The New York herald., 1922-05-10
I HYPNOTIC SWDNDLER
/ GOT WIDOW'S$5OOOO
Mrs. Gertrude I. Duncan at
76 Found Unfit to Guard
Her $S01, 900.
DUPED ON TIRE STOCK
w. f. Turner's Tales of
Sure Grip Leave Woman
Unbalanced.
'QUIcK LUNCH HER FARE
Lives in Single Room in Mount
Vernon and Thinks She Is
Entirely Poor.
'QUICK LUNCH HER FARE

How Mrs. Gertrude I Duncan, an
elderly widow of Mount Vernon, was
duped by stranger and promoter in
"will o. wisp" tire company and
was fieeced out Of $4,000. for which
she held only couple of brilliantly
illuminated stock certificates, was told
yesterday to a Sheriff's jury presided
Dver by Commissioner jeremiah d.
3oomey at Mount Vernon.
The jurors decided after only five
minutes deliberation that Mrs. Dun
can was incompetent to manage her
estate. valued at $3O1,O00. She is 7G
Rnd lives in little room at 200 East
Sidney avenue, Mount Vernon. She
was in the courtroom but was not rep
resented by counsel
Several times in the hearing Mrs. Dun
can broke in by saying:
Il never heard of any such a pro-
cceding. / have no money. I never had
such an experience in my life. can't
understand why my private letters should
be read here
Witnesses testified that William Fran
els Turner. promoter Of the Sure
Grip Tire Company of Arizona" had
obtained much money from Mrs Dun
can on his statement that she would
make s10,000.0 900. She got stock GER
tllcates for $4,000 shares and a prom
ise for 100000 more.
Isaac N. Mills. former Supreme Court
Justice who appeared for George Allen
1ngraham of Rutherford. ". j.. an Of
ficer of the American Express Company
and nephew of Mrs. Duncan, seeking to
have her estate conserved, asserted that
the Sure Grip" had sure grip OH the
purse strings of Mrs. Duncan. He con-
tinued:
This woman was fieeced out Of thou
sands of dollars. This man Turner does
not appear. We could not locate him
to serve papers in this proceeding"
Ate in "Hot Dos'' Wagons.
Mrs Duncan is the widow OF James
G.. Duncan, who died twenty years ago.
She comes from the Ingrahams. Con-
necticut family, and Is the beneficiary
Of three trust funds In control of the
Brooklyn Trust Company. Her income
Is between $4,000 and $4,000 a year.
and yet the Rev. Melford Brown, pastor
OF the Church of the Ascension. Mount
Vernon, of which Mrs. Duncan has been
n regular communicate, testified that
he had seen her eating in "hot dog
wagons" and in a lunchroom frequented
by trolley men.
Mrs. William Greene, wife of physi-
clan, told how Mrs. Duncan got ac-
uuainted with Turner. While Mrs. Dun
can had an apartment in Mrs. Greene's
home in 1918 a middle aged man with
red hair and ministerial appearance
called to see Mrs. Duncan. He said she
did not know him but he wanted to buy
some stock she owned.
From that day until recently Mrs.
Duncan was under the compete comma
ton of Turner. Until year ago he took
her regularly each summer to Saratoga
5n an automobile with chauffeur and
footman. Mrs. Greene continued.
Although Mrs. Duncan gave this man
Turner many checks, yet she was SO
penurious while she lived in my home
that she ate spoiled chicken bro.h, was
very untidy and accused every one of
roobing her except Turner. The reason
she gave for not having aEy money, she
said. was because she had given 81 much
to Turner. expecting every week to get
dividends"
1t was fully apparent that Mrs Dun
can does not realize her wealth and be-
lieves she is poor. having starved her.
self on several occasions Several wit
nesses said she told them:
"Some day Turner will give NE more
than s1.000.o00 for ~hat invested In
the Sure Grip Tire Company"
For nearly four years sh. has waited
for dividends. It was asserted that this
affected her brain and that II Stems to
be an obsession with her that Turner
will make good. The Rev DR.. Brown
said that when he first knew Mrs Dun
can she was n cultured woman, but that
lately she had been acting uuecrly. He
added:
II have seen Mrs. Duncan going
around with high shoe on one e.ot and
n low one on the other I tried 70 i'm
press on her that Turner was a crook
but Il would not sink in.o he. brain.
1t was only recently at n church
luncheon that she appeared with some
kind of hair dye on her head which had
run down her cheek
Mrs Duncans brother. Arthur Tngra-
ham. who resides at 315 Cass avenue.
Bay City, Mich. was In court. Sne also
has a sister whose husband IS Judge
Webster of BAY City.
MFR. Ingraham said that when he first
called on his sister he found her living
In little room which was In a dis
pusting condition. In tears. Mr.. Ingra-
ham said:
"She didn't know me for some time.
didn't expect to find her in such "a
ritiable condition"