Ep.487 Dragnet: The Big Watch

Hello and welcome to another episode of Nostalgic Mystery Radio. I'm your host Stevie Kaye and it's my honor to bring you the radio shows of yesteryear. For today's episode, I bring you Dragnet, episode titled The Big Watch, originally aired April 13, 1950, where a gang of hitchhike bandits are assaulting and killing soldiers. So sit back and relax, and I hope you enjoy this nostalgic mystery radio. Thank you for listening. The story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Fatima cigarettes, best of all long cigarettes, brings you Dragnet. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to robbery detail. Vicious gunmen have committed assaults, robberies, attempted murders. Their victims, army officers stationed in your city. Your job, get them. If you want a long cigarette, smoke the best of all long cigarettes. Smoke king-size Fatima. Fatima is the long cigarette which contains the finest Turkish and domestic tobaccos superbly blended to make Fatima extra mild. And that's why Fatima has a much different, much better flavor and aroma than any other long cigarette. That's why Fatima has more than doubled its smokers coast to coast. So, enjoy Fatima. The best of all long cigarettes. It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima. It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima. Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case from official police files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. It was Wednesday, February 3rd. It was cold in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch out of robbery detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Thad Brown, chief of detectives. My name's Friday. It was 1.45 a.m. when we got to Highland Park Division. Booking desk. Hi, Shepard. Hi, Friday, Ben. Hi. Brings you out here. We've got one to book, Shep. You want to do the honor? Okay. Just a minute. I want to sharpen this pencil. Right. All right, Jackson. Take it easy. Yeah. Relax, huh? Jerks. Okay. Yeah, let me get a new form of the machine. All right, what's your name? Roy Jackson. What's your name? Address? 414 Alabama Street. Age? 23. Location of arrest? 1730 West Hill. The old Ranger Tavern. Ranger Tavern. Time of arrest? 1125 p.m. All right. Charge. Suspicion 211 PC. Suspicion PC. Come on, come on. Let's get this over with. You got lots of time. Let's check your property. All right, Jackson. Everything out of your pockets. Put them on the desk. What about my kids? You won't need them for a while. Put them on the desk. There. Oh, you forgot your watch. Take it off. All right. Yeah, that ring, too. Yeah. That everything? I'll shake him down. Yeah, that's everything. Okay, let me list it here. One brown man's wallet. Contents. I'll call them off to you, huh? Okay. One black pocket comb. A pocket comb. Got that one key chain and ring with two, five keys. Good luck charm on that. Five keys. Good luck charm, yeah. Let's see. Is that ten, eleven? Eleven dollars and sixty-three cents in cash. Eleven, sixty-three. One man's wristwatch, Waltham. One man's ring. You got that? Yeah. Yellow metal, the ring. Ring. And a white stone. It's a diamond ring. That's gold. One man's fountain pen. Fountain pen? That's it. Yeah, okay. Just put all this stuff in the envelope. Okay. Get me a booking number, will you, Jimmy? Here's a receipt for your stuff, Jackson. Itemized? Yeah. Here's your copy, fellas. Thank you, Sheriff. Murdoch? Yes, Hunter? Got one for you. You got a slip on it? Yeah, here. Thanks. Let's go. Wait a minute. You got nothing else to say, huh, Jackson? Been yapping at me for two hours. I told you all I'm going to tell you. Six robberies, six assaults, three attempted murders. It's a tough rap to stand alone. What about your pals? You got my story. Okay, take them. Come on. Stubborn. Yeah. We better get the arrest on the teletap. All right. Oh, boy. 2 a.m. It's a long day. Oh, it's Thad Brown coming in the door. Yeah. Hi, Chief. Hi. What are you doing out here this time of the morning? On my way home. Thought I'd drop by and call the office. Forgot something. About Jackson. Doing any good? Not much. He's got a story. Stick him to it. Where'd you pick him up? Bar on Hill Street. We booked him here. It's out of the way. Jackson finger any of the guy? No. Question him two hours. Hmm. You think you got a smoke? No. Yeah. Here you go. Well, let's go in his office for a minute. That's a good idea. My feet are killing me. It's pretty hard to figure, this