Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Dragnet: Production 10 (aka: The Maniac Murderer) (EP1382)

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Dragnet: Production 10 (aka: The Maniac Murderer) (EP1382) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

0:28
Welcome to the Great Detectors of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
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is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, send it
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of my reviews directly to your kindle and you can try that service out free
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for two weeks. Just search for Great Detectors of Old Time Radio. Well,
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now it's time for today's episode of Dragnet Production ten aka Maniac Murderer.
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Original air date August the eleventh of nineteen forty nine. Here's another in MBC's
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Great parode of news shows. Ladies and gentlemen, The story you're about to
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hear is true only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. MBC
1:57
brings you Dragnet. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to homicide. There's
2:15
a mad killer at large in your city. A woman has been brutally slain,
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the body mutilated. The picture is clear. The killer has a thirst
2:27
for blood. Your job get him. Dragnet the documented drama of an actual
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crime, investigated and solved by the men who unrelentingly stand watch on the security
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of your home, your family, and your life. For the next thirty
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minutes. Transcribed in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel
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step by step on the side of the law through an actual case from official
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police files, from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Drag Matt
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is the story of your police force in action. It was Wednesday, January
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twelfth. It was raining in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch
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out of homicide. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is at backstrand Chief
3:19
of Detectives. My name is Friday. I was on the way back from
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the Morgan. It was eleven twenty three PM when I got to Room forty
3:24
two Homicide. Hi Joe, Chief wants to see her. He's in there
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with Romero. Thanks Channer. How's a wife? Bye? How about your
3:35
mother? Better? Thanks? Hi? Jill, Hi, honey, sit
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down. Did they post a buddy in the morning? Pretty messy, strangled
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and mutilated. Guys, a maniac skipper. The buddy shows you murdered axes.
3:51
Anybody's a suspect. The coroner looked at the body. He says the
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weapon was a long sharp instrument. Found her in a hotel down on East
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third Street. Manager son discovered here about seven thirty. You talked to him.
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It's too much for him. He passed out. Manager wasn't a home.
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We'll check with him before midnight, goes. Do it now, Joe,
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We better get going, all right. The boys from the crime lab
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checked the room. We're still down there. D The place is a mess.
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We'll get back as soon as you can. We're working straight through on
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this thing. That's a hot I'll get it. At the Luxe Hotel,
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Room two one nine, corner of South Grand and Cordova. Dead body,
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possible homicide. The lux Hotel, Room two one nine, corner of South
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Grand and Cordova dead What is it? Friday? Lux Hotel possible homicide busy
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nine. Yeah, you coming in right, let's go. Six minutes later
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ed backstrand Ben and I pulled up a in front of the Luxe Hotel.
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The manager met us at the door and led the way up a narrow stairway
5:03
to the second floor. The room number was two nineteen. We were prepared
5:09
for the worst. We got it. You're right room row. The guy
5:16
must be a maniac. Two hotels, two murders the same mo. Three
5:27
of us made a brief inspection of the room with the Luxe Hotel. We
5:30
took a few notes in the appearance of the girl's body and a brief description.
5:33
Apparently she'd been strangled to death first and then her body brutally mangled.
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Ben and I went back down to the lobby and the manager, mister Ford,
5:43
showed us the housebook the girl was registered together with a man mister and
5:47
missus Philip Graham. We took the hotel register to have a check for fingerprints
5:53
and a photostat the handwriting. Ben notified the crime lab. Then we went
5:57
back to the room and questioned the manager, mister and missus Philip Grant.
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That's all I know. I never saw either one of them before. Tonight.
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When did they check in, mister Ford? About three hours ago?
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That's right, about nine, maybe a little before. Did they register together?
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Yeah, a little before nine. They came in together. Did you
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let them in the room, yes, sir, like I always do.
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It's a small place here, maybe not first class, but I treat people
6:20
right. What did the man look like? You remember? I think so?
