Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Dragnet: The Big Death (EP1700)

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Dragnet: The Big Death (EP1700) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

• 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. If you have a comment,
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  Speaker 1: You can try that service out free for two weeks
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  Speaker 1: just in the Kindle store. Well, now it's time for
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: today's episode of Dragnet. The original airedate September the twenty
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: eighth of fifty and the Tittle is the Big Death.
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: The story you are about to hear is true, only
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
• 2:16
  Speaker 3: Drag Net.
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to Homicide Detail. A
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: socially prominent citizen is plotting to kill his wife. He
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: tells you his plans for the murder. He hires you
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: to do the killing. Your job stop him.
• 2:50
  Speaker 4: Drag Net the documented drama of an actual crime. While
• 2:54
  Speaker 4: the next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles
• 2:57
  Speaker 4: Police Department, you will travel step by step on the
• 3:00
  Speaker 4: side of the law through an actual case from official
• 3:02
  Speaker 4: police files, from beginning to end, from crime to punishment.
• 3:07
  Speaker 4: Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.
• 3:12
  Speaker 5: It was Monday, February seventeen, was reigning in Los Angeles.
• 3:16
  Speaker 5: We were working a day watch out of Homicide Detail.
• 3:19
  Speaker 5: My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Thad Brown, Chief
• 3:21
  Speaker 5: of Detectives.
• 3:22
  Speaker 6: My name is Friday.
• 3:23
  Speaker 5: It was four eighteen pm when we got to room
• 3:25
  Speaker 5: twenty six, Chief of Detective's office.
• 3:30
  Speaker 3: Come on, a man, have a seat. Would you close
• 3:35
  Speaker 3: the door of Friday?
• 3:36
  Speaker 6: Yeah?
• 3:36
  Speaker 3: Sure, Captain Steed, Sergeant Romero, Sergeant Friday. Like, have you
• 3:44
  Speaker 3: meet Special Agent Ray Kimball, Public Utilities Commission and his
• 3:49
  Speaker 3: friend mister Trudeau Trudeau. Gentlemen, mister Kimball and mister Trudeau
• 3:53
  Speaker 3: here have some important information to give us. Mister Trudeau,
• 3:57
  Speaker 3: would you like to repeat for these officers which you
• 3:59
  Speaker 3: told us few more moments ago.
• 4:00
  Speaker 7: Yes, sir, Well, a friend of mine wants me to
• 4:03
  Speaker 7: kill his wife for him.
• 4:05
  Speaker 8: I am convinced he means to go through.
• 4:06
  Speaker 3: With the thing. Naturally, it goes without saying that. Kimball
• 4:08
  Speaker 3: here back at the veracity of the story. Well, mister Trudeau,
• 4:11
  Speaker 3: who is your friend along?
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: You know him?
• 4:13
  Speaker 7: His name's Charles Stone. Guess maybe you heard of him
• 4:16
  Speaker 7: on the string of warehouses around town. I used to
• 4:20
  Speaker 7: work for him. Oh well, the other day he called
• 4:22
  Speaker 7: me and asked me if I was working I told
• 4:24
  Speaker 7: him no. Then he asked me to meet him in
• 4:26
  Speaker 7: front of the public library. That was last Saturday afternoon.
• 4:31
  Speaker 6: But did you meet him?
• 4:32
  Speaker 7: Yes, I did, and he took me to a bar
• 4:35
  Speaker 7: in the neighborhood. Started telling me all about his troubles
• 4:37
  Speaker 7: at home. He said his wife was stepping out at him,
• 4:40
  Speaker 7: running around with other men. Well, we had quite a
• 4:43
  Speaker 7: few drinks, and I guess I thought that's.
• 4:45
  Speaker 8: What I counted for it.
• 4:46
  Speaker 3: What service the Trudeau.
• 4:47
  Speaker 7: Well, he leaned toward me and he said, here's the dough.
• 4:50
  Speaker 7: The wife and I haven't been getting along well at
• 4:52
  Speaker 7: all for about a year. She's stepping out with some
• 4:55
  Speaker 7: other guy on me. And to make a long story short,
• 4:58
  Speaker 7: well that's when he told me. He said, I want
• 5:02
  Speaker 7: a loser. What do you say? Well, I told him
• 5:06
  Speaker 7: I didn't quite get the drift of the thing. And
• 5:08
  Speaker 7: then he said, I want my wife killed. I'll pay
• 5:10
  Speaker 7: you a thousand dollars for the job.
• 5:12
  Speaker 3: Mister Trudeau, have you any idea why he contacted you
• 5:14
  Speaker 3: on this thing?
• 5:15
  Speaker 7: Well, I don't know, other than the fact that I
• 5:18
  Speaker 7: hadn't been able to work for some time. He knew
• 5:20
  Speaker 7: I needed the money pretty badly. As soon as I
• 5:23
  Speaker 7: was sure, he wasn't kidding about the murder. I told
• 5:26
  Speaker 7: mister Kimball here, he's an old friend of mine.
• 5:28
  Speaker 8: Yeah, he said the only thing to do was to
• 5:30
  Speaker 8: take her to the police.
• 5:31
  Speaker 3: Did this, mister Stone, make this proposition to you more
• 5:34
  Speaker 3: than once?
• 5:34
  Speaker 7: Yes, he did. Kept reminding me how much I could
• 5:37
  Speaker 7: use one thousand dollars. Well, all I could say was
• 5:40
  Speaker 7: that I knew his wife too well.
• 5:43
  Speaker 6: I couldn't do it. What did Stone say to that?
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: Sir?
• 5:45
  Speaker 7: Said I had cold feet, told me I was just
• 5:48
  Speaker 7: like another man he'd lined up to kill his wife.
