21st Precinct 54-11-24 (072) The Beaver

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: 21st Precinct 54-11-24 (072) "The Beaver"
Release Date: February 25, 2026

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Brief Overview

This episode presents a dramatized case from the classic police radio series "21st Precinct," set in mid-1950s New York. Captain Frank Kennelly and his team are drawn into a wave of complaints from women who believe their fur coats have disappeared from a local furrier shop. The episode follows the unraveling of a small business owner's personal and ethical collapse, blending police procedure with gritty, human drama typical of the golden age of radio.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Complaint at the Precinct

• Setting: Captain Kennelly, while making his rounds, encounters a heated scene: a group of women are gathered at the precinct to file complaints about missing fur coats from Fern Hill Furriers.
• Initial Investigation:
  • The women report that the furrier, George Audley, has not been returning their coats.
  • The coats were stored or brought in for repair, but after repeated delays, suspicions arise when Audley’s shop fails to open and he becomes unreachable.
  • The women banded together after meeting outside the locked store, frustrated at months of stalling ([05:00] Mrs. Sarah Pford: "He kept stalling and stalling us...we decided to come over here and see if anything could be done about it.").

2. Police Handling & Skepticism

• Captain Kennelly and his team initially try to determine if there's been actual theft, or if the proprietor is simply having issues fulfilling agreements.
• Skepticism and community tensions are highlighted, with women frustrated and seeking immediate action:
  • [06:43] Mrs. Sarah Pford: “And I want some actionable. Get action. That's what I said. We got to have a little patience."
  • [07:46] Mrs. Sarah Pford: "I'd like to know what you'd call it" (when Kennelly says there’s no clear evidence of theft yet).

3. Escalation and Crowd Control

• The situation intensifies as more women gather outside the shop, requiring police presence to keep order.
• Reports from the beat confirm crowding and the potential for unrest:
  • [11:16] Captain Kennelly: "He said there's about 15 women congregating around that car shop...they're boiling, every one of them."

4. Community Backstory & Character Motivation

• Local merchant Mr. Ton offers the backstory on Audley, revealing his gambling, drinking, and personal weaknesses:
  • [14:56] Mr. Ton: "Well, it's three troubles, really. He likes to play the horses, he likes to drink and he likes women...Fine wine, women and horses. You can chalk it up to that."
• The business downturn and personal decline shine a light on both the vulnerabilities of small business and the personal cost of addiction.

5. Locating and Confronting Audley

• Mr. Ton discreetly tips Captain Kennelly to Audley’s whereabouts (a bar around the corner), fearing being seen as a traitor but motivated by concern for Audley’s well-being.
• Kennelly brings Audley in for questioning.
• Memorable exchange as Audley expresses relief at being caught, highlighting psychological pressure:
  • [16:51] Audley: "You dread the day...but you dread the day. It's not like that at all. It's a big relief when it's all over."

6. Confession and Moral Downfall

• Audley confesses in detail:
  • He pawned and eventually sold customer furs to cover debts and fund his gambling, initially believing he could recover and redeem the furs before anyone noticed.
  • As finances worsened, he sold more coats outright. The loss is immense, totaling about $20,000.
  • [20:59] Audley: "But it was my intention to make every penny of it good. To give every woman back a coat...When you began selling them outright, that intention went out the window.”
• Audley laments that he did not intend harm but was driven by desperate circumstances, encapsulating the vulnerability to self-delusion and hope for sudden redemption.
• His wife's coat is a pivotal emotional anchor—Audley insists he didn’t sell her coat, tying his last vestige of integrity to this claim ([24:03] Audley: "It's in a vault...I wouldn't do a thing like that to her. It's my wife.").

7. Irony and Tragic Ending

• Audley is brought before the waiting group of angry women, resigned to facing his consequences.
• Captain Kennelly’s narrative brings the story back to the unpredictable, circular grind of police work:
  • [29:52] Captain Kennelly: "Anyone can catch the brass ring, or the brass ring can catch anyone."

