Latest / The Great Detectives Present Dragnet (Old Time Radio) / Dragnet: The Big Signet (EP5089)

Transcript

Dragnet: The Big Signet (EP5089) · The Great Detectives Present Dragnet (Old Time Radio)

• 0:03
  Speaker 1: THE END.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Welcome to the great detectives of old time radio from
• 0:33
  Speaker 2: boise idaho this is your host adam graham in a
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: moment we're going to bring you this week's episode of
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: dragnet but first i want to encourage you if you're
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: enjoying the podcast please follow us using your favorite podcast
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  Speaker 2: software and today's episode is brought to you in part
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: by the financial support of our listeners You can support
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: the show on a one-time basis by mailing a donation
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: to Adam Graham, PO Box 15913. That's PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho, 83715.
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: And I want to thank Derek, Maggie. And Carl and Carolyn,
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: thanks so much for your support. You can also become
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: one of our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: $ 2 per month and go to patreon.greatdetectives.net. And I want
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: to welcome our latest Patreon supporters, Neil at the Detective
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: Sergeant level of $ 7.
• 1:32
  Speaker 3: 14 or more.
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: Per month, and Kayleen at the Shamus level of $ 4
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: or more per month. Again, thank you so much for
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: your support. Now, from July 31st, 1952, here is The
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: Big Signet.
• 1:50
  Speaker 4: The story you are about to hear is true. The
• 1:59
  Speaker 4: names have been changed to protect the innocent.
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: The Big Signet.
• 2:10
  Speaker 4: You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a robbery detail. Two
• 2:14
  Speaker 4: armed bandits hold up a restaurant in your city. The
• 2:17
  Speaker 4: owner is slugged, beaten viciously. One of the bandits is shot.
• 2:22
  Speaker 4: The other makes good his escape. Your job, get him.
• 2:35
  Speaker 5: Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. For the
• 2:40
  Speaker 5: next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department,
• 2:44
  Speaker 5: you will travel step by step on the side of
• 2:46
  Speaker 5: the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files.
• 2:50
  Speaker 5: From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is
• 2:54
  Speaker 5: the story of your police force in action.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: It was Monday, June 2nd. It was smoggy in Los Angeles.
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: We were working the day watch out of robbery detail.
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Diddy. My
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: name's Friday. It was 7.53 a.m. when I got to
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: room 27A. Robbery detail. Hello.
• 3:14
  Speaker 3: Good morning, Joe.
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: Morning, Frank. What's doing?
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: Not too much. How was the weekend?
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: It was great. I hated to come back. It's sure
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: nice up there.
• 3:20
  Speaker 3: Where'd you go? Same place?
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Lake Mary. You remember Don Camp House up there,
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: don't you?
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: Yeah, sure.
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: He said to say hello. Fishing's real great up there.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: You ought to try and make it next month or so,
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: if you can.
• 3:29
  Speaker 3: Fat chance.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: Why, what's the matter?
• 3:31
  Speaker 6: The in-laws are loose again. They're coming down for a visit.
• 3:33
  Speaker 6: Never stay less than a month. That'll take care of
• 3:35
  Speaker 6: my vacation.
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: That's too bad. Why don't you say something to the wife?
• 3:37
  Speaker 3: What's the use? Why start an argument?
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: What do we got here? Anything hot?
• 3:43
  Speaker 6: Yeah, this one here. Hold up in Slugging Cafe down
• 3:46
  Speaker 6: on South Hill. Radio car boys jumped and shot one
• 3:48
  Speaker 6: of them.
• 3:48
  Speaker 3: The other one got away.
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: We identified yet?
• 3:50
  Speaker 6: Yeah, the one who was shot, Benny Ashford. Record long
• 3:52
  Speaker 6: as your arm. Graduate from Folsom. Some of them never learned.
• 3:56
  Speaker 6: How about the number two man?
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: Don't know.
• 3:57
  Speaker 6: They tried to talk to this Ashford last night. He
• 3:59
  Speaker 6: wouldn't tell them anything. I called the hospital just before
• 4:02
  Speaker 6: you came in. They operated on the guy six o'clock
• 4:04
  Speaker 6: this morning. You're going to call as soon as he's
• 4:06
  Speaker 6: able to talk. It's going to be a couple days
• 4:07
  Speaker 6: at least. How much did they get? Here's the crime report.
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: Thank you. You talked to the victims yet?
• 4:14
  Speaker 3: No, not yet.
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: It's a fair night's work, isn't it? $ 805 in cash,
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: man's diamond signet ring. Estimated value of $ 1, 500. 17 stitches
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: in the victim's scalp. Slug of the revolver, huh? Must
• 4:28
  Speaker 1: have meant business.
• 4:28
  Speaker 3: Lousy thing.
• 4:29
  Speaker 6: They didn't have to slug him. He couldn't put up
• 4:31
  Speaker 6: much of a fight anyway. He's 68 years old.
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: No other witnesses, huh?
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: No.
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: Just the owner, his wife, the bartender? That's all they
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: have listed, yeah. Did you phone the victims yet?
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: No, I was just going to when you came in.
• 4:41
  Speaker 3: Two phone numbers for them. They're both listed there.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I see. Why don't you finish up with the
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: day book here, and I'll give him a call, all right?
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: Okay, fine.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: Here, you want a pencil?
• 4:57
  Speaker 7: Oh, thanks.
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: Hello, this is Friday, Los Angeles Police Department, Central Robbery. Mr.
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: and Mrs. Reiner there, please? Neither one of them, huh? Well,
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: how about the bartender? Is he there? Six o'clock, I see. No,
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: that's all right. I got their home phone. Yeah, thanks
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: very much. Nobody there.
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: Trying the other number?
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Hello, is this the Reiner residence? Yeah, well, this
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: is Friday, LAPD, Central Robbery. Los Angeles Police Department. Yes, ma'am. Yes, Ms.
• 5:32
  Speaker 8: Reiner.
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: I just called the restaurant trying to get a hold
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: of you. How's Mr. Reiner this morning? Let's see. I
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: wonder if it would be possible if my partner and
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: I could drop out and see you this morning. No,
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: your case has been assigned to us. Yes, ma'am. Well,
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: how about 10 o'clock? That be convenient for you? All right, fine. Yes,
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: right away. Thank you very much.
• 5:52
  Speaker 3: Bye.
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: I got it set up, Mr.
• 5:55
  Speaker 8: And Ms.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: Reiner. 10 o'clock this morning out at their home.
• 5:58
  Speaker 3: How's the old man feeling?
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: My wife says pretty rough. He lost quite a bit
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: of blood. Big shock for an old man.
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: That's too bad.
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: She says he's still pretty hazy, but we can talk
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: to him. One thing he remembers pretty well, though. Yeah?
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: The face of the man who slugged him.
• 6:09
  Speaker 8: 8.20 a.m.
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: We finished making up the daybook and then we went
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: over to the main jail to interview two other robbery
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: suspects who'd been booked in over the weekend. We completed
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: our 510 reports on them and then we got in
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: the car and drove out to the Westchester district to
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: talk to the victims of the cafe holdup the night before, Mr.
