 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 as a public service by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community. How old are you? If you're between 35 and 45 then here is a question you've probably asked yourself more than once. Will I be alive in 1975? According to Equitable Life Assurance Society's figures since 1910 there's been a decided increase in the proportion of our population made up of men and women who've reached their 65th year. To be exact the increase amounted to 68 percent. So the longer you live the better your chance becomes of living longer. And the more likely it is that you will be alive in 75. And in exactly 15 minutes we'll have a suggestion which will show you how life insurance with the Equitable Life Assurance Society can help you make the most of this long life that's ahead of you. Tonight's FBI file death in the desert. 18 months have passed since the end of World War II but there is still a war going on in the United States of vicious sustained battle in which the decent people of the nation are pitted against unscrupulous criminals. Criminals who man an army of six million. It may not have occurred to you that there were six million persons with arrest records in the nation but it is a fact. Out of every 22 people that includes our men women and children there is one person who has been convicted of a crime. That fact concerns you because in almost every crime you are the victim. You the decent law-abiding citizen. Tonight's file opens in a remote section of desert country in one of our southwestern states. A young photographer Cliff Douglas and his wife are walking slowly across the wasteland. It is twilight. Look there's our tent. Yes. I must say it looks pretty good. You're tired honey. Yeah kind of. Well we shouldn't have hiked so far I guess. Oh I loved it. I think we got some pretty good pictures today. Yes I'm dying to see how those shots on the mesa turned out. Hey uh where are those rolls of film? I have them right here. Oh good. Give me your hand honey. Okay. There. Home at last. Hungry Cliff. Starved. Well you start a fire I'll get down to the spring and get some water. Right. Oh I don't care. Surprise me. Where's that precious wood? Oh what's the matter honey. Look Cliff that man there on the ground. Hey. He's bleeding badly. Well Cliff. He's still alive. What can we do? He's in his chest. Cliff shouldn't we take him to a doctor? Well honey we're not exactly around the corner from the hospital. Let me wash his wound. Take a look at it. Oh wet the scarf. Wonder who he is. How it happened. I don't know. From the looks of that wound we may never get the answer. In the town of Jasper some 50 miles away from this desert camping ground FBI Special Agent Jim Taylor is just entering the office of the local sheriff. Pull up a chair Mr. Taylor. All right thanks Sheriff. You made a good time getting down here. Well I started out as soon as we received your call. Oh any new developments in the case? No I'm sorry to say there aren't. Well Sheriff I wonder if you'd mind reviewing the facts for me. I didn't get many details. Well suppose I start right from the beginning. Oh that'd be fine. At 12 30 this afternoon three armed men entered the first national bank here in Jasper. They took 12,000 in cash with a teller named Flynn to send out an alarm one of the men shot and wounded him. I see. The shot was heard on the street and a crowd gathered. When the bandits left the bank they couldn't get to the getaway car and they were forced to separate. What happened then? Well there was quite a bit of shooting. One of the bandits was definitely wounded while driving away in a stolen car. How about the other two? As far as I know they were unharmed. And what reports have you had on them since Sheriff? Nothing at all. Did you set up roadblocks? I've been on the road for a little over six hours now since the robbery occurred. That's right. We're not too disappointed though. You see, time has a different meaning out here. Criminals have plenty of wide open country to roam in and catching up with them in a matter of days, not hours. I understand. Well Sheriff the bandits still have the money I suppose. As far as we know, yes. Excuse me. Hello? Hello Sheriff, this is Tom Wayne. The car used by one of the bandits was just found out on Route 42. Near where? A little over six miles past Newton's corner. You're right out there Tom. Some more bandages please. No, this should do it. How is he? Well I've just about stopped the bleeding but I'm afraid he's in pretty bad shape. Joan you were right. I think we should take him to a doctor. Where? Jasper's the nearest town. Oh sure. Coyote? Now let's see how we're going to move this fellow to the car. You ain't moving. He's staying right where he is. Who are you? His brother. He's badly wounded, he needs a doctor. I