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Transcript

Dragnet: The Big Roll (EP5074) · The Great Detectives Present Dragnet (Old Time Radio)

• 0:02
  Speaker 1: THE END.
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
• 0:39
  Speaker 2: going to bring you this week's episode of Dragnet. But first,
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: I want to encourage you, if you're enjoying the podcast,
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: to please follow us using your favorite podcast software. And
• 0:52
  Speaker 2: if you are enjoying the podcast, you can support us
• 0:55
  Speaker 2: on a one-time basis by mailing a donation to Adam Graham, P.O.
• 1:00
  Speaker 3: Box 15913. That's P.O. Box 15913, Boise, Idaho, 83715. But now,
• 1:02
  Speaker 3: from June 26, 1952, here is The Big Roll.
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: The Big Roll.
• 1:25
  Speaker 4: The story you are about to hear is true. The
• 1:28
  Speaker 4: names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're a
• 1:38
  Speaker 4: detective sergeant. You're assigned to homicide detail. An unidentified man
• 1:43
  Speaker 4: is abducted from a downtown street. The scene is checked
• 1:46
  Speaker 4: where the man was reported taken. Bloodstains are found on
• 1:50
  Speaker 4: the sidewalk. The abductors escaped in a gray sedan. No
• 1:53
  Speaker 4: one saw the license number. Your job, get them.
• 2:03
  Speaker 5: Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. For the
• 2:11
  Speaker 5: next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department...
• 2:15
  Speaker 5: You will travel step by step on the side of
• 2:17
  Speaker 5: the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files.
• 2:22
  Speaker 5: From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is
• 2:26
  Speaker 5: the story of your police force in action.
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: It was Monday, March 18th. It was overcast in Los Angeles.
• 2:36
  Speaker 1: We were working the night watch out of homicide detail.
• 2:38
  Speaker 1: My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Warman. My
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: name's Friday. It was 6.48 p.m. when we got to
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: the corner of 11th and South Pierce Street. The 797 Club.
• 2:49
  Speaker 6: More service tonight, closing up.
• 2:50
  Speaker 7: Your name Leon Morley?
• 2:51
  Speaker 6: Yeah, I can't serve you any drinks, so closing up.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: Police officers, Mr.
• 2:54
  Speaker 5: Morley.
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: I'd like to talk to you a minute, if you
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: don't mind. Oh, I'm sorry.
• 2:57
  Speaker 6: I thought maybe you were after a drink.
• 2:58
  Speaker 7: We were just talking to the officers in the radio
• 3:00
  Speaker 7: car up the street, the car that answered the call
• 3:02
  Speaker 7: out here tonight. They told us you were one of
• 3:03
  Speaker 7: the people who saw what happened. Well, yeah, I guess
• 3:05
  Speaker 7: I did. I saw part of it anyway. Lousy deal
• 3:08
  Speaker 7: kind of thing makes your ulcers pop. That's why I'm
• 3:10
  Speaker 7: closing down early, going home.
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: We're following through on the investigation, Mr.
• 3:13
  Speaker 8: Morley.
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: I'd like to have you tell us everything you know
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: about it, if you would, everything that you saw.
• 3:17
  Speaker 7: I told the cops in the radio car everything I know.
• 3:19
  Speaker 7: It was about 6 o'clock, and I heard this big
• 3:21
  Speaker 7: commotion out in the street.
• 3:23
  Speaker 6: I didn't know what it was. Sounded like somebody was hurt.
• 3:25
  Speaker 6: I went out and took a look.
• 3:27
  Speaker 7: Marie in the beauty shop next door, she was outside
• 3:29
  Speaker 7: rubbernecking too.
• 3:29
  Speaker 1: She saw as much as I did. You talked to her? Yes, sir,
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: we have. She wasn't too clear on some of the details.
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: Maybe you can straighten it out for us. I'm glad
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: to if I can.
• 3:36
  Speaker 6: What do you want to know?
• 3:37
  Speaker 7: You mind telling us in your own words just exactly
• 3:39
  Speaker 7: how it happened? I mean, how you saw it? Well,
• 3:41
  Speaker 7: there's not an awful lot to it. I was working
• 3:43
  Speaker 7: behind the bar here and it was around six o'clock,
• 3:45
  Speaker 7: like I say, maybe a couple of minutes after. I
• 3:48
  Speaker 7: was just fixing up a round of drinks for some
• 3:49
  Speaker 7: fellas when I heard this noise outside.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 3:52
  Speaker 6: Didn't know what it was at first. Sounded like somebody screaming,
• 3:54
  Speaker 6: like they were hurt.
• 3:54
  Speaker 7: You said you heard this commotion outside the bar about
• 3:57
  Speaker 7: six o'clock.
• 3:58
  Speaker 6: Yeah, that's right.
• 3:59
  Speaker 7: Well, I didn't arrive right then. I finished mixing the
• 4:01
  Speaker 7: round of drinks. First, I thought the racket was just
• 4:03
  Speaker 7: a couple of early drunks, but it kept on. Man screaming.
• 4:06
  Speaker 7: It got louder, and I decided to take a look.
• 4:09
  Speaker 7: I went out and looked down the street a couple
• 4:10
  Speaker 7: of doors, down toward the corner.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: Which corner is that, Mr.
• 4:13
  Speaker 6: Long? The nearest one, down to the left. Here, I'll
• 4:15
  Speaker 6: show you.
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: All right, fine.
• 4:17
  Speaker 7: I didn't know what was happening. It was a terrible sound.
• 4:20
  Speaker 7: A man screaming at the top of his lungs. You
• 4:22
  Speaker 7: recognize who the man was?
• 4:23
  Speaker 1: No, I didn't.
• 4:24
  Speaker 6: Never saw him before.
• 4:25
  Speaker 7: Didn't get too good a look at him anyway.
• 4:26
  Speaker 6: He was getting kind of dark. Here, let me show you.
• 4:29
  Speaker 6: Over here by the window.
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: All right, fine.
• 4:33
  Speaker 7: You see, it was right down there, just next to
• 4:35
  Speaker 7: that mailbox. These two guys had a hold of the
• 4:38
  Speaker 7: man who was screaming. They were trying to drag him
• 4:40
  Speaker 7: into a car, a gray sedan. The man was trying
• 4:42
  Speaker 7: to fight him off.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: Can you describe any of these three men for us?
• 4:45
  Speaker 7: No, I couldn't be sure about it. Like I say,
• 4:47
  Speaker 7: it was getting kind of dark. Well, you can see
• 4:49
  Speaker 7: for yourself, they were about 7,500 feet away. This man,
• 4:52
  Speaker 7: they were trying to drag him into the car. He
• 4:54
  Speaker 7: kept screaming, leave me alone, you can have the money.
• 4:56
  Speaker 7: Leave me alone, you can have my car. Looked like
• 4:58
  Speaker 7: he was hurt to me.
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: Blood on his clothes.
• 5:00
  Speaker 7: Didn't anybody try to help him?
• 5:01
  Speaker 6: Well, you know how this neighborhood is. When there's trouble,
• 5:03
  Speaker 6: they all cut out.
• 5:04
  Speaker 7: They don't want to get involved. Happened pretty fast anyway.
• 5:07
  Speaker 7: These two guys got this man in the back seat
• 5:09
  Speaker 7: of the car, and the big guy got in the
• 5:11
  Speaker 7: back seat with him. The smaller guy got in the
• 5:13
  Speaker 7: front seat, and they took off.
