The story you're about to hear is true.
Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Fatima cigarettes, best of all long cigarettes, brings you Dragnet.
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to robbery detail.
An elderly woman on her way to the bank has been robbed and beaten senseless.
The suspects are cruel, ruthless. Your job, get them.
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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 Saturday, August 9th. It was hot in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out
of robbery detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Ed Walker, captain of robbery.
My name's Friday. It was 1014 a.m. when I got to room 27A, robbery detail.
Hi. Hi. What's up, Jim? I went. How is he? Well, no, for a while. What did the vet say?
Thinks the dog picked up some kind of poison food. Oh, that's too bad. Sure hot.
You got a penny? Yeah. Yeah, there you are. Thank you.
Somebody poisoned, huh? Yeah. That's what the vet says. I never could figure why some people
poison dogs. I don't understand some people not liking animals, but I can't see why they
poison food and then just toss it around, wholesale loss. You know how I feel about that dog of
mine. If anything happens to him, I don't know what he'll do. He'll be all right. Those vets
can do wonders these days. I sure hope so. They told me to check back with them about
noon. I'm about to melt in this heat. Yeah, doesn't seem to be any air at all. Well, it's
more Sunday. Guess I'll just lie out in the backyard. It's gonna be good to just loaf
around and read the Sunday papers, huh? It's a hot shot. I'll take it. My wife wants me
to get out and get a little color. She says I'm better looking with a tan. She ought to
know. All right. Will you get married, Joe? After so long, you get so as you believe everything
they tell you. There's one roll on. Yeah. Robber in shooting. Victim's car was stolen. You want
to get on it? All right. Let's go, Joe. Bank job. Don't make any plans for Sunday.
10 53 a.m. Ben and I pulled up in front of the Union Trust and Savings Bank at Melrose
and Logan. We made our way through the usual crowd that was milling in and around the bank.
We spoke with a manager, a Mr. Bill Four. He told us that he didn't see the actual robbery.
The victim was taken in the parking lot next to the bank. Her name was Myrtle Shaw, a longtime
customer of the Union Trust and Savings. Four told us that she always did her banking at
the same time each day around 10 in the morning when the bank first opened. He said she was
the proprietor of Myrtle's Cafe four doors west of the bank. Let us through, please.
Sorry. Let us through here. Officer, over here. Yes, sir. Friday and Romero Central Robbery.
Did you answer the call? Yes, we did. Freeman and Welsh unit 13R. Ambulance just left. They
can bring one to go to Georgia Street. Said she wanted her own doctor. OK. Is she inside
the cafe? Yeah. Let's go in, Ben. Are you Freeman? No, I'm Welsh. Freeman's inside.
See if you can clear this crowd a little, will you, Welsh? Right. Thank you. All right.
We've seen everything now. Now let's move along. Come on.
There she is, over in the last booth. Freeman? Yes, sir. Friday and Romero Central Robbery.
Is this the victim? Yes, that's right. Her name's Myrtle Shaw. Michelle? Yes, sir.
Yes, that's right. My name is Romero. This is Sergeant Friday. We're from Robbery Division
downtown. You men detectives? Yes, ma'am. We'd like to ask you a few questions. Yes,
all right. I hope you can catch the men that did this. We're going to do all we can. It's
a little hard for me to talk. My face is swollen. It hurts. Something terrible. What happened?
One of them struck me. Yes, ma'am. We know that. Do you want to tell us how it happened?
And I was on my way to the bank. I drove in the parking lot there next door. Yeah. I just
got out of my car when these men walked over to me. You're only four doors from the bank.
Do you always drive such a short distance? No, no. I just picked up my car from Edgar's
fell-in station. I haven't greased once a month. I see. Where was I? You just driven into the
parking lot when these men walked up to you. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Well, one of them said, just
hand over the money and there won't be any trouble. The other one said, this is a gun
in my pocket, Grandma. Yeah. My head's splitting. Did someone call Dr. Van Hale? Yes, ma'am.
He's on his way. Oh, thank you. Well, I carry my days receipts in a cloth bank bag. I had
it in my purse and I wasn't sure if they knew I had any money. Yeah. I told them I didn't
have any. I was going in to draw some out and one of the men said, look, old timer, we don't
want to get rough. Just hand it over. We know you got it. What'd you do? Well, I turned
around and started to walk away and I saw this one man's arm flash out of his pocket and
then something hard like a rock struck me on the side of the face. That dislugs you with
his gun. Oh, yes. It couldn't have been his hand. I don't think he could have cut my face
like this with his hand. You should have let them take you to the emergency hospital. No.
