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Dragnet - "Big Run" (Old Time Radio, 1951) · Dragnet | Old Time Radio

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Two elderly women are struck by a speeding driver in
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: Los Angeles, and the motorist leaves the scene without stopping.
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: Our curtain rises on Dragnet Big Run, originally heard on
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: NBC June twenty first, nineteen fifty one, episode number one
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: hundred six. Sergeants Joe Friday and Ben Romero follow Marx
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: at the accident scene and witness accounts as they pursue
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: the limited evidence in a hit and run investigation. Jack
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: Webb stars as Friday, with Barton Yarborough as Romero. Webb
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: also directed and produced the series. Sponsored by Fatima Cigarettes,
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: This half hour police procedural brings the case before the microphone.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: Ladies and gentlemen, we take our places for Dragnet, and
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: now we return to the original broadcast.
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: The story you're about to hear is true, only the
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: names have been changed to protect the innocent.
• 1:12
  Speaker 3: Fatima Cigarettes, best of all, Long Cigarettes, brings you Dragnet.
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to accident investigation hit
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: and run detail. You receive a call that two elderly
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: women have been struck down on a crosswalk.
• 1:33
  Speaker 4: By a hit and run driver.
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: The women lie in Georgia Street Hospital. Their condition is critical.
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: Your job find the driver. In Fatima, the difference is quality.
• 1:47
  Speaker 5: Yes, in Fatima, the difference is quality.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: Quality of tobaccos, the finest domestic and Turkish varieties, extra mild,
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: superbly blended to give you Fatima's much different, much better
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: flavor and aroma. Quality of manufacture, smooth, round, perfect Fatima
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: cigarettes rolled in the finest paper money can buy, manufactured
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: in the newest and most modern all cigarette factories. Quality
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: even to the appearance of the bright, clean, golden yellow
• 2:19
  Speaker 2: Fatima package.
• 2:20
  Speaker 5: So compare Fatima yourself today.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: You'll find Fatima gives you all the advantages of extra
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: length plus Fatima quality, which no other king size cigarette has. Yes,
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: light up of Fatima, your first put will tell you, Ah,
• 2:38
  Speaker 2: that's different, because in Fatima the difference is quality.
• 2:49
  Speaker 5: Drag Net the documented drama of an actual crime.
• 2:53
  Speaker 3: For the next thirty minutes, in cooperation of the Los
• 2:55
  Speaker 3: Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on
• 2:59
  Speaker 3: the side of the lords through an actual case transcribed
• 3:01
  Speaker 3: from official police files, from beginning to end, from crime
• 3:05
  Speaker 3: to punishment. Dragnet is the story of your police force
• 3:09
  Speaker 3: in action.
• 3:12
  Speaker 6: It was Saturday September fifth, was mild in Los Angeles.
• 3:16
  Speaker 6: We're working the day Watch out of accident investigation and
• 3:19
  Speaker 6: run detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Benning Caldwell,
• 3:23
  Speaker 6: Chief of Traffic. My name's Friday. It was seven thirty
• 3:26
  Speaker 6: five pm when I got to forty six to fifty
• 3:28
  Speaker 6: six Collis Avenue. My front door.
• 3:33
  Speaker 7: Is that your jersey?
• 3:34
  Speaker 5: Yeah?
• 3:34
  Speaker 4: Ma got both Sunday papers. Good.
• 3:42
  Speaker 7: It's nice music on the radio, isn't it.
• 3:44
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it's pretty. It's your favorite song, isn't it?
• 3:47
  Speaker 7: Yes?
• 3:48
  Speaker 8: See you in my dreams Every Saturday night. Used to
• 3:52
  Speaker 8: get together down at the old crime rom House and
• 3:54
  Speaker 8: which Dadden's Boulevard Weekly dance. You know, yeah, I know,
• 4:00
  Speaker 8: a lovely old home down there, had a beautiful ballroom upstairs.
• 4:05
  Speaker 7: Always that a good time at the Cromwell House.
• 4:08
  Speaker 4: Was that before you were married?
• 4:09
  Speaker 8: Oh my?
• 4:10
  Speaker 7: Yes, not your father through Mildred Cromwell.
• 4:14
  Speaker 4: You know.
• 4:15
  Speaker 7: There's quite finding him too, Is that's so? Yes? It
• 4:19
  Speaker 7: was nothing serious, but cheers to think quite a lot
• 4:24
  Speaker 7: of time.
• 4:24
  Speaker 4: When he broke him up, U Joseph him knew I.
• 4:28
  Speaker 7: Wouldn't do a thing like that.
• 4:30
  Speaker 8: He really was only mightily interested in Sam I wouldn't
• 4:33
  Speaker 8: come between the two people that were happy.
• 4:36
  Speaker 7: You know that.
• 4:37
  Speaker 4: Oh there's no way he used to tell him, So
• 4:38
  Speaker 4: you just broke him up, that's all.
• 4:40
  Speaker 8: Yes, Well, yeah, we'll tell you about the time all
• 4:46
  Speaker 8: the girls invite to some of the fellows from the
• 4:48
  Speaker 8: Royal Order of the Western Wildlife Protect your Brotherhood.
• 4:51
  Speaker 7: Southern Chater over to the basket raffle.
• 4:54
  Speaker 8: Too, boy, basket raffle. All the girls packed tasty lunches.
• 5:00
  Speaker 8: Boy's bid for the adoption. Oh yeah, it was a
• 5:04
  Speaker 8: room summer evening, just like tonight was a grand fair.
