21st Precinct 53-10-20 (016) Case of the Foundling

Summary

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Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: 21st Precinct 53-10-20 (016) – "Case of the Foundling"

Date: February 22, 2026
Podcast Host: Harolds Old Time Radio
Original Air Date of Radio Play: October 20, 1953

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Episode Overview

This episode brings listeners back to the bustling heart of New York City's 21st Precinct during the 1950s. "The Case of the Foundling" centers on a seemingly simple but emotionally complex case: a couple, the Wigans, find themselves saddled with the care of a baby whose mother, Mrs. Heppel, left him with them under the pretense of returning soon—yet never did. The episode explores themes of responsibility, abandonment, love, and the pressures of doing the right thing when personal emotions and financial realities collide.

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Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. Introduction to the Case (00:33–04:33)

• Captain Kennelly outlines his responsibilities and introduces listeners to the precinct's daily rhythms.
• Harry Wigan comes to the police station seeking advice:
  • Weeks prior, his wife Cora took in a baby ("Richie") from Mrs. Heppel, a woman she barely knew, agreeing to board the baby for $12.50 a week.
  • After the initial payment, Mrs. Heppel disappeared without further contact or payments.
  • Harry feels resentful, not wanting to be taken advantage of, despite having no ill will towards the baby.

Memorable Quote:

"Just a rotten, lousy thing for that mother to do. And I ain't gonna be the chump in the deal."
— Harry Wigan (04:20)

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2. Tensions at Home (09:15–12:01)

• Captain Kennelly visits the Wigans' home to mediate after neighbors report a heated argument.
• Inside, the strain of the situation is clear: Cora is emotionally attached to Richie, while Harry remains practical and financially stressed.
• Cora reveals her heartbreak at the thought of giving up Richie, as she has longed for a child of her own.

Notable Quotes:

"Just because the mother abandoned him. Is that a reason for me to abandon him?"
— Cora Wigan (11:49)

"How many children do you have, Captain?"
— Cora Wigan (11:01)
"Three."
— Captain Kennelly

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3. The Night’s Unraveling: Cora Disappears (14:00–18:00)

• After agreeing they’ll bring the baby to the police the next day, Cora takes Richie and leaves in the night, distraught at the idea of giving him up.
• Harry, upon waking, is frantic and reports her missing to the captain, expressing confusion and regret:
  • He admits that while he also likes the child, he resents being tricked by Mrs. Heppel.
  • Police issue an alert, and all patrolmen are put on lookout.

Memorable Moment:
Harry’s growing realization of Cora's emotional distress and his own ambivalence over the situation.

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4. Reunited in the Subway (18:00–20:36)

• Cora is found sitting with Richie in a subway station, unwilling to surrender the baby.
• The emotional core of the story is revealed as Cora expresses the depths of her longing for a child and her unwillingness to give Richie up.
• Officers gently escort her and the baby to the precinct.

Dialogue Highlight:

"I don't want to give Richie up. I can't give him up. I wanted him so long. You've no idea how long."
— Cora Wigan (20:01)

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5. The Final Resolution & Emotional Confrontation (21:20–26:20)

• At the precinct, Captain Kennelly explains that by law, if the mother has failed to pay or give an address, the child is considered abandoned and will be sent to the New York Foundling Home.
• Cora pleads to keep Richie, but Harry is still resistant and overwhelmed.
• In a dramatic twist, Harry confesses he HAS been receiving the payments (12.50 a week) from Mrs. Heppel but spent the money gambling, hiding it from Cora to support his preferred narrative.
• With the payments up to date, there is no legal basis for Richie to be considered abandoned—he may remain in their care.

Notable Quotes:

"I want to admit to you right here and now that Mrs. Hepple sent me 12 and a half dollars every week to the place where I work. Every week." — Harry Wigan (25:23)

"What did you do with the money?" — Cora Wigan (25:51)
"I spent every last cent playing the ponies..." — Harry Wigan

"Can we keep him now, doctor? Can we?"
— Cora Wigan (26:20)

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6. Epilogue: The Human Merry-Go-Round (26:40–27:45)

• Captain Kennelly closes with a reflection on the ongoing complexity and humanity of police work.
• The episode ends with the trademark "merry-go-round" theme—lives intertwined, each case a unique challenge.

