WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:12.200 Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. 00:12.200 --> 00:14.920 The names have been changed to protect the innocent. 00:14.920 --> 00:20.840 Fatima cigarettes, king size, extra mild and soothing, brings you dragnet on both radio 00:20.840 --> 00:23.840 and television. 00:23.840 --> 00:31.680 You're a detective sergeant. 00:31.680 --> 00:34.000 You're assigned to homicide division. 00:34.000 --> 00:37.800 You get a call that the body of a dead man has been found in a vacant lot. 00:37.800 --> 00:39.840 The man has been beaten to death. 00:39.840 --> 00:43.560 Your job, investigate. 00:43.560 --> 00:49.240 Friends, the name Fatima has always stood for quality. 00:49.240 --> 00:54.000 Fatimas are distinctive with a truly different flavor and aroma. 00:54.000 --> 00:59.880 And in king size Fatima, you get an extra mild and soothing smoke, plus the added protection 00:59.880 --> 01:01.480 of Fatima quality. 01:01.480 --> 01:05.560 Remember, in Fatima, the difference is quality. 01:05.560 --> 01:11.200 Because of its quality, its extra mildness, its better flavor and aroma, Fatima continues 01:11.200 --> 01:14.720 to grow in favor among king size cigarette smokers everywhere. 01:14.720 --> 01:17.360 Switch to Fatima yourself today. 01:17.360 --> 01:21.640 Ask your dealer for Fatima in the bright, sunny yellow pack. 01:21.640 --> 01:23.760 King size Fatima. 01:23.760 --> 01:27.760 The difference is quality. 01:27.760 --> 01:35.160 Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. 01:35.160 --> 01:40.080 For the next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will 01:40.080 --> 01:44.640 travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official 01:44.640 --> 01:46.320 police files. 01:46.320 --> 01:51.480 From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force 01:51.480 --> 01:52.480 in action. 01:52.480 --> 01:58.000 It was Wednesday, February 6th. 01:58.000 --> 01:59.360 It was cold in Los Angeles. 01:59.360 --> 02:01.760 We were working the day watch out a homicide division. 02:01.760 --> 02:02.960 My partner is Frank Smith. 02:02.960 --> 02:03.960 The boss is Captain Warman. 02:03.960 --> 02:04.960 My name is Friday. 02:04.960 --> 02:08.760 It was 10, 14 a.m. when I got to room 42. 02:08.760 --> 02:09.760 Homicide. 02:09.760 --> 02:10.760 Frank? 02:10.760 --> 02:11.760 In here, Joe. 02:11.760 --> 02:12.760 Right. 02:12.760 --> 02:13.760 Hi. 02:13.760 --> 02:14.760 Morning, Skipper. 02:14.760 --> 02:16.720 I heard that you ran into a bad one out there on Fountain. 02:16.720 --> 02:17.720 Yeah, we did. 02:17.720 --> 02:18.720 Must have been quite a fight out there. 02:18.720 --> 02:20.200 The victim's clothes were pretty well torn up. 02:20.200 --> 02:21.440 The ground around the body was all trampled. 02:21.440 --> 02:22.440 I wonder if we could tell that much. 02:22.440 --> 02:23.440 How do you mean? 02:23.440 --> 02:24.920 Well, the body was found by a couple of school girls. 02:24.920 --> 02:27.280 A vacant lot out there near Fountain and Selma. 02:27.280 --> 02:28.280 Girls took a shortcut through the lot. 02:28.280 --> 02:31.160 When they saw the body, they let out enough screams to get the whole neighborhood over 02:31.160 --> 02:32.160 there. 02:32.160 --> 02:33.160 Mother put on the call. 02:33.160 --> 02:35.720 By the time the radio unit got there, the neighborhood had walked over the whole area. 02:35.720 --> 02:39.040 They got the people back right away, but most of the physical evidence that there was any 02:39.040 --> 02:40.040 had been trampled out. 02:40.040 --> 02:41.040 That helps. 02:41.040 --> 02:42.440 Any of those people see or hear anything? 02:42.440 --> 02:43.440 No, nothing. 02:43.440 --> 02:44.800 How was he killed? 02:44.800 --> 02:47.240 We found a big piece of concrete near the body, blood stains on it. 02:47.240 --> 02:48.240 The crime lab's checking it now. 02:48.240 --> 02:49.240 Did they find anything else? 02:49.240 --> 02:50.240 No, they're still checking the scene. 02:50.240 --> 02:51.240 Lee's going to call. 02:51.240 --> 02:53.240 The crowd may have took a mess out of the place. 02:53.240 --> 02:54.720 A lot of houses around there. 02:54.720 --> 02:55.720 Somebody must have heard something. 02:55.720 --> 02:59.200 Well, we talked to a young girl who lives a couple of doors down from the lot. 02:59.200 --> 03:00.960 Seems she and her boyfriend were coming home from a show. 03:00.960 --> 03:04.400 Said about 9, 45, 10 o'clock, they noticed a car parked in front of the lot. 03:04.400 --> 03:05.400 Girl said they noticed right away. 03:05.400 --> 03:07.840 I'm afraid it might be some guys out to cause trouble. 03:07.840 --> 03:11.400 She told us that when she and her boyfriend walked by, they heard loud talking, men arguing. 03:11.400 --> 03:12.400 Mm-hmm. 03:12.400 --> 03:13.400 Did you describe the car? 03:13.400 --> 03:15.840 Just said it was a dark sedan, late model, 51 or 52. 03:15.840 --> 03:16.840 We checked the boyfriend. 03:16.840 --> 03:17.840 He told about the same story. 03:17.840 --> 03:19.800 He said he thought the car was a dark blue Ford. 03:19.800 --> 03:20.800 Mm-hmm. 03:20.800 --> 03:23.000 Well, anyway, the girl said she got scared and went right into the house. 03:23.000 --> 03:24.840 A few minutes later, they heard a car tear by. 03:24.840 --> 03:26.880 They looked up the street and the parked car was gone. 03:26.880 --> 03:27.880 This was around 10 o'clock. 