• 5:10
  Speaker 7: Annie Shelman was there with Jim Donahoe.
• 5:12
  Speaker 8: And your father came with the Lorenzo Fisher, the Grandfatier
• 5:16
  Speaker 8: of the Wildlacers.
• 5:17
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it sounds like quite an evening, as Joseph.
• 5:20
  Speaker 7: It really was.
• 5:22
  Speaker 8: Samuel did the highest for my basket, ten dollars and
• 5:26
  Speaker 8: fifteen cents. I've always think to this day that's the
• 5:30
  Speaker 8: reason Millie Crownwell's been so cool.
• 5:32
  Speaker 4: Targe me, Yeah, could be. Do you want part of
• 5:36
  Speaker 4: the examiner?
• 5:37
  Speaker 8: Marh h, thank you, son, I'm on finished turning this
• 5:40
  Speaker 8: color and your shirt. Okay, you didn't think a basket
• 5:46
  Speaker 8: lunch could come between two good friends.
• 5:48
  Speaker 4: Would you a big thing? Let's say, who.
• 5:51
  Speaker 8: Don't you think her basket lunch should drink up her
• 5:54
  Speaker 8: friendship like Millie Cromwell's and I.
• 5:56
  Speaker 4: Well, ma'am, you wouldn't. I'll get it my uh Friday talking.
• 6:09
  Speaker 4: Oh yeah, man, got a bad one to Italy women
• 6:12
  Speaker 4: who struck run? Well just a minute, magic can't? Hey, ma,
• 6:15
  Speaker 4: would you turn down the radio?
• 6:16
  Speaker 5: Play?
• 6:18
  Speaker 4: Thank you? Yeah? Man? Go ahead, three blocks Western Riverside
• 6:21
  Speaker 4: and Las Veelas. We have two traffic cars out there
• 6:24
  Speaker 4: now for the primary investigation on it. Right Mac, right away.
• 6:28
  Speaker 4: I've already notified RAMERI. He's on his way over to
• 6:30
  Speaker 4: pick you up. Now, okay, I'll be ready. Give me
• 6:32
  Speaker 4: a form, right Mac, Mac?
• 6:37
  Speaker 7: You have to go back to work, Tirs.
• 6:39
  Speaker 4: Yeah, where'd you put in my flashlight? You remember?
• 6:42
  Speaker 5: Best?
• 6:42
  Speaker 4: Okay? Thank you?
• 6:45
  Speaker 7: When is it sound an accident?
• 6:47
  Speaker 4: Yeah? Bad one. It sounds like hit and run. What
• 6:51
  Speaker 4: is it?
• 6:51
  Speaker 6: A couple of eliably women struck down up on Lost Vegles.
• 6:54
  Speaker 7: Terrible?
• 6:55
  Speaker 4: Yeah, they're all terrible.
• 7:00
  Speaker 6: Ten minutes after I hung up the phone and Ben arrived,
• 7:03
  Speaker 6: and at eight ten pm we got to the intersection
• 7:05
  Speaker 6: of Lost Phelis Boulevard and Commonwealth Avenue.
• 7:08
  Speaker 4: The bodies of the two.
• 7:09
  Speaker 6: Victims had been removed and taken to the Georgia Street
• 7:12
  Speaker 6: Receiving Hospital. One of the uniformed officers was taking photographs
• 7:16
  Speaker 6: of the scene.
• 7:17
  Speaker 4: His partner was picking up particles of.
• 7:19
  Speaker 9: Glass and all physical evidence.
• 7:21
  Speaker 6: Left by the hit and run driver. He identified himself
• 7:24
  Speaker 6: as Officer E. W. Hyde, Unit sixty one.
• 7:26
  Speaker 4: T few pieces of the head light lambs and the
• 7:31
  Speaker 4: chrome ring about all. And this is the point of impact. Yeah,
• 7:35
  Speaker 4: that's tine.
• 7:38
  Speaker 9: It's twenty four feet south of the northerly pavement in
• 7:40
  Speaker 9: about twelve feet to the westerly current line, right in
• 7:43
  Speaker 9: the crosswalk.
• 7:43
  Speaker 4: Up there, yea, and freshly painted. The driver couldn't miss
• 7:48
  Speaker 4: seeing it. Yeah, it's well illuminated the street lighting up here.
• 7:50
  Speaker 4: Hide were the signals in operation?
• 7:52
  Speaker 9: No, they weren't Boulevard's stuff here though, blinkers are all
• 7:55
  Speaker 9: in operation.
• 7:56
  Speaker 4: How far were the bodies of the victims thrown?
• 7:59
  Speaker 9: Party number one was thrown seventy feet by the number
• 8:01
  Speaker 9: two was not thirty eight feet in the southwest directions.
• 8:04
  Speaker 9: Both came to rest and brought some play at the
• 8:05
  Speaker 9: center line on the street.
• 8:07
  Speaker 4: M whoever did. It was going at a high rate
• 8:09
  Speaker 4: of speed and when we figured I told you there
• 8:11
  Speaker 4: were no skip monks and the yeah you did. Any
• 8:13
  Speaker 4: witnesses Yeah, there's three, but only one. I think it'll
• 8:15
  Speaker 4: be helpful. That's the name and Rew. He's right over
• 8:18
  Speaker 4: there in the curve now, name's Richard Mortigan. Runs a
• 8:20
  Speaker 4: nursery there. Well thanks, Hi. You're gonna make the reports
• 8:23
  Speaker 4: and book the evidence, right, yeah, I'll take care of
• 8:25
  Speaker 4: the fence.