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Community Action:
  • [05:00] Mrs. Sarah Pford: "We found out that he'd been stalling all of us, stalling us for weeks about our coats. Anyway, I said I was willing to do something about it."
• On Personalized Loss:
  • [06:01] Mrs. Sarah Pford: "Mine's a coat. It might be only muskrat, but it's a full coat. And I paid $400 for it."
• On Frustration with Police Process:
  • [07:02] Mrs. Sarah Pford: "We'll go over there now. I bet you there are at least 20 women hanging around the store outside."
• The Detective’s Realism:
  • [21:31] Lieutenant King: "When you began selling them outright, that intention went out the window."
• On Collapse and Regret:
  • [21:18] Audley: "I don't know. I expected to have the coats, that's all I always expected. Expected a windfall. I expected something to happen. I don't know what."
• On Integrity Amid Crime:
  • [24:03] Audley: "It's in a vault...I wouldn't do a thing like that to her. It's my wife. I wouldn't sell her coat. It's the only one you didn't sell, huh?"

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Important Timestamps

• [02:41-08:12] – Heated discussion between Captain Kennelly and the women, initial recounting of the thefts and the furrier’s stalling tactics.
• [09:00-10:24] – Discovery that Audley has moved out, indicating flight.
• [11:16] – Crowd gathering at the store; police strategize to prevent a riot.
• [14:56-16:51] – Mr. Ton’s backstory on Audley’s bad habits and the effect on the merchant community.
• [20:00-25:00] – Audley’s confession: how financial distress led to pawning and selling dozens of coats, and the personal story of his wife’s undisturbed coat.
• [29:52] – Captain Kennelly’s closing reflection on the cycle of precinct life.

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Episode Tone & Storytelling Style

• Language: Authentic period dialogue, featuring both clipped police speech and the varied cadences of the complaining women, steeped in mid-century New York vernacular.
• Tone: Sympathetic but unsentimental, blending dark humor with grounded realism; police are depicted as methodical, constrained by procedure but aware of human drama.

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Summary for the New Listener

This episode of "21st Precinct" artfully reconstructs a small but charged police case—a minor merchant's moral and financial collapse becomes a neighborhood crisis, drawing in police, aggrieved customers, and local businesspeople. The case unfolds as both mystery and social commentary, highlighting the unpredictable impact of ordinary vices and desperate hope. Audley’s confession, the police’s procedural restraint, and the community's reaction collectively paint a picture of the everyday challenges of urban law enforcement, brought to life with memorable period dialogue and a touch of tragic irony.

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For those interested in the pulse of 1950s New York, this episode offers a vivid slice of police drama, blending procedural detail with deep human frailty.

Transcript

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

With VRBoCare, help is always ready before,

[Narrator / Advertiser]

during and after your stay. We've planned for the plot twists, so support is always available because a great trip starts with peace of mind.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

21st preaching. Sergeant Waters. Yeah, yeah. How many women? What is it, a bargain sale there? What do they want? Yeah, yeah. You are in the muster room at the 21st Precinct, the nerve center. 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 send a car around there right away. Yeah, okay. 21st Precinct. Transcribed 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, their persons and their property is the job of the men of the 21st Precinct. The 21st. 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 day tour 8am to 6pm the weather had turned exceedingly cold over the weekend and for the first time, the men turned out in their winter overcoats. After the platoon marched out the front door, I went into my office to read over reports of occurrences in the command during the last 24 hours while I was off duty. Shortly after 9 o', clock, I walked out into the muster room, through the back room and across the iron bridge into the Station House annex, which houses the cells where prisoners arrested in the precinct are held until taken to court, according to procedure and in the company of Patrolman Bailey, the station house attendant, I made an inspection of the cells to see that they were clean and supplied with paper drinking cups, towels and so forth. After I concluded this inspection, I returned to the back room and headed toward the muster room where a heated discussion was going on between the desk officer, Lieutenant Gorman, on the one hand, and several women on the other.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

I'll wait for him to go. I'll wait for him to. All right, all right. All right, lady.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

What's the trouble, Sergeant? I haven't been able to make it out yet, Captain. All right, now, look. Charge of water.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

All right. Okay.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

All right, now wait a minute. Just wait a minute. One at a time means one at a time. What do you got red. I'm proud. Aren't you, Captain? Now, one of you's got to do the talking. Who will it be?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Mine's the most valid. I'll talk. I'll talk. Let it be me.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

All right, now, wait a minute, you. Lady, what's your Name?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Me?

