOTA

FBI making intensive search for murderer; funeral rites today.


The body of Kenneth E. Lindbergh, cashier of the local Northern State Bank was found in a secluded spot on the shore of Crescent Lake, 3 miles south of the village of Clear Lake Friday afternoon, nearly 2 weeks after his disappearance. With a mysterious stranger and $15,780 in cash and travelers checks, he had been brutally murdered.


Three youthful brothers made the discovery while hunting rabbit’s a quarter of a mile from their farm home. The eldest of the boys, Merle Fiereck , 17, ran home to tell their mother that he and his brothers; Kenneth, 10 and Charlie, 8, “had ‘found a dead man near the lake.”


Mrs. Fiereck phoned Sherburne County Sheriff Chester Goenner, who arrived at the scene shortly after 3 PM, then notified the Minneapolis office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, (FBI).


Clear Lake is located 55 miles north west of Minneapolis.


Because of the widespread discern for the safety of the missing banker, the unconfirmed report spread rapidly and Lindbergh’s distraught family heard the tragic news over a prematurely released television flash before local authorities had been officially informed and before the body had been positively identified as Lindbergh’s.


Pennington County Sheriff Arthur Rambeck and Chief of Police Elton Cummings drove to the Elk River, seat of Sherburne County Friday night and made positive identification on Saturday morning.


On the Friday afternoon that the body was discovered, Rambeck and Cummings had been in Detroit Lakes to begin organizing search parties along the roads leading off Highway 10 between there and where Lindbergh had called his wife at 11:40 p.m. on the Saturday night of the disappearance and Minneapolis.


Rambeck said the brutal murder is believed to have been committed at the spot where the body was found. Because of the fact that there was no snow under the frozen body and, in viewing of the FBI report that Lindbergh’s car, which had been recovered a week earlier in Minneapolis, showed no bloodstains or signs of struggle. Lindbergh’s unknown assailant is thought to have killed him there in the early morning hours on Sunday after his disappearance.


Adding to the mystery of the crime was the discovery of $200 of the missing silver near the scene and the savagery of the murder. First reports stated that Lindbergh had been shot but later investigation showed that he died as a result of numerous blows on the back of the head with a sharp instrument, Rambeck said.


Dr. Gordon H. Tesch, Sherburne County Coroner, said that University of Minnesota pathologists were present for the postmortem Saturday. At the inquest that night, a coroner’s jury found Lindbergh to have been murdered by an unknown assailant sometime between 11:30 p.m. November 12 and November 16.


FBI investigation of the St. Paul man and woman who had been arrested in Detroit last Saturday night, cleared the two of any complicity in the Lindbergh crime. Authorities had thought they might have been connected with the case because of $600 in cashiers checks, numerous safe-deposit keys, 50 sets of car keys, and some pornographic literature found in their possession when arrested on a traffic count.


While mourning the loss of a highly respected citizen, irate local citizens are continuing to follow all news sources hoping for the apprehension of Lindbergh’s murderer.


Late developments disclosed that Herbert F. Johnson who had registered at a downtown Minneapolis hotel on Friday, November 11, was using the name and credentials of a Racine, Wisconsin, manufacturer who was in California at the time.


Johnson had called room service for some ice at 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, the day after Lindbergh’s disappearance. The same bellboy who had delivered the ice said he later brought coffee to the room at 4:30 a.m.. The Twin City news source added that Johnson had apparently left the hotel unnoticed, called a cab from an all-night diner in the vicinity of the spot the Lindbergh car was later found, return to the hotel, and with instructions for the cab to wait for him, going back to his room, called the bellboy to carry his luggage and check out at 6:50 a.m..


A newsboy whose identity has been disclosed is said to have seen a man wearing a Homburg hat park the car on N. 18th Ave at about 20 minutes before six.
It was also reported that the loop hotel cashier and the bellboy have examined rogue’s gallery of photos on the tip that the man may have been previously arrested in Minneapolis.


