 The Equitable 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. Before opening tonight's file, will you imagine for a moment that you're looking in the dictionary? There's one word in it of special importance for millions of you who have tuned in this program. If you look in the dictionary, you'll find that the word society comes from an ancient Latin word, sociotas, which means literally a group of allies. So don't you agree that the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States is well named a society? It is a group of allies. Every member of the Equitable Society has three and a quarter million trustworthy allies. They are his fellow members, the men and women who have joined forces with him to provide the security of life insurance for themselves and their families. So now you know that the word society in the name Equitable Society has a very deep significance. It means that this great mutual organization is owned entirely by its members, the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Tonight's file, The Innocent Killer. Too often, grave injustices have been committed against innocent persons through circumstantial evidence and coincidence. Therefore, your FBI has never relied solely on either in fixing the guilt for a crime, considering rather the establishment of innocence as a first principle of true justice. Your FBI, as tonight's case from its Alaskan files demonstrates, takes nothing for granted. Suspects all evidence until proven valid and never jumps at conclusions. All day long, the blizzard sweeping down from the Arctic has held across the flat, bleak country surrounding the little Alaskan village of Rockland. And now as the deeper gloom of night closes in, a woman sits all alone in John Miller's log cabin trading post, demanding a sweater near the old Potbellied Stove. Suddenly, the front door swings open. A man enters. Well? Where's the trader? You got something to trade? I said where is he? Mr. Miller ain't here. When will he be back? He's up north. He'll be down about a week. Anybody else here? Would that be bad? What do you mean? What could I do? You put up your doors? I haven't got any. You haven't got any snowshoes either. I rode with an Eskimo sled in his way. That thing on the counter behind you. What does it look like? Shortwave radio. That's right. Works both ways. What does it reach? Fairbanks. Any news? About what? About anything. Why should you be so interested? Answer my question. Okay. They signaled here about 15 minutes ago. Yeah. There was a report on some trouble in Fairbanks. What kind of trouble? The government assayer was shot and killed in his office earlier today. They asked me to be on the lookout for the guy that done it. Any description? Yeah. Real good one. They said he was a fellow about your size. He was wearing a red and black Mackinac. Just like the one you got on. Anything else? That's enough, ain't it? What'd they tell you to do if he showed here? Call him back. That might make trouble for you. I know. Well, what are you going to do, sweetheart? Get the awful lonesome here. How about some tea? Immediately after the body of the government assayer was found on the floor of his office, United States Marshal Henderson had contacted the FBI office in Juneau. Special Agent Rankin caught the next plane for Fairbanks, where he is now going over the scene of the crime. The assayer must have put up a fight. Looks like signs of a struggle, Marshal. Sure does, Mr. Rankin. Have you have any opinions? Could have. Then somebody had a grudge. Somebody who thought the government was trying to cheat him on weight or quality? Yeah. How about robbery? Could have been. Only nothing seems to be missing. Safe wasn't even touched. How did you fix the time of the killing? I was here myself at 11, and just a little before 12.30, Charlie the barber stopped in to say hello and found the body instead. Charlie was the one who reported it. Where does the man with the red and black mackinac fit in? Charlie again. His shop's just across the street there. He saw the man come in here around 12 or so. Did he recognize him? No, he was too far away. According to the books, Uncle Andy was the only one in the day. He brought a little pan in. Who's he? Old booze fighter. There's a little pan in and trapping down around Rutland. A few miles south of here. You ever make any trouble? He's rowed with the assayers, huh? He's been threatening to blow his head off a time or two, but... Just lick her toe. Or maybe. And maybe not. There's been a man killed and we're not overlooking any angle, Marshall. Let's run them all down. More tea, mister? The name is Kurt. Some more tea, Kurt. No, thanks. Nan. Uh-huh. Tell me something, will you? What? What's with you in a setup like this? What do you mean? How'd you wind up here? I married the guy. You like it? What do you think? Why do you hang around? Because I've had no way of getting out. Now, suppose you tell me something. Okay. You are the guy that Marshall's looking for. That's right. How'd it happen? You kill him? Mm-hmm. Well, I was kind of in the same spot you are, baby. So I made a stab at some getaway doll. Which the assayer didn't want to give you? Mm-hmm. Did you get the money? No. After the killing, I had to get out of there fast. Oh. Why do you want to know all this? If you'd gotten the money, it would have made it easier. Made what easier? You're getting me out of here? Huh? That's what you're going to do, you know. Are you kidding? You're getting me out of here and back to the station. Oh, look, baby, I've got enough worries. They can gear on myself. Ain't you forgetting the Marshall? I told him I'd keep a lookout for a man with him. Listen, you ain't blowing no whistle on me. Then get me out. Wow. That's your problem. Get in the back room, quick. Okay. But if he's wearing a badge, get rid of him or don't stand between us. Okay. Just a minute. It's an order of anti-freeze. I'm fresh out. I wouldn't say you've been doing so bad. No, no, no. But the whiskey run out on me between Fairbanks and here. You were in Fairbanks today? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I had another row with that thick-headed assayur. Someday I'm going to blow his head, plum off his shoulders. Uncle Andy. I mean it, Miss Nan. Doc, go on another piece. Haven't you heard? Huh. What was what? He was shot and killed today. It's about time. What'd you say? I said the assayur was shot and killed today. You mean that? I got it over the radio. The Marshal said about noon. About noon? What? I was in rowing with him about that time. That must have happened right after. How come you didn't hear about it? Well, I... I didn't travel right after. I was in his office. I wanted to take a look at some traps up the way before coming out of here. Have a drink. That'll kick your pump over a little faster. Yeah, yeah. Thank you, Miss Nan. Thank you. Uh, uh... Who done it? They don't seem to know. Well, I guess that'll get me over to my cabin. Take the bottle with you. Well, thank you, Miss Nan. Thank you. Just a minute, pal. No need of rushing off, mister. Who's this, Miss Nan? Oh, he's a friend of mine. Uh, Kurt, this is Uncle Andy. Hiya. Hiya, son. What'd you... What'd you want with me? Just your company. Well, no. Well, that's real nice of you. Well, up a chair. Don't mind if I do. Man, you got another bottle of that stuff? I'd like to buy Uncle a little drink. Well, now, Nan, this is a man after my own heart. I'll get some cups, honey. Let's be stylish. What is all this? You told me I had a problem this off, sweetheart. Maybe now I got the solution. Mr. Rankin. Wash on. Pick up anything? I took a look at the slug that got out of the assay's body. Oh? It's a caliber. Well, that may be a help. It will be when we find the pistol that fired it. I did some more asking around, but nobody but Charlie seems to remember seeing anybody wearing a red and black machina. Marshal, where did you say this Uncle Andy is located? He's got a cabin down around Rutland. Why? Well, he was seen hitting the trail in a hurry a little after 12 noon today. Yeah. Maybe we ought to take a run down there. It'd be kind of rugged going tonight. Yeah, I can get Miller's trading post down there on the radio. You want to do that? Or what for? Uncle Andy's around there. Good deal? No. No, there's no need letting him know we're coming. We'll get down there in the morning. Say, you know, I'm beginning to like this young fellow an awful lot, Mr. Nair. You're okay yourself, huh? Give us another bottle, man. Yeah, yes, another bottle, honey. And you know something? You ought to make him stay around this country. You and him might get it off, you know? Maybe I'm not his type. Sure, you're his type. She's any man's type, huh? Ain't she, son? That's what they tell me. Raph? What do you say, son, eh? Like to settle down here and kind of be a neighbor? No, no, no, I don't think so. Can't make any money here. What? Money? Well, you can make lots of money around here. That's so hard. Sure. Prospect is trapping like me. You make money? Well, I bring money. You just asked John Miller when he comes back, and he ain't doing all right. Yeah? Sure, sure. He's keeping a lot from me over there, and that's there safe right now. You hear that, man? Honk's got a couple of bucks put away. Yeah. Couple of bucks. Couple of... Wait, he's holding $5,000 for me if he's holding a nickel. That's all I wanted to know. Yes, yes. Huh? Maybe this guy's our passport. What do you mean? Yeah. What do you mean, call me passport? When's Miller coming back? We part. That's plenty of time. Fast. Give me those things, hon. I got it all figured out now. Oh. Please, please. Give me one of those things. Sure. Pour them one, sweetheart. A stiff one. Yeah. A stiff one. There you are. Put them up, honk. Yeah. Here's to you, son. Baby. Yeah? Get on that radio and tell them they can come get the body of the guy who killed the Yasea. The frozen north, crime, the FBI, these are the ingredients of a thrilling story. But there's another kind of story that can be thrilling to Americans. The sort of kindly human story such as happened this week at the Equitable Society. This week at the Equitable Society, I read a very sincere letter of thanks received by the Equitable Agent in Olympia, Washington. It was from a widow who had just received a totally unexpected check from the Equitable Society. I did not realize, she wrote, that I had anything coming on this old policy which my husband dropped many years ago. As I'm now well along in years, this money is surely a God sent to me as it will give me