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THE BIG PLANT and THE BIG EVANS DRAGNET
00:59:04
Two great episodes as Sgt Friday BRINGS more suspects to justice
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- [00:07]
Jack Webb
The story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Fatima cigarettes. Best of all, King size cigarettes brings you Dragnet on both radio and television. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a homicide detail. A 39 year old housewife disappears suddenly. There's no explanation for it. Five days later, evidence of possible foul play is uncovered. Your job, investigate Fatima, America's first largest selling blended cigarette. Now, best of all, king size cigarettes. Prove it yourself. Today. Compare Fatima with any other king size cigarette. One, Fatima's length filters the smoke 85 millimeters for your protection. Two, Fatima's length cools the smoke for your protection. Three, Fatima's length gives you those extra puffs 21% longer than standard cigarette size. And in Fatima, you get an extra mild and soothing smoke. Plus the added protection of Fatima quality. Definitely the best quality in its class. But the same price as the cigarettes you are now smoking. Buy Fatima in the bright sunny yellow pack. Best of all, King size cigarettes. Dragnet. The documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case. Transcribed from official police files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. It was Wednesday, September 15th. It was hot in Los Angeles. We were working the day. Watch out. A homicide. My partner's Ed Jacobs. The boss is Thad Brown, Chief of detectives. My name's Friday. I was on the way back from lunch and it was 12:56pm when I got to room 42. Homicide. Hi, Joe. Waiting for you. Hi, Ed. Al here. You got something for us, huh? Mm. Here's the report right here. Gardener by the name of Abbott called in day before yesterday. Chester Abbott said his wife disappeared from their home out in the Valley Thursday night. He says he thinks she left him. Happens every day. Not this way it doesn't. Walsh and I went out to talk to the man yesterday. His story doesn't make too much sense. How do you mean? Now none of his wife's clothes are missing, none of her luggage. She even left her pocketbook behind full of money. We found out from the neighbors the missing woman has a 17 year old boy by a former marriage. Does that mean anything? He's an only child. Mother dotes on the kid. She didn't even say goodbye to him. Well, how'd this Chester Abbott impress you? Pretty grouchy with Walsh and me. No cooperation. Wants to find his wife. Doesn't he? I don't know. I'm not sure. He's no help, I can tell you that much. Could I see that report, Al? Yeah. Here you. Thank you. Florence TRUMBULL Abbott, age 39. Abbott's her second husband. First one died a little after the boy was born. Mm. Disappeared Thursday night from the home. 546 Belasco Road between 7, 8 o'clock. Well, when did Abbott call in to notify you? Monday afternoon. Told us he thought his wife might have been spending the weekend with her sister. When he found out she wasn't, he called us. You meet the boy when you were out there? Yeah. That's another thing. How do you mean? The kid came riding up on a bike and we were talking to one of the neighbors. We tried to talk to him, but the old man came out and hustled the boy into the house. Then he started chewing us out. What's his trouble? Told us it was our job to find his wife, not to go prying into his stepson's affairs. That's a newsfight. Well, how about the woman's friends and relatives? They've been checked out yet. Walsh is on it now. Don't think he's had much luck contacting him so far. I'll tell you the truth, I don't like the looks of it. Mrs. Abbott have any other relatives here? I mean, besides a sister and two aunts? Yeah, I got the list right over here. Sure wish we had a chance to talk to that boy. Notice anything else out of the way about Mr. Abbott, Owl? Well, I don't know. Here's that list, Joe. Oh, thank you. Abbott was upset, all right. I don't know, though. He didn't exactly strike me as reacting the way a normal man reacts when his wife's disappeared. Well, how about a copy of this report? You got one to spare? Yeah, sure. Just a minute. You know Missing Person's Barghetti. That's right. This is Barghetti speaking. Who's that? Oh, yeah, yeah. Sure. About what? All right, good. 4:00. Fine. All right, son. Goodbye. That was the boy I was telling you about. Mr. Abbott's stepson. What do you want? He wants to talk to us. Sounded worried about his mother. They think something's happened to her. In police work. Missing Persons Detail is not a department separate in itself. It's organized as a part of Homicide Division. When the possibility of homicide arises in the course of handling a case, Missing Persons immediately turns the matter over to Homicide officers for investigation. When we got the call from The Abbott boy. We automatically took over. According to Al Bargetti, the boy said he suspected his stepfather and he didn't want him to know of any meeting between him and police officers. At 3:15, Ed and I left the office and drove to the meeting place designated by the boy. The Dairyland Fountain and Coffee Shop near the corner of Fairfax and Hollywood Boulevard. We got there at 3:50pm at eight minutes past five, the Abbott boy still had not arrived. We waited another 15 minutes and then we left and drove out to the valley and pulled up in front of the main gate to the Abbott nursery on Velasco Road. The house itself was set well back on the property, which covered about five acres of ground. The entire nursery was surrounded by a six foot chain link fence and it looked like every available foot of ground inside was planted with some kind of flower or shrubbery. Mr. Abbott met us at the gate. He had three full grown mastiffs with him. He held them on a chain. Yes? What do you want? Police officers. You Chester Abbott? That's right. What do you want? Well, if you can get those dogs quiet for a moment. If you like to ask me some questions. Pretty busy now. Won't you come back tomorrow? No. It's important. Abbott. We'd like to talk to you now. All right, if you have to. Yes. Time. Get down there. You can go. Quiet. I said quiet. All right, now what do you want? Mind if we come inside, sir? These what dogs of mine are pretty vicious. We can talk here at the gate. All right. We've been assigned to look into your wife's disappearance. Abbott. This is my partner, Sergeant Jacobs. My name's Friday. Mm. Find out anything about my wife yet? Nothing definite, no. Thought maybe you could help us. Mind telling us exactly what happened the night she disappeared? What do you mean, what happened? Well, when did you see her last? When'd you first notice she was gone? Well, we had dinner Thursday night about 7:00, and I laid down for a nap. Florence went out on the front porch for some air. I woke up a little before 8:00. Went outside to look for her. She was gone. No one saw her leave, Mr. Abbott. Maybe one of our neighbors. You can ask them. They seem to know everybody's business. How about your stepson? Wasn't he home Thursday night? Bruce? No, he went out to a show with some other kids. When did he get back from the show, you remember? About 10 o'clock, I think. Why? Where's the boy now? Abbott, who you looking for? My wife or stepson. Both of them. Where is he? Gone. I took him over to my sister's in Alhambra. He's been feeling bad since his mother disappeared. Figure that changed to do him good. When did you take him over to your sister's? This afternoon. What's that got to do with it? Like to talk to him. No, you can't. You won't allow it. The boy's too upset right now, and I can't allow it. I'm afraid you're going to have to allow it, Abbott. Listen, mister, you can get off this property right now if you're going to get French with me. No cops giving me any sass. Get down there, honey. Quiet. Nobody's giving you sass. We want to talk to your stepson, that's all. He might be able to give us a lead on the whereabouts of your wife. And I say you can't see the boy. You've been looking for Florence for a week, and you haven't found a thing. I'll get somebody else