• 6:28
  Speaker 8: And Mrs.
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: William Reiner. 9.55 a.m. We arrived at the Reiner home,
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: and a small gray-haired woman answered the door and asked
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: us in. She identified herself as Mrs. Reiner.
• 6:37
  Speaker 9: Come right into the living room, officers, and make yourselves
• 6:40
  Speaker 9: to home.
• 6:40
  Speaker 8: All right, ma'am.
• 6:41
  Speaker 5: Thank you.
• 6:41
  Speaker 7: You go ahead.
• 6:41
  Speaker 9: I hope you'll excuse the way the house looks. Everything's
• 6:44
  Speaker 9: all upset. I haven't had a chance to do any
• 6:46
  Speaker 9: picking up.
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: It's perfectly all right, ma'am. We understand.
• 6:48
  Speaker 9: I was up with my husband half the night. I
• 6:50
  Speaker 9: had heard him something terrible. It was almost six in
• 6:52
  Speaker 9: the morning before he got to sleep. I hope this
• 6:55
  Speaker 9: is enough to make up his mind for him.
• 6:57
  Speaker 3: How do you mean, Mrs.
• 6:57
  Speaker 5: Reineck?
• 6:58
  Speaker 9: About selling the place. I've been after him for months
• 7:00
  Speaker 9: to get rid of it. Business like that's for younger people.
• 7:03
  Speaker 9: We're getting too old to keep it up. Besides, the
• 7:06
  Speaker 9: doctor's been telling William he needs more rest, less worry.
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: I see you. How's your husband feeling now, ma'am?
• 7:11
  Speaker 9: Oh, not so well. He lost so much blood and
• 7:13
  Speaker 9: his head's so sore. He's taking a nap right now.
• 7:16
  Speaker 9: I expect he'll be awake in a few minutes. That's
• 7:18
  Speaker 9: all right with you, isn't it, officer?
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: Yes, ma'am. Perfectly all right. We'd like to go over
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: the thing with you anyway. Might possibly be something that
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: you forgot to mention to the officers last night.
• 7:26
  Speaker 9: Well, I told them everything. I'm sure I did.
• 7:28
  Speaker 3: Maybe some of the details, Mrs.
• 7:30
  Speaker 9: Reiner.
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: Maybe some little thing that didn't seem important to you
• 7:32
  Speaker 3: could mean a good deal to us.
• 7:33
  Speaker 9: Well, I don't know. I thought I told them everything.
• 7:36
  Speaker 9: Where do you want me to start?
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: Well, when did you first notice the two hold-up men,
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: Miss Renner?
• 7:40
  Speaker 9: When they come out of the back room. I guess
• 7:42
  Speaker 9: they'd been hiding there.
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: You notice them earlier in the evening? I mean, were
• 7:45
  Speaker 3: they customers in your place?
• 7:46
  Speaker 9: Well, I'm not sure, but I think so.
• 7:48
  Speaker 3: Where were they served? Was it in the restaurant or
• 7:50
  Speaker 3: were they in the bar? Well.
• 7:52
  Speaker 9: There again, I'm not positive, but I think it was
• 7:54
  Speaker 9: in the bar. I think I served them two bottles
• 7:57
  Speaker 9: of beer.
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: You don't happen to remember what you did with those
• 7:59
  Speaker 1: two bottles, do you, ma'am? Possible we may be able
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: to lift some prints off of them.
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: No.
• 8:03
  Speaker 9: The officers asked me that last night. It wouldn't do
• 8:05
  Speaker 9: any good. You see, I was the only one who
• 8:07
  Speaker 9: touched the bottles. We used the regular big mugs, and
• 8:10
  Speaker 9: I poured the beer for them. Neither one of them
• 8:12
  Speaker 9: touched the bottles.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: How about the man who escaped, Ms.
• 8:14
  Speaker 10: Reiner?
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: You remember him pretty well, do you, of what he
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: looked like? Oh, yes.
• 8:17
  Speaker 9: Yes, he's the one who did all the talking. He's
• 8:19
  Speaker 9: the same one who hit my husband, too.
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: What did he look like, ma'am? How old would you
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: say he was?
• 8:24
  Speaker 9: Oh, I don't know. I think I'd say he was
• 8:27
  Speaker 9: in his late 30s, yes.
• 8:28
  Speaker 3: How tall, ma'am?
• 8:30
  Speaker 9: Well, my husband's 5'9, and I'd say the man was
• 8:33
  Speaker 9: 2 inches taller than him. He's huskier, too. I... I'd
• 8:37
  Speaker 9: guess about 175 or 80 pounds, a very strong-looking man.
• 8:42
  Speaker 1: Do you remember what he was wearing?
• 8:43
  Speaker 9: It was a tan sports coat, I think, and green slacks,
• 8:47
  Speaker 9: light green, and a dark brown hat.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: Did you notice anything unusual about him?
• 8:51
  Speaker 9: I beg your pardon?
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: Anything outstanding about him? Anything that was different? Say, a scar,
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: a mole, tattoos, anything like that?
• 8:56
  Speaker 9: No, no, not that I could notice.
• 8:58
  Speaker 3: What was the first thing this man said to you
• 9:00
  Speaker 3: and your husband, ma'am?
• 9:01
  Speaker 9: Well, he said it to all three of us, me
• 9:03
  Speaker 9: and my husband and the bartender. That's George O'Leary. He's
• 9:06
  Speaker 9: been with us for years. He's a good bartender. He'd
• 9:09
  Speaker 9: only stay sober.
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: Yes, ma'am. What was the first thing the holdup man said?
• 9:12
  Speaker 9: Well, he's the same one that hit my husband, you know.
• 9:15
  Speaker 9: He said in a real loud voice, he said, this
• 9:18
  Speaker 9: is a stick-up. Get your hands up high and keep
• 9:20
  Speaker 9: them there.
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: And what happened then?
• 9:21
  Speaker 9: We put our hands up for George. That's the bartender,
• 9:25
  Speaker 9: you know. Scared him so bad, he dropped a full
• 9:27
  Speaker 9: bottle of bourbon. Bonded, too. Broke all over the floor.
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: George isn't.
• 9:31
  Speaker 9: Well, that's why he drinks.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: Well, what do the holdup men do after they had
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: you raise your hands?
• 9:35
  Speaker 9: Well, that one that hit my husband. He told the
• 9:38
  Speaker 9: other man to go behind the bar and get the money.
• 9:40
  Speaker 9: It was all spread out on the bar. William and
• 9:42
  Speaker 9: I was just checking the register when it happened.
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: Let's see.
• 9:45
  Speaker 3: Would you go on, please?
• 9:46
  Speaker 9: Well, after they got the register money, they put it
• 9:48
  Speaker 9: in our bank bags, and then they went through my
• 9:50
  Speaker 9: purse and through my husband's wallet and through George's wallet, too.
• 9:54
  Speaker 9: They took George's last dollar and a half, got $ 805
• 9:57
  Speaker 9: in all cash. I guess you knew that.
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: Yes, ma'am. What happened after that?
• 10:01
  Speaker 5: Jenny!