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Key Character Dynamics

• Cora Wigan: Childless, deeply loving, desperately wants to keep Richie; emotionally vulnerable.
• Harry Wigan: Resentful, hiding the truth, conflicted between pride, financial strain, and affection for Richie.
• Captain Kennelly: Compassionate, practical, seeks fair solutions within the constraints of the law.

Tension: The episode portrays the struggles between rational duty and emotional desire, personal pride and generosity, secrecy and honesty in marriage.

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Memorable Quotes with Timestamps

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|--------------|----------------------------------------------------------| | 04:20 | Harry Wigan | "Just a rotten, lousy thing for that mother to do. And I ain't gonna be the chump in the deal." | | 11:49 | Cora Wigan | "Just because the mother abandoned him. Is that a reason for me to abandon him?" | | 20:01 | Cora Wigan | "I don't want to give Richie up. I can't give him up. I wanted him so long. You've no idea how long." | | 25:23 | Harry Wigan | "I want to admit to you right here and now that Mrs. Hepple sent me 12 and a half dollars every week to the place where I work. Every week." | | 25:51 | Cora & Harry | "What did you do with the money?" / "I spent every last cent playing the ponies..." | | 26:20 | Cora Wigan | "Can we keep him now, doctor? Can we?" |

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Important Segments by Timestamp

• Case presented to police: 01:59–04:33
• Home confrontation: 09:33–12:01
• Harry reports Cora and baby missing: 14:00–18:00
• Cora found at subway station: 18:00–20:36
• Precinct confrontation & confession: 21:20–26:20

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Tone & Style

• Warm, earnest, and occasionally tense.
• Period-authentic dialogue evokes empathy and realism.
• The stories are character-driven, focusing on dilemmas more subtle than the headlines—both legal and emotional.

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Summary Conclusion

"Case of the Foundling" exemplifies the human drama at the core of the old time police procedural. Rather than a routine drop-off of an abandoned child, the case exposes the vulnerability of would-be parents, the fragility of marriage under pressure, and the ways people bend the truth to protect themselves—and, sometimes, those they love.

The episode ends on a cautiously hopeful note, with Richie allowed to stay due to a technicality, and the Wigans facing the need for more honest communication. In classic 21st Precinct fashion, the case isn’t wrapped up in a neat bow, but it offers listeners a window into real, complicated lives behind every headline.

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For listeners who missed this episode:
It’s a poignant snapshot of Golden Age radio drama—blending realistic police work with the messy, heartfelt challenges of ordinary people.

Transcript

[A]

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[B]

A call is coming through. You will follow the action taken pursuant to that call from this minute until the final report is written in the 124 room at the 21st Precinct. All right, I'll tell you what you can do. You better come into the station house and talk to the detectives. Yes, sir. There's someone up there all night. 21st Precinct. It's just lines on a map of the city of New York. Most of the 173,000 people wedged into the 9/10 of a square mile between Fifth Avenue and the east river wouldn't know if you asked them, that they lived or worked in the 21st. Whether they know it or not, the security of their persons, their homes and their property is my job. My job and the job of the 160 patrolmen, 11 sergeants and four lieutenants of whom I'm the boss. My name is Kennelly, Frank Kennelly. I'm Captain in Command of the 21st. I was working my night tour. At 5:50pm I walked out of my office into the muster room where Lieutenant Gorman was desk officer and Sergeant Burns was on telephone switchboard duty. 21st briefing Sergeant Burns. Hello, Captain. Sergeant. You don't have to ring in to ask me that, Captain. Walk by there again, See, they're home now. I go on patrol now, Lieutenant. These roofs ringing every time they want to take a deep breath. Didn't you, Sergeant? Yes, sir, I. I guess I did. Sergeant, half sector, car number three, come by the house for the captain. Going on patrol? Yes, sir. Right away. All right. Step right up to the desk.

[A]

My.