03:27.880 --> 03:28.880 Yeah, that's right. 03:28.880 --> 03:30.320 That might make it about the time of the killing. 03:30.320 --> 03:31.960 Well, we'll know better when the body's posted. 03:31.960 --> 03:34.040 The girl or her boyfriend able to describe the men? 03:34.040 --> 03:35.040 No, soapskipper. 03:35.040 --> 03:37.600 All they could tell us were they looked like there were two men in the car. 03:37.600 --> 03:38.880 Said they couldn't get a good look at them. 03:38.880 --> 03:39.880 License number? 03:39.880 --> 03:40.880 No. 03:40.880 --> 03:42.600 They were just taking it down, but he didn't. 03:42.600 --> 03:43.600 Tough break. 03:43.600 --> 03:44.600 Hanson and Cummings helped check the neighborhood. 03:44.600 --> 03:45.600 They didn't do any better. 03:45.600 --> 03:48.400 Seems like everybody in the vicinity was away for the evening. 03:48.400 --> 03:49.400 Oh, McConaugh, Frank. 03:49.400 --> 03:51.240 Hanson just brought this in. 03:51.240 --> 03:54.240 Guy's wallet stuffed in his pocket. 03:54.240 --> 03:55.240 Let's take a look. 03:55.240 --> 03:56.240 Driver's license. 03:56.240 --> 03:57.240 Name's John Allen Iverson. 03:57.240 --> 03:58.240 Address, been scratched. 03:58.240 --> 03:59.240 Oh, here it is on the back. 03:59.240 --> 04:00.240 Had to change. 04:00.240 --> 04:01.240 6295 North Sereno Avenue. 04:01.240 --> 04:02.240 Height, 5'9". 04:02.240 --> 04:03.240 Born October 2nd, 23. 04:03.240 --> 04:04.240 Make it 28, huh? 04:04.240 --> 04:05.240 That's right. 04:05.240 --> 04:06.240 Weight, 136. 04:06.240 --> 04:07.240 Eyes, hazel, brown hair. 04:07.240 --> 04:08.240 Well, that's a good one. 04:08.240 --> 04:11.240 What else is in here? 04:11.240 --> 04:14.240 Calendar from an oil company. 04:14.240 --> 04:15.240 Blank check. 04:15.240 --> 04:16.240 Picture of a puppy. 04:16.240 --> 04:17.240 Dalmatian, huh? 04:17.240 --> 04:18.240 Looks like it in there. 04:18.240 --> 04:19.240 Picture of a woman. 04:19.240 --> 04:20.240 Let's see that. 04:20.240 --> 04:21.240 Here, wait a minute. 04:21.240 --> 04:22.240 Here's a card. 04:22.240 --> 04:25.240 Case of accident, please notify Mrs. Alfred Iverson. 04:25.240 --> 04:30.240 Mother, 6295 Sereno Avenue, Hollywood 98844. 04:30.240 --> 04:33.240 How are we her pictures? 04:33.240 --> 04:34.240 She been notified yet? 04:34.240 --> 04:35.240 No, not yet. 04:35.240 --> 04:36.240 Cheese, corn, cheese, corn, cheese, corn, cheese, corn, cheese, corn, cheese, corn, 04:36.240 --> 04:37.240 corn, corn, cheese, corn, cheese, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, 04:37.240 --> 04:38.240 corn, cheese, corn, corn, cheese, corn, cheese, corn, cheese, corn, cheese, corn, corn, corn, 04:38.240 --> 04:39.240 cheese, corn, cheese, corn. 04:39.240 --> 04:40.380 Cheese, corn, 04:40.380 --> 04:41.340 cheese, corn, cheese, corn, cheese, corn, corn, cheese, corn, cheese, corn, cheese, corn 04:41.340 --> 04:42.340 Compared to me. 04:42.340 --> 04:43.340 Let me see that. 04:43.340 --> 04:44.340 Laird's teared up. 04:44.340 --> 04:45.340 It's coming down. 04:45.340 --> 04:46.340 It's coming right down. 04:46.340 --> 04:47.340 Can you tell much? 04:47.340 --> 04:48.340 Not much. 04:48.340 --> 04:49.340 Cheeks. 04:49.340 --> 04:50.340 Teeth. 04:50.340 --> 04:51.340 Jeez. 04:51.340 --> 04:52.340 titties. 04:52.340 --> 04:53.340 Cheese. 04:53.340 --> 04:54.340 T doubled to the point. 04:54.340 --> 04:55.340 Taffy together. 04:55.340 --> 04:56.340 Cheese. 04:56.340 --> 04:57.340 T Arabia and you died. 04:57.340 --> 04:58.340 Oh floating did. 04:58.340 --> 05:06.380 lying on the floor with a 05:06.380 --> 05:16.060 Ten fifty a.m. We called Lee Jones to see if he'd been able to come up with any new information. 05:16.060 --> 05:19.500 He told us that besides the piece of cement, his crew had been able to find little other 05:19.500 --> 05:23.400 physical evidence. Tests of the blood found on the concrete were not finished, but Lee 05:23.400 --> 05:27.540 said that it looked like a murder weapon. Although the ground around the body was fairly 05:27.540 --> 05:31.240 soft, the people in the neighborhood effectively obliterated any footprints that the killer 05:31.240 --> 05:35.600 might have left. We were faced with the old problem. The average citizen, in an attempt 05:35.600 --> 05:40.160 to be helpful, had unknowingly destroyed what physical evidence we might have found. We 05:40.160 --> 05:44.980 went by R&I and checked the name John Allen Iverson without result. Eleven thirty-five 05:44.980 --> 05:49.820 a.m. Frank and I signed out and drove to the address listed on Iverson's driver's license, 05:49.820 --> 05:55.140 6295 North Serrano Avenue. It was a small frame cottage set well back on the lot. The 05:55.140 --> 05:58.460 yard was well kept and as we climbed the front stairs, we could hear a dog barking in the 05:58.460 --> 06:02.620 rear of the house. We rang the bell and the lady in her middle sixties answered the door. 06:02.620 --> 06:07.200 It was the woman in the picture that we found in Iverson's wallet. Yes? Mrs. Iverson? Yes? 06:07.200 --> 06:10.340 Police officers, ma'am. Like to talk to you if we could? Of course. Won't you come in? 06:10.340 --> 06:14.780 Thank you very much. You'll have to excuse the way I look. I was in the middle of baking. 