This is Your FBI: The Wasteland Hideout 03/22/1946

Summary

Podcast Summary: "This Is Your FBI: The Wasteland Hideout" (03/22/1946)

Podcast: Choice Classic Radio Detectives | Old Time Radio
Host: Choice Classic Radio
Episode Date: February 1, 2026 (original air date: March 22, 1946)
Main Theme:
A dramatized FBI case file depicting the manhunt and ultimate capture of two escaped, murderous convicts hiding in the Bitterroot Mountains, emphasizing the persistent efforts of law enforcement and the dangers posed by professional criminals.

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Episode Overview

In this episode of "This Is Your FBI," titled "The Wasteland Hideout," listeners are plunged into the suspense-filled search for two ruthless convicts who have escaped federal custody after murdering a guard. The episode explores the trajectory of these criminals as they hide out in remote mountain country, their collision with innocent bystanders, and the intense pursuit led by FBI agents Perry and Norton. Themes of determination, cooperation, and the unpredictability of criminal behavior are highlighted throughout this gripping radio drama.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Progression

1. Introduction to the Case

• [02:43] Narrator sets the scene:
  The story is introduced as a case from the FBI files, focusing on professional killers who use murder as a means to an end.
  • Quote: “Professional criminals to whom murder is merely another tool of their trade… They are indeed the dealers of sudden death.” [02:43]

2. The Criminals' Hideout

• [03:32] Eddie (one of the escaped convicts) is hiding in a mountain cabin, wounded and cared for by his accomplice, Rocky. They avoid detection by refusing to light a fire.
• [04:26] Rocky assigns Eddie the job of stealing provisions from a local store, outlining their desperate situation and need for secrecy.

3. At the Grocery Store: The Crime Unfolds

• [05:39] At Pop Caldwell’s remote filling station and grocery, a police bulletin interrupts the radio, describing the dangerous fugitives. Eddie arrives, demanding groceries and a car, and assaults Pop when refused.

  • Quote: “Turn it off, mister.” [06:04]
  • Quote: “You’re one of them fellas.” [06:30]

• Innocent bystanders Dick Barstow and Midge Ellen Lancaster arrive to get gas, inadvertently walking into the crime scene and getting caught up in the criminals' escape.

4. The FBI Investigation

• [08:02] Agents Perry and Norton track the criminals, arriving at the crime scene in the aftermath.

  • They deduce the escapees’ movements using clues like a left-behind compact with initials and car tracks.
  • Quote (Agent Perry): “They must have a hideout somewhere.” [08:56]

• They alert local families and mobilize assistance to trace the missing youths and the stolen car.

• FBI agents hypothesize that if the convicts are hiding in the woods, their search will be challenging and labor-intensive.

5. The Hostages' Ordeal

• [10:13] Dick and Midge, the kidnapped couple, are forced to drive the criminals to the hideout. Dick tries to protect Midge and resist but is threatened and assaulted ("slugged") by Rocky.
• [13:29] At the hideout, the criminals argue about what to do with the witnesses. Tension rises as the kids realize their lives are in grave danger.

6. The Manhunt Intensifies

• [18:09] The next day, FBI agents consider the possibility the fugitives remain nearby since no new road blocks report sightings.
• Discussing search strategies, they decide to consult with a forest ranger, hoping to identify possible cabins the convicts could be holed up in.

7. The Hostages’ Moments of Despair and Resourcefulness

• [19:12] Midge nurses Dick, who regains consciousness. They reflect on their predicament and share a tender, poignant moment:

  • Quote (Midge): “Remember the night at the school dance... you asked me something… about us getting married someday. I didn’t know the answer then, but I do now.” [21:16]

• Dick, determined not to give up, plots to signal for help.

8. Breakthrough: Smoke Signals and the Rescue

• [22:33] The forest ranger helps the FBI agents spot a suspicious smoke plume from a cabin, possibly signaling for help.

