This Is Your FBI: Kidnapping 04/20/1945

Summary

Summary of "This Is Your FBI: Kidnapping 04/20/1945"

Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Host: Choice Classic Radio
Episode: This Is Your FBI: Kidnapping 04/20/1945
Release Date: May 18, 2025

Overview:
In this gripping episode of This Is Your FBI, Choice Classic Radio delves into the enthralling tale of Frank and Sally Hadley, a cunning duo whose methodical approach to kidnapping and crime brought them face-to-face with the formidable prowess of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Set against the backdrop of the mid-20th century, the story underscores the evolution of criminal tactics and the corresponding advancements in federal investigative techniques.

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1. The Birth of a Criminal Partnership

The narrative begins by introducing Frank Hadley and his wife, Sally Hadley, a seemingly ordinary couple with a penchant for minor crimes. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes evident that Sally is the strategizer behind their escalating criminal activities.

Notable Quote:
Sally Hadley asserts her dominance and strategic mindset:

“You don’t have to tell me about that bank job, Frank. That was my idea. Just like everything’s been my idea.”
[02:37]

2. Escalation to Kidnapping

Driven by ambition and the desire to cement their reputation in the criminal underworld, Sally masterminds the kidnapping of Oklahoma millionaire Walter Montgomery. The meticulous planning highlights their transition from petty crimes to high-stakes offenses.

Notable Quote:
Sally emphasizes their ambition to be top-tier criminals:

“What’s the point of being anything if you can’t be the biggest, the best. If you can’t be number one. And that’s what we’re going to be, Frank. Number one.”
[03:28]

3. The Kidnapping Operation

On a tranquil Saturday night, Walter Montgomery is abducted from his home during a card game. The methodical execution of the kidnapping showcases the Hadleys' calculated approach.

Key Events:

• Frank and Sally infiltrate the Montgomery residence under the guise of potential real estate buyers.
• The abduction is swift, with Walter being blindfolded and transported away, leaving behind a deceptively empty wallet.

Notable Quote:
During the confrontation, the FBI agents assert their authority:

“Federal Bureau of Investigation.”
[26:02]

4. FBI Investigation and Clues

The FBI, alerted by Mrs. Montgomery, swiftly mobilizes to trace the kidnappers. Through meticulous interviewing and analysis, agents gather crucial clues from Walter's fragmented recollections.

Key Points:

• Walter recalls passing oil fields and a power plant, aiding the FBI in narrowing down the location.
• The tracing of ransom money through serial numbers becomes pivotal in tracking the Hadleys.

Notable Quote:
An FBI agent highlights the importance of public cooperation:

“For the FBI, anything can be a clue. The lights on a power plant, the smell of an oil field, the sound of an airplane.”
[11:56]

5. The Pursuit and Manipulation

As the FBI edges closer, the Hadleys attempt to outmaneuver the authorities. Sally's desperation leads her to involve innocent parties, showcasing the lengths she is willing to go to save her parents from incarceration.

Key Points:

• Sally crafts a deceptive letter to frame Frank, aiming to divert the FBI's attention.
• Interaction with Mr. Butler and his daughter introduces a subplot of unintended innocence caught in the Hadleys' schemes.

Notable Quote:
Sally confronts Frank's fears and manipulates him into compliance:

“When I married you, I thought you were a man who could be the number one boy in this country. I thought you had guts. Sally, what are you afraid of? You are number one. Now, you've got to show them that.”
[18:02]

6. The Climax: Capture of Frank Hadley

The relentless pursuit culminates in the FBI's strategic raid on the Hadleys' hideout. Despite the notorious reputation Frank had cultivated, he is apprehended without resistance, underscoring the effectiveness of federal efforts.

Key Points:

• The FBI leverages accumulated evidence and public cooperation to locate the farmhouse.
• Sally's final attempts to manipulate the situation fail, leading to the downfall of the Hadleys.

