 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. People are forever worrying about tomorrow instead of enjoying today. Now the best way to enjoy today is to be prepared for tomorrow. For example, you are worried about your family if something happens to you. If you wonder how you will ever be able to send your youngsters to college, if you'd like to own your home free and clear years ahead of time, if you wonder what's going to happen to you 20 or 30 years from now, then do something about it today. If you don't know how or what to do, the answer is no farther away than your telephone. Simply call your local Equitable Society representative. In about 12 minutes, I'd like to tell you more about this friendly, helpful neighbor of yours and how he may help you to enjoy the many advantages of membership in the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Tonight, the subject of our FBI file, bank robbery, is titled, The Little Tin Box. The FBI prides itself on the fact that one of the things which has helped to make the Bureau an internationally famous crime-solving agency is that it has made a study of the criminal mind. One of the results of that study has been the realization that in the case of most criminals, they commit many crimes according to the same pattern, time after time. That knowledge has helped your FBI in many of its most difficult cases, but occasionally a criminal appears who is more difficult to catch, who varies not only his pattern but his crime. He does not fall into the obvious trap. He uses his cunning to avoid being caught. And sometimes his plan works for a while. Tonight's FBI file opens in a small town in one of our Midwestern states. On one of the treeline streets of this village, a car is parked. A woman is seated alone behind the wheel. The car motor is idling. Suddenly, from a nearby side street, hurried footsteps are heard. A man appears. He runs swiftly to the car, opens the rear door. Get moving. Where is Ed? He didn't make it. Move, will you? Head for the highway, then drive north. Right. I'm going to stand the floor here. Don't drive fast. We don't want nobody stopping us. Okay. What happened? We blew everything. Didn't you even get into the bank? Sure. Almost that they're doing our mitts. Well, we're wrong. Local cop was in there. He bumped three slugs in the head. Did he get it bad? They were in the head. Oh. I squared a little though. I got the cop. That's no help. How's the road look? No trouble. You know, this puts us in a tight box. We ain't holding. No dough at all? Uh-huh. Not even enough to bail us out of that room in the house. Fine. You on the highway yet? Couple of more blocks. Hey, I just thought of something. What? Big Ed might bail us out. Sally, I told you he got three slugs in the head. I don't mean personally. He has a tin box that he always carried around with him. There must be something of value in it. I never seen it. It's back in his room. Could be full of cash. All we need is getaway dough. When we get back there, we'll chop it up. Green stuff. Let's see what's under these papers. Dump the whole thing off. Okay. No cash, Sally. I'll look in some of these envelopes. Look here. What? A bunch of pictures, snapshots of a young Zane. Look for the money. Honey, I don't think you'll find any. Why did Big Ed carry this box every place? Must have some value? Sally, there's nothing but pictures, newspaper, clippings. Give us a birth certificate. Thought sure we'd score for something. What do you know? What? This birth certificate. It says Harriet Dickinson, daughter of Ed and Marie Dickinson. Big Ed and her daughter. Really? Yeah, all these pictures must be a her. These must be letters he got from her. I never knew he had a kid. Nobody did. Probably why he put this stuff in the box. He wanted to keep it a secret. Well, none of this gets us out of town. That's what we've got to do in a hurry. Wait a minute. Look at this newspaper clipping. Nick, you're wasting time. Look at it, will you? All right. It's a picture from the society page of a paperback east. Thomas Granger, prominent socialite, and his bride Harriet Colton. Look at her picture. Compared with these snapshots here. Same day. Sure. That's Big Ed's daughter. Mr. Chains, your name from Dickinson to Colton. Nick, none of this is helping it. Honey, if we can hark Ed's clothes, get enough for our fair back east. This can help us but plenty. Oh, Jim. Oh, hello, Stan. Jim, I've been looking for you. I want to go over that file in the Evercase with you. I'm afraid I haven't got time right now, Stan. I've just been out on a job that requires some immediate attention. Oh, what