• 10:01
  Speaker 3: Jenny, where are you? Oh, will you excuse me?
• 10:04
  Speaker 9: The office is my husband's.
• 10:05
  Speaker 1: Yes, ma'am. Go ahead.
• 10:05
  Speaker 9: I'll just see what he wants. I think he'll be
• 10:07
  Speaker 9: able to talk to you now.
• 10:08
  Speaker 1: All right, ma'am. Frank, do you remember to bring that
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: mug book?
• 10:12
  Speaker 3: Yes, it's out in the car.
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: That's good. We can leave it here where the Reiner's
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: pick it up later tonight.
• 10:16
  Speaker 3: Okay, you want me to get it now? No, let's
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: wait and see how he is, huh?
• 10:19
  Speaker 9: Officers, would you like to come back here?
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: Officers?
• 10:22
  Speaker 7: Yes, ma'am.
• 10:22
  Speaker 3: We're coming.
• 10:25
  Speaker 11: Jenny, would you pull up chairs for the officers?
• 10:28
  Speaker 9: Oh, why, surely. Officers, this is my husband, Will.
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: How do you do, sir?
• 10:33
  Speaker 9: Here you are, Sergeant.
• 10:34
  Speaker 3: Thank you very much.
• 10:36
  Speaker 11: You catch the other man yet? The one who hit me?
• 10:38
  Speaker 1: No, sir, not yet. That's why we're out here. We
• 10:40
  Speaker 1: know that you don't feel too well, Mr. Reiner. We'll
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: try to keep it short.
• 10:43
  Speaker 11: No, I sure don't. I guess Jen told you. My
• 10:46
  Speaker 11: head's killing me. Poor girl. I kept her up most
• 10:48
  Speaker 11: of the night, I guess. She was a fine nurse, Jen.
• 10:52
  Speaker 11: She didn't get any rest at all.
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: Yes, sir. She was just telling us about the holdup
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: last night, sir.
• 10:56
  Speaker 7: How it happened.
• 10:57
  Speaker 9: I was telling them how they got the money, Will.
• 10:59
  Speaker 9: I didn't explain about your ring, though. Do you want
• 11:01
  Speaker 9: to tell them?
• 11:02
  Speaker 11: It was the worst part of the whole thing. I'd
• 11:04
  Speaker 11: rather have lost anything but that ring.
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: How's that, sir?
• 11:07
  Speaker 12: Some kind of a keepsake? It belonged to my dad.
• 11:09
  Speaker 12: Diamond signet. The stone wasn't perfect, but money sure can't
• 11:12
  Speaker 12: replace it.
• 11:12
  Speaker 1: Yes, sir.
• 11:13
  Speaker 11: I remember when Dad.
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: Gave it to me.
• 11:16
  Speaker 11: Just a couple of days before he died. It was
• 11:18
  Speaker 11: his ring.
• 11:19
  Speaker 3: Been in the family way back. Which one of the
• 11:20
  Speaker 3: whole of men took the ring, Mr.
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: Ryan?
• 11:22
  Speaker 11: The same one hit me. One got away.
• 11:24
  Speaker 12: After they took all our money, he came over to
• 11:26
  Speaker 12: me and said, give me the ring.
• 11:28
  Speaker 11: Hand it over. I told him I couldn't get it
• 11:30
  Speaker 11: off my finger.
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: What did he do then?
• 11:32
  Speaker 12: Slapped my face. Said if I couldn't get the ring off,
• 11:34
  Speaker 12: he could. Said if he had to, he'd cut it off.
• 11:37
  Speaker 3: I pleaded with him.
• 11:38
  Speaker 11: I told him what it meant to me. Didn't do
• 11:40
  Speaker 11: any good.
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: I see.
• 11:42
  Speaker 11: When I didn't give him the ring right away, brought
• 11:44
  Speaker 11: that gun down right on top of my head. hit
• 11:46
  Speaker 11: me as hard as he could. I don't remember too
• 11:48
  Speaker 11: well after that.
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: You think you'd recognize the man if you ever saw
• 11:51
  Speaker 3: him again, Mr.
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: Reiner?
• 11:52
  Speaker 12: I'll never forget him. I sure hope you find the ring, officer.
• 11:56
  Speaker 12: Jen and I have been through some tough times together.
• 11:59
  Speaker 12: I guess at one time or other we've either sold
• 12:00
  Speaker 12: or pawned everything we own, but we never.
• 12:03
  Speaker 11: Let go of that ring. Never did, not until last night.
• 12:07
  Speaker 11: Isn't that right, Jen?
• 12:08
  Speaker 9: Yes, that's right, Will.
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: Well, we'll do all we can to get it back
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: for you, Mr. Reiner. Now, about this man who got away,
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: can you remember anything outstanding about him at all, anything unusual?
• 12:16
  Speaker 11: No, I don't think so. He had mean-looking eyes, I
• 12:19
  Speaker 11: remember that much.
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: Yes, sir.
• 12:21
  Speaker 12: Kind of the smart aleck type, I guess. Kept twirling
• 12:23
  Speaker 12: his gun around his hand, on his finger, you know.
• 12:26
  Speaker 12: I was scared death was going to go off.
• 12:28
  Speaker 11: So was George. He's our bartender. Real scared, wasn't he, Jen?
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: Oh, yes.
• 12:33
  Speaker 9: George was white as a sheet.
• 12:34
  Speaker 3: How do you mean, Mr. Reiner?
• 12:35
  Speaker 11: He twirled the gun around. Oh, you know, like in
• 12:37
  Speaker 11: the movies. Cowboy pictures.
• 12:39
  Speaker 12: Typical smart aleck. He sure did run when the cops came, though.
• 12:43
  Speaker 12: Only wish he was the one who got shot.
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: You're sure you'll be able to identify this man if
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: you see him again?
• 12:48
  Speaker 12: I told you I'll never forget him. Say, there's something
• 12:52
  Speaker 12: about this I don't think I understand.
• 12:54
  Speaker 3: Yeah?
• 12:55
  Speaker 12: Why are you asking me all these questions about it?
• 12:57
  Speaker 12: How about the fella who was with that crook? The
• 12:59
  Speaker 12: fella that shot him.
• 13:00
  Speaker 11: Why don't you talk to him? He ought to be
• 13:02
  Speaker 11: able to tell you who his partner is.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: Well, he had an emergency operation, sir, at 6 o'clock
• 13:06
  Speaker 1: this morning. His condition's still critical.
• 13:08
  Speaker 3: Oh, I see.
• 13:09
  Speaker 12: Just a matter of time, then, huh? I mean, when
• 13:12
  Speaker 12: he recovers, you'll be able to talk to him. You'll
• 13:14
  Speaker 12: find out what you want to.
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: Well, there's only one hitch, sir. Whether he recovers or
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: he doesn't recover. Yes? Either way, we can't depend on him.
• 13:20
  Speaker 8: 11.38 a.m.
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: After we finished interviewing the holdup victims, Frank got the
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: mug book out of the car containing pictures of recent
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: robbery releases from the state prisons and we left it
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: with Mr. and Mrs.
