Dragnet: The Big Filth 02/02/1954

Summary

Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Dragnet: The Big Filth (02/02/1954)
Released February 18, 2025
Hosted by Choice Classic Radio

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Introduction

In the February 2, 1954 episode of Dragnet, titled "The Big Filth," listeners are transported into the gritty streets of Los Angeles, following Sergeant Joe Friday and Policewoman Irene Gardner as they unravel a troubling case of child neglect and possible foul play. The episode masterfully blends authentic police procedures with compelling storytelling, embodying the essence of old-time radio detective dramas.

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Case Assignment and Initial Investigation

The episode opens with Sergeant Joe Friday receiving an assignment to investigate the disappearance of a mother and the welfare of her four children. Mrs. Crystal Eggers approaches Friday with concerns about the Telford family living next door, particularly noting the absence of the mother, Rowena Telford, for the past ten days.

Key Interaction:

• Mrs. Eggers [00:56]: “You talked to Captain Powers?”
• Joe Friday [02:40]: “It was Friday, February 8th. It was raining in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch out of juvenile detail.”

This sets the stage for the investigation, highlighting the potential for a deeper family crisis beyond mere neglect.

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Exploration of the Telford Residence

Joe Friday and Irene Gardner, along with Mrs. Eggers, visit the Telford residence located at 1335 Georgia Street. The house is described as dilapidated, with overgrown weeds and signs of neglect. Inside, they discover two children, Martin and Kennedy Carol, hiding under dirty blankets, revealing signs of malnutrition and inadequate living conditions.

Atmospheric Description:

• Narrator [02:15]: “Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime... from crime to punishment.”

The stark portrayal of the household emphasizes the urgency and severity of the situation, prompting immediate action from the detectives.

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Interview with Rowena Telford

Upon their return, the detectives confront Rowena Telford. She is initially hostile and defensive, refusing to cooperate. Through persistent questioning, they uncover that Rowena had been struggling with alcoholism and a recent breakup with Willis Thatcher, adding layers to her personal turmoil.

Notable Quote:

• Rowena Telford [24:35]: “Cause if you don't, I'm gonna sue you and her and the city for every dime it's got.”

This outburst underscores her desperation and the strained relationship with her children, painting a complex picture of her character.

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Police Investigation and Breakthrough

Despite initial setbacks, including false leads and uncooperative witnesses, Sergeant Friday and Officer Gardner persist in their search. They utilize photographs and community tips to track down Willis Thatcher, leading to his arrest on suspicion of murder. The investigation reveals Rowena's deteriorating mental state and her inability to care for her children, culminating in her conviction for child endangerment.

Investigation Process:

• Joe Friday [12:08]: “We find a photograph of a man and a woman...”

The procedural accuracy in the investigation process showcases the meticulous nature of police work during the era, enhancing the authenticity of the narrative.

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Trial and Conclusion

The episode concludes with the trial of Rowena Esther Telford, who is convicted of endangering the lives and safety of her children. The children are placed in foster care, ensuring their safety and well-being. The narrative closes with a reinforcement of the police's unwavering commitment to justice.

Conclusion and Reflection:

• Narrator [27:27]: “You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files.”

This ending not only wraps up the case but also reinforces the show's dedication to presenting realistic and responsible law enforcement stories.

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Notable Themes and Insights

1. Child Welfare and Neglect: The primary focus on the Telford children highlights societal concerns regarding child welfare and the responsibilities of parents.

2. Alcoholism and Its Impact: Rowena Telford's struggle with alcoholism serves as a critical factor leading to her inability to care for her children, reflecting the broader social issues of the time.

3. Police Procedural Realism: The episode's dedication to accurate police procedures provides listeners with a sense of realism, setting it apart from purely fictional detective stories.

4. Community Vigilance: Mrs. Eggers' role exemplifies the importance of community members in identifying and reporting potential issues, showcasing a collaborative approach to maintaining neighborhood safety.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps

• Joe Friday [03:03]: “Well, seems like everybody in town's climbed on this one. Really making a big thing out of it.”

• Pamela Telford [03:46]: “I could spot this woman. Seen a lot of them.”

• Rowena Telford [25:10]: “Cause if you don't, I'm gonna sue you and her and the city for every dime it's got.”

• Rowena Telford [26:35]: “What I'm going to give that little. Steve.”

• Joe Friday [27:22]: “We have them downtown, Ms. Telford.”

These quotes capture the tension, personal struggles, and the relentless pursuit of truth that drive the narrative forward.

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Conclusion

"The Big Filth" episode of Dragnet stands as a testament to the Golden Age of Radio's ability to weave intricate and emotionally resonant stories. Through the diligent efforts of Sergeant Friday and Officer Gardner, listeners are treated to a compelling exploration of familial disintegration, societal neglect, and the unwavering pursuit of justice. The episode not only entertains but also enlightens, offering a poignant commentary on the challenges faced by law enforcement and the communities they serve.