• 5:51
  Speaker 7: Told me if I didn't want the job, he'd get
• 5:52
  Speaker 7: someone else to do it.
• 5:53
  Speaker 3: Do you think he might go for a substitute, mister Trudeau,
• 5:55
  Speaker 3: one of our men.
• 5:57
  Speaker 7: I don't know, Chief, only one thing. I'm sure, yes, Sir,
• 6:00
  Speaker 7: he wants his wife dead.
• 6:06
  Speaker 5: Four forty two pm the meeting in the Chief Detective's
• 6:09
  Speaker 5: office went on. A man with the name of Charles
• 6:12
  Speaker 5: Stone wanted his wife murdered. He'd offered one thousand dollars
• 6:15
  Speaker 5: for a death. He'd approached two men to do the job.
• 6:17
  Speaker 5: Both had refused. From the information we'd received, we knew
• 6:21
  Speaker 5: he wouldn't stop there. There are a lot of people
• 6:23
  Speaker 5: who'd killed for one thousand dollars. It was only a
• 6:25
  Speaker 5: matter of time till he found one. The plan was
• 6:27
  Speaker 5: formulated and Ben and I were assigned to the case.
• 6:30
  Speaker 5: Five pm, together with Captain Steve and mister Trudeau, we
• 6:33
  Speaker 5: left Thad Brown's office and went down the hall to homicide.
• 6:35
  Speaker 3: In your last meeting with Stone, mister Trudeau, you refused
• 6:38
  Speaker 3: outright to have anything to do with this plan to
• 6:40
  Speaker 3: have his wife murdered.
• 6:41
  Speaker 6: That right, That's why.
• 6:42
  Speaker 3: Did you leave any opening and all?
• 6:44
  Speaker 7: Well, just to get away from the guy. I told
• 6:47
  Speaker 7: him if I heard of anybody that to do the job,
• 6:49
  Speaker 7: I'd let him know.
• 6:50
  Speaker 5: You think that maybe he'd listen to you if you
• 6:52
  Speaker 5: went back and suggested somebody.
• 6:54
  Speaker 7: I don't know he'd listen to me. But he's no dumby.
• 6:57
  Speaker 7: You got to understand that he's going to be careful.
• 7:00
  Speaker 3: Well which one he was going to play?
• 7:03
  Speaker 6: The killer?
• 7:03
  Speaker 3: I'd like to drive togiver who's going to fit the
• 7:06
  Speaker 3: part best? Trudeau? Heer just told you that Charles Stone's
• 7:09
  Speaker 3: no pushover.
• 7:10
  Speaker 8: I don't know.
• 7:10
  Speaker 7: Captain this offset here me. Yeah, I no offense, but
• 7:14
  Speaker 7: i'd sure peg you for a cop.
• 7:17
  Speaker 3: You would was it.
• 7:18
  Speaker 8: I don't know. You just look like one.
• 7:19
  Speaker 3: I guess, well, Joe is a little closer to average highway.
• 7:22
  Speaker 8: Yeah, that's what I mean, Captain, he doesn't look like
• 7:25
  Speaker 8: a cop.
• 7:26
  Speaker 3: All right now, mister Trudeau, you're willing to go along
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: with his on this thing?
• 7:31
  Speaker 8: Certainly? Captain, anything I can do, you just tell me
• 7:33
  Speaker 8: what you want.
• 7:34
  Speaker 3: Well, just as soon as possible, we'd like to have
• 7:36
  Speaker 3: you contact mister Stone. You don't know how to approach him,
• 7:39
  Speaker 3: so it's not to make him suspicious.
• 7:40
  Speaker 8: Yes, I think I can do that.
• 7:42
  Speaker 3: Joe, how do you want to.
• 7:43
  Speaker 6: Go about this?
• 7:43
  Speaker 5: Well, I better use some kind of an alias. Let's
• 7:46
  Speaker 5: see Matson, Joe Matson.
• 7:49
  Speaker 3: How about Kelly?
• 7:50
  Speaker 6: Just playing Kelly? It's fine with me.
• 7:51
  Speaker 3: Good Now, how about your background? I'm better get that
• 7:54
  Speaker 3: straight with mister Trudeau here.
• 7:55
  Speaker 5: Well, I suppose I tell him IM from Phoenix. Huh,
• 7:57
  Speaker 5: I know that town pretty well. He might ask me
• 7:59
  Speaker 5: some questions about it.
• 8:00
  Speaker 3: Okay, Now do you happen to know true to the army?
• 8:03
  Speaker 6: Did you ever serve in the army? Was true?
• 8:05
  Speaker 9: Yes?
• 8:05
  Speaker 8: Forty two to forty five CBI.
• 8:07
  Speaker 5: Bitter All right, well, we serve together in the army.
• 8:10
  Speaker 5: Let's make it in China.
• 8:11
  Speaker 3: Quartermaster car alight, all right, and now, mister Trudeau, this
• 8:15
  Speaker 3: is all you will have to do. Set up a
• 8:16
  Speaker 3: meeting with Stone as soon as possible, Introduce Friday as
• 8:19
  Speaker 3: the man who's willing to do the job for him,
• 8:21
  Speaker 3: an old army friend.
• 8:22
  Speaker 6: Then step out of the picture as quickly as you can.
• 8:24
  Speaker 8: All right, Captain, I understand.
• 8:26
  Speaker 3: It goes without saying we certainly appreciate your cooperation.
• 8:28
  Speaker 8: And not at all say only glad I'm in a
• 8:30
  Speaker 8: position to help out.
• 8:31
  Speaker 3: I'll probably save that woman's last.
• 8:33
  Speaker 6: I wish I could be sure. Not what do he means, Trudeau?