• 13:33
  Speaker 3: Reiner.
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: We instructed them that if they succeeded in identifying any
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: one of the pictures to take down his name and
• 13:38
  Speaker 1: prison number and call our office immediately. We told them
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: we'd be back later that afternoon. 11.50 a.m. We left
• 13:45
  Speaker 1: the Reiner home and drove down to the scene of
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: the robbery, the restaurant on South Hill. When we got there,
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: Officer Walmsley from Leighton Fingerprints was just leaving. He told
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: us that he'd been unable to raise any legible prints
• 13:56
  Speaker 1: at the back window where the number two suspect had escaped.
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: Frank and I checked over the scene, then we headed
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: back for the office. There were half a dozen messages
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: for us in the book. One of them was to
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: call State Parole Officer Fred Galloway at his office on
• 14:09
  Speaker 1: South Broadway. Frank put in the call and Galloway said
• 14:12
  Speaker 1: he'd be right down and thought he had something for us. 1.05 p.m.
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: Galloway met us in the squad room and briefed us
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: on some of the information that he'd received earlier that
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: morning from one of his parolees. It concerned the wife
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: of a former hold-up man who now was wanted by
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: Galloway for violation of parole. He told us the wife
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: had rented a car from a U-Drive lot in Santa
• 14:32
  Speaker 1: Monica and that supposedly the ex-con and his wife were
• 14:35
  Speaker 1: planning to leave the city.
• 14:37
  Speaker 3: What's the tie, Fred? How's it figure in for us?
• 14:39
  Speaker 6: I was talking to Chandler this morning. He happened to
• 14:41
  Speaker 6: mention the holdup you're working. This fellow answered the description
• 14:43
  Speaker 6: of the one who got away. What was that name again?
• 14:45
  Speaker 3: The ex-con?
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: Ernest Morgan. Your L.A.
• 14:46
  Speaker 3: Number 178435. Folsom numbers 12968.
• 14:51
  Speaker 6: Reason I got pepped on is the thief could have
• 14:52
  Speaker 6: hurt his leg jumping out of the back window of
• 14:54
  Speaker 6: the bar.
• 14:54
  Speaker 3: You figure he could have?
• 14:55
  Speaker 1: Yeah, easily. It's a good 30, 35-foot drop. Why, Fred?
• 14:58
  Speaker 6: Well, my informant says a Cerny Morgan has a bumped foot.
• 15:00
  Speaker 6: Hurt it so bad he can hardly walk on it.
• 15:02
  Speaker 6: Says he saw Morgan day before yesterday. His leg was
• 15:04
  Speaker 6: all right then. Sounds like a good one to get
• 15:07
  Speaker 6: off the street, huh? What do you say we check
• 15:08
  Speaker 6: his package?
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: Good idea. Your informant say who this Morgan's been running with, Fred?
• 15:14
  Speaker 3: Said he didn't know. Thinks he plays it alone, more
• 15:16
  Speaker 3: or less. Go ahead, Fred.
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: Did you contact the U-Drive lot, Fred, and get the
• 15:22
  Speaker 1: dope on the car?
• 15:23
  Speaker 9: Yeah.
• 15:24
  Speaker 6: Didn't want to put the teletype on until I was sure.
• 15:26
  Speaker 6: One of the fellas from our office had to make
• 15:27
  Speaker 6: a call out that way. They're taking a mugshot of
• 15:29
  Speaker 6: Morgan's wife out there to see if the U-Drive clerk
• 15:31
  Speaker 6: can give him an ident on her. She got a record?
• 15:34
  Speaker 6: She's never done any time. She's done a couple of
• 15:35
  Speaker 6: pinches with him. Never could make her on anything, though.
• 15:38
  Speaker 3: I'll pull the package.
• 15:39
  Speaker 1: All right, fine.
• 15:41
  Speaker 3: How about your victims, Joe? They any good?
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: Yeah. They claim they can identify the man. I don't
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: think we'll have any trouble there. How about this informant
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: of yours? Does he know where we can locate the Morgans?
• 15:50
  Speaker 3: No, not now.
• 15:51
  Speaker 6: According to him, Morgan and his wife left town about
• 15:53
  Speaker 6: nine this morning.
• 15:54
  Speaker 3: He thinks he might get a line of where they're headed, though.
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: Well, how come your informant knows so much about Morgan?
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: He run with him?
• 15:58
  Speaker 3: No, he sold with him up at the junkyard. Fred, Joe,
• 16:00
  Speaker 3: you want to have a look? Yeah. Here's the package.
• 16:04
  Speaker 3: It's mugshot. Is this your Ernie Morgan, Fred? Yeah, that's him.
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: Good picture? Yeah, looks just like him.
• 16:11
  Speaker 3: The description, Joe.
• 16:12
  Speaker 8: Hmm.
• 16:12
  Speaker 3: Got everything right down the line.
• 16:14
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 16:15
  Speaker 3: Check this right here. Habits and characteristics.
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: Yeah, looks like it, doesn't it?
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: What's that?
• 16:21
  Speaker 1: He likes to twirl a gun in his hand. 1.52 p.m.
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: We placed Ernest Morgan's picture in an envelope along with
• 16:31
  Speaker 1: two dozen other mug shots, and then we put in
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: a call to Mr. and Mrs. Reiner, told them we
• 16:35
  Speaker 1: were coming out to see them. They told us that
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: so far, neither one of them had been able to
• 16:39
  Speaker 1: identify any of the pictures in the mug book that
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: we'd left with them. Fred Galloway went back to his
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: office and we told him we'd notify him the minute
• 16:46
  Speaker 1: we got a positive identification. 2.25 p.m. We drove back
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: to the Reiner home. The old man was still in bed.
• 16:53
  Speaker 11: Been all the way through this book of yours, officer.
• 16:55
  Speaker 11: Couldn't find one who looked like the man, could we, Jen?
• 16:57
  Speaker 3: No, his picture's not in.
• 16:58
  Speaker 5: There, Sergeant.
• 16:59
  Speaker 9: We're sure of that.
• 17:00
  Speaker 7: I see.
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: Well, we've got some more of them here, folks. I'd
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: like to have you look through them if you don't mind.
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: See if you can identify one of them.
• 17:05
  Speaker 3: Yes, all right.
• 17:07
  Speaker 11: Jen, would you fix this pillow back here for.
• 17:09
  Speaker 9: Me, please? Oh, yes, of course, dear.
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 17:13
  Speaker 9: Here you are.
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: Thank you.
• 17:14
  Speaker 3: Did you see any picture in the book that resembled
• 17:16
  Speaker 3: the man at all, sir?
• 17:16
  Speaker 11: No, I didn't.
• 17:17
  Speaker 3: None of them.
• 17:18
  Speaker 11: Wasn't the one who looked like him.
• 17:19
  Speaker 1: Here you are. See if any of these pictures look
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: familiar to you.
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: Thank you, sir.
• 17:24
  Speaker 11: Jen, do you want to sit here by me? We
• 17:25
  Speaker 11: can see him together.
• 17:26
  Speaker 9: All right, Will. Let's see now.
