 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 about 14 minutes, the sponsor of this program, the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, will have something important to say to homeowners. So Mrs. Housewife, if your husband is not listening to this program, better send one of the children to fetch him. Tell him he's going to hear about America's finest plan for home ownership, a plan that can save you money. Tonight's FBI file, the Homicide Hideout. It has been said that there is honor even among thieves. But no greater fallacy than that was ever uttered. For the thief, the criminal could not possibly possess a true sense of honor and be what he is. This is demonstrated in tonight's case from the files of your FBI. Criminals in dealing with each other are still guided by the governing principles of their lives. Deceit, treachery, ruthlessness, and all other immoral qualities which combine to make the criminals dishonor incarnate. The weather-beaten old farm half hidden in a clump of trees is dark and gives no sign of life within. But a shaft of moonlight slanting across the porch and through an open window falls across an old feather bed and the faces of two women. One is hard and middle-aged. The other young and grotesquely scarred. Presently the stillness is broken by the sound of an automobile coming up the trail from the main road. The girl is first awakened. Mom, Mom, wake up. Wake up, Mom. Somebody's coming. What? I said wake up. There's a car coming up from the main road. Listen, do you hear it? I've got ears, Lena. Yeah, but who could it be? I don't know, and I don't care if it means business. He's pulling in here. You want me to go look out the window? No, we'll both go. Where's Miss Slippers? Right down there. It's a man by himself. Who is he? I don't know. Look, he's hurt. You see how he's holding himself? Yeah, this means business, all right. Stay right here, Lena. I'll go. Now, where's my wrapper? On the chair with the... Come on, open up, will you? Take it easy. Take it easy, mister. Well, your name's Benton. Mom Benton. That's right. Good. Now, just a minute. Let me in, will you? I was sent here. Who sent you? Chick Lansing. You got proof? Look, say the questions. Let me in. I'm bleeding. Okay, come ahead. I've got to sit down. Who are you? Look, can you take up a doctor? I said, who are you? Red. Red Harper. What'd you get mixed up in? I can wait. I gotta have a doctor quick. Quicker you answer questions, the quicker you get the doc. Okay. The three of us pulled a bank job today. We had to split up it. I made for here because I remember Chick Lansing telling about you. Now, will you go get a doctor? What kind of a trail did you leave? I drove north and circled to the south. I drew the cops off, okay? How much money did you get? What difference does that make? How much did you get? Ten grand, my share. Then I'll take five thousand. Are you kidding? That's my price. I'm not giving you any five grand. Okay, Mr. Then you can bleed to death. You dirty heart, Jack. Get out of here, Mr. Hold on a minute, Lena. Put down that gun. He's about done for anyway. Give me a talk with you. I said it'll cost you five thousand dollars. Okay. Okay. You can have it. On one condition. I... I walk out of here. I'm alive. Give me a hand with him, Lena. We'll put him on the couch. Then what? I'll run into town and get Doc Smith. If he ain't too full of whiskey. Call him a doctor after what he's done to my faith. I'm not forgetting that, Lena. We can't get no legal doctor to do this. What makes you think Doc Smith will do it? After him losing his license, he'll do anything to get money to buy whiskey. All right, put him down. Try to stop his bleeding. All right, Mom. I'll be back with Doc Smith as soon as I can. In the Cincinnati field office of the FBI, some hundred miles away. Agent and charge Willard sits at his desk waiting for a particular phone call. At noon, three bandits had held up the National Trust Company and escaped with nearly thirty thousand dollars. Two special agents were assigned to the case, but as yet, Willard has received no word from them. It is now shortly after nine o'clock. Willard speaking. This is Lynette, Mr. Willard. Well, it's about time, Lynette. What happened to you and Russell? We picked up a hot trail right after we got to the bank and didn't have time to report. What kind of a hot trail? We just now caught two of the bandits. What? Good work. What about the other one? He's still on the loose. Oh. He's got the stick up car. What do you want us to do? Have the bandits talked to me? Not yet. Discuss the fact with the U.S. attorney and arrange to file charges. Okay. Get a description of that car and the third man. I'll wait here for you. Right. Wake up, you old sock. Wake up, I say. Hey. We ain't got much time. We ain't got time, I tell you. Time? Time. What? Never mind now. I'll tell you what the time is. Never mind that. Time is a great disillusioner. That's what