WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:07.000 The story you are about to hear is true. 00:12.400 --> 00:19.400 The names have been changed to protect the innocent. 00:23.320 --> 00:24.840 You're a detective sergeant. 00:24.840 --> 00:27.280 You're assigned to auto theft detail. 00:27.280 --> 00:32.640 A gang of criminals masquerading as legitimate auto dealers start to work in your city. 00:32.640 --> 00:35.280 Innocent people are cheated out of thousands of dollars. 00:35.280 --> 00:36.560 The thieves are clever. 00:36.560 --> 00:38.600 They work a foolproof formula. 00:38.600 --> 00:45.600 Your job? Stop them. 00:47.520 --> 00:50.200 The documented drama of an actual crime. 00:50.200 --> 00:54.520 For the next thirty minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you 00:54.520 --> 00:58.800 will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from 00:58.800 --> 01:00.760 official police files. 01:00.760 --> 01:06.000 From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force 01:06.000 --> 01:09.000 in action. 01:09.000 --> 01:15.480 It was Tuesday, February 19th, it was Chile in Los Angeles. 01:15.480 --> 01:17.280 We were working the day watch out of auto theft. 01:17.280 --> 01:20.960 My partner is Ben Romero, the boss is Captain Nelson, and my name is Friday. 01:20.960 --> 01:24.960 We were on the way out from the office and it was 10.25 a.m. when we got to the corner 01:24.960 --> 01:28.040 of 38th Street and Maxbury Avenue. 01:28.040 --> 01:30.560 The Greenleaf Day Nursery School. 01:30.560 --> 01:34.560 Mrs. Palmer, is that right? 01:34.560 --> 01:39.560 I think so, just a minute, I've got it written down. 01:39.560 --> 01:40.560 Yeah. 01:40.560 --> 01:41.560 Excuse me, ma'am. 01:41.560 --> 01:42.560 What is the police, ma'am? 01:42.560 --> 01:43.560 Martin America, Friday. 01:43.560 --> 01:44.560 Oh, yes, Tom. 01:44.560 --> 01:45.560 Going to get all about it, is that it? 01:45.560 --> 01:46.560 Yes, ma'am. 01:46.560 --> 01:47.560 We've been handling some of our complaints for the last month or so. 01:47.560 --> 01:48.560 We'd like to have you here. 01:48.560 --> 01:53.640 Tell us everything that happened in your case, if you would, please. 01:53.640 --> 01:56.480 One of the most underhanded things I've ever heard of, Sergeant. 01:56.480 --> 02:00.160 It would have been the same thing if you'd held me up with a gun, just out and out robbing. 02:00.160 --> 02:03.640 Could you give us some of the details, ma'am, how you were first approached on the deal? 02:03.640 --> 02:04.640 Excuse me a minute, please. 02:04.640 --> 02:05.640 Children, time to go inside now. 02:05.640 --> 02:06.640 We're going to color pictures with the crayons this morning. 02:06.640 --> 02:07.640 Mrs. Johnson has them all ready for you inside. 02:07.640 --> 02:08.640 Bruce, Michael, Sandra, go along now. 02:08.640 --> 02:09.640 Inside, everyone. 02:09.640 --> 02:22.480 Certainly with the warm weather, they'd hurry up and come. 02:22.480 --> 02:25.040 Children always raise such an uproar when we have to keep them indoors. 02:25.040 --> 02:27.240 Worst part of running a day nursery, they win a month's worth. 02:27.240 --> 02:28.240 Oh, ma'am, I suppose. 02:28.240 --> 02:29.240 How about your automobile, Ms. Palmer? 02:29.240 --> 02:30.240 We understand you had it up for sale. 02:30.240 --> 02:31.240 You advertised one of the local newspapers, I like. 02:31.240 --> 02:32.240 Yes, that's right. 02:32.240 --> 02:38.280 I ran one of those three-day want ads over the weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. 02:38.280 --> 02:40.800 I thought I'd get more for my car if I sold it myself. 02:40.800 --> 02:43.080 I mean, instead of selling it to a used car lot. 02:43.080 --> 02:44.080 Yes, ma'am. 02:44.080 --> 02:45.080 How many answers did you get on your want ad? 02:45.080 --> 02:46.080 Well, just the one way it turned out. 02:46.080 --> 02:47.080 This man came out and looked at my car first thing in the morning. 02:47.080 --> 02:48.080 He offered to pay me exactly what I was asking for it, so I sold it to him. 02:48.080 --> 02:49.080 That's just the way it went. 02:49.080 --> 02:50.080 Who was this man, Mrs. Palmer? 02:50.080 --> 02:51.080 Was he representing some auto company? 02:51.080 --> 02:52.080 Yes, he said he was, anyway. 02:52.080 --> 02:53.080 He gave his name to Joseph Newhall. 02:53.080 --> 02:54.080 I've got his card inside. 02:54.080 --> 02:55.080 Said he was a buyer for Dan Barton's used car lot on South Cat Street. 02:55.080 --> 02:56.080 Nice address, man. 02:56.080 --> 02:57.080 He made it all seem so easy to get. 02:57.080 --> 02:58.080 He was a very good guy. 02:58.080 --> 03:09.000 He made it all seem so easy to get. 03:09.000 --> 03:10.000 How was the deal arranged? 03:10.000 --> 03:11.000 Could you tell us? 03:11.000 --> 03:12.000 I mean, transfer the car payment and so forth? 03:12.000 --> 03:13.000 Well, he gave me a check for $50, sort of a down payment to hold the car for me. 03:13.000 --> 03:14.000 It was a certified company check. 