• 17:32
  Speaker 8: Oh, my.
• 17:32
  Speaker 9: Look at this one, Will. Doesn't he look like a
• 17:34
  Speaker 9: mean one?
• 17:35
  Speaker 8: Mm-hmm.
• 17:37
  Speaker 3: Look at this one, Jen.
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: Look at him.
• 17:39
  Speaker 11: Think he's a college graduate, wouldn't you?
• 17:41
  Speaker 9: Oh, my, yeah. Officer, this young man here, what did
• 17:45
  Speaker 9: he do?
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: Let me see that, ma'am. Oh, yeah, it's Marty Lee.
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: Hold up and murder him, Miss Reiner. Shot and killed
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: an elderly lady. She ran a candy store.
• 17:54
  Speaker 9: Oh, my, can you feature that? Such a clean-looking boy.
• 17:57
  Speaker 9: Never believe what you will.
• 17:58
  Speaker 11: Takes all kinds, I guess.
• 18:00
  Speaker 3: Let's see now. No.
• 18:02
  Speaker 11: No.
• 18:04
  Speaker 3: No. No.
• 18:06
  Speaker 9: Let me see, Will. Oh, no, that's not him.
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: No.
• 18:10
  Speaker 11: No, no, we've been through these already. Have you some more, officer?
• 18:13
  Speaker 3: No, that's all, Mr.
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: Reiner.
• 18:15
  Speaker 6: You sure the holdup man's picture isn't in there?
• 18:17
  Speaker 11: No, sir. I looked at them all pretty carefully. I
• 18:19
  Speaker 11: didn't see him. Did you, Jen?
• 18:21
  Speaker 9: No, no, I didn't see him. Was his picture supposed
• 18:23
  Speaker 9: to be in here?
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: Well, we thought so, ma'am. Let's see. There, how about
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: this one? Does he look familiar to you?
• 18:30
  Speaker 3: Jen?
• 18:31
  Speaker 9: No, no, I don't know.
• 18:34
  Speaker 3: Maybe, maybe not.
• 18:36
  Speaker 9: We serve so many people every night.
• 18:38
  Speaker 3: Are you folks sure you'll recognize the hold-up man when.
• 18:41
  Speaker 9: You see him?
• 18:42
  Speaker 3: Oh, yes.
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: Just one more question here, Mr.
• 18:44
  Speaker 2: Wright.
• 18:45
  Speaker 9: Yes?
• 18:46
  Speaker 1: Now, are you absolutely sure this is not the man
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: who held you up and slugged you last night?
• 18:49
  Speaker 11: Yes, I'm sure. It's not the man.
• 19:03
  Speaker 5: You are listening to Dragnet, authentic stories of your police
• 19:06
  Speaker 5: force in action.
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: Monday, June 2nd, 2.45 p.m. After the victims, Mr. and Mrs. Reiner,
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: failed to identify Ernest Morgan as the robbery suspect, Frank
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: and I got in the car and drove back to
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: the office. Neither one of us had anything to say.
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: Just at the moment we figured that we had the
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: suspect positively identified, the victims themselves had contradicted what we
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: thought was definitely the answer to the case. It wasn't
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: by any means a news story. One of the first
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: lessons a working detective learns is to keep an open
• 19:42
  Speaker 1: mind regardless of how incriminating the circumstances first appear to be.
• 19:46
  Speaker 1: The big fallacy of a detective being too sure too soon...
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: is based for the most part on the failure to
• 19:52
  Speaker 1: recognize that police work means human beings dealing with human beings.
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: So instead of going by the usual odds, the human
• 19:59
  Speaker 1: margin for error is double. Frank and I didn't have
• 20:02
  Speaker 1: too clear an idea of how or why it came about,
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: but suddenly we found ourselves farther away from the solution
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: of the case than before we started.
• 20:08
  Speaker 8: 3.10 p.m.
• 20:12
  Speaker 3: Lousy day, huh?
• 20:13
  Speaker 1: Yeah, sure is.
• 20:14
  Speaker 3: Ten after three, feel like I haven't slept for two days.
• 20:16
  Speaker 1: Yeah, I know what you mean. Pretty hard to figure,
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: isn't it?
• 20:18
  Speaker 3: Sure, hope the wife did the washing today. Why? She
• 20:20
  Speaker 3: won't feel much like talking, I sure don't.
• 20:25
  Speaker 1: Well, let's check the books, huh?
• 20:26
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I'll do it. A couple of phone calls, Joe.
• 20:31
  Speaker 3: One from the hospital, prison ward.
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: What do they want?
• 20:33
  Speaker 6: Our number one suspect, Ashford. He's doing better than they figured.
• 20:36
  Speaker 6: Be available for interview tomorrow morning.
• 20:38
  Speaker 1: Lucky thief, huh? It was a copy with a dime.
• 20:40
  Speaker 3: Another message. It's from Galloway. Wants us to call him.
• 20:44
  Speaker 3: And still a Madison number?
• 20:45
  Speaker 1: Yeah. You want the pad?
• 20:49
  Speaker 3: Oh, yeah, please.
• 20:51
  Speaker 1: There you go.
• 20:53
  Speaker 3: Adult parole, please, men. Thank you. Fred Galloway, please. Smith, robbery, LAPD. Thanks. Hi, Fred.
• 21:03
  Speaker 3: Frank Smith. Uh-huh. Yeah, they're right. He sure about that?
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: Uh-huh.
• 21:09
  Speaker 3: Sure doesn't figure. No, I didn't mean to think to him. Yeah.
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: Okay.
• 21:14
  Speaker 3: Right. Thanks, Fred. He's got me, Joe. Why?
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: What's the matter?
• 21:17
  Speaker 6: Galloway got the report back from that U-drive lot, the
• 21:20
  Speaker 6: place where Morgan's wife rented that car.
• 21:21
  Speaker 1: Mm-hmm.
• 21:22
  Speaker 6: They identified her as the woman who rented that car.
• 21:24
  Speaker 6: She offered him a deal. She didn't want to leave
• 21:25
  Speaker 6: a cash deposit for the car.
• 21:27
  Speaker 1: Well, what'd she offer?
• 21:28
  Speaker 3: Man's ring, diamond signet.
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: After we got the word from State Parole Officer Fred Galloway,
• 21:36
  Speaker 1: we got out a broadcast and an APB, in addition
• 21:39
  Speaker 1: to those we already had out. We requested that the
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: rented car and the occupants be held for questioning in
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: connection with the robbery of Reiner's Cafe the night before.