• 8:35
  Speaker 8: Last time I saw Charlie Stone is three days ago.
• 8:38
  Speaker 3: Maybe he's hired somebody else.
• 8:47
  Speaker 5: Five point thirty pm Captain Steed ordered two teams of
• 8:49
  Speaker 5: men from Homicide to watch Charles Stone's wife Mildred until
• 8:52
  Speaker 5: further notice for her own protection. She'd be kept under
• 8:55
  Speaker 5: twenty four hour surveillance without her knowledge.
• 8:58
  Speaker 6: We checked the.
• 8:58
  Speaker 5: Eye Bureau to see what we could find Charles Stone.
• 9:01
  Speaker 5: He owned a gun, a thirty two Smith and Western Revolver.
• 9:03
  Speaker 6: That's all we found. He had no criminal record.
• 9:07
  Speaker 5: We knew of him only as a social figure from
• 9:09
  Speaker 5: a prominent family, and supposedly he was happily married. He
• 9:11
  Speaker 5: owned and operated a chain of six warehouses throughout Los Angeles.
• 9:15
  Speaker 6: His business reputation was good.
• 9:16
  Speaker 5: Captain Steed ordered that Charles Stone also be placed under
• 9:19
  Speaker 5: twenty four hour surveillance.
• 9:20
  Speaker 6: Immediately. He would be kept under watch without his knowledge.
• 9:23
  Speaker 5: Ben Romero and Gillan Cinas were one of the teams
• 9:25
  Speaker 5: assigned to Tailor. The next morning, I checked in for
• 9:28
  Speaker 5: work at the usual time at ten to fifteen am.
• 9:30
  Speaker 5: I left Captain Steed's office and went into the squadroom
• 9:36
  Speaker 5: Homicide Friday.
• 9:38
  Speaker 3: This is mister Trudeau, Sergeant.
• 9:40
  Speaker 8: I saw Charlie Stone a few minutes ago.
• 9:42
  Speaker 6: Yes, sir, how to go?
• 9:43
  Speaker 8: We talked about twenty minutes. I told him you might
• 9:46
  Speaker 8: be willing to do the job.
• 9:47
  Speaker 6: What'd he say?
• 9:48
  Speaker 8: He wants to meet you?
• 9:53
  Speaker 5: Before he hung up, Trudeau told me that Charles Stone
• 9:55
  Speaker 5: would meet us that night in Section B and the
• 9:57
  Speaker 5: grand stands at the Midget Auto Races out near Santa Monica.
• 10:00
  Speaker 5: I informed Captain Steed to the development, and then I
• 10:02
  Speaker 5: left the office. Went home, put away my gun and
• 10:04
  Speaker 5: all my.
• 10:04
  Speaker 6: Identification changed in some old clothes.
• 10:07
  Speaker 5: I boarded a bus and rode back downtown to the
• 10:09
  Speaker 5: skid Row area, where I rented a single room in
• 10:11
  Speaker 5: a cheap hotel. I signed the register. J. Kelly, Phoenix, Arizona.
• 10:15
  Speaker 5: Five point thirty pm. I went to Cocain's Cafe on
• 10:18
  Speaker 5: the corner of South Main and Stella Streets.
• 10:20
  Speaker 6: Captain Steed was waiting for me in one of the
• 10:22
  Speaker 6: rare booths.
• 10:27
  Speaker 3: Hi.
• 10:27
  Speaker 6: Hi, you look like you're all set o. That was
• 10:31
  Speaker 6: a outfit strike you okay?
• 10:33
  Speaker 3: You fine? Old leather jacket's a good touch. Oh, I
• 10:37
  Speaker 3: better let your beard grow a little, all right. I
• 10:40
  Speaker 3: rented a room in one of the hotels down here.
• 10:43
  Speaker 3: I could use a little expense mine, m.
• 10:45
  Speaker 6: I just said a.
• 10:45
  Speaker 3: Little all right, I'll fix it up for you.
• 10:49
  Speaker 6: Here's the phone number of the hotel in case you
• 10:51
  Speaker 6: want to contact me.
• 10:52
  Speaker 9: Good.
• 10:54
  Speaker 6: That's the one thing that's got me a little worried. Skipper.
• 10:56
  Speaker 5: Yeah, the legal angle. You know, you can get pretty
• 10:59
  Speaker 5: close to a trapman in cases like this.
• 11:01
  Speaker 3: Nothing to worry about. I just played straight down the line.
• 11:04
  Speaker 6: Yeah.
• 11:04
  Speaker 3: The idea for the crime has to originate in the
• 11:06
  Speaker 3: mind of the criminal. It's got to be all his
• 11:08
  Speaker 3: idea and just go along with him, okay, sure, and
• 11:11
  Speaker 3: keep us posted.
• 11:11
  Speaker 6: Yes so well.
• 11:12
  Speaker 3: Murder of his wife means a lot of stone. He
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: wouldn't want anybody getting his way. Be careful.
• 11:20
  Speaker 5: That night, I had dinner with Trudeau at a cafeteria
• 11:22
  Speaker 5: on South Grand and then we caught a bus and
• 11:24
  Speaker 5: rode out to the stadium where they held the midget
• 11:26
  Speaker 5: auto races. We found the seats where Charles Stone was
• 11:29
  Speaker 5: to meet us, numbers four and five, Row twenty seven,
• 11:31
  Speaker 5: Section B, Main Grand Stand.
• 11:33
  Speaker 6: The auto races started at ten minutes past eight pm.
• 11:36
  Speaker 5: Charlestone arrived and he looked like an average prosperous businessman,
• 11:39
  Speaker 5: well dressed, medium bill, dark hair that showed a few
• 11:42
  Speaker 5: streets of gray.