06:14.780 --> 06:19.900 What was it you wanted, officer? I'm sorry. I don't remember your name. Joe Friday, ma'am. 06:19.900 --> 06:24.300 This is my partner, Frank Smith. How do you? Is it about the dog barking at night? We've 06:24.300 --> 06:28.540 tried to keep him quiet, alarm clock, hot water bottles, everything. He's just a puppy 06:28.540 --> 06:32.380 though, officers. He doesn't know. No, ma'am. It's not about the dog. It's about your boy. 06:32.380 --> 06:36.780 What's he done? Well, he's had an accident, Mrs. Iverson. An accident? John? Yes, ma'am. 06:36.780 --> 06:42.420 Hear you? Yes, ma'am. Pretty sure. You're sure it's my boy, John Allen Iverson? Yes, 06:42.420 --> 06:48.340 ma'am. It's your boy. He's in the hospital. Is that it? No, ma'am. He's not in the hospital. 06:48.340 --> 06:56.140 Not in the hospital? He's dead? Yes, ma'am. I'm sorry. John, John Allen Iverson, you're 06:56.140 --> 07:06.580 sure? Yes, ma'am. We're sure. Oh, no. What can be? How will that be? John, my baby. You've 07:06.580 --> 07:17.100 got to be wrong. No, I'm sorry, ma'am. John, John dead. Gone away from me. For all I've 07:17.100 --> 07:28.380 done. Why? Why does it have to be John? Why? It's always the same question, isn't it? Yeah. 07:28.380 --> 07:38.260 How do you answer it? Frank put in a call to Mrs. Iverson's doctor. Five minutes later, 07:38.260 --> 07:41.700 he arrived and gave her a sedative. We asked if we could talk to her, and he told us that 07:41.700 --> 07:45.980 it'd be all right if we kept the questioning brief. He explained that Mr. Iverson, John's 07:45.980 --> 07:50.420 father had died two years before and that his passing had hit Mrs. Iverson pretty hard. 07:50.420 --> 07:53.940 He said that it'd be a few minutes before the sedative took full effect and that we 07:53.940 --> 07:58.460 might talk to the woman until then. Frank and I walked into the bedroom. I hope you'll 07:58.460 --> 08:01.740 forgive me for crying. Yes, ma'am. We understand, Mrs. Iverson. There are a few questions we'd 08:01.740 --> 08:07.140 like to ask you. How did it happen? Auto access? No, ma'am. He was murdered. Murdered? Why? 08:07.140 --> 08:13.220 Who did it? Have you caught him yet? No, not yet, ma'am. That's why we need your help. 08:13.220 --> 08:20.220 Is there anything I can do? Anything at all? John was murdered. That's impossible. So hard 08:20.220 --> 08:25.820 to believe. Yes, ma'am. Was there anyone you might know who didn't like your son, someone 08:25.820 --> 08:31.980 who might have hated him enough to do this? No one. No one at all. John had a lot of friends. 08:31.980 --> 08:41.380 Wasn't anybody who didn't like him bright and cheery, always smiling. I'm sorry. Please. 08:41.380 --> 08:46.500 I want to help get this over with. Go ahead with the questions. I hope you're all right, 08:46.500 --> 08:55.080 ma'am. You like my ink, don't you? Oh, thank you. Now, what was it you were asking? Could 08:55.080 --> 08:59.620 you tell us where your son worked? Airplane factory out in the valley. He was an inspector. 08:59.620 --> 09:04.340 He's got a promotion, a raise. He was so proud. First rung of the ladder, he said, on his 09:04.340 --> 09:08.340 way up. What factory did he work at, ma'am? Websters. They make parts. John worked the 09:08.340 --> 09:12.980 morning shift, midnight to seven in the morning. Said there was a better chance for advancement 09:12.980 --> 09:17.180 on the morning shift. How about girls, ma'am? Anyone special your son saw quite a bit of? 09:17.180 --> 09:22.020 Well, just Alice. Alice Johnson saw her quite a bit. He was going to see her last night, 09:22.020 --> 09:26.580 had a date for 6.30. When did he leave the house, do you recall? Oh, 6.15 or so. Alice 09:26.580 --> 09:30.420 just lived a few doors down the street. John was going to take her to a championship match 09:30.420 --> 09:35.980 over in Burbank. Ma'am? Billiards. Oh. John loved to play billiards. Alice liked it, too. 09:35.980 --> 09:39.260 John always said that when he got married, he's going to have a table right in the house. 09:39.260 --> 09:42.060 Do you happen to remember where in Burbank this billiard mattress was going to be held? 09:42.060 --> 09:46.980 I'm not sure, but I think John said at George's place, right on Burbank Boulevard. Do you 09:46.980 --> 09:50.380 know if your son had a large amount of money with him when he left? Well, he had his week 09:50.380 --> 09:54.700 to pay with him. He just cashed his check this afternoon, and then he gave me the $30 09:54.700 --> 09:59.820 for the house. He had the rest of it. About how much would that be? Oh, maybe $40, $45. 09:59.820 --> 10:03.300 How about jewelry, ma'am? Do you carry any rings, anything like that? No, John didn't 10:03.300 --> 10:07.660 believe in wearing rings. Said he'd do that when he got married. There was his watch. 10:07.660 --> 10:11.260 He had that. Breast watch, ma'am? Yes, he always carried it. Kept perfect time. Does 10:11.260 --> 10:16.460 your son have a car, ma'am? Yes, a Ford. 1951 Ford. What color do you know? Dark blue. 10:16.460 --> 10:20.060 Pretty car. He was so proud of it. I wonder if you'd have the license number of the car, 10:20.060 --> 10:24.860 ma'am. Yes, I think you'll find it with the phone book in the bureau. He keeps... He kept 10:24.860 --> 10:33.220 all his papers there. I wonder if it'd be all right if we got it, ma'am. Yes, all right. 