 The Equitable 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. To your FBI, you look for national security, and to the Equitable Society for financial security. These two great institutions are dedicated to the protection of you, your home, and your country. Tonight's file, The Marriage Rackets. In the years that have just finished their parade into the history books, the people of the world became accustomed to the cruel reality of having the earth fertilized with the blood of millions of soldiers. Sudden violent death became the normal thing. The pages of every newspaper carried their mournful honor rolls. But that was war. That was a crime all of civilization was guilty of having committed. That was a crime the FBI could neither prevent nor solve. But now we've come upon a period of peace, a period when the FBI can and does prevent crimes. Above all others, it's most important that the FBI and all law enforcement agencies prevent one certain crime. Because once that crime has been committed, all that remains is catching and punishing the criminal. The victim is beyond saving. This crime is murder. Our story tonight takes us to a pleasant farming community in Iowa. Chris Newton, who owns 200 acres of the best land in the county, has just returned home from the city with a new wife. This is their first day together at home. Ella. I'm in the kitchen, honey. Oh, well, something smells good. Chicken. With dumplings. With dumplings. Golly. You just get over there and wash up. Everything's just about ready. Wait a minute, wait a minute. Huh? I got something for you. Kind of like a surprise. For me? Mm-hmm. Here. Chris. Go on. Open it. Oh, sure. Chris. It ain't much. Why, it's the most beautiful set of feathers I've ever seen in my life. The man says you can wear them on your head or around your neck. It don't make no difference which. Oh, they're just beautiful. Chris, you're so awful good to me. Well, I just feel lucky I got you. Even in spite of what folks in town will say. What do you mean? Well, I know they're thinking you ought to have picked your wife from around here instead of marrying a stranger. Well, a man's got a right to marry whoever he wants to. If he can get her, I wanted you and I got you. You mean I got you? Then we're even. Oh, Chris. Now you go over and get cleaned up and I'll set... Who's that? Must be Jeff Holmes asking to drop by. Come in. Della. George. Who's he? George, it's my brother. Come in, George. Come in. Okay. For heaven's sakes, how'd you get here? Hitchhike. Chris, this is my brother George. George, this is my husband Chris. Hello, George. Well, this is a surprise. It is to me, too, Della. I didn't know you had a brother. Well, she probably forgot. I ain't seen her in a couple of years. You been in the army? No, I'm working in war plans up and down the coast. How'd you find out where I was? Well, Uncle Ben told me. I hear you two have just been married. Uh-huh. Congratulations. Thanks. George, you look very peeked. Have you been sick? No, I just tired. I need a little rest and some fresh air. That's why I came here. Well, bless you, George. I'm glad you did. You think you'd like some company for a while? Oh, of course. We'd love to have you, wouldn't we, Chris? Sure, sure. You just in time for some deed. Let me have your coat, George. I'll keep it on. Which room do I use? You take the one at the end of the hall on the left. Can I give you a hand with your suitcase? No, thanks. I'll go change my clothes, sis. Della. Yeah, Chris? You don't suppose your brother's in some kind of trouble, do you? Trouble? What do you mean? Well, you saw how he acted when I offered to take his coat. Yeah? You noticed that bulge in his coat up near the shoulder? No, why? Della, your brother's packing a gun. The smallest clue may lead to solving the biggest crime. And so the FBI is always careful to check every lead supplied them by alert local police forces. The day the Della's brother, George, came to visit his sister, the police in Des Moines picked up an abandoned car bearing an Oregon license plate. Checking, they found that the car had been stolen the week before in Portland. The Des Moines office of the FBI was notified. And within a matter of minutes, special agents, Adams and Kendall were on the scene, going over the car with a fine toothed coal. I say whoever abandoned the car intended staying in the vicinity a while. What do you think, Bob? Uh-huh. You find anything in the back? Oh, just a couple of newspapers so far. Well, while you're looking around, I'll start getting a few fingerprints. I ought to get some clear ones off the doors anyway. Hey, wait a minute. Huh? What'd you find? Marry me. What? Oh, it's a magazine slept behind the seat. Marry me? One of those, uh, lonely heart things published in Chicago. I can't imagine a car thief having a magazine like that. Here's the name of a woman's subscriber, Stan Salana. Who is she? Well, it was originally addressed to a Della Williams in Chicago, but it was forwarded to, uh, Mrs. Henry Lewis, Portland, Oregon. A lonely heart must have found a mate. But it wasn't the owner of this car. His name's Hancock. You know, we'd just better take this magazine along with us. Okay. Now, help me get a few fingerprints, Bob. We'll get them off to Washington. I've tried to look after the stock. Oh. Then it's time we did a little talk. But he may come back any minute, George. And he's already very suspicious of you. What do you mean? He knows you're carrying a