Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Dragnet: Production 11 (aka Sixteen Jewel Thefts) (EP1388)

Transcript

Dragnet: Production 11 (aka Sixteen Jewel Thefts) (EP1388) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

0:28
Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
0:34
is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, send it
0:38
to me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at
0:43
Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com
0:48
slash Radio Detectives. Before we get started, I do want to let you
0:52
know this program's brought to you by the financial support of our listeners, and
0:56
I particularly want to thank Greg so much for his support. We'll send act
1:00
says to the premium side, as we do with all our nations of seven
1:03
dollars or more, and you can support the show at support dot Great Detectives
1:07
dot net. Also at Great Detectives dot net. Be sure and check out
1:12
my review of the Puiro telefilm Dead Man's Folly with David Suchet. Well,
1:19
now it's time for today's episode of Dragnet. This is Production eleven aka sixteen
1:27
Jewelfests. Original air date August eighteenth of nineteen forty nine. Here is another
1:34
n NBC's great Parade of new shows. Ladies and Gentlemen, The story you
1:48
were about to hear is true, only the names have been changed. To
1:53
protect the innocent. NBC brings you Dragnet. You're a detective sergeant. You're
2:08
assigned to burglary detail. A sudden wave of jewel thefts is sweeping the city.
2:14
In sixteen days, sixteen burglaries have been committed, one each night.
2:20
They bear the same trademark. Thousands of dollars of jewels are missing. The
2:23
thief is a master at his trade. Your job get him. Dragnet the
2:31
documented drama of an actual crime, investigated and solved by the men who unrelentingly
2:37
stand watch on the security of your home, your family, and your life.
2:42
For the next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department,
2:46
you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an
2:49
actual case transcribed from official police files, from beginning to end, from crime
2:54
to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. It
3:05
was Tuesday, June seventeenth, was warm in Los Angeles. We were working
3:08
the day watch out of burglary. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is
3:13
at backstrand, Chief of Detectives. My name is Friday. I was on
3:16
the way into work that morning and it was seven fifty three am when I
3:19
got to room forty five, Burglary detailed. Hi Joel Hawaiia Walker gonna be
3:25
a scorcher at today, Yeah, just like yesterday, Ben, And yet
3:29
I think he's over in communications picking up the mail. Thanks you guys been
3:32
busy, Yeah, kind of jewel thefts anything big, no big hauls.
3:38
But he's consistent, sixteen nights in a row, same guy, I think
3:40
so, Samemo. Yeah, everybody's got troubles. Gotta check some records.
3:45
See you later, Joel, okay, Willie Burglary Friday, Yeah, okay,
3:54
Mike. Soon as Ben gets back, he's picking up the mail,
3:58
right bye, Hi Joe, Hi, Van Hannah just called Chief wants to
4:03
see us. Take a look at these first, what he got overnight reports?
4:06
Yeah? I have these two? Yeah, two of them. Three
4:11
diamond rings, one sapphire, one necklace jade, big haul. Look at
4:15
the other one lady's watch, diamond band, emmon bracelet, turmaline brooch.
4:20
What's turmaling, Ben, I don't know. It must be valuable as going,
4:25
let's The owner left house about nine pm, returned about one thirty am.
4:29
Found property gone. Scratches on the door, probably using the cellophane method
4:32
hasn't missed yet two in one night. It's picking up his pace. Must
4:38
have a bag full of loot somewhere, whoever it is. You get the
4:41
description sheets from bone shop detailed. Yeah, I got him right here.
4:44
You take half of them. Let's see what luck we got this morning.
4:46
Yeah, yeah, nothing so far. You need it, I'll get it.
4:56
Joe Burglar and Marlon Hi, Ben Chief, you want to talk to
5:00
you boys. He's got an appointment to day. Turty wants to see you
5:02
before you leave. Okay, Mike, just checking some buy sheets me right
5:04
in, got to make it fast. He's in a bad mood this morning.
5:06
Okay, I think back Strand again. Yeah, he's in a bad
5:12
mood. Come on, when it was bothering him. Something's bad. He
5:15
doesn't blow very often. She's with detective's office hand and had it and boys,
5:19
he's waiting thank him mine. All right, ma'am, I'll connect you
5:25
down. We don't get the back Strandon. Oh, yes, missus Winter,
5:30
Yes, ma'am. We're doing all we can, yes, ma'am,
5:36
Yes, ma'am, Yes, I'll do that, yes, ma'am. Goodbye.
