 The Equitable Life Assurance 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 and the Equitable Society's representative in your community. Friends, if you happen to know anyone who is thinking of buying or building a home or is considering refinancing his present home, please phone him and tell him to listen to this program. For in a few minutes our sponsor, the Equitable Life Assurance Society, will give facts and figures about America's finest plan for home ownership. Every family will want to hear about this great Equitable Society plan which saves money and gives special protection to home owners. In tonight's FBI file, the Slaughterhouse Swindler. Professional criminals are avowed enemies of society and as such merit the full penalty prescribed by the laws which they violate. But so-called good citizens who conspire with criminals to violate the law for personal gain are the Benedict Arnold's of society. They are a profit of the respect and welfare of those whom they would call fellow citizens. And as such, they merit the contemptuous kind of moral condemnation that is reserved for all traitors. On a modest little dairy farm a few miles out of Des Moines, Mrs. Reba Jones recently widowed has just completed the morning's chores and is walking up to the house when two men drive up in a truck designed for hauling livestock. Good morning. Are you Mrs. Reba Jones? Yes, sir. My name's Latimer and this is Mr. Randall. We're inspectors for the Department of Agriculture. How do you do? Hello. What can I do for you? Well, I hate to tell you this, Mrs. Jones, but we're here on a kind of unpleasant mission. What's wrong? Well, the dairy company you sell your milk to has just reported to us a very unfavorable bacteria count on some of the milk from here. Oh, but they never said anything to me about it. It's our duty to report to us first, Mrs. Jones, and our duty to check on your cows. Oh. You see, a lot of the dairy company's products are sold across the state line, and that makes it Uncle Sam's business to see that the quality meets federal standards of purity. Oh, of course. Mrs. Jones, how many cows in your herd? Well, there's only 12 heads. Mm-hmm. You're going to test them now? That's right. And if you find some of them deceased? Well, we'll have to condemn them. Yes, we'll have to take them with us, Mrs. Jones, but we're authorized to pay you a condemnation fee. But I just can't afford to lose any. Even with the whole herd, I just barely make a living from them. You wouldn't want to sell milk that you knew to be diseased, would you? No. Of course not. Well, the herd is down the pasture now. I'll go and get them into the barn for you. Oh, thank you. Thank you, Mrs. Jones. Well, she fell for it okay. We should clip her for the whole herd. Come on. All right, boys. I'm giving you $200 ahead for them cows. I thought you ran a slaughterhouse, Jenkins. Not a clip. Now, let me handle this, Al. $200? That's my price. You better take another look at the weight figures, Jenkins. Price stands. Take it or leave it. Oh, look, we take all the risk getting these cows. Adam, as far as I'm concerned, they're your own cows. I operate a legitimate licensed slaughterhouse. Who's kidding? Who? You're up to your ears in the black market, same as we are. Oh, look here. You said yourself three of the last head we brought you with a Z. And they were two. But you bought them from us, didn't you? Maybe you better take your cows to some other slaughterhouse. Oh, no, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Both of you. You've got us over a barrel, Mr. Jenkins, and you know it. So just give us a doll. Now you're talking sense. Here's your money. Count it if you like. I'm sure it's all there. You don't steal your money that way. What do you mean? What do you think? Come on out. Right. They'll be seeing you, Mr. Jenkins. Go ahead. What a subtle so easy for us. We couldn't take the cows any place else. It was worth more than he gave us. What he gave us was only a down payment. What do you mean? I think I know a way to tap that old geezer for plenty. It was a little earlier that same day when Special Agent Mead of the Des Moines Field Office of the FBI entered the office of Agent and Charge Clark. Did you send for me, Mr. Clark? I asked Mead. Looks like we've got an impersonation swindle case to go to work on. A couple of days ago, two men posing as inspectors of the Department of Agriculture condemned some cows on a farm near the city. Yes. They claimed these cows were diseased. So they were authorized to pay $50 a head for them and did then loaded the cows into a truck and drove away. The black market, no doubt. More than likely. But the act of impersonating a federal officer is our immediate angle. How do we hear about it? The widow owned the cows, got suspicious later on, called the public health officer here in Des Moines. He just called