Dragnet: The Big Crazy (EP4839)

Summary

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The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio

Host: Adam Graham

Episode: Dragnet – "The Big Crazy" (EP4839)

Air Date: November 6, 2025

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Adam Graham presents a 1950 episode of Dragnet titled “The Big Crazy,” following real LAPD detectives as they investigate the mysterious disappearance of Bernice Butler. What begins as a standard missing persons case grows increasingly strange as suspicion falls on her husband, James Butler—a man with a fragile grip on reality. As the story unfolds, detectives probe the line between psychological instability and actual crime, culminating in a dramatic and unexpected conclusion. After the radio drama, Adam Graham offers commentary on the case and responds to listener feedback.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. Case Introduction and Initial Investigation

• [02:56] The case begins with Sergeant Friday and Ben Romero assigned the task of finding 30-year-old Bernice Butler, missing for three months before her disappearance was reported.
• Bernice’s twin sister, Ruth Daley, reports her missing, explaining the delay due to Bernice’s habit of disappearing for stretches in the past.
• Ruth describes the deteriorating marriage with James Butler and recalls a disturbing comment:
  • “He had this real horrible look on his face. He said it right out loud, plain as day…You’d be surprised if I killed her, wouldn’t you? You’d be surprised.” – Ruth Daley [06:21]

2. Suspicion Falls on James Butler

• [07:00-12:00] Detectives Friday and Romero visit James Butler at work. He is uncooperative, evasive, and seems almost to relish talking about being violent with his wife—though friends and neighbors describe him as timid and henpecked.
• The detectives press him:
  • “Did you kill your wife, Butler?”
  • “It’d be silly to tell you that, wouldn’t it? … Yeah, when you prove it.” – James Butler [09:25]

3. Community & Psychological Insights

• [12:00-14:00] Interviews with friends and neighbors suggest Butler is a non-violent “milquetoast,” painting a contrasting picture to the persona Butler attempts to project to the police.
• Notably, Butler often picked fights with bigger men in bars, possibly as a way to compensate for feelings of inadequacy and humiliation at home.

4. Potential Evidence Surfaces

• [14:00-15:20] Ruth Daley finds a blood-stained hammer hidden in the attic, along with stains on the floor. She calls the police, who bring in the crime lab for analysis.
• The apparent murder weapon heightens the suspicion, especially since Butler disappears the same day Ruth finds the hammer.

5. Intensified Search and Psychological Decompensation

• [16:55] Butler resurfaces in Solari, CA, causing disturbances and boasting of having killed his wife “but nobody’s ever gonna find out.”
• He is returned to Los Angeles, undergoes psychiatric evaluation (found abnormal but competent), and further questioning—but the blood on the hammer turns out to be animal, not human.

6. Unorthodox Police Tactics

• [18:33] Ruth proposes to exploit Butler’s unstable psyche using a psychological ploy: she will impersonate her “dead” twin to shock a confession out of him.
• The plan: Get Butler out of the house, Ruth disguises herself as Bernice and waits in a dimly lit room with Bernice’s Siamese cat.

7. The Climax—Psychological Break & Tragic End

• [22:00-25:00] The detectives return Butler home. Upon hearing the cat and seeing Ruth in Bernice’s place, Butler is thrown into a hysterical breakdown:
  • “No, it ain’t real. She’s not there. She’s not there.” – James Butler [24:10]
  • “You go away, Bernice. You’re dead, and I killed you. You’re downstairs. You’re in the ground. You’re deep in the ground. I killed you…You can’t be sitting here.” [24:43]
• Butler flees, plunges from an upper-story window, and dies instantly.

8. Resolution and Twist Ending

• [26:00-28:00] Authorities search the grounds for a body—finding nothing. Months pass with the case still open.
• Nearly a year later, the truth emerges: Bernice Butler had been in a San Francisco hospital with TB since just after her disappearance, dying there unclaimed.
• The case closes:
  • “Her late husband, James Butler, was cleared of any connection with her disappearance.” [29:30]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• James Butler’s disturbing bravado:
  • “If you think this isn’t important, change your mind. Your wife’s been gone for three months. Nobody’s seen or heard from her, and it’s our job to check it.” – Sgt. Joe Friday [08:35]
• On the futility of the case:
  • “Suppose he really had himself talked into when he thought he committed 100% murder…happens inside the mind.” – Sgt. Friday [27:26]
• Touching final assessment:
  • “All things considered, I guess he loved her quite a bit. Well, it doesn’t seem to matter now. What he did wasn’t much of a chance either way. How do you mean? Well, the girl TB on one side, maybe murdered on the other side. Either way, she had to die.” – [27:53]

