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Dragnet - "Big String" (Old Time Radio, 1953) · Dragnet | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: January 18th, 1953 marked NBC's broadcast of Dragnet, episode 187,
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Big String, with Chesterfield as sponsor. Jack Webb is Sergeant
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Joe Friday, alongside Ben Alexander as Officer Frank Smith, in
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: a homicide investigation that begins when University Professor Henry Wagley
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: reports his wife, Myra, missing. With foul play suspected and
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: a ransom note left at the Wagley home, Friday and
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: Smith trace her last known movements and prepare for a
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: ransom delivery on a Los Angeles canyon road. From the
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: Los Angeles police files of Dragnet, here is Big String.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: And now, the original broadcast.
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. For the
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department,
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: you will travel step by step on the side of
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: the log to an actual case transcribed from official police files.
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: the story of your police force in action.
• 1:14
  Speaker 3: It was Tuesday, July 7th. It was hot in Los Angeles.
• 1:17
  Speaker 3: We were working the night watch out a homicide detail.
• 1:19
  Speaker 3: My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Thad Brown, chief
• 1:22
  Speaker 3: of detectives. My name's Friday. I was on my way
• 1:24
  Speaker 3: into work, and it was 4.58 p.m. when I got
• 1:26
  Speaker 3: to room 42. Homicide. John, are you?
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 1:30
  Speaker 3: Been here long? No, I just got in. You're a
• 1:34
  Speaker 3: beautiful day, isn't it? Yeah, summer's really here, isn't it?
• 1:37
  Speaker 3: Stay alive saving time makes a difference. A lot more time,
• 1:40
  Speaker 3: seems like. Made me think about my vacation. Well, you're
• 1:43
  Speaker 3: due in a couple of weeks, aren't you? Yeah, first
• 1:45
  Speaker 3: part of August. Figured out where you're going yet? Yeah,
• 1:48
  Speaker 3: Faye and I talked it out.
• 1:50
  Speaker 4: You know, Joe?
• 1:51
  Speaker 3: Oh, what's that? I think maybe I had Armand figured along. Armand?
• 1:55
  Speaker 3: That's your brother-in-law? Yeah. Mm-hmm. Think they're saying I got
• 1:58
  Speaker 3: to talk and where we're going to spend the vacation.
• 1:59
  Speaker 3: If they want to go up to Big Bear, I'm
• 2:02
  Speaker 3: saying Mexico. Yeah. You know, I take a little fishing.
• 2:05
  Speaker 3: I hear the yellows are hitting pretty good.
• 2:06
  Speaker 5: The what?
• 2:07
  Speaker 3: Yellow tail. Oh, you don't fish like no other. Well,
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: they're supposed to be hitting pretty good, but they can't
• 2:12
  Speaker 3: see Mexico. And if old Ironman doesn't chime in and
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: say he thinks Mexico's.
• 2:16
  Speaker 6: A great idea.
• 2:17
  Speaker 3: Well, that's swell. Tells me all about the beaches down there,
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: how good the food is, all about the air, healthy.
• 2:23
  Speaker 3: You know, really sells it. So that's where you're going, huh? No,
• 2:26
  Speaker 3: I'll say he didn't buy it. He's going to the mountains. Well,
• 2:28
  Speaker 3: Fisher's book is pretty good up there, too, isn't it?
• 2:30
  Speaker 3: That's what I read, I guess. I don't know. I
• 2:31
  Speaker 3: suppose so, but... Oh, Ivan, how do you like that guy?
• 2:33
  Speaker 3: He's sure surprised. Maybe he's going.
• 2:35
  Speaker 7: To work out, huh?
• 2:36
  Speaker 6: Yeah.
• 2:36
  Speaker 3: I'll get it. Okay. Homicide Friday. Yes, sir, it is.
• 2:42
  Speaker 3: A big apartment. Could you talk a little louder?
• 2:46
  Speaker 6: Yes, sir.
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: Uh-huh. Yes, sir. Well, when was that? I see. When? Yes, sir.
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: What was that address again? All right, I have it. Yes. Yes, sir,
• 2:58
  Speaker 3: that's right. We'll be right out. Right. Bye. Well, we
• 3:03
  Speaker 3: got one to roll on. Kidnapping out in Hollywood. The
• 3:10
  Speaker 3: man on the phone gave his name as Henry Wagner.
• 3:11
  Speaker 3: He said that he'd come home from work and found
• 3:13
  Speaker 3: that his wife was gone. He said on the phone
• 3:16
  Speaker 3: that he'd found a note demanding ransom and costing him
• 3:18
  Speaker 3: against calling the police. 5.22 p.m. Frank and I arrived
• 3:22
  Speaker 3: at the house on Temple Hill Avenue. We parked the
• 3:24
  Speaker 3: car down the street from the house and went up
• 3:26
  Speaker 3: to the front door. Frank would remain in the car
• 3:28
  Speaker 3: for a few minutes and then follow. In that way,
• 3:31
  Speaker 3: if the kidnappers were watching the house, they wouldn't be
• 3:33
  Speaker 3: as likely to know that we were working on the case.
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: I rang the bell and waited. Yes, you're the police? Yes, sir,
• 3:39
  Speaker 3: that's right. My name's Friday. Oh, hello. Come in, please, quickly.