Notable Quote:
Frank, facing capture, pleads for mercy:

“Don’t shoot me.”
[26:56]

7. Resolution and Federal Efficiency

The episode concludes by highlighting the FBI's role as an ever-present protective force, emphasizing the importance of public cooperation in maintaining national security.

Key Points:

• The capture of the Hadleys serves as a testament to the FBI's evolving investigative techniques.
• The narrative reinforces the FBI's image as a dedicated and effective agency committed to upholding justice.

Notable Quote:
An FBI agent encapsulates the organization's ethos:

“Because the FBI, like our government, is created by the people, for the people. It is the people.”
[27:09]

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Insights and Conclusions

This Is Your FBI: Kidnapping 04/20/1945 serves as both a thrilling narrative and a historical snapshot of mid-20th-century law enforcement. The episode underscores the meticulous nature of FBI investigations and the transition from traditional community-based security to structured federal intervention. Through the lens of Frank and Sally Hadley's criminal endeavors, listeners gain an appreciation for the strategic depth and dedication of federal agents in safeguarding national security.

Furthermore, the story illustrates the complexities of criminal partnerships and the pivotal role of individual agency in both perpetrating and resolving crimes. Sally Hadley's character, in particular, exemplifies how personal motivations and relationships can significantly influence criminal behavior and decision-making processes.

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Production Notes:
The episode features performances by Leslie Woods as Sally Hadley and Mandel Kramer as Frank Hadley, with music directed by Van Cleave. Authored by Lawrence MacArthur and narrated by Frank Lovejoy, this production by Jerry Devine captures the essence of classic FBI radio dramas.

Transcript

[Fred]

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[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Welcome to Choice Classic Radio where we bring to you the greatest old time radio shows like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube and thank you for [e-mail] this is your FBI.

[FBI Narrator]

This is your FBI. An official broadcast from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, presented as a public service by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. To your FBI, you look for national security. And to the Equitable Society for financial security. These two great institutions are dedicated to the protection of you, your home and your country. Tonight, the story of a crime against the home. Kidnapping.

[FBI Agent]

Just as it takes a special type of criminal to become a Hitler, so it takes a special type to become a kidnapper. Someone who refuses to face the fact that eventually all kidnappers and those who aid them will be hunted down by the FBI until they are dead or brought to justice. Such criminals aren't born, they're made. Created by environment, by society, by circumstance. And in one case, a kidnapper was created by something else too. By his wife.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Sally. Ain't that enough for today? No, that last round was. No, Frank, I'm tired.

[Sally Hadley]

Then rest for a minute.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Dragging me out here every day for two weeks.

[Sally Hadley]

I'm a good enough shot for small time holdups.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Maybe that bank job was. No, sir.

[Sally Hadley]

You don't have to tell me about that bank job, Frank. That was my idea. Just like everything's been my idea.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Okay, it's all yours. Take the gun, too.

[Sally Hadley]

Darling. Darling, you know I didn't mean it that way. You know I plan everything just for you. Besides, I couldn't do it all myself.

[FBI Narrator]

If you could, you would.

[Sally Hadley]

Don't be silly.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

I don't know what the point of all this target practice is anyway.

[Sally Hadley]

Gonna give you a reputation.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

With two stretches behind me, I've got.

[Sally Hadley]

One like a hundred others. But you're going to be bigger. Bigger than all of them.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Bigger?

[FBI Agent]

Yes.

[Sally Hadley]

What's the Point of being anything if you can't be the biggest, the best. If you can't be number one. And that's what we're going to be, Frank. Number one.

[Frank Hadley]

You're crazy.

[Sally Hadley]

Wait and see.

[Frank Hadley]

Look.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Couple more bank jobs and we could be driving on gasoline for the rest of our lives.

[Sally Hadley]

That's what my father must have said to my mother. And what were they? Petty crooks. Now they have to live on what I hand out to them. No, darling, we're going to do it right. One real job and then we quit.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

What one real job?