5:42
Got trouble ed taxpayer? Is winterrop you two ought to remember the name
5:46
we do. Ten days ago, somebody lifted two thousand dollars worth of diamonds
5:49
from her bedroom while she was at the symphony. Last night she was hit
5:53
again diamond watch and Emmo bracelet and some kind of approach. I don't care
5:57
what kind of was. It's gone. What's the pitch we just read report
6:00
a couple of minutes ago, Skipper, could be a time with those other
6:02
sixteens. Sixteen jobs in sixteen days. You haven't got a lead on the
6:06
thief yet, nothing shows up, no prints, nothing. What about the
6:11
pawn shops. Nobody's tried to soak any hot stuff as far as we know.
6:13
We double check the detail. We got every HOWK shopping town on the
6:15
alert. Whoever it is, they've got to try to pawn the stuff sometime
6:18
unless they're going to give diamond rings for Christmas presents. And they haven't tried
6:21
the pawn shops yet, Skipper, we sure there look, sixteen burglaries in
6:25
sixteen days, jewels and watchers, good ones. That's got to stop.
6:29
It's got to stop soon. You understand. We'll stay right on top of
6:31
it. Head. We're doing all we can for two weeks. I've had
6:32
half a dozen women calling me every day, society women. Some of them
6:36
figure they should get extra treatment. They're only dr numbers to skipper. They
6:40
all get the same attention. Try and explain that to some of them.
6:43
They think you're in on the racket. Maybe you boys would like to take
6:46
these calls some morning, No thanks, Ed, all right, then let's
6:48
get some action. Keep the pawn shop operators in their toes and get after
6:51
every known fence in town. That's all. I've got an appointment, all
6:56
right, Ed, Check you later for you, Ben, and thank you?
7:01
Well? Well, Hi Max? What hold? It'd be right down?
7:09
First break Joe? What he got necklace? To watch? Both have
7:11
them on the stolen property list? Where Henry's pawn Shop Fifth and Maine.
7:18
Six minutes later, at eight twenty five am, Ben and I drove up
7:21
in front of Henry's Square deal pawn shop, quick cash, no red tape,
7:26
watches bought and sold. The proprietor was Max Murphy, an old friend
7:30
of Ben's. Well, pall of all days it had to happen yesterday.
7:32
It took the day off one fishing up at Big Bear. I left my
7:35
nephew in charge Harry A real not head that kid. How do you mean,
7:40
Max, Joe? If I told him once? I told him one
7:42
hundred and once. Whatever you do? Whatever they come in with the HOWK
7:45
check it with the list, check it with the stolen property list. What
7:47
does he do? He forgot? He forgot? Oh? Real, notthead?
7:51
That boy? How old is he? Max? Thirty two? A
7:55
real notthead? I checked the slips from yesterday, then I checked the stolen
7:59
property list. There it is hot stuff. When of the stuff come in?
8:01
Max? You know about four o'clock yesterday afternoon? Can we look at
8:05
it? Oh? Sure? Back here behind the cot there it is.
8:11
Did you check out the seal numbers on the watch yet? Man? When
8:15
I found out? Yes, they matched to a t all right, let's
8:18
see. Yeah, description on this necklace matches too. Let's have a look
8:22
at your bible. I'm yes, at Joe. Here you are. There's
8:28
a deal right there here. Yeah, that's him. That's how he gave
8:31
his name, Walter Tracy and a half Blackstone Courts. Let me check the
8:37
book for the description, man, Oh sure, yeah, here, okay,
8:43
Max. Thanks, we'll be checking with you later. Sure, Joe,
8:46
anytime? Sorry, al right, maxee you later, you fellows,
8:50
take it easy, right, I can see if we're clear, Joe,
9:01
Yeah, I will eighty K to control one eight OK, to control one
9:05
a week clearer control one day eighty ks dan line good lead. Joe got
9:09
a description in here. Yeah, it's too bad. Max's nephew to slip
9:13
up control one day eighty k call your office immediately, Call your office immediately.
9:18
Yeah, I wonder what that's about. You no call in? You
9:22
got some change? I'll use Max's phone. You use your phone a minute?
9:33
Mac, Oh, you bet sure? Help your soup? Thank you?
9:50
City Hall two five two four two five four, Burglary. This is
9:58
Ben George. You got something versas loan shop sixth and bought in place.
10:01
Guy just took in a couple of rings. He checked too late. What
10:05
you mean? He checked the form after the guy left, who was signed
10:07
Waler Tracy. There they are, Sergeant, both rings fine quality diamonds.
10:20
Don't you usually check your stolen goods list before you take in stuff like this?