time is. Look at me, doc. Look at me, I say. What do I look at you? Oh. So it's you. You got to come with me, doc. There's a man need you all for bed. A man needs me. He's in a bad way, doc. But aren't we all? My dear. Aren't we all, huh? For me is a little drink. No, not any more. Now we got to get started. It will be too late. And why have you come to me, madam? Well, don't think I would have if I could have gone to anybody else. That has professional disrespect. I ain't forgetting what you've done to my Lena's face, treatment and burns. Your daughter, madam, would only have grown more like you. So I think that she got the best of it. Go away, woman. I want to go to sleep. Doc! Hey, look here, woman. I'm only trying to get it through your run-so brain that there's a man dying. Well, that's his good fortune. You got to have money, don't you? Only when my liquor runs out. Is that all the liquor you've got? Unfortunately, yes. Good. Wait a minute. Give me that bottle. Hey, why are you vicious? Shut up and get up from there. Hey, but you can't. Look, hey. Look, I got liquor out at my place. And if you keep that man from dying, I'll give you a hundred dollars besides to buy more. A hundred dollars? Yes. So get your tools and let's go. Can I come in, Mr. Willard? Yes, come ahead, Leonard. Where's Russell? I left him giving all the details on the bank robbery to the U.S. Attorney. Did the two prisoners finish any information? They sure did. Did they identify the man still at Lodge? His name is Red Harper. Here's his description. Harper, huh? And here's the description of the car he got away in. Good. We'll put out a wanted notice right away. We may not need it. Why not? Harper may be at a certain fugitive hideout, about a hundred miles from here. How do you know? One of the two bandits we caught said Harper was pretty badly wounded and may have made for the hideout to get fixed up. You know exactly where the place is? It's a farm run by a woman and her daughter. And I think I can find it from what the bandit told me. Good. I'll get the alarm out anyway and then we'll get started. Hey. Hey, you. I thought your old lady went to get a talk. She did. Why did she get here with him? There'll be a long any minute now. See a good doc. I see my face, don't you? Yeah. Well, he'd done it. He made you look like that. Yeah. Yeah, he'd done it when he was drunk. That's how he lost his license. Drunk all the time. Well, no guy like him working on me. Well, you can tell him that because he has long been bringing them now. Right in here, doc. We got him laying on the couch. Very well. Well, I see you come around. Young man. Yeah. Go boil some water, Lena. All right, Mom. I'll go get it. Wait a minute. What's the matter? Your daughter told me all about this drug and bomb. What's that? What's the idea bringing him to work on me? Are you insinuating, sir, that I am incapable of performing? I want another doc, Mr. Andy. Look, you asked me to handle this. I didn't send for you. It's this doc, Mr. Or none. Okay. You promised me a drink, Madam. Oh, yeah. Here's the jug. Thank you. I'll go help Lena. I'll be right back. Doc. Yes? I want to talk to you a minute. What about them? We got time. We... What's the problem here? Close that door. Why isn't it just a minute? Quit drinking that stuff and close that door. Ah. Very well. Look, doc. Listen to me. You're the only chance I got. Thanks. What a figure. Oh, what chances. By her, we're born. By her, we live. Never mind that stuff. Listen to me. I got a proposition. You can't proposition with chance, sir. I'm talking about you, doc. I don't know how much she was going to give you for this job. If you don't drink no more of that stuff, you can make a bundle. Well, what does she say? Here's my proposition. Well? She was going to stick me five grand. Probably give you only fifty or a hundred bucks. But if you'll get hold of yourself, if it's me up okay, we'll... we'll cut her out of it. And I'll give you two grand, sir. Fine. Let's drink to two grand. Put down a jug. It's truly a wonderful and aesthetic, this. Doc, lay off the foals, will you? This is one more, sir. You see, it renders man insensible to the pains of his conscience. Doc. Doc, will you lay off? Mom. Mom, come here, will you? What is it? Past time. Now you gotta get another time. Lena. Lena. Huh? Hand me one of them rubber gloves the doc used and... oh, yeah, that knife he operates with. Okay. Here, mom. What are you gonna do? I'm gonna get even with that drunken old sock for what he's done for Lena's face. Look, he ain't got time for that now. Time ain't gonna mean anything to you anymore. What do you mean? I was listening. I heard the proposition you made the doc about cutting me out. Why? I know you got your money hidden in your order, too. Oh, wait a minute. If I kill you with this operating knife, it'll look like the doc done it, because he was drunk. No, no, wait. Don't try to get up. Hey, I'm getting up. You gotta listen to me. You gotta let me tell you where I go. And now before the FBI file on the homicide hideout resumes, as it will in just a moment, here's that important message for homeowners and home buyers. This week, I asked an equitable life insurance society fieldman what was the one ambition shared by more Americans than any other. Well, he thought a moment and answered, a man wants to say this is my home. I own it. Yes, that's the typical American ambition. 