 Here's another in NBC's great parade of new shows Ladies and gentlemen, the story you're about to hear is true Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent NBC brings you dragnet You're a detective sergeant you're assigned to narcotics detail For more than two months doctors offices have been burglarized Hospital pharmacies pillaged drugstores robbed medical supply firms ransacked with one purpose in mind the theft of narcotics The criminals are expert coming vicious Your job Get them Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime Investigated and solved by the men who unrelentingly stand watch on the security of your home your family and your life For the next 30 minutes transcribed 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 Thursday March 23rd was windy in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch out of narcotics My partner's Ben Romero the boss is Ed Backstrand chief of detectives. My name's Friday I was on my way back from the record bureau, and it was 10 35 p.m. When I got to room 24 narcotics detail Yeah, yeah, okay. Oh, we'll be right over. Thank you Get anything Joe nothing. We don't know already. How about you? That was a county hospital on the phone Doc Welch pretty fairly. I told him we'd be right over. What's he got? One of our informants Benny Tronson ready. Let's go What's with Benny bad shape somebody worked him over they found him in an alley off of South Maine Yeah, Doc says Tronson talk before he passed out anything good He claimed he knows who's running the new dope rocket in town Says they got him now. Let's take the stairs Why should they bother with small fry like Benny? That's what I'm wondering blackmail maybe Then he's still on the needle. Maybe that accounts for his story Doc says his skull is fractured morphine doesn't do that to you. Yeah Then he mentioned any names. I don't know. Doc didn't say here's the garage. Come on When did they pick up Benny about an hour ago? You get a pocket full of bennels on him heroin Tronson small fry you've had that much dope on him in his life. That's what makes it interesting. Let's go County hospital Yes, sir The line is busy when you wait Thank you Can I help you gentlemen? We'd like to see doctor. Well, she's expecting us your names, please This is size of Romero. My name is Friday police officer. Oh, yes around the corner to your left room 127 the doctor's waiting for you Thank you. Come on bed. I Hope Benny's still talking. We could sure usually yeah Here it is 127 hi, you've been Joe. How are you doc anything new just left Tronson upstairs? You think we can talk to him now won't do much good. He died about six minutes ago For almost two years Benny Tronson had it himself had been one of the most valuable Informants Ben and I had in the narcotic gangs More than once he had helped to solve a case But this time if Benny Tronson had any direct leads to the nerve center of the newest narcotic ring He took them with him Besides his dying accusation that the ring had gotten to him He left behind only two small scraps of information First when he arrived at the county hospital doctor Welsh reported that Tronson repeatedly muttered the name Patterson Secondly among the few personal effects found in his pockets was a good amount of heroin and a small piece of white paper with two Words scrawled on it Tucker building Benny Tronson's body was taken to the county morgue in the next morning. It was posted At the coroner's inquest the cause of death was listed as a brain hemorrhage induced by severe blows by a blunt instrument on the sides and base of the Skull inflicted by a person or a person's unknown Besides Ben and myself the only identification witness at the inquest was a woman who managed a rooming house in Benedict Alley Where a Tronson used to stay periodically After the inquest we questioned her briefly in our office Miss struts you say you can't remember any friends Tronson had while he stayed at your room in house. No, I can't Sides if I knew that man used dope I never would have rented him a room. How long did he rent from you, mr I'm about six months. I run a respectable house I don't mind if my people drink a little now and then but those dope users. No, sir Did you know anything about Tronson miss right where he spent his time where he had his meals? Oh, don't serve at my place too much trouble most for people eat at the ace lunchroom down corner Where's that mr. I um Grant and south main right on the corner. You think Tronson might have spent some time there might have I know miss strike did Tronson ever mention anyone with the name of Patterson no Patterson No, and you can't recall any friends. He might have had he had any friends and ever said put in my house. All I know All right miss strike. Thank you. Here's a card, ma'am If you come across any information about Tronson, we'd appreciate it if you'd call us all right That all that's all man. Thank you. Yeah Bye. Goodbye, ma'am Big help. Yeah, not even a