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Yes.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Mrs. Pford. Mrs. Sarah.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Perfect. All right, now, let's let Mrs. Peret tell what happened and the rest of us will just listen. We'll all get our turns. All right? All right, Mrs. Peret.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Well, he stole up her coat.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Who did?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

The farrier.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

What's his name?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Audley.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

What's his name?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

George or Steve.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

How'd he come to steal your coat?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Well, it's not.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Wait a minute. Is he in business over on East 86th Street?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Yes.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Fern Hill Furriers.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

That's right. 738 East 86th Street. I had my coat in storage there since May and I can't get it back. Neither can any of us can win. Right.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Why won't he give them back to you?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Well, he keeps saying he will. He never does. I've been trying for two weeks. Two weeks? I've been trying for months. All right, okay.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Does he give any reason?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Well, I had to have a new lining put in mind. He keeps telling me the material hasn't come in yet. Then he tells her the right fur isn't there yet. That's right. The sleeves are a little bit worn. He was gonna get skin to match.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

I see.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

But mine was just being stored and I can't get it back. And there weren't any repairs to mine. And he keeps stalling me.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Well, what did he tell you?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Well, he keeps telling me. Just a minute, just a minute. I'm supposed to do the talking.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

No, that's all right. I'd like to hear what he keeps telling. Huh? Oh, excuse me.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Well, he keeps telling me he has too. So he has much storage space business. That he didn't have enough room in his own vault to store the coats. Well, so he had to send most of them over to a wholesale storage company. And mine's not back yet.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Well, maybe he's right. Maybe he's just having a hard time getting the work out.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Oh, no, it's nothing like that.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Are the three of you friends?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

No, no, we don't know each other, do we? No. You see, we were at the store this morning and he didn't open up. It was 9:30 and he didn't show up. There were the three of us and 10 other women waiting for him. We all had Coats in there being fixed or stored or something like that. And we got to talking. We found out that he'd been stalling all of us, stalling us for weeks about our coats. Anyway, I said I was willing to do something about it. I was the one who said it. It doesn't make any difference. That is, we decided to come over here and see if anything could be done about it. That's right.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

And what makes you think he stole your coat?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

If he didn't steal them, where are they?

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Well, the store is still there, isn't it?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

The store is still there, but he isn't. He didn't open up today. Right.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

All right, all right. You're Mrs. Perfect.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

That's right.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

And you?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Mrs. Tressiter. Mrs. Amy Tressiter. Ms. Neal. Doris Neal. N I A L L. What kind

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

of coat is yours, Ms. Neal?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Well, it's not a coat exactly. It's a jacket. Silver fox jacket, Mrs.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Perfect.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Mine's a coat. It might be only muskrat, but it's a full coat. And I paid $400 for it.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Did you buy it there?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

I should say not. I bought it on Fifth Avenue. Oh, two?

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Yeah. What kind?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Honey, you don't seem very excited. Mine was a mink coat. I'd be over there with an axe. Well, you don't accomplish anything by getting it.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

That's right.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

And I'm screaming about a lousy silver fox Jack. Besides, my husband said that if I didn't get the coat back today, I should report it to the police and then call the insurance company. Oh, the insurance company. I knew there must be a reason she wasn't excited. Well, I don't have any insurance, and I want my coat back. Who said I didn't want mine back? What are you worried about? You got insurance. I like my coat.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

All right, all right.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

I want a bag.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Okay. Look, I. I want you to tell me how come there was such a crowd there this morning.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Well, he kept stalling and stalling us, and finally he told everybody Monday. Come back Monday morning and we could have our coat. Isn't that what he told you? That's right.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

And he didn't open up this morning? No.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

We'll go over there now. I bet you there are at least 20 women hanging around the store outside. At least 20. There were at least 10 there already when we decided to come over here. Is that right? Yes, that's right. About 10. Including ourselves. Besides ourselves.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Ms. Tressida, did you stole your coat there last year?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Well, no, I didn't. I don't think he's been open that long since stored coats last year. Yes, he has.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

