 You were about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Fatima cigarettes. Best of all, king-size cigarettes brings you dragnet on both radio and television. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a homicide special detail. There are rumors of an impending war between juvenile gangs in your city. Reportedly, members of both gangs are well supplied with homemade weapons. You don't know when the fighting will break out. You don't know where. Your job? Stop it. Fatima. America's first largest selling blended cigarette. Now king-size. See the difference. Taste the difference. Smoke the difference. And in Fatima, the difference is quality. See the difference. Fatimas are 21% longer. Taste the difference. Enjoy Fatima's extra mildness. Much different, much better flavor and aroma. Smoke the difference. Get all the advantages of extra length plus Fatima quality, which no other king-size cigarette has. Yes, in Fatima, the difference is quality. Definitely the best quality in its class, but the same price is the cigarette you're now smoking. So why wait? Switch to Fatima today. Each king-size Fatima gives you a long, extra mild and soothing smoke with the added protection of Fatima quality by Fatima. Dragnet. The documented drama of an actual crime. While the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the laws 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 Tuesday, October 14th. It was cloudy in Los Angeles. We were working a special detail on a homicide division. My partner's Ed Jacobs. The boss is Captain Warman. My name's Friday. It was 1.18 p.m. when I got to 2015 East First Street, the second floor. Holland Beck Juvenile Division. Joe. Hi. What did you find out? Nothing, yeah. Gardner had to go next door. It'll be back in a minute. Give us a rundown on a thing. Friday. Hi, Gardner. Hi, how are you doing? Good to see you. How are things going downtown? Oh, not bad. A little slow. Here, you've got problems. Lots of them. Captain Briefing any of it? No, he told us to check with you. You'd fill us in. Said maybe you could use some help. Well, we can get. We're sitting on top of a bomb out here. We don't know when it's going to go off. What's the pitch, Gardner? Juvenile gangs. Five of them this time. The way we get it, they're ready for trouble, all of them. High school kids? Most of them. Some of them are in junior high. Well, how come five gangs? What are they planning? A free for all? It's a long story. They've been building up to this thing for months, all East Side kids. We hear it's supposed to be an open war. Mm-hmm. Here's a list of the different gangs, involved. You can see there, same crowds we've been riding her down for the last couple of years. We've got the Purple Heart Gang, the Blue Devils, the Apaches, Happy Valley, Rose Hill. Here's a breakdown on each one of them. Hard to get exact figures, but we think it's fairly accurate. Purple Heart Gang, 26 members, Leader Harold Fry, 17, Blue Devils, 18 members, Leaders Jack Holland, age 17, and Bertram Willis, 16. The Apaches, 22 members, Leader Robert Glosson, 17. They're supposed to be the strongest ones. Well, Happy Valley Gang, 20 members, Leaders Roy Martin, 16, and Joseph Fillman, 16. Rose Hill Gang, 16 members, Leader Thomas Resnick, 18. Yeah. Well, what's behind it, Gardner? I mean, the gang, Roy, that they're supposed to be planning. A lot of factors enter into it, I guess. It's my own idea. The Apaches Gang's doing most of the promoting. We'll see how big, anyway. The usual big shot idea, some high school kids get. The Apaches figure they're going to run the whole east side. They've already scared the Happy Valley Gang and the Blue Devils into joining up with them. Wow, they may as well. I'd like to find out myself. Well, how about the other two crowds? They're Rose Hill and the Purple Heart Bunch? The story I get is they won't come in with the Apaches. That's supposed to be the reason for the war. Either they join up with the Apaches or they fight them. That's a warning they got. We'll be playing a big timer. Well, away. 16, 17-year-old. They got gang lieutenants. They got their own cards, their own hideout. Some of them even had their girlfriends running with them. Same age. None of them over 17. Where'd you get your information, Bill? Half a dozen kids. Most of them from the Blue Devils and the Happy Valley Gang. They were mixed up in a couple of after-school fights in Hollenbeck Park. The stories they gave us are not the curl your hair. Man, I mean, about the big war they're going to have. One of the girls we picked up gave us most of it. 15-year-old. Says her boyfriend's one of the big shots for the Blue Devil. What'd she have