 Sound off for Chesterfield. Chesterfield is best for you. First cigarette with premium quality in both regular and king size. Chesterfield brings you Dragonet. The story you're about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a burglary detail. For the past two months, a gang of safe burglars have been operating in your city. In that time, they've hit a dozen places. You've got no lead to their identity. Your job? Get them. Here's a report never before made about a cigarette. Smoked day after day by a group of people smoking from 10 to 40 cigarettes a day for a full year. Here's Chesterfield's record. A medical specialist giving this group thorough examinations every two months for a full year reports no adverse effects to their nose, throat and sinuses from smoking Chesterfield's. Don't you want to try a cigarette with a record like that? You'll find Chesterfield's best for you. They're much milder, with an extraordinarily good taste. And for your pocketbook, Chesterfield is America's best cigarette buy. 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, August 10th, that was warm in Los Angeles. It was Tuesday, August 10th, that was warm in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out a burglary detail. My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Wisdom. My name's Friday. We were on the way back from lunch and it was 1.17 p.m. when we got to room 45, burglary. Joey, you got any stomach pills? No, I haven't. You got trouble again? Yeah. I don't know why I always do when we have lunch at Sal's. Must be that cheesecake, Joe. It happens every time. Well, maybe if you just stick to one piece, huh? The way Rosie makes it, she can't stop there. You know, that salad could make a fortune if you'd realize it. What do you mean? Well, you know how in some places they have a little bowl of mints by the cash register? Yeah. Well, if Sal had put a bowl of stomach pills, he could clean that? Yeah, sure. Anything in the book? I'll take a look. How about it? Yeah. There's a call here from Ernie. I inform it? Yeah. Says he wants to see us this afternoon. Say what it's about? No, it just says to meet him at that coffee place over on 7. Sure hope he can come up with something. We could use it. Yeah. I'm taking a lot on this one, haven't we? Yeah. The way the papers talk, you'd think we'd run with the thieves. Now, from where they sit, it probably looks that way. We sure haven't been able to stop them. Yeah. You hear anything more on that last run from the stats office? Yeah, nothing. They've run the MO over and over. We can't make it. I saw the skipper this morning. He's sore, too. Yeah, figures are leaning on him, too. Well, there's got to be a break somewhere along the line. Their luck can't hold out forever. Maybe they don't know that. Did you check the F.I. cards from last night? Yeah, they're doing it now. They might come up with something. How about rules and told? You heard from them yet? No, they're running down that report from the liquor store owner. It doesn't look like it's going anywhere, either. I'll get it, fine. Burglary Smith. Oh, yeah. Did you find anything? Uh-huh. Where was that? Uh-huh. How'd he spell that last name? S-O-M? Right. Okay, thanks. We might have something. Yeah. The officer made a field interrogation report on an Otto Bronson last night. Time was listed as 1046 p.m. 4th and central. Well, that's close. The last heist was at 7th and central at approximately 11 p.m. Well, how's this Bronson fit in? Well, they checked him out. He's got a record. Yeah. Burglary. 1.35 p.m. Frank and I checked the name Otto Bronson through R&I. We found that he had an arrest record dating back 10 years. He'd been picked up three times on suspicion of violation of section 459 P.C. He'd been convicted once and had served time at San Quentin. He'd been released four months before he served his full term and was not on parole. We got his last known address from his ex-convict registration and we drove out to see him. The address listed was a rooming house on Alexandria Street. We talked to the landlady, but she could tell us nothing about him. She said that he'd moved in about four months before, and in that time, she'd seen very little of him. He didn't eat at the house, but he took his meals outside. She was unable to tell us what time Bronson had come home the night before. He was registered in room 2B. Frank and I went up and knocked on the door. You ought up, Bronson? Yeah, what about it? Police officers, we'd like to talk to you. OK, go ahead. It might be better if we talked inside, huh? Well, maybe I don't want any cops in my place. Well, we can talk downtown. Come on in. All right, what's it all about? I wonder if he could tell us where you were last night. Why? We'd like to know. Let's see. I went downtown, had dinner, met some friends, had a few drinks and came home. What time did you get home? Oh, maybe about eight around in there. Well, you got word you were saying downtown at 1046. How about it? Maybe my watch stuff. Oh, are you downtown? Oh, you guys know all the answers you tell me. All right, Mr. Get Your Hand. Why? Let's get downtown. All right, all right. So I was there. What's that prove? Why'd you lie about it? I didn't lie. I told you. My watch stuff. Yeah, according to the FBI report, you were stopped in the corner of 4th and Central, is that right? I don't know. I guess so why? What were you doing there? I was on my way home. From where? I think I told you. I had a couple of drinks with some friends of mine and came right home. Where'd you meet these friends