I stored mine there last year. And you didn't have any trouble getting it out in the fall?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

No, no trouble at all. I brought in the receipt and he

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

gave it to me.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

He was just as nice as you please. He was nice. He was a very nice man. Get any compliments out of me, I'll say that. But what we'd like to know is what can be done about it.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Well, in the first place, there's no evidence yet that he stole any of your parts.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

I'd like to know what you'd call it.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Well, he told you to come back on Monday.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Well, today's Monday and we were back. Where was he? No place in Skype to store his. Locked up tight.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Lieutenant, would you get the card out of the business house file? That's final. PR 7380, state six.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Yes, that's right. And his name is Audley George.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Yes, I know.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

What good's that going to do?

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Well, I want to see if he's opened up yet.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

You can count on it. He hasn't.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

When did you take your coat in to be stored, Ms. President?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

In May. Oh, wait a minute. I've got the storage receipt right here in my bag. Right here. May 3rd.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

What value did you place on it?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Well, we paid $4,000 for it. Of course, that was nearly two years ago. And it will be two years. Christmas. It was a Christmas gift for my husband. Christmas. Somebody should give me a husband like that.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

There is cousin. Yeah. All right. Bring over to the store.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

He's not going to be there. Take my word for it. He can try candy, Sergeant.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Get on out on here. Yes, sir.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

I don't think he'll be there. I know he won't be there. If he was coming, he'd have showed up by now. He's not coming.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

It's ringing.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Could ring all day. This is all well and good, but it's not going to get my coat back.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Sure.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

And I want some actionable. Get action. That's what I said. We got to have a little patience. When the wind is blowing and I got chills, I don't worry about patience.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

That's okay. Home number listed then? Yes, sir. Try that. Who's the lineup sergeant? Yes.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Did you say you have his home phone number there?

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Yes, that's right.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Well, what is it?

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

I'm sorry, I can't give you that information.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Anybody's entitled to it now. We are, aren't we? I got a Code stringing.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

That's now. Well, just give us a chance and we'll try to get it straightened out.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

That's what I say.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

A lot you've got to worry about. Hello? Is this the residence of Mr. George C. Audley? Yeah. Yeah, I see. Is he there? That's so. Yeah. Well, when was that dinner? Well, what is it? Oh, he didn't. All right. Thank you.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Was he there either?

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Woman said she was. This landlady. Yeah.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Wasn't he there?

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Mr. And Mrs. Audley rented a furnished room there. They moved out yesterday.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Moved out? You see.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Why did they go?

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Now, just a second. Oh, it's awful.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

All right. Looks like you're right. Looks like Mr. Audley did skip.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

So what are we supposed to do? You know how I scraped to get that jacket?

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

If you listen, I'll tell you what to do.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Yes, sir.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

You go back through that door there and up the stairs to the second floor. You'll see the detective's office up there. You go right in and they'll take care of you.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Will they be able to find him?

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

They'll try.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

That's not the important thing. Will they be able to get our coats back?

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

You make a complaint up there and they'll answer.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Is there any particular. Particular detective we should see or is just one as good as the other?

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

They'll tell you who to see.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

We are not getting the run around now, are we? Because my husband works for the city and he knows a few people.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

You know. The detectives will handle it. You just go on upstairs.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Might as well. Detectives are higher than them anyway. On the second floor?

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Yes, that's right.

[Mrs. Sarah Pford]

Well, we got to learn who's touching upstairs.