10:33.220 --> 10:39.380 That's it, ma'am. Yes, that's it. I still can't believe it. Yes, ma'am. It's gonna be a hard 10:39.380 --> 10:43.940 thing to get used to, isn't it? Ma'am? Life without a son. 10:43.940 --> 10:54.140 12.40 p.m. Frank and I drove back to the office and checked the license number we'd gotten 10:54.140 --> 11:00.260 through DMV. The car was registered to a John Allen Iverson, 6295 North Serrano Avenue, 11:00.260 --> 11:04.380 legal owner, Bank of America. A local and an all-points bulletin were gotten out on the 11:04.380 --> 11:09.100 car, all occupants to be held for investigation. In the event the car was found abandoned, 11:09.100 --> 11:13.620 a stakeout was to be placed on it and homicide was to be notified. We checked the name Alice 11:13.620 --> 11:18.700 Johnstone through R&I, but there was no record on it. 1.50 p.m. Frank and I drove out to 11:18.700 --> 11:23.260 her place of employment, an unpainted furniture factory on Ventura Boulevard. We questioned 11:23.260 --> 11:26.900 the girl for a good hour and she explained that John Iverson was usually on time for 11:26.900 --> 11:30.420 his dates with her, but the previous night he'd called to say that he'd be a little 11:30.420 --> 11:34.420 late. He called several more times and finally said that he was afraid they'd better cancel 11:34.420 --> 11:37.700 the date and that he'd call for her in the morning. She told us that she could think 11:37.700 --> 11:41.460 of no reason for anyone to be jealous of her spending so much time with Iverson, that he 11:41.460 --> 11:45.580 was the only date that she'd had for over a year. She gave us names and addresses of mutual 11:45.580 --> 11:50.860 friends to add to the list we already had to check out. 3.05 p.m. Frank and I went for 11:50.860 --> 11:55.220 something to eat. Is that all you're gonna eat, Frank? Just that little salad? Yeah, 11:55.220 --> 11:59.180 Elizabeth's got the idea to cut down on my lunches. She said I'm getting too heavy around 11:59.180 --> 12:04.500 the middle. That's too bad. Chili was good. Yeah, it looks good. Pretty spicy, wasn't it? 12:04.500 --> 12:10.060 No, no, just right. A lot of beef. Uh-huh. Joe? Yeah? You think I'm getting too fat? 12:10.060 --> 12:13.260 No, you don't look it to me. When a man gets in his 30s, he's supposed to look a little 12:13.260 --> 12:16.540 portly, isn't he? Well, I don't know, Frank. You couldn't prove it by me. I always heard 12:16.540 --> 12:20.140 so. My father was pretty heavy. That has a lot to do with it. Is that so? Well, sure, 12:20.140 --> 12:24.820 you know, it's heredity, that stuff. A lot of beef, huh? Now look, Frank, why don't you 12:24.820 --> 12:28.060 have a bowl of the chili? It doesn't look like it's got too many calories, does it? No, 12:28.060 --> 12:34.420 it doesn't, does it? Miss? Oh, Miss, could I have a bowl of that chili? Some of that coconut 12:34.420 --> 12:39.380 cream pie, too. Thanks. Yeah, right away. What do you figure, Joe, about the Iverson? 12:39.380 --> 12:42.420 You know, I can't figure it. If we could just come up with a motive, it might be easier 12:42.420 --> 12:47.380 to give us some place to start. Yeah. Young kid. Seems everybody liked him. It looks that 12:47.380 --> 12:51.500 way. I've been thinking about that robbery angle. His mother said he left the house with 12:51.500 --> 12:55.860 about $45, didn't he? Now we find him and he's only got 13 of it left. Where'd the rest 12:55.860 --> 12:58.700 go? And that watch, if anybody was going to hold them up, they'd take the watch. They 12:58.700 --> 13:02.500 could have gotten something for it. Bigger revenge? Jealousy? I don't know. The girl said 13:02.500 --> 13:05.620 there wasn't any reason for that. Look, as soon as you finish your lunch, let's check 13:05.620 --> 13:08.980 the place he worked. The guys he worked with, maybe they can give us the answer. Been done 13:08.980 --> 13:12.860 before. Yeah. Iverson. He just got a raise and a promotion. Maybe somebody thought they 13:12.860 --> 13:20.860 should have got it. Before we left the lunch room, we called the list of names in the R&I. 13:20.860 --> 13:25.620 432 PM. Frank and I drove out to the aircraft plant where John Iverson had been employed. 13:25.620 --> 13:29.300 We checked with the foreman of the shop, the men he worked with, the personnel office, 13:29.300 --> 13:33.260 everyone he came in contact with during the day's work. They all gave us the same answer, 13:33.260 --> 13:38.900 that they could see no reason why anyone would want to take his life. 456 PM. The list of 13:38.900 --> 13:43.540 names we'd given R&I had come back with no make. None of the names had any criminal record. 13:43.540 --> 13:46.540 We called the county morgue and found that the coroner had posted the body and that the 13:46.540 --> 13:50.300 cause of death was listed as a subarachnoid hemorrhage due to multiple depressed fractures 13:50.300 --> 13:54.540 of the skull. Lee Jones had finished the test and was able to tell us that the piece of 13:54.540 --> 14:00.020 concrete found at the scene was more than likely the murder weapon. 615 PM. Frank and 14:00.020 --> 14:03.900 I drove over to Burbank to George's Pool and Snooker Hall. It was a big place with a lot 14:03.900 --> 14:08.260 of neon over the entrance. Inside there were about 10 tables with a row of theater chairs 14:08.260 --> 14:12.820 on each side of the large room. Just off the entrance was a small bar. Except for a man 14:12.820 --> 14:18.540 brushing off the tables, the place was empty. Hi, what'll it be? Pool, billiards, or Snooker? 