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Adam Graham’s Commentary

[29:48]

• Adam highlights the dangers of police psychological trickery reminiscent of pulp fiction, quipping:
  • “Who could have predicted that playing with the head of a mentally unstable man could end badly? Well, a lot of people, actually.”
• He notes the literary context of the Stevenson quote used by Butler, tying it to the character’s fractured reality.
• Reacts to a listener’s comment about period descriptions of age, observing with humor how era-specific standards make people in their 40s seem ancient by today’s standards.

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Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-------------|-----------------------------------------------------------| | 02:56 | Dragnet episode begins: Case facts outlined | | 04:23–06:30 | Interview with Ruth Daley, the missing woman’s sister | | 07:00–12:00 | Confrontation and interview with James Butler | | 12:00–14:00 | Neighborhood interviews: contrasting impressions of Butler| | 14:00–15:20 | Discovery of the ‘bloody’ hammer | | 16:55 | News from Solari, CA: Butler detained | | 18:33–19:31 | Ruth’s psychological plan explained | | 22:00–25:00 | Climactic confrontation & Butler’s breakdown/suicide | | 26:00–28:00 | Twist: Bernice found alive (then deceased) in San Francisco| | 29:48–31:30 | Adam Graham’s post-episode commentary |

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Tone & Style

• Dragnet is delivered in its classic semi-documentary, matter-of-fact style—methodical, unsensational, and authentic.
• Adam Graham’s commentary is reflective, insightful, and lightly humorous, particularly in handling listener feedback and observations on cultural change.

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Episode Takeaways

• The story exemplifies Dragnet’s focus on procedure, psychological depth, and the unpredictability of real investigations.
• Highlights dangers and ethical gray areas of psychological manipulation in law enforcement.
• Ultimate lesson: Reality can defy the most thorough investigation and even the most grippingly constructed theory.
• “Sooner or later you get them all. How would you figure out that night we had Butler at the house?...Suppose he really had himself talked into when he thought he committed 100% murder.” – [27:26]

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Listeners looking for riveting radio detective fiction and commentary will find this episode a classic example of Dragnet’s procedural rigor, atmospheric storytelling, and Adam Graham’s thoughtful perspective on both the genre and its era.

Transcript

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Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're going to bring you this week's episode of Dragnet. But first I want to encourage you. If you are enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software and today's program is brought to you in part by the financial support of our listeners. You can support the show on a one time basis by mailing a donation to Adam Graham, P.O. box 15913. That's P.O. box 15913, Boise, ID 837158. You can also become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as $2 per month by going to patreon.greatdetectives.net well now, from August 30, 1950, here is the big crazy.

[A]

The story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been change. Protect the innocent. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned the homicide detail. A 30 year old woman is missing. Three months pass before a disappearance is reported. There's not a trace of the woman, no lead to her whereabouts. Your job? Find her. Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case. Transcribed from official Police files from beginning to end. From crime to punishment. Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. It was Monday, June 9th. It was warm in Los Angeles. We were working the day. Watch out. A homicide detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Thad Brown, Chief of Detectives. My name's Friday. I was on the way back from the stats office, and it was 10:18am when I got to room 42, homicide. How are you, Joe? Been waiting for you. Hi. Ma', am. I'd like to have you meet my partner, Sergeant Friday. Joe, this is Ms. Daley. Ruth Daly.

[B]

How do you do?

[A]

How are you? Ms. Daly came in to file a missing report on her sister, Joe. She already talked to Missing Persons and they sent her in to see us. Oh, I have it. Chair, ma'? Am?

[B]

Thank you.

[A]

What's it all about, Miss?

[B]

I just started to tell Sergeant Ramirez.

[A]

That's Romero, ma'. Am.

[B]

I'm sorry. Romero. Well, it's about my sister, Bernice, Sergeant. She's missing. I wondered if maybe you people could help me find her.

[A]

Well, what's your sister's name?

[B]

Bernice. I guess you want her married name. Mrs. James Butler. Her description would be just about the way I look. Bernice and I are twin.

[A]

When did your sister disappear, ma'?

[B]

Am? In March. The first weekend in March. She disappeared on a Saturday.

[A]

Well, that's three months ago, Ms. Daly. How is it this wasn't reported sooner?