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Credits:
Dragnet is brought to you by Choice Classic Radio. Scripts by Jack Webb, with technical advice from the Los Angeles Police Department. Featuring performances by Jack Webb as Joe Friday and other talented voice actors. Produced with authentic soundscapes and original 1950s radio production techniques to deliver an immersive listening experience.

Transcript

[Joe Friday]

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[Irene Gardner]

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[Joe Friday]

To launch their podcasts. Launch your podcast on Podbean today. My school uses Podbean. My church too. I love it. I really do.

[Narrator]

Welcome to Choice Classic Radio where we.

[Joe Friday]

Bring to you the greatest old time radio shows like us on Facebook.

[Narrator]

Subscribe to us on YouTube and thank you for [e-mail].

[Voiceover]

Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

[Narrator]

Dragnet is brought to you by Chesterfield. Made by Liggett and Myers. First major tobacco company to bring you a complete line of quality cigarettes.

[Voiceover]

You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a juvenile detail. Four children in your city have apparently been abandoned by their mother. There's no trace of the woman's whereabouts. There's a possibility of foul play. Your job, investigate. Today you hear these three words everywhere. Chesterfield's for me. The cigarette tested and approved by 30 years of scientific tobacco research. Chesterfield's for me. The cigarette with a proven good record with smokers and first cigarette to have such a record. Chesterfield's for me. Chesterfield gives you proof of highest quality, low nicotine. The taste you want, the mildness you want. The Chesterfield you smoke today is the best cigarette ever made and best for you.

[Narrator]

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.

[Joe Friday]

It was Friday, February 8th. It was raining in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch out of juvenile detail. My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Powers. My name's Friday. I was on my way back from juvenile hall and it was 7:46pm when I got to 1335 Georgia street, the office.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Joe?

[Voiceover]

Yeah.

[Joe Friday]

Irene.

[Mrs. Eggers]

You talked to Captain Powers?

[Joe Friday]

Yeah. The way it looks, Frank's gonna be tied up in court for a couple of days.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Going kinda hard gang war, isn't it?

[Joe Friday]

Well, seems like everybody in town's climbed on this one. Really making a big thing out of it.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Uh huh.

[Joe Friday]

Fellow skipper said I was supposed to give you a hand on anything that might come up.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Then you just made it. Woman in the next office you Better talk to her.

[Joe Friday]

What's it about?

[Mrs. Eggers]

It'd be better if you got it straight from her.

[Joe Friday]

What is she, a crank?

[Mrs. Eggers]

I don't think so.

[Pamela Telford]

See what you can figure.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Mrs. Eggers?

[Pamela Telford]

Yes, Ms. Gardner. You ready to do something about this?

[Mrs. Eggers]

Yes, ma'am. I'd like you to meet Sergeant Friday. Joe, this is Mrs. Eggers.

[Pamela Telford]

How do you do, Ms. Eggers?

[Mrs. Eggers]

If you'd give him the story the way you told it to me.

[Pamela Telford]

You bet I will. Sit down, young man. I'll tell you all about it. All right, get your book out.

[Joe Friday]

I beg your pardon?

[Pamela Telford]

Your book. You're going to take some notations, aren't you?

[Joe Friday]

Well, if you'll just tell us what this is all about.

[Pamela Telford]

Yeah, well, I don't want you to get the idea that I'm the nosy type. I'm not. It's just that I take an interest in the things that go on around me. Civil minded. The way they put in the papers. Course, there are people who say that I pay too much mind to their business. But it isn't true. Not a bit of it.

[Mrs. Eggers]

If you tell the sergeant what happened.

[Pamela Telford]

Oh, yeah. Well, these people moved into the house about six months ago. The five of them?

[Joe Friday]

Yes, ma'am.

[Pamela Telford]

Stevie, Pamela, Carol Martin and the mother, Rowena. Four kids and the mother.

[Joe Friday]

All right. Would you like to go on?

[Pamela Telford]

Well, now, right off I could spot this woman. Seen a lot of them.

[Joe Friday]

How do you mean that, Ms. Eggers?

[Pamela Telford]

You can make it Crystal if it's any easier.

[Joe Friday]

Yes, ma'am. What did you mean that you've seen.

[Pamela Telford]

A lot of them alkies, you know, drunks.

[Joe Friday]

Mm.

[Pamela Telford]

Well, she's one. I could spot it right off her. And those four beautiful children. Yeah, well, first few months they lived there, I'd maybe see her a couple times a week. You know, going in the house or coming out. Just a couple times a week.

[Joe Friday]

I see.

