Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Dragnet: The Big Little Jesus (EP1448)

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Dragnet: The Big Little Jesus (EP1448) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

0:28
Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radi from Boise, Idaho. This
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is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, email it
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to me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at
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Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com
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slash Radio Detectives. Well, before we do get started, I want to
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let you know this program is brought to you by the financial support of our
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listeners. Thank you so much for your support. I want to thank Craig
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not Great Detectives dot net also at great Detectives dot net. Be sure and
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Kendle store search for Great Detectives of Old Time Radio. Well, today we're
1:34
bringing the Dragnet Christmas episode. We're skipping ahead to the time when Bennie Alexander
1:40
is Joe Friday's partner. This is certainly not the first Dragnet Christmas episode.
1:47
The first one is known as a twenty two Rifle for Christmas or a Rifle
1:53
for Christmas, and we'll play it in a few weeks and it's actually a
1:57
pretty downbeat story. Chared Breen was to write the nineteen fifty four Dragnet movie
2:04
and in the process he decided that Dragnet needed a new Christmas episode and worked
2:09
with Jack Webb to bring this about find that would be appropriate to the season,
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and this was an episode that was rolled out in a big way.
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It aired over radio and television at the same time. It aired on television
2:25
in color, the very first color episode of Dragnet, though only black and
2:30
white Prince survive. The program originally aired on radio on December the twenty second
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of nineteen fifty three, and the title is The Big Little Jesus. Ladies
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and gentlemen, The story you're about to hear is true. You're a detective
3:00
sergeant. You're assigned to Burglary Division. You get a call that an important
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piece of religious art has been stolen from the oldest church in Los Angeles.
3:09
There's no leed to its whereabouts your job find it. Dragnet the documented drama
3:25
of an actual crime. While the next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the
3:30
Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of
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the law through an actual case from official police files, from beginning to end,
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from crime to punishment. Dragnet is the story of your police force in
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action. It was Wednesday, December twenty fourth. It was cold in Los
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Angeles. We were working today watch Out a burglery division. My partner's Frank
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Smith. The boss is Captain Bernard. My name is Friday. I'd gone
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across the street to buy stamps for some Christmas cards I was sending out.
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It was nine to fifteen am when I got back to Room forty five Burglary.
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I sat out at the table in the squad room and I started to
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address the cards when Frank walked in carrying a stack of Christmas boxes. Hi,
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Joe, all right, Christmas cards. Huh A little late, aren't
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you Well. I wasn't going to sen him out Monday, but we had
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that stake out. You ought to get married, Joe. Yeah, it's
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the only system. They does all that stuff for me laundry mails. Cards
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only system might help. We got a big stack there. I got to
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cut down the list. Look at this here, upholstery shop. Yeah,
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they send me a card every year. I never get anything upholstered. Fan.
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I ought to go over our list, cut off a few names.
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Brought in your present. Won't open it now, No, I'll wait.
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I always opened a couple of days before. Why well, I'll put you
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in the spirit ahead of time. I opened fields this morning. Who's he
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praised? Brother in Denver gave me a magazine, one of those funny ones.
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I mean a comic book. No, one of those funny ones.
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You know. No, I don't, frank well, some of the pages
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have holes in him. You look true when there's a picture on the next
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page. Oh yeah, I've seen those. On the newsstand. They have
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cloth pasted in cloth in the ads. If you want to buy a suit,
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they have a sample right there. You mean you can feel it,
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reach right out and feel it. It was one for two hundred dollars a
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suit. Sure cloth comes from Scotland once it made out of solid gold.
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No, they got a special kind of goat over there. It's real smooth,
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not a goat. Frank a sheep. Well it's a special kind of
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sheep. Then, because a suit costs two hundred dollars, you're gonna get
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one, I told Faye. She said, where the sample? Anything doing?
5:39
Fanning and Pryor were in on that market. Hold up, they come
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up with anything out of air, nothing else. I hope it stays quiet.
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I got more shopping to do. I finished. What you get a
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stationary set, some paper and envelopes, leather binding, Joe, you'll never
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learn know what's the matter. No woman wants a stationary set, gut or
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something personal? What's got her initials on it? No? No, you
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want something more sentimental, romantic? But'd you get Faye? It's different in
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her case? What'd you get Fay? Sewing machine? That's romantic? Well
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it isn't the way. Why didn't you buy our catcher's man, Gregory Friday?
