Post Cereal Ad: Melvin Purvis G-Man Prizes Premiums from 1930's 11 x 15 inches

Description: This is a Post Cereal Ad . Very Well Done Series Ads! Collect Them All ! Great Artwork! This was cut from the original newspaper Sunday comics section of 1930's -1940's. Size: ~11 x 15 inches (Half Full Page or Tabloid Full). Paper: Some light tanning/wear, otherwise: Excellent! Bright Colors! Pulled from loose sections! (Please Check Scans) USA Postage is Free! Total postage on International orders is $25.00 Flat Rate. I combine postage on multiple pages. Check out my other auctions for more great vintage Comic-strips and Paper Dolls. Thanks for Looking!*Fantastic Pages for Display and Framing!Melvin PurvisBornMelvin Horace Purvis IIOctober 24, 1903Timmonsville, South CarolinaDiedFebruary 29, 1960 (aged 56)Florence, South CarolinaCause of deathGunshot woundResting placeMount Hope CemeteryNationalityAmericanEducationUniversity of South Carolina School of LawEmployerFBIKnown forLeading the investigation on the John Dillinger caseHeight5 ft 4 in (163 cm)Spouse(s)Marie Rosanne Willcox (m. 1938⁠–⁠1960)ChildrenMelvin Horace Purvis III (1940–1986)Philip Alston Willcox Purvis (b. 1943)Christopher Peronneau Purvis (1950–1984)Melvin Horace Purvis II (October 24, 1903 – February 29, 1960) was an American law enforcement official and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agent. Given the nickname "Little Mel" because of his short, 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) frame, Purvis became noted for leading the manhunts that captured bank robbers such as Baby Face Nelson, John Dillinger, and Pretty Boy Floyd, but his high public profile was resented by local law enforcement.Purvis asserted he had killed Floyd single-handed, others variously claimed that Floyd had been already wounded, or even that Purvis had ordered Floyd summarily shot dead for refusing to provide information.Purvis had the reputation of using very tough methods against recalcitrant interviewees. Roger Touhy, a minor-league gangster who was arrested as Purvis fought the huge Capone organisation during Prohibition, alleged he suffered the loss of 25 lbs of body weight and several teeth plus broken vertebrae due to being beaten every time he fell asleep during weeks of questioning by Purvis's men. Purvis became the FBI's golden boy, having captured more of designated public enemies than any other agent, but found himself sidelined after he began to enjoy better press than J. Edgar Hoover.Early lifePurvis was born in Timmonsville, South Carolina, to Melvin Horace Purvis, Sr. (1869–1938), a tobacco farmer and businessman, and Janie Elizabeth (née Mims, 1874–1927); he was the fifth of eight siblings.CareerPurvis was a well-educated man, and known to be a crack shot. He received his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law and had a brief career as a lawyer. Purvis was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order while attending South Carolina. He joined the FBI in 1927 and headed the Division of Investigation offices in Birmingham, Oklahoma City, and Cincinnati. In 1932, he was placed in charge of the Chicago office by Bureau of Investigation Director J. Edgar Hoover.Purvis led the manhunts that tracked outlaws Baby Face Nelson and Pretty Boy Floyd, and most famously John Dillinger, which ended in Chicago on July 22, 1934. However, after Purvis became a media figure for this feat, Hoover claimed that Purvis had been demoted and agent Samuel P. Cowley had been put in charge of the Dillinger case. Cowley was later shot by Baby Face Nelson, and Purvis visited him in the hospital shortly before he died. Purvis was praised for his actions. He reportedly incurred the wrath of Hoover, who had previously supported him but now supposedly felt overshadowed. In a 2005 book co-authored by Purvis's son Alston, Hoover is portrayed as jealous of the attention given to Purvis after Dillinger was killed.At least one of Purvis's official accounts of his exploits was later called into question. Purvis's story of the death of Pretty Boy Floyd indicated that Purvis and his agents had killed him with no assistance from local law enforcement. This was later disputed by Chester Smith, an officer with the East Liverpool, Ohio police (Hoover would later state Smith had shot Floyd first). Officer Smith said that Purvis and his agents never fired until after Purvis had attempted to question Floyd. After Floyd responded with curses, Purvis ordered Agent Herman "Ed" Hollis to shoot Floyd, who was lying wounded on the ground. This claim was discounted later by retired FBI Agent Winfred E. Hopton, who wrote in a 1976 letter to TIME that local law enforcement, including Captain Smith, weren't even present until after Floyd had died. Of course, this version conflicts with the one from local authorities which has Smith initially wounding Floyd. Neither claim has been clearly proven.Purvis resigned from the FBI in 1935 and afterwards practiced law. In 1937, he became engaged to actress Janice Jarratt, but they never married. He later married Marie Rosanne Willcox, and they had three sons. In 1936, Purvis published a memoir of his years as an investigator with the Bureau, entitled American Agent.Purvis served in the United States Army as an intelligence officer during World War II, reaching the rank of colonel. He assisted with compiling evidence against Nazi leaders in the Nuremberg trials.DeathOn February 29, 1960, Purvis was at his home in Florence, South Carolina, when he died from a gunshot wound to the head; the shot was fired from the pistol that was given to him by fellow agents when he resigned from the FBI. The FBI investigated his death and declared it a suicide, although the official coroner's report did not label the cause of death as such. A later investigation suggested that Purvis may have shot himself accidentally while trying to extract a tracer bullet jammed in the pistol, which is unlikely considering his skill with firearms. He was 56 years old.*Please note: collecting and selling comics has been my hobby for over 30 years. Due to the hours of my job I can usually only mail packages out on Saturdays. I send out First Class or Priority Mail which takes 2 - 7 days to arrive in the USA and Air Mail International which takes 5 - 30 days or more depending on where you live in the world. I do not "sell" postage or packaging and charge less than the actual cost of mailing. I package items securely and wrap well. Most pages come in an Archival Sleeve with Acid Free Backing Board at no extra charge. If you are dissatisfied with an item. Let me know and I will do my best to make it right. Many Thanks to all of my 1,000's of past customers around the World. Enjoy Your Hobby Everyone and Have Fun Collecting!

Price: 25 USD

Location: Chicago, Illinois

End Time: 2024-03-08T04:01:45.000Z

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