[B]

Well, as a matter of fact, I halfway expected her husband to report it. I talked to him about it. When Bernice was gone two weeks, he didn't seem too worried.

[A]

Is there any reason for him not to worry?

[B]

Well, there is no way. You see, Bernice has gone off before. About a year ago, she picked up. Went to Arizona without telling anybody. When she came back, she said she just wanted to get away for a while. She didn't want to be around here.

[A]

Well, how long did she stay away that time?

[B]

Almost a month.

[A]

Well, how about your sister's married life? She get along with her husband all right?

[B]

Well, first five years they were married, it worked all right. Then it sort of turned sour. I don't know what happened. They used to be happy.

[A]

What was the trouble, do you know?

[B]

That's the funny part. I don't. Wouldn't even know who to blame for it, Jimmy or Bernice. Both of them started drinking a lot. Pretty heavy. Seemed to me around that time, Jimmy began to get a little funny.

[A]

I see. Has he ever been violent towards your sister, Ms. Daly? I mean, has he struck her or anything like that.

[B]

Oh, no, really. Jimmy's kind of a milquetoast character. Timid, skinny most of the time, afraid to say boo. Yesterday I went over to the house to visit Jimmy. I tried to make conversation. He just sat in his chair reading a book. Every time I'd mention Bernice, he'd kind of look up and growl at me. I got sick of it. I put on my coat and started for the door. He followed me.

[A]

Did he say anything at all? Yes.

[B]

When I opened the door, I turned around to say goodbye. He had this real horrible look on his face. He said it right out loud, plain as day.

[A]

What's that?

[B]

He said, you'd be surprised if I killed her, wouldn't you? You'd be surprised.

[A]