[Pamela Telford]

Last week, 10 days, I haven't seen her at all, not even a little sight. So right off I figured that something was wrong. That's the way it looks to me.

[Joe Friday]

All right. Thank you, Ms. Eggers. We'll check on the house right away.

[Pamela Telford]

That's what I wanted this policewoman to do. Told her I'd go right along with you.

[Joe Friday]

Well, that won't be necessary.

[Pamela Telford]

Now listen, young man, if there's anything wrong with them kids, I want to know about it. I'm gonna do my part. The whole neighborhood's talking.

[Joe Friday]

Is that right?

[Pamela Telford]

Sure. Little Stevie's been to all the houses looking for something to do asking for work. It just seems to me that there's something wrong about the whole caboodle of them. Not seeing the mother and the way the boy don't eat the lunch plate. Not seeing the other kids. There's something that don't fit over there.

[Joe Friday]

All right, ma'am, we'll look right into it.

[Pamela Telford]

You just do that. Well, see, what I say is true.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Thank you, Mrs. Eggers.

[Pamela Telford]

Don't go thanking me. Just trying to be civil minded, that's all. Just seems that there isn't anybody who cares about those kids.

[Joe Friday]

Well, that's not true, Ms. Eggers.

[Voiceover]

What we do.

[Joe Friday]

8:14Pm Policewoman Irene Gardner and I left the office and drove over to the address the Eggers woman had given us. The house was a small one story clapboard building located on the rear of a lot. The front yard was overgrown with weeds and there were neighborhood advertising papers lying around. When we arrived, there was a faint light on in one of the front rooms. Irene and I went up to the front door and we knocked. We got no answer. I tried the door, but we found it locked. There was no sound from inside the place. The shades were drawn over the window so that it was impossible for us to see into the house. We walked around to the rear and tried the back door.

[Pamela Telford]

Locked?

[Joe Friday]

Yeah. Doesn't look like there's anybody home.

[Steve Telford]

Mm.

[Joe Friday]

Let's talk to that Aeggers woman again, huh?

[Mrs. Eggers]

All right.

[Joe Friday]

Doesn't make a lot of sense, does it? From the story she gave us, the kid should be at home.

[Mrs. Eggers]

She might be seeing things, Joe. You know, trying to figure out some way to get attention.

[Joe Friday]

Yeah, might be. Didn't seem like that to me, though. Jo, what do you got there?

[Mrs. Eggers]

The front window. There. You see it?

[Joe Friday]

Yeah. There's somebody in there. Come on, let's go try it again.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Yeah? Not answering.

[Joe Friday]

Come on, open up in there. We know you're in there. Come on, open the door.

[Rowena Telford]

What do you want?

[Joe Friday]

Police officers. Let us in.

[Irene Gardner]

There's nothing wrong. Go away.

[Joe Friday]

No, we can't do that. Now, come on, open up.

[Rowena Telford]

Who you going to arrest?

[Joe Friday]

Nobody. We just want to talk to you.

[Irene Gardner]

You sure that's all?

[Joe Friday]

That's right.

[Irene Gardner]

Okay. Just a minute.

[Rowena Telford]

What do you want?

[Joe Friday]

You Pamela Telford?

[Irene Gardner]

I haven't done anything wrong.

[Joe Friday]

We didn't say you did.

[Irene Gardner]

Then what are you doing around here? What are you looking for?

[Mrs. Eggers]

Is your mother in?

[Irene Gardner]

What?

[Mrs. Eggers]

Is your mother home?

[Irene Gardner]

Well, yeah, she's here.

[Joe Friday]

Well, we'd like to see her if it's all right.

[Irene Gardner]

You can't. You can't see her.

[Joe Friday]

We're afraid we're going to have to.

[Irene Gardner]

She's lying down asleep. That's why you can't talk to her.

[Joe Friday]

Well, what's the matter, little girl?

[Irene Gardner]

Nothing. Why'd you ask something like that?

[Joe Friday]

Don't you think you better let us in? We're going to have to talk to your mother.

[Irene Gardner]

But she's asleep. She's tired. You can't talk to her. You can't.

[Joe Friday]

Ah, come on. You want to go and wake her up? There's some things we've got to talk to her about.

[Mrs. Eggers]

I wonder if we could come in. It's kind of wet out here.

[Pamela Telford]

How about it?

[Joe Friday]

Then you can get your mother and we can have our talk, huh?

[Irene Gardner]

I guess you can come in. I guess it's all right.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Come on in, Joe.