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Kind of tall, young, maybe thirty or so. Husky fella had
6:29
a mustache. How tall would you say, mister Ford? Oh, bout
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your height? Wade must have been at least one hundred and eighty. Seemed
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like a nice fellow. Would you know him if you saw him again?
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I think so. People sure don't act like they look. Do you think
6:44
it was him and you think of anybody else? Well? No, I
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never saw him before tonight, either one of them. I don't know anything
6:50
about it. Did you notice anything in particular about them when they came in?
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Well, he didn't show it, but it looked like she'd been drinking
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a little giggling, you know. And you didn't see this man Grant leave
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the hotel? No I didn't. I must have been checking the account books
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back of the desk. Juesse. He got by me. Is there a
7:08
back entrance to the hotel, mister pot No, he had to come out
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this way. All right, about the fire escape, I never thought of
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that, say, I bet you cops think I'm trying to hide something.
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How did you happen to find the body? I don't know anything about it,
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honest. I've been running the hotel for ten years now. Everybody knows
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me around here. You can ask at the bank. All right, mister
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Ford, Now would you mind telling us how you happen to find the body?
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I don't want a lot of lousy newspaper publicity give the place a bad
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name. Can you blame me? The newspapers won't get your name from us.
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All we want to know is how you happen to find the body?
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Well, I told you it's a small place here, but I like to
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treat people right. A couple hours after they checked in, I remembered I
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forgot to fill the ice water pitcher in the room, so I got some
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and took it up. The door was opened a little ways. It's got
7:56
a bad catch on it, and the lights were on. I peeked in
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and there she was. She was. Well, the guy must have been
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crazy. Do you remember what time it was when you found her, well,
8:09
just before I called the cops about tap past eleven. I guess all
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right, four, that's all for now. When the other officers get here,
8:16
show them up, William, Yes, sir, I sure will remember
8:20
ysk Giver. Get on the phone downstairs and call the Metropolitan Division. Have
8:24
them send us every available man from the reserve unit. We're going to patrol
8:28
the area for the rest of the night, right, Gee, least we
8:31
can do is make it hard for him. Two murders and seven hours,
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both of them in a three block radius, same pattern. It's got to
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be the same guy. All right, we got a description. What do
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you think when the reserve unit shows up, have them cover this whole section
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of town. Pick up everybody who even comes close to that guy's description.
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All right, ed, it's got to go fast. We can't lose them
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in it one hour. Either way, it might mean another body like this
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one. Nine minutes later, at four minutes past midnight, the men from
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the crime lab showed up. That started to drizzle. They went over the
9:11
room in detail. They dusted everything in the room for fingerprints, the walls,
9:15
the doors, the fixtures in the bathroom, the lamps and chairs.
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Everything. They took samples of the girl's blood and their lipstick. Small pieces
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of flesh and human hair were found under the girl's fingernails. The nails were
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scraped carefully and the contents put in an envelope, marked and sealed ed Backstrand
9:31
ordered pictures taken up the room and the girl's body from different angles. Every
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object in the room that could have any possible tie in with a murder was
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photographed. It was raining. The rear of the hotel, where the fire
9:43
escape was overlooked a vacant lot. Ben had a hunch. While the lab
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men were at work, we left the hotel and circled around into the lot
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for a look at the ground directly underneath the fire escape ladder. It was
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raining hard. Now it must be an easier way to make a living.
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It's almost up to my knee, Lyne to watch your step. See any
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prints, No, wait till my wife sees these new shoes. Put it
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on your expense account. All real funny, Ben, Get that light over
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here. Look, Yeah, good set of friends. Lucky that rain didn't
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start turning to wash them out. But now, yeah, hand me that
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cover from the trash can over there. I'll cover him. Wait a minute,
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what here on the edge of the fire escape ladder? Small hunker flow
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up man suit. Oh, it looks like it might have caught himself in
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that sharp corner. I got it all right, come on, let's get
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back. Yeah, out of this mud there, yo, huh. Let
10:46
me have a lie. You catch anything uncle wrapping paper in that prish can
10:52
stains on him? Open it up? Look, yeah, butcher an.
