Police Nab 2 Students For Passing Bad Check

Two undergraduates were arrested yesterday while allegedly passing a bad check at the Memorial Drive Stop and Shop market. Police said the pair have been passing such checks for almost a year.

Murdock Whitney '54 and Thomas R. Bergen '54 admitted passing 15 checks together. Police, however, believe that Whitney passed more by himself, making a total of $1,000 gained by the two.

Police said that the students' technique was to steal identification, such as burzar's cards, and get the checks changed on small purchases. A cashier spotted them at the Stop and Shop market.

Out of Money

Whitney told police that he had left college because he ran out of money, and stole only enough to come back. Bergen said he wanted enough money to buy a car and have "big weekends."

Whitney is already on probation for statutory rape. Bergen was put on academic probation here Monday.

Bergen's father, an undertaker in Watertown, Connecticut, will come to Cambridge today and ball the two out after their arraignment Bail has not yet been set.