 The Equitable Life Assurance Society presents, this is your FBI. This is your FBI, the official broadcast from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Presented as a public service by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community. If you are a homeowner or a prospective home buyer, tonight may be an important night. Tonight, the Equitable Society has an interesting message for you about America's finest plan for home ownership, the Equitable Assured Home Ownership Plan. This is one of the Equitable Society's most worthwhile services, a money-saving home-saving plan because it combines a low-interest rate mortgage with special life insurance to protect the home. So listen carefully, 14 minutes from now for full details on the Equitable Society's Assured Home Ownership Plan. Tonight's FBI file, The Curious Prospectors. For those who read their morning papers and shrug their shoulders when they see a story about escaped convicts or a daring crime, just because that crime did not happen very close to where they live. What they don't realize and what your FBI constantly strives to impress upon everyone is that any crime anywhere in the nation affects you, whether you live next door to the criminal or 3,000 miles away. It affects you because that criminal has attempted to break a law and escape unpunished. And if he should be successful, it would make it that much easier for the next criminal to do the same thing. Crime is an epidemic, and unless every citizen is aware of his stake in the war against it, unless every citizen makes up his mind that this is his war, then progress in combating it will be all but impossible. It takes no great effort to understand what that would mean. What a defeat in fighting the crime wave would do to every institution in the land, every institution and every person with no exceptions. Tonight's file opens in a general store in a small town in one of our western states. Two men, unshaven and dust-covered, have just entered. The proprietor greets them. Something I can do for you, gents? Yeah. Yeah, we want some help. What kind? Well, we got a map here, and we'd like to find out how to get up into this section. Or up on Tomorrow Hill, eh? That's not what it's marked on the map. No, but we call it Tomorrow Hill because the flowers bloom up there a day before they do any place else. Well, you men strange around here? Uh-huh. Just got into town. We're not going to be staying very long. Now, look, this map don't show any road up to that place. The map's right. You see, this line goes halfway up. Mm-hmm. Well, that's as far as the road goes. From that roadhead, it's about six miles to where you've got marked. How do we get up there? Horses. If you go and huntin', I suggest this spot over here. We're not going huntin', mister. We're looking for gold. Oh. We'll need some supplies and horses. You'll need a guide if you're strangers. We don't need no guide. All we want is for you to tell us away. Well, when do you figure I'm goin' up there? Today. Well, if you can wait, I'd advise it. Why? There's a bad brush fire on the other side of tomorrow Hill. They're just about gettin' it under control. We'll take our chances. Okay. How long you figure I'm staying up there? Why? Just want to make sure you take along enough supplies. Oh, fix us up about ten days' worth. You figure I'm finin' that gold real quick? Maybe we will. Well, you fellas run along and come back here in an hour. I'll have your packs all made up at that time and then horses. Okay. Come on. Let's go get some coffee in that diner. I'm hungry. Oh. Everybody looks for gold. That afternoon in the nearby FBI field office, Special Agent Taylor approaches the desk of Agent Gene Butler. Gene, have you finished that report in the Wilson case? I just sent it through, Jim. Did you want to see it? No, I was asking because we've got something that just came in that's quite similar. More escaped prisoners? Yes. These three broke out of the Blainville County jail a couple of hours ago. Probably got out with a nail file. Did you ever see that prison? No, but I was about to when this message came through. We had a detainer on all three of them. Wow. One of them had already been apprehended and man named Williams. He was found on the outskirts of Blainville with a bad bullet wound. Where is he now? He's in the hospital. He's unconscious but alive. Before he passed out, he said that the other two men who escaped with him, Pete Shelby and a stubby Lucas, double-crossed him. That doesn't sound logical, Jim. Why would they work and escape with him and then shoot him? Oh, I checked on that. Williams and Lucas committed a payroll robbery together. A few days after the robbery, they were apprehended and convicted. Yes. But the loot from the job was never recovered. Williams claims that they were on their way to get it. Oh. He says he drew a map of the area where the money is buried. When he finished the map, Selby shot him and took the map. Was Williams able to tell where they were headed? Yes, he said they were going first to a town called Hamilton. That's one I never heard of. I looked it up. It's a little place in the foothills of the mountains. They're not going to be easy to find if they're headed up into those mountains, Jim. Yeah, I know. Well, I think the first thing to do is check with the Hamilton police, find out if either Shelby or Lucas has been around town. You want me to put the request through? Yes, will you, Gene? I'll get out of the file room and check through the records. Easy, huh? Look, I don't like riding these horses any better than you do. Easy, baby. The sooner we get