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The Equitable Society calls it America's finest plan for home ownership. It protects you against the two major hazards of home mortgages, death and hard times. So if you're planning to buy or build a house, or if you now own a home, get complete information on the assured home ownership plan from your Equitable Society representative. That's the Equitable Society, EQUI TABLE, the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. And now back to the FBI file, the Homicide Hideout. We repeat, no greater fallacy was ever uttered than there is honor even among thieves. For as already demonstrated in tonight's case from the files of your FBI, in dealing with each other, criminals are still guided by the governing principles of their lives. Deceit, treachery, ruthlessness and all other immoral qualities which combine to make the criminal dishonor incarnate. Shortly after the killing, agent-in-charge Willard of the Cincinnati office of the FBI and special agent Lynette reached the farm where they had reason to believe the wounded bank bandit, Red Harper, was hiding out. Inside, they found the man known as Doc Smith, sitting on the floor in a daze. He was wearing a pair of rubber gloves. His right hand held a bloody scalpel. A few feet away, they, the body of the bandit, Harper. Smith is just concluding a hazy account of events. Well, I, I remember the woman bringing me here to operate on that man. Yes. But after taking two or three drinks from a jar of liquor that she had... A jar that's broken on the floor here? Yes. Well, after that I don't remember anything else. When the woman drove into the village for you, were you intoxicated then? I'm intoxicated most of the time, Mr. Lynette. And you're a doctor. I was a doctor. Is liquor the reason you're not a licensed doctor anymore? Yes. You say you don't even remember preparing to operate on that man? No, I don't. I, but... judging from the rubber gloves I'm wearing, it seems evident that I did fit into. It also seems evident that you killed him. I, I haven't examined the body since I came to. His throat was slashed? Well, then I, I guess I'm guilty. Yes, it's possible that you're not. What? The woman and her daughter are gone. They left in this bandit's car and apparently with his share of the loot from a bank robbery. Yeah, but even... You're wearing the rubber gloves, all right? I'm holding the bloody scowlful, but... He passed out from the effects of liquor, right? Yes. He would hardly have gotten up, put on rubber gloves, cut the man's throat and laid back down again beside that broken jar. Then... What do you think, Lynette? I think you're right. They could have killed him, put the gloves on you, doctor. Put the scalpel in your hand and left you to take the blame for the murder. Well, I'm sure they hated me enough to do that. Why? Well, you see the girl's face was hideously scarred from burns, which I treated when I was drinking. I see. Lynette... Put out a wider alarm in that car and include the woman and the girl this time. Okay. And for the time being, doctor, you'll remain in our custody. What do we tell Uncle Walter when we get to Detroit? Well, they're strange for relations to go visit in each other. Yeah, but he won't know how come we got a car like this. He ain't gonna know about no car. I'll fix that. Well, what about all the money we got? It's ours. We ain't gonna tell him nothing about it. Mom, what about the police? No, don't start worrying about that again. I know, but the... If the police track the bank rubber to our shack before the dock comes to, they'll see for themselves that he done the murder. Yeah, but what if the dock comes to before the police get there? Well, he's bound to think he done it and run off. Then the police will be looking for us. They ain't gonna find us. I hope you're right. Of course I am. Mom. Well... We got lots of money now. And I was thinking... I was thinking maybe... Thinking what? Maybe one of those good doctors in Detroit could do something about my face. Sure. We'll find a good doc who'll make you just as pretty as I am. Good morning, Lynette. Morning. Any results on the alarm we put out last night, Mr. Willard? No, not yet. Did you arrange to keep Smith in the holdover all right? Yes, he's available on the moment's notice if we need him. Good. Now all we need is a break on that alarm. I'll take it. What is speaking? Good. Put him on. Got something? I hope so. Detroit office calling. Hello? Yeah? Yeah? Fine. Start