• [23:18] With a map and local guide, the agents head to investigate, recognizing the smoke as a potential distress signal.

• [24:23] The criminals discover the fire and realize that the hostages have attempted to alert rescuers. Tensions peak as they decide to flee and consider killing the two young witnesses.

9. Climax: The FBI Arrives in Time

• [25:19] In a dramatic rescue, Agents Perry and Norton arrive, confronting and capturing the criminals before they can harm Dick and Midge.
  • Quote (Agent Perry): “Drop that gun, you—”
  • Quote (Agent Norton): “I'm not dropping any gun, Rocky...”
  • The agents secure the scene and comfort the shaken hostages:
    • Quote: “I'm sorry, young lady, that you had to see that. Thank you, mister. We're special agents of the FBI. And I imagine they were your smoke signal test, huh?” [25:19]

10. Resolution

• [25:49] The narrator reports that Rocky and his accomplice are tried and sentenced to death, yet warns of the ongoing threat of such criminals.

  • Quote: "Rocky and his accomplice... were tried for the murder of the prison guard. They were both convicted... and sentenced to death by hanging... There are, however, many more of their kind still at large." [25:49]

• The episode closes on a note of community vigilance and the relentless pursuit of justice by law enforcement.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Professional Criminals:
  “Professional criminals to whom murder is merely another tool of their trade… They are indeed the dealers of sudden death.” (Narrator, [02:43])
• Pop Caldwell confronts the criminal:
  “You’re one of them fellas.” (Pop Caldwell, [06:32])
• Agent deduction:
  “They must have a hideout somewhere.” (Agent Perry, [08:56])
• Despair and hope in captivity:
  “I don’t think we’re ever going to get out.” (Midge Ellen Lancaster, [20:33])
• A moment of clarity:
  “Remember the night at the school dance… you asked me something… about us getting married someday. I didn’t know the answer then, but I do now.” (Midge, [21:16])
• Connecting the smoke signal:
  “Looks like somebody was trying to signal with it.” (Agent Perry, [23:35])
• Triumphant rescue:
  “I’m sorry, young lady, that you had to see that. Thank you, mister. We’re special agents of the FBI. And I imagine they were your smoke signal, Tess, huh?” (Agent Perry, [25:19])
• Moral conclusion:
  "But of this, you and they may rest assured that when one does strike, he'll be pursued day and night, 24 hours around the clock and let him hide out wherever he chooses. He will be found." (Narrator, [26:53])

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Important Timestamps

• 02:43 – Narrative set-up and criminal type introduced
• 05:39 – Radio bulletin and grocery store confrontation
• 10:13 – Dick and Midge forced to cooperate as hostages
• 19:12 – Midge and Dick’s emotional reckoning during captivity
• 23:18 – Forest ranger provides map; FBI spots smoke signal
• 25:19 – FBI agents rescue hostages, criminals apprehended
• 25:49 – Epilogue: justice served and call for vigilance

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Tone & Style

The tone throughout is suspenseful, methodical, and earnest, in keeping with mid-century radio dramatizations. The urgency of the pursuit, the emotional strain felt by the hostages, and the calm professionalism of FBI agents are all rendered in period-appropriate language and style, adding to the authenticity and tension of the story.

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For Listeners

This episode offers a classic, edge-of-your-seat manhunt story with a satisfying, justice-driven conclusion. The blend of close calls, deductive work, and the human moments between victims add warmth to the gritty plot, making it a quintessential example of Golden Age radio detective drama.

Transcript

[Carl Frank]

Welcome to Choice Classic Radio where we.

[Agent Perry]

Bring to you the greatest old time radio shows like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube and thank you.

