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SwindlersGet$52,In Old Race Horse Game(Article Furnished by Federal Bureau of Investigation)Adrian Lawrence Dudley, oneof the country's most notoriousconfidence men. is the object of a nation-wide search by J. Edgar Hoover’s G-men, for his part in the swindle of $52,000 from a wealthy Baltimore, Md., business woman by means of the “race horse fraud,” and his subsequent escape after his arrest in connection with that affair.Dudley has a long criminal record, beginning from the time he was 13 years old, and i« an excellent example of the start of a juvenile in crime. He was arrested at this early age at Concord. N. C\, charged with petty larceny, but escaped from jail three1 years later, and on December 7, 1921, was rearrested at Baltimore and returned to prison. On August 7, 1931, he was arrested by the Washington D. C., police department on a charge of flimflam and spent 60days in jail. On November 29, 1932, he was arrested by the police department in Los Angeles, CaL, as a robbery suspect; on September 26, 1934, by the New York City police on a gambling charge; on July 23, 1935, again by the Washington police on a grand larceny charge; on August 26, 1936, by the New York City police on a gambling charge and again by the siime men July 22. 1937, as a suspect in a confidence game.Hits Big TimeHowever, on May 2, 1938, Dudley broke into big time crime by victimizing a reputable business woman from Baltimore.Dudley, assisted by two confederates, worked the well-known horse race game which, however well-known, has never failed to secure victims. In fact, there are well-to-do persons in this state who have been mulcted by the same scheme.Dudley, under the name Harold Baxter had approached this woman on several occasions with the apparent purpose of purchasing property from her. Finally on April 27, 1938, he advised the woman that it was necessary for him to proceed immediately to Harrisburg, Pa., on an important business deal and that the train schedules from Baltimore, Maryland, would not enable him to reach Harrisburg in time and requested that she drive him there in her automobile. The woman consented to do this, and upon arriving in Harrisburg, had lunch with Dedulev at a well-known hotel.The Plot Thicken*While in the lobby, Dudley found a pocketbook. which had been previously planted and upon examination indicated that the own-In the accompanying article. G-men tell how the man shown above, Adrian Laurence Dudley, cheated a Baltimore widow out of $52,000 with his “horse race” game.or of the wallet had been placing bets on horse races and obviously making huge profits. Dudley and the woman agreed that the pocket-book should be returned to the owner. They made inquiry of the desk clerk and found that the owner was registered in the hotel.pocketbook, name w'asit was agreed that the two men , would produce $48,000, and the wmman would produce $52,000, { which she didDudley took the victims’ money, together with the money produced by them and his confederate and left for the betting establishment. He returned a few' minutes later with the promissory note, which was torn up. Somersett then told Dudley to place his share of the profit on .a certain horse. Dudley left and shortly returned and stated that he had placed the entire $346,000 as a bet on this horse Awild conversation resulted between Somerset and Baxter, which revealed for the victim’s benefit that tHe bet had been placed improperly and that the entire .sum had been lost. She was assured that both Dudley and Somersett would secure sufficient funds to cover the losses sustained by the victim, and they immediately left.5 « '•v* I ’It 'j ThIs, of course, was the lastthe victim saw of either of men.Investigation disclosed thatthree confidence men had cro the state line wuth the $52,000 .secured from the woman, and J Edgar Hoover's G-men cnteied the case, as it constituted a viola ion of the national stolen property act, which makes it a federal crime to transport money secured illegally at the value of $5,000 or more across the state line.Dudley was apprehended in Los*hatthethecdUpon returning the the owner, who said hi Somersett, was very “grateful” and offered Dudley and his companion .$250 as a reward. He then stated i °*J May *• 1938* af,rr heI L H i f - . 1 1 - J L_ £ _ *he would do better than that, andthat he would place the $250 with the syndicate for whom he was betting in the races. Somersett left the room, presumably to placea bet, and returned saying that he had doubled their money and that they now had $500 each.This process was repeated several times and finally Dudley,• y -■ w fSomersett, who was his confederate in this scheme, and the woman combined in placing a $100,000 bet by means of a promissory note. Somersett again left the room and upon his return stated that the bet had resulted in the three of them winning $346,000.A few' minutes later, the third swindler, using the name of Allen, appeared and stated that he represented the racing establishment which had of $100,000, and the individualsreceived the bet demanded that w’ho placed itprove their good faith by proving that they could have paid the$100,000 if they had lost instead of winning Allen stated that fhe syndicate upon the production ofthe $100,000 in good faith, would immediately pay off the winnings of $346.000.Dudley, Somersett, and the woman discussed the matter, and? BI had followed his track from Baltimore to North Carolina, to Miami, Fla., to California.He was taken into custody and turned over to the United States marshal. He admitted his participation in the scheme, and “fated that his share had been $22,000.He was ordered removed from Los Angeles to Williamsport Pa„but while enroute in the companyof two guards, he escaped at Binghamton, N. Y., by jumpingthrough a window of the movingtrain.Dudley was born at Greenville.N C., October 18, 1901, and is described as being five feet nine inches tall, weight 185 pounds, eyes grey, droopy, hair brown, complexion ruddy, build stocky, teeth removable, upper bridge and false tooth in the lower front jaw. He also has a one inch scar over his upper right eyelidAnyone having any informationconcerning this individual and his whereabouts is requested to communicate the same to Walter V.McLaughlin, special agent incharge. Federal Bureau of Investigation, U. S. Department of Justice, Room 700. West Virginia Building, Huntington, W. Va., telephone uumber 8928.
Newspaper Details
Beckley Sunday Register
Beckley, West Virginia, US
Sun, Jan 22, 1939
Page 5
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 31 May 2020
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