Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true.
The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
You're a detective sergeant.
You're assigned the bunko fugitive detail.
A man tells you he's been taken for a large sum of money.
He thinks it was a swindle.
Your job, run it down.
The documentary drama of an actual crime.
For the next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will
travel step by step on the side of the law to an actual case transcribed from official
police files.
From beginning to end.
From crime to punishment.
Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.
It was Monday, September 12th.
It was hot in Los Angeles.
We were working the day watch out of bunko fugitive detail.
My partner, Frank Smith, the boss's captain, my name is Friday.
I was on my way back from communications.
It was 2 17 p.m. when I got to room 38.
Bunko fugitive.
Oh, hi, Joe.
Oh, hi.
I get it.
Bunko fugitive.
Bunko fugitive, Friday.
Yes, that's right.
Well, when did you see him last?
Well, how much was it?
How much?
All right, sir.
We'll be here.
Well, right away if I were you.
All right, fine.
A fellow's coming in to talk to us.
Yeah?
Says he gave a friend I guess $40,000.
Oh.
Kind of broke up their friendship.
What do you mean?
The guy skipped out.
Oh, yeah.
He's a good friend.
The fare is, he's a good friend.
The fare is $40,000.
Oh.
That's $50,000.
OK.
Anyone else have any questions?
No, sir.
All right, then.
I have questions.
OK.
Do we have a problem?
I'm going to have a problem.
OK.
Well, we're going to see you at six.
OK.
See you at 6.
All right, well, thanks, Joe.
See you at five.
OK, thank you.
We'll see you at seven.
OK.
We'll see you at six.
wood, real fancy beams, shavings, lots of glass, swimming pool, the whole works.
He's not there anymore, huh?
The manager of the building says he moved last Tuesday.
The day I gave Phil the money.
Who's they?
Phil and his brother had the place together.
What's the brother's name?
Steve.
Does the manager have any idea where they went?
Well, claims they didn't leave any forwarding address, just shoved off.
How long have you known the bottom of Mr. Craner?
Six or eight weeks.
How'd you happen to meet up?
A full friend, a mutual friend.
What would you tell us about it?
Well, it's not going to come out, is it?
Newspapers, anything like that?
What do you mean?
Well, you see, I'm married.
Yeah.
Now, we haven't been getting along so well for the last year or so, but I'm still married.
The way I met up with the Bonhams, you see, was through a girl.
What was her name?
Barbara, Barbara Whist.
Who's she?
Oh, just a girl, that's all.
Maybe she was in on a tour.
I don't know.
Anyway, she introduced me to them.
About how long have you known her?
Over.
About three months, maybe, a few weeks before I met them.
Oh, I see.
We got acquainted at an auction.
One of those houses out on Beverly Boulevard where they sell off furniture and things from
movie star's houses.
I used to spend a lot of my free evenings at those auctions.
It wasn't any point in staying home, not my wife feeling towards me the way she does.
I didn't buy much, just a piece every once in a while.
It looked like a bargain.
And that's where you met this woman, huh?
Yes, yes.
Where was she living, do you know?
Had a room at a hotel in Hollywood, at Count George.
So go ahead, Mr. Craner, what happened next?
Well, we got to be pretty good friends.
One night she offered to put me in touch with a couple of guys she knew.
She said they were interested in buying some real estate and that I might as well handle the deal.
Well, that's how I met up with the Bonhams.
Yes, sir.
We went out to their apartment there having a little party.
A couple more girls were there.
On a Friday night, I guess we all got kind of loaded.
Next thing I knew, we were all flying down to Vegas for the weekend.
Well, we sure had quite a time for ourselves.
Stopped at one of the best hotels, Chateau Lafayette.
Everybody making a big fuss, like the Bonhams were VIPs.
Yeah.
After that, we had some deals together.
Most of them worked out.
Whenever they didn't, the Bonhams took care of me anyhow.
What kind of deals?
Mr. Craner?
I guess maybe they weren't, well, strictly ethical, but there wasn't anything illegal about it.
You've got to cut a couple of corners if you're going to get ahead in this world.
Is that right?
I'm getting a little tired of this, Sergeant.
Sir?
You act like I'm at fault, like I'm the one who's in the wrong.
Now, you remember it was me that got swindled and forty thousand dollars worth.
I'm not the criminal, you know. They are.
