This Is Your FBI: The Swampland Kidnapping 04/19/1946

Welcome to Choice Classic Radio, where we bring to you the greatest old-time radio shows. Like us on Facebook, subscribe to us on YouTube, and thank you for donating at choiceclassicradio.com. The Equitable Life Assurance Society presents, This is Your FBI. This is your FBI, an official broadcast from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, presented as a public service by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community. In just a moment, we'll bring you This Is Your FBI. Every week, millions and millions of people listen to this program. That is proof of national interest in one of our great national services, the Federal Bureau of Investigation. And the sponsor of This Is Your FBI, the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, is proud of this national interest in security. For this is the spirit that prompted the Equitable Society's founders 86 years ago to create a life assurance society dedicated to financial security. And today, three and a quarter million members of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States bear witness to the usefulness, strength, and stability of an organization that by serving equitable society members, serves America. Tonight's FBI file, the Swampland Kidnapping. Stretching almost from coast to coast across the southern portion of the state of Florida of is the great American jungle known as the Everglades, a vast and uncharted reptile-infested area of treacherous cypress swamps and marshlands into which only the most foolhardy would dare to venture without a guide. And as in tonight's case from the files of your FBI, sometimes it can be a grave mistake to venture into the Everglades with a guide. A few miles inland from the Gulf Coast, and reached by a crooked chain of stagnant swamp lakes, is the ramshackle cabin of Tom Blanton and his wife, Bess. But little sunlight manages to penetrate the patchwork canopy of intertwining cypress trees, is fading rapidly now as Blanton makes his way along a footpath between bogs, up to the cabin by the back way. You can wash up, Tom. Supper's most ready. Yeah, powerful hungry, too. Did you fix up that whole mess of catfish? Bess. What, Tom? You got three plates on the table. Didn't you see his motorboat tied up to the root? I come the back way. Whose boat? We got pretty special company, Tom. What company? Who's come here, Bess? Somebody we ain't seen in a mighty long time. Who are you talking to? Now, Tom, don't go getting all around. I said, who are you talking about? Our boy, Danny. So he came back after I told him not to. Tom, what do you think? Danny's been to all them big cities like Chicago and New York. And he can start back from right now, too. Now, wait, Tom. When I run him off from here, I said it was for good and I meant it best. But Danny's our boy. He ain't none of mine no more. Tom, he's just here for a visit. Well, he ain't going to stay here another minute. I'll... Hello, Pop. Your welcome's most touching. Now, Danny, he don't mean what he said. He was just... You shut up and keep out of this, Bess. Yeah, Ma, you keep out. This is between me and the old man. I'm giving you five minutes, Dan. Get your stuff and get out of here. You heard Ma. I come here for a visit. No, you... And I'm staying for a while. Why, you low-down swamp wreck. Danny, what are you doing with that pistol? Stay where you are, Pop. Danny. You're a yeller, huh? Have to pull a gun on me. I just wanted to stop you with it before I had to hurt you with my hand. Just you put that gun down, we'll see whether you can... Shut up and listen. I didn't come back here because I was dying to see you. What do you want here? I've got as much use for you as you have for me. But here. Take a look at this. Damn. All that money. I'll pay for my keep, old man. Here's 50 on account. Wait. Look at him grab. Good Lord, let's look. Fifty dollars? And there'll be more where that fifty come from if you don't ask a lot of questions. You mean it? I'm going down to the coast tomorrow and I'm bringing a friend back with me for a few days. Who is your friend, Danny? Now, Bess, Bess, look here. You heard what he said about asking questions. Put the supper on. Sit right down, son. Make yourself to home. And you called me a swamp rat. Shortly after dawn, two mornings later, the well-to-do James J. Fillmore stepped into the small motorboat he had chartered for a day of deep fishing in the Gulf. But instead of the craft putting out into the Gulf, it cruised along shore for a few minutes, then suddenly turned into a stream leading back into the swamp country. I say, here, Captain, where are we going? The weather don't look so good for deep fishing, Mr. Fillmore. What? We're going fishing in the Everglades. The Everglades? Okay, young man, you might have consulted me before changing my plans. That might have spoiled my plans, Mr. Fillmore. What? What do you mean? Just take it easy. I've already mailed your wife in Sarasota some first instructions. You've done what? Sure. And if she does what I tell her to, everything will be okay with you. Look here, you don't mean you're... That's right, Fillmore. You're gonna visit me for a while till your missus buys your bag. No, no, you don't. Turn this boat about right now or I'll... Take it easy, Fillmore. Mrs. Fillmore? Yes? We're special agents of the FBI. Oh, yes. Please come in. The note instructed me not to call the FBI, the police, but I just can cope with this alone You did the proper thing in calling the FBI Mrs Fillmore Then you may be sure we shall do nothing that further jeopardize the safety of your husband Poor Jim If I been home maybe he would have taken me with him and this