Lindbergh had met a man identifying himself as Herbert Johnson at the bank Saturday afternoon. The man had called that morning asking that Lindbergh reserve hotel rooms for him and meet him at the bank to accept safekeeping of $25,000 in cash which he said he was bringing up to the Thief River Falls by plane that afternoon. He told the cashier the money was to be used as part payment and a property transaction which he wish to talk over with Lindbergh.


Lindbergh had made reservations for Johnson and a Miss Hadley at a local hotel, a man had appeared at this hotel Saturday afternoon. After confirming the reservations, Johnson declined a request to register and appeared at the bank at about 4 p.m. where he and Lindbergh retired to a private office after having been introduced to George Wertslein, vice president of the bank.


Wertslein said the two talked for about two hours, and that he last contacted Lindbergh at 6 p.m. at which time he was assured that his assistance was not needed.
Lindbergh called from Detroit Lakes to his wife telling her they were still working on that deal and he wouldn’t be home for about four hours was the last thing anyone heard from him.


Discovery of a loss of $1850 in silver, later changed to $1750 and a quantity of blank travelers checks was announced Monday by bank officials. No currency which was under a time lock, was reported missing.
Subsequently, all but $20 of the missing silver was recovered. $1530 in the trunk of the Lindbergh car which was discovered in north Minneapolis on Friday after the disappearance and $200 at the murder scene.
Travelers checks amounting to $7,800 were recovered in the Detroit, Michigan bank where Charles D. Kenwell had sought to open an account on November 14 and had planned to return the next day.


Another $200 was reportedly cashed at that fateful Sunday morning at a Minneapolis loop hotel. Five hundred dollars at a Detroit hotel where Kenwell had made his initial appearance; $20 at a Chicago hotel on Thursday, and $40 at a Chicago Airlines office.
Thus, only $5,470 worth of the missing travelers checks are not known to have turned up and $20 in silver is still unaccounted for.


Veteran news men in metropolitan centers, who have been in constant touch with local law sources, state the grizzly crime is one of the most grotesque in their memories. The fantastic chain of events seems to defy reason, making it seem like it was perpetuated by a demented fiend, one said.


Most authorities adhere to the opinion that there is but one man involved, but some allow a strong possibility that there were two men. One reason for this latter view is the marked discrepancy in descriptions given by people who observed the person precariously known as Johnson, Kenwell, and O’Malley. J. O’Malley is the name used by the passenger on airline flights between Chicago and Thief River Falls via Minneapolis on the Saturday afternoon that Johnson arrived here.


Elvin Saul, night clerk at the Greystone Hotel in Detroit Lakes, said that the man later identified as Lindbergh who had called from the phone booth there on Saturday night was larger than the man who accompanied Lindbergh into the hotel.


He also stated that he observed carefully because he felt that all was not well because of Lindbergh’s nervousness and because of the surly attitude of his companion. Saul described the other man is being about 5 foot seven, pretty well put up, weighing about 150 pounds. He had dark eyebrows and a medium complexion. This description somewhat agrees with that given by George Rockstad, who gave the man a lift into town from the airport and Mrs. Harry Winter who was on duty at the Pennington Hotel where the man confirmed room reservations on Saturday afternoon.


Wertslein, vice president of the bank described a man who appeared at the bank at four o’clock as being about 6 foot tall and a slight build. This agrees with the description of Kenwell, who cashed some of the travelers checks in Detroit.


Regarding the Detroit Lakes call, Saul said that Lindbergh placed the call and the other a man who was seated, gave him a mean look and very gruffly told me to mind my own business.


At the time Lindbergh completed his call, Saul said, he was nearer to him than the other man and that he didn’t hear a word that Lindbergh said. He felt that Lindbergh was under some kind of threat, but definitely stated that the other man did not monitor the call.


Local authorities tend to discount Saul’s statement as well as that of a Detroit Lakes service station attendant who claims that Lindbergh entered he is stationed at about 10:30 or so, on Saturday night of the disappearance.


Most recent traces of the probable murderer which has been reported, is the appearance of Kenwell in Chicago on Tuesday November 15. However, informed sources feel that the FBI has not only uncovered sufficient information to fill the existing gap in the trail of the robber-- kidnapper --killer, but have a wealth of other pertinent information which will not be disclosed until his apprehension.