 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 transcribed as a public service by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community. A shrewd psychologist who has had contacts with numerous leaders of American business once remarked, Success and self-confidence go hand in hand. Men who have a strong conviction that they are going to succeed are the ones that rise to the top in every field. For people of this type, people who have this feeling of certainty about themselves, the Equitable Life Assurance Society has created its famous life insurance plan for men and women on the way up. Do those words describe you? Then you'll be interested in about 14 minutes when I give full details of the Equitable Plan for men and women on the way up. The subject of our FBI file, Armed Robbery. It's titled, The Runaway Sister. Tonight's case from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation tells the story of a first offender. Forty percent of all persons arrested are in this class. Most of them are youngsters, fingerprinted for the first time. What starts these kids off? Why do they begin stealing the usual starting point of a criminal career? Listen to the actual words published in a case history of a typical young first offender. At first I did not steal for gain. I stole because it was the most fascinating thing I could do. I didn't want to play tame games nor be confined in a school room. I like the daredevil spirit. What sends these boys and girls out on the street in search of dangerous thrills and bad companions? Again and again the answer is parental failure. Failure of the father and mother to provide a home atmosphere that children can enjoy. Failure of the parents to give the youngsters the companionship and understanding they need. No one knows better than the men of your FBI with their vast experience with all types of lawbreakers that crime prevention begins at home. For happy, well-adjusted homes will always be America's best and surest defense against crime. Tonight's file opens on a crowded subway train in a large eastern city. It is late afternoon. The train has just left the station. Passengers are rushing for the few remaining seats. In one corner, a pleasant-looking woman jostles her way into one of the empty spaces, opens a paper and reads. Oh, hi, Annie. Don't say it's a small world, Martha, then put away the paper. You can read in the library. OK. You doing anything tonight? No. There's a good show at the stand. I've got some ironing to finish. So you'll do it, and we'll go to the lake show. I'll be dead tomorrow. Who won't be? I'm dead every day. If I was smart, I'd go right from work to the cemetery. Annie. I wish you'd see the faces I had to work on today. One woman came in and said, my daughter is getting married tonight. Make me beautiful. 50 years she's been ugly. I should make her beautiful in an hour. Honestly. How are the bigger hurry there, Annie? Now take a pretty girl like your sister. No class, no rush. It's a pleasure working on her. On Rose? She came into the shop yesterday, sat in my booth. Annie, you mean she came in as a customer? Yes. Doesn't she work at the shop anymore? Oh, didn't you know? She quit last Saturday. She quit? Yeah. She must have a job now where she prints money. You should have seen her yesterday. New dress, beautiful camel's hair comb. Annie, did she say why she quit? What she's doing? No. I better get off here. Well, this isn't your style. I know. Excuse me. What about the movie tonight? I don't think I'll be able to make it, Annie. I'm going to see Ruth. Grab a chair and sit down. Where are you going? When are you leaving? Is that why you quit your job? Uh-huh. I don't know how I'll ever get all this in one bag. Ruth, I want to talk to you. Go ahead. When did you decide to go to New York? The other day. Why? Jack asked me to go with him. Jack Scobie? Mm-hmm. I'm not going to let you do it. Martha, I'm 21 years old. When I was 21, Mom and Pop still had to put their OK on any boy I went out with. You think they were right? I never got into any trouble. Then you never had any fun, either. Honey, look at you. Living in a hauled bedroom with an L train running through all night. Is that what I'm supposed to look forward to? Ruth, Jack Scobie is a cheap hoodlum. He wants to marry me. When? After we get to New York. He's lying. What makes you such an expert on men? I bet it's five years since anybody even held your hand. Look, I'm meeting Jack for dinner at the Paradise Club, and we're getting the midnight train to New York. And that's final. Hi, Charlie. Sir. I called you all of the time. Oh, what? The job I told you about, the finance company at the bus station? You said that was next week. Yeah, I moved in after. To when? Tonight. Who else is in on it? Ruth. Who? The day I go with. Oh, thanks. Oh, it's a matter. I got a rule. I don't work with things. But this thing's all set up. Look, she goes to the counter first. I'm behind it. She tells the guy at the counter I got a gun in her neck. And that I'll kill her if he don't hand his money over to her. Get it? Come out to the car, and you drive away. Sounds too easy. Oh, Charlie, take it from the