[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Sergeant Dan. A little son. Well, I hope he likes to hear women talk at least. He ought to be used to it. He's got four daughters. Oh, is that so? Hold on. Lieutenant. Yes, Coley, ringing in. He's on post up there on 86th Street. He said there's about 15 women congregating around that car shop. He said they're boiling every one of them. Yeah, because he's afraid they'll break in the door. He can't handle them alone. All right. Sent a car around to help them get a strange. Yes, sir. I'll send a car to give you a half. You ought to put someone on a picture up there, Ren. We're awful short today, Captain. Yeah, I know. I could double up post 3 and 5 and send Kale up there. All right, try that. I would leave a school crossing open this afternoon, though. Things will probably quiet down by then. Probably. 20.36. Sergeant Waters? Yes. Hold on a second. If you detect your swinging down, Captain, Senator King want to talk to. All right, I'll take it here. Yes, 21st Precinct. Captain Kennelly. This place has turned into a head house, Captain. Yeah, I can imagine. They're all cackling, too. Well, just get their coach back, Matt. That's all it'll take. Believe me, you're going to try. Look, can I have that home address on Audley? I want to send a man up there to check him out. Oh, yeah, sure. Give me that card. Rent this, Matt. Yes, Captain. The home address is 63 West 79th Street. Yes, sir. And the phone over There is Academy 23598. 3598. Yeah, but he's supposed to be gone from there. Yeah, so the ladies told me. Thanks, Captain. Okay, Matt. You think the detectives will get any results, Captain? Well, then I know they're going to try. You are listening to 21st Briefing, a factual account of the way police work in the world's largest city with Verbocare.

[Narrator / Advertiser]

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[Captain Frank Kennelly]

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[Captain Frank Kennelly]