[B]

Sir. CB this is Sergeant. Sergeant, I'd like to get a little information. Yes, sir. Well, it's a long story. I'd just like to know what to do about it. Do about What? Well, about six, eight weeks ago, on the 26th of August, to be exact, I came home from work and my wife was in the living room, and she had company, another woman, a girl about 20 or 21. I didn't know who she was, and there were introductions all around. My wife said she was Mrs. Lois. Heppel Anyway, this Mrs. Heppel had a baby with her baby boy, about nine months. His name is Richie. The baby, 7:22. Well, so I sit there wondering when supper is going to go on the table and what this Mrs. Hepple is doing. Cora, that's my wife, springs it on me.

[C]

Devin.

[B]

We're taking in a paying guest. The baby. That hits me between the eyes. But I'm polite about the whole thing. I take Cora into the kitchen. I ask her, what's this all about? Are you going nuts? She gives me a long song and dance about how another lady she met in a delicatessen told her about Mrs. Heppel was looking for someplace to board the baby for a couple of months. Cora's dying to have the kid in the house. She won't take no for an answer. So to make a long story short, we took in a baby. What do you want us to do about it? Well, I'm not asking you to do anything about it. All I'm asking for is a little information. Did this Mrs. Heppel pay you anything? That's just the point. My wife made an agreement that we would board the baby for $12.50 a week. So when she left the kid with us, she gave us $37.50 to cover the first three weeks. She said to either come by the house or send us the money before the three weeks is up. Well, how much has she sent you since? Nothing. Not one lousy cent. That's what I'm so burned up about. We got the kid. We haven't heard a word from her. Not a single word. Oh, I see. So, what I'd like to know is, what am I supposed to do? What's your name? Me? Wigan. Harry Wigan. How do you spell that? W, I, G, A N. Yeah. Come by the station house. Captain's going on patrol. All right. Where do you live? 502 York Avenue. Uh, are you the captain here? Yes, that's right. I'm Captain Kennelli. Well, I'm. I'm glad to know you. Look, is there something that can be done? Where do I go? Who do I see? Well, there might be something that can be done. Mr. Wagon, this child or the mother is not related to either you or your wife. Related? I never seen either of them before in my life. I seen the woman just that once in my living room when I came home from work. This woman, the mother, Mrs. Helper, she agreed to pay you 1250 a week to board the child? Yeah, that's right. 1250 a week. I told my wife I told her, Cora, 1250 a week to take in a kid is nothing today.

[C]

Nothing.

[B]

It'll cost more than that. Just expenses out of the pocketbook. But she's gotta have the kid. She's gotta have them. I couldn't even reason with her. How long you been married? 16 years. Any children of your own? No, no, no, no. No children. Not that we didn't want any. Her especially. But it was just one of those things. The way it worked out, there was no children. What did this Mrs. Hempel tell your wife? What do you mean? Well, I mean, why did she have to board the baby in a foster home? Oh, well, she said that she had the chance of a pretty good job in one of those airplane factories out in Long Island. Said she wanted to take the job, but that she couldn't do that and take care of the kid too. She wanted to take the job so she could save up some money. Did she give you the address where she'd live out on the island? She said she'd send it when she got settled. Did she send it? Yeah, just like she sent it. $12.50 a week. Did this Mrs. Heppel live with her husband? I don't even know that she had one. I asked the people in the building where she was staying there. They never saw any husband around there. Well, did she leave any forwarding address at the building? Nothing. Nothing. She just left. And she owes you approximately four weeks borrow. Approximately? Just about. All right, Mr. Wigan. You and your wife bring the child into the station house. If what you told us can be substantiated. Oh, it could be substantiated, all right. Well, then the mother's guilty of abandonment. You make your complaint here, and we'll see that the child is taken care of. I'll be in my office, lieutenant. Yes, sir. Thanks, captain. Thanks a lot. Listen, captain. Yes? All right. I just want you to know that I got nothing against the little fella. He's all right. But I just hate being made a chump out of, you know what I mean? I understand, Mr. Wynter. Just a rotten, lousy thing for that mother to do. And I ain't gonna be the sumter in the deal. How does your wife feel about it? Well, it don't make any difference how she feels about it. I'm the guy that's paying the bills, and I got enough to pay with $63.34 a week. Take home pay without worrying about somebody else's obligations. All right, Mr. Wigan, you and your wife come into the station house. With the child, we can get it all straightened out. Yeah, well, I'll go home right now and get them. You can wait until tomorrow if the baby's asleep. You had him this long. Another night won't make any difference to you. I know it don't make any difference, Captain. To me it's plenty of difference. A few minutes after Harry Wagon left the station house, sector car number three came by to take me on patrol of the precinct. I had the operator, patrolman Mercado, drive me to a political rally on 76th street where all the candidates for city council from the ad were speaking from the same platform. The car was not large and the number of patrolmen assigned to the job was more than adequate. Before returning to the station house, we made a swing of the south end of the precinct by way of York Avenue, where we saw sector car number one park at the curb. We stopped. That must be it, captain. 502. There's Eisman coming out. Eisman. Oh, hello, Captain. What do we got? Nothing much, sir. When we rang in, the sergeant told us to take a turn by here. Neighbor called in that a couple was scrapping. Family fight. Neighbor thought he was beating rap. Was he? Oh, no, sir. I went up and talked to him. They weren't drinking nice enough. Couple said they were just having an argument. Calmed down by the time we got there. Something about their baby. I told them if they had to argue to keep it down low enough so the neighbors wouldn't have to call the cops. What's the name of the couple? Wigan, captain. Mr. And Mrs. Harry Wigan. What floor are they on? Second floor, front captain. But it's all settled. They've quieted down. I know him. I want to talk to him.