• 21:48
  Speaker 1: If a man's diamond signet ring was found in possession
• 21:50
  Speaker 1: of the occupants or in the car, it was to
• 21:52
  Speaker 1: be booked as evidence. The following morning, Frank and I
• 21:56
  Speaker 1: interviewed our number one suspect, Benny Ashford, in Ward 13,400
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: at General Hospital Prison Ward. Because he had the idea
• 22:03
  Speaker 1: his partner had run out on him and taken the
• 22:05
  Speaker 1: money with him, that he'd let him down, Ashford was
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: in a fairly cooperative mood. After talking with him for
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: a little more than 20 minutes, he named Ernest Morgan
• 22:13
  Speaker 1: and identified his mugshot as his companion in the robbery
• 22:16
  Speaker 1: of Reiner's Cafe. He also told us the holdup was
• 22:19
  Speaker 1: Morgan's idea and that Morgan had told him the job
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: would be a pushover. We asked him where he thought
• 22:24
  Speaker 1: we might locate Morgan, and he told us our best
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: bet was Las Vegas, Nevada. Supposedly, Morgan had a good
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: friend in Las Vegas, an ex-con by the name of
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: Harry Breen. Frank and I went back to the office
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: where we met with Inspector Farnan and Captain Didion. At 1.30
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: that afternoon, according to instructions, Frank and I signed out
• 22:41
  Speaker 1: a trip car and headed out U.S. Highway 91 for
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: Las Vegas. We checked in at the Las Vegas Police
• 22:46
  Speaker 1: Department a few minutes before 8.30 that night. The alleged
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: friend of the suspect, Morgan, Harry Breen, had already been
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: taken into custody by Las Vegas officers on the request
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: of Captain Didion. We began questioning Breen, and he readily
• 22:59
  Speaker 1: admitted that he was acquainted with Morgan.
• 23:01
  Speaker 3: All right, how long ago did you see Morgan? I
• 23:03
  Speaker 3: don't know, this afternoon sometime. A lot of hours in
• 23:05
  Speaker 3: an afternoon. When did you see him? What are you
• 23:06
  Speaker 3: so excited about? What did he do, commit a murder?
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: Look, Breen, how much time do you owe the state?
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: What's that got to do with it? We didn't drive
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: all the way up here just to pass the time
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: of day with you. You know he's hot. If you
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: want to cover for him, you can serve his time.
• 23:15
  Speaker 3: Look, I don't get it. I'm not his keeper. If
• 23:17
  Speaker 3: you want him, find him.
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: But we're going to find him if we have to
• 23:19
  Speaker 1: walk all over you to do it. When the two
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: of you are up doing time, you can figure it
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: out for yourselves.
• 23:23
  Speaker 13: Trouble with you cops, once a guy does time, you
• 23:25
  Speaker 13: can't leave him alone. I've been leveling since I got out.
• 23:28
  Speaker 13: I've been carrying a lunch pail every day.
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: All right, now look, Breen, who do you think you're
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: giving a snow job? We've been kidded by experts. You're
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: not giving us anything new. We didn't send Morgan up
• 23:34
  Speaker 1: to see you. If you're so lily white, how come
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: Morgan got in touch with you? All right, I'll tell you.
• 23:38
  Speaker 1: You're as bad right now as the day they locked
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: the gate on you. You're never sorry for what you've done.
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: You just moaned because they caught you. Save that act
• 23:43
  Speaker 1: for the jury, Breen. We're not going to buy it. Now,
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: what about it? Where is he?
• 23:46
  Speaker 3: Wait a minute, huh? What are you so sore at
• 23:48
  Speaker 3: me for? I didn't rob anybody. Who said you did?
• 23:50
  Speaker 3: You must have been talking to Morgan. All right, I have.
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: I told you I'd talk to him.
• 23:53
  Speaker 3: He came around this afternoon. Now, get off my back.
• 23:55
  Speaker 1: What'd he want?
• 23:56
  Speaker 3: He's hot. He wanted to cool off.
• 23:57
  Speaker 1: Where's he now?
• 23:58
  Speaker 3: I don't know. Look, how should I know? He came
• 24:00
  Speaker 3: around with his wife, asked for a favor. I couldn't
• 24:02
  Speaker 3: do it. I just got married. My wife's a square.
• 24:05
  Speaker 3: I told her about it. She wouldn't go for it.
• 24:07
  Speaker 13: The guy's a big crybaby anyway, trying to tell me
• 24:10
  Speaker 13: how we ought to stick together.
• 24:11
  Speaker 3: Never done a favor for me. You see the car
• 24:13
  Speaker 3: he was driving, Breen?
• 24:14
  Speaker 7: Yeah.
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: Convertible coupe, Packard.
• 24:16
  Speaker 3: California plates.
• 24:17
  Speaker 1: How'd you notice? You got the license number?
• 24:19
  Speaker 3: No, he asked me where he could get some cold plates.
• 24:21
  Speaker 3: I figured it was hot. You get him any plates?
• 24:23
  Speaker 13: Look, I wouldn't know where to get them. I already
• 24:25
  Speaker 13: told you. I've been leveling ever since I got out.
• 24:27
  Speaker 13: There's no use kidding.
• 24:28
  Speaker 3: I couldn't do any more time. I'm too old. One
• 24:32
  Speaker 3: more trip and I'm through. I'm really through.
• 24:33
  Speaker 1: I got a good wife.
• 24:34
  Speaker 3: She works every day. I don't want to lose that.
• 24:35
  Speaker 1: All right, Breen. You take your choice.
• 24:37
  Speaker 3: What do you mean?
• 24:38
  Speaker 1: What do you like the best, Morgan or your wife?
• 24:41
  Speaker 1: What about it?
• 24:42
  Speaker 5: All right, you got it.
• 24:47
  Speaker 1: The suspect's friend, Harry Breen, went on to admit that
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: during the conversations he'd had with Ernest Morgan that afternoon,
• 24:53
  Speaker 1: Morgan had told him that he and his wife were
• 24:55
  Speaker 1: going to San Francisco. There, supposedly, they would contact a
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: man by the name of Baker Harrison, who operated a
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: restaurant out by Hunter's Point. He said the Morgans had
• 25:04
  Speaker 1: told him that they planned on driving at night only
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: to lessen the chances of the police spotting their car.
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: We immediately got in touch with Inspector George Haig of
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: the San Francisco Police Department and notified him of the
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: latest developments in the case. He told us he'd read
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: our teletypes and said that he'd placed the restaurant operated
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: by Baker Harrison under immediate surveillance. We told him we'd
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: leave early the next morning for San Francisco after we'd
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: gotten a few hours sleep. Before we turned in, we
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: got off a teletype to Captain Didion, bringing him up
• 25:30
  Speaker 1: to date on what had happened and what our plans were.
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: The next morning at 6.30, Frank and I left Las
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: Vegas for San Francisco. A few minutes after 7 o'clock
• 25:38
  Speaker 1: that night, we checked in at the San Francisco Hall
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: of Justice at Washington and Kearney Streets. Inspector Haig was
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: waiting for us. He informed us Harrison's restaurant out at
• 25:46
  Speaker 1: Hunter's Point was still being covered, but so far, Morgan
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: and his wife had failed to put in an appearance.
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: Along with Inspector Haig, Frank and I drove out to
• 25:53
  Speaker 1: the restaurant and joined the detail that had the place
• 25:56
  Speaker 1: under surveillance. 9.05 p.m., no sign of the suspects. 10 p.m., 10.30,
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: 11 o'clock, midnight, still no sign.
• 26:03
  Speaker 8: We waited.
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: We waited.
• 26:06
  Speaker 3: How about this fog? I sure wish I brought my
• 26:08
  Speaker 3: top coat. I'm freezing.
