 The Equitable Life Assurance Society presents This Is Your FBI. This Is Your FBI. The official broadcast from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Presented transcribed as a public service by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community. The Equitable Life Assurance Society has nearly 8,000 trained representatives from coast to coast serving more than 4 million members. Tonight one of our Equitable Society representatives has a message on social security. Recent changes in the social security law mean a lot to a lot of people. Just about everybody has had his personal security plans changed by the new or increased benefits he's entitled to. Isn't this a good time to take stock of your family's financial future? If you agree, have a look at the Equitable Society's revised fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers. It will help you get a clear picture of just where you and your family stand. In just about 14 minutes, Mr. Keating will tell you more about this chart and what it can do for you. Tonight, FBI file number 291. It's subject, Interstate Lottery. It's titled, The Baffle Bookkeeper. The program chosen for dramatization this evening from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation tells the story of two racketeers, two men who put crime on a business basis. They operated an interstate lottery, a racket which existed because people condoned it. As during the years of prohibition, they condoned the selling of whiskey, including policy and number slips. Millions of lottery tickets are sold in the United States every day. Those of you who buy them, even if your contribution is a single dime, are doing business with criminals, are aiding and abetting the enemies of law and order. The police are carrying on a vigilant war against racketeers like the men you will meet in this case, but they cannot do the job alone. Cannot do it without the help of you, the American people. Tonight's file opens at an FBI field office located in a large eastern city. It is late evening as Special Agent Jim Taylor slowly approaches his desk. You look knocked out, Jim. Oh, hello, Lou. I didn't even see you sitting there. What's got you down? All in one of those cases. I think I mentioned it to you before in the lottery ring. Oh, yeah, yeah. That was five or six months ago. I'm still on it. Made any arrests? No. Any progress? Yes. I've got half a dozen suspects I could pick up, but they're just small fry. What are your leads? Well, headquarters is here. We know that. You see, a few months ago, a package at the express office broke open. Yeah. Books of lottery tickets scattered out all over the floor, but the package was addressed to someone in Cleveland. Did you follow through on it? Yeah, but he's just a distributor. Got him under surveillance. We also secured a search warrant and got the books. There was a return address on that package. It's a fictitious one. Did you send the books to the lab, Jim? Yeah, they compared them with books seized in other places. Found they'd all been stapled with the same machine. How about the paper? We're working on that angle now. And you still have no idea who's running the ring, huh? Yes, Lou, I have. I think it's run by two men named George Carter and Fred Boone, but I have no proof. How do they tell you? Well, I've checked the records of the small fry in this case. Anytime they've been arrested, Carter and Boone have put up their bail. Who are these small fry? Oh, ticket sellers mostly. Where do they get the tickets to sell? My name's Joe Bates. He's under surveillance, too. But so far, he hasn't even come close to visiting Carter or Boone. You are in a box. Ah, but I'll get out of it. We're working closely with us on this. We're just going to keep plugging and hope that something cracks soon. A few evenings later, in a lavishly furnished office located on the top floor of a downtown skyscraper, a middle-aged man stands looking out the window as the door opens. George? Come in, Fred. Come in. Come in. Why don't you turn on the light? I've been looking out the window, watching the city move. All those lovely people saving their nickels and dimes just for us. I got the figures here. Just put them on my desk, will you? You won't like them. No? Why not? They ain't selling tickets. Which districts are off? All but the north side. Any reason for the slump? The boys just ain't hustling. Oh, by the way, Walter quit this morning. What again? What's the matter this time? Who knows? He just walked in my office and said he quit? Well, don't worry. The minute he runs out of whiskey money, you'll have a call from him. Shall we take him back? Sure. He knows more about the books drunk than we do sober. Besides, the old man's our friend. Eh, who needs him? We do. A man should have as many friends as he can. They're better than enemies. And, uh, but easy to cross. Hello, we finally got a break in that lottery case. Good. Thanks to the lab, I traced the paper those