• 8:26
  Speaker 9: Mortigan over there in the tan over old All right,
• 8:27
  Speaker 9: thanks and my high okay.
• 8:34
  Speaker 4: Uh your name Richard Mortigan? Is that right? So yeah,
• 8:36
  Speaker 4: that's right police.
• 8:37
  Speaker 9: Officers, mister Mortigan, the asiget of the more.
• 8:40
  Speaker 4: My name is Friday. We're out of accident investigation. I
• 8:43
  Speaker 4: talk to you about the accident that just happened here.
• 8:45
  Speaker 9: Sure was a battle. I hoped to catch those kids
• 8:47
  Speaker 9: didn't even slow down.
• 8:49
  Speaker 6: Understand you witnessed the accident, wander. If he'd be kind
• 8:51
  Speaker 6: enough to tell us what you.
• 8:52
  Speaker 9: Saw, I would just closing up my nursery here, just unlocked.
• 8:55
  Speaker 9: My car was about to get in when I saw
• 8:57
  Speaker 9: this car come shooting up close to fee us there
• 8:59
  Speaker 9: fast clip where it was the two women they were
• 9:01
  Speaker 9: just stepping off the curve under the crosswalk over there.
• 9:04
  Speaker 9: I could tell they didn't see the car. Yell, walk
• 9:06
  Speaker 9: my horn. I guess I wasn't quick enough just of
• 9:10
  Speaker 9: going oh away, that car hit those women. Looked to
• 9:13
  Speaker 9: me like he knocked him fifty feet at least. Then
• 9:16
  Speaker 9: just like nothing at all. The car raced right on
• 9:17
  Speaker 9: through the intersection on Donal los Phyllis that way. Did
• 9:20
  Speaker 9: you get a look at the driver? No, sure, not
• 9:22
  Speaker 9: too good. But I believe he had blond hair. Looked
• 9:25
  Speaker 9: to me like he was alone in the car.
• 9:27
  Speaker 4: Anything more about him looked like.
• 9:29
  Speaker 9: A young kid to me, how bet on that he
• 9:31
  Speaker 9: was young bond kid about eighteen nineteen on him there?
• 9:36
  Speaker 4: Now, how about the car he was driving? Can he
• 9:38
  Speaker 4: help us out there? He said?
• 9:39
  Speaker 9: I believe he was a Ford. I d know what year, yah,
• 9:42
  Speaker 9: a Ford saan two dor?
• 9:44
  Speaker 4: What color was it? Black? Dark blue?
• 9:47
  Speaker 9: I'd say black because he happened to get the license
• 9:49
  Speaker 9: numbers and oh sure everything happens so fast time because
• 9:52
  Speaker 9: it was kind of stunned from it.
• 9:54
  Speaker 4: It's you know, how you'd be sorry? I wish I did.
• 9:56
  Speaker 9: I mean, you're pretty sure about the car's right again?
• 9:59
  Speaker 9: Are you familiar and that with cars to be positive.
• 10:01
  Speaker 4: That was Afford.
• 10:02
  Speaker 9: Yeah, I think I am. And you don't know what
• 10:04
  Speaker 9: year did Carla? Oh sir, I'm sorry, I don't just
• 10:07
  Speaker 9: know whats the ford sedam? Well, thank you very much,
• 10:10
  Speaker 9: mister Mortigan. We may have to check back with you
• 10:12
  Speaker 9: later anytime, dry to do whatever I can help you
• 10:14
  Speaker 9: get that driver udden.
• 10:15
  Speaker 4: We get a hold of it in this morning.
• 10:16
  Speaker 9: Aarmright here all times, ordered the nursers forty four oh two.
• 10:20
  Speaker 9: Thank you very much too, or woman to another chance
• 10:23
  Speaker 9: a minute. They stripped off the curb. Crazy kid didn't
• 10:25
  Speaker 9: even stop to see if you.
• 10:26
  Speaker 4: Could help him. Yes, there was no I didn't see him.
• 10:29
  Speaker 4: Maybe it was for.
• 10:32
  Speaker 6: Before we left the scene of the accident and we
• 10:34
  Speaker 6: interviewed the other two. They could add nothing to Richard.
• 10:36
  Speaker 6: Motigation disclosed and number one was up them. Number two
• 10:39
  Speaker 6: was identified as Elizabeth Ann Carey, aged sixty five. Then
• 10:44
  Speaker 6: and I drove over to the Hollywood station where we
• 10:46
  Speaker 6: met Officer Hyde, who was just completing his reports and
• 10:48
  Speaker 6: was booking the physical evidence found at the scene of
• 10:50
  Speaker 6: the accident.
• 10:52
  Speaker 4: Included in the evidence.
• 10:53
  Speaker 9: Were the top coats worn by the victims at the
• 10:55
  Speaker 9: time they were struck down.
• 10:57
  Speaker 4: All this was turned over to.
• 10:58
  Speaker 6: Lieutenant Lee Jones and the Crime LAMB then and I
• 11:02
  Speaker 6: compiled the small amount of information that we had the
• 11:05
  Speaker 6: physical scene and the scant information that the witnesses were
• 11:08
  Speaker 6: able to give us. Not enough for us to attempt
• 11:10
  Speaker 6: to identify the.