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Yes, that's right, you have the right department. All right,
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father, we'll be right down. No, you can tell us about it
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there. Goodbye. The old Mission church they've had a theft collection money statue
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of the child Jesus. Frank and I checked out of the office and rode
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over to the church at the corner of Sunset Boulevard and Maine. The old
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Mission Plaza Church founded seventeen eighty one, the year Los Angeles became a pueblo.
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The outside was typical early Spanish design, complete with mission arches, was
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made of adobe and painted white. They called it the Queen of the Angel.
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The podrays from down on Mexico build it. The devout Mexicans and towns
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still attended services there. Ten o five am, Frank and I crossed through
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the courtyard used to be the old stable, but the Spanish priest changed all
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that when it became a mission. Stone masons paved the stable floor and made
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it a courtyard. They planted grape vines, trees, and flowers. A
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young priest crossed the courtyard to meet us. He'd been sitting on a stone
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bench reading his morning prayers, as priests had done here for one hundred and
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seventy two years. We asked for Father Xavier Rojas, who communicated with us.
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We were told he was inside. We entered a side door. The
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church seemed to glow with the hundreds of votive candles flickering on both sides of
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the alder and at the shrines. Throughout. The church was empty except for
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a few people praying. Surrounding the main order were several old oil paintings and
7:46
gold frames. The air was heavy with a set of advent flowers. We
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found Father Rojas up near the sanctuary, looking at the Nativity scene. He
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told us about the crib. It was a seventy dollar duption of the scene
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at Bethlehem. The parishioners had taken up a collection for it thirty one years
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ago. Was put up every year on December twenty second and taken down after
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the holy season. Was beautiful, except that one of the shepherds had lost
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an arm, The sheep was old and cracked, and the infant Jesus was
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missing. Father Rojas led us back into the sacristy. I'm sorry to bother
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you man, all right, father, especially now the holiday season we cash
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our checks. Father, no one tells what happened or what you think happened.
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I discovered the statue was missing right after the six o'clock Mass, say
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the six yes. I started over to the rectory and stopped by the crib.
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Was the statue there before mass? I don't know, but it was
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there last night. How late is the church open all night? You leave
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it wide open, so any thief can walk in, particularly paved. Sergeant.
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You say it was there last night, father, how late ten or
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eleven o'clock? We had confessions. No one saw it after that. One
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of the altar boys, he says it may have been there. He thinks
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it was. Did he see it? He's not sure. What's his name?
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Pardon? Here's the schedule. You'll find the names for every mask.
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There was there a big crowd at the six o'clock mass, father, not
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too many. Seven's the big one. People on their way to work.
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Did anyone stay after Mass? Did you know this? Not especially? I
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came back here, took off the vestments. I suppose it was ten or
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fifteen minutes before I went back into church. It was empty then. No
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people were coming into the seven o'clock. Are these the older boys, James
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Corneen and Joseph Heffernan. That's right, Joe's the one who mentioned it might
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have been there. Did you check with the other priest's father before I called
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you? None of them knows anything about it. Just for a check on
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the pawnshops. How much the statue worked in money? Well, that's the
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point in pawn shop's father only a few dollars. We could get a new
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one, but it wouldn't be the same. We've had children in the parish,
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they've grown up and married. It's the only Jesus they know. We
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understand, And we've had children who died. It was the only Jesus they
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knew. So many of the people who come here as simple people, they
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wouldn't understand such. It would be like changing the evening star. We'll do
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our best, Father, That's why would mean so much to have it back
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for the first Mass on Christmas. It's not very long, Father, less
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than twenty four hours. But anything turns up here. You know where to
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get in touch with us? Yes, sad, isn't it? How's that?
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And so short a time men learned to steal? Yes, but consider
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us father us. Some of them didn't you and I'd be out of work.