me a minute ago. I guess he'd already checked with the Department of Agriculture. Yes, and I double-checked. What's the first move? You better drive out there right away and interview the victim. Maybe others by now. That's why we want to work fast. What's her name? Mrs. Ruth Mason. Yeah. This is the location of her farm. Okay. And Mead, get a good description of the men and any other lead you can and hurry back. Right? All right, Al. Pull up in here by the stockpans. Right. There's old Jenkins coming out of the office now. Okay. Stop the truck. We better get our dough for these cows before we spring the other deal on them. Shut up. Here he comes. Now, let me do the talking. Oh, kid. You fellas seem to be working pretty fast. Yeah. We don't believe in letting the grass grow under cows, Jenkins. I've done them. Pretty good-looking stuff, too. For change. Where'd you get them? Ain't you forgetting what you said? As far as you're concerned, all the cows we bring belong to us. All right, all right. Can you handle these? I can use all you get like that. That's fine. Huh? You run these over to the scales. Mr. Jenkins and I have got business to talk over. Okay. And we went to your office? Sure. Come ahead. Go ahead in. All right. It's on your mind, Adam. You said you could handle all the cows we could get as good as those in the truck. That's right. Could you handle, say, say, 150 hen? Where are you going to get that many? Could you handle them? Certainly. Well, then I can get them all right. There's just one hitch. What's that? Money. I don't get you. Now, look, we lay out cash for them animals. We ain't getting no 150 hen unless we put the doe on the line. Oh. So where do we get the cash? How much would it cost? Me or you? Hmm? Well, I'm supposed to make a profit, you know. And how much would it cost you? About a hundred a hen. It's $15,000. Yeah, that's right. Who are you buying them from? You ain't trapping me into a giveaway like that. Are you interested in putting up the doe? Maybe. Oh, look, don't hedge. Are you or ain't you? How do I know this isn't a swindler? You can come along if you want when I swing the deal. When would that be? Oh, right now, if you like. I don't keep that kind of money around the office. Hmm. When could you get it? Later in the day. Well, then we'll knock them off tonight. How much do you aim to charge me for the cows? Usual rate. $200 a hen. That's letting you fellas operate on my money and make a hundred percent profit. It's too much. Look, Mr. Jenkins, take it or leave it. Hey, be here at my office tonight. Can I come in, Mr. Clark? Oh, yes, come ahead, ma'am. Did you talk to the woman out at the farm? Yes. Get any good leads? She gave a pretty good description of the two men. Anybody we know? I don't think so. The names are Latimer and Randall. At least those are the names they use. Yes. But this might give us an even better lead. What's that? A woman was smart enough to make them give her a receipt for her cows. Oh, good for her. Latimer signed it. And our doubt left his fingerprints on it. Well, first thing, we'll alert our local police and license slaughterhouses in the city and state. Give them the description of those two men. Yes, sir. And mead, while I'm getting that started, will you run that receipt through the lab for fingerprints? I'd like to catch those fellas before they clean up and get out of the state. Cut the lights out. Okay. There's a light on in Jenkins' office. Guess he's keeping our date, all right? But will he have the dough with him? Well, sure, why not? He didn't guarantee it this afternoon. Yeah, this sounds like too good a touch to him. He'll have it. Now, come on. What's the matter? Look in and see if anybody's with him. Just by himself. Okay. Knock on the door. Well, how are you tonight, Mr. Jenkins? Let's get down to business. Yeah, that suits me fine. You, uh, you got the dough ready? I have. Well, where is it? In my pocket. The deal starts when it's in my pocket, Mr. Jenkins. Oh, no. I'm not giving up any money until I see those cows. You ain't seeing no cows. What does he mean? Oh, we're kind of changing the deal. Hmm? Well, that $15,000 goes to us direct. What for? Well, sort of like a bonus. What are you talking about? Ah, quit wasting time with him, Chuck. Oh, see here. What's this all about? You're paying us that $15,000 to keep quiet, Jenkins. What? You wouldn't like us to expose your operation here, would you? This is a licensed slaughterhouse, Latterman. My books are clean. They were stranger, maybe, but not to the law. You care. I've had enough of this. Oh, yeah? You're just trying to blackmail me. And what if we are? It won't work. No? No. Because I'm clean. You two are not. You couldn't report into the law without getting slapped in jail yourselves and you know it. Chuck, that angle ain't gonna work. It certainly isn't. Well, then I guess we'd better try another. The only thing that you can do is to get out of here and get out of here right now. Oh, that ain't the only thing. Get out, I say. Now, look, we came here for that $15,000. We're gonna get it. Put it where, Cal. With pleasure. Now, wait a minute. You can't. Now, if you'll grab his wallet, Al, we'll turn out the lights and close up office for the night. And now, before the FBI file on the slaughterhouse swindlers resumes, as it will in just a moment, here's that important message for homeowners and home buyers. This week at the Equitable Life Assurance Society, we were talking about how a man feels when he lives in a home of his own. And someone said there's nothing like it. 