• 11:44
  Speaker 6: Trudeau introduced us and then he left.
• 11:48
  Speaker 3: Where you from, Kelly Minnick like midget auto races, That's
• 11:53
  Speaker 3: not why I.
• 11:53
  Speaker 6: Came out here. Trudo said something about a job.
• 11:56
  Speaker 3: Uh, yes, he told you what it's about. Yeah, anything
• 12:00
  Speaker 3: like this before.
• 12:02
  Speaker 6: I'd be a sucker to answer that one one night.
• 12:03
  Speaker 3: I just want to know if you can handle it.
• 12:06
  Speaker 6: Trudo told me about it. I wouldn't be here if
• 12:08
  Speaker 6: I couldn't handle it.
• 12:09
  Speaker 3: Got a good job, Gotta be sure it's done right.
• 12:13
  Speaker 6: What are you looking for? References?
• 12:14
  Speaker 3: Gotta be careful, that's all.
• 12:16
  Speaker 5: What about me? I don't know you from Adam? How
• 12:18
  Speaker 5: do I know it won't be a double cross.
• 12:20
  Speaker 3: I don't worry about a double cross. Let's go all
• 12:23
  Speaker 3: the grand stand, get away from this crowd.
• 12:25
  Speaker 6: Worry with me. You haven't said anything about money yet.
• 12:34
  Speaker 3: Anytime talk money. Like to know how much you want?
• 12:39
  Speaker 6: Trudeau said a thousand?
• 12:40
  Speaker 3: Yeah, when could you get it? When would you want
• 12:44
  Speaker 3: it before?
• 12:46
  Speaker 6: I'd be a dope to do the job without getting
• 12:48
  Speaker 6: paid first.
• 12:49
  Speaker 3: I'd be justice stupid to give it to you first. Say, uh,
• 12:52
  Speaker 3: can buy a hot dog, cold rink? Okay, a mess? Yeah,
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: one hot dog, coup of road bears, one dog, two beers?
• 13:06
  Speaker 3: You like roal bear? Sure?
• 13:09
  Speaker 6: How about settling on the dough?
• 13:10
  Speaker 9: Huh?
• 13:10
  Speaker 3: If you do the job, you'll get paid, you can,
• 13:12
  Speaker 3: asked Trudeau. If you like, I'll tell you I keep
• 13:14
  Speaker 3: my work.
• 13:16
  Speaker 5: Well, it's got to go fast, that's all. I may
• 13:19
  Speaker 5: have a job lined up with Phoenix. I gotta get
• 13:22
  Speaker 5: that dough and some new clothes. Gotta put up some
• 13:24
  Speaker 5: kind of a front. That's why I need the dough fast.
• 13:26
  Speaker 6: No waiting.
• 13:27
  Speaker 3: You'll get your money. We can work out something, hot
• 13:29
  Speaker 3: dog do you bears mustage.
• 13:31
  Speaker 10: On the cot?
• 13:35
  Speaker 3: Hey?
• 13:35
  Speaker 6: Uh?
• 13:36
  Speaker 3: We just move over there out of the way.
• 13:41
  Speaker 6: Okay, But you haven't told me yet. What how do
• 13:50
  Speaker 6: you want it done?
• 13:51
  Speaker 3: All depends.
• 13:53
  Speaker 6: I haven't got my gun. I'm on the lamb. Have
• 13:55
  Speaker 6: you got one?
• 13:55
  Speaker 11: No?
• 13:55
  Speaker 3: I don't know any one couldn't use a gun anyway?
• 13:58
  Speaker 3: Too much noise.
• 13:59
  Speaker 6: I'll make up your mind.
• 14:00
  Speaker 3: Pell me tomorrow night. We can talk about it then.
• 14:03
  Speaker 5: Look, mister, you expect me to sit on this scene
• 14:05
  Speaker 5: for a week. I'm not making a career out of
• 14:07
  Speaker 5: just this one job.
• 14:08
  Speaker 3: What are you worrying about? What's set everything up tomorrow night?
• 14:11
  Speaker 6: Right? How about ten bucks on the cuff? I gotta
• 14:12
  Speaker 6: live in flat.
• 14:16
  Speaker 3: There's five yees that'll do.
• 14:20
  Speaker 6: How about that payoff one thousand? How do we set
• 14:23
  Speaker 6: that up?
• 14:23
  Speaker 3: We can talk about that later.
• 14:25
  Speaker 5: Why can't we talk now? Look, Stone, I don't think
• 14:27
  Speaker 5: I like your attitudes. You haven't told me how you
• 14:29
  Speaker 5: want the job done. You talk cute every time, the payoffs, mention,
• 14:33
  Speaker 5: take it easy, nothing. I'm taking the chances. How do
• 14:35
  Speaker 5: I know I'm going to get paid?
• 14:36
  Speaker 3: How do I know you'll kill it.
• 14:42
  Speaker 6: Before I left Charles Stone. We set up a meeting
• 14:44
  Speaker 6: for the following nine.
• 14:45
  Speaker 5: At eight o'clock, I caught a bus and went back
• 14:47
  Speaker 5: to the hotel room. So far I'd been unable to
• 14:50
  Speaker 5: get any other corroborative evidence on Stone, evidence that could
• 14:53
  Speaker 5: be presented in court. The next morning I called the
• 14:55
  Speaker 5: office and kept them posted on developments.
• 14:57
  Speaker 6: I had my meals at a.
• 14:58
  Speaker 5: Lunch Cotterer next door to the hotel, stuck pretty close
• 15:00
  Speaker 5: to my room.
• 15:01
  Speaker 6: At two thirty that afternoon been called.