to look for her. It's my business anyway. Nobody else's. It's our business if anything happened to her. What are you talking about? Better get your coat. Abbott. Like to talk to you downtown. Something. That gate and I'll let these dogs go. We hate to shoot them, mister. What are you trying to prove anyhow? What do I have to get onto tell you when we get there? Now get your coat. Chester Rabbit turned, made his way up the path and into the house. A few minutes later, he came out, closed the gate behind him and got into our car. On the way back downtown, he talked pleasantly about the weather, the nursery business and his dogs. When we got to the office, we found out the reason for his sudden change in temperament. His lawyer was waiting for us at the door. We tried to interrogate Abbott, but the lawyer objected to just about every question we asked. Was hopeless, and we knew it. And so did the lawyer. We released Abbott, but not before we got the name and address of his sister in Alhambra, where the stepson, Bruce, was supposedly staying. After Abbott and his lawyer left, Ed and I signed out of the office and drove to Alhambra to check on the boy. Bargett. He sure had this one pegged. Real sleeper. Yeah. Like to know how the stepson missed that date with us this afternoon. The boy called us from the house. Stepfather could overheard him. That's possible. Sister's house ought to be along this block, shouldn't it? Mm. Let's see. 1408-06. Yeah. Yeah, there it is. Great. Cottage 1402. Okay, let's pull up here. Right. Nice looking place. Well kept. Nice neighborhood. Wonder how the lot prices run out here. I don't know. I'll get the bell. Yes, what is it? Police officers, ma'am. You Ms. Abbott? Yes. Helen Abbott. Why? Well, we talked to your brother earlier today, Ms. Abbott. He said he brought his stepson, Bruce over here to stay a while. We'd like to see him if we could. Bruce? Well, yes, he was here until about an hour and a half ago. I went to the store and when I came back, he was gone. You any idea where we can find him, Ms. Abbott? Well, I telephoned my brother Chester just before you came to the door. Bruce isn't there? Yes, ma'am. Do you mind if we came and looked around, Ms. Abbott? Won't take long. Well, why? I told you, Bruce isn't here. It's the truth. There's no reason to lie about it, is there? Oh, no, ma'am, it's not that. Well, then, what is it? No reason for me to lie to you. How about your brother? We went in and looked the house over from one end to the other. There wasn't a trace of the boy. We drove back to the Abbott nursery and satisfied ourselves the boy wasn't there. Meantime, the home of Chester Abbott's sister in Alhambra was kept under constant surveillance. No one came or went. The next morning when Ed and I checked in for work as usual at 8:00am we met with Sergeant Al Bargetti. Well, I had half an idea there might be something wrong. What makes you so positive, Bill? It's just it, Al. We're not positive. It's the whole setup, I guess. Smells bad. How do you mean, for instance? Well, Abbott's lawyer, for one thing. If a man's innocent, he doesn't have his lawyer sit with him and tell him not to answer any questions. Yeah, Number two, the kid's phone call. He didn't show up for that date, you figure? I don't know. Could be he doesn't get along with his stepfather. Happens, you know, Maybe he's trying to get back at him for something or other that could be. Why is Abbott hiding him out then? Pretty sure he's hiding him out. Where things been going. Another way to take it. Mrs. Abbott walked away from her home last Thursday night. Nobody saw her. She took nothing with her. No luggage, no clothes, no money. That's it. You check with her? Family doctor Yesterday told us Mrs. Abbott was in perfect health. Checked her bank statements, double checked the name through Wanderers file. Repeaters found missing persons. Couldn't find it in either one. Her relatives too. How you talk to them? Some of them, yeah. Al, got a few more to check out this morning. One thing's certain. No clothes, no money, no luggage. She couldn't have gone very far. He checked all the angles, huh? Sheriff's office, the jails, the hospitals. Sent out a teletype and an apb. She's been gone almost a week and nobody's seen her. Now, how's that add up to you? Well, you got an idea? Yeah. I hope I'm wrong. 8:45am Ed and I left the office and continued making the rounds of the missing woman's friends and relatives. We checked at the Western National bank where Mrs. Abbott maintained another account. Her savings statement showed a total balance of $31,564.17. Her checking account had a balance of $842.71. At the Farmer's Mutual, we found the record of an insurance policy issued to Florence Trumbull Abbott. It was a 20 pay life policy covering the insured in the amount of $30,000. The beneficiary was listed as the insured son, Bruce Trumbull Abbott. If living upon receipt of such due proof. If not, the insured's husband, Chester J. Abbott. By the time we finished checking the missing woman's financial status, we figured we had a fair suspect in the husband, Chester Abbott. From casual reports, we knew he was a frugal man, almost to the point of obsession. If he was greedy as well, if he wanted or needed money badly enough to kill, then he had all the motives necessary to murder his wife. Maybe his stepson, too. 6:40pm Ed and I drove back to the office. Go ahead. Long day. Out of mileage. Wonder if Al's still around. Hey, Bar Getty. Al? Yeah. Here. That you? Friday? Yeah. How'd you do? Get anything? A few things. Pretty fair enough. Good. I got some more for you. Just walked in here 10 minutes ago. Who's that? Bruce Abbott. He's waiting in the next room. We went into the next room and met the Abbott boy. He was small for a 17 year old, dark haired, thin, a little on the sickly side. He seemed nervous and upset. He told us that he wasn't able to keep the date he made with us on the phone because his stepfather did apparently overhear the conversation and drove the boy immediately to his sister's place in Alhambra. We asked the boy what made him so sure that his stepfather was responsible for his mother's disappearance. Well, for one thing, all three of us usually go to the early show on Thursday night. Chester, mom and me. But last Thursday we didn't go. Why was that, son? Chester said he wasn't feeling too good and he wanted mom to stay home and take care of him. Then he told me to go on ahead to the show, so I did. What time did you get home, Bruce? About a quarter to 10. 10 o'clock. Did you notice anything unusual when you got home, son? Not so much, no. Mom wasn't there. I didn't think much about it. Then I thought maybe she was over to one of the neighbors. Did you ask your stepfather where she was? Uh huh. He said he didn't know. He said he thought she was over at one of the neighbors too. What was your stepfather doing when you got home? Just sitting in the living room reading a paper. I usually don't talk to him too much. I just ask him where mom was and he told me. And then I went back to my room and went to bed. You notice anything unusual about the way he acted? Anything different about him at all? Well, I'm not too sure. He did seem a little nervous though. Jumpy? More than usual, I think. Anything else? Well, when I came through the front yard, I noticed the dogs had mud all over their paws. Red, Jaime and George. All three of them. They must have been out in the nursery plots. Anything unusual about that? In a way, yeah. You see, the dogs don't go out in the plots unless Chester's with him. He doesn't want them to trample the seedlings. I noticed Chester had mud on his shoes that night too. And you figure your stepfather was out digging somewhere in the nursery plots that night, huh? Yeah, that's right. Digging somewhere. He must have been. Can't figure out why though. How do you mean, son? My stepfather never works at night. You are listening to Dragnet Authentic stories of your police force in action. Compare Fatima with any other king size cigarette. One, Fatima's length filters the smoke 85 millimeters for your protection. Two, Fatima's length cools the smoke for your protection. Three, Fatima's length gives you those extra puffs 21% longer than standard cigarette size. And in Fatima you get an extra mild and soothing smoke. Plus the added protection of Fatima quality. To show our confidence in Fatima, we make this money back guarantee to every king size cigarette smoker. Buy a pack of Fatimas. Enjoy Fatima quality, extra mildness and superbly blended tobaccos. If you're not convinced Fatima is better than the king size cigarette, you're now smoking. Just return the pack and the unsmoked Fatimas before August 1, 1952 and we'll give you your money back plus postage. Fatima Fox, 37, New York 1. Remember, each king size Fatima gives you an extra mild and soothing smoke plus the added protection of Fatima quality. Switch to Fatima today. Best of all, king size cigarettes. Thursday, September 16, 7:05pm we continued talking to the missing woman's 17 year old son, Bruce Abbott. As the interview went on, it became more and more obvious that the boy and his stepfather, Chester Abbott, didn't get along at all. Apparently the boy was jealous of him and he was jealous of the boy. Besides his prejudice, Bruce also contradicted himself during the course of the questioning. 