tickets were printed on. When do you move in? Well, the SAC still doesn't want to make any arrests. Not till we can establish a link between the printers and Carter or Boone. What's the print shop? The Broadway Press. I thought that was a legitimate outfit. Yeah, it used to be, but the owners got into financial trouble about a year and a half ago. I'm having a surveillance kept in the place now. Well, I'm going over to see a witness on that hijacking case of mine. Grab my phone if it rings, will you, Jim? Charlotte. I'll be back in a couple of hours. Okay. Is that mine? No, no, no, go ahead. Especially didn't Taylor speaking. Mr. Taylor, I'm switching a call to you for Mr. Robinson's line. Oh, fine, go right ahead. Go ahead, please. Mr. Taylor? That's right. My name is Walter Murray. Yes, Mr. Murray. Uh, I've just been talking to, uh... To the agent in charge, yes, for I know. Well, yeah, he said to tell you what I know about the lottery. No, what lottery? Well, Cardi and Boone's. Yes, sir, I'd like to hear anything you know about it. Well, I guess I know the whole thing. See, I mean, I've been their bookkeeper. No, where are you calling from, sir? My home. Uh, those tickets they sell. Yes? They have them printed at the Broadway Press. Yes, sir, I found that out. Yeah, I'm telling you the truth, hm? Yes, yes, please go on. Well, Mr. Cardi and Mr. Boone, they never see the tickets. Well, then how do they distribute them? Well, you see, they call the print shop. They tell them where to send each package and how many books to put in. How far from here do they send the tickets, sir? Eight states. Ah, it's even bigger than I thought. Oh, it's big all right, and well run, too. Yes, I'm sure of that. Well, you see, they know the winning numbers ahead of time, and when the receipts from a certain district fall off of Mr. Cardi and Mr. Boone's seat to it, there are a few big winning tickets are sold in that district the next week. Well, Mr. Murray, we need this information that you have, and we need it badly. Well, that's why I called you. Before you go any further, sir, I feel I have to tell you that giving it to us this way over the phone, you're placing yourself in some danger. What's your address, sir? I can come over there. Oh, no, no, no, no, no. That wouldn't be good. Why not, sir? Well, I'd rather come and see you. Do you know where this office is? Yes, sir, yes, sir. I'll be by right after lunch. George, the call can wait. This is important. The cancelist call, please. Oh, what is it? Old man Murray's going to the cops. What? I mean, he's blowing the whistle on us? Whistle, from what I heard, it's more like a bugle. You know that landlady here's the one I put on the payroll? Yeah. She heard him call the FBI a little while ago on the hall phone. He's got a date to meet him. When? Right after lunch. I'm sorry to hear that. Uh, I'd better get a hold of Joe Bates. No, no, no, leave Joe others. But he can take care of you. No, it's too late for that. Walters probably mentioned our names to the FBI. And if anything should happen to him, there wouldn't be much mystery as to how it happened. But we got to do something once he goes up there and signs a paper. Fred, I've had a plan in mind for some time that will cover this situation very nicely. We'll put it to work right now. Here, Jim. Yeah. Yeah, and I may be here for the rest of the night. Well, what's the matter? Well, I got a call just as you left. The SAC had it switched to me. It's from a man named Walter Murray. Now, from what he told me on the phone, he could put the whole lottery ring in a paper sack. Including Carter and Boone? Yeah. He said he's their bookkeeper. He also said he was on his way here to give me full testimony. Well, that was 12 hours ago now. I'm still waiting. Oh, fine. Did you try to trace him? Yeah. The police are searching their records now. What have you done? Just about everything. I've checked fraternal organizations, draft boards. I've called every Walter Murray in the phone book. I even contacted every hospital and the morgue. That's pretty full coverage. And that isn't all, though. I've also found out he doesn't belong to a club. He doesn't own a car. He has no driver's license. And he has no charge accounts. I think I might have been a crank call, Jim. Oh, no. He knew too many T... Oh, excuse me. We have... Special Agent Taylor speaking. Hello, Ted. This is Captain Fulton. Yes, Captain. We may have the man you're looking for. Good. Boone's record shows an arrest 11 years ago with somebody named Walter Murray. Well, it must be him. Murray's got a record of his own, too. Huh? A dozen drunken disorderlies. Some under Alexander, some under Murray. What address have you got for him? 29 West Street. 