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Transcript

Dragnet: The Big .38 (EP4556) · The Great Detectives Present Dragnet (Old Time Radio)

• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Welcome to the great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: going to get into this week's episode of Dragnet. I
• 0:42
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• 0:45
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• 0:50
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• 0:59
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• 1:04
  Speaker 1: nine thirteen, Boise Aldahol eight three seven one five. You
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• 1:16
  Speaker 1: to go ahead and welcome our latest Patreon supporter. Thank
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• 1:28
  Speaker 1: And I also want to thank Steve for upgrading his
• 1:31
  Speaker 1: membership from the Shawmus level to the Detective Sergeant level. Again,
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: thank you so much for your support. Well, now it
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: is time from October fifth, nineteen fifty for the Big thirty.
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: Eight the story you were about to hear is true,
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: only the names have been change to protect the innocent.
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: You're a detective sergeant here assigned a robbery detail. A
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: store clerk has been murdered, shot to death in a robbery.
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: The hold up man is described as tall, well dressed.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: He escapes in a taxicab. Your job get him.
• 2:37
  Speaker 3: Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime. While the
• 2:41
  Speaker 3: next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department,
• 2:45
  Speaker 3: you will travel step by step on the side of
• 2:47
  Speaker 3: the law through an actual case, from official police fins,
• 2:50
  Speaker 3: from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is
• 2:54
  Speaker 3: the story of your police force in action.
• 2:59
  Speaker 4: Was free.
• 3:00
  Speaker 5: August seventeen was hot in Los Angeles. We were working
• 3:02
  Speaker 5: the night Watch out of robbery detail. My partner's Ben Romero,
• 3:05
  Speaker 5: the boss's captain Walker, my name is Friday. Was eight
• 3:09
  Speaker 5: thirty five pm when we got to the Church of
• 3:11
  Speaker 5: Saint Damian the vestibule. That must be her playing the organ. Yeah,
• 3:21
  Speaker 5: I don't see any stairs. I wonder how you get up.
• 3:23
  Speaker 4: There to the loft. Looks like that might be the
• 3:26
  Speaker 4: sect and they we're there, or let's ask.
• 3:28
  Speaker 5: Her excuse me, sir. Ye, we're looking for an Ernestine Matthews.
• 3:34
  Speaker 5: Understand she's the organist.
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: Here at the church.
• 3:36
  Speaker 6: Oh that's her playing up there now, playing over a
• 3:38
  Speaker 6: few pieces for Sunday.
• 3:39
  Speaker 4: Could you tell us how to get up to the
• 3:41
  Speaker 4: choir lof.
• 3:41
  Speaker 5: Sureley through that door over there, follow the stairway straight up,
• 3:44
  Speaker 5: cad Miss thank you?
• 3:54
  Speaker 4: Sure has been a long time. Yeah.
• 3:56
  Speaker 5: What's that climbing stairs to a choir saying a lot
• 4:00
  Speaker 5: in church when I was a kid? Mooieprano? All right,
• 4:03
  Speaker 5: can you finally throw me out? Boy's change?
• 4:10
  Speaker 4: Yes?
• 4:10
  Speaker 7: Did you want something?
• 4:11
  Speaker 4: Are you? And missus Ernestine Matthews? Yes?
• 4:13
  Speaker 7: Did you come about the new provoos?
• 4:15
  Speaker 4: No, ma'am Police officers, Oh.
• 4:16
  Speaker 7: Can I help you?
• 4:17
  Speaker 4: It's about your husband as Matthews brute?
• 4:20
  Speaker 7: What about him? Has brit done something?
• 4:22
  Speaker 4: He was hurt? Ma'am?
• 4:23
  Speaker 7: Well, I don't understand Bert's working at store. What do
• 4:26
  Speaker 7: you mean he was hurt?
• 4:27
  Speaker 4: I was a hold of you God, my husband.
• 4:30
  Speaker 7: Was he hurt? Bad?
• 4:31
  Speaker 4: Yes, ma'am? Where is he?
• 4:32
  Speaker 7: I've got to go to him? Is he in pain? No,
• 4:34
  Speaker 7: ma'am what are you trying to say to God? Tell
• 4:38
  Speaker 7: me the truth? Which hospital is he in?
• 4:40
  Speaker 4: It took him to Georgia Street. They helped him all
• 4:42
  Speaker 4: they could.
• 4:43
  Speaker 7: Not trying to tell him the BRIT's dead. Not trying
• 4:46
  Speaker 7: to tell me that are you.
• 4:48
  Speaker 4: I'm sorry man.
• 4:53
  Speaker 5: In the past sixteen days, seven armed robberies had been committed,
• 4:57
  Speaker 5: apparently with the same man. The suspect was described victims
• 5:00
  Speaker 5: as tall, heavily built, and very nervous.
• 5:02
  Speaker 4: He was armed.
• 5:04
  Speaker 5: It's cold logic that every suspect was armed in the
• 5:07
  Speaker 5: commission of a robbery is a potential killer. It's a
• 5:09
  Speaker 5: fact that's been proved a hundred times over. The man
• 5:13
  Speaker 5: we were after had proven it again. We'd used every
• 5:15
  Speaker 5: means at our disposal to identify him, through the Stats Office,
• 5:18
  Speaker 5: the Record Bureau, laden fingerprints, through informants and witnesses. We'd
• 5:22
  Speaker 5: gotten not an APB on him containing his description and
• 5:24
  Speaker 5: his method of operation. We'd maintained stakeouts. We hadn't reached
• 5:28
  Speaker 5: him in time. Early that evening, a.
• 5:31
  Speaker 4: Downtown grocery store had been held up.
• 5:33
  Speaker 5: One of the clerks, thirty one year old Bert Matthews,
• 5:35
  Speaker 5: failed to empty the cash register quickly enough, and the
• 5:37
  Speaker 5: band had shot him three times through the chest. He
• 5:40
  Speaker 5: died almost instantly in the hold up man escape. Was
• 5:43
  Speaker 5: only one witness, another clerk who had been on duty
• 5:46
  Speaker 5: in the store with Matthews at the time of the
• 5:48
  Speaker 5: hold up. His name was Jess Tallman. He was brought
• 5:50
  Speaker 5: to the city Hall, where we questioned him further.