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: Which way did they go, Mr. Morley?
• 5:16
  Speaker 6: Straight down the street there. Turn right at that corner.
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: Did you happen to see the license number?
• 5:21
  Speaker 7: No, I thought of it, though. They didn't turn the
• 5:23
  Speaker 7: car lights on and went by pretty fast, too.
• 5:25
  Speaker 6: I couldn't get a good look at it.
• 5:26
  Speaker 7: Was it a California plate, do you know?
• 5:28
  Speaker 6: Oh, yeah, I noticed that much. That's about all of them.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: What kind of a car was it?
• 5:32
  Speaker 6: Like I told you, a gray sedan, four-door. I couldn't
• 5:34
  Speaker 6: tell the makes. Fairly new car.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: Well, did you notice anything outstanding about the car? Anything
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: at all?
• 5:39
  Speaker 6: Well, I don't know. What do you mean, outstanding?
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: Well, special markings of any kind. Anything unusual. Maybe some
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: of the accessories. Spotlight? Anything like that?
• 5:47
  Speaker 6: No, nothing I noticed. The rear bumper was bent out,
• 5:49
  Speaker 6: I think. Matter of fact, I'm pretty sure of it.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: Rear bumper?
• 5:52
  Speaker 4: Yeah.
• 5:52
  Speaker 6: I saw it when they drove off. They drove right
• 5:55
  Speaker 6: past the place here.
• 5:56
  Speaker 7: How about the men, sir? Can you describe them at all?
• 5:58
  Speaker 9: No.
• 5:58
  Speaker 7: One was pretty tall and thin. The other one was smaller.
• 6:01
  Speaker 7: About the same build on the thin side. They sure
• 6:03
  Speaker 7: must have worked that guy over. He was all bent over.
• 6:06
  Speaker 7: Looked like he was holding his stomach. Stains all down
• 6:08
  Speaker 7: the front of his suit. On the sidewalk, too. I
• 6:10
  Speaker 7: guess you saw that.
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: Yes, sir, we did. Now, you're sure that you've never
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: seen any of these men before? Nothing familiar about them
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: at all?
• 6:15
  Speaker 6: No, sir, not to me. I think if I saw
• 6:17
  Speaker 6: them before, I'd know it. Oh, just a minute. It's
• 6:19
  Speaker 6: probably the wife.
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: Excuse me.
• 6:20
  Speaker 6: Be right back.
• 6:20
  Speaker 3: Yes, sir.
• 6:22
  Speaker 7: What do you think, Jim?
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: Well, it doesn't look too good. Stains on the sidewalk
• 6:25
  Speaker 1: down there. If it was just a robbery, why'd they
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: take the guy with them?
• 6:27
  Speaker 9: Well, you got me.
• 6:28
  Speaker 7: He possibly might have recognized him. Well, maybe you got some,
• 6:30
  Speaker 7: but I hope you're wrong. If he can make the hoods,
• 6:32
  Speaker 7: there's a good chance they're not going to turn the
• 6:33
  Speaker 7: man loose alive.
• 6:34
  Speaker 6: Sergeant.
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 6:36
  Speaker 6: It's your office on the phone. I want to talk
• 6:37
  Speaker 6: to either one of you.
• 6:38
  Speaker 4: Oh, I'll get it, Jim.
• 6:38
  Speaker 10: All right, thanks, Frank.
• 6:39
  Speaker 6: Phone's straight back, Sergeant. Enter the bar.
• 6:41
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 6:41
  Speaker 10: Okay, thanks.
• 6:42
  Speaker 6: Look, Sergeant, I've got to have something to quiet my nerves.
• 6:44
  Speaker 6: How about you? You want a drink?
• 6:46
  Speaker 1: No, no, thanks. Besides the woman in that beauty shop
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: next door, Mr. Morley, did you notice anyone else around
• 6:51
  Speaker 1: and saw what went on?
• 6:51
  Speaker 9: No, no, no, no.
• 6:52
  Speaker 6: No, as far as I know, Marie and I were
• 6:53
  Speaker 6: the only ones.
• 6:54
  Speaker 7: Just like I told you, when there's any trouble around
• 6:56
  Speaker 7: this neighborhood, they get off the street quick.
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: You can't think of anything else that might give us
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: a break on this? Anything at all now?
• 7:01
  Speaker 6: Wish I could. I think I told you just about everything.
• 7:05
  Speaker 6: Sure feel lousy. Joe.
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 7:07
  Speaker 7: I was talking to Harry.
• 7:09
  Speaker 9: Yeah.
• 7:09
  Speaker 7: 1A1 found the car. Great sedan.
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: Where'd they find it?
• 7:11
  Speaker 7: Third and Bixler. Look, it was empty. Key's still in it.
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: You sure it's the right car?
• 7:15
  Speaker 7: Bloodstains in the back seat.
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: 7.18 p.m. Frank and I left the 797 Club, got
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: in the car, and drove down to 3rd and Bixel,
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: where the abandoned gray sedan had been located. It matched
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: the same general description of the abductor's car, a four-door
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: gray sedan, late model, with a damaged rear bumper. Dean
• 7:35
  Speaker 1: Bergman from Leighton Prince dusted the car and succeeded in
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: raising a half a dozen fingerprints, which he took back
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: to the office for possible identification. The crime lab crew
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: went over the car for additional physical evidence. The stains
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: found on the back seat were identified as having been
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: made by human blood. The white slip attached to the
• 7:52
  Speaker 1: steering post showed the car was registered to a Kenneth L.
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: Gorman at a Canal Street address. Before Frank and I
• 7:58
  Speaker 1: left the scene, we got a report that approximately 20
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: minutes prior to the time the gray sedan had been located,
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: another car had been stolen. It was a maroon, late
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: model Club Coupe, licensed 7 Tom 7972. It had been
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: taken in the same neighborhood, less than two blocks from
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: where the gray sedan was abandoned. A broadcast and an
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: APB was gotten out on it immediately.
• 8:18
  Speaker 3: 8.05 p.m.
• 8:20
  Speaker 1: After checking by the office, Frank and I drove down
• 8:22
  Speaker 1: to check on the home address of the registered owner
• 8:24
  Speaker 1: of the gray sedan, Kenneth L. Gorman. It was a
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: white wood-framed cottage at the upper end of Canal Street.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: The woman who answered the door identified herself as Mrs.
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: Elsie Gorman, a small middle-aged woman, blue eyes, partially graying hair.
• 8:36
  Speaker 9: No, I'm sorry, officers. My husband isn't home right now.
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: Where is he, Mrs.
• 8:40
  Speaker 10: Gorman, do you know?
• 8:40
  Speaker 9: Well, he went downtown to see a friend of his,
• 8:43
  Speaker 9: business appointment. Is there anything I can help you with?
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: Are you expecting your husband home pretty soon, ma'am?
• 8:47
  Speaker 9: Yes, I am. Matter of fact, he should have been
• 8:49
  Speaker 9: home long before this. I don't know what's keeping him.
• 8:52
  Speaker 9: Told me he was going downtown to collect some money
• 8:54
  Speaker 9: a friend of his owed him. Said he'd be right back.
• 8:57
  Speaker 9: I don't know what could be keeping him.