good identification witness You got those listings we made on the Tucker building. Yeah Yeah, let's see Tucker building 7 3 1 0 South Wilshire. I wonder what Benny Charles could have been doing out there Shouldn't be too hard to check. It's a small building. Yeah six listings for the whole place a couple of law officers real estate guy Dentists architect and a doctor one dentist one doctor could be a lean maybe pretty thin Friday Yes, give her come on. Yeah What do you got Ed letters is a sample and listen to this? chief of detectives head back Strand City Hall, Los Angeles and In view of mounting wave of narcotic robberies strongly recommended your efforts to curb this lawlessness be redoubled They all like that all of them. They're mad. Can you blame them? Not a bit We haven't got much to go on chief the gang's pretty smart. All right, then let's be smarter There's no law against it doing a best-giver that make it better. I'm sick of that bunch and I'm tired of these letters And look at that record in two months 15 drugstore robbs eight medical offices to supply houses to hospital pharmacies Now Connick's missing every time. Now who's behind it? None of the old timers We've checked them out gone over every hype and mainliner. We know of all right then get on the tractions new faces Climb on every one of them that shoots this stuff until you get to that gang and break it if you need to help Howler, but get to that gang and break it. Do you understand? Okay, skipper. We'll try you dig up anything on that Tronsil case yet Still checking out one late what slip of paper. We found in Tronsil's pocket head Said Tucker building on it. That's all just gonna check it out when you called all right hop on it fast We got a lot of pressure on us keep in touch with the office It was almost noon when Ben and I got out to the Tucker building it was a two-story affair comparatively small very modern We checked with the dentist in the building first, but he'd never heard of anyone with the name of Benny Tronsil His records and appointment books proved it out Well, that's one down Joe. Yeah, let's try that doctor's office now. What's his name? Let me see Oh springer dr. Fred springer. He's on the second floor. Okay. There's a stairway down there. Come on Pretty close to lunchtime might not be in maybe somebody should be there. We haven't got much time to play with. Yeah Chief sure was up in the air this morning Here's the office Fred springer md We'd like to see dr. Springer, please. Do you have an appointment? No, we don't well the doctor's not in at present Would you like to make an appointment for later in the day? No, ma'am? We're police officer. This is sergeant friday. I'm sergeant romero How do you do I'm miss turner. I'm the doctor's nurse Then you must take care of the appointment and record books for the doctor Yes, I do. Well, maybe you can give us the information we're looking for miss turner Did the doctor ever have a patient by the name of trounsel benny trounsel trounsel? No, I don't think so Just a moment. I'll check. Thank you No T-r-o-u-n-s-e-l. Is that the way it's spelled? Yes, ma'am. No The name's not listed here Let me check the account book No wait It's funny. What's that miss turner? Here in the back of the book and the doctor's handwriting. Look Hmm Trounsel the black parrot certainly funny. I can't remember seeing that notation before it must be fairly recent Miss turner. What kind of a clientele would you say dr. Springer has? Oh, it's quite exclusive Beverly Hills Bel Air. That's where most of the bills are mailed Can you recall seeing trounsel in the office here? Miss turner small man thin walked with a kind of a limp not very well dressed No, I don't think so. It doesn't sound like any of our patients Would you show us the doctor's prescription list for the last two months? We'd like to check them. Well, I'm afraid I can't Dr. Springer keeps him in the safe. He's the only one who has the combination How long you've been with dr. Springer? About 10 months ever since he started his practice out here. Where was he before that? Philadelphia I don't understand all these questions. Is anything the matter? Just a routine check miss turner. When do you expect the doctor back? About four this afternoon. He's out making home calls. All right Here's our card. Would you ask him to call us as soon as he comes in? I'll do that. Thank you, mr. Bye. Goodbye. Bye. Oh, say miss turner. There's one more question. Yes Does dr. Springer have a patient by the name of Patterson? Oh, yes, one of the doctor's first patients john Patterson. He lives out on east Beverly drive When we left dr. Springer's office, we called our an eye. There was no make on john Patterson Ben and I drove over to see him just on a hunch He didn't pay off right then, but it showed a little promise When the maid came to the door of the swank apartment. She told us Patterson was out for the day We asked her about Patterson's occupation. She didn't know we asked