• 11:11
  Speaker 4: Driver of the hid and run car, but it wasn't
• 11:14
  Speaker 4: much to go on. PM. We got a call from
• 11:16
  Speaker 4: his investigation and wanted to see us right away.
• 11:19
  Speaker 9: Well, we haven't gotten much of almost anything for an accident.
• 11:24
  Speaker 4: First off, your quickness out there? What was there? Mortigan? Yeah?
• 11:27
  Speaker 9: When Mortigan is right, the car was black and a
• 11:30
  Speaker 9: microscopic analysis on scrapings found on the victim's coats. You know,
• 11:34
  Speaker 9: I'd say a black car previously painted tan or sand
• 11:37
  Speaker 9: color under the black.
• 11:38
  Speaker 4: That was one of the things he's positive about. How
• 11:40
  Speaker 4: about the make and the models? Anything? There is not
• 11:42
  Speaker 4: too much there. I think maybe I can help you
• 11:44
  Speaker 4: there too. Boks are breaking.
• 11:46
  Speaker 9: Let's see, just got back from the lighthouse and a
• 11:50
  Speaker 9: lens me to test, and those pieces of broken headlight
• 11:53
  Speaker 9: lens and the diacter reading shows that that particular type
• 11:56
  Speaker 9: lens was made in.
• 11:57
  Speaker 4: Nineteen thirty four. Or how about the make of the
• 11:59
  Speaker 4: Car League.
• 12:00
  Speaker 9: The only company that used this type of lens was
• 12:02
  Speaker 9: the Sword Motor Company.
• 12:03
  Speaker 4: Pretty positive.
• 12:04
  Speaker 9: Guy ran a spectrographic test and the chemical composition the
• 12:07
  Speaker 9: glass and the lens checks out.
• 12:09
  Speaker 4: I've got a car, work on, that's it nineteen.
• 12:11
  Speaker 9: Thirty four, Ford Black, thanks a lot. On all right,
• 12:15
  Speaker 9: when you find the car, I can tie it in.
• 12:17
  Speaker 4: Definitely fires.
• 12:18
  Speaker 9: Fine, I'll excuse me, crime laugh Jones right here, Matt
• 12:25
  Speaker 9: just who are you?
• 12:26
  Speaker 4: One of you is mcderman. I'll take you Jim. Okay,
• 12:31
  Speaker 4: you know Max froml Only, Yeah, I mean too, Yeah right,
• 12:40
  Speaker 4: MATC just got word from Georgia Street. You know both victims.
• 12:43
  Speaker 4: They're just dying. Was the death of the two victims.
• 12:48
  Speaker 6: What had only been a hit and run felony had
• 12:50
  Speaker 6: now become a case of manslaughter.
• 12:52
  Speaker 4: Two counts.
• 12:54
  Speaker 6: Then and I went back to the office and met
• 12:55
  Speaker 6: with Lieutenant mcderman. Past experience has proven to the Traffic
• 12:59
  Speaker 6: Office that the quickest and surrest way to a successful
• 13:02
  Speaker 6: prosecution of a hit and run case is with the
• 13:04
  Speaker 6: full cooperation of the average citizen. A hit and run
• 13:08
  Speaker 6: felony differs from the ordinary police case in that the
• 13:11
  Speaker 6: investigating officers are not dealing with a criminal suspect. In
• 13:15
  Speaker 6: the case of this nature, the guilty party could well
• 13:17
  Speaker 6: be the outstanding citizen of his community.
• 13:19
  Speaker 4: In all probability he.
• 13:20
  Speaker 6: Had no motive for a crime, only motive and running
• 13:23
  Speaker 6: from the scene of the accident. Well, the one way
• 13:26
  Speaker 6: to gain citizen cooperation was to acquaint him with all
• 13:28
  Speaker 6: the details of the accident and he and all information
• 13:31
  Speaker 6: that we had or would obtain as the case work
• 13:33
  Speaker 6: towards solution. Ten fifteen pm Saturday, September fifth. In addition
• 13:38
  Speaker 6: to the emergency broadcast put out at the time of
• 13:40
  Speaker 6: the accident, supplemental broadcasts and apvs were sent out. Ben
• 13:44
  Speaker 6: and I then started to make up a special police.
• 13:46
  Speaker 9: Bulletin wanted from Manus Nutter and hit and run felony.
• 13:53
  Speaker 6: Okay, information regarding identity of occupant of following hit and
• 13:59
  Speaker 6: run pre.
• 14:02
  Speaker 4: Regarding identity of occupant yeah three, oh.
• 14:06
  Speaker 9: Well, okay, got it involved in accident resulting in depth
• 14:10
  Speaker 9: of two female pedestrians.
• 14:15
  Speaker 4: Accident.
• 14:19
  Speaker 9: Accident occurred September fifth, approximately what time Joe seven thirty pm,
• 14:26
  Speaker 9: right on Rose Famous Boulevard.
• 14:33
  Speaker 4: At intersection of Commonwealth Avenue. Okay, I see what we
• 14:41
  Speaker 4: got from Frank You.
• 14:45
  Speaker 6: Occupant, young male Caucasian approximately eighteen to nineteen years of age.
• 14:49
  Speaker 6: Vehicle nineteen thirty four Ford Sedan, black with tan undercoat
• 14:54
  Speaker 6: driven by male occupant, Miss Carr will have extensive damage
• 14:57
  Speaker 6: to front end. Facsimile photogra rafts of type of car
• 15:01
  Speaker 6: water to appear on this bullet.
• 15:02
  Speaker 4: We got our photos right here, side, front and back.