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He is also courting personal disaster at the hands of those with whom he conspires. Because to criminals, the renegade citizen is not one of them. Rather, he is a pawn to be played by them when the time comes. And always, he is played for a sucker. It is nearly two hours now after the slaughterhouse operator Jenkins was beaten into unconsciousness by the catalyst windlers and robbed of $15,000. Agent-in-charge Clark of the Des Moines office of the FBI is at his desk talking with Special Agent Mead when... Clark speaking. Police headquarters, Mr. Clark. This is Sergeant Eaton. Oh, hello, Sergeant. We've got something that may tie in with those two men you're looking for. Oh, well, just a minute. Mead. Get on the other phone catches too, will you? Right. All right, Sergeant. Go ahead. My name Jenkins, who operates a slaughterhouse at the edge of town. Yes? The night Watchman, making his rounds, found him beaten unconscious on the floor of his office a little over an hour ago. The Watchman remembered hearing a truck drive into the yard earlier. I see. Just before he discovered Jenkins on the floor, he had heard the truck drive away. But he hadn't seen or was in it. No, with Jenkins on duty himself, he hadn't paid much attention. Where's the victim now, Sergeant? We got him to the city hospital. He just came through a little while ago. What did he have to say? Well, that's just it. He wouldn't talk. Well, we'll get on it right away and check with you later, Sergeant. Goodbye. Thanks a lot. Bye. I guess we better get over to the hospital right away. No, later. What? First, we're going to have a look around out at the slaughterhouse. Why? We just might find some evidence with which we can encourage Mr. Jenkins to talk. Come on. I told the nurse not to let anybody else in my room. We're special agents of the FBI, Mr. Jenkins. Oh, that's all. And I have nothing to say to you either. This is my affair. We have reason to believe it's our affair, too. What do you mean? We've just come from your slaughterhouse. What are you doing there? Investigating the crime. Crime? What crime? Crime that you're talking about. Crime that's put you in this hospital. Now, look here. I have nothing to say. All right, then, we have. We happen to run across a special memoir, some cattle transactions, which were not entered in your regular ledger, Mr. Jenkins. How do I have it? You trying to tell me how to keep my books? Maybe the government will get around to that later. What do you mean? Right now, we're interested in finding two men named Latimer and Randall. Well? Some of those special cattle deals, according to the memoir, were made with them. What of it? Latimer and Randall are wanted for cattle swimming by posing as agents of the Department of Agriculture. They were just cattle deals to me. And you bought the cattle they obtained by criminal methods. As far as I was concerned, the cattle were their own. Mr. Jenkins, I'd like to point out that we're in a position to justifiably charge you with conspiracy for receiving and selling property obtained by criminal methods. But how can you... Sure, bought the court, you'd have to explain your books and special memos and all your slaughterhouse operations to some experts who might find something wrong with them. Well? How do you wish to know? Where are Latimer and Randall? I don't know. Who beat you up tonight? They did. Why? All I'm saying is they beat me up, stole $15,000 for me, and escaped in their truck. Can you describe their truck? It's a cattle truck and license numbers written down a notebook in my coat pocket. Made. Yes. Get the notebook to your place. Right. The Jenkins, the beating you've got tonight, is what you might expect and deserve for playing ball with criminals. Peace. When we catch Latimer and Randall, we'll get the whole story behind your dealings with them. And if it's what I think it is, you'll have quite a bit of explaining to do. Hey, wait, slow up, Al. Come to a fork in the highway. It's okay. We take the left turn to Kansas City. How do you know? I mark out the whole route on that map there. Okay, then keep going. Hey, Chuck. Yeah? Maybe we ought to get rid of this truck. Maybe it's getting hot by now. Yeah, I've been thinking of that already. So what do we do? The next town we hit, we kiss a goodbye, and borrow somebody else's car. Here's the truck, Mr. Clark. We found it at the abandoned on a side street here earlier this morning. I see. And just a while ago, a man reported his car stolen during the night. Well, that sounds like two and two to me, officer. Well, that's what we figured. Made. Yes. A stolen car. Will you have a look in the truck? Right. What's the description of the stolen car, officer? Black Chevrolet sedan, 41 model. The sedan 41 model. I have a license. 