7:15pm the interview went on. I understand that. All right, son. But you say you can't think of any reason why your father'd be out working the nursery plots that time of night? No, sir, I can't. I don't know how he'd get any work done. None of the plots are even lighted, only the greenhouses. Well, is it possible he could have gotten that mud on his shoes working in one of the greenhouses? No, sir, I don't see how. All the paths in the greenhouses are graveled. It's my job to see they're kept graveled. I know they weren't muddied because I fixed them the day before. Well, what do you think it means, Bruce? I don't know. I don't want to think about it. I just know he's done something. He's done something to her. Did your father, that is your stepfather, give you any reason for keeping you away from the police officers that came to your house? Me and the first two officers who showed up? No. He said people were getting nosy, that's all. He said it might be better for me over at my Aunt Helen's place. You think your Aunt Helen might know where your mother is? I don't think so. We hardly ever see Aunt Helen. We don't know her well at all. Well, do you know if your mother and stepfather argued very much, son? I mean, big arguments sometimes. Yeah. Mostly about me. How do you mean? Chester's pretty tight, you know. Doesn't like to spend money at all. He and mom used to argue about whether I ought to get paid for the work I did around the nursery. Chester didn't want to pay me. That so? Yeah. When I started working, he promised he'd pay me. I was saving up to buy a 31 Model A after a couple of Weeks. When he didn't pay me, I asked him about it. He told me I ought to be glad to work for him for nothing. And your mother argued with him about that? Sure. She got good and mad, too. She should have gotten mad. It was her money that bought the nursery anyway. How'd you happen to get away from your aunt's place? Bruce wasn't too hard. Helen had some shopping to do and she left me alone. She locked the door to my room. Even the screen over the window was nailed down. But I kicked it out and got away. I stayed at a friend's house last night. You thought much about where you're gonna stay tonight, son? Well, I don't know, Sergeant Borghetti. I was talking to him. He asked me if I wanted to go out and have dinner and then stay at his house tonight. I don't know. Sounds like a good idea to me. I don't know. Sure nice of him to ask me. I think it'd be a lot better for you, son. Why don't you check in the next office, see if Borghetti's ready to leave, huh? Yeah, okay, Sergeant. Thanks. Don't do about you, Joe. What do you think? It's hard to say. He might be lying. Before we signed out of the office that night, we met with Captain Lohrman and outlined a plan to bring in the husband of the missing woman for questioning alone. We figured it had served two purposes. Clarify the boy's position in the case and determine one way or another if the stepfather was withholding information about the decision disappearance of Mrs. Abbott. The big problem was to bring in Chester Abbott for interrogation without the knowledge of his lawyer. As we'd found out more than once, it was impossible to get anything out of Abbott with his lawyer present. We set up a plan to call up the Abbot home early in the morning, get the suspect out of bed and bring him in before his lawyer could be notified. At 3:30 the following morning, Ed and I met at the office and started for the Abbott place. We brought along a couple of pounds of fresh horse meat to keep the dogs quiet if they raised a fuss. At 10 minutes past 4am we parked our car a few hundred feet down the road from the Abbott nursery and made our way toward the gate. I reached in and tried the lats. The dog started up. How about it, Joe? Open? No, it's padlocked. I'm gonna have to climb the fence. Toss some of that meat over there, will you? Okay. There. All right, that does it. All right, let's climb the fence. Keep an eye on the hounds. Looks like they can take a leg off here. Take it easy, Ed. All right. Watch that. Yeah. Here comes that other dog. And get some more of that meat, man. Yeah. There you are, boy. Go get it. Go on. All right. That's fine. Come on. Let's hurry. Have a look. Chuck. Roy. Windows along the side of the house. Lights just went on. Yeah. Come on. Who is it? Who's there? Who is it? I'll set the dogs on you. Police officers Abbott, Friday and Jacobs. What kind of business is this? What are you doing out here this time of night? You're under arrest, Mr. Abbott. What are you talking about? I think you heard me. You're under arrest. What kind of crazy thing is this? You're gonna pay for this. I'll have your job. You want to get your coat? You cops are asking for a pack of trouble, you know that? Get your coat. I'd like to know what you think you're doing. Where's my stepson, anyway? What have you done with him? I got a better one for you, man. What have you done with your wife? 4:25am Ed and I drove the suspect, Chester Abbott, back downtown to the office. He was quiet and sullen. We headed down the hall for the squadron Light. Still Bunny in the office? Yeah. Probably by Getty. Standing by. All right. Abbott, in there. You're gonna pay for these. You can take my word on that. Ed, you want to take them in the office here and stay with him? I'll check with Al. Okay. All right. Abbott inside. Joe, you bring him in? Yeah, he's next door. Ed's with him. Tough. Somebody must have seen you. No, I don't think so. They must have. Why? What do you mean? Abbott's lawyer. He's sitting in the next room. How the lawyer had been notified, we couldn't be sure. Again we tried to question Abbott. And again, on the advice of his attorney. He refused to answer practically every question we put. We released him. That day, captain Lorman assigned two men to stake out on the nursery and report on all of Chester Abbott's movements. A little after 7pm Just after nightfall, we tried again to bring the suspect in for questioning without his lawyer's knowledge. It didn't work. The men assigned to stake out on the Abbott place reported definitely that someone was tipping off the attorney. Whenever unknown visitors showed up at the nursery and drove off together with Mr. Abbott, there was nothing we could do about it. The following morning, Al Barghetty came up with a lead. Had a long Talk with the boy last night. Think he came up with a pretty fair lead. How's that? The old man's responsible. We know there's only one way we'll get a conviction. Yeah. Find the body and enough evidence to tie him in. Where do we start looking in a new rose bed? It's next to one of the greenhouses in Abbott's nursery. Boy tell you this? Yeah. Seems to make sense. We know old man Abbott's crazy about saving a dollar. We found that out from the neighbors and the relatives on the nursery trade. Especially in the limited area Abbott has to work in. You cultivate every foot of ground you have. You plant every foot of soil with something. Well, yeah. What's the point? Well, Abbott's not the type to waste anything. He wouldn't let ground