11:03
We went back to the Luxe Hotel, Room two nineteen. The lab men
11:07
were tearing the room apart. It was ten minutes to one. We gave
11:11
a bloodstained knife and the piece of cloth we found on the fire escape to
11:13
Lieutenant Lee Jones, head of the crime lab. We told him about the
11:16
footprints just below the fire escape ladder. The knife will help us sol a
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cloth. I don't know about the footprints. You say you're covering them.
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That's Friday. I still looking pretty good, Shay. Maybe we can do
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something if the rain hasn't broken them down too bad. Racking. Yeah,
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Lieutenant, you and Sloan get downstairs and take a look at those prints.
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They're good enough. Get a torch, dry them out, make a cast,
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right, Okay, lieutenant. Come on, that's about all I can
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do for you now, Ed. I think we got everything the ri is
11:41
to get, all right, Jones, I'll follow you back to the lab
11:45
in a couple of minutes. Okay, Ed, good luck thought, Thanks
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Lee. We're gonna need it all right, Faddy Romeril, it's your baby
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for the rest of the night. Did they get anything? A few prints,
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A woman's purse under the bed. Don't know if it's hers or not.
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No identification. You're going to be at the crime lab, Ed all
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night. As soon as we find anything, I'll let you know. Yeah.
12:05
A gang of cops just came in the lobby. They asked for you
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must be the reserve men for Metropolitan. Tell them we'll be right down for
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it. Okay, you want us to handle that, that's right. So
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just as I told you, spread them out over the whole area. Cover
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the streets, the alleys, the flop houses, restaurants, bars, everything.
12:24
You got a description to go on, find the man that fits it,
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all right, don't forget the guys that kill her twice over. I
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don't think he'd hesitate on you. Be careful. We went down to the
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lobby and Ed Backstrand gave the reserve men their orders. Then Backstrand left and
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Ben and I took over. We picked up another half dozen men in addition
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to the men in the reserve unit. They were deployed over an area of
12:48
a dozen square blocks. It was one of the toughest sections of the city.
12:52
With a general description of the suspect. Some of them were to travel
12:56
on foot, some and cruiser cars. A few minutes before one am,
13:00
it was a steady down for visibility was bad. At three minutes past one
13:03
the man hunt was on. For the first thirty minutes, Ben and I
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cruised the general area between East Third and Colleague Streets and Alameda and Figure on
13:15
no sign. The rain kept on the satin Listen to the calls coming twelve
13:22
A call your station, twelve A KMA three six seven attention all units recovered
13:33
license plates in the sixth column four Young seven six nine Old forty one,
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R seventh eight eight Standard Avenue at three seven three forty one, R KMA
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three sixty seven, Unit seventy one at two eight one six West Vienna,
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the five or seven party are your things? Joe any haunt you? I
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think he's still around somewhere inside these twelve blocks, I'd bet on it.
14:09
Five. All right, you're on. I want to check out a couple
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of these bars along here, getting on the closing time. It's a good
14:16
idea. Pull over her, all right, let's check him for the next
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couple of blocks. Huh right, For the next six blocks until closing time.
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Ben and I checked every bar and every informant we met along the way.
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The questions got to be automatic. Have you seen a man answering this
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description? Tall, dark, about five feet eleven, one hundred and eighty
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pounds, well built, mustache, about thirty years old. The ANSWER's got
14:48
to be automatic too, Sorry, officer, I haven't seen him. Oh,
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can't remember him. Pry the place down the street. We kept on
14:54
checking the bars until they closed for the night. Then we started on the
14:58
all night wrestling some coffee counties. We did plenty of leg work for the
15:03
next hour, not a trace. About two thirty the rain let up a
15:07
little, and then it started in heavy all over again. That finishes that
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blah, Yeah, better get the radio on, Yeah, beautiful wed by
15:22
the bucket full not to smoke. Thank you control for Unit eighty K your
15:28
location, Yeah eighty K your location KMA three six seven. That's us,
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Joe, you want to take it? Jack eighty K to control four eighty
15:39
K to control four our location corner of Alameda and commercial cam A three six
15:43
seven, eighty K stand back something doing maybe no hold on a minute control
15:52
for eighty K. Go to the crime lab. Code two eighty K to
15:56
control four CAMA three sixty seven crime. Maybe those friends pade off. Well,
16:02
I hope, so let's go and killer sure big fine weather to work.
