 Sound off for Chesterfield. Chesterfield, the only cigarette in America to give you premium quality in both regular and king size, brings you dragnet. Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned an narcotics detail. You receive information that a big buy of heroin is going to be made in your city. If you know the location and the man who's going to sell it, your job, stop him. Thousands are changing to Chesterfield, both regular and king size, because only Chesterfield has premium quality in both sizes. That means king size Chesterfield contains tobaccos of better quality and higher price than any other king size cigarette. The same fine tobacco as in regular Chesterfield. There is absolutely no difference, except that king size Chesterfield is larger, contains so much more of the same tobaccos, it gives more than a fifth longer smoke. Yes, more than a fifth longer smoke from king size Chesterfield. So remember, Chesterfield is the only cigarette to give you premium quality in both regular and king size. Buy them either way you like them, regular or king size. You'll find premium quality Chesterfield's much milder. Yes, Chesterfield is best for you. Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. It was Tuesday, April 8th. It was windy in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch out in narcotics detail. My partner is Frank Smith, the boss is Captain Kearney. My name's Friday. We were on our way to the meet and it was 9.48 p.m. when we got to the corner of Pico and Clinton, the 617 club. Let's sit back there, huh? Yeah, it looks all right. What time you got, Joe? 9.49, why? Well, this watch is giving me trouble. Yeah. I guess it's getting old. You had it clean lately? Maybe that's what it needs. Yeah, a couple of years ago, it ran real good right after that. It's just been lately, like I said. I don't think maybe you ought to have it cleaned again. I was reading where they should be cleaned at least once a year. Do you know that? No, this is getting old, Joe. Had it for almost 23 years. Got it when I graduated from high school. It sure looks like it's still good, doesn't it? Yes, sir. Coffee for me, Frank. Yeah, please. Two coffees right over there. I didn't say them when we came in, did you? No, we're early. Meet's not supposed to be until 10.30. What's that? I don't know. No, you drink your coffee. I'm not going off. My first thing you know, you're going to have everybody in that place looking at us. I don't care. Let them look. I never wanted to do it. I never did. No, okay. You did it. I don't mean to do it about you. Stop bawling. What's going on in the next book? I don't know. I can't see. Easy for you to say. You didn't do it. You're going to stop bawling? You bring a lot of tension over here. We're both going to stand. I can't help it, everybody. I see. I think it's a cop. A cop would know us all about it. But she fools have done it. Every time you get a couple of bills and you start a wall, knock it off. Knock it off. Knock it off. If I had to do it over again, it would have been different. I tell you, it would have been different. What do you think, Joe? It sounds like you had too much to drink. I hope they get out of here. I don't want anything to louse up our body here. Sure, you get big, big, man. You've got no worries. Come on, let's go. You didn't kill the old lady. He's not so loud. You didn't kill her. Because of the high booth walls, we were unable to tell who was doing the talking. As soon as the men got up to leave the place, Frank and I followed them. Frank stopped long enough to call our contact and postpone the narcotics buy. We followed the two men from the bar down the street. They walked up to spring and then they split up. Frank followed one of them, I tailed the other. He went directly to a hotel on West 6th Street. He stopped and talked with a hotel clerk and then he took the elevator upstairs. I checked with the clerk and he told me that the man's name was Sam Allison. The clerk also told me that Allison had been a resident of the hotel off and on for the past 10 years. He went on to say that every so often Allison would pack up and leave, but that he'd always return. He was unable to give me any information as to how Allison made his living or who the other man might be. 12, 10 a.m. I called the office. Frank had checked back in. The man he was following had entered an all night movie and in the darkness Frank somehow had lost him. I went back to the office and we sent a radiogram to Inspector Charlie Sutton up in San Francisco, requesting all information on unsolved murders in the Bay Area in the last few months. We ran the name Sam Allison through R and I, but we got no make on anyone answering his description. 