 Chesterfield brings you dragnet. Put a smile in your smoking. Buy Chesterfield. Smoother. Cooler. Best for you. Ladies and gentlemen, the story you're about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a robbery detail. You get a call from an officer in another division. He's come across some information about a robbery. Your job? Check it out. Put a smile in your smoking. Next time you buy cigarettes. Stop. Remember this. It's today's biggest cigarette news. Chesterfield is made the modern way. With Accuray. The Accuray controller is the greatest improvement in cigarette making in years. And it's a Chesterfield exclusive. This amazing quality detective electronically checks and controls the making of your Chesterfield. Giving a uniformity and smoking quality never possible before. So buy Chesterfield today. For the first time you get a perfect smoke column from end to end. A perfect smoke column from end to end. From the first puff to the last puff. Your Chesterfield smokes smoother. From the first puff to the last puff. Your Chesterfield smokes cooler. From the first puff to the last puff. Chesterfield is best for you. Next time you buy cigarettes. Stop. Remember. Chesterfield is made the modern way. With Accuray. Put a smile in your smoking. Just give them a try. Light up a Chesterfield. They satisfy. 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 transcribed 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, May 18th. It was hot in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out of robbery detail. My partner's Frank Smith, the boss of Chief of Detectives Thad Brown. My name's Friday. We're on our way down from the office. It'll be 7 a.m. when we get to the R&I counter. Coke machine. I don't see him. No. It's quite a gadget, huh, Joe? What? The machine here. Real piece of work. Sure is. Here you are. Thank you. You stop and figure, Joe, all the wires in there. Leavers. Must be a couple hundred wheels. Yeah. Johnny say why he wanted to see us? Yes, sir. There must be four or five miles of wire in that thing. Yeah, at least. Why do you think he did it, Joe? What? Invent the machine. I don't know. Maybe just like to invent things. No. I don't think that's it. What's your idea? Well, a guy'd have spent a lot of time to build something like this. Maybe a couple of years. Yeah. Figure now a person, just have to step up, put a coin in, cup drops down. Sir, pours in. Seltzer. The way it's all measured out. Yeah, a guy'd have spent a lot of time on that. Yeah, I guess so. Sure. Got to be a good reason for thinking it up. What's your idea? I don't think he could find a bottle opener. Yeah, sure. Joe, Frank. Hi, John. Oh, hi, Johnny. Sorry I'm late. I got to call him a way out. No trouble. What you got? Picked up a kid day before yesterday, carrying a can full of grass. Pretty rough kid when he tagged him wouldn't give us a time of day. How old is he? 17, just under the line. Uh-huh. We got to talking to him last night, started to relax. Guess he knew he was in trouble. Yeah. One thing led to another and the kid ended up talking pretty good. What'd he give you? Rumble about his brother. Got big plans. Yeah. Kind of knock over a loan company. Captain Powers, Frank and I left the city hall, drove over to Georgia Street Juvenile. We had the suspect brought to one of the interview rooms. All right, sit down, Homer. Homer, this is Sergeant Friday and Officer Smith. They want to talk to you. Joe, Frank is Homer Rankin. All right. Hi, son. What do you want? Well, I told them what you said about your brother, Homer. They'd like to go over it with you. That's a lousy deal. What do you mean by that, son? That's what I mean. What I told you wasn't supposed to be broadcast. I'm just trying to help you out, kid. Yeah, where's your shovel? Word leaks, I turn fink into services, it'll be real nice. You're all invited. Look, boy, you're not going to help yourself acting like this and you're not going to do your brother any good either. You tell me all about it, huh? What are you trying to build, Homer? What do you want? Leave me alone. We can't do that. You know it. Try. I'll call me you're in trouble. Why make it any worse, huh? You got me for possession. That's all. You ain't going to make any more out of it. All right, let's go. Come on, kid. We're true now. The basement for the rubber hose, huh? Going back to your cell. Good. I didn't sleep good last night. Maybe I can get some