wouldn have happened You were not at home when your husband left? No. I'd been up in Tampa for a few days visiting friends. When did you return? Just last night. I found the note from him saying that he'd gone away on a hurried business trip. Did the note say where he was going? No. No, it didn't. Do you have any idea where he might have gone? No. We come down here every winter, and after a few weeks, Jim gets a little restless and goes to call on some of the people with whom he does business. I see. Well, may we have the note, please? Yes. Here you are. Thank you. Hmm. Look, Grant. Sarasota postmarked, mailed right here in the city. Hmm. 6.30 p.m. yesterday. And Mr. Fillmore left home yesterday, so the abduction could have taken place right in this vicinity. Not necessarily. Kidnapping could have taken place in Palm Beach or wherever it was Fillmore went. In which case, the kidnapper came back here and mailed the letter? That would certainly be safer for the kidnapper than mailing it from his actual point of operations. What does it say? Your husband's plans have been changed, but do as you are told and you'll be... He'll be okay. But don't say what I'm to do. Don't call the police or the FBI. Don't get excited. Stay at home. You'll receive further instructions later. Well, what's the first move, Grant? We'll check the note for fingerprints and possible identification. Let's go. Danny told us not to ask any questions about him and his friend, Tom. But I reckon the man's got a right vest to know what's going on under his own roof. Well, their business is their business, and you best leave him alone in there. What you see in the cot on that fellow's head seems mean. Danny said his friend took a fall in the boot. Yeah, well, I don't believe it. Where you going, Tom? I'm going in there and find out what... Going somewhere, Pop? Look here, Dan, I want... Shut up, and sit down. Where's that box of writing paper I hid? Let me see now. All right. Here it is, Danny. Okay. My friend wants to write a letter. Look here, Dan, I want... I said shut up. If you want any more dough instead of a dose of lead, you'll stay shut up, okay? Okay, Fillmore, this time your wife's going to get a letter from you. No, she isn't. Take a sheet of paper out of this box with your own fingers. There's a pencil. I'm not writing any letter to anybody. No? And you won't get away with this. Kidnappers never get away with it. That really frightens me, you know. Maybe I better turn you loose. If you're smart, you will. Okay, Mr. Fillmore, I'll turn you loose. All right, you're joking with me. No, I'm on the level. You can go. But you'll have to get out of the big cypress swamp all by yourself. and on foot. If I thought you meant that... I said I was on the level. But remember this. I don't know a nobody who ever got out without a guide. No? No. The swamp's full of rattlesnakes, cottonmouth moccasins, alligators. We even got lions in there, Mr. Fillmore. If one of them don't get you, the wrong step will. What do you mean? Sometimes it looks innocent, just like any other piece of ground, till you step on it. And it's got you for keeps. You mean the... Yeah, the bog. You start going down, see? And you start yelling and screaming for help, and all the time it keeps sucking you down, down, down. You yell, you scream louder and louder and louder, and then all of a sudden... It's quiet again. You're sunk out of sight. But maybe you can beat the swamp, Mr. Fillmore There's a door, you want to try it? No, no, of course not I haven't got a chance Okay, then my services as a guide are going to cost you $50,000 So pick up that pencil and start writing what I tell you Look, Grant, the ransom note was postmarked in Sarasota just as the other note was. I felt certain it would be. And the hideout can't be too far away. And we've got no lead to it. I know, but... And we still can't take any openly offensive action to uncover the hideout until Mr. Fillmore is out of danger. No, no, please don't. Are you positive, Mrs. Fillmore, that this note was written by your husband? Yes, yes it was, I'm positive. Then he's pretty certain to be safe so far. But what are we going to do about the ransom? Well, my advice is to follow the instructions in the note in every detail. You mean... There is still time for you to draw the money out of the bank. Yes. Then we'll have it in your mailbox down at the road by 10 o'clock tonight as instructed. Well, I reckon I'd better get supper started before... Shh! Tom, what do you do? Hush up, miss. Danny catches you listening up there. I said, hush up. You're okay, Phil, more. It's time I was starting to... You better come away from me. Listen to talking. I thought enough of you to leave the 50,000 in the mailbox. Like I said, I'll come back and take you out of the swamp. If the money is not there... I'll come back anyway. Make sure you never get out of the swamp. Well, I'm a lot... What are they saying, Tom? I'm not going to say you're a fool either way, because you'll never get away with it. As I told you before, kidnappers never get away with it. I'll worry about that, Fillmore. You just keep... He sure ain't going to get away with it, mister. You've been snooping at the door, huh? I sure have, and you... I told you to keep your dirty nose out of my business. I told you, Pa. Shut up, woman. Okay, so now you know what's going on. And I say you ain't going to get away with it. Don't figure I'm going to the cops, because I'll blast you. But even if you got to the cops, you and Ma both be in a jam. What do you mean? After all, your house is a hideout, so you're both in it same as me. Why, you low-down, crawling teacher, and don't try to get your gun off that chair, because I'm closer