 The Equitable Life Assurance Society presents This is your FBI. This is your FBI, an 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. Since you've been listening to these programs, such as the one which we'll start in a moment, you doubtlessly have often heard someone say, I'm insured in the Equitable Society. But just what does that much-used word, equitable, mean? Well, in the big dictionary, its synonyms are reasonable, right, honest, impartial, upright, fair. Pretty good list of pretty good words, isn't it? And we of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States do our best to live up to them. It's because we've worked along these lines for 86 years that the Equitable Society is a part of the life of your community. And whether you know him or not, the Equitable Society representative in your community is a good friend of yours, working through life insurance for the security of you, your home, and your country. Tonight's FBI file, The Parole Killer. There is not one of us with his inborn American sense of fair play who would deny the essential justice in principle of the parole system. The system under which certain categories of convicts may be conditionally freed from prison before the expiration of their full sentence. But the front pages of our newspapers almost daily bear violent witness to the fact demonstrated in tonight's case from the files of your FBI that some convicts are paroled whom for the sake of society it would be far wiser to leave behind the bars. Convict number 728056 of a certain state prison has just been ushered into the office of the warden. Is the rather tall, lean, blonde young man with smooth sensitive features? His artistic hands grow restless as he waits for the warden to look up from a sheet of papers on his desk. Presently, the warden speaks. Our warden? Yes, sir. I guess you're anxious to know the outcome of your appearance before the parole board yesterday. Yes, sir. As you might well imagine, I spent most of the night wondering. Do you ever hear of the Second Chance Society? I think I have, sir. It's a very worthwhile organization and with a noble purpose. But I sometimes wish they were better informed on criminology before they exerted pressure on parole boards. What do you mean, sir? The board was inclined to deny you parole, Norwood, but a representative of the Second Chance Society interceded in your behalf. Your parole has been granted. That's fine, sir. Norwood, I opposed your parole. Why? My prison record is without a blemish. That's right. But you didn't become a criminal by chance or because of environment or association with evil companions. A man of your intellect can pretty much choose his own way of life and can make mistakes, too. Well, I earnestly hope you've resolved to go straight. Oh, your instructions for reporting to your parole officer, you will find in this envelope with your other papers. Thank you, sir. You have my sincerest and best wishes. It's all up to you, Norwood. This is your Second Chance. I'll make the most of it. You can rest assured, sir, that I shall. Cole. Cole. What? Wake up. What? Wake up, I said. Leave me alone. I'm tired. Cole, I want to talk to you. Look, if this is about where I was last night, I had to work, so leave me alone. I don't want no rhubarb. I don't want to argue, darling. That's a switch. I have a surprise for you. Guess who's out of stripes as of yesterday. Out of the jug? Yeah. Who? What are you talking about? Sweatin' already. Who's out? Ray Norwood. Ray? I told you it's six more months to go. He was paroled. Look, is this a rib or something? No. How do you know he's out? He called about a half hour ago. He's on his way over here. He's what? You want to borrow my hanky, darling? Your lovely low-cut brow is covered with itsy-bitsy beads of perspiration. Shut up, will you? It's understandable, of course. You've got a perfect right to be scared. After all, it was your testimony that hung the rap on him. Shut up, I said. What are your plans, darling? Let me see. Now, what are your plans? Don't answer the door. But I told him we'd be here. Tell him I ain't home. That'd be childish. Wait a minute. Come back here. Oh, no. Jane. Hello, darling. Hello, Ray. Come on in, won't you? Thank you, sweet. Well, it certainly seems like... There we are, Ray. What? That's what I said. Well, I must say that's hardly a way to greet an old friend. Oh, put down that gun. Oh, no. Oh, I think Jane's made an excellent suggestion. Why the gun? Why do you say? Oh, my dear boy, you have nothing to fear from me. Absolutely nothing. Are you kidding? Why, of course not. You evidently imagine that I've come here seeking revenge for your testimony in my trial. That's right. No. I hold no grudge for that. From your standpoint, it was simply a matter of self-preservation. Huh? One of the reasons I came here was to convince you of that. Oh, now, please, put down that gun. Do as he says, Cole. Well, okay. That's better. And now you might be interested to know that I've been given a second chance. The warden asked me to make the most of it. So, to please him. Let's get busy. Yes, sir. What can I do for you? It's all written down on this piece of paper, Mr. Teller. There you are. Oh, let me see. You want stacks of 20s and stacks of 10s. Right. 