 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. The Equitable Life Assurance Society It can happen to you tonight. You're sitting right where you are now listening to this program and suddenly... Yes? This is the Radio Checking Bureau. Is your radio turned on? Why, yes, it is. Do you know who sponsors that program? Sure I do. It's the Equitable Life Assurance Society. I listened to this equitable program last week and heard about the Equitable Society's fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers. My Equitable Society representative brought me a copy, so naturally I know that this Is Your FBI is sponsored by the Equitable Society. In about 15 minutes, I'll be back with full information about the Equitable Society's fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers. Tonight's FBI file, The Mercenary Mother. The current crime wave in the United States. A wave which is proceeding at the unprecedented rate of nearly 5,000 major crimes every day is composed of an infinite variety of illegal actions. Behind every one of these crimes, there is a reason. A reason which might be revenge or passion or just ordinary greed. Whatever the rational explanation might be, the underlying motive in many cases is easily understandable. Not that any crime, however minor, can in any sense be condoned. But there are times in the lives of men when the pressures of society and their own basic weaknesses drive them to break the law or to take that law into their own hands. However, there is one breed of criminal for whom there can be no possible excuse and on whose behalf not a single word can be said, for his crime is vicious and venal. He is the criminal you are about to meet. The night's file opens in a shabby corner saloon located in one of the poorer districts of a large Midwestern city. Seated at a table toward the rear is a thin, tired-looking man holding his head in his hands and gazing at the drink in front of him. Another customer approaches to Peter. Hello, Peter, my boy. Hello, Cap. Well, you seem to be engaged in serious talk. I am. I'm in a jackpot. Perhaps we can arrive at some solution, Peter. Mind if I sit down? No, go ahead. Thank you. And, uh, how is your charming wife? Okay, I guess. You guess? Don't tell me there's trouble at all. I off count. Don't worry, I have no desire to pry into your personal affairs. Peter, you know that. Okay, forget it. It's merely seemed to me that I might be of more solace to you than with me. I got trouble, count. Oh, Peter, you know me well enough to know that it is anything I can do. Nobody can help. I have performed some astounding feats in my time, Peter. Have you got a red-headed kid? Well, I don't happen to have one on me, but I'm sure there must be one available. Well, that's what I need, sir. Are you serious? Yeah. Well, what would you do with one if you found it? Well, Marion figured out a new racket. She got a list of rich families who want to adopt a kid. We're acting like the middleman. I see. We did fine with a kid last week, but now we got a customer who wants a redhead. Why? I don't know. But she won't take no other kind. Peter, you're a very fortunate young man. Me? Why? It's purely coincidence, of course, but I happen to know of a child who is redheaded and who can be purchased quite reasonably. Are you leveling? Most assuredly. I know it's mother. When would you like to deliver it? Won't you need to talk to her? I'll speak to her this evening if you'd like. Okay, go ahead and make a deal. How much should I offer? How much do you want for yourself? My commission should be, oh, let us say, 100. Well, okay. Splendid. Offer a dime, 150. I suppose she wants more than that. Oh, count. I can't afford to spend more for a baby. I'm not getting this kid for pleasure. Babies are my business. I understand perfectly, Peter. I shall call on you tomorrow at noon. Marion. What? Can I have another cup of coffee? What's the matter with you? I got a terrible hangover. You didn't get drunk last night. You wouldn't have a hangover. That's the first thing you said that I agreed with. You were supposed to be working yesterday. Well, I was working. You sent me out to find a redheaded kid, didn't you? I didn't ask you to find him in a saloon. Well, I got the kid. You what? Yeah, I hired the count to get one for us. The count, that old fool. He knew where he could get a redheaded kid for 100 and a half. I don't believe it. Honest. I promised him 100 for swinging the deal. Why should we have to cut him in? Marion, we're going to get 1,000 for the kid. Into the door! Okay. Good morning, Peter. Hi, count. Come on in. Good morning, Marion. How'd you make out, count? Then did the high close the transaction within an hour after you had commissioned me. Where's the kid? Up on 78th Street. When can you get him? Immediately. I could have gotten a little tight last night if I'd wanted to. Well, why didn't you? Peter said that I could spend as much as $150 for the child. Wasn't that