10:24
Usually? Yes? Last night, No, I don't know what I
10:26
was thinking about. Well, we have a look at your bibook right here
10:31
there. It is Waldert Tracy six ninety nine dollars street, a hundred and
10:37
forty five pounds, five foot nine dark hair build thing. We'll have to
10:41
slap a hole on these rings. I know I should have thought. Can
10:43
you think of anything else it might help us to identify the man? Well,
10:48
no, I had a light suit on, a nice cut, very
10:52
well addressed. Thank you. That's all for now. Here's a card.
10:56
If the guy happens to drop back, give us a call with him.
10:58
Sure, will Saget say, yeah, I've got some nice watch pens.
11:01
Yours look cold? Can I intest you? No? Thanks, some other
11:05
time, come on back that afternoon. In the following morning, despite our
11:13
alert and our warnings, two more pawn shops called in with reports of stolen
11:16
watches taken in. We checked them out. The serial numbers on the watches
11:20
matched those on the stolen property list on the pawnshop account books. The loan
11:24
was listed under the name Waler Tracy. The addresses were given as number twelve
11:28
Saint Vincent Place and seven hundred East Flower. The descriptions of the man were
11:31
the same, slight build, well dressed, about one hundred and forty five
11:35
pounds, five feet nine inches tall, dark wavy hair. We had the
11:39
name and description distributed to every pawn shop in Los Angeles and surrounding communities.
11:43
Through our informants, we checked up on every known fence in the city.
11:46
For the next two nights, we received no reports of stolen jewels that made
11:50
up for the double burglary the night before. On June nineteenth, the box
11:54
score read eighteen successive nights, eighteen successive jewel berds. Reason. At three
12:01
twenty five in the afternoon, Ben and I sat down to check over the
12:03
late incoming reports. Got anything, Joe, Yeah, not yet. No,
12:09
that wasn't here. Maybe the guy's left town. Nope, no such
12:13
light. Take a look. That's it, number nineteen. He may's had
12:18
a record. You know, he's making monkeys out of us. In the
12:20
look, man's watch ladies watch Chinese amber necklace, diamond shirt, studs,
12:24
and a bracelet with two large rubies. He's getting ambitionious. How's the value
12:28
listing, Let's see eighteen hundred dollars one haul. I'll get it regularly Friday.
12:35
Yeah, what, yeah, you're right down stall them. Let's go,
12:41
man, where Kaplain's down on the second Walter Tracy's in there now trying
12:45
to hawk a gold watch. Ben covered the door. I'll look like I'm
12:56
shopping around. Right, we watch a step. We don't know this guy.
12:58
Yeah, the door. Huh, I'm sorry. That's the best we
13:03
can do on the watch. Look Mac, this is gold twenty one jewels.
13:09
Oh, that's the best I can do. Draft dead, what's the
13:11
best I can do? Don't get sore? Yeah, sure, see you
13:15
later. That's insurgents fall a Tracy. I stole them as long as I
13:18
could. All right, I'll check back with you later. She spot the
13:22
guy that just came out. Yeah, I went up straight. Let's follow
13:26
him. Hustle it. Spot him Ben straight ahead about fifteen yards he's crossing
13:31
the street. Yeah, let's get up a little closer. We're losing sure
13:35
if the light change, he won't run for him. What's the traffic light?
13:39
Yeah, that was closed. We had a spot at This is going
13:43
faster. Come on, Joe, run, Yeah, don't lose. The
13:48
crowd's not helping. Hey, hey, wait a minute, I bet you're
13:50
a cop. It takes him somebody like all my armies. We're like,
13:52
oh god, you don't have to get tough. Busy coptick. They own
13:56
the street. I'm gonna write the maize off. Come on, Joey,
13:58
he's running for Yeah, I see him. Watch the sigle up ahead,
14:03
hurry Joe almost stuff to him into the parking line. Hey you stop,
14:09
look out, Joe gone, I start. You're a wait all right,
14:13
guys, it's nice. Yeah, yeah, he's too fast for run,
14:22
honest man. Let's take him in. When we got back to headquarters,
14:28
Walter Tracy was under technical arrest. We took him directly to the interrogation room.
14:33
We searched him thoroughly. We had him take everything out of his pockets
14:35
and put it on the table. Then we had him take all the money
14:39
he had in his wallet, counted out and hold it in his hand.
14:41
What is all this routine? That's all the money you have on you forty
14:46
seven dollars and seventeen cents. Right, yeah, okay, keep it in
14:48
your hand. Ben shake him down, all right, Tracy? Take off
14:52
your coat, shirt, time, your shoes him. What kind of a
14:54
pitture is this? I'm no hood. Take them all, two big cops.