• 15:05
  Speaker 4: Viel Okay, this ought to do it. Let's get it
• 15:06
  Speaker 4: down to the printing girl right away.
• 15:08
  Speaker 9: And yeah, auto pinks, shops, breaking yards, garages, repair stations,
• 15:12
  Speaker 9: used car lots, insurance coming.
• 15:14
  Speaker 4: The daily papers are running a spread on it in
• 15:15
  Speaker 4: the next edition. That or cover. Yeah, it's all there
• 15:18
  Speaker 4: if it gets to the right person.
• 15:21
  Speaker 6: Wednesday, September ninth, ten forty five am, the inquest.
• 15:25
  Speaker 4: Of the two hit and run victims was held and the.
• 15:27
  Speaker 6: Jury returned a quick verdict of manslaughter two counts, naming
• 15:30
  Speaker 6: a John do as Gilly. For the next three weeks,
• 15:33
  Speaker 6: we received numerous phone calls concerning the black Ford Sedan.
• 15:36
  Speaker 6: All leads were checked out and failed to materialized. Cars
• 15:40
  Speaker 6: fitting the description of the watered vehicle were constantly being stopped,
• 15:43
  Speaker 6: and the occupant's question we got nowhere. Ben and I
• 15:46
  Speaker 6: followed up on our bulletins. We checked various garages and
• 15:49
  Speaker 6: paint shops. Used car lots were checked and rechecked.
• 15:52
  Speaker 4: No luck. Monday, October third, two thirty pm.
• 15:55
  Speaker 6: We're on our way back to the office after having
• 15:57
  Speaker 6: canvas several wrecking yards and repair air stations.
• 16:02
  Speaker 9: I never knew they maybe so many black thirty four forwards. Man,
• 16:08
  Speaker 9: I don't see how we could have overlooked anything, you know.
• 16:11
  Speaker 6: No, I don't something on a break on this thing soon.
• 16:14
  Speaker 6: We just had a little more to go on that
• 16:15
  Speaker 6: license number. If somebody could have seen in, you.
• 16:17
  Speaker 4: Know, that'd help with it. I'll get it. Traffic Friday. Hello,
• 16:24
  Speaker 4: my name is Dan Provost. I want to use a
• 16:26
  Speaker 4: car lot Dan's corner at five four seven three sixth Avenue. Yes, sir,
• 16:30
  Speaker 4: I'd like to talk to somebody regarding that last bullet
• 16:32
  Speaker 4: and you sent out September seventh this year. Well, I
• 16:34
  Speaker 4: think maybe I can help you, sir. That thirty four
• 16:36
  Speaker 4: ford you're looking for on that.
• 16:37
  Speaker 8: Hit and run thing.
• 16:38
  Speaker 4: Yeah, that's right. Young kid blonde says he's got some
• 16:41
  Speaker 4: repair work for us. Yeah, I got one of my
• 16:42
  Speaker 4: mechanics stalling him now. What's the car look like, mister Provos,
• 16:45
  Speaker 4: Like the one you're looking for.
• 16:46
  Speaker 9: The reason I called is because he says he banged
• 16:48
  Speaker 9: up the front end right away.
• 16:49
  Speaker 4: I remember the bullet, all right. So see, if you
• 16:51
  Speaker 4: can hold him there, well you, we'll be right over.
• 16:53
  Speaker 4: We'll be right there. I think I've got your man
• 16:55
  Speaker 4: for you. It took us to get to fifty through
• 17:00
  Speaker 4: a Dan's corner.
• 17:01
  Speaker 9: We crossed over the gravel covered lot to the rear
• 17:03
  Speaker 9: where we felt it.
• 17:06
  Speaker 4: I'm yes, sir, that's right. I'm sorry.
• 17:08
  Speaker 9: I did my best, but I couldn't hold him here
• 17:10
  Speaker 9: without making him suspicious.
• 17:11
  Speaker 4: But I'm sure he'll be back. How do you know?
• 17:13
  Speaker 9: We see he bought this car from us, says he
• 17:15
  Speaker 9: had a little accident and wanted us to fix it
• 17:17
  Speaker 9: up for him.
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: I told him we would if he'd bring it in.
• 17:19
  Speaker 4: And why do you think he left?
• 17:20
  Speaker 9: It's only been about fifteen minutes since you called us downtown.
• 17:23
  Speaker 4: He might have heard me talking to you. Well, if
• 17:25
  Speaker 4: he did, and he's our man, I doubt very much
• 17:27
  Speaker 4: if he'll be back.
• 17:27
  Speaker 9: My very well blonde kid about nineteen years old driving
• 17:30
  Speaker 9: him black thirty four or four, just like the one
• 17:32
  Speaker 9: year after.
• 17:33
  Speaker 4: Well, can you give us his name and the licensed
• 17:34
  Speaker 4: number of the car?
• 17:35
  Speaker 9: Insure it's Curly Watson. I sin summary nott a graph
• 17:38
  Speaker 9: here nine or nine seven oh seven. I looked it
• 17:43
  Speaker 9: up on his contract and this name Curly, you have
• 17:45
  Speaker 9: his full name. Sorry, I guess I'm a little excited.
• 17:48
  Speaker 9: It's wilfred E.
• 17:50
  Speaker 4: Watson.
• 17:51
  Speaker 9: Everybody around here calls him Curly. I'm pretty sure he's
• 17:54
  Speaker 9: the one you want. I know that car bought it
• 17:55
  Speaker 9: from us about five months ago.