enough? Yes. Well, then why didn't you get the kid and bring him down here? Unfortunately, I didn't happen to have $150. Can you get the kid now if I give you the bill? I shall deliver the child to you within an hour after the money is deposited with me. Okay. Where'll I get my foot? Have you seen the kid? No, but Mrs. Price, that's the child's mother, has assured me that he's a splendid physical specimen. Good, why, count? There's nothing there, is there? Okay, count. Here's a hundred and a half. I, uh, hate to bring this matter up, Marion, but, uh... But what? I have something coming, you know. He means a hundred. You get that when we get the kid. That's very fair of you. I'll be back in a jiffy with a bouncing baby boy. A short while later in the local FBI field office, special agent Jim Taylor is greeting a friend of his, Sergeant Ray Kimberley at the local police. Well, I'm a cheerer, eh? Thanks, Jim. Even you're busy? Yes, it's what I want to see your agent in charge about. Oh, what have you got? Well, I'm not sure it's an FBI job, but he asked me to check with you in case it turns out to be. Kidnapping. Kidnapping? When? Where? Right here in town, 7th Avenue and 78th Street. I know, that district, it's full of cheap tenements. Yeah, that's right. Who was kidnapped? A baby named Martha Price. Mrs. Price caught us less than an hour ago. Any motive? It couldn't have been ransom. Most of the family's up there can barely buy enough food. Yet, child's only eight and a half months old, he couldn't have walked out by himself. Any alarm been sent out yet? Yes. Ray, what's the story on the family? Well, it seems that Mr. and Mrs. Price were divorced shortly after the baby was born. Court awarded her the custody of the child. Well, then it's barely possible that Mr. Price did the kidnapping himself. Is he in town? I don't know, Jim. I'll have the office check on that, OK? You've been to see Mrs. Price yet? No, I thought you and I'd take her on a bed together. Fine, let's go. What do you want? Who are you talking to? When? On the phone. Oh, that was Joe Green. What did he want? He located some kids and he thought we might want to buy him. How does he know we're in the market for kids? I saw him last night. Oh, I guess I told him. Why didn't you take an ad and a paper? I'll lay you off, will you? What time is it? It's, uh, 3.20 twice. Your friend, the count, has been gone over an hour. Well, maybe the kid's old lady wasn't home. I got a hundred and a half invested in this deal. I ain't interested in maybe. Relax. Let him come up with a red-headed kid and I'll relax. Open the door! OK. Hiya, Count. You got the kid, huh? Yes, yes, I have him. He's apparently wired for sound. Well, come on, bring him in. Thank you. Hey, look, Marion, he's got the kid. Let me take a look at him. Hey, he ain't got no blankets on him. He must be cold. No, no, he's a hearty little fellow. Hey, wait, we got a baby blanket around here. I'll get it for him. Uh, get something that will make him stop crying. I'll take care of that. Oh. I'll give him some of this medicine we've used before on other kids. That should keep him quiet. It's the blanket. Wait a minute! I'm giving him some medicine. OK. There. That's that. Now, look at that. The little creature is calming down. Yeah, I guess he likes her. Why, you chowderhead. You stupid, broken down has been. My good lady, are you addressing me? I am. What's the matter, Marion? Look under the baby's cap. Take a look at the kid's hair. It's as black as your mustache. Oh, dear, so it is. I had no idea the little fellow's hair was black. I told you, Count. You remember I said we needed a red-headed kid? Well, I thought this little chap's hair would be red. Why? I've seen his mother at a saloon on the west side on frequent occasions, and she has red hair. Oh. I assumed the child would have red hair, too. Didn't you ever think maybe the old lady dyed her hair? Hardly. Look, you go back to that dame and get us back a hundred and a half. Wait. Before I resort to such a drastic measure, I have a suggestion. What? Assuming that the child's mother did dye her hair. What is there to prevent us from doing the same for the child? Hey, that's a good idea. Great. Brilliant. Look, you stupid idiot. With a kid's hair, you can spot a dye drop a mile away. Now take him back. All right. Go ahead, Jim, slide in this way. Okay, thanks. I didn't mention anything about that phone call I got up there because I didn't want a standing in front of Mrs. Price. I figured that. Well, the office calling me. They look at it Mr. Price. He's out on the west coast. We can drop him as a suspect. I think the story Mrs. Price told us was nothing but lies, Jim. Yeah, I agree with you. I wonder what she's hiding. I don't know, Ray. That neighbor you spoke to, she said she saw a tall middle-aged man leave with the child. Yeah, that's right. Any more specifics on his description? No, she was pretty vague. She did give me a fill-in on Mrs. Price, though. Said