 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. H-O-A-H-O. All over America, thousands of families now own their homes free and clear because they found out the meaning of the letters A-H-O. They stand for Assured Home Ownership, a money-saving, home-saving plan created by the Equitable Life Assurance Society. This plan combines a low-cost first mortgage with life insurance protection. In 14 minutes, the Equitable Society will give you further information. Please listen carefully for more details on this ideal plan for homeowners offered by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Night FBI file the Lonely Hearts Racket. Crime is enjoying unparalleled prosperity. For the American criminal, the boom is on. In studying the records not only of the past year, but also of the pre-war years, it is apparent that this nation is not only not making any progress in fighting the crime wave, but is actually losing ground. That fact points up the inevitable corollary that unless some real progress is made in the near future, unless some important victories are won against that army of criminals, the crime wave may engulf us all. However, defeat at their hands is not inevitable. Even as it wasn't inevitable when the Axis forces held democracy by the throat during World War II, victory against the Legion of Crime can be won, but it will only be won the way any war is won by the combined efforts of all the people. Tonight's file opens in the neighborhood dance hall located in the residential section of one of our large eastern cities. A group of people is scattered about the hall, obviously waiting for the commencement of festivities. A young man appears on the bandstand and falls out to the crowd. Quiet, please. May I have quiet? Ladies and gentlemen, you know why we're all here tonight. As members of the Neighborhood Friendship Club, we are availing ourselves of the opportunity to meet and dance with new friends. As usual at these gatherings, the music will be supplied by Happy Miller and his Friendship Five. Now, I know that none of you are acquainted now. As the music commences, I suggest that you go to the nearest member of the opposite sex and, well, just dance. All right, friends, here we go. There's a better crowd than I thought there'd be, Mary. Uh-huh. Not too much competition. Hey, guy with the high collar. He's heading over here. He's gonna pick you. He's kind of old, isn't he? Harold Flynn, don't come here, honey. Hello. May I, I mean, would you like to dance? Is it all right? Yes. Thank you. Well, I guess we can start right here. All right. What's your name? Mary Franklin. Oh. What's yours? Tom Cook. Oh. I'm sorry. Oh, that's all right. I'm afraid I'm not too good a dancer. Oh, you're fine. Miss Franklin. Yes. I don't want to sound forward, but well, I don't understand how a pretty girl like you happens to be here. I mean, you shouldn't need a friendship club. Oh, my sister and I, she was sitting there with me. We just moved here. Oh. Sorry. Oh, that's all right. Is this your first time here? Yes. Mine, too. Oh. I don't get a chance to go out much. My work takes up a good deal of my time. Oh, what do you do? I have my own business. Oh, really? What kind? Paper boxes. I make them. Oh, that must be very interesting. Oh, it is. We just licked a problem today that we'd been working on for months. An oversized carton proposition. You like to hear about it? Oh, I'd love to. Well, this was a real challenge. Unexpected things are always happening in the paper box business. That's why I enjoy it, so I guess. Oh, I'm sure that's it. For instance, every customer has different ideas and different tastes. Oh. Some like to have a box that's long and not too wide. Others like a square box, except they don't like it exactly square. Say, I hope I'm not talking too much about the box business. Oh, not at all. I love to hear about it. You're sure? Oh, yes. Well, then here's the fact about cartons that very few people know. Oh, what's that? Well, you know the corrugated lining that's on the inside of cartons that they ship. Here, Miss Franklin, all the places that box is like I may go to Europe, Asia, all over the world. It makes you pretty proud. I'm sure it does. Oh, goodness. This must be the last dance. Oh, I guess it is. Well, I certainly owe you an apology. I didn't mean to monopolize your whole evening. I liked it. Honest? Yes. Miss Franklin, I don't wish to see you forward, but I wonder if I could possibly see you again sometime, maybe? Yes. Yes, you can. Honest? Yes. Well, how about say, well, tomorrow night? All right. Will your sister mind? Of course not. All right, then it's a date. Say, I just thought of something. What? If you can meet me early enough, I'll take you down and show you some boxes. The first time I've been to an amusement park in London. Oh, I come here a lot. All alone? Alone. Alone. Have you ever been in this place? The tunnel of love? Uh-huh. Justing, though. Well, you wait right here. I'll buy the ticket. All right. The ticket seller said to take this first boat. Here, let me help you. Be careful. Thank you, Tom. You're welcome. Go. I want you to know something. These past few weeks have been wonderful two weeks in my