 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. Today, all over the country, telephones have been ringing. Equitable Society representatives calling up fathers and mothers, telling about the coming announcement from the Equitable Life Assurance Society. Yes? Phil? Yes, Joe, how goes it? Fine, but this is your FBI tonight. The Equitable Society has just published a new and enlarged edition of their famous fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers. Listen to that middle commercial and you'll find out how to get the new fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers published by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Tonight, FBI file the unwilling hostess. This dictionary defines a criminal as one who is guilty of an offense against morality or the public welfare. And that definition is correct as far as it goes. But there are other things which must be added if the criminal is to be defined fully and truly. One of these is that the criminal is basically a moral isolationist, living alone in his own small world and having no conception of his need for other human beings or any sense of responsibility toward his fellow men. His utter lack of feelings, his constant disregard of the essential dignity of every individual is what makes him a criminal. And it is important that everyone understand that point. It is impossible to know the real meaning of the word criminal without realizing that to him other people do not exist so that they may enjoy themselves in a fruitful pursuit of happiness. To him, other people exist merely to serve when he chooses as his next victim. Tonight's file opens in the living room of a home located in a well-to-do suburban section of a large eastern city. One of the occupants of this dwelling, a Mrs. Anderson, is just answering the front doorbell. Just a minute. Mrs. Anderson. That's right. I called you on the phone before. Oh, oh yes, please come in. Thank you. I hope you can put up with an unsightly living room. This is our maid's day off. I've just about finished making the bed. I understand. Uh, will you sit right over there? Thank you. Uh, would you like some coffee? I just had breakfast, thanks. Oh. I'm terribly sorry, but I've forgotten your name. Clinton. Ruth Clinton. Oh, yes, Mrs. Clinton. Now I remember. You mentioned something on the phone about a new community center. Wasn't that it? That's what I told you when I called. But you can get that. What? I don't understand. I used that as an excuse for you to invite me here. But why? I was sent here to talk to you. Who sent you? My husband, Walter Clinton. Remember him? Think hard. I don't know anybody with that name. Look, honey, quit stalling. Mrs. Clinton, I'm afraid you'll have to leave. Walter thought you might say that, so he asked me to show you these newspaper things. Uh-uh, wait. I'll hold them. You just look. Say this one, um, your picture? Where did you get those? I told you, Walter gave them to me. Gee, honey. You know, you haven't changed much. What do you want? Walter's in trouble. He needs some help. Walter's been in trouble all of his life. And he wants to see you right away. That's impossible. Look, you wouldn't want him to show these clippings to your husband, would you? He wouldn't say it. Honey, you know Walter better than that. I'll see him. I'll call him and have him come right over. Well, in the local FBI field office, Special Agent Jim Taylor is reading a watted notice when Special Agent Dick Madison approaches his desk. Hello, Jim. Oh, hi, Dick. Boss said to check with you. Oh, I guess he was talking about this thing here, Dick. I don't know that there's very much we can do right now, though. Oh, what's the offense? Well, apparently there are two charges. One of them is extortion, the other one is murder. That sounds big. What's the story? An elderly man named George Russell was found dead in a cove in his home. Where was this, Jim? About a town called Hamilton, that's about a hundred miles north of here. I see. Russell was quite wealthy. When his body was found and showed signs of a bad beating, the police thought that robbery was reported. What made them change their minds? The old man had a safe in his bedroom. They didn't show any signs of having been tampered with. I see. Well, how do we get him in case, Jim? Well, the police called us when they found some extortion notes. One of them contained a threat to kill the old man if he didn't pay. Oh. There were three notes and all, and all of them were signed with the name Charlie. Well, how old were they? All of them were fairly recent. Was there any indication that Russell had paid anything? Well, the local police had been going over his bank account. They found that he had been making systematic withdrawals of cash for the past few months. I see. The last one of the notes they found was on the stationery of a hotel in Hamilton. The place checked, but no one but the name of Charlie was registered in. This thing is full of dead ends. No, they did get something from the hotel, huh? What was that? Well, they sent the hotel register to our handwriting experts to see if they could find the signature that was in the same handwriting as the extortion notes. How did they make out? They found a Mr. Thomas Norton who was writing matches of the notes. Norton had been living there with his wife. Had been living there? Yes. When the police checked, they found that Norton had