WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:07.000 Sound off for Chesterfield. 00:10.000 --> 00:12.000 Chesterfield is best for you. 00:12.000 --> 00:17.000 First cigarette with premium quality in both regular and king size. 00:17.000 --> 00:20.000 Chesterfield brings you Dragnet. 00:20.000 --> 00:31.000 Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. 00:31.000 --> 00:34.000 The names have been changed to protect the innocent. 00:42.000 --> 00:45.000 You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to bunko detail. 00:45.000 --> 00:49.000 For the past year, a confidence man has been cheating women in your city. 00:49.000 --> 00:54.000 You finally get a lead on him. Your job, get him. 00:58.000 --> 01:02.000 Tonight, I have a new report for you. A most important one too. 01:02.000 --> 01:10.000 Because when you're asked to try a cigarette, you want to know and you ought to know what that cigarette is meant to people who smoke it all the time. 01:10.000 --> 01:16.000 After a full year of observation, a medical specialist was given a group of Chesterfield smokers 01:16.000 --> 01:19.000 thorough examinations every two months for the full year. 01:19.000 --> 01:27.000 Reports no adverse effects to their nose, throat, or sinuses from smoking Chesterfields. 01:27.000 --> 01:34.000 More and more men and women all over the country are finding out every day that Chesterfield is best for them. 01:34.000 --> 01:38.000 Enjoy your smoking. Try Chesterfields today. 01:38.000 --> 01:46.000 They're best for you. Much milder, with an extraordinarily good taste. 01:50.000 --> 01:54.000 Dragnet. The documented drama of an actual crime. 01:54.000 --> 01:58.000 For the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, 01:58.000 --> 02:04.000 you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files. 02:04.000 --> 02:11.000 From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. 02:14.000 --> 02:17.000 It was Wednesday, February 12th. It was cold in Los Angeles. 02:17.000 --> 02:21.000 We were working the day watch out of bunko detail. My partner is Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Steed. 02:21.000 --> 02:28.000 My name is Friday. We were at the Armstrong Thomas Department Store cafeteria and it was 314 p.m. when I got back to the table. 02:28.000 --> 02:30.000 Here, Joel. Let me give you a hand. 02:30.000 --> 02:33.000 Thanks. Here you are, Miss Terrance. 02:33.000 --> 02:34.000 Thank you. 02:34.000 --> 02:37.000 I wonder if you tell us what this is all about now, ma'am. 02:37.000 --> 02:41.000 Surely. Sorry you had to wait, but I thought it might be better if we talked up here. 02:41.000 --> 02:43.000 Yes, ma'am. 02:43.000 --> 02:45.000 Would you pass the sugar, please? 02:45.000 --> 02:47.000 Oh, yes, ma'am. Here you are. 02:49.000 --> 02:54.000 Well, it's not a pretty thing. I don't know how I could have been so foolish. 02:54.000 --> 02:59.000 But I guess when you get to be my age and you haven't got anything, almost any attention makes you forget. 02:59.000 --> 03:02.000 Yes, ma'am. How'd you first meet this man, Ben? 03:02.000 --> 03:06.000 I saw him first at a musical. I met him very briefly that night. 03:06.000 --> 03:10.000 He called me the next day, said that he wanted to see me again. 03:10.000 --> 03:17.000 Well, I told him that I didn't think it'd be proper, but he insisted. So that night we had dinner together. 03:17.000 --> 03:20.000 He seemed so nice, I still can't believe it. 03:20.000 --> 03:22.000 Yes, ma'am. 03:22.000 --> 03:27.000 Such a wonderful time. I didn't think anybody could be so happy. 03:27.000 --> 03:34.000 We ate at a wonderful little place down at the beach, then we went for a long drive and listened to the music on the radio. 03:34.000 --> 03:38.000 Just beautiful. The way the ocean looked, all moonlight and all. 03:38.000 --> 03:40.000 When'd you see him again, ma'am? 03:40.000 --> 03:47.000 Not until he left. He'd call a couple of times a day. Got a little embarrassing. 03:47.000 --> 03:51.000 The girls at the store here got to kidding me about it, but I didn't care. 03:51.000 --> 03:58.000 Then he told me he wanted to marry me. I couldn't believe it. So wonderful. 03:58.000 --> 03:59.000 Yes, ma'am. 03:59.000 --> 04:04.000 Then one day he told me that he was going to have to take a business trip up north. 04:04.000 --> 04:06.000 When was that, do you remember, ma'am? 04:06.000 --> 04:09.000 I guess it was about three weeks ago, something like that. 04:09.000 --> 04:11.000 Go ahead, please. 04:11.000 --> 04:16.000 Well, he left. I went down to the station and saw him off. 04:16.000 --> 04:21.000 He kissed me and said that when he got back we'd be married. 04:21.000 --> 04:26.000 We were going over to Las Vegas on our honeymoon. Wonderful plans. Wonderful. 04:26.000 --> 04:30.000 Then I heard from him and he got to San Francisco. 04:30.000 --> 04:34.000 He called me from the hotel and said that he'd lost his wallet on the train. 04:34.000 --> 04:39.000 He told me he'd lost everything. All his money, identification, everything. 04:39.000 --> 04:41.000 Mm-hmm. 04:41.000 --> 04:47.000 That's when he asked me for the hundred dollars. I didn't think that anything was wrong, so I sent it to him. 04:47.000 --> 04:48.000 Where'd you send it, ma'am? 04:48.000 --> 04:51.000 To his hotel. 