Sure.
You want to tell us about the forty thousand, Mr. Craner?
If you're all through with these accusations...
Go ahead, Mr. Craner.
All right.
It was last Tuesday, so Bonham called me at my office.
Said he had to see me right away about a proposition, a really big one.
We met for lunch.
Bonham said they'd just had word from one of their contacts in Las Vegas.
Couple of Eastern gamblers had tapped the casino of the Chateau Lafayette for a quarter of a million dollars.
Now, the Chateau needed some money and they needed it fast.
So the owners were willing to sell a five percent interest in the hotel for a hundred thousand.
Now, Phil said it was a sin to get our investment back inside of six months and from then on it was just crazy.
Everybody knows how much those hotels in Las Vegas make.
So you gave him the money.
Yes, I drew it out of the bank that afternoon. It had to be in cash.
Did you know the denominations of the bill?
They're all hundreds.
What happened then?
I went back to the office and the Bonhams took off for Las Vegas.
At least that's what they were supposed to do. They said they'd call me from there.
But when I still hadn't heard from them by Friday, I went over to their apartment and talked to the manager.
He said they'd moved out Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Why didn't you get in touch with us then?
They didn't seem like crooks, not a bit.
What were they like?
What?
Would you describe them for us?
Well, Phillip's the oldest. He's about 45.
Light hair, complexion.
How big is he?
Tall, about six foot man. Thin, sort of rangey.
What about his brother?
Steve's maybe three or four years younger. A little shorter, not much though. A little heavy.
What color is his hair?
Reddish.
The girl I introduced you to, you said her name was Barbara Wist?
Yes, that's right.
How do you spell that?
W-I-S-T.
Want to describe her too?
It's pretty hard to say how old she is.
I'm not very good at judging a woman's age.
Well, approximately then.
Oh, 28, 29, 30. Could even be 35.
Blonde, real white streak cross-a-front. Very attractive.
Good company, nice build.
You know what I mean.
Have you tried to get in touch with her since you saw the Bonhams last?
I guess I called the hotel.
Well?
She moved out last Thursday morning.
Well, how are you supposed to know?
What?
Well, who to trust? They were so darn nice to me, the Bonhams and Barbara.
There wasn't any way of figuring what they were after.
Like you say, they were just kind of setting me up.
Well, you had a tip, huh?
Yes, well, when?
When you thought you were getting something for nothing.
3.08 p.m. We ran the names Phillip and Steve Bonham and Barbara Whisk through our nine.
They had nothing on them.
We went back to the office and showed the victim mug shots of known confidence men.
He was unable to identify any of the photographs.
3.32 p.m. We showed him mugs of confidence women.
No? Not on that page, son.
Well, you know what, Judge? My wife won't find out about all this, will she?
Not from us.
We hadn't been getting along for quite a while, but you know, she just wouldn't understand.
Funny, aren't they?
How's that?
Women, even if they won't have anything to do with you themselves, they just don't want another day moving in.
Want to go on to the next page?
Oh, sure.
Hey, see now.
Yeah?
That looks like her.
Well, is it?
No.
Well, guess not.
Something different there. Sure is resemblance, though.
Nobody on this page.
Now, wait a minute.
That was her.
Where?
Here, right here, the one I pointed out before.
Oh, let's see.
That's Barbara, all right, right there.
You said there was something different about this woman.
Well, there is, but now that I think about it, any gal's got to do that.
Do what?
Dye her hair.
The victim was positive in his identification of the photograph.
Frank and I pulled the woman's package.
Her true name was Mabel Salton, WFA, 36 years old, 5 feet 4, weighed 117 pounds, blue eyes, blue neck hair.
Her record showed two convictions for grand theft and an arrest for suspicion of theft the previous June.
4.15 p.m. We talked to Johnny DeBetta, the officer who had made the June arrest.
Yeah, that's right, Joe.
Frank and I pulled her in.
We couldn't make it signal.
Why not?
Well, the victim gave us an identity.
We didn't have enough to hold her on.
All she did was introduce the march to a couple of con men.
They did the taking.
We couldn't prove that she was in on it.
The sucker hadn't given her the money.
Yeah.
Wouldn't cop out of here.
She's a looker, not a talker.
I'd rather tackle a guy any time than a dame like that.