lie fallow when he could plant something that might bring in a few dollars next spring. Bruce tells me his stepfather has every inch of the property planted with something. Everything except a six by eight plot of ground in that rose garden. What did the boy say? The plot been vacant for a long. He says his stepfather got it ready for planting a week and a half ago. It's still vacant. Be worth checking out. How do we do it? We can order up a crew from the crime lab. They can take probings through the plot all around it. They ought to be able to tell us how deep the ground's been worked over lately. Okay. What do you figure? Tonight? I think so. Yeah, maybe 11, 12 o'clock. What about old man Abbott? You think he's gonna sit still for it? If the hunch pays off, he's gonna sit still a long time. It was 10 minutes past 11 that night when we got to the Abbott nursery. Lee Jones and the crime lab crew. Albert Getty Head and two other men from Homicide. The men on stakeout told us Chester Abbott, along with his attorney, had left the house a half hour before in his car, a dark blue coupe. They hadn't returned. Ed brought along another supply of fresh horse meat for the dog. So we didn't have any trouble there. We located the vacant plot of ground in the rose bed next to one of the greenhouses. As Bruce Abbott had described it to Bargetti, the crime lab crew started probing the ground obviously had been worked over recently and to some depth. They started digging. Anderson, get that right over here with you. Thanks, Joe. See anything? No. Let's keep digging. It's right over here. Yeah. You know, this is it. He wasn't taking any chances. Down a good four or five feet now, wouldn't you say? Yeah. At least that Anderson. More light, huh? All right, let's go at it. All right. Wait a minute. Yeah. Woman's shoe here. Come on. Just a matter. Yeah, that's it. The shoulder there. It's a body. How much? Paid off, Al. The boy had it figured. Yeah. Too bad he was right. Ed and I went back to our car. Notified communications to broadcast a warrant for murder on Chester Abbott. His description, together with a description of his car and license number was rebroadcast every 15 minutes. The attorney was contacted and he stated that Mr. Abbott had dropped him off at his home more than an hour before. He knew nothing of his whereabouts. Ed and I went back to check the Abbott home and found the front door unlocked. We went inside and looked around. In one bedroom, we found clothes scattered over the bed and on the floor. There was only one old suit left. In one closet, on the table next to the bed we found an airlines timetable. We got to the phone and notified communications to alert all special details at railroad stations, bus terminals and airports and then to get out an apb. After that, we checked with the airlines. One of them told us a man answering Abbott's description had booked passage to Mexico City that night under the name of Charles Frazier. The plane was scheduled to leave at 1:52am at the Burbank Airport. We called the detail at the airport and alerted him. Then we drove over to the field to follow through on it. It was 1:32am When Ed and I took up our positions just inside Gate 3 where passengers were boarding Flight 72 for Mexico City. There was no sign of the suspect either on the plane or. Or in the waiting room. Think you'll sell? I don't know. Your bag. Over here. Where's Bargetti? Over there by the cockpit, along. See him? Oh, yeah. What time you got now? 1:38. Plane's due to take off another four minutes, isn't it? Any sign of him, Al? No, nothing. Just made the rounds. Check with Stevens and Cummings if he got any. Came in somebody's suitcase. Couldn't have possibly gotten through without one of us saying it. Well, he hasn't got much more time. Maybe it's a dead end, huh? Don't see how he could have gotten wise, do you? Over there? No, no. By the ticket counter there. You see him? Yeah, that's him. Come on. All right. Just a minute, Abbott. I haven't got time now. I'll miss my plane. Do you have anything more to say to me if you wait till I get back? Right now? Abbott. And take it up my lawyer. I'm in a hurry. We found your wife's body. And then the rose bed next to the greenhouse. I don't know what you mean. You must be mistaken. No mistake. Hands behind your back. What's this all about? I haven't done anything. All right, let's go. No, just a minute. You got it wrong. I don't know anything about it. We think you do. Now, come on. Wasn't my fault. I didn't know what I was doing. I plead insanity. She drove me to it. We were arguing about the boy and she slapped me. I didn't mean to do it. All right, let's go. Abbott. Can you wait just a minute more? What for? A plane. One from Mexico City. Funny, isn't it? What's that? I was so close. Just missed it. Not by more than one minute. No, you're wrong about that, Abbott. Just one minute, that's all. You missed it before you ever bought your ticket. How do you figure? When you first decided to kill your wife? Come. The story you have just heard was true. The names were changed to protect the innocent. On December 19, trial was held in Superior Court Department 89. City and county of Los Angeles, State of California. In a moment, the results of that trial. Now, here is our star, Jack Webb. Thank you, George Fenneman. Friends, I'm holding two sets of fingerprint cards. Now, on one, prints found at the scene of a crime. On the second, a suspect's taken from the files. Now, the only way in the world you can tell they're made by the same suspect is by comparison. If you'll compare Fatima with any other king size cigarette. You'll find Fatima's length filters the smoke 85 millimeters. For your protection. Fatima's length cools the smoke. For your protection. Fatima's length gives you Those extra puffs 21% longer than standard cigarette size. And you get an extra mild and soothing smoke. Plus the added protection of Fatima quality. Prove it. Today by Fatima. Chester Vernon Abbott was tried and convicted of murder in the first degree. The jury failed to recommend clemency. Abbott was executed in the lethal gas chamber. At the State Penitentiary, San Quentin, California. You have just heard Dragnet A series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the office of Chief of Police W.H. parker. Los Angeles Police Department Technical Advisors. Captain Jack Donahoe, Sergeant Marty Wynn and Sergeant Vance Brasher. Heard tonight were Barney Phillips and Herb Ellis. Script by Jim Moser. Music by Walter Schumann. Hal Gipney speaking. Fatima cigarettes. Best of all, King size cigarettes has brought you Dragnet. Transcribed from Los Angeles. Now it's counterspy on NBC. Myeloma is one of over 100 blood cancers the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society supports. While still incurable, it is treatable. For blood cancer. Information Free resources or support contact an information specialist at 800-955-4572 or visit lls.org Geico's motorcycle expertise means I'm covered by people who know bikes like I do. I'm happy as a clam. No conclusive scientific research has shown clams can experience happiness. It just meant that I feel really good about my coverage. I mean, even if you took the clam out for the best day ever, visiting the zoo, taking a scenic ride, knowing you're insured by specialists, and sharing a strawberry ice cream cone together, the clam would not feel happy. And your strawberry cone would taste sort of clammy. Ew. Geico's motorcycle specialists who bikes like you to assume no liability for clammy ice cream cones. Geico expertise for your motorcycle. The story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Fatima Cigarettes Best of all, King Size Cigarettes brings you Dragnet on both radio and television. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a personnel division. A resident of your city files a report of assault and battery. His shoulder is dislocated. He's been badly beaten. He claims his assailant was a young police officer. Your job? Investigate. Comparison proves Fatima quality. Yes, comparison proves Fatima quality. Compare Fatima with any other king size cigarette. 1. Fatima's length filters the smoke 85 millimeters for your protection. 