10:40Am we finished taking a complete statement from Ruth Daly regarding the disappearance of her married sister, Bernice Butler. Before she left, we got the business address of her brother in law. A broadcast and a missing bulletin was gotten out. And then Ben and I drove across town to have a talk with the husband of the missing woman, James Butler. We located him at work in a job printing shop on South Vermont where he was employed as a journeyman printer. He was in his early 30s, thin, blond hair, light complexion, about 5 foot 7, 125 pounds. He wore a pair of rimless glasses. Ben and I introduced ourselves and began to interview him. He was close mouthed and not too cooperative. Seemed to resent every question we asked him while we talked. He worked over a paper cutting machine. You'll have to admit it's a little out of the ordinary, Mr. Butler. Your wife missing three months and you acting like you been gone three hours. Did you hear me, Butler? I heard you. Well, what about it? Just a minute. Well, you know, it's not ordinary her going away. I'm married to her. I'd know my own wife. We talked to your wife's sister this morning, Ruth Daly. She seems to think you might know all about your wife disappearing. She does? That's right in my way. I got to get that other set of cards. Oh yeah? What do you think? I don't know. There's something wrong with him. Sure got a big grudge for somebody his side. I wonder what that girl meant when she called him Bashful. About as bashful as a wild boar in a plum. Thick in my way. I gotta get in there. Yeah, go ahead. Haven't got any spare time to talk. I have to get this order out. It'll only take a few minutes. If you'll be good enough to cooperate. Haven't got the time, that's all. It's almost your lunch hour, isn't it? Suppose we can talk then? Got no time then, either. Why don't you talk to Ruth? She seems to know. Now, listen. That's about enough of this, mister. We ask you civil questions, we expect civil answers. If you think this isn't important, change your mind. Your wife's been gone for three months. Nobody's seen or heard from her, and it's our job to check it. Now, you can talk to us here or downtown. You take your pick. Have to finish up this badge first. We can talk out in the alley and back. I want everybody knowing my business. That's fine with us. You do what you have to do. We'll wait for you. Sure is aching from an argument. Yeah, or what. His big trouble is maybe a hangover. Looks a little used up. That could be. If he had something to do with his wife's disappearing. You'd think he'd try to cover the way he's acting. He doesn't seem to care what we think. Now, let's see what kind of a story he's got. Okay, it's this way out back. Go ahead. Yeah, what's the big deal? You ever been arrested, Butler? No, almost. Couple of times, they couldn't get me. What kind of trouble were you in? They said they didn't get me. I'm not gonna put myself in hot water. We'd like to find out how your wife was before she disappeared. You know of any reason why she'd go off the way she did? Any reason why she'd stay away three months without any word? No, I don't know any reason. How about your relatives, your friends? You checked to see if she might be with one of them? They'd call if she was. You never checked with them? No. Think, Ruth. Did you have any big arguments with your wife, Butler, around the time she disappeared? I mean, we had him all the time. She bothered me. She was too fresh. I beat it out of her. That too. You got to give him a little freedom. I think he can take over. Nagging, tell you what to do, what not to do. Sick of it. We'd like a straight answer here, Butler. Did you want your wife out of the way? What do you mean by that? I mean, do you know why she's missing? Could be a lot of reasons. I'd know one. Did you kill your wife, Butler? It'd be silly to tell you that, wouldn't it? Yeah. Did you kill her? Only one way. I'LL say yes to that. Yeah, when you prove it. Well, it wasn't easy to understand from the way it started. Our interview with James Butler would get us nothing. We had no evidence against him, nothing to indicate definitely that his wife had met foul play. Nothing but a suspicious remark he was supposed to have made to his sister in law, Ruth Daly. But once we'd left the print shop and got out in the back alley where he couldn't be overheard, he was full of information. Besides telling us that he beat the his wife, Butler also admitted that he'd threatened her life on several occasions. Twice in the presence of friends. He seemed to take some kind of a peculiar pride in admitting how violent he'd been with his wife. Ben and I took him downtown, questioned him further and listened to him talk. He made veiled hints that he'd been involved in various criminal activities in this country and also in Europe. That he was a close friend with a half a dozen notorious underworld gang leaders. That he was ruthless and clever enough to dispose of his wound wife if he wanted to and still avoid prosecution. While we were talking, Ben had James Butler's name and description double checked to the Record Bureau files. There was no previous criminal record listed for him as far as we knew. At no time had he even been held under suspicion in a criminal investigation. The next day, together with Brian and Lopez from Homicide, Ben and I made the rounds of Mr. And Ms. Butler's friends, relatives and neighbors. 4:25pm we got back to the office. Oh, hi. Eloping. Hi, Ben. Joe. What's doing? Nothing. Great. How'd you two make out? It's a funny setup. To me, I'd say the guy's a phony. Everybody we talk to, everybody who knows Butler, they all say the same thing. What's that? Guy's afraid of his own shadow. He's a milquetoast. Nothing to him. What'd you get? About the same. Every housewife around the neighborhood, out where they live, they all told us the same thing. The guy's a henpecked husband. His wife laid down the laws and he follows him. Psycho case, huh? Must be. Don't know how else to explain it. Every time I asked one of their friends if Butler beat up his wife, they laughed in my face. Said he wouldn't even dare cash his check on payday. Had to bring it home. If anybody got beat up, it must have been him. Yeah, it sure tells a great story. He can make you believe he was a Bluebeard. Do you get any different answers at all over yeah, one maybe. You want me take a look? Yeah. Let's see here. Yeah, here. Mrs. Irene Brady. She's an animus. Butler. She said the same thing about Butler, about him being a real mouse and all. And she told us about the dizzy things he'd been doing the last couple of years. Yeah, what was that? Four or five times. She said he just went out looking for trouble. Go in a neighborhood bar, insult some big stevedore, he'd get his face pushed in. He always picked big guys. Didn't seem to mind getting beat up as long as he couldn't sell them. Not much doubt. I guess the guy's ready for the nut. For him? Well, apparently he's got a big beef with people who push him around. Maybe he figured if he could take care of just one of those people, he could even up the score. How do you mean, Joe? Well, Mrs. Butler, the wife, she's probably the one who gave him the worst time. If he's a little bit off mentally, that'd make him capable of murder one. Couldn't be. Yeah, maybe the wife poured it on real strong, drove him to it. Crazy as a coot, that guy. Too many movies, mystery books. I got him. Homicide. Male. Oh, yes, ma'. Am. How's that now? When was that? Yes, ma'. Am. Yes, as soon as we can, but that does it. What's that? That was her sister in law, Ruth Daly just told me she's positive Butler murdered his wife. What makes you think so? Number one, she says Butler told her so. He admitted it to her last night. It doesn't hold any more water than the rest of his stories. I don't know. The Daly girl says she's positive. She's got the evidence to prove it. What's that? A murder weapon. Blood stains all over. 4:45pm Ben and I got in the car and drove out to the home of Mr. And Mrs. Butler, where we found the missing woman's sister waiting for us on the front stairs. She told us she'd been doing some kind of checking of her own through the house that afternoon. In going over the attic, she said she'd found a claw hammer hidden under a loose board in the attic floor. She said the hammer was covered with what appeared to be dry blood stains. She took us inside, up the stairs to the attic.