No, I don't want to go in any ambulance. I want my own doctor. He don't know what to
do. Ambulance crew gave her first aid. She wouldn't let him take her. Mm-hmm. Thanks.
Miss Shaw, would you know the men if you ever saw them again? Well, I think so, yes. One
of them looked like the worst kind of a hoodlum. And they got your money, huh? Oh, yes. They
tell me they got away with my car, too. How much money did you lose? $116.23. Do you own
this cafe? Yes, I do. It's a small place, as you can see. I do all the cooking and serving
up to 11.30 in the morning. Then I have a college girl that waits on tables in the afternoon
and evening. Do you think those men have ever been in here in the cafe? No. Have you ever
seen either of them before? No. No, I never laid eyes on them before today. How about
the girl who works for you? Think she's ever seen them before? I don't know. You can ask
her. She should be here soon. What time is it now? Mm-hmm. 11.20. Yes, she'll be along
any minute. Oh, I wish there was something to stop this aching. I know you must have
a lot of pain, Miss Shaw, but we've got to ask a few more questions so we can get right
on this. Yeah, I understand. I'll tell you all I can. Ben, do you want to get the dope
on the stolen car and a description of the man I'll call the office? Right. Say his name.
Is there a pay phone I can use here, Miss Shaw? Yes. Right over there behind the fountain.
Thank you. Do you need change? Yes, ma'am. I'm afraid I do. Well, just help yourself
and the cash register there. Thank you. I put in a dime taking out two nickels. Oh, well,
now that wasn't necessary, young man. You didn't have to tell me. Well, I know, but
we don't like to open other people's cash registers. You're a police officer, aren't
you? Yes, ma'am. I trust you. That seems to be the reason a lot of people don't. I called
the office and as fast as Ben repeated the information, I phoned it in. The detailed
information was broadcast to all units. The stolen car was a 1946 green Ford sedan, license
number one X-ray one eight nine eight. All units were instructed to be on the lookout
for the car and have found abandoned to notify robbery detail immediately and keep the car
under surveillance until we arrive. I called in a description of the suspects and the fact
that the money was taken in a cloth bag stamped Union Trust and Savings. Myrtle Shaw's doctor
arrived and she was ordered to bed for rest and treatment. Ben and I interrogated all
the possible witnesses in the parking lot. We found only one man who saw the actual robbery.
His story compared to that of Miss Shaw's, but he could add nothing more. We talked with
a young college student who worked in the restaurant. She didn't think she'd ever seen
the men in question. We drove back to the city hall and went to the stats office. They
made a run for us on the descriptions and MO that we had and we pulled the packages
of all possible suspects that the machine sorted out. We narrowed and sifted the 24
possibles down to 12. We took the mug shots out and showed them to the victim and the
one witness. They could not identify any of them as the two men in the hold up. Two thirty
five p.m. Saturday. We started to canvas the neighborhood door to door.
I'm taking care of Logan Street for one block, both sides. Want to start you on Melrose?
Okay. Let's try this drug store. I'm on fire. The paper says it's supposed to hit 99 today.
I believe it. Come on. Yes, sir? Police officers. We're looking for a couple of men. Here's
the descriptions. I wonder if you'd read this and tell us if you've ever seen them. Yes,
sir. We ain't got time to have a coke. No, we better not. It's getting late. No, I'm
afraid I've never seen anybody who answers either one of these descriptions. You sure?
Yeah, quite sure. Thank you. I have to have that bag. Oh. Let's go. Is it just my imagination
or does it seem to be getting hotter to you? Talking about it doesn't help. I'm trying ignoring
it. That don't help me either. Let's try this bakery. How do you do, gentlemen? Hi, police
officers. Wonder if you'd read the two descriptions listed here and tell us if you've ever seen
either of these men. Yes, of course. No. Sure smells good in here, doesn't it? No, I don't
seem to recall anybody that looks like this. Anybody else in here who might have seen them?
No, I don't think so. I wait on trade. Okay, thank you, ma'am. Let's go. That smells just
like good old apple pie, doesn't it, Joe? We're baking Danish coffee cake at the moment.
The next place here is a plastic factory. Yeah, it looks like they're closed. Half day Saturday
again. Somebody in there cleaning up. Yes, he didn't hear me. Oh, here he comes. Yeah.