to say? Talked about it like it was some kind of a game they were playing. Send the Rose Hill and the Purple Heart Gangs were teaming up so they could stand up against the other three. They've been getting ready for the war for six weeks. They're really organising. I don't get it. Who's doing the organising? Who's promoting it? I got an idea about that. Get to it in a minute. Take a look at these over here. Samples of the different weapons the gangs are getting together for the big fight. Crazy kids. Brass knuckles. Homemade saps, all kind. What's this here, Gardner? Have a look. Homemade stiletto. Good six-inch blade. Kids are supposed to have dozens of them. Another one here. Look at this. Ice pick. Anything you can think of? You name it, we got it. It's going to be wholesale murder if we can't find a way to stop it. You've been able to figure what the real trouble is, Bill. I got an idea, yeah. You asked about the gangs teaming up a minute ago. Yeah. We figure we got a young Hitler on our hands. A kid by the name of Robert Lawson. He was supposed to be the ringleader of the Apache gang. Moved in about a year ago from the Middle West. How much you know about him? Wrote a letter to the city he originally came from. Nothing to trouble back there. Bad juvenile record. We've talked to the boy a couple of times. His parents, too, didn't do much good. Never had enough to file a petition on him and bring him to the attention of the juvenile court. We know he's responsible for a lot of the trouble we got, but you know, it's had some other kid do it for him. Never does it himself. You think he's responsible for working up the gang or ideas? I think we figure he's our biggest problem. We've tried everything to reach the Lawson kid and settle him down. Check for the teachers at his school, the principal, vice principal. They can't handle him. They figure on expelling him if he doesn't straighten out. How about the other youngsters in these gangs? I mean, besides this Lawson boy here. We've got notifications out for them and their parents. They're supposed to be in here tomorrow night, 7.30. Maybe we can break Lawson's hold on these kids. Sure, you got me. What's the matter with this Lawson boy's parents? Don't they know what's going on? Can they control him? We tried to talk to the parents. They think we're wrong. They're proud of the kid. He's in a high IQ. I think he's a natural born leader. Oh, sure. Yeah. The mother says people just don't understand the boy. Or maybe you should have told them. Huh? Sam Quentin's full of people we don't understand. The following night, Wednesday, October 15th, the members and ringleaders of the various juvenile gangs, along with their parents, showed up at Hollenbeck Juvenile Division as requested. In questioning each of the youngsters, we definitely confirmed the reports we had of the impending gang war. The interviews also revealed that if and when the fighting did start, it would be more serious than we at first figured. For one thing, there were more youngsters involved than we thought. The gangs had been recruiting new members by the dozen in preparation for the street fights. For another thing, we found out the teenagers weren't carrying around eight-inch knives and brass knuckles just for show. If fighting started, they were ready and willing to use them. We weren't sure how much we could count on it, but after interviewing the parents and advising them how serious the situation was, they promised their full cooperation. Most of them agreed they'd maintain strict check on their youngsters and keep them out of all neighborhood gang activities. Some of the parents took a resentful attitude. They insisted the gangs were harmless. They accused us of picking on the youngsters. A few of the parents didn't even show up at the meeting. Among these were the parents of 17-year-old Robert Lawson, a boy who seemed to be promoting most of the trouble. The following morning, my partner Ed Jacobs and I drove out to his home and we talked with his mother. She was friendly but not too cooperative. I don't know how you say that, Sergeant. I appreciate you worrying about my boy, but I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. I don't mean to contradict you, Mrs. Lawson, but I'm afraid it is a lot worse than you think. It's what the other officers said too, but you really don't have any proof, do you? I mean, a few idle rumors, you certainly can't accuse Robert on that basis. We're not accusing Robert of anything, man. It's not the point. What we're trying to do is to head off the trouble before it starts. You were living in the Middle West before you came to Los Angeles, that right, ma'am? Yes, that's