15:00
You're not penning anything on me. I don't care what you do.
15:03
Sleeves, pockets, lining, nothing to coat. You'll get his shirt,
15:07
take a life with the threads and costs money. How about the trousers ben
15:13
see cuffs pocket? No, let me get the bell zip from the inside
15:18
of the belt. No, it's clean shoes Realkay? All right, Tracy.
15:22
Let's see the soles of your feet. I hope you don't mind they're
15:26
dirty. Why don't you take a shower? Let's see? All right,
15:30
Joe nothing, put your throws back on? Yeah? Thanks, all right?
15:35
Sure? What's your name? Huh? I said, what's your name?
15:37
You're telling jokes, Walter, Tracy. You know that your real name?
15:43
How old are you? Tracy? Twenty seven? Where do you live?
15:46
No? Place? Just got in town a couple of days ago.
15:50
Where you're from Salina, Kansas? Where you've been sleeping last two nights?
15:54
The park, Pershing Square? Clothes? Don't chili pretty, Natty? I
15:58
had them squere down by the square. I don't remember you ever been arrested
16:06
before? No, where'd you get this gun? Tracy? The when you
16:08
pull on us, I didn't know who you were. Would have been a
16:11
couple of hoods. You kind of look like it. Where'd you get the
16:15
gun? I wanted in a crap game coming out on the train. Where'd
16:19
you get the watch graduation president. You want to run a make on him?
16:23
Joe gun on the watch? Yeah, I'll call him. Go on
16:30
check. You can't prove a thing. Paunch Shop Records, Gilmore gil Was
16:37
Friday. Can you give me a make on a watch? Go ahead,
16:41
time Master yellow gold Man's wristwatch. Okay, case number seven one six F
16:48
two three right, movement number B three five one seven O eight got it?
16:56
Okay, Now give me a make on this Gunner thirty two S and
17:00
W Automatic serial number five seven nine four six one. Okay, call me
17:07
back right, what's your station number two five seven to two. I'll ring
17:10
you, Joe. Thanks having fun? What'd you do with all those jewelsy?
17:15
Still? When do I get out of it? I don't think you're
17:18
gonna get out. You got nothing on me. I've told you. Tracy,
17:21
get your tape measure five nine? How much you weigh? I'm ridden
17:25
forty, I'm twenty seven. My name's Walter Tracy. I come from Solina.
17:30
I've been in town two days and I don't know what you guys are
17:32
talking about. It sounds smart, you don't act it, and you're flying
17:34
Brian Copper, what'd you do with those jewels? You still, I don't
17:37
know what you're talking about it? What color your eyes? I don't know.
17:42
I'm colored blind. What color would you say your hair? Is you
17:45
color blind too? Have you ever been rest before? Straighten out? He
17:48
asked me that I'm asking you. No, have you ever done any big
17:52
time? No? All right, I don't care if your level with us
17:55
or not. We're gonna make you on those problem jobs, all nineteen of
17:57
them. Sure, Sure, you guys are smart. You've got in Los
18:00
Angeles two days ago? Is that right? Yeah? You don't know anything
18:03
about any jewel thefts, That's what I said. And how come your name
18:07
and your handwriting's on the account books and four poem shops in Los Angeles not
18:11
mine. You can't prove, we can, Tracy, come clean? What'd
18:14
you do with the stuff you stole from twelve to fifty Maraga Drive, June
18:15
fifth, I didn't steal any stuff. What'd you do with the rings and
18:18
watches you took him? Fourteen hundred Plastical Road, June ninth. I wasn't
18:22
in town. What did you do with the diamond dress pins you stole?
18:23
June thirteenth, one twenty three South vnes. Did I do that? Not
18:26
only kinky? You're a bad liar. You prove it? Order get your
18:30
sawbuck. Your prints bounced, Tracy. Our handwriting man's going to work in
18:33
those signatures of yours. You haven't got a chance. Now, come on,
18:37
where'd you hide the stuff? You can't prove a thing. Where'd you
18:38
say you've been sleeping last two nights in the park Persing Square? You want
18:44
to map close shure liot n I said, I had him pressed, But
18:47
you can't remember where? No, I can't remember? Where is that a
18:49
crime? Friday? Till, Joel, this is Gilmour. Here's the stuff
18:56
you asked for. Let's have it, Jill. I'll make on the watch.