[Carl Frank]

For [e-mail] the Equitable Life Assurance Society presents this is your FVI. 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 and the Equitable Society's representative in your community. We exceedingly regret that due to unforeseen circumstances, Mr. Thomas I. Parkinson, president of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, will not be able to address you on the subject of inflation on tonight's program has been announced. Mr. Parkinson will however, speak on this subject over this same network at a later date. If you've been listening regularly to these FBI programs such as tonight's case, which will open in just a moment, you have heard the word cooperation used a great many times. And that's because it's a key word in the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. 86 years ago, a group of self reliant men and women cooperated to found the Equitable Society to assure each member more security than any individual effort could provide. And now the sound common sense of such an enterprise is revealed once more in the yearly report of the Equitable Society to its members just published. This report is so interesting that later on I want to tell you about this book. A book which proves once again that by serving its members, the Equitable Society serves America. Tonight's FBI file, the wasteland hideout.

[Narrator]

Far more numerous than the so called psychopathic killers and dangerous to more people are killers of the type dealt with in tonight's case from the files of your FBI. Professional criminals to whom murder is merely another tool of their trade, who kill without cause, real or imagined, solely as a means to an end. They are indeed the dealers of sudden death. In a small cabin somewhere deep inside the blackness of the Bitterroot timber country separating Idaho and Montana, a man sits before a rough table in the yellow glow of a lantern, clenching his left arm from which blood oozes. Eddie.

[Agent Norton]

Eddie.

[Agent Perry]

Yes?

[Agent Norton]

Hurry up with that pan of water, will you?

[Agent Perry]

Right with you. I wish you'd let me heat this stuff first.

[Agent Norton]

Rocky. I don't want no fires.

[Agent Perry]

It's night outside. Who's gonna say, look, you can see.

[Agent Norton]

Smoke against the sky at night. I don't want no forest ranger getting heped that anyone's here.

[Agent Perry]

Oh.

[Agent Norton]

Now clean off this arm and get some Bandage on it.

[Agent Perry]

Are you sure this slug ain't still in there?

[Agent Norton]

I told you, it went clean through.

[Agent Perry]

Oh, well, just hold still. And how long you had this hideout?

[Agent Norton]

I picked it up five years ago.

[Agent Perry]

It sure is buried away.

[Agent Norton]

That's why I nailed it.

[Agent Perry]

Any hunting around here?

[Agent Norton]

Sure.

[Agent Perry]

How about fishing?

[Agent Norton]

Plenty.

[Agent Perry]

This can be a regular vacation, huh?

[Agent Norton]

Not exactly. We just go under here until the heat cools off. Easy, will you?

[Agent Perry]

Oh, sorry, Eddie. Yeah?

[Agent Norton]

This is job you're gonna have to do.

[Agent Perry]

What's that?

[Agent Norton]

You gotta rustle us some grub.

[Agent Perry]

You mean go hunting?

[Agent Norton]

Ah, stupid. Gotta get some store grub.

[Agent Perry]

But you said there was plenty of hunting.

[Agent Norton]

There's plenty of guys hunting for us. We ain't running loose in these woods.

[Agent Perry]

Oh. Where's the store?

[Agent Norton]

A joint about 10 miles from here.

[Agent Perry]

You got any dough?

[Agent Norton]

You don't use dough, you heist it. If I could make it, I'd go myself, but I can't, so I gotta send you. And look, just for once, do a job right, will you?

[Agent Perry]

Now, Rocky, you know.

[Agent Norton]

I know. If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have this bum wing. Now, listen close. I'm gonna tell you how to get there. And you're gonna get it right if I have to spell every word.

[Narrator]

Pop Colwell's combination filling station and grocery store on the highway through the Bitterroot country is not too heavily patronized, but enough to keep him going. And the radio on the counter is enough to keep him company. Pop is sitting on a box in his store reading a paper and listening to a musical program out of Spokane.

[Agent Perry]

Then suddenly, we interrupt this program of music, ladies and gentlemen, to bring you a special police bulletin. All motorists and persons living on highways in the area comprising southeast Washington, northern Idaho and southwest Montana are warned to be on the alert for two men who escaped from the federal penitentiary this afternoon after killing a guard.

[Agent Norton]

If you should see them, go to.