• 3:41
  Speaker 3: I don't want them to see you. Who's them? The kidnappers.
• 3:45
  Speaker 3: They might be watching.
• 3:46
  Speaker 5: I don't know what I'm going to do. Terrible thing
• 3:48
  Speaker 5: to have happen. Just doesn't make sense.
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: All right, now, sir, if you just try to calm
• 3:51
  Speaker 3: down and tell me what happened here, we're going to
• 3:52
  Speaker 3: start right from the beginning. All right. I got home
• 3:55
  Speaker 3: from school about 4.30. Myra wasn't here.
• 3:58
  Speaker 5: I looked at the house for her, figured, like you
• 3:59
  Speaker 5: said on the phone, that she might have gone to
• 4:01
  Speaker 5: the store. When I couldn't find her, I started looking
• 4:03
  Speaker 5: for a note. That's when I found the ransom demand
• 4:05
  Speaker 5: right there on the coffee table.
• 4:07
  Speaker 3: You said you got home from school, was that it? Yes,
• 4:09
  Speaker 3: I teach political science at the university. When did you
• 4:12
  Speaker 3: last see your wife? When I left this morning, about 7.30.
• 4:15
  Speaker 3: I have a class at 8. Have you talked to
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: her since? Did everything seem all right then? I mean,
• 4:20
  Speaker 3: did she seem to be upset or anything like that? No, no,
• 4:22
  Speaker 3: everything seemed to be normal. Did she say if there
• 4:24
  Speaker 3: was anyone with her when you talked to her?
• 4:26
  Speaker 5: No, if there was, she didn't give any indication of it,
• 4:28
  Speaker 5: I see. I know that this isn't a hoax, if
• 4:30
  Speaker 5: that's what you're thinking. I know that Myra wouldn't do a.
• 4:32
  Speaker 3: Thing like this.
• 4:33
  Speaker 5: She's a serious woman. I guess you might say that
• 4:36
  Speaker 5: she had a rather dull sense of humor. Now, I
• 4:39
  Speaker 5: know that she wouldn't do a thing like this as
• 4:40
  Speaker 5: a joke.
• 4:40
  Speaker 3: Well, no, sir, it's not that. I'm just trying to
• 4:42
  Speaker 3: get all the facts here. I wonder if I can
• 4:43
  Speaker 3: see the note. Yes, I left it over here on
• 4:45
  Speaker 3: the desk. That'll be my partner. I'll let him know
• 4:47
  Speaker 3: if it's all right. It's my partner, Frank Smith. How
• 4:58
  Speaker 3: do you do, sir? How do you do? I'll get
• 5:00
  Speaker 3: the note. I'd rather you wouldn't handle it anymore, sir.
• 5:03
  Speaker 7: Oh, all right.
• 5:04
  Speaker 3: You going to try to.
• 5:05
  Speaker 5: Get some fingerprints from it?
• 5:06
  Speaker 3: Is that right? Well, that's the idea, yes, sir. You
• 5:08
  Speaker 3: read it, Joe? Yeah, it's made up a newsprint and
• 5:11
  Speaker 3: cut out of a paper. Looks like one of the
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: morning papers. Yeah. I'll read it for you. Just put $ 10, 000
• 5:17
  Speaker 3: in five tens and twenties in a shoebox. Make sure
• 5:20
  Speaker 3: the bills are unmarked. On July 8th, drive up Deer
• 5:23
  Speaker 3: Canyon Drive at 10.30 p.m., five miles past the turnoff.
• 5:27
  Speaker 3: You'll see a white string across the road. Drop the
• 5:30
  Speaker 3: shoebox out of the car. Go on back home. Your
• 5:32
  Speaker 3: wife will be returned. Don't tell the cops. Don't tell anybody.
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: We'll kill your wife. Deer Canyon Drive. Yeah, you know,
• 5:37
  Speaker 3: it's up above Laurel.
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: Oh, yeah. $ 10, 000.
• 5:39
  Speaker 3: Do you have that kind of money, Mr.
• 5:41
  Speaker 4: Wagner?
• 5:41
  Speaker 3: No, sir. I don't know how I'm going to raise it.
• 5:44
  Speaker 3: I have to, but I don't know how I'm going
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: to do it. Have you noticed anyone lately that's been
• 5:48
  Speaker 3: in the neighborhood here? I mean, anybody loitering around without
• 5:50
  Speaker 3: any reason to be here? No, I haven't.
• 5:52
  Speaker 5: Of course, you must understand I'm not home a great deal.
• 5:54
  Speaker 5: But Myra didn't say anything about it. I'm sure she
• 5:57
  Speaker 5: would if she'd seen anybody like that.
• 5:59
  Speaker 3: You and your wife have any enemies that do a
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: thing like this, as you know? None that I can
• 6:02
  Speaker 3: think of. Do you have any household help? I beg
• 6:04
  Speaker 3: your pardon? Household help. Anyone that comes in to help
• 6:06
  Speaker 3: your wife?
• 6:12
  Speaker 6: Last year?
• 6:13
  Speaker 3: Let me see. That was Saturday. That's a usual day, Saturday.