29 West Street. Thanks very much, Captain. Lou, I've got Murray's address. Come on, right over with me. Hey, three. There's 29, Jim. Yeah. I'll slide out on your side, Lou. Okay. It's not the kind of neighborhood I expected. No, they couldn't have been paying him very much. We had to live here. Oh, maybe that's why he called. I'll push the bell, will you, then? Yeah. I just hope he hasn't changed his mind about talking. I had a change for him. Yeah. Yeah? Good evening. May we come in, please? What for? We'd like to see someone who lives here. Who? Mr. Murray, Walter Murray. He ain't here. What do you happen to know when he left? About 1230. Well, I do. You say when he'd be back. Maybe never. A couple of men came and took him away. A couple of men. Did you see them? Sure. Who were they? They were names. They were from the county hospital for the insane. We will return in just a moment to tonight's exciting case from the official files of your FBI. Now, a special announcement on the revised social security law from the equitable life assurance society. This year, 1950, marks a new era in social security. An additional 10 million citizens are being assigned social security numbers. And those already covered by social security are due to receive greatly increased benefits. That's why the Equitable Society has completely revised its famous fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers to help you find out just where you stand now that new social security benefits have changed your outlook. When you get the chart, imagine that the wage earner of your family has died. No more weekly paychecks coming in. But your wife and children still need food, clothes, shelter, education. How much money will they require to meet all their bills? The fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers will give you a reliable and accurate answer. With their new social security benefits, how many additional dollars will they need every week to be well-fed, well-housed, well-clothed until the youngest child finishes high school? In five minutes, the fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers gives you an answer. Guide you every step of the way with simple, easy-to-understand pictures. Think what a relief not to have to worry any longer. Once you have the facts before you, you can plan intelligently. Chances are that with your present life insurance and your new social security benefits, only a small amount of additional life insurance will give your family complete security. Your equitable representative will be glad to work out a sound program for you. The first step is to ask him for a copy of the revised fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers. No charge, of course. So get in touch with your equitable representative soon. Or write care of this station to the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. And now back to the FBI file, the baffle bookkeeper. In tonight's case, you see two men who are partners in a criminal empire. Men of entirely different backgrounds, different habits and different ages. Yet both are criminals. Why? In each case, the answer goes back to their early years. Though George Carter had one advantage over his partner, an expensive, well-grounded education, both labored under a common disadvantage. As a boy, neither had gotten from his parents any standard of morals, any guidepost to prepare him for later life. Thus, they made it almost a certainty that the child would grow up to be what he became. As FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover has said many times, criminals are not born. They are made. Made in American homes by those American parents unwilling to do their jobs. The file continues in the skyscraper office of George Carter. Ah, greetings, Fred. Where you been? Taking care of Mr. Murray. What'd you do? No, with the help of his landlady, I had him committed to the county hospital for the insane. Huh? How'd you do that? It's very simple. He was suffering from hallucinations. His landlady called a doctor. He sent for the wagon. Oh, no, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Let's have the real story. The hallucinations were induced by a medicine. Oh, what have you got? Murphy. I had the print shop send over some prescription blanks. I wrote an order on one. Walter's landlady had it filled and slipped the stuff to the old man. When I started to work, she called a perfectly legitimate doctor. Well, do you think you can make this thing stick? Fred, he's already been committed. What are the patients in this room here? Thanks very much. I'll be waiting in the car in case you need me. Okay, thanks. Mr. Murray? Yes, sir. Mr. Murray, my name is Taylor. I'm special agent of the FBI. FBI? Oh, yes, yes. Wasn't I supposed to meet you yesterday? That was last week, sir. It was? Mr. Murray, the clinical director just told me about the consultation you had with the psychiatric staff this morning. They couldn't seem to agree on a diagnosis in your case, so it seems you'll be kept you another week for observation. Oh. I understand from your doctors here that after someone starts having hallucinations, loss of memory is perfectly normal, but how much do you remember about what happened before