was just going to take him into Jasper. I know, I heard you talking about it. Well? He still stays here. Shut up! He has a gun. Who put on this bandage? I did. When did you find him? Less than an hour ago. How do you come to be here? Well, we're on a camping trip. Oh, tell me the wet cloth lady. He needs more than that. I know. Wait, I think he's stopped breathing. Johnny! Johnny! He has stopped breathing. He's dead. If I don't want to stay here any longer, let's go away, please. Okay, dear. Wait a minute. Well? You're not going any place. You're staying here. There's right over here, Jim. They've been right into a ditch, huh? Evidently on purpose. My deputy tells me the car was out of gas. You see all right, Jim? Yes, I have my own flashlight. Good. Chef, the car's already been gone over for fingerprints. Yes, we've got some pretty good impressions. There's a lot of blood stains on this front seat. No. You must have been pretty badly wounded. You know, Sheriff, from the descriptions you've got on these three bandits, I'm almost certain that they're the Prescott brothers. You see they wanted for another bank job up north? That's right. We've been looking for them for over three months now. Well, when it was driving this car, it couldn't have gone very far. Sheriff, does anyone live around here? No, this is just plain desert country. Oh, and there's plenty of places for him to hide. Plenty of ways for us to find him. Hmm? The car was out here, then sticking on the road. You're going to start looking tonight? No, we'll wait a morning. I'll organize a posse as soon as it gets late. Sheriff, what if he did stay on the road and tried to commandeer another car? Well, we still have our road black. Now, I'll get the local radio station to send out an alarm warning motorists to beware of anyone walking the highway. Yeah? Yeah. Oh, thank you. Come on, Jim. All right. It may be worried on one of the other two bandits. I sure hope so. Come in. Sheriff Winslow. Hello, Sheriff. Word just came in from up... Did this happen at Campbell's home? Yes, sir. I will drive over and see him. Yes, honey. I'm cold. I'll get your coat. Hey, where are you going? To my car. Sit down. My wife is cold. I want to get her a coat. Sit down, I said. Your brother's dead. This is another one. Why would you be meeting him in a forsaken spot like this? Because we got separated today. We made it up. We got separated. We don't meet here by the spring. Yeah, but what's that got to do with us? Shut up. Somebody's coming on the horse. Button out, both of you. Down, I said. Ed. Johnny, get here. Yeah, he got here. Not so good. Johnny's dead. Huh? His body. I seen him get shot when he grabbed that car. I didn't know that. Who are those two? I found them here. Where'd they come from? We're from down in Hastings. My wife and I are on a camping trip. At your car? Yes. Oh, that's a break. Ed. Where's the money? I haven't got it. Wait a minute. When did these two get here? Before you, Buck? Yeah. They found Johnny. And they also found a dough. I don't know what you're talking about. A bag holding $12,000. Now, let's have it. We ain't got much time. I didn't see any money. He's telling the truth. Who are you? All right, hold him, Buck. He's going to get a workout until he tells us what he did with that dough. We'll return in just a moment to tonight's file which shows how your FBI helps provide security for your country. Now, let's talk briefly about security for those who want to be independent as they grow older. Hold on a minute, Mr. Cross. You must be talking to men who don't have families to support. I can't save a cent on my salary. Taxes, food, rent, clothes. People who talk about saving for independence these days ought to have their heads examined. No, you're wrong. Thousands of men. Many of them earning much less than you are looking forward to complete independence in their 60s through an equitable life assurance society independent 60s plan. Well, I still think it sounds a little too good to be true, but go on, I'm listening. The independent 60s plan of the Equitable Life Assurance Society has these three features. First, it costs considerably less than you probably think, especially if you're covered by social security. Second, you can create your retirement estate for the full amount the moment you sign the contract. You don't need to spend years wondering whether or not you're going to accumulate enough money to be independent in your 60s. You're sure of it, because it's guaranteed by the Equitable Life Assurance Society. Third, this equitable plan gives you a definite goal and provides you with a method for reaching that goal. Yes, there's nothing finer than being independent in your 60s, being your own boss, able to do the things you've always wanted to do. Ah, you're talking my language. Then I suggest that you get in touch with