 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. Those three letters, EEF, have helped make it possible for thousands of bright, ambitious boys and girls to equip themselves to lead happier, more successful lives. EEF stands for Equitable Education Fund. An Equitable Education Fund is the painless way to pay for a college education. It's the way for a parent to make sure that his boy or girl will enjoy the advantage of a college education. In about 14 minutes, I'll give full information on this Equitable Educational Plan created by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Tonight, the subject of our FBI file, larceny, it's titled, The Adopted Thief. In making the decision to broadcast this series as a public service, your FBI had several objectives. One of the most important was to focus the spotlight of publicity on what goes on behind the scenes in the underworld. For the more thoroughly, you the people are alerted to the stratagems and techniques of criminals. The better able you are to recognize a crime in the making, to take steps for self-protection, to make the moves that help bring criminals to justice. There comes a moment in many criminal acts when, if the intended victim is on guard, the whole plot will fall to pieces. Tonight's FBI file illustrates such a case. Tonight's FBI file opens in a fashionable suburb of a large Midwestern city. In the living room of an attractive home, a well-dressed middle-aged woman rises from a chair to answer the phone. Hello? I'd like to speak to Mrs. Fulton, please. This is Mrs. Fulton. Mrs. Grace Fulton? Yes. I wonder if you'd mind giving me some information. What is it? It's your maiden name, Thompson. Why, yes. Then in 1926, you married a man named Harper. What? You went to Charleston the next year to have your baby and put it up for immediate adoption. Am I right? Who is this? Your son. You want to see me? I'm in room 719 at the hotel central. You're the young man who called me? Yes. I'm Ralph Putnam. Were you telling me the truth? Are you... I'm your son. It's true. But how? Well, you see, I... I was adopted by people named Putnam. They both died this year. Mr. Putnam left me a letter telling me for the first time that I wasn't their own son. He said they'd gotten me from the White Star home in Charleston. Well, I was very curious to find out who my parents were. So I wrote to the home, but they wouldn't give me any information. Well, then how did you manage to find out? Oh, Mr. Putnam's lawyer arranged that. He got a court order and had the home open their records. I got your name, came here, and the rest, you know. There, there. Come over here and sit down. I sent down for some tea. Would you like some? Yes, please. Well, you just sit there. No, just plain, dear. You said your name was Ralph. That's right. I see you're in the Army. Yes. I go overseas next week. Oh, but we've only just found each other. Well, the Army is not very sentimental. Here, Mother. Oh, thank you. Would you sit here beside me? Surely. Son, I want you to know one thing. Sometime after I gave you away, I realized what a mistake I'd made. But the adoption home wouldn't tell me where you were. What happened to my father? He died several years after you were born. His name was Harper. Yes. What did he do? Well, nothing. We were very young. Does the man you're married to now know anything about me or the marriage? No. Would you prefer that it remain that way? Well, yes. Hi. Oh, hi, Artie. Oh, sorry. I didn't know you had anyone here. It's okay, Mrs. Fulton. This is my roommate, Sergeant Worth. How do you do, sir? Mrs. Fulton's an old friend of the family. Oh? Maybe you two want to talk some more. No, that's quite all right. I have to be getting along. Lovely nice to have met you, Sergeant. Same here, Miss Fulton. I'll walk you to the elevator. Oh, thank you. I gather you didn't tell the Sergeant about us. Oh, no. No outside of the lawyer. No one knows. Well, here we are. When will I see you again, son? I'll call you tomorrow, mother. Meanwhile, at an FBI field office about 100 miles away, Special Agent Jim Taylor approaches the desk of Agent Leo Graham. Hello, Leon. Hi, Jim. I was by looking for you a couple minutes ago. Oh, I just got back from the music hall. I think I've got a lead on that stolen car. I haven't had a chance to crack that file. Can you fill me in? Sure. There's not much to it yet, though. Well, where does the music hall fit in? Well, after the place closed last night, the manager noticed a car in the parking lot, and was still there this morning. He called the police. Turned out of a stolen day before yesterday near Pittsburgh. The owner says he gave two soldiers a lift near the entrance to the turnpike. Another hitchhike job? Yeah. When he stopped to make a phone call, they took off and stranded him. He can't give us a description of either man. All he remembers is they called each other Ralph and Artie. What's the lead? I found a car and found a couple of things. Book of matches from the Chelsea Motel in Pittsburgh and some empty beer bottles in the back seat. Did you check the motel? Yeah, the motel gave me the names of two soldiers who stayed overnight just before the car was stolen. I sent them to