04:51.000 --> 04:53.000 Did you hear from him at all after that, ma'am? 04:53.000 --> 04:58.000 Not a word. At first I thought that maybe he was just busy. 04:58.000 --> 05:06.000 I did think it was kind of funny that he wouldn't say something about getting the money I sent, but not a word. 05:06.000 --> 05:08.000 Then I got worried. 05:08.000 --> 05:10.000 Yes, ma'am, I understand. 05:10.000 --> 05:14.000 Finally I called the hotel and they told me that he'd checked out. 05:14.000 --> 05:21.000 I figured that maybe he was back in town and wanted to surprise me, so I called his apartment. 05:21.000 --> 05:28.000 The landlady told me that he had left a couple of weeks before, that he didn't leave any forwarding address. 05:28.000 --> 05:30.000 Yes, ma'am. 05:30.000 --> 05:39.000 I didn't know what to think. I didn't want to believe that he'd just used me, but there didn't seem to be anything else to think. 05:39.000 --> 05:40.000 Yes, ma'am. 05:40.000 --> 05:44.000 Then, of course, it was only a hundred dollars. 05:44.000 --> 05:49.000 It seems that if he'd wanted to rob me, he could have asked for more. 05:49.000 --> 05:53.000 I still don't believe it, even when I know it's true. 05:53.000 --> 05:56.000 Yes, ma'am. Now, I wonder if you could give us a description of the man. 05:56.000 --> 06:00.000 Yes, I can do that. But see, he was tall. 06:00.000 --> 06:02.000 About how tall, ma'am? 06:02.000 --> 06:06.000 Over six feet, maybe six feet two. 06:06.000 --> 06:10.000 He had blond hair, kind of wavy. 06:10.000 --> 06:12.000 About how much would you say weighed, Miss Terrence? 06:12.000 --> 06:16.000 I'd just be guessing, but I'd say about 190 or so. 06:16.000 --> 06:20.000 I see. I wonder if you'd be kind enough to come down to the city hall and look at some pictures for us. 06:20.000 --> 06:22.000 You think you might have one of his? 06:22.000 --> 06:26.000 It's possible, ma'am. Maybe it'd make you feel a little better to know that you're not the only woman that this Benton has taken. 06:26.000 --> 06:28.000 There have been quite a few. 06:28.000 --> 06:30.000 I guess I knew that. 06:30.000 --> 06:35.000 Even if I didn't want to believe it, I guess I knew it was just a confidence game. 06:35.000 --> 06:41.000 Such a cruel thing, though, to use a person's loneliness to rob them. 06:41.000 --> 06:44.000 Yes, ma'am, it is. 06:44.000 --> 06:49.000 When you get along in years and you haven't got anything to hold on to, 06:49.000 --> 06:53.000 a little attention and affection makes you forget everything else. 06:53.000 --> 06:56.000 Nothing else seems to matter. 06:56.000 --> 07:05.000 Yes, ma'am. I guess that's the way they figure it. 07:05.000 --> 07:08.000 Frank and I had been looking for Jonathan Benton for the past year. 07:08.000 --> 07:12.000 During that time, he'd taken approximately $37,000 from women in the Los Angeles area. 07:12.000 --> 07:16.000 His method of operation was to answer the ads in the personal columns of the daily papers. 07:16.000 --> 07:23.000 He'd give the woman a whirlwind courtship, then, under the pretext of having to clean up some business before marriage, he'd leave town. 07:23.000 --> 07:27.000 He'd call the next day and give them the story about losing his wallet and identification. 07:27.000 --> 07:29.000 He'd ask them for $100. 07:29.000 --> 07:33.000 This in itself was to throw off the suspicions of the victims. 07:33.000 --> 07:40.000 In the event that they suspected that they were being taken in a racket, $100 was small enough so that their fears were quieted. 07:40.000 --> 07:47.000 Benton would answer about 20 to 30 of these ads at a time, and the request for money would hit all of the suspects at once. 07:47.000 --> 07:51.000 We'd had several complaints lately, and there was no way of knowing how many women were being taken 07:51.000 --> 07:54.000 and were too embarrassed to report it to the authorities. 07:54.000 --> 07:56.000 4.30 p.m. 07:56.000 --> 07:59.000 We drove Miss Terrence back to the city hall and had her check the mug books. 07:59.000 --> 08:02.000 She was unable to give us an identification, however. 08:02.000 --> 08:03.000 Another month passed. 08:03.000 --> 08:06.000 During that time, we received 14 more complaints. 08:06.000 --> 08:10.000 In all instances, the description of the suspect matched that of Jonathan Benton. 08:10.000 --> 08:13.000 All available sources of information were checked. 08:13.000 --> 08:16.000 Bulletin's had been gotten out carrying his description and the name he used. 08:16.000 --> 08:18.000 No results. 08:18.000 --> 08:24.000 On Wednesday, March 25th, we got a call that a man answering Benton's description had placed an ad in the personal columns of one of the daily papers. 08:24.000 --> 08:26.000 It used the name of Thomas Conan. 08:26.000 --> 08:31.000 The clerk at the ad counter gave us his address, and at 5.32 p.m., Frank and I went out to talk to him. 08:31.000 --> 08:32.000 Yeah? 08:32.000 --> 08:33.000 You Thomas Conan? 08:33.000 --> 08:35.000 Yeah, that's right. What can I do for you? 08:35.000 --> 08:36.000 Police officers would like to talk to you. 08:36.000 --> 08:39.000 Sure, come on in. I'm always glad to talk to the law. 08:39.000 --> 08:40.000 This is my partner, Frank Smith. 08:40.000 --> 08:41.000 Howdy-do, Mr. Smith. 08:41.000 --> 08:42.000 Howdy-do, sir. 08:42.000 --> 08:44.000 If you boys will come on in, I'll shut the door. 08:44.000 --> 08:46.000 Thank you. 08:46.000 --> 08:48.000 And now, what's this all about? 08:48.000 --> 08:50.000 Oh, sir, did you put this ad in the paper? 