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And it feels like I've just been swimming in these clothes. Yeah,
16:12
I hope those guys in the crime lab have the heater on, a hot
16:15
bath and a warm bed. Lead me on a tension unite the radio unit
16:22
and poor too, oh Saint John's play a woman screaming and for too oh
16:27
Saint John's place. Go right by, double around, Ben, hit the
16:30
siren, I'll get the light right, hold on, let's turn on the
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market said right, yeah, watch out for those contracts. I we hold
16:40
on again. The alley up ahead to you, right, huh, I
16:45
pull up Ben on the street light over there, All right, come on,
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let's go, all right, what happened, let's happen reacher. She
16:56
was coming home up the street. A man he tried to he slashed her
17:00
coat. Look at a I saw me as you went onto the street light.
17:03
Where do you go here? Down net Week down the alley over that
17:06
venture A big man. David Davis, you're there, Yeah, Joe,
17:10
all right, Ben go with David. Circle behind the alley. See what
17:11
you can find. I'll call in all right, come on, yeah,
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look at her face? What's wrong with the severe status shock? It looks
17:18
like get her in the house. Huh. I'll call an ambulance. Eighty
17:26
K to Control four, eighty K to control four, Control four. We'll
17:30
go ahead. Direct all units in the vicinity to converge on area around Saint
17:36
John's Place from Jackson to Banning Street. A woman attacked by large man with
17:41
a knife. Suspect left scene on foot, possibly still an area. Request
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ambulance KMA three sixty seven eighty K Roger stand by. Attention, all units,
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attention, All units converge on area around Saint John's Place, Jackson the
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Banning Street. Eighty K repoints from an attacked by large man with knife stuck
18:03
back Nicety on the fever. In three minutes, the area around Saint John's
18:10
Place was surrounded. For the next hour, the men homed the neighborhood back
18:12
and forth. Every building, every storehouse in the two square blocks was searched
18:17
from basement to attic. No trace. The girl, Rita, was hysterical.
18:22
She could give us only a bare description of her attacker. At three
18:26
forty five am, a detail was assigned to patrol the area and the rest
18:30
of the cars and the men were deployed again in the general area from Figaro
18:33
to Alameda Street and East third to Collegue Street. The man hunt went on,
18:37
so did the rain. At three point fifty four, Ben and I
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checked in at the Old City Jail building, the second floor the crime lab.
18:45
She fed Backstrand and Lee Jones were waiting for us. Heard about the
18:48
call. How'd you get away? Not short? Was amskiper? How do
18:52
you mean? Oh, the girl wasn't hurt bad for one thing, no
18:53
attempted strangling for another thing. The guy stole her purse. That doesn't sound
18:56
like a man were after. Did you get a description from the girl?
19:00
Didn't jibe too well which she gave us. She's pretty hysterical, and you
19:03
rake the neighborhood. Good every corner. Not a sign. Do you find
19:06
anything, yeah, Jones, yeahead, fill them in? Will you not
19:10
one print on that knife? You found boys blood but not a print?
19:12
Your killers crazy like a fox. How about the scraping from the girl's finger
19:17
Nailsly didn't help too much, rarely do not enough to go on. You
19:19
had to have a fair sized bit of flesh to run it for Papa Witches.