Washington along with some prints. Where'd you get prints? Off the beer bottles. The owner says they weren't in the car when it was stolen. Well, with names and prints, we might have a quick eye down. Well, minute ending comes in, I'll pass it along. Hi, pal. Oh, hi, Artie. Sit down. Yeah. What are you drinking? We said no whiskey till this was over. You can't call Mrs. Fulton when you're mulled. We have something to celebrate. What do you mean? I've been doing some research. Waiter. Yeah? What'll you have? Scotch. Two scotch and water. Aye. I got a complete background on Mr. Harper. Harper? The man Mrs. Fulton was married to. Guess what he did for a living? What? He was a bootlegger. Yeah? Two weeks after the wedding, her family got the whole thing annulled. That's why she went to Charleston to have the baby. That's why she put him up for adoption. That's very interesting. I also got a background on Mr. Fulton. The guy she's married to now. He's trying to be the next mayor. He's also very rich. Scotch and water. Oh, thanks. Well, let's drink to dear old mom and her nice, rich husband. From Washington? Yeah, Leo, but I don't understand it. Iden says those prints belong to two men named Paul Clark and Arthur Worth. Well? Well, they're not soldiers, and the owner of that stolen car said the men called each other Artie and Ralph. Maybe Ralph's a middleman. Iden says Paul Clark has no middle initial. I guess we'd better concentrate on Worth. If we find him, we might get both of them. We have any pictures? They're on the way. We've got complete descriptions. How about records? Clark was arrested three years ago for car theft. Worth was convicted last year for posing as a collector for a couple of charities. And now they're both posing as soldiers. That's it. Teletype also has a note that Worth's brother's in the army of Fort Andrews. That's their Pittsburgh, isn't it? Yeah, that's right. They may have gone there to see him, so I've wired the Fort Andrews MP outfit. Covered all the local angles? No, not completely, Leo. Let's clean them up and then meet back here. Speaking. Oh, hello, mother. This is Ralph. Hello, dear. I have some bad news. What's that? I'm leaving. What? My orders came through this morning. What? But you said you'd be here till next week. Well, the army changed its mind. Oh. I guess maybe I'd better not be writing to you. Why not? If Mr. Fulton sees Mayo from a soldier overseas, wouldn't he start asking questions? Well, I suppose he would. Will you write to me, though? Surely. I had a picture taken for you. Oh, I'd love it. Can I come down and see you before you go? Oh, no. No, I'm leaving the hotel as soon as I hang up. Oh. But Sergeant Worth isn't going till tonight. I'll give him the picture and my overseas address. Well, where can I see him? Oh, he's keeping the room, the one you were in yesterday. If you want him to, he'll wait for you. Oh, yes. Please, dear. Ask him to wait. I'll be right there. Just a minute. Sergeant. Would you come in? Thank you. Has Ralph gone? Yes. He left almost an hour ago. I hurried over here hoping that somehow I might still see him. He felt very badly about not seeing you. He said he'd leave his address. That's right. I've got it right here. Oh, thank you. And he also mentioned a picture. All right, so over here. I'll get it. Here you are. Oh. Wonderful. I'm so glad he left this. There's a real family resemblance. Huh? He looks just like you. Oh, you must be mistaken. I'm... You're his mother. What? Ralph told me all about it. Oh. That's quite a story. Thank you for the picture, Sergeant, and the address. Don't go, Mrs. Fulton. At least not until you hear what I have to say. About what? About you, your husband. Both your husbands. Sit down, Mrs. Fulton. I'd rather not. Okay. Ralph tells me that Mr. Fulton wants to get to be mayor. Now, it seemed to me that anything in the way of bad publicity would make it a little tough on that ambition, wouldn't it? What are you talking about? I also know about your first husband, Ralph's father. He was quite a character in his day. Racketeer, bootlegger. It wouldn't do anybody much good if people knew you were once married to him, huh? Or if they found out about the annulment. Or putting up your baby for adoption before it was born. Where did you learn this? From Ralph. He did a lot of research. He's my son. He wouldn't use any of it against me. But he's gone overseas. I'm running the store now, Mrs. Fulton. I put a very high value on the merchandise. You mean you want money? That's right. Well, I... I have about $80 with me. $80? This isn't bargain day, Mrs. Fulton. My price is $10,000. We will return in just a moment to tonight's exciting case from the official files of your FBI. Now let's pay a quick visit to the home of George Peaserson, who's recently become the proud father of an eight-pound boy. This morning, George called up his equitable society representative, Fred Barton, and asked him to drop in. George has a question he wants answered. Look, Mr. Barton, my kid's only six weeks old. Is that too young for me to start one of those college education insurance policies for him? My wife and I both think it's a good idea. If it doesn't cost too much... Well, it is a good