[Joe Friday]

Yeah. The front room was about 12ft square. The only light in the room came from a candle and a jelly glass on a table. The only furniture in the place was the table that held the candle and a torn artificial leather and chrome couch. The floor was covered with paper, rain soaked cardboard boxes and dirty clothes. At a half a dozen different places, drops of dirty water were seeping through the roof. The water was being caught in empty tin cans that had been placed around the room. To the left was a door to a bedroom. In it, in a wooden crib, were two children. From the descriptions we'd gotten from the Eggers woman, we recognized them as Martin Telford, age 4, and his sister Kennedy Carol, age 2. As soon as the children saw Irene and me, they hid their heads under the dirty blanket that covered the crib. There was nothing else in the room except a dirty mattress lying on the floor in one corner. From the appearance of the bedding, it hadn't been laundered or changed in at least three weeks. On the other side of the house, a small kitchen was piled high with dirty dishes, pieces of rotting food and empty tin cans. The plumbing in the house had apparently been out of order for several weeks. While Irene and I looked over the house, the girl who'd met us at the door, Pamela Telford, followed us. When we got back to the front room, she started to cry. All right, you want to tell us where she is? Come on, Pamela. It's not as bad as all that, is it? Here. Here's a handkerchief. Here you are. Now, where's your mother?

[Irene Gardner]

She's out looking for a job.

[Mrs. Eggers]

It's kind of late for that, isn't it?

[Irene Gardner]

I don't know. That's what she's Doing, though? Out looking for a job.

[Joe Friday]

Well, now, why'd you tell us that she was here tonight?

[Irene Gardner]

Because I didn't know what you wanted. I thought you were trying to arrest her.

[Joe Friday]

Why'd you think that?

[Irene Gardner]

Because that's what she said.

[Joe Friday]

Your mother said that?

[Irene Gardner]

Yes. She told us that policemen arrested people. She told us about it. How you did it once to her.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Your mother's been arrested?

[Irene Gardner]

Yes.

[Joe Friday]

Do you know why?

[Irene Gardner]

Because she was.

[Joe Friday]

But what for, do you know?

[Irene Gardner]

She got sick. She got sick and they put her in jail. That's why I told you she was asleep. I thought that you'd go away and leave us alone.

[Mrs. Eggers]

It's sure cold in here.

[Joe Friday]

Yeah.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Do you have any heat in the house, Pamela?

[Irene Gardner]

There's a heater in the bedroom.

[Mrs. Eggers]

I'll turn it on.

[Irene Gardner]

It doesn't work.

[Mrs. Eggers]

What?

[Irene Gardner]

The heater doesn't work. Marty was playing one day and he broke the little rods in it. It doesn't work anymore.

[Mrs. Eggers]

We should be able to get some heat out of it.

[Irene Gardner]

No, you won't. There isn't any gas. They turned it off.

[Joe Friday]

Well, I think maybe you youngsters better come downtown with us, don't you think?

[Irene Gardner]

Why?

[Joe Friday]

Well, it'll be warm down there. A lot more comfortable for you.

[Irene Gardner]

We can't go. We gotta wait here.

[Joe Friday]

That's all right, Pamela. We'll leave word for your mother where you are. Maybe that's your mother now, huh?

[Rowena Telford]

No, it's Steve. Who are you? He's a policeman. What do you want? There's nothing wrong here. Nothing for you to come buttin in for.

[Joe Friday]

We wanna see your mother, son.

[Rowena Telford]

She hasn't done anything. Why don't you cops leave her alone all the time you're after? Never leave her alone.

[Mrs. Eggers]

You're kind of rough for a little guy, aren't you?

[Rowena Telford]

It's none of your business. I know my rights. I know I'm good.

[Joe Friday]

Now, look here, son. We're gonna take you downtown, give you a good meal. Just until we can talk to your mother, that's all.

[Rowena Telford]

Then you're gonna bring us back?

[Joe Friday]

Well, we'll see.

[Rowena Telford]

How about Marty and Carol? You taking them too?

[Joe Friday]

Yeah.

[Rowena Telford]

Gonna give them something to eat?

[Joe Friday]

Yes, that's right.

[Rowena Telford]

Okay. We'll go with you. Just for tonight, though. That's all. Just for the night. You understand?

[Joe Friday]

Yeah.

[Rowena Telford]

Want another thing?

[Joe Friday]

Yes. What's that?

[Rowena Telford]

We're paying our own way. I've got money. Anything you give us, we're gonna pay for it.

[Joe Friday]

You won't have to do that, son.

[Rowena Telford]

Well, I'm going to. We don't need charity. We're getting along all right. Everybody has a little rough luck now and then. Everybody? Mom tries. She really does. She's been looking for a job for a long time.

[Joe Friday]

All right, Steve, you want to help get the others ready to leave.

[Rowena Telford]

I'm not sure we can go.

[Joe Friday]

I'm afraid you're going to have to, son.

[Rowena Telford]

All right, but just for tonight. But the only reason is that I want Marty and Carol and Pamela to have something hot to eat. There's something wrong with the stove since we can't cook on it. That's the only reason we're going. Just because there's something wrong with the stove.

