“Murph the Surf,” Two Others Accused of Gem Robbery

Oct. 31, 1964 - Two unemployed Florida beach boys and a skindiver known as Murph the Surf were charged yesterday in Thurs­day's daring theft of $410,000 in gems from the American Mu­seum of Natural History.

The precious stones, includ­ing the world's largest star sap­phire — the 563‐carat Star of India—and the 100‐carat De­Long ruby, have not been re­covered.

Two of the suspects, described as “professional aquatic acro­bats,” were arrested in Miami by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. One of them, Allan Dale Kuhn, 26 years old, owns a white Cadillac, a two-masted yacht and a speedboat. The other is Murph the Surf—Jack Rolland Murphy. 27.

The third man, Roger Frede­rick Clark, 29, was arrested by city detectives and F.B.I. men at 2:30 yesterday morning as he returned to a plush three­-bedroom suite at the Cambridge Hotel on West 86th Street.

The $550‐a‐month suite apparently served as a base of operations for the group while they planned the intricate bur­glary. It was rented by the three men on Oct. 6.

In the apartment, the police said, were burglary tools, a blackjack, photographs of the roof and interior of the Amer­ican Museum, a book called “The Story of Gems,” by Her­bert P. Whitlock, and heroin and marijuana. There were also photos of galleries at the Guggenheim Museum and of the medieval art collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Beyond citing “confidential sources,” the police would not say how they had been led to the 86th Street apartment. The Miami police said that the sus­pects, obviously living far be­yond their means, had been under surveillance there for several months.

Mr. Clark and Mr. Kuhn were among those questioned by the police in Nassau, the Bahamas, about a $750,000 gem robbery there in March, according to the Miami Beach police.

The F.B.I. said that Mr. Murphy and Mr. Kuhn had tak­en the gems from New York to Miami, but there was no in­dication where the loot is now. It was considered possible that there had been accomplices in the theft, and the Miami police were checking acquaintances of the three men.

Shortly after the theft was discovered Friday morning, the museum said the missing gems were worth $380,000. Yester­day, it raised that figure to $410,000.

The first word of a break in the case came at 4 o'clock yesterday afternoon, when the F.B.I. announced the arrests in Miami and New York. An hour later, Assistant Chief Inspector Joseph L. Coyle held a hurried news conference at the West 68th Street station house to tell what the police here knew.

Mr. Clark was born in Lewis­ton, Me. His last known ad­dress was 60‐13 Indian Creek Drive, Miami Beach. The Miami police said he had worked as a beach boy there.

The F.B.I. said that Mr. Kuhn was believed to be unemployed. He said he was a self‐employed scuba diver when he was arrested, and he was known to have worked as a cabana boy and a swimming instructor. He is listed as the owner of the Cadillac, a 36-foot, two-masted sailing vessel named the Virginia Dare, and a 20-foot speedboat.

Mr. Murphy, an avid surf­board rider and skindiver, once had a business in Miami repair­ing surfboards. He has also ap­peared in a high‐diving act in a water show at various hotels. He had an apartment in North Miami.

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