2.15 a.m. We checked out of the office and went home to get some sleep. The following morning, Wednesday, April 9th, 7.58 a.m. I checked back into the office. That you Joe? Yeah. The message in the book to call Operator 18 in San Francisco. Would you put the call in? No, I just got in. I'll give you that way in a minute for you to get here. All right, let's take care of it. Operator 18, San Francisco, please. Joe Friday, Los Angeles Police Department. Michigan 5211. Yeah, that's right. Probably Charlie Sutton, huh? Yeah. Yes, ma'am? Oh, Charlie? Joe Friday. Yeah. Uh-huh. When? January 15th, huh? The hot had happened. Uh-huh. Yeah. You talk a little louder, Charlie? Any description? Yeah, I see. Mm-hmm. Where? You sent it right down to us, huh? Okay, fine. Yeah. Okay, Charlie. No, we don't know. No. Yeah, thanks again. Right, bye. Anything? Yeah, out at Land's End up in San Francisco. One was beaten to death. The San Francisco Police Department said that they'd forward all available information on the killing. From what Inspector Charlie Sutton had said, the victim had been robbed and beaten out in the Land's End area. There had been one witness to the murder, and we told the authorities in the Bay City that we would send them stand-up mugs of our suspect, Sam Allison. 9.37 a.m. Frank and I drove over to the hotel on West 6th. We talked to the desk clerk, and then we went upstairs to Allison's room. Yeah, this must be at 3.05. Yeah. We'll try it again. Police officers, we'd like to talk to you. Yeah? You Sam Allison? Yeah, that's right. What's the bet? I'd like to talk to you. What about? It might be better if we talked inside. All right, come on in. What's this all about? I want to get dressed. I'd like to talk to you downtown. What for? You've got nothing on me. Just like to talk to you. Come on, get dressed. Oh, wait a minute, sir. Look, you tell me what it's all about first, huh? You've been up in San Francisco lately. Why? Heavy. Yeah, so what? When? I don't know, first of the year, I guess. Around there. You narrow that down a little? First part of January, I guess. Where were you last night? Around. Where around? I found out a couple drinks and came home just around. Who's the friend? Hey, look, I'm not going to answer any more of your questions until I know what this is all about. Where are your clothes? In the closet. I'll get them. You're getting real big, aren't you? You tell us what you want, I'll get them. I'm in that pinstripe. You know, the gray one right in front of you. You know, pinstripe. That's it? Yeah. Oh, in that bureau? Second drawer? There's some shirts there. Give me one of the blue ones, will you? One with the tab calling, and a little round things on it. That's it? Yeah. Thanks. Thanks a lot. Hey, why don't you guys figure out and let me know what this is all about. What do you do for a living, Allison? Oh, this and that. All right, what's that mean? I work with horses. You a trainer, that it? No, not exactly. A tout? No. Say, in that tout, bro, there's a little velvet box. You got a collar bar in there. Would you get it for me now? Here? Yeah. This is the box? That's right. The gold one. Yeah. And what you want? Yeah, thanks. Yeah, I got my shoes. Wait a minute. Which ones do you want? The black ones. It's the only pair. Who were you drinking with last night, Allison? Like I told you, a friend. What's his name? Like I told you I wasn't going to say anything like find out what this was all about. All right, Allison, I'm going to lay this out for you. We were in a bar last night, placed down on Clinton. You there? Clinton? Oh, you mean the 617 Club? That's right. Yeah, I was there. So what? We were in the booth next to you. Heard you talk about killing a woman in San Francisco. You're wrong about that. Yeah, sure we are. Let's go downtown. No, I mean it. I don't know what you're talking about. Oh, sure, I was in the bar last night, but I don't know anything about killing an old broad up. Who said you was old? Well, you just did. No, he didn't. Said the woman had been killed. He didn't say anything about her age. Well, from the way you said it, I figured she was