08:50.000 --> 08:53.000 Well, let me see. 08:53.000 --> 08:59.000 Texas cow man desires to meet a young lady. Object companionship. 08:59.000 --> 09:01.000 Spelled everything right to dead. 09:01.000 --> 09:04.000 Yes, sir, that's mine. I wrote it all myself. 09:04.000 --> 09:05.000 How long have you been in Los Angeles? 09:05.000 --> 09:09.000 Well, now let's see. Got in on the bus last Tuesday. 09:09.000 --> 09:11.000 That'd make a week and a day. 09:11.000 --> 09:13.000 Uh-huh. What brings you out here? 09:13.000 --> 09:16.000 Well, I guess you could say it's kind of a business trip. 09:16.000 --> 09:18.000 Got a little tired of the same faces back home, 09:18.000 --> 09:21.000 so I thought I'd just see what the rest of the country looked like. 09:21.000 --> 09:25.000 What little a's of it. I'm from Texas, you know. Amarillo. 09:25.000 --> 09:28.000 Yeah, what's all this about, anyway? Some law I broke? 09:28.000 --> 09:29.000 No, it's about that ad. 09:29.000 --> 09:31.000 Oh, you found out, huh? 09:31.000 --> 09:32.000 Beg pardon? 09:32.000 --> 09:36.000 Oh, you found out about me saying I was a cattle man. That's it, ain't it? 09:36.000 --> 09:37.000 What do you mean? 09:37.000 --> 09:40.000 Well, now, I didn't mean to harm. 09:40.000 --> 09:42.000 I do have a couple of milk cows on the place. 09:42.000 --> 09:46.000 Holstein and the Guernsey. They're real nice, too. 09:46.000 --> 09:48.000 It's just that I was so darn lonesome, 09:48.000 --> 09:51.000 I kind of thought this might be a way to meet some nice gal. 09:51.000 --> 09:54.000 I didn't mean to harm. You can see that, can't you? 09:54.000 --> 09:55.000 Yes, sir, I guess so. 09:55.000 --> 09:57.000 I wonder if you'd mind taking a ride with us, sir. 09:57.000 --> 10:00.000 Well, I should say not always happy to go along with the law. 10:00.000 --> 10:02.000 Where you figure to go to? 10:02.000 --> 10:03.000 I'd like you to meet somebody. 10:03.000 --> 10:05.000 Well, now that's right. Nice of you. 10:05.000 --> 10:07.000 Got some gal you'd like me to meet, huh? 10:07.000 --> 10:09.000 Well, it's not exactly that, sir. 10:09.000 --> 10:10.000 Well, it don't matter none. 10:10.000 --> 10:12.000 I got nothing to do anyhow. 10:12.000 --> 10:15.000 Just sitting here wondering if I'd get any replies to the ad. 10:15.000 --> 10:17.000 All right, sir. If you wouldn't mind, let's go. 10:17.000 --> 10:19.000 Not at all. I'll get my hat. 10:24.000 --> 10:27.000 Don't hardly feel conspicuous in this hat at all. 10:27.000 --> 10:28.000 Is that right? 10:28.000 --> 10:30.000 Yep. Kind of thought people might make something of it, 10:30.000 --> 10:32.000 but hardly even notice it. 10:32.000 --> 10:35.000 Had two little kids come up today, ask for my autograph. 10:35.000 --> 10:38.000 Guess they figured I was a movie star. 10:38.000 --> 10:40.000 Made me feel real good, too. 10:40.000 --> 10:43.000 Then I wrote my name for them. They didn't know who I was. 10:43.000 --> 10:45.000 That didn't make no mind to them. 10:45.000 --> 10:48.000 They just thanked me and went on about the business. 10:48.000 --> 10:50.000 Right nice little folks he was. 10:50.000 --> 10:51.000 Yeah. Well, let's go. 10:51.000 --> 10:54.000 Sure. Real nice people here in L.A. 10:54.000 --> 10:57.000 Real nice. Haven't met a bad'un yet. 10:57.000 --> 10:59.000 Well, you haven't been here long. We got him. 11:03.000 --> 11:06.000 5.40 p.m. We drove Thomas Conan downtown 11:06.000 --> 11:08.000 and had a car go out and pick up Miss Terrence. 11:08.000 --> 11:10.000 While we talked to Conan in the interrogation room, 11:10.000 --> 11:13.000 she walked by the open door and looked in at the suspect. 11:13.000 --> 11:16.000 She told us that he was not the man who'd victimized her. 11:16.000 --> 11:19.000 She was returned to her home, and after Conan had been checked through R&I, 11:19.000 --> 11:20.000 he was released. 11:20.000 --> 11:23.000 The next morning, Frank and I ran down a tip from an informant, 11:23.000 --> 11:24.000 but it led us nowhere. 11:24.000 --> 11:27.000 10.18 a.m. We checked back into the office. 11:27.000 --> 11:29.000 You get the latest bulletin from San Francisco, Joe? 11:29.000 --> 11:30.000 Yeah, I looked it over this morning. 11:30.000 --> 11:32.000 They checked out the hotel Benton was staying at. 11:32.000 --> 11:34.000 He checked out of there. They haven't seen him since. 11:34.000 --> 11:36.000 Well, that means he's probably back here in town, huh? 11:36.000 --> 11:38.000 Well, if he is, we should start hearing about him again pretty soon. 11:38.000 --> 11:39.000 I'll get it. 11:41.000 --> 11:42.000 Bunko, Friday. 11:42.000 --> 11:43.000 Who? 11:43.000 --> 11:46.000 Oh, yes, ma'am. Yes, Miss Terrence, I remember. 11:47.000 --> 11:48.000 Yes, ma'am, where was that? 11:49.000 --> 11:50.000 Would you give me that again? 11:51.000 --> 11:52.000 Yes, ma'am. 11:53.000 --> 11:55.000 4-8 Vine. Uh-huh. 11:55.000 --> 11:57.000 Yes, that's right, ma'am. We'll get in touch with you. 11:57.000 --> 11:59.000 Right. Thank you very much. Bye. 11:59.000 --> 12:00.000 Grace Terrence? 12:00.000 --> 12:01.000 Yeah, she just saw Benton. 12:01.000 --> 12:02.000 Where? 12:02.000 --> 12:04.000 Went into an apartment out on Vine Street. 12:09.000 --> 12:13.000 10.41 a.m. Frank and I got to the apartment house on Vine Street. 12:13.000 --> 12:18.000 We talked to the landlord and he told us that a man answering the suspect's description was registered in apartment 4B. 12:18.000 --> 12:21.000 He was registered under the name Jonathan Benson. 