[Irene Gardner]

The gas is turned off.

[Rowena Telford]

No, it isn't. It just don't work. But whatever we eat, whatever we get, we're gonna pay for it. I've got the money.

[Joe Friday]

Well, now, I told you once before, that won't be necessary.

[Rowena Telford]

Well, it is, too. We're not taking any charity. We've never taken any. We're not gonna start now, either. Anything that's done for us is going to be paid for.

[Joe Friday]

Yeah, I guess that's right, Steve, huh? It'll be paid for. 8:56pm Men from the crime lab arrived and photographed the entire house. The pictures were held for evidence. A search of the house showed that there was no food for the children. In a cardboard box in the bedroom, under a pile of toilet articles, we found a photograph of a man and a woman taken at what appeared to be a beach photographer. Irene and I checked through the rest of the house, but we found nothing that would indicate where the mother of the four Telford children had gone. The youngsters were taken to juvenile hall, bathed, given clean clothes and fed. At first, Steve Telford refused to eat anything until he was assured that his two sisters and his brother were being given the same kind of food. After the boy had finished eating, Irene and I talked to him. His previous uncooperative attitude had changed, and he seemed anxious to help us find his mother.

[Rowena Telford]

This is the longest she's ever been gone. Begin to think there might be something wrong.

[Joe Friday]

Well, when did you see her last, Steve?

[Rowena Telford]

This is Friday, isn't it?

[Mrs. Eggers]

Yes.

[Steve Telford]

February 8th.

[Rowena Telford]

It was last Tuesday then.

[Joe Friday]

You mean this week, son.

[Rowena Telford]

No, a week ago. A week ago Tuesday.

[Joe Friday]

Well, what did she say when she left?

[Rowena Telford]

Just like always. She said she wasn't feeling very good and she was going out and trying to look for work.

[Mrs. Eggers]

What kind of work does she do?

[Rowena Telford]

She's a waitress. Good one, too.

[Joe Friday]

Mm.

[Rowena Telford]

That's the trouble. I Guess she's so good.

[Mrs. Eggers]

What do you mean?

[Rowena Telford]

Well, there are only a couple of places that mom says are any good. Well, you know where she want to work.

[Joe Friday]

I don't believe I understand what you mean, Steve.

[Rowena Telford]

Well, mom always said that she wasn't just a hash slinger.

[Irene Gardner]

That's what she called it.

[Joe Friday]

Oh, I see.

[Rowena Telford]

She said that she was a waitress and she couldn't go to work just anyplace.

[Joe Friday]

Where'd she work last?

[Rowena Telford]

A big place out in Beverly Hills.

[Irene Gardner]

Forgot the name right now.

[Rowena Telford]

But when she got the job, before she went to work, mom took us out there. We didn't go right in, but we stood in front and looked at it. Big place, real nice, you know. All kind of glass in front. You could see the people inside having a good time. We didn't go in, but we could see it good.

[Joe Friday]

How long did your mother work there?

[Irene Gardner]

Well, she.

[Rowena Telford]

She had some trouble and she had to quit.

[Mrs. Eggers]

What do you mean, trouble?

[Rowena Telford]

Well, she got sick. And the man who was her boss got mad at her. And I guess he said a lot of things her mom didn't like. So mom told him that he couldn't talk to her like that. And then she quit.

[Joe Friday]

Your mother ever tell you what was wrong with her, Steve?

[Rowena Telford]

No, she didn't.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Did she see a doctor about it?

[Rowena Telford]

You might as well know it. You're gonna find out anyway.

[Joe Friday]

What's that, son?

[Rowena Telford]

Her mom drank a lot. Sometimes she'd drink too much and then she'd get sick. That's what was wrong.

[Joe Friday]

Where's your father, Steve?

[Rowena Telford]

He died before Carol was born. Right before.

[Joe Friday]

I want you to take a look at a picture for us. Will you look at it and tell us if you know who the man in it is?

[Rowena Telford]

All right.

[Joe Friday]

There you are.

[Rowena Telford]

That's Mom.

[Mrs. Eggers]

You know who the man is?

[Rowena Telford]

No, I don't think I ever saw him before.

[Joe Friday]

Did your mother have any men friends?

[Rowena Telford]

No, I don't think so. At least she never told me about him. She always said that the kids were enough for her. That we were all that mattered. She used to say that when she got a steady job, we were all going to live good. She used to tell us how one day the phone would ring and all our troubles would be over. Just like that. One day we've had a little trouble, and the next everything was going to be all right. She really believed it, too. Just all of a sudden the phone was going to ring and all our troubles would be over. I didn't know how to tell her.

[Joe Friday]

Tell her what, son?