is it? Attempted bank robbery down in Vernon. I've just come from there. What's the story? Two armed men entered the First National Bank at approximately 10 o'clock this morning. They slugged a teller, but before they could get any money, a local policeman came in. Yeah? The bandits opened fire on him. He shot it out with him. He killed one of them, and the other one killed him. What happened to the surviving bandit, Jim? Got away. Evidently, he had a confederate someplace in town with a car. There's been no trace of him since. Has an alarm been sent out? Yeah, but we've only got a very vague description on him. I don't think it'll be any help in turning him up. Did you identify the thief who was killed? Mm-hmm. His name was Ed Dickinson. Oh, I've heard of him. Yeah, he's an old timer. He's been mixed up in a number of bank jobs in the past. How'd you pick anything up down there that might lead you to this man who got away? Oh, nothing too good. I found this book of matches in the dead man's pocket. They advertise a bar and grill right here in town. Mm-hmm. You think maybe Dickinson hung out there? There's a slight chance that he did. I'm going over there now and find out. Get a load of this house. Surprised Ed didn't put the tap on his daughter himself instead of going around sticking up banks. Yeah, I know. Do you know what you're going to say to her? Yeah, just let me handle it. Yes? I want to see Mrs. Granger. I'm Mrs. Granger. How are you at Granger? That's right. Well, we'd like to come in and talk to you. Who are you? Friends of Ed Dickinson. What? Ed Dickinson. Your father. Do we come in? Yes. Good. Go ahead, Sally. Right. Are you home here? No. What about servants? Well, we have a couple. They're on vacation. Wow. That makes it real nice. What's this all about? How'd you know who I am? Your pop told us. He said if we ever needed anything, we should look you up. I don't believe you. He gave us these old pictures of you. Said there would be proof enough. Let me see them. Sure. How do you believe it? What do you want? Well, we figured we might sort of move in here for a while. No. Why not? Well, my husband knows nothing about my father. He's a respectable businessman. So what? We won't set them on. You can't do this. Honey, you don't have much choice. What? If you don't take a sin, then we tell your husband. Oh. Let's sit down and talk this thing over. How'd you make out, Jim? Well, that Book of Matches was a good lead. Really? Yeah, I went to the place it advertised, Bill's barn grill. Yeah? I showed the bartender a picture of Ed Dickinson. He recognized him immediately. Good. Said he'd been in there quite a good deal in the past three weeks. His constant companions were another man and woman. Evidently his confederates. No. A bartender also remembered that Dickinson lived in a rooming house just around the corner. Well, that's a break. I went over there. I talked to the landlady. She told me that another couple had lived there with Dickinson, but they had packed and left around noon today. The bank robbery was at 10? That's right. Just about gave them time. I'll have to get back from Vernon. Yeah, I know. I got a good description of them from the landlady. The man had a scar on his right cheek and from his general physical appearance. He sounds like an ex-convict named Nick Ames. Nick Ames? Yeah, I'm getting his picture from the files. I'm going to take it back now and show it to the landlady. Did you get anything else, Jim? Yeah, I found this old snapshot on the floor of the room. Obviously belonged to one of the bandits. What is it? It's a picture of a girl in a graduation gown. Take a look. Love to daddy signed Harriet. I don't know what significance it would have if any, but we'll hold on to it anyway. Well, I'm going to get back there now with Ames' picture. Don't you think you've done enough of that crying? Why did you come here? Why? Honey, we already told you. We needed a hideout. Well, you're not staying. You mean you don't care if your husband knows about you? No. Who are you kidding? Well, I mean it. Honey, he's a respectable guy. This could upset him plenty. Well, I don't care. Hey, there's a car outside. There's a guy getting out. It's my husband. Nick, what do we do? She's going to tell him. No, she ain't. Yes, I am. Harriet. Yes, Tom? Where are you, dear? I'll be right there. Hello, darling. Hey, what's the matter with you? Well, I... You've been crying. Yes. Why? Well, I have something to tell you. Well, can it wait, honey? I've got something to tell you first. It's the biggest news of the year. But I... Guess who you're talking to right now? I'll give