Orlin Brommer: A curious window on history

Bruce Schaffner and I got sidetracked on conspiracy theories. 

I mentioned that I had just spent too much time reading about the Lindbergh child who disappeared in 1932. 

For anyone interested, there are four or five old men and one woman claiming to be Charles Lindbergh Jr. You can do your own research, but I like the fact that even a woman — now 80 — wants in on the story. She definitely has the best disguise if she is Lindbergh Jr. 

The next time I saw Bruce he was carrying five Milwaukee Sentinels from 1932, 1933 and 1936 that somebody in Augusta, Wis., had saved. He lent them to me. Having lost some of my interest in the murder and trial, the papers lay waiting to be read. 

Once curiosity took over I started to read the papers. All five of them had front page news about the trial and pending execution of Bruno Richard Hauptman, a German-born alien. Two of the papers were EXTRA meaning a second edition was printed on a given day. 

There were plenty of photos.  One photo was even a recreation of what Hauptman likely was experiencing as he was being strapped into the infamous walnut chair.  If this chair had a name I missed it. Many of the old electric chairs were called, “Sparky.” 

It was interesting to see how news has changed and how news has not changed in 80 years. 

In one paper, there was a story about the Hauptman jury planning an annual reunion, something that a modern jury might also consider as a follow-up to a trial with such a worldwide following.

On the front page of a 1933 paper Amelia, with no last name given in the headlines, was “Poised for a Pacific Hop.” Although I didn’t read the article, I’d be interested in following up her and the story. 

On page one, Hitler was elected with 99.1 percent of the German vote and on page three there was a German city street lined with Swastika flags. 

These old papers had stories about movie stars marrying, and separating, and denying all. 

I found political articles about a “free-for-all” in a Minnesota election, FDR reminding Congress that cash must meet spending, and something about Social Security beginning rather than an article about it ending. 

A science article was about tadpoles being injected with something to make them grow faster. Although I forget the exact chemical I recognized it as a drug we now consider dangerous. 

All the papers were printed black and white. One showed pink snow. The snow got its pinkness from mud. A photo of snow on white paper wasn’t all that fascinating.

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