sack time. You better do it while you can. What's that supposed to mean? The time the court gets through you're not going to feel like sleeping, I'm afraid. What do you do? Hmm? Where do you work? What's your job around here? Robbery. Big guys, huh? No. Sure, I heard about you fellas. Big time operators. I guess I should feel pretty good you come to see me. How do you figure that? You don't waste your time on small time stuff. Well, you better take another look. Huh? We did this morning. We sent back to Captain Power's office and got the name and address of the subject's brother, 12-10 p.m. We drove back to the city hall and had the name checked through R&I. Here you are. Thanks, Ellen. That's a fat package. Let's see the arrest report. It's long. Oh, very good. 211. It's been busy. You got a 5-2 there? There it is. What was he listed as the next to Ken? Wife, Paula Rankin, 101st Street address. Better talk to them. Yeah. You think the kid told Power's the truth? I don't know. Maybe he just wanted to sound big. That's possible. Brother sure fits, though. Mm-hmm. Guy's been lucky. What do you mean? Well, all the arrests, he's never stood a conviction. Well, let's see if we can change that. We got a copy of the suspect's mugshot and we went out to see his wife. She lived in one of the new housing projects on the south side of the city. Yeah. Miss Rankin. That's right. Police officers, we'd like to talk to you. Well, I don't know anything about the marijuana. Kid got it someplace. It's his problem. I got enough of my own. We'd like to talk to you about your husband. Tim? That's right. Come on in. Thank you. Want to sit down? Thanks. Here's my partner, Frank Smith. My name's Friday. Yeah. Now, what's it beef about, Tim? Is he here? No. You know where he is? No, I don't. Why don't you see him last? A couple of days ago. Well, I don't know. Couldn't care any less. Do you have any idea where we can get in touch with him? Listen, mister, if I knew you'd have it, I got nothing to save him from. As I'm concerned, he can boil. Is that so? Yeah. Since the day I met him, I've been carrying the economy size of trouble. Weak goes by and he ain't pinched. It's a cause to get arrested for shooting off skyrockets. No. Always something. I'm tired of it. And I'm through with him. Never see him again. I ain't gonna cry about it. You got any other relatives in town? Just the JD. Ma'am. Kid Homer. He's the only one. Boy lives here, is that right? He's got a bed. Don't use it much, like his brother. All the time out trying to get himself hung up. Never seen such a trouble family. Any place your husband might go? I told you before, if there is, I don't know about it. Does he have a job? Tim? Yes, ma'am. Honey, if you got paid for goofing, Tim could retire. Only thing wrong is he ain't got nothing to retire from. He doesn't have a job. That's the general idea, yeah. Where does he spend his time? He ain't around here. Well, where do you know? I don't know. Guess it'd be the hot dog stand. A couple of times when I needed some money, I caught up with him there. Where is the place? Down on 114th. Couple of blocks over. You can't miss it. One of those all night places. Your husband have any close friends? What do you mean, close? Well, people he'd spend time with. Yeah. A couple of guys fit that. You know their names? No. Have you ever seen them? Yeah. One of them was here once. I saw him. Can you give us a name? No, I don't remember. Me and Tim had a beef about it. I came home and found him and this bum cropped on beer, had a beef about it, and ended up with both of them leaving. Can you describe the man for us? He's a man. Got a head, two arms, two legs. That's all they can tell us? Yeah. All right. Thanks for the time. Don't worry about it. It's free. I'm gonna leave you a card over here from your husband. We'd appreciate a call. Sure. Well, don't hold your breath. It's unlikely. He'll come back this time. All right. Can you tell him what it's about? It's a police matter. I can talk to him personally. Can he get you anything? Drink, maybe? No, thanks. No, thanks. Too bad. Sometime when you're in the neighborhood, you know, not working. Drop in. I'll call you a drink. Yeah, sure. No, I mean it. We're all gets lonely just sitting by ourselves. But the company'd be nice. Mm-hmm. You're not married, are you? No, man. That's nice. You dropped by now, anytime. You bet. Thanks again. Goodbye, Ms. Rankin. Bye. Hey, Joe. Just do me a favor, will you? Sure, old buddy. What is it? Be quiet. We checked with the neighbors, and they verified Ms. Rankin's story about her husband's absence. None of them were able to tell us where he might have gone. Other than saying that the Rankins fought constantly, they were not able to give us any new information. 