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: If they don't show pretty soon, we're going to have
• 26:11
  Speaker 1: to pull in closer. I can hardly see the door
• 26:12
  Speaker 1: to the restaurant over there.
• 26:14
  Speaker 3: Smell that hot coffee. Sure could use a cup right now.
• 26:17
  Speaker 1: Look at that fog out there, Frank. Can't tell where
• 26:20
  Speaker 1: the bay leaves off and the fog begins.
• 26:21
  Speaker 3: Wait a minute, Chuck. Car pulling up. Convertible?
• 26:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 26:25
  Speaker 3: Packard.
• 26:26
  Speaker 1: Wait till he gets in the light. We can see
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: him better.
• 26:27
  Speaker 3: The man getting out, heading for the restaurant.
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: Yeah, looks like him. Come on.
• 26:31
  Speaker 3: Come on.
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: Somebody else in the car. It's a woman.
• 26:37
  Speaker 3: Higgs got it covered. George is with him.
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: All right, let's hustle it. Come on.
• 26:41
  Speaker 3: Passing into the light. It's him, Joe.
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: Yeah. All right, hold it. Right where you are. Police officers.
• 26:46
  Speaker 3: What's the matter? What do you want?
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: All right, hands up in front of you. Get them
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: up high.
• 26:49
  Speaker 3: All right, I got them up. What's it all about?
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: What's the trick? Frank, you want to shake them?
• 26:52
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: Come on, keep those hands up and stand still.
• 26:54
  Speaker 3: I'm standing still. Is this a shakedown or what? I
• 26:56
  Speaker 3: haven't done anything. Nothing doing, Joe. Clean.
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: Those hands, aren't they? Your right hand, mister. Let's have
• 27:00
  Speaker 1: a look at it.
• 27:01
  Speaker 3: All right. Still don't get this, sir. What about it?
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: That ring on your finger, where'd you get that?
• 27:05
  Speaker 3: It's mine.
• 27:05
  Speaker 2: Why?
• 27:05
  Speaker 3: I had it a long time. Diamond signet a little
• 27:07
  Speaker 3: big for you, isn't it? Doesn't quite fit. What are
• 27:09
  Speaker 3: you getting at? What's my ring got to do with this?
• 27:11
  Speaker 3: Where'd you get it? Crap game. I won it in
• 27:13
  Speaker 3: a crap game. It was down in Las Vegas. I
• 27:14
  Speaker 3: won it gambling.
• 27:15
  Speaker 1: Is that right?
• 27:16
  Speaker 3: Yeah, a bunch of guys up in the hotel room
• 27:17
  Speaker 3: shooting a little crap. Just a gamble I won.
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: You sure of that, are you?
• 27:20
  Speaker 3: Of course I'm sure. Just a crap game. I took
• 27:22
  Speaker 3: a gamble I won.
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: No, you're half right, mister. Yeah?
• 27:25
  Speaker 4: You gambled, but you didn't win. The story you have
• 27:34
  Speaker 4: just heard was true. The names were changed to protect
• 27:38
  Speaker 4: the innocent.
• 27:39
  Speaker 5: On August 8th, trial was held in Superior Court, Department 89,
• 27:43
  Speaker 5: City and County of Los Angeles, State of California.
• 27:45
  Speaker 3: In a moment, the results of that trial.
• 27:48
  Speaker 5: Music Ernest Harold Morgan was tried and convicted of robbery
• 27:58
  Speaker 5: in the first degree, along with his accomplice, Benjamin Ashford.
• 28:01
  Speaker 5: Ernest Morgan's wife was tried for conspiracy to commit robbery
• 28:05
  Speaker 5: and found not guilty. Robbery in the first degree is
• 28:08
  Speaker 5: punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary from five years
• 28:11
  Speaker 5: to life. Ladies and gentlemen, when you buy defense bonds,
• 28:15
  Speaker 5: you help build your own future security. You also become
• 28:18
  Speaker 5: a partner with Uncle Sam in building America's security. Buy
• 28:22
  Speaker 5: your bond today. You have just heard Dragnet, a series
• 28:35
  Speaker 5: of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from
• 28:38
  Speaker 5: the Office of Chief of Police, W.H. Parker, Los Angeles
• 28:41
  Speaker 5: Police Department. Technical advisors, Captain Jack Donahoe, Sergeant Marty Wynn,
• 28:46
  Speaker 5: Sergeant Vance Brasher. Heard tonight were Vic Perrin, Virginia Gregg,
• 28:49
  Speaker 5: Harry Bartell, Ralph Moody. Script by Jim Moser. Music by
• 28:53
  Speaker 5: Walter Schumann. Hal Gibney speaking.
• 29:10
  Speaker 1: This is NBC, the national broadcasting company.
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: Welcome back. I have to admit that I got a
• 29:25
  Speaker 2: little bit lost by the turning the potential for mistake
• 29:34
  Speaker 2: between the police and the witness into this sort of
• 29:37
  Speaker 2: mathematical formula but the point is, I guess, that the
• 29:41
  Speaker 2: police have to deal with these sort of errors where
• 29:46
  Speaker 2: the detectives make a bad guess or where a witness
• 29:51
  Speaker 2: doesn't remember correctly.
• 29:53
  Speaker 9: But criminal errors.
• 29:54
  Speaker 2: Tend to trump everything else, as there were multiple mistakes
• 29:59
  Speaker 2: the robber made with the signet ring. You know, trying
• 30:03
  Speaker 2: to sell it, wearing it, not even stealing it in
• 30:07
  Speaker 2: the first place. A smarter criminal hearing how much this
• 30:12
  Speaker 2: meant to the victim would have realized that this piece
• 30:17
  Speaker 2: of jewelry would be very easy to identify. The signet
• 30:21
  Speaker 2: ring not being the most common type of ring out
• 30:24
  Speaker 2: there anyway and even though the victims forgot the exact
• 30:31
  Speaker 2: look and weren't able to identify him from his pictures
• 30:34
  Speaker 2: that ring would be incredibly easy for them to identify
• 30:39
  Speaker 2: and of course the fact is that uh For 1952,
• 30:45
  Speaker 2: for robbing literally a mom-and-pop store, $ 800 in cash was
• 30:51
  Speaker 2: a really good haul. But greed and stupidity ultimately lead
• 30:57
  Speaker 2: to a criminal's downfall. All right, listener comments and feedback now.
• 31:02
  Speaker 2: And Maggie writes, I've been a loyal listener for several
• 31:06
  Speaker 2: years now, and those Old radio shows served as a
• 31:09
  Speaker 2: calming influence amidst all the turbulence going on in the
• 31:13
  Speaker 2: real world today. Especially enjoy Dragnet and Johnny Dollar. And
• 31:18
  Speaker 2: she does ask about the LAPD duplicate badges we had
• 31:24
  Speaker 2: a few years back. And we don't actually have any,
• 31:29
  Speaker 2: didn't have any left for Dragnet. I thought we had
• 31:32
  Speaker 2: some for Adam 12, but those may have been lost
• 31:34
  Speaker 2: in the move. So I should probably take those off
• 31:37
  Speaker 2: the website. And then there's a final note. Thank you
• 31:45
  Speaker 2: for all you do to keep our great detectives alive
• 31:47
  Speaker 2: and fighting crime in the 21st century and commercial free.