[Sally Hadley]

Never mind.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Come on.

[Sally Hadley]

When we're ready, I'll tell you. Sally, darling, have I ever given you a bum steer?

[Walter Montgomery]

Well, have I?

[Frank Hadley]

No, but.

[Sally Hadley]

Now empty both barrels like a good boy and we'll call it quits for today.

[FBI Agent]

Professional criminals don't work alone. They help each other. The most successful are those who get the most help. And they get it through their reputations in the crime world. Sally Hadley learned this the way most people learn things. Through experience. She made her husband an expert with a sawed off shotgun. And then she made herself his press agent. She gave him a name, Shotgun Hadley. She passed out shells as souvenirs. She planned robberies and hold ups. Saw that he carried them out perfectly. She built up his reputation. And then she was ready. Ready for really big game. Ready for that hot Saturday night in July when an Oklahoma millionaire named Walter Montgomery was playing cards on the screen porch of his home with his wife and his best friend.

[Mrs. Montgomery]

There's no point in playing with you, Henry. You always win.

[FBI Narrator]

You and Walter.

[Mr. Butler]

Just let me win. Because I'm your guest.

[FBI Narrator]

Right, Walter?

[Frank Hadley]

I'm sorry. What'd you say, Henry?

[Walter Montgomery]

Oh, Walt.

[Frank Hadley]

I thought I heard a car stop down below.

[Mrs. Montgomery]

You always think you hear something nobody else does.

[Frank Hadley]

How about another hand?

[FBI Agent]

Not for me.

[Mr. Butler]

Me either. I'm about ready for bed.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Oh, why don't you sit down and keep quiet?

[Walter Montgomery]

What are you.

[FBI Agent]

Sit down.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

The shotgun works. Which one of you is Waller Montgomery?

[Frank Hadley]

Where do you want to know?

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Never mind. Which one of you is Montgomery? Which one of them's your husband, lady? Okay, I'll take both of them, but you can't.

[FBI Agent]

Shut up.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Come on, on your feet, boys. We're going for a little drive. Ever want to see your husband again? Stay away from the phone, Mrs. Montgomery. I told you, the shotgun works.

[FBI Agent]

One hour later, a blue sedan stopped at an intersection 12 miles from Oklahoma City. A man was shoved out and his empty wallet thrown after him. Then the car continued on its way with Walter Montgomery. Blindfolded on the back seat. Just about that time, Mrs. Montgomery was putting through a long distance call. She knew kidnapping was a federal offense. And following the Attorney General's advice to the public, she telephoned Mr. J. Edgar Hoover in Washington in less than 45 minutes. Special agents assigned by Mr. Hoover were on their way. They took no immediate action, not even four days later when Mrs. Montgomery received a typewritten letter. The first of a series of letters. The first of a series of ransom notes.

[Mrs. Montgomery]

There was this note from my husband enclosed in the letter.

[Walter Montgomery]

Are you sure that's his handwriting? Mrs. Montgomery?

[Mrs. Montgomery]

Yes. He said to give them the $200,000.

[Walter Montgomery]

He certainly set a high price. Did they give you instructions how to pay?

[Mrs. Montgomery]

Well, the letter says to watch for.

[Walter Montgomery]

An ad in the paper and then take an ad yourself.

[Mrs. Montgomery]

Yes.

[Walter Montgomery]

Then it told you not to notify the police.

[Mrs. Montgomery]

Yes.

[Walter Montgomery]

Not to take down the serial number of the bills and have only used $20 notes.

[Mrs. Montgomery]

How did you know?

[Walter Montgomery]

We haven't been reading your mail. It's just that kidnapping notes always follow the same pattern. Who do they want as the intermediary to deliver the money?

[Mrs. Montgomery]

Henry. Mr. Carroll. He's my husband's best friend.