master. This will work. And if it don't? No. The dam's a clean pigeon. You got a car? I can get one. When? About an hour. OK. Go get it and pick us up. Meanwhile, at the local FBI field office, Special Agent Jim Taylor is at his desk when two men approach. Hello, Jim. Oh, hi. Meet Larry Adams. He's new on the robbery detail. Hello, Terry. We have some information for you. Oh, what kind? The Broadway savings and finance will be held up tonight. What? I got the tip a little while ago. Which branch? The one at the bus station. They're covered by federal deposit insurance, Jim. Yeah, I know it, Tony. But it's not our jurisdiction until there's actually been a robbery. Who's doing the job? That's the part my informant couldn't tell me. Have you notified the bank officials? Yeah. Well, then all you have to do now is wait for the thieves to break in. That's not that easy. Bus station branch is open. At night? They started a new policy this week, Jim. Service till midnight. Oh, I see. We're covering the place with six men. I hope that's enough. Well, shouldn't it be? Have you ever been inside? No, Tony. I've just driven by it. They've only got three walls. The fourth side's open to the bus station. The commuter has wandered through the place all night. Boy, that does make it rough, huh? Well, we'll do the best we can. When's this thing supposed to happen? At the rush hour, between 7 and 8. Like to come down with us and watch it, Jim? All right. Can't tell me this report is going to be finished, don't it? Then you'll be here? Yeah. No telling how late. OK, I'll call you and let you know what happened. What time is it, Larry? Um, quarter eight. Have you got 15 more minutes if the trip was right? Yeah. I think we ought to go down to the main level. Why? Well, we'd be closer to the cashiers. The other boys can cover that. We can see the whole bus station from up here. Where did the cashiers put the phony money? The bottom drawer. Oh, look. Where? The second cashier over. The girl at the counter? Yeah, with the man right behind her. She look familiar? No, but the cashier's taking the phony money out of the bottom drawer and handing it to her. Let's go. Look, she's walking away. Uh-huh. That man that was behind her, he's with her now. They're heading for the Broadway exit. Frank's on that door, isn't he? Yeah. Stopping them, Tony. The man's pulling a gun. Stick up, Frank. Ah! Hello, Jim. Tony Dixon. Oh, hiya, Tony. How'd it go? Not so good. Why? What happened? There was shooting. Frank Williams was badly wounded. That's tough. How about the stick up? A man and a woman did the job. They got away. We got that driver, though. He's been identified as a small time hoodlum named Charlie Troy. Did he tell you who the others were? No, he was shot and killed in the getaway. Oh. Did he shoot Frank? I don't think so. We have his gun. I'd like to have your lab check on it, if you will. Sure. I'll send it right over. Where are you now? Still at the bus station. Troy's body's been sent to the morgue. Meet you there. Martha. What? Don't turn on the lights. Ruth. Please keep it dark. What are you doing here? I thought you'd left town. I didn't go. Oh, I'm so glad, honey. I didn't mean to try to run your life. What is it, dear? Oh, Martha. Help me. Martha. They're looking for me. Who's looking for you? The police. I was with Jack and a friend of his tonight. We held up a place. Ruth. I didn't want to do it. Jack made me. Where did this happen? At the bus station. There's a finance company there. We went to the cashier. Jack put a gun on my back. Said he'd kill me unless the cashier handed over the money. Got the money all right. But as we were leaving, there was shooting. Ruth. Jack's friend got hit and another man took a policeman, I think. Jack and I ran out. Where is he now? I don't know. He'll be looking for me. He might even come here. Come here? Yes. You've got to help me. I will if you'll do as I say. I'll do anything. Then let's go to the police. The police? But Martha tell them the truth. They'll understand. Oh, but if I go to the police, Jack, at Ruth, it's your only chance. Jack. We'll return in a moment to tonight's case from the official files of your FBI. Now let's consider an entirely different type of case. One which shows how people get ahead in this wonderful land of opportunity of ours. Gene Kors was a shoe salesman. He had an idea that patience was a shoe salesman's biggest asset. Gene developed an almost uncanny patience. He never rushed a customer, and as a result, Gene very seldom failed to make a sale. Soon Gene was promoted to store manager. What kind of a job have you got now, Gene? Well, I'm now assistant sales manager for the whole chain. But years ago, when Gene was a salesman at a very modest salary, he not only dreamed of getting ahead, he planned on it. And when his equitable society representative told him about the equitable plan for men and women on the way up, Gene said, that's for me, yes, the equitable plan is for people of any age. Men and women who expect more money from their jobs because they give more effort to their jobs. As these people acquire incomes and greater responsibilities, they're truly glad they're