19:22
All we found under the girl's fingernails are small bits of skin. Yeah,
19:26
she probably scratched the guy up. Some might have drawn blood. We
19:30
had more luck with the footprints and get an impression right out the ground the
19:33
torches and cast him outside. Ten b. It's finally, But how about
19:37
the prints? Only good? One was a thumb, real good. Got
19:40
it off the wall and the light switch in the bathroom get classified. Yeah,
19:42
yep, found it in our single fingerprint file. The print belongs to
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man by the name of Long, Robert Long. He got a record ed
19:49
yeah, misdemeanor, two arrests for drunkeness last October Patty's theft in December the
19:56
mama She chose a dishonorable discharge from the United States Coast Guard in nineteen forty
20:00
six, aged twenty nine, one hundred and ninety two pounds, five feet
20:04
ten inches, dark hair, dark eyes. That's close enough. We got
20:07
even closer. Joe Long works as a counter man at the Cottage Cafe on
20:11
a South Flower. Started there last week on the early morning shift, but
20:15
he didn't show up for work last night. Good where'd you get the tap?
20:18
The knife you boys found didn't have any prints, but had a brand
20:22
on it. We ran it down and was taken from the cottage cafe.
20:27
Any address on this Robert long End? Yeah, got it from his boss
20:32
rooming house in East first Land. Lady says he hasn't been home in two
20:34
nights. Now, we weigh rooming house is staked out, and so is
20:40
the cottage cafe, just in case Long decides to show up for work this
20:44
morning. What time you got Romeo? Six minutes past? For all right?
20:48
We've got every indication that Robert Long's the man were after his description,
20:53
fingerprints, the knife with print his size. Maybe we're wrong, I don't
21:00
think so. How about a motive, ben, I think Robert Long likes
21:03
to kill, He's thirsty for it. None of the victims were criminally attacked.
21:07
They were strangled. Body's mutilated. How about robbery? No. Two
21:12
of the women he killed had money in their purses. He didn't touch it.
21:15
Well, what's next, Gipper back on the street? Figure out?
21:18
Tell me he stirred to College Street. Keep anet around that area and work
21:22
it back and forth until we're positive he's not inside. I think he is.
21:32
At ten minutes past four am, at Backstrand, Ben and I left
21:34
the crime lab and drove to the surrounded area. It was still raining.
21:41
We passed several patrolmen from the reserve unit making the rounds. They didn't look
21:45
any more comfortable than we felt. At Broadway in Alpine Street, Ben and
21:49
I got out and started patrolling on foot again. Backstrand followed him the car
21:53
to maintain a radio check. They must have covered two dozen blocks and a
21:59
half a dozen cops counters before we got to the Criterion Restaurant and donut shop,
22:03
a few blocks up the street from the Cottage Cafe. Hey, skipper,
22:07
you want to take a minute for some hot coffee. I'll keep an
22:11
ear on the radio. Did you two go ahead? You look trench?
22:14
Yeah we are. Will we bring you some back in a paper carton flying
22:18
Thanks? Cream, no sugar all right, ed, Come on, ben
22:30
lace is empty? Yeah? Yeah, sir, gentlemen, what will it
22:33
be? Hot coffee? Yeah, there's two of us here. Can you
22:34
fix up one to go? You sure a thing saying that? One to
22:38
go? Cream? No sugar? Right? Say you follows cops? Yeah?
22:44
Why? No offense? Just wondering here you are? Thank you?
22:49
Coppin uniform was around a couple hours ago. Wanted to know if I had
22:52
seen some guy who was looking for tall, about one hundred and ninety pounds,
22:56
mistakes, about thirty years old. Yeah, that's a description he gave
22:59
me. He was looking for the guy. So are we say? That's
23:03
good? That other cop came in right at my busiest time, a little
23:04
after two, when the bars closed. You know, it gets pretty rushed,
23:07
and I didn't have much time to think, so I just said no.
23:11
Then after the cop left, I remembered, you saw a man answering
23:14
that description tonight. Yeah. I would have told the cop, but I
23:18
was rushed, you know how, it is no time to think. And
23:19
then I remembered, are you sure? Oh, I'm sure? All right?