you one guess, honey. Tom, I... You're talking to the new assistant, to the vice president of the bank. What do you think of that? Oh. Yeah, they just told me right before I came home. Isn't it wonderful, honey? Yes. I couldn't wait to get her. Hello. Hello. Aren't we going to meet your husband, honey? Tom, this is Mr. and Mrs. Ames. Oh. Well, how do you do? Hello. Hello. The Ames know my father. I've asked them to stay a few weeks here with us. We will return in just a moment, to tonight's exciting case from the official files of your FBI. Are you buying a house? Would you like to own your home years ahead of time? Could your wife make the payments if something happened to you? Well, that was the problem that Mr. James T. Young was worried about, until he became a member of the Equitable Life Assurance Society. That's true, isn't it, Mr. Young? Very true. A friend of mine bought a home about the same time I did. Then, one day, he met with a fatal automobile accident, and his family lost their home. And I thought, there but for the grace of God, go I. Would you mind telling us what helped you solve this problem? Why, you did, Mr. Keating. On this program, I heard you talking about a way for folks like me to own our homes years ahead of time, and how my wife would own the home free and clear without any more payments if something happened to me. That's the Equitable Assured Home Ownership Plan, the AHO Plan. Yes, the Assured Home Ownership Plan. I telephoned our local Equitable Society representative, and he came to see me. He showed me how the Home Ownership Plan included a low-cost first mortgage, plus life insurance protection, and all of it covered with the same monthly payments. Believe me, I am certainly glad I got acquainted with him. You know, he seemed more like a friend than a life insurance salesman. That's a pretty good description of all of our Equitable Representatives. They are friendly and helpful. They want you to get the most out of your life insurance dollar. You see, Equitable Representatives are experienced in all kinds of life insurance. If occasionally they don't know the right answer, they can get it instantly from the Equitable Home Office. There's a staff of trained technicians, actuaries, and economists to help them. So please remember, if you have a life insurance problem, the best way to start solving it is to pick up your telephone and call your neighbor your local Equitable Representative. He's friendly, helpful, and he knows the answers. You'll be glad you got acquainted with him. Simply consult your local telephone directory for the name of your local representative of 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 FBI file, the little tin box. It happens every so often that a decent, honest citizen is called upon to make a choice between some unpleasant publicity and the condoning of a crime. In many cases, the decent citizen becomes a victim of fear and panic, loses his ordinary sense of judgment, and decides to do business with the criminal. Tonight's case from the files of your FBI is an example of that. The experience of your FBI has shown that year after year, in case after case, the decent citizen who chose to do business with the criminal was hurt because the criminal failed to keep his part of the bargain. Morally, that is wrong. But what the honest law-abiding person forgets is that criminals have no morals. Tonight's file continues at the FBI field office. It is early evening. Special Agent Jim Taylor is talking to his fellow agent, Stan Mitchell. Well, what'd you get from the land, Lady Jim? She definitely identified Ames as the man who lived at her rooming house with Ed Dickinson. I've got further confirmation for you. Oh, how's that? One of the local police down in Vernon came in here right after you left. You had an employee of the bank with him. I showed him Ames' picture and he recognized him as the other bandit. That's great. He's gone, Stan. Really? Yeah, as soon as I knew who we were looking for, I went to the railroad station, bus line, and airport. Wow. Tickets selling out at the airport recognized Ames from his picture. He sold him two tickets to Santa City on the one o'clock plane. Well, let's see. It's after eight now. Yeah, but it's too late to contact the airport there now. He's already gotten there. What's the next move? Well, we'll notify the Santa City office and on alarm on Ames and tell them we're on our way. Yes, dear? Do you have some more coffee? No, thanks. I will. Are the Ames still sleeping? Mm-hmm. How about some more toast, dear? No, I have plenty. Thanks. Tom, if you get a chance today, I