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: When did he leave the house, ma'am?
• 8:59
  Speaker 9: About 2.30, 3 o'clock this afternoon. It's almost 8.30 now.
• 9:05
  Speaker 9: Could be he stopped to have a beer with his friend.
• 9:07
  Speaker 9: Usually phones, though, if he's going to be late. I
• 9:09
  Speaker 9: don't understand these men sometimes.
• 9:11
  Speaker 7: You and your husband own a car, Mrs.
• 9:13
  Speaker 3: Gorman?
• 9:13
  Speaker 9: Yes, we do. My husband has it right now. Why?
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: What kind of a car is it, ma'am?
• 9:18
  Speaker 9: A 49 Chevy sedan.
• 9:20
  Speaker 7: Gray color, four-door?
• 9:21
  Speaker 10: Yes.
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: License number 7T7972? Well, yes, I think that's it.
• 9:27
  Speaker 10: Why?
• 9:27
  Speaker 9: What's the matter? Something happen?
• 9:29
  Speaker 7: Nothing to get worried about, Mrs. Gorman. We located the
• 9:31
  Speaker 7: car in the downtown area, parked on a side street.
• 9:33
  Speaker 7: The keys were still in it. Thought we'd check on it.
• 9:36
  Speaker 9: Where was it parked?
• 9:37
  Speaker 7: Near 3rd and Bixel.
• 9:38
  Speaker 9: Well, that can't be right. This man my husband was
• 9:40
  Speaker 9: going to see has his store on Alameda. It's on
• 9:43
  Speaker 9: Alameda between 9th and 10th. No reason for Kenneth to
• 9:46
  Speaker 9: drive the car way down on 3rd Street.
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: Possible he might have had another business appointment down there, ma'am.
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: Maybe something he didn't mention to you.
• 9:52
  Speaker 9: Well, I don't know. I suppose it is possible. You'd
• 9:56
  Speaker 9: think he'd call, though. He usually does when he's going
• 9:58
  Speaker 9: to be out late like this.
• 9:59
  Speaker 1: What about this man your husband was going to see,
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: Miss Gorman? You happen to know who he is?
• 10:03
  Speaker 9: Yes, Fred Bernard. He's in the sheet metal business, has
• 10:06
  Speaker 9: his shop on South Alameda. He owed my husband $ 300.
• 10:10
  Speaker 9: My husband went down this afternoon to collect it.
• 10:12
  Speaker 7: You're a friend of your husband's, is he?
• 10:13
  Speaker 9: Oh, yes, they're good friends. Fred and my husband have
• 10:15
  Speaker 9: done business for years.
• 10:16
  Speaker 7: There wasn't any ill feeling between them about this debt?
• 10:19
  Speaker 9: No, no, of course not. It was just a bill
• 10:21
  Speaker 9: for some materials. Why do you ask that?
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: Just routine questions, ma'am. Can you think of anyone at
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: all who might have a quarrel with your husband? Somebody
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: who has a grudge against him, maybe?
• 10:31
  Speaker 10: No.
• 10:32
  Speaker 9: Why are you asking questions like that? Is something wrong?
• 10:35
  Speaker 9: Something you're not telling me about?
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: No, ma'am. It's just a routine check, Ms. Gorman. Nothing
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: to worry about. I want to make sure everything's all right.
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: That's all.
• 10:42
  Speaker 9: The way you talk, it isn't all right. It's far
• 10:44
  Speaker 9: from right. It's never gone this long without calling me.
• 10:48
  Speaker 9: There must be something wrong.
• 10:49
  Speaker 7: You're just getting yourself all worked up, ma'am. You admit
• 10:51
  Speaker 7: your husband might have had another appointment after he left Bernard.
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: By the way, have you checked with Mr. Bernard yet, ma'am?
• 10:56
  Speaker 9: No, to tell you the truth, I haven't. I don't
• 10:59
  Speaker 9: usually like to call my husband when he's out on business.
• 11:01
  Speaker 9: I don't like to bother him. This is different, though.
• 11:05
  Speaker 9: I think I'll call Fred Bernard right now.
• 11:07
  Speaker 1: That's a good idea. Do you mind if we wait, ma'am?
• 11:08
  Speaker 7: No, no, not at all.
• 11:09
  Speaker 9: It'll only take me a minute. Excuse me.
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: Yes, ma'am.
• 11:13
  Speaker 7: What do you think?
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: I don't know.
• 11:15
  Speaker 7: Doesn't look too good, does it? Car's abandoned. Stain's in
• 11:17
  Speaker 7: the back seat. Man's late in getting home. It's all there.
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: Could be anything, couldn't it?
• 11:22
  Speaker 7: Doesn't look good. Sargent?
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: Yes, ma'am.
• 11:24
  Speaker 9: I just talked to Fred Bernard. He said my husband's
• 11:26
  Speaker 9: been there and left.
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: What time did he leave, Bernard?
• 11:28
  Speaker 9: About 3.15, 3.30. Fred Bernard paid my husband the $ 300
• 11:32
  Speaker 9: he owed him, and my husband left. Fred told me
• 11:35
  Speaker 9: my husband asked him if he wouldn't have a glass
• 11:37
  Speaker 9: of beer with him, but Fred said no, he was busy.
• 11:40
  Speaker 9: So my husband said, all right, he was going to
• 11:41
  Speaker 9: have a beer at home. Told Fred he was going
• 11:44
  Speaker 9: right home. That was at 3.15 this afternoon.
• 11:46
  Speaker 3: Yes, ma'am.
• 11:47
  Speaker 9: There must be something wrong, I know it. It just
• 11:49
  Speaker 9: isn't like my husband. He wouldn't leave the car like that.
• 11:53
  Speaker 9: If he was late, at least he'd call me. Oh,
• 11:56
  Speaker 9: would you excuse me again? I've had the dinner on
• 11:58
  Speaker 9: the stove, boiled away to nothing. I want to turn
• 12:00
  Speaker 9: it off.
• 12:01
  Speaker 7: Yes, ma'am, go right ahead. I hope it works out
• 12:03
  Speaker 7: all right. Seems like a nice woman.
• 12:05
  Speaker 1: Yes, she does.
• 12:06
  Speaker 7: Sure doesn't figure, does it? He's had plenty of time
• 12:08
  Speaker 7: to get home. No reason why he shouldn't be here
• 12:10
  Speaker 7: by this time. Well, I can think of two.
• 12:12
  Speaker 9: Yeah?
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: An empty car and $ 300. We continued interviewing the wife
• 12:20
  Speaker 1: of the missing man, Kenneth Gorman, and she told us
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: that occasionally he did some drinking at neighborhood bars. She
• 12:25
  Speaker 1: also told us that when her husband drank quite a
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: bit in public places, he was over-friendly and he liked
• 12:29
  Speaker 1: to brag and flash money. Mrs. Gorman got on the phone,
• 12:33
  Speaker 1: contacted all their friends and relatives who happened to be home,
• 12:35
  Speaker 1: but none of them had seen or heard from Mr.
• 12:37
  Speaker 1: Gorman that day. Before Frank and I left, Mrs. Gorman
• 12:40
  Speaker 1: gave us a complete description of her husband, the clothing
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: he was wearing, and also a recent photograph of him.