Once he decided to keep her mouth shut, he can't get it open with a pair of pliers.
What about the guy she was working with?
A couple of brothers.
Don't remember the names they used offhand.
It's in the file zone.
Any leads to them?
Description, MO.
We put out a local in APB.
We couldn't turn them up, though.
They must have skipped turn.
I see.
They had a tail for a while.
See if she'd lead us to them.
Yeah.
Nowhere.
That's where we ended up.
They back in LA?
They were last week.
Make another pigeon?
Yeah.
And I hope you have better luck than we did.
Yeah, we're gonna need it.
So, if we've moved on, it won't be very easy to catch up with.
No?
They got a lot of traveling money.
Oh, yeah?
Forty thousand.
Faggot and I put out a local in APB on the two male suspects.
We also put out a bulletin on the female suspect, Mabel Salton.
But we requested that in her case, no arrests be made.
We asked to be contacted in the event that she was located.
From Johnny to better, we learned that the Salton woman had also met the previous victim at an auction.
Auctioneers and owners of auction houses were told to notify us if they saw the suspect.
We talked to the manager of the apartment where the male suspects had lived and to check the clerk at the Count George Hotel.
They were unable to help us.
We contacted Las Vegas and learned that the Chateau Lafayette was in excellent financial condition.
We also contacted CII up in Sacramento to see if they could give us an identification of the male suspects.
We received a negative response.
No new leads developed.
Five weeks passed.
Wednesday October 19th, 946 A.M.
Bunko appears here to Friday.
Yes sir, that's right.
When?
I see. Thank you very much.
Goodbye.
Tent your auction house out on 3rd Street.
Auctioneer says he sold a couple of lamps to an old customer last night.
Who? Mabel Salton.
10.07 A.M.
Frank and I drove out to the Tenture Auction Gallery on West 3rd.
We showed the auctioneer a mug shot of Mabel Salton and he said he was positive she was the woman he had seen the previous night.
We went back to the office and had a conference with the skipper.
You're sure picking her up won't do any good?
Well it didn't before, Captain.
Yeah?
Of course this might not work either.
We don't even know if her pals are back in town.
How do you plan to make the contact?
Hang out at auction? Do a lot of bidding. Let her think I'm loaded.
I don't know. Maybe it'd be better if Smith went undercover this time. He looks more like a mark to me.
Well wait a minute, Skipper.
Oh, you know what I mean.
Well, I know.
I'm afraid using Smith would give us a problem, Captain.
Yeah?
Take another look at her picture.
Hmm. Not bad, is she?
No, that's the trouble. Smith's got a wife.
Arrangements were made for me to assume the name of Joe Fawcett.
I took a room at a hotel in Hollywood and established myself as a businessman recently arrived from Chicago.
Auction houses were told that I would be bidding on various items, and if my bid was accepted, the item was to be re-auctioned at some future date, and any loss incurred would be made good.
During the next week, I attended four auctions. The woman suspect Mabel Salton was present at two of them.
Thursday, October 27th, 942 p.m. I attended the fifth auction. It was at the Pinscher Gallery. I managed to get a seat next to the suspect.
I asked $45. I asked $25. Who'll make a $30? Who'll make a $30?
Very well, ladies and gentlemen. A mirror like this costs over $100 in any retail store.
25. Who'll give 30?
30.
Don't forget, ladies and gentlemen, this mirror belonged to one of America's most collaborative actors, Mrs. Nora Westlap.
You've all seen her come to the times on the screen. Here's your chance to buy one of her personal possessions.
And don't forget where this mirror was, not in Nora's bedroom.
All right. Now, who'll make a $30? At that point, I'll give 30.
30 here.
Thank you, sir. Ladies and gentlemen, I appreciate the opportunity. I have 30. I have 30. Going once, that's 30.
35.
35. Who'll give 40? 35. Who'll give 40? How about it, sir? Does one little lady take away from you?
If you really want it, it doesn't matter that much to me.
Well, that's very kind of you.
Are you all done? 35 once, 35 twice.
Who'll give?
So, who'll give 35? And now, ladies and gentlemen, our next item is a very unusual piece. It was designed to save you.
Thanks for letting my good stand.
That's all right. Forget it.
Is there any way I can pay you back? Maybe you'd let me buy you a drink after the auction.
No, that isn't necessary. I didn't even want that mirror anyway.
