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Dragnet: The Big Death (EP4550) · The Great Detectives Present Dragnet (Old Time Radio)

• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: going to bring you this week's episode of Dragnet. But
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: before we do, I want to encourage you, if you
• 0:43
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• 0:47
  Speaker 1: Today's program is brought to you in part by the
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  Speaker 1: financial support of our listeners. You can support the show
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• 1:12
  Speaker 1: month at Patreon dot Great Detectives dot net. But now,
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: from September twenty eighth, nineteen fifty, here is the Big Death.
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: The story you are about to hear is true, only
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: the names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: a detective sergeant. You're assigned to homicide detail. A socially
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: prominent citizen is plotting to kill his wife. He tells
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: you his plans for the murder. He hires you to
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: do the killing your job stop him.
• 2:09
  Speaker 3: Drag Net the documented drama of an actual crime. While
• 2:13
  Speaker 3: the next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles
• 2:15
  Speaker 3: Police Department, you will travel step by step on the
• 2:18
  Speaker 3: side of the law through an actual case, from official
• 2:20
  Speaker 3: police files, from beginning to end, from crime to punishment.
• 2:25
  Speaker 3: Drag Net is the story of your police force in action.
• 2:30
  Speaker 4: It was Monday, February seventeen, was reigning in Los Angeles.
• 2:34
  Speaker 4: We were working a day watch out of homicide detail.
• 2:37
  Speaker 4: My partner's Ben Romero.
• 2:38
  Speaker 5: The boss is Thad Brown, Chief of Detectives. My name
• 2:40
  Speaker 5: is Friday.
• 2:41
  Speaker 4: It was four eighteen pm when we got to Room
• 2:43
  Speaker 4: twenty six, Chief Detective's office.
• 2:48
  Speaker 6: Come on in, man, have a seat. Would you close
• 2:53
  Speaker 6: the door of Friday?
• 2:54
  Speaker 5: Yeah?
• 2:54
  Speaker 6: Sure, at in Steed, Sergeant Ramera.
• 3:01
  Speaker 7: Sergeant Friday, like, have you meet Special Agent Rate Kimball,
• 3:04
  Speaker 7: Public Utilities Commission and his friend mister Trudeau. How do
• 3:08
  Speaker 7: you do, TRUDEA gentlemen, mister Kimball and mister Trudeau here
• 3:12
  Speaker 7: have some important information to give us.
• 3:14
  Speaker 6: Mister Trudeau, would you like to repeat for these officers
• 3:16
  Speaker 6: what you told us a few moments ago.
• 3:18
  Speaker 8: Yes, sir, Well, a friend of mine wants me to
• 3:21
  Speaker 8: kill his wife for him. I'm convinced he means to
• 3:23
  Speaker 8: go through the thing.
• 3:24
  Speaker 7: Naturally, it goes without saying that, Kimball here back at
• 3:27
  Speaker 7: the veracity of the story.
• 3:28
  Speaker 8: Well, mister Trudeau, who is your friend along? You know him?
• 3:31
  Speaker 8: His name's Charles Stone. I guess maybe you heard of
• 3:34
  Speaker 8: him on the string of warehouses around town. I used
• 3:37
  Speaker 8: to work for him. Oh yeah, Well, the other day
• 3:40
  Speaker 8: he called me and asked me if I was working.
• 3:41
  Speaker 8: I told him no. Then he asked me to meet
• 3:44
  Speaker 8: him in front of the public library. That was last
• 3:47
  Speaker 8: Saturday afternoon.
• 3:49
  Speaker 5: But did you meet him?
• 3:50
  Speaker 8: Yes, I did, and he took me to a bar
• 3:52
  Speaker 8: in the neighborhood. Started telling me all about his troubles
• 3:54
  Speaker 8: at home. He said his wife was stepping out on him,
• 3:57
  Speaker 8: running around with other men. He had quite a few drinks,
• 4:01
  Speaker 8: and I guess I thought, that's what I counted for it?
• 4:03
  Speaker 6: What service the Trudeau?
• 4:05
  Speaker 8: Well, he leaned toward me and he said, here's the dough.
• 4:07
  Speaker 8: The wife and I haven't been getting along well at
• 4:09
  Speaker 8: all for about a year. She's stepping out with some
• 4:12
  Speaker 8: other guy on me. And to make a long story short,
• 4:15
  Speaker 8: well that's when he told me, he said, I want
• 4:19
  Speaker 8: a loser. What do you say, Well, I told him
• 4:23
  Speaker 8: I didn't quite get the drift of the thing. And
• 4:25
  Speaker 8: then he said, I want my wife killed. I'll pay
• 4:27
  Speaker 8: you a thousand dollars for the job.
• 4:29
  Speaker 9: Mister Trudeau, have you any idea why he conducted you
• 4:32
  Speaker 9: on his thing.
• 4:32
  Speaker 8: Well, I don't know, other than the fact that I
• 4:35
  Speaker 8: hadn't been able to work for some time. He knew
• 4:37
  Speaker 8: I needed the money pretty badly. As soon as I
• 4:40
  Speaker 8: was sure he wasn't kidding about the murder, I told
• 4:43
  Speaker 8: mister Kimball here, he's an old friend of mine. Well,
• 4:46
  Speaker 8: he said the only thing to do was to take
• 4:48
  Speaker 8: it to the police.
• 4:48
  Speaker 6: Did this, mister Stone, make this proposition to you more
• 4:51
  Speaker 6: than once?
• 4:51
  Speaker 8: Yes, he did, kept reminding me how much I could
• 4:54
  Speaker 8: use a thousand dollars. All I could say was that
• 4:58
  Speaker 8: I knew his wife too well. I couldn't do it.
• 5:01
  Speaker 5: Would Stone say to that, sir, so.
• 5:03
  Speaker 8: I had cold feet? Told me I was just like
• 5:05
  Speaker 8: another man he'd lined up to kill his wife. Told
• 5:08
  Speaker 8: me if I didn't want the job, he'd get someone.