A lot of money in this plastic business. Mm-hmm. Really came into its own during the war, didn't
it? Oh, yeah. The plant's closed Saturday afternoon. Police officers, wonder if you'd
look this paper over and tell us if you may have seen two men answering these descriptions.
All right. I have to put my glasses on. Yes, sir. There now. I don't need them for sweeping,
just reading. All right, here you are. Mm-hmm. What do you think? What was that? I said, what
do you think? Have you seen them? I don't know. How do you mean? I'm not sure yet. I'm not
sure. I may have seen one of them. How about the other one? That's what I mean. Yeah. I
don't know about the other one. But you do remember seeing one of them? I might have seen
both of them. But you're not sure. I don't know. Well, do you want to tell us what you
remember about the one you did see? Oh, don't you want to know about the other one too? Yes,
sir, we do. But I understood you to say that you didn't know about the other one. No, I
don't. Well, you just tell us what you know then. Then you want me to just forget about
the other fellow. No, sir. But if you don't know, it's all right. I might know. Yeah.
I haven't read about him yet. Oh. You asked me a question just as I finished reading about
the first one. I was just starting on the second one at that time. Yes, sir. Sorry. What was
that you asked me? Wasn't important. Then I'll read about the second one. Yes, sir. Thank
you. Yeah. I seen them two or three days ago. Both of them. In this neighborhood? Yes, sir.
Right around back in the parking lot. They work here? No, sir, they don't. Seems to me
I've seen them a couple of times. What were they doing? I don't recall. I just remember
I've seen them. You sure? Yes, I'm positive. One of them had on a brown suit, the other
gray. Just like it says here. The description's fit all right. You have any idea where these
men might be now? No, sir. We're investigating a robbery. We want these men for questioning.
I wish I could help you more. I do know I've seen them, but that's about all. I don't know
their names. All right, sir. What's your name? Seth Williamson. We'll leave you one of our
cards, Mr. Williamson. If you see them again, I appreciate you letting us know. Yes, sir.
Sure will. Let's go, then. Wish we had something more definite to go on. We just had a picture
of the guys. Yeah, it'd help. There's a vacant lot in the corner, finishes out this block.
All right, let's double back on the other side of the street. All right. Sure, huh?
4.30 p.m. We continued knocking on doors, checking every place that was still open or
showed any activity Saturday afternoon. We talked with hotel managers, janitors, and clean-up
men at the different factories or business establishments. We checked grocery stores,
private homes, everywhere that we could find anybody to show the descriptions to. By 6.15
p.m., the only person who showed any sign of recognition of the two holed-up men was
still Seth Williamson, the janitor at the plastics plant. Before we took time out for
a sandwich and a cup of coffee, we drove back to the city hall to check the office. Hi,
Friday. What do you say, Marty? A couple messages for you here. Thanks. What's the matter
with you, Romero? I'm dehydrated. That sun almost fried me. Well, Joe, that one call
I heard from your mother said to tell you your dog's out of danger. Oh, that's fine.
Called in around 2, huh? Yeah. And the other one's from some guy who says he wants to talk
to you right away. I've been calling in since about 3 this afternoon. Seth Williamson, huh?
Called four times. Yeah. Said to tell you he'd wait at that number there. They heard from
him. I'll call him right now. Been hot downtown, Marty? Pretty warm, man. Any kickback on that
stolen car? No, not yet. And Benson Plastics? This is Sergeant Friday, police department.
Oh, yes, I'm glad you called me back. I think I've got a little more information for you.
Yeah? Those two fellas you were looking for, did you find them? No, not yet. Well, I just
remembered what they were doing out back there in the parking lot. Yeah? They were taking
pictures. Of what? Of the two girls that was with them. I remember now. There were two
young women with them. One was a blonde and the other I don't recall. How were they dressed?
The blonde had on a white shirt of some kind and a black dress. That's all I can tell you
for sure. Who was taking the pictures? First the fellas took the girls' picture and then
the girls took snapshots of the fellas. Thank you very much, Mr. Williamson. Oh, it'll help
you. Yes, sir, it will. Goodbye. Goodbye. What do you got? They've had their pictures taken.
Yeah? Let's find the prints.
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It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima. The best of all long cigarettes. Ben and I figured
if we could possibly turn up the photographs that had been taken, we'd have something more
definite to go on. We still had a lot of doubts. Maybe the janitor Seth Williamson was wrong.