I'd like to. Unless you're busy.
Well, not a bit. You've got a customer.
Now, you see how hard it is to remember, look at it? It shows you the quality of the model.
All right, boys, better put it down now again before you string yourself.
Haven't you been to the letter sale?
A couple of them, yeah.
I thought you looked familiar. Come with me, but I remember the things you got.
Is that all right?
Yeah, very good taste.
Thank you.
Now, this is your table.
Thank you.
I like it.
I just love these options. Of course, I always end up buying a lot of things I don't need.
Well, that happens to me, too.
And afterwards, you feel so darn foolish, but there's nothing you can do. By then, it's too late.
Same here.
Well, that's true. There is a property treated first. But this table will never show a stain, no matter what you buy.
Yes, we have something in common. Don't be too scared.
Go faucet. Go faucet.
I'm Mona Eastman.
How do you do?
Very nice to meet you, Mr. Barks.
No, the pleasure is all mine.
11 16 p.m. We left the auction and drove over to the suspect's apartment.
He was on the second floor of a two-story building just off Olympic Boulevard.
The bar is right over there, Joe. You'll take charge when I get out of my boat.
You bet.
Dr. Berman.
It doesn't matter. Whatever you're having.
Hey.
Is the ice all melted?
No, there's a little left here.
That's good.
I'm really awfully glad you could drop by.
So am I.
May I have your drink?
Okay.
Well, cheers.
Cheers.
Is it strong enough for you?
It's just the way I like it.
Why don't you sit down?
Sure.
Where's your home, Joe?
Well, I really don't have one yet.
Home?
I got a hotel room over in Hollywood. I've been staying there for the last few days.
What about all these things you've been buying? The auction?
Oh, they're all from my new place. It hasn't come out of escrow yet.
I see.
It's out in Bel-Air.
I wish they'd hurry up and let me move in for all I know. I may be getting too much stuff.
I don't know what you need to furnish your house.
Well, isn't your wife? I mean...
Oh, I'm not married, Mona. Not anymore.
I see.
We broke up about a year ago.
Funny.
What's that?
That's what happened to me just a year ago.
Is that so?
Maybe we have a little too much in common.
Yeah.
She hurt you, didn't she, Joe?
Well...
I can see it in your eyes.
You have very sad eyes.
And soft and thoughtful.
Oh, I don't know.
I think you can tell a lot about a person from their eyes.
You do, huh?
That's the first thing I notice about somebody.
What did you notice, Joe?
Well, I guess I never thought too much about telling the truth.
What did you notice based with me?
Well...
Well, I guess it was your voice.
Oh?
You know, when you were bidding, I think that's what I noticed first.
I don't know whether that's a compliment or not.
Well, you have a very pleasant voice, Mona.
Very pleasant.
George didn't think so.
Who?
My husband.
He said I whined and nagged and made life miserable for him.
Why'd you split up?
This didn't work out.
You think you'll ever try it again?
Oh, I don't know. It's pretty hard to say.
Yeah, I feel the same way.
I guess lots of people make mistakes.
Yeah, sure.
Any refreshments?
No, I have plenty here.
It takes you up?
Yes, please.
You don't drink very much, do you?
No, I just don't feel like it tonight.
Oh.
Is it the company?
No, of course not.
I'm sorry if I sort of forced you into taking me home.
Why, don't be silly.
I just felt it.
You didn't look very happy, and I thought maybe we both needed to be with someone else for a change.
Sure.
Here you are.
Thanks.
What line are you into?
What's in?
What's your business?
Well, nothing right now. I guess you might say I'm unemployed.
Huh?
I had a company of my own back in Chicago, Textile Manufacturing.
I sold it when we split up.
What are you going to do now?
Oh, I'm sort of looking around. I got a little cash and I'll step by on it.
Oh?
If the right thing turns up, I guess I might go into it.
I suppose it's hard to tell what to put your money into nowadays.
Yeah, well, there's no other.
You know, that reminds me.
If you really do want to get into something good...
Yeah?
I know a couple of businessmen.
Oh, they're not close friends or anything like that, but they have some excellent contacts.
Yes, they do.
I'm sure they could put you into something that would give you a nice return on your investment.
Well, I wouldn't do any harm to talk to them, would I?
I'm afraid you can't right now.
Why not?
