The Creative Background of Murder on the Orient Express

Like many other novels by agatha christie, Murder on the Orient Express is based on a real event, namely the famous Lindbergh kidnapping in 1930s. Lindbergh, a famous American pilot, was the first person to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.

1932 On the night of March, the kidnapper kidnapped his 20-month-old son from his mansion in New Jersey and demanded a ransom of $50,000. Despite the ransom, the body of Charles Lindbergh Jr. was found in a bush not far from home 1 1 days later. The nanny Betty Gro and her boyfriend were investigated, but they were later proved innocent. Hollette Sharp, the maid, was also suspected because of her vague testimony. She chose to commit suicide instead of telling the truth. The truth is that she was having an affair with several men and fooling around in an underground bar that night.

Two years later, the police finally found a suspect, new york carpenter Hopman. Haupmann is an illegal immigrant with a criminal record. At present, there is still some evidence against him, especially a ransom with some figures written on it was found in his garage. In court, the evidence was presented one by one, and seven handwriting experts thought that Haupmann's handwriting was consistent with that on the ransom note; Some of the wood on the ladder used by the kidnappers to climb the window of the nursery was the pride of a pine tree near Pullman's house, and some came from the floor of his house; Someone saw him near Lindbergh's house on the day of kidnapping; According to the middleman who paid the ransom, Haupman was the person who received the ransom and spoke with a German accent. Of course, the most powerful evidence is the ransom itself. In fact, Hapman was discovered by using this money. Although he didn't have a fixed job, he lived a superior life that didn't match his income during the Great Depression.

Haupmann denied the charges against him, arguing that the money was left at his home by a fur dealer who died in Germany; His wife proved that he didn't go out at home that night; His defense lawyer accused the police of falsifying evidence. Some people think that the child fell from the window and died unexpectedly, but the judge told the jury that even this would not change the nature of vicious murder. After 1 1 hour of discussion, the jury reached a unanimous conclusion: guilty. Hopman has always refused to plead guilty. After the appeal was rejected, he was sent to the electric chair on April 1936.

After Haupmann was executed, the discussion on this matter has not subsided. Some people think he is innocent because he refuses to plead guilty in exchange for life imprisonment; Some people think that fur traders are the real murderers; Others even think that Lindbergh himself or his wife's sister killed the child; Haupmann's wife Anna appealed for her husband's innocence until her death. Obviously, this sensational kidnapping case inspired agatha christie's creation.