2. Fatima's length cools the smoke for your protection. 3. Fatima's length gives you those extra puffs 21% longer than standard cigarette size. And you get an extra mild and soothing smoke. Plus the added protection of Fatima Quality. Definitely the best quality in its class, but the same price as the cigarette you are now smoking. Prove Fatima quality yourself. Today. Buy Fatima in the bright sunny yellow pack. Best of all, King Size Cigarettes Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. It was Tuesday, June 11. It was mild in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out of BIA. My partner's Ed Jacobs. The boss is Lieutenant Jesse. My name's Friday. It was 10:23am when I got to room 83, squad room. Joe. You catch up with the lieutenant? Yeah, in a meeting. Said he'd be out about 11:30. He wants us to handle it for the time being. Oh, well. Joe, this is Officer Blanchard. This is my partner, Joe Friday. I'm glad to know you, Friday. I think I've seen your Aunt Central a couple of times. Yeah, sure. How are you? What's this thing all about? Do you mind telling me you worked yesterday, did you? Yeah, that's right. My regular beach, South Central area. Anything out of the ordinary happen while you were on duty? No, not much. Made a couple of pinches, that's about all. Pretty quiet otherwise. Did you make one of Those arrests at 7928 Cortland Avenue? Yeah, that's right. Woman, two men, users. All three of them were booked in violation State Narcotics Act. Any of the three familiar to you at all? Blanchard? Mean, had you ever seen him before the time you arrested him? No, none of them. I knew the place though. I've been keeping an eye on it lately. One of those old fashioned homes converted into a rooming house. I've been noticing some of the people going in and out of the place. They didn't look too good to me. And that's why I say I've been keeping an eye on the house. What's the story on this anyway? You get a kickback on the rest I made? Well, we'd like to have your version of it first. Blanchard, exactly what happened? How'd you come to make the pinch? Well, I was walking my regular beat. I think it was about 3:30 yesterday afternoon. I was going along Cortlandt, the 7900 block. A woman came out of the front door and hailed me. She complained about a 507 party in the house a couple doors down the street. That was it. Number 7928. The boarding house? Yeah. I checked it out. The party was going on up on the third floor. I went up, found the girl and the two men in the room facing on the street. The girl was fixing a pop for herself when I came in. 2 caps of heroin on the table in front of her. What'd you do then? I made a grab for the two caps. One of the guys beat me to it. Got him. Ran to the next room and tried to flush him down the drain. He didn't quite make it though. I got one of the caps before he could get rid of it. What'd you do then, Blanchard? Well, I sat the three of them down, called into the office. I checked the room over while we were waiting. Found two more caps of heroin. Usual equipment to go with it. When the radio car showed up, the three of them were taken downtown, a narcotics squad and booked. That's all I can tell you about. Well, during the time you were waiting there in the room, Blanchard, did you have any trouble with the suspects at all? I got a lot of talk from one of the men. Fella by the name of Evans. He's supposed to run the boarding house. Claims he didn't have anything to do with it. He didn't know the girl was a hype. You know, the usual stuff. That was the extent of it. Just talk? Sure. That's all. Why? Well, that's not the story. According to Evans, he had his lawyer bail him out last night. He was in to file charges against you, huh? What do you mean? Salt and battery. He claims that you worked him over for no reason at all. He says you beat him up and dislocated his shoulder. Oh, he's crazy. He's lying. I didn't work him over. Well, he says he's got witnesses to prove it. Blanchard, the two people who were with him, the woman, the other man, he says elsewhere that's what you did. But it's not true. They're trying to cook up a frame. I didn't touch any of them. Lis Evans looks like he's been mused up. Cuts and bruises all over his face, his shoulders. Fairly recent, too. Yeah, I know that, but I didn't do it. He was in the same shape when I saw him up in that room yesterday. Matter of fact, I asked him about it. He wouldn't tell me. It's the truth, Sergeant. So help me, all three of them are lying. I didn't beat him up. Well, it's your word against theirs, Blanchard. The facts seem to favor Evans. I don't get this at all. Two of those people are known hypes. They'd swear anything for a free cap. You know that. What good is their word? Maybe no good at all. It's not up to us to decide. Evans filed a complaint. It's our job to follow through. Now, you're sure about the shape Evans was in when you found him up in that room yesterday, Blanchard? He was already marked up, is that right? I'm sure he was. I told you, I asked him about it. He wouldn't answer me. But you had no way of proving that you couldn't possibly have been responsible for it. Well, it's up to him, isn't it, Evans? He says I worked him over. Let him prove it. I'm afraid he's got the jump there. Two witnesses. Yeah, but they're lying. You must know that they're lying. Well, now, look, you can see the position it puts us in. If you're innocent, we're going to do all we can. If you're guilty, we'll see that you get everything that's coming to you. You know it as well as I do, Sergeant. I had no reason to beat him up. I didn't do it. Well, it's not up to us, Blanche. You're. The court will have to decide. It doesn't make sense. None of it does. There's no other way to handle it. We got 4,500 men in the department. We don't claim they're all saints. Once in a while, one of them turns dead and all of us get a black eye. You're in a jam, Blanchard, like anyone else. You'll get a fair trial. Well, what happens now? Do I draw suspension? Yeah, that's right. If you're clear to the charges in court, there'll be a hearing before the Board of Rights. Am I through? Right now we'll have to book you in at the main jail. Case will be presented to VA's office tomorrow. It doesn't make sense. I had no reason to beat up Evans. No reason at all. You sure that I am? What do you mean? Of course I'm sure. Well, Evans claims you did have a reason. A good one. What? Well, he says you handed him a proposition. He wouldn't go for it, so you worked him over. What do you mean? What kind of a proposition? A bad kind. Huh? He says you wanted a payoff. Investigating charges against a police officer involves exactly the same procedure as cases where private citizens prove the suspect innocent or guilty. If Blanchard was innocent, it wasn't going to be an easy job proving it. If he hadn't beat up the complainant, George Evans, and dislocated his shoulder, it seemed the only way out would be to find the man who did. Either that or prove that the two witnesses Evans had come up with were lying. If Blanchard was guilty, if he actually had slugged and beaten Evans, we had to find sufficient evidence. And we had to find a motive. 