[Agent Perry]

The nearest phone and call the police or the FBI. Under no circumstances engage them in conversation. They will kill without provocation. Here are their descriptions. Edward Corning. Age 35. 5. Turn it off, mister. Huh?

[Agent Norton]

Turn it off.

[Agent Perry]

Weighs 100.

[Agent Norton]

Where'd you come from?

[Agent Perry]

I just walked in.

[Agent Norton]

You're. You're one of them fellas.

[Agent Perry]

You just right.

[Agent Norton]

What you want here?

[Agent Perry]

Groceries. A big stack of them. And I need a car too.

[Agent Norton]

Well, you ain't getting neither one.

[Agent Perry]

Jake. Hey, Pop. Pop. Pop, I gotta get my girl home and. Hey, mister, where's Pop? Maybe I can take care of what you want. I gotta talk To Pop. I gotta get some gas on the cuff. Where is he? I'll come back here. Oh, it's okay.

[Agent Norton]

I always.

[Agent Perry]

Oh, gee. I told you not to come back here. What happened to him? He had an accident. His head's bleeding.

[Agent Norton]

Leave him alone.

[Agent Perry]

You did this to him.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Dick, are you going to take.

[Agent Perry]

Don't come in here. Midge.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

What's wrong?

[Agent Perry]

Dick?

[Agent Norton]

Stay back.

[Agent Perry]

Don't come in. Come on, Midge, let's. Let's get back in the car. Wait a minute. You're gonna stay here and give me a hand. Now, look, Mr. John's given the orders.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Oh.

[Agent Perry]

You're gonna help me load some groceries. Then we'll all get in the car. How are you feeling now, Mr. Caldwell?

[Agent Norton]

Coming around all right, I reckon. Who are you fellas?

[Agent Perry]

My name's Perry. This is Mr. Norton. We're special agents at the FBI.

[Agent Norton]

How do you do, sir? How do you do? Well, now, that beats all. How'd you know I was in trouble? We didn't.

[Agent Perry]

Mr. Caldwell, we're on the trail of two men who escaped from the federal penitentiary.

[Agent Norton]

Yeah, I know. I heard it on the radio. It was one of them that walloped me.

[Agent Perry]

Yes, we had an idea it was something like that. When did it happen?

[Agent Norton]

Well, it was right after 8 o'. Clock. That was only 30 minutes ago, old Jim.

[Agent Perry]

Yeah. We can't be very far behind them now, Especially since they're on foot.

[Agent Norton]

On foot?

[Agent Perry]

We found the car they stole down the road. Abandoned, burned out bearing.

[Agent Norton]

What'd they come here for, Mr. Caldwell? Well, only the one came in. He wanted some groceries.

[Agent Perry]

Groceries?

[Agent Norton]

Yeah.

[Agent Perry]

Then they must have a hideout somewhere.

[Agent Norton]

Wait a minute. What is it, Jim?

[Agent Perry]

It's a girl's compact. Here on the floor.

[Agent Norton]

Well, no. Where'd that come from?

[Agent Perry]

The initials are M, E, L. You know who that might be, sir?

[Agent Norton]

M, E, L. We're sure that that can't be nobody else but young Midge. Ellen Lancaster lives back in Summit.

[Agent Perry]

I see.

[Agent Norton]

And if she was here, then Dick Barstow, whose sweet honor, was here with her for sure. Does he have a car? Yeah, he practically lives in one. And that accounts for the fresh car tracks outside by the gas pumps.

[Agent Perry]

Jim probably means more than that, too. Do the parents of these youngsters have phones, Mr. Caldwell?

[Agent Norton]

Yes, they do.

[Agent Perry]

All right, we'll call them. George.

[Agent Norton]

That's right.

[Agent Perry]

And if neither of those kids is at home, the bandits have them in their car, too. No telling where they are by now.

[Agent Norton]

Let's get on that phone quick.