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: We called Fred Bernard, the friend of the missing man,
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: the last known person to see him, and told him
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: that we'd like to talk to him. He told us
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: that he was working late, getting out a rush order,
• 12:53
  Speaker 1: and that we could find him in his shop. 9.05 p.m.
• 12:56
  Speaker 1: We located Bernard at his shop on South Alameda.
• 13:00
  Speaker 8: Won't take long, will it?
• 13:01
  Speaker 1: An awful rush tonight.
• 13:02
  Speaker 7: Won't take long, sir.
• 13:03
  Speaker 1: Did Mr.
• 13:04
  Speaker 7: Gorman give you any idea where he was going when
• 13:06
  Speaker 7: he left here this afternoon?
• 13:07
  Speaker 8: No, just like I told his wife on the phone.
• 13:09
  Speaker 8: I paid him the money I owed him. He asked
• 13:10
  Speaker 8: me if I wanted a beer, took a rain check
• 13:12
  Speaker 8: on it, and he left.
• 13:13
  Speaker 10: Went right out that door there.
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: You seem worried about anything, Mr. Gorman?
• 13:16
  Speaker 6: No, not that I could see.
• 13:17
  Speaker 10: He seemed all right to me.
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: Had he been drinking, do you know?
• 13:19
  Speaker 10: No, couldn't say.
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: If he was, I couldn't smell it on him.
• 13:22
  Speaker 10: Is there anything unusual about him at all?
• 13:24
  Speaker 7: Anything out of the ordinary?
• 13:25
  Speaker 8: No, same old Ken. Pretty good mood when I paid him.
• 13:28
  Speaker 8: $ 300 cash.
• 13:30
  Speaker 10: He's all dressed up.
• 13:30
  Speaker 8: I guess you might call that unusual.
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: How do you mean unusual?
• 13:33
  Speaker 10: Well, Ken's like me.
• 13:34
  Speaker 8: Working man, not much of a dresser. Usually find him
• 13:37
  Speaker 8: in working clothes. I think it's the second time I
• 13:39
  Speaker 8: ever saw him in a suit.
• 13:41
  Speaker 4: A new one, too.
• 13:41
  Speaker 7: Looked nice on him.
• 13:42
  Speaker 1: He didn't give you any indication at all where he
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: might be going, did he?
• 13:45
  Speaker 8: No, he just collected his money and went out. I
• 13:47
  Speaker 8: thought maybe he was going home. What did Miss Gorman
• 13:49
  Speaker 8: tell you? Didn't you have any idea where he is?
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: No, sir.
• 13:51
  Speaker 7: She told us he came down here to collect some money.
• 13:53
  Speaker 7: She expected him right home. We're not trying to be nosy, Mr. Bernard,
• 13:57
  Speaker 7: but how do Gorman and his wife get along? Are
• 13:59
  Speaker 7: they pretty happy together?
• 14:00
  Speaker 8: Yes, I guess you might say that. Get along as
• 14:03
  Speaker 8: well as you could expect them to.
• 14:05
  Speaker 1: What do you mean by that?
• 14:05
  Speaker 7: Nothing.
• 14:07
  Speaker 10: Ken's a.
• 14:07
  Speaker 8: Well, he's a fellow who likes his nightlife. Wife's just
• 14:10
  Speaker 8: the opposite, quiet type. Almost left him once. Guess they're
• 14:13
  Speaker 8: getting along pretty good now, though.
• 14:15
  Speaker 1: Why'd she almost leave him? Would you happen to know?
• 14:17
  Speaker 8: Well, she found him out with a girlfriend. Matter of fact,
• 14:19
  Speaker 8: she caught him at a terrible row. Didn't understand any
• 14:22
  Speaker 8: of it. The girlfriend wasn't much at all, real lush.
• 14:24
  Speaker 7: You know the girl's name?
• 14:25
  Speaker 8: Yeah, I met her twice. Name's Elaine something... She works
• 14:29
  Speaker 8: at a cafe three blocks from here.
• 14:31
  Speaker 11: Real lush.
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: She sure took it. You know if Gorman's been seeing
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: her lately? He says he hasn't been. I don't know.
• 14:36
  Speaker 8: I never can tell when he's drinking, though. Didn't his
• 14:39
  Speaker 8: wife mention the girl at all? Well, I guess she wouldn't.
• 14:42
  Speaker 8: Must have been a terrible thing for her when she
• 14:45
  Speaker 8: found out. Terrible.
• 14:46
  Speaker 1: How long ago was all this, Mr. Bernard? I mean,
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: this affair Gorman had with this girl.
• 14:50
  Speaker 4: Oh, six weeks.
• 14:51
  Speaker 1: Maybe two months ago.
• 14:52
  Speaker 7: Just about that.
• 14:53
  Speaker 8: I tell you, it was the greatest thing I ever saw.
• 14:55
  Speaker 8: Ken has a nice, quiet wife of his at home.
• 14:58
  Speaker 8: They get along fine together, never fought, never quarreled. Then
• 15:01
  Speaker 8: he picks up with his girl Elaine, sure different.
• 15:03
  Speaker 11: How's that?
• 15:04
  Speaker 8: Real mean girl.
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: Two of them fought all the time. 9.40 p.m. We
• 15:11
  Speaker 1: left Fred Bernard at his shop, drove to the restaurant
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: where Gorman's girlfriend reportedly was working as a waitress, and
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: we checked with the manager. He told us a girl
• 15:19
  Speaker 1: by the name of Elaine Summerall had been employed there,
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: but that she'd been fired for drinking on the job.
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: He also told us that he had reason to suspect
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: that Elaine Summerall was not the girl's true name. We
• 15:28
  Speaker 1: showed the cafe manager a picture of Mr. Gorman and
• 15:30
  Speaker 1: he identified it. He said Gorman had been in that
• 15:33
  Speaker 1: afternoon inquiring about the Summerall girl. Gorman had asked for
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: the girl's forwarding address, but the manager told us that
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: he'd thrown it away. We left our card with him
• 15:41
  Speaker 1: and asked him to contact us immediately in the event
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: the girl returned. 10.18 p.m. We drove back to the
• 15:47
  Speaker 1: city hall and checked in at the office. We ran
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: the name and description of the Summerall girl through R
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: & I, and they told us they had a Summerall
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: girl in the files who answered the description. Elaine Summerall,
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: alias Elaine O'Donnell, alias Elaine Shellman. There were wants out
• 16:01
  Speaker 1: on her for forgery, three counts, and grand theft merchandise.
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: We signed out of the office, went across the street
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: to the Federal Cafe, and had a sandwich and a
• 16:08
  Speaker 1: cup of coffee.
• 16:10
  Speaker 7: It wouldn't look so rough if it wasn't for the
• 16:11
  Speaker 7: stains they found in the backseat of that car.
• 16:13
  Speaker 1: It's hard to get around at points to more than robbery,
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: doesn't it? The M.O.
• 16:16
  Speaker 7: Sure strikes me pretty funny, pulling the man off the
• 16:18
  Speaker 7: street like that.
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: Must be either hard up or crazy, huh? Battle Cafe.
• 16:22
  Speaker 6: Just a minute.
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: Friday?
• 16:24
  Speaker 9: Yeah.
• 16:25
  Speaker 1: Phone. Right, thank you. I'll be right back.
• 16:26
  Speaker 7: Okay.
• 16:29
  Speaker 1: Yeah, Friday talking. Yeah, Glenn. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm, where? How long ago?