• 5:53
  Speaker 4: Did you see Bird's wife to show him?
• 5:55
  Speaker 5: Yeah, we dropped off at the church on the way
• 5:57
  Speaker 5: in drover to his sister's place.
• 5:59
  Speaker 8: Still can't get through my head. One minute I was
• 6:01
  Speaker 8: talking to Burt, the next minute he was dead. It's
• 6:04
  Speaker 8: kind of hard to take, you know.
• 6:06
  Speaker 5: I'd like to go over that description of the hold
• 6:08
  Speaker 5: up man. You were pretty upset out there at the story.
• 6:10
  Speaker 5: Do you feel up to it now? Yeah, I'm okay,
• 6:12
  Speaker 5: all right now, you just take it ease. He tell
• 6:14
  Speaker 5: us everything you remember and take all the time you need.
• 6:17
  Speaker 8: Well, I know he was a big guy, over six
• 6:19
  Speaker 8: foot anyway, I'm sure that he had a good build too.
• 6:22
  Speaker 4: Wasn't skinny? How about his face? Do yes? You get
• 6:25
  Speaker 4: a good look at it? Yeah? I did.
• 6:27
  Speaker 8: It was thin and he kept working it around, you know,
• 6:29
  Speaker 8: twitching that guy who was bloody, nervous.
• 6:32
  Speaker 4: Can you tell us anything else about it?
• 6:34
  Speaker 8: He was young, about twenty one. I'd say had dark
• 6:37
  Speaker 8: color eyes. That's about all I'd swear to sergeant. He
• 6:40
  Speaker 8: had a hat on I know that.
• 6:42
  Speaker 4: How about the rest of his clothing, I wouldn't be
• 6:45
  Speaker 4: sure about.
• 6:45
  Speaker 8: It could have been a great coat, blue coat, I
• 6:48
  Speaker 8: don't know. I wouldn't want to give you a bump stare.
• 6:50
  Speaker 4: Did you get a look at the gun.
• 6:52
  Speaker 8: I couldn't miss that. It was a big one. It
• 6:54
  Speaker 8: wasn't shine. He was kind of dark blue color. I
• 6:57
  Speaker 8: can see the guy now walking in the store and
• 6:59
  Speaker 8: pointing at it.
• 7:00
  Speaker 4: What time was that again, Jess? When the bandit showed up.
• 7:03
  Speaker 8: Just about seven thirty. Bert was behind the counter. I
• 7:06
  Speaker 8: was in the back stacking the shelves. The guy just
• 7:08
  Speaker 8: walked in, point of the gun, said gimme the dough.
• 7:10
  Speaker 8: I heard him say that. Bert was kind of surprised.
• 7:14
  Speaker 8: He just stood there for a minute and the guy said,
• 7:16
  Speaker 8: hurry up, give me the door. Bert said, okay, you
• 7:18
  Speaker 8: can have everything, and he reached to get the door
• 7:20
  Speaker 8: from the cash register.
• 7:22
  Speaker 4: That's when the guy did it. He hit Bert right
• 7:24
  Speaker 4: in the chest. What happened? Then? Bert moaned a little
• 7:27
  Speaker 4: and fell down on the floor.
• 7:29
  Speaker 8: I got Samantha started running for the guy, but he
• 7:31
  Speaker 8: swung around at me with a gun, said stay where
• 7:33
  Speaker 8: you are. Yeah, I didn't want to get killed. I stopped.
• 7:37
  Speaker 8: You can't blame me for that, can you? Did you
• 7:39
  Speaker 8: follow the man when he left? Well, you see, he
• 7:41
  Speaker 8: backed out of the store, and when he got to
• 7:42
  Speaker 8: the sidewalk, he jammed the gun in his pocket, ran
• 7:44
  Speaker 8: down the street.
• 7:46
  Speaker 4: I ran out after him, saw him jumping a taxi
• 7:48
  Speaker 4: cab and take off. Did you get the cabs number?
• 7:50
  Speaker 8: Well, he was too far away for that, at least
• 7:52
  Speaker 8: halfway down the block. I know somebody else must have
• 7:55
  Speaker 8: been driving it, though. How do you know that the
• 7:57
  Speaker 8: cabs already moving when the whole up guy jumped in
• 7:59
  Speaker 8: and got front seat?
• 8:01
  Speaker 4: You know it was the front seat and not the back.
• 8:03
  Speaker 8: The way those cab doors open, you know, front doors
• 8:05
  Speaker 8: swing out to the left. Back when swing out to
• 8:07
  Speaker 8: the right tis end. Joe used the same memo, and
• 8:10
  Speaker 8: I was hold up last week. Yeah you got anything
• 8:13
  Speaker 8: else to add? Yes, anything you think we ought to know.
• 8:16
  Speaker 4: It's about the size of it, Sergeant. You all think
• 8:18
  Speaker 4: I'm yellow, do you? Well? What do you mean?
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: I mean?
• 8:21
  Speaker 4: Because I stopped.
• 8:22
  Speaker 8: When he pointed the gun at me, I guess I
• 8:23
  Speaker 8: should have grabbed him, but that gun looked as big
• 8:25
  Speaker 8: as a cannon.
• 8:27
  Speaker 4: Let's face it, I'm not that much of a haircut.
• 8:29
  Speaker 4: I'll put in with you. Yes, neither am I.
• 8:34
  Speaker 5: Along with a team of men from Homicide Detail, we
• 8:37
  Speaker 5: continued our investigation of the hold up and killing. Ballistics
• 8:40
  Speaker 5: reported that the slugs taken from the body of Bert
• 8:42
  Speaker 5: Matthews had possibly been fired from a thirty eight caliber
• 8:45
  Speaker 5: Colt revolver. The slugs were in good condition for identification.