• 6:16
  Speaker 3: I guess it was then. Didn't you see her last week?
• 6:19
  Speaker 5: No.
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: You see, I had to go out by Pomona this
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: last weekend.
• 6:22
  Speaker 5: A series of lectures I wanted to catch. I left
• 6:24
  Speaker 5: early Saturday morning, didn't get back until late that night.
• 6:27
  Speaker 3: Did your wife go with you? No, she stayed at home.
• 6:29
  Speaker 5: She had a little touch of the virus and figured
• 6:31
  Speaker 5: she'd better stay at home and take care of it.
• 6:34
  Speaker 5: Are you sure this is the right thing to do?
• 6:35
  Speaker 5: Maybe I should have handled this myself.
• 6:38
  Speaker 3: No, sir, you did the right thing. if you could
• 6:52
  Speaker 3: just give us a description of the trench. Well, Myra
• 6:55
  Speaker 3: is about five feet three. Two men came up from
• 6:59
  Speaker 3: the office and a stakeout was placed on the house.
• 7:01
  Speaker 3: The note was taken downtown and photographed. Dean Bedman listed
• 7:05
  Speaker 3: several clean prints from it. However, comparison with those taken
• 7:08
  Speaker 3: from Mr. Wagner eliminated them. The maid, Betty Jo, was contacted,
• 7:12
  Speaker 3: but she could tell us nothing. In the meantime, Sergeant
• 7:14
  Speaker 3: Jay Allen at the crime lab prepared a cue box
• 7:16
  Speaker 3: as directed by the abductors. Dummy packages of money were
• 7:20
  Speaker 3: placed in the box, and the container was wiped clean
• 7:22
  Speaker 3: of all fingerprints. The area where the meet was to
• 7:24
  Speaker 3: take place was staked out. The following morning, Wednesday, July 8th,
• 7:28
  Speaker 3: Henry Wagner went to teach his classes at the University
• 7:31
  Speaker 3: of Yugo. Late in the afternoon, he returned home, and
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: at 9.45 p.m., he got into his car and left
• 7:37
  Speaker 3: the house. I'd gotten into the backseat of the car earlier,
• 7:40
  Speaker 3: and I kept out of sight. In an undercover unit
• 7:43
  Speaker 3: behind us, Frank, Lieutenant Gorham, and Dylan Seamus kept us
• 7:46
  Speaker 3: under observation in the event that we missed contact with
• 7:48
  Speaker 3: the kidnappers. 10.26 p.m. We turned off Benedict Canyon on
• 7:52
  Speaker 3: the Deer Canyon Drive. I hope I'm doing the right thing.
• 7:55
  Speaker 3: I can't help thinking of what they might do to
• 7:56
  Speaker 3: my run. Try to take it easy, Mr. Wagner. We
• 7:58
  Speaker 3: know how you feel. Everything that can be done has
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: been taken care of here. That's what you've been telling
• 8:02
  Speaker 3: me for the past hour. It doesn't make me feel
• 8:04
  Speaker 3: any better about what's happened. Can you still see that
• 8:06
  Speaker 3: car behind us? No. I think they dropped back when
• 8:10
  Speaker 3: we turned off Benedict. Uh-huh. How's it look up ahead?
• 8:13
  Speaker 3: Can't see much. Dark. How far off the canyon have
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: we come? About four and a half miles. You got
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: your box right there ready to throw it out?
• 8:21
  Speaker 6: Yes, sir.
• 8:22
  Speaker 3: Right here on the seat. Now remember, when you toss
• 8:24
  Speaker 3: it out, try to lift it by the string. Right.
• 8:26
  Speaker 5: I'll remember. I just hope we're doing the right things.
• 8:37
  Speaker 3: There it is. A string across the road. See anybody
• 8:40
  Speaker 3: around us? No. It's a dark.
• 8:42
  Speaker 5: I can't see anything but what's in front of the car.
• 8:44
  Speaker 3: How close are we to the place here? About 50
• 8:47
  Speaker 3: or 60 feet. All right, now take it slow. Don't
• 8:49
  Speaker 3: give any indication that you're not doing exactly what they
• 8:51
  Speaker 3: told you to. And remember, don't handle that box. Hold
• 8:53
  Speaker 3: it to the string. All right. We're here. I'm throwing
• 9:01
  Speaker 3: the box out. All right, now close your door. What now?
• 9:08
  Speaker 3: Walk the road a little, then turn around and drive back.
• 9:10
  Speaker 3: Act like everything is just the way they told you
• 9:12
  Speaker 3: to handle it. All right. Take it easy now.
• 9:18
  Speaker 7: We can turn around here. All right.
• 9:20
  Speaker 3: You see anyone move for the money?
• 9:23
  Speaker 7: No, not yet. Maybe when I get turned around. It's
• 9:36
  Speaker 7: pretty dark back there.
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: I can't see anything at all. Nothing there. I don't
• 9:43
  Speaker 3: see anyone. Fine, now just keep driving. If there's anybody
• 9:46
  Speaker 3: to pick up the money, it'll look better if you
• 9:48
  Speaker 3: don't cause any trouble. I don't know about all this, Sergeant.