old. No, that won't work, Allison. Look, you got no reason to think that I did that. No, you got no reason to think that. You admit you were up north about the time it happened. You were in a bar last night talking about it. Now, you seem to know quite a bit about the whole thing for somebody who wasn't involved. Well, maybe I just heard about it, you know. Where'd you hear about it? Well, around. But you guys know it wasn't me. You know that, don't you? Who were you with last night? He didn't want to did it. Is that it? I don't know. I don't know if he did it or not. I don't know anything about it. All I know is I wasn't mixed up in it. I didn't have anything to do with it. Who's Jack Kempem? Kempem? I don't know any Kempem. Well, he knows you, according to this postcard in your drawer over here. Well, that right? Yeah, that's right. Sam, I'll be in town Monday night meet you at your hotel and sign Jack as a return address to your San Diego. Now, who is he? Oh, yeah, Kempem. I forgot for a minute. Well, maybe you forgot that he was with you in that bar last night too, huh? Well, what happens to me if I do remember? Are you going to find out? I don't think so. Was he the man you were with last night? I don't want him to find out. I got big trouble if he does. Isn't that right? Yeah, he's the guy. But don't tell him I said so, will you? You won't tell him, huh? Oh, Jack will come after me if he knew. He's really off his rocker. He is, huh? Yeah, and he'd kill me if he knew. You guys are going to have trouble taking him. You know that, huh? We are, huh? Yeah. He's fallen a couple of times before. I've done a big time up at Kew. Told me a hundred times before. At least a hundred times. Yeah, what's that? He killed the first cop that came after him. 11.17 a.m., Frank and I took Sam Allison down to the city hall. He was fingerprinted and mug shots were taken. A pair of stand-up mugs were sent to San Francisco immediately. We contacted the San Diego Police Department and asked them to put a stake out on the address that was on the postcard we found in Allison's room. In the event this Jack Kenton returned, they were to pick him up and call us. While we talked to them, they ran the name through their files and found that he had a minor record in San Diego dating back some 15 years. A check of our file showed that he'd served time in San Quentin for armed robbery at ADW while trying to commit a robbery. We got out of local and an APB on him. We talked to Allison. He told us that as far as he knew, Kenton was planning to return to San Diego on the preceding night. He couldn't give us any information as to where Kenton had stayed while he was in Los Angeles. 2 p.m. We got a call from San Diego that they'd picked up Jack Kenton. 2.30 p.m. Frank and I checked out a trip car and left for San Diego. We checked in with Lieutenant Mort Gear when we got there, and he told us that Kenton had been seen returning to his home right after we'd contacted them. We drove out to his place and searched it, but we found nothing to tie him in with a murder in San Francisco. 8.30 p.m. We left San Diego and returned to Los Angeles. On the return trip, Kenton was sullen and refused to answer any questions. We took him to the city hall, 1.15 a.m. Oh, lousy deal. You guys are trying to tie a bum rap on me, and you know it. Do we? Sure. You ever do any big time, Kenton? No. Ever been in jail, huh? No. That's not what our record says. Maybe a couple of tickets for traffic stuff. Book says you served time at Q. How about that? A couple of years, yeah. Don't you figure that is big time? I suppose so. Then why didn't you tell us about it? Forgot. You've been in San Francisco lately? Oh. You sure? I'm sure. We got a rumble that you were up there around the first of year. That right? Yeah. Well, you tell your pigeon that he's not even a fruitcake if he says I was up in Frisco. A couple of other people will say you were up there, too. Yeah, who? A couple of people. Well, they're offering that, too, if they say that. The officers say so, too. Now, they figure that. They got an ident on your picture. It was never picked up in Frisco. They got no picture of me. We got a few. So I'd done time out of LA. Yeah, you did. When we get a mug, we ship a copy up north. They do the same. That right? That's right. So maybe I'll be big about all this. I admit I was in Frisco around the first of year. What's that prove? What'd you do when