Maybe there were no pictures. If the snapshots had been taken, maybe they were still in the
camera, undeveloped. With any kind of fast service and processing, the photos could have
been picked up by now. We figured it was worth the chance and the time involved to check
the lead out. All we had was the victim scant description of the two holdup men and if we
could possibly turn up pictures, it would help a great deal. If Williamson was right,
we'd have another lead, the two girls. Six forty p.m. we started checking drug stores
going through all prints that had not yet been picked up by the customers. We'd made
the rounds of all the drug stores in the neighborhood earlier in the day, but we double checked
the descriptions of the two men with the personnel in each store. By nine p.m. we'd
checked out ten drug stores and found nothing. We were going on the hunch that the photos
would most likely be dropped off for processing somewhere in the immediate neighborhood.
It was only a hunch and we were running out of drug stores. Police business, we'd like
to go through your photos that have been left for developing. Yes sir. Here's the box
right here. Oh thank you. I'll take half. Not very many this time, huh? Oh, don't forget
to check the negatives too. Sometimes they don't print them if they're bad. Yeah, I know.
No, nothing in this one. People sure take a lot of pictures of babies, don't they?
Yeah. Nothing. These are sure fuzzy. Pictures of the zoo. Pictures of Yellowstone.
Ben. Yeah? Pay dirt maybe. Let me see. Two guys. Two girls. One's a blonde, white blouse,
dark skirt. Look close. Let me see. Left by a Marion Lang, 223 East Bixel. Well Claire.
Yes sir. You want to double check us on this envelope? Yes sir. This date and time right
here, 3.30 PM August 6th. Yes, that's correct. That's when the films were left for processing.
Three days before the robbery. Did you ever see this woman in the picture before? Let
me see. This one? Oh yes. Yeah. She comes in here quite often. Miss Lang is her name.
How about these men or this other girl here? No, no. I've never seen them. When were these
prints supposed to be picked up? I waited on her. She told me she'd pick them up Friday,
yesterday. Well we'll have to take these photos along with us. They'll be returned. All right
sir. How will I explain this to Miss Lang? If this is the right address, you won't have
to. Before we left, we called the office and had a stakeout placed in the drug store in
case Marion Lang tried to pick up the photos. We checked the address she gave on the envelope,
223 East Bixel. It was a small apartment building near the corner. The manager told us that
Marion Lang had moved out the morning of August 9th, the day of the robbery. She left no forwarding
address. The manager knew nothing of the other girl or the men in the photos. We checked
with Myrtle Shaw, the victim. She positively identified the two men as the ones who robbed
and slugged her. She knew nothing of the two girls, hadn't seen them before. We put out
a warrant on Marion Lang and gave the photos to Lieutenant Frank Cunningham and the record
girl. Monday morning, August 11th. Morning Frank. Hello Mark. Any record on the guys?
Nothing we could find, no. I'm having copies sent out right now. Kind of thought maybe
if we came up with pictures, we'd be half way home. Maybe we are. How do you mean? I had
Tony make some blow ups from the negatives. Full of grain. Probably take them to the cheap
box camera of some kind, but it might help. What'd you find? I just checked the enlargements.
They were still in the wash, but I think we got something. Let's go over the photocopies.
All right. Yeah, they're good and clear now. Clear as they'll ever be anyway. There we
go. I had 16 by 20 enlargements made. This will show you what I found. Yeah. You guys
take a good look at the face of this, this one man here. Thought we did. Why? It's pretty
hard to see on those small prints. Look here. You see the nose on this one? I'd guess it's
been broken one time or another, wouldn't you? Yeah. You see here? Scar over the left eye,
scar over the right eye. A couple of them. Yeah. Look at the right ear. See how mashed
it is? We couldn't come up with any names for you, but how better to be safe to guess
his line of work? Looks like a prize fire. Nothing in the auditive file. I checked and
double checked everything I could lay my hands on here in the department. I don't place
him if he was a boxer of any standing. I don't know where it's going. Isn't much. Wish I
had something else for you. It's a lead, isn't it? Might be. More than we had. It was possible
that one of the two holed up men in the photos could have been a professional fighter. From
his appearance and build, we felt it was a fair guess. We took copies of the snapshots
to the state boxing commission, Los Angeles branch. We spoke with a Mr. Farmer who couldn't
seem to recall a man from his picture. We went over the description that the victim
had given us. Farmer said that he knew a great many of the fighters because at one time or
another they all check in and out of the commission before about. But the man in the snapshot
remained unidentified. He checked through several hundred cards bearing the photographs
of boxers in the files. No luck. Farmer suggested that we try the Spring Street gym where the
out of town fighters get into shape and the boxers in town train. We left him a copy of
the photograph and our card so that he could continue checking back through his files.