18:59
Make got the gun. Okay, y'all thanks a lot. Yeah,
19:03
you're in up here neck. You said that, didn't you. You're gonna
19:07
talk, Tracy Kin are tired? All right, we'll let you sleep on
19:10
it. Come on, Ben, let's book him, right, I'll get
19:12
your job's coppers. Sure, come on. We took Walter Tracy to the
19:21
county jail and had him booked on suspicion of burglary. He was still sullen.
19:25
We knew we had the guildy man. Now we had to prove it.
19:27
As it often happens, the victims never see the burglar. They only
19:30
know he's been there. They can't identify him, but they can identify their
19:33
property. Our job was to find the property. When we did, we'd
19:37
have Walter Tracy and the nineteen victims would have their property returned. But Tracy
19:42
wasn't talking, and we knew he'd never talk unless he thought it might help
19:45
him. We took the problem dead backstrand smart funks Gipper. But he's done
19:49
time before. How do you know? Tried him out last night when we
19:52
brought him in. He talks like a n the acts like it, but
19:55
he won't cop out. Are you sure I won't talk one hundred years?
19:57
He knows he's got us, miss butt. And one thing sure, We're
20:00
not going to send him up without finding the loot first. He's planted the
20:04
stuff somewhere in the city. We've got to find it better and I have
20:07
got an idea. Ed. It's not going to be easy, but it
20:08
might work. When is it? Tracy tried to soak some of the stolen
20:11
property at four separate pawn shops in the downtown area. Yeah, at each
20:15
one of those four pawn shops, he gave a local address. We're sure
20:18
he must have a room or in apartment someplace in town, all right where
20:22
that's where a guess work comes in. Skipping every one of those addresses he
20:25
gave forth within a certain area. Oh big an area. Oh you've got
20:29
that street diagram, Joel. Yeah, here it is ed from Figaroi here
20:36
to San Pedro and from Pico down to First Street. Area is about twelve
20:42
blocks wide fourteen blocks long. That's a lot of territory. How are you
20:47
going to cover it? On foot? We'll take Tracy with us, plenty
20:49
of legwork. You sure it stands here. We've got to find the stuff,
20:52
and it's the only way we can figure hotels, apartments, rooming houses.
20:56
There must be hundreds of places he could stay in that territ It'll take
21:00
a couple of weeks. Yeah, on foot at will. All right.
21:03
It's tough, but it's your idea, go to it. An hour after
21:11
we left Chief Backstrand, we got Tracy out of his cell in the county
21:15
jail and started our canvas of the appointed area. We took the usual precautions
21:18
and handcuffed Tracy's wrists to our own. We started the search for his hideout
21:22
at First Street and figure off. Was a warm day in Los Angeles.
21:26
The temperature was ninety one. After the first three hours, I could tell
21:30
Ben's feet were ready to give out and sober mind. We couldn't even have
21:34
the comfort of complaining that it encouraged Tracy, and he was cocky enough already.
21:38
He cursed every step of the way. My legs off. All right,
21:44
quit Corlin. Will you come on, Tracy? Up the stairs?
21:45
Another one to check? Warm day? Jill? Yeah, a little?
21:51
What do you mean a little? Must be one hundred and ten? Yes,
21:55
what is it? You're the manager? Yes? Could you tell me
21:59
which apartment is man has in your house? Ma'am? Oh him, yes,
22:02
ma'am this one. Never saw him before. You don't live here,
22:06
all right, ma'am? Thank you? Yeah, hart at it? Why
22:11
are you gonna get wise? Come on, Tracy, and that finishes this
22:17
side of the street. You want to cross over, Jill, Yeah,
22:21
let's go. I'm hungry. I want to eat after we cover the other
22:23
side of the street. You can't do this to me. I'm gonna get
22:26
a lawyer. I don't have your jobs both here. Yeah, come on,
22:30
we only got a couple one hundred places to go. All right,
22:40
Jance, what can I do for you? You the manager? I run
22:41
the place? Yeah, which room does this man have in your place?
22:45
Him? You made a mistake. He doesn't live here? All right?
22:48
Thanks? My feta killing me. Wait till I got a lawyer. I'll
22:55
burn both of your dumb cops. And I do think you're doing anyway.