• 5:09
  Speaker 5: Else to do it.
• 5:10
  Speaker 6: Do you think he might go for a substitute mister
• 5:12
  Speaker 6: Trudeau one of them men.
• 5:13
  Speaker 8: I don't know, Chief, only one thing I'm sure of, Yes, Sir,
• 5:17
  Speaker 8: he wants his wife dead.
• 5:23
  Speaker 4: Four forty two pm the meeting in the Chief Detective's
• 5:26
  Speaker 4: office went on. A man with the name of Charles
• 5:29
  Speaker 4: Stone wanted his wife murdered. He'd offered one thousand dollars
• 5:32
  Speaker 4: for a death. He'd approached two men to do the job.
• 5:34
  Speaker 4: Both had refused. From the information we'd received, we knew
• 5:37
  Speaker 4: he wouldn't stop there. There are a lot of people
• 5:40
  Speaker 4: who'd kill for one thousand dollars. It was only a
• 5:42
  Speaker 4: matter of time till he found one. A plan was
• 5:44
  Speaker 4: formulated and Ben and I were assigned to the case.
• 5:46
  Speaker 4: Five pm, together with Captain Steve and mister Trudeau, we
• 5:49
  Speaker 4: left Thad Brown's office and went.
• 5:51
  Speaker 5: Down the hall to Homicide.
• 5:52
  Speaker 6: In your last meeting with Stone, mister Trudeau, you refused
• 5:55
  Speaker 6: outright to have anything to do with this plan to
• 5:56
  Speaker 6: have his wife murdered.
• 5:57
  Speaker 5: That right, that's right?
• 5:59
  Speaker 6: Did you leave any at all?
• 6:01
  Speaker 8: Well, just to get away from the guy. I told
• 6:03
  Speaker 8: him if I heard of anybody to do the job,
• 6:05
  Speaker 8: I'd let him know.
• 6:07
  Speaker 4: You think that maybe he'd listen to you if you
• 6:09
  Speaker 4: went back and suggested somebody.
• 6:11
  Speaker 8: I don't know. He'd listen to me, but he's no Dumby.
• 6:14
  Speaker 8: You got to understand that he's going to be careful.
• 6:17
  Speaker 6: Well which one he was going to play?
• 6:19
  Speaker 5: The killer?
• 6:20
  Speaker 6: I'd like to drives killer? Who's going to fit the
• 6:23
  Speaker 6: part best? Trudeaer Er just told you that Charles Stone
• 6:25
  Speaker 6: is no pushover.
• 6:26
  Speaker 8: I don't know, Captain. This offset here me. Yeah, no offense,
• 6:30
  Speaker 8: but i'd sure peg you for a cop? You would,
• 6:33
  Speaker 8: was it? I don't know. You just look like one.
• 6:36
  Speaker 5: I guess.
• 6:36
  Speaker 6: Well, Joe is a little closer to average Hideway.
• 6:39
  Speaker 8: Yeah, that's what I mean, Captain, he doesn't look.
• 6:41
  Speaker 5: Like a cop.
• 6:42
  Speaker 6: All right now, mister Trudeau, you're willing to go along
• 6:46
  Speaker 6: with his on this thing?
• 6:47
  Speaker 8: Certainly? Captain, anything I can do, you just tell me
• 6:49
  Speaker 8: what you want.
• 6:50
  Speaker 6: Well, just as soon as possible, we'd like to have
• 6:52
  Speaker 6: you contact mister Stone. You don't know how to approach him,
• 6:55
  Speaker 6: so it's not to make him suspicious.
• 6:56
  Speaker 8: Yes, I think I can do that.
• 6:58
  Speaker 6: Joe, how do you want to go about this?
• 7:00
  Speaker 4: Well, I better use some kind of Annelias. Let's see Matson,
• 7:04
  Speaker 4: Joe Manson.
• 7:05
  Speaker 6: How about Kelly, he's playing Kelly.
• 7:07
  Speaker 5: That's fine with me.
• 7:07
  Speaker 6: Good Now, how about your background? I'm better get that
• 7:10
  Speaker 6: straight with mister Trudeau here.
• 7:11
  Speaker 5: Well, I suppose I tell him I'm from Phoenix. Huh,
• 7:13
  Speaker 5: I know that town pretty well. He might ask me
• 7:15
  Speaker 5: some questions about it.
• 7:16
  Speaker 6: Okay, Now do you happen to know true to the army?
• 7:19
  Speaker 5: Did you ever serve in the army? Was Trude?
• 7:21
  Speaker 10: Yes?
• 7:21
  Speaker 8: Forty two to forty five CBI better?
• 7:23
  Speaker 4: All right, Well we serve together in the army. Let's
• 7:26
  Speaker 4: make it in China, Quartermaster.
• 7:28
  Speaker 6: Carl all right, and now, mister Trudeau, this is all
• 7:31
  Speaker 6: you will have to do. Set up a meeting with
• 7:33
  Speaker 6: Stone as soon as possible. Introduce Friday as the man
• 7:35
  Speaker 6: who's willing to do the job for him, old Army friend.
• 7:38
  Speaker 6: Then step out of the picture as quickly as you can.
• 7:40
  Speaker 8: All right, Captain, I understand.
• 7:42
  Speaker 6: It goes without saying, we certainly appreciate your cooperation.
• 7:44
  Speaker 8: And not at all so only glad I'm in a
• 7:46
  Speaker 8: position to help out. I'll probably save that woman's lafe.
• 7:49
  Speaker 8: I wish I could be sure, naugh he mean Trudeau.
• 7:51
  Speaker 8: Last time I saw Charlie Stone is three days ago.
• 7:54
  Speaker 6: Maybe he's hired somebody else.