right, Nebraska. Well, wasn't your boy in some kind of trouble back there? Yes, but it didn't amount to anything. Could have been avoided so easily. They just didn't understand, Robert. That was the whole trouble. Is he an only child, ma'am? Yes, just Robert. But he's not spoiled. I know it's a great temptation with an only child, but we didn't spoil him. Robert just doesn't like that. Uh-huh. You allow him quite a bit of freedom, do you, ma'am? I mean, does he go out at night very often? Well, he is 17 years old going on 18. Yes, my husband and I align to go out as often as he likes, as long as he keeps up with his studies. Robert's always done very well. Always talks in his class. Do you know where he spends his time when he goes out at night? He's usually down at the gym or at the library. You know that for a fact, do you? I trust Robert if that's what you mean. He tells me that's where he's going. I believe him. The mother can't believe her own son. Who can she believe? How about the company your boy keeps you and any of his friends, Mrs. Lawson? Pew, yes. There's the Miller Boy and Jack Holland. They seem to be fine boys. Miller and Holland? Yes. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with them. Well, there is, ma'am. What? Both of them have juvenile records. Both of them belong to your son's gang. Really, Sergeant? How can you say that? It isn't fair. Wouldn't it be better to try and understand these boys instead of picking on them, persecuting them? I don't know how we're going to make you understand, Ms. Lawson. We're not picking on them. We're not persecuting them. We know there's a gang problem. We know your boy's one of those at the bottom of it. If something isn't done, there's going to be trouble. We're going to stop it before it begins. We're going to have to have your help. I'm perfectly willing to cooperate, you know that. That must be Robert now. Excuse me. Robert, Bob, is that you? Yeah? Would you come in here a minute, Bob? We're in the living room. Yeah? What do you want? These are police officers, Bobby. This is Sergeant Friday. Sergeant Jacobs, is that right? Yes, ma'am. How are you? How are you doing? Hi. How about something to eat? Anything ready? I wasn't expecting you, Bob. Won't take me a minute, though. You sit down there. I'll go out and get a snack together for you. Can I fix you with sandwich, officers? A cup of coffee? No, thank you. Thanks very much. Won't be a minute, Bob. We were just talking about you when you came in. What's it about, Sergeant? You want to see me or do you just want to talk to my mother? As long as you're here, we'd like to talk to both of you, Bob. Well, you got to take off pretty fast. Just came home to get something to eat. What's it about? It's about Geronimo. That's the gang's code word for the warrior setting up, isn't it? I don't know what you're talking about. You're gang, Bob. The Apaches. We talked to half a dozen of them last night down to the juvenile division. Is that right? No, look, son, we've got the names of everybody in your gang. We know the whole setup. You go ahead with your idea and you're going to buy a lot of trouble. A couple of cops were here last week. I said the same thing. I don't know any more about it now than I did then. Honest. What's the picture anyway? You know what the picture is, youngster. I don't, honest. You're trying to say I'm in a gang. Is that it? You're in it up to your neck, son. I wanted you to come off it. We've got you pegged in everybody that runs with you. That includes the girlfriends you got in the gang. You're not fooling anybody. You must be a little crazy. I'm not in a gang. I've never even heard of one around here. Now, you listen to me, boy. You can take this as a warning or a piece of advice either way. You and your friends keep on playing punk gangsters and we're going to lean on you. You understand? What is this? Trying to scare me? If it'll make you change your mind, yeah. If this street war comes off, there's going to be big trouble. What do you think's going to happen when 200 kids tangle in a fight with knives and brass knuckles? Now, use your head. Yeah, Bob. That's melt and I throw a hot soup. Bacon and tomato sandwiches. Yeah, you always make the soup too hot. Oh, I didn't mean to. Let it cool off for a minute then. Bob has to eat and hurry along officers. Is there anything else you wanted to talk to him about? No, I think you've heard everything we have to say. I wish you'd think it over, Mrs. Lawson. You too, Bob. Nothing to think over? They're trying to say I'm in a gang. They think I'm the leader. You told them, didn't you, son? Sure. They don't blame me. I wish I could make you understand, Sergeant. He's