[Rowena Telford]

That they turned the phone off.

[Joe Friday]

We had the name Rowena Telford checked through R and I. We found that the boy's story was true. The woman had been arrested once on a charge of 4127 a LAMC being drunk in a public place. Irene put in a call to the waitresses union and asked them to check to see if the woman was working any place in town. They came back with the information that the last job she'd held had been six months before and that she'd been fired for insubordination and for being drunk. We showed the picture of the man and woman that we'd found at the Telford home around the department in the hopes that one of the officers might recognize the place where it was taken. None of them did. The next morning we had several copies made and we began a search of the bars along Fifth Street. We asked each bartender if he'd ever seen the man or the woman in the first four places we checked. We got yes answers to the query about the woman. But none of the people we talked to could tell us anything about the man in the picture. Two more days passed without results. In the meantime, a warrant had been issued ordering the arrest of Rowena Telford, charging her with child neglect. A local and an APB were gotten out on her. On the third day, after we'd started our search for the missing woman, we talked with a bartender who was able to give us the name of the man in the picture. He described the man as a fry cook in one of the smaller restaurants down on Fifth Street. We checked the restaurant, but we found that he'd been fired on Monday 28th January. A check of his home address gave us no indication as to where he might be. Irene and I went back to the office and checked the name through R and I. Joe? Yeah? Did you come up with anything?

[Mrs. Eggers]

Check the name. He's registered as an ex convict.

[Joe Friday]

Uh huh. Where'd he fall?

[Mrs. Eggers]

Back in Pennsylvania. Did time for adw.

[Joe Friday]

Well, we better talk to him, huh?

[Mrs. Eggers]

Right. Looks awful good. Why you say that what he was arrested for?

[Joe Friday]

Yeah.

[Mrs. Eggers]

He tried to beat a woman to death.

[Narrator]

You are listening to Dragnet, the authentic story of your police force in action.

[Voiceover]

Meet Peter Lynn Hayes and Mary Healey, America's favorite husband and wife comedy team. They are typical of smokers everywhere who are saying Chesterfield's for me.

[Pamela Telford]

Mary says I've smoked regular sized Chesterfields for about seven years. Guess that ought to prove how I feel about Chesterfield's taste and mildness.

[Voiceover]

Peter says Chesterfield's for me too Far as I'm concerned, King is the only size and like Mary says, Chesterfield is the only cigarette.

[Pamela Telford]

Either way you light them, I bet you'll find chesterfield is best for you.

[Voiceover]

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[Joe Friday]

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[Irene Gardner]

Thousands of businesses and enterprises trust Podbean.

[Joe Friday]

To launch their podcasts. Use Podbean to record your podcast. Use PodBean AI to optimize your podcast. Use PodBean AI to turn your blog into a podcast. Use Podbean to distribute your podcast everywhere. Launch your podcast on Podbean. Today, an immediate search was started for the man in the picture with Rowena Telford. From friends of his. We found that we might be able to locate him at a hamburger stand down at Santa Monica. Tuesday, February 12th. Policewoman Irene Gardner and I drove down to the beach.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Should be it up there, huh?

[Joe Friday]

Yeah. Go ahead.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Thanks. It's warm in here.

[Joe Friday]

Yeah. You like to see Willis Thatcher?

[I]

What?

[Pamela Telford]

For police officers.

[Mrs. Eggers]

You're a Thatcher, aren't you?

[Joe Friday]

Yeah.

[I]

What do you want with me?

[Joe Friday]

A couple questions we'd like to ask you. Sure.

[I]

I got nothing to hide. No reason to give you any trouble. What do you want to know?

[Joe Friday]

You know a woman named Rowena Telford?

[I]

Why do you ask that?

[Joe Friday]

It's a simple question, Thatcher. Can you give us the right kind of an answer? How about it?

[I]

Yeah, I know her. Why? What's she done now?

[Joe Friday]

When did you see her last? I don't know.

[I]

A couple weeks ago.

[Joe Friday]

Narrow that down, will you?

[I]

Why? Listen, anything she did, I had no part of.

[Mrs. Eggers]

We understand you were pretty friendly with her.

[I]

That's not true. Sure, maybe I had a couple of dates with her. Not more than a couple. That's it. And anybody in the world could put up with her for more than that.

[Joe Friday]

Why do you say anything like that?

[I]

You ever know her?

[Joe Friday]

No, we're looking for her.

[I]

You?

[Mrs. Eggers]

No, I've never met her.

[I]

That's how come you can ask that kind of question. And if you knew her, if you spent any time with her, you had to Know what I mean.

[Joe Friday]

I suppose. You tell us.

[I]

She's a lush. A real lush. All the time boozing it up. Wasn't so bad that she got loaded. But she was real loud when she was tanked up.