03:14.000 --> 03:15.000 I see. 03:15.000 --> 03:16.000 He told me he'd get back that afternoon with a certified check for the full amount of the 03:16.000 --> 03:17.000 car, $800. 03:17.000 --> 03:18.000 Did he take your car with him, then? 03:18.000 --> 03:19.000 No, he didn't. 03:19.000 --> 03:20.000 That's why I had no reason to be suspicious. 03:20.000 --> 03:21.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:21.000 --> 03:22.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:22.000 --> 03:23.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:23.000 --> 03:24.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:24.000 --> 03:25.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:25.000 --> 03:26.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:26.000 --> 03:27.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:27.000 --> 03:28.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:28.000 --> 03:29.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:29.000 --> 03:30.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:30.000 --> 03:31.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:31.000 --> 03:32.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:32.000 --> 03:33.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:33.000 --> 03:34.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:34.000 --> 03:35.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:35.000 --> 03:36.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:36.000 --> 03:37.000 He said he was a good guy. 03:37.000 --> 03:38.000 I don't see why he'd be suspicious. 03:38.000 --> 03:39.000 He left me the check for $50. 03:39.000 --> 03:40.000 He said he needed it with the money. 03:40.000 --> 03:41.000 He said in the meantime, one of the employees from the used car lot might be along to pick 03:41.000 --> 03:42.000 up the car to save me the trouble of driving it downtown by itself. 03:42.000 --> 03:43.000 Same M.O. 03:43.000 --> 03:44.000 Joe all the way. 03:44.000 --> 03:45.000 Yeah, looks like it. 03:45.000 --> 03:46.000 Well, how did it go after that, Mrs. Palmer? 03:46.000 --> 03:49.840 up the car about one o'clock that afternoon. Gave me a check for the full amount of the 03:49.840 --> 03:54.960 car. I gave him the pink slip. Had a pair of white coveralls on, lettering on the back 03:54.960 --> 03:59.840 of them, Dan Barton Jews cars. Looked like a typical mechanic or something. I wasn't 03:59.840 --> 04:00.840 the least bit suspicious. 04:00.840 --> 04:05.360 How about the buyer of this Joseph Newhall? Did he show up later in the day? 04:05.360 --> 04:10.280 No, he never came back. I've never seen him since. Haven't seen my car either. I called 04:10.280 --> 04:14.160 that Dan Barton Jews car lot the next morning. They told me they never heard of Joseph Newhall. 04:14.160 --> 04:18.680 Just made me sick officer. I can't afford to lose the money I had in that car. 04:18.680 --> 04:22.760 Yes ma'am, we understand the same thing's happened to a dozen people like you around 04:22.760 --> 04:23.760 the city. 04:23.760 --> 04:27.160 Do you remember what this man Newhall looked like, Ms. Palmer's physical description, maybe 04:27.160 --> 04:28.160 the clothes he was wearing? 04:28.160 --> 04:32.520 Yes, I've got it all written down Sergeant, in my diary. Would you like to step inside 04:32.520 --> 04:35.440 please? I've got my little office at the back of the school here. 04:35.440 --> 04:36.440 Well, thank you very much. 04:36.440 --> 04:41.040 I always make a record of everything in my diary. I've kept going ever since I was a 04:41.040 --> 04:42.680 girl in college every day. 04:42.680 --> 04:46.480 I suppose you've got all the information on your car, the make, license number, things 04:46.480 --> 04:47.480 like that. 04:47.480 --> 04:51.320 Oh yes indeed. I've got everything together I thought might help you. Right up these stairs. 04:51.320 --> 04:53.320 Good, fine. You go ahead. 04:53.320 --> 04:58.080 How about the description of the man in overall, the one who came to pick up your car? Would 04:58.080 --> 04:59.080 you remember him ma'am? 04:59.080 --> 05:03.080 Yes, I've got that for you too. Everything I thought would help. Just have a seat there 05:03.080 --> 05:05.160 officers. I've got the things in my desk here. 05:05.160 --> 05:06.160 Thank you. 05:06.160 --> 05:07.160 You're welcome. 05:07.160 --> 05:08.160 Thank you. 05:08.160 --> 05:13.800 I wouldn't mind the whole thing so much, but as I say I can't afford to lose the cash I 05:13.800 --> 05:15.000 had tied up in my car. 05:15.000 --> 05:18.440 That seems to be the way the thieves operate ma'am. They've been cheating the people who 05:18.440 --> 05:19.440 can least support him. 05:19.440 --> 05:22.480 Terrible thing just out and out robbery. There you are Sergeant. 