• 8:49
  Speaker 5: All the possible suspects picked from the mud books by
• 8:52
  Speaker 5: the victims had been checked out.
• 8:54
  Speaker 4: All of them had been cleared.
• 8:55
  Speaker 5: Fingerprints left by the bandit at the scene of his
• 8:57
  Speaker 5: latest crime were checked out.
• 8:59
  Speaker 4: No make.
• 9:00
  Speaker 5: We tried to check the taxicab used in the escape.
• 9:03
  Speaker 5: We got nowhere.
• 9:04
  Speaker 4: The morning after the Matthew was killing, we got a.
• 9:06
  Speaker 5: Call from Sheriff's Homicide who went across the street and
• 9:09
  Speaker 5: checked with Inspector Bowers.
• 9:11
  Speaker 9: Either one of you remember that case about six months ago,
• 9:14
  Speaker 9: the Harry Solomon killing.
• 9:15
  Speaker 5: Oh yeah, I inspect here. It's pretty vague right now.
• 9:19
  Speaker 5: Your men handled it at Connecky.
• 9:20
  Speaker 9: Yeah, let me lay it out fair. It's just possible.
• 9:22
  Speaker 9: It might tie in without killing you. Phill asad last
• 9:24
  Speaker 9: night and what's the angle. Harry Solomon was a taxi
• 9:27
  Speaker 9: cab driver. The night of February twenty sixth somebody saw
• 9:30
  Speaker 9: him pick up a fair at Sunset and Highland about
• 9:32
  Speaker 9: ten thirty pm. That's the last time he was seen alive.
• 9:36
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I think I remember.
• 9:37
  Speaker 9: The next morning, we found Solomon's body in a ditch
• 9:39
  Speaker 9: out in the valley. Two thirty eight slugs in his head,
• 9:42
  Speaker 9: found his cab a few yards up the road.
• 9:44
  Speaker 4: Abandoned killer used a thirty eighth same kind of gun
• 9:47
  Speaker 4: used on last night's job. Here's something else that ties in. Yeah.
• 9:52
  Speaker 9: A description of the passenger Solomon picked up at Sunsett
• 9:55
  Speaker 9: and Hyland the night he was murdered. The last fairy
• 9:57
  Speaker 9: ever handled.
• 9:59
  Speaker 5: White man Eric over six feet tall, heavy bills, age
• 10:03
  Speaker 5: twenty twenty one, dark eyes, had a dark suit on the.
• 10:06
  Speaker 4: Half matches all the way down the line. You had
• 10:09
  Speaker 4: a robbery motor figured on the Solomon killing, didn't you.
• 10:11
  Speaker 4: That's right?
• 10:12
  Speaker 9: Except for a five dollar bill hidden in his wallet,
• 10:14
  Speaker 9: Solomon didn't have a penny of his receipts for the night.
• 10:17
  Speaker 9: Might have been another reason behind the killing.
• 10:19
  Speaker 4: The size set. Yeah, it's just barely possible. Solomon might
• 10:23
  Speaker 4: have known the hold up man, the guy who killed it.
• 10:25
  Speaker 4: How do you figure it?
• 10:26
  Speaker 9: Solomon had been a cabby for fourteen years before he
• 10:29
  Speaker 9: was murdered from this hold up man's moo, using cabs
• 10:33
  Speaker 9: for a getaway car. It's possible he might have been
• 10:36
  Speaker 9: a cab driver at some time or other.
• 10:37
  Speaker 5: I mean, if the kell had got in a cab
• 10:39
  Speaker 5: and thought Solomon recognized him was suspicious, that.
• 10:42
  Speaker 9: I could have been reason enough for him to kill Solomon.
• 10:46
  Speaker 9: I know there's a lot of goods and if some
• 10:48
  Speaker 9: maybees in it that I thought you might be.
• 10:49
  Speaker 4: Interested, I would check it out. First thing. How are
• 10:52
  Speaker 4: your men coming on the Solomon case? Progress is pretty slow.
• 10:55
  Speaker 5: I We'll keep you posted on anything near forty if
• 10:58
  Speaker 5: we can help. And we know, right, two sets of
• 11:07
  Speaker 5: thirty eight slugs, what do you think? Let's ask the
• 11:10
  Speaker 5: crime lab. We'd put in a request to RUSS Camp
• 11:15
  Speaker 5: and Ballistics to check the thirty eight slugs found in
• 11:18
  Speaker 5: taxi driver Solomon's body against those found in the body
• 11:20
  Speaker 5: of G.
• 11:21
  Speaker 4: Burt Matthews. Then we contacted the special agent at the
• 11:24
  Speaker 4: taxi camp company. We asked him for.
• 11:26
  Speaker 5: Pictures of all their drivers employed by the company during
• 11:29
  Speaker 5: the past year, who were six feet and highter over.
• 11:32
  Speaker 5: He told us that they'd have a file ready for us.
• 11:34
  Speaker 5: The following morning, we drove back to the office and
• 11:37
  Speaker 5: checked in with Russ Camp at the crime lab. He
• 11:39
  Speaker 5: was examining the thirty eight slugs under the comparison line.
• 11:43
  Speaker 4: Just a few more menus fellows have a share.
• 11:45
  Speaker 6: Yeah, not much luck so far.
• 11:51
  Speaker 4: Well well, well, well that's it.
• 11:59
  Speaker 8: Yeah, make these slugs come from two different guns.
• 12:07
  Speaker 5: That night, two more armed robberies were committed, one at
• 12:09
  Speaker 5: a liquor store, the other at a cafe. In both cases,
• 12:12
  Speaker 5: the hold up man escaped in a taxi cab. The
• 12:15
  Speaker 5: description of the man who robbed the liquor stor matched
• 12:17
  Speaker 5: that of the bandit who shot and killed Bert Matthews.
• 12:20
  Speaker 4: The big switch came when we checked the cafe hold up.
• 12:23
  Speaker 1: There.