12:21.000 --> 12:25.000 He told us that this Benson had just moved in and paid his first month's rent in advance. 12:25.000 --> 12:31.000 He'd said that he was just going to be in town for a short time and that in the event that he moved out before his month was up, he expected no refund. 12:31.000 --> 12:34.000 Frank and I went up to the fourth floor and knocked on the door. 12:35.000 --> 12:36.000 Yeah? 12:36.000 --> 12:38.000 You Jonathan Benson? Who are you? 12:38.000 --> 12:39.000 Police officers. We want to talk to you. 12:39.000 --> 12:40.000 What about? 12:40.000 --> 12:42.000 Might be better if we talked inside. 12:42.000 --> 12:43.000 Maybe I don't want you in mine. 12:43.000 --> 12:45.000 All right, I must see you get your hat. We want to talk to you downtown. 12:45.000 --> 12:46.000 What for? 12:46.000 --> 12:47.000 Come on, get your hat. 12:47.000 --> 12:52.000 Just a minute. I think maybe there's been some kind of mistake here. Just tell me exactly what it is you're looking for. I'm sure we can work it out. 12:52.000 --> 12:54.000 Come on, Mr. Quits stalling. Get your hat, will you? 12:55.000 --> 12:56.000 Come on in. 12:57.000 --> 12:58.000 I'll get my hat. 12:58.000 --> 12:59.000 I'll get it for you. 12:59.000 --> 13:00.000 In this closet? 13:00.000 --> 13:01.000 Yeah, the gray one. 13:02.000 --> 13:03.000 You sure you got the right man? 13:03.000 --> 13:04.000 Looks that way. 13:05.000 --> 13:06.000 No way to work this out. 13:06.000 --> 13:07.000 What do you mean by that? 13:08.000 --> 13:11.000 I don't even know why you want me to go with you. Seems you could fill me in on that. 13:11.000 --> 13:13.000 Got some people we'd like to have you meet. 13:13.000 --> 13:14.000 Who? 13:14.000 --> 13:15.000 You'll see when we get there. 13:15.000 --> 13:16.000 Here's your hat. Come on, let's go. 13:17.000 --> 13:20.000 You guys sure think you're the Gestapo coming in here dragging a private citizen out of his house. 13:20.000 --> 13:22.000 If you haven't done anything wrong, you got nothing to worry about then, have you? 13:22.000 --> 13:27.000 That's not the point. I don't like it. Coming in here and taking me downtown so a lot of stupid old broads can look at me. 13:27.000 --> 13:29.000 Who said we wanted women to look at you? 13:29.000 --> 13:30.000 You did. 13:30.000 --> 13:31.000 No, we said we wanted you to meet some people. 13:32.000 --> 13:33.000 Unless I misunderstood, huh? 13:33.000 --> 13:34.000 Yeah, I guess you did. 13:35.000 --> 13:36.000 No way we can work this out, huh? 13:36.000 --> 13:37.000 There's no way. Now, come on. 13:38.000 --> 13:41.000 Oh, just a minute. I want to be sure I got my key. I don't want to be locked out. 13:41.000 --> 13:42.000 Don't worry about it. 13:42.000 --> 13:43.000 What do you mean? 13:43.000 --> 13:44.000 You might not be coming back. 13:48.000 --> 13:52.000 Frank and I took Jonathan Benson downtown. We ran him through R&I, but we got no identification. 13:52.000 --> 13:55.000 His fingerprints were rolled and checked, but they didn't make him. 13:55.000 --> 13:59.000 Miss Terrence was called and asked to come down to the city hall to try to identify the suspect. 13:59.000 --> 14:02.000 2.30 p.m. We took him to the interrogation room. 14:02.000 --> 14:03.000 You ever use the name Benton? 14:03.000 --> 14:04.000 No. 14:04.000 --> 14:05.000 You sure? 14:04.000 --> 14:05.000 Yeah. 14:05.000 --> 14:06.000 You ever use any other alias? 14:06.000 --> 14:07.000 Why should I? 14:06.000 --> 14:07.000 You tell us. 14:07.000 --> 14:10.000 Now, look, why don't you come off it? Tell me what this is all about. 14:10.000 --> 14:12.000 You told us you just got into town, is that right? 14:12.000 --> 14:13.000 Yeah, I've been here about a week. 14:13.000 --> 14:14.000 Where'd you come from? 14:14.000 --> 14:15.000 Up north. 14:14.000 --> 14:15.000 Where up north? 14:15.000 --> 14:16.000 San Francisco. 14:16.000 --> 14:17.000 You live up there, do you? 14:17.000 --> 14:18.000 Most of the time, yeah. 14:18.000 --> 14:19.000 Most of the time? What's that mean? 14:19.000 --> 14:23.000 Just that. Most of the time I live in San Francisco. That hard for you guys to understand? 14:23.000 --> 14:25.000 What line of work you in? 14:25.000 --> 14:26.000 I'm a salesman. 14:26.000 --> 14:27.000 Yeah? What do you sell? 14:27.000 --> 14:28.000 Whatever people want to buy. 14:28.000 --> 14:29.000 What are you selling now? 14:29.000 --> 14:32.000 Nothing right now. That's why I'm here. I'm looking for a deal. 14:32.000 --> 14:34.000 You know a woman named Terrence, Grace Terrence? 14:34.000 --> 14:36.000 No, I don't think so. My wife. 14:36.000 --> 14:37.000 We'd like to know. 14:37.000 --> 14:42.000 Hey, maybe I'm wrong about all of this, but it seems to me that when they taught me civics in school, 14:42.000 --> 14:44.000 they said that I had to be booked, that you had to let me go. 14:44.000 --> 14:45.000 They changed that law? 14:45.000 --> 14:46.000 No, that law's still good. 14:46.000 --> 14:49.000 Then let's stop horsing around. I got a lot of things I want to do. 14:49.000 --> 14:50.000 Fill me in on this and then let me out of here. 14:50.000 --> 14:54.000 All right. There's been a confidence man working in the LA area, been taking money from women. 14:54.000 --> 14:57.000 Gives him a big pitch about wanting to marry him, and then he hits him up for a hundred bucks and leaves him. 14:57.000 --> 14:58.000 Sounds like a good racket. 