• 16:36
  Speaker 7: Yeah, I see, huh?
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: It wasn't, huh? Yeah, we'll roll on it right now.
• 16:41
  Speaker 1: Tell them we're on our way in, will you?
• 16:43
  Speaker 11: Yeah, right.
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: Thanks, Glenn. Bye.
• 16:47
  Speaker 4: Yeah?
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: Chandler, they just found the maroon coupe, the one stolen
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: in the neighborhood where Gorman's was dropped.
• 16:52
  Speaker 7: Where'd they find it?
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: Picked it off going up through Lancaster, Sheriff's deputies.
• 16:55
  Speaker 7: Does it look good on our job?
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: Well, there were two men in the car. One of
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: them had a knife, bloodstains on their clothes, all over
• 16:59
  Speaker 1: the inside of the car.
• 17:00
  Speaker 7: How's it figure?
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: It doesn't. Not a scratch on either one of them.
• 17:14
  Speaker 5: You are listening to Dragnet, authentic stories of your police
• 17:18
  Speaker 5: force in action.
• 17:19
  Speaker 7: Monday, March 18th, 1040 p.m.
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: After we received the report that the stolen maroon coupe,
• 17:31
  Speaker 1: along with the two suspects, had been recovered north of
• 17:34
  Speaker 1: the city in the town of Lancaster, Frank and I
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: stopped by the record bureau and checked to see if
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: there was a make on either one of the suspects.
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: The first one, Paul Mike, white male American, 32 years, 5'11,
• 17:43
  Speaker 1: 150 pounds, brown hair, brown eyes. He had a long
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: felony record, including burglary and robbery. He'd served sentences in
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: both San Quentin and Folsom, and there was a warrant
• 17:53
  Speaker 1: on him for violation of parole. The second suspect, Floyd Compton,
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: white male American, 34 years, 5'8, 135 pounds, black hair,
• 18:01
  Speaker 1: brown eyes. His record included arrests on suspicion of burglary,
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: four grand theft merchandise, and three drunk arrests. He was
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: a petty thief known to us as a shoplifter. He'd
• 18:11
  Speaker 1: never served time in a penitentiary. 10.55 p.m., Frank and I,
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: with identifying photographs of the two suspects, left the city
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: and drove north. We checked in at the Lancaster Sheriff's
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: Office substation. Captain Walker Hannon briefed us on the details
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: of the arrest and then he showed us back to
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: the cell block where the two suspects were being held.
• 18:29
  Speaker 1: He told us neither of the men had been questioned
• 18:31
  Speaker 1: because the officers there weren't acquainted with the facts of
• 18:33
  Speaker 1: the case. He also informed us both men had been
• 18:35
  Speaker 1: separated from the time of their apprehension. Captain Hannon had
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: Paul Mike taken from his cell and he was brought
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: to the captain's office where we started to question him.
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: It went slow.
• 18:45
  Speaker 7: I don't think I understand you, Sergeant. What's all the
• 18:47
  Speaker 7: excitement about? You can answer that better than we can, Mike.
• 18:49
  Speaker 1: Answer what? What do you want to know? The car, Mike.
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: The bloodstains. What about them?
• 18:53
  Speaker 7: A little unusual, wouldn't you say? I don't know anything
• 18:55
  Speaker 7: about any bloodstains. If they're in the car, I don't
• 18:57
  Speaker 7: know how they got there. It isn't my car.
• 18:59
  Speaker 1: Yeah, we know that. What about the stains in your clothes? Well,
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: I don't know. We were sitting in the car there.
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: Maybe the stains rubbed off on us. You got a cigarette?
• 19:05
  Speaker 7: Only one thing wrong with that story, Mike. The stains
• 19:07
  Speaker 7: were on the wrong side of you.
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: All right, so I had a fight. Got hit in
• 19:11
  Speaker 1: the nose. What's that, a law against it? I got
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: a hunch, Mike. Yeah? You're lying. Where'd you get that car?
• 19:15
  Speaker 1: I told you where I got it.
• 19:17
  Speaker 7: Me and Compton were bumming a ride on San Fernando Road.
• 19:19
  Speaker 7: This spook came along in the maroon coupe and gave
• 19:21
  Speaker 7: us a ride. A couple of miles this side of Lancaster,
• 19:24
  Speaker 7: he stopped the car and got out. Said he'd be
• 19:25
  Speaker 7: right back. Walked right out into the desert.
• 19:28
  Speaker 1: That right?
• 19:29
  Speaker 5: Yeah.
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: Waited for him to come back. Waited a long time.
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: Hooked the horn, yelled for him. We finally gave it up.
• 19:35
  Speaker 1: Matter of fact, Compton and me got a little scared.
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: Thought maybe the car was stolen. I didn't want to
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: get caught in the hot car. I'm an ex-con. I
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: couldn't stand the heat. The truth, I'm squaring with you.
• 19:43
  Speaker 1: What about the money, Mike?
• 19:44
  Speaker 9: Huh?
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: The money. They booked you in with $ 133 in your pocket. Oh, yeah.
• 19:49
  Speaker 1: I got lucky in a crap game last night. I
• 19:50
  Speaker 1: was pulling out. How about the pocket knife? Bloodstains on it.
• 19:53
  Speaker 1: You win that in a crap game, too? No, matter
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: of fact, it was in the car. I found it
• 19:57
  Speaker 1: right there on the seat.
• 19:58
  Speaker 7: Big coincidence, Mike. Somebody leaves you a car, bloodstains on
• 20:00
  Speaker 7: the inside, stains on you and your partner, pocket knife,
• 20:03
  Speaker 7: stains on that, too. You're on parole, leaving town without notice,
• 20:06
  Speaker 7: driving a car you're not supposed to be driving, pocket
• 20:08
  Speaker 7: full of money you got no way of accounting for.
• 20:10
  Speaker 7: Face it, Mike.
• 20:10
  Speaker 1: What do you mean?
• 20:11
  Speaker 6: Face it.
• 20:11
  Speaker 7: You're dead. Flag on your card now. Parole officer wants you. Now,
• 20:14
  Speaker 7: how about the truth?
• 20:15
  Speaker 1: What do you mean, the truth?
• 20:16
  Speaker 10: I've told it to you.
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: All right, now, come on. Let's save time for all
• 20:18
  Speaker 1: of us, Mike. You've been around long enough. You've graduated.
• 20:20
  Speaker 1: You know we're not going to buy that line. What line?
• 20:23
  Speaker 7: How can I explain things to you? You won't believe me.
• 20:25
  Speaker 7: Told you nothing but the truth since I walked into
• 20:26
  Speaker 7: this room and you won't believe me.
• 20:28
  Speaker 1: You got a cigarette? How do you account for the
• 20:30
  Speaker 1: blood in your shirt? I told you, I had a fight.
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: Guy hit me in the nose. Happened right down there
• 20:33
  Speaker 1: in L.A. You can check it. Where'd it happen? Bar, downtown.
• 20:37
  Speaker 7: There's a lot of bars downtown. Place in South Pierce.
• 20:40
  Speaker 7: I go there sometimes. What's the name of it?
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: 797 Club.
• 20:43
  Speaker 7: Ask anybody in there. You said it happened tonight? Yeah,
• 20:45
  Speaker 7: about 8 o'clock. Just before we cut out. Guy hit
• 20:49
  Speaker 7: me right on the nose.