• 12:23
  Speaker 5: The victims described the suspect as short and fat with
• 12:26
  Speaker 5: dark blonde hair.
• 12:27
  Speaker 4: He had a deep scar on his chin.
• 12:30
  Speaker 5: During the robbery, this suspect had become so nervous that
• 12:32
  Speaker 5: he dropped his gun, but he'd succeeded in getting outside
• 12:35
  Speaker 5: and escaping in a taxi cab before it could be apprehended.
• 12:37
  Speaker 5: The gun was taken back to Lake Fingerprints and checked
• 12:40
  Speaker 5: was clean. Russ Camp checked it through ballistics.
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: Some days are like this, Fellas, what do you mean
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: that cab driver Solomon was shot with a thirty eight?
• 12:47
  Speaker 4: Yeah?
• 12:48
  Speaker 8: Bert Matthews was shot with a thirty eight a different
• 12:50
  Speaker 8: one though it's gone the bandit dropped tonight.
• 12:52
  Speaker 4: It's a thirty eight too, you know, we know that.
• 12:54
  Speaker 4: What are you getting it? It doesn't match either case.
• 13:00
  Speaker 5: The next morning we started working one of the few
• 13:02
  Speaker 5: leads we had left. We drove down to the taxicab
• 13:04
  Speaker 5: company and collected the pictures of all the drivers that
• 13:07
  Speaker 5: they employed during the past year, who were six feet
• 13:09
  Speaker 5: and the hider over the eighty seven of them. We
• 13:12
  Speaker 5: started checking them out. That's what the working detective calls legwork.
• 13:16
  Speaker 5: It's slow and it's tedious, and you're not sure it's
• 13:18
  Speaker 5: going to amount to anything even by the time you finished.
• 13:21
  Speaker 5: Two nights later, the taxicab banned hit again. His first repeater,
• 13:25
  Speaker 5: a restaurant in South figure O. He robbed the same
• 13:27
  Speaker 5: place less than three weeks before. Ben and I interviewed
• 13:30
  Speaker 5: the manager of mister Cavallo tell.
• 13:32
  Speaker 4: You, Sogant, I can't take any more of it.
• 13:34
  Speaker 5: Twice in one month, Yes, sir, could we talk back
• 13:36
  Speaker 5: there in one of the bullets.
• 13:37
  Speaker 4: Oh yeah, come on, you've got a good look at
• 13:41
  Speaker 4: the man.
• 13:41
  Speaker 5: Did Jimmy kavab two feet from him memorize his face
• 13:44
  Speaker 5: from the first time.
• 13:45
  Speaker 4: It's a a joke, you know, so I have no
• 13:47
  Speaker 4: time for.
• 13:48
  Speaker 5: The customers, and too busy opened the cash box for
• 13:50
  Speaker 5: that feet Yeah, shut.
• 13:52
  Speaker 4: Up, thanks man.
• 13:55
  Speaker 5: Well, and you're positive it's the same man who robbed
• 13:58
  Speaker 5: you before, there's no question. There are non positive And
• 14:01
  Speaker 5: he used the same moo too.
• 14:03
  Speaker 4: Yeah, sure mo, what's that? Excuse me? I mean he
• 14:06
  Speaker 4: used the same approach, the same method of.
• 14:08
  Speaker 5: Operation, and everything was the same, the man, the gun,
• 14:10
  Speaker 5: the taxi cab, everything.
• 14:12
  Speaker 4: You didn't get the number of the cab.
• 14:13
  Speaker 5: I looked for it to see any must cover it up, someway. Well,
• 14:17
  Speaker 5: we've got some pictures here, mister Vallow. We'd like to
• 14:20
  Speaker 5: have you a look at him. Just tell us if
• 14:21
  Speaker 5: you recognize any of them.
• 14:22
  Speaker 4: I won't do any good. I already did that. They
• 14:25
  Speaker 4: showed me pictures the last time. This is a different lot.
• 14:28
  Speaker 4: Oh all right, quite a few of them.
• 14:32
  Speaker 5: Like to have you check each one of them carefully,
• 14:34
  Speaker 5: if you would just take your time.
• 14:36
  Speaker 4: We can't sit here without coffee, Natalie, I would. I
• 14:39
  Speaker 4: don't care for him. I don't be silly. You can't
• 14:41
  Speaker 4: work without eating, Natalie. Coffee three cups? And now where
• 14:45
  Speaker 4: do I start? Well? These right here? If you just
• 14:49
  Speaker 4: check these over? Please?
• 14:51
  Speaker 10: Uh huh No not him?
• 14:58
  Speaker 4: U not him either? Oh, thank you, thank you? Oh
• 15:11
  Speaker 4: it's hot. No, not that one? No? Is that all? No?
• 15:22
  Speaker 4: I have some more here?
• 15:24
  Speaker 9: Yeah.
• 15:27
  Speaker 5: Oh hey, that's an ugly looking guy.
• 15:31
  Speaker 4: I don't look at that scar. You look familiar.
• 15:34
  Speaker 5: No, better check with his skipper when we finished year.
• 15:37
  Speaker 5: I mean, it's been a couple hours in there.
• 15:38
  Speaker 4: That allows you, no good thief? So right here, this one.
• 15:42
  Speaker 4: That's a guy you're sure? I open my cash box
• 15:45
  Speaker 4: twice for might know his face in a.
• 15:46
  Speaker 5: Million Morris Copley, age twenty one description matches scoping.
• 15:54
  Speaker 4: Thanks mitches.
• 15:54
  Speaker 5: Well, it's only forty minutes, since the robbery's probably.
• 15:57
  Speaker 7: Not even home yet.
• 15:58
  Speaker 4: What can you do? We'll wait up ten thirty pm.
• 16:04
  Speaker 5: We parked down the street from five twenty seven Dayton Avenue,
• 16:07
  Speaker 5: a two story white Stuccle apartment house. We checked the
• 16:09
  Speaker 5: names on the mailboxes. Morris Copley's wasn't on any of them.
• 16:12
  Speaker 5: We rang for the manager.