14:18.540 --> 14:22.140 You the manager here? No, I'm not. I kind of run the place though when he's not here. 14:22.140 --> 14:24.700 Something I can do? We're police officers. My name is Friday. This is my partner, Frank 14:24.700 --> 14:28.700 Smith. How do. I'm Sam Howard. Were you on duty here last night, Mr. Howard? Yeah, until 14:28.700 --> 14:32.340 about midnight. I leave then. Sometimes when George asks me, I stay on. But I usually shove 14:32.340 --> 14:36.060 off about midnight. Why anything wrong? I can get George on the phone. You know a man by 14:36.060 --> 14:40.380 the name of Iverson, John Iverson. You ever see him around here? Iverson? There's an awful 14:40.380 --> 14:44.500 lot of guys come in here. Hard to tell. What's he look like? He's 5'9", about 136 pounds. 14:44.500 --> 14:48.940 He's brown hair, likes to play billiards, I understand. John, I think I know who you 14:48.940 --> 14:51.860 mean. Never knew his last name before, but he comes in here quite a bit, always plays 14:51.860 --> 14:55.780 billiards, three cushion. You see him last night? An awful lot of people here last night. 14:55.780 --> 15:00.020 Had a match, pretty crowded. What was he in here last night? Well, yeah, came in, watched 15:00.020 --> 15:03.300 the match for a while, then he sat up at the bar, had a couple of beers. Was he drinking 15:03.300 --> 15:07.900 with anybody? Let me think. Yeah, he and another guy were talking it up. The other guy was 15:07.900 --> 15:11.060 popping for the drinks. You know the other man? No, sir, don't think I ever saw him before. 15:11.060 --> 15:15.020 About what time was that? Gee, it's hard to say. I was pretty busy. It's important, Mr. 15:15.020 --> 15:20.420 Howard. Like that, huh? Well, I'd say it was seven o'clock, maybe 7.30. Johnny came in 15:20.420 --> 15:23.400 first, he watched the matches for a while, then when this other guy came in, they both 15:23.400 --> 15:29.300 moved to the bar. Stayed there talking until about 9.30, 9.45, then they walked out together. 15:29.300 --> 15:32.220 They were together all evening then? Yeah, near as I can tell. What did this other man 15:32.220 --> 15:38.180 look like? Let me think. I'd say he was maybe 36, 37, had kind of dark hair. How tall would 15:38.180 --> 15:43.500 you say he was? About your height, 5'10 or 11'. Had on a plaid sport jacket. I noticed 15:43.500 --> 15:46.220 that because I'd been looking for one like it. You know, sort of Glen plaid, only with 15:46.220 --> 15:50.500 more color. Not exactly loud. What color was the jacket? Blue, real rich blue. Must have 15:50.500 --> 15:54.060 cost a fellow a lot. During the conversation, did Iverson and this other man seem to get 15:54.060 --> 15:58.620 along all right? Oh, yeah, even when the fellow lost the bet. What bet? Yeah, they had a bet 15:58.620 --> 16:01.860 on a match. The other guy lost and he had to pay Johnny 10 bucks. Didn't have the cash, 16:01.860 --> 16:05.420 had to cash a check. You cash it here? Yeah, it was a payroll check. George doesn't like 16:05.420 --> 16:08.900 it when we cash personal checks. If they bounce, we have to stand the laws. Think we could 16:08.900 --> 16:12.140 locate that check, Mr. Howard? Do you happen to remember the company name on it? No, not 16:12.140 --> 16:15.700 right off. I can get it for you, sir. Oh, George wasn't feeling too well today, so he 16:15.700 --> 16:22.420 didn't get to the bank. Check's still in the safe. The check was issued from the Kimberly 16:22.420 --> 16:26.660 Insurance Company and made out to Martin G. Weber. The endorsement was made by Weber 16:26.660 --> 16:30.860 with a notation of his address under the signature. We called the office and had the name run 16:30.860 --> 16:35.400 through RNI. There was no record on him. According to the information we'd gotten from Sam 16:35.400 --> 16:39.580 Howard, the last time the victim was seen alive at 9.45 p.m., he was in the company 16:39.580 --> 16:43.740 of Martin Weber. Frank and I got in the car and drove out to the Kimberly Insurance Company. 16:43.740 --> 16:48.020 It was a large building on San Fernando Road. The employees were leaving the building when 16:48.020 --> 16:52.100 Frank and I got to the office of the general manager. We asked him about Weber and he told 16:52.100 --> 16:55.620 us that he'd been with the firm for the past 10 years, starting as a runner on the floor 16:55.620 --> 17:00.780 and rising to the position of office manager. He told us further that in his entire 10 years 17:00.780 --> 17:04.980 of service, Weber had never been late or missed a day's work. However, on that particular 17:04.980 --> 17:09.060 morning he hadn't shown up at all. We called our office and arranged for a stakeout on 17:09.060 --> 17:13.420 the building of the insurance company. Frank and I drove out to Weber's home, a modern 17:13.420 --> 17:16.980 apartment house in the North Hollywood area. We rang the bell but there was no answer. 17:16.980 --> 17:21.180 We checked with the landlord and he told us that he hadn't seen Weber the night before. 17:21.180 --> 17:24.460 In the company of the manager, we checked Weber's apartment. He was not there and from 17:24.460 --> 17:28.340 what we could see, the bed had not been slept in. In further checking, the manager was able 17:28.340 --> 17:32.660 to give us the name and address of Weber's sister, Mrs. Madge Wilson. We arranged for 17:32.660 --> 17:37.860 a stakeout on the apartment. 