[Agent Perry]

Go slower going back. We don't want to miss that turn off trail into the woods again. You hear me? I hear you.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Oh, Dick, if we'd only started for home before dark, like I promised Mother, this wouldn't have happened to us.

[Agent Perry]

I know it's all my fault.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Oh, I didn't mean it that way.

[Agent Perry]

Yeah, but it's true. Hey, look, pay attention to your driving, will ya.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Dick? Mother and Daddy will be out of their minds.

[Agent Perry]

Don't worry about them. They're okay. It's us I'm thinking about, Especially you.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Oh, Dick, what'll we do?

[Agent Perry]

I know what we'll do.

[Agent Norton]

Hey, what are you stopping for?

[Agent Perry]

Look, mister, I don't know what you're planning to do with this, but whatever it is, I'm not letting my girl in for it. You better start the car going again. I'm not driving another foot. I'm not taking.

[Agent Norton]

Shut up.

[Agent Perry]

Now, let's move. And like I said, go slow so we don't miss the turnoff trail to the woods again.

[Agent Norton]

Yes, sir. And try not to worry. I'm confident everything will turn out all right. Yes, we'll keep in touch with you. Goodbye, sir. Well, I guess that cinches it. Jim, both kids are missing.

[Agent Perry]

While you're at the phone, George, you better get out an alarm on the car and the boy and girl.

[Narrator]

Sure.

[Agent Norton]

Oh, hello, operator. Or get me the FBI office in Spokane right away, please. Yeah, that's right. I'll hold on.

[Agent Perry]

Say, George.

[Agent Norton]

Yeah?

[Agent Perry]

Those car tracks outside, turn around going out of the drive and head east. Now, they kept driving steadily after leaving here. They couldn't have made more than 50 or 60 miles.

[Agent Norton]

What are you thinking?

[Agent Perry]

Let's get the office to contact police at all points 100 miles east of here. That'll block all roads ahead of them.

[Agent Norton]

Right.

[Agent Perry]

Then if we don't get a report back here in a reasonable length of time, we'll know that they've holed up somewhere in this area.

[Agent Norton]

Let's hope they keep driving through.

[Agent Perry]

Well, if they take to the tall timber, that'll be rugged hunting. Yeah.

[Agent Norton]

Wait. I think I've got the office. Hello? Hello, this is George Norton. Get out an alarm right away on this car. Black Ford sedan.

[Agent Perry]

Okay, stop here. Get out, both of you. Come on, Midge. We have to do what he says.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

I got. I'm scared. Just.

[Agent Perry]

Just hold my hand. Look ahead of me. Head for the cabin. Come on, get moving.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Dick, what are we going to do?

[Agent Perry]

We'll get out of this some way. Don't worry.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

I hope you're right.

[Agent Norton]

Yeah.

[Agent Perry]

This Is it all right inside? You kids.

[Agent Norton]

Eddie, what is this?

[Agent Perry]

Hi, Rocky. Did you think I was never coming back?

[Agent Norton]

Who are these kids?

[Agent Perry]

They brung me here.

[Agent Norton]

What?

[Agent Perry]

I used their car.

[Agent Norton]

Are you serious?

[Agent Perry]

I had to, rock.

[Agent Norton]

Why?

[Agent Perry]

Well, they come in the store right after I slugged them.

[Agent Norton]

Slugged who?

[Agent Perry]

The grocery guy. Oh. Well, you sent me for groceries, didn't you? Look, mister.

[Agent Norton]

Shut up.

[Agent Perry]

I won't shut up. We want to go home, Eddie.

[Agent Norton]

This puts us in a real jam.

[Agent Perry]

I couldn't help it, Rocky.

[Agent Norton]

Anybody see you take those kids? Anybody tell you?

[Agent Perry]

No.

[Agent Norton]

You sure?

[Agent Perry]

There wasn't anybody in the joint but the grocery guy. Look, what else could I do?

[Agent Norton]

Took a drop dead and sister cut out the crime.