there, the sooner we get out. Yeah, yeah, I know. You and William stash the dough way up here, anyway. They chased us up here. We knew we were going to get caught, so we buried it. I wonder how he is. Yeah. He should be dead. I still don't know why you shot him. Just don't try to make it a one-way peak. There wouldn't be no point in that. Easy, baby. You're the only guy who knows where the dough is buried. I mean, after we get the dough. Well, let's get the dough first. Hey, do you smell that? Something's burning. Well, I do. The guy in the store, they said there was a fire up here, didn't he? Ah, he said it was way over on the other side of the mountain. Could be coming this way? Well, stop worrying about everything, will you? Maybe it's good for me. Maybe if Williams had worried, he'd be here now. I'm going to keep on worrying until I'm out of here with that dough. I just got a call from the marshal at Hamilton. Shelby and Lucas put in an appearance up there right on schedule. Did he make the arrest? No, by the time he checked, they'd been there and gone. Oh, I've been studying a map of that section, Jim, just in case we had to go up there. Brother, that's a rugged country. Yeah, I know, they're going to be tough to flush out. Oh, the marshal said they went into a general store and asked for directions to a place called Tomorrow Hill. Let's see that map of yours, huh? Okay, here. Let's see, from the marshal's description, it should be about... Yeah, right here, see? Uh-huh. The forest is thick through there. We've got one break, though. At least we know how they're going up the mountain. Why? Is there only one trail? No, but the marshal told me that the man in the general store marked their map for them, and he told the marshal which route he marked. Well, that's a break. I also asked the marshal whether there was any chance of heading them off. He said there was. How? Well, there's a clearing up near the top of Tomorrow Hill, and we can land up there with an autogiro. Then work our way down the trail and meet them coming up. That's it. Well, come on, we can't catch them staying here. Let's get to Hamilton. Marshal, how soon should that autogiro be here? Well, any time now. It's on its way over from Suttertown. You use gyros much up here? No, I don't, but the Forest Service does when it's fighting a fire. As a matter of fact, that's where that gyro's coming from. Oh, that's right. We heard about that brush fire before we left. It's better than a brush fire now. It's spread considerably. It must be mean babies when they get out of control. They're always out of control, Jim, right until the last spark is out. What do you think the chances are of getting in and out of that hill, Marshal? Well, there's a pretty good fire break on top, and unless they get a bad wind and a crown fire, you should be safe enough. A crown fire? Yeah, that's when the fire spreads on tree tops without ever touching the ground. Oh, I see. Oh, say, by the way, which one of you's going in? You or your partner? I am. Oh, do you know that kind of country? Well, I worked as a guide when someone was in school. Uh, this cabin that we got marked on the map, Marshal, uh, this is the place that I'll head for first. Yes, they might stop there. It's the only cabin in the whole hill. Well, if they don't, I'll just start working my way on down. Okay. As soon as you find them, we'll send the gyro back up to take all of you out. Oh, swell. Oh, here it comes. Now, here comes the gyro. I'll get you that portable transmitter you want. All right, I can use it. Oh, in fact, I'll call you one as soon as I reach the cabin. Right. Hey, Marshal. Yes? If you get a chance to talk to that weatherman, will you tell him to turn that fire around the other way? Did you come up here blindfolded? All I remember is trees. Ah. Well, we better be. Really getting smoky around here. The fire's getting closer, Pete. Look, forget about the cabin into them trees. Yeah. Does it look like the place where you stashed a doe? Uh-huh. It is the place. Come on. Come on, let's go. All right, comfy. Yeah. I never thought we'd find it this easy. Where? Where's the stuff buried? Inside the cabin. You remember exactly where? Sure. Okay. Let's get off here. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Looks like we've got here just in time. All right, what do you mean? The smoke's really moving in. We won't be here long enough to have trouble with that. Here we are. Come on. Okay. Where's the stuff? It's in the tin box under that floorboard. All we need to do is... Put your hands up. What? Put your hands up. A stick up? No. I'm a special agent of the FBI. Where'd you come from? Never mind that. Just stand still. I ain't carrying a gun. Oh, but your friend is. It should prove to be the weapon that was used to shoot Williams. They found Williams? Yes. Still alive. That's how you got here, huh? That's right. Now, you two just stand where you are while I arrange some transportation. Station X-47 to X-193. Station X-47 to X-193. Come in, X-47. Gene? Yes, Jim? I've got Shelby and Lucas up here at the cabin. You can send the gyro back. Jim, your zone is ceiling zero. Huh? There's no chance of a gyro coming in for you. We'll return in just a moment to tonight's file which shows how your FBI protects American citizens and American homes. Now a word about another type of home protection. Protection against mortgage foreclosure. A plan that has made it possible for thousands of homeowners to phone their wives like this. Darling, listen to this. We don't need to worry how we're going to meet those doctor bills and our mortgage payments, both coming due next