14:58.000 --> 15:01.000 He's taken a lot of money from people who haven't got it to spare. 15:01.000 --> 15:02.000 Offhand, I'd say that's their tough luck. 15:02.000 --> 15:04.000 Offhand, we'd say you're wrong. 15:04.000 --> 15:07.000 The way you look at it. Where do I fit into this little fantasy? 15:07.000 --> 15:09.000 You look good for the guy who's been pulling the deal. 15:09.000 --> 15:10.000 Me? 15:09.000 --> 15:10.000 That's right. 15:10.000 --> 15:11.000 You guys are flipping. 15:11.000 --> 15:12.000 Description matches. 15:12.000 --> 15:14.000 So I look like another guy. 15:14.000 --> 15:16.000 Everything else about you checks out? 15:16.000 --> 15:18.000 So you figure you've made me for the jobs, huh? 15:18.000 --> 15:19.000 That's what we figure. 15:19.000 --> 15:21.000 Which way is the gas chamber? 15:21.000 --> 15:22.000 Come off it, fellas. 15:22.000 --> 15:24.000 You guys know you're trying to hang a bad rap on me. 15:24.000 --> 15:25.000 You know it and so do I. 15:25.000 --> 15:26.000 Now let's call the whole thing off. 15:26.000 --> 15:29.000 I can get out of here and you can get to the peanut. 15:29.000 --> 15:30.000 I'll get it. 15:37.000 --> 15:38.000 Hello, Jonathan. 15:38.000 --> 15:39.000 What? 15:40.000 --> 15:42.000 Why'd you do it, Jonathan? 15:42.000 --> 15:43.000 Why? 15:43.000 --> 15:45.000 If you wanted the money, you could have asked for it. 15:45.000 --> 15:47.000 I'd have given it to you. 15:47.000 --> 15:50.000 You didn't have to lie about what you thought. 15:50.000 --> 15:52.000 The place is full of them loonies. 15:52.000 --> 15:53.000 Is this the man, Miss Terrence? 15:53.000 --> 15:55.000 Yes, Sergeant. That's him. 15:55.000 --> 15:57.000 All right. How about it, Benson? 15:57.000 --> 15:58.000 I don't know what she's talking about. 15:58.000 --> 15:59.000 What's this bit where that's him? 15:59.000 --> 16:01.000 Loonies jumping with him. 16:01.000 --> 16:02.000 All right, now Benson, I've had enough of that. 16:02.000 --> 16:04.000 Now come off it. You've just been identified. 16:04.000 --> 16:05.000 We've got a lot more of them that we can have here. 16:05.000 --> 16:07.000 I think they'll identify you too. 16:07.000 --> 16:09.000 Why, John? Why? 16:09.000 --> 16:11.000 Oh, get her out of here. 16:11.000 --> 16:13.000 One thing I can't stand is a woman bawling. 16:13.000 --> 16:16.000 Something comes along, I can't figure out right away they got a ball. 16:16.000 --> 16:18.000 Anything comes along, they got to cry. I'm sick of it. 16:18.000 --> 16:22.000 All right, ma'am. Maybe it'd be better if you waited in our office. 16:22.000 --> 16:24.000 Yes, Sergeant. 16:24.000 --> 16:26.000 I still don't know why he did it. 16:26.000 --> 16:28.000 Why he took this way to get the money. 16:28.000 --> 16:30.000 I took this way because it was the easy way. 16:30.000 --> 16:32.000 You broads are all alike. Every last one of you. 16:32.000 --> 16:34.000 Let me get a few things straight first. 16:34.000 --> 16:36.000 You say I took $100 from you. Is that right? 16:36.000 --> 16:37.000 Yes. 16:37.000 --> 16:38.000 All right. 16:38.000 --> 16:40.000 I want you to think about this and think real careful. 16:40.000 --> 16:42.000 Didn't I say that I wanted to borrow the money? 16:42.000 --> 16:44.000 Isn't that what I said? Borrow? 16:44.000 --> 16:45.000 Yes, that's what you said. 16:45.000 --> 16:47.000 Did I say that I'd pay the money back in any certain time? 16:47.000 --> 16:48.000 I don't know. 16:48.000 --> 16:50.000 Well, you think real good. You'll remember that I didn't. 16:50.000 --> 16:53.000 I just said that I'd pay you back. That's all. I didn't say when. 16:53.000 --> 16:56.000 I guess so. I don't... I don't care. 16:56.000 --> 16:57.000 There you are. 16:57.000 --> 16:59.000 Is it any crime to borrow money from a friend? 16:59.000 --> 17:01.000 I borrowed the money from her. I'll pay it back. 17:01.000 --> 17:04.000 You said you wanted to marry me. You said you loved me. 17:04.000 --> 17:06.000 Oh, come off it, Sarah. You got no beef. 17:06.000 --> 17:09.000 You got the soft light and the romantic music. You got it all. 17:09.000 --> 17:11.000 Look at you. Take a good look. 17:11.000 --> 17:13.000 Who'd want to marry you? 17:13.000 --> 17:15.000 Here, just a minute. 17:15.000 --> 17:19.000 Here. Here's a hundred bucks I borrowed. I want to pay you back. 17:19.000 --> 17:21.000 I got a hundred dollars worth of laughs from you. 17:21.000 --> 17:23.000 Got much easy. Here's your dough. 17:23.000 --> 17:25.000 Now, go home and have a good cry. I wouldn't marry you 17:25.000 --> 17:26.000 if you were the last woman on earth. 17:26.000 --> 17:27.000 All right, that's enough of that, Benson. 17:27.000 --> 17:30.000 You're not just kidding. This old harpy with romantic ideas. 17:30.000 --> 17:33.000 What a laugh. She thinks anybody wants to marry her, 17:33.000 --> 17:34.000 and she's a loony, too. 17:34.000 --> 17:37.000 I didn't think anybody could be this mean. 17:37.000 --> 17:40.000 I didn't think anyone could be this cruel. 17:41.000 --> 17:42.000 I don't believe it. 17:42.000 --> 17:45.000 You got no choice. You know it all along. 17:45.000 --> 17:46.000 Thanks for the laughs. 17:46.000 --> 17:48.000 Come on, Miss Terrence, please. 17:52.000 --> 17:55.000 You imagine that, that old bag really thinking I'd marry him? 17:55.000 --> 17:56.000 Yeah. 17:56.000 --> 17:57.000 Real laugh. 