of yours? A bar down in Central. Which bar? I don't know the address. I can show you if you've got to know. Who were the friends? Look, I don't like any of this. You guys coming here and asking all these questions? What's it all about? I like your store safe. It was burglarized in your 7th and Central last night. You look good for the job. Oh, it's sure true. What's that? We'll say it up at the joint. Do a little time. You'll ever be copping a world in your back at one time or another. How long you live here, Bronson? Couple of months. That's the closet over here. Now, you stay away from there. Isn't anything in there that matters to you? Then you shouldn't mind if we take a look. Now, just keep your hands off of my stuff, huh? If you haven't done anything, you've got nothing to worry about, have you? It isn't what I've done. It's what you guys are going to say I did. How about this, Bronson? That's mine. Now, look, you got no right to go... See what's in it, Frank. Yeah. Now, how about this, Bronson? I never saw those before in my life. It's a frame you guys are trying to tie onto me. Well, it won't work, cops, and you know it won't. How do you explain these tools? I don't have to. You belong to a friend. He asked me to take care of them. How about this, Bronson? Can't see Joe with his cutting torch. Looks like it's been used lately. 2.15 p.m. We searched the suspect's room. We found nothing further that would tie him in with the burglaries. We talked to the other people in the boarding house, but they couldn't give us any further information. They were unable to tell us if Bronson had any friends in the land that he told us that he hadn't gotten any mail since he'd been there. We called the office and arranged for a stakeout on the boarding house, and then we took the suspect downtown to the city hall. We talked to him for an hour. 4.16 p.m. That's where you're standing this thing, Bronson. Now, you make up your mind. You want to take the beef by yourself, that's where you got the tool. I've been telling you. I didn't know anything about the tools. I got them from a friend. He asked me to keep the suitcase for him as a favor. He asked me to keep them for him, and that's all I know. But what's the friend's name? Like I told you, it's a fellow named Shorty. What's his last name? I don't know. If I knew, I'd tell you. I got no reason to hold back on it. I didn't have nothing to do with the jobs. Otto, we were talking to you about one burger. What do you mean by jobs? Well, just the way you guys talk, I figured there was more than one. You know what we're talking about. I don't. I'm telling you the truth. I don't. When did you last see this Shorty? When was that? A week, maybe ten days ago. Where'd you see him? In a bar down on Southern. And he just gave you this suitcase? I asked you to take care of it for him. Is that what you expect us to believe? That's the truth. Well, that's kind of hard to find. I can't help that. That's the way it happened. Now, your friend sure left you in a good fix, didn't he? What do you mean? Well, it looks like you're going to have to go this route by yourself. How do you figure that? You got the tools. You got a record. You run the vicinity just before the safe was burned. You look real good for it. Well, I ain't going to take it alone. Well, you haven't got much choice. Well, what happens if I help you get the rest of them? It'll be marked down that way. Is that all you can do? That's all. How much if I help you break the gang? That's all we can do. Well, one thing you got to understand. What's that? I had nothing to do with the jobs myself. I just heard a few rumbles. You got to know I wasn't in on it. What have you heard? Well, there's three guys from the east. They've been working out here about six weeks. Real heavy, fellas. Who are they? I don't know. I'm the only one I ever saw with Shorty. And I'm not too sure he's in on it. You know where we can pick them up? Well, like I said, I just heard a few rumbles. All right. How about this Shorty? Has he got a record? I don't know. He might have. He ever say anything about doing time? No, not so I could hear. How long you known him? About three months. I met him right after I got out of Cuba. Where'd you meet him? A bar downtown. We got to talking one night. After that, I'd see him around here and there. I never got to know him real well. Just well enough for him to give you a suitcase full of burglar tools, huh? Yeah, that's right. And you didn't know what was in the case? No, I didn't look. I didn't figure any of my business. That's easy to buy, isn't it? I can't help it. That's the way it is. How much do you know about how the gang works? Not much. Rumble is that they case a place for a couple of days. Figure out when's the best time to hit it and walk in and burn the city. They use a car? I don't know. I guess they do. Does Shorty have a car? I don't know. I never saw him with one. He never mentioned it. You ever mentioned where he lived? No, not to me. I figured it's over on the east side of him. How do you figure that? Well, just the way he talked. Nothing definite, but just the idea. You look at some mugs and tell us if you see this Shorty. Well, sure. I'd like to see you get him leaving me to stand for a thing like this all by myself. Anything else you can tell us about the gang? All right. That's about it. Okay. Let's look at the mugs. How about it, Doug? I still got to go to jail. Well, you still haven't convinced us you're clean. I told you everything I know. Yeah. Let's go. No, wait a minute. Look, I got nuts