• 8:02
  Speaker 4: Five point thirty pm, Captain Steed ordered two teams of
• 8:05
  Speaker 4: men from Homicide to watch Charles Stone's wife, Mildred until
• 8:08
  Speaker 4: further notice.
• 8:09
  Speaker 5: For her own protection.
• 8:10
  Speaker 4: She'd be kept under twenty four hour surveillance without her knowledge.
• 8:13
  Speaker 4: We checked the Eye Bureau to see what we could
• 8:15
  Speaker 4: find on Charles Stone. He owned a gun, a thirty
• 8:18
  Speaker 4: two Smith and Wesson revolver.
• 8:19
  Speaker 5: That's all we found. He had no criminal record.
• 8:22
  Speaker 4: We knew of him only as a social figure from
• 8:24
  Speaker 4: a prominent family, and supposedly he was happily married. He
• 8:27
  Speaker 4: owned and operated a chain of six warehouses throughout Los Angeles.
• 8:30
  Speaker 5: His business reputation was good.
• 8:32
  Speaker 4: Captain Steed ordered that Charles Stone also be placed under
• 8:34
  Speaker 4: twenty four hour surveillance immediately. He would be kept under
• 8:37
  Speaker 4: watch without his knowledge. Ben Romero and Gillan Cinas were
• 8:40
  Speaker 4: one of the teams assigned to Tailor. The next morning,
• 8:43
  Speaker 4: I checked in for work at the usual time. At
• 8:45
  Speaker 4: ten fifteen am, I left Captain Steed's office and went
• 8:47
  Speaker 4: into the squad room.
• 8:52
  Speaker 5: Homicide, Friday.
• 8:53
  Speaker 6: This is mister Trudeau's sageant.
• 8:55
  Speaker 8: I saw Charlie Stone a few minutes ago.
• 8:57
  Speaker 5: Yes, sir, how to go.
• 8:58
  Speaker 8: We talked about twenty minutes. I told him you might
• 9:01
  Speaker 8: be willing to do the job. What do you say
• 9:03
  Speaker 8: he wants to meet you?
• 9:08
  Speaker 4: Before he hung up, Trudo told me that Charles Stone
• 9:10
  Speaker 4: would meet us that night in Section B and the
• 9:12
  Speaker 4: grand stands at the Midget auto Races. I'm in Santa Monica.
• 9:15
  Speaker 4: I informed Captain Steed of the development, and then I
• 9:17
  Speaker 4: left the office, went home, put away my gun and
• 9:19
  Speaker 4: all my identification changed in some old clothes.
• 9:22
  Speaker 5: I boarded a bus and.
• 9:23
  Speaker 4: Rode back downtown to the skid Row area, where I
• 9:25
  Speaker 4: rented a single room in a cheap hotel. I signed
• 9:27
  Speaker 4: the register J. Kelly Phoenix, Arizona. Five thirty pm. I
• 9:32
  Speaker 4: went to Cocain's Cafe on the corner of South Main
• 9:34
  Speaker 4: and Stella Streets.
• 9:35
  Speaker 5: Captain Steed was waiting for me in one of the
• 9:37
  Speaker 5: rare booths.
• 9:42
  Speaker 6: Hi.
• 9:42
  Speaker 5: Hi, you look like you're all set outpuit strike you Oki?
• 9:48
  Speaker 6: You fine? Oh, leather jacket's a good touch. Oh I've
• 9:52
  Speaker 6: better let your beard.
• 9:53
  Speaker 5: Grow a little. All right.
• 9:55
  Speaker 4: I rented a room in one of the hotels down here.
• 9:58
  Speaker 4: I could use a little expense mine.
• 10:00
  Speaker 6: Glad just said a little all right. I'll fix it
• 10:02
  Speaker 6: up for you.
• 10:04
  Speaker 5: Here's the phone number of the hotel in case you
• 10:06
  Speaker 5: want to contact me.
• 10:07
  Speaker 6: Good.
• 10:08
  Speaker 4: It's one thing that's got me a little worried, Skipper. Yeah,
• 10:11
  Speaker 4: the legal angle. You know, you can get pretty close
• 10:14
  Speaker 4: to entrapment in cases like this.
• 10:16
  Speaker 6: Nothing to worry about. You just played straight down the line.
• 10:18
  Speaker 5: Yeah.
• 10:19
  Speaker 6: The idea for the crime has to originate in the
• 10:21
  Speaker 6: mind of the criminal. It's got to be all his idea.
• 10:23
  Speaker 6: We just go along with him, okay, sure, and keep
• 10:26
  Speaker 6: his posted. Yeah, so well, murder of his wife means
• 10:28
  Speaker 6: a lot of stone. He wouldn't want anybody getting his way.
• 10:30
  Speaker 5: Be careful.
• 10:34
  Speaker 4: That night, I had dinner with Trudeau at a cafeteria
• 10:37
  Speaker 4: on South Grand and then we caught a bus and
• 10:39
  Speaker 4: rode out to the stadium where they held the midget
• 10:40
  Speaker 4: auto races.
• 10:42
  Speaker 5: We found the seats where.
• 10:43
  Speaker 4: Charles Stone is to meet us numbers four and five,
• 10:45
  Speaker 4: Row twenty seven, Section B Main Grand Stamp. The auto
• 10:48
  Speaker 4: races started at ten minutes past eight pm. Charlestone arrived
• 10:51
  Speaker 4: and he looked like an average prosperous businessman, well dressed,
• 10:54
  Speaker 4: medium build, dark hair that showed a hugh streets of gray.
• 10:58
  Speaker 5: Trudeau introduced us, and then.
• 11:03
  Speaker 6: Are you from Kelly Phoenix? Like mentioned on the racis
• 11:07
  Speaker 6: that's not.
• 11:07
  Speaker 5: Why I came out here. Trudeau said something about a job.
• 11:10
  Speaker 7: Sure, guys, to tell you what it's about. Yeah, you
• 11:13
  Speaker 7: ever handled anything.