part of the equitable plan. Because unlike most life insurance programs, this one is flexible. It's set up to grow as you grow. Because I made more money and had more family responsibilities, I was sure glad of the options in my equitable plan that made it possible for me to step up to a higher life insurance bracket. Here's another mighty big advantage of this equitable plan. Until your salary does go higher, the cost of this plan can be kept exceptionally low. Yet your family gets the life insurance protection they need. That low cost of my equitable plan meant a lot to me at first. I didn't have to lose sleep worrying about paying it. Profit from Gene Kors's experience. Ask your equitable society representative for full details of the equitable plan for men and women like yourself, people on the way up, or send a postcard care of this 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. Now back to the FBI file, the runaway sister. Among the lawbreakers in tonight's FBI files, one, as has been previously pointed out, is a first offender, a beginner in crime. It is possible that among the millions of listeners to this program tonight, there may be one or two men or women who are at this very moment turning over in their minds the idea of committing their first crime. To those potential lawbreakers, the men of the FBI have one very short piece of purely practical advice. Don't do it. Stop now. Crime detection has made enormous strides during recent years. The false moves you can make are innumerable. There are literally thousands of apparently unimportant slips that can betray your guilt to law enforcement officials. Remember, in the end, even the most experienced criminals get caught. So what chance have you, the beginner? The night's file continues at Martha Lake's furnished room. Quick, Ruth. Into the closet. OK. Hi, Martha. Hello, Annie. You saving the lights for New Year's Eve? No. No. Just a minute. Come on in. Thanks. I was walking home and thought I'd just stop by. Did you get to see Ruth? Yes. I saw her earlier tonight. Did she tell you why she quit? She got a better job. That's what I figured. Say, you taking a trip? No. Why? That bag there. Where? In the corner. Oh. All right. I just took it out. You sure had the right idea passing up the movie. I never seen a worse one. Really? It was one of those futurist things, you know? Guys walking four feet off the ground with bubbles on their heads. It seems they're sore at some other guys with bubble heads on another planet, and they're all zinging one another with those ray guns, busting their bubbles open until there's only two of them left. What do you think the title of it was? Happy New World. Great little picture. It must have been. You got any coffee in the house, honey? No, no. I'm afraid I haven't. Well, how's about putting on your coat, and let's go down to the corner and get some? Not tonight, honey. To tell you the truth, I have a splitting headache. I just about to go to bed. Oh, honey, I'm sorry. Well, listening to me sure ain't going to make it any better. Can I get you anything for the head? No, I've got something. Thanks. Well, here's tomorrow's paper if you want it. Oh, thanks. Take care, honey. I will. Good night. Night. Come out. Is he gone? Yes. Ruth, what's that bag doing here? Well, you brought it in. Yes. What's in it? The stolen money. Charlie Troy's body. This way. U.G. men? No, why? One of them got here a couple minutes ago. His name, Taylor? I think so. There he is over there by that slab. Hi, Jim. Oh, hi. Found Troy's body, huh? Mm-hmm. You're a lad finished taking Troy's gun? Yeah. He didn't fire the bullets, killed Frank. Then we've still got a cop killer loose. That's right. Tony, what do you know about Troy? Not too much. From his record, he didn't seem to belong to any mob. I heard he was strictly a driver who worked with anybody who would hire him. No. He was arrested back east a couple of times with a hoodlum named Jack Scoby. It's as close a link as I could find for him. Jack Scoby? Yeah, I pulled this picture out of our files. Is that Scoby's picture, Jim? Yes. Do you know him? He was at the bus station tonight. Well, maybe he's still in town. Come on, let's get out an alarm. I've checked Scoby's movements, Tony. Before the sticker? Yeah, I met a girl at a nightclub. Her name is Ruth Lake. She left a place with him. She must have been the girl on the job. I think so. I found out where she lived, went there, but she'd moved earlier this evening. But I did get one lead. She and Scoby aren't together. At least they weren't an hour ago. How do you know? He was at her place looking for it. Did anyone know where she might be found? Well, according to the janitor, she's got a sister living here in town. He didn't know her first name. Well, we could check the phone book. Yeah. You say the name was Lake? That's right. Excuse me. Sure. Dexon speaking. Tony, this is Larry. I got something on Scoby. What? He was spotted a few minutes ago, leaving the 72nd Street L station. Good. Taylor's here, Larry. We'll get a car and start cruising that neighborhood. Listen to this. Annie left this paper here. It's a story of the holdup. What does it