something each month to live on. I didn't realize that a company such as yours would make all this effort to locate me. I cannot thank you too much and would you please give my heartfelt thanks to the officers of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States who are so kind and have so much help to me. Now, I'd like to point out that the Equitable Agent in Olympia, Washington didn't receive one cent of pay for the time and trouble he devoted to this widow's case. He did it gladly and willingly because he is the kind of man who enjoys doing good turns for other people. And in that respect, he's typical of all the agents and representatives of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. The Equitable Representative in your community is more than just professionally trained on security. He's a man who went into life insurance because he saw in it unlimited opportunities to benefit his fellow men. He's the sort of man who takes deep satisfaction in the thought that this week and every week for 86 years the Equitable Society has been building security for you, your home, and your country. And now back to the file on the innocent killer. The crime files of this country contain hundreds of cases in which criminals have temporarily escaped justice by manipulating circumstance and coincidence to pin the guilt on an innocent person but invariably the truly guilty person pays for his crime. Regrettably, however, as in the case of the unfortunate man lying dead on the floor of the trading post, justice occasionally comes too late to fully spare the innocent. It is now some four hours later and Special Agent Rankin and Marshall Henderson have arrived at the trading post. That sounds cleanly all right, Mr. Rankin. Tell us what happened, Mrs. Miller. Well, I'm still so upset. It's hard to remember everything but he was awful drunk when he came in. He said he'd been to Fairbanks. I asked him if he'd heard the news about the killing. That was after I talked to you on the radio. Yes. And I believe that Marshall told you to be on the lookout for a man with a red and black machina. Yes, yes, he did. Well, didn't you suspect something right away when this man walked in wearing a machina like this? Well, of course, I noticed it. I just couldn't believe that Uncle Andy would... What did he say when you asked him if he knew about the killing? He just looked at me, kind of funny. I told him that Marshall had warned me to be on the lookout for a man wearing a red and black machina. Yes. Then he pulled out a pistol and said, what was I going to do about it? I see, go on. Well, he was so drunk that maybe I could handle him. And I started fighting with him for the gun. Before I knew it, it went off, and he was lying there on the floor. At any time during this struggle, did you get possession of the pistol? No. No, I tried to jerk it out of his hand, but he was too strong for me. What's this bottle here? Oh, that. He asked for a drink when he first came in. I gave him the bottle. Well, Marshall, I guess we'd better get the body into the sled and head back to Fairbanks. All right, Rankin. Is there anything else you want me to do? Well, we'll let you know, Mrs. Miller, if there is. Marshall, would you give me a hand, please? Sure. All right. I'll open the door for you. All right. Good night, Mrs. Nair. Good night. Good luck on the trail back. Good going, Kurt. You did a good job, baby. I was awful scared. Kurt. Yeah? What are we going to do now? I got that all figured out. Well, would it be asking too much to let me know about it? Now, don't get jumpy, sweetheart. Well, what are we going to do? I pull out of here tonight. I'll take the old guy's sled and head down from the manor. That's the first stop on the railroad south of Fairbanks. You go alone? That's right. I'll grab a train and go on to Anchorage and wait for you. When do I leave? You've got to stick around here for a couple of days in case the law wants to ask any more questions. We get Uncle Andy's dough out of the safe, cut it up, take 2,500 apiece, and you... Wait a minute. What's the matter? You think I'd buy that deal? You're out of your mind. Well, what's wrong with it? Oh, not a thing. It's just peachy. You killed two men, get a gift of 2,500, use the dough for a getaway and leave me holding the bag. Oh, look, we got... Well, they just ain't going to work out that way. You're leaving here tonight all right, but I'm going with you. You'll make it look bad for me. I'll take that chance. I'm going with you. But, baby... And furthermore, I take charge of the dough. Oh, yes. Come in, Marshall. How are you making out? Well, the doctor just left here. He performed the autopsy. Did he find the bullet? Yes. What's the story on it? Well, there hasn't been time for a ballistic check, but I'd say it matches with the one taken from the assaer's body. That figured. I think it figured a little too well. What do you mean? I'm beginning to wonder if that woman at the trading post gave us the true story of what happened out there. Why? Well, Marshall, several factors have come up. First of all, remember you're telling me you never saw Uncle Andy ever carry a pistol? Yeah. Well, I confirmed that around town. He's never been seen with anything but a hunting knife and a deer rifle. What else? I