22:59
Go All that day, and the day after that, and the day after
23:02
that, Ben and I, with Tracy handcuffed to our risk, canvassed the
23:06
designated areas from hotel to hotel, from rooming house to rooming house, and
23:10
the apartments too. Every day our feet ached a little more, our pace
23:14
slowed down, Tracy got more irritable, and the weather got hotter. The
23:17
second day it reached a high of ninety two, the third day ninety four,
23:21
the fourth day ninety four. Police regulations say plain clothes officers must wear
23:26
a coat and necktie on the street at all times. We wore our coats
23:30
and necktimes. The search continued into the fifth day, our pace got even
23:33
slower. Ben and I started to lose heart. After a while, we
23:37
forgot our object was to recover the stolen jewels. All we wanted was to
23:41
find Tracy's hideout. We knew we were right. We knew Tracy was our
23:44
man. Was a point of pride. Whether your feet hurt or not,
23:47
you don't give into a thief. Yes, what do you want us?
23:55
The land lady here, I am Which apartment does this man have in the
23:59
building? Well, none of them. He's not one of my tenants,
24:03
Thank you, ma'am. Come on, Tracy. By the sixth day,
24:07
all three of us had special pads in our shoes. Our feet ache worse
24:11
than ever. Tracy let us know about his every three minutes. By late
24:15
afternoon of the sixth day, we'd covered more than half of the designated area.
24:19
The temperature was ninety five. You guys gonna go on forever. I'm
24:26
sweating like a horse. I'm getting car to your moaning. That looks like
24:30
the manager behind the desk, Yes, sir, you the manager? Yes,
24:34
sir? What can I do for you? Can you tell us which
24:37
room this man has in the hotel? Him? He doesn't live here?
24:41
Hey, you fellas look awfully warm, like to cool off in the lobby
24:45
were a condition? No thanks, I'm hungry? Why do we eat?
24:52
You're always hungry. You got the biggest mouth on a cop I ever saw.
24:57
All right, then, yeah, I'm hungry. I want to eat.
25:02
Now. Wait till I give this story to the papers. Mistreating innocent
25:07
guys, they'll break all right, Come on up the stairs. I'm going
25:12
to get a lawyer tonight. I'll show you. Yes, Why, mister
25:19
Baker, where have you been? We questioned the landlady and miss Elizabeth Hunter.
25:26
She told us that Baker alias Tracy, had rented an apartment from her
25:30
about two months before. That's all the information she could give us. Tracy
25:33
clammed up, he would admit nothing. We asked Miss Hunter to accompany us
25:37
as a witness. We took the elevator up to Tracy's apartment on the sixth
25:41
floor. Miss Hunter, Tracy, Ben, and I'm down this way here.
25:49
Do you want me to open it? Please? Miss Hunter? There's
25:56
a good water. What is the Walter? I told you to get out
26:00
of town if I didn't come back. I didn't want to leave. I
26:03
didn't want to leave without you. I thought you slept in the park.
26:07
Take a jump. Where's this stuff hidden? All right? Ben? Handcuff
26:11
into a chair the girl behind him. We'll find the stuff ourselves. Alright,
26:15
Drady, all right, you're nick I haven't done anything neither, so
26:19
you can't prove it. Billy, shut up. No talking between you.
26:26
Two affairs will separate you. All right, Ben, you take the living
26:29
room here, I'll try the kitchen and get a window open. It's hot
26:30
in here, right, Sergeant, you will be careful for furniture, Yes,
26:37
ma'am, I had no idea you, mister Baker of all people.
26:41
Don't talk to him, please, ma'am. Oh, yeah, Cop,
26:45
why don't you spail? Ben? Look, it's only the beginning. He's
26:51
got the stuff scattered seven ways for Sunday. We're gonna need help. In
26:53
the milk bottle had two rings, three loose diamonds. In this bottle of
26:57
mayonnaise, we found some kind of approach, a couple of watches, tape
27:00
to the underside of the kitchen sink. All right to you convinced? Okay,
27:07
Ben, call Backstrand. There was a definite possibility that Walter Baker Halias
27:14
Tracy had stored some of his stolen loot outside his apartment. We stood a
27:18
little chance of ever recovering it unless we got him to break. Ben called
27:21
Chief Backstrand, and ten minutes he arrived at the apartment with another man from
27:25
Burglary Detail, George Levine. Together we went over the four room apartment put
27:29
by foot. We found jewelry, watches, loose stones in every conceivable place,
27:33
in cartons of Cottie's cheese and jars of cold cream in the garbage can
27:37
everywhere. Who's your girlfriend? All right, I'll ask her? What's your
27:41
name? I said, what is your name? Billy? Billy Crawford.
27:45
He didn't do anything, he didn't All right, Billy, maybe you can
27:48
tell us where's the rest of the stuff he stole? He didn't steal,
27:52
He didn't steal anything. Billy, shut up, keep quiet, he ed,
27:55
Wait a minute, what just a minute. I want to look over
27:57
here. Papers taped to the other side of that top rower. What is
28:02
it from? No, No, you can't, you can't for the least.