• 16:14
  Speaker 11: Copley, Mars Copeland. No, he doesn't live here, never heard
• 16:19
  Speaker 11: of him.
• 16:19
  Speaker 5: I wonder if you'd take a look at this man
• 16:22
  Speaker 5: this picture, ma'am.
• 16:24
  Speaker 4: Have you ever seen this man before?
• 16:26
  Speaker 11: Let me get over here in the line let me
• 16:30
  Speaker 11: say no, No, it doesn't live.
• 16:34
  Speaker 4: Here, and you've never seen him before. No, I didn't
• 16:37
  Speaker 4: say that. I just said he doesn't live here. You
• 16:39
  Speaker 4: have seen him before, I believe in my time.
• 16:42
  Speaker 11: Yes, matter of fact, I'm sure of it. It's a
• 16:45
  Speaker 11: friend of mister Tauben's apartment five comes to visit mister
• 16:48
  Speaker 11: Tauben every now then?
• 16:49
  Speaker 4: Is this mister toubin in now man? We like to
• 16:52
  Speaker 4: talk to him?
• 16:53
  Speaker 11: No, try not. He works nice, never comes home for
• 16:56
  Speaker 11: two am. Yeah, he's a cab driver.
• 17:09
  Speaker 3: You are listening to dragnet authentic stories of your police
• 17:13
  Speaker 3: force in action.
• 17:22
  Speaker 5: Ten pm, in the presence of the manager, we made
• 17:25
  Speaker 5: a search of the apartment registered in the name of
• 17:27
  Speaker 5: Ralph Tobin, the man who was supposed to be a
• 17:29
  Speaker 5: friend of the suspect Morris Copley We found nothing that
• 17:32
  Speaker 5: would tie either of them up with the robberies and
• 17:34
  Speaker 5: the killings. Before the manager returned to her apartment, we
• 17:37
  Speaker 5: instructed her to say nothing about our being there in
• 17:39
  Speaker 5: case Tobain or Copley returned. We called the office and
• 17:42
  Speaker 5: told them we'd received an identification on Morris Copley. They
• 17:45
  Speaker 5: checked them both through R and I. Neither had any
• 17:47
  Speaker 5: criminal record. They got on an APB on Copley.
• 17:51
  Speaker 4: We waited. Midnight came, nothing happened. One am.
• 17:59
  Speaker 5: Still no sign up. Be there, man one, somebody's coming.
• 18:04
  Speaker 5: Run back your kitchen.
• 18:06
  Speaker 4: Door, Maury, you're back or right? Hold it right there,
• 18:14
  Speaker 4: mister police officers. I'm fanny. Why is this a stick up?
• 18:19
  Speaker 4: Police officers? Explain Joe?
• 18:21
  Speaker 6: What's it all about? What do you want you?
• 18:23
  Speaker 4: Ralph Tobin?
• 18:23
  Speaker 6: That's right. This is my apartment.
• 18:25
  Speaker 4: You know Morris Copley.
• 18:26
  Speaker 6: Copley, Yeah, I know him. You're looking for him. He's
• 18:29
  Speaker 6: not here, We know that. Where is he? I wish?
• 18:31
  Speaker 7: I know?
• 18:32
  Speaker 6: I'm looking for him too. He owes me money.
• 18:34
  Speaker 4: Hopefully he's a pretty steady visitor. Here's that right?
• 18:36
  Speaker 8: He was till I let him at sixty five dollars.
• 18:38
  Speaker 8: I haven't seen him since he took off.
• 18:40
  Speaker 4: When was that? When? About two weeks ago?
• 18:44
  Speaker 9: Yeah?
• 18:44
  Speaker 6: Just about Look you mind if I sit down, I'm
• 18:47
  Speaker 6: a little nervous.
• 18:47
  Speaker 4: Go ahead kind of upsets you. You know, why are
• 18:52
  Speaker 4: you looking for Mauric?
• 18:53
  Speaker 5: Like to have you repeat what you said when you
• 18:55
  Speaker 5: came in that door? What I said as to your
• 18:58
  Speaker 5: word and you know, I mean before that said, I
• 19:01
  Speaker 5: don't think I know what you're getting that officer.
• 19:03
  Speaker 4: You said, Maury, you're back already? What you said?
• 19:06
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I guess I did.
• 19:07
  Speaker 8: I guess I thought Maury came back to pay me
• 19:09
  Speaker 8: the sixty five he borrowed.
• 19:10
  Speaker 5: You didn't make it sound like keptob And I've got
• 19:12
  Speaker 5: the idea.
• 19:12
  Speaker 8: You were expecting expecting him. I haven't seen more in
• 19:16
  Speaker 8: two weeks, maybe three. It took me for sixty five hours. Right,
• 19:19
  Speaker 8: that's enough small talk. Mister Copley's in deep. You're gonna
• 19:21
  Speaker 8: match him if we don't get a straight story. Some
• 19:23
  Speaker 8: cans of beer in the refrigerator. Let's have one around.
• 19:26
  Speaker 4: Get the beer. Where's Copley?
• 19:27
  Speaker 6: I'll swear in the Bible if you want me to.
• 19:29
  Speaker 4: I don't know.
• 19:31
  Speaker 6: Look, if Maury pull anything heavy, I'm not in on it, Ben.
• 19:33
  Speaker 5: You want to check with the manager. Ask her when's
• 19:35
  Speaker 5: the last time she saw Copley here?
• 19:36
  Speaker 6: Yeah?
• 19:37
  Speaker 8: Right now, Wait a minute, officers, I want to cooperate.
• 19:42
  Speaker 8: Maury's in deep. That's his fault, not mine. That's right,
• 19:45
  Speaker 8: isn't it. I'm right nowhere is he?
• 19:47
  Speaker 6: I don't know. That's the truth. I'll tell you something else.
• 19:50
  Speaker 6: I wasn't squaring.
• 19:51
  Speaker 8: I saw Maury early tonight six o'clock, came here and
• 19:54
  Speaker 8: borrowed another five from him.