you were up there? I moved around, went up for vacation. What do you do for a living? A little of everything. What's that include? Like I said, a little of everything. What'd you tell the parole board? I'd tell them I'm a contractor. What do you build? Whatever needs building. I'm versatile. You're pretty smart, too, aren't you? Look, I know my rights. I know that you know that I'm an ex-con. You know it as well as I do. But there ain't no PV tab on my card. I don't go around a corner without telling the board. You got nothing on me for that. They know you went to San Francisco? Yeah, like I said, it was for a vacation. Where'd you live up there? Around. Hotel down on Geary. How long were you there? Maybe three weeks, a month. You guys agree? Yeah. Here. Thanks. Thanks. What's this all about anyway? What's a pitch with was I in Frisco? You remember where you were last night? Yeah, I was up here. I came up to see a friend. Who's a friend? I don't remember. Where'd you see this friend? Bar. Had a cup of drinks, and I went to a movie. What bar? I don't remember. Some place downtown. Over on Clanton, maybe? Yeah, it could be. Like I said, I don't remember. We figure it was the 617 Club on Clanton. You know more than I do. You were there with Sam Allison, isn't it right? Allison? Don't think I know anybody about name. He says he knows you. Allison? I don't think I know anybody. All right, now let's come off at Clanton. We know you were there. We were in the booth right next to you. We heard you talk about killing the woman in San Francisco. We heard every word you said. Well, you must have been listening to somebody else. You got the wrong pitch all the way around. I wasn't there last night. I don't know any Sam Allison. I didn't kill anyone in San Francisco or any place else. bartender down there says he knows you. He says you were in the place last night. We saw you there ourselves. You know, you guys ought to lay off that cheap booze that's beginning to hit your eyes. We've got another witness who says you were there. Willem, that's where to it. All right, so maybe I was. Why'd you lie about it? I didn't lie. I just forgot. Maybe you forgot about San Francisco, too. Is that it? No, I didn't forget about it. You said you spent your time up north in the bar. Which bar? Cookies. Where's that? On Kearney. You got any way to prove you were there? The cookies? Sure. Talk to Cookie himself. He'll tell you. What's his last name? I don't know. You spent all his time with him. You don't know his last name. Cookie, just plain Cookie. That's all you need to know to get a drink. He ever done any time? Not Cookie. He'll do almost anything to make a buck as long as he doesn't have to work for it. But he's never fallen. I know about it. He's too busy watering the boozey cells. You ever get down here to Fisherman's Wharf up there? No. Never left downtown. And you couldn't have been down there on January 12th, now could you? I don't know where I was on the 12th. I said I wasn't near the Wharf. That means on the 12th, 13th, 14th, as far as you want to go. I don't know how else to say it. I wasn't down on Fisherman's Wharf. That where this woman got it? Might have been, yeah. Doesn't make any difference, though. You didn't leave downtown, did you? No. Never left downtown. Kearney Street for the hotel. Kearney Street for cookies. That's all. How about Land's End? Ever get out there? Maybe if I write it out. Maybe then you'll get what I'm trying to say. I was always downtown. I never left it. I didn't go to Land's End. I didn't go to Fisherman's Wharf. I didn't go to the tea gardens in the park. I never left downtown. You're sure about that? I've told you. I've told you every way I know how. That's all I can do. Yeah, well, there's something that doesn't jive here, Kim. What's that? We got a call from San Francisco. They got a girl up there who was out on Land's End on January 15th. She says that she'll identify you as the man who killed the woman that night. She says she's positive. Oh, that's why all this bit about was I someplace on January 12th. Yeah, that's right. Playing it real cozy, aren't you? Well, it won't work, Cop. Thanks, but no thanks. I'm having none of it. Now, you guys go and try to figure some other way. You got nothing on me, nothing, and you know it. Now, if you're tired of playing games, either give me my walking papers or book me. I'm tired. I want to go to sleep. The girl will be here in the morning, Kim. That's swell. I got to get my sleep then. I want to look real nice for her. All right. Let's go. Well, Cop, that's one nice thing about the laws in this state. Yeah. I don't have to do a thing. Just sit and watch. You got to prove it. Any way you slice it, you got to do the work. I don't have to do a thing. Yeah, that's right. Kenton, there's only one little difference. 