whole life. Really? I don't wish to appear forward, but I just never have known a friend like you. That's very nice. You see, I've never had much chance to do these things before. But with working and all, I didn't get to go make friends. That's why I went to the friendship club. Oh, I'm glad you did. We wouldn't have met. I know. Mary, I wish we could keep on having these good times together. I do, too. I mean under, well, more prominent circumstances. By that, I mean... I think I know. That the matter I'm discussing is marriage? Yes. How are you inclined toward it, Mary? Well, my sister Ethel has always said that when the right party came along, and if she proved of him too... Mary, let's go see your sister tonight. Well, at the local FBI field office, Special Agent Jim Taylor is studying some photographs when Agent Earl Harris in the protest. Hello, Jim. Oh, hi, Earl. Grab a chair. Thanks. Well, what's up? Here. Take a look at these pictures, right? We're looking for those two women. Why? Well, the young girl married the man in that picture about 10 days ago. That's no crime, Jim. What do we want them for? A salt. They left on their honeymoon trip in his car, and they took that older woman with them. Allegedly, she was only riding as far as our fair city, and then they were going on the honeymoon by themselves. Well, they drove along until they came to a wooded section upstate. As it started to get dark, the older one, who poses as the younger one's sister, asked the man to stop the car. As soon as he did, she sapped him with a jack handle. Sounds like a nice little lady. Oh, yeah. Well, they left him deep in the woods. He was a weak getting out. He must have been in pretty bad shape. He still is. He's at General Hospital now. How do we get in on this, Jim? Well, for one thing, they crossed a state line, and we've had some previous complaints about this pair. They're wanted on the flight to avoid prosecution. Oh. The older woman has been working the racket quite a while with other partners. What makes you think they're here in town? Well, the husband thought they'd head here. I know that isn't much to work on her, but let's see if we can't build it up into something. Mr. Cook, honey, he's ripe and hanging on the vine. The two men you married were dead broke compared to him. He's got 5,000 cash at his apartment that we can cut up right off the bat. Hey, Ethel. What? Do we have to go through with this one? Of course we've got to go through with it. Why? Well, I'd like not to. Huh? Oh, he's too nice. Too nice for what? Did we take him? He... Well, he reminds me of my father. Honey, if your father had as much money as he has, I'd work this racket on him. Oh, but you don't... Well, do a little remembering, kid. Remember where I found you're working for cakes in that clip joint. Remember what's happened since? Clothes, good living. That deserves some loyalty. Oh, I know, but I can't do it. Yes, you can, and you are. I've got some news on those women, Jim. Oh, what did you find, though? Well, I don't know whether they're here now, but they were last Wednesday. No. That car the woman drove off in turned up. Where? At a used car dealers. Mm-hmm. Hey, what are you doing with all those pictures? Oh, I went back over some of the complaints on the older woman. I found that she had the young girl meet the victim through a Lonely Hearts Club. Oh. So I sent the description on both women to every such club in town, and they sent back pictures of all the girls they have on file who come even close to answering the details. I see. Uh, Earl, why don't you stay on that used car angle, huh? Meanwhile, I'll try and finish up here with the pictures. Okay. If we get any kind of a quick lead, we might be able to arrest both of them before they get a chance to swindle some new victim. To talk to you alone. What for? Mary, I got a call from the friendship club. They asked me about some girl the police are looking for. She married some man, and then she and a woman who poses as her sister robbed this man. Oh. Mary, you won't get mad if I tell you something, will you? No. The club said they remembered you and Ethel being at the dance. You were dancing with me, and they asked me if I ever saw you again. They said if I did, the police wanted these women. What'd you tell them? I told them I didn't know who they were talking about. Oh. Mary, is it you? Yes. Mary. Ethel forced me to do it. You've got to believe that. She lent me a lot of money and told me I didn't have to pay it back. And then all of a sudden she said that if I didn't pay her, I had to work with her, and I didn't have a job. And oh, what do you care? Mary, I do care. I told you I loved you. Well, I still do. Mary, let's get married anyway. Tom, I want to, but... Tom, look out! That was a very touching scene, honey, but you're still working with me. Now, reach in his pocket. Grab his keys. Let's go. We will return in just a moment to tonight's file which shows how your FBI protects American citizens and American homes. And speaking of home protection, did you know that out of all the millions of homeowners in this country, each year only about 5,000 families have an experience like this? Peggy, I've got a big surprise