[C]

Oh,

[B]

back on the job. Eisman? Yes. Marcado. Yes, sir. You wait down here. Yes, sir.

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[B]

The building was old but well kept. No one was in the hall. The other neighbors didn't know there was a disturbance or they'd been coaxed behind their own doors by the patrolman on the jail gun. Yeah? Who is it? Captain Canelli.

[C]

Who?

[B]

Captain Canelli, 21st Precinct. Oh, all right. There's no trouble, Captain. Everything is fixed up. You didn't have to come. I was just passing by. Oh, is that Mrs. Yeah, that's Mrs. Wagon. Well, come in, Captain. Thank you. The first time. First time since we were married that we fought like that. Arguments, yeah, but not fights like this. Cora. Cora, this is Captain Kelly, the captain I spoke to at the police station. How do you do, Ms. Wagner?

[C]

How do you do? I'm sorry. It was my fault. I screamed. It was me. Harry tried to keep me quiet.

[B]

Well, it's all over now.

[C]

He said you told him to bring me and the baby to the police station. Is that right?

[B]

If the baby's been abandoned.

[C]

Well, I'm taking care of him. I'm taking good care of him.

[B]

Cora, we've been through that. We've been through that time and time again till it's coming out of my ears.

[C]

It's the truth,

[B]

Captain. The cold can of beer. I got some in the ice box. No, no, thanks.

[C]

We couldn't keep him here anyway.

[B]

How many times have I got to say it? I am not going to beat a chump in this deal. Not me.

[C]

You wake him up.

[B]

If he didn't wake up from what went on before, he won't wake up now.

[C]

Would you like to see him cast? He's such a fine boy.

[B]

Don't wake him this way.

[C]

We won't wake him this way. You stay here, Harry.

[B]

Don't worry.

[C]

You ever see such a butterball? I love it. You don't know how I love you. How many children do you have, Captain?

[B]

Three.

[C]

Three, right. Three is a nice family. Everybody except me. I always wondered why Everybody except me

[B]

don't ask police questions.

[C]

Harry says we have to bring him to the police station tomorrow. What will you do?

[B]

Well, we'll try to find the mother, Place charges of abandonment against her.

[C]

What about him, Richie?

[B]

The New York Foundling Home. It's a very fine institute.

[C]

Oh, no.

[B]

Well, he's not your responsibility, Mrs. Wagon. If the mother abandoned him.

[C]

Just because the mother abandoned him. Is that a reason for me to abandon him?

[B]

Laura, we've been through all that. We've been all through it so much. The neighbors had to call in the police.

[C]

Now, please, Harry, give me some life.

[B]

The answer is, has been and always will be.

[C]

No, no.

[B]

And oh, that day made a monkey out of him.

[C]

I'm not thinking of her. I'm thinking of him.