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Ten fifty am we notified pawn shop detail Frank and I checked out the
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two Aller boys. The first one, James Corneen, said he knew nothing
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about the missing statue. The second one, Joseph Heiffernan, was not at
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home. His father said he had a part time job, but he hadn't
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get in touch with us right after lunch. By eleven thirty am, we'd
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run out of book procedure. We had a man to find our only clue.
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He'd been to church. Eleven thirty three am. We checked the phone
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books for the names of religious stores in the area. Two of them were
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closed. We tried the third. When we got there, the only person
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in the store was an elderly man sitting by a table. In front of
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him was a large, beautifully carved chess set. We're police officers. My
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name's Friday. This is my partner, Frank Smith. Gat to see you,
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Coppy in the middle of a big chess match. Where's your partner upro
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Sanos. We've been playing for years, same match. No, just two
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or three months on this one. What I meant was, we've been playing
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different matches for years. I see you know you do it through the mail.
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I send him a move, he sends me one. Let's keep you
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on your toes except during the holidays. Mail gets all hitdled up. That's
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no good. Yes, not so things down, that's no good. I
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like to catch him off guard. You, mister Flavan, do you know
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we never met? Your name's on the window out front, mister Flavan.
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We checked the other two religious stores in this neighborhood. They're closed. It's
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the best one anyway. Fifty items. We're checking the stars around the Mission
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Church. Oh, what statue of the child Jesus? Do you have one
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we could look at? Sure, no, sir, a larger one.
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You don't want a larger one unless it's for the church. That's why you
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want a larger one. Could we see it? Please? It's not my
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dude to butt in, but unless you live in a big place, this
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will make your living room all the killed her. Yes. Most of the
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people who go to the Mission Church trade here, good, many of them
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special to kids, White kids more religious. Check on yourself. See if
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kids aren't more religious than you might be. So that tru's wrong in the
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world. Oh, I don't mean you're wrong with it and everybody? Yes,
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sir, what if we could sick to the point, mister Flavan.
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Sure a lot of people from the Mission Church come in here. Do people
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ever come in and sell back a religious article like a prayer book of rosaries?
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Yes, sir? Second hand? You mean, yes, sir,
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not since I've ever been around. Silly? Why people don't have religious articles
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so they can get rid of them. They happen so they can have them.
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But if a man had a statue and wanted to sell, he'd come
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to a place like this, sure, but he wouldn't want to sell it.
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He would if it was stolen. No, sir, if a man
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used to steal a statue, he'd be crazy or something like that. The
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only place he'd want to go is where crazy people are. You may be
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right, mister Flavan. I don't know what true fellas are looking for.
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But if it's somebody who stole his statue, he's crazy and you won't find
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him. You won't find him as long as you live or in a million
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years. That should cover it. We checked religious stores out as far as
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Van s. We asked the same questions. The owners gave us the same
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answers, but none of them were as encouraging as mister Flavan. Frank and
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I had lunch and reported back to the office. It was one thirty pm
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when we started into the squadroom. The captain was just coming out. I
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just checked frying our lunch room, and we've been down on that theft of
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the mission. Make it some action on the Patterson case. They locate him
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I think he's on the bus from Sacramento, or it means the Bakersfield police.
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We'll wait and see when of you, fellow Sergeant Friday, he is,
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I'm jew Heffernan. My father said, you wanted to see me.
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You sit down, son. You didn't have to come in. A phone
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call would have work. My father said to get on over. He says
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that any kid that uses phones is lazy. You want to ask you about
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this morning? You serve six o'clock mass, Yes, sir, I'm seeing
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you boy, so I get the sixth. You're a senior and you take
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the early trick, Yes, sir. That way, if you receive communion,
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you get to have breakfast sooner. Father Rojas says, you think the
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statue was there before a mass? I didn't look, but I have a
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feeling that was there, a feeling, you know how you have a feeling
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about something? Were you not sure? Could you stay around long after mass?
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I put out the candles and hung up my surplus? How long would
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that take? About five minutes? Maybe? Could any of the people at
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mass stay on? Some males do, especially ladies. Oh maybe they don't
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finish any time or else it's start new prayers. I don't know. So
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when you left there were still some women there, No, sir, that
14:56
was at first. After I went back to the A Christy there was only
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this one man. What man? He comes at six o'clock all the time.