her about his friends his business acquaintances She could remember only two people visiting the apartment One of them was dr. Springer apparently a constant visitor the other a tall dark man who spoke bad english We asked the maid how long she had worked for Patterson She said ever since he moved to los angeles about six months before A few things started to fall into place, but it was strictly a guesswork operation Ben and I got in the car and headed for the south end of the city to check out some of the places Benny Trousel was supposed to have frequented We met a stone wall from the ace lunch room near benny's former rooming house to the black parrot No one was willing to talk threats didn't work and neither did promises Ben and I gave up for the moment and headed back to the office Specific ambulance one call to alhambra is now code three Seems like skid row doesn't want any part of this one. Yeah, there's a bad feeling. Something's got him scared Joe would like to know what it is or who it is Yeah, like control one to unit 80k Control one to unit 80k us Joe get away. I got it 80k to control one 80k to control one go ahead 80k call station two five one one code three 80k to control one roger kma 367 I know what that's all about now. Let's find out. There's a drugstore. They ought to have a phone pull over, huh? You got a nickel Oh, yeah, yeah, thanks. I'll be back in a minute Two five one one. Hey, this is friday mic the chief there. Oh, yeah, just this friday ed. What do you got? You tied up Nothing big then what hospital about a month ago pharmacy there. What about it? Two patrolmen picked up a user down near union station about an hour and a half ago Yeah Guy was way back in his heels. He had two vials of morphine on him vials had serial numbers Good. Did they match out perfectly? Thanks ed. We'll be right in When ben and I got back to the office at 3 52 p.m We picked up chief ed back strand and went directly to the crime lab where lieutenant lead jones analyzed the contents of the Two vials taken from the suspect Jones told us it was high-grade morphine We went back to the office and double-checked the serial numbers on the vials with a crime report on the saint agnes hospital robbery They matched and there's a good break These vials were in the loot when the gang knocked over the hospital 28 days ago A stand the trail and we'll crack that gang wide open. This the arrest report on the guy yet Yeah, picked him up in a bar off south main. Who is a guy at transient? Yeah, here it is, man James steiner phoenix arizona age 37 transient laborer Anybody talk this guy yet ed not yet. He shouldn't be too hard. You better get on it Right skipper. Come on, joe. Check you later ed. What time you got bent? Let me see here 25 past four your phone call for you Ben Yeah, who was it your wife? Why should they pick up some aspirin a bottle of nose drops for your kid on your way home? Oh, yeah, almost forgot. That's the only call we had mike. That's right. Thanks. Well, you got that dr. Springer's number been Yeah Here it is quest for you 55284 thanks Nurse said he'd call us around four didn't yeah Dr. Springer's office. This is sergeant friday down at the police department. Dr. Springer there No, he isn't sergeant. He called in about 20 minutes ago and I gave him your message He said he'd call you. All right, mr. Turner when he comes in tell him to call us and press on him. It's urgent All right, sergeant. I'll do that. Goodbye. Goodbye No luck. I don't know just a hunch. He may be ducking us Who you calling now state medical board? Maybe they can check us out on dr. Springer I put the call through to the state medical board and asked for a check on dr. fred springer They said they'd call back within the hour in the meantime. We had james steiner brought to one of the interrogation rooms for questioning It was all talk It's like I told the sergeant when they booked me. I don't know anything about this hospital job sit down steiner Oh, all right How long you've been in the city steiner l.a. Oh about a month. I came from phoenix looking for work I think it's pretty slow in phoenix. Where'd you get the morphine? Huh? I said, where'd you get the morphine? The stuff I bought it just for a pop now, and then I just play around with it just for kicks Who'd you buy the vials from? who I don't know a guy in a bar gave me a price. Which bar was that? Which bar? A black parrot. I'm not hooked. I just play around with it just for kicks What did that look like steiner? What did he look like? I don't know tall I guess would you remember him if you saw him again? remember Sure, I talked to him a couple of nights at the bar. Was he on the stuff? Was he a hype hype? Yeah Maybe tall fella dark you shooting the stuff Shooting the stuff No, no, I'm no mainliner. I never took in the veins of my life. I told you I'd do it just for kicks just to Pop now, man. Take off your shirt. Let's see your arms. Huh? My arms come on. Take it off. Yeah Who are you kidding