[B]

He's got nothing to do with it. She's not going to get away with it. That kid gets turned over tomorrow. Folks, let's settle down. It settled down and it settles tomorrow. Bright and early it was settled. The husband made the decision. The wife had apparently resigned herself to it. She sat down on the couch and stared down at the floor. I said good night to each of them and left. Downstairs on the street, Sergeant Collins car had pulled up behind my own. Patrolman Mercado was standing on the sidewalk talking to the. Explaining the nature of the trouble in the house. I joined them. Because it was a quiet night in the precinct. I decided to accompany Sergeant Collins on an inspection tour of Cabaret's. When I returned to the station house and walked up the front steps into the muster room. A wildly gesticulating man was standing in front of the desk trying to make himself understood. Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute. No comprendo habl Despacio rapidolo. What's the trouble, Sergeant? That's what we're trying to find out, Captain. He just. Love you. It's been a long time since high school Spanish. Captain. Did you call upstairs to the detectives? Is Hernandez on the job tonight?

[C]

Yes, sir.

[B]

He's working, but he's out on patrol. They're trying to locate him. I think he's trying to tell me he was robbed. Look. Como sayama utea organza protea. Wait a minute. You're not doing bad, Lieutenant. Well, he's had a lot more practice than I have. He is going to show you his wallet. Wait a minute. I think he's a merchant seaman. I think that's what this card says. Anyhow. Look.

[C]

Qual?

[B]

S to Nastien Alida? Yeah, he's from the Argentine. Excuse me, Paul left to Barco de Yamli. Ask him if he's heard. Oh, yes. Estar who said erito? We'll keep him here. All right, all right. Hold it. Located Detective Fernandez. He's on his way in. Oh, brother, that's good. Momento. Look, Detective. Detective Caras. Very soon. Are you busy, Captain? Can I see. A minute. Oh, hello, Mr. Important, captain. All right, Mr. Wagon. I'll be in my office. Sergeant Jeffrey. Come into my office, Mr. Wagon. Yeah, sure. Go ahead. Thanks. Well, what's the trouble, Mr. Wagon? She's gone. My wife, she's gone, and she took the kid with her. When did she leave? I don't know. I thought it was all settled. We were going to bring the kid in here tomorrow. I went to bed. You know, I got to get up early to go to work. Cora said she'd go sit in the living room a while. And she left after you fell asleep? Yeah, that's right. She just took the baby and she left. Well, have you any idea where she went? No, I don't have any idea at all. When did you discover she was gone? I don't know. I'm usually a sound sleeper. Very sound. But I guess I just felt that something was wrong. I woke up and she wasn't in the bed. I went out into the living room and into the kid's room, and she wasn't there. Does she have any relatives she could have gone to? That's the funny part of it. Not a soul. A sister in Boston. That's all the relatives she's got. What about friends? Well, it was so late, I didn't feel like calling anybody. Is there anyone in the building she could have gone to? I thought maybe she had done that at first, and then I looked in the closet. She took her winter coat and bundled up the baby with some heavy blankets we had there. So I figured that she wasn't going anywhere in the building. How about a hotel? I don't think so. She didn't take any money? Nothing. Well, payday's tomorrow. She didn't have only a couple of dollars left. She left a couple of dollars right on a dresser. She took it out of her pocketbook and left it right on a dresser. Captain, I don't think she took a cent with her. Not a cent. That's what worries me. You're positive she didn't go to a friend's? Can't be positive, but I don't think so. You ought to check some of your friends in the neighborhood. Well, I wouldn't want to do that, Captain. I've been enough trouble tonight. It's late already. They all got to get up early in the morning. I wouldn't want to wake any of them up. Well, if she didn't have any money with her, Mr. Wagon, that's where you're going to find her, I think. Look, Captain, don't you think I was right? I mean, why should we be chumps and take on somebody else's obligations like that? I can see that she likes the kid. She loves him. I like him, too. But her mother made a sucker out of us. She just played it for chumps. She knew she wasn't coming back when she left the kid. I just don't go for that kind of deal. Your wife seemed happy enough with it. Well, there's got to be somebody in the family that looks out for your rights. There's got to be somebody that sees you. Don't get stepped on. Listen, Captain, I'm worried to death. What can I do? If you don't want to contact your friends tonight, the only thing you can do is wait until morning. Well, that seems like an awful long time, Captain. An awful long time. Mr. Wigan finally took my suggestion and went home to bed. In the meantime, we notified CB and the Missing Persons Bureau. An alarm was put out over the teletype to every precinct in the city of New York, giving a description of Carl Wagon and of the child as patrolman on post and in the sector cars in the 21st rang in. The sergeant on TS gave each of them the description and told them to be on the lookout for the woman and the child. Not long afterwards, sector car number three responded to a radio call to meet the subway station agent in the 68th street station of the Lexington Avenue local. There he is in the booth. You call the precinct? Yeah. Wait a minute. I'll be right out. What's the trouble over here? Two passengers called her to my attention. Go on through. I've been watching her. Thanks. As far as I know, she's been sitting there a couple of hours. Over there on the bench. The woman with the baby. She's just been sitting there. Yeah. Okay. You can go on back if you want. We'll handle it. Oh, good. Thanks. Seems awful funny. Yeah, I'll see you. What was the name of the woman in that alarm? The one with the baby wagon? Yeah, wagon. Well, that could be her. Excuse me, lady.