• 17:57
  Speaker 4: I was just too bad. You couldn't have detained him
• 17:59
  Speaker 4: just a little longer. Us the provosts man like, I say,
• 18:01
  Speaker 4: you don't have to worry, you'll be back. What makes
• 18:03
  Speaker 4: you say sure? And the way he described the damage to.
• 18:05
  Speaker 9: Us, I'd say he's got about seventy five dollars worth
• 18:08
  Speaker 9: of work on that front end. Yeah, I know he's
• 18:10
  Speaker 9: a man you want. I'm gonna be in trouble if
• 18:11
  Speaker 9: he's not. But I mean, what was the only thing
• 18:14
  Speaker 9: I could do on the spur of the moment like that. Yeah,
• 18:16
  Speaker 9: that's how I know for sure you'll be back here
• 18:18
  Speaker 9: that I told him I fixed his car free.
• 18:31
  Speaker 3: You are in the forgery division of a metropolitan Police
• 18:33
  Speaker 3: Department handwriting analysis.
• 18:40
  Speaker 4: All right, Now write the alphabet and lower case. Please.
• 18:46
  Speaker 3: You are listening to a handwriting expert taking an exemplar
• 18:49
  Speaker 3: of a suspect's handwriting.
• 18:52
  Speaker 4: Now write the numerals from one to ten. Please.
• 18:56
  Speaker 2: This handwriting sample will be compared with a Forge signature
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: side by side. Two signatures may often look alike, but
• 19:04
  Speaker 2: closer examination will prove a world of difference. You'll find
• 19:08
  Speaker 2: the same is true when you compare king size cigarettes.
• 19:11
  Speaker 2: Fatimas are the same length as any other king size
• 19:14
  Speaker 2: cigarette eighty five millimeters. Fatima has the same circumference one
• 19:19
  Speaker 2: in one sixty fourth inches around, and Fatima filters the
• 19:22
  Speaker 2: smoke exactly the same long distance as other king size cigarettes.
• 19:27
  Speaker 5: But in Fatima the difference is quality.
• 19:31
  Speaker 2: Fatima gives you extra mildness, a much different, much better flavor,
• 19:36
  Speaker 2: and aroma. You get all the advantages of extra length
• 19:40
  Speaker 2: plus Fatima quality, which no other king.
• 19:43
  Speaker 4: Size cigarette has.
• 19:44
  Speaker 3: So compare Fatima yourself. Your first puff will tell you.
• 19:51
  Speaker 4: That's different.
• 19:53
  Speaker 2: Yes, in Fatima the difference is quality. Best of all
• 19:58
  Speaker 2: long cigarettes. We called Lieutenant McDermot and filled him in.
• 20:09
  Speaker 2: He sent sergeants Killpatrick and McClendon.
• 20:11
  Speaker 6: Now to relieve Ben and me and to maintain a
• 20:13
  Speaker 6: stakeout on Dan's corner the used carlot in the event
• 20:16
  Speaker 6: the suspect should return. We went back downtown to R
• 20:19
  Speaker 6: and I. Wilfredy Watson had a record and was wanted
• 20:21
  Speaker 6: by the Fresno Police Department, where he had jumped bail.
• 20:24
  Speaker 9: The charge was grand theft. We took Watson's mugshot back
• 20:28
  Speaker 9: to the used car lot, where.
• 20:29
  Speaker 6: He was positively identified by Dan Provost.
• 20:32
  Speaker 4: Ben and I went to his last known address.
• 20:34
  Speaker 6: The landlady told us that Watson had moved approximately a
• 20:37
  Speaker 6: month ago and had not left a forwarding address from
• 20:40
  Speaker 6: his Mama Sheep.
• 20:40
  Speaker 4: We obtained a.
• 20:41
  Speaker 6: List of his friends and associates. All efforts to locate
• 20:44
  Speaker 6: him failed. The stakeout continued. We showed the mug shot
• 20:47
  Speaker 6: to Richard Mortigan, the one good witness to the accident.
• 20:51
  Speaker 6: He said he could not identify Watson as he did
• 20:53
  Speaker 6: not get too good a look at him, but he
• 20:54
  Speaker 6: stated that there was a possibility that.
• 20:56
  Speaker 4: He could be the man.
• 20:57
  Speaker 6: A week went by, the whereabouts of the suspect was
• 21:00
  Speaker 6: still unknown. Tuesday, October tenth, Ben and I were out
• 21:03
  Speaker 6: running down the lead on Watson when we received the
• 21:05
  Speaker 6: call to return to the office, Lieutenant mcderman menace.
• 21:08
  Speaker 4: As we got there, I put that call in for you.
• 21:12
  Speaker 4: Anything doing there? I got a lead. I don't know
• 21:15
  Speaker 4: how good it'll be. What we ought to check it
• 21:16
  Speaker 4: out right away? What he got.
• 21:18
  Speaker 9: We just received the call from the Santa Monica PD.
• 21:21
  Speaker 9: Missus Agnes Hastings called in and gave him a little something.
• 21:24
  Speaker 9: As I say, maybe there's nothing in it, but see
• 21:26
  Speaker 9: what you think, all right. The Hastings woman stopped in
• 21:29
  Speaker 9: at the local soda fountain down there places pactronized by
• 21:33
  Speaker 9: the hot rod crowd, said she overheard part of a
• 21:36
  Speaker 9: conversation between a couple of the kids. This one dark
• 21:39
  Speaker 9: haired boy was sitting at the counter when another kid
• 21:41
  Speaker 9: walked in the front door. The kid that came in
• 21:44
  Speaker 9: had red hair. The dark haired kids said higher red,
• 21:47
  Speaker 9: and the redhead sat down by him.