idea, Mr. Peaserson. And the sooner you start, the lower the yearly cost will be. My advice is to begin an equitable education fund right now. Well, tell me how it works out. Well, in an equitable education fund, you have an endowment life insurance policy that's paid up. By the time your boy's ready to enter college, the cash is there, ready and waiting for him. Actually, it's about the most painless way of paying for a college education ever invented. Well, it sounds pretty much like buying an automobile or a TV set on the installment plan. Except that in this case, you save up the money in advance. That's right. But don't forget that an equitable education fund has one big advantage over ordinary saving plans. You get life insurance protection. If you should die before the plan is completed, no more premium payments are necessary. The policy is paid up in full. The equitable society holds the money and pays interest on the full amount until he's ready to use it for his education. So even if the worst should happen, he's still sure to get the kind of education you want him to have. Okay. Well, let's get down to brass tacks. How much would a plan like this cost me? Well, there's no fixed amount, Mr. Peterson. Some fathers set up a $2,500 fund for their boys. They know it probably won't pay the entire cost of a college education, but it will be a big help. The price goes high as $4, $5,000 or $6,000. It's just a question of how much you can afford to put into it. Well, suppose we figure on one for $4,000. Well, let's see. At your age, that's going to cost only. If you have children of your own, why not get the cost of an equitable education fund from your equitable representative? These equitable men don't go in for high pressure methods. They give you the information you need and let you make up your own mind. Get in touch with your equitable representative soon. 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 Adopted Feet. It's our senses and our thinking. And the stock in trade of extortioners and their ilk is fear of exposure. This thought paralyzing fear prevents their victims from facing one very obvious fact. This fact is that very few blackmailers or extortionists are ever satisfied with just one payment. Once these criminals have made their first move, the most dangerous for them. They become bolder. They are sure to come back for more. Finally, many victims do go to the police, but only after they've been bled nearly white. So once again, your FBI urges all members of this audience never to give in an inch to a blackmailer or an extortionist. Report any attempt at intimidation to the police immediately. It may mean personal embarrassment, but sooner or later this must be faced. Tonight's case might never have been in the FBI files in its present form had Mrs. Fulton acted promptly and courageously. Tonight's file continues later that day at the FBI field office. Leo, we might have a break in that stolen car case. What have you got? Do you remember the owner reported that the soldiers called themselves Ralph and Artie? There was no Ralph in the record. Well, there is now. I think Paul Clark's masquerading is somebody named Ralph Putnam. Where'd you get that? The Fort Andrews MP's just interviewed Worth's brother. The brother reported to them that the two fugitives had a letter in their possession belonging to a GI in his outfit named Ralph Putnam. This letter contained some information about the Putnam boy's real mother. This Putnam had been raised by foster parents and he got a lawyer to check his adoption records, but he was shipped overseas two days before this letter came for him. How'd Clark and Worth get hold of the letter? That worst brother didn't know. He's clean. He also says they told him they were going to make a big score with the letter. You see, it seems Putnam's real mother is quite wealthy. Clark uses the name Ralph Putnam and moves in on the mother. Yeah, that's it. Well, let's get there first. Well, worst brother doesn't remember the name of the lawyer who wrote the letter. Did he see it? Yeah, he says it was from Charleston. The lawyer's first name was William, but he doesn't remember the last name. I told the SAC about it and he wants me to make the trip, so I'll see you when I get back. Mrs. Fulton, you're early. I'm anxious to get this over with. Oh, sure, I understand. Can I get you something to drink? No, thank you. You brought the money? Yes. Before I give it to you, I want to know something. What's that? Was my son telling the truth when he said you were leaving probasees tonight? Yeah, that's right. I leave in an hour. Well, I want you to promise you'll never ask for any more. Mrs. Fulton, you're doing business with a very reliable concern. I promise. Here you are. 10,000? Yes. Count it if you wish. Oh, I take your word. Well, soon our business has ended. Yeah, I guess it has. Then I'll be going. Oh, Mrs. Fulton, I want to thank you. You're one civilian who really knows how to keep up a soldier's morale. Hello? Hi, aren't he any news? Yeah, he just left. What about the money? I got it right here. Where are you calling from? The motel. Well, stay there. Why? The alterations weren't finished on your suit. I told the