in a cell. You should have thought of that before. Well, I can give you guys a lot of help if I'm on the outside. You haven't given us much here. Well, maybe I can. All right. Go ahead. We'll go to the next job. Okay. Yeah, huh? When was that? got to a phone yeah when was that yeah okay we'll be right in Joe yeah anything yeah they lost the tail on Bronson at approximately 10 30 Saturday night Otto Bronson had gone into a theater on South Spring Street the officer following had entered but had lost the suspect in the darkness the next morning Sunday August 15th we got a report that Bronson had turned up at his rooming house at 745 a.m. I got a call from the business office with this information and at 820 I picked up Frank and we drove over to see Bronson where's that it's Friday oh just a minute hi come on in you guys are up early this morning how to turn out last night what are you trying to pull Bronson what do you mean you know what we're talking about nothing happened last night hey you mean it didn't break into the place that's it I can't understand that from what I heard they had an old case where were you last night well you figure I had something to do with it we just asked you where you were oh what's the matter hey the tail you had on me get lost we're waiting for an answer Bronson went to a movie and then came on home you came right home after the picture you know yeah that's right right home how come it took you so long now what's that mean you didn't get home until this morning did you guys are pretty thorough aren't you where were you all right I stopped and saw a friend we got the drinking forget all about time that makes me a pigeon for you come on Bronson let's go down to what for I haven't done anything he gave us wrong information about last night that's not my fault I'm not running with the guys I told you what I heard it's not my beef that it didn't work out from what I knew that was the way it was gonna be all right let's go when I just a minute look we can work this out I'm afraid not I leveled with you guys I'm not giving you a snow job that's the way it is look you got nothing on me if you had you wouldn't let me go before now that I think about it I don't like the idea that tail on me what are you guys gonna prove with that the way you act with snow one do you get no cooperation from anybody it's no wonder at all all right now you've made your point let's get on top yeah who is it that's the process me Kelly yeah what is it mr. Friday here yeah I'm Friday don't call for you you can get it here in the hall thanks you can get it here thank you it's Friday yeah mm-hmm when right we'll be right there thanks a lot Frank yeah business office we got to leave yeah you called it Bronson they worked last night all right see I told you yeah we staked out in South LA saw they hit in West LA you are listening to drag net the authentic story of your police force in action Chesterfield is best for you Chesterfield regular or Chesterfield King size which contains tobaccos of better quality and higher price than any other King size cigarette and always remember this Chesterfield is first to give you premium quality in both regular and King size just as Chesterfield has been first to name its ingredients the ingredients that make the best possible smoke enjoy your smoking change to Chesterfield much milder with an extraordinarily good taste the best for you 9.15 a.m. Frank and I contacted the West Los Angeles detectives and drove out to the scene of the latest burglary was a large chain grocery store the thieves had burned into the safe and the MO was the same as in the other burglary all the contents of the safe worth anything had been removed the crews from the crime lab in late and Prince had already finished their investigation and had gone back to go over their findings Frank and I talked to the manager of the store Mr. Charles Gleason well let me see Sergeant the first I know about it was when they called me to say that the safe had been robbed mm-hmm any idea how much was taken well I'd just be guessing with the officers working around here I didn't get a chance to check it yet but I'd say about five or six thousand dollars the weekend and all we'd done a pretty good business and I didn't get a chance to get to the bank had all that money in the safe of course I'll have to check the books to tell you exactly how much they took but like I said it was probably five or six thousand dollars you have a burglar alarm system in the storm Mr. Gleason I beg your pardon I said you have a burglar alarm system in the store yes and that's a funny thing I can't understand why it didn't work the officers who are here from your crime lab is that it yeah that's right sir well they said that evidently they had been turned off somehow I don't understand it but that's what they said I see what if he could give us a list of your employees yes certainly but you don't think that any of them had anything to do with this day well they've all got to be checked out sir can you give us the list oh well yes I can I guess that's right but I'm sure that none of more involved Mr. Gleason have you noticed anyone hanging around the store anyone that might have looked suspicious to you that you can remember and be awfully hard to say we do a lot of business with all the people who come in and I'm kind of hard to say yes sir we understand could you remember was there anyone who attracted your attention maybe someone unusual somebody loitering in the neighborhood maybe around the store no sir not that I can think of was there