05:22.480 --> 05:23.480 Thank you ma'am. 05:23.480 --> 05:26.480 There's the description of my car, license number, all the rest. 05:26.480 --> 05:27.480 Yes, I see. 05:27.480 --> 05:31.120 And here's the description of the two men at Joseph's all the coveralls who picked up 05:31.120 --> 05:32.120 my car. 05:32.120 --> 05:35.720 Have you got that deposit check new or gave him his form of the check for fifty dollars? 05:35.720 --> 05:41.040 Right here Sergeant. I saw that company about it Dan Barton's used car lot. Forgery. Not 05:41.040 --> 05:42.520 worth the papers printed on. 05:42.520 --> 05:44.640 How we love you. 05:44.640 --> 05:45.640 Yeah, thanks. 05:45.640 --> 05:47.000 Hey Missy, how are you? 05:47.000 --> 05:51.000 One thing I don't understand how those crooks get these checks to begin with. Did they steal 05:51.000 --> 05:52.000 them? 05:52.000 --> 05:54.040 No ma'am, we figured they had them printed up. We're still trying to find out where. 05:54.040 --> 05:57.160 Well you know what the men look like. You'll be able to find them now won't you? 05:57.160 --> 06:00.840 Only we should work that way ma'am. We've had good descriptions on both men for a month 06:00.840 --> 06:02.240 now. Hasn't helped too much. 06:02.240 --> 06:06.080 I don't understand it at all. As I say they're only common crooks. They can't be that smart 06:06.080 --> 06:07.080 can they? 06:07.080 --> 06:10.800 Well there's only one way we can judge. We've been hunting every day for a month now. 06:10.800 --> 06:11.800 Yes. 06:11.800 --> 06:12.800 They're still... 06:12.800 --> 06:16.640 In the space of thirty three days the auto theft gang had victimized a dozen private 06:16.640 --> 06:20.800 citizens throughout the city. In each instance the approach and the method of operation had 06:20.800 --> 06:25.200 been the same. The front man for the gang would personally answer a want ad inserted 06:25.200 --> 06:30.280 in the local newspaper by a private citizen advertising the sale of his automobile. The 06:30.280 --> 06:35.360 front man would represent himself falsely as a buyer for Dan Barton's used car lot, 06:35.360 --> 06:40.360 a well known and legitimate used car dealer. He'd offer to pay exactly the sale price which 06:40.360 --> 06:45.240 the private party was asking. As a deposit the so called buyer would leave a counterfeit 06:45.240 --> 06:49.440 company check for fifty or one hundred dollars with a promise that he would return later 06:49.440 --> 06:53.960 in the day with a certified check for the full amount. After a few hours another man 06:53.960 --> 06:58.200 posing as an employee of Dan Barton's used car would call for the car and drive it away. 06:58.200 --> 07:02.880 Neither the car nor the so called buyer were ever seen again. All efforts to trace them 07:02.880 --> 07:07.800 went for nothing. Eleven forty a.m. Ben and I went back to the office and got out of broadcast 07:07.800 --> 07:12.600 in a supplementary APB on Mrs. Palmer's car and also on the phony car buyer who called 07:12.600 --> 07:17.040 himself Joseph Newhall. After lunch we met with Sgt. Moonsby, one of the other four men 07:17.040 --> 07:19.480 out of all theft detail who were working the case with us. 07:19.480 --> 07:22.120 How'd you make up this morning, army? That it going away at all? 07:22.120 --> 07:24.920 Wasn't bad as far as it went. We found the place where they had the printing done. 07:24.920 --> 07:29.320 Where was that? Smaller up in the valley. Printed up the phony checks with that heading on it, 07:29.320 --> 07:33.080 Dan Barton's used car. I got lots of business cards for him too. 07:33.080 --> 07:36.920 What was the name did you find out? The same one Joseph Newhall. He ordered the 07:36.920 --> 07:40.280 checks and the business cards. The printer described him for us, same guy. 07:40.280 --> 07:44.200 Where'd it go from there? No place. The printer told us Newhall had a car, 07:44.200 --> 07:47.560 he couldn't give us a license number, couldn't even remember the maker, the body style. 07:47.560 --> 07:50.520 Thought it was a late model car at Sparrow. No, that's not much help. 07:50.520 --> 07:53.800 No address on him either. It was a will call order paid for in cash. 07:53.800 --> 07:56.680 This is if Newhall comes back. Uh huh, yeah, it's covered. 07:56.680 --> 07:59.320 I don't figure there's much chance Newhall's going to do that. 07:59.320 --> 08:01.960 He ordered enough checks printed up the first time last of the year. 08:01.960 --> 08:06.040 Well, I guess that's one lead we can forget. How about that special run the stats office 08:06.040 --> 08:09.320 made for us yesterday? Anything come out of that? No, nothing. All the possibles on the 08:09.320 --> 08:13.400 list were checked out, all of them clear. Nothing from Barton's used car lot either. 