she spends most of her time in saloons. Yeah, to guess that. Well, the lights changed, Jim. Oh, yeah. You know, I wish they'd pass a law that no unascorted women could go into a salon. A law like that would put half the places in this neighborhood out of business. Make our job a lot easier. If we knew what the tall man really looked like, we might find him in one of these saloons. Well, at least we got a picture of the baby. I'll have the office make copies and send him out. Okay, Jim. Then we'll just have to wait for a break, Ray. Soon as we get one, we go back to work. What is it? Hiya! What do you want? That kid the count brought down here. Didn't you say his name was Price? Said he was from 78th Street? That's right. What about it? He never bought that kid. He snatched him. What? He was just on the radio. The cops are out looking for the kid and for a tall man one of the neighbors saw leaving with the kid. Well, what are you worried about? The count's on his way back up there. Don't nail him. That's what I'm afraid of. Marion, I don't get it. First you wrapped the count. Now you're worried about him getting nailed. I don't care about him. I care about me. You don't think I trust that old stew bum, do you? All they gotta do is take away his bottles of five hours and he'll tell him everything. Answer the phone! Okay. Hello? Yeah, hello, count. Yeah, I know Marion heard it on the radio. Well, that's fine. Don't worry about it, count. It's the best news I had all day. Go on. Yeah, right. I told you. You had nothing to worry about. That was the count. Yeah. Well, where was he? I don't know, but he wasn't with no cops. And we got no trouble. Why not? He ain't got the kid anymore. He lost them. We will return in just a moment to tonight's file which shows how your FBI promotes security for the nation. Now let's bring this question of security closer to home. Last year on this program, the Equitable Life Assurance Society offered members of the audience a special fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers. It sounds interesting. Can you still get one? Yes, Fred. A new and enlarged fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers has just been published. I have one here. Well, just what's it all about, anyway. Fred, it answers a question every man who loves his family ought to ask himself. That question is, if I should die, how much money would it take to keep my family well-fed, well-housed, and well-closed? You know, that thought has worried me for years. Well, that worry is over now, Fred. With this Equitable Society chart, you'll have the answer in five minutes' flat. Look, you're guided every step of the way by easy-to-understand pictures which illustrate the rock-bottom expenses your family will have to meet. And when you're finished, you'll have a clear, accurate, and complete picture of just what income your family would need during the critical years. Now, just a second, Mr. Keating. What do you mean critical years? The years before your youngest child finishes high school. Years during which the home must have a minimum income to keep it together. Okay, I don't need to know anymore. Where do I get one of these fact-finding charts, and how much does it cost? Well, it doesn't cost a cent. The Equitable Society representative in your community will be glad to bring you a copy. Sit down with him, you and your wife together. There's no obligation, and get a true picture of where you stand. Phone him tomorrow to bring you an equitable fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers. Or send a postcard care of this ABC station to the Equitable Society. That's E-Q-U-I-T-A-B-L-E. The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. And now back to the FBI file. The mercenary mother. There are no readily available statistics on the number of decent families in the United States who, for one reason or another, would like to adopt a child and to accept the many responsibilities that go with the raising of that child. Such an adoption is possible today through the offices of many reputable organizations. Organizations which take great care to see that the new parents are fit people financially, physically, and morally. But sometimes that procedure takes a period of many months. Months of waiting and hoping and waiting again. Not every family is willing to go through that period. And so they seek their relief through one of many un-moral baby brokers. And buy their child over the counter. Buy him as if he were a puppy in a window. Buy him in one of the last remnants of wartime life. The baby black market. Tonight's file continues one hour later in the apartment of Pete and Marion Sheridan. Ain't you going to tell me to answer the door? Go ahead. Okay. Hello, Peter. Count, what are you doing here? I just naturally gravitated. May I come in? Yeah, come ahead. It's a count, Marion. What do you want? Just returning to our home base. This ain't home base. What happened to the kid? I told