[Walter Montgomery]

Well, if they put that ad in the paper tomorrow and you answer immediately, your husband should be back first of next week.

[Mrs. Montgomery]

Unless something happens.

[Walter Montgomery]

What do you mean?

[Mrs. Montgomery]

Mr. Schuyler?

[Walter Montgomery]

Yes.

[Mrs. Montgomery]

I want to cooperate with the government. I know kidnappers are the worst kind of criminals, but you see, I. Well, I want my husband back. Please don't do anything.

[Walter Montgomery]

Mrs. Montgomery, there's no need for you to worry. The first concern of the FBI in any kidnapping case is to get the victim home safely. We want to see your husband back here as much as you do. And we won't make one single move that will stand in the way of his coming back.

[FBI Agent]

Thank you. Three days later, arrangements were made to have a satchel containing $200,000 thrown from the observation platform of a speeding train at a certain spot in Oklahoma. Although no one knew it, the serial number of every bill was taken down and listed. And nine days after he was kidnapped, Walter Montgomery came home to his wife. He hadn't had much sleep, was very tired, but he was safe. He was alive. He was home. As soon as he'd recovered from the shock and rested, he was interviewed by the FBI.

[Walter Montgomery]

Now, Mr. Montgomery.

[Frank Hadley]

Yes.

[Walter Montgomery]

What was the last thing you saw before being blindfolded?

[Frank Hadley]

Why, a lot of lights. Must have been some kind of plant.

[Walter Montgomery]

Well, there was a power plant near where they dropped Mr. Carroll.

[Frank Hadley]

It could have Been a power plant.

[Walter Montgomery]

Now, on the way to the house, did you hear anything?

[Frank Hadley]

Well, one or two cars passed us, but. Oh, yes, we must have passed an oil field. Why? I heard the sound of the pumps, and twice I remember smelling gas.

[Walter Montgomery]

Then you passed two oil fields?

[Frank Hadley]

That's right.

[Walter Montgomery]

Now, how long after you passed that second field would you guess it was before you got to the house?

[Frank Hadley]

Oh, I don't know for sure. Not long, though.

[Walter Montgomery]

Fifteen minutes or less.

[Frank Hadley]

I think about 10, say.

[Walter Montgomery]

Good. Now, did the car drive right up to the house or did they stop for anything?

[Frank Hadley]

They stopped to open the gate.

[Walter Montgomery]

How do you know?

[Frank Hadley]

I heard a creak.

[Walter Montgomery]

And then they drove right up to the house?

[Frank Hadley]

No, they drove into some kind of a building. A barn, it must have been, because I could smell hay.

[Walter Montgomery]

Well, then the house is probably a farmhouse.

[Frank Hadley]

Yes. Yes.

[Walter Montgomery]

Was it close to the barn?

[Frank Hadley]

It was exactly 12 steps away. I counted.

[Walter Montgomery]

Glad you did. Now, tell me, did you have to go up any steps to the house?

[Frank Hadley]

Three. And they creaked.

[Walter Montgomery]

What happened when you got inside?

[Frank Hadley]

Well, they put cotton in my ears and taped it over with adhesives so I couldn't hear what they said. But every morning I could hear a rooster crow. And then about, oh, less than a minute afterward, the sound of an airplane passing over the house.

[Walter Montgomery]

An airplane? Did you hear it every day?

[Frank Hadley]

Yes. No, one day it didn't come.

[Walter Montgomery]

Which day?

[Frank Hadley]

Well, I don't know, but it rained that day.

[Walter Montgomery]

That was Sunday. That's the only day it rained while you were away. And that's the only day you didn't hear the airplane?

[Frank Hadley]

That's right. I don't know whether this is of any aid to you. At the time, I knew I should try to remember everything that happened so I could be of assistance.

[Walter Montgomery]

Mr. Montgomery, I think you've practically drawn us a map right to that farmhouse.