• 11:14
  Speaker 6: Like this before?
• 11:16
  Speaker 5: I'd be a sucker to answer that one one night.
• 11:18
  Speaker 6: I just want to know if you could handle it.
• 11:20
  Speaker 5: Trudeo told me about it. I wouldn't be here if
• 11:22
  Speaker 5: I couldn't handle it.
• 11:23
  Speaker 6: It's got a good job. Gotta be sure it's done right.
• 11:27
  Speaker 5: What are you looking for? References?
• 11:29
  Speaker 6: Gotta be careful, that's all.
• 11:30
  Speaker 5: What about me? I don't know you from Adam? How
• 11:33
  Speaker 5: do I know it won't be a double cross?
• 11:34
  Speaker 7: I don't worry about a double cross. Let's go we
• 11:37
  Speaker 7: all with grand stand, get away from this crowd.
• 11:39
  Speaker 5: Wry with me. You haven't said anything about money.
• 11:47
  Speaker 6: Yet anytime talk money? Like to know how much you want?
• 11:53
  Speaker 5: Trudeau said a thousand?
• 11:54
  Speaker 6: Yeah, when could you get it? When would you want
• 11:58
  Speaker 6: it before?
• 12:00
  Speaker 5: I'd be a dope to do the job without getting
• 12:02
  Speaker 5: paid first.
• 12:03
  Speaker 6: I'd be justice stupid to give it to you first. Say, uh,
• 12:06
  Speaker 6: go buy a hot dog cloth ring?
• 12:08
  Speaker 11: Okay, mass Yeah, one hot dog, couple of road bears
• 12:18
  Speaker 11: one dog, two beers?
• 12:20
  Speaker 6: You like root beer? Sure?
• 12:23
  Speaker 5: How about settling on the dough?
• 12:24
  Speaker 11: Huh?
• 12:24
  Speaker 7: You do the job, you'll get paid. You've asked Trudeau.
• 12:27
  Speaker 7: If you like, I'll tell you I keep my work.
• 12:30
  Speaker 5: Well, it's gotta go fast, that's all. I may have
• 12:33
  Speaker 5: a job lined up with Phoenix. I gotta get that
• 12:36
  Speaker 5: dough and some new clothes.
• 12:37
  Speaker 4: Gonna put up some kind of a front. That's why
• 12:39
  Speaker 4: I need the dough fast.
• 12:40
  Speaker 5: No waiting.
• 12:40
  Speaker 6: You'll get your money. We can work out something.
• 12:43
  Speaker 5: Hot dog do you bears clothing?
• 12:45
  Speaker 6: Mustards on the cot? H Hey yeah, o s moove
• 12:53
  Speaker 6: over there out of the way.
• 12:55
  Speaker 4: Okay, but you haven't told me yet.
• 13:02
  Speaker 5: What how do you want it done?
• 13:05
  Speaker 6: All depends.
• 13:06
  Speaker 5: I haven't gotten my gun. I'm on the lamb. Have
• 13:08
  Speaker 5: you got one?
• 13:09
  Speaker 6: No, I don't know. Any one couldn't use a gun anyway.
• 13:11
  Speaker 6: Too much noise.
• 13:12
  Speaker 5: I'll make up your mind.
• 13:14
  Speaker 6: I'll meet tomorrow night. We can talk about it then.
• 13:17
  Speaker 4: Look, mister, you expect me to sit on this thing
• 13:18
  Speaker 4: for a week. I'm not making a career out of
• 13:20
  Speaker 4: just this one job.
• 13:21
  Speaker 6: What are you worrying about? Let's set everything up tomorrow night, right,
• 13:24
  Speaker 6: How about.
• 13:25
  Speaker 5: Ten bucks on the cuff. I gotta live in.
• 13:26
  Speaker 6: Flat That's fine. See that'll do.
• 13:34
  Speaker 4: How about that payoff one thousand? How do we set
• 13:36
  Speaker 4: that up?
• 13:36
  Speaker 6: We can talk about that later.
• 13:38
  Speaker 4: Why can't we talk now? Look, Stone, I don't think
• 13:41
  Speaker 4: I like your attitude. You haven't told me how you
• 13:42
  Speaker 4: want the job done. You talk cute every time, the payoffs, mention,
• 13:46
  Speaker 4: take it easy, nothing. I'm taking the chances. How do
• 13:48
  Speaker 4: I know I'm gonna get paid?
• 13:49
  Speaker 6: How do I know you'll kill it?
• 13:55
  Speaker 5: Before I left.
• 13:56
  Speaker 4: Charles Stone, we set up a meeting for the following night.
• 13:58
  Speaker 4: At eight o'clock, I caught as and went back to
• 14:00
  Speaker 4: the hotel room. So far I'd been unable to get
• 14:03
  Speaker 4: any other corroborative evidence on Stone, evidence that could be
• 14:06
  Speaker 4: presented in court. The next morning, I called the office
• 14:09
  Speaker 4: and kept them posted on developments. I had my meals
• 14:11
  Speaker 4: at a lunch Potterer next door to the hotel, and
• 14:13
  Speaker 4: I stuck pretty close.
• 14:13
  Speaker 5: To my room. At two thirty that afternoon, Ben called.
• 14:18
  Speaker 12: Retailed Stone to the midge Oial races. Last night, y'e
• 14:21
  Speaker 12: do any good?
• 14:22
  Speaker 13: Oh?
• 14:22
  Speaker 5: Not bad? It's going a little slow though.
• 14:24
  Speaker 12: We tilled him after he left. You he drove to
• 14:26
  Speaker 12: the Beverly Hills address apartment.
• 14:28
  Speaker 5: Thought he lived in Glendale.
• 14:29
  Speaker 12: Theres his apartment he went to registered to uh Gene
• 14:32
  Speaker 12: Howard tandled four this morning. Checked the Howard girl out.