• 19:55
  Speaker 4: But you don't know where he is now?
• 19:56
  Speaker 6: No, said sure? Like a can of beer?
• 19:59
  Speaker 5: If you I don't know, I sit still, I'll get
• 20:01
  Speaker 5: it for you.
• 20:02
  Speaker 6: You sure you won't have one?
• 20:04
  Speaker 1: No?
• 20:04
  Speaker 4: Not me? No thanks, I don't want to. There you go,
• 20:10
  Speaker 4: good cold beer.
• 20:13
  Speaker 6: I like it when I get nervous.
• 20:17
  Speaker 5: Always calms me down, say Tobin, Yeah, sorry, you haven't
• 20:24
  Speaker 5: taken your hat off.
• 20:25
  Speaker 6: Oh I was nervous. I guess I forgot.
• 20:30
  Speaker 4: Your hair always been dark blond since I was a kid. Yeah,
• 20:33
  Speaker 4: why how about that scar in your chin? It's a
• 20:35
  Speaker 4: pretty deep one? Beer?
• 20:38
  Speaker 6: Sure good?
• 20:39
  Speaker 8: I asked you about the scar. It's kind of embarrassing.
• 20:42
  Speaker 8: I got a little high one and I fell off
• 20:44
  Speaker 8: a Merry Garron big night. Now, I've heard everything.
• 20:48
  Speaker 5: I had a robbery report a couple of nights ago, Tobin,
• 20:50
  Speaker 5: hold up, man was just about your height and weight?
• 20:52
  Speaker 4: Yeah, dark blonde hair, had a scar on his chin too.
• 20:55
  Speaker 4: I'm afraid you.
• 20:55
  Speaker 8: Got a wrong slant, Officer. I work my cab every
• 20:58
  Speaker 8: night of the week, wasn't me? And if we have
• 21:00
  Speaker 8: a look at your cars?
• 21:01
  Speaker 6: How'd you know I had a car?
• 21:03
  Speaker 4: We didn't misgive it a look, Shelley. Why do you
• 21:05
  Speaker 4: want to look at it? Do you have anything to
• 21:06
  Speaker 4: hide at it? Of course not.
• 21:07
  Speaker 6: And then like Maury's.
• 21:08
  Speaker 8: Oz in trouble oz on the lamb, you probably think
• 21:13
  Speaker 8: it's funny when you checked the glove compartment my car.
• 21:15
  Speaker 8: Will we yeah, he will? Why is that keep a
• 21:18
  Speaker 8: gun in there? You know how many camp drivers get shy.
• 21:21
  Speaker 8: A guy can't be too careful.
• 21:22
  Speaker 4: What kind of gun you have, Tobin?
• 21:24
  Speaker 8: Revolver?
• 21:24
  Speaker 4: Regular revolver? What caliber? Here? He ate? Why? Two thirty am.
• 21:31
  Speaker 5: We searched his car, picked up his thirty eight caliber Revolver,
• 21:33
  Speaker 5: and then we drove Ralph Tobin back to the office
• 21:35
  Speaker 5: where he was detained for questioning.
• 21:37
  Speaker 4: We had a stakeout placed in his apartment.
• 21:40
  Speaker 5: Russ Camp and Ballistics checked Tobin's gun against the slugs
• 21:42
  Speaker 5: which had taken the lives of Harry Solomon and Bert Matthews.
• 21:46
  Speaker 5: Was found beyond the question of a doubt that his
• 21:47
  Speaker 5: gun had been used in the Solomon killing. We confronted
• 21:50
  Speaker 5: Tobin with the evidence. He started talking. He told us
• 21:53
  Speaker 5: that Copley was responsible for the murder of both Solomon
• 21:56
  Speaker 5: and Matthews, that Copley had borrowed.
• 21:58
  Speaker 4: His gun for the Solomon job.
• 22:00
  Speaker 5: In all the robberies except one, he described himself only
• 22:02
  Speaker 5: as the accomplice. He drove the getaway taxi cab. The
• 22:05
  Speaker 5: only occasion he tried to handle the actual hold up
• 22:07
  Speaker 5: was at the cafe, where he became so nervous that he.
• 22:09
  Speaker 4: Had dropped his gun.
• 22:11
  Speaker 5: Before he was booked on suspicion of murder, Tobin told
• 22:13
  Speaker 5: us that Morris Copley still had two thirty eight revolvers
• 22:16
  Speaker 5: in his possession.
• 22:17
  Speaker 4: He insisted he had no idea where Copley was. Ben
• 22:20
  Speaker 4: handled the.
• 22:20
  Speaker 5: Questioning while a stenographer took Tobin's statement. I contacted Inspector
• 22:24
  Speaker 5: Bowers and informed them of our progress.
• 22:26
  Speaker 4: Eleven am. I got back to the squad room.
• 22:32
  Speaker 5: All right, to check back through that personnel record we
• 22:34
  Speaker 5: got from the cab company. Yeah, I got half an idea.
• 22:37
  Speaker 5: I think you know, see here on Copley's application for
• 22:40
  Speaker 5: the job.
• 22:42
  Speaker 4: I'm sure we checked out all those references. They didn't
• 22:44
  Speaker 4: go anywhere. No, I mean that's right here, all right?
• 22:46
  Speaker 5: Yes, children one daughter aged four months when his application
• 22:50
  Speaker 5: dated May sixth. That means his baby was born in Babruary.
• 22:54
  Speaker 5: I'm sure Copley was working here then, so it's ten
• 22:56
  Speaker 5: to one the baby was born in the local hospital.
• 22:58
  Speaker 5: But I mean, if we find the right hot hospital
• 23:00
  Speaker 5: of the doctor they did lead us to him.
• 23:03
  Speaker 4: There's the phone book. Let's go from noon until four pm.
• 23:09
  Speaker 5: We called every hospital, sanitarium, clinic, and rest home listed
• 23:12
  Speaker 5: in the book. The answers were the same. No record
• 23:14
  Speaker 5: of confinement for a Missus Morris Copley.