not a gang leader. Robert's telling the truth. I'm afraid he isn't, ma'am. Well, he is. I know he is. I mean, after all he's my son, I'm in a position to know him better than you do. Yes, ma'am. If he was lying, I'd know it. I wish I could make you understand. Mother is the only one who really knows her, boy. I know Robert's telling the truth. Aren't you, Robert? Robert? That's so, isn't it? You're telling the truth, aren't you? Sure. How about some more soup? Before we left the house, we tried again to talk to Robert Lawson and his mother, but it was no use. She believed every word he said, and he apparently refused to believe the possible consequences of the war he was planning for his gang of juveniles. We drove downtown and had an interview with a boy's father at his work. He was even less cooperative. He took on a belligerent attitude, accused of persecuting his son, and ordered us out of the office. Along with Sergeant Bill Gardner and Frank Kerber, we spent the rest of the afternoon and most of the following day checking with parents of youngsters who had been recently recruited into one of the various Eastside gangs. Most of them were cooperative. Late that afternoon, Bill Gardner, head and myself, met with Captain Stein back at Hollenbeck Juvenile. Strict curfew. All over the area. We can start tonight. What do you figure, just on the weekends? Every night. Sunday to Sunday. I'll get some more men in to help out. Every youngster out in the street after 10 o'clock gets stopped. Every one of them caught with knives, saps, brass knuckles or anything like them, they're going to be pulled in and filed on. No exceptions. Be a lot safer in custody than mixing in the gang fight. I don't know how to help. I might teach some of the parents a lesson anyway. Yeah. Excuse me. Do you over know the vision, Stein? Where was that? When? Oh, yeah, right away. Let's hustle at Evergreen Avenue out near the cemetery now. What is it? Curfew was a good idea. We got it too late. Gang warrants already started. Before we left the office, we had communications notify all J cars on the special detail to proceed at once to the scene of the major 415 call. 10 cars were ordered to cruise the area surrounding the actual scene of the fight and to pick up any and all members of the juvenile gangs who showed any evidence of having been in the fight or had in their possession any deadly weapon. Captain Stein, Bill Gardner, Ed and myself left the office on a code three and drove out to the scene of the gang fight. When we got there, all with J cars and three radio crews had the area blocked off. An ambulance crew was treating more than a dozen youngsters who had been injured during the fight. One of the youngsters had a lacerated eye. He'd been blinded. Most of the other victims would carry scars for the rest of their lives. The juveniles who'd taken part in the battle and who'd been lucky enough to escape without serious injury were being loaded into the J cars and the radio cars. They were to be removed to juvenile headquarters at 1335 Georgia Street for further investigation. Together with Bill Gardner and Frank Kerber, Ed and I began covering the area, collecting dozens of homemade weapons used in the gang fight. They'd be turned over to Pete Brown, Hollenbeck Juvenile, to be booked as evidence. Joe? Yeah, Ed. Come here a minute. Over here. Yeah. Have a look. Piece of chain, bloodstream down it. Lousy, how precious can it gather? Come on. All right. Cross the street there, the car on the driveway. Yeah. What's the trouble? Sorry, he was in the fight. One of the gang, they stabbed him. He's in the car. Come on. What is it, Joe? Take a look. The Lawson boy, huh? Yeah, knife in his chest. Want me to get the doctor? Yeah, call the coroner too. You are listening to Dragnet, authentic stories of your police force in action. Fatima, America's first largest selling blended cigarette, now king size. See the difference. Taste the difference. Smoke the difference. 