[FBI Agent]

For the FBI, anything can be a clue. The lights on a power plant, the smell of an oil field, the sound of an airplane. Using the information gotten from Mr. Montgomery, special agents mapped to circle a ring around the approximate location of the farmhouse. They went to the airlines, checked schedules, checked. Flights, checked what line did not run a plane. On that one Sunday, they figured over approximately what area. The early morning light passed and the ring around the farmhouse grew smaller, tighter. Closer. Now the FBI agents moved into the ring looking for the farmhouse. Looking for a farmhouse with a gate wide enough for a car to pass through. A farmhouse with a barn only 12 steps away. 12 steps away from a porch with three creaking stairs.

[Walter Montgomery]

4, 5, 6.

[Sally Hadley]

What do you want.

[Walter Montgomery]

I'm sorry. I didn't know there was anyone home.

[Mrs. Montgomery]

Well, you can see I'm home, can't you?

[FBI Agent]

Yes.

[Mrs. Montgomery]

What do you want?

[Walter Montgomery]

I'm representing a real estate company in Tulsa. We're looking over farms in this neighborhood with a view to buying them.

[Mrs. Montgomery]

You want to buy this farm?

[Walter Montgomery]

Does it belong to you?

[Mrs. Montgomery]

Well, it belongs to my daughter, Ms. Hadley.

[Walter Montgomery]

Sally Hadley?

[Mrs. Montgomery]

Yes. You know her?

[Walter Montgomery]

I've heard of her.

[Mrs. Montgomery]

Oh, she was gonna give me the place anyways. Now you wanna buy it?

[Walter Montgomery]

Well, looks like the right place to me. But I'll have to have some of the men in my company look it over this afternoon, if it's all right with you.

[Mrs. Montgomery]

Oh, it's fine with me.

[Walter Montgomery]

You'll be here?

[Mrs. Montgomery]

Yeah, I'll be here. Long as I can count on seeing you later.

[Walter Montgomery]

Oh, don't worry. You can count on seeing me. Definitely.

[FBI Narrator]

We momentarily closed the Federal Bureau of Investigation file of the case of Shotgun Hadley. We will return to this case in just a moment. In pioneer days, Americans looked to their neighbors for security. When Mrs. Brown was sick of bed, neighboring wives came over to help out. If her husband died. Neighbors saw to it that she and her children had clothes, food and shelter. But as the nation grew in population, as life became more complex, this neighborly security was no longer sufficient to take its place. In the year 1859, a group of Americans founded the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Today, it has grown into a strong mutual organization in which each member enjoys the advantages of association with 3,200,000 good neighbors who have pooled their dollars to protect each other. The Equitable management then puts these dollars to work in ways that benefit the entire nation. Equitable funds encourage home ownership. They lend the farmer a helping hand. They finance great industries on which our prosperity depends. So is it not right and proper to speak of life insurance funds as one of democracy's greatest assets? By serving its members, the Equitable serves America. And now back to the file on Shotgun Hadley, kidnapper.

[FBI Agent]

Small things, but enough for the FBI special agents to move swiftly on the trail of the kidnappers. The parents of Sally Hadley were arrested and jailed throughout the nation. The FBI sent a list of the serial numbers on the ransom money, sent a description of the kidnapper, sent the call and fine Shotgun Hadley. To the FBI, Frank Hadley was another criminal who had to be caught. To the nation, he was public enemy number one. To his wife, with whom he shared a hotel suite in St. Louis, Shotgun Hadley was a frightened fool.

[Sally Hadley]

We don't have to get out of here. Now, sit down and cool off. Darling.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Sally, they've got the serial numbers of this dough.

[Sally Hadley]

Shall I mix you another drink, too?

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

They've picked up some of the bills already.

[Sally Hadley]

Frank, will you sit down and relax?

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Sure. Sit down and wait for them to clap us in jail along with your mother and father.

[Sally Hadley]

They're not going to put us in jail because they're not going to catch us.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

They will if we don't get on the move.