15 grand worth. You can put it in this bag. Yeah. But your check, sir. Your check to cover. This gun looking at you should be cover enough. What? And if you make one move to step on that alarm pedal, you won't be going home to your wife tonight. Put the bag stuff in a bag like I told you. You won't get away with this. It better not be your fault, but okay. That's a 20s, not a 10s. And get this, too. I'm going to walk out of here normal-like, which means my back will be to you. But that girl standing over there is a better shot than Annie Oakley. So, hold this pose until we're both gone. Okay? It was about two hours later when special agents Griffin and Decatur completed their preliminary investigation of the scene of the bank robbery and started driving back to headquarters. Did you get any leads at all, Fred? Nobody I talked to saw anything. What about the bank's special officer on duty? Well, he was at the side door when it happened, overseeing the transfer of some money from an armored car. Looks like they picked their time rather cleverly. Yes. What about the teller? Well, he gave a pretty sketchy description of the man. He's excited, I guess, for all the details to register. Could he give you anything on the girl? No. You said she was an attractive blonde. Well, it seems like they just walked in, picked up 15,000, walked calmly out, and disappeared without leaving a trace. No, they left a trace, all right. What? I've got the note that the band had handed the teller through the window. Oh. It's not much, but he might have left a fingerprint on it. We'll know when we get to the laboratory. Oh, we're pushing time on this one. Let's step on it. Just a minute. Hello, darling. Hello, Ray. Come on in. Thank you. Where's Carl? Out. I don't know where. Good. I want to talk to you. What about? You and Carl? Well? How has he been treating you? Let's talk about something pleasant. He'd be back here before I could finish telling you what a dirty, lying, double-crossing, cheating, two-timing. No, that's quite convincing. That's just how I feel about him myself. Hmm? How come the Forgiven Forget Act the other night? You netted us $15,000, didn't it? You and me? What are you getting at this? You and me. A two-way division of the spoils, darling. Say, you know, I'd like to kiss that parole board for giving you a pass home. Then it's a bargain? How are we going to cut Carl out and make it stick? I planned the bank job, didn't I? Yeah. Providing a way to cut Carl out was part of the plan. I don't get you. Let's wait for Carl. Jane. Jane. I'm right here, Carl. Oh, we're both here. Good. Well, how about getting down to business now? What business? Splitting the dough. Oh, uh, I'm afraid I have a bit of bad news for you concerning that, Carl. What do you mean? I'm afraid something happened this afternoon that'll deprive you of any part of the money. Are you kidding? No. What's this plush mouth talking about, Jane? Just listening, darling. You have a police record complete with fingerprints, you know, Carl. So what? The note you had at the bank teller was written on a piece of paper which you've handled several times. Your prints are on it. What? So you see, the police will be looking for you now. Well, you double- I'm just evening our score, Carl. That's fair, isn't it? You don't think you're going to get away with it? Why not? Well, you were part of the act, too, you know. I wasn't in the bank. Yeah, but you were parked and blocked down the street and drove Jane and me away. The police can't prove that. They'll prove plenty when I tell them where to go to look for the money. You'll tell them? Sure. About Jane, too? Why not? Look, if I take a wrap, you're all going to take a wrap or yell my head off before I let you get away with it. Ah! And that, darling, is my good deed for the day. Before resuming tonight's FBI file, as we shall in just a moment, let me describe another little drama for you. A drama that, while it might be less exciting, nevertheless has a mighty important application to you and your loved ones. This week at the Equitable Society, I happened to walk into the building carrying a heavy suitcase. And suddenly, the suitcase seemed to grow lighter in my hand, and the voice said, Here, let me help carry that with you. Well, it was a friend of mine and the company. An Equitable Society representative who'd taken hold of the handle. Thanks a lot, I said. It's a pretty heavy load. So I noticed he answered. That's why I'm helping you out. That's my business. And you know, he was 100% right when he said that. For it is the business of life insurance agents to help people. Help them carry financial burdens and responsibilities. Responsibilities like education for children, security for old age, the problem of keeping a home together. And that's just what the Equitable Society representative in your town stands ready to do for you. He's a man you can go and talk to anytime. He's trained in all the uses of life insurance. And you'll find he gets a real satisfaction in helping you use life insurance to make your burdens lighter. Don't be backward about piling your troubles on him. His shoulders are broad. And the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States is strong. Yes, this week and every week for 86 years, the Equitable Society has been building security for you, your