[B]

Careful of the steps, officers. It's an old house. Getting ready to fall apart.

[A]

Yeah. Watch the step here. Jill.

[B]

Yeah?

[A]

I'm worried. Go ahead.

[B]

Light's good and bright. That's how I happen to see the loose Boards over here.

[A]

Did you pick up the hammer, Ms. Dy?

[B]

No. I started to, but then I remembered about fingerprints and things just where I found it.

[A]

You want a pencil, Joe? Maybe you can get it in the claw there. No, I think we can see it right where it is. Couldn't be, huh? Blood stain. Well, it sure looks like it. On the handle here. All over the head of the hammer.

[B]

I knew it. I knew there was something wrong the day she disappeared.

[A]

Hey, look at this, Joe. I just noticed these stains on the floor. Old trail of them, see. Ain't right for the door. We better get the crime lab on and have Lee Jones run the benzidine test on him. What time does he usually get home from work, Miss Daily?

[B]

Your brother in law, about six o'. Clock. Don't know about today though.

[A]

How do you mean? Does he work late on Tuesday?

[B]

No, but I wanted to make sure he wouldn't be home when I came over today. I called the print shop where he works. He's not there. Called again this afternoon. Jimmy hasn't been seen since last night.

[A]

Is he in the habit of skipping work?

[B]

No, he never does. I called every one of his friends. I know of Bernice's friends too. I call them the places he hangs around. Nobody's seen him? Not since last night. Since you talked to him, you got.

[A]

No idea where he might be?

[B]

No. Just like Bernice, he disappeared.

[A]

You're in the statistician's office of a metropolitan police department. Have you made the run on this one? WMA. 5 foot 7, 160 pounds. Suspect is left handed, operates on foot. We punched up the master. The cards are in the machine. We'll make the run now. Okay, fine. There are many suspects to choose from. You're looking for one. Thank you. Yeah, this is the one we want. When you have a choice to make, you want to be sure. Tuesday, June 10, 5:20pm Ben got on the phone and called around town to check further on the whereabouts of James Butler, the husband of the missing woman. No luck. We called the office and they got out of broadcast. And an APB on Butler. We drove downtown to the crime lab, gave him the claw hammer that we found in the butler's attic and asked him to run a benzidine test on the stains. We'd also made arrangements for Lee Jones to run similar tests on the stains we we found on the floor of the attic. Three days passed. Butler was gone. There was no sign of him. The search was intensified. Another three days went by. Monday, June 16, we got an answer on the APB, a phone call from the Chief of Police in Solari, California.

[C]

Yeah.

[A]

James Michael Butler, WMA. 33 years, 5 foot, 728 pounds, blonde hair, hazel eyes. Hey, you got a North Hancock street address down there. That right? Yeah. That sounds like the man we're looking for. He's a real weird one, Freddy. Caused a little trouble at one of the taverns up here last night. Kept picking fights with the biggest truck drivers he could find. We locked him up after his third fight, he entered jail in an uproar all night. Wild one. What'd he do? Shouting all over the place. Couldn't do anything with him. Uh huh. Keeps telling everybody how smart he is. Yeah. Says he killed his wife, but nobody's ever gonna find out. James Butler was returned to Los Angeles. Angeles? Where he underwent further interrogation in addition to a psychiatric test. The test showed that he was definitely abnormal, but he was still judgmentally competent. The crime lab's tests on the blood stains found on the hammer and on the floor of the attic in the Butler's home revealed that the stains were made by animal blood, not human. We questioned Butler about it, but we failed to get him to even admit he knew anything about the stains. He was released from custody, but he was kept under surveillance. A week passed, two weeks, nothing developed. Still no sign of the missing woman, Bernice Butler. Still no definite sign of foul play in connection with her disappearance. No definite sign that her husband was criminally involved in any way. Considering all the angles of the case, we were still inclined to figure that he fit it in somewhere. He had some direct hand in his wife's disappearance. We stayed on it. Nothing happened. On June 26, the twin sister of the missing woman, Richard Ruth Daley, met Ben and I at the office and laid out a plan she had in mind. She insisted we try it. You mean you want to work on his emotional nature and try to get some kind of an admission out of him. Is that the whole idea?

[B]

That's it, Sergeant. I know what a nut he is about being dramatic. I know it'll work.

[A]

It's possible. Yeah. How do you figure to set it up?