[Sally Hadley]

We'll move, but there's something we've got to do first.

[FBI Agent]

What?

[Sally Hadley]

Sit down.

[Frank Hadley]

What for?

[Sally Hadley]

Come on. That's it, darling. Now you're going to write a letter.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

A letter?

[Sally Hadley]

Mm. Here's a pen and paper. Just write what I tell you.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Who's it to?

[Sally Hadley]

Just write what I tell you. Dear Mr. Hoover.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

What are you.

[Sally Hadley]

Go on. Dear Mr. Hoover. While you and your men are knocking yourselves out, Sally will no change that to wearing yourselves out? I am living on the fat of the land. Go on, darling.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Wait a minute. What's the rest of this going to say?

[Sally Hadley]

Oh, it's going to say that he'll never catch you because you're too good for him.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

What?

[Sally Hadley]

You did this alone, all by yourself, without anyone's help, and you did.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

What are you trying to do, tie a noose around my neck? Frank, this is a confession.

[Sally Hadley]

You got my poor mother and father in jail, and I've got to get them out.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

By having me confess?

[Sally Hadley]

Look, he knows you did it anyway. This will just clear my folks and show him that you're not afraid of anything.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Just put me in jail instead of them.

[Sally Hadley]

Oh, you're really afraid of your own shadow, aren't you, darling?

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Sally, listen.

[Sally Hadley]

You listen to me. Now. When I married you, I thought you were a man. I thought you were a man who could be the number one boy in this country. I thought you had guts. Sally, what are you afraid of? You are number one. Now, you've got to show them that. You've got to show them that they're the ones to be afraid. You've got to show them that you're too big to touch. Because you are, Frank. You are.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Sally, look, if we mail the letter.

[Sally Hadley]

From here, we're going to. I'm going to send it to a friend of mine in Chicago and have her mail it from there. When they get it, they'll see how big you are. They'll see you don't care.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Yeah, yeah, sure.

[Sally Hadley]

And then tomorrow we're going to buy another car, and before they even have a chance to look at the. The bills. We'll be on our way.

[Frank Hadley]

Okay?

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Okay, honey.

[FBI Agent]

Okay.

[Sally Hadley]

You just don't realize what a big man you've become. Now, what have you written?

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Dear Mr. Hoover, while you and your men are.

[Sally Hadley]

Wait, Wait. I've got a wonderful idea. An idea that will top the whole thing off.

[FBI Agent]

What?

[Sally Hadley]

Now, Hoover may think the letter is from some crank, but do you know what you're going to do? You're going to put your fingerprints on it. Darling, what you're going to prove. This is straight from Shotgun Hadley.

[FBI Agent]

From Chicago, from Dallas, from Denver, from cities all over the west come letters to the FBI. And as the letters turn up, money turns up, too. Ransom money. $20 bills reported by alert citizens to the FBI. $20 bills that put the FBI closer on the trail of Frank and Sally Hadley. But Sally Hadley has gotten impatient. Leaving her husband in a small house near Memphis, she buys a cheap gingham dress, a red wig and a secondhand car. And with complete unconcern drives right back to Oklahoma. On the way, she gives a lift to two hitchhikers. A man and his eight year old daughter.

[Sally Hadley]

I guess your little girl is asleep, Mr. Butler.

[Mr. Butler]

Yeah, she was awful tired.

[Sally Hadley]

Of course she was. Well, we'll get her a good dinner as soon as we get to town.

[Mr. Butler]

You've been so nice, I couldn't let you do anything else.

[Sally Hadley]

First man, don't be silly. I want to. Besides, she reminds me of my own little girl.

[Mr. Butler]

Oh, do you have one?

[Sally Hadley]

Yes, by my first husband. He died, poor man. And Frank, that's my second husband, he won't let my little baby live with her.

[Mr. Butler]

Oh, that's terrible.