• 20:49
  Speaker 1: Real rough one. You got a cigarette? What time did
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: you say you had that fight? About 8 o'clock.
• 20:54
  Speaker 7: You sure of that?
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: Sure of what? You're not doing too well, Mike. Now
• 20:57
  Speaker 1: what's the matter? We were at the 797 Club tonight.
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: We talked to the owner. So what? We were there
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: at 635. He locked the place up and went home
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: at 645. He was sick. 797 Club? Yeah, that's right.
• 21:08
  Speaker 1: Now where were you at the time of the robbery?
• 21:10
  Speaker 7: I want an attorney. I'm not saying anything else. Trying
• 21:13
  Speaker 7: to frame me. Take me back to my cell. Any
• 21:14
  Speaker 7: way you want it, Mike.
• 21:15
  Speaker 1: Let's go. Once they use telling the truth and they
• 21:18
  Speaker 1: don't believe you. How about that cigarette?
• 21:21
  Speaker 7: Captain, would you have the jailer return this one and
• 21:23
  Speaker 7: bring in Captain? How about that? He couldn't tell the
• 21:28
  Speaker 7: truth if it helped him. I hope we do better
• 21:30
  Speaker 7: with his partner. We're going to have to. We know
• 21:32
  Speaker 7: we're on the right track. The big question is, what
• 21:34
  Speaker 7: have they done with Gorman? Big guess. A thousand places
• 21:36
  Speaker 7: they could have dumped him between here and L.A.
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: I hate to make book on his chances. Everything points
• 21:41
  Speaker 1: to a killing, doesn't it?
• 21:42
  Speaker 7: Mike looks like the one who could handle it.
• 21:44
  Speaker 1: Come on in, Tom. Come over here. Sit down.
• 21:48
  Speaker 9: Here.
• 21:49
  Speaker 1: Yeah. My name's Friday. This is Smith, my partner.
• 21:54
  Speaker 6: Hi.
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: Branched out of your class, haven't you, Compton? Running in
• 21:57
  Speaker 1: the big time here?
• 21:58
  Speaker 6: What do you mean?
• 21:58
  Speaker 7: We haven't done anything. Robbery, kidnapping, grand theft auto. You're
• 22:01
  Speaker 7: moving pretty fast. Didn't Mike tell you? This guy gave
• 22:04
  Speaker 7: us a ride. He stopped the car and walked away.
• 22:05
  Speaker 7: We didn't steal the car. Thought the guy was lost.
• 22:07
  Speaker 7: We drove in here to get help. Let's take it
• 22:09
  Speaker 7: from the top. Where'd you spend the day?
• 22:11
  Speaker 1: Who were you with?
• 22:11
  Speaker 10: Mike.
• 22:12
  Speaker 7: He stayed overnight with me. Both slept till about 2 o'clock.
• 22:15
  Speaker 7: Got something to eat and went to a show. Got
• 22:16
  Speaker 7: out about 5.
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: What'd you do then?
• 22:18
  Speaker 7: Went to this bar downtown.
• 22:19
  Speaker 6: Didn't Mike tell you?
• 22:20
  Speaker 1: You were with him, weren't you? Sure I was with him.
• 22:22
  Speaker 1: He'll tell you that.
• 22:23
  Speaker 10: He did.
• 22:23
  Speaker 1: And you didn't do anything wrong to him?
• 22:25
  Speaker 3: No.
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: Then what are you worrying about? Let's forget Mike now.
• 22:28
  Speaker 1: You level with us, will you? You're getting it straight.
• 22:30
  Speaker 7: I didn't do anything. Mike says he can't stand another beef.
• 22:33
  Speaker 7: Can't afford it. He's too upright now.
• 22:35
  Speaker 4: I know that.
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: We believe him, Compton. Mike's done too much time. He
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: couldn't make another trip easy. We think he's telling us
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: the truth.
• 22:41
  Speaker 7: Well, so am I. What are you getting at, anyway?
• 22:44
  Speaker 1: All right, now, let's get on the bandwagon while you can.
• 22:45
  Speaker 1: We don't need you, Compton. If you talk or not,
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: it doesn't make any difference. Just a minute.
• 22:49
  Speaker 7: Can I talk to Mike?
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: All right, we'll give it a try. Frank, you want
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: to ask him? Yeah, okay.
• 22:53
  Speaker 10: Be right back.
• 22:54
  Speaker 1: Now, let's pick up where we left off. The bloodstains
• 22:56
  Speaker 1: on your clothes, stains inside the car, where'd they come from?
• 22:59
  Speaker 7: Mike told you, didn't he?
• 23:00
  Speaker 1: Yeah, you tell us.
• 23:00
  Speaker 6: What for? Why can't I wait till Mike gets here?
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: All right, what about the money? You want to explain
• 23:04
  Speaker 1: about that?
• 23:04
  Speaker 6: Nothing to explain. I saved it.
• 23:06
  Speaker 1: What kind of work do you do?
• 23:07
  Speaker 7: Jobs around town, any place I can find them.
• 23:09
  Speaker 1: You say you got up at 2, you had something
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: to eat, you went to a show, and you got
• 23:12
  Speaker 1: out about 5 o'clock, is that right? Yeah, that's right.
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: When did you go to the 797 Club?
• 23:16
  Speaker 7: Right after the show, about 5 o'clock.
• 23:18
  Speaker 1: How long did you stay there? About an hour, until
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: about 6 o'clock. Anything unusual happen while you were in
• 23:23
  Speaker 1: the bar?
• 23:23
  Speaker 7: What do you mean?
• 23:24
  Speaker 1: Anything unusual, anything out of the ordinary?
• 23:26
  Speaker 7: Oh, Mike and me sat there, talked, had some drinks.
• 23:28
  Speaker 7: Pretty dead place. Decided to take off for Reno. Mike's
• 23:31
  Speaker 7: got a friend up there, a good friend. Thought maybe
• 23:33
  Speaker 7: he'd get the both of us jobs.
• 23:35
  Speaker 1: Captain? Yeah?
• 23:38
  Speaker 7: Where's Mike? I told him you wanted to talk to him.
• 23:41
  Speaker 7: He said he didn't want to see you. They took
• 23:42
  Speaker 7: him out to feed him. Told me to tell you
• 23:44
  Speaker 7: he'd see you in court.
• 23:45
  Speaker 1: What do you mean, see me in court?
• 23:46
  Speaker 7: I think you got it, Compton. We told you we
• 23:48
  Speaker 7: didn't need you. Come on, we're tired. We're going to
• 23:49
  Speaker 7: lock you up.
• 23:50
  Speaker 1: Well, what did he say? What did he tell you? Now, look, fella,
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: we're tired. You wanted to go the hard way. All right,
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: you'll get the answers in court.
• 23:55
  Speaker 10: Well, what did he say? What did he tell you?
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: Come on, let's go. You should have known better. Mike's
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: not going to ride your beef for you.
• 23:59
  Speaker 6: He was in it all the way. It's his idea
• 24:01
  Speaker 6: and it's his beef, not mine.
• 24:02
  Speaker 1: I argued with him.
• 24:03
  Speaker 7: I know he shouldn't have gone along crazy. Yeah, come on.
• 24:05
  Speaker 10: It's the truth.
