Evening star., 1934-01-10
NAKED MADW0MAN
FOUND IMPRISONED.
Police, Investigating Strange
Case, Hold Husband and
Housekeeper.
NJ the Associated Press.

~ the Associated Press.
RIDGEFIELD PARK, N. j., January
1o-Detectives strove today to piece to-
eether the strange story surrounding the
Imprisonment of naked madwoman In
a dirty-unheated, closet-like room over
A stable on the old Barnes estate.
The woman. Mrs. Sophie Gerard. AZ,
pronounced insane by county phys1-
clan, meanwhile was receiving medical
attention at the county hospital, Bergen
Pines.
The two other characters OF the
strange tale. the two alleged jailers, Jo-
seph Gerard. "a. the woman'S husband,
and his housekeeper, Miss Mary Grimm.
S. were held under arrest in county jail
on charges of false imprisonment. and
authorities said there was possibility
of a second charge of abusing an insane
person.
Much police interest centered on the
husband, a former middleweight pug1-
list, who they said was questioned IN the
Lindbergh kidnapping case after the
body of the murdered Lindbergh baby
was found near a shack where Cerard1
stayed occasionally at Hopewen.
Cerardi also known as Geradi, rent
ed the four-room apartment above the
stable almost two years ago Nelghbors
told police they saw his wife arrive
with him, and she was then apparently
In good health When police found her
last night she had wasted away to so
pounds
Confession Claimed.
When Gerard was arrested last night
apolice said he acknowledged keeping his
wife locked up. but denied mistreating
her. He said he had taken her from
State institution where she had been
committed as mentally unbalanced and
was keeping her with him for her own
benefit
Police entered the case late yester-
day at the request Of Mrs. Cerardis
sister, Mrs Loretta Regenstruf, who
complained that Gerard had repeat
edly refused to allow her to see her
bump her off" If she told any one he
kept her sister locked up. -,
Prosecutor Lieut.. Nathan Allyn said
Mrs. Regenstruf had also informed
him that Gerard had insured his
vife's life for $4,000. Allyn said this
information would be investigated to-
day to determine II it had any bearing
on the case.
When police went to the barn, which
Is at the end of a winding lane behind
a tall hedgerow, the housekeeper first
when they threatened to break down
the door. They then prevailed upon
her to surrender the key to the room
In which Mrs. Gerard was locked.
The door was opened, officers later
reported, and they found Mrs. Gerard
huddled naked on the bed, gibbering
wildly Both windows in the cubicle
had been boarded up and the bed was
the only article Of furniture IN the
ret fhrnuyY,
across the bare, dirty mattress.
Taken to Hospital.
The woman was taken to hospital
and police waited several hours before
Cerardi entered the apartment and
was arrested. together with the house
keeper. They were questioned and
committed to jail. There Gerard, who
Is known generally as Joseph, said his
real first name is Carmelli. and gave
his occupation as a bootblack. The
housekeeper told police she did not
know her employers occupation and
said as far as she knew he had no way
of earning a living.
Cerardi was Mrs. Cerardi's second
husband police said. She was divorced
from a New York lawyer named Joseph
Maran. by whom she had one son,
Charles. now q. Charles lived with
Cerardi in the fiat over the stable, po-
lice learned. but they were not able to
locate him for questioning. The Cerar-
- dis married about eight years ago.
Police said they had learned Mrs. Ce-
rardi had been mentally unbalanced
before she came to the old stable and
had received hospital treatment One
detective expressed the opinion that
her mental condition might be trace
able to the squalid conditions under
which she had been living. Mrs. Ce-
rardi was described to police as a
woman of intellectual attainments who
could speak seven languages. When
officers opened the door OF her prison
she used four languages in her inco-
herent replies to their questioning.