17:57.000 --> 17:59.000 Well, anyway, she got her dough back. I said I'd pay her back. 17:59.000 --> 18:01.000 They did. You check with the rest of them. 18:01.000 --> 18:04.000 I'll tell you the same thing. I borrowed the money, that's all. 18:04.000 --> 18:06.000 I can't help it if they thought something else. 18:06.000 --> 18:08.000 I can't help it, Calvin. 18:08.000 --> 18:10.000 Come on, let's get this over with. I want to get out of here. 18:10.000 --> 18:12.000 Yeah. 18:12.000 --> 18:15.000 You look upset, cop. Don't be. It won't prove anything. 18:15.000 --> 18:16.000 I got something for you, Benson. 18:16.000 --> 18:17.000 Is that right? 18:17.000 --> 18:19.000 Yeah. Someplace, sometime you're going to make a mistake. 18:19.000 --> 18:20.000 Is that right? 18:20.000 --> 18:23.000 Yeah, and when you do, we're going to lean on you, and we're going to lean hard. 18:33.000 --> 18:38.000 You are listening to Dragnet, the authentic story of your police force in action. 18:38.000 --> 18:42.000 Chesterfield Regular, Chesterfield Kingsize. 18:42.000 --> 18:47.000 The first cigarette to give you premium quality either way you like them. 18:47.000 --> 18:56.000 This means that Kingsize Chesterfield contains tobaccos of better quality and higher price than any other Kingsize cigarette. 18:56.000 --> 18:59.000 Chesterfield is first to name all its ingredients. 18:59.000 --> 19:02.000 Ingredients that make the best possible smoke. 19:02.000 --> 19:07.000 And Chesterfield gives you this full year scientific report. 19:07.000 --> 19:13.000 No adverse effects to the nose and throat of a group smoking only Chesterfields. 19:13.000 --> 19:18.000 So enjoy your smoking. Change to Chesterfield today. 19:18.000 --> 19:22.000 Much milder, with an extraordinarily good taste. 19:22.000 --> 19:33.000 We had 12 of the victims of the confidence man look at Benson. 19:33.000 --> 19:38.000 All of them gave a positive identification but verified his story that he'd borrowed the money from them. 19:38.000 --> 19:43.000 4.25 p.m. Frank and I got in touch with the district attorney's office and talked with them. 19:43.000 --> 19:45.000 What Benson had said was true. 19:45.000 --> 19:49.000 In borrowing the money or in saying he was borrowing it, he'd committed no violation of the law. 19:49.000 --> 19:51.000 We had to release him from custody. 19:51.000 --> 19:55.000 A month passed. During that time we'd heard nothing more from the suspect. 19:55.000 --> 19:58.000 He'd stopped working the Dodge in the Los Angeles area. 19:58.000 --> 20:01.000 We contacted the San Francisco authorities and informed them of what had happened. 20:01.000 --> 20:03.000 They said that they'd be on the lookout for Benson. 20:03.000 --> 20:08.000 During the next two weeks, Frank and I worked on a ring of bunko artists that were working the obituary columns. 20:08.000 --> 20:13.000 On June 16th we got a call from Burglary Division that they'd gotten a report of a theft. 20:13.000 --> 20:15.000 And talking to the victim they'd gotten the name Jack Bentley. 20:15.000 --> 20:19.000 They checked the files on him and found that it could be Jonathan Benson. 20:19.000 --> 20:22.000 The victim, a Miss Betty Lindsay, came to our office to talk to us. 20:22.000 --> 20:25.000 I don't know why they thought that I should see you. It's just a plain theft. 20:25.000 --> 20:28.000 The officers in Burglary said that they thought we might be interested in the thief, Miss Lindsay. 20:28.000 --> 20:30.000 I wonder if you'd tell us about him. 20:30.000 --> 20:34.000 Lousy crumb. This guy's a real schnook. Schnook of the First Water. 20:34.000 --> 20:36.000 Yes, ma'am. What's his name, please? 20:36.000 --> 20:38.000 He called himself Bentley. Jack Bentley. What a bum. 20:38.000 --> 20:40.000 What do you look like, Miss Lindsay? 20:40.000 --> 20:44.000 Tall and blond. Kind of a nice looking guy if you went for the type. 20:44.000 --> 20:48.000 I did. Now I got troubles. Oh, what a no good bum. 20:48.000 --> 20:51.000 I wonder if you'd take a look at some of the pictures we've got here and see if he's in these. 20:51.000 --> 20:54.000 Sure. I'd like to see you get him. Where are the pictures? 20:54.000 --> 20:56.000 Frank, would you get them, please? 20:56.000 --> 20:57.000 Yeah. 20:57.000 --> 20:59.000 Where'd you meet this Bentley? Do you remember? 20:59.000 --> 21:03.000 Well, I'm sort of the hostess at a place downtown around 5th. 21:03.000 --> 21:08.000 Anyway, about two, three weeks ago, this schnook comes in, orders a couple drinks and leaves. 21:08.000 --> 21:13.000 Next night he's back again. Oh, he was a cagey one. Didn't work too fast. 21:13.000 --> 21:16.000 Took about a week to make the pitch, then he asked me out to dinner. 21:16.000 --> 21:19.000 Well, he always seemed kind of nice, so I told him I'd go. 21:19.000 --> 21:21.000 Here are the pictures, ma'am. 21:21.000 --> 21:24.000 If you just take a look through them and see if there's one of Bentley in there. 21:24.000 --> 21:28.000 Oh, sure. Let me see. No. 21:28.000 --> 21:31.000 It's nothing. Hey, this one's kind of cute. What's he wanted for? 21:31.000 --> 21:33.000 Oh, he works the casualty racket. 21:33.000 --> 21:34.000 What's that? 21:34.000 --> 21:37.000 Gets the names of people that have died, tells their families that they ordered some stuff. 21:37.000 --> 21:38.000 What kind of stuff? 21:38.000 --> 21:42.000 Old pen and pencil sets, watches, cheap things. Charges a lot of money for them. 21:42.000 --> 21:46.000 Most of the people figure that it's one of the last things their loved ones wanted, so they pay the prices. 