gun. How? You gave it away acting like you did about your coat. Ah, I'll fix that. You think you got a good sucker this time? Chris is such a wonderful man, George. I don't mean that stupid. How's, uh, the dough department? Oh, they say he's worth more than any farmer in the county. Oh, good, good. Then we'll go right to work. I don't want to stay around here any longer than I have to. But it's very nice here, George. I like it. Yeah, uh, shut up and listen, William. Okay. I ran into a drug the other day that's out of this world. Now, you do what I tell you to do when I tell you to do it, and everything will be... Oh, everything all right? Out back, Chris? Yeah, just fine, Diller. Oh, uh, say, Chris. Yes? I brought a little present for you. Oh, what's that? A gun. I used on a night watch and job out west. A gun? Oh. It, uh, might be useful to you around here. Well, thanks, George, but I don't think I need it. At least you know why George was carrying it now, don't you, Chris? Yeah, sure. Well, we'll be getting on to bed. Come on, Diller. All right away, Chris. Night, George. Night. Back to carry that. And tomorrow, honey, we break in the new drug. Sorry, I took so long for lunch, Bob. Anything from Washington on those fingerprints? No, not yet. But I just finished talking to Portland about Della Williams. Oh, what did you get? She married a man named Henry Lewis three months ago. He died suddenly one month ago. She collected $3,500 insurance and left Portland right away. Anything strange about the death? Mm-hmm. Overdose of, uh, sleeping tablets. They let it go as a suicide. But what's that got to do with a stolen car? Della Williams met Lewis through that lonely heart magazine. Yeah. And Della has a brother who lived with him for a time. What's his name? They didn't know. You think maybe the brother stole the car because we found his sister's magazine in it? Certainly seems plausible. Yeah, that's right. It's the Washington's report on those fingerprints. Oh, thanks, Tom. Well, what's the verdict? You hit the jackpot, Bob. Oh. The man who stole the car is George Williams. Served two years for robbery. Last lived with sister Della Williams in Chicago. He's 35, 5 feet 10. Bob. Yeah? Maybe Lewis didn't commit suicide after all. Listen to this. Williams and sister suspected of murder in connection with death of her four former husbands. But not enough evidence was ever found to warrant their indictment. Oh. Mary and murder for profit. Yes. And if that's their business, they've probably already started on the next victim. And since Williams abandoned his stolen car in Des Moines, their next victim must be somewhere in this area. Right. If we want to save somebody's life, Bob, let's get busy. What a sufferer. Oh, Chris. I mean it. George, your sister's about the finest cook that ever hit these parts. Yeah, she does okay. Oh, now stop that talk, both of you. How about some more coffee? Yeah, just fill it right up, Della. Okay. You want some, George? No thanks. I had enough. I think I'll take another biscuit if you've got some more handy. Oh, sure. You're the best dog gunner. Oh, Chris. Oh, what's the matter, Chris? Oh, my heart. My heart. I can't. Can I do anything? Get, get Dr. Matthews out. Shall I call the doctor? Sure, why not? This has got to be a very legitimate murder. We momentarily closed the Equitable Society's presentation of the Federal Bureau of Investigation file on the marriage racket. We will return to this case in just a moment. One of the best things about being in the life insurance business is that you get to know a lot of different people. For instance, in the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, our circle of friends is a very wide circle indeed. It consists of three and a quarter million individuals. That's the number of men and women who have become members of our society. And since the Equitable Society is a society in fact, as well as in name, and is entirely owned by its policy holders, our members never hesitate to speak up when they have something on their minds. They tell it to our agents or write personal letters to President Parkinson. Farmers give us their ideas on our farm insurance programs. Heads of great industrial enterprises volunteer their opinions on our group insurance plans. Fathers of families tell us their special needs in regard to home protection, the education of the children, or retirement income for themselves. Here in the Equitable Society, we consider it a great advantage to have our fingers constantly on the public's pulse. Thanks to these contacts, we are able to modernize and liberalize our life insurance policies and annuity contracts. We have streamlined them to give our members protection and security exactly suited to their needs. That is why the Equitable Life Assurance Society's many services are always up to date, planned with an eye to the future. On the same principle, in investing Equitable Society dollars, our management always keeps in mind the future economic health and prosperity of the entire nation. And so, by serving its members, the Equitable Society serves America. And now, back to the file on the marriage racket. George Williams, with that sublime ego which drives all criminals to the belief that they're too smart for the police, had stolen a car and driven it across a state line. That was a mistake, a serious mistake. Because it invited the FBI to take a hand in stopping his career. This was not the ordinary chase after a criminal. This was