to it. Danny! Danny! You've killed him, Tom. I reckon it was him or me. I'm sorry it had to turn out this way, sir, but in doing so, it has brought me my freedom. So the least I can do is see to it that you are amply rewarded. I reckon that won't be necessary, mister. What do you mean? I mean, we're going to collect that $50,000 now. In New England today April 19th is Patriot Day Before returning to the case on the Swampland kidnapping let me tell you what Patriots Day should mean to Americans This week at the Equitable Society, four famous lines from Emerson kept running through my mind. Lines written about something that happened on the 19th of April, 1775. The Battle of Lexington. The day right after Paul Revere's ride. By the rude bridge that arched the flood, their flag to April's breeze unfurled. Here once the embattled farmers stood and fired the shot heard round the world. Those heroic lines in praise of self-reliant men make your heart beat faster, don't they? And they should, because self-reliance is an American quality that is just as priceless today as it was in 1775. It's the backbone of the American way of life. And just to prove that it's still a factor in our country's progress, let me give you the number of people who belong to the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. It's three and a quarter million. Three and a quarter million people, men and women, who have proved that they believe in taking care of themselves and their families by their own efforts. That's self-reliance for you. That's proof of thrift and cooperation, too. Together, these three and a quarter million people have built the Equitable Life Assurance Society into a fortress of financial strength. They've put together a great protective fund, which gives each member far more security than he could achieve individually. They're carrying on that tradition, which enables us to say that this week and every week for more than 86 years, the Equitable Society is building security for you, your home, and your country. And now back to the FBI file, the Swampland Kidnapping. In following its policy in kidnapping cases of remaining quietly in the background during the ransom negotiations, the FBI greatly handicaps itself in the task of apprehending the criminal. But to the FBI, the safe return of the victim has right of way over all other considerations. After that, there is time enough to catch the criminal. And as the victim in tonight's case said, kidnappers never get away with it. Several hours have passed now since Tom Blanton shot down his son Dan during their fight in the Blanton cabin deep in the Big Cypress Swamp, where the kidnapped victim, James Fillmore, is being held. Just outside of Sarasota, the old house on the Fillmore estate is dark and seems deserted. But at the front window, three figures keep silent and constant vigil. The only sound is the rustle of the night breeze through the palm trees and the roll of the surf a hundred yards away. Can you see the dial on your watch, Grant? Two minutes of ten. Two minutes to go. He will come at ten, like he said, won't he? The note said only to have the money in the mailbox of the road by ten. But surely that means he planned to pick it up at that time. Well, we can only wait and see. But what if he doesn't come for the money? This crime's been committed for money, Mrs. Fillmore. I'm confident somebody will come for it. If they don't make it by ten grand, how much time... Shh. Listen. What was it? Thought I heard. Wait a minute. It's a car. Oh, thank heaven. Don't any of us make a move now. Watch. Must be pulling up to the mailbox now I wish there were a moon Somebody's getting out Yeah Can't tell anything about it from here though Just a shadow Listen He's opening the mailbox Well, what are you young men waiting for? What do you mean? Aren't you going out there and catch him? No, no What do you mean you're going to let him get away? Shh. We meant to let him get away, Mrs. Fillmore. Your husband is not out of danger yet. It's our job first to get your husband back and then to catch the kidnapper. Think it's safe now to go down and take a look at the mailbox? I think so. Let's go. Hurry and tie up, Tom. Did you get it, Bess? Was it there? Sure, I got it. Let's get in the house out of this rain. Oh, now, you're up to mind a little rain now, Bess, girl. We're rich. A little rain. Looks like it's been raining here ever since I left. Now, Bess, don't go getting cantankerous. I'm holding you to your promise, Tom. You promised to take me out in this swamp if I'd done what you told me to do tonight. I will, I will. Now, come on. Well, I trust your mission was successful, sir? Sure thing. Bess found the money, just like you said. And now that I bought my freedom? You ain't got another worry, mister. Now you might as well go to bed and get yourself a good night of sleeping. Go to bed? Well, ain't going to take you out in the swamp till morning, that's for sure. But you will then. Oh, sure. Me and my woman will be going away then ourselves. Very well. Good night, mister. I was just thinking, Tom. Hmm? About what? I'd like to turn him loose, same as you, but it ain't safe. What do you mean? He knows who we are now. He'll tell the police all about us. No matter where we go, they'll be looking for us. Yeah. Sure, you're right, Bess. We can't let him go. But what are we going to do with him? Don't you worry now. I'll figure that out come morning. And I think I got an idea already. You must go to bed, Mrs. Fillmore, and try to get a night's sleep. I won't sleep a wink, Mr. Grant, until my husband is back home safely. Well, the note said he would be returned by morning. What if something goes wrong? Oh, you mustn't think