[Sally Hadley]

Well, he isn't a very Nice man, he. Mr. Butler?

[Mr. Butler]

Yeah?

[Sally Hadley]

Can I trust you?

[Mr. Butler]

Of course.

[Sally Hadley]

I'm in terrible trouble and I've got to speak to somebody. I just got to get help from someone.

[Mr. Butler]

Ma' am. If there's anything at all I can do.

[Sally Hadley]

Well, maybe you won't say that when you know the truth. I'm Sally Hadley, and my husband is Shotgun Hadley.

[Mr. Butler]

The kidnapper.

[Sally Hadley]

Yes. Geez, I didn't know what kind of a man he was. When I married him, I. Well, it's a little too late for that now, isn't it? But he's done terrible things to me, too. To my little girl, to my family. Oh, because of him, my poor mother and father in jail now. And Mr. Butler, I just got to get them out.

[Mr. Butler]

But the papers.

[Sally Hadley]

I know, I know. But anything my father and mother did, he made them do at the point of that shotgun of his. Will you do me a favor, please? Will you just go to Oklahoma City and see my lawyer for me?

[FBI Narrator]

Sure.

[Sally Hadley]

You see, I can't go because the police are looking for me. But I want him to get a message to the FBI. Phony. I want him to tell him that if they release my mother and father, I'll tell them where my husband is.

[Mr. Butler]

I'll be glad to take your message, Mrs. Hadley, only.

[Sally Hadley]

Only what?

[Mr. Butler]

Well, my little girl.

[Sally Hadley]

Oh, don't worry about her. I'll keep her here with me. Why, she'll be as safe as my own little girl would.

[Walter Montgomery]

Hello, Skyler speaking. Oh yes. No, not just yet. I'm trying to reach the Bureau in Washington. May I call you back in a few minutes? Fine. Goodbye. Mrs. Hadley's lawyer again.

[Mr. Butler]

Pretty anxious for our answer, isn't he?

[Walter Montgomery]

Yes.

[Mr. Butler]

Suppose he seriously thinks we're going to release the mother and father? Skylar?

[Walter Montgomery]

I don't know. He is. Sally Headley.

[Mr. Butler]

There's a sweet double crosser for you. Ready to sell out her own husband.

[Walter Montgomery]

Well, if he's half as tough as his reputation, I don't blame him.

[Mr. Butler]

I wonder if she was crazy enough to come back here to Oklahoma.

[Walter Montgomery]

She might be. We know she hasn't been to a lawyer's office.

[Mr. Butler]

I don't think we can stall him much longer.

[Walter Montgomery]

We don't have to. He's covered by now. And as soon as we find Sally.

[Mr. Butler]

Hadley's intermediary, we'll find her and her sharpshooting husband.

[FBI Agent]

Right.

[Walter Montgomery]

Will you get Mrs. Hadley's lawyer for me please?

[FBI Agent]

Sally Hadley, waiting in an auto camp outside Oklahoma City for the message from a lawyer gets frightened. And so Sally Hadley, with a little child as her protection runs to her husband who is now in Memphis. Meanwhile, special agents of the FBI located a man in Oklahoma City. The man who was Sally Hadley's intermediary. The man whose 8 year old child is on her way to a gangster's hideout.

[Mr. Butler]

Well, now we've got a little 8 year old girl to worry about. Skyler.

[Walter Montgomery]

Yes, I just hope that had to.

[FBI Agent]

Woman of the.

[Walter Montgomery]

Hello, Skylar. You did? I see. When? Well, that's that.

[Frank Hadley]

What?

[Mr. Butler]

Where's she going?

[Walter Montgomery]

I don't know. We'd better send out a call for a woman driving with an eight year old girl.

[Mr. Butler]

A woman with a red wig.

[Walter Montgomery]

Right.

[Mr. Butler]

She's probably going back to her husband.

[Walter Montgomery]

That's my guess too. And they'll probably try to move with old girl. Scholar speaking. Yes, got it.