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Remember each king size Fatima gives you a long, extra mild and soothing smoke with the added protection of Fatima quality. Buy Fatima. Best of all, king size cigarettes. Thursday, October 16th, 535 p.m. After the discovery of Robert Lawson's body in the car parked in the driveway adjoining the cemetery grounds, Ed brought the doctor over from the ambulance. The 17-year-old Lawson boy was pronounced dead. The doctor made out the prescribed form and marked it DOA. While we waited for the crime lab crew in the corner to get there, Ed and I questioned the girl who'd led us to the body. She identified herself as Ann Porter, age 16. She told us she was Bob Lawson's girlfriend. She readily admitted accompanying him to the scene of the gang fight that afternoon. I knew what it was going to be like. I knew right then. I came closer. Bob told the kids to get ready. There were little ways from us when they stopped the other gang, the Purple Hearts. Yeah, go ahead. There's a kid by the name of Jumpy, he's the leader. I stepped out in front of him and called to Bob. I called him a bad name, said bad things. This boy you called Jumpy. You know his real name, Ed? No, Jumpy's only his nickname. I know him when I see him, though. I didn't point him out. Well, what happened after you called, Bob? I don't know. What? I don't know. I'm not sure. Everything seemed to happen at once. Bob swore at me, pushed me back, told me to get out of the way. Then he walked up to this kid, Jumpy. Right in front of their whole gang, I screamed at Bob. I screamed at him not to. Well, I screamed. What'd he do? He had a chain under his coat. It was kind of a short whip like. Bob had it doubled up. Yeah. When he went up to Jumpy, Bob had a cigarette in his mouth. He told Jumpy to light it for him. It was supposed to mean he's chicken if he does it. Jumpy laughed at him. Bob took out the chain, hit him across the face with it. Hit him with all his might. He knocked Jumpy down. He was laying on the sidewalk. His face was cut bad. Bob had the chain, kept hitting him with it. And somebody gave a yell and both the gangs started fighting. Were you close to Bob Lawson most of the time? No, not first. There was a lot of yelling and kicking and fighting going on. I ran around and was looking for him. Finally saw Bob. I'm not sure it happened so fast. What happened then? I'm not sure. I thought I saw Jumpy pull a knife on Bob. Long and thin. Maybe an ice pick. Yeah. Bobby was still hitting with the chain. It looked like Jumpy hit Bob in the chest with something right over the heart. Bobby stopped. Jumpy did it again. Bobby got right. He looked thick. He turned around and said, run. Well, what happened then? Bobby kept running. I knew he was hurt. I went after him. I saw him fall, but he got up. He kept running. Then one of the other gang grabbed me. They hit me. It's all right. We understand. I didn't find Bob until a fight was over. I heard the cops' cars coming, sirens. Coming around from everywhere. I felt sick. I finally found Bob, though he was laying in the back seat of the car, just laying there. And that's when you called out? Yes. I guess I knew it. As soon as I looked at him, dead white as a sheet of any sheet. Not when you find somebody dead, not somebody you love. All right, youngster. It'll be all right. It'll be all right. You're lying. You know that. It won't be all right. Take it easy, Anne. I love Bob. Didn't you know that? When he graduated, the first thing, we were going to get married. Soon as he got out of school, we'd be married. We'd be married. Anne. Anne. Yeah. How old are you? I'm 16. Why? Nothing. It happens to practically everybody. What? People seem to make a lot of mistakes when they're 16. 6.30 p.m. The crime lab crew arrived, took pictures of the entire scene along with all physical evidence and dusted the murder weapon an eight-inch knife for fingerprints. The coroner arrived and after we'd completed our investigation, he removed the body to the county moored. Along with a police woman, we took Robert Lawson's girlfriend, 16-year-old Anne Porter, down to Georgia Street juvenile division to the assembly room. There, a special show-up was held of all the boys involved in the afternoon's fight. The Porter girl identified a 17-year-old by the name of Warren Stone, nicknamed Jumpy, as the boy who'd stabbed Robert Lawson to death. At least a dozen other subjects in the case identified the boy by his nickname Jumpy. Three members of either gang involved in the fight declared in sworn statements that Warren Stone was the boy who'd attacked the Lawson boy with a homemade knife. Statements were taken from all concerned and the ring leaders of the gangs were detained. The other subjects were released to their parents custody after being notified that they would be filed on and a hearing held in juvenile court. Anne Porter was returned home by a police woman. 