Now back to 21st Precinct and Captain Kennelly. A serious crime or an unusual occurrence seldom results in a shortage of personnel in a precinct command because in such instances, the inspector commanding the division, the borough commander or the chief inspector will order men into the troubled area for temporary duty from other commands. The real pressure for manpower comes when a multiplicity of small, everyday occurrences within the precinct requires the force to be thinly spread. Such was the case on this day when three patrolmen were in court as witness duty. One went sick, one had a prisoner in custody while he was questioned by detectives. And one was assigned to a fixed post to prevent angry women from breaking into a door and show windows of a furry a shop out on patrol. About an hour later, I rode by the closed shop. The patrolman assigned there on a fixer had the situation under control. Gathered on the sidewalk, they had been told to take their complaints to the detective. I instructed the operator of my car to pull into a parking space down the block and I walked back toward the furriers. As I approached a luggage shop several doors from the place, I saw the proprietor standing in the doorway. Oh, Captain. Captain Kelly. Oh, hello, Mr. Ton. Well, how do you like this? Oh, it's not good. Some reputation the merchants on the block can get from one rotten apple. I know it doesn't help. You know how business has been with me this morning? Terrible. I. I attribute it to this. You know, something like this can run all the customers to the department store. Yeah, well, that's too bad. And he's not such a bad guy, George. He's a pretty nice guy. As a matter of fact, he's a good friend of mine. We had lunch together all the time and we tell each other our troubles. But I didn't think he was in such bad shape as this. I had no idea. What does he do with the ladies coats anyway? Captain, do you know? Not yet. Not exactly. Well, I better see what's going on there. Oh, Captain. Yeah? Look, like I said, George is a good friend of mine. I know him since he opened up the shop there. You know, nothing social, just business acquaintances. Well, I think I know what his trouble is. What? Well, it's three troubles, really. He likes to play the horses, he likes to drink and he likes women. You think that explains it? Explains a lot. He had a good business there and there's no competition within blocks. He could have done all right. Fine wine, women and horses. You can chalk it up to that. Yes, most likely. Look, Captain, what can happen to him? I mean, is he really in big trouble here? Not if these customers get their coats back. Well, there's no law against closing up the store if he wants to, is there? I Mean, he can do that. He can go out of business any time. And he would, he can if he didn't convert other people's property. Look, Captain, you want to know where he is, don't you? Yeah. Well, if I tell you, you won't let him know, will you? I. I don't want him to think that I turned him in, that I was disloyal. But I. I think it's for his own good. He. He's got to get straightened out. That's right, he does. Where is he? Why, he around the corner there in the bar and grill? Just around the corner. Can you come and point him out to me? Well, look, Captain, I told you I didn't want to get involved. I didn't want him to think that I had anything to do with him being turned in. Oh, just through the window. You don't have to come into the place. Well, all right, all right. Just a second. I want to tell my partner I'm going. Okay, Charlie, I'm going around the corner for a minute. I'll be right back. You know what it is, Captain? It's another story of a good guy gone wrong. That's all there is to it. Did you see him this morning? Yeah. Yeah, he called me up in the store. I said to meet him in the Bar and Grill. He didn't dare come near his place with all the women around. Well, I went there and he poured his troubles out to me. Captain, the guy's really in a jam. He wants to do the right thing. I know that he wants to. He told me that. And why does he planning on skipping town? Oh, I. I didn't know he was planning on skipping town. He moved out of his flat yesterday. Left no forwarding address. The landlady thought that they were going to Chicago, he and his wife. Okay, he never told me that. Oh, there's the place right down there. Gone to Chicago, huh? It's funny you never told me that at all. Well, it might not be so we don't know it for a fact. Oh, look, I. I don't want to go in there, Captain. I don't want him to see me with you. All right, we'll we walk by the place once, straight by it, you look inside and tell me if you see him, all right? Well, yeah, I see him. He's in the second booth toward the window there. All right, Blue. Thanks. Oh, Captain, please don't tell him it was me. That pen have been, you know, friends of friends, and I think I'm doing it for his Own good. You. You agree with me? Yes, I agree with you. Yeah. Well, I better get back to the store. Go ahead. Yeah, I'll see you, Captain. Mr. Odley. Oh, hello. You're the Mr. Odley that runs the Fern Hill for years. I'm the Mr. Odley who did run the Fernhill Furriers. A lot of women are looking for you. I know it. I know they are, Shan. Too bad. I think you better come with me. Not to the store, huh? You're not going to take me over there? No. To the station, huh? That's good. Any place but the store. Can I have a drink before we go? No, thank you. There's one last gulp, and if you mind. Go ahead. Thanks. Well, you know, you. You dread the day. You know what's gonna happen, but you dread the day. It's not like that at all. It's a big relief when it's all over. Into my car without his being noticed from the shop down the block enrolled at the station house, he began to tell me of his troubles. He continued as we got out of the car, walked up the front step and into the muscle room. Everything went wrong. Nothing went right. Hi there, Mr. Odley. Hello, Captain. Red, this is Mr. George Audley and has been causing a revolution, huh? Well, I didn't know it was that. Then you didn't smear my glory's night in a Turkish bath around here. Red, are there any complainants upstairs in the detectives? According to my last census, captain, there was seven steaming mad females up there. All with murder in their hearts. Can imagine. Red, lean upstairs to Lieutenant King. Tell him I've got Mr. Odley and I'm taking him into my office. Yes, sir. Thanks, captain. No, thanks, Sergeant. Yes, I've got to protect city property as well as you. This is Lieutenant G. Let me. I guess I'm pretty much city property now too, huh? Pretty much. Inside. All right. Sit down over there, Mr. Audley. Thank you. Right here. That's fine. I