Peter on the phone. I lost him. Where? In a saloon. Naturally. How could you lose a kid in a saloon? Well, I was standing at the bar when I saw a friend passing by outside. I left it at a hike by a pretzel bow. When I returned, he was gone. You mean the kid met a friend too? Don't be absurd. The cops are looking all over town for you both. Yes, yes, sir, I've heard. That's why I came here. I need your assistance. Since you were the cause of my present troubles, I feel it no more than right that you should finance a trip out of town. What? It might prove awkward for both of you if I were to be arrested. What are you driving at? I need about a thousand dollars. You won't get it here. Get out the way you got in. Hey, wait, Marion. I think we ought to give the council a dope. Where are you going to get it? Joe Cream told me you could get three kids. I'll go get them and you sell them. I've got some good news. The price baby's been found. That's fine. Where? At a place called the Three Star Saloon. Who found him? The cab driver went into the saloon for a beer. Saw the baby in a cardboard box. Have you spoken to the cab driver, Ray? Yes, he says that when the bartender said he didn't know whose baby it was, he suddenly remembered the story of the kidnapping in the papers. I see. How long ago did all this happen? Four by an hour ago. One of our squad cars picked up the baby and took it back to Mrs. Price. Have the child been harmed? No, no, one of our doctors examined him. It's all right. Just a little hungry. Have you seen Mrs. Price and the baby who has returned to her? Yeah, I just came from there. And? She admitted under questioning she thought she knew who took the youngster. What did she think it was? It seems that a man whose name she doesn't know came to her and offered her $150 for her child. A man she doesn't know did that? Well, she says she's seen him around the Three Star Saloon a couple of times, but she doesn't know his name. At the same place the baby was found? Yeah, that's right. Did you give her any description of this man? Yes, but I'm afraid it's too sketchy to do us any good. Well, she turned the man's offer down as she claims. How does she account for the baby's disappearance? Well, she says that at first she accepted the offer, then after thinking it over, she told the man she wasn't going through with the deal. Well, she sounds like a fine mother. Yeah. Look, will you have these prints run through your identity section, Jim? Sure, sure. Where are they from? There was a rattle in the cardboard box with the youngster that Mrs. Price fortunately hadn't touched. I got these prints over, but we don't have anything in our files that matches. I'll send them down right now, Ray. You get any other leads? Yes, there's a pink blanket in this package here. Pink blanket? Yeah, the baby was wrapped in it when he was returned. It's not his blanket. Okay, I'll have a lab check-up for loan remarks, and then he'll say fine. Thanks, Jim. As soon as I get any report back, Ray, I'll call you. Would you mind if I have another drink, Marion? Go ahead. Thank you. Should I mix one for you? No, thanks. Hey, I do hope Peter is able to do business with his friend. He shouldn't have too much trouble. The kids are for sale. A toast to your attitude, Marion. It's so realistic. You want me to be a sentimental slob and cry like I was their mother? Marion, I'm sure that not even your worst enemy could accuse you of being sentimental. Hello, Peter. How did you make out? I saw the kids. They're real scrawny. How much can we get them for? Including a hundred for Joe. All three kids are cost us four fifty. Sounds like a rare bargain. Be quiet, will you? I told Joe I'd call him if you wanted the kids. He can pick them up and deliver them. I think I'll go down and get another bottle of whiskey while we're waiting. No, you don't count. I want you getting picked up. Pete. Huh? Go in and call Joe and tell him to get those kids up here as soon as he can. I got you a message when I came back from dinner. I have a report from the IDent section on that rattle. Oh, good. What did it show? Those prints belong to a woman named Marion Sheridan. Marion Sheridan? I don't think I know that name. Well, there's no reason why you should, Ray. I don't think she's ever worked around here before. Let me see. But we've been looking for her and her husband, Pete Sheridan, for some time now. Oh, before? A swindling charge down south. I guess Pete Sheridan was the one who made the offer to the infant's mother. No, no, Ray's not. I got his picture out of our files and went up to show it to Mrs. Price. She claims that the tall man she told us about doesn't look anything like Sheridan. You think she's telling the truth? Well, I don't know why she should start telling the truth now, but somehow I think she is. The odd thing about all this is that a study of Marion and Peter Sheridan's records show that they never worked with anyone else. It's always been just the two