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Do you know his name? No, sir, but he works down
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and knif you know paint shop or the paint signs? Could you describe him?
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Short? Medium were in a suit that didn't match. Didn't match,
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you know, different pants than How about his age? Oh, he's pretty
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old. Take a guess. Maybe there's nothing particular about him. Then why
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did you notice him? I've seen him before. And the bundle I guess,
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the bundle out in front. I saw him when he was coming out.
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He had this bumble. He almost dropped it. How large a bundle?
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Hard to say? Come on, son? Was it larger small?
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The size of the statue got that big? Yes, sir. We located
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the sign shop. The suspect didn't work there anymore, but we discovered his
15:58
name was Claude Stroup. Bought out where he lived. Two twenty five pm
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we arrived. There was a hotel for men, mostly old men, mostly
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down on ours, was called the Golden Dream. Police officers. We're looking
16:15
for Claude's troop. Ope Claude didn't get in any trouble, so do way
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is he in? He's got room three oh seven. You can check if
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you like. We'll take your word. Were you on this morning? Humm?
16:25
Yeah, the early shift, Well, we don't have shifts. My
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uncle owns the place on the shift? Did Stroop spend last night here?
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Came in about eleven when he leave this morning round six maybe before they come
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back after eight o'clock or so. Then left supposed to be back at ten
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and pulls this trick. What trick? Our program? He knows the other
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fellas need him. Program be here at the hotel every Christmas. We have
16:45
a program, put up a tree and sing and mostly old fellas singing like
16:51
that makes him remember back when they were kids. And Jimmy Finn comes on.
16:53
Jimmy Finn, he shares number four oh nine. His family once had
16:57
a lot of money, so he was the fellas about it, stories about
17:00
Christmas, how they had this big log and his grandfather used to start it
17:04
up. After dinner, everybody turned over his plate and there underneath was a
17:08
twenty dollar gold piece, brand new one. When strip came in this morning?
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Did he have a bundle? I didn't see him come in, he
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said, you saw him. I saw him go out after, but not
17:18
come in. When was that eight? If you want to look for a
17:19
bundle, I could give you his key. We don't have a ward.
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It's all right. I know about police. It's all right with me.
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It's not with us. I didn't mean that. I just thought it was
17:27
all right with me. King when lost little on the peastup steam man,
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when there were three old men, we couldn't tell how much better they would
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have been with Stroop singing the fourth part. Somehow you didn't care. This
17:45
was Christmas at the Golden Dream, and it sounded fine. Man, Oh
17:49
the frost was croo. Well, when the poor man came inside gallery winter
18:00
you this is the last rehearsal. They got most of the songs down.
18:06
Pat sounds pretty good. That's why it's see shame Claude isn't here. He's
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tenor and they need him to make it sound just right. Does Troop have
18:12
a job, No, sir, he used to have jobs. Not much
18:15
lately though, you say where he was going? No, he should have
18:18
fellows need him. But he comes in what do you call us? Sure
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and not say anything to him? That's right. I hope it's nothing serious.
18:23
For Claude Fella's troubles out to be over. Troubles way back wouldn't count
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tell us anyway. I don't know much about it as much as you know.
18:32
Not. Come on, was something back where he used to live,
18:36
robbed somebody or something? What else? That's all. It was a long
18:40
time ago, way far back. But he forgot it all or robbing and
18:42
everything? No, not quite hm, he remembered it this morning. God
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gee, very jam old man, this man Jesus Christ say it was on
19:02
this day. They went back to the office and ran Stroop's name through R
19:17
and I if he'd been booked anywhere. We had no record of it,
19:19
at least not under that name. Four or fifteen pm, pawn shop detail
19:23
reported back no object resembling the statue of the child Jesus had been turned in.
19:27
Four eighteen pm. I hung up the phone Parrison's on that Sacramento bus.