08:13.400 --> 08:17.080 Everybody on their staff's been checked out, all their ex-employees too. No signing one of 08:17.080 --> 08:20.520 them might have had a hand in it. Yeah. Oh, either of you seen the captain 08:20.520 --> 08:24.120 since this morning? No, what? Well, that idea we were talking over at the last meeting, 08:24.120 --> 08:27.320 he figures we'll go ahead with it this weekend. How's he figuring on working, you know, 08:27.320 --> 08:31.480 any personal content? Yeah, that's right. Most of the private parties who want to sell their 08:31.480 --> 08:35.640 cars themselves use that want ad deal over the weekend. They get a special ready Saturday and 08:35.640 --> 08:40.040 Sunday. Oh, I know. Thursday nights is the deadline for having the ads in if they're going to run the 08:40.040 --> 08:44.120 full weekend, and that's when we start working on it. We get in touch with every private party 08:44.120 --> 08:48.120 who's filed a want ad for the weekend advertising a sale of their car, huh? Yeah, we'll contact them 08:48.120 --> 08:53.000 by phone, every one of them. We advise them that if anybody representing themselves is a buyer for 08:53.000 --> 08:57.640 Dan Barton's used car lot answers their want ad, they're to get in touch with us right away. 08:57.640 --> 09:02.120 If they can't stall the man long enough, we tell them to accept the information on the man the car 09:02.120 --> 09:06.040 is driving. It ought to work out if we can get any kind of cooperation. It's going to be a big job. 09:06.040 --> 09:09.640 We'll have to cover all the want ads and all the papers. We've got a good description of that 09:09.640 --> 09:14.520 phony buyer, Joseph Newhall. If they planted a want ad in one of the papers, maybe he's the one 09:14.520 --> 09:18.680 of the gang who brought the ad in. It's possible one of the ad takers might remember. It might be 09:18.680 --> 09:22.680 worth checking anyway. Well, it could be. They might have phoned in the ad too. That wouldn't help much. 09:22.680 --> 09:26.520 Might as well sniff food proof, but it's a different approach to plan anyway. 09:26.520 --> 09:29.800 We've tried everything else. We can think up the reach of these. I'll get it. 09:32.280 --> 09:35.160 All of that's party time. Yes, sir. 09:35.160 --> 09:45.880 What was that? Thank you. Yeah. Yes, as soon as we can. Thank you, sir. 09:47.000 --> 09:49.560 Well, maybe we won't have to wait for the weekend. What do you mean? 09:49.560 --> 09:53.320 A man out in Echo Park, he runs a candy store out there. He advertised his car for sale in 09:53.320 --> 09:57.240 this morning's paper. He said the first one to answer was a buyer from Dan Barton's used car lot. 09:57.240 --> 10:01.320 Gave his name as Joseph Newhall. Looks like the same M.O. Can I make a deal? 10:01.320 --> 10:04.680 Well, the candy store owner wouldn't go for the deposit check. He wanted the full amount. 10:04.680 --> 10:07.400 Said the deal didn't sound right to him. How does it stand now? Well, 10:07.400 --> 10:11.160 Newhall said he'd come back with a check for the full sale price. When? Eight o'clock tonight. 10:15.720 --> 10:20.360 Two twenty p.m. We drove out and questioned the candy store owner further. His description of 10:20.360 --> 10:24.280 Newhall tallied with the others, but again, the potential victim had failed to get any kind of a 10:24.280 --> 10:30.200 description of the car Newhall was driving or the license number. Ben and I staked out at the house. 10:30.200 --> 10:35.480 Eight p.m. came and went. The suspect failed to show. By midnight, there was still no sign of him. 10:36.200 --> 10:41.000 Well, the way it shaped up, Newhall apparently had a policy of making a deal at first contact 10:41.000 --> 10:45.240 or forgetting about it. He probably figured that if a person was at all suspicious, 10:45.240 --> 10:49.160 the interval would give him time to check. And Newhall wasn't giving away any odds. 10:50.040 --> 10:55.080 All day Wednesday, the stakeout went on. No sign of the suspect. On Thursday night, 10:55.080 --> 10:59.880 the local newspapers gave us lists of names and phone numbers of all private parties who had ordered 10:59.880 --> 11:05.240 want ads for the coming weekend to advertise the sale of an automobile. We divided up the names. 11:05.240 --> 11:09.960 The six of us took turns on the phones and started calling each party. We warned them about the car 11:09.960 --> 11:15.000 theft ring and advised them of what steps to take in the event Joseph Newhall or one of the other gang 11:15.000 --> 11:19.560 members approached them with a proposition to buy their car. One of the private parties we contacted 11:19.560 --> 11:24.600 was a Mr. Roy Harmon. Ben got on one of the things we prepared. Sergeant Ormsby used the other 11:24.600 --> 11:29.400 extension and called another party running an ad. Sergeant Ormsby, Los Angeles Police Department. 11:29.400 --> 11:33.720 How's that sir? Yes, and one of the gang usually goes under the name of Joseph Newhall. 