They're out of town. Too bad, isn't it?
Yeah, sure is.
The Salton woman told me she'd let me know as soon as her friends returned to Los Angeles.
During the next ten days, I saw her on several occasions.
As far as I could tell, the so-called Bonham brothers were still out of town.
Tuesday, November 8th, 840 p.m. I was in my hotel room.
Hello?
Yes, Maura?
Well, I'm sorry.
I'm sorry.
Well, how about tonight?
Sure, I'll pick you up.
By 930?
Fine.
Bye.
You want to get me Michigan 5211, please?
That's right.
Extension 2572.
2572.
That's right.
Extension 2572.
Smith there?
This is Joe.
Yeah, I just heard from her.
Better get over to bed and have him stand by.
Tonight, says he just blew into town.
Over the phone, the Salton woman had told me her two business acquaintances had returned to Los Angeles.
I was to meet them that night.
Frank and Johnny had made arrangements to tail my car.
928 p.m.
I picked up the female suspect.
She told me her friends had rooms in the St. Clair Hotel over on Figueroa.
We drove over there.
It was 942 when we arrived.
We went up to room 417.
She introduced me to two men who matched the description of the male suspects we were looking for.
I said, then, what's the matter?
They said their names were Tom and Fred Porst.
Sure is nice to meet you, Mr. Posit.
Mona's been telling us about you.
It seems you've made quite a hit with her.
Is that so?
She told me about you fellas, too.
Now you've got to understand one thing.
What's that?
Anything we discuss in the business line, that is, well, it's got to be confidential.
Well, sure.
You see, my brother and I, we don't make the practice of taking outside investments, right, Fred?
Right.
Matter of fact, we don't even need any outside capital at the moment.
We've sort of got a surplus.
Oh, I see.
Well, maybe some other time, then, huh?
Nice to have met you.
Well, what's your hurry, Posit?
Well, you said that...
I said we don't need any capital.
You know...
Well, we might make an exception in your case, though.
Oh?
Anaconda Mona.
Well, I want you to put yourselves out.
Something else will turn up.
Now, wait a minute.
I was just thinking.
What's that?
Well, it never hurts to spread a good thing around.
You got any plans for this Saturday?
Well, I don't know. What do you have in mind?
Well, I thought I might fly down to Vegas.
Get us a couple of girls. You can bring along Mona.
Why Vegas?
Oh, we got a friend down there.
He made a killing at the crap tables a couple of years ago.
Stuck it in a thousand dollar bill.
Oh.
He sort of forgot to mention it on his income tax.
And now he could use the loot, but he's afraid to cash in the bills himself.
Yeah, I see.
He might be willing to sell them to us at a discount.
Are you interested?
No, not very.
Why not?
No kind of game like that.
Why?
Well, this is the best you can do.
The thousand dollar bill routine's got whiskers on it.
I should have known.
What are you talking about?
How would you know?
Listen, Fawcett.
What are you doing here anyway? Why'd you want to meet us?
I was kind of curious about how you boys work.
I heard a lot about you.
Huh?
Thought maybe I could pick up a new angle or two.
Looks like I was wrong.
Well, what's the joke?
Oh, don't you see?
He was just checking up on our bitch.
Yeah?
Well, he's a con man too.
Oh, you really pulled one this time, Monum.
Think of the pro for a mark.
How was I supposed to know?
Well, just one look.
You should have been able to tell
by the way the nose on your face.
It is, huh?
Sure.
Don't take it to heart, buddy.
You might fool the suckers, but I'm in the same racket.
Well, I should have guessed it when you walked in the door.
It's written all over you.
Yeah.
Where you been pitching lately?
City Hall.
Huh?
I'm a police officer.
You're under arrest.
The story you've just heard is true.
The names were changed to protect the innocent.
On February 2nd, trial was held in Department 98,
Superior Court of the State of California,
in and for the county of Los Angeles.
In a moment, the results of that trial.
Mabel Harris Salton was tried and convicted of grand theft
one count and received sentence as prescribed by law.
Thomas Herbert Porst and Fred James Porst, alias Phillip and Steve Bonham,
were tried and convicted of grand theft two counts
and received sentence as prescribed by law.
Grand theft is punishable by imprisonment in the county jail
for not more than one year,
or in the state prison for not less than one, nor more than 10 years.