• 14:36
  Speaker 12: She's a secretary when the Stone's way out.
• 14:38
  Speaker 5: Maybe that explains why Stone wants to get rid of
• 14:40
  Speaker 5: his wife.
• 14:41
  Speaker 12: It's one more thing. We telled him to a gun
• 14:42
  Speaker 12: shop this morning. Bought a couple of things in after
• 14:45
  Speaker 12: his spoone we checked with the store clerk told the
• 14:47
  Speaker 12: Stone bought a box of shells thirty two.
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: Calmer, same kind of gun he had registered and then
• 14:51
  Speaker 4: thirty two s and w Yeah that's funny.
• 14:53
  Speaker 5: Stone told me he doesn't own again. Doesn't look too good,
• 14:57
  Speaker 5: my buff. All right, now, let's don't start worrying.
• 15:00
  Speaker 12: Trust him and dims with Joe at So all right,
• 15:02
  Speaker 12: you want to check me later on.
• 15:03
  Speaker 5: I got to keep this line open.
• 15:05
  Speaker 10: Yeah, see later right, Yeah, this is a Stone.
• 15:18
  Speaker 5: Yeah, job's also upb ready to go. When four night.
• 15:32
  Speaker 3: You are listening to Dragnet the case history of a
• 15:35
  Speaker 3: police investigation presented in the Public Interest.
• 15:44
  Speaker 4: Wednesday, February nineteenth, eight fifty five pm, Charlestone picked me
• 15:48
  Speaker 4: up in his car at the corner of Alameda in
• 15:50
  Speaker 4: sixth Streets. He turned on a south Broadway and he
• 15:52
  Speaker 4: headed down.
• 15:52
  Speaker 5: For the beach. He hunched over the wheel as he drove.
• 15:55
  Speaker 4: I kept wondering how I was going to pin him down.
• 15:57
  Speaker 4: We were less than twenty four hours away from the
• 15:59
  Speaker 4: ski murder of his wife, and I still didn't have
• 16:01
  Speaker 4: a case against him that would stand up in court
• 16:04
  Speaker 4: if he failed to produce sufficient evidence tonight, Stone had
• 16:07
  Speaker 4: a good chance of going free, whether he succeeded in
• 16:09
  Speaker 4: having his wife killed or not. I also had no
• 16:12
  Speaker 4: idea what plans the suspect had made before he hired
• 16:15
  Speaker 4: me to do the killing. There was a definite possibility
• 16:17
  Speaker 4: that he might have arranged for somebody else to commit
• 16:19
  Speaker 4: the actual murder and then set up a double cross with.
• 16:21
  Speaker 5: Me as the victim.
• 16:23
  Speaker 4: We knew he had a thirty two S and W
• 16:24
  Speaker 4: revolver registered in his name, but he denied to me
• 16:26
  Speaker 4: that he even owned again.
• 16:28
  Speaker 5: Nine oh three pm, they pulled up in front of
• 16:30
  Speaker 5: Stone's beach house.
• 16:37
  Speaker 7: Most of the other homes around here a vacant summer places.
• 16:41
  Speaker 7: People don't start moving into the first of May.
• 16:43
  Speaker 5: But you said you're afraid of the neighbors.
• 16:44
  Speaker 7: Seen you here some living up the next block, or
• 16:47
  Speaker 7: can't afford not to be careful?
• 16:50
  Speaker 5: Just one here.
• 16:57
  Speaker 6: As a front door case. See if you can't working.
• 16:59
  Speaker 5: Well, I know how it works. Go ahead and open
• 17:00
  Speaker 5: all right, the living room.
• 17:09
  Speaker 6: Huh yeah, bedroom's over here? See this door?
• 17:17
  Speaker 5: Uh huh? All right? What's the story? Where do I start? Well?
• 17:22
  Speaker 7: I should be here about six o'clock tomorrow night, should
• 17:24
  Speaker 7: be coming down alone to get the house ready for
• 17:26
  Speaker 7: a weekend party.
• 17:27
  Speaker 5: When do you want me here?
• 17:28
  Speaker 6: About four in the afternoon? Here, here's he keeps the
• 17:33
  Speaker 6: front door.
• 17:35
  Speaker 5: Better pick it up and hand it to them. Huh Okay.
• 17:39
  Speaker 7: The first thing you do when you get here is
• 17:41
  Speaker 7: pull out all the drawers in the bedroom bureau, Scatter
• 17:43
  Speaker 7: things around, make it look as much like a burglary
• 17:45
  Speaker 7: as you can. Yeah, say, I'm here in the living room, desk, drawer, table, cupboards,
• 17:52
  Speaker 7: got them inside out, Throw things.
• 17:53
  Speaker 4: Around, leave my fingerprints all over everything.
• 17:56
  Speaker 6: I have taken care of that, a pair of gloves
• 18:02
  Speaker 6: of mine. You'll find him here in this drawer. I
• 18:04
  Speaker 6: remember that.
• 18:05
  Speaker 5: All right.
• 18:07
  Speaker 7: Let's see now, Oh yeah, slash chord. I'm sure this's
• 18:12
  Speaker 7: ought to serve the purpose. Shouldn't have any trouble.
• 18:20
  Speaker 5: Yeah, he rope's pretty new, it's a little slippery.
• 18:24
  Speaker 7: Won't be with the gloves on. She's not very strong.
• 18:26
  Speaker 7: Shouldn't have any trouble. We'll leave the rope here.
• 18:29
  Speaker 5: In the closet. You sure she's gonna be alone? Positive?
• 18:34
  Speaker 5: Where am I supposed to hide? Let me show you?
• 18:39
  Speaker 7: Yeah, hire a by the front door, in this closet. Yeah,
• 18:44
  Speaker 7: my wife comes in close at the door, and she'll
• 18:46
  Speaker 7: probably go right to the bedroom and take off her coat.
• 18:49
  Speaker 5: Follow her in.