[Agent Perry]

Not till you let us out of here.

[Agent Norton]

That ain't gonna happen, sweetheart.

[Agent Perry]

What do you mean by that?

[Agent Norton]

You're staying here.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Junior, no, no.

[Agent Perry]

Shut up. Why, you dirty.

[Agent Norton]

Easy, Junior.

[Narrator]

Oh, no. I'm gonna.

[Agent Norton]

Hey.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Dig. Oh, dig.

[Agent Perry]

Hey, let's eat something. Rocky, I'm.

[Carl Frank]

In a moment, we'll reopen tonight's FBI file. Meanwhile, let's open another important record this week at the Equitable Society. The advertising manager handed me an attractive little book here. He said, you might like to look this over. It's our annual report for 1945. Well, I expected to see the usual columns of dry figures, but this Equitable Society report was something else again. It was a 24 page book, bright with color, sparkling with interesting facts. Its title is your policy. And as I read it, I thought, here's one of the most forceful tributes to cooperation I've ever seen. It just shows what people can accomplish when they honestly and willingly work together for protection and security. Of course, this book, your policy, will be mailed automatically to members of the Equitable Society. But let me give all of you listening tonight some of its highlights. This book explains how the Equitable Society's investments, aid government, industry, agriculture, homeowners. In short, how the Society, by serving its members, serves America. The book tells about the $238 million that the Equitable Society paid out in 1945. Paid to widows and children, paid on endowments, paid in annuities, paid in dividends to millions of members. It tells what every war veteran should do to keep his national service life insurance in force. And it tells you how your Equitable Society representative is trained to serve you in many, many ways. This isn't all it tells, but it's enough to prove to anyone that this week and every week for more than 86 years, the equitable Life Assurance Society has been building security for you, your home and your country. And now back to the FBI file. The wasteland hideout.

[Narrator]

When fugitive criminals keep on the move, they're in the open. Their capture is largely just a matter of keeping on their trail until they can be overtaken. But when they go underground, when they hole up in some unknown hideout, the job of capture is not so simple. And if, as in tonight's case, the unknown hideout be somewhere inside several million acres of mountains and timber, the job may present a staggering handicap. Some two hours have now passed since the man called Rocky struck down the boy, Dick Barstow, in the hideout deep inside the Bitterroot timber country. Back at Pop Caldwell's filling station and grocery store on the highway, actually only 10 miles as the crow flies from the hideout, Special Agents Perry and Norton of the FBI are studying a map and hoping the phone will ring.

[Agent Perry]

They couldn't possibly have had more than a 50 or 60 mile start from here when you put out the alarm, George.

[Agent Norton]

Yeah, I know.

[Agent Perry]

We've got police and deputies covering all roads east of here. I don't see how they could have gotten through.

[Agent Norton]

Still, the phone doesn't ring with any report.

[Agent Perry]

Then that's got to mean only one thing. They've stopped traveling.

[Agent Norton]

Some hot coffee for you boys?

[Agent Perry]

Oh, thank you.

[Agent Norton]

Take milk and sugar in it?

[Agent Perry]

No, not for me.

[Agent Norton]

Oh, thanks. Say, Jim, if they've taken to the tall timber, what do we do now?

[Agent Perry]

Well, I'm afraid there's not a great deal we can do tonight. We stand a much better chance in daylight of finding some trace of where they might have turned off.

[Agent Norton]

And let's be up at the crack of dawn and get at it.

[Agent Perry]

Right.

[Agent Norton]

You know something, boys? What's that? It'd be mighty funny if them convicts wasn't much more than spitting distance from here.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Oh, Dick. Dick.

[Agent Perry]

Oh, I. Oh, thank heaven. My head.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Lie still, Dick. Don't try to move.

[Agent Perry]

Mitch, what are you doing here? I mean that. Oh, please, Dick.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Just life, dear.

[Agent Perry]

Where are we? What happened?

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Don't you remember?