• 15:05
  Speaker 3: We tailed Stone to the Midgnolo races last night.
• 15:08
  Speaker 12: Joe, do any good?
• 15:09
  Speaker 6: Oh? Not bad. It's going a little slow though.
• 15:11
  Speaker 3: We tilled him. After he left you, he drove to
• 15:13
  Speaker 3: a Beverly Hills.
• 15:14
  Speaker 13: Address apartment thought he lived in Glendale. Does his apartment?
• 15:17
  Speaker 13: He went to registered to uh Geene. Howard stayed will
• 15:21
  Speaker 13: four this morning, checked the hard girl out. She's a
• 15:24
  Speaker 13: secretary and when of the Stone's.
• 15:25
  Speaker 6: Well, maybe that explains why Stone wants to get rid
• 15:28
  Speaker 6: of his wife.
• 15:28
  Speaker 3: It's one more thing.
• 15:29
  Speaker 13: We tailed him to a gun shop this morning, bought
• 15:31
  Speaker 13: a couple of things, and after he scone, we checked
• 15:33
  Speaker 13: with the store clerk toiled the Stone bought a box
• 15:35
  Speaker 13: of shells, thirty.
• 15:36
  Speaker 5: Two caner, same kind of gun he had registered, and
• 15:38
  Speaker 5: then thirty two s and w Yeah that's funny.
• 15:41
  Speaker 6: Stone told me he doesn't own again. Doesn't look too good,
• 15:44
  Speaker 6: my buff. All right, now, let's don't start worrying. Don't
• 15:47
  Speaker 6: trust him in dimes with Joe.
• 15:49
  Speaker 3: It's all right.
• 15:50
  Speaker 5: You want to check me later on. I gotta keep
• 15:52
  Speaker 5: this line open, ye, see you later, all right?
• 16:05
  Speaker 3: Yeah, this is Stone.
• 16:06
  Speaker 6: Yeah, job's all set up, ready to go. When four night.
• 16:20
  Speaker 4: You are listening to Dragnet.
• 16:28
  Speaker 5: Wednesday, February nineteenth, eight fifty five pm, Charles Stone picked
• 16:32
  Speaker 5: me up in his car at the corner of Alameda
• 16:34
  Speaker 5: in sixth Streets. He turned on the South Broadway and
• 16:36
  Speaker 5: he headed down for the beach. He hunched over the
• 16:38
  Speaker 5: wheel as he drove. I kept wondering how I was
• 16:41
  Speaker 5: going to pin him down. We were less than twenty
• 16:43
  Speaker 5: four hours away from the scheduled murder of his wife,
• 16:45
  Speaker 5: and I still didn't have a case against him that
• 16:47
  Speaker 5: did stand up in court if he failed to produce
• 16:50
  Speaker 5: sufficient evidence tonight, Stone had a good chance of going free,
• 16:53
  Speaker 5: whether he succeeded in having his wife killed or not.
• 16:56
  Speaker 5: I also I had no idea what plans the suspect
• 16:58
  Speaker 5: had made before he hired me.
• 16:59
  Speaker 6: To do the killing.
• 17:01
  Speaker 5: It was a definite possibility that he might have arranged
• 17:03
  Speaker 5: for somebody else to commit the actual murder and.
• 17:05
  Speaker 6: Then set up a double cross with me as the victim.
• 17:07
  Speaker 5: We knew he had a thirty two S and W
• 17:09
  Speaker 5: revolver registered in his name, but he denied to me
• 17:11
  Speaker 5: that he even owned Again nine oh three pm, he
• 17:14
  Speaker 5: pulled up in front of Stone's Beach Houses.
• 17:22
  Speaker 3: What's the other homes around here? A vacant summer places
• 17:25
  Speaker 3: people don't start moving into the first of May.
• 17:28
  Speaker 6: But you said you're afraid of the neighbors seeing you here?
• 17:30
  Speaker 3: Some living up the next block, or can't afford not
• 17:33
  Speaker 3: to be careful? Just want I there's a front door case,
• 17:43
  Speaker 3: see if you can work in.
• 17:44
  Speaker 6: And I know how it works. You go ahead and
• 17:45
  Speaker 6: note me right the living room?
• 17:55
  Speaker 3: Huh yeah, our bedroom's over here, so this door?
• 18:02
  Speaker 6: Uh huh? All right? What's the story? Where do I start?
• 18:07
  Speaker 9: Well?
• 18:07
  Speaker 3: Ife should be here about six o'clock tomorrow night, shall
• 18:09
  Speaker 3: be coming down alone to get the house ready for
• 18:11
  Speaker 3: a weekend party.
• 18:12
  Speaker 6: When do you want me here?
• 18:13
  Speaker 3: About four in the afternoon? Here here's he keeps the
• 18:18
  Speaker 3: front door.
• 18:20
  Speaker 6: Better pick it up and handle them?
• 18:21
  Speaker 3: Are okay? The first thing you do when you get
• 18:26
  Speaker 3: here is pull out all the drawers in the bedroom bureau.
• 18:28
  Speaker 3: Scatter things around, make it look as much like a
• 18:30
  Speaker 3: burglary as you can. Yeah, say, I'm here in the
• 18:34
  Speaker 3: living room. That's drawer, table, cupboards, kind them inside out,
• 18:38
  Speaker 3: Throw things around.
• 18:39
  Speaker 6: Leave my fingerprints all over everything.
• 18:41
  Speaker 3: I have taken care of that. A pair of gloves
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: of mine. You'll find him here in this drawer. I
• 18:49
  Speaker 3: remember that, all right. Let's see now. Oh yeah, slash cord.
• 18:57
  Speaker 3: I'm sure that's ought to serve the purpose. Shouldn't have
• 18:59
  Speaker 3: any try, Yeah, pace, The.