• 9:51
  Speaker 5: Somehow I still can't get the idea out of my
• 9:52
  Speaker 5: mind that we've done the wrong thing.
• 9:54
  Speaker 3: That they know all about it and that they're going
• 9:56
  Speaker 3: to kill Myra. Now, there's no reason that they should
• 9:58
  Speaker 3: know that there's anything wrong, Mr. Wagner. From what they
• 10:00
  Speaker 3: can see, you're doing just what they told you. They've
• 10:02
  Speaker 3: got nothing to tell them any different here. But what
• 10:04
  Speaker 3: if they found out? What if they know that you're
• 10:06
  Speaker 3: working on the case? What if they know about it?
• 10:09
  Speaker 3: They might kill Myra.
• 10:09
  Speaker 5: I'd never forgive myself.
• 10:11
  Speaker 3: I never should have told you about it.
• 10:12
  Speaker 5: I should have taken care of it myself.
• 10:14
  Speaker 7: They'll kill her.
• 10:14
  Speaker 8: I know they will.
• 10:15
  Speaker 3: They'll kill her because you're working on it. The way
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: it is now, she hasn't got a chance. No, you're
• 10:19
  Speaker 3: wrong there, Wagner.
• 10:21
  Speaker 5: Hmm?
• 10:21
  Speaker 3: The odds are on her side now. 10.45 p.m. Henry
• 10:28
  Speaker 3: Wagner and I left the meeting place. About a mile
• 10:31
  Speaker 3: down Deer Canyon Drive, Wagner dropped me off, and then
• 10:33
  Speaker 3: he started down Benedict Canyon Drive and continued on home.
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: I met with Frank, Lieutenant Gorham, and Sergeant Gillian Phoenix,
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: and he started back on Swift. We cut off the
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: road and waited on the hill overlooking the meeting place.
• 10:46
  Speaker 3: Frank told me that they'd seen no activity on the
• 10:48
  Speaker 3: road while Wagner and I were making the move. We
• 10:50
  Speaker 3: moved in closer.
• 10:51
  Speaker 4: 11.32 a.m.
• 10:52
  Speaker 3: No sign of the kidnappers. The moon came up and
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: we could see the white string across the road. In
• 10:58
  Speaker 3: a pack of manzanita, we could see the crew box
• 11:00
  Speaker 3: containing the dummy packages of money. We waited. Midnight. 1.30 a.m.
• 11:05
  Speaker 3: Still no sign of the kidnappers. 2.30 a.m. At 4.45 a.m.,
• 11:11
  Speaker 3: the sun came up and Frank and I left the area.
• 11:13
  Speaker 3: We turned and saw him and Sergeant Gillian Sears continued
• 11:15
  Speaker 3: to state the meeting place. If the kidnappers had been
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: in the vicinity, we'd missed them. Our only course now
• 11:21
  Speaker 3: was to wait for them to contact Henry Wagner again. 8.15 a.m.,
• 11:25
  Speaker 3: Frank and I checked out and went on home to
• 11:26
  Speaker 3: take a shower and get something to eat. At 11.12 a.m.
• 11:30
  Speaker 3: Thursday morning, we checked back into the office. Last night, huh? Yeah,
• 11:33
  Speaker 3: nothing to show for it. Anything from Garmin on Sears? No,
• 11:36
  Speaker 3: I don't see anything. There was one thing I found out.
• 11:39
  Speaker 3: What's that? I need a heavier coat for night. Yeah?
• 11:42
  Speaker 3: Saw an ad in a magazine. Advertised those English duffel coats.
• 11:45
  Speaker 3: Looked real good. What? Duffel coats. While in the North
• 11:49
  Speaker 3: Atlantic during the war. You know, so they're real heavy.
• 11:52
  Speaker 3: Got a hood that comes up. Should be real warm.
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: A hood?
• 11:56
  Speaker 3: Yeah, you know, like a monk wears. When you aren't
• 11:58
  Speaker 3: wearing it, it looks just like a collar. When it
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: gets cold, you raise up the little gimmick and there
• 12:02
  Speaker 3: you are. Warm as anything. You know, Frank, somehow I
• 12:06
  Speaker 3: just can't see you in there.
• 12:08
  Speaker 5: Yeah?
• 12:10
  Speaker 3: Well, I know that you weren't if you won last night.
• 12:12
  Speaker 3: Next time we do duty like that, I'm going to
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: be ready for it. Like a monk. I'll get it.
• 12:19
  Speaker 3: Homicide party.
• 12:20
  Speaker 5: Yes.
• 12:21
  Speaker 3: Oh, yes, mister. When was that?
• 12:24
  Speaker 6: Uh-huh.
• 12:25
  Speaker 3: Yes, sir, right away. Well, that's it. Huh? Wag your woman.
• 12:29
  Speaker 3: She's home.
• 12:29
  Speaker 4: 11.30 a.m.
• 12:42
  Speaker 3: Frank and I drove out to the Wagner home. The
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: officers on safe house told us that Mrs. Wagner had
• 12:46
  Speaker 3: walked into the house at about 11 o'clock that morning.
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: As soon as she'd gotten inside the house, she collapsed.