home, and your country. Now, back to the FBI file, the Parole Killer. In most cases, the parole boards throughout America are composed of conscientious and qualified men and women who perform well the difficult job of deciding whether a convict eligible for parole can safely be returned to society. But far too often, they yield to the pressure of well-meaning but uninformed persons and are forced to parole convicts who are loosed upon society with tragic and criminal results. As witness, 48 hours after convict Raymond Norwood was paroled, he had engineered a $15,000 bank robbery, murdered a man, and was still at large. It is some 30 minutes now after Carl Sterling crumpled to the floor with two pistol slugs in his body. Special FBI agents Griffin and Decatur arrive at the apartment. I'll just stand to one side for it, just in case Sterling resents our visit. I can't imagine him being dumb enough to sit here and wait to be picked up. I think he was dumb enough to leave his calling card at the bank, wasn't he? Yeah, but, hey, wait a minute. What's the matter? We'd better get the manager to let us in. Why? Look at what's oozing through the crack under the door. We don't need a key, the door's open. Come on. Watch it. Looks like one of them got the worst of an argument. It's Sterling. Oh. Is he dead, John? Yeah. Well, it's all pretty fresh. We couldn't mystify very much. What's in there, Fred? Bedroom. A lot of pull-out drawers. It's her stuff that seems to be missing. Sure, it would be now. He doesn't seem to have started any packing at all. Everything of his is in place. Well, then that's the answer. She wanted to be a widow and with $15,000 initial capital. Yeah, it looks that way. We'd better get a wanted notice out on her. See if we can get a line on what kind of car they are on, too. That shouldn't be difficult to arrive at. Wait a minute. Hold it. What is it? It's a little pocketbook automatic. Oh, her gun. Could be. Two shots fired. And that's the number of holes in Sterling, too. But what's the idea of leaving her gun behind? That's pretty stupid. Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Maybe it's too stupid, huh? Maybe to coin an old phrase, there's a little more here than meets the eye. Yes, darling? I'm not exactly the 90 mile an hour type, but considering our class B movie exit tonight, don't you think we ought to be driving a little faster? And have a state trooper arrest us for speeding? Cars probably hot for now, anyway. That's true. So what are we going to do? Keep on modeling it? No, my pet. I have a much more practical idea. Like what? Like this. Hey! Are you crazy? Why? You almost punched us down that ravine. But I didn't. Thanks to the good brakes. But how come you're parking here? Well, I told you. I have a more practical idea. For me, anyway. What do you mean? Those skid marks across the road will look like you've swerved over toward the ravine to avoid a crash. Right? I swerve. Oh, but you're driving. But when they find the car piled up at the bottom of the ravine, I will be in it. What do you say? I'm saying all of why I might switch. Oh! And so the villain took the $15,000 and pushed the girl and the car over the cliff. Well, Fred, what's the lab say? The slugs taken from Sterling were fired from that gun you picked up. Oh, that figured. You're still convinced it was the work of a third person, huh? Yes. Revenge work, too. Sterling's leaving his prints on that note of the bank wasn't a dumb move on his part. It was meant to be a smart move on the part of somebody else. It's been the job on him. That's right. Couldn't that have been his wife? No, no. She would hardly have been that clever and then left her pistol behind as obvious evidence. Oh, and that's where the third person comes in. Yes. Somebody who had good reason in his own mind to frame Sterling with a bank job and frame the girl with murder. Who would that be? Well, I've been looking over the police information in the background. Yeah. Sterling and his wife at one time were more or less stooges for a man named Raymond Norwood. Oh. Norwood was sent up a year and a half ago on a robbery charge. But where's the revenge motive? Well, Sterling turned state's witness against Norwood. But how could Norwood get revenge if he's still in prison? Oh, he was paroled two days ago. What are we waiting for? Let's find him. Well, we've got to get some tangible evidence on him first. Like what? Well, if we can prove the presence of a third party in all this, the bank job, the murder, the girls get away. Okay. Special Agent Griffin speaking. Oh? Yes. State trooper. Yeah. Yes. Oh? Yes, sir. What's that location again, please? Yes. Yes. Yes, good. Hold everything. We'll be out there right away. What's up? State Highway Patrol has just found Sterling's car piled up in the bottom of a ravine. Well. I'm afraid the third person theory is shot to pieces. How's that? A girl's body is the only one in the car. Oh, so she was getting away on her own. Yes. Well, let's get out there fast. Oh, I agree with you, Fred. Those skid marks back up in the highway make it look like an accident. But then again, maybe it wasn't. Sticking to the third party idea. Well, where do we take a look at the wreck? Well, that looks like the heap over there by that state trooper. Yeah. Officer, do you