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I thought Bakersfield had it. They were supposed to confirm they did popwork
19:36
stations. What about panning and prior? They're still out, Well, they'll
19:38
be back soon. When's the bus arrived six o'clock. There's plenty of time
19:41
for him to make it. There's more time for you. We're still in
19:44
that theft. Can't it wait? No? What is it? Ten fifteen
19:48
dollars statue? When's the price determined? The case? I realized it's a
19:51
church statue, but that doesn't give a priority. It's important to them,
19:53
Captain Joe and I promised to get it back. What do you got on
19:56
it? Nothing much? And whire is a big harder burglary Friday when no,
20:04
don't say anything. No, right, Cloud's droop. He just walked
20:08
into the hotel. He's our suspect. Nobody's leaked to him. No,
20:11
you'll keep you can run him down tomorrow. We'll be too late. Then
20:15
they need it for the first mass in the morning. Skipper, it's kind
20:17
of a big thing for them. I'm sorry. I can't juggle details around.
20:19
So you can get a statue back if there's time later on. We'll
20:22
do our best, Yes, sir, you better get over the station.
20:26
Yes, sir. When you call Father rohas over at the mission, tell
20:29
him we're too busy to work on that statue, but we'll do it later.
20:32
Tomorrow or when we get a chance like at you call it, well,
20:33
we better get over the station. If Patterson's on that bus, we
20:36
don't want to miss him. All right, I'll call him Friday. Yeah,
20:45
I can send finding in priority. Might as well stand that other thing.
20:49
Whenever you say, Kevin, you are listening to Dragnet the authentic story
21:04
of your police force election. Four for three pm we arrived at the Golden
21:17
Dream Hotel. The desk clerk was right. Claude Stroup looked like a man
21:21
who at his troubles at bargain rates. Your named Claude Stroup. Yes,
21:25
police officers, we'd like to talk to you. I didn't do anything against
21:29
the law, honest, I didn't do anything against this. Yeh, I've
21:30
been accused. I want to take you downtown. We like to talk to
21:33
you. No, sir, I'm not going. I'm not going anywhere.
21:34
I'm not going to talk to anybody. You're half wrong already. Five point
21:49
fifteen pm we returned Stooped for interrogation. He kept his word. He refused
21:53
to talk. Six oh five pm Frank called Faye, he'd be a little
22:00
late. Stroop didn't move for a whole hour. He sat and stared,
22:03
but he didn't talk. Six forty pm we got a final report from pawn
22:10
shop detail. The shops were closed. There was no statue. Stroop still
22:14
hadn't talked. Don't you ever want to go? Homestroop? If I was
22:18
to talk, you wouldn't let me go. Depends on what you'd say.
22:21
I'd say it wrong and I wouldn't get home. You won't it this way
22:23
either. I'd like to go. You can bet on that. This is
22:26
a seventh year we had the program and I never missed it, one and
22:30
a single one. Why not tell us what happens to How would I know
22:33
you'd let me go? You wouldn't. I might as well anyway, all
22:37
right, what happened from mass On? Well there was mass I came out
22:41
and started down towards the hotel back up. I left my stuff at the
22:44
hotel, and then I picked up Georgia's car. I didn't steal it.
22:48
He said I could have it any time I wanted, Only this time I
22:51
didn't ask him. I took it and started out, Well, I should
22:55
have asked, but I just didn't. I went over to Grand Avenue for
22:59
the Christmas for this fellow sells in second hand. It was coming out of
23:03
the lot that I did it. You know, the bumper must have caught
23:06
the other car didn't leave too big of death, but there was this long
23:10
scratch. I got out and tried to wipe it off with my handkerchief,
23:14
you know, spit on it black only didn't do no good. I didn't
23:18
think anybody saw. I don't know how you fellas follow him out about it.
23:22
I'll check Auto records, right stripe. We didn't bring it down here
23:27
to talk about that. We didn't. No, there's a statue missing from
23:32
the church, the statue of the Child Jesus. You mean I took it?
23:34
You took a bundle out of church? Yes, sir, that was
23:37
my other parts for the program Midnight. I had a place sewed up and
23:41
there was a button you can check. But I wouldn't take a statue.
23:48
I don't think you would either. He's clear at Auto records. Want hope
23:53
for the program? You mean it's all right? Good night's droop night,
24:10
Merry Christmas? Where too well? I don't know. We could stay and
24:25
work on it tonight. Wouldn't do any good. We won't find it,
24:30
I don't think so. Oh, he's kidding a priest build his hopes up
24:37
as we'll go. Tell him now, Merry Christmas. Seven twenty seven pm.