• 12:51
  Speaker 3: The family doctor had been called, and she was treated
• 12:53
  Speaker 3: for shock. Other than some scratches on her arms and
• 12:56
  Speaker 3: around her face, she was unharmed. The officers told us
• 12:58
  Speaker 3: that they'd been unable to interrogate her so far. We
• 13:01
  Speaker 3: talked to the doctor and he told us that we
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: could talk to her instead if it took effect. Honey,
• 13:04
  Speaker 3: these are policemen.
• 13:05
  Speaker 8: They want to ask you a few questions.
• 13:07
  Speaker 3: What? Police officers, honey. There's Mr. Friday and there's Mr. Smith. Oh, yes.
• 13:11
  Speaker 5: They want to ask you some questions, dear, about the
• 13:13
  Speaker 5: people who took you.
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: Oh.
• 13:14
  Speaker 6: All right.
• 13:16
  Speaker 3: It won't take very long, Miss Wagner.
• 13:17
  Speaker 6: That's all right. I want to help you test them.
• 13:19
  Speaker 3: All right. Now, if you'd just tell us how it happened.
• 13:22
  Speaker 6: How it happened?
• 13:22
  Speaker 3: Yes, ma'am.
• 13:23
  Speaker 7: Sergeant, you have to do this now.
• 13:25
  Speaker 3: Maybe later when she's rested.
• 13:26
  Speaker 5: Well, I'm sorry, Mr.
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: Wagner. We haven't got much choice here. We'd like to
• 13:29
  Speaker 3: get to the people who did this. If we wait
• 13:31
  Speaker 3: until later, we might not be able to get them. Yes,
• 13:32
  Speaker 3: I didn't think of that. Well, if the doctor says
• 13:34
  Speaker 3: it's all right, go ahead. Miss Wagner? Yes? Do you
• 13:39
  Speaker 3: know the people who did it, the people who took you?
• 13:41
  Speaker 6: No.
• 13:42
  Speaker 3: You've never seen them before?
• 13:43
  Speaker 6: No, never.
• 13:44
  Speaker 3: All right, now, could you just tell us what happened?
• 13:47
  Speaker 6: I guess so. They came to the door about 2.30.
• 13:50
  Speaker 3: Who were they, ma'am?
• 13:51
  Speaker 6: Oh, I just saw a man. Later, when we got
• 13:54
  Speaker 6: into the car, there was a woman, too.
• 13:56
  Speaker 3: All right, go ahead.
• 13:57
  Speaker 6: They told me that Henry had been in an accident,
• 13:59
  Speaker 6: that he'd been hurt, that he was at the hospital.
• 14:02
  Speaker 6: Said they wanted to take him to him.
• 14:03
  Speaker 3: Yes, ma'am.
• 14:04
  Speaker 6: I didn't know any different. I went with him. I
• 14:06
  Speaker 6: thought that Henry was hurt. I didn't know any distance.
• 14:10
  Speaker 3: You have to do this, officer. She's home safe. That's
• 14:12
  Speaker 3: all I care about. That's all that's important. Why don't
• 14:15
  Speaker 3: you let her get some rest? Then you can talk
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: to her. Talk as much as you want to.
• 14:18
  Speaker 5: But please, you can see what this is doing to her.
• 14:21
  Speaker 6: Yes, sir.
• 14:21
  Speaker 3: Now, look, this isn't an easier on us. We've got
• 14:23
  Speaker 3: a job to do here, like we had when she
• 14:25
  Speaker 3: was gone. You know how you feel. But we'd like
• 14:27
  Speaker 3: to get through those people.
• 14:27
  Speaker 6: It's all right, Henry. I'm all right, dear.
• 14:30
  Speaker 3: Where'd they take the man?
• 14:32
  Speaker 6: First, I think they were going to take him to
• 14:33
  Speaker 6: a house near here. I didn't notice the street, but
• 14:36
  Speaker 6: it was near here. I'm sure of that. Then when
• 14:38
  Speaker 6: we got near there, I knew that something was wrong.
• 14:42
  Speaker 6: That they weren't going to take me to Henry like
• 14:44
  Speaker 6: they said. I knew it then. I told them to
• 14:47
  Speaker 6: let me out of the car. Said that they'd better
• 14:49
  Speaker 6: let me go. The woman, she was in the back
• 14:52
  Speaker 6: seat with me, said for me to keep my mouth closed.
• 14:55
  Speaker 6: I tried to get out the door and she hit me.
• 14:57
  Speaker 6: Then the two of them got into an argument. The
• 15:00
  Speaker 6: man started to yell at the woman that it wasn't
• 15:01
  Speaker 6: any good, that they'd better forget the whole thing. And
• 15:04
  Speaker 6: the woman said that they'd gone too far for that now,
• 15:06
  Speaker 6: that they had to go through with it.
• 15:09
  Speaker 3: Uh-huh.
• 15:10
  Speaker 6: Well, then they put a blindfold on me, tied my
• 15:13
  Speaker 6: hands and blindfolded me, and then they started to drive.
• 15:15
  Speaker 3: Well, have any signs that either of them used a name,
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: you know, in talking to each other?
• 15:19
  Speaker 6: No, I don't think so. At least if they did,
• 15:21
  Speaker 6: I don't remember it.