for you. Look, here's the mortgage on our home. It's canceled, paid in full. Jim, that's wonderful. But how did you do it? Well, I thought we were going to be paying for the next five years. The secret is that Jim didn't have just an ordinary mortgage on his home. He had an equitable society, a assured home ownership plan. In this plan, a low-cost first mortgage is teamed up with life insurance protection. Jim, suppose you tell us how that worked out in your case? Well, thanks to the life insurance element in this equitable plan, a growing cash fund was created. Each year it got bigger. Finally, at the end of about 15 years, there was enough money in the fund to pay off our 20-year mortgage. So now, long before we expected to, we own our house free and clear. Now let's consider three other advantages of the equitable society assured home ownership plan. First, the cash fund may also be used if sickness or unemployment threatened home security. It was a friend in need when Jim had his operation back in 1942. Second advantage, if the owner dies, the equitable society not only cancels the mortgage, but also returns to the widow every dollar her husband had paid to reduce the principal. Finally, during its life, the mortgage draws interest at only 4% and there's a liberal allowance to cover title search, lawyer's fees, and other closing costs. So for many reasons, a man may consider himself lucky if his health, age, income, and the location of his home enable him to qualify for an equitable assured home ownership plan. For full information, see your Equitable Society representative 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 the FBI file, the Lonely Hearts Racket. If it comes as any kind of a surprise to you that the criminals in tonight's case from the files of your FBI are both women, then perhaps you'd be interested in knowing one of the facts gathered by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in its recent crime survey. That survey showed that during the first year, more than 76,000 women were arrested. Compared to the total number of people arrested, which was more than three-quarters of a million, 76,000 may not seem like much. However, analyze it another way. Break it down and learn that the figure represents an average of more than 200 women arrested every day throughout the year. Nor are there crimes listed in the minor category. More than 8,000 of those women were arrested for larceny and theft. Should you be under the further misconception that women are not habitually given to breaking the law, that once they are arrested they change their habits for the better, you're in for another surprise. More than 44% of all women arrested in the last year in the United States had previous fingerprint arrest records. Tonight's file continues at the local FBI field office. Jim, I just finished talking to the dealer who bought the car from the two women. And? He paid them cash. Oh, I was afraid of that. They gave him the Hotel Park West as their address. Did you check? Yes, neither of them ever stayed there. Well, I came a little closer, but not much. I found her picture in that file. From which club? The Friendship Club. I called and spoke to the secretary and gave him the number that was in the back of the picture. Did you get anything from him? Yes, the girl's name or at least the one she's using now is Mary Franklin. That's a help. He said that he's sure he saw her to dance they had a couple of weeks ago. And he's also sure that she was dancing with a man named Tom Cook. Maybe he's spoken to Cook? Well, he lives three blocks from here, so I got his address and went over there. How'd you make out? Well, according to the superintendent, the two women had just been there. They had Cook set up keys and let themselves into his apartment. Well, did you talk to Cook? No, no, he wasn't there. Or at his place of business. How about an address on that Miss Franklin? Did the club give you that? Oh, yeah. It turned out to be a vacant lot. Oh, fine. Pardon me. Special Agent Taylor speaking. Yes, that's right. He is? Or when? You know. Yes, thanks. I'll be right over. Goodbye. That was the local police, huh? Yeah. Tom Cook has just shown up there. I'm going over to see if I can get a lead from him. Want to see this movie magazine, Mary? No thanks. How about going up to the pub car for a drink? No thanks. You can have one sent back to the compartment? No, thanks. Mary, you still sore because I whacked that guy? Well, you shouldn't have done it. And leave that much money for somebody else to clip in? Oh, no. Look, while I was waiting for you to come back to the apartment, I clipped an ad from the Lonely Hearts magazine. Listen to this. Middle-aged man, widower, wealthy, no children, no real friends would like to exchange pictures and letters with nice girl and ease. That sounds like fried chicken or dozenets. Now, look, Mary, I'm getting a little tired of this. You act like you're doing me a favor. I can get a lot of other girls to work with. Now, get with it. We send this guy a picture, a loving letter. We're back in business. Mr. Cook? Yes, sir. I'm FBI Special Agent Taylor. Here are my credentials. Please do. Meet you, Mr. Taylor. Mr. Cook, before