week. We can use the cash fund in our equitable, assured home ownership plan. And that's exactly why the Equitable Society's assured home ownership plan provides this cash fund. It's a nest egg to use when sickness or unemployment threaten home security. You see, this money-saving, home-saving equitable plan combines a low-cost first mortgage with special life insurance protection. Thanks to the life insurance element, the special cash fund is built up. It's always ready for use in emergencies. As the mortgage shrinks, this cash fund increases. For example, it can be used to pay off a 20-year mortgage in approximately 15 years. In addition, the Equitable Assured Home Ownership Plan protects the home against the death of the breadwinner. In the Assured Home Ownership Plan, if the owner dies, the Equitable Society cancels the mortgage. It's paid off in full. What's more, every dollar previously paid under the plan to reduce the principal is returned to the widow along with the cancelled mortgage. Last but not least, the mortgage interest is only 4%. And there's a liberal allowance to cover title search, lawyer's fees, and other closing costs. So all in all, a man is very fortunate if his health, age, income, home, and its location qualify him for an Equitable Assured Home Ownership Plan. The way to find out if you qualify is to get in touch with your Equitable Society representative. Look in the phone book or write 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. And now back to tonight's file, The Curious Prospectors. Words in any language, probably the oldest, is the word fire. For it goes back to the very beginning of recorded time. Down through the ages, man has come to know something about fire, has come to put it to his own uses in many instances, and yet has also come to realize that there are times when fire is his master. Today, any good student of forestry can show you black marks in the woods that point to a gigantic fire that burned as long ago as the year 1400, even before the discovery of the continent. And yet, despite all that experience in fighting fires, despite the experience of generation after generation, man today still tastes defeat in his battle against a blazing forest. No one can tell which way the wind will turn, which way the fire will jump, which flame will leap the highest, because every fire is a brand new adventure, every fire makes its own rules. And thus, this battle of man against the fire is the most primitive warfare of all, and pits man against an opponent he has never conquered yet, an opponent called nature. This file continues at the cabin on Tomorrow Hill. Jim, did you hear my report on the gyro that it can't come in? Yes, Gene, but I don't understand it. Visibility was fine when I landed here less than an hour ago. I know it was, but there was the down canyon wind at the other side of the hill then. It shifted, and that clearing you landed in is covered with smoke from the fire. Oh, I see. You'll just have to make it out the best way you can, Jim. Well, Shelby and Lucas have a couple of horses. I can use one and put both of them on the other one. That cabin is six and a half miles from the nearest roadhead, so we'll drive up as far as we can and wait for you. Okay, we'll start immediately. I'll take that trail that Shelby and Lucas used. That's closed off by now, Jim. The only trail open is the one marked number of 38, three eight on your map. Just a minute, Gene. Yeah, I got it, Gene. Okay, I'll take 38 all the way down. We're leaving here now. All right, you two. Come on, we've got to get moving. What about the money? I'd dug it up before you arrived. All right, come on, let's get out of the horses. You think we'll make it? You know as much as I do. Come on, Shelby, start moving. Okay. Hey, look. What? The horses. They're gone. Most of it's bad. What happened? Jim called. He surprised both Shelby and Lucas in the cabin. Trouble? Not with them, but the clearing closed in and the gyro couldn't go back and pick them up. Jim was going to come down trail 38 on the two horses Shelby and Lucas used going up. Well, that's not a bad trail. They haven't got the horses. Jim called back and said they'd run away. This is bad, Gene. If that fire starts jumping, they might not be able to use 38 for the last two miles. Is there any other way down to the roadhead? No, no trail, but if Jim uses his compass, he might be able to beat the fire. You don't sound very optimistic. Well, there's a weatherman over at the Forest Service, Gene, and by his figures, the wind that's driving the fire down Timora Hill is going to get stronger. If it does, they might not have time to get out of there on foot. That part of the forest is thick with Douglas firs and they're all dry. Is there any chance at all of getting in there any place with the gyro? No, not a prayer. There's a blanket of smoke over the ridge now, so thick you can't see the sun through it. Is the road still open? It was when I left the Forest Service, but that won't get us within five miles of Taylor. Well, let's drive up there and get as close as we possibly can. I think I can hardly walk. Watch your step going through there. You think we'll get out? Sure we will. Look at that smoke. Well, the smoke's getting heavier, Shelby, but it's not getting any hotter. That probably means the fire isn't getting any closer to us. Keep going. We can make it if we just keep up this pace. Do you know where we are? I'd like somebody to keep going, will you? We've still got over two miles to go to that roadhead. We'll just keep right on this point on the compass. Oh, come on, let's leave him. You stay where you