of them. There's nothing at all in either record that would supply a clue on the tall man? Nothing that I could find. Oh, how about the blankets? You have any report on that? Yeah, that came in, too. There's no laundry marks of any kind on it. No, that's too bad. And it's such an ordinary type of blanket. I checked and it's sold in over 150 stores, right here in town. That takes care of the blanket, then. Except for one thing? What's that? Well, the blanket was rather liberally stained. The lab is analyzing the stains now. Well, have you sent out any alarm when the Sheridan's here? No. No way. I'd rather not send one out if we can help it. So far as we know now, they don't have the slightest idea that we're looking for them. Oh, excuse me. Flashlight's in Taylor. Yeah. Yeah, just a minute. We're out. I want to get a pencil. Okay, go ahead. Attachum citrate. Aspirin. Keisha. And all right. Syrup of Orange? Yeah. All right. Thanks very much. Bye. That was a lab, Ray. Here's a breakdown on the stains around the blanket. Take a look. That's quick work, too. Well, this fellow's in the lab. Oh, wonderful. They break open more cases and they get credit for it. I think maybe they're giving us the late we won on this one, too. Let's make some phone calls and find out. Oh, that's not bad, Count. Two phone calls, two customers, two baby souls. Peter, you're a veritable tycoon. Jay, thanks. Pete. Pete. What do you want? The cops found the price kid and returned it. I just heard it on the radio. Well? I don't like it. Why not? It takes the heat off us. It might not. Mary, now that you've forgotten some cash, wouldn't it be a good idea if I... If you went under for a while, that'd be a great idea. Exactly what I was about to say. Now, if you'd be kind enough to advance me, let us say... Save it, Count. You're not getting any dough. But, Mary, if he gets picked up, it might be trouble. He's right. There is always a chance that the police might make me talk. Don't worry. Hey, Mary, what's with the gun? What do you think? Now, now, Mary, and put that thing away, it might go off. It's gone, you count. But you can't get away with this. Oh, no. Drop that gun, Mr. Sheriff. What? You heard what he said. Drop it. Now, walk over to that wall. Go on, all of you. The police, I presume. I'm a special agent of the FBI. Of course you realize I have nothing to do with these people. I merely stop by here for a drink. He's lying. I think we can let a judge decide that. Now, come on. Let's get out of here. The count whose real name was George Bedford, together with Peter and Mary and Sheridan, were turned over to local authorities for prosecution on charges of obtaining under false pretenses and conspiracy to violate the state kidnapping laws. They were each sentenced to 10 years in the state penitentiary. And thus, another evil combination of criminals was broken up by the combined efforts of a local police department and your FBI. Special Agent Taylor was able to find these criminals because the pink baby blanket had a number of stains on it. Stains which the FBI laboratory analyzed and found to be a prescribed baby remedy. All drug stores in the neighborhood where the baby was found were checked. And the records of one revealed that such a prescription had been filled for Mrs. Sheridan. And so, with such a slender lead as the stains on a baby's blanket, your FBI was able to close another case and to close it with one word written across the file. The word convicted. In just a moment, we will tell you about next week's exciting case from the official files of your FBI. Now, one more point about the equitable society's back-finding chart for fathers and mothers. Believe me, Mr. Keating, that chart is just what the doctor ordered for a man like me. From now on, I'm through guessing. I'll know what my wife and kids will need and once I really know, I'll do something about it. Just let me get my hand on one of these charts. Well, Fred, the man who'll see that you get one of these back-finding charts is your Equitable Society representative. No charge or obligation, of course. Make a note to phone your Equitable Society representative soon. Or send a postcard, carry this ABC station to the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Next week, we will dramatize another case from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It's revealing the operations of a transatlantic criminal. Its subject, crime on the high seas. Its title, the round-trip murder. 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, the author was Jerry Lewis, your narrator was William Woodson, and special agent Taylor was played by Stacey Harris. This is your FBI is 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 this same time when the Equitable Life Assurance Society will bring you another thrilling story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The round-trip murder on this is your FBI. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company.