say? The policeman was killed. Oh! They have a complete description of you and Jack. They're looking for you. Now, where'd he go to the police? What if that policeman's been killed? Just tell them what you told me. How it happened. How Jack made you do it. But I... Give them a chance. They're human beings. Lots of them have daughters your age, and they know men like Jack. Now, come on. Put on your coat. Let's get out of here. But do as I say. All right. There's your coat hanging on the door. Okay. There's a police station just two blocks from here. We'll go there. What about the money? We'll take it with us. I'll carry it. Now, come on. Let's go. All right. Jack. Turn around and get back in there. These streets were better lit, Tony. Did it help? Hold it. Look up the block. Somebody's just coming down those front steps there. Uh-huh. Scoby's size. You want to get out? No, it's letting pass by. Right. False alarm. Number nine. Let's roll. Back to headquarters. Might as well. If anything comes in on... Take a gym. All right. Y'all hurry. Rose Lake. What do you have? His wife said they came here from a town upstate called Bedford City. Thanks, Larry. Tony, pull over someplace. Let's get to a phone. Quite a time finding you, Ruth. Good thing I remember. You had a system, huh? You get out of here. Sorry, honey. I'm staying. Then we're getting out. No, you're not. Jack, please. Let me have that bag. Huh? That bag you got there. I'm going to use this for traveling purposes, right, Ruth? She isn't going any place with you. I'm talking to her. Jack, after what happened, I can't go away with you. Oh, kid. That's your only reason? Yes. I thought maybe you might have dipped into this bag a little. I'll just take a look and make sure, huh? Yeah, don't make any moves for that door. I used this gun once tonight and I can use it again. What is this? You put this in here. What are you talking about? This phony move, the stage money. You pulled the switch. That bag hasn't been opened. Oh, give me that. It's the truth, Jack. It's just as it was when I left you. Where is it staying? Jack, I am staying. Leave her alone. Keep out of this. Now, I want the door. Where did you put it? We're telling you the truth. Get it up. Stop it. Hold it, Scobie. Drop that gun. Go and drop it. I can't. I'll get this gun, Jim. Thanks, Tony. Now, let's all get out of here. Jack Scobie was convicted of murder in state court and sentenced to life imprisonment. Ruth Lake was also convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in the state penitentiary and five years probation after a jury recommended leniency in her case. When Special Agent Taylor learned Ruth Lake and her sister had come from Bedford City, he phoned the police there. Within a matter of minutes, they located the parents who told them where Martha Lake was living. In the prosecution of this case, you will notice that Miss Martha Lake was not charged with any crime. That actually, she was technically guilty of harboring a fugitive was overlooked. For the law is not a set of printed words on musty pages, but a humane instrument for governing the conduct of people. First offenders like Ruth Lake are often treated as she was, but do not let the clemency shown her tempt you. Sentences meted out by our courts depend on two things. The severity of the crime and the defendant's intent, which sometimes varies. The intent, however, of your FBI never changes. It is always to see whether you commit your first or your tenth crime, that you don't get away with it. And nobody does. One last word to all you people who consider yourselves men and women on the way up. By that, we mean the kind of man who's looking forward to the day when he'll come home and announce to his wife... Stella, the boss called me in today and what do you think? He gave me a swell promotion. If that's the kind of man you are, don't wait another day. Ask your equitable society representative to work out your own personal plan for a man on the way up. Or send a postcard care of this station to the Equitable Life Assurance Society. Next week, we will dramatize another case from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It's subject, flight to avoid prosecution. It's title... The Big Fakes. 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 they're of to the names of places or persons living or dead is accidental. Tonight, the music was composed and conducted by Frederick Steiner. The author was Jerry D. Lewis. Your narrator was William Woodson, and special agent Taylor was played by Stacey Harris. Others in the cast were Tony Caruso, Ted DeCorsia, Georgia Ellis, Isabel Jewel, Joyce McCluskey, Wally Mayer, and Carlton Young. This is your FBI as 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. I'm inviting you to tune in again next week at this same time when the Equitable Life Assurance Society will bring you another thrilling transcribe story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Big Fakes on This Is Your FBI. Stay tuned for the adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. There's fun for the whole family when Ozzie and Harriet come your way next. This program came to you from Hollywood.