24:55
We found Father Rojas. Frank told him how it was that we couldn't
24:57
get the statue backed by more, but that we'd keep trying during the week.
25:02
He said he understood. We told him we had to get on.
25:04
As Frank and I started to leave, the doors at the main entrance to
25:07
the church opened. It was a good two hundred feet away. It was
25:18
hard to be sure, but it looked like a small boy drawing a bright
25:22
red wagon behind him. When he got closer, you could see he was
25:29
no bigger than a pint of milk. It was a luminous side little Mexican
25:33
boy with a face as young as yesterday. The priest seemed to know him
25:44
Aquito. In the back of the wagon was the missing statue of the child
25:48
Jesus. He picked it up gently and walked up to the priest a he
25:55
just stood there, looking up at Father Rojas. Sparkmandoz said the boy from
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the PARI ask him where he found it, don'tdel on contrasting, here's a
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maniana. He didn't find it. He took it white okay to Muni.
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I knaw Histores, you promiti, I'll leave his flamo yahi and me communist.
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He says. All through the years he's prayed for a red wagon.
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This year he prayed to the child Jesus. He promised that if he got
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the wagon, the child Jesus would have the first ride in it. And
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is dieboaquito. He wants to know if the devil will come and take him
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to hell. That's your department, family, noel diavo, this is amako
26:57
mucho. We crossed over to the sanctuary with the help of Father Rojas.
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The young boy replaced the infant Jesus in its rightful place, the crib inmititivity
27:10
scene. Frank and I could have been wrong, but the small plaster's statues
27:14
seemed to approve Mary, Joseph, the Wise Man, Gaspar Melchior, Baldazzar,
27:25
the old Shepherd, the young shepherd, the peasant. They all seemed
27:30
to approve well. Mad too. The priest told the boy to go home.
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He took hold of his wagon started the long walk out of the church.
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There wasn't much we could say. There wasn't much to say. We
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just stood there and watched them go halfway up. He turned to look back,
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and he went on out, I don't understand how we got that wagon
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today. Don't kids wait for Santa Claus anymore. It isn't from Santa Claus.
28:29
The firemen fix old toys and give them the new children. Paquito's family,
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they're poor. Why are they father? The story you have just heard
29:37
is true. The names and locations were changed. Ladies and gentlemen, here
29:44
is our star, Jack Webb. Thank you George. Fentlemen on behalfs all
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of us on Dragonet. We'd like to wish you a very merry Christmas.
29:57
Welcome back a great classic Christmas episode. Now, certainly there are points that
30:04
can be challenged or picked apart, particularly some of the characterization of Joe Friday,
30:11
and this would carry over into the nineteen fifty four movie, and many
30:17
fans consider the movie version of Joe Friday to be a little too brusque compared
30:22
to what we heard on radio in the early television. But as a whole,
30:29
the piece is just wonderful and it does a couple of things that are
30:33
really well. The first thing is just creating these very unique characters. It's
30:40
something people don't often talk about with Dragnet. But once Dragnet gets going really
30:45
good, it most often takes these even minor characters and gives them these very
30:53
interesting, very memorable quirks. The guy in the religious bookstore, the hotel
31:00
desk clerk, and the core cap minus one. Particularly that whole scene just
31:07
very nice, and it just works so well in this play with this adding
31:11
all these really nice touches, and then the last five minutes the music and
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the narration. Even all the times I've listened to it and heard it,
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those last few minutes really still do get to me. Just wonderful use of
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a radio to create these powerful moments. And I'm so glad we didn't bring
31:36
it to you last year, since old time Dragging It was over. I'm
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so glad that this is back for at least the next six years. So
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thanks so much for listening. We will be back tomorrow with a special one
31:52
hour surprise Christmas sell and believe me, you won't want to miss it.
31:56
Monday we'll be back with the Saint, and next Saturday another episode of Dragging
32:00
It back into our nineteen forty nine line. In the meantime, send your
32:04
comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter,
32:08
Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com.
32:14
Slash Radio Detectives from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam
32:17
Graham's On and off