• 23:17
  Speaker 4: H It seemed like a good idea. How you's going now,
• 23:20
  Speaker 4: we've got one more in the county hospital.
• 23:27
  Speaker 5: Well, this is Sergeant Friday, Police Department Robbery Detail. Yes,
• 23:31
  Speaker 5: I'd like to find out if you have any record
• 23:32
  Speaker 5: of confinement for a Missus Morris Copley. No, it's Copley,
• 23:36
  Speaker 5: SA isn't Charlie, Yes.
• 23:38
  Speaker 4: Thank you. You might have sent his wife out of
• 23:40
  Speaker 4: town to have them baby.
• 23:41
  Speaker 5: That's possible. Yeah, h eleven eighteen, thank you. Eleven eighteen
• 23:47
  Speaker 5: Rochester Copley's aunt.
• 23:49
  Speaker 4: Let's go. Four thirty pm.
• 23:53
  Speaker 5: Together with Olsen and Thaxter from Homicide Detail, we drove
• 23:56
  Speaker 5: out to eleven eighteen Rochester Avenue in the Prenshaw District, vacant.
• 24:00
  Speaker 4: From a neighbor we learned that Kopley's aunt had moved
• 24:03
  Speaker 4: two weeks before.
• 24:04
  Speaker 5: We got her address from one of her friends in
• 24:06
  Speaker 5: the neighborhood, and finally located her at work in a
• 24:08
  Speaker 5: beauty shop on Melrose Avenue. We posed as traffic investigators.
• 24:12
  Speaker 5: The aunt told us she thought we could find her
• 24:14
  Speaker 5: nephew Morris at home and address on East thirteenth Street.
• 24:17
  Speaker 4: Six pm.
• 24:18
  Speaker 5: We located the house and parked the cars at half
• 24:21
  Speaker 5: a block away. As we approached the house on foot,
• 24:23
  Speaker 5: we saw a light burning in one of the windows
• 24:25
  Speaker 5: on the left side of the house. Thaxter and Olsen
• 24:27
  Speaker 5: covered the back At a given signal, we entered the
• 24:30
  Speaker 5: back door, Ben and I went.
• 24:31
  Speaker 4: Through the front. It's empty, well fatter I here at happy.
• 24:40
  Speaker 4: That's great.
• 24:40
  Speaker 5: It looks like somebody passed him a tip off just
• 24:42
  Speaker 5: in time. We've become messis places in here.
• 24:46
  Speaker 4: We got out in a hurry. Hey, what's going on here?
• 24:49
  Speaker 4: Few men think you're doing police office?
• 24:50
  Speaker 6: Is your name?
• 24:52
  Speaker 4: Silvera? One of the neighbors. Are you looking for the
• 24:54
  Speaker 4: Copley's when they leave twenty minutes ago? I guess, in
• 24:57
  Speaker 4: an awful hurry. What's the trouble? You know where they
• 24:59
  Speaker 4: were going? No, but you might try mister Kopley's ant.
• 25:02
  Speaker 4: She lives over in Rochester. They're not there. Well, if
• 25:04
  Speaker 4: you tried his sister's house.
• 25:08
  Speaker 5: Six forty five pm, the neighbors Silvera directed us to
• 25:11
  Speaker 5: the home of Morris Copley's sister, a small framed cottage
• 25:14
  Speaker 5: on the edge of Beverly Hills. The lights were on
• 25:17
  Speaker 5: in the living room, but the shades were drawn. Thaxter
• 25:19
  Speaker 5: and Olsen made their.
• 25:20
  Speaker 4: Way quietly around to the back ben and I went
• 25:22
  Speaker 4: up the front steps and rang the bell.
• 25:32
  Speaker 5: Yes, what do you want you, miss Copley?
• 25:35
  Speaker 7: Yes, what is it?
• 25:37
  Speaker 4: Police officers, ma'am? I'm sorry.
• 25:38
  Speaker 7: Oh, he isn't here, Moore, he isn't here.
• 25:40
  Speaker 4: We know he's here. Living room's empty. Must be in
• 25:43
  Speaker 4: the bad year.
• 25:43
  Speaker 6: You can't.
• 25:45
  Speaker 7: She's in the bedroom of the baby. He's got a gun.
• 25:47
  Speaker 7: You can't go in there.
• 25:47
  Speaker 4: Where's the bedrooms?
• 25:48
  Speaker 7: See into the hall at that door.
• 25:51
  Speaker 4: He wasn't sleeping.
• 25:51
  Speaker 7: I think he's awake now.
• 25:52
  Speaker 4: The baby close to him have.
• 25:54
  Speaker 7: The same beds propped up on cools right next to it.
• 25:56
  Speaker 7: He's got that gun with him. Don't go in and
• 25:58
  Speaker 7: cleat it.
• 25:59
  Speaker 4: Where's the bed sit you waiting in the room.
• 26:00
  Speaker 11: It's right inside the door the let please don't go in,
• 26:03
  Speaker 11: and she won't care what happens to the baby.
• 26:05
  Speaker 4: Man, I'll open the door. You hit the light switch
• 26:08
  Speaker 4: and cover me. What the baby? You might just stays
• 26:10
  Speaker 4: go for your baby, won't get her. Let's go, all right,
• 26:18
  Speaker 4: that's going robot the gun?
• 26:23
  Speaker 5: Bet all right, I got it, Joe, all right, go
• 26:28
  Speaker 5: to get.
• 26:28
  Speaker 4: Him up, Come on up.
• 26:30
  Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, just a little frightened, ma'am.
• 26:34
  Speaker 4: She's all right. I kill your baby.
• 26:36
  Speaker 8: You tell him where to find this didn't job kill you,
• 26:39
  Speaker 8: lousy damn.
• 26:40
  Speaker 4: Nobody else knows.
• 26:41
  Speaker 6: She's the one who told you didn't.
• 26:43
  Speaker 4: And who did who told you? You're looking at her?