• 18:49
  Speaker 7: Then do it fast while her back's turn. No screams
• 18:53
  Speaker 7: neighbors might hear. All right, want to clean and quiet.
• 18:56
  Speaker 7: Do it as quickly as you can. Now when you finished,
• 19:00
  Speaker 7: here's what I want.
• 19:01
  Speaker 6: You to do with her.
• 19:01
  Speaker 5: What's it?
• 19:03
  Speaker 6: Take the body and bring it this way. Come here,
• 19:06
  Speaker 6: all right? Watch you see a bus the living room
• 19:11
  Speaker 6: to these French doors. Open this one. You won't have
• 19:14
  Speaker 6: any trouble. Take somebody out here in the porch. Come
• 19:18
  Speaker 6: with me now. I want you to get this clear
• 19:20
  Speaker 6: in your mind.
• 19:20
  Speaker 5: Yeah, I think I got it.
• 19:22
  Speaker 6: Take it down to this end of the porch, right
• 19:24
  Speaker 6: to the railing.
• 19:25
  Speaker 5: Leave it here.
• 19:26
  Speaker 6: It's very import you understand all the way down to
• 19:29
  Speaker 6: the end of the porch here.
• 19:30
  Speaker 5: I don't get it, and I guess it's all right.
• 19:32
  Speaker 6: All right, let's go back in.
• 19:38
  Speaker 4: Uh, look, Stone, I may forget the layout of this
• 19:40
  Speaker 4: house here that you draw a floor plan for me.
• 19:44
  Speaker 5: I don't want to get mixed up here.
• 19:47
  Speaker 6: No, this paper on the desk there, you can draw
• 19:48
  Speaker 6: it yourself before you leave tonight.
• 19:50
  Speaker 5: It's a matter, don't you trust me?
• 19:52
  Speaker 6: Can't afford to taking chances?
• 19:55
  Speaker 13: No, what was it?
• 19:57
  Speaker 7: Yeah, after you finished using the rope of me. Deal,
• 20:01
  Speaker 7: you'll find some rings in my wife's fingers. Take them
• 20:03
  Speaker 7: all off a big setting. Especially i'll be a bracelet
• 20:06
  Speaker 7: on our left wrist.
• 20:06
  Speaker 5: Take that too. What'll I do with them?
• 20:09
  Speaker 7: Put them in this white vase in the model here,
• 20:11
  Speaker 7: the rings on the bracelet. Don't miss any of the rings?
• 20:14
  Speaker 6: Expensive?
• 20:15
  Speaker 5: How about me bringing them to you? I can pick
• 20:17
  Speaker 5: up my dough at the same time.
• 20:19
  Speaker 7: No, I'll put them in the vase. Since that's done,
• 20:23
  Speaker 7: leave here and go back downtown. I'll pick you up
• 20:24
  Speaker 7: before we met tonight. Six and a a meter seven
• 20:27
  Speaker 7: thirty sharp.
• 20:28
  Speaker 6: Have the money for you?
• 20:29
  Speaker 5: Then? Well, you're going to be at six o'clock.
• 20:31
  Speaker 6: I have to cover myself. I'll stayn at the office
• 20:33
  Speaker 6: special conference.
• 20:35
  Speaker 5: I don't know. I don't think I like this.
• 20:39
  Speaker 6: What do you mean you don't like it?
• 20:40
  Speaker 4: I suppose something should happen. I've got no protection. I
• 20:42
  Speaker 4: feel a lot better with a gun.
• 20:43
  Speaker 5: Total.
• 20:43
  Speaker 6: I don't have a gun to give you. Why would
• 20:45
  Speaker 6: you need one anyway?
• 20:47
  Speaker 5: Just feel a lot better.
• 20:48
  Speaker 6: It's all buy one if you want. That's your problem.
• 20:50
  Speaker 6: I'm paying you for the job. I haven't seen your money.
• 20:53
  Speaker 6: I told you when the job's done, get your money.
• 20:55
  Speaker 5: Then it's just one thing I want to make sure of.
• 20:58
  Speaker 5: No mistakes here. Don't worry.
• 21:00
  Speaker 6: Get your pay Ask Trude too if you like. I'll
• 21:02
  Speaker 6: tell you you can trust me. You can ask anybody.
• 21:04
  Speaker 5: How about your wife?
• 21:09
  Speaker 4: Before I left Charles Stone, I got one more valuable
• 21:12
  Speaker 4: piece of evidence out of him, a special phone number
• 21:14
  Speaker 4: written in his handwriting on the back of one of
• 21:16
  Speaker 4: his business cards. In case anything went wrong, I was
• 21:18
  Speaker 4: to call him at this number in his own handwriting.
• 21:20
  Speaker 5: I also got a list of.
• 21:21
  Speaker 4: Times that I was supposed to remember, when to come
• 21:24
  Speaker 4: to the house, when to leave, when to meet him
• 21:26
  Speaker 4: for the payoff. The next afternoon at three point thirty.
• 21:28
  Speaker 4: I left the hotel and drove my car out to
• 21:30
  Speaker 4: Venice to Stone's beach house. Captain Steed and another officer
• 21:33
  Speaker 4: from Homicide followed me out. We waited in the house together.
• 21:37
  Speaker 4: Shortly before six pm, Missus Mildred Stone arrived with Ben
• 21:40
  Speaker 4: and Gillencinas. She refused to believe the story of her
• 21:43
  Speaker 4: husband's block to have her murdered. Captain Steed laid out.
• 21:46
  Speaker 5: The evidence for this ky Missus Stone.
• 21:48
  Speaker 13: You recognize it well, yes, it's the one for the
• 21:50
  Speaker 13: front door. Must be Charles.
• 21:52
  Speaker 6: He gave it to this officer, Missus Stone, the man
• 21:54
  Speaker 6: who was supposed to murder him.
• 21:55
  Speaker 13: No, I don't believe it.