• 21:50
  Speaker 4: Yeah, And one of the kids made some remark about the.
• 21:52
  Speaker 9: Boy's red hair, asked him why he died. The redhead said, well,
• 21:57
  Speaker 9: they're looking for a blonde or anything.
• 21:59
  Speaker 4: Yeah, it could be a little something. Yeah, I thought so.
• 22:02
  Speaker 9: Then the Hastings woman followed the redheaded boy outside and
• 22:05
  Speaker 9: took the license number of his car. Anything there, I
• 22:08
  Speaker 9: don't know yet, ran it through d MV, but it's
• 22:10
  Speaker 9: not in the file. Mark Benson's got to call him
• 22:13
  Speaker 9: to Sacramento. Now, anything new with Watson? No, nothing yet.
• 22:16
  Speaker 9: But where are we fighting this? Agues hoastons Man. Well
• 22:19
  Speaker 9: here's the address right here, thank you. Well that's all
• 22:24
  Speaker 9: she had said. She'd been following the hit and run
• 22:27
  Speaker 9: story in the papers, thought this.
• 22:28
  Speaker 4: Might be worth forwarding anyway. Yeah, just a master traffic mcgaerman.
• 22:35
  Speaker 4: Oh hi arc Yeah, well you did, uhh.
• 22:43
  Speaker 9: Yeah, I see yeah, yeah right, but.
• 22:50
  Speaker 4: That was our Killpatrick McLendon picked up Watson. Yeah, anything.
• 22:53
  Speaker 9: They're bringing him in now, they say this Watson denies
• 22:55
  Speaker 9: the hit and run.
• 22:56
  Speaker 4: Jones will check his car over then we'll know a
• 22:58
  Speaker 4: little more.
• 22:59
  Speaker 9: Well, there's not much widdode we hear from Benson on
• 23:01
  Speaker 9: the Santa Monica thing.
• 23:02
  Speaker 4: No, maybe there is. What's that? We got two leads,
• 23:05
  Speaker 4: we can hope one. I'm is right. While waiting for
• 23:09
  Speaker 4: the call from Mark Benson at HP Ben and I.
• 23:12
  Speaker 6: Drove over to the police garage on South Figure on Wilfrid.
• 23:16
  Speaker 6: Watson's car had been impounded and Lee Jones had made
• 23:18
  Speaker 6: his investigation. His findings eliminated Watson's thirty four to Ford.
• 23:22
  Speaker 4: As being the hit and run car.
• 23:24
  Speaker 6: Investigation showed that Watson's car was involved in an accident,
• 23:28
  Speaker 6: but this was five days prior to the killing of
• 23:30
  Speaker 6: the two women pedestrians.
• 23:32
  Speaker 4: Wilfrid E. Watson was booked for the.
• 23:33
  Speaker 6: Fresno authorities for prosecution on their warrant. This left only
• 23:37
  Speaker 6: the one lead, the red headed boy who had dyed
• 23:39
  Speaker 6: his hair. If Agnes hastings observations had been correct, the
• 23:43
  Speaker 6: fact that the boy originally had blonde hair made him
• 23:45
  Speaker 6: a possible suspect. Eleven am. The information from DMV came
• 23:50
  Speaker 6: through from Sacramento. The car was registered to a Calvin L.
• 23:53
  Speaker 6: Martin sixteen Boardwalk Lane, Santa Monica.
• 23:56
  Speaker 4: The car was a nineteen thirty nine Dodge Sedan Legal.
• 23:59
  Speaker 4: The same sixteen boardwalk Lane was a small beach.
• 24:02
  Speaker 6: House facing out on the Pacific Ocean in the town
• 24:04
  Speaker 6: of Santa Monica.
• 24:05
  Speaker 4: Eleven twenty six am. We arrived in front of the house.
• 24:10
  Speaker 9: This is at number sixteen. YEA, alright, let's go up
• 24:13
  Speaker 9: in the porch. I never see anybody around. Looks like
• 24:20
  Speaker 9: nobody at home. Well, let's try the bell. Well, I
• 24:29
  Speaker 9: guess you're right.
• 24:29
  Speaker 4: Nobody home.
• 24:35
  Speaker 9: Yeah, let's check the garage. Huh, alright, where on the side,
• 24:40
  Speaker 9: isn't it?
• 24:41
  Speaker 4: Yeah, I hand's right there.
• 24:42
  Speaker 5: Oh you.
• 24:47
  Speaker 4: Padlock?
• 24:50
  Speaker 9: Uh maybe there's a window on the side.
• 24:55
  Speaker 4: Yeah, come in, Joe.
• 24:56
  Speaker 9: Alright, windows and I'm dirty or wipe it off a little.
• 25:03
  Speaker 4: Yeah, that's better. Huh. Can you see me? Take a look?
• 25:08
  Speaker 4: Jo let me see. Yeah, looks like the thirty four
• 25:12
  Speaker 4: to fourd to me.
• 25:13
  Speaker 9: Not it's the left front fender and uh, pretty badly dented,
• 25:17
  Speaker 9: isn't it.
• 25:18
  Speaker 4: Huh, looks like we're home. Maybe I don't like to
• 25:21
  Speaker 4: get a closer look. Young kid got out of a
• 25:29
  Speaker 4: car off one.