21:46.000 --> 21:48.000 The stuff's worthless. 21:48.000 --> 21:51.000 Lousy racket. Such a nice looking guy, too. So honest. 21:51.000 --> 21:53.000 Well, that's why it works. 21:53.000 --> 21:56.000 Yeah, I suppose so. Well, let me see. 21:56.000 --> 21:59.000 No, this one's not him. Hey, wait a minute. 21:59.000 --> 22:00.000 Yeah. 22:00.000 --> 22:03.000 That's him. Oh, what a nudnik. 22:03.000 --> 22:04.000 Ma'am. 22:04.000 --> 22:07.000 A nudnik, a real bum. But that's him, I'm sure of it. 22:07.000 --> 22:08.000 Benson. 22:07.000 --> 22:08.000 Ma'am. 22:08.000 --> 22:09.000 You mean you know this guy? 22:09.000 --> 22:12.000 Yes, ma'am. What if you tell us exactly what happened? 22:12.000 --> 22:15.000 Sure, like I was telling you. This guy, Benson? 22:15.000 --> 22:17.000 Yes, ma'am. That's right. Jonathan Benson. 22:17.000 --> 22:21.000 Yeah, well, anyway, he asked me out for dinner. I told him I'd go. 22:21.000 --> 22:24.000 He looked like he was pretty well fixed. I figured he wouldn't do no harm. 22:24.000 --> 22:30.000 Well, see, I don't get off till 12.30, and there ain't many nice places open after that. 22:30.000 --> 22:33.000 But I said yes, so he told me he'd pick me up. 22:33.000 --> 22:35.000 He got to the club about 10 o'clock. 22:35.000 --> 22:37.000 Said that he'd gotten through with whatever it was he was doing, 22:37.000 --> 22:41.000 that he came by to see if he could use my apartment to freshen up a bit. 22:41.000 --> 22:45.000 Freshen up a bit. Boy, what a way to heist the place. 22:45.000 --> 22:46.000 Oh, what a bum. 22:46.000 --> 22:48.000 Go ahead, ma'am. 22:48.000 --> 22:51.000 Well, I gave him the key to the place. He said that he'd stop at a drug store 22:51.000 --> 22:55.000 and pick up a razor and shave and wash his face, and then he'd be back to pick me up. 22:55.000 --> 22:57.000 That's the last I ever saw of him. 22:57.000 --> 23:01.000 Walked off with a fur coat I had. Saved for three years for that coat. 23:01.000 --> 23:06.000 Cost me 900 bucks. Then he took a ring worth about 150. Diamonds. 23:06.000 --> 23:10.000 Belonged to my mother. Sure hope you get him. Nail him good. 23:10.000 --> 23:12.000 Yes, ma'am. Oh, what a nootnik. 23:16.000 --> 23:18.000 We continued to question Betty Lindsay. 23:18.000 --> 23:21.000 She gave us the name of one of Benson's friends. We checked on him, 23:21.000 --> 23:23.000 and he gave us the name of a girl who knew the suspect. 23:23.000 --> 23:26.000 We talked to her, and she was able to give us Benson's address. 23:26.000 --> 23:29.000 It was a rooming house on Franklin Avenue in the Hollywood area. 23:29.000 --> 23:32.000 6.47 p.m. Frank and I went up to his room. 23:33.000 --> 23:35.000 Yeah, come on in. 23:35.000 --> 23:38.000 Should have kept my mouth shut. What do you guys want? 23:38.000 --> 23:39.000 We want to talk you downtown, Benson. 23:39.000 --> 23:41.000 We aren't going to get on that merry-go-round again, are we? 23:41.000 --> 23:44.000 I'm getting tired of this whole deal. What are you guys trying to tell me this time? 23:44.000 --> 23:47.000 We didn't have to do it, Benson. You took care of that yourself. 23:47.000 --> 23:49.000 That right. You made a mistake. 23:49.000 --> 23:52.000 What is it this time? You figure I took some candy away from a blind-nose boy? 23:52.000 --> 23:54.000 All right, come on, Benson. Let's go. 23:54.000 --> 23:56.000 You're going to arrest me this time, or am I going as a favor? 23:56.000 --> 23:59.000 This time it's on us. You mean we're playing for keeps now? 23:59.000 --> 24:01.000 Yeah. What's the charge? Grand theft. 24:01.000 --> 24:03.000 You kidding? No. 24:03.000 --> 24:06.000 I really believe you're serious. That's right. You call it. 24:06.000 --> 24:08.000 This is going to be interesting. 24:08.000 --> 24:10.000 If you can't prove this, I'm going to own City Hall, 24:10.000 --> 24:13.000 and the first thing I'm going to do is fire you two. You know that, don't you? 24:13.000 --> 24:16.000 We'll take that chance. All right, but don't say I didn't warn you. 24:16.000 --> 24:20.000 You know, Sunday I'm going to write a book. Call it Some of My Best Friends Are Cops. 24:20.000 --> 24:23.000 Yeah, you do that. I will. You'll have the time. 24:27.000 --> 24:31.000 We took the suspect downtown. We talked to him for over an hour, but he'd admit nothing. 24:31.000 --> 24:35.000 Without being able to produce the stolen articles, the case would be difficult to prosecute. 24:35.000 --> 24:37.000 We had Benson take everything out of his pockets. 24:37.000 --> 24:40.000 Among his personal effects, we found a key to a locker in the subway terminal. 24:40.000 --> 24:43.000 Two men from Bunko Division took the key and went down to the terminal. 24:43.000 --> 24:48.000 They recovered a locked suitcase and brought it back to the squad room where we were questioning Benson. 24:48.000 --> 24:51.000 How about it, Benson? This yours? Never saw it before in my life. 24:51.000 --> 24:53.000 It's locked. You got a key to this, Benson? 24:53.000 --> 24:55.000 I told you it wasn't mine. What more can I say? 24:55.000 --> 24:58.000 See those keys there, don't you think? Yeah. Here. 24:58.000 --> 25:00.000 All right. 25:00.000 --> 25:03.000 I don't know what this is all going to prove. I told you the suitcase isn't mine. 25:03.000 --> 25:06.000 You know, that figures. That's how come the keys fit, huh? 25:06.000 --> 25:08.000 Cheap suitcase. A lot of the keys double. Is that right? 