steiner? Your arm looks like a pincushion. I I I told you just once in a while just For the kicks. I'm not hooked on it. I found two vials of stolen morphine on you steiner You can go two ways hard or easy hard or easy I told you I ain't done nothing. I bought this stuff. I use a cap or a spindle once in a while for kicks But I'm not hooked I bought the stuff. I tell you who was he steiner. Who's all it to you who? I told you I met him in a bar the black ferret who was he was tall Dark he came in good price. Come on. Let's have it steiner his name. I'm feeling sick You got something for me. I'm sick. All right Mike yeah, Joe get some milk a couple of quarks right away. Okay You ready to tell us steiner who wasn't I'm sick We're getting some milk for you now. Come on. You better talk Max That's all he said name was max and gave me a good price. I Only take a pop now and then just for kicks. You think you could point him out for us? Yeah Yeah maybe I'm sick Dark garlic chamele. Hello. This is dr. Springer calling. You wanted to talk to me. Yes, we did dr. And we got a few questions. We'd like to ask you. Oh, hold on just a minute. Will you Dr. Springer, Joe All right, tell him we got to see him tonight. We'll call him back later Dr. Springer. Yes, sorry, dr. We'll have to see you later on tonight. You be at home Well, I have an appointment this evening Would you mind telling me what this is all about? Sure, dr. It's about a man named benny prounsel Oh I see and if you don't mind we'd like to check over your prescription list with you to my appointment You can contact me here at home 1538 south road I'll be here All night. All right, dr. Thank you. We'll see you later then. Yes. Goodbye. Goodbye What'd he say? All right Yeah, it's all right I'll buy that. Aren't you yours now, Joe? Hmm dr. Springer. He knows who killed benny prounsel. I bet he knows why When mike hannon came back with the milk we fed it to steiner and then we put him back in his cell We put in another call to john paterson out on east berverly drive, but there was no answer We left word with hannon where we were going and ben and I headed out for dr. Springer's home It was 735 when we pulled up into the driveway at 1538 south road a low rambling ranch type home We got out of the car and made our way down the path to the front door A gray persian cat followed us The door was half open. We knocked but there was no answer Through the window. We could see the living room was dimly lighted. We went in We found dr. Springer sitting in a large car of mahogany chair in the dining room The room was hung with draperies. It was slumped forward face down on the dining table It was a bullet hole in his right temple On the floor near his right hand was a 32 automatic pistol In the center of the dining table was a piece of white paper Looks like he beat us Yeah Any names on that confession one Says he killed tround No, wait a minute It says uh john paterson. He forced me to this What? I don't know what you look like to you. Here's another one norberg That's all it says when he signed his name dr. Fred Springer Ben come over here. Look at these Mmm. I happened to hear me kneel. It works This morphine white powder could be and he was on it himself looks like it. We'll find out when they post him I'll get it Yeah, sergeant friday there, please. This is joe mike. What do you got? Can you talk all right there? Yeah, go ahead. Just got a kickback on this dr. Fred Springer He's not a registered physician in the state of california. Besides that his license was revoked in pennsylvania two years ago Illegal operations that explains it notify homicide get the crime lab in the corner out here. Will you looks like springer shot himself Okay, joe right away. We'll wait for him, but hurry him up mike. We got a couple more places to check out tonight. Okay, joe seal it right What's next paterson place? I don't know. Maybe we ought to try steiner first sounds good to me Feels like we're getting close. Yeah, man real close 12 minutes later homicide in the crime lab men checked in at the springer house and ben and I checked out We went back to the office and found it back strand waiting for us We told him our story and he sent two men out to keep an eye on the paterson place Two other men went to work to try and track down the other name and springer's confession note norberg Ben and I went up to the county jail and picked up steiner The three of us started out to look for the man who sold steiner the two vials of morphine stolen from the hospital pharmacy a month before The man's name was max. He was tall and dark That was all we knew the rest of it was up to steiner Two other men from the detail davis and emerson came along with us to take care of steiner if anything went wrong Our first stop was the black pair of tavern Davis parked the car in an alley down the street steiner ben and I got out and walked the rest of the way You understand what you're supposed to do steiner me. Yeah I go