• 19:07
  Speaker 6: Rope's pretty new, it's a little slippery.
• 19:09
  Speaker 3: Won't be with the gloves on. She's not very strong.
• 19:11
  Speaker 3: Shouldn't have any trouble. We leave the rope here in
• 19:15
  Speaker 3: the closet.
• 19:17
  Speaker 6: You sure she's gonna be alone? Positive? Where am I
• 19:20
  Speaker 6: supposed to hide? I'm shure you.
• 19:24
  Speaker 3: Here? Hid by the front door, this closet. Yeah, my
• 19:30
  Speaker 3: wife comes in, close the door, and she'll probably go
• 19:32
  Speaker 3: right to the bedroom and take off her coat. Follow
• 19:35
  Speaker 3: her in, then do it fast while her back's turn.
• 19:37
  Speaker 3: No screams. Neighbors might hear. All right, want to clean
• 19:41
  Speaker 3: and quiet. Do it as quickly as you can. Now
• 19:45
  Speaker 3: when you finished, here's what I want you to do
• 19:47
  Speaker 3: with her. What's it? Take the body and bring it
• 19:49
  Speaker 3: this way. Come here, all right, watch and see pass
• 19:56
  Speaker 3: the living room to these French doors. Open the one.
• 20:00
  Speaker 3: You won't have any trouble. Take somebody out here in
• 20:02
  Speaker 3: the porch. Come with me now. I want you to
• 20:05
  Speaker 3: get this clear in your mind. Yeah, I think I
• 20:07
  Speaker 3: got it. Take it down to this end of the porch,
• 20:10
  Speaker 3: right to the railing leader here. It's very important you
• 20:13
  Speaker 3: understand all the way down to the end of the
• 20:15
  Speaker 3: porch here.
• 20:16
  Speaker 6: I don't get it, but I guess it's all right.
• 20:18
  Speaker 3: All right, let's go back in.
• 20:24
  Speaker 5: Look stone, I may forget the layout of this house
• 20:26
  Speaker 5: here that you draw a floor plan for me.
• 20:31
  Speaker 6: I don't want to get mixed up here.
• 20:33
  Speaker 3: No, this paper on the desk there, you can draw
• 20:34
  Speaker 3: it yourself before you leave tonight.
• 20:36
  Speaker 6: Do you trust me?
• 20:38
  Speaker 3: Can't afford to taking chances?
• 20:41
  Speaker 9: Now?
• 20:41
  Speaker 6: What was it?
• 20:43
  Speaker 3: Yeah, after you've finished using the rope of me, you'll
• 20:47
  Speaker 3: find some rings in my white's fingers. Take them all off,
• 20:50
  Speaker 3: big sitting. Especially, there'll be a bracelet on her left wrist.
• 20:53
  Speaker 3: Take that too.
• 20:54
  Speaker 6: What'll I do with them?
• 20:55
  Speaker 3: Put them in this white vase in the motel here
• 20:57
  Speaker 3: the rings on the bracelet. Don't miss any of the
• 21:00
  Speaker 3: rings expensive?
• 21:02
  Speaker 5: How about me bringing them to you. I can pick
• 21:03
  Speaker 5: up my dough at the same time.
• 21:06
  Speaker 3: I'll put them in the vase. Since that's done, leave
• 21:09
  Speaker 3: here and go back downtown. I'll pick you up before
• 21:11
  Speaker 3: we met tonight six and now I meet it seven
• 21:13
  Speaker 3: thirty sharp. Have the money for you? Then, well, you're
• 21:16
  Speaker 3: going to be at six o'clock. I have to cover myself.
• 21:18
  Speaker 3: I'll stay on at the office special conference.
• 21:22
  Speaker 6: I don't know. I don't think I like this.
• 21:25
  Speaker 3: What do you mean you don't like it?
• 21:26
  Speaker 5: I suppose something should happen. I've got no protection. I'd
• 21:28
  Speaker 5: feel a lot better with a gun.
• 21:29
  Speaker 3: Told you I don't have a gun to give you.
• 21:31
  Speaker 3: Why would you need one? Anyway? Just feel a lot better.
• 21:34
  Speaker 3: It's all buy one if you want. That's your problem.
• 21:37
  Speaker 3: I'm paying you for the job. I haven't seen your money.
• 21:40
  Speaker 3: I told you when the job's done, get your money.
• 21:42
  Speaker 3: Then it's just one thing I want to make sure of.
• 21:45
  Speaker 3: No mistakes.
• 21:45
  Speaker 9: Here.
• 21:46
  Speaker 3: Don't worry. You get your pay that's true to If
• 21:48
  Speaker 3: you like, I'll tell you you can trust me. You
• 21:50
  Speaker 3: can ask anybody how about your wife?
• 21:56
  Speaker 5: Before I left Charles Stone, I got one more valuable
• 21:59
  Speaker 5: piece of evidence out of them, a special phone number
• 22:01
  Speaker 5: written in his handwriting on the back of one of
• 22:02
  Speaker 5: his business cards. In case anything went wrong, I was
• 22:05
  Speaker 5: to call him at this number in his own handwriting.
• 22:07
  Speaker 5: I also got a list of times that I was
• 22:09
  Speaker 5: supposed to remember when to come to the house, when
• 22:11
  Speaker 5: to leave, when to meet him for the payoff. The
• 22:14
  Speaker 5: next afternoon, at three point thirty, I left the hotel
• 22:16
  Speaker 5: and drove my car out to Venice to Stone's beach house.
• 22:19
  Speaker 5: Captain Steed and another officer from Homicide followed me out.
• 22:22
  Speaker 6: We waited in the house together.