[C]

He's asleep. He woke up on an express passenger a little while ago. I had a hard time getting him to go back.

[B]

It's kind of late to be out with a baby, isn't it?

[C]

He's all right. I take good care of him. If this tone doesn't wake him up again, they make an awful lot of noise.

[B]

Oh, this isn't a nursery. It's a subway station.

[C]

Guess it's not their fault.

[B]

Are you Mrs. Wigan? What are you, Mrs. Wigan?

[C]

I still didn't hear you.

[B]

I asked you if you were Mrs. Wigan.

[C]

Yes, I'm Mrs. Wigan.

[B]

We've been looking for you.

[C]

Oh. I guess Harry woke up and saw I was gone.

[B]

I guess he didn't.

[C]

I don't want to give Richie up. I can't give him up. I wanted him so long. You've no idea how long.

[B]

We'd better go into the station house and Talk about it, Mrs. Wagan.

[C]

Oh, do we have to?

[B]

Yeah. We did it.

[C]

I'm not going to give him up, Rock. He even smiles when he sleeps. He's never seen such a happy baby. He's so happy.

[B]

Yeah, I guess he is.

[C]

He won't be happy if they take him away from me. Nobody will be happy. Nobody.

[B]

Oh, come on, Mrs. Wagoner.

[C]

What? Everything's so fun. He's hers and she doesn't want him. I want him, and I can't have him. So funny.

[B]

The two officers took Mrs. Wigan and the child upstairs to their car and drove them to the 21st. I had just returned from my tour of the division with the deputy police Commissioner. I asked Mrs. Wigan to wait in my office. Then I instructed the desk officer to notify Mr. Wagon that his wife was at the station house. After a few minutes, I walked toward my office. Through the open door, I could see her holding the sleeping child tightly in her arms. She looked down at him fondly.

[C]

Oh, is Harry coming?

[B]

I sent an officer around to tell him you were here.

[C]

Oh, I think he really likes Richie. I don't understand him. I'll be out or in the kitchen or someplace. And I'll come in and find him playing with the baby. And he jumps away like he was caught stealing something. I don't understand.

[B]

He told me the mother is making a sucker out of him.

[C]

Yes, he told me that, too. But maybe it's not her fault. I don't see how anybody could help caring about Richie. Maybe she's sick or something. That could happen. Couldn't it? Couldn't that be why she didn't send the money?

[B]

Well, we'll find out. The detectives will start checking into it.

[C]

Do they have to take him away from me? Can't I keep until they find out something?

[B]

According to the law, Mrs. Wigan, when a parent has agreed to pay for a child in a foster home. And goes away without leaving an ascertainable address. Or continuing to arrange for board. The child is considered abandoned.

[C]

I haven't abandoned him. I want him.

[B]

Yes, but you see, he's not yours. It's up to the Department of Welfare to provide shelter for him.

[C]

Can't I keep him here anyway?

[B]

Well, there probably is. You can get your husband to agree to seek adoption.

[C]

Harry? Not the way Harry feels. He wouldn't agree to anything.

[B]

He likes the boy. You said that yourself. And he told me he did.