11:33.720 --> 11:41.400 Contacted at all. All right, thank you. What was that all about? A man by the name of Harmon 11:41.400 --> 11:46.200 runs a cocktail down, got on South Cole. He took in a check over the bar last night, company check 11:46.200 --> 11:50.920 from Dan Barton's used car lot. Says it was signed Joseph Newhall. Well, they ought to remember who 11:50.920 --> 11:56.600 passed it. He does, I got it right here. A man by the name of Frank Curtis. He's a regular 11:56.600 --> 12:01.320 customer at the bar. Harmon says this Curtis came in the place last night with a man in a dark suit 12:01.320 --> 12:05.800 and the man seemed to be a friend of Curtis'. Well, I asked him what the friend looked like and he 12:05.800 --> 12:11.160 described him. It was Newhall. What about that check business? Harmon says he was tending bar at the 12:11.160 --> 12:15.000 time. Told me this Frank Curtis and Newhall had quite a few drinks together and they ran out of 12:15.000 --> 12:20.360 money. Newhall wanted to cash a check but Harmon said no, he didn't know him. Well, this Frank 12:20.360 --> 12:24.360 Curtis is a regular customer at the bar and he offered to endorse the check for Newhall. 12:24.360 --> 12:29.560 So Harmon said okay and he cashed it. How well does Harmon know this customer is, this Curtis? 12:29.560 --> 12:36.040 Pretty well. Lives across the street from him. We checked Frank Curtis through R&I but he had no 12:36.040 --> 12:40.360 previous criminal record. We left the rest of the list for the other men and Ben and I drove out and 12:40.360 --> 12:44.760 talked to Roy Harmon, the owner of the cocktail lounge where the suspect Joseph Newhall had cashed 12:44.760 --> 12:50.200 a check with the help of his friend Frank Curtis. Harmon told the same story he'd given Ben over the 12:50.200 --> 12:55.560 phone. Curtis was a long-time neighbor of his and a steady customer at his cocktail lounges. For Newhall 12:55.560 --> 13:00.600 he'd never set eyes on him until the night before. Harmon gave us the home address of Frank Curtis and 13:00.600 --> 13:04.920 we checked it out. Mrs. Curtis answered the door and told us that her husband Frank was working 13:04.920 --> 13:09.320 the newly inaugurated night shift at an aircraft plant in the south end of the city. Ben and I 13:09.320 --> 13:13.400 drove down to the plant and after checking with the personnel office we finally located Curtis at 13:13.400 --> 13:19.080 his work. He was an assistant foreman in one of the aircraft assembly shops. Mr. Smith, Sergeant 13:19.080 --> 13:24.440 Romero, the last time I saw Newhall before the years ago. We used to work at a work plant together. 13:24.440 --> 13:28.440 Come on, anyway, have you done something? We understand you endorsed a check with Newhall 13:28.440 --> 13:33.000 for fifty dollars. You know him that well? I mean if you'd endorsed checks for him? Well, maybe I 13:33.000 --> 13:38.120 shouldn't have. Wives always tell me I'll be more careful to who I'm signing checks for. Well, 13:38.120 --> 13:42.360 what happened anyway? Wasn't a check any good? Do you have any idea where we could find a friend of 13:42.360 --> 13:48.040 yours, this Newhall? Well, I don't know. During the war he and his wife lived in this housing project 13:48.040 --> 13:54.120 off North Main. I know they moved from that place though. Yeah. As a matter of fact, old Joe didn't 13:54.120 --> 13:58.520 tell me where he was living. I gave him my address, told him to drop over for a beer sometime. 13:59.080 --> 14:03.320 Don't remember getting his address though. Didn't tell me what this is about, huh? 14:03.880 --> 14:08.120 Just a routine check. We'd like to locate Newhall, that's all. Got a few questions we'd like to ask 14:08.120 --> 14:12.200 him. Excuse me, we were going to watch it here, Sergeant. Coming through with that jigsaw. 14:12.200 --> 14:18.520 Okay, fellas, straight on through, all clear. Critical fin assembly down the street. 14:20.280 --> 14:25.320 We're getting busy again, all right. Seems like the old swing ship days all over again. 14:25.320 --> 14:30.680 Four years. Yeah, you mentioned a minute ago that Newhall is married, Mr. Currie. Yeah, that's right. 14:30.680 --> 14:35.640 What about his wife? Can you tell us anything at all about her? Betty? No, no, I don't think so. 14:35.640 --> 14:40.920 Her and Joe seem to get along all right. Got along pretty well, matter of fact. Nice girl, Betty. I 14:40.920 --> 14:45.640 never minded her much. Does Newhall have any children? You know that? No, no kids. 14:45.640 --> 14:50.840 Both of them work. Her and Joe. Uh-huh. Would you know if Newhall's wife is still working? 14:50.840 --> 14:55.720 I don't know. Probably is. But yeah, yeah, matter of fact, she is. Joe happened to mention it the 14:55.720 --> 15:00.840 other night when we were talking. Just happened to think of it. Well, go ahead. I remember I asked 15:00.840 --> 15:05.640 about Betty and he said she was still working. Same old place, same old job, that's all. 15:05.640 --> 15:08.440 Where is this place she works? Do you know? Yeah, City Hall. 15:08.440 --> 15:12.120 We continued questioning Frank Curtis and he told us that to the best of his knowledge, 15:12.120 --> 15:16.600 the suspect's wife, Betty Newhall, had a civil service rating and that she worked as a file clerk 15:16.600 --> 15:20.360 in the record room of one of the bureaus in the municipal. The next morning, Ben and I got in 15:20.360 --> 15:24.440 touch with the civil service officials at the City Hall and they got out a tracer on the wife of the 15:24.440 --> 15:35.640 suspect. 