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Yes, Chesterfield is best for you. 3.39 a.m., we took Jack Kenton down and had some stand-up mugs made of him and sent to San Francisco. Kenton was booked at the main jail in suspicion to murder. 5.26 a.m., Frank and I checked out of the office and we went home. The next day at 1.30 p.m., we met with Captain Lorham in a homicide division and talked over the developments with him. Together, we worked out a plan that we thought might work in getting Allison to admit to the murder. 4.15 p.m., we had Kenton brought from his cell in the main jail to the interrogation room at the city hall. We talked to him for two hours. He'd admit nothing. Well, where's your witness? About time she got here, isn't it? She'll be here. But she'll get this thing over with. I'm getting a little sick of playing ring around a rosy with you boys. Maybe you haven't got anything else to do, but I have. All right. What's so important, Kenton? Got a heavy date down San Diego tonight. This is Friday, isn't it? That's right. Real doll. Been trying to date with her for a couple of weeks. Finally made it. You guys think I'll be out of here by six? Depends on what the witness says. I'll buy a cigarette, eh? Yeah. There you are. I got him, man. Cops find anything in my house? What do you mean? When they went through it. Look, I've been through this before. I know the bit as well as you guys do. Fella Falls once does some time. Your cops never leave him alone. You drank much, Kenton? Hm? You drank much. Yeah, I have a high ball once in a while. What's the matter? Something wrong with that? You guys going to give me a lecture on the evils of alcohol? No, I'm just trying to figure out what kind of a guy you are when you're loaded. Well, I'm a doll. Living doll. Put on lampshades, tell funny stories. Life of the party, that's me. You ever ever crying, Jag, when you've been drinking? Nope. Sure about that? Yeah. The way we got it says you get a couple of belts and you start to ball, and how about that? Whoever told you that's lying. Seems pretty sure about it, Miss Fella. You seem to have a lot of information from this fellow of yours. Who is a guy? A friend of ours. Yeah? You sure and a friend of mine. Got an idea who it is. Sounds a lot like my friend Sam. That's so. Yeah, old Sam, the working man's friend. Rumble, we got says you were with him the night before last. Is that right? Oh, yeah. This is the night you guys were in the next booth and heard all the stuff about me killing the all broad. What's this bit about a rumble? You know what an idea. You picked up Sam. He talked his mouth out to save his own skin. You guys are about as coy as a bulldozer. Why don't you come off it? You're not working with an amateur. I've been around for a long time. I know the angles. You guys got nothing on me. You got nothing because I'm clean. Just want to be big men. Got nothing else to do so you decided to kill a little time by leaning on somebody. I happen to be around. I got a record so I fit your program real pretty. Well, get off my back. I've had it. Now either book me on suspicion and I'll sue you for every last dime you got or let me go. I got a date I want to keep. That's a nice try, Kevin. It won't work. What do you mean? All right, I'll lay out a few things for you. A woman was killed in San Francisco on January 15th. You were in town that day. You got a record for robbery and assault. Woman was robbed and then killed. You got blind one night and you talked all about it. You had a real crying jig and you got worried. You talked about how everybody you saw looked like a cop. They all looked like they knew what you'd done and they were moving to nail you for it. You got a real bad case of the bull horrors. We got a friend of yours who says you could have been the guy. We got an identification from a girl who says you killed that old woman. She's on her way down here now. Soon she sees you and makes it positive. You had it, mister. Now that's where you sit. You talk real convincing. Makes