thing. A light? Yeah. Thanks. Gang of cheap hoods, armed with the teeth, slugging, shooting their way around town, coming from all directions. We got it fairly well narrowed down, and nine out of the ten jobs they pulled, they operated either in San Pedro, the central area, or Hollenbeck. Still haven't any idea why they pick army officers for their victims. Jackson wouldn't tell us why. The MO is still the same? They haven't switched? Not a bit. The hold-up men still dress as army enlisted men. They steal a car, offer rights to officers, slug them, rob them, and shoot them. Same thing, ten times over. Has the army checked their personnel out at the fort Keep them tabs on as close as possible I don think it the work of any bona fide enlisted men though We haul out Jackson and talk to him again in the morning Maybe he be ready to tell us something by then Stay after him If you need any more men from Metropolitan to help out on this thing let me know Okay, Skipper. Better make that call and get home. It's late. Yeah. Yeah. Attention all units, it's code 3. What was it, Code 3, Chef? 31st and Stafford, 211 and shooting. Chief Brown, Ben, and I got to the scene at 2.20 a.m. An ambulance was already there along with two cruiser cars and a half a dozen curious onlookers. Lying face down on the dirt road about 15 feet off Stanford Avenue was a man dressed in an army officer's uniform. He wore first lieutenant bars. His blouse had been half ripped off. The side of his face was bruised and swollen. The back of his head showed the results of a vicious beating. There were two bullet wounds in his left shoulder. A few feet away, sprawled out on his back, was a major. He'd been brutally beaten, but he was still conscious. While the ambulance attendants gave first aid, we questioned him briefly. Both bodies were lying 30 feet from the interurban railway tracks. Feel up to tell him this is how it happened? Hit me on the wall with a gun. Can't talk too well. No, don't try to get up, Megan. That was Lieutenant Kelly. He was with me. Are you okay? They're getting him in the ambulance. We were hitchhiking downtown, Kelly and me. Two men in a gray sedan kicked us up. They said they were going back to the fort. I was in the address, remember? Too much noise. What do you say? Just a minute. What was that? The PE train going by. Now, can you tell us about it? I'm enlisted, man. One is a tech sergeant in on a private. He said they'd drive us back to the fort in a gray sedan, Pontiac. Excuse me, Sergeant. Oh, yeah, sure. I'll have to take care of those face wounds. You can go ahead. Okay. Did you see the license number on their car? Too dark now. Gray sedan. Pulled guns, stopped the car here. Took our money, everything. That's a little sting a little. There, it's good. You think you'd recognize the men if you saw them again? The one was tall, 6'2", I guess, I think I know. They shot Kelly. He tried her on, they shot him. How is he? He's okay. Is there anything else you can tell us about the man? Ambulance is ready. Take him. We can talk to him later. All right, Rob. Yeah. Easy. Okay, let's go. It's not getting any better. They sure like to cut him up, don't they? Pretty good set of footprints over there. Tire impressions. Better call the crime lab. Yeah. Two men and a great sedan. How does that match up? Same M.O., Army officers. So one of the gunmen was tall. Mean anything to you? Most of the other victims gave us that description. Either the same tall guy works most of the jobs, or he's got a twin brother. The stats office make a run on the description for you? Four different times, nothing yet. I'd better get this new information on the air right away. Yeah. We steal a different car for every job, and the morning after we find the car, usually clean, no prints. This thing doesn't add up in my book. Army officers aren't loaded with the car. They said army officers aren't loaded with dough. These punks are after something else besides money. What do you mean? For every dollar they steal, they break a bone. How does that shape up to you? You think they like to draw blood? I think so. I think they're pointing for murder. What's the motive, Chief? I forgot the motives. I don't care what their reason is. Somebody's robbing and shooting. It's our job to stop them. It's a trouble with motives. How do you mean? They always show up after the murder. 