you took sex, sir? I do remember calling them. Well, the next hour or so is the period that I'm interested in. Well, I went back to my room. I took a nap in Mrs. Forrest. She's my landlady. She came in and she brought me a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee. Did you start having those hallucinations right afterwards? I don't remember. I just don't remember. Mr. Murray, the attendant asked me not to stay too long, so I better be going. Wait, wait. Will you come back? Of course, sir. I feel that Carter, Boone, and your landlady were responsible for putting you in here. Now, I've got to go out and prove it. What's happening on that lottery case? Well, I was out to see Mr. Murray day before yesterday. He's still out of the asylum, and from the story he told, I felt the landlady was tied in with Carter and Boone on his commitment. Now, I'm sure. Why? The doctors at the asylum said there was a possibility the old man's hallucinations had been induced by a drug. Oh? Now, they told me the name of the drug, the drug store near the old man's roaming house. I finally came up with one filled after Mr. Murray called the office here. Filled for whom? His landlady. Well, whose prescription was it? A Dr. Bentley, who incidentally isn't the doctor. Mrs. Forrest called to have the old man committed. Have you talked to this Dr. Bentley? No, not yet, Lou. He's been away in a fishing trip. He just got back today. Well, maybe he can unravel it. I hope so. I'm on my way to see him now. Is that Dr.? Dr. Bentley? Yeah. Yeah, the prescription was a forger. I sent it onto the lab. I'm waiting for a teletype from them now. Was it written on his prescription blank? No, but I guess the drug stores can't keep track of which doctors use what forms. What's the word from this island? Giving the old man his final checkup tomorrow morning. I've told the doctors out there what we know so far, but I'd sure like to get one more piece of his present. Like what? Well, the forge prescription definitely ties the landlady into the conspiracy. Now, if the lab can only come up with an identity forger and I can link him with you to George... Hey, man. Oh, yes, Mrs. Williams. That message you wanted coming in on this machine over here. Thanks very much. It should be it, Lou. Read your cell, lab reports, prescription paper, exact, duplicate, paper, use, lottery tickets. The same as a lottery ticket, Lou. That ties everybody together nice and tight. Except for one thing, Jim. Fine. Your key witness is still in the Insanis Island. We're ready, gentlemen, to discuss the next case. This is Murray, Lou. Keep your fingers crossed. Will you come over here and sit down, please? Right here. Thanks. Are you Mr. Walter Murray? Yes, doctor. Just to review the reports in your case briefly. When you were examined at your home after the complaint by Mrs. Forrest, you told Dr. Jones that your bed was on fire and that the fire was green and purple. You also told him that you saw your brother coming toward you that he had blue hair and was trying to choke you. Why? I don't remember those things. Now, um, this next report shows that while in the ambulance being brought here, you told the attendant to stop those people from hitting you. Can, um, can you remember any of those things, Mr. Murray? No, doctor. Uh, this report by the nurse in your award shows you continue to complain after being brought here about the bed being on fire about people sticking you with yellow pins and about your brother trying to choke you. Uh, do you know where your brother is? He's dead. You, uh, told us last week he's been dead for 10 years. Yes, I did. Yes, he has. Have, uh, have you thought about him a lot? No. No, sir, I, uh, except, uh, well, I, I don't know why. Except what? Well, I've, I've always been, well, I should have gone to his funeral. Why didn't you? Well, when I heard about him dying, I, I got drunk and arrested and I was in jail during the funeral. I see. Mr. Murray, uh, do you now think you really saw your brother in your room? No, sir. Do you, uh, think it's possible your bed was actually burning with green and purple fire when Mrs. Forrest called the doctor for you? No, sir. Uh, those, uh, people you told the ambulance attendant about and the things you told the nurse in your award about. Can, uh, can you imagine that they were real? No, no, sir. No, I, I, I can't. Why, uh, why do you think Dr. Jones, the ambulance attendant, your ward nurse and your doctors here put all those things down in those reports? I don't know. If, uh, if you actually did say the things they reported, Mr. Murray, would you, uh, would you think you were mentally sick? Well, I, I guess if I said those things, I must have been. You, uh, think the people who made these reports are all against you. Oh, no, no, sir, no. Is anybody against you? Are there people trying to hurt you? Oh. I see you're looking at Mr. Taylor. He told me about the possibility that you were brought here because of conspiracy. Oh, though, those