[B]

It won't be very hard. For one thing, you know, my sister Bernice and I look quite a bit alike. People always take us for one another.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

You can get Jimmy out of the house at night for some reason or other. I'll slip in and go upstairs and put on one of the dresses Bernice used to wear all the time. I'll sit there in the upstairs bedroom with just the hall light on? Just enough light so we can see me when you bring him upstairs. I'll even bring over Bernice's pet cat. She had Siamese. He always hated the cat.

[A]

I don't know, ma'. Am. I'm not quite sure about it. It might be worth a chance. It's not too orthodox, but maybe it'll work.

[B]

If I know Jimmy. It'll work, Sergeant, if you can just warm him up to it ahead of time before you bring him upstairs. When he sees me sitting in that room with a cat, I know he'll think it's Bernice. Bound to get some kind of reaction. That's better than we're doing.

[A]

Yeah. Ben, what do you think? Sounds like a movie script. I don't know. It's like she says, I guess. We're bound to get a reaction.

[B]

I know it'll work. I'm sure of it.

[A]

Joan.

[B]

All right.

[A]

Let's give it a try. The following night, a few minutes before 8 o', clock, Ben and I got James Butler away from his house on the pretext of taking him downtown for further interrogation. We delayed long enough to make sure that Ruth Daley, the sister of the missing woman, had plenty of time to get into the house, change her clothes, and take her place in the upstairs room with her sister's pet Siamese cat. Then we started back for the house. We'd made arrangements to have Brian and Lopez from Homicide standing by, concealed in the immediate vicinity of the house in case they were needed. 1105pm While we drove him back toward his home. Butler was talkative, but not too relaxed, was the same line we don't heard before. How tough he could be when he wanted to. The same hints that he was an undiscovered killer, one of the more talented professionals in the deadly circles of the underworld. I came from Illinois originally. Cicero. You guys know how it is back there. You have to stay right up on your toes. Yeah. How long you been out here? Now, brother, you expect me to tell you that I'm wise. The way you guys work, you're not gonna get me on questions like that one, understand? You do quite a bit of reading, Jim. You come across anything good lately? Nah, nothing lightly. All the good books, they've already been written. Edgar Allan Poe, Stevenson, De Moupasant, Gogo. They know how to tell a good murder story. These new guys are a waste of time. Reading, that's all. Reading, that's what I like to do. Not that modern junk. Only the best. You take some of Poe and Stevenson for instance, I know those guys. Sure, I know their stuff well enough to tell you I got whole pages memorized. How'd you like to hear some? Stevenson, maybe. All right, go ahead. I have to belie my nature. All men do. All men are better than this disguise that grows about and stifles them. You see? Each dragged away by life like one whom bravos have seized and muffled in a cloak. If they had their own control, if you could see their faces, they would be altogether different. They would shine out for heroes and for saints. I am worse than most. Myself is more overlaid. My excuse is known to me and to God. But had I the time, I could disclose myself. That's out of Stevenson. Pretty smart fella, huh? Yeah, sure is. You got a pretty good memory. I read those books all the time. Nothing better. This is the house, all right? Yeah, that's right. Well, maybe I'll see you later, huh? Thanks for the ride. Well, I tell you, we'd like to come in the house with you, if you don't mind, Butler. One or two things you'd like to check over, if that's all right with you. It's all right. Sure. Guess you ought to know by this time, huh? Nothing I'd hide in that house that you'd ever want to find. Come on, let's go. Sure dark out. Isn't it? A little bit chilly? Yeah. What do you want to check over in the house? Always one or two things. Just routine, Jim. We won't keep you long. Guess I ought to be a little burned at you cops by now, huh? Getting all this rousting. How about laying off pretty soon? Maybe I am getting a little burned. You can prove something on old Jimmy Butler. Prove it. If you can't do it, let him alone. We're just tying up a few loose ends here, Jim. There's nothing to get excited about. What's the matter? Forget your front door key? I got it. My business. You learn not to forget anything. Can't afford to forget. Yeah, it's quite a big place you got, Butler. You stay here all by yourself. That's the way I like it. By myself. You want to look at anything, you can look now. When you're through, I got some bourbon in the cellar. I keep a big booze cellar, you know. All first rate stuff. What's the matter? Oh, nothing, Jim. Thought I heard a cat someplace. Did you? No cats in this house. What do you mean you heard a cat? I hate the lousy things. I wouldn't have one. Didn't you tell Us? Once your wife had a cat. I think it was you. You didn't like it much, did you? Killed the lousy thing. Got an axe and killed it. Dumb wife of mine used to drive me crazy with the cat. Hair all over the place. You know how it is. Got an axe and killed it. Mm. Yeah, there it is. I thought I heard it. Guess you got another one now, Butler. We'll get rid of that thing. I'll find him and get rid of him right now. Upstairs. I suppose the house makes you think of your wife quite a bit, doesn't it, Jim? What? Well, I mean, you spent so much time in it together, you and Bernice. He's got quite a few memories for you, I guess, huh? Find that thing if it takes all night. I'll get the axe and I'll find the thing. It's up here, all right. Maybe down the hall there. Bernice's room. She had the cat. What's it doing here? There's no reason for it. Could have wandered back in. Can we get more light in this hallway? I can't see anything. Cat could be anywhere. What's it doing here alone? The cat was always with Bernice. Never left. It sounds to me like it's just around here. Maybe through that door there. You think it's Bernice's room? I killed a lousy cat. He couldn't be in there. Well, maybe it's just a cat out in the streets now. Out in the side alley, maybe, huh? Probably not even in the house. Take a look in the room here. No. No, it ain't real. She's not there. She's not there.