9.20 p.m. Frank and I drove over to check with his sister. 17:37.860 --> 17:38.860 Yes? 17:38.860 --> 17:39.860 Mrs. Wilson? 17:39.860 --> 17:40.860 That's right. 17:40.860 --> 17:43.940 Police officers, Mrs. Wilson, like to talk to you. My name's Friday. This is my partner, 17:43.940 --> 17:44.940 Frank Smith. 17:44.940 --> 17:46.420 Come in. But I thought all this had been cleared up. 17:46.420 --> 17:47.420 Ma'am? 17:47.420 --> 17:48.420 Well, you hear about my brother, Martin, aren't you? 17:48.420 --> 17:49.420 Well, yes, ma'am. I don't think I understand. 17:49.420 --> 17:53.660 Neither do I. It seems to me that you'd spend your time trying to find out why the man did 17:53.660 --> 17:57.340 it instead of bothering us. My husband won't like this at all. We're taxpayers. We've got 17:57.340 --> 17:58.340 right. 17:58.340 --> 17:59.340 Just a minute, ma'am. I think maybe there's a misunderstanding. 17:59.340 --> 18:01.940 Nothing of the sort. You're here to talk about Martin, aren't you? 18:01.940 --> 18:02.940 Yes, ma'am. 18:02.940 --> 18:05.740 No misunderstanding at all. He had an accident. It's up to you to take care of the man who 18:05.740 --> 18:07.540 did it. Put him in jail for a long time. 18:07.540 --> 18:10.180 I'm sorry, Mrs. Wilson. I'm not sure we know what you're talking about. 18:10.180 --> 18:14.380 Well, this is the limit. My poor husband spends practically the whole night filling out forms 18:14.380 --> 18:18.140 and you didn't even take time to read them. I'm talking about Martin's accident. The man 18:18.140 --> 18:22.300 who ran him down last night, put him in the hospital, broke his leg. That's what I'm talking 18:22.300 --> 18:26.240 about. I've got two kids upstairs with bad colds and I haven't got time to stand around 18:26.240 --> 18:29.220 and talk to you. If there's anything else you want to know, you can talk to my husband. 18:29.220 --> 18:30.220 He'll tell you. 18:30.220 --> 18:33.020 Did you know that your father was run down by a car last night, ma'am? 18:33.020 --> 18:35.020 Yes. Last night. 18:35.020 --> 18:36.020 And he's in the hospital now? 18:36.020 --> 18:37.020 Yes. Yes. Yes. 18:37.020 --> 18:40.180 Now, look, we're only trying to conduct an investigation, ma'am. Could you tell us what 18:40.180 --> 18:41.980 time this accident happened and where? 18:41.980 --> 18:45.540 All right. It's on the report if you'd only read it. 18:45.540 --> 18:46.540 Yes, ma'am. 18:46.540 --> 18:50.300 Martin was on his way home last night. He stepped off the curb out on Burbank Boulevard 18:50.300 --> 18:54.140 and this car came right around the corner and hit him. Broke his leg. Sent him to the 18:54.140 --> 18:57.180 hospital. He's been there ever since. He's there now. 18:57.180 --> 18:58.780 What time did this happen, ma'am? Do you know? 18:58.780 --> 19:11.660 Sure, I know. It was 9.45. 19:11.660 --> 19:15.900 You are listening to Dragnet, authentic stories of your police force in action. 19:15.900 --> 19:22.140 Friends, the name Fatima has always stood for quality. Fatimas are distinctive, with 19:22.140 --> 19:28.120 a truly different flavor and aroma. 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Smoke Fatima, 20:14.580 --> 20:27.940 the extra mild and soothing king-size cigarette, with the added protection of Fatima quality. 20:27.940 --> 20:32.060 When we explained about John Iverson's death to Mrs. Wilson, she was extremely apologetic 20:32.060 --> 20:35.500 about the way she'd acted. She went on to say that her brother did have an appointment 20:35.500 --> 20:39.940 with Iverson the night before. We put in a call to Sergeant Erbson of the Accident Record 20:39.940 --> 20:43.300 Bureau downtown, and he told us that there was a traffic accident report which listed 20:43.300 --> 20:48.900 the time of the accident at 946, corroborating the story given us by Mrs. Wilson. Weber had 20:48.900 --> 20:53.580 been given emergency treatment at Georgia Street and then transferred to General Hospital. 20:53.580 --> 20:57.060 From what Sam Howard had told us, we knew that Iverson had been alive at approximately 20:57.060 --> 21:03.380 945 p.m. The deputy coroner's fixed the time of death at approximately 10 or 1030 p.m. 21:03.380 --> 21:07.780 The fact that Martin Weber had been run down by a car at 946 p.m. seemed to absolve him 21:07.780 --> 21:12.940 of any part in the crime. The stakeouts at his place of business and his home were removed. 21:12.940 --> 21:16.580 Frank and I drove over to General Hospital to interview Martin Weber. His leg was in 21:16.580 --> 21:20.140 traction but he seemed to be in good spirits. If I was on my way home, just stepped off 21:20.140 --> 21:24.260 the curb to catch a bus, next thing I know I looked up right into a pair of headlights. 21:24.260 --> 21:28.820 Almost scared me to death. And wham-o, I was on the street, my leg broken. Oh, I'm covered. 21:28.820 --> 21:32.620 The whole thing won't cost me a cent. Yes, sir. We were talking to Sam Howard over at 21:32.620 --> 21:36.100 Georgia's billiard hall. He said you were there with John Iverson last night, that right? 