Evening star., 1932-05-26
$60,0)0,0DO PROMISE
LINKED IN SW|NDLE,
CHARGED TO PAIR
DR.. Frank L. Purdy and Wife
Accused of SWindIing Mrs.
Florence N. Kay.
CHEST OF GOLD LINKED
IN PAYMENT OF $4,000
Couple Said to Have Collected
Money to Pay for Shipping
Huge Gift.

Charged with obtaining more than
$4,000 from Mrs Florence Means Kay,
of 1910 Mintwood place, on the repre-
sentation that it was to defray the cost
of bringing from abroad a chest con-
tanning gift of $50 oOO, 900, Mrs. Mary
Elizabeth Fields Purdy today was being
sought by Federal agents.
Her husband, DR.. Frank L. Purdy,
was arrested on the same charge-false
pretenses-in their elaborate suite in
the Shoreham Hotel yesterday.
DR.. Purdy, who is said to have been
retired from practice for a number of
years on account of i'll health, denies
any knowledge of the reputed trans
action. Whether his wife does. he is
unable to say, he declared today. She
is believed to have left the city.
Sued on Promissory Notes.
Mrs. Purdy recently was sued on two
promissory notes of $4,000 each by B.
N Wende Of the Investment Building,
who said he had acquired them from
Mrs. Kay.
Mrs. Kay. the widow of Edgar B.
Kay, consulting engineer, could not
be reached for a statement, as to her
charges, which we're made yesterday
when a Commissioners warrant was
obtained for the Purdys.
According to Mrs, Kay's charges, the
sl9,l28 was obtained from her in jan
uary with the explanation that it was
to bring over from England a great
chest containing 100000 900, which was
being sent by IAN old lady as a gift
to Mrs. Purdy.
The chest was to arrive in New York
and be taken to the Chase National
Bank, the warrant says, and the money
advanced by Mrs. Kay was to pay
transportation charges.
Enters Via Garbage Chute.
Upon issuance of the warrant yester-
day. it was given to Deputy Marshals
John j. ClarkSon and Gus Cerimele
who sought the Purdys at the Shoreham
and eventually succeeded in getting
service after an opera-bouffe entry Of
the apartment through garbage COM
partment.
Purdy, it was said, had been in
formed that the officers were at his
door but refused to answer their ring.
Hearing steps inside, the deputies said,
they looked up to see Dr. Purdy watch
ing them through a ventilator. He
ignored Clarkson's request to open the
door and had withdrawn, when Clark
son discovered a small compartment
leading from the kitchen and ostensibly
used as receptacle for a garbage
container.
Clarkson wriggled his way through
the outside trapdoor leading into the
nail file to slip back the lock on
He was followed by Cerimele, who,
however, is not built along the stream
lines of his companion and with diff
Guilty managed to escape being wedged
in the entry.
Addresses Are Obtained.
DR. Purdy, who was at the telephone,
was informed that he was under arrest,
but Mrs Purdy was not found. DR..
Purdy says he did not know her where
abouts, but the marshals office today
came into possession of several ut-of-
town addresses furnished by a man who
said he represented Mrs. Kay. Deputy
Clarkson said these would be given to
the Department of Justice and aid re-
Quested in finding the woman.
Dr. Purdy was arraigned before
United States Commissioner Needham
C. Turnage. and bond for a hearing
June l was fixed at SIS ,000
The case Is being handled by As
sistant United States Attorney c. B.
Murray.
The Wende suit says that on April
Mrs. Purdy made the two notes of S20,-
900 each, in favor of Mrs. Kay, and
payable in 80 days, one at the Union
Trust Co. and one at the District Ma
tional Bank, and that the notes were in
turn Endorsed to him. Payment has
been refused, he says.