checked the prints on that liquor bottle I picked up at the trading post. There were three different sets. One was the old man's. One, I assume, was the girl's. What about the third? Well, right now, all I can do is ask the same question. And there's another factor in this thing I don't like. What's that? Here. Look at this red and black mackerel that the old man was wearing. Yes. The woman said the bullet was fired at close range. There's no trace of powder burns. In fact, there isn't even a bullet hole. Well... Of course, his coat had been opened when the struggle occurred. There'd still be powder burns. That's right. Marshall, I wonder if you'd go out and get Mrs. Miller and bring her in here for further questioning. Sure. Meantime, I'm going to try and find out who belongs to that third set of fingerprints. Get the ticket? Yep. When's the train due in? Any minute now, I guess. What do we do with this dog team? Just leave it here. Oh, that ain't very smart. Somebody'll find it. So what? They'll know we came here to take this train. By the time that happens, we'll be in the clear. I don't see... Look, I'm the one that's got real trouble in this deal, remember? We leave the dogs right here. What do we do when we get to Anchorage? I got a hotel room there. I want to stop by and pick up some things that left. Then we head right for the states. Here it comes. Yep. Take my bag, will you? Okay. How much for the ticket? Why? I gave you $50. There ought to be change. Now look, this ain't going to work. I told you. I take care of the dough. Okay. But I'm holding out five of it for carrying your bag. Well, how did you make out, Marshal? Not so good. What happened? I went out to trading post. The woman wasn't there. From the looks of things, she's gone for good. What do you mean? Well, I looked around the place. All her clothes were missing. The safe was open and empty. Let's see. Well, that more or less ties in with the information I picked up around town. What's that? I talked with some friends of Uncle Andy's. They saw him the morning of the killing. He wasn't wearing this red and black Mackinac. No? I also learned that Uncle Andy let John Miller at the trading post keep money for him and that's safe out there. Oh, then she skipped out with Andy's dough. Looks that way. You think she killed him, too? No. No, I have another theory on that killing. What? I believe that the murderer was the real owner of this red and black coat. Oh, then that would be the owner of the third set of fingerprints. That's right. But who is he? His name is Kurt Williams. Well, how'd you find that out? I'll explain that later. You think he's run off with Mrs. Miller? Yes. Well, we better get our alarm out on them right away. Yes, send out an alarm. But I have an idea we may be able to pick them up ourselves. Oh. Let's get the airport on the phone. We're taking a little trip. Is that the hotel? Yeah. Come here, looking drunk. Honey, you weren't exactly living at the Ritz. How long do we stay here? I told you just till I pack up and check out and dig into that bankroll sugar this hotel tab is on you. Okay. Open the door, will you? All right. While I'm upstairs packing you'll find out about flights to Seattle. That'll be a pleasure. I've got to get my key. Let me have the key to room 27, please. Yes, sir. Hello, Mrs. Miller. Huh? Remember me? Yes. FBI. Marshall and I had an idea we might find you here. Who's your friend, Mrs. Miller? You mean him? Yeah. I believe his name is Kurt Williams. Did he tip you off? Take it easy. How'd you know we'd be here? A red and black brandy appear gildy established your own guilt. You see, I found a hotel envelope that had slipped down in the lining of that coat. This hotel? That's right. So I called here, gave them your description, Williams. They said you still had a room. You stuck! Now I think we ought to have a little talk about a double murder. Kurt Williams was tried and convicted in a federal court on the charge of first-degree murder. His female accomplice was sentenced to a long term in the penitentiary. Yes, occasionally, justice comes too late to fully spare an innocent person of a malicious conspiracy to fix a crime on him through criminal manipulation of circumstance and coincidence. But the truly guilty will not escape justice. As for your FBI, we repeat, it never takes anything for granted. Suspects all evidence until proven valid and never jumps at conclusions. There's another thrilling story from FBI Files ready for next week's broadcast. Before we tell you about it, just a few words about a man in your community who is helping to bring this program to you. 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 is one for him the respect and confidence of his fellow citizens who recognize his contribution in bringing security to 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 cold-blooded kidnapper. The incidents used in tonight's Equitable Society's broadcast are taken 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 under the direction of Frederick Steiner, the author was Frank Ferres, and your narrator was Dean Carlton. This is your FBI is a Jerry Divine production. And 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. For this is your FBI. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company.