21:36.100 --> 21:39.060 Yeah, that's right. I had a talk with old John. I had a big business deal trying to 21:39.060 --> 21:42.700 sell him some insurance. Oh, I didn't know you were salesman, Mr. Weber. Well, I'm not 21:42.700 --> 21:46.340 really office manager. I don't like the job. Figured if I could bring in a good sale, the 21:46.340 --> 21:49.220 boss might let me have a crack at selling. Well, did Iverson give you any indication 21:49.220 --> 21:53.620 that he wanted any insurance? Well, not right off. He's always been worried about his mother, 21:53.620 --> 21:57.300 though. You know, if anything should happen to him. Anyway, a couple of days ago, one 21:57.300 --> 22:01.260 of the press men out at the plant where John works was killed, accident. I thought this 22:01.260 --> 22:05.020 might be a good chance to try to sell John some coverage, you know, life. Leave his mother 22:05.020 --> 22:09.180 a little something. Yes, sir. Well, old John wasn't an easy one, let me tell you. Told 22:09.180 --> 22:12.300 me he wasn't completely sold on insurance yet and then he said he'd leave it up to the 22:12.300 --> 22:17.180 billiard match. Sir, if the championship changed hands and John would buy some insurance. If 22:17.180 --> 22:23.300 it didn't, I had to pay him 10 bucks. I lost. Had to cash my paycheck to do it, too. And 22:23.300 --> 22:28.340 those are the breaks. I want to lose a sale and get hit by a car. So what's this all about? 22:28.340 --> 22:31.980 Anyway, why all the questions about old John? Well, he was killed last night, Mr. Weber. 22:31.980 --> 22:36.680 Killed? What do you mean? He was murdered. How did it happen? That's what we're trying 22:36.680 --> 22:40.900 to find out, sir. While you were at the bar with Iverson, did you see him talk to anybody, 22:40.900 --> 22:45.340 anyone besides you? No, he made a couple of phone calls. Said they were to his girlfriend, 22:45.340 --> 22:50.180 but that's about all. Oh, wait a minute. Yeah? We got outside the bar, there were a couple 22:50.180 --> 22:54.740 of guys that came up and talked to him. Had these men been in the bar? Yeah, come to think 22:54.740 --> 22:57.540 of it, they were sitting right next to us. When I had to cash that check, I didn't have 22:57.540 --> 23:01.780 a pen to endorse it and one of the guys gave me his to use. You ever seen them before? 23:01.780 --> 23:05.900 No, I don't think I ever did. Can you describe the men, Mr. Weber, what they looked like? 23:05.900 --> 23:09.420 I didn't pay much attention to them. One of the fellows was a big guy, maybe six feet 23:09.420 --> 23:14.620 or more, a couple of hundred pounds anyway. How old would you say? Well, maybe 37, around 23:14.620 --> 23:18.500 there. I'd know him if I saw him again. Well, how's that, sir? The scar, he had a scar right 23:18.500 --> 23:21.980 across here on his forehead, made him look like he was frowning all the time. How about 23:21.980 --> 23:27.580 the other man? I'm afraid I can't be of much help there. He was short, five, five or six, 23:27.580 --> 23:31.900 heavy, 180 more or less. I think he was wearing a flannel suit. I can't be sure about that. 23:31.900 --> 23:35.540 You saw these men out on the sidewalk with Iverson right after you left the bar, is that 23:35.540 --> 23:38.740 right? Yeah. After I told John good night, I walked over to the corner, I saw these two 23:38.740 --> 23:41.980 fellows come up to John and from what I could hear, they were asking for a lift someplace. 23:41.980 --> 23:46.060 Did you give them a ride? No, I saw my bus come and made a run for it. Is there anything 23:46.060 --> 23:48.980 else you can tell us about these men that might help? Anything at all? Any little thing 23:48.980 --> 23:52.820 you might remember? Gee, now that I can remember, I didn't really pay a lot of attention to 23:52.820 --> 23:55.780 them, just a couple of guys sitting next to us. One of them lent me his pen. Well, how 23:55.780 --> 24:00.340 about the pen? Any initials on it? No, it was the tall guy, the one with the scar, he 24:00.340 --> 24:03.620 loaned it to me. It was one of those plastic things, you know, with the figure that disappears 24:03.620 --> 24:06.660 when you turn upside down. I know the kind of thing. I noticed it because I thought 24:06.660 --> 24:10.500 it was kind of cute. Anyway, it was put out by a Venetian blind company. It had the name 24:10.500 --> 24:17.300 right on it. Can you remember the name? Let me see. Rogers, Rogers Blind Company. All 24:17.300 --> 24:20.980 right, fine. Here's our card. If you remember anything else, we'd appreciate a call. Sure 24:20.980 --> 24:27.620 thing. Say, you fellas going out to Rogers? Yes, sir. I kind of hate to ask. Yes, sir. 24:27.620 --> 24:37.300 Can you pick up one of those pens for me? 11.35 p.m. We called the office and they told 24:37.300 --> 24:41.700 us that Iverson's car had been found abandoned up on Wonderland Drive in Laurel Canyon, 24:41.700 --> 24:46.740 was taken to the police garage and impounded. The crime lab had gone over the car for fingerprints 24:46.740 --> 24:50.340 and in eliminating the prints of the people known to have been in the car and friends 24:50.340 --> 24:55.540 of Iverson, they'd come up with one unidentified print. As remote as it was, the lead about 24:55.540 --> 24:59.700 the pen had to be checked out. We called the Rogers Blind Company and the night watchman 24:59.700 --> 25:03.740 gave us the home phone number of the personnel manager. We called him and he agreed to meet 25:03.740 --> 25:07.660 us at the plant. We gave him the description