[Voiceover]

Real loud.

[Joe Friday]

Is that right?

[Steve Telford]

Sure.

[I]

Check around Ask her friends. Talk to them. They'll all tell you the same story, every one of them. First off, she'd have a couple of drinks. Next thing you know, any fellow with her be trying to get out of a place without getting his head knocked off. She was always starting trouble. Sit down, order a drink. The next thing you know, some guy was asking you outside. Well, I ain't built to go outside too often. I get hurt bad when I fight.

[Joe Friday]

She have any other boyfriends?

[I]

You don't listen very good, dear.

[Joe Friday]

What's that?

[I]

I told you, isn't anybody around here had had much to do with. As far as I know, there wasn't nobody who went with her.

[Mrs. Eggers]

How'd she seem the last time you saw her?

[I]

All right. She had a little hangover. She always had one of those.

[Joe Friday]

Seemed depressed about anything?

[I]

Not that she talked about.

[Joe Friday]

Mm. Did you say anything about leaving town?

[I]

Not to me. Listen, how about giving me a break and telling me what this is all about? What do you have to Rowena for.

[Joe Friday]

These fights you told us about? You ever have any arguments with Ms. Telford?

[I]

I don't think that's any of your business.

[Joe Friday]

We're writing it down that it is. Now, how about an answer?

[I]

We had a couple of beefs. I told you you couldn't go around with her, not have a little trouble.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Did you ever hit her?

[I]

We're back to that, huh?

[Mrs. Eggers]

What do you mean?

[I]

You know, the record, the time I did. You figured maybe I did something to Rowena, Isn't that it? You think I heard her?

[Joe Friday]

We're asking you.

[I]

Well, you're way off the road. I ain't gonna try to con you. Sure, maybe I had a lot of reasons to want a belder. I used to think a lot of Rowena. Awful lot. But that's all over. All I want her to do is to leave me alone. Stay away from me. I didn't ever hit her. I didn't hurt her, no matter what you think.

[Joe Friday]

All right.

[I]

You gotta believe that. I guess it sounds funny. I ain't trying to fool anybody. I'm ready to admit it. I'm a bum. She didn't have to keep telling me. Not all the time. I knew it. Nobody likes to be called a bum, even if you know it's true.

[Joe Friday]

1:47Pm we drove the suspect over to his rooming house and we checked the premises. We found nothing that would definitely tie him in with the disappearance of the Telford woman. After leaving his room, we took him downtown where he was held for further investigation. On a charge of suspicion of murder. We checked communications, but we found that there'd been no word on the missing woman. Her name and description had been checked through the files in Missing Persons Bureau without results. 3:40pm Frank came by the office and said that the trial he was attending was dragging on and it would be a couple more days before he'd be back on duty with me. A petition was filed on behalf of the children, charging violation of Section 273 APC, unfit home, asking that they be made wards of the juvenile court. Policewoman Irene Gardner put in a call to the next door neighbor of the Telford woman, but we'd found that there'd been no trace of the missing woman since we'd removed the children. 5:12pm we finished up the log for the day and we were leaving the office. I got it. Juvenile Friday. Yeah, that's right. Yeah. What's that address? Yeah. Mm. Yes, sir, we'll be right there. Right. Thank you.

[Mrs. Eggers]

What do you got?

[Joe Friday]

Bar over on East 6th.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Yeah?

[Joe Friday]

Rowena Telford just walked in. The bartender was one of those that we'd questioned when we first started our investigation. At the time, he knew the Telford woman, but he said that he hadn't seen her for several weeks. On the phone he told me that she just walked into his bar. Irene Gardner and I left the office and drove over to the East 6th street address, but the woman had just left. We had her description and a description of the clothes she was wearing. We put that out to all cars in the area, but she was not picked up. Irene Gardner and I went back to the office and we put out a supplementary bulletin on the woman. At 8:14pm we got a call from the woman who'd made the original complaint, Mrs. Crystal Eggers. She told us that the Telford woman had just walked into her own home. Irene and I left the office and we drove out to the house on Vallejo Street.

[Mrs. Eggers]

Right on. She would still be home.

[Joe Friday]

Yeah.

[Steve Telford]

Who is it?

[Joe Friday]

Police officers. We'd like to talk to you.

[Rowena Telford]

Just a minute.

[Steve Telford]

It's about time you got here. You got em yet?

[Joe Friday]

I beg your pardon?

[Steve Telford]

You got the little brats. They all run off. All of them. Get my hands on them and they're gonna get what for. Where are they?

[Joe Friday]

We have them downtown, Ms. Telford.

[Steve Telford]

Why don't you bring them home? This is where they belong. I get my hands on them. Oh, what I'm gonna give that little. Steve.