2.40 a.m. Crime lab crew arrived and went to work searching the area for evidence and taking casts of the footprints and tire impressions. The chief of detectives, Ben and I, drove back to Georgia Street Receiving Hospital in time to watch the doctor remove two .38 caliber slugs from the shoulder of one of the victims. From his ID bracelet, he was identified as Harold Kelly, 1st Lieutenant Signal Corps, U.S. Army. The other victim was Major Richard Farmer, Signal Corps. I initialed the slugs for evidence and then we drove back to the crime lab and dropped them off. The next morning, before they were transferred to a military hospital for further treatment, we talked with Lieutenant Kelly and Major Farmer, filled out a robbery report and one for a crime against person. Five minutes past ten, we checked back into robbery detail. Better see if we can get a stenographer in here. There's a lot of paperwork to catch up on. Yeah, I'm going to have to learn short here. Amaro, Joe. Yeah, yes. Come in a minute, will you? Right. They picked up a gray sedan using that job last night. Where? Out on Laguna, about a block from Echo Park. They find any? Nothing. The boys from Leighton Fingerprints called just before you came in. They dusted the car inside out. No luck. That Roy Jackson we picked up last night, his homicide gut the stakeout on his apartment? Yeah. Fremont and T-Trick. Nothing yet. What'd you find out at the hospital this morning? Well, we talked to Lieutenant Kelly and that major farmer again. They're still in bad shape. You have anything to add? No. We got their crime reports and a list of the property taken. Gave it to a pawn shop detail to put on the stolen property list. What are the hold-up men doing with all the stuff they grab? of watches, cigarette cases, men's jewelry. It's all on the stolen property list. Pawn shops have been alerted. It's not showing up. Robbery, Walker. Yeah, just a minute. You, Joe. Thank you. Friday. Yeah, Lee. Hmm? Yeah. We'll meet it. Bye. Lee Jones. He just ran a make on the two slugs they took out of the lieutenant's shoulder. Yeah? They came from the same gun that wounded four of the other victims. Figures. How about the footprint cast they took out there last night? No, it didn't work out. Lee said he tried matching them up with that set of prints we came across on that job Sunday. There's no match. Oh, hi, G. Bad, sit down. Thanks. Fella men yet, Walker? Not yet. Just getting over last night's case. What do you got? Walker and I were talking over this morning before you two checked in about these hitchhike bandit jobs. Yeah. Tried everything short of a blockade to grab the holdup men. It's obvious it's not working. How about the Army brass? They're doing all they can already. It's up to us. We're gonna need more men and better coverage. What are you figuring on? System decoys planted around the city and every area these hitchhike bandits have been operating in. Couldn't take a lot of men, innit? Be worth it if it pays off. About 50 or 60 men should do it. They'll be dressed as second lieutenants all the way up to colonels. They'll travel in pairs. They're gonna bunk out at the fort? If we can arrange it, yeah. They'll be instructed to hitchhike their way around town. Bulk of them will operate between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m. What kind of support they're gonna have? You men in robbery and homicide. I'll have a special detailed car's metropolitan unit to help cover the unprotected spots. When does it start? Tonight. No use waiting. The fellas might as well pass the word down the line. No time off till the gang's locked up. Okay. We gotta get those punks and get them fast. We got the men in the machinery, so there's no reason for not stopping them. No excuses. Understood? Yes, sir. Excuse me. Robbery, Walker. Oh, hello, dear. Yeah, I know, but I can't make that. Let's go, Joe. A little happy. You just go right ahead and you have to explain something like that. Here. What's that? A nickel. Call yours. 8 p.m. Thursday. With the permission of the commanding general, 6th Army, a total of 55 men dressed as army officers spread out over the city to serve as decoys for the hitchhiked bandits. They were well-armed and they traveled in pairs. For the first night, it was the plan to concentrate in the central area, Hollenbeck and San Pedro. We started cruising the central area at 8 o'clock along with the rest of the detail The time went slow Midnight came Still no sign We waited out the rest of the night in the early morning Nothing happened We figured out some action on the weekend Friday, Saturday, Sunday. Nothing happened. Seemed like the holdup men somehow had sensed the decoys and were staying undercover. Monday night, February the 8th. Same thing all over again. 