426. 426. 730. Mr. Clark. Yes. Look at this map I found on the seat. What about it? A pencil mark tracing the whole route from Des Moines to Kansas City. Huh? You think maybe they might be... I think we're going to get out on an alarm on this stolen car right away and then head for Kansas City. Okay, Al. We didn't come to Kansas City for a rest. Now, let's get busy. On what? I got a slaughterhouse all lined up to do business with us. But we ain't got a truck. Ah, I'm going to use one of theirs. Okay, where do we go first? Well, we're following our same plan. I got number one spotted. Come on, let's ride. Yes, mate? Latimer and Randall are in Kansas City. They're not in a hotel. No. I spent all morning with our agents and the police here checking. No trace of them. No sign of the stolen car either. Not yet. Maybe this other thing will turn them up. What's that? The county farm agent here in Kansas City has been helping me all morning make a lot of telephone calls. I don't get it. Well, me and I studied all those jobs at the Latimer and Randall pooled around the morning. Yeah. And I think I've hit on the pattern of their operation. Really? And if I'm right... Well, if I'm right, maybe the phone is ringing right now with the proof. Well, Mrs. Gilmer, we're sorry to have to report that we find five of your cows' disease. Good heavens, Mr. Latimer. That's going to be quite a blow to me. Well, the five-head won't be a total loss to you, however. What do you mean? Well, as I told you when I made the appointment for this test, we're authorized to pay you a condemnation fee. Well, at least that's something. Come on, Randall, we'll start loading the cows in the truck. Okay. Those cows are staying right here, Latimer. Who says? What's the ID and who are you? Special agents of the FBI. Do you want to hear any more? Put up your hands, G-man. Sure, Randall. Sure, we'll put up our hands. Maybe you won't object if I use mine like this. Hey, I mean, take his gun. Thanks for cooperating with us, Mr. Gilmer. And thanks to you, Latimer, for your policy of cheating widows only. It made it a lot easier for us to catch you. Come on. Changed in a federal court on the charge of impersonating agents of the U.S. government. Latimer and Randall were found guilty and sentenced to the penitentiary. The findings at their trial also enabled FBI agents later to bring the Slaughterhouse operator Jenkins to justice and bring about his conviction on a charge of conspiracy. Latimer and Randall as professional criminals were enemies of society, but Jenkins a professing good citizen. Because he conspired with criminals and betrayed the welfare of those whom he would call fellow citizen, Jenkins was that something far morally worse than an enemy of society. He was a Benedict Arnold of society. And it is his kind which does more damage to the moral structure of society than all of its openly avowed enemies combined. Now before we tell you about next week's story from the files of your FBI, may I remind you that the equitable society is assured home ownership plan is a money saving plan every step of the way. Naturally, we can't give you every detail here. But your Equitable Life Assurance Society representative can. He has literature that you can study. And once you get the facts, you'll be quick to agree that here's America's finest home ownership plan. Phone him tomorrow. Call the number of the Equitable Life Assurance Society. E-Q-U-I-T-A-B-L-E. The Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Next week, we will bring you another colorful story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The sinister lighthouse. 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 persons living or dead is accidental. Tonight, the music was composed and conducted by Frederick Steiner, the author was Frank Ferries and your narrator was Dean Carlton. This is your FBI is a Jerry Devine production. And now this is Carl Frank 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 when the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States will bring you another colorful story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The sinister lighthouse. And this is your FBI. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company.