11:10am Ed Knight took Officer Harry Blanchard over to the main jail, where he was booked in and lodged in one of the cell blocks. Then we went upstairs to the women's jail where we interviewed one of the witnesses to the Alleged beating. An Eleanor Rowland. She'd had previous arrests for vagrancy, grand theft auto and petty theft, as well as an established reputation as a user of narcotics. She was 23 years old. Yeah, it was terrible. That cop really roughed him up. Poor old Evans. Cop didn't have to treat him like that. How long have you known George Evans, Ms. Rowland? You old friends? No, I wouldn't say that. I remember copying weeks ago when I came down from the North San Francisco. Portland. I was visiting up there. I'm a Portland girl originally. How about this other man you were with at the time Officer Blanchard picked you up is Ray Sherman. He an old friend? Buster? Yeah, I've known him a few years. Do you know Evans very well? Yeah, I guess you could say that. Ray's had a room at the boarding house a couple of years. I guess he's good friends with Evans. Say, can I ask you something? Yes, ma'am. You ever worked narcotics up in Portland? No, ma'am. Never have. Hmm. Phrase is familiar. Could have sworn I met you in Portland. Do you want to run over that story again for us, Ms. Rowland? About what happened yesterday? Not much to say. Just the same as I told you. You usually stay at Evans rooming house when you're in town, do you? No, that's only the second time I was there. How about George Evans? Was he there at the time? No, not first. Me and Buster had a pop and we sat around and talked. Evans came in a little later. Three of us talked. Told me and Buster not to bring any more junk in the house. He didn't want to get into trouble. Didn't. Speak of the devil. A cop walked in. What happened then? Buster grabbed two caps off the table, tried to get rid of them. He only got rid of one, though. The cop got the other one. How'd the argument start? You remember that? Between Evans and the officer, I mean. Well, I was a little high at the time. I don't remember word for word. Evans said he didn't have anything to do with it. But the cop kept pressing him. He told Evans he'd forget about it if Evans would pay him off. Evans told him no. He wouldn't give him a cent. And then the cops started beating him up. You were in the same room with him all this time? Yeah. Buster and me, we saw it all. Poor Evans. He really got worked over. Cop didn't have to treat him like that. Say, are you sure you're not from Portland? Yes, ma'am, I'm sure. Now, about how many times would you say the officer hit Evans? I couldn't tell you that exactly. Dozens of times, I guess. Kept hitting him with his fist, pushed him all around the room. I was a little high at the time. I don't remember everything exactly. Sure could use a booster about now. Are you sure about everything you've told us, Ms. Roland? That's the truth. Yeah, that's right. Some of the details I didn't remember so well. He straightened it out for me, though. He told me just what happened. Who's that? George Evans. 11:50am Ed and I continued questioning Eleanor Rowland. The more we talked to her, the more we were convinced that at the time of the alleged beating, she was under a heavy dose of narcotics and that for the most part, she picked up her version of the story from the alleged victim, George Evans. We went down to the second floor of the main jail to one of the interview rooms where we talked to the second witness, Ray Sherman, alias Tom Raymond, alias Buster Raymond. He also had a long record as a user of narcotics. He gave the same general version of the incident as the Roland girl did. But despite the girl's story, he claimed he was not under the influence of narcotics at the time Officer Blanchard entered the room and made the arrest. Besides that, there were other discrepancies. 1:05pm we had some lunch at the Federal Cafe and then we drove out to interview the complainant in the case, George Evans. After checking in his rooming house, we finally located him in a neighborhood bowling alley. He was sitting at a bar, joining me actual playing area, drinking a bottle of beer. Parts of his face and neck were bandaged and his left shoulder was in a cast. He appeared friendly and cooperative. I kept telling the cop I didn't have any money. Told him I wouldn't give him the payoff even if I did. So he started working you over that right, Evans? Yes, that's right. I don't have anything against cops normally, but this guy, that's something else. How do you ever get in the force anyway? Had you ever had any contact with Officer Blanchard before yesterday, Evans? Yes, I did. Twice before. Came to the house, camera running, a hideout for thieves, junkies. Try to get me to pay them off then too. I wouldn't do it. So when was that, Evans? About six, eight months ago. Yeah, at least that. Well, how is it you didn't report Blanchard then? Well, that wouldn't cause any trouble. Get mixed up in a law case. I figured I could take care of him myself. But after that going over yesterday, that was enough for me. I don't understand how the guy ever made the force to begin with. What's the matter? Shoulder of mine, he really tore it apart. How'd you spend your time yesterday, Evan? Do you mind telling us? No, I don't mind. I slept till about half past 12, 1 o'clock. Had a little bit of a hangover. Then I got up and made some breakfast and read the paper. That's about size. You mean you were in your room all day after the time you went down the hall to Ray Sherman's room? That's right. Ray was there with this girlfriend of his, Eleanor. I didn't know she was a hype. That's the truth. Ray should have known better having her there. I don't like the kind of stuff going on around that place. Now, we've checked you through the Record Bureau, Evans. There's been three or four similar cases at your places the last few years, hasn't there? A couple, yeah. It's a real problem. I don't know how you keep them out. Whole neighborhood around here, you know. Pretty hard to stop it, I guess. We understand you were in the room there while the girl helped herself to a fix. Is that right? No, I wasn't in the room when she took the fix. I got there a couple minutes after. I didn't even know what was going on. You can ask Ray Sherman. The girl too. They'll tell you I wasn't there. There's something else we wanted to ask you about. Sherman and the girl don't seem too sure of their stories. Can you straighten us out there? How do you mean? Well, Sherman tells us one thing, a girl tells us something else. Can't seem to get together. But I told him. You told him? What have you. Nothing. I told him to tell the truth, that's all. Stupid Ray. He doesn't know half the time what he's doing. That doesn't make you much of a witness then, does it? What do you mean? He was there when that cop slugged me, beat me up. He could see that much. Well, that's just it. We're not sure he did. Huh? The girl says Blanchard worked you over in the living room there. Sherman says Blanchard took you out in the kitchen and beat you up. Now, which is it? I think I'm beginning to get the pitch. How's that? You're out to cover up with that cop. Is that it? Take care of your own. We're assigned to investigate Evans, just like any other criminal case. Blanchard's not getting any more of a break than Any other suspect would. Yeah, sure. We still haven't answered our question. Where did it happen? Living room or kitchen? The interview's all over, Sergeant. I got the pitch. You can take this back to your office. I'm gonna get that cop convicted if it's the last thing I do. You can count on that. What's the matter, Evans? All we did was ask you a simple question. Don't try to kid me, Sergeant. I got the angle. You're trying for a cover up. Okay, go ahead and try. Now look, why don't you snap out of it, mister? Nobody's trying to cover up unless it's you. Sherman and the girl are your witnesses. Some of the points of their stories don't check out. We want to clear them up. Does that sound unreasonable? I told you, Sergeant, it's no use. I got your angle. Answer me one more thing, Evans. You're on your own. I'm telling you nothing. Who was the doctor that treated you after you were beaten up down at Georgia Street? The emergency. You ought to know that. No, I mean for your shoulder. We checked over your car down at Georgia Street. No mention there of a dislocated shoulder. No, of course not. I didn't even know I had one until I was bailed out. I had my own doctor fix it. You mind giving us his name? Why should I? We're willing to go along cooperate. Then you started playing the cage. You're trying to cover up for that cop. Now you work it out on your own. All right, mister. Any way you want it. You bet that's the way I want it. You had this whole thing framed from the beginning. Now you're off the track, Evans. You're not kidding me. You're trying to prove that cops innocent. Trying to make me out a liar. What am I supposed to do? Help you prove I'm a liar. You've helped enough already. Ed and I double checked through Officer Blanchard's departmental record. It showed that Blanchard had been working his present beat for a little more than four months. Evans had told us that Blanchard allegedly had