Description:

MELVIN PURVIS
(1903 - 1960) Federal Justice Department agent who orchestrated the ambush of John Dillinger. A.L.S., ‘Melvin', 2pp. 4to., New York City, Jan. 28, 1944, to his wife Roseanne. In part: ‘…I hope by now that you have received my letters answering the questions you asked. No mail has come so far today but I was just reading over the last five I have from you. I always carry about that many in my pocket until I can replace them with new ones. In your letter of January eleven you said you had not received answers to some questions you asked. I have answered all I could find in your letters and I hope you have my letters by now. I am glad you are getting along all right. You are so beautiful in the pictures you sent me. I have been looking for more all the time. You have always been the most beautiful one in all the world. I note you say that Alston is looking more like me every day and getting to be like me. I had hoped that he would be more fortunate than that and that he would be like you. I want to see him so bad. I am anxiously waiting for word from you that Melvin's tonsils and adenoids are out and he is well. I have been wondering if Howard Stokes is out of the hospital yet. Please call me – but undoubtedly you will have done so before you get this letter…In the meantime about all I can do is to let you know how my heart aches to see you…' Fine.

Accepted Forms of Payment:

Money Order / Cashiers Check, Personal Check, Wire Transfer

Shipping

Shipping, handling and insurance charges will be added to all invoices. Shipments are sent via FEDEX, USPS Express, USPS International Priority, and DHL (for most overseas shipments) or FedEx Ground at the auctioneer's option. Shipments will only be sent to the registered bidder address, re-routing shipments is not permitted. All shipments require a direct signature, no exceptions. Shipping to certain countries is extremely expensive and will be invoiced according to dimensional weight as required! By law the full value is required by customs for international shipments. Please inquire before bidding! International shipments are invoiced by DIMENSIONAL weight, not the item weight. Please contact us for an estimate before bidding. Customers who supply their own courier account number will still be charged a handling fee. Please allow 2-3 weeks for shipments after receipt of payment due to the high volume of packages being shipped.

May 4, 2025 10:00 AM EDT
Elkton, MD, US

Alexander Historical Auctions LLC

You agree to pay a buyer's premium of 20% and any applicable taxes and shipping.

View full terms and conditions

Bid Increments
From: To: Increments:
$0 $99 $10
$100 $499 $20
$500 $999 $50
$1,000 $1,999 $100
$2,000 $4,999 $250
$5,000 $9,999 $500
$10,000 $19,999 $1,000
$20,000 $49,999 $2,500
$50,000 $99,999 $5,000
$100,000 + $10,000