[Agent Perry]

Remember? Remember what?

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Never mind. Don't try to think. I'm just so happy that you're alive. I. I thought that horrible man had killed you.

[Agent Perry]

Killed me? What do you took. Wait a minute. I remember now.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

He slapped me and. And you started to fight him.

[Agent Perry]

And he slugged me.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Yes.

[Agent Perry]

How long have I been out?

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

All night.

[Agent Perry]

What?

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Look outside. It's daylight.

[Agent Perry]

Are we still in the cabin?

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Yes.

[Agent Perry]

Where are those men?

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

They went outside a few minutes ago.

[Agent Perry]

Hey, then. Then maybe we can get out of here.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

No, please. They're just down by the car. I can see them through the window.

[Agent Norton]

Oh.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Dick.

[Agent Perry]

Yeah?

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

I don't think we're ever going to get out.

[Agent Perry]

What do you mean?

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

I heard them talk. They're escaped convicts. They killed a guard and then got away. They're very desperate men, Pop.

[Agent Perry]

Probably got killed too.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Yes, Dick.

[Carl Frank]

Yeah?

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

If that's how it's going to be, they may kill us too. And. Well, there's something I want you to know.

[Agent Norton]

Yeah?

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Remember the night at. At the school dance, you. You asked me something.

[Agent Perry]

Yeah?

[Agent Norton]

About.

[Agent Perry]

About us getting married someday.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Uh huh. I didn't know the answer then, but I do know.

[Agent Perry]

Thanks, Midge.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Oh, Dick, don't.

[Agent Perry]

Midge, don't cry, please. We're gonna have to die then. Hey, wait a minute. Maybe we ought gonna have to die.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

What?

[Agent Perry]

Let me get up.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

What are you going to do?

[Agent Perry]

I've got an idea. If those men only stay out of here long enough, it might work. Well, George, we've cruised up and down this road for 20 miles and still no sign of where any car turned off up in the woods.

[Agent Norton]

They must have covered up any signs like that.

[Agent Perry]

I think so. Hey, I've got an idea.

[Agent Norton]

Yeah?

[Agent Perry]

If they've got a hideout in the timber, it must be an old trapper cabin or a hut in an abandoned logging camp.

[Agent Norton]

So we start looking for all the cabins scattered through several million acres of tall timber.

[Agent Perry]

No, no, we can make the job easier than that.

[Narrator]

How?

[Agent Perry]

There's a forest ranger lookout up in there and he's probably got every cabin spotted on a map.

[Agent Norton]

Say, you're right.

[Agent Perry]

Let's go see him. Right.

[Agent Norton]

You FBI fellas have picked out a pretty good job for yourselves, I'd say.

[Agent Perry]

How do you mean?

[Agent Norton]

Reducing the area where the killers are likely to be hiding even to that smallest circle. Yeah, I'd say there are probably 30 or 40 cabins sprinkled around in that area.

[Agent Perry]

Well, I. I realize it's a lot of legwork, but it's got to be done.

[Agent Norton]

And one of them might be the one we want. Okay, here's your map with the cabin spotted on it.

[Agent Perry]

Good.

[Agent Norton]

And I'll get a guide for you and that'll save time. And look.

[Agent Perry]

Where?

[Agent Norton]

On that ridge right over there to the east. It's smoke from a cabin. I saw it just before you fellas drove up. Yeah, but look at it now.

[Agent Perry]

What about it, George?

[Agent Norton]

Somebody's doing something with that smoke.

[Agent Perry]

What? Yeah, Looks like somebody was trying to signal with it. Yeah.

[Agent Norton]

Say, where is that on the map. I can locate it in a second on the firefinder here. Good. Jim, if that smoke is coming from a cabin on the circle we laid out, it'll be the first one we go to.

[Agent Perry]

And in a big hurry too.

[Agent Norton]

Well, that's that.

[Agent Perry]

Why'd you drive the car way under them trees, Rocky?