[B]

Don't hurt the cat. Not the poor cat. Jimmy, don't kill him. Not both of us. Don't kill the cat. Please don't kill two of us.

[A]

You go away. You go away. You're not there. It's a fake. You're not there, Bernice.

[B]

Please, Jimmy. Not both of us. Don't kill both of us.

[A]

Some kind of a trick.

[B]

Now.

[A]

You go away, Bernice. You're dead, and I killed you. You're downstairs. You're in the ground. You're deep in the ground. I killed you. You can't be sitting here.

[B]

Please, Jimmy. Please.

[A]

All right, Butter, come here. No. Get away. You get away from me. She's downstairs. She's in the ground. I'll show you. You can't trick me. I'll show you. I can't.

[B]

I can't. Dear God.

[A]

Come on, Ben. Downstairs? Yeah. I tried to grab him. Tried to. He broke Away. Yeah. Lopez. Lope. Here's you over here. Did you see it? Lope? Yeah. Good drop from the window. He came fast. Yeah. Not too pretty, huh? Must be something, huh? How about getting a doctor? Yeah. He lost the doctors when he hit that sidewalk. Only one thing left. I know. Yeah. Call a priest. In his suicide leap from the top story of his house, James Butler died instantly on the pavement below. Afterwards, when the reports were made out and the deputy coroner removed the body, a special detail of men was sent out to helped probe the grounds around the Butler home and also the ground directly beneath the house. The search was thorough. The ground was dug up foot by foot. We found nothing. Butler's last admission before his death that he killed his wife and buried her in the grounds adjoining the house seemed to be as empty and worthless as some of the other stories that he told us. The painstaking search for the body of James Butler's wife went on. We found nothing. Alive or dead. There was still no trace of her. Butler's friends and relatives held a modest funeral for him. And he was buried in a small cemetery south of the city. In missing persons bureau there were still no leads on the case of Bernice Butler. It was still open. Summer finally got to an end. The fall season came and went. And then Christmas and the holidays and then back into January and February. On a rainy morning early in March, almost a year to the very day when the case started, we got a communication from San Francisco. It had come to the notice of the police through the county health department. In regard to your APB of June so and so last year, this is to inform you that Mrs. Bernie Sputler has been a patient in the Tubercula Ward County Hospital, San Francisco since June 16th of last year. Apparently her case was considered critical from the day she was admitted to the hospital last Thursday, she succumbed to the illness. Identification was established. Next of kin notified, but no one claimed the body. She was buried at county expense. I trust this may aid you in establishing facts pertinent to her disappearance on her. Well, how about that? It doesn't figure, does it? Sooner or later you get them all. How would you figure out that night we had butter at the house? You mean we had his sister in law in there and he thought he saw his wife? Oh, who knows? Suppose he really had himself talked into when he thought he committed 100% murder? Yes. He thought about it long enough actually convinced himself. Must have worked out something like that inside his mind. Imagine he lived right through it. Figured he really killed her when it came for the punishment. He's ready to buy that there wasn't any way out. So he jumped. Mixed up. Killer.

[B]

Ghetto.