will... Now, wait. Huh? There's a picture here on the front page. Harriet, look at it. What is it? It's your friend Ames. I'm sure of it. Look. Huh? He's wanted in connection with a bank robbery. Tried to hold up a bank in Vernon yesterday. He and a female companion eluded the police and took a plane here. Another bandit named Dickinson was killed on the job. No. Honey, we've got to call the police at once. Just stay where you are, mister. You're not calling any cops. Why didn't you tell me my father had been killed? Didn't want you to feel bad. What's this all about? Answer me. You want me to tell him? No. Don't tell him. Harriet, what is this? The man who was killed via the bank bandit was my father. What? That's why these people were here. They wanted to hide out from the police. They threatened to tell you all about my father if I didn't tell them. Honey, why didn't you tell me? I was going to. I'd made up my mind to tell you as soon as you came home. What stopped you? You told me what had happened at the bank that you'd been promoted. I knew then that if the truth about my background came out, you'd be ruined. She had a good point there, Mr. Granger. I just talked to the agent in charge. Any developments? No. The police have contacted all hotels, tourist camps, roaming houses, and no one answering Amy's description has been seen. Well, he must have had some specific reason for coming here. Probably a hideout. Local papers have cooperated. Most of them carried his picture on the front page. That might get results. Special Agent Taylor. Yes, sir? Yes, I see. What was that address again for you? 58 Stone Drive. Yes, sir. Thanks a lot, sir. We'll get right out there. Got a break, Stan? What? One of the local agents had been working all morning out at the airport. He finally ran across a cab driver who identified Amy's picture. His trip record shows that he took them to an address out in the suburbs late yesterday afternoon. You have the address? Right here. Let's go. What's the name of the man who lives here again, Jim? Tom Granger. Pretty impressive-looking house. Strange place for someone like Amy to come to. Yes. Hello, is Mr. Granger here, please? Well, who wishes to see him? We're special agents of the FBI. Oh. Here are my credentials. I see. Are you Mrs. Granger? Yes. Just a moment. I'll call my husband. What? Tom? Yes, sir. There's some men from the FBI to see you. FBI? Yes, they're at the front door. And it looks like that's where we're going to stay. Hello. What can I do for you? Hello, Mr. Granger. We're looking for a man named Ames. We have information that he and a woman came here to your address yesterday afternoon. Ames? That's right, sir. Sorry, I've never heard of him. Would they have come here to see anyone else? No, I'm afraid not. My wife and I are the only ones here. Our servants are on vacation. Oh, looks like we got a bad lead. Sorry, gentlemen. Thank you anyway, sir. Not at all. Goodbye. Goodbye. Come on, Stan. You think we should get a warrant and come back here? I just remembered something. We've got some work to do at the office first. Nice work, Mr. Granger. I didn't relish it, believe me. Tom, I'm sorry. This is all my fault. No. No, it's no one's fault, Harriet. But I'm not putting up with it any longer. What do you mean by that, mister? You and your husband are getting out of here. Are you kidding? No. Regardless of the consequences, you're not spending another night in my house. Look, we're staying at home. All right, honey. I think we'd better do like he says. Oh, thank you, Evan. That ain't for your sake. It's for ours. What do you mean, Nick? The heat's on. Those guys will be back next time they'll have a warrant. Where do we go? I don't know yet. What do we use for money? Well, that part's easy. How? Mr. Granger, here's in the banking business. What do you mean by that? You're giving us some getaway, Tom. Oh, no. We need $5,000. We want it this afternoon. You're not getting it from me. Look, I'm letting you off easy. For five grand, you get rid of us. I'm getting rid of you the way I should have right from the beginning. I'm going to call the FBI and tell them you're here. Oh, no, you're not. Keep away from that farm. Get out of my way. Not a chance. No! We'll shock business again when he comes still. Yeah, Stein. All right, check up on Tom Granger. He's legitimate, all right. He works for one of the banks here in town. Did you get all the details in his background? Yeah. Yeah, I'm right here. Oh, fine. Is there anything there about his wedding? Mm-hmm. Yeah, here's a news clipping on it. I got it from the morgue at one of the local papers. Fine. Can I see