anything that was taken from the safe that might give us a lead something that might not ordinarily be in there something that you could identify easily no I don't think so just the money of course there were several checks you know what checks that we cashed for the customers they might have totaled of $500 I can give you a list of them we have in photographs if you want copies of yes sir that'll be a big help oh officers there was one more thing yes sir what was that well you know how people lose things that's a couple of days ago we found a watch it looked expensive found it in the back of the store that that was in the safe too everything's gone must have taken that to it isn't there now well can you give us a description of the watch yes I can I noticed it because well to be honest I was kind of hoping that nobody would claim it you keep things like that around here for a couple of days and then turn them into you like they've had that with myself sir Tina it was a gold case with a white face only had a few numbers you know some of the spots were just a little gold spots I mean the spots were the numbers the numbers a little gold spots I know what you mean sir well this one had a gold band and was one that was a kind of a chain thing not an expansion band you know that the chain the gold chain yes would you know the watch if you saw it again oh sure I looked at enough and then there was that scratch on the crystal too sir we're right over the number two there was a scratch I can show you right here on my watch you see right right there a little scratch it kind of went off at an angle is really easy to spot yes sir understand you know it's a funny thing you officers being here is a friend of mine once well I just soon I mentioned his name if you don't mind because he was innocent you know but it looked bad I was kind of worried about it myself and these officers came out to his house just took the place apart it was alright perfectly legal they had a search warrant will they come out for well they thought he was mixed up in a robbery I don't know how they ever thought it but it looks suspicious I guess he was seen with some characters that were well you know not very nice and they came out to his house took the whole place of party never saw such a mess in your life ripped up the mattresses took down to ruin the picture a beautiful picture end of the trail you know the one of the Indian yes the spirit going down like that yes took that apart the whole picture just fell apart they never could get it back together again I don't know what they can get another one or not they don't ever saw I said did they find anything yeah yeah they did they found a fountain pen his wife had lost two years ago had her initials on it yes sir there's anything else you can think of that would help us here no not that I can figure well if you do remember anything sir here's our card we'd certainly appreciate a call Frank Smith just ask for you yes sir and if we're not there just leave a message and we'll get in touch with you all right I'll do that well thank you very much mr. Gleason you bet I sure hope you catch the fellas that are doing yes sir so do we guess you've been after him quite a while now yes sir we have what the papers say this makes number 13 for him bad number 13 kind of lucky no worse than number one Frank and I went back to the city hall and completed our crime report we contacted the crime lab and latent prints and found that they'd come up with no physical evidence at the scene from the MO it could be definitely established that they were the same suspects we were after we obtained a list of the employees of the star and checked them out we came up with no new leads a list of the checks that had been taken from the safe were given to forgery detail Frank and I went to Otto Bronson's rooming house and brought him down to the city hall for questioning you know maybe if you guys have spent a little more time doing your job unless time bothering me it end up catching us fellas don't worry about it Bronson we'll get them we'd like to go over what you did last night again I told you once tell us again will you all right like I said I had dinner around 8 maybe 8 30 or G a place over on spring see anybody you knew no I don't think I did where'd you go then I went to a movie a place on 7th see anybody you knew there no when you'd have a tough time proving where you were with not all the way you had a tail on me most of this you know already all right what'd you do after you left the movie I told you that I went over to see a friend yeah where's he live hotel what's his name look I don't want to see him dragged into this if he's clean he's got nothing to worry about yeah sure but you guys go over and talk to him it's a lot of embarrassment for him and I just don't want it all right let's go on up you're gonna book that's it I told you what being in a cell does to me you should have thought about that before all right I'll tell you who he is we go ahead his name's Anderson mark Anderson you ever fallen no he's clean sure about that yeah I suppose you want to go and talk to him yeah we'll get to it you're still gonna book me we haven't any choice I told you what I know Sergeant I told you everything I can't help it if I was wrong look it's no crime to make a mistake is it I never read about no law it says you can't make a mistake why don't you tell us the truth about what you know about these burglaries I told you I told you what you told us we can't buy well that's tough fella but that's the way it is now I told