in first and sit at the bar You two will follow me I sit at the bar and if I see max. I give you the sign That's that's okay, huh? That's right. Then you don't try to break for it break for it Me I I told you I'm squaring with you guys. All right steiner go ahead Let's hope it works. Joe. Yeah, there he goes inside Come on. Now look try to grab one of the booths along the wall if you can, huh? Right here we are The first booth ban. It's empty. Yeah. Oh, it's left to order at the bar waitress got a night off May get a couple of beers will you couple of beers? Okay Joe So look at steiner. Yeah, he's signaling must mean the guy putting on his coat over there No, no hold it been really gets past us All right get steiner back to the car. I'll tell the guy you come after me I didn't know how right steiner was or how much we could trust him All I knew was that the man I was following was tall and he was in a hurry I followed him three quarters of a block before he turned in at a motel He went to a cottage at the rear of the lot let himself in and close the door quickly behind him A minute later ben and the others pulled up in the car No steiner says that was max. Let's make sure come on That's one of the in the one down at the end here. I'll be careful you too All right, here we are. Wait a minute right there Look, there's no rear door. He's got to come out the front. Keep the door clear. You ready? I'll say cover me open up in there Police officers open up. All right, ben give it back to him Throw your guns out first and come out with your hands behind your head and make it fast Watch it. Ben. He's making a break. All right, mr. That's far enough get out of my way Get him ben. That's good. Ben. You all right? Yeah, he didn't mean it cover. He didn't mean it He didn't know what he was doing Well, that must be a good excuse lady. A lot of people use it. Come on ben. Let's take him in It was 10 minutes past midnight when we got back to headquarters Both the man and the woman were booked for violation of the state narcotics act of felony He gave his name as max jansen in his luggage We found 13 vials of morphine large quantities of heroin and a small amount of panopon He gave us the names and addresses of sex active members of the narcotics gang He identified dr. Springer as second in command Just a few more questions jansen. Yeah, all right. Why did Springer kill trance? He had it coming Trance knew the score and he was blackmailing them bleeding them white. Why didn't the gang take care of him? Boss said no rough stuff Things were going too good. He warned Springer, but he wouldn't listen. All right jensen. Just one more question. Who's the boss? Do I get off light state's witness? It might help. We can't promise you anything. Who's the boss better? Yeah, 138 east beverly drive. That's right. What about norberg? How does he figure? The same guy paterson norberg both the same and what's his real name? Norberg tony norberg. What's his front? He's legit or used to be Importing business where here got an office downtown Do I get protection? Where's norberg now? Home out in laurel canyon. I get protection. I thought you said he lived out on east beverly His apartment his home's out in the canyon. Where what's he addressed? Do I get protection you'll get protection? Wind and way 860 winding way. All right fratting room arrow Takes him in with you All right davis cover the back of the house levine you cover the front come on ben Yes, mr. Norberg in who's calling police officers. Oh come in won't you thank you Now get your hands up face the wall. You'll never make it lady the house is surrounded tony get the stuff It's our only chance. They'll cut you down norberg All right genie giving the gun don't be a fool. They're gonna march out the door in front of us right to the car I'm not going genie try it if you want. I'm not going. All right, tony stay come on coffers You'll never make it lady. I said move fast All right ben hit the dirt She's going for the car See if you can get those tires Dane norberg was smart Must be the girlfriend Yes, so Wonder why they start Hmm? Why do they get on the stuff joe? For kicks ben None of them ever get hooked Just for kicks You have just heard is true Only the names were changed to protect the innocent Tony norberg alias john paterson was tried and convicted for possession of narcotics robbery and conspiracy And was sentenced to the maximum term prescribed by law each count to run consecutively He died three years and 11 days after his arrival at the state penitentiary You have just heard the ninth in a new series of authentic cases transcribed from official files Technical advice for dragnet is furnished by the los angeles police department Tonight's program is dedicated to chief urskine irt fish of the north sacramental police department Who on the night of august 11th 1935 gave his life so that yours might be more secure Dragnet came to you from los angeles This is nbc the national broadcasting company