checking hotels. Small ones in particular. The nut and I will take the next plane. Right. What is it? Detroit police found the missing car abandoned there early this morning. Any trace of the woman and girl? No, but it's a break to know what city they're in. I'll get Smith and we'll take the next plane for Detroit. Come on. The police and our agents have checked every hotel in Detroit, Willard, but no luck. Well, of course there are a thousand other places in the city they could be home. They might even be staying with friends or relatives. Have you any information that might give us a lead in that direction? No, but we can get to work on it. Take too long to check that angle, Lynette. There's a quicker way to smoke them out. What's that? The newspapers here are known for their assistance with law enforcement agencies. Yes, they'll give us all the cooperation possible. Good. Then we'll release a story with a Cincinnati dateline that will put the woman and the girl at ease about the murder and take them off guard. How do you mean? The story will tell of the cold-blooded scalpel murder of the notorious bank bandit Red Harper. And we'll say that the ex-Dr. Smith has been arrested in connection with the slaying, which is the truth. Yes. But how's that going to lead us to the woman and the girl? I've got another idea for doing that. And if everything goes all right... What is it, Lynette? What would I do on the evening paper? Well? It turned out just like you said. Dr. Smith's been arrested for the murder of that bank robber. Look. Just like I told you all along, we ain't got nothing to worry about. Yeah, I know. Oh, uh, you didn't let on to your Uncle Walter about what you read, did you? No, of course not. Oh, Mom. Well? Well, you said when we got here to Detroit, maybe we'd get a fine doctor to see if he could do something about my face. That's right. Well, here's a chance, maybe, but it might cost a lot of money because he's so famous even if he will do it. What are you talking about, Lynette? There's an article in this paper about a Dr. Gerard, a famous plastic surgeon. A what? Well, he does wonders fixing people like me. Well, is he right here in Detroit? Yeah. Yeah, he's staying at the Central Hotel. Then we'll go see him right now. But, Mom, the papers say he's not taking any cases. Never mind that. What? Put your hat on, Lynette. We're going to see that doctor and make him do something for you. 1928. This is his room, Mom. Well, knock on the door, Lynette. But what if he won't take my case? Well, he will when I'm through talking to him. Yeah, but if you won't knock on that door, I will. Famous or not, don't scare me. Yes? I suppose you're the famous. Well, for the love of... Dr. Smith. Yes. And these gentlemen are special agents of the FBI. What is this, anyway? Mrs. Benton, we want the bank's money you took from the band at Harper, and the state of Ohio will be warning you for his murder. I never murdered that bank robber. Dr. Smith done it. The fingerprints on a surgical knife are yours. What fingerprints are you talking about? You use your fingers to place the knife in Dr. Smith's hand. Take the girl in there. Let's be going. Dr. Benton was returned to the state of Ohio and tried for the murder of the bank robber, Harper. She was sentenced to life imprisonment. When one criminal meets death at the hands of another criminal, as in tonight's case from the files of your FBI, we are inclined humanly enough to say, good riddance and let it go at that. But the law does not let it go at that. To the law, murder is murder. No matter who commits it or who the victim. And your local law enforcement officers and your FBI have one duty and one duty only to enforce the law. Now just a few more quick facts about the equitable society's Assured Home Ownership Plan. If you're planning to buy or build a house, this plan can save you money. Or if you wish to finance your present home, here also this plan can save you money. So let me suggest that you look into the Assured Home Ownership Plan without further delay. The Equitable Society's representative nearest you will gladly explain the plan clearly and interestingly. He has literature that gives full details. Ask your Equitable Representative today about this Assured Home Ownership Plan. America's Finest Plan for Home Ownership. Look in the phone book for the name the Equitable Life Assurance Society. E-Q-U-I-T-A-B-L-E. The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Next week we will bring you another colorful story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Slaughterhouse Swindlers. 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, the music was composed and conducted by Frederick Steiner, the author was Frank Ferries, and your narrator was Dean Carl. This is your FBI is a Jerry Divine 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 Slaughterhouse Swindlers. On this is your FBI. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company.