• 15:22
  Speaker 3: Uh-huh. Go ahead, Miss Wagner.
• 15:24
  Speaker 6: Well, then they started to drive. I couldn't see where
• 15:27
  Speaker 6: they were going, but I know that they headed out
• 15:29
  Speaker 6: the Arroyo Seaco toward Pasadena. I could tell from the
• 15:33
  Speaker 6: way we went. Then I heard the woman talk about
• 15:36
  Speaker 6: the turnoff to get on the seacoast. Right then the
• 15:39
  Speaker 6: man told her to shut up.
• 15:40
  Speaker 3: Yes, ma'am.
• 15:41
  Speaker 6: We drove for quite a while and then stopped. They
• 15:44
  Speaker 6: made me get out and took me into a house.
• 15:46
  Speaker 3: Did you have any idea where you were at the time, ma'am?
• 15:48
  Speaker 6: No, I didn't.
• 15:50
  Speaker 4: Go ahead, ma'am.
• 15:51
  Speaker 6: Well, they took me into the house and put me
• 15:53
  Speaker 6: in a room. Tied me up. I couldn't move, couldn't
• 15:56
  Speaker 6: do anything. They locked the door and I could hear
• 15:59
  Speaker 6: them arguing in the next room. The man was really
• 16:01
  Speaker 6: telling the woman off. Said that she was a fool,
• 16:04
  Speaker 6: that she'd really boxed the whole thing up. I see.
• 16:08
  Speaker 6: That night, they brought in a plate of food. Told
• 16:11
  Speaker 6: me it was time to eat. All there was was
• 16:14
  Speaker 6: some prunes. That's what they said to me all the
• 16:16
  Speaker 6: time when we were there. Prunes. Never did take the
• 16:19
  Speaker 6: blindfold off.
• 16:21
  Speaker 3: Was there anything at all that would let you know
• 16:22
  Speaker 3: where you were?
• 16:23
  Speaker 6: Oh, a couple of things. Probably kind of silly, but
• 16:28
  Speaker 6: maybe you can make something out of them.
• 16:30
  Speaker 3: What's that mean?
• 16:32
  Speaker 6: Well, there was a clock that was in the room
• 16:34
  Speaker 6: where they had me, one of those chime clocks, told
• 16:36
  Speaker 6: every 15 minutes, like Westminster Chimes.
• 16:39
  Speaker 3: Yes, ma'am.
• 16:40
  Speaker 6: I don't think it was a very big clock. Chimes
• 16:43
  Speaker 6: sounded small.
• 16:44
  Speaker 3: Mm-hmm.
• 16:45
  Speaker 6: Then there was a train.
• 16:46
  Speaker 3: Train?
• 16:47
  Speaker 6: Yes, every once in a while I'd hear trains going past.
• 16:50
  Speaker 6: Sounded like they were near, maybe a couple blocks away,
• 16:52
  Speaker 6: not much more than that.
• 16:53
  Speaker 3: But do you think the truth is with the description
• 16:55
  Speaker 3: of the man and woman you're driving?
• 16:57
  Speaker 6: Yes, I think so. First, I was so upset with
• 16:59
  Speaker 6: thinking that Henry was hurt that I didn't notice, but
• 17:02
  Speaker 6: I think I can describe him for you. All right, ma'am,
• 17:05
  Speaker 6: that'll be fine. There's one thing, though.
• 17:06
  Speaker 3: What's that?
• 17:07
  Speaker 6: I'd be positive if I saw them.
• 17:14
  Speaker 3: 12 noon, we continued to talk to the Wagner woman.
• 17:16
  Speaker 3: She gave us a description of the man and woman
• 17:18
  Speaker 3: who had kidnapped her and a description of the car
• 17:20
  Speaker 3: they'd used. We called the information into the office and
• 17:23
  Speaker 3: a local and an ATV were gotten out. We ran
• 17:25
  Speaker 3: the description through R & I, but we got no make-up.
• 17:27
  Speaker 3: 245 p.m. As one of the possibilities for identifying the
• 17:31
  Speaker 3: locality described by Mrs. Wagner, Frank and I left the
• 17:34
  Speaker 3: house and drove to the office of one of the
• 17:35
  Speaker 3: milk companies in the city. We talked to the driver
• 17:38
  Speaker 3: that handled the area in which Mrs. Wagner said the
• 17:40
  Speaker 3: kidnappers were going to stop We couldn't identify the man
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: and the woman from the description. We checked a few
• 17:45
  Speaker 3: more milk companies, and on the third, we got a
• 17:47
  Speaker 3: tentative identification. The driver of the route told us that
• 17:50
  Speaker 3: we could be asking about a Mr.
• 17:51
  Speaker 6: And Mrs.
• 17:51
  Speaker 3: Thomas Harper, he thought. We gave us their address, and
• 17:54
  Speaker 3: Frank and I drove out there. On the way, we
• 17:56
  Speaker 3: called the names into R & I and had them
• 17:58
  Speaker 3: make a check for us. They said they had a
• 18:00
  Speaker 3: record on a Tom of Harper who entered the description.
• 18:03
  Speaker 3: He served time in San Quentin and in Fulton Penitentiary.
• 18:05
  Speaker 3: He'd been sentenced both times for armed robbery and ADW.