• 21:57
  Speaker 5: You have any idea what's in that closet, man that
• 21:59
  Speaker 5: went over there?
• 22:00
  Speaker 13: There's nothing in there. I cleaned it out the last
• 22:02
  Speaker 13: time we were here, I cleaned out all the closets.
• 22:05
  Speaker 5: I'd like to show it to you, ma'am.
• 22:11
  Speaker 13: Piece of role. I never saw that there before.
• 22:16
  Speaker 5: Mister Stone gave it to me. It was supposed to
• 22:18
  Speaker 5: be the murdered weapon.
• 22:19
  Speaker 6: Just one more point, ma'am. All over here, please, do
• 22:25
  Speaker 6: you know what's in this drawer here?
• 22:26
  Speaker 13: It's empty. It has to be. We never keep anything
• 22:29
  Speaker 13: in there, only wh to move down for the summer months.
• 22:32
  Speaker 6: Sure, right, pair of your husband's old bloods?
• 22:36
  Speaker 5: Is that right, ma'am?
• 22:37
  Speaker 13: But why would they be there before?
• 22:39
  Speaker 5: I was supposed to wear them while I was in
• 22:41
  Speaker 5: the house, so I wouldn't leave fingerprints?
• 22:44
  Speaker 13: Do you do you mind if I sit down?
• 22:49
  Speaker 6: I'm sorry, mister Stone. We know it's a terrible shock
• 22:51
  Speaker 6: for you. I think you realized what you had to
• 22:53
  Speaker 6: tell you.
• 22:54
  Speaker 13: It's all right, You've been very kind. You saved my life.
• 22:57
  Speaker 13: I'm sorry now that happened. Would have been better if
• 23:00
  Speaker 13: he's succeeded much better.
• 23:01
  Speaker 8: Take it easy, missus Stone.
• 23:03
  Speaker 5: Shame, terrible, terrible shame.
• 23:07
  Speaker 13: Is there anything I can do for him?
• 23:09
  Speaker 5: He wanted to have you murdered, ma'am.
• 23:11
  Speaker 13: I know that he wanted me dead. Yes, ma'am, it's
• 23:14
  Speaker 13: only one thing. He's my husband, Sergeant.
• 23:16
  Speaker 5: I love him.
• 23:23
  Speaker 4: Six forty five pm I telephoned Charles Stone and told
• 23:26
  Speaker 4: him the job was done, his wife was murdered. He
• 23:28
  Speaker 4: said he'd meet me at sixth and n Alometer Streets
• 23:30
  Speaker 4: for the payoff as scheduled.
• 23:32
  Speaker 5: I waited.
• 23:32
  Speaker 4: He failed to show up At seven thirty pm. Stone
• 23:35
  Speaker 4: was placed under arrest as he parked his car in
• 23:37
  Speaker 4: front of their Venice Beach house. A loaded thirty two
• 23:39
  Speaker 4: caliber revolver was found in his pocket. He was taken
• 23:42
  Speaker 4: back to the city Hall. The Chief of Detective's office,
• 23:44
  Speaker 4: Ben and I waited outside the open door. We could
• 23:47
  Speaker 4: hear Thad Brown start the interrogation inside.
• 23:50
  Speaker 6: You know, hope, we have you down here for mister Stone.
• 23:52
  Speaker 6: I haven't a fanished ideaet. What would you say if
• 23:55
  Speaker 6: I told you your wife have been murdered? I think
• 23:57
  Speaker 6: you're crazy. What would you say if I told you
• 23:59
  Speaker 6: that you're accused of her mother?
• 24:01
  Speaker 5: Stilly?
• 24:01
  Speaker 7: It's ridiculous. I've been at work all day. I can
• 24:03
  Speaker 7: prove it all right, Friday, come in as it. Have
• 24:10
  Speaker 7: you ever met this man before? I've seen him on
• 24:12
  Speaker 7: skid Row.
• 24:13
  Speaker 6: I don't know him. Do you recognize the man you're
• 24:15
  Speaker 6: hired to kill your wife? I don't know the man.
• 24:17
  Speaker 6: I didn't kill my wife. I don't understand all this.
• 24:20
  Speaker 5: The name's killing mister Stone.
• 24:22
  Speaker 6: He's some fake officers, a skid Row bum.
• 24:24
  Speaker 5: I don't know him. I don't think that's gonna make it. Stone.
• 24:27
  Speaker 4: Both you and your wife have been tailed constantly for
• 24:29
  Speaker 4: the last couple of days. Photographs taken Midget daughter Races
• 24:33
  Speaker 4: sixth and Alimeter, Beverly Hills Apartment Crazy.
• 24:35
  Speaker 6: You don't know what you're talking about, Mike. Would you
• 24:37
  Speaker 6: send the lady in place? Mildred? You don't believe all
• 24:47
  Speaker 6: these things you're saying about me, do you?
• 24:50
  Speaker 13: Here are the rings, Charles, the bracelet too. I didn't
• 24:54
  Speaker 13: realize how much you wanted them.
• 24:58
  Speaker 6: Well, I didn't mean it.
• 25:02
  Speaker 8: I didn't mean it. I don't know what I was
• 25:06
  Speaker 8: thinking of.
• 25:10
  Speaker 13: Dear Charles. It's all right, now, you'll feel better a
• 25:14
  Speaker 13: few minutes, Yes, ma'am, that's all.
• 25:18
  Speaker 9: Friday Rights. It looked like Joe starting to talk got me.
• 25:31
  Speaker 9: He tries to have her murdered. She goes to bed
• 25:34
  Speaker 9: for him.
• 25:35
  Speaker 5: What's the proof? He sure?
• 25:37
  Speaker 6: I must love him?
• 25:38
  Speaker 9: What do you think?
• 25:41
  Speaker 5: How about a cup of coffee?