7.55 p.m. Ed Jacobs and I took the subject, Warren Stone, to the captain's office where we tried to question him about the murder. He refused to say anything. I told you the truth. I told you the whole story. I don't have to tell you again. We're pretty sure you didn't tell us the truth, Warren. We know you tangled with Bob Lawson in that fight this afternoon. No, I didn't. We've got statements from a dozen kids, son. They say Lawson had a piece of chain. He kept slugging you with it. They say you pulled a knife and stabbed him. How do they know? A lot of kids had knives. Anybody could have stabbed him. Why are you picking on me? It was your knife. It was your knife that killed him, your initials on it. I lost a knife in the fight. Somebody could have picked it up, used it. No, that won't do, youngster. The handle of the knife's been processed. Your fingerprints are all over it. How about it, son? Warren? Come on now. What do you have to say? Nothing. I killed him. 8.40 p.m. Warren Stone was booked in at Georgia Street Jail on suspicion of 187 P.C. murder. Ed and I got in the car and drove out to the home of the murder victim to notify his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Lawson. Mr. Lawson wasn't home from work yet. We broke the news of her son's death to Mrs. Lawson as gently as we could. She became hysterical, and we called the family doctor who gave her sedatives. Later, when she recovered herself a bit, she asked for the full story. We told her. How could it happen, Bobby? How could it happen? Sorry, ma'am. There's not much we can say. We tried everything we could to stop it. But you didn't stop it. You let them kill, Bobby. You let them kill him. No, ma'am. We tried to warn him. We tried to warn all of him. We're sorry. You're not sorry. You didn't try. Bob's dead. Everything I have. He's 17 years old, and he's dead. I can thank you for that. My only baby. Or sorry, you feel that way, Mrs. Lawson. I shouldn't, I feel that way. You call yourselves policemen. That boy who killed Bobby. We should have had him in jail in the first place. A young killer, running around to lose you as guilty as he is. I'm not defending a man, but he wasn't a young killer. Didn't even have a juvenile record. I don't care anything about records. He's a killer. He took a knife and he killed Bob, and you let him do it. You let him. I think we better be going in. Yeah. You or your husband will have to identify the body. Tomorrow morning, he'll be all right, the county morgue. You don't have to be at the coroner's inquest, too. You'll be notified about the time and the date. I hope you have to live with this. I hope you live with it like I have to live with it. I hope it drives you crazy. I know how you feel, man, but you're wrong. I think you'll realize that. They murdered Bob. You let them kill him. I'll always remember that. All right. And you remember something else. The last time we came here to your house, we tried to make you understand. You didn't know, Bobby. You didn't understand him. I was the only one. I was the only one. I always knew what he was thinking, what he wanted, what he was going to do. I was the only one. No, man, there was somebody else. What? The boy who killed him. The story you have just heard was true. The names were changed to protect the innocent. On November 7th, the hearing was held in juvenile court, Department 38, City and County of Los Angeles State of California, in a moment the results of that hearing. And now, here is our star, Jack Webb. Thank you, George Phanaman. Friends, just as a hobby, I've been collecting early jazz records, blues, and two beat music, like Leon Bixbyterbeck used to play, and of course, just about everything Benny Goodman has done. I've always tried to build my collection on quality. Now, in my opinion, that's the only rule to follow in choosing a king-size cigarette. Choose for quality. Believe me, I know that's what you'll find in Fatima. I know because I smoked them. If you haven't, here's what I'd like you to do. Get a pack tomorrow and compare them. When you see the difference, taste the difference, and then smoke that difference, I'm convinced that you'll switch to Fatima, because in Fatima, the difference is quality. Each king-size Fatima gives you a long, extra mild and soothing smoke with the added protection of Fatima quality. Next time, buy Fatima. Best of all, king-size cigarettes. 17-year-old Warren Ernest Stone was filed on alleging violation of 187 PC murder. The rest of the juvenile gang ring leaders were filed on alleging 242 PC battery. They were all made wards of the juvenile court and placed in detention homes under the supervision of the State Youth Authority. They are still confined in state institutions for juveniles. 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, Los Angeles Police Department. Heard tonight were Barney Phillips, Charles Smith, and Eddie Firestone. Script by Jim Moser. Music by Walter Schumann. Hell, give me speaking. Fatima cigarettes. Best of all, king-size cigarettes has brought you Dragnet transcribed from Los Angeles. Next, it's David Harding and Counterspy on NBC.