• 18:08
  Speaker 3: There was no record on Mrs. Harper and no warrant
• 18:11
  Speaker 3: at the present time for her husband. 5.57 p.m. We'd
• 18:17
  Speaker 3: better try it again.
• 18:19
  Speaker 6: All right.
• 18:20
  Speaker 3: Probably aren't in. The car park down the street could
• 18:25
  Speaker 3: be there. Check some of that discussion we got from
• 18:28
  Speaker 3: the wagon woman. I think somebody's coming.
• 18:30
  Speaker 9: Yeah, what do you want?
• 18:32
  Speaker 3: You Thomas Harper? Yeah, sir. Police officers would like to
• 18:35
  Speaker 3: talk to you.
• 18:35
  Speaker 9: What about? They'd like to talk to you.
• 18:38
  Speaker 3: All right, fine.
• 18:39
  Speaker 6: Who is it, Tom?
• 18:40
  Speaker 9: Cops.
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: What do they want?
• 18:42
  Speaker 9: They don't want to talk. I don't know what about.
• 18:44
  Speaker 3: Just a routine investigation.
• 18:45
  Speaker 9: What are you trying to kid?
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: What do you mean by that, Harper?
• 18:48
  Speaker 9: Somebody's done something.
• 18:49
  Speaker 3: You need a pigeon.
• 18:49
  Speaker 9: I got a record, so I'm right for you guys.
• 18:51
  Speaker 3: To lean on.
• 18:51
  Speaker 5: What's the matter?
• 18:52
  Speaker 3: You got something to worry about?
• 18:53
  Speaker 9: Not a thing in the world, but I know you guys.
• 18:55
  Speaker 9: You're going to try.
• 18:56
  Speaker 5: What do you want anyway?
• 18:57
  Speaker 3: Can people tell us your activities for the past four days?
• 18:59
  Speaker 9: What for?
• 19:00
  Speaker 3: Just tell us, will you? Tell us.
• 19:02
  Speaker 9: You got an angle where you wouldn't be here. You're
• 19:03
  Speaker 9: trying to pin something on us, and you know it.
• 19:05
  Speaker 3: You want to tell us what you've been doing?
• 19:07
  Speaker 6: You haven't left the house at all.
• 19:08
  Speaker 3: Can you prove that?
• 19:10
  Speaker 6: Prove it again, will you?
• 19:10
  Speaker 3: You've got no right to come in here and ask
• 19:12
  Speaker 3: a lot of questions. She's right. You haven't got any
• 19:14
  Speaker 3: right to do that.
• 19:15
  Speaker 9: Either you pull us in or you get out of here.
• 19:17
  Speaker 6: All right, Harper.
• 19:17
  Speaker 3: You're getting ready to leave anyway. We'll see you later.
• 19:30
  Speaker 3: We'd better call the office near the house today to
• 19:32
  Speaker 3: see if Ms. Wagner feels better. We'll have her see
• 19:34
  Speaker 3: if she can make an identification here, huh? I don't
• 19:36
  Speaker 3: think that'll be too hard, Joe. Hmm? Found that bill
• 19:39
  Speaker 3: from the gas company on the table in there. Here.
• 19:41
  Speaker 3: House in Pasadena. Hopper's mugshot had been pulled and sent
• 19:50
  Speaker 3: to the Wagner home for identification. Mrs. Wagner was still
• 19:52
  Speaker 3: on the set of it. 7.15 p.m. Frank and I
• 19:54
  Speaker 3: drove out to Pasadena. We got in touch with the
• 19:57
  Speaker 3: police department out there and two officers were assigned to
• 19:59
  Speaker 3: accompany us to the address on the gas bill. The
• 20:02
  Speaker 3: house was unoccupied, and no advertising paper had been all
• 20:04
  Speaker 3: about on the lawn. With the officers, we entered the
• 20:07
  Speaker 3: house and went through it. In some of the rooms
• 20:09
  Speaker 3: were features of furniture, and in the living room of
• 20:11
  Speaker 3: the house, we found a mavel clock that chimed on
• 20:13
  Speaker 3: the quarter hour. On an end table, we found a
• 20:16
  Speaker 3: ball of white string. It looked like the same type
• 20:17
  Speaker 3: that had been used to mark the meeting place up
• 20:19
  Speaker 3: on Beartonian Drive. In one of the back bedrooms, we
• 20:23
  Speaker 3: found clean keys scattered around on the floor. A stakeout
• 20:26
  Speaker 3: was arranged on the house. We contacted the men watching
• 20:28
  Speaker 3: the Harper residence and found that the suspects were still there. 9.56 p.m.
• 20:32
  Speaker 3: Frank and I arrived back at the Harper home in Hollywood.
• 20:35
  Speaker 3: The lights were out and the house was dark. Frank
• 20:37
  Speaker 3: went around to the back of the house. Yeah?
• 20:39
  Speaker 9: What do you want this time of the night?
• 20:42
  Speaker 3: Did you guys ever give up? All right, Harper, let's
• 20:44
  Speaker 3: get dressed. I want to talk to you downtown.
• 20:45
  Speaker 9: You trying to pinch to me?