28:04
All right, you found them, I'll talk. He's the next con
28:11
Yeah, I'll cop out. Don't do it, Belly, Shut up,
28:15
dumb dame. The rest of the stuff, where is it? On the
28:18
roof, inside the ventilator, the one near the front. You'll find a
28:22
couple of paper bags, I'd said, I mean, got a cheap I'll
28:25
check it. Your papers say you did time in Oregon? What for?
28:30
Fell for robbery? Did five? Iome seven? What about the girl?
28:33
I'm going with you? I don't know you figure it all right, Friday
28:40
Romero, take the girl to Lincoln Heights and Booker, we'll take him.
28:44
Come on, Ben, I want to go with you. I'm sorry,
28:47
ma'am, this way out, all right? Easy, lady? Wait a
28:51
minute, lemenute water. You're right, dumb dame Belly so long, alright,
28:59
come on, let's go. What's money? You feel all right?
29:03
He lied? He loved me, He lied to me. Don't feel hurt,
29:10
lady, He lied to everybody. A The story you have just heard
29:21
is true, only the names were changed to protect the innocent. Walter Baker
29:26
alias Walter Tracy was tried and convicted on three counts of first degree burglary and
29:32
received the maximum sentence prescribed by law. He is now serving out his term
29:36
in the state penitentiary. A hold has been placed on him by the State
29:40
of Oregon, where he will serve out seven years for violation of parole.
29:44
Billy Crawford, Baker's accomplice was tried and convicted of receiving stolen property and is
29:49
now serving time in the State Penitentiary for Women. You have just heard the
29:57
eleventh and a new of authentic cases transcribed from official police files. Technical advice
30:03
for Dragnet is furnished by the Los Angeles Police Department. Tonight's program is dedicated
30:11
to Worden Clarence A. Larkin of Fulsome Prison, Sacramento, who, on
30:17
the evening of September twenty fourth, nineteen thirty seven, gave his life so
30:22
that yours might be more secure. Dragnet came to you from Los Angeles.
30:33
If you enjoy Tonight's production of Dragnet, you'll want to listen this Saturday evening
30:37
to a pair of adventure shows featuring two well known Hollywood personalities. You'll enjoy
30:42
Brian don Levy, star of Dangerous Assignment. Also on Saturday schedule is Richard
30:48
Diamond, private detective, as played by the screen's romantic tough guy Dick Powell.
30:52
Listen to both of these exciting programs this Saturday over most of these same
30:57
NBC stations. This is NBC, the National Broadcasting Company. Welcome back.
31:17
This has always been one of my favorite episodes of Dragnet, and it really
31:22
does illustrate the talent of Jack Webb. It was usually the typical Hollywood thing
31:30
is to take a person's job who it's boring and uninteresting and its tediousness,
31:37
and you cut out all the tediousness and you glamorize it and you've got an
31:41
interesting story. What Jack Webb does here is so noteworthy is that he keeps
31:48
the tedm in and still makes it interesting. And certainly this shows dogged persistence
31:56
to get their man to uncover and recover the evidence. What I listened to
32:05
this this time, I did have a somewhat of a different thought on it,
32:08
which and I don't know if I've ever raised this before, but the
32:14
question that occurs to me is why was it that we went ahead and walked
32:21
with the man rather than taking his picture door to door and showing it to
32:28
them. And I think that if there was an answer, you know,
32:35
I first thought might be technology that when this story was originally originally occurred,
32:42
they couldn't print up a ton, But then again I thought, well,
32:44
they just need to print up one, and they've been able to do that
32:49
for decades. It may also have been an idea to really get the suspect
32:53
to crack, you know, as they go door to door, just to
32:57
have the guy give up and say, okay, hey, fine, it's
33:00
at this address you guys. Win didn't actually work out that way. In
33:07
fact, if it had gone on much longer, I would have bet on
33:09
Romero confessing to get out of the heat. But at any rate, it
33:15
was classic a great job by Harry Morgan here and yet another pre built in
33:22
and Dragnet appearance, and he plays this sort of typical crook who is not
33:28
stupid per se, but really has trouble hiding his spot. Swears up and
33:34
down I'm not a hood, I'm not a crook, and then uses a
33:37
bunch of gangster crook language everything other than you'll never take me alive, because
33:44
well they had. Well. Now we turn to a listener comment in feedback
33:49
and Ron provides some thoughts. He says, Hey, Atam, I been
33:54
listening to your podcast for a couple of months now, and I find your
33:58
commentary very informed. I do have to comment regarding one of your listener's questions
34:02
regarding whether Dragnet is based on factual cases and how much they diverged from the
34:08
facts to protect those involved. Regarding this subject, I can comment on the
34:13
Red Light Bandit. The Red Light Bandit is based on the case of I
34:20
Think It's Carl Chessman. He was, for the most part of his adult
34:23
life a petty criminal and sex criminal. The case became internationally famous in the
34:29
early nineteen fifties, and many believe that Chessman was wrongly convicted and executed.