suppose I'm entitled to get a lawyer. Oh, sure, you're entitled to a lawyer. I don't know how much good it'll do me. I don't have any money for one. Oh, what a mess. What a mess I got myself into. If you give these women back, their fires won't be so bad. I'd like to, Captain, believe me, but I can't. I'd sure like to. Yes, Lieutenant King. Come in, man. Hello, captain. Hello, man. So this is Mr. George Ordley. Yeah, that's right. I'm Lieutenant King. Glad to Know you? I don't know whether I can say the same thing. I sure heard a lot about you this morning. I can imagine. Why they got all these ladies coats. Well, that's just it. I don't have them. What did you do with them? Well, last spring, when the weather began to get warm and they didn't need their fur coats anymore, the customers started to bring them in for storage and for repairs. Yeah, well, it so happened that at that time last April and May, I was in desperate need of money. So instead of storing them, you sold them all? Not right away. I had every intention of giving the women back their coats. Every intention in the world. When I first started, I pawned them. I took them around to different shops and I got loans on them. You were going to redeem the loans in time to have the coach ready for the women on the fall? Yeah, that was my intention. What'd you use the money for? That you got from pawning the coach? Pay some debts, my rent and to bet on the horses? Little bit. You know, it's more than a little bit. All right. I bet on them a lot. How many coats did you pawn? Oh, I don't know. I spent about 100, 125 a dollar and 50. But you pawned. Yeah, that's all I pawned. But, you know, I. I sold some outright, too. Oh, did you? Yeah. See, along about the middle of May and the 1st of June, things got really bad. I mean, terrible. No favorites were winning. I had a favorite for winning, all right. But when they won, I wasn't on them. How many coasts did you sell outright? 75, 100. Who'd you sell them to? Other furries. What'd you tell them? I told them the customers left the coast with me to be sold. Or that they had traded them in on something else. The other threes. And I negotiated a price and they bought them. How much money was involved altogether? Any idea? Yeah, I got an idea. Something like $20,000. How much do you have left? About 500. 500 out of 20,000? That's the way things go. Things sure went pretty bad as far as you were concerned. Sure did. But I had no intention of taking anything from anybody. I didn't want to cheat those women, honest. I didn't want to sell their coats. It was just a situation that I found myself in. I was desperately pressed for money. You got no idea. Yeah, sure, I know. I was being squeezed from all sides. Well, you haven't seen any squeezing yet, miss. Oddly, worse, it would have separated. Hard to Start. Yeah, I know. $20,000. But it was my intention to make every penny of it good. To give every woman back a coat that might have been as long as you were pawning them. Might have had the intention to redeem them in time for this fall. When you began selling them outright, that intention went out the window. What did you expect to tell all these women when they presented their receipts and w. The coat? I don't know. I expected to have the coats, that's all I always expected. Expected a windfall. I expected something to happen. I don't know what. If you sold most of the coast outright, what were you going to tell the women in those cases? I don't know. I got no idea. I'd have told them something. I'd have stolen them off. I guess that's all. Why'd you keep the store open so long? You knew you were in a big jam in the middle of the summer, didn't you? Yeah, sure. I knew it. You moved out of your room, you and your wife. That's right. Where you staying now? Well, we don't have a place. Where's your wife? She's at a friend's house out in Kew Gardens. Where were you planning to stay tonight? Well, we. We hadn't really knew that you were on your way to Chicago. But you were leaving today. How'd you find that out? Isn't it true? Yeah, that's true. Well, if you were going to skip, why didn't you really skip? What did you come back to the shop for and sit in the bar around the corner from it? That's another story. Oh, I'm sure we'd like to hear it. All right. All right, if you'd like to hear it. See, my wife was packing yesterday. Naturally, she's a little upset about this whole thing. Naturally. Much as me. So we were packing to go to Chicago. Yeah. All of a sudden she reminded herself she didn't have her coat. Her own fur coat? Yeah, the three quarter length main coat. Wild Canadian. I made it for about three years ago. So she said, where is it? I said, honey, it's in the vault down at the shop. So immediately she got suspicious. She accused me of selling it, of pawning it along with the rest of them. I said, honey, I wouldn't do that to your coat. I wouldn't do that at all. She didn't believe me. And it is their honest. It's in a vault down there. I wouldn't do a thing like that to her. It's my wife. I wouldn't sell her coat. It's the only one you didn't sell, huh? No, there's a few I didn't sell, but I didn't sell hers. I didn't pawn it. It's really in the vault on at the shop. But she didn't believe it? No, she was sure I sold it. So she said, either I go to the shop and get the coat, or she don't go to Chicago with me. And that's why you were hanging around the neighborhood in the bar? Of course. I couldn't go near the shop. I couldn't get anywhere with all those women around there. And I couldn't go get my wife until I had her coat. Guess I'd have been better off if I'd have sold it. It was brought $1,500, maybe 2,000. 21st Precinct. Captain Canale. Captain. One of the women must have saw Mr. Orbee go into your office. The water's out. They're all out in the muster room now. They're crying for blood. How many? Oh, seven or eight. All right. Thanks. Well, they found out you're here, Mr. Audley. There's a delegation of women right outside that door. There is, huh? Yes, there is. Well, might as well face the music. Take my word for it, Mr. Audley, it's not going to be music. 21st preaching. Sergeant Waters. Yeah. What's the trouble? 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 marigold. Anyone can catch the brass ring, or the brass ring can catch anyone. 21st Precinct transcribed 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 Kelly. Can lynch as Lieutenant King. Harold Stone as Sergeant Waters. Featured in tonight's cast were Santa Toga, Mandel Kramer, Larry Haynes, Susan Strong, Elspeth Eric and Gladys Dawson. Written and directed by Stanley Nist Produced for CBS Radio by John Ives Art Hannah. Speak.

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