an Equitable Life Assurance Society representative. He'll give you the facts on the independent 60s plan and let you make up your own mind. Look in your phone book for the Equitable Society. That's E-Q-U-I-T-A-B-L-E. Or send a postcard care of this station to the Equitable Life Assurance Society in the United States. And now back to the FBI file Death in the Desert. The social basis for human relationship in the world today is the family. In ordinary conditions, human beings have no greater loyalties than to the members of their own family. But in the criminal, that is not an ordinary human thing. For his very means of livelihood depend on his constant violation of everyday conventions. As you can see in tonight's case from the files of your FBI, one of the basic tenets which he violates is that family loyalty comes second to personal possession. For your average criminal is motivated by only one thing. One quality he has in common with those of his fellows who live by the sweat of other people's brows. The most common quality is greed. The night's file continues at the Desert Oasis. A half hour has passed. Young Cliff Douglas has been severely beaten by the brutal bank bandits. He's lying unconscious on the ground. His wife is bending over him. Cliff. You poor darling. You poor poor darling. Joan. Thank you. Well, this comes too, huh? Yes. Okay, get away from him. Get away. Shut up and listen to me. Listen to me. Something you ought to know about that money you took. I grabbed it from a bank. I shot a guy who tried to stop us. I'm only telling you this so you know that I'm playing for keeps. I tell you, I didn't see any dough. Buck. What are you doing? Well, make it a big one. You're getting two more customers. Please, you've got to believe us. We don't know anything about the money. I've been listening that long enough. Now, uh, who wants it first? Well? Look, do anything you want with me. Leave her alone. Is that how you'd like it? Yes. She gets it first. Hey! Hey! Look, I found it. I found the bag with a dough. I found it when I was digging. Johnny must have buried it before he passed out. Huh? Looks like it's all here. All right, let's not waste no more time. We'd better get moving. We'll use their car. Come on, you get up. We need cover. Somebody to front. You two are coming with us. Look, get into that car. We're heading south. Mr. Campbell, do you feel well enough now to answer a few questions? Yes, I guess so, Mr. Taylor. Oh, that's fine. Now, will you tell us about the assault, please? Well, I was out on the back porch when I heard the horses start to fret down in the corral. I guess so. I went down there and I found a fella just starting to saddle one of them. I grappled with him and he hit me with what could have been the butt-handled gun. Can you describe the man? Well, he was pretty tall, about six, two or three, and he had light-colored hair. That sounds like one of the bandits, all right? Yes. Mr. Campbell, your wife said she heard the fight and came out just in time to see this man right over the hill and back of your ranch. Is there a road back there? Well, it's more of a trail, Mr. Taylor. It crosses a section of the desert. It goes past Lone Spring, then hooks up with Route 55 down below. I see. Can we drive a car over it, sir? Yes. Well, this man has about a two-hour start on us, but he's on horseback. Now, if he stays with the trail, do you think we could catch him before he reaches the other highway? Yes, I think we could. Then let's go. Yes, honey. How much longer do you think this will go on? I don't know. Hey, what are you two talking about? No kid. We've been driving for over two hours now. You must be out of danger. Why don't you get out and leave us alone? Just drive south and keep quiet. Where are we going? To Hastings. That's where we live. I know. You already told me. Why are you going there? Me and Buck are gonna live with you. Mrs. Sheriff Winslow, come in. Come in, headquarters. Yes, sir. I just found a body of one of the bandits. The one who was wounded. I also found a stolen horse. He was a bandit near here. I believe the other two men are now in a car heading south in the Route 55. Well, we haven't got a roadblock set up that far down. Notify the authorities down there. Tell them to watch out for him. We're gonna look around here a while. I'll be in touch with you later. Jim. You examined the body? I just alerted the police south to be on the lookout for the other two. Sheriff, there may be more than two in that car. What do you mean? I found evidence that there was a woman here. And possibly another man. Really? What kind of evidence? The dead man's wound was bandaged with a woman's scarf. I also found some female heal prints on the ground. I see. There had been a tent pitched recently, too. I found the stake marks. And here's what may be a real clue, Sheriff. I