• 24:05
  Speaker 6: The whole thing's Mike's. It's his knife, too. Met the
• 24:08
  Speaker 6: guy in some bar.
• 24:09
  Speaker 4: And he was real high talking about some dame he
• 24:10
  Speaker 4: was looking for, a girlfriend. Guy bought us a couple
• 24:13
  Speaker 4: of drinks, had a big roll of bills.
• 24:14
  Speaker 7: Mike framed the whole thing.
• 24:15
  Speaker 10: Yeah?
• 24:16
  Speaker 7: Yeah, he wanted to roll the guy. He left, got
• 24:19
  Speaker 7: in the guy's car and drove with him way toward town.
• 24:21
  Speaker 7: Mike was driving. I didn't know where he was heading for.
• 24:23
  Speaker 7: All of a sudden, the guy says he wants another drink.
• 24:25
  Speaker 7: Mike didn't want to stop, but he was making a racket.
• 24:28
  Speaker 7: Finally pulled up by the 797 club.
• 24:30
  Speaker 4: We got out.
• 24:30
  Speaker 7: Then the guy changes his mind. He wants to go home.
• 24:33
  Speaker 7: Mike tried to talk to him, but he wouldn't listen.
• 24:35
  Speaker 7: Mike pulled a knife and cut him. Then he slugged
• 24:36
  Speaker 7: the guy and the two of us pushed him in
• 24:37
  Speaker 7: the car and took off. Where'd you go from there?
• 24:40
  Speaker 7: We cruised around until we found another car, Maroon Coupe.
• 24:43
  Speaker 7: We clouded that one, dumped the gray sedan, and took
• 24:44
  Speaker 7: off up this way.
• 24:45
  Speaker 9: Right.
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: Look, it's the truth. I'll even tell you about the guy.
• 24:47
  Speaker 7: What happened to him? You got flashlights in your car?
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: The man still alive?
• 24:51
  Speaker 7: I don't know.
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: He was when we left him. 1.45 a.m. The Lancaster
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: Sheriff's substation contacted the local emergency ambulance, and they were
• 25:02
  Speaker 1: instructed to follow our car. Along with the suspect, Floyd Compton,
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: Frank and I got in the car and headed south,
• 25:07
  Speaker 1: following his directions. After several tries at locating the spot
• 25:11
  Speaker 1: where Mike and Compton supposedly left their victim, we finally
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: found where they'd parked their car on the side of
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: the road. We got out and Compton led us back
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: across a stretch of sand to a thick clump of
• 25:21
  Speaker 1: sagebrush about 300 yards off the highway. The victim, Kenneth Gorman,
• 25:25
  Speaker 1: was lying face down. His hands and feet were tied together.
• 25:27
  Speaker 1: It was fairly evident that he'd lost a good deal
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: of blood and that he was in a state of
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: severe shock. He was placed on a stretcher and placed
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: in the ambulance. All right, that's it.
• 25:38
  Speaker 7: Let's go.
• 25:39
  Speaker 1: Be real tough.
• 25:40
  Speaker 7: I'm sure glad he ain't dead.
• 25:41
  Speaker 1: Yeah, sure. Come on.
• 25:42
  Speaker 7: Where are we going now?
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: Back to the sheriff's office. Want to take your statement.
• 25:45
  Speaker 7: Okay with me. Just one thing I want. One more thing.
• 25:48
  Speaker 9: Yeah?
• 25:48
  Speaker 7: That lousy Mike. I want to be there.
• 25:49
  Speaker 1: I want to see him. How's that?
• 25:51
  Speaker 7: Trying to load this thing on me. I want to
• 25:52
  Speaker 7: see his face when you tell him. Can't wait to
• 25:54
  Speaker 7: see it.
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: Yeah, neither can we.
• 25:55
  Speaker 4: The story you have just heard was true. The names
• 26:05
  Speaker 4: were changed to protect the innocent.
• 26:07
  Speaker 5: On July 12th, trial was held in Superior Court, Department 84,
• 26:11
  Speaker 5: City and County of Los Angeles, State of California. In
• 26:14
  Speaker 5: a moment, the results of that trial. Paul Mike and
• 26:25
  Speaker 5: his accomplice, Floyd Compton, were filed on for violation of
• 26:28
  Speaker 5: Section 209 of the Penal Code, kidnapping for the purpose
• 26:31
  Speaker 5: of robbery, and Section 211 of the Penal Code, robbery
• 26:34
  Speaker 5: in the first degree. They were also filed on for
• 26:37
  Speaker 5: one count of grand theft auto. They were tried and
• 26:39
  Speaker 5: convicted and received sentences as prescribed by law. Kidnapping for
• 26:44
  Speaker 5: the purpose of robbery, where bodily harm is inflicted, is
• 26:47
  Speaker 5: punishable by the death sentence or life imprisonment without possibility
• 26:51
  Speaker 5: of parole. Robbery is punishable by imprisonment from five years
• 26:55
  Speaker 5: to life. Grand theft auto is punishable by a prison
• 26:58
  Speaker 5: term of not less than one nor more than ten years.
• 27:01
  Speaker 5: The victim, Kenneth Gorman, finally recovered after more than three
• 27:04
  Speaker 5: months in the hospital. Ladies and gentlemen, next week, Dragnet
• 27:11
  Speaker 5: presents a trilogy. Three documented case histories of vital importance
• 27:15
  Speaker 5: to all of us. This trio of authentic stories is
• 27:19
  Speaker 5: both tragic and terrifying. Please try to hear Dragnet next
• 27:24
  Speaker 5: week when we present our trilogy. You have just heard Dragnet,
• 27:37
  Speaker 5: a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice
• 27:41
  Speaker 5: comes from the office of Chief.
• 27:42
  Speaker 10: Of Police W.H.
• 27:43
  Speaker 5: Parker, Los Angeles Police Department. Technical advisors, Captain Jack Donahoe,
• 27:47
  Speaker 5: Sergeant Marty Wynn, Sergeant Vance Brasher. Heard tonight were Vic Perrin,
• 27:51
  Speaker 5: Virginia Gregg, Sam Edwards. Script by Jim Moser. Music by
• 27:55
  Speaker 5: Walter Schumann. Hal Gibney speaking.
• 28:00
  Speaker 4: Ladies and gentlemen, you may now read Dragnet every day
• 28:03
  Speaker 4: on the comic page of your favorite newspaper.
• 28:05
  Speaker 10: Please consult your local daily paper.
• 28:29
  Speaker 4: Adventure is yours tonight with Counterspy on NBC.
• 28:42
  Speaker 3: Welcome back.
• 28:43
  Speaker 2: Well, there's a bit of a trope in many mystery
• 28:46
  Speaker 2: stories that if an alibi is unbelievable, it may just
• 28:52
  Speaker 2: be true because how could you make up something like that? Well,
• 28:58
  Speaker 2: this is a case where it shows that some people
• 29:01
  Speaker 2: are just bad at coming up with logical stories.
• 29:05
  Speaker 3: I mean, the whole idea is that Gorman.