• 22:24
  Speaker 5: Shortly before six pm, Missus Mildred Stone arrived with Ben
• 22:27
  Speaker 5: and Gillencinas. She refused to believe the story of her
• 22:30
  Speaker 5: husband's block to have her murdered. Captain Steed laid out
• 22:33
  Speaker 5: the evidence for this.
• 22:34
  Speaker 3: Ky Missus Stone, you recognize.
• 22:36
  Speaker 9: It well, yes, it's the one for the front door.
• 22:38
  Speaker 3: Must be Charles He gave it to this officer, Missus Stone.
• 22:40
  Speaker 3: The man who was supposed to murder him.
• 22:42
  Speaker 9: No, I don't believe it.
• 22:44
  Speaker 6: You have any idea. What's in that closet, ma'am that
• 22:46
  Speaker 6: went over there?
• 22:47
  Speaker 9: There's nothing in there. I cleaned it out the last
• 22:49
  Speaker 9: time we were here, I cleaned out all the closets.
• 22:52
  Speaker 6: I like to show it to you, ma'am.
• 22:55
  Speaker 3: A.
• 22:58
  Speaker 9: Piece of room. I never saw that there before.
• 23:03
  Speaker 6: Mister Stone gave it. I mean, was supposed to be
• 23:05
  Speaker 6: the murder weapon.
• 23:06
  Speaker 3: Just one more point, ma'am. All over here, please, do
• 23:12
  Speaker 3: you know what's in this drawer here?
• 23:14
  Speaker 9: It's empty, it has to be. We never keep anything
• 23:16
  Speaker 9: in there, only when to move down for the summer months.
• 23:19
  Speaker 6: Sure, right, pair of your husband's old gloves, Is that right, ma'am?
• 23:25
  Speaker 9: But why would they be there?
• 23:26
  Speaker 8: What four?
• 23:27
  Speaker 5: I was supposed to wear them while I was in
• 23:28
  Speaker 5: the house, so I wouldn't leave fingerprints.
• 23:31
  Speaker 9: Do you mind if I sit down.
• 23:36
  Speaker 3: I'm sorry, mister Stone. We know it's a terrible shock
• 23:38
  Speaker 3: for you. I think you realized what you had.
• 23:40
  Speaker 6: To tell you.
• 23:41
  Speaker 9: It's all right.
• 23:42
  Speaker 14: You've been very kind. You saved my life. I'm sorry
• 23:45
  Speaker 14: now that happened. Would have been better if he'd succeeded.
• 23:48
  Speaker 6: Much better take it easy, missus Stone.
• 23:50
  Speaker 9: Shame, terrible, terrible shame. Is there anything I can do
• 23:56
  Speaker 9: for him?
• 23:57
  Speaker 6: He wanted to have you murdered, ma'am.
• 23:59
  Speaker 14: I know that he wanted he did, ma'am. It's only
• 24:02
  Speaker 14: one thing, you know. He's my husband, Sergeant.
• 24:04
  Speaker 8: I love him.
• 24:10
  Speaker 6: Six forty five pm I telephoned Charles Stone and told
• 24:13
  Speaker 6: him the job was done. His wife was murdered.
• 24:16
  Speaker 5: He said he'd meet me at sixth and Alometer Streets
• 24:18
  Speaker 5: for the payoff as scheduled.
• 24:19
  Speaker 6: I waited. He failed to show up. At seven thirty pm.
• 24:22
  Speaker 5: Stone was placed under arrest as he parked his car
• 24:24
  Speaker 5: in front of their Venice Beach house. A loaded thirty
• 24:27
  Speaker 5: two caliber revolver was found in his pocket. He was
• 24:29
  Speaker 5: taken back to the City Hall the Chief a Detective's office.
• 24:32
  Speaker 5: Ben and I waited outside.
• 24:33
  Speaker 6: The open door.
• 24:34
  Speaker 5: We could hear Thad Brown start the interrogation inside.
• 24:37
  Speaker 3: You know, how can we have you down here for
• 24:39
  Speaker 3: mister Stone? I haven't a benished idea. What would you
• 24:42
  Speaker 3: say if I told you your wife had been murdered?
• 24:44
  Speaker 3: I think you're crazy? What would you say if I
• 24:47
  Speaker 3: told you that you're accused of her murder? Stilly it's ridiculous.
• 24:50
  Speaker 3: I've been at work all day. I can prove it
• 24:52
  Speaker 3: all right, Friday, come in as it You ever meet
• 24:58
  Speaker 3: this man before? I've seen him on skid Row. I
• 25:01
  Speaker 3: don't know him. Do you recognize the man you hired
• 25:03
  Speaker 3: to kill your wife? I didn't know the man. I
• 25:05
  Speaker 3: didn't kill my wife. I don't understand all this. The
• 25:08
  Speaker 3: name's Kelly, mister Stone. He's some fake officers, a skid
• 25:12
  Speaker 3: Row bum.
• 25:12
  Speaker 6: I don't know him.
• 25:13
  Speaker 5: I don't think that's gonna make it Stone. Both you
• 25:15
  Speaker 5: and your wife have been tailed constantly for the last
• 25:17
  Speaker 5: couple of days. Photographs taken Midget Auto Races sixth and Alimeter,
• 25:22
  Speaker 5: Beverly Hills apartment crazy.
• 25:23
  Speaker 3: You don't know what you're talking about. Mike would just
• 25:25
  Speaker 3: send a lady in place, Mildred. You don't believe all
• 25:35
  Speaker 3: these things you're saying about me, do you?
• 25:38
  Speaker 9: Here are the rings, Charles, the bracelet too.
• 25:42
  Speaker 14: I didn't realize how much you wanted them.