it sound like you really got something on me. We have, Kenton, and you know it. Let's check and see if that girl's here. Yeah, I will. Got a cigarette? Yeah, here. Now what's the matter, Kenton? You figure maybe we aren't giving you a snow job? No, I know where I stand. I'm just getting a little worried that maybe this girl might make a mistake. It happened, you know. It's happened before. They're right. Sure, lots of time. You know, somebody watches a thing like this. They aren't sure what they've really seen. Some college back east proved it. That's so. Had a deal with one of the students pretending he was going to knock off the teacher. After he'd done it, all the kids gave a different story of what happened. It happens all the time. Yeah. Well, if you didn't do it, then you got nothing to worry about, have you? No, I suppose not. She says she saw the guy, huh? Yeah, that's right. Came all the way down here to look at me, huh? Yeah. You figure she's here yet? She'd be. Her plane landed an hour ago. Mm-hmm. You say she identified my picture. She said I was the guy. I didn't hear if you just came in, man. That's him. That's the man. He killed her. I saw it. I'd never forget him. That's the man. She's crazy. She's wrong. You know that, don't you? She's wrong. Let him touch me. The man's a murderer. He killed the old woman. I saw him. Beat her to death. I saw him do it. All right, ladies. We'll be all right. All right, Miss Carter. You want to step outside? Oh, yes, please. I want to get away from it. I know everyone. I have to look at him again. I didn't see her. I didn't see her. I didn't know anybody was around. I didn't mean to kill the old woman. I didn't. You know that, don't you? Yeah, sure. She wouldn't give me her purse. I followed her from downtown all the way out on the streetcar. I got out and followed her. Right by Citro's, by the cliff house. And I tried to take the money. She wouldn't give it to me. Only about 30 bucks. Why didn't she give it to me? 30 bucks. It wasn't worth it to her. For 30 bucks? I'd been all right if that girl hadn't seen. I looked, tried to make sure nobody saw her. I didn't see her. I did. You want to stay with him, Frank, when I get the stenographer? Yeah, Joe, go ahead. Did it work, Sergeant? Yeah, it worked fine. It's funny. I was scared stiff when I went in. I wasn't sure I could carry it off. Well, it worked fine. He copped out, admitted everything. Well, if there's nothing else, I'll go on back to work. Thanks, Dilla. Look, will you tell Cunningham and I'll give him a ring, will you? Yeah. To stay, Sergeant. Yeah. Thanks for letting me help. You know, filing packages in R and I, gets a little dull on there. The names were changed to protect the innocent. On August 17th, trial was held in Department 89, Superior Court of the State of California, in and for the county of Los Angeles. In a moment, the results of that trial. Now, here is our star, Jack Webb. Thank you, George Phenomenon. Friends, it's getting a little closer to Christmas, and there's a man right near you, your neighborhood cigarette dealer, who has a lot of fine gift ideas. Of course, he's featuring the gift of the year, the Chesterfield Christmas Carton. It's the ideal gift because Chesterfield is the only premium quality cigarette available to you, in both regular and king size. Chesterfield is the one I smoke, and it's the one I'm giving for Christmas. Regular or king size. Premium quality Chesterfields are much milder. Jack Gerald Kenton was tried and found guilty of murder in the first degree. He is now serving a life sentence in the State Penitentiary, San Quentin, California. Ladies and gentlemen, until everyone is safe, no one is safe from tuberculosis. Help save lives by buying all the Christmas seals you can and using Christmas seals on all your Christmas mail. You have just heard Dragnet, the series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the Office of Chief of Police, W.H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department. Technical advisors Captain Jack Donahoe, Sergeant Marty Wynn, Sergeant Phantz Brasher. Heard tonight were Ben Alexander, Virginia Greg, Harry Bartel, scripted by John Robinson, music by Walter Schumann. Hell, give me speaking. Sound off for Chesterfield. Either way you like them, regular or king size, you'll find premium quality Chesterfields much milder. Chesterfield has brought you Dragnet, transcribed from Los Angeles.