• 31:50
  Speaker 2: Nobody does it better. Wishing you and your family a happy,
• 31:54
  Speaker 2: healthy summer. Thanks so much. Appreciate it, Maggie. And then
• 31:59
  Speaker 2: we have A note from Derek. I've been meaning to
• 32:03
  Speaker 2: send this for a couple years now, but because I
• 32:05
  Speaker 2: don't do anything financial online, I kept podding off, writing
• 32:09
  Speaker 2: a check. Then I got the Cronin Manor omnibus, and
• 32:12
  Speaker 2: I thought, today is the day. I love me some
• 32:15
  Speaker 2: Johnny Dollar six-parters and omnibuses. It hit me. Adam is
• 32:19
  Speaker 2: running a lunch counter. He is showing up every day,
• 32:22
  Speaker 2: feeding us. Some meals he fixes are delicious. Johnny Dollar, Dragnet.
• 32:26
  Speaker 2: Sam Spade with Howard Duff. Other meals, not so much.
• 32:30
  Speaker 2: Looking at you, Dr. Tim and Mr. Chameleon. But that
• 32:34
  Speaker 2: doesn't take away from the fact that every day you
• 32:36
  Speaker 2: present me with something. I digest it, but rarely give
• 32:39
  Speaker 2: you anything back. Love the show. Keep up the great work. Well,
• 32:42
  Speaker 2: I get a lot of really good comments from you, Derek,
• 32:46
  Speaker 2: and I appreciate that and this donation. You might even
• 32:49
  Speaker 2: say I have an old-time radio snack wagon. Now, there's
• 32:52
  Speaker 2: an idea for a podcast. I do have some standards,
• 32:57
  Speaker 2: but I try to keep it open to a wide
• 33:00
  Speaker 2: variety of tastes, and I know there are quite a
• 33:02
  Speaker 2: few people who enjoy Mr. Chameleon, though maybe not many
• 33:06
  Speaker 2: who enjoy it unironically. But regardless, I appreciate your support,
• 33:11
  Speaker 2: and will definitely keep on serving some great old-time radio.
• 33:16
  Speaker 2: Now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day.
• 33:19
  Speaker 2: Thank you to Cheryl, Patreon supporter since May of 2022,
• 33:24
  Speaker 2: currently supporting the podcast at the strongest level of $ 4
• 33:28
  Speaker 2: or more per month. Thanks so much for your support, Cheryl.
• 33:32
  Speaker 2: And that will do it for today. If you're enjoying
• 33:34
  Speaker 2: the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software.
• 33:39
  Speaker 2: And be sure to rate and review the podcast wherever
• 33:42
  Speaker 2: you download it from. We will be back. next Thursday
• 33:47
  Speaker 2: with another episode of Dragnet. But join us back here
• 33:50
  Speaker 2: tomorrow for yours truly, Johnny Dollar, where.
• 33:54
  Speaker 10: Oh, please come in, Mr. Dollar.
• 33:57
  Speaker 9: I'm so glad you've come.
• 33:59
  Speaker 10: Maybe you can help to find Howard.
• 34:02
  Speaker 9: Oh, I just can't believe he's dead.
• 34:04
  Speaker 7: Well, that seems to agree with the police theory, Mrs. Edwards.
• 34:07
  Speaker 14: The police?
• 34:08
  Speaker 10: They've been terrible. They've been trying to drive me out
• 34:12
  Speaker 10: of my mind, make me say a lot of things
• 34:14
  Speaker 10: that aren't so... Day and night, they've been driving me crazy.
• 34:19
  Speaker 10: Ben Wrangler and that no-good son-in-law, he had them put
• 34:22
  Speaker 10: on the force, coming here, questioning me, calling on the
• 34:26
  Speaker 10: phone in the middle of the night. Well, it's terrible.
• 34:29
  Speaker 10: And if losing Howard wasn't enough.
• 34:33
  Speaker 7: You've been pretty much broken up over his death or disappearance,
• 34:36
  Speaker 7: whichever it is.
• 34:38
  Speaker 1: Well?
• 34:39
  Speaker 14: No, Mr.
• 34:40
  Speaker 10: Dollar.
• 34:42
  Speaker 1: What?
• 34:43
  Speaker 11: Please, sit down, sir.
• 34:45
  Speaker 1: Thanks.
• 34:47
  Speaker 14: The past few years, Howard has been so occupied with
• 34:51
  Speaker 14: his inventions.
• 34:52
  Speaker 7: What kind of inventions? A machine.
• 34:54
  Speaker 14: A device of some kind for molding plastics. I'm afraid
• 34:58
  Speaker 14: I don't know much about it.
• 34:59
  Speaker 9: He wouldn't tell me.
• 35:00
  Speaker 14: He kept to himself all the time.
• 35:03
  Speaker 7: Well, he must have at least.
• 35:04
  Speaker 14: There was like an obsession with him. He was so
• 35:06
  Speaker 14: wrapped up in it that I'm afraid I haven't been
• 35:09
  Speaker 14: much more than a... than a housekeeper for him these
• 35:12
  Speaker 14: past few years. A.
• 35:15
  Speaker 7: What have you been living on, Mrs.
• 35:16
  Speaker 8: Edwards?
• 35:17
  Speaker 10: The money I had ran out.
• 35:19
  Speaker 14: We had to borrow, but now that's all gone.
• 35:24
  Speaker 7: You have your home up for sale. I noticed the
• 35:26
  Speaker 7: sign out front.
• 35:27
  Speaker 9: It's all that we have left.
• 35:31
  Speaker 7: Unless, of course, you could collect the insurance on your husband.
• 35:34
  Speaker 9: Yes, the insurance.
• 35:36
  Speaker 14: Then I wouldn't have to worry anymore. I would make
• 35:39
  Speaker 14: up for all the years of struggling along and almost nothing.
• 35:44
  Speaker 7: Now, wait a minute, Mrs.
• 35:45
  Speaker 1: Edwards.
• 35:45
  Speaker 2: Yes?
• 35:46
  Speaker 7: You sound as though you'd like to have your husband
• 35:48
  Speaker 7: proven dead.
• 35:49
  Speaker 14: At least it would provide a decent living for me
• 35:52
  Speaker 14: after all these.
• 35:54
  Speaker 9: No.
• 35:56
  Speaker 8: Oh, no.
• 35:57
  Speaker 9: That sounds terrible, doesn't it?
• 35:58
  Speaker 7: Yeah, it sure does.
• 36:00
  Speaker 2: I hope you'll be with us then. In the meantime,
• 36:02
  Speaker 2: send your comments to box13 at greatdetectives.net Follow us on
• 36:09
  Speaker 2: Twitter at Radio Detectives and check us out on Instagram, instagram.com
• 36:15
  Speaker 2: slash greatdetectives. From Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham,
• 36:21
  Speaker 2: signing off.