people, yeah, they tried to hurt me. Have, uh, have you always known people through your life who went out of their way to do disagreeable things to you? No, sir. I've always gotten along with everybody. Yes. Uh, any of you other doctors wish to continue the questioning? All right, Mr. Murray, if you'd like to wait outside while we make our decision. Special Agent Taylor speaking. Captain Fulton at headquarters. You call me, Jim? Those lottery ticket sellers, cashiers, runners and the others you've had in the surveillance. What a runner. We're ready. So are we. Go ahead, let's start making arrests immediately. You can cut the power on that thing. Huh? What do you say? Those presses aren't turning out any more lottery tickets. Who said so? We did. We're Special Agents of the FBI. You're under arrest. Mrs. Forrest. You're back again. That's right. Mr. Murray, Stella ain't here. I know that. You're under arrest. Huh? Better start packing. Now, what do you mean? Everything's in the ventilator. Cop's knocked off the printing plant an hour ago. I've already heard about that. What, are you just going to sit there? Oh, Fred, there's no possible way they can link us with the printing plant. I got something they can link us with. They also knocked off Joe Bates and all the ticket sellers. Yeah, I know. That doesn't affect us either. Joe and the boys know if they keep quiet, we'll go there. Be a little blow over. Well, here's one that won't blow over. Murray's landlady, Mrs. Forrest, she was picked up 15 minutes ago. What'd you get to that? I called there. One of the rumors told me. And from her to us is a real short jump. Yeah. Yeah, that could mean trouble. Then what do we do? Well, that's obvious. We get out of town. We've both been working hard. We can use arrests. Well, we better get stuck. Who are you? I'm a special agent of the FBI. What do you want? I've got these warrants for both of you. What's the wrap? Running an interstate lottery. We've gotten a whole story on this operation from your ex-bookkeeper. Well, I must say I'm surprised at the FBI. I didn't think you'd take evidence from a man in the insane asylum. We don't. Mr. Murray was judged sane and released two hours ago. Now, come on. George Carter and Fred Boone were convicted on a charge of violating the federal lottery statutes, and each was sentenced to serve two years. The other members of the ring also received similar sentences. The arrest and conviction of George Carter, Fred Boone, and their cohorts broke up this particular lottery ring. It did not, however, cause any general armistice to be signed between law enforcement and the other operators of lottery rackets. Where there are federal violations of this law in other localities, special agents will be at work gathering evidence. Gathering evidence in an attempt to put the racketeers out of business. That job will take time. It can be done more quickly by those of you who today contribute your dimes, your quarters, your dollars to these men. No racket can operate without public acceptance, whether it be a lottery ring, the black market, or anything else. Law enforcement agencies can close those rackets. Only you, the people, can keep them from opening. In just a moment, you will hear about next week's exciting case from the files of your FBI. But first, another message from our Equitable Society representative on the fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers. Make a note right now to get this helpful equitable chart. There's no charge. Just tell your equitable representative you want a fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers, revised to fit the new Social Security law. He'll be glad to bring you one. Or send a postcard care of this radio station to the Life Insurance Society of the United States. Next week, we will dramatize another case from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. File number 292. It's subject. Extortion. It's title. The Backstage Shakedown. The incidents used in tonight's equitable Life Insurance 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 places or persons living or dead is accidental. Tonight, the music was composed and conducted by Frederick Steiner. The author was Jerry D. Lewis. Your narrator was William Woodson, and special agent Taylor was played by Stacey Harris. Others in the cast were Whit Connor, Bill Conrad, J.C. Flippen, Victor Rodman, John Sheehan, Peggy Weber, and Carlton Young. This is your FBI. It's a Jerry Divine production. This is Larry Keating 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 the same time when the Equitable Life Assurance Society will bring you another thrilling transcribe story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Backstage Shakedown on This Is Your FBI. Stay tuned for the adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. There's fun for the whole family when Ozzie and Harriet come your way next. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company.