of the man who had talked to Iverson outside 25:07.660 --> 25:11.940 of the bar and he was able to identify him as a Peter Standish, a former salesman with 25:11.940 --> 25:16.220 the company. He recognized Standish from the description of the scar, but he was unable 25:16.220 --> 25:20.440 to tell us the name of the other man. The personnel manager furnished us with Standish's 25:20.440 --> 25:24.680 last known address, but he'd moved and left no forwarding address. Frank and I went back 25:24.680 --> 25:29.100 to the office and ran the name through R&I. Standish had a record of two arrests on suspicion 25:29.100 --> 25:33.900 of 211 PC, one of them only a month before. Sergeants Hanson and Cummings drove out to 25:33.900 --> 25:38.460 the general hospital to show a mugshot of Standish to Martin Weber. He positively identified 25:38.460 --> 25:42.460 the suspect as the man he'd seen talking to Iverson on the night of the murder. We checked 25:42.460 --> 25:46.020 with Dean Bergman and Leighton Prince. The fingerprint found in the car matched perfectly 25:46.020 --> 25:50.360 with the prints of Standish. Frank and I drove out to the last address on the suspect's arrest 25:50.360 --> 25:54.620 report. The manager of the apartment told us that he'd gone out a few minutes before. 25:54.620 --> 25:57.920 He told us that there was another man living in the apartment with Standish and the description 25:57.920 --> 26:01.780 she gave tallied closely with the one we had of the man seen with Standish in the bar the 26:01.780 --> 26:06.980 night of the murder. She informed us that he was registered under the name of Charles Teal. 26:06.980 --> 26:11.260 In the company of the manager, we made a search of the suspect's apartment, but we found nothing. 26:11.260 --> 26:14.580 We asked the manager not to give any indication that we were in the apartment. She agreed 26:14.580 --> 26:21.580 to cooperate. We settled down to wait. An hour went by, an hour and a half, two hours. 26:21.580 --> 26:27.140 Well, I'm getting tired of it, Teal. Every night the same thing dragging you out of some 26:27.140 --> 26:30.500 crummy bar. If you don't knock it off, I'm going to get myself another boy. Not only 26:30.500 --> 26:32.540 that, but I'm getting sick of... All right, let's hold it right there, sir. 26:32.540 --> 26:39.540 Cops, lousy cops, Frank. All right, hold it, mister. Hold still. Fuzz, crummy fuzz. I had 26:42.220 --> 26:43.820 to walk right into it. How's the other one, Frank? 26:43.820 --> 26:45.300 He's out. Want to shoot him down? 26:45.300 --> 26:48.820 Yeah. What do you want with me, cop? I done nothing. You got nothing to hold me for? He's 26:48.820 --> 26:51.500 clean, Joe. So is the other one. We got plenty, Standish. Let's go. 26:51.500 --> 26:53.580 What you got on me? Murder, mister. 26:53.580 --> 26:55.420 Murder me? You're crazy. You're off your rocker. 26:55.420 --> 26:58.500 Yeah, sure. All right, Frank. I'm getting him up. Come on, boy. 26:58.500 --> 27:00.420 I told you, Standish. I told you they'd get him. 27:00.420 --> 27:02.900 Shut up, Joe. All right, let's hold it right there, mister. Don't make any more problems. 27:02.900 --> 27:05.740 It was him. He did it. I didn't want to. It was his idea. I'll tell you all about it. 27:05.740 --> 27:07.700 Should have known not to trust you, Teal. Look what you got me into. 27:07.700 --> 27:10.460 We only wanted his money. He wouldn't give it to us. Standish kept trying to hit him with 27:10.460 --> 27:12.020 that piece of cement. I tried to make him stop. 27:12.020 --> 27:14.700 He didn't try to stop me splitting the dough. He got more than half. 27:14.700 --> 27:17.700 Don't worry about it. What do you mean you split this one even? 27:17.700 --> 27:36.460 The other thing he should have done the same way he did it. He stepped out, the crystal 27:36.460 --> 27:37.460 one. 27:37.460 --> 27:40.060 And then he did it again. 27:40.060 --> 27:42.140 All right, sir. 27:42.140 --> 27:47.140 has always stood for quality. That same Fatima quality is the reason why king-size Fatima 27:47.140 --> 27:51.340 continues to grow in popularity among smokers everywhere. Try them and see if you don't 27:51.340 --> 27:56.220 agree with me. That Fatima gives you an extra mild and soothing smoke, plus the added protection 27:56.220 --> 28:00.840 of Fatima quality. Next time you buy cigarettes, look for the bright, sunny yellow pack and 28:00.840 --> 28:03.840 ask for king-size Fatima. 28:03.840 --> 28:15.540 Peter James Standish and Charles Edward Teale were tried and convicted of robbery and murder 28:15.540 --> 28:19.800 in the first degree. They were sentenced to life imprisonment. They're now serving their 28:19.800 --> 28:30.740 term in the state penitentiary, San Quentin, California. 28:30.740 --> 28:35.820 You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice 28:35.820 --> 28:40.620 comes from the Office of Chief of Police W.H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department. Technical 28:40.620 --> 28:45.540 advisors Captain Jack Donahoe, Sergeant Marty Wynn, Sergeant Vance Brasher. Heard tonight 28:45.540 --> 28:51.220 were Ken Patterson, Gwen Delano, Jack Crushen. Script by John Robinson. Music by Walter 28:51.220 --> 29:01.940 Schuman. Hell, give me speaking. King-size Fatima has brought you Dragnet, transcribed 29:01.940 --> 29:21.340 for you. Friday, hear the Mario Lanza show over NBC.