[Joe Friday]

You mind if we come in?

[Steve Telford]

No, come right ahead. You gotta kinda excuse the way the House looks I've been away for a couple of days. You can see how the kids can mess the place up.

[Joe Friday]

I'm Sergeant Friday. This is Ms. Gardner.

[Steve Telford]

Oh, how you do. Would you like to start?

[Mrs. Eggers]

No, that's all right.

[Steve Telford]

How come you didn't bring them back?

[Joe Friday]

They're being held in Juvenile Hall, Mrs. Telford.

[Steve Telford]

For what?

[Joe Friday]

Well, when we found them, they were suffering from malnutrition. This place here, it's not fit for youngsters.

[Steve Telford]

Oh, so you just took them out and put them in a home the way it is?

[Joe Friday]

Yes, ma'am, that's the way it is.

[Steve Telford]

Well, you've got your nerve, you really have.

[Mrs. Eggers]

What?

[Steve Telford]

You coming in here and breaking up a home like this. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.

[Joe Friday]

We have a warrant for your arrest.

[Steve Telford]

Me?

[Joe Friday]

Yes, ma'am.

[Steve Telford]

Now, you listen to me, cops. You've got no right to come in here and break up my home. I know all about you cops. All about you. Pussyfooting around, trying to make everybody think you're so good. I know you for what you are, and I tell you this.

[Joe Friday]

Yes, ma'am. What's that?

[Steve Telford]

You better get those kids back here fast. You hear me? You got them back here fast. Cause if you don't, I'm gonna sue you and her and the city for every dime it's got. I'll take this to any part in the country I have to, but I'm gonna get my kids back. You ain't half as good as you think you are. You want it plain, Real plain, so you can understand it. You stink, that's what. All of you stink.

[Joe Friday]

All right, ma'am, I think that's enough of that. Where have you been for the last two weeks?

[Steve Telford]

It was the most terrible thing that ever happened to me. To anybody. He told me he loved me and said we was gonna get married. I thought it'd be nice for the kids. That's what I thought. For the kids. And we was gonna drive down to Mexico and get married. It was all nice and everything was going nice. I gave Stevie a couple of dollars and told him to take care of things. Then we left and drove all the way to San Diego without stopping. And then we had some lunch on the way to get married. Had a couple of drinks just to make the food taste better, that's all. Then all of a sudden, I got sick again. And he walked out on me. Left me right there in the bar, all by myself. All the promises he made to me, all the things he was going to have. All of it just A lot of lies. Soon as I get a little sick. Just had a couple of drinks. He walked out on me. Left me right there. All by myself, you know. All by myself. I didn't have no money, no way to get back. What was I going to do? I believed him. I really thought he was going to marry me. I believed all he said. How things were going to be better. I believed it all. The dirtiest trick I ever heard of. Walking out on a girl like that. A dirty trick.

[Joe Friday]

I got one to beat it. The one you pulled on your children.

[Voiceover]

The story you've just heard is true. The names were changed to protect the innocent.

[Narrator]

On June 4, trial was held in Department 97, Superior Court of the State of California in and for the county of Los Angeles. In a moment, the results of that trial.

[Voiceover]

Now here is our star, Jack Webb.

[Joe Friday]

Thank you, George Feniman. Friends, we've tried very hard to set a Dragnet standard. Now, to put that in just a few words. We try to make each program the kind of entertainment that you want. Now, we're going to keep working real hard at that. And you know the people who make Chesterfields feel the same way about their cigarette. To sell a product, you have to make it good and keep it good. And the latest reports from our research lab shows Chesterfield is highest in quality. Highest in quality, low in nicotine smoke. America's most popular two way cigarette, Chesterfield, regular or king size. They're milder, they're satisfying. They're best for me, best for you.

[Narrator]

Rowena Esther Telford was tried and convicted of Violation of Section 273 APC endangering the life and safety of a minority, which is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail for a period of not more than one year. The four Telford children were made wards of the juvenile court and were placed in foster homes. 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, Sergeant Van Spracher. Heard tonight were June Whitley, Sammy Ogg, Virginia Gregg. Script by John Robinson. Music by Walter Schumann. Hal Gibney speaking.

[Voiceover]

Watch an entirely different Dragnet case history each week on your local NBC television station. Please check your newspapers for the day and time Chesterfield has brought you Dragnet. Transcribed from Los Angeles Filter tip Smokers. This is it. L and M filters. The one filtered cigarette with plenty of good taste and a pure non mineral filter. You get effective filtration because only the L and M filter contains the miracle product alpha cellulose. Entirely pure, harmless to health. You get much more flavor, much less nicotine. It's the light and mild smoke. Yes, this is it. As Ann Sheridan puts it, L and M filters are just what the doctor ordered today. Buy L and M filters.