34:34
Books are still written about the case to this day. However, as to
34:37
the comparison between the radio show and the actual case, I do have a
34:40
few points. The radio show depicts the people as the events is occurring over
34:46
just two days, while the actual crime spree took five days. Compressing events
34:51
should be expected for dramatic purposes. The high speed chase and arrest are reasonably
34:57
accurate for radio drama. However, the most Glarus difference is the death of
35:00
one of the victims. No one actually died during the Red Light Bandit's rampage.
35:05
While I said that no one actually died during the assaults, that's not
35:08
intended to minimize the brutality of the crimes. People were severely beaten, being
35:14
both pistol whipped and beaten with bare fists. Sexual assaults did occur. One
35:19
of the two women that were assaulted was found unconscious and may have been left
35:22
for dead. The reason for the singular discrepancy should be explained, which may
35:28
help explain why it attracted international attention. Chessman was convicted with circumstantial evidence.
35:34
Unlike the radio show, none of the witnesses identified either a photo of him
35:38
nor him in a lineup. He was also sentenced under the Little Limburg law.
35:44
This law basically said that if a victim were forcibly moved over twenty yards
35:47
and suffered bodily injury, the crime could be charged as a capital fence.
35:52
Carl Chessman was sentenced to death under this law in nineteen forty eight. Although
35:57
the law was repealed in nineteen fifty one, Chessman remained on death row until
36:01
nineteen sixty. Governor Pat Drown tried to commute his sense to life in prison,
36:07
but was blocked by the California Supreme Court. The final irony was that
36:12
on May second, nineteen sixty, after Chessman was strapped into the chair and
36:15
the cyanide pellets were dropped, the warden received a call from the Secretary of
36:21
the Court saying that a stay had been issued because the court agreed to hear
36:24
the case. The warden said it was too late. He could not open
36:28
the door without causing the death of all the witnesses to the execution. When
36:31
this episode was produced, the matter was still fresh in the minds of the
36:35
public. Stating that one of the victims had died would have justified the execution
36:39
of the perpetrator, at least for the purpose of the show. One final
36:44
nod to the Chessman case was that in the show, Johnny Savage's father's name
36:50
was named Carl. I do enjoy these podcasts and listen to them on my
36:52
commute. By the way, they total about three hours of podcast each day,
36:59
while in a few weeks you'll be caught up. I do appreciate your
37:05
insight. Somebody may have emailed something similar on the old time drag that show,
37:08
but I had forgotten about it. But I do appreciate some of the
37:13
historical information and with Dragnet, of course, some of these were ripped from
37:20
the headline cases that you could kind of track down, but there are some
37:24
where it's true and based on a true story and it came from police files.
37:30
But the case wasn't all that sensational or notable. Won't ever know,
37:35
but at least in that case we do have some insight on what they were
37:37
talking about. Thanks so much. Ron. Bruce emails to say, great
37:44
job, Adam. Love the podcast. I down load and listen to them
37:46
daily at work as I edit truck repair manuals. I was raised in La
37:52
so I recognize many of the places they talk about. Always love Dragnet.
37:57
Enjoyed the listener comments as well as your thought and comments. Keep up the
38:00
good work. Well, thanks so much, Bruce, And I will say
38:05
I've never actually been in Los Angeles any lengths of time, but I was
38:12
after I got into listening to Dragnet and watching the old TV shows. I
38:20
got to work in a call center for a company where a lot of offices
38:25
were in the Los Angeles area, and so people would call in to locate
38:30
an office and I'd pull it up and it's oh, pulta, you know,
38:37
and just make me smile that I was actually thinking about Dragnet and reading
38:42
me. But thanks so much for the email, Bruce, and good luck
38:45
on editing those truck repair manuals. Well. That will do it for today.
38:50
We will be back on Monday with an episode of the Saint, and
38:53
then join us back here again next Saturday for Dragnet. In the meantime,
38:59
sendra comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter
39:04
at Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot
39:07
com, Slash Radiodetectives From Boiseidaho, This is your host, Adam Grahamson and Off