• 26:46
  Speaker 4: What do you mean your baby?
• 26:54
  Speaker 2: The story you've just heard was true, only the names
• 26:58
  Speaker 2: were changed to protect the you know.
• 27:00
  Speaker 3: On December sixteenth, trial was held in Superior Court, City
• 27:03
  Speaker 3: and County of Los Angeles, State of California. In a
• 27:05
  Speaker 3: moment the results of that trial.
• 27:07
  Speaker 4: And now here is our star, Jack Webb, thank you.
• 27:11
  Speaker 5: The working detective knows that there is one mark of
• 27:13
  Speaker 5: identification that never changes a man's fingerprints. The suspect may
• 27:17
  Speaker 5: change his appearance in many ways, but his fingerprints always
• 27:20
  Speaker 5: remain the same, a mark of identity that cannot be changed.
• 27:31
  Speaker 3: Maurice John Copley and Ralph Edward Tiburn were tried and
• 27:34
  Speaker 3: convicted of murder in the first degree, two counts. They
• 27:36
  Speaker 3: were both sentenced to be executed in the lethal gas
• 27:39
  Speaker 3: chamber of the State Penitentiary San Quentin, California. You have
• 27:45
  Speaker 3: just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files.
• 27:48
  Speaker 3: Technical advice comes from the Office of Chief of Police
• 27:50
  Speaker 3: wh Parker, Los Angeles Police Department.
• 27:53
  Speaker 2: Coming up, we the people tomorrow enjoy the Life of
• 27:56
  Speaker 2: Riley on NBC.
• 28:04
  Speaker 1: Welcome Back. I like the line where Friday reassured the
• 28:08
  Speaker 1: surviving clerk who was concerned he should have been braver.
• 28:13
  Speaker 1: I think in particular, men will have this expectation of
• 28:17
  Speaker 1: themselves that they should take some heroic measures when dealing
• 28:23
  Speaker 1: with someone with a gun, and doubtless, on top of
• 28:26
  Speaker 1: that general expectation, this guy was probably dealing with what
• 28:31
  Speaker 1: we call survivor's guilt. Friday makes it clear that he
• 28:34
  Speaker 1: wouldn't have tried anything, which is not only reassuring, but
• 28:39
  Speaker 1: also reflects the preference of law enforcement in general on
• 28:43
  Speaker 1: unarmed citizens dealing with dangerous individuals. I think the juxtaposition
• 28:49
  Speaker 1: of the big pair in this episode in the schedule
• 28:53
  Speaker 1: is an interesting contrast. In the Big Pair or sympathetic
• 28:57
  Speaker 1: grandfather and granddaughter were burgled because of no neighbors knowing
• 29:03
  Speaker 1: that they were away or what exactly was going on.
• 29:06
  Speaker 1: In today's episode, a criminal is captured in part because
• 29:11
  Speaker 1: the police had a neighbor who knew all of its business.
• 29:15
  Speaker 1: This forms the idea that neighbors and community are blessing
• 29:18
  Speaker 1: to the law abiding but a curse to the criminals.
• 29:21
  Speaker 1: Not sure it was intended, but it struck me that way.
• 29:25
  Speaker 1: Now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day,
• 29:28
  Speaker 1: and I want to thank Maggie. Maggie has been one
• 29:30
  Speaker 1: of our Patreon supporters since January twenty eighteen, currently supporting
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: the podcast at the shamous level of four dollars or
• 29:39
  Speaker 1: more per month. Thank you so much for your support, Maggie,
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: and that will actually do it for today. If you're
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software.
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: And if you're enjoying the podcast on YouTube, be sure
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: to lock the video, subscribe to the channel, and mark
• 29:57
  Speaker 1: the notification bell. We'll be back now Saturday with another
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: episode of Dragnet. Coming up. Tomorrow, we'll have our Sunday
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: encore and it'll be Thanksgiving themed. But then we will
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: resume your regular great Detectives of Old time radio line
• 30:15
  Speaker 1: up with the adventures of the fall can Wear.
• 30:18
  Speaker 6: Do you ever hear of the character named Lippy Mayo?
• 30:21
  Speaker 4: Do you mean you're related to Lippy?
• 30:23
  Speaker 12: Only have my father and mother's son. I see you
• 30:26
  Speaker 12: ever run across him? Well, it's all right, Mike. I
• 30:30
  Speaker 12: can understand why no one would be overly fond of Lippy.
• 30:33
  Speaker 12: As a matter of fact, I'm not too crazy about myself.
• 30:36
  Speaker 12: You know he was shot tonight, Yeah.
• 30:38
  Speaker 4: So I heard. How is he?
• 30:39
  Speaker 12: Jax says he'll pull through, but he'll be paralyzed for life.
• 30:43
  Speaker 12: So then you wouldn't happen to know who was responsible. No,
• 30:48
  Speaker 12: I wouldn't please you to find Anthony.
• 30:51
  Speaker 4: I don't think i'd care to. Steve.
• 30:54
  Speaker 6: Suppose I put it on a.
• 30:54
  Speaker 12: Professional basis, as a private detective at your usual feet,
• 30:58
  Speaker 12: I still wouldn't be interested in well, as a job
• 31:00
  Speaker 12: for the police. And secondly, well, secondly, I think I
• 31:04
  Speaker 12: got an idea what you have in mind, and you
• 31:06
  Speaker 12: don't approve. Nope, not a bit, okay, friends of our feelings,
• 31:10
  Speaker 12: I suppose there are other ways of finding out.
• 31:12
  Speaker 4: Listen to me.
• 31:13
  Speaker 12: Sorry, Mike, I haven't time, a lot of work to do.
• 31:16
  Speaker 1: I hope you'll be with us then in the meantime,
• 31:19
  Speaker 1: send your comments to Box thirteen at Greatdetectives dot net,
• 31:25
  Speaker 1: follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us
• 31:29
  Speaker 1: out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com slash Great Detectives from
• 31:35
  Speaker 1: Boise Atahol. This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.