23:22
Whoever he is, he's a lady killer. What do you mean?
23:26
No offense? There was a sharp looking dame down the end of the conter
23:29
and this guy breezes in and picks her up, talks to her about twenty
23:33
minutes, buys her cup of coffee, and they walk out together. You
23:36
remember what she looked like? Oh, nice looking dame. Not beautiful,
23:40
you know, more on the cute side, Ben, you got that morg
23:42
shot. Oh yeah, we're here to thanks. Here's a picture. It's
23:48
the girl, let's see. Yeah, that's her. Who is she?
23:53
I don't know, mister down at the Morgue they call her Jane Doe number
23:56
seven. Just by accident, we'd come across a concrete lead on the killer's
24:04
method of operation. The picture we showed the man in the donut shop was
24:08
a shot of the strangler's first victim the night before. Evidently, the killer
24:12
would enter a bar, coffee shop, or restaurant, strike up a conversation
24:17
with a woman, make friends with either buy or drinks, or invite her
24:21
to a bar in the neighborhood, and then the rest of the puzzle was
24:23
still unsolved. We went back to the cottage cafe and checked with the men
24:27
on steakhout. Not a sign up, chief, How are you men covering
24:30
the place? Backstrap up in front, and the booth across in the cash
24:33
register. Lineman's back with the dishwashers. I'm at the counter. When's Long
24:37
du to report for work? Dave? At five? About twenty minutes to
24:42
go. You're lucky you're inside. It's wet out there. You're looking all
24:47
right, Davis. We'll be around about five, right, chief, Let's
24:55
get back in the car. Work giver, who's the next two blocks?
25:03
But don't go too five. If Long shows up for work this morning,
25:07
we want to be around the next ten minutes. Dragged by the rain,
25:15
kept on backstrand chewed nervously on a cigar. At South Flower and First Street,
25:22
the sewers were clogged with street refuse. The rain backed up and filled
25:26
the intersection, and a group of aircraft workers huddled together in a doorway on
25:32
one corner, waiting for the bus. It's cold and damp. I opened
25:37
one of the back windows in the car to get some fresh air, and
25:41
off in the distance and close by we could hear the sounds of a big
25:44
city waking up slow to a rainy January morning. It was eight minutes to
25:49
five. Attention, all units, Attention, all units. At seven eight
25:55
oh east, Maine. A restaurant man answering description of murders. That's all
26:00
right, Romeo, step on it about ten blocks away, ed, who's
26:06
gonna cover the menu at the cottage cafe? This is a blind lady.
26:07
It won't take us long to find out. They can handle it alone if
26:11
they have to hang on. Look out, we're skidding. That was a
26:18
close one, Ben, Yeah, this is the guy. I owe you
26:21
five bucks. Right yeah, attention arguments, additional information on your call to
26:27
seven eight oh east may Admastur's in pursumer suspect. Suspect is on foot.
26:33
Step on that, Romo, more blocks give him watch his ben, next
26:37
one to the left, got it, that's the joint up ahead there.
26:41
All right, watch your step and don't take chances. Don't play with it.
26:45
Right here we go. You went out the bark rub out at allens.
26:55
Come on, man, behind you go. Man hustler tugging around the
26:57
block and trunk off the alleys, said, right right over the fence,
27:03
Ben, Ben, look out, look out. All right, he's not
27:10
that good. Come on, Joe, all right, all right, guys
27:12
between the buildings, stop for all shout the next house. He ducked,
27:18
into the basement. Right, cover me, right, come on. He
27:25
broke through the garage doors. Eric Davis, Dave, Dave, he slipped
27:30
through. Get down of the next corner, ring the plot, Ben,
27:33
Ben, did you follow him? Right on his tail at warehouse a couple
27:37
of lots from me. He went through the back. There is Joe.