[C]

Yes, I know. But he's so sore at Mrs. Hepple. He's so sorry. He takes it out on Richie and on me. Oh, excuse me. I thought he was stirring. Look. Like a log. He's really a good baby. And so happy.

[B]

Yeah, babies usually are if the person taking care of them is happy doing it.

[C]

Yes, I know I'm happy. I've been married all these years and I've never been so happy. That's what I think may be the matter with her. Harry is. I think he's jealous. Imagine. Jealous of a little thing like this.

[B]

Come in. Oh, come in, Mr. Wagon. Thanks. Should I close the door? Yes, please. Hello, Carl.

[C]

Harry.

[B]

Why did you have to run off like that? Cora? You scared me half to death. Half to death.

[C]

I'm sorry, Harry.

[B]

Sorry? You should be sorry.

[C]

You wake him.

[B]

You see, Captain?

[C]

You see?

[B]

That's all I get. You wake the baby. Don't play to television. Don't smoke my pipe. It's bad for him. We can't go to the movies. There's nobody to leave him with. Out of the 12 and a half dollars a week we didn't get, we have to pay for sitters, Harry. My age, I gotta have an infant around. At my age, I don't need it. All I need is peace and quiet. Nobody thinks of me anymore.

[C]

I'm going to give him back. The Welfare Department does something with them, you'll have your peace and quiet. You want to take him now, Captain?

[B]

Well, it's late, Mrs. Wagon. Why don't you go home with him? You have all his things there. We'll make arrangements in the morning.

[C]

No, I can't take him home. I want to leave him right here, right now. I can do that, can't I?

[B]

Well, I'll have to get a policewoman up here to take him to the New York Foundling Home. Now, look, Cora, don't be stubborn. We have to lose the whole night's sleep. Got to be at work at 8 o'. Clock. Let's go home. You can get the whole thing straightened out tomorrow.

[C]

I'm not taking this baby in my house again. Not unless I take him there to stay, I'm not. You got your way, didn't do. What else do you want from me? He could at least try to make a little easy on me. Honey, I'm ashamed of you. You don't know what you put me through. You don't realize how much I love you to do this for you.

[B]

Cora, honey, cut it out.

[C]

Cut it out. You have another brain in your head now. One day.

[B]

Yeah, I guess maybe I haven't, captain. I. I guess I'm a louse. Are you? Yeah, I know I am. I want to admit to you right here and now that Mrs. Heppler sent me 12 and a half dollars every week to the place where I work. Every week? Is that so?

[C]

You're not kidding?

[B]

No. No, I'm not kidding. The baby's paid up today. Paid up?

[C]

What did you do with the money?

[B]

Well, I. I gotta admit it, Cora. I gotta admit I spent every last cent playing the ponies. Every last cent. But she's been right on the button every Monday morning in the mail with a 1250 in cash. It came in a plain envelope from. Where was that postmark? Postmark? What do you mean, postmark? Well, where were they mailed from? Oh. Oh, from all over. She's been traveling.

[C]

Can we keep him now, doctor? Can we?

[B]

Well, if the board bill is paid up under the law, the baby hasn't been abandoned.

[C]

That's wonderful, Harry. Jack. What? You spent that money on the horses?

[B]

Well, yeah.

[C]

You ought to be ashamed of yourself. A baby, money on the horses.

[B]

Cora, you. You never heard from the mother, did you? How you gonna win, Captain? You just can't win. Well, at least one thing in a marriage. You can't do any worse than. Come in second. Go on, catch up with her. 21st Precinct, Sergeant Burns. What do you mean you were robbed or broke into your apartment? So where is this? And so it goes. Around the clock through the week, every day, every year, a police precinct in the city of New York is a flesh and blood merry go round. Anyone can catch the brass ring or the brass ring can catch anyone. 21st Precinct. A factual account of the way the police work in the world's largest city is presented with the official cooperation of the Patrolman's Benevolent association, an organization of more than 20,000 members of the Police Department, City of New York. Everett Sloan in the role of Captain Kennelly. Featured in tonight's cast were Wendell Holmes, Ralph Camargo, George Petrie, Juano Hernandez, Bill Lipton, Randall Kramer and Elspetharic. Written and directed by Stanley Nist. Produced for CBS radio by John Ives. Art Hannah speaking.

[A]

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[D]

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