mind if we have a look? We're Special Agents of the FBI. Oh, go right ahead. Thanks. Fred. Throw your light over this way, will you? Oh, what a mess. Oh, look. Look, there's a traveling bag. Come here. No. Lift up the side a little while I pull it out with you. OK. All right. Now. OK. I got it. That does it. All right. Shine your light down here, will you? What's in there? Just close. Yeah, that's all. No $15,000. Well, that still doesn't. I know. I know. I know. The third party. Fred. Yeah? Come here. What did you find? The evidence I've been looking for. What, where? This is the right front door of the car, isn't it? That's right. Well, the girl sitting next to it, she couldn't very well have been driving the car, could she? No. Come on. Next stop, Norwood. But where? I think I've got a good idea about that, too. Can I help you, sir? Yes. I'm Raymond Norwood. I'm making my initial appearance before the parole officer. Norwood, did you say? That's right. I hope I shan't have to wait long. You won't. Just a minute, Mr. Norwood. Mr. Norwood is here now. Can you send him in, please? Come this way, please. Thank you. Good morning, gentlemen. Good morning. Good morning. I presume you would like first to see my credentials. On the contrary, Norwood. Allow us to present our credentials. Well, what's this? We're special agents of the FBI. But I understood this was the office of the parole officer. That's why we're here. We knew you had to report here, Norwood. And we wanted to talk to you. What about? About the robbery of the city national bank yesterday, the revenge murder of your former associate, Carl Stirling, the accidental death of Mrs. Stirling, which, of course, wasn't accidental at all. But you have no evidence that I had a hand in any of it? Norwood, if you had wanted it to appear that Mrs. Stirling was alone in the car, you should have seen to it that her dress wasn't caught in the door on the right side. Very clever, gentlemen. I'm afraid I shall have to frustrate your plans No, no, you don't... Now, what were you saying about frustrating someone? I... I suppose a retraction is an order. Come on, get up. And this time, Norwood, there'll be no parole. Raymond Norwood was tried for his murder of his two accomplices, was convicted and returned again to prison. This time, he was executed for his crimes. Now, we would like you to listen to a statement prepared especially for tonight's program by J. Edgar Hoover, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation on the subject of parole. Parole is a humanitarian and worthwhile institution designed to aid the wrongdoer who has learned the error of his ways by giving him another chance under supervision. Like all laws, its first objective must be the protection of society. Parole fails unless society benefits. The convenience of the wrongdoer must be subordinate to the safety of society. In far too many instances, parole is unworthy of its name. It is a liability rather than an asset to society when improperly administered. The fact that there are failures in parole nevertheless does not mean that the institution of parole is not worthwhile. It has not been adequately tried except in few instances, notably under the federal parole system and a few states. Those experiments are notable examples of how parole should be applied. Not a day passes that does not find local, county, and state law enforcement officers and special agents of the FBI risking their lives to apprehend some criminal who has been freed by ill-advised parole. It is time that law-abiding citizens demanded and made provisions for adequate parole systems in their respective states. In just a moment, we'll tell you about next week's thrilling case from the files of the FBI. It will once again demonstrate the accuracy, the speed, and above all the intelligence with which FBI men work. But now let me introduce to you another expert in security, the Equitable Society Representative in your community. You'll find him just as accurate, just as swift and intelligent in solving the problems of life insurance, solutions that mean homes kept together, children educated, and old age made comfortable. In your community, the representative of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States is a man worth knowing, a man who likes his job, a man who is making a great contribution to building security for you, your home, and your country. Next week, we will bring you another colorful story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Wasteland Hideout. The incidents used in tonight's Equitable Life Assurance Society's broadcast are adapted from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The role of J. Edgar Hoover was impersonated. However, all other names used are fictitious, and any similarity thereof to the names of persons living or dead is accidental. Tonight, the music was under the direction of Frederick Steiner. The author was Frank Ferris, and your narrator was Dean Carlton. This is your FBI as a Jerry Divine production. Now, this is Carl Frank 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 of the United States will bring you another colorful story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Wasteland Hideout. On this is your FBI. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company.