3 a.m. Came and went. No sign. I'm kind of hungry. You want a hot dog? We can eat them in the car. No, you go ahead. Maybe a bag of potato chips. You want to see if I got him? Okay. I'll be right back. Yes, sir, want hot dogs? One. And give me a bag of those potato chips here, too, wouldn't you please? Okay. You want everything on that hot dog? Everything but relish. What's the matter? You don't like relish? No. Okay. Joe, come on. You can skip that hot dog, Mac. What is it? Just came in. Catch the repeat. Attention all units. Attention all units. The vicinity of Washington, Figueroa. A shooting. Ambulance suspension. Okay, hit the siren. Let's move. When we got to the scene, neither of the two victims were identified as police decoys. One of them had already been placed in the ambulance. Ben went over to talk to him. The second victim was still lying in the street, his chest riddled with bullet wounds. Two figures bent over him. an ambulance attendant and a priest. That heavenly Jerusalem where God shall wipe away the tears from your eyes, where there shall be no more sorrow, no more sickness, no more death, where you will live forever in possession of that happiness which the eye hath not seen nor the ear hath heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man what things God hath prepared for them that love him. Same as that after Joe. Hey, Jack, man. Yeah. Brother Vic and Cane, help us much. How about this man? Wait a minute. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen. There's your answer. You are listening to Dragnet, the case history of a police investigation presented in the public interest by Fatima Cigarettes. If you smoke a long cigarette, it will be in your interest to listen to a typical case history of a Fatima smoker. It's the case of Miss Shirley Gelman, trained nurse in the city of Los Angeles, California, and this is her actual signed statement. Hospitals are shorthanded these days, and nurses are working under pressure. I've found king-size Fatima just perfect when I'm off duty. They're extra mild, and even in the wee hours of the morning, Fatima tastes just fine. I urge all my friends to buy them. I agree, it's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima. And more and more smokers are discovering this every day. Actual figures show Fatima has more than doubled its smokers coast to coast. So enjoy Fatima yourself. The long cigarette which contains the finest Turkish and domestic tobaccos, superbly blended to make it extra mild. You will prefer Fatima's much different, much better flavor. You will agree. It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima. It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima. The best of all long cigarettes. Wednesday, February 10th. At the inquest, the murder victim was identified as Marine Corps Lieutenant Robert Paul Lawrence, age 24. The bullets removed from the body at autopsy were taken to the crime lab where the ballistics men ran them through. They were fired from the same gun used in the previous hold-up shootings by the hitchhiked bandits. The companion of the victim at the time of his murder could add little to what we already knew as far as the descriptions of the gunman were concerned. The following morning, Ben and I drove out to the home of the murdered man to interview his father, a Colonel of Marine Corps, retired. Black wreath on the door. Yeah. It's a big house, isn't it? Yes, sir? Police officer, sir. This is Sergeant Friday. I'm Sergeant Romero. Oh, yes. I saw you the other day at the inquiry. Yes, sir. We hate to bother you again, but we'd like to ask you a few questions. Yes. All right. Will you step in? Thank you. Now, this way. He was a small man, well-built, with thick snow-white hair combed straight back and a neat white mustache well-trimmed. He walked deliberately with his shoulders thrown back as he showed us into a large living room richly furnished. a picture of the Battle of Bellow Woods hung over the large fireplace. The rest of the pictures in the room were of famous Marine Corps officers. Now, gentlemen, how can I help you? It's about your son, Robert. We didn't want to embody you at the inquest. Yeah. I guess I don't have to tell you. Bob's death was a blow. Yes, sir. He's been staying here with me from time to time since my wife died last year. House this