1120 a.m. I got it. Auto theft Friday. Yeah, sir? How's that? Uh, I didn't hear it. 15:35.640 --> 15:42.200 When? Yeah, I think. Yeah, sir. Right. We'll check with you in about an hour. Bye. I don't know why 15:42.200 --> 15:46.680 we always have to do it the hard way. Why? Why? The call back on Newhall's wife. Most of it checks 15:46.680 --> 15:51.320 out just the way Curtis told us. What's her up? Betty Newhall quit her job a month ago. 15:51.320 --> 15:55.320 Hasn't been around, hasn't been seen since. Civil service can't even contact her. What's the deal? 15:55.320 --> 16:06.280 She moved. No forwarding address, not a trace of her. 16:19.000 --> 16:24.680 Exit Ball Road off the 57 freeway. Light up the holidays with a new vehicle from Anaheim Auto 16:24.680 --> 16:30.520 Center. We'll make your holiday dreams come true at Anaheim Auto Center with our incredible savings 16:30.520 --> 16:36.360 and huge discounts. Need some extra money for the holidays? Come to Anaheim Auto Center today and 16:36.360 --> 16:42.200 save thousands. We have a great selection of new vehicles and unbeatable service. Light up your 16:42.200 --> 16:48.280 holiday season today at Anaheim Auto Center. We want you to be completely satisfied. The holidays 16:48.280 --> 16:53.880 are the perfect time to buy a new vehicle. Why go anywhere else? We have it all at one convenient 16:53.880 --> 16:59.560 location near the Anaheim pond. So light up your holiday season with a great new car or truck from 16:59.560 --> 17:13.320 Anaheim Auto Center. Exit Ball Road off the 57 freeway. KNX 1070 News Radio. 17:13.320 --> 17:26.120 Saturday, February 23rd. The strongest lead we'd had to the Auto Fifth Gang began to fade. Mrs. Betty 17:26.120 --> 17:31.000 Newhall, the wife of our principal suspect, wasn't to be found. We checked out all our known friends 17:31.000 --> 17:35.480 and relatives, the places she was known to frequent. There wasn't a trace of her. Then got all the 17:35.480 --> 17:39.080 available information on her from the Civil Service office and we got out of broadcast and the 17:39.080 --> 17:43.720 supplementary all points bulletin. We found out she had a 10-year-old son, so we checked with the 17:43.720 --> 17:48.440 Board of Education to see if the boy was registered in one of the city schools. He wasn't listed. 17:48.440 --> 17:54.280 Still no response. We stayed on it. In the meantime, the weekend was wearing past the halfway point. 17:54.280 --> 17:58.440 The other two teams of men working the case were standing by, but apparently none of the private 17:58.440 --> 18:02.600 parties who were running want ads over the weekend advertising the sale of an automobile had been 18:02.600 --> 18:07.640 approached yet by either Joseph Newhall or some other member of the gang. If they did make a 18:07.640 --> 18:14.280 contact, it hadn't been reported to us. Saturday night, still no response. 8 50 p.m. Ben and I had 18:14.280 --> 18:21.720 some supper at Johnny Cokin's place and then we went back to the office. Not a bad meal at all, huh? 18:21.720 --> 18:26.440 Pretty fair for a Saturday night. Good soup. Yeah, nothing like that corn chowder Johnny puts out. 18:26.440 --> 18:30.520 It's the best. I sure wish you'd do something about that coffee. Like taking a shot of adrenaline, 18:30.520 --> 18:38.200 isn't it? It is pretty strong and excuse me, maybe that's what's giving me this heartburn. 18:38.200 --> 18:41.560 Where's Armsby? I thought he was covering. Oh, God, he was here when I left. 18:42.360 --> 18:46.360 Joe, Ben. Hi, Army. Thought we lost you. I'm taking a call from Hollywood Division. 18:46.360 --> 18:49.160 Good piece of news. What's that? Newhall's wife, they found her. 18:51.800 --> 18:56.920 At approximately 25 minutes past eight that night, a dark haired woman in her late 30s had brought a 18:56.920 --> 19:01.000 young boy into a pharmacy in the Hollywood area. Apparently the woman had been drinking, but she 19:01.000 --> 19:06.200 was not intoxicated. The young boy with her, whom she identified as a 10 year old son, was badly 19:06.200 --> 19:11.000 cut and bruised about the face and the head. The woman insisted that the pharmacist on duty treat 19:11.000 --> 19:15.720 the boy and attend to his injuries. After arguing with the woman, the pharmacist called the Hollywood 19:15.720 --> 19:19.400 Receiving Hospital. An ambulance was dispatched and the boy and his mother were taken to an 19:19.400 --> 19:23.880 air free treatment. At Hollywood Receiving, the woman gave her name as Betty Harrison and her son's 19:23.880 --> 19:28.200 name was George Harrison. But a routine identification check by officers next door at 19:28.200 --> 19:33.320 the Hollywood Division station disclosed her true name as Mrs. Betty Newhall. The desk sergeant 19:33.320 --> 19:39.000 ordered her held for interrogation and notified our office immediately. 