2.15 p.m. We drove down to the hot dog stand on 114th. There was no one at the counter who looked like the suspect, Tim Rankin. How long will it be? Cup coffee. Okay, how about you? Number six, I guess. You make that with cheddar cheese? Yeah. Okay, I'll have one of those. Glass of milk, too, huh? Sure. Want your coffee now? Please. That's good. That's the way we like it. Oh, not the coffee. The sun. Oh, yeah. And paper scissors. 91 Pacific Center. Uh-huh. Yeah, we should be doing more business than we are. Don't understand it, though. Is that right? You know, cold drinks. Hot day people all the time. Drinking something cold. Yeah. No offense. What's all right? Malamut, be ready right away. Huh? That's what the number six is, Malamut. Oh. Have you seen Tim Rankin around this morning? Uh, yeah, he was in about 10. You guys friends with him? We'd like to talk to him. He came in and had a cup of coffee with Shelly. Two of them left, I guess, about 10.30. Who was he with, you know? Shelly, you know, Shelly Mitchell. Oh, yeah. Big buddies all the time together. You know where they went? No, I don't know. Maybe over Shelly's. Do you live around here? Yeah, he's got a pad a couple of blocks over. Mm-hmm. And your dog, that'll be ready. You know the address of that place? Mm-hmm. I've never been there. I heard the two of them talk about it, though. Is this guy a Mitchell at work? No, I don't think either one of them do. Mm-hmm. Want to leave your names? The guy's coming back. I'll tell him you're here. I'll be better if he didn't say anything about it. Why not? We're police officers. Both of you? That's right. Sure never a guest. Mm-hmm. Cops. I never wouldn't know them. They look just like anybody else. Mm-hmm. What are you after, Tim and Shelly for? I bet it's a loan company job, huh? Huh? Is that it? What do you know about it? Oh, look, Mr., I didn't have any part in the action. I just heard them talking. That's all? Yeah, gospel. I didn't even think they were serious. If I'd have known they meant it, I'd have called the cops myself. I want to get mixed up in other things like that, not me. I ain't about to put my neck up. What'd they say about the job? Just they're going to pull it. All the time I thought they were kiddin', talkin' big. I sure never figured they'd really do it. What's the name of the company? Huh? That place they talked about. What's the name of it? Uh, a timely loan company over on Washington. They say when they were going to make it? I talked about Monday afternoon. I guess they decided not to wait, though, huh? Yeah. You the one that would drive a car, do you know? Yeah, Shelly does. I don't think it's his, though. You ever seen it? Yeah, a couple times he's had it there. What kind of a car is it? Uh, Pontiac, four-door. Happen to know the license number? No, sorry. Fellas never pay much attention to it. You the one of them say when they'd be back? No, it could be any time of it coming, though. You know if this Mitchell's ever been arrested? I can't give you an answer. Never heard him talk about it. Uh-huh. Oh, one day hit the place. What? One day robbed a loan company. I never read nothin' about it. Papers haven't got it yet. Anybody hurt? Why'd he ask that? Well, it's kind of figures, it's on. Yeah? Sure, I know one thing for sure. I don't want to get in Shelly's way. The leg don't slow him down a bit. What do you mean? He's got a wooden leg, you know. Here, right one. Told me once he got wounded in the war. All right. He still walks with a little limp. Like this. Uh-huh. Some tangle with a guy once. Happenin' in the alley out in the bank. Yeah. You know, almost knocked the fellas head right off his shoulder. It's a real punch. Is that right? Yeah, that's why I asked if anybody been hurt, Shelly being like it is. Yeah. Of course, I guess he wouldn't hit anybody being on need for it. What do you mean? Well, he just wouldn't have to, that's all. Yeah. Both of them got guns. Frank and I arranged for a steak out on the hot dog stand. Then we went back to City Hall and ran the name Shelly. Mitchell had his description through R and I. We came up with a