• 25:50
  Speaker 2: The story you just heard was true, only the names
• 25:54
  Speaker 2: were changed to protect the innocent.
• 25:56
  Speaker 3: On May, second trial was held in Superior Court, Department
• 25:59
  Speaker 3: eighty nine, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California.
• 26:02
  Speaker 6: In a moment the results of that trial.
• 26:04
  Speaker 4: And now here is our star, Jack Webb, thank you
• 26:08
  Speaker 4: so the working detective of The difference between guilt and
• 26:10
  Speaker 4: innocence is proof in the form of physical evidence in
• 26:13
  Speaker 4: the form of testimony gathered from reliable witnesses. In determining
• 26:17
  Speaker 4: any suspects guilt or innocence, the difference is actual proof.
• 26:30
  Speaker 3: Charles Farnsworth Stone was tried and convicted on soliciting the
• 26:33
  Speaker 3: commission of a felony two counts. He received the sentence
• 26:36
  Speaker 3: as prescribed by law. You have just heard Dragnet, a
• 26:44
  Speaker 3: series of authentic cases from official fires. Technical advice comes
• 26:48
  Speaker 3: from the Office of Chief of Police W. H. Parker,
• 26:50
  Speaker 3: Los Angeles Police Department.
• 26:55
  Speaker 6: Hi, folks, this is Bob on the air for Chester
• 26:57
  Speaker 6: fe Levy Tuesday night. Consult your local paper for time
• 26:59
  Speaker 6: and Stuaf Hope and being on the air of chesterpe
• 27:02
  Speaker 6: eleven Wednesday night, Crosby. I've called this little seminar to
• 27:05
  Speaker 6: teach you how new boy the ropes say, Shag.
• 27:07
  Speaker 5: I think it's only fair to warn you.
• 27:09
  Speaker 6: With me selling chester Fields this year, you'll have to
• 27:11
  Speaker 6: limp along lively to keep up. Since when have you
• 27:14
  Speaker 6: been in a competition, lovel boy, When we're in pitches together,
• 27:17
  Speaker 6: who always gets the girl? Which only backs up the
• 27:19
  Speaker 6: old saying Everybody Loves a Fat Man.
• 27:21
  Speaker 3: Here Hope and Crosby Tuesday.
• 27:23
  Speaker 6: Next, We the People on NBCO.
• 27:33
  Speaker 1: Welcome back another solid script. It's worth noting that a
• 27:38
  Speaker 1: similar concept was used in the nineteen sixties TV show
• 27:42
  Speaker 1: in the season two episode The Big Ad, except in
• 27:45
  Speaker 1: that one, a newspaper ad was being placed in order
• 27:51
  Speaker 1: to solicit the crime. It's kind of funny, given how
• 27:56
  Speaker 1: Joe Friday became a police, that he was chosen to
• 28:02
  Speaker 1: play the hood based on the idea that he didn't
• 28:05
  Speaker 1: look like a cop.
• 28:07
  Speaker 12: Now.
• 28:07
  Speaker 1: To be fair, Web was often cast as various sorts
• 28:11
  Speaker 1: of tough guys and criminals, and certainly played as fair
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: share of hoods even in some films into the early
• 28:19
  Speaker 1: nineteen fifties. It just seems odd, knowing what we know now. Well,
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day,
• 28:27
  Speaker 1: and I want to thank Steven. Steven's been one of
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: our Patreon supporters since July twenty twenty four, currently supporting
• 28:33
  Speaker 1: the podcast at the Detective Sergeant level of seven dollars
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: and fourteen cents or more per month. Thank you so
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: much for your support, Stephen, And that will actually do
• 28:42
  Speaker 1: it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow
• 28:46
  Speaker 1: us using your favorite podcast software, and be sure to
• 28:50
  Speaker 1: rate and review the podcast wherever you download it from.
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: We'll be back next Saturday with another episode of Dragon That,
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: but join us back here tomorrow for our four thousand,
• 29:02
  Speaker 1: five hundred and fiftieth episode Special Ware Collins.
• 29:06
  Speaker 14: I've eliminated three of those people. There's nothing to tie
• 29:09
  Speaker 14: them in in the first place. All the local police
• 29:12
  Speaker 14: had to go on with suspicion that's not much. But yeah,
• 29:15
  Speaker 14: how about the pots spin a man named Samuel Arthur?
• 29:18
  Speaker 14: Anything on him?
• 29:19
  Speaker 5: No?
• 29:20
  Speaker 14: Nothing, nothing at all. Well, look if Art that's guilty.
• 29:23
  Speaker 14: If you think he's the one, you gotta have something.
• 29:26
  Speaker 14: What about the money from the robbery? Not a penny
• 29:29
  Speaker 14: of it shown up. That's why I believe the job
• 29:31
  Speaker 14: was pulled by someone in this town, someone who was
• 29:33
  Speaker 14: afraid to leave, someone who killed the watchman Walls and
• 29:36
  Speaker 14: then got panicky panicke a murder who's played Doggo for
• 29:40
  Speaker 14: a year isn't exactly panicky. He's smart, waiting for the
• 29:44
  Speaker 14: time he can leave Collins. I'm changing boarding houses and
• 29:49
  Speaker 14: cook and bat at the when you're in there. No,
• 29:51
  Speaker 14: the hunting's bad Samuel Art. This days at missus Holly's
• 29:54
  Speaker 14: boarding house. Here, here's the address. All right, what's next.
• 29:59
  Speaker 6: I'm going to find one lead, one clue that'll give
• 30:01
  Speaker 6: me a toe hold.
• 30:02
  Speaker 1: I hope you'll be with us then in the meantime,
• 30:05
  Speaker 1: send your comments to Box thirteen at Greatdetectives dot net,
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us
• 30:13
  Speaker 1: out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com slash Great Detectives from Boise, Idaho.
• 30:20
  Speaker 1: This is your host, Adam Graham.
• 30:22
  Speaker 6: Sign and off.