27:41
I don't go in blind. Watch out all right too. You haven't got
27:45
a chance. Come out with your hands up. He's not stopping Joe.
27:48
All right, let's fan out, alright, Ben, cover me. I'm
27:52
going for the door, all right, Ben, come on, you're clear.
28:02
He spot him, Carys. Let's get it close. He's in a
28:10
good spot. Let's move. He's up in the locks. Come on,
28:12
let's head up the stairs. Easy spot him then not a sign, but
28:22
look out. The fucking can kind of close on Joe. Yeah, let's
28:30
get that punk now. Joe, it's all right you We got the warehouse
28:37
surrounded. Come on down, all right, then we'll plast y'all. Jo's
28:45
dropping down the ladder. He's going for the front door. They're waiting for
28:48
him with Tommy guns out there. They'll cut you down. Stop Joe.
28:55
He's got the door open. He's making a break for us. It's crazy.
29:00
He's trying to shoot his way up. Well he asked for Yeah,
29:11
let's take a look masked death like his girlfriends. Yeah, maybe he just
29:27
didn't like women. Maybe I had you all right time. This is him,
29:38
huh, even the scratches that girl made on his face. Description match
29:47
five feet ten, one hundred and ninety two pounds, dark hair, dark
29:51
eyes, aged twenty nine, Robert long Killer. The story you have just
30:03
heard is true, only the names were changed to protect the innocent. You
30:15
have just heard the tenth in a new series of authentic cases transcribed from official
30:18
files. Technical advice for Dragnet is furnished by the Los Angeles Police Department.
30:26
Tonight's program is dedicated to Detective Lewis A. Abbott of the Chicago Police Department,
30:32
who, on the afternoon of March third, nineteen forty seven, gave
30:36
his life so that yours might be more secure. Dragnet came to you from
30:48
Los Angeles. If you enjoyed Tonight's production of Dragnet, you'll probably want to
30:53
listen this Saturday evening to a pair of adventure shows featuring two well known Hollywood
30:57
personalities. You'll enjoy Brian don Levy, star of Dangerous Assignment. Also on
31:03
Saturday schedule is Richard Diamond, Private Detective as played by the screens romantic tough
31:10
guy Dick Poe. Listen to both of these exciting programs this Saturday over most
31:14
of these NBCA stations. This is NBC the National Broadcasting Company. Welcome Back.
31:32
Probably this episode's most noteworthy for the introduction of Harry Morgan, who would
31:40
eventually go on to play the role of Bill Gannon on Dragnet nineteen sixty seven.
31:48
And I liked how they work that there his tone of voice, and
31:52
you can really tell the way is portrayed almost his whole posture of the conversation
31:59
change when he's suspected that the police were accusing him of having done something wrong.
32:04
We also get to hear one of the great appeals of Dragnet, which
32:07
is bringing the setting to line. Sometimes we heard the police radio for at
32:13
least a few moments when nothing regarding the case that Friday and Romero were investigating
32:22
was being discussed, because oftentimes, if you were in a police car,
32:28
you would hear a lot of conversation not directly relevant to your case. So
32:35
it's that sense of realism and being there on the investigation if you do begin
32:42
to see the problem or the issue that would eventually be addressed with Ed Bastrand.
32:50
Raymond Bird does a good job with the character the Big Challenge, and
32:54
I think the problem for that character was just that he basically became a bit
33:02
of a third wheel there, you know, constantly going out on patrols and
33:08
cases and inserting himself into the case. And as good as Raymond Burr was
33:15
in that role, it was certainly not a dynamic that could continue on forever.
33:20
Well, that'll actually do it for today. We will be back on
33:23
Monday with the Saint and then join us back here next Saturday for another episode
33:30
of Dragnet. In the meanwhile, send you comments to Box thirteen at Great
33:34
Detactives dot now, follow us on Twitter Radio Detactives, and become one of
33:38
our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com. Slash Radio Detectives from Boise,
33:44
Idaho. This is your host, Adam Grahamson and off