big needs people. Oh, just myself, the wife, Gronk. Yes, sir. We'll only take a minute. You see, everything had been taken from your son, and we'd like to find out if you know what personal property he was carrying at the time he was... Well, I don't know. I guess he had the usual things, a few dollars, his wallet, St. Christopher Metal, silver, his watch. Was the St. Christopher Metal valuable? Oh, not too much, no, not monetarily. And that watch? Well, yes, that was worth something, a pocket watch. I gave it to Robert when he was commissioned at Quantico. That's his graduation picture on the mantle. Here. This is Robert. Yes, sir. Fine boy, Sergeant. Robert was a good Marine. You think you could describe the watch for us? Gold pocket watch. Caught quite a bit when I bought it for him. There's some engraving on the inside of the cover. What is it? Says, from an old Marine to a young one. Signed, Dad. Anything else about it, sir? Very fine jewel a friend of mine made the watch. It has small chimes inside, and when you push the lever on the side, it chimes the hour and nearest quarter hour. Very clever. Yes, sir, I see. And as far as you know, then, those are all the valuables he had with him. Yes. All right, Colonel Lawrence. Thanks very much. You don't have to rush out. Can I fix you a cup of coffee? Stay a while, won't you? I'm sorry, Colonel. We have to get back to the office. Oh. Well, let me show you to the door. I hope I've been of some help to you. I'm not feeling too well. Helped a lot, sir. Thank you. Thank you. Goodbye. Nice home, dear. Beautiful furniture. Everything a man could want. Except the sun. For the next six days, we got nowhere. Both robbery and homicide details stayed at work on the case. The citywide decoy plan continued along with the extra night patrol of cruiser cars from the Metropolitan Division. Dozens of leads were received and tracked down. None of them paid off. We stayed on it, but despite all our work, in one week the hitchhike bandits were credited with 16 car thefts, eight actual hold-ups, and three more assaults with intent to commit murder. February 18th, 2 p.m., Ben and I were called to Captain Walker's office. Close the door, will you, Ben? Oh, yeah. What is it, Ed? Both of you know Burdick here, theft detail? Oh, sure. You want to tell them what you just told me, Burdick? Yeah, just telling the captain. and I was on night watch last night with Resnick, and we picked up this guy for grand theft auto. Got him out in a bowling alley on Vermont Yeah Well Resnick and I didn think too much about it We took him into Central and had him booked Gave his name as Clyde Black Mm As I say I didn think too much about it But on the way into work, I got to thinking. This fellow comes pretty close to the description of one of your hitchhike bandits. Yeah? Yeah, he's pretty tall. 6'2", dark hair, dark eyes. Pretty tough. He's still in jail? Still there. Anybody else talk to him besides you? Resnick and me, that's all. Here's the mug shot we got on him last night. Take a look. Let me see. Mm-hmm. Seems pretty close. You got a home address on him? Yeah, a place out on South Flower. Here's the number. Thanks. Oh, yeah, there was something else. It struck me kind of funny. What's that? When we booked the guy in last night. Yeah. In his back pocket, he had a St. Christopher medal. Ben, Ed Burdick, and I drove out to the address on South Flower Street, which the prisoner, Clyde Black, had listed as his home address. It was a rooming house, and the landlord remembered Black, but he hadn't lived there for two months. He gave us Black's forwarding address, an apartment on MacArthur Drive. There, the manager told us he hadn't lived in the building for at least a month. He had moved and left no forwarding address. We put tracers through on him with DMV, our business office, and with local merchants in the neighborhoods where he had lived. By 6.30 p.m., we had an answer. An apartment on Pico Boulevard, just east of Alvarado. At 7 o'clock, we were on our way up in the elevator to the third floor of the apartment house. It's number 307. Must be down this way. Come on. Pretty run-down place. Musty. Yeah. This is it. 307. Somebody's in there. The apartments have back doors, Joe. You want me to cover it? Yeah, you better hustle. Right. Okay. Stop talking. Yeah, what is it? Mailman. Registered letter. Okay. Jimmy. Police officers. Move, you guys. Stop it. Stop, Joe. They're going out the back, Ben. Watch it. Bertie's got him stopped out back. All right, you. Now cut it. Let me go. Let me go. That's one of them. One more, Joe, here. There were three. All right, let's go. Insights. Come on. Easy. That's all of them. Watch them, will you, Bertie? Yeah. All right, let's look around, huh? Yes. Take a look. Yeah, enough uniforms for an army. Before we left the apartment, we searched it thoroughly and found dozens of personal valuables, watches, rings, and wallets. There was also a .38 caliber Colt. We took the three men downtown and booked them at Central Jail. And we dropped off the gun that we found at the crime lab for a ballistics check. 