store to deliver it out there. When will that be? This afternoon. Oh, okay. I'll meet you at the ferry. Madison, I finally look at it, lawyer. How'd you find it? Well, I went to the courthouse this morning from through every adoption regular. That lawyer's name was William Hughes. He gave me a copy of the letter. Madison, where the mother lives? Yeah. Her name is Mrs. George Fulton. Think we ought to call her? I did, Leo, but she was out. The maid had no idea when she'd be back. What time's our plane? Ten minutes. So unless we hit bad weather, we'll be in Madison by noon. Yes. We're special agents of the FBI. Here are my credentials. Please come in. Thank you. Mrs. Fulton, this is Agent Graham. How do you do? How do you do? We'll get right to the point. Have you been contacted by anyone calling himself Ralph Putnam? Oh. Well, that's our answer, I guess. Yeah. Leo, will you show Mrs. Fulton those pictures? Over. Are these the menu, son? Yes, but I... I don't understand. Well, they're not soldiers at all, ma'am. This may come as a shock to you, but the young man calling himself Putnam isn't your son. Isn't my... His name's Paul Clark. Well, then how did he know about me? He and that man in the other picture there intercepted a letter to your son, and used that information. Oh, no. Your boy didn't get the letter because he's on his way to Korea. Oh, that is terrible. I gave Sergeant Worth $10,000, so he... so he wouldn't tell my husband about Ralph. I... I knew I was wrong. I... Well, where did you give him that money? Oh. Please, Mrs. Fulton, every minute may be important. Help. In his room at the hotel's central. Thank you. Come on, Leo. 19's to the left. Mm-hmm. See, that ought to be, uh, third room down. How long ago did the manager say worth check done? Two hours, but they haven't cleaned the room yet. Here it is. Yeah. I'll take this side. Okay, Jim. Nothing in the desk. The closet's empty, too. Well, let's check the wastebasket. Oh, Ed, I'll give the dresser a quick look. All right. They didn't even leave beer bottles in this place. There's not much in the basket either. That thing a letter? Yeah, it's the one from the lawyer department. Any phone messages? Mm-hmm. And so far, but... Wait a minute. What's that? It's a sales slip from Smith Brothers' department store. White shirts, silk neckties, argyles. Hey, they're switching to civilian clothes. That'll make them even tougher to look at. Maybe yes, maybe no. Let's use that phone and find out. I just got here. Where's the money? Got it right here in this package. A full 10,000? Yeah. That's real sweet. Come on, we better make the ferry. Okay. Hey, I'm not used to seeing you in civilian clothes. Did you count the dough? Yeah, yeah, it's all there. Hey, you got changed? Uh-huh. Go ahead. Did you have any trouble with her? She made me promise we'd never come back. So I promised. You're pretty good at breaking promises, aren't you? Yeah. Hey, they're closing the boat gates. Let's hurry. Just a minute, sir. I'm afraid you'll have to miss that ferry. Who are you? We're special agents at the FBI. They're both under arrest. Clark and Arthur Worth were each convicted of violations of the statutes covering interstate transportation of a stolen motor vehicle and also illegal wearing of an army uniform. Each received a five-year sentence. Special agents Taylor and Graham were able to find the two deserters at their motel because Taylor realized that along with white shirts, silk ties, and Argyle socks, Clark and Walker would need new suits. A check at the clothing department of Smith Brothers Store revealed that the alterations had been completed and also the address to which they were delivered. And so your FBI was able to close another case. After the arrests, most of Mrs. Fulton's money was recovered and returned to her. But not every victim is that fortunate. Sometimes the loot is gone before the criminals are apprehended. So remember, there is only one answer to a threat of this nature. Call your local police immediately. A quick review of the advantages of an equitable education fund. First, it's the painless way to pay for a college education. You spread the cost over many years instead of taking a beating in four. Second, it's sure. From the moment you start, you're certain your children will get the kind of education you want them to have regardless of what happens to you. So why delay? Ask your equitable representative for full information on an equitable education fund. Or write care of this station to the Equitable Life Assurance Society. Next week, we will dramatize another case from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Its subject, organized crime, its title, the bogus hijacking. 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. 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 Burbellas, Terry Kilburn, Irene Tedrow and Tom Tulling. 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 and 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 transcribe story from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The bogus hijacking on This is your FBI. Stay tuned for A Life in Your Hand starring Lee Bowman which follows immediately. This program came to you from Hollywood.