[A]

Mine's too bad. All things considered. I guess he loved her quite a bit. Well, it doesn't seem to matter now. What he did wasn't much of a chance either way. How do you mean? Well, the girl TB on one side, maybe murdered on the other side. Either way, she had to die. The story you have just heard was true. Only the names were changed to protect the innocent. On March 9, the meeting was held in the office of captain of Homicide Police Department, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California. In a moment, the results of that meeting. After locating Mrs. Bernice Butler in the tubercular ward in San Francisco County Hospital, final disposition was made of her case. Her late husband, James Butler, was cleared of any connection with her disappearance. You have just heard Dragnet a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the office of Chief of Police W.H. parker, Los Angeles Police Department. Stay tuned for counterspy next on NBC. And Doug, here we have the Limu emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds of with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug. Uh, limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us. Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty Liberty Liberty Liberty Savings Ferry Unwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and affiliates excludes Massachusetts.

[C]

Welcome back. Who could have predicted that playing with the head of a mentally unstable man could end badly? Well, a lot of people, actually. I mean, Ben Romero mentioned this sounded like a movie plot. And it's generally a good idea for the police to steer clear of borrowing from B movie detectives. So if you're one ever wondered, well, why don't the police ever try anything like that in real life? Well, this episode gives you an idea as to why. Now, the passage of Stevenson that was quoted was actually from Markheim, which is a story about a man who kills a pawnbroker and is subsequently haunted. And this may have been an indication, given the husband's sort of weak grasp on reality, that he believed that sort of thing was possible. We turn now to listener comments and feedback. And we have a comment regarding the bang Winchester over on Facebook, Alicia writes, chubby matronly old woman of 45. Ugh. My husband just turned 45 and I'm not too far behind trying to decide if I should be triggered or not.

[A]

Lol.

[C]

Old might not have been part of that description, but she sure sounded about 80. Thanks for the comment, Alicia. You know, I started doing podcasts with Dragnet back when I was 26 and so these sort of descriptions just kind of went right over my head. But some of them, I am getting to the point where the old phrase I resemble that remark comes to mind. Now it should be said that and there have been plenty of memes of this and you know, photographic evidence that people of the same age in prior generations looked older for their age. There are things that led to more severe aging, both environmental and social factors. And they say that 40 is the new 30. They of course, being people like us in our 40s, trying to feel better about ourselves, but nevertheless they say it. And so I will just go with that and just assume that people were older. Yes. Well, now it is time to thank our Patreon Supporter of the day and I want to go ahead and thank Kirk. Kirk has been one of our Patreon supporters since January of 2024, currently supporting the podcast at the rookie level of $2 or more per month. Thanks so much for your support, Kirk. And that'll do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software and be sure to rate and review the podcast wherever you download it from. We will be back next Thursday with another episode of Dragnet, but join us back here tomorrow for yours truly, Johnny Dollar, where as for motive.

[A]

Motive, I hadn't thought of that. Red. Well, the main thing is that that cut and open the flotation tanks was done with with some kind of an act. I was asking about motor and I know that Elmer didn't have any ax on that boat. Do you find the ax?

[C]

Johnny no.

[B]

No.

[A]

Now Red, I'll tell you what he had in his boat beside his clothes. I mean, let's cover this motor thing. He had the anchor, of course that went with the boat. He had a nice new Siloflex rod with a Mitchell 300 on it. Yeah, but now look, he had a long handled neck that he picked up somewhere in LA and an old beat up McKinney tackle box full of plugs and spoons and a face. And that was all. Johnny no axe. That was all he had. Red that bush you're beating around is getting pretty big.

[C]

I hope you'll be with us then. In the meantime, send your comments to [e-mail] follow us on Twitter at radiodetectives and check us out on Instagram. Instagram.com Great detectives from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham, signing off.

[A]

And Doug, here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug. Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us. Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty Liberty, Liberty. Liberty Savings Fairy underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company affiliates, excludes Massachusetts. This is the story of the 1. As a maintenance supervisor at a manufacturing facility, he knows keeping the line up and running is a top priority. That's why he chooses Grainger. Because when a drive belt gets damaged, Grainger makes it easy to find the exact specs for the replacement product he needs. And next day delivery helps ensure he'll have everything in place and running like clockwork. Call 1-800-granger. Click granger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done. And Doug here we have the Limu Emu in its natural habitat, helping people customize their car insurance and save hundreds with Liberty Mutual. Fascinating. It's accompanied by his natural ally, Doug. Uh, Limu is that guy with the binoculars watching us. Cut the camera. They see us. Only pay for what you [e-mail] Liberty Liberty, Liberty. Liberty Savings Fairy underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company affiliates, excludes Massachusetts.