solicited payoffs at least six to eight months before. The following day, Ed and I made further inquiries in the neighborhood of Evans rooming house and also among his friends and associates. For one thing, we found out that Evans had not spent the entire morning and early afternoon in the house. He'd been seen leaving his place by several neighbors at about 10am through one of his contacts we got the address of an ex wife since remarried, a Marie Evans Zarconi. We located her in a small apartment in East Wilshire district. A small Brunette woman, about 35. Now you tell us. She used to be married to Evan? Yeah, that's right. Well, what kind of business was Evans in when you were married to him, Em? Well, he had that roaming house over on Courtland Avenue. That's what we know about that. Was there anything else? What's the matter anyway? Just a routine investigation. We like to have as much background on him as you can remember. Are you on fairly good terms with Evans now? No, I haven't seen him since we split up about a year and a half ago. I think that's why I couldn't stand it. What was the trouble, ma'am? You mind telling us Just as much. Good, that's all. Find a lot of names to fit him. He was in everything. How do you mean? That's why I got away from him. Every cheap, lousy racket you can think of, he was in it. Peddling dope, blackmail, making books. Some of the two bit rackets. He's been in all of them, One after the other. I had to get away. Rooming house on Portland Avenue. That's where he's been operating all this time. Long as I've known him? Yeah, about three years, I'd say. Is narcotics just a sideline with him or does he go in for it pretty heavy? He was in it pretty heavy when I left him. I don't know what he's been doing since. I don't care. Soon forget all about it. Yes, ma'am, I can understand. What's the matter now anyway? Got a case against him? Well, not exactly. Evans has filed against a police officer. Assault and battery, soliciting a bribe or investigating the charges. Hmm, sounds like him. Some cop. Really rough him up? Oh, we don't know, ma'am. That's what we're trying to find out. Oh. Well, I'd like to help you out. Don't think I can, though. Well, just one more question, ma'am. While you were married to Evans, did you have a family doctor? I mean, one that you called regularly when you were sick? Yeah, we did. Why? What was his name? Can you remember? Yeah. Dr. Chase. Do you like his address? 2:47pm we got to Dr. Chase's office and luckily we found him in. Take a look at this magazine, Joe. What? National Geographic. Looks like a real old one, wouldn't you say? It sure does. Cover's torn off, eh? Yeah. What do you know about that's older than I thought. Look at this here. What do you Got these pictures, eh? Look, four pages of them. Pretty grand affair, huh? Yeah. Teddy Roosevelt breaks ground for Panama Canal. How about that? Yeah. Sorry to keep you waiting, gentlemen. That's perfectly all right, Doctor. Let's see now. You want to know about Mr. Evans. Dr. George Evans. Oh, yes, Evans. What was it exactly, Sergeant? What did you have in mind? Well, the first thing we'd like to know is if you've treated Evans recently. The last week or so. Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. He was in here? Well, let's see. Yes, I thought so. He was in here three days ago. I had some bad cuts and bruises. They'd already been treated, though. There wasn't much I could do. Was there anything else wrong with him, Doctor? No, not actually. I examined his shoulder. He insisted it hurt him. He wanted me to put it in a cast. You put the cast on, did you? Well, there really wasn't any need for it, but I put it on anyway. A little bit of psychiatry. Sort of make him feel better. Well, how do you mean, Doctor? Wasn't there need for it? Just one of those peculiar things. I've been treating Evans for some time, you know. Yes, sir, that's what we understand. It's fairly unusual. Hardly a rare case. Though I suppose you might call it a trick shoulder. Looks as though it might be dislocated, but it actually isn't. I think it's voluntary. You mean he could do this thing himself? Oh, yes. He can make it appear dislocated anytime he wants. 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Remember, each king size Fatima filters and cools the smoke, gives you those extra puffs and you get an extra mild and soothing smoke. Plus the added protection of Fatima quality. Buy Fatima Best of all King size cigarettes. Saturday June 15, 10am the investigation continued. Meantime, the newspapers were still making front page material out of the story. One of the morning banner lines read, cop Slugs Cripple Citizen to Get Payoff. And another one, police Brutality Rouses Entire City. Our investigation went on. Early Saturday afternoon, Ed and I succeeded in locating a former friend of Evans who told us that he'd seen him downtown the morning of the day on which the alleged beating had taken place. The same time Evans had told us he was in bed, nursing a hangover. The former friend of Fred Werner said Evans was in the company of two known gamblers, Carl Sweetser and Stanley Parrish. He told us that he'd spotted the three of them together at about 11:45am we questioned Sweetser and Parrish, but they refused to tell us anything. They admitted that they were acquainted with Evans, but they knew nothing about the beating he'd received. We continued making the rounds. 5:30pm we dropped to the main jail and questioned Evans. Two witnesses again, Ray Sherman and Eleanor Rowland. We got the same stories as before. 6:18pm we got back to the City Hall. Long stretch, huh? Sure be glad to get home. Yeah, Not a bad day, though. We had fair luck in I suppose, so. It could always be better. Sure like to get the straight story one way or the other. You want to check the book, Ed, see if we got anything? Yeah, okay. Not much. Joe. Call from a Tom Donnelly. You know him? Donley? No, that doesn't sound too familiar to me. I got it. Person Al Jacobs. How's that? I'm afraid he's gone for the night. Yeah. No, I'm sorry. I wouldn't know. All right, thank you. Another message here for us, Jo. In the book. Here from Blanchard's wife. Again. I'm getting to feel pretty silly about her telling her the same thing night after night. Why don't you call her tonight? You've been doing all right. Why give up now? Personnel. Friday. Yeah. What was that? Mm? Your name? Yeah. Okay. 10:00 tonight. All right. That's fine. That's so sure. Yeah, we'll meet you. Okay. 10:00? Yeah, fine. Bye. Sounds pretty good. What was it? Guy by the name of Martin Kimbrough. Says he knows George Evans. He wants to talk to us tonight. What's the pitch? I don't know. Might be straight, might not. What'd he say about Evans being worked over? He claims he knows all about it. Yeah? He says Blanchard couldn't possibly have done it. 7:05pm we went over to Frank Tang's Place had some dinner, and then we drove out to interview the man who'd identified himself on the phone as Martin Kimbrough. We located him at the designated meeting place, a small bar just off Beverly Boulevard and Normandy Avenue. Kimbrough was a small man, slight build, middle aged. He seemed less sure of himself than he did on the phone. He said that he knew George Evans fairly well and that up until six months before, he'd been on good terms with him. He didn't go into details, but he gave us the general idea that Evans had cheated him on some business deal the two of them had been engaged in. We asked Kimbrough about the beating Evans had taken. He said it was common knowledge among the people he traveled with that gamblers Carl Sweetser and Stanley Parrish were responsible for beating up Evans. He'd welched on a gambling and the two of them had been after him for months to pay off. He also said he knew a close friend of the two gamblers who told him that in private, Carl Sweetser openly boasted of beating up Evans. According to Kimbrough, the beating had taken place about 1pm The Monday before, the same day Officer Blanchard allegedly had given him the beating. We located Sweetser in the coffee shop of a small hotel on South Rampart Street. I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, Sergeant. I don't know any George