are, Shelby. Come on, Lucas. We're going to get him by hand. Huh? Yeah, now come on. Grab his right arm. I'll take his left. Get out of here with him. Take that other arm and left. How does it feel? I can't stand on it. Throw an arm around Shelby's shoulder. That's it. Put your arm around mine. All right, come on. This is where they're setting up the new fire line, Gene. Can't get any closer in this. What do they want with the tractor way up here? Well, they can clear a fire line 10 times as fast with the tractors they can with men alone. Those cats dig in. I see. Look at that tree flare up out there. That flame must have shot up 50 feet. Well, let's hope we don't see a crown fire. If we do, you'll really see some high flames. Is there much danger of one? There's always danger of a crown fire. Oh, with these bird trees. Well, I hope they don't have to light those backfires. What do you mean? When they build a fire line like this, they light this end and try to make it burn back and meet the oncoming fire. That way it burns itself out because it's got no place to go. But Jim is in there with his two prisoners. Well, they're not going to light the backfire unless they absolutely have to. But if the flame gets past this line, you know, it'll probably go right through the whole town of Hamilton. Oh. Look at that crown fire. Look at it go. Gene, that's right across the line that Taylor was coming down. Are you sure? Yeah, I'm afraid so. And I'm also afraid the trail is closed off. That probably means they can't get through. Come on, see if you can get up again. When you're fucking here, you'll be burned to death. Why do I care about him? I'm worrying about myself. I'm going back up to him. There isn't a chance of that way. I'm going to try it. Come back here, you fool. You'll never get through. And you shoot him. I threw my bullets away, back up the trail. Live ammunition isn't safe to carry in a fire. Anyway, he won't go far. Come on. Put your arm on my shoulder. All right, we'll start moving. But there's a fire all around us. That fire in front just started, maybe. Let me start got some holes in it. Come on. We can't walk right into the fire. I'm not walking into it. I'm looking for something. I think I see it. What? That black spot in there. Beyond the flames. It's been burned already. If we can get there, we've got a chance. Hang on. Come closer to ground as you can. Light her up in those flames. Stop talking with you. If we get lucky, we've got a chance to live. Maybe they'll make a big fire again. And things only burn once, Lucas. Come on. It's our only chance. Be careful, that ankle. I haven't got the strength to carry you again. Okay. I'll do my best. Lucas, I don't know why we... With the finding of the body of Pete Shelvey, this case from the files of your FBI was closed. But there is more to this evening's case than the moral that crime does not pay. Further investigation by the Forest Service shows that this fire began when an unthinking camper neglected to put his fire off. The terrible toll taken by fire in this country last year reached the staggering sum of $700 million in money and the irreplaceable total of 11,000 lives. There's a fire started in the United States every 20 seconds throughout the day and night. And the inditing fact is that more than 85% of those fires are started because of one thing, carelessness. This is the beginning of the outdoor season throughout the nation. Some of you soon will be starting on camping trips, on picnics, or on vacation joints that will take you outdoors. To you, we address this message. 100% of the fires started because of carelessness could have been prevented. Be careful with lighted cigarettes. Don't leave picnic fires unattended. Use fires if you wish, but never forget that wildfire can be an important friend while it can keep you warm and help supply you with a hot meal. It is also a treacherous enemy and it can be deadly. Without the Equitable Society's Assured Home Ownership Plan, if the idea appeals to you of a low interest rate first mortgage combined with life insurance to protect your home against death and hard times, then I suggest that you get in touch with your equitable representative soon. He'll show you exactly what this plan will do for you personally. How much money it can save you, how much added security it will give you. So contact your Equitable Society representative without delay, or write care of this station to the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Next week, we will dramatize another case from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. A story concerning America's number one crime problem, its subject, juvenile delinquency, its title, Little Tough Guy. In tonight's Equitable Life Assurance Society's broadcast are adapted from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. However, all names used are fictitious and any similarity thereof to the names of persons living or dead is accidental. Tonight, the music was composed and conducted by Frederick Steiner. The author was Jerry Lewis. Your narrator was William Woodson and the official agent Taylor was played by Stacey Harris. This is your FBI is a Jerry Divine production. This is Larry Keating speaking for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States and the Equitable Society's representative in your community. And inviting you to tune in again next week at the same time when the Equitable Life Assurance Society will bring you another thrilling story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Little Tough Guy on This Is Your FBI. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company.