9.30 p.m. Ben and I arrived 19:39.000 --> 19:43.720 at the Hollywood Division. The boy, George, Mrs. Newhall, how'd he happen to get beat up like that? 19:43.720 --> 19:47.880 Pretty bad for a little fella. I warned Joe about hitting little George. I told him if he did it 19:47.880 --> 19:52.200 again, I'd walk out. Well, I did walk out. I don't care what happens to him. You mean the boy's father 19:52.200 --> 19:56.360 did that to him, beat him up like that? He's not George's father. Second marriage. My name is to be 19:56.360 --> 20:01.560 Donnelly. I have two kids, one died. Uh-huh. When the divorce came through, I got custody of George and 20:01.560 --> 20:06.920 I married Joe Newhall. You know why we're looking for your husband, Mrs. Newhall? Yeah, I think so. 20:06.920 --> 20:12.520 Why do you think so? Car business. I knew what he was doing. Do you have any idea at all where we can 20:12.520 --> 20:17.720 find your husband? I'm not sure. He might be a lot of places. Just can't get over what he did to George. 20:17.720 --> 20:23.080 No reason at all. Kid came home and asked if he could go to the show. Husband got up and slapped him. 20:23.080 --> 20:29.000 Been drinking quite a bit. He hit the kid with his closed fist, kept hitting. A grown man slugging a 20:29.000 --> 20:33.640 10-year-old kid like that. I don't care about any man where George is concerned. Nobody's going to 20:33.640 --> 20:37.720 treat a kid of mine like that. You said you knew about your husband's dealing in the car business, 20:37.720 --> 20:41.640 Mrs. Newhall. How much do you know about it? I didn't have any part of it. I can tell you that much. 20:42.280 --> 20:46.760 It was his idea from the beginning, my husband's. Got the men together to work their act. He made 20:46.760 --> 20:50.840 all the planning to get all the orders. How is it you quit your job at the city hall in such a hurry? 20:50.840 --> 20:54.920 My husband's idea, I guess. Thought if anything happened he didn't want to be traced that easy. 20:55.560 --> 20:59.720 Then he had to go and get drunk that night. Check he always did stupid things like that. 21:00.520 --> 21:04.040 How about the gang your husband has working with them, Mrs. Newhall? Can you tell us anything about 21:04.040 --> 21:09.160 them? Yes, I can. Two fellows working with them I know of. Deadman and Curly Reese and Jack Whitmore. 21:09.720 --> 21:13.080 Maybe there's someone else besides them, but I don't know of. You know where these men live, 21:13.080 --> 21:17.560 ma'am? Where we can find them? I think I do, yeah. I got the addresses at home. At this time 21:17.560 --> 21:21.080 they're probably on there. You know the places they were supposed to be staying? Yeah, I got 21:21.080 --> 21:24.840 the addresses at home. How about the cars they got on this deal they were working? What are they 21:24.840 --> 21:28.120 doing with them? Do you know that? I don't know for sure. They're moving east, I think. Selling 21:28.120 --> 21:33.320 them back there. Yes, ma'am. I didn't always get the deep marriage. The jealousy had a deeper... 21:33.320 --> 21:38.200 No. Even they didn't like kids. They didn't want to have a home. Why'd they have to be that way? 21:38.200 --> 21:42.440 Well, I'd like to ask you something, if I could. Yes. Why'd you marry him? 21:46.280 --> 21:51.480 10 43 p.m. We stopped at the Newhall apartment on the way back to the city hall, called the office 21:51.480 --> 21:55.880 and arranged for a stakeout. The wife of the suspect, Betty Newhall, gave us the names and 21:55.880 --> 22:00.120 addresses of the people she knew to be working with her husband Joseph Newhall in the auto theft 22:00.120 --> 22:05.720 gang. She had no information to offer on the cars they might be driving. When we got to the office, 22:05.720 --> 22:09.240 we took a complete statement from Mrs. Newhall and then she was booked in at the main jail on 22:09.240 --> 22:15.000 suspicion of grand theft auto. 1109 p.m. Together with Wilton and Normsby, we started checking out 22:15.000 --> 22:20.120 the addresses of the gang members. Our first two stops, we got nothing. On our last two, we did a 22:20.120 --> 22:25.320 little better. We picked up a Jack Whitmore, Curly Reese, and a Carl Stedman. Three of the names which 22:25.320 --> 22:29.800 Mrs. Newhall had mentioned. We took them downtown and booked them in at the main jail. That still 22:29.800 --> 22:35.800 left the principal suspect, Joseph Newhall, unaccounted for. At 1 45 a.m. the next morning, 22:35.800 --> 22:41.000 we got a tiff with his whereabouts, a small hotel on East First Street. We checked it out. The man 22:41.000 --> 22:46.440 answering Newhall's description was registered in room 209 on the second floor. We got a pass key 22:46.440 --> 23:01.560 from the Rome clerk on duty and started up the stairs. 