Lexington history: A socialite, a kidnapping and the performance of a lifetime

Editor’s Note: As Lexington celebrates the 250th anniversary of its founding, the Herald-Leader and kentucky.com each day throughout 2025 will share interesting facts about our hometown. Compiled by Liz Carey, all are notable moments in the city’s history — some funny, some sad, others heartbreaking or celebratory, and some just downright strange.

In May of 1979, Lexington socialite Lucille Little was kidnapped — and in order to save her family, drove to the bank to withdraw her own ransom money.

And even more bizarre: Her husband had been kidnapped once before.

Little was married to W. Paul Little, a Lexington businessman and thoroughbred breeder.

Born Lucille Caudill in Morehead in 1909, she loved to sing and act from an early age. By age 10, she was studying at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music in the summer.

After graduating from the Lexington Hamilton College in 1928, she attended classes at both Transylvania University and the University of Kentucky, then graduated from Ohio State University in 1932.

She took classes at Julliard School for performing arts and singing in New York City, as well as spending time in Chicago and singing in the World’s Fair in 1933. But after a while, she decided the actors’ life wasn’t for her and returned to Lexington.

It was here that she met W. Paul Little. The two married in 1937, and they quickly became movers and shakers in Lexington.

Lucille continued to be involved in the arts. She acted in and directed some productions, and was involved in the Lexington Children’s Theater, the Studio Player, the Lexington Philharmonic, the Central Kentucky Youth Orchestra and the Living Arts and Science Center, as well as being a soloist in the choir of their church, Central Christian.

Paul worked in tobacco, horses and real estate, and was involved in the development of the northern section of New Circle Road.

Things took a turn, however, on the morning of May 16, 1979.

A man posing as a delivery driver knocked on the door of their Ashwood Drive home. The man, 35-year-old Bernard Graves, pointed a gun at the 69-year-old Lucille and demanded she call her husband to come home so she could accompany him to their bank to withdraw $85,000.

Graves, a Navy veteran from New Jersey, knew the Littles because his father had lived in Lexington and worked for Paul Little at one of the tobacco warehouses.

The would-be kidnapper had recently had surgery at a Florida Naval hospital. There he’d been told he had inoperable cancer and had at most a few years to live. While the navy had picked up his medical costs, he was desperate to provide for his wife and daughter, and determined the Little’s fortune was his solution.

For her part, Lucille did as she was told and called her husband. As he was pulling into the driveway, she hatched a plan to protect not only Paul, but the two servants they had in the house.

Concerned that the assailant might shoot them, she lied to him and said Paul had a heart problem and could drop dead at any moment. As she was the only other one with access to the bank account, she suggested Graves let her go to the bank in exchange for not hurting them.

Graves agreed, and when Paul Little entered the house, Graves trained the gun on him and the two servants while Lucille, giving the performance of a lifetime, convinced the gunman she’d be right back from the bank.

Lucille drove to the bank a few blocks away from their home and withdrew all the money she could get — $50,000 — and told bank officials what was happening at her house. Worried that the police might come to the house with guns blazing, she quietly returned to her house with the money for Graves.

Bank officials, however, decided the police needed to know and called the situation in.

When she got home, Graves ordered one of the servants to put duct tape on Lucille’s eyes and mouth, bind her wrists and put her in the couple’s blue Cadillac. Once Lucille was secured in the backseat, and the money was his, Graves took off, leaving Paul and the servants behind.

By this time, however, the police were near the house. When they saw the couple’s Cadillac, they gave chase. Unaware Lucille was tied up in the backseat, the police started shooting at the car.

Graves was seriously injured in the incident and police eventually arrested him. It was later determined he would survive his wounds. Unfortunately, his cancer killed him weeks later.

For Paul Little, it wasn’t the first time he’d been involved in a kidnapping.

When he was 12, he was kidnapped by a man who said his father owed him money from gambling debts. He and friends were playing on Main Street when he was snatched off the street.

Police later determined he’d been taken to a hotel room in the Phoenix Hotel and kept in the bathroom. The kidnapper demanded $25,000 in ransom and directed the family to put the money in a garbage can on Main Street.

The family did as they were told, but the money was never picked up. The kidnapper had fled town, leaving Paul in the bathroom. Paul managed to free himself and called his parents to come and get him, but the kidnapper was never found.

Paul Little died in 1990, leaving Lucille a considerable fortune. In 1999, the W. Paul & Lucille Caudill Little Foundation was ranked the 9th largest foundation in Kentucky based on total dollars donated.

Lucille died in 2002, after having donated millions to various arts causes in Fayette, Elliot and Rowan counties. The couple’s foundation continued to provide donations to arts organizations until 2011. They are buried in the Caudill family cemetery in Rowan County.

Have a question or story idea related to Lexington’s 250-year history? Let us know at 250LexKy@gmail.com.