[Agent Norton]

So nobody could spot it.

[Agent Perry]

Nobody could see it where it was.

[Agent Norton]

From the air, they could. That car's red hot. They'll use planes or anything to find it.

[Agent Perry]

Oh, hey, Rock.

[Agent Norton]

Yeah?

[Agent Perry]

Did you start a fire this morning?

[Agent Norton]

What are you talking about?

[Agent Perry]

Look, there's smoke coming out of the chimney in the cabin.

[Agent Norton]

Part Asia. Come on.

[Agent Perry]

Hey, what's the matter?

[Agent Norton]

The kid started that.

[Agent Perry]

Oh, I thought.

[Agent Norton]

Shut up and hurry. Put that fire out, kid.

[Agent Perry]

It's too late now, mister.

[Agent Norton]

Give me that bucket of water, Eddie. There.

[Agent Perry]

What'd you set a fire for, kid?

[Agent Norton]

I know what he set it for. How long you been at it, kid?

[Agent Perry]

Long enough.

[Agent Norton]

I hope we're not gonna stick around to find out.

[Agent Perry]

Are we leaving, Rocky?

[Agent Norton]

Yeah. Stupid.

[Agent Perry]

What are we gonna do with them?

[Agent Norton]

You should have done at the old man's place when they came in, if you had any brains.

[Midge Ellen Lancaster]

Jake.

[Agent Perry]

Wait a minute, mister.

[Agent Norton]

Got no time to argue now, junior.

[Agent Perry]

Look, kill me or do anything you want to, but let her go, please.

[Agent Norton]

Not a chance.

[Agent Perry]

Drop that gun, you.

[Agent Norton]

Rocky, look out. I'm not dropping any gun, Rocky.

[Agent Perry]

All right. Keep this other man covered, George. I'm sorry, young lady, that you had to see that. Thank you, mister. We're special agents of the FBI. And I imagine they were your smoke signal, Tess, huh? Yes, sir. Good work. Now we're going to take you both home to your folks. Come on.

[Narrator]

Rocky and his accomplice in crime were tried for the murder of the prison guard. They were both convicted for this crime and sentenced to death by hanging. And so ended the career of two more dealers of sudden death. There are, however, many more of their kind still at large. Unfortunately, neither your local law enforcement officers nor your FBI know just who and where they all are nor when any will strike. But of this, you and they may rest assured that when one does strike, he'll be pursued day and night, 24 hours around the clock and let him hide out wherever he chooses. He will be found.

[Carl Frank]

In next week's exciting program which we'll tell you about in just a moment. This is your FBI. We'll present new evidence to prove how well the FBI guards national security. And in the booklet called your policy the same one I was talking to you about. A few minutes ago, the Equitable Society presents new evidence to prove how carefully and intelligently the society protects your financial security through life insurance. If you're not already a member of the Equitable Life Assurance Society, ask the Equitable Society representative in your community for a free copy of this booklet. It's so interesting, so easy to read. Get a copy from your Equitable Society representative. A neighbor whom you ought to know anyway. For like your FBI, he is constantly working for the protection of you, your home and your country.

[Narrator]

Next week we will bring you another colorful story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The bogus War Brides.

[Carl Frank]

We exceedingly regret that due to unforeseen circumstances, Mr. Thomas I. Parkinson, president of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, was not able to address you on the subject of inflation on tonight's program as had been announced. Mr. Parkinson will, however, speak on this subject over this same network at a later date. The incidents used in tonight's Equitable Life Assurance Societies broadcast are adapted 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. Tonight, the music was under the direction of Frederick Steiner. The author was Frank Ferray, and your narrator was Dean.

[Agent Perry]

Carl.

[Carl Frank]

Frank, this is your. FBI is a Jerry Devine production. Now, this is Carl Frank speaking for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community and inviting you to tune in again next week at this same time when the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States will bring you another colorful story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Bogus War Bride on this is your fvi. This is abc, the American Broadcasting Company.