25:08.000 --> 25:12.000 Sure. Lots of times I lost a key for one suitcase, used the key from another one to open it. 25:12.000 --> 25:14.000 Ever find one of these in the case? 25:14.000 --> 25:17.000 I never saw that fur coat in my life. 25:17.000 --> 25:20.000 I haven't got the slightest idea how it got there. I want to talk to a lawyer. 25:20.000 --> 25:23.000 You're getting kind of jumpy, aren't you, Benson? Sure. I don't mind admitting it. 25:23.000 --> 25:27.000 I told you I got no idea where that coat came from, but I know you guys aren't going to believe it. 25:27.000 --> 25:30.000 You're out to get me. You said so. You're going to try everything you can do with it. 25:30.000 --> 25:32.000 You want to tell us about it now? 25:32.000 --> 25:34.000 There's nothing to tell. I don't know nothing about it. 25:34.000 --> 25:37.000 You don't ever give up, do you? I don't know what you're talking about. 25:37.000 --> 25:40.000 I want to see a lawyer. All right. We'll fix it so you can put that call in. 25:40.000 --> 25:43.000 We got the owner of this coat on the way down here. She's going to identify it. 25:43.000 --> 25:46.000 Now, that's all we need. Now, you just sit there and keep your mouth shut, will you? 25:47.000 --> 25:49.000 I'll get it. 25:49.000 --> 25:51.000 Funko, Smith. 25:51.000 --> 25:53.000 What's that? 25:53.000 --> 25:55.000 Oh, yeah, sure. 25:55.000 --> 25:57.000 Sure I remember. 25:57.000 --> 25:59.000 What? You did, huh? 26:00.000 --> 26:03.000 Well, that's swell. Glad to hear it. 26:04.000 --> 26:07.000 I wouldn't know. I'm not much of an authority, I guess. 26:07.000 --> 26:09.000 I... 26:09.000 --> 26:11.000 Her name's what? 26:11.000 --> 26:13.000 Yeah. It's a nice name. 26:14.000 --> 26:17.000 Well, I'll be glad to tell him. I'm sure he'll be pleased. 26:18.000 --> 26:20.000 Thanks very much for calling. 26:20.000 --> 26:22.000 When are you leaving? 26:22.000 --> 26:25.000 I see. Okay. Thanks a lot. Bye. 26:26.000 --> 26:27.000 Anything? 26:27.000 --> 26:30.000 Yes, that kid from Texas, you know, that Thomas Conant? 26:30.000 --> 26:32.000 Oh, yeah. You mean the cattleman? 26:32.000 --> 26:34.000 Yeah. Got an answer to his ad. 26:34.000 --> 26:38.000 Is that right? Yeah. Somebody called him up and he said that he made a real good deal for himself. 26:38.000 --> 26:40.000 And he's shipping her back to Texas. 26:40.000 --> 26:43.000 Well, you mean he found a girl. No, bought himself another Holstein. 26:50.000 --> 26:52.000 The story you've just heard was true. 26:52.000 --> 26:55.000 The names were changed to protect the innocent. 26:55.000 --> 27:00.000 On October 17th, trial was held in Department 87, Superior Court of the State of California, 27:00.000 --> 27:02.000 in and for the County of Los Angeles. 27:02.000 --> 27:04.000 In a moment, the results of that trial. 27:04.000 --> 27:07.000 Now, here is our star, Jack Webb. 27:07.000 --> 27:09.000 Thank you, George Fenomen. 27:09.000 --> 27:12.000 Quality throughout is what we try to put in every drag-net show, 27:12.000 --> 27:15.000 and it's what Chesterfield gives you in every cigarette. 27:15.000 --> 27:19.000 It's the first premium quality cigarette in both regular and king's eyes. 27:19.000 --> 27:24.000 Smoking two packs a day myself, I can tell you that they're milder, with a real good taste. 27:24.000 --> 27:26.000 Chesterfield. 27:26.000 --> 27:30.000 The Last Supper 27:34.000 --> 27:38.000 Jonathan Arthur Benson, alias Jack Bentley, was tried and convicted of grand theft. 27:38.000 --> 27:41.000 He received sentence as prescribed by law. 27:41.000 --> 27:44.000 Grand theft is punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary 27:44.000 --> 27:57.000 for not less than one, nor more than ten years. 27:57.000 --> 28:02.000 You have just heard Drag-Net, a series of authentic cases from official files. 28:02.000 --> 28:07.000 Technical advice comes from the Office of Chief of Police, W.H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department. 28:07.000 --> 28:12.000 Technical advisors, Captain Jack Donahoe, Sergeant Marty Wynn, Sergeant Vance Brasher. 28:12.000 --> 28:16.000 Heard tonight were Ben Alexander, Peggy Webber, Harry Bartel. 28:16.000 --> 28:19.000 Script by John Robinson. Music by Walter Schuman. 28:19.000 --> 28:23.000 Hell, give me speaking. 28:23.000 --> 28:29.000 For a million laughs, tune in to Chesterfield's Martin & Lewis show Tuesday on this same NBC station. 28:29.000 --> 28:31.000 And sound off for Chesterfield. 28:31.000 --> 28:37.000 Either regular or king's eyes, you'll find premium quality Chesterfield much milder. 28:37.000 --> 28:42.000 Chesterfield is best for you. 28:42.000 --> 28:48.000 Chesterfield has brought you Drag-Net transcribed from Los Angeles. 28:48.000 --> 28:52.000 Ladies and gentlemen, make tomorrow your D-Day. 28:52.000 --> 28:55.000 Get an extra bond for defense. 28:55.000 --> 29:00.000 Step into any bank or post office and buy yourself a profitable share in America's future. 29:00.000 --> 29:04.000 As an investment, bonds are better than ever. 29:04.000 --> 29:08.000 They can help you save safely, conveniently, and profitably. 29:08.000 --> 29:14.000 So whether you already buy on the payroll savings plan where you work, or the bond-a-month plan where you bank, 29:14.000 --> 29:17.000 get an extra bond for defense tomorrow. 29:17.000 --> 29:35.000 Music by John Robinson.