• 20:46
  Speaker 3: You called it. For what? Kidnapping.
• 20:49
  Speaker 9: Get out of your mind.
• 20:50
  Speaker 3: Come on, get dressed.
• 20:51
  Speaker 6: Who is it, honey?
• 20:52
  Speaker 3: Cops.
• 20:52
  Speaker 9: They kidnapped somebody.
• 20:54
  Speaker 6: What?
• 20:54
  Speaker 9: Cops has an idea we kidnapped somebody.
• 20:56
  Speaker 6: Just kidding.
• 20:57
  Speaker 3: Straighten out, Ms. Harper. You better get dressed, too. Anybody
• 21:01
  Speaker 3: else in the house? Yeah, we take in four. I've
• 21:03
  Speaker 3: got smart. Where's that door go?
• 21:05
  Speaker 6: Bedroom.
• 21:08
  Speaker 3: Is there one bedroom here?
• 21:09
  Speaker 9: That's right. We're roughing it.
• 21:10
  Speaker 3: Is this the kitchen over here?
• 21:12
  Speaker 6: Yeah.
• 21:12
  Speaker 3: All right, come on. How about the bath? In there.
• 21:18
  Speaker 3: All right, we'll all go. All right. Let's go back
• 21:28
  Speaker 3: to the kitchen. This door go out the backyard? You're
• 21:32
  Speaker 3: a cop.
• 21:33
  Speaker 9: You figure.
• 21:35
  Speaker 3: It out. Okay, Frank. Everything all right there, Joe? Yeah, fine.
• 21:39
  Speaker 9: You ain't kidding about this kidnap thing, are you?
• 21:41
  Speaker 3: Nope. Let's go.
• 21:42
  Speaker 9: Make you figure it might be us.
• 21:43
  Speaker 3: You got a house in Pasadena? Why do you ask that?
• 21:45
  Speaker 3: Have you got one?
• 21:46
  Speaker 2: No.
• 21:47
  Speaker 3: You're lying. Property records in Pasadena say you have. We
• 21:49
  Speaker 3: checked the house. Max is the one we're looking for.
• 21:51
  Speaker 3: All right. That's right. We got the woman you kidnapped.
• 21:54
  Speaker 3: She's identified your picture, you and your wife.
• 21:55
  Speaker 6: She couldn't identify me.
• 21:56
  Speaker 5: I didn't get a record.
• 21:57
  Speaker 9: You ain't taking me no place.
• 21:59
  Speaker 7: All right, get out of the way.
• 22:01
  Speaker 6: Hold it.
• 22:02
  Speaker 7: Hold it right there.
• 22:04
  Speaker 3: All right, come on. On your feet. Okay. Be clean.
• 22:06
  Speaker 3: Hands behind you. I told you what had happened. I
• 22:14
  Speaker 3: told you we should let it go right away. I
• 22:15
  Speaker 3: told you. Oh, shut up. You and your bright ideas.
• 22:17
  Speaker 3: Ten grand, easy. You and your bright ideas. Well, look
• 22:19
  Speaker 3: what I got.
• 22:20
  Speaker 7: Look, Buster.
• 22:20
  Speaker 6: You didn't yell when you started getting your hot little
• 22:23
  Speaker 6: hands on that dough. You were all for it then.
• 22:24
  Speaker 3: Well, we lost.
• 22:24
  Speaker 6: What do you want me to do about it? Break
• 22:26
  Speaker 6: down and bar?
• 22:27
  Speaker 3: No, no. I should have known from the beginning. I
• 22:28
  Speaker 3: had nothing but trouble with you from the start. Always
• 22:30
  Speaker 3: wanting something easy. Always wanting big money. Never satisfied. That's
• 22:32
  Speaker 3: the trouble with kids. Bad losers.
• 22:34
  Speaker 6: Great winners, but bad losers. Well, you're a big boy now.
• 22:37
  Speaker 6: You lost.
• 22:38
  Speaker 3: That's always true.
• 22:39
  Speaker 6: Stop whining.
• 22:39
  Speaker 3: Easy for you to say.
• 22:40
  Speaker 5: If you get through with me, I'll be in for life.
• 22:42
  Speaker 3: You've got no record. Yes, now. Let's go. The story.
• 22:49
  Speaker 4: You have.
• 22:52
  Speaker 3: Just heard was true. The names were changed to protect
• 22:56
  Speaker 3: the innocent.
• 22:57
  Speaker 8: On November 10th, trial was held in Department 98, Superior
• 23:01
  Speaker 8: Court of the State of California, in and for.
• 23:04
  Speaker 8: In a moment, the results of that track. Thomas Benton
• 23:11
  Speaker 8: Harper was tried and found guilty of kidnapping. He was
• 23:15
  Speaker 8: sentenced to life imprisonment in the state penitentiary, Folsom, California,
• 23:19
  Speaker 8: without possibility of parole. His wife, Alice Mabel Harper, received
• 23:23
  Speaker 8: a life sentence and is now in the California Institution
• 23:26
  Speaker 8: for Women, Corona, California. Our time with Dragnet, episode 187,
• 23:30
  Speaker 8: Big String, now comes to a close. Follow Dragnet for
• 23:32
  Speaker 8: more classic broadcasts.