not a race between Williams and the FBI. This was a race between the FBI and death. On the Newton farm, Dr. Matthews has been treating his patient. And now he emerges from the bedroom. Doctor, how is he? Is he gonna pull out of a duck? Well, I have relieved his pain. His pulse seems to be a little more regular. Then he's gonna be all right. He's gonna get over this attack. But he must have quiet and rest for a few days. Oh, we'll see that he gets a duck. My sister'll take good care of him. Of course. Chris is such a wonderful man. There's not a finer man in the whole community, Mrs. Newton. And I'm doubly sorry that this should happen so soon after... after your marriage. I can't understand it. Chris is as strong as an ox. He told me himself he'd never been sick a day in his life. Well, he's worked mighty hard all his life. Anything especially you want us to do, doc? No, no, just keep him quiet. I'll drop by to see him tomorrow. Oh, thank you for coming, doctor. Well, I'm glad you could reach me. Good night, Mrs. Newton. Good night. Uh, doc. Yes? Suppose he has another attack and we can't reach you. What do we do? Well, there's not much you'd be able to do except hope for the best. Yeah. I guess so. Good night. Good night, doc. Well, honey, we just have to give the sucker one more dose. Bob. Yeah? Any police reports on that alarm we put out on William Jett? No, and time is ticking away fast. If Marion murders their game, we're racing against the death of their next victim. If we haven't already lost the race. Well, we're not getting anywhere waiting for reports. Hey, wait a minute. Yeah? Why haven't we thought of it before? That lonely heart magazine. If they contacted their other victims through the magazine, give me the phone. Calling Chicago? Yeah. I'll get the editor to give me a list of all the men in this area who've been trying to find a bride through the magazine. Uh, hello, operator. Uh, get me the editor of a magazine. I'll make you the editor. How's he doing, sis? Chris is sleeping, George. That's good. We want a little time for the news to get around that he had a heart attack. So nobody will be surprised when another one kicks him off. I know. Ah, that's beautiful stuff in those little capsules. What's in them? It's a drug we should have been using all the time. A little bit kicks to pump around and too much stops it for keeps. And it's scientifically impossible to find a trace of it in the body. George. Yeah? Chris is such a wonderful man. Okay, you said that before. So what? Would you be awful mad if I asked you to do something for me? Like what? Well, Chris is such a wonderful man. A wonderful man. All right, all right. You said that. He's been so good and kind to me. I wish you'd let him... Nothing's doing. Please, George, I want to stay married this time. I said nothing doing. But, George, you don't... Look, Ella, you got a crush on a couple of your other husbands too, but you got over it. Yeah, I know. But Chris is different. They said the same thing about that guy, Brown. Well, they both touched the mother in me, I guess. And that last guy, Lewis. You had a big thing for him too. I couldn't help it. He was such a gentleman. Look, honey, this is strictly business, see? Chris has got a lot of rocks all the way. And we can sell the farm for another pile. George, please. No dice. We've got to go through with this, Delet. But I'll tell you what, I promise you the next guy you like, you can keep. Okay? You mean it, George? It's guaranteed. You're the sweetest brother a girl ever had. Well, here we are, Bob. The names of four marriage prospects in this area scattered all over the state. Well, let's get on them right away. And we better try telephoning. And ask them what? If they've found a mate? We won't be that blunt about it. Let's take them right on down the line. Reeves, Johnson, Mason, and Newton. George. Yeah? The telephone's ringing. What'll I do? Leave it alone. No, wait. I'd better answer it. You stay here. Is this the Newton residence? Yeah. I'm sorry to bother you this time of night. Who is this? Are you Mr. Newton? No. Mr. Newton's sick. Very sick in bed. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. Good night. Hey, wait a minute. Who are you? Hey. Hello. Hello. All right, all right. Keep your shirt on. I'm coming. If you want Dr. Matthews, he's not here. Then maybe you can help me. I'm not a doctor. I'm just a housekeeper. We're very sorry to disturb you, but we're special agents of the FBI. The FBI? But gracious, what's the matter? We want to ask you about a patient of Dr. Matthews. Mr. Newton. Oh. Well, the doctor went out there about suppertime. The station agent said Mr. Newton had a heart attack. Maybe so. The doctor don't discuss his patients with me. You'll have to wait until he gets back. When will that be? No telling. He drove 50 miles out in the country to deliver Mrs. Weaver's baby. Could we reach the doctor by telephone? You could if the Weaver's had a telephone. Do you know if Mr. Newton got married recently? I said the doctor don't discuss his patients with me. You'll just have to wait for him. You got his tray ready, sis? All I have to do is pour his coffee. Wait a minute. Let's, uh, sweeten the cup a little bit. Oh, George, I hate to do this. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Now pour in the coffee. Okay. This one's going to last him a long time. Come on. Okay. Chris, honey, I got something to eat for you. Thanks, Della. I'm real hungry, too. How you feeling, Chris? Fit is a fiddle. I don't see why I have to stay in this bed. Well, it's a doctor's order, pal, and you're going to stay there if we have to stand over you with a shotgun. It's nice of you, George, to want to do what's right about me. Now look, Chris, look. Della's a happy daemon. I want to see her stay that way. Here's your tray, Chris. Thanks. Now who's that? Probably neighbor. Well, Chris ain't supposed to have company. I'll get rid of him. Go on, eat, Chris. I'll take care of it. Okay, okay, okay. I'm coming. I'm coming. Oh. Are you Mr. Newton? Mr. Newton's sick and can't have company. I don't think it'll be necessary for us to see him. Then what do you want? I think we want you, Mr. Williams. Huh? We're special agents of the FBI. Where's your sister? I don't know what you're talking about. No, you drop that gun. George, who heard these men? We're special agents of the FBI. Huh? You and your brother are under arrest. Oh, dear. Where are you going? I've got to throw out some coffee. In any form is offensive to the civilized mind. We are incensed by the killing committed in a fit of passion by the bank robbers' killing of an innocent teller by the brutal murder committed by the mental or moral degenerate. But there are no words to describe a revulsion for the persons who commit deliberate cold-blooded murder for profit. Investigation into the deaths of the former husband of Della Williams proved conclusively that murder had been committed in each case. Thanks to the speed with which the FBI worked, the life of Chris Newton was saved. And George Williams and his sister were tried by local authorities and convicted of murder in the first degree. In the long roster of criminals, they were fairly unimportant people. But the file on their case proves once again that crime is not a profitable profession and can never become profitable so long as lawbreakers are being fought relentlessly by the FBI. You'll hear about next week's case in just a moment. Tonight, will you join the Equitable Society in a salute to America's dairy industry, to the farmers, milk companies, and their tens of thousands of employees. Above all, a special salute to the boys and girls of the dairy farms. During the war, while a father or elder brother was at the front, these patriotic kids got up at dawn to feed the cows and gave up their playtime hours to get the milk through to the milk-processing plants. Thanks to tireless efforts of both youngsters and old-timers on the dairy farms, it was never necessary to point ration the milk that means so much to the nation's health. In fact, per capita consumption of milk went up 25% during the war, and wherever it was humanly possible, milk and milk products were regular parts of the Army ration. Milk and ice cream were symbols of home, the things our boys wanted most. Now that peace is here, America's dairy industry is looking forward to making greater contributions to the country's nutrition and health than ever before. In the future also, there will be an increasing number of appetizing new food products, even wearing apparel, all made from milk. Over a long period of time, funds of the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States have played an important part in dairying. Hundreds of dairy farmers in all parts of the country have taken advantage of the Equitable Society's many plans for the business of farming. In addition, the premium dollars of equitable members are invested in a number of the leading dairy companies. Just as Equitable Society dollars were fighting dollars in wartime, so at all times, they are security dollars for you, your home, and your country. Next week's colorful and exciting story will be based on the Federal Bureau of Investigation file on the Serviceman Swimble. The incidents used in tonight's Equitable Society's broadcast are taken 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. Programs in this series of particular interests to servicemen and women are broadcast overseas through the worldwide facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. Tonight, the music was under the direction of Leith Stevens. The author was Frank Ferries, and your narrator was Reid Hadley, who appears through the courtesy of Twaddle Century Fox. This is Your FBI is a Jerry Divine production. This is Dick Joy speaking for the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States, and inviting you to tune in again next week at this same time for This is Your FBI. Friends, for your unfaltering courage during the war years, you've won and you deserve your country's highest citation. Through the days of conflict, your contributions were limitless, and your victory decisive. But the only complete victory is victory with responsibility, and to that end our work continues. Every individual in America has a stake in the job of converting to peace-time economy as smoothly and as quickly as possible. Soon, price controls may no longer be necessary to our economic well-being, but until that time go on doing your level best, spend sensibly, and avoid buying goods which are still in short supply. Co-operate with the remaining price and rationing controls, and if a question arises over any point of cost, refer it immediately to your office of price administration. America's war against inflation is still raging. Remember, the most important single contribution we can make to world prosperity and peace is a stable economy here at home. This is the American Broadcasting Company.