[Choice Classic Radio Host]

Right. Right.

[Walter Montgomery]

That was Memphis, oh two days ago. A secondhand car dealer down there brought in a flock of those $20 bills. Then a man who sells wigs brought in another.

[Mr. Butler]

I see.

[Walter Montgomery]

And at 4:00 clock this afternoon, a liquor dealer brought in another.

[Mr. Butler]

Well, I guess I'd better phone my wife and tell her I won't be home for dinner again.

[Walter Montgomery]

Yes, I think we'll be having dinner in Memphis.

[FBI Agent]

At a quarter to 41 September morning, a little girl sat on the Memphis railroad station. A frightened little girl clutching a ticket that would take her back to her father. But a little girl who remembered that she had had supper in a frame house near the edge of the city. And that she had seen a shotgun in that house. At 5:35 that same morning, agents of the FBI and local officers surrounded the frame house. They were armed with guns. With guns who battled against the murderous reputation of a man called Shotgun Hadley. It was just beginning to get light when two of them quietly entered the house. They stood for a moment in a dark room. To the left were two doors. Two closed doors leading to two bedrooms, leading to Shotgun Hadley. They opened the first.

[Walter Montgomery]

Keep quiet.

[Sally Hadley]

Who are you?

[Walter Montgomery]

Federal Bureau of Investigation.

[FBI Agent]

Federal.

[Sally Hadley]

Oh, thank God. Listen. He's in there. Get him. He ruined my life.

[FBI Agent]

That was Sally Hadley, the woman who had planned the kidnapping. The woman who later tried unsuccessfully to convince a jury that she was innocent. A woman who cared no more for her husband than she did for his gun. But she had built up a tremendous reputation for him. And now, as the FBI agents moved to the door of his bedroom, they checked their guns. The they try to anticipate the blast of that shotgun. And then, in a quick movement, they rush the door to Frank Hadley. There was no battle, no fight. No shooting. Frank Hadley, kidnapper Frank Shotgun Hadley, public enemy number one, stood against the wall, his hands raised high, his knees shaking.

[Walter Montgomery]

Don't shoot me.

[Sally Hadley]

Don't shoot.

[FBI Agent]

That was the beginning of the popular use of the phrase G men. G men, meaning government men, meaning FBI agents. And that was the first and last time Frank or Sally Hadley tried a kidnapping no kidnapper in this country has ever tried. Twice, once the FBI has caught them. Because the FBI is the largest protective force in the world. You see, it doesn't consist only of a director and a Washington headquarters of field officers and special agents. It also consists of you and all those like you. In every case, it's the cooperation of the people which enables the FBI to find the criminal. And that is the way it should be. Because the FBI, like our government, is created by the people, for the people. It is the people.

[FBI Narrator]

Have you ever said to yourself, no, I can't possibly buy an extra war bond. Then you find yourself thinking of someone you know in the army or Navy, your son. And you think, what are your sacrifices compared to his? And so somehow or other you find the money for that extra war bond. Remember the extra satisfaction you felt. Well, that's how members of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States feel about the special campaign. Their all premium dollars received from new Equitable policies written in April will be matched with an equal number of dollars by the equitable will be combined total during the seventh war loan bond drive in May. Remember, these war bonds will be over purchases which amounted to the largest single subscription in both the fifth and sixth dollars for you, your home. The incidents used in tonight's broadcast are taken from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. However, all names used are fictitious and any similarity thereof to the names of persons living or dead is accidental. In tonight's cast, Sally was played by Leslie woods and Hadley by Mandel Kramer. The music was under the direction of Van Cleave. The author was Lawrence MacArthur and your narrator was Frank Lovejoy. This is your FBI is a Jerry Devine production. This is Carl Frank speaking for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and inviting you to tune in again next week at this same time for this is your fvi.

[FBI Agent]

This is the Blue Network of the American Broadcasting Company.