possible that looked good. A mug shot was pulled and shown to the owner of the hot dog stand. He gave positive identification. We contacted Army authorities and requested one information they could give us. Yes, sir, huh? When was it? I see. You have those numbers? Right. Now I have them. All right, Lieutenant, thanks again. Friday. Michigan 5211. Extension 2511. No, it's 25. Right. Okay, many thanks. How about it, Joe? Looks good. He was given a dishonorable discharge. For what? theft. Spent a couple of months in the stockade and then the Army kicked him out. Yeah. They'd like to talk to him again, though. Well, how come? Well, according to the Lieutenant, it seems after he left they got the check and he didn't leave alone. What do you mean? Took 345 automatics with him. An immediate check was made at the last place listed in Mitchell's package, which was moved and left no forwarding address. Additional officers began to canvas the area where he was supposed to be living. Local broadcasts and APVs were gotten out on both suspects and a stakeout was set up on Tim Rankin's home. That afternoon we met with Captain Donahoe and it was decided to put a stakeout on the loan company. 4.50 p.m. Frank and I were leaving the office to make the necessary arrangements. You got the mugs? Yeah, we better get on it right away. Yeah. Hot shot. We missed it. Huh? Timely loan company. Yeah. In your smoking. Next time you buy cigarettes, stop. Remember this, in the whole wide world no cigarette satisfies like Chesterfield. Put a smile in your smoking. Instantly, you'll smile your approval of Chesterfield's smoothness. So smooth, so satisfying. You want them mild. We make them mild. Mild and mellow. With the smooth and refreshing taste of the right combination of the world's best tobaccos. So next time you buy cigarettes. Stop. Start smoking with a smile with Chesterfield. Smiling all the while with Chesterfield. Put a smile in your smoking. Just give them a try. Light up a Chesterfield. They satisfy. And I left the office and drove out to the Timely Loan Company on Western Avenue. For the time we got there a radio card answered the call and the officers were checking the neighborhood. A broadcast had already been gotten out carrying their description. Frank and I talked with a manager, a Mr. Richard Conover. Is there anything we can do for you, sir? No. Why don't you take a look at some pictures and see if you can recognize the holdup, man? I have to. Well, it'll help us. All right. Here they are, sir. No, they're not here. You sure? I looked at them. You haven't got a picture. Would you mind going through them again? I'll be honest with you. I'd like to see you get the two men, but the money's insured I'm not going to put my family on the block for it. I don't think I understand. It's just that I believe in them, that's all. What do you mean? On the way out they told me, said if I helped the police they'd find out and make me sorry for it. Yeah. Said they'd get my family. We went over the description Conover had given the uniform men. It could have fit almost anyone. The crime lab came out and went over the offices of the Loan Company. They found nothing that would aid us. The people in the immediate vicinity were interviewed. None of them were able to give us a good description of the suspects. Captain Richard Conover was taken to the city hall where Frank and I talked to him for over an hour. 8.14 p.m. Now, Mr. Conover, we need your help. If we don't have it, our job's going to be five times as hard. I've told you I'm not going to put my family in jeopardy. Well, now look, we'll put a policeman in your house. He'll be there 24 hours a day until we come up with the thieves. So be an officer with your children. Nobody's going to get in there. That's ridiculous. What do you mean? I'm not going to subject them to that kind of supervision. Well then, maybe you better take another look, Mr. Conover. There are two men in this city who've held you up and they've made threats on your life. Now, we don't blame you for being concerned, but this isn't going to help. Unless you go along with us, our hands are tied. There isn't anything we can do. And you've got no reason to believe that these men aren't going to try to get at you, even if you don't talk. You're the only one who can identify them. Pretty soon they're going to think about that, and then we won't be able to stop them. You and your family are in trouble now, whether you talk to us or not. All right, I'll tell you. 9.14 p.m. The suspects were positively identified as Timothy Rankin and Shelley Mitchell. Additional bulletins were gotten out on the two men, and the search for them was intensified. Officers were dispatched to Conover's home in the event that the two thieves tried to make good their threat. Rankin's brother was requested at Georgia Street Juvenile, but either he couldn't or else he wouldn't aid us in apprehending the suspect. 