It was 10.22 a.m. when we got to the Spring Street gym. Here's the manager's office. Come
in. You're the boss here? Yeah. What can I do for you? Police officers. Yeah? We're looking
for a man we think might be a fighter. I wonder if you can help us out. Sure try. I'm Sergeant
Friday. This is my partner Ben Romero. Hi. My name's Charlie Coleman. Here's a couple of photographs
for you to look at Mr. Coleman. Have you ever seen this fellow on the right? Let's see here.
Let's walk over by the window and get a little light on him. Wait a minute. He used to work
out here all the time a couple of years back. His name is Billy. Marshall. Yeah that's right.
One of them named Billy the Kid Marshall. Is he still around? Oh gee I couldn't tell you.
Been a good two years since I've seen him up here. Any idea where we might locate him?
I doubt it. He used to be at Benny Farmer's stable. Benny's been to East now over a year.
Let me check back through my locker listings. Maybe I still got something on him.
Let's see. Out cards. Yeah that's what we want. Let's take him over here by the window where
we can read him. As I recall Marshall wasn't much of a fighter.
Farmer nursed him up through the prelims got him in the semi windups. He started hitting the bottle.
Played the dames. Oh yeah here we are. Can I see that please? Oh sure.
Billy the Kid. Big beefy boy. Real sucker for right cross. 1637 Carver Avenue.
That's the last address you got on him? Whatever the card says yeah.
Real sucker for the old right cross. Thank you very much Mr. Coleman.
You're welcome boys. Anytime. What's he done? We just want him for questioning. Oh I see.
If you should hear from him don't tell him we're looking for him. Let's go. Thanks again.
What do you think he did wrong? I don't know. How do you block a right cross?
We called the new information into Captain Walker and he sent a crew of men to the
boxing commission to check further. 1637 Carver Avenue. It was a cheap
rooming house on the west side of town. Marshall hadn't lived there for over a year and a half.
The landlady gave us a forwarding address. The next place hadn't seen him for a year.
We kept checking and rechecking going from one end of town to the other.
Each place was a little better than the last. It was easy to trace Billy the Kid's rise in the
fight game such as it was with the condition of the places he lived in.
We covered six different rooming houses, boarding houses and apartments.
Each time his residence had been a little more recent.
5.15 p.m. Monday, August 11th. We pulled up in front of the Sunflower Hotel,
433 Banyan Street. Rates, two dollars a week and up.
Nobody at the desk. I'll ring the bell.
How do you do? Police officers. Have you got a Billy Marshall registered here?
No, no one by that name here.
Would you take a look at this picture? Either one of these men live here?
Oh sure, that's Tom Green and George Martin, room nine.
They in now?
I could buzz their room and see.
No, never mind. Room nine, you said.
Yes sir, that's right.
Let's go.
Room nine. Cover McBride.
Yeah?
Special delivery letter.
Slip it under the door.
You have to sign for it.
All right, stand still police officers.
Watch it Ben.
Take the other one Tom.
Joe, Joe look out.
All right, hold it right there Marshall. Get over there against the wall.
You, get up, go over there with him. Move.
Move.
Give me a hand Joe, I'll help you up.
You all right?
Yeah, yeah I'm okay.
There he is Joe. Looks like his picture fits the description.
Except for one thing.
Yeah? He's no sucker for a right cross.
The story you have just heard was true.
Only the names were changed to protect the innocent.
On March 27th, 1947 trial was held in Superior Court,
Department 81, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California.
In a moment the results of that trial.
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From coast to coast, extra mild Fatima has more than doubled its smokers.
Yes, more and more smokers every day are discovering that Fatima
is the king size cigarette that is extra mild.
Extra mild because it contains the finest Turkish and domestic tobaccos
superbly blended to make it extra mild.
To give it a much different, much better flavor and aroma.
Enjoy extra mild Fatima yourself.
Best of all, long cigarettes.
It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima.
Both William Marshall and his accomplice were found guilty of armed robbery
and grand theft auto and are now serving their terms as prescribed by law.
You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files.
Technical advice for Dragnet comes from the Office of Chief of Police,
W.A. Wharton, Los Angeles Police Department.
Fatima cigarettes, the best of all long cigarettes,
has brought you Dragnet Transcribed from Los Angeles.
Screen directors presents Lucille Ball as Miss Grant tomorrow on NBC.
Music