of that. Things do go wrong in these cases. I know them We got a good picture of the kidnapper Grant Good Picture Yes Mrs Fillmore We had planted an infrared camera in the mailbox What? And it automatically took a picture of the person who opened the mailbox to get the money. And it was a woman, Grant. A woman? Here you are. Look. Hmm. Wearing a raincoat. I already checked on that, and I got our first big lead. What do you mean? I figured wherever she drove in from, it was raining. Mm-hmm. Well, I checked with the weather bureau, and the only place it's been raining tonight is down in the big Cypress Swamp area. Cypress Swamp, huh? Is your husband a fisherman, Mrs. Fillmore? Yes, he loves to fish. Has he ever gone fishing in the Everglades? Yes, he has, at a town called Everglades. Now we're getting somewhere. Come on, Monroe. That's where we're going. Are you the innkeeper? Yes, sir. We're special agents of the FBI. Oh, what can I do for you? Do you know a Mr. James J. Fillmore? Why, yes. He come down here a couple of days ago for a little fishing. But you haven't seen him since? No, sir. Something wrong? Whose boat did he charter? Well, now you got me there. I know the regular charter boats was all busy. Must have made a deal with one of the private boats. Would you know which one? Let me see. Couldn't have been Charlie Bates. He just sold his little outfit a couple of days ago. Who bought it? I think he said he sold it to Dan Blanton. He's been away a long time, Dan has. Just come back a couple of days ago. Where does Blanton live? His folks got a cabin back in the swamps a few miles. Maybe they know him. Could we get there tonight? couldn't possibly start for daylight even then you need a guide you know i see do you recognize the woman in this picture here let me see some why sure sure that's old tom blanton's wife best why you rustle us up a boat in a guide and you'll find out why we hope Yes? Come on out, mister. Best and me is ready to get going now. But it's the middle of the night. I thought you said we couldn't leave before morning. We ain't all going. What? You see, Best and me was talking it over, and we decided, since you know all about us, Who we are and what we look like and all. Well? We decided it wouldn't be safe first to turn you loose. Look here. You've got the money. What else do you want? Just like I said, we can't turn you loose. What do you mean? I mean we've got to leave you behind. No. No, you can't do that. I'd never get out of here on foot alone. We ain't aiming for you to get out at all. What? Better go in the other room, Beth. Oh, you're wasting time, Tom. Get it over with. No, wait a minute. If the money you've got is not enough, I'll give you more. Just like she said, we're wasting time. and we can't take a chance on leaving you here alive. No, no, for heaven's sake, you can't do that to... Stand back, Bess, I'm going to... No, no! Drop that gun, Blanton. Who are you to come busting in here like... Special agents of the FBI, and I said to drop that gun. I ain't aiming to drop no gun for no... Here, take his gun, Monroe. Are you all right, Mr. Fillmore? Yes, thanks to you, gentlemen. There seems to be one member of the party missing. Where's your son, Mrs. Blanton? His father here shot him and threw his body in a swamp bog. That's what these two are about to do with me. All right, get out from there, Blanton. My wife. Is she all right? We telephoned. She'll be waiting in Everglades for you when we come out of the swamp. Let's go. After having been tried for the murder of their son, Thomas Blanton and his wife, Bess, were both convicted. and sentenced to die in the electric chair. There have been some abduction cases, such as the one you have just heard, in which the criminals were afraid to release their victims because of the information they could furnish the FBI or the police. The stupidity of this reasoning should be obvious. To add murder to the crime of abduction is to furnish one more indelible clue which serves only to shorten the criminal's road to inevitable justice. Before telling you about next week's exciting case, let me remind you again that just as you look to your FBI for national security, so to the Equitable Society you look for the financial security of life insurance. Yes, like the FBI agent, the Equitable Society representative in your community is a specialist on the subject of security. His job is to preserve homes, to help keep children in school, and to make old age a time of happiness and contentment. It's a good job, and one that has won for him the respect and confidence of his fellow citizens, who recognize his contribution to the security of you, your home, and your country. Next week, we will bring you another colorful story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The salesman of espionage. The incidents used in tonight's Equitable Life Assurance Society's broadcast are adapted from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. However, all names used are fictitious, and any similarity thereof to the names of persons living or dead is accidental. Tonight's broadcast was directed by William M. Sweets. The music was under the direction of Frederick Steiner, the author was Frank Ferries, and your narrator was Dean Carlton. This is your FBI, is a Jerry Devine production. Now this is Carl Frank speaking for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community, and inviting you to tune in again next week at this same time when the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States will bring you another colorful story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Salesman of Espionage. On this is your FBI. This is ABC, the American broadcasting company.