Andrei Purombeanu, the driver that ran of with the million heiress with his first wife Helma. They were separated but after the escape she denied him a divorce.
Gamble and Andre lived at one of his old friends flat, a lawyer called Cosacesco. He used to be a member of the Romanian parliament before the WWll. In the evening they enjoy the night life in the famous city. Andrei is said to have money.
All I need is one Remington type writer, says Gamble. If grandma doesn’t accept Andrei I’ll take an office job.
Grandmas lawyer is down in the street. He’s come to bring the heiress to the Remington millions home. Gamble and Andrei did not let him in.
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Gamble Benedict, the 19 year old heiress to the Remington factories and millions did not return to the fashionable school at the end of the Christmas holiday.
She went to Europe in company with her driver, Andrei Purombeaunu. The Norwegian ship "Edga" from Bergen brought the couple across the atlantic to Antwerp.
Nice people said the ship’s crew, but they were absolutely head over heals in love with each other. They even spent an extra night on board as we were little late reaching Antwerp and the train for Paris had already left. They were to get married in Paris and then carry on to Italy, they told us.
Granny Benedict sounded the alarm as she realized the Gamble had ran away with her driver. She sent a lawyer and two detectives to Europe to bring the girl home.
The detective found the flat where they were staying in Paris, but were not let in. Neither the detectives, the lawyer nor the press, who had gotten wind of the scandal managed to get in contact with the escaped couple.
But inside the flat were a photographer and a journalist who had been with the couple for days. Andrei were not very talkative, but Gamble had a lot to say.
Grandma has been mean, she has met Andrei several times and has pretended to accepted him, if he only got his divorce settled.
I couldn’t care less about the millions if I can’t have Andrei, she claimed. If Grandma won’t accept him I’d rather take a job and hammer away at one of her type writers from 9 to 5.
But, the adventure that started so promising for the two lovers ended rather abruptly. The French police turned up one day, and they were not interested in being turned away. According to French laws, Gamble is a minor, so Granny got her will. Gamble was taken from the flat with force and delivered to her brother Douglas,who brought her back tho New York by plane.
Gamble arrives at the Idlewild airport in New York where police officers meet her to bring her back to granny and the millions.
From the Norwegian magazine "NÅ"
No 6, february 6th 1960.
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Andrei and Gamble spent some time in Montclair, New Jersey after her return to New York. They were the house guests of Walter and Peggy Gillis. I was a kid then but remember meeting them and Gamble telling an anecdote about not liking corn on the cob because her grandmother boiled it in salt water. Amazing what sticks in memory!!
Andrei and Gamble spent some time in Montclair, New Jersey after her return to New York. They were house guests of Walter and Peggy Gillis. I was just a kid then but I distinctly remember them-and an anecdote from Gamble about not liking corn on the cob because her grandmotherfit boiled it in salt water! Wild memory!!