picked it up down to the spring. What is it? An undeveloped role of film. That's right. Sheriff, let's head back to your office. I think we've got some work to do. Busy, Sheriff? Well, come in, Jim. Well, any news? They've only got the jump on us last night. They must have gotten to Route 55 before we alerted the police down there. I've just come from the camera shop. I had that role of film developed. I got enlargements on each print. I have them here. Now, these first two are of the same woman. Do you have any chance to recognize her, Sheriff? I'm afraid I don't. She could be the woman who was at law in the spring last night. Now, here's a couple of shots of cottage. I'd look like any place around here. No, I've never seen it. Well, half the role was shot around this cottage. The other half in the desert. I got the impression from the pictures that this place was the woman's home. I see. Now, this one's a long shot of the cottage. It heals in the background. Let me look at that one. I know those hills. Yes, the three cone-shaped tops. They're down in Hastings. That's a small town about 100 miles south of here. Sheriff, I think we'd better get down there at once. A buck? Pass me some potatoes. You mean you're eating more? I like potatoes. You want some? I'm not hungry. Your husband don't eat, either. How can we with you around? Stop that smart talk again. Buck hand me some bread. I think we're going to stay here a real long time. This girl can really cook. Wait a minute. Don't you want me to answer it? Yeah, yeah, you can answer it. People must know you're home, but just watch what you say. Sure. Hello? Mr. Douglas? Yes? This is the police. I want you to pretend I'm your neighbor. Well, sure, George. Are the Prescott brothers there in your house? Yeah, we're just eating dinner. They're armed, I imagine. Yes? There's an FBI agent outside your dining room window. He's watching you right now. I see. When we finish talking and you hang up, I want you to count to 20. One, two, three, that tempo. Uh-huh. The FBI man will be counting with you. Okay. When you reach 20, grab your wife and throw her to the floor. We'll do the rest. Well, that's fine, George. Thanks. Goodbye, Mr. Douglas. Goodbye. What did George want? Oh, just neighbor talk. Joan? Yes, sir. Your beads are all tangled. Here, let me start... Oh, golly, look what I did. I'll pick them up. I'll help you. Down, honey. What the fuck? We're almost done. Are you kidding? Now put up your hands. I'll get their guns. Thanks, Mr. Douglas. Are you two all right? Yes. Thank you. Now I'll take your unwelcome boarders out of here. Prescott and his brother were tried for their crimes and sentenced to serve 20 years apiece in a federal penitentiary. In ending the criminal careers of the Prescott brothers, your FBI once again proved the point that crime does not pay. But in tonight's case in the files of your FBI, the point was proven in an unconventional manner because this case was not resolved because of a clue left by the criminal through any mistake. This was a case that was resolved because a special agent working on every available angle found an innocent-looking role of undeveloped film. No clue is too unpromising to follow to the very end. And because of that, this case was closed. It's quite true that the eyes of justice are blindfolded. But crime will never pay because justice has friends. Friends like the special agents of your FBI who see very well. In just a moment, we will tell you about next week's exciting case from the files of your FBI. A little while ago, I gave you a few brief facts about the independent 60s plan of the Equitable Life Assurance Society. To get full information, you'll want to ask your Equitable Society representative questions like these. Exactly how much will the plan cost me? The Equitable man has the answer. How will it dovetail with my social security? He's got the answer to that, too. What income will it give me in my 60s? Your Equitable Society representative will give you the exact figure. Ask him to drop around tomorrow for a friendly visit. Find him in the phone book, or send a postcard, care of this station to the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Next week, we will bring you another colorful story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Old Lady Larsen. The incidents used in tonight's Equitable Life Assurance 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 persons living or dead is accidental. Tonight, the music was composed and conducted by Frederick Steiner. Your narrator was Dean Carlton. This, is your FBI, is a Jerry Divine production. This is Milton Cross 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 story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Old Lady Larsen. And this, is your FBI. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company.