you what I know there isn't anymore if you want go on check with Mark Anderson he'll tell you I was with him all night he'll tell you I don't want to trouble you guys he'll tell you and that's the truth really I'm telling you the truth yeah we've heard that before 640 p.m. we booked Otto Bronson at the main jail on suspicion of burglary before he was put in his cell we got the address of Mark Anderson after we finished with the booking Frank and I drove over the hotel on Fifth Street Anderson was registered in room 812 the desk clerk told us that Anderson was in his room he was unable to tell us much about Anderson because as he explained he'd only worked at the hotel for a week and hadn't seen much of him we went upstairs and knocked at the door yeah you mark Anderson that's right who are you police officers like talk to you sure come on it's my partner Frank Smith Anderson what do you want to see me about you know a fellow named Bronson Otto Bronson yeah sure I know I don't want to see him last hey what's this all about anyway I've done something just a routine investigation Anderson when was last time you saw Bronson routine that's right I saw him last night we're just seeing here he came up and sat around killed a bottle talked it up what time you leave here must have been about 7 30 this morning something like that no I should thank you very much sure glad to help out whenever I can Otto isn't in any trouble is he like we said it's just routine mm-hmm well anything more I can do to help out you let me know yeah we'll do that you're leaving right away yeah that's right we'll be getting back to the office I'll get my coat and walk down with you I got a date and 15 minutes gonna have to romp a nice watch you get there yeah it's new let me take a look at it with just a watch if you don't mind I like to get me see the watch sure no reason you can't here okay you said this was new yeah just got it a couple days ago mm-hmm you notice the scratch on the crystal here hmm never saw that before guess I'll have to take it back and get another one let me see it Joe yeah yeah you buy this watch yeah where what jeweler's down the street get a receipt for it no I didn't I know the guy I didn't figure I'd need one what do we take a look through your road why what are you looking for just like take a look you got a search warrant oh we can get one if we have to when you better go get one I'm not having any cops looking through my stuff right yeah I told you to get a warrant you got no right to look in there something in the closet you don't figure we should see oh it's not that it's just there's no problem is it Joe a couple of suitcases you want to bring them out yeah they are this was kind of heavy feels like there's some sort of tools in it and open it up later man you got the key for this one and there's nothing in there for you we'll figure that Joe looks like this other ones over now about this Anderson money here in these checks watch Joe all right come on get up get up I'll shake him Joe stand still all right Anderson let's go I don't tell you didn't he a lousy little sneaky told you never did trust him I kept telling shorty I kept telling him we shouldn't trust him who shorty shorty Miller want to tell us where we can find him sure I got nothing to lose lousy little Otto just the three of you on the job yeah that's all Otto shorty and me just the three of us him and his big ideas I had it all fixed up when you tagged him how he was gonna get us in the clear don't worry he said he'd take care of everything lousy liar he'd fix it for us that's real funny shouldn't be what he fixed it the story you have just heard was true the names were changed to protect the innocent on December 14th trial was held in Department 87 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 Veneman I've been pleased to see how many of you King size smokers have been changing to Chesterfield just as I've been telling you King size Chesterfields contain tobaccos of better quality than any other King size cigarette either way you like them regular or King size Chesterfields have a better taste and they're really milder Otto N. Bronson Mark A. Anderson and Samuel R. Miller were tried and found guilty of nine counts of burglary with explosives they received sentence as prescribed by law burglary with explosives is punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a period of not less than 10 nor more than 40 years you have just heard dragnet a series of authentic cases from official files technical advice comes from the office of chief of police w.h. Parker Los Angeles police department technical advisors captain jack donahoe sergeant marty wins sergeant fans bracer heard tonight were ben alexander big parents stacey harris script by john robinson music by walter schumann hal gibney speaking for a million laps tune in Chesterfields martin and louis show Tuesday on the same nbc station and sound off for Chesterfields either regular or King size you'll find premium quality Chesterfields much milder Chesterfield is best for you Chesterfield has brought you dragnet transcribed from Los Angeles ladies and gentlemen wherever and whenever people need help the Red Cross answers the call when a flood stricken family needs shelter when a crippled child must learn to walk and play and when a wounded soldier needs blood the Red Cross is always there and now the Red Cross needs your help to keep up their many services this year 93 million dollars is needed so when the Red Cross volunteer calls on you please answer the call and give generously