• 25:30
  Speaker 9: Looks like a redhead from here to little Hi you
• 25:39
  Speaker 9: men one something police officer?
• 25:41
  Speaker 4: Yeah, if you live here? Yes I do. What's wrong?
• 25:46
  Speaker 4: What's your name? Louis Martin? Who is Calvin Almartin? My father?
• 25:51
  Speaker 4: Why was he on the nineteen thirty nine Dodge? Yeah,
• 25:54
  Speaker 4: that's right? Anything wrong? Whose car is that down in
• 25:58
  Speaker 4: the garage? There belongs a friend of mine. I just
• 26:01
  Speaker 4: let him keep it in there. What's his name? Jesse?
• 26:03
  Speaker 4: You know? Well, Jesse? What Jesse Armstrong. Where does he live?
• 26:07
  Speaker 4: All roun Dennis Bowl Vince? What's the number? I don't
• 26:11
  Speaker 4: know offhand? And you let him park his car here
• 26:13
  Speaker 4: in your garage. You don't know where he lives? Well,
• 26:15
  Speaker 4: I don't know, but I just can't think of it.
• 26:19
  Speaker 4: I don't understand what's wrong.
• 26:20
  Speaker 9: You got a key to the garage. No, Jesse's kind
• 26:23
  Speaker 9: of you don't keep a key to your own garage? No,
• 26:26
  Speaker 9: I let Jesse keep it.
• 26:28
  Speaker 4: If you always had red hair? Sure? Why red on
• 26:32
  Speaker 4: top of him? Blinded the roots? Is eddy? I wish
• 26:35
  Speaker 4: you'd tell me what's going on? You know why I'm strong?
• 26:37
  Speaker 4: You tell us, well, what's a joke? Alright? Alright, that's
• 26:42
  Speaker 4: hold it right here. I didn't do anything on the talk.
• 26:49
  Speaker 6: Well how about it, son, that's the second time you
• 26:51
  Speaker 6: tried to run, now, isn't it.
• 26:54
  Speaker 4: How'd you find me? Who told you? You want to
• 26:57
  Speaker 4: tell us about it?
• 27:01
  Speaker 10: I didn't mean to hit those two women. I was
• 27:04
  Speaker 10: coming home from up in La. I was late and
• 27:07
  Speaker 10: I was trying to hurry to get home. I didn't
• 27:10
  Speaker 10: see him until it was too late.
• 27:12
  Speaker 4: Why didn't you stop? Why don't you run? I was afraid?
• 27:15
  Speaker 4: I just couldn't face it. I thought I could get
• 27:17
  Speaker 4: away with it. I guess I'm sorry. I didn't mean
• 27:21
  Speaker 4: to do it. Do you know those two old women
• 27:23
  Speaker 4: died as a result of you running them down? No,
• 27:31
  Speaker 4: I didn't know they'd die. All right, Come on, son,
• 27:37
  Speaker 4: let's go. I didn't really mean to do it.
• 27:43
  Speaker 7: I'll tell everybody I'm sorry.
• 27:46
  Speaker 4: I am sorry. That don't make a difference, won't it.
• 27:50
  Speaker 4: You killed two people. You figured.
• 28:00
  Speaker 2: The story you have just heard was true, only the
• 28:03
  Speaker 2: names were changed to protect the innocent.
• 28:05
  Speaker 3: On December seventeenth, trial was held in Superior Court, Department
• 28:09
  Speaker 3: eighty one, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California.
• 28:12
  Speaker 5: In a moment the results of that trial.
• 28:14
  Speaker 4: And now'll here is our star, Jack Webb. Thank you friends.
• 28:17
  Speaker 6: I can give you over a dozen good reasons why
• 28:19
  Speaker 6: Fatima is the best of all long cigarettes, but.
• 28:22
  Speaker 4: I'd rather let Fatima speak for itself. That's why I
• 28:25
  Speaker 4: suggest that you.
• 28:26
  Speaker 6: Buy a pack tomorrow and then compare Fatima with any
• 28:29
  Speaker 6: other long cigarette. You'll find, just as I have, Fatima's
• 28:33
  Speaker 6: extra mildness gives you a much.
• 28:34
  Speaker 4: Better flavor in aroma.
• 28:36
  Speaker 6: To get all the advantages of extra length plus Fatima quality,
• 28:40
  Speaker 6: which no other king sized cigarette has. Ask your dealer
• 28:43
  Speaker 6: for Fatima best of all Long Cigarettes.
• 28:55
  Speaker 3: The suspect, Lewis T. Martin, was found guilty of manslaughter.
• 28:58
  Speaker 3: He was sentenced to one year in the outy jail
• 29:00
  Speaker 3: and was placed on probation for five years. You have
• 29:12
  Speaker 3: just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files.
• 29:16
  Speaker 3: Technical advice comes from the Office of Chief of Police,
• 29:18
  Speaker 3: wh Parker, Los Angeles Police Department.
• 29:24
  Speaker 2: Fatima Cigarettes, best of all Long Cigarettes, has brought you
• 29:28
  Speaker 2: Dragnet transcribed from Los Angeles. Stay tuned for Cover Spy next.
• 29:35
  Speaker 2: Over most NBC stations.
• 29:45
  Speaker 1: You have been listening to Dragnet Big run first broadcast
• 29:49
  Speaker 1: June twenty first, nineteen fifty one. Thank you for sharing
• 29:53
  Speaker 1: this radio hour with us.