• 29:09
  Speaker 2: Picked up these two hitchhikers, drove away, pulled over, and just,
• 29:14
  Speaker 2: you know, got out of the car without any real
• 29:16
  Speaker 2: explanation and wandered off into the desert. As you do. Now,
• 29:21
  Speaker 2: of course, in real life, this can be true. And
• 29:25
  Speaker 2: my favorite example of a dragnet story where this did
• 29:28
  Speaker 2: actually turn out, a story was told that you thought
• 29:32
  Speaker 2: was absolute nonsense, but turned out to be correct. The
• 29:36
  Speaker 2: first time I listened to the episode, The Big Hit
• 29:41
  Speaker 2: and Run Killer, and I think I saw the TV
• 29:44
  Speaker 2: version of it first. And we played the radio version already.
• 29:48
  Speaker 2: But for those who don't remember, there was a hit
• 29:52
  Speaker 2: and run. A bakery truck was identified as the vehicle.
• 29:58
  Speaker 2: and they traced the truck to a company that let
• 30:04
  Speaker 2: its drivers take the bakery trucks home, and the truck
• 30:11
  Speaker 2: that was actually involved belonged to a driver who also
• 30:17
  Speaker 2: had a part-time job at cafe but he said he
• 30:22
  Speaker 2: didn't do the killings wasn't driving the vehicle that he
• 30:26
  Speaker 2: lended out to a customer named paul and when they
• 30:31
  Speaker 2: asked what was this customer's last name he didn't remember
• 30:36
  Speaker 2: and they couldn't really find any verification of paul being
• 30:41
  Speaker 2: around and then i when i i believe i was
• 30:45
  Speaker 2: first watching that story i was like really This is
• 30:49
  Speaker 2: the story that this guy's going with. It's obviously false.
• 30:53
  Speaker 2: Except it wasn't. I mean, what he had done was
• 30:57
  Speaker 2: incredibly stupid, but that was what actually happened. He did
• 31:02
  Speaker 2: something stupid and, you know, let a customer whose last
• 31:07
  Speaker 2: name he didn't even know have his truck. And the
• 31:10
  Speaker 2: customer committed a hit and run and left the driver to.
• 31:16
  Speaker 3: Stand for it.
• 31:17
  Speaker 2: So sometimes that cliche is true, but not always. Listener
• 31:22
  Speaker 2: comments and feedback now, and we go to YouTube where
• 31:26
  Speaker 2: James writes in regarding the Big Whiff. Excellent episode. Well,
• 31:31
  Speaker 2: thanks so much, James. And now it's time to thank
• 31:34
  Speaker 2: our Patreon supporter of the day. Thank you to Rebecca,
• 31:38
  Speaker 2: Patreon supporter since August of 2024, currently supporting the podcast
• 31:44
  Speaker 2: at the Seamus level of $ 4 or more per month.
• 31:47
  Speaker 2: Thanks so much for your support, Rebecca. And that will
• 31:50
  Speaker 2: do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please
• 31:53
  Speaker 2: follow us using your favorite podcast software and be sure
• 31:58
  Speaker 2: to rate and review the podcast wherever you download it from.
• 32:02
  Speaker 2: We'll be back next Thursday with another episode of Dragnet,
• 32:05
  Speaker 2: but join us back here tomorrow for yours truly, Johnny Dollarware.
• 32:09
  Speaker 10: But now listen. Did Pat McCracken tell you why I
• 32:12
  Speaker 10: wanted to see you? Something about a missing beneficiary. Here's
• 32:15
  Speaker 10: a story in a.
• 32:15
  Speaker 11: Couple of nutshells. We've got a lot of farms around here.
• 32:19
  Speaker 11: Big ones, little ones, all kinds. A few years ago,
• 32:21
  Speaker 11: Harvey Wakeman and his family came out here.
• 32:23
  Speaker 10: That's Mrs.
• 32:24
  Speaker 11: Wakeman and his 20-year-old son, Ben. It's Wakeman's policy that's involved?
• 32:28
  Speaker 11: Just let me give it to you my own way
• 32:30
  Speaker 11: to save time.
• 32:30
  Speaker 1: Yeah, shoot.
• 32:31
  Speaker 11: Well, Wakeman used to be a professor at some agriculture
• 32:34
  Speaker 11: college somewhere back east. When his doctor told him if
• 32:36
  Speaker 11: he didn't stop teaching and retire, he'd die before his time, why,
• 32:40
  Speaker 11: he came out here and bought this farm up this
• 32:41
  Speaker 11: side of Coburg.
• 32:42
  Speaker 10: And went to work on it. He called that retiring? Oh,
• 32:45
  Speaker 10: he did wonders with it. And when he died a
• 32:47
  Speaker 10: few weeks ago... You wouldn't know this.
• 32:48
  Speaker 1: Yeah?
• 32:49
  Speaker 10: A wife and son... That's right. Had left the insurance
• 32:52
  Speaker 10: to somebody by the name of... That's right. To a
• 32:54
  Speaker 10: man named Jonathan Doe. Just who is this John Doe?
• 32:58
  Speaker 10: Ask me, Johnny.
• 33:00
  Speaker 6: He isn't.
• 33:01
  Speaker 10: What do you mean by that? Ask me. Jonathan Doe
• 33:03
  Speaker 10: is dead.
• 33:04
  Speaker 11: He must have known old man Wakeman was leaving him
• 33:06
  Speaker 11: this money, so why isn't he around to collect it?
• 33:08
  Speaker 1: I see.
• 33:09
  Speaker 10: Tell me one thing, Les. What's that? How did Wakeman die?
• 33:12
  Speaker 11: Sound asleep in his own bed in his own house.
• 33:14
  Speaker 11: Nothing to be suspicious about, if that's what you meant.
• 33:17
  Speaker 10: Okay. Now, let's get back to Jonathan Doe.
• 33:20
  Speaker 11: Wakeman's best friend, Johnny, had a farm just north of
• 33:23
  Speaker 11: Wakeman's on a little side road. The way I understand it,
• 33:26
  Speaker 11: Wakeman spent almost as much time this past year over
• 33:28
  Speaker 11: at Jonathan's helping him out as he did on his
• 33:30
  Speaker 11: own farm.
• 33:31
  Speaker 10: His best friend? Yeah, that's why he left him the
• 33:33
  Speaker 10: insurance money.
• 33:34
  Speaker 11: After all, he left his widow and his boy his
• 33:36
  Speaker 11: own farm worth three or four times that much.
• 33:38
  Speaker 10: I see. But now my problem is I can't find
• 33:42
  Speaker 10: Jonathan Doe. He just disappeared? Just disappeared. When? About the
• 33:47
  Speaker 10: same time Harvey Wakeman died near as we can figure it.
• 33:49
  Speaker 10: That was three months ago. What did the police think? Well,
• 33:52
  Speaker 10: they decided the only thing we can do is wait.
• 33:54
  Speaker 10: Maybe he'll show up again. But you ask me, Johnny.
• 33:58
  Speaker 1: Yeah?
• 33:58
  Speaker 11: That means wait for seven years until he's legally presumed
• 34:02
  Speaker 11: not to be alive, and then give the money to
• 34:04
  Speaker 11: the secondary beneficiary.
• 34:05
  Speaker 10: Legally presumed not to be alive? That's a funny way.
• 34:08
  Speaker 3: I hope you'll be with us then. In the meantime,
• 34:10
  Speaker 3: send your comments to box13 at greatdetectives.net. Follow us on
• 34:16
  Speaker 3: Twitter at Radio Detectives. Check us out on Instagram, instagram.com
• 34:21
  Speaker 3: slash greatdetectives. From Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham,
• 34:26
  Speaker 3: signing off.