209 down this way, Gale. Here we are. 23:02.680 --> 23:04.200 See if we can get a ride. Yeah. 23:07.880 --> 23:08.200 Yeah. 23:08.200 --> 23:21.560 Yeah. Police officers. Hold it there, Mrs. Downs. What is this? What's this all about? 23:21.560 --> 23:24.360 You generally sleep with your clothes on, Newhall? Look, I don't know what you're talking about. 23:24.360 --> 23:28.360 What is this? Shaken? He's clean, Joe. I'll check his bag. And I'll stay out of those things. You 23:28.360 --> 23:31.800 haven't got any right breaking in here like this, going to my property. Relax, Newhall. This won't 23:31.800 --> 23:36.840 take long. Two full pads of them, Joe. Find them in his suitcase. His company checked. Dan Barton's 23:36.840 --> 23:40.680 used car. We talked to your friends, mister. We got one side of the story. You want to come downtown, 23:40.680 --> 23:44.680 give us yours. You get nothing from me, not unless you're my lawyer. You can't hold me on any charges. 23:44.680 --> 23:48.440 Crantheft Auto, Newhall. We've got the witnesses. We've got the evidence. If you've got something to 23:48.440 --> 23:51.480 say, say it. If you haven't, we'll get along downtown. You haven't got anything on me. You haven't 23:51.480 --> 23:58.840 got enough to hold me an hour. We're going to give it a try. For a full five hours, we questioned 23:58.840 --> 24:03.880 Newhall, both at the hotel and later downtown in the interrogation room. And after five hours of 24:03.880 --> 24:08.360 questioning, he finally broke and admitted being the mastermind behind the auto theft racket. Your 24:08.360 --> 24:13.160 true name is Joseph Woodard Newhall, is that right? Yeah, that's it. Now, you can't blame the whole 24:13.160 --> 24:17.240 setup on me, though. My wife had a hand in it just as much as I did. Well, we've already got her 24:17.240 --> 24:21.320 statement. You want to give us yours? She's just as much to blame as I am. We didn't hurt anybody 24:21.320 --> 24:25.560 anyway. It's just a con deal, that's all. We didn't hurt anybody. How do you figure that? Well, just a 24:25.560 --> 24:30.680 simple con deal. People advertising their cars for sale or trying to cheat out a few bucks on themselves, 24:30.680 --> 24:34.680 we just out-figured them, that's all. You really did dictate a statement for us? You know, we out-figured 24:34.680 --> 24:39.000 you, too. You'd never have reached us. It wasn't for my wife. We'd reach you. Not in 30 years you 24:39.000 --> 24:45.000 wouldn't. Where'd you go in circles? Just one hitch. My wife and that stupid kid I heard, just because I 24:45.000 --> 24:49.160 slapped him on that level, I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for that. Well, you better learn a lesson, 24:49.160 --> 24:51.880 mister. Why? Next time you fight, don't pick a 10-year-old. 24:51.880 --> 25:06.520 The story you have just heard was true. The names were changed to protect the innocent. On May 29th, 25:06.520 --> 25:11.640 trial was held in Superior Court, Department 87, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California. 25:11.640 --> 25:25.000 In a moment, the results of that trial. A check of his fingerprints revealed that Joseph Newhall's 25:25.000 --> 25:29.880 true name was Joseph Orrin Henderson, and that he had a previous record of forgery and burglary in 25:29.880 --> 25:34.760 the state of South Carolina. Henderson, alias Newhall, was tried and convicted along with his 25:34.760 --> 25:40.840 associates in the auto theft gang on eight counts of grand theft and forgery of a fictitious check. 25:40.840 --> 25:46.280 They received sentences as prescribed by law. Grand theft is punishable by imprisonment for 25:46.280 --> 25:52.680 not less than one or more than 10 years. Forgery of a fictitious check is punishable by imprisonment 25:52.680 --> 25:58.120 in the county jail for not more than one year or in the state penitentiary for not more than 14 years. 25:58.760 --> 26:03.000 The wife, Betty Newhall, was convicted as an accomplice and was sentenced to serve one year 26:03.000 --> 26:08.920 in the county jail. Ladies and gentlemen, our security and the peace of the world are in danger 26:08.920 --> 26:13.320 while hundreds of millions behind the Iron Curtain are victims of vicious lies about the 26:13.320 --> 26:18.520 United States and other free nations. Join the Crusade for Freedom through your local 26:18.520 --> 26:23.640 crusade committee or by writing to General Clay, Empire State Building, New York City. 26:23.640 --> 26:39.080 Make a contribution to its work. Help truth fight communism. Join the crusade for freedom. 26:39.080 --> 26:45.080 You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files. 26:45.080 --> 26:51.080 Technical advice comes from the Office of Chief of Police, W.H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department. 26:51.080 --> 26:59.080 The team of cigarettes, best of all, king-sized cigarettes, has brought you Dragnet, transcribed from Los Angeles.