Evans. I've never heard of him. We understand you do, Sweets. I heard you used to play cards with him. Got it from a couple people, that's all. I guess they made a mistake. I don't remember the name at all. Maybe he's going under a different one, huh? Well, how about his description? You ought to remember that. Well, maybe I meet quite a few people. It's kind of hard to place all of them. You know, Guy look like. Oh, he's tall, dark complexion, dark hair, scar under his chin. He dresses pretty well. Usually wears a suit. No, it doesn't mean a thing to me. Runs a rooming house over on Cortland Avenue. It's been in quite a few rackets. All in all, not shy. Afraid I wouldn't know him. Now, look, we haven't got any beef with you, sweetie. That's not the point. Evans is trying to get away with the fast one. We're out to stop and we could use your help. How about it? I don't see how I can help you. What's the beef anyway? We think you know. It's been all over the newspapers the last couple of days. Oh, yeah, A young cop. What Evans got against him anyway? Just trying to save a face, we figure. That's what we hear anyway. Well, what do you mean? Well, I think you know how Evans likes to play the big shot. It wouldn't do his stock much good around town if the real story got out. I don't follow. What story are you talking about? About his welching on a gambling tab. Getting roughed up if he says a cop did. Makes him look a lot better, doesn't it? He comes out of it pretty clean that way, doesn't he? Pass this all, huh? Yeah, sure. Why don't you guys have some coffee? I hate to eat alone. Okay, as soon as the waitress comes around. Oh, what else you hear about this Evans? Pretty bad boy, that right? Bad enough. He's got a fast mouth. Telling quite a few stories around the neighborhood. That's all I might remember. A tall, dark guy, runs a room house. Yeah, that's right. You should remember him. He's mentioned you and a couple of the stories he's passing around. Where'd you get that? Talking to a fellow last night. He says Evans claims that that card game he was in with you was rigged. That's why he didn't pay you off. He claims you and Stan Parish framed the whole thing. So laugh, huh? Phony bums are all alike. Lose a couple of dollars and squeal like a pig. What's this Evans doing now? He's up for narcotics rap. He's out on bail. You punk. What's your stake in this thing? We're trying to clear the thing up. Apparently Evans figures he's gonna frame the young cop, save face, talk himself out of a bad situation. What do you want from me? The truth. I'm not going to talk myself into jail. Young cop or not. We're not asking you to. You want to clear the case, huh? All you need is proof the cop didn't give Evans a working over. That's right. Okay, you got a deal. Without actually incriminating himself in any way, Carl Sweetser gave us information and leads which after they were checked out, showed definitely that George Evans was slugged and beaten in a neighborhood at least a mile from his rooming house. House? We talked to half a dozen people who saw Evans in that neighborhood shortly after 1pm the day of the incident. We talked to the clerk at the drugstore where Evans went to buy iodine and bandages. They all told us that he bore the markings of a severe beating. As early as 1:00 that afternoon, Evans had Told us repeatedly that he'd received the beating at the hands of Officer Blanchard no earlier than 3 or 3:15 that afternoon. Ed and I drove over to the main jail where we interviewed Evans. Two witnesses again. The girl, Eleanor Rowland, was the first to break. She admitted that Evans had promised both her and her friend Ray Sherman $50 a piece if they would go along with him in his plan to frame Officer Blanchard for assault and battery and soliciting a bride. After an hour of questioning, Sherman admitted the same thing. We had a stenographer take their statements. 4:50pm Ed and I got in the car and drove out to the rooming house on Cortland Avenue. Yeah? Oh, how are you, sir? You want to get your coat? Evans like to see you downtown. What for? What's it about? Filing a false report. You know the story. What are you talking about? What do you mean, a false report? You've been checked out all over town, Evans. Your doctor, your ex wife, your gambling friends. We talked to them all. So what? What's that prove anyway? Proves you were lying, mister. That young officer, Blanchard, he didn't beat you up. There's nothing wrong with your shoulder either. Dr. Chase will vouch for that. Look, I don't care what he says. I don't care what any of them say. I got my case against that cop. I'm sticking with it. You're not going to talk me out. Why don't you give it up, Evans? We had a talk with Carl Sweetser. What'd he tell you? Enough to convince us you're trying to frame Blanchard. We've got statements from people who saw you before you got back home Monday afternoon. They say you were messed up then. That was at 1:00 in the afternoon. You've been telling us Blanchard wasn't at your place till 3 o'clock. Now, how do you explain that? Well, I don't know. Maybe I didn't have the time right. My watch could have been off. Doesn't make any difference anyway. It's gonna make a lot of difference. How about getting your coat? I'm gonna call my lawyer first. That isn't gonna do much good. We've got statements from your two witnesses, Ray Sherman and the girl. They've admitted the whole thing. Now you haven't got much of a case left. I don't care what they say. They're lying. Both of them. They're lying. You ought to know, mister, what you taught them. How the story you have just heard was true. The names were changed to protect the innocent. On September 2nd trial was held in Superior Court Department 89, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California. In a moment, the results are of that trial. And now here is our star, Jack Webb. Thank you, George Ferman. Friends, I sincerely want you to smoke Fatima and prove Fatima quality. You know, we have a lot of confidence in our king size cigarette. Enough confidence to make you this money back guaranteed. Buy a pack of Fatimas, compare them with any other king size cigarette. If you're not convinced Fatima is better, just return the pack and the unsmoked Fatimas by August 1, 1952 and we'll give you your money back plus postage. Fatima Box 37, New York 1. Buy Fatima. Best of all king size cigarette. A complaint was received on George Evans from the City attorney's office for violation of Section 5243, Municipal Code, filing a false report to the police department of misdemeanor. He received a sentence of 30 days in the county jail. Ray Sherman was tried and found guilty of section 11,500, health and safety Code, possession of narcotics. He was sentenced to one year in the county jail and three years probation. Eleanor Rowland was filed on as a bag addict, section11721, health and safety code. She was sentenced to 60 days in the county jail. Officer Harry Blanchard was cleared of the charges pending against him and was reinstated with fact pay. You have just heard Dragnet a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the office of Chief of Police W.H. parker, Los Angeles Police Department Technical Advisors, Captain Jack Donahoe, Sergeant Marty Wynn and Sergeant Vance Brasher. Heard tonight were Barney Phillips and Whit Connor. Script by Jim Moser. Music by Walter Schumann. Hal Gibney speaking. Fatima Cigarettes. Best of all, King Size Cigarettes is brought to Dragnet. Transcribed from Los Angeles Myeloma is one of over 100 blood cancers the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society supports. While still incurable, it is treatable. For blood cancer. Information free resources or support contact an information specialist at 800-955-4572 or visit lls.org Marketing is hard, but I'll tell you a little secret. It doesn't have to be. Let me point something out. You're listening to a podcast right now and it's great. You love the host. You seek it out and download it. You listen to it while driving, working out, cooking, even going to the bathroom. Podcasts are a pretty close companion. And this is a podcast ad. Did I get your attention? 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