I ask you any questions, would you identify the girl in this picture for me, please? Yes, sir. That's Mary. Mary Franklin? Is that the name she gave you? Yes, sir. From what I understand, you met her at a friendship club dance. About two weeks ago. Why did you tell the club secretary that you hadn't seen her? I wanted to give her a chance to explain. You have to understand, Mr. Taylor, Mary didn't hit me or do anything. She's afraid of her sister and she does what her sister tells her. We were going to be married. I see. I assume you know by now that Miss Franklin and her accomplice visited your apartment. You know why they went there? Yes, sir. I called the superintendent and asked him to look for a box in my bedroom. It was gone. Oh, what kind of a box? A cardboard box with $5,000 in it. How did they know it was there? I told Miss Franklin's sister. Oh, where did they live? Apartment 31 at 719 West Hudson Street. 31 at 719 West? Yes, sir. West Hudson Street. Thank you, Mr. Cook. I'm going over to their apartment. What for? They've gone. Well, maybe we can find out where they went. If we do, let's hope we still have time to get your money back. You really left this apartment in a shambles, huh? Yes, sir. It would be difficult to find anything here even if we knew what we were looking for. Nothing in this closet. Nothing in the desk either. Well, let's take a look in the bedroom, huh? Right. Earl, you take the closet, huh? Okay. Let's see if there's anything in the wastebasket. This cupboard is there. What have you got there, Jim? It's a Lonely Hearts magazine. It was here in the wastebasket. Oh. No. No loose pieces of paper in it, right? Hey, hey, wait a minute. Hey, Earl, look at this page. Yeah. It's full of lonely heart ads, but one has been cut out. Hey, this could mean something. Come on, let's get going. Tom, you shouldn't have come here. Well, it is not a town, Elmer. Ethel, getting to be a habit running into you. Ethel, what are you doing with a gun? I'll put it away as soon as Mr. Cook writes a letter. What kind of letter? Saying I never took a dime of your money. But, Miss Franklin, I can't do that. Then we'll just have to tie you up. Now I get the clothesline. No, I won't. And I guess I'll have to tie both of you up. You just stand where you are. Huh? Grab the gun, Earl. Right, Jim. Who are you? Special agents, the FBI. Mr. Taylor, that's my cardboard box. They're in the corner. Fine, we'll take it along as evidence. All right, come on, you two. We've got a cell reserve for you at headquarters. Ethel Shelby was tried in a federal court and sentenced to ten years for violation of the National Stolen Property Act. Her accomplice, Mary Franklin, was given a two-year sentence and was then placed on probation. When Special Agent Taylor found the Lonely Hearts magazine with part of a page torn out, he called the offices of the publication to learn whose ad was in the missing portion. When he got that information, he contacted the gentleman who had inserted the ad and asked him to be on the lookout for either a picture of Miss Franklin or a letter from her. As soon as they arrived, the two Special Agents learned the new address of the pair. And so, another case from the files of your FBI was closed and closed successfully. In this case, as in so many others, it was necessary to ask the local police for help. And as has constantly been the experience of every Special Agent, once that cooperation was requested, it was given and given in the fullest measure. With the number of Special Agents under 4,000, which means approximately one Special Agent for every 35,000 people in the country, it would obviously be impossible for your FBI to operate without the help they get from law enforcement agencies throughout the nation. This is an effort to thank them publicly for that past support and to hope that all future cooperative efforts will be as successful as the one dramatized tonight. We'll end with the conviction of the criminals. In just a moment, we will tell you about next week's exciting case from the files of your FBI. Now a quick summing up of the advantages of the Equitable Assured Home Ownership Plan created to protect you against the two greatest dangers in home mortgages. First danger, the death of the breadwinner. In this Equitable Plan, the widow inherits her home free and clear. Second danger, illness or hard time. The Equitable Plan provides a growing cash fund that's always ready when emergencies threaten home security. For full information, get in touch with 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 timely story of crime on the high seas. It's subject to extortion. It's titled The Tropical Shakedown. 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 love to the names of 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 Parley Bear, Alice Backers, Bill Hawes, Charlotte Lawrence and George Offerman Jr. 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 this same time when the Equitable Life Assurance Society will bring you another thrilling story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The Tropical Shakedown on This Is Your FBI. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company.