it, please? Sure. Thank you. Thomas Granger from the socialite. He's bright, very cordial. What's this all about, Jim? Well, do you remember that graduation picture that I found on the rooming house? Mm-hmm. Brought along. Here it is. Well? Well, compare it with this picture, Granger's bride. Put them up together. Hey. Hey, it's the same girl. That's right. Now, let's see if this newspaper article tells where the bride went to school. Yeah. There. There it is, Jim. Yeah. State College. Okay, let's contact them at once around. You should have a good deal of bearing in this case. Tom, dear. Mm-hmm. Don't try to move, dear. Just lie still. How's he doing? Well, please get away. Look, we got some business to take care of, remember? Leave him alone. Is he coming, too? Oh, yeah. Right. Right here. Oh, just take it easy, darling. You ready to chuck yet, Mr. Granger? What? I'd like to know about that 5,000. No. Oh, you're still here. Naturally. How about that dough? I'm not giving it to you. Maybe like another treatment. Yeah. Keep away from him. He ain't got much time. How about it, Mr. Granger? No. Okay. Wait. I'll get you the money. Harriet. I can't let him hit you again. Where is the dough? It's in that desk. Harriet, come back here. Tom, I've got to do this. No. Just stay put, Mr. Let me go. Take it easy. Mr., you better do like he says. You'll only get hurt again. How are you coming with that dough? I'm getting it. Harriet, don't. Here. It's a little over 4,000. That's all there is. Okay. Let's get out of here. Wait a minute. We've got something to tend to first. Please go. And have you blow a whistle on us the minute we're out the dough? We eat that stupid. I promise you we won't. That's worth exactly nothing. Harriet, he has a gun. That's right. And I'm using it, too. No. Wait. Hold it. The FBI. That's right. Stan. Stan, are you in there? Yeah. Can you open that window? I can manage. Get his gun, Stan. Yeah. Oh, what made you return? Well, we checked at your school. We learned there who your father was, and that more or less explained everything. Well, I'd say we returned just in time. Nick Ames was tried for a violation of the federal bank robbery statute and was sentenced to 25 years in a federal penitentiary. Bound guilty of the murder of the police officer in state court, Ames was sentenced to life imprisonment to be served upon the completion of his federal prison term. The accomplice, Sally, was found guilty of bank robbery and was sentenced to five years in a federal women's reformatory. And thus, two people who had committed bank robbery, murder, and blackmail were stopped from pursuing their criminal careers any further by your FBI. Because they changed their crimes and their patterns, they were difficult criminals to catch, but they were caught because your FBI does not discourage easily nor quickly. Once a criminal escaped and remained at large for 16 long years, but your FBI never closed the file on him. And in due time, that criminal, like the ones in tonight's case from the files of your FBI, learned that so long as law enforcement agencies like your FBI are on the job, crime will forever be an unprofitable occupation. Some people spend their lives being afraid. They fear for the future of their loved ones. They are fearful of being a burden on their children when they're old. They're afraid of mortgage foreclosures. They fear they'll never be able to provide an education for their children. If any of these fears are yours, then why not right now stop worrying and start living? You have a friendly, helpful neighbor who can help you solve your worries. He's your local Equitable Society representative. He's no farther away than your phone. Simply consult your local telephone directory for the name of your local representative of 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. Its subject, homicide, its title, the sight-seeing killer. 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 thereof to the names of places or persons living or dead is accidental. Tonight, the music was composed and conducted by Frederick Steiner. Your narrator was William Woodson, and special agent Taylor was played by Stacey Harrods. Others in the cast were Alice Backers, Tom Brown, Dick Crenna, Ted D'Corsia, and Charlotte Lawlands. This is your FBI is a Jerry Devine 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 this same time will the Equitable Life Assurance Society will bring you another thrilling transcribe story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The sight-seeing killer on This Is Your FBI. This program came to you from Hollywood. This is ABC Radio Network.