• 25:46
  Speaker 3: Well, yeh, I didn't mean it.
• 25:50
  Speaker 8: I didn't mean it.
• 25:54
  Speaker 3: I don't know what I.
• 25:54
  Speaker 8: Was thinking of.
• 25:58
  Speaker 9: Dear Charles. It's all right now, he'll feel better in
• 26:03
  Speaker 9: a few.
• 26:03
  Speaker 12: Minutes, Yes, ma'am. That's all Friday right, looks it looked
• 26:16
  Speaker 12: like Joe starting to talk got me. He tries to
• 26:20
  Speaker 12: have her murder. She goes to bat for him. What's
• 26:24
  Speaker 12: to prove He's sure? I must love him?
• 26:27
  Speaker 3: What do you think?
• 26:30
  Speaker 6: How about a cup of coffee?
• 26:39
  Speaker 2: The story you have just heard was true, only the
• 26:42
  Speaker 2: names were changed to protect the innocent. On May second
• 26:46
  Speaker 2: trial was held in Superior Court, Department eighty nine, City
• 26:49
  Speaker 2: and County of Los Angeles, State of California. In a
• 26:51
  Speaker 2: moment the results of that trial.
• 26:52
  Speaker 5: And now here is our star, Jack Webb, thank you
• 26:57
  Speaker 5: so the working detective of the difference between guilt and
• 26:59
  Speaker 5: innocence is proof in the form of physical evidence, in
• 27:02
  Speaker 5: the form of testimony gathered from reliable witnesses. In determining
• 27:06
  Speaker 5: any suspects guild or innocence, the difference is actual proof.
• 27:18
  Speaker 4: Charles Farnsworth Stone was tried and convicted on soliciting the
• 27:21
  Speaker 4: commission of a felony two counts. He received the sentence
• 27:25
  Speaker 4: as prescribed by law.
• 27:30
  Speaker 2: You have just heard.
• 27:31
  Speaker 4: Dragnet a series of authentic cases from official fires. Technical
• 27:35
  Speaker 4: advice comes from the Office of Chief of Police W. H. Parker,
• 27:38
  Speaker 4: Los Angeles Police Department.
• 27:44
  Speaker 11: Hi, folks, this is Bob on the air for chester
• 27:46
  Speaker 11: Feel every Tuesday night. Consult your local paper for time
• 27:48
  Speaker 11: and station.
• 27:49
  Speaker 10: Hope and being on the air for Chesterfield every Wednesday night, Crosby.
• 27:52
  Speaker 10: I've called this little seminar to teach our new boy
• 27:55
  Speaker 10: the ropes.
• 27:56
  Speaker 11: Say Sag, I think it's only fair to warn you.
• 27:57
  Speaker 11: With me selling Chesterfield this year, you'll have to live long,
• 28:00
  Speaker 11: lively to keep up.
• 28:02
  Speaker 3: Since when have you been in a competition? Love, bah Boy?
• 28:04
  Speaker 3: When when we're in pictures together, who always gets the girl?
• 28:07
  Speaker 11: Which only backs up the old saying everybody loves a
• 28:09
  Speaker 11: fat man.
• 28:10
  Speaker 10: Seriously, Friends, Skins, Lint and I. We do agree on
• 28:13
  Speaker 10: this here Hope and Crosby. Tuesday next we the people
• 28:17
  Speaker 10: on NBC.
• 28:29
  Speaker 15: H This is Andrew from Otrwesterns dot com. I wanted
• 28:32
  Speaker 15: to invite you to come take a look at our site.
• 28:34
  Speaker 15: We stream live OTR Westerns twenty fours a day, seven
• 28:38
  Speaker 15: days a week, along with putting out podcasts of old
• 28:42
  Speaker 15: time radio Westerns. Check us out at Otrwesterns dot com.
• 28:46
  Speaker 15: You're listening to the great detectives of old time radio
• 28:48
  Speaker 15: with Adam Graham. Now let's get back into the show.
• 28:58
  Speaker 1: Welcome Back. Well, interesting episode really dealing with the fine
• 29:04
  Speaker 1: line that police officers have to walk on the issue
• 29:07
  Speaker 1: of entrapment. Plus there's a definite awareness of everything that
• 29:13
  Speaker 1: could go wrong. There was also a similar episode to this,
• 29:19
  Speaker 1: a different outcoming, different story, done in the nineteen sixties
• 29:23
  Speaker 1: with the Big Ad I did. I guess find it
• 29:27
  Speaker 1: somewhat interesting the idea that Jack Webb didn't look like
• 29:31
  Speaker 1: a cop, and I guess that's based on the fact
• 29:35
  Speaker 1: for an entire generation he came to symbolize the police,
• 29:40
  Speaker 1: but it was still very early in his career at
• 29:42
  Speaker 1: this point. All right, Well, usually we would have a
• 29:46
  Speaker 1: video theater episode tomorrow, but this is our one thousand,
• 29:51
  Speaker 1: one thousand, seven hundredth episodes, so we're going to have
• 29:54
  Speaker 1: a special radio episode tomorrow and then video theater next week.
• 30:01
  Speaker 1: So join us for our seventeen hundredth episode special. I'm
• 30:04
  Speaker 1: sure you're going to enjoy it. And then on Monday
• 30:07
  Speaker 1: we'll be back with Michael Shane and then next Saturday,
• 30:10
  Speaker 1: another episode of Dragnet. In the meanwhile, send your comments
• 30:14
  Speaker 1: to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us
• 30:18
  Speaker 1: on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and become one of our
• 30:21
  Speaker 1: friends on Facebook, Facebook, dot com. Slash radio detectors from Boise, Idaho.
• 30:26
  Speaker 1: This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.