11.30 that night, Frank and I were ready to leave the office. Did you sign the logs here? Yeah, let's go. I got it. Robbery Friday. Hello. Robbery Friday. Oh, yeah, Benson. Wait a minute. Give me that again, Lee. Be right out. Benson and Strongwall. Yeah. They found the suspects. In canvassing the area around the hot dog stand, officers Benson, Strongwall, and Herman had checked a hotel. When the clerk was shown pictures of the suspects, he said the two men who looked like the pictures were staying in the place. However, when the rooms were checked at the suggestion of the manager, Rankin and Mitchell were not there. They staked out the room and we were called. When Frank and I arrived, we took up our positions in the room while the other officers covered the entrances to the hotel. 4.15 a.m. We waited. What time you got? Wait a minute. I'm not hard to see without a light. 4.30. Well, the hats did a good job. Yeah, like finding a needle. Mm-hmm. You heard how Herman's coming with the books? I talked to him the other day, said he doesn't think he's ever gonna make a lawyer. I guess it's rough with the hours he's got. Yeah, it works out, though. What do you mean? He told me that when he and Strongwall got a stake out together, they'd ask each other questions. You know, try to study that way. Yeah, that's a hard way to do it. Mm-hmm. Frank. Hmm? Yeah. All right, Mr. Holder, right there. I'm doing like you say. I'm not gonna cause no trouble. Turn around. Face the wall. Yes, sir, just like you say. Come on, move. Hands up on the wall. Yes, sir. I'm doing it just like you said. I'm not rough. All right. Here you are, Joe. Where'd you get this gun, Rankin? Shelly gave it to me. That's the truth, honest, Mr. I got it from Shelly. All right, put your hands behind you. Yes, sir, right behind me. All right, you can turn around now. Don't shoot, Mr. Hunt. Please don't shoot. Turn around. Yes, sir. Where's Mitchell? I don't know. Oh, come off it. Now, where is he? Well, I don't know, Mr. That's the truth. I just don't know. Well, look, if I did, I'd tell you, honest, I would. When'd you see him last? A couple hours ago, where? A coffee place on Vermont, sir. Is he still there? I don't know. What was he doing? He was talking to another fella. Who? A guy named Randolph Bennett, sir. I'm not sure that's his real name, though. Is he coming back? Clark says he does. Who are you talking about? Mitchell. Oh, I meant Bennett. He doesn't live here. Mitchell does, but Bennett doesn't. Now, how about an answer? Well, I'm sorry, sir. I don't know what you're talking about. Mitchell, is he coming back? Well, I don't think so. Why do you say that? Well, we had a fight. I don't think he'll be back, sir. What fight about? Well, it's something he wanted me to do. I didn't want any part of it. What was it? Well, he said if I didn't go along with him and Bennett, they'd kill me, and I didn't like the deal. What deal? Well, him and Bennett, they got a caper planned. I was supposed to go with him, but I didn't want to. Sir, honest, that's the truth. I really didn't want to. Yeah. You see, I was supposed to steal a car for him to use, and the more I thought about it, I didn't want to get in any more trouble than I am now. The two of you hit the loan company this afternoon? Yeah, that's right, sir. Does fellow Bennett, he was with you? No, sir. We met him tonight. Him and Shelly planned this other deal. They wanted me to go with him, but I didn't want to. Honest, that's the God's truth, sir. I didn't want to. That's why we had this fight. Well, what's the deal? Well, they figured it started out about 9 in the morning. Shelly's got it all figured. They say they can hit about 8 places, and the two of them are going to leave town. What are you talking about? Well, this deal, they're going to rob some loan companies. Oh, what about this fellow Bennett? You know him? No, sir. He's a friend of Shelly's. They've known each other, though, for a