8.35 p.m., we brought suspect Clyde Black to the interrogation room. Captain Walker, Ben, and I confronted him with the evidence. Here you are, Black. Take a look at these. Well? They're not mine. We know that. Never saw them before. Watches, jewelry, wallets, they were found in your apartment, all of them. They were. Take a close look. Auto theft, that's all you got me on. Yeah. I won them. I won the stuff in the crap game. You must be lucky. Crap game, I tell you. That's how I got it. In the crap game. Why not do it easy, Black? Let's call a stenographer and get it over with. How much evidence do you want? I didn't do it. I get it. Interrogation room Friday. Yeah. All of them? Fine. Thank you. The gun, Black, they checked it. I didn't do it. Your gun killed that Marine. Your prints are all over it. It was one of the other guys, Max. Max. It was him. Him and Johnny. You ready to dictate a statement? Put them on the fire. Why me? You talk to Max. Talk to Johnny. Ed, hand me that, will you? Yeah. Here. Thanks. We got this watch out of your apartment, too, Blank. Where'd you get this? Which? This one right here. The pocket watch. I don't know. Don't tell us you won it in a crap game. It's not mine. I never saw it before. It's a beautiful watch. It's engraving on the inside cover. Yeah. Look here. From an old Marine to a young one. It's not mine. Let me show you how it works. Push this lever here. See, on the side? Well, how about it? I hated them. I hated all of them. Everything about them. That lieutenant. I had to kill him. He was going to get away. I had to kill him. I had to. Why did you pick on officers? They had it coming. Pushing guys around. I hated them. I hated every lousy bomb in their bodies. I'll get the stenographer. Yeah. Then knock off and go home. You too, then. I had to kill him. I hated him. I'll tell them that. I'll tell them like I told you, just like I told you. Yeah, they'll believe you, mister. The story you have just heard was true. Only the names were changed to protect the innocent. On June 17th, trial was held in Superior Court, Department 87, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California. In a moment, the results of their trial. It's amazing how many long cigarette smokers are changing to Fatima. Here is the actual report. From coast to coast, king-size Fatima has more than doubled its smokers. Yes, more and more smokers every day are discovering that Fatima is the best of all long cigarettes. Long cigarette smokers find Fatima has a much different, much better flavor and aroma. Long cigarette smokers find that Fatima is extra mild because it's the long cigarette which contains the finest Turkish and domestic tobaccos superbly blended to make it extra mild. So enjoy extra mild Fatima. Best of all long cigarettes. It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima. It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima. Clyde Black and the other four members of the Hitchhike Bandit Gang were tried and convicted in Superior Court on one count of murder and several counts of robbery and assault with intent to commit murder. All five are now serving life terms in the state penitentiary. You have just heard Dragnet, the series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice for Dragnet comes from the office of Chief of Police W.A. Wharton, Los Angeles Police Department. Fatima Cigarettes, the best of all long cigarettes, has brought you Dragnet from Los Angeles. You're tuned for the stars on NBC. This has been a Nostalgic Mystery Radio presentation. I hope you enjoyed this episode. Please feel free to like and rate this podcast on your favorite app. Also, there's a Nostalgic Mystery Radio YouTube page for your perusal to subscribe to. You can contact me by emailing me at nostalgicmysteryradio at gmail.com. I hope you have a blessed day or evening. And again, thank you for listening. you