long time. Where's he from? Oh, back east someplace. I'm not sure where. I just know the cops are after him, though. Why? Well, he broke out of jail while he was waiting to be tried. What was the charge? Kidnapping and murder. We left the hotel room and picked up the other officers. We had Tim Rankin point out the coffee stand where he'd last seen Shelly Mitchell, and then we called a radio car and turned Rankin over to the uniformed men. While Benson, Strom, Wall and Herman covered the rear entrances of the place, Frank and I went in the front door. How they are, Joe? Halfway down. Yeah. Let me back down. A lot of fun kids around like that. No, we don't have to t- Yeah? You guys got a license to listen? Shelly Mitchell? Cops! What? No! Lozzy cops. Lozzy rotten cops. Give me your cops, will you, Joe? Here. Come on, sit around. I'll take care of Ben. All right, Mitchell, turn around. All the stick of deals. All right, come on, move. How'd you get to me? Do you worry about that? Rottenness, Lozzy, you still ever heard of it? Where'd you get this gun? I bought it. From the government, huh? Well, that's none of your business. All right, we'll go your way. Lozzy, 12 hours. 12 more hours you'll have missed us. This afternoon, we'd have been on the way you'd have never found us. Yeah, you really believe that, don't you? Oh, sure. We'd have gotten to start you'd have been dead. Looking all around, never found us. Yeah, just like now. The story you have just heard is true. The names were changed to protect the innocent. On September 16th, trial was held in Department 92's superior court of the state of California in and for the county of Los Angeles. In a moment, the results of that trial. Now, here is our star, Jack Webb. Thank you, George Veneman. I know Chesterfields will do for you what they always do for me. Put a smile on your smoking. It's the best cigarette made for my money. Smooth, satisfying, mild and mellow. In the whole wide world, no cigarette satisfies like Chesterfield. Try them. They'll satisfy you. Homer Norman Rankin was referred to juvenile court and after a hearing was made a ward of the state. Timothy Alfred Rankin and Shelly Vincent Mitchell were tried and convicted of robbery in the first degree, one count. They received sentence as prescribed by law. Robbery in the first degree is punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a period of not less than five years. Randolph Bennett, alias James Virgil Nicholson was held for New Jersey authorities to answer charges of murder, kidnapping, and escape. America needs volunteers for the Civilian Ground Observer Corps. Let's face facts. The H-bomb and the Long Range Bomber have made intercontinental war possible and hostile planes could penetrate our radar defenses unnoticed by flying between the radar cones with no altitudes. Civilian spotters are needed to fill these radar gaps, particularly on the east and west coasts and in northern state areas. If you're from teenage up, your country needs a few hours of your services each week for this vital work. To volunteer, get in touch with your local Civil Defense Center. You have just heard DRAGNET, a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the office of Chief of Police W.H. Parker, a dangerous police department. Technical Advisors Captain Jack Donahoe, Sergeant Marty Wynne, Sergeant Phan's Pressure. Heard tonight were Ben Alexander, Virginia Gregg, Herb Ellis, Jack Krushen. Script by John Robinson. Music by Walter Schumann. Hal Gibney speaking. Watch an entirely different DRAGNET case history each week on your local NBC television station. Please check your newspapers for the day and time. Chesterville has brought you DRAGNET, transcribed from Los Angeles. This is it. L&M filters. It stands out from all the rest. Miracle tip. Much more flavor. L&M's got everything. It's the best. Notice the color of L&M's miracle tip. It's white. Pure white. To give you the purest and best filter. And L&M gives you a rich, good-tasting, fully satisfying smoke. The kind you can get only from highest quality tobaccos. By L&M. It's got everything. Flavor, taste, mildness, and the best filter. L&M. Mr. Citizen this week stars Paul Lucas in a true story of persecution and tyranny in wartime Holland. Check your local TV listings for Mr. Citizen. Hear DRAGNET next week. Same time, same station. Lux Radio Theater presents Walter Pigeon and Edward My Son tonight on the NBC Radio Network.