left. Despite the fact that his rent was paid up for two weeks in advance. That sounds fairly suspicious. Any leads on him? Nothing yet. We've sent the extortion notes onto Washington. They haven't checked against the writings of known extortionists. But so far, we haven't gotten any report. The notes signed Charlie and the hotel register signed Thomas Norton. We may have somebody with a lot of aliases on her hand. What do we do now? Well, the only thing we can do now is wait for Washington to give us some kind of a lead on that handwriting. Answer the door, honey. I'll take this, Walter. Very well. If there's anybody else, don't let them in. Well, Libby, it's good to see you again. Well, ain't you asking me? Come in, Walter. Thanks, honey. Now, let me have a look at you. Oh, Sugar, you ain't changed a bit. You're lovely. Save the time, Walter. But, Ruby, I'm just greeting an old friend. Whatever you call it, you're wasting your time. Look, would you mind telling me now what you both want, why you came here? Well, it's sort of a social visit in a way. It's been so many years since I've seen you, honey. I just got a big yen to sit out and talk over old times. I'm afraid that wouldn't interest me. Sugar, that's all the fun we used to have together. Please tell me what you want. Why, Libby? You're just being downright rude. Walter, get to the point. Okay. Libby, baby. Me and Ruth have been doing an awful lot of traveling lately. Quick traveling all around the country. So? So, we figured it's time we settled down for a while. And after talking it over, we decided to settle down with you. What? I know it sounds full with Sugar, but we're moving in. You can't. Why not? My husband. Your husband and your kid went away on a hunting trip. That's why we came here. How did you know that? Oh, we know all about you. You see, I made him a business to keep track of you, Sugar, no matter where I was. I knew when your husband bought this lovely house. I knew when your son was born, everything. Why did you bother to keep up with me? Oh, it's a habit of mine. Some folks collect stamps, but I collect people. All the difference is, I use the people I collect. Well, you can't use me. I refuse to let you stay. I want your boots to leave at once. And what about these clippings, honey? You want your husband to see them? Well, answer Sugar, do you? No. Then I guess we stay. Ruthie, have you ever tasted real fried chicken? No. Well, then I'll bet you if we coax a little, Libby will go out in the kitchen and cook us up a nice old-fashioned southern dinner. Want a little more coffee, Ruthie? No, thanks. Woo-wee! Was I lying about that chicken? No. It was okay. Did you hear that, Libby? Yes. Well, look, please, Sugar, when somebody praises you like that. Leave me alone. All lay off you. I ain't picking on her. She just touched it. You know, she never used to be like that. Once upon a time, she used to just love every word I said. She was really crazy about me. That's not true. I was a silly high school kid who thought it was romantic to go around with you. But, Sugar, you used to spend all your time with me. Why'd you do that? I didn't know any better. Ruthie, you know, Libby wouldn't let me go out alone even when I was going to stick up a gas station. I didn't know you were going to hold up that man that night. Sugar, you told that same story to the judge and even that nice old man didn't believe you. Well, it was true. Yeah, but we got newspaper clippings that say different. That's what got us in here, remember? Yes. How come you never told your husband about this? Ruthie, I explained that to you before we came. Libby always was quite a lady. And she always was proud. In fact, the thing she's proudest of is that she's a lady. Now, nobody like that would want her husband to know that she was once a jail bird. Right, Sugar? I'm going upstairs. Wait a minute. What is it? Where do me and Ruthie sleep? Upstairs. First bedroom on the list. Okay. Good night, Libby. Sweet dreams, honey. Dick, I think we've got something to work on now. What came in? A couple of things. The first one was a report from the handwriting department at Washington. Did they identify the notes? Yes, it was an extortionist named Walter Clinton. At least that was the name he used the last time he was arrested. Then we were right about the spring of aliases. Yes, we were. I've got his record here. It shows that he's been arrested under 13 different names. How does he happen to be running around loose if he's been arrested that many times? It's the same old story, an easy state parole board. He sounds like a fine one to get a parole. He got one, I don't know how. And it cost George Russell his life. Oh, Jim. You said before that two things had come up. What's the other one? Oh, there was a car stolen in Hamilton. The day that Clinton and his wife left the hotel up there, the car was parked around the corner from the hotel the last time the owner saw it. And that's the car that Clinton traveled in? That's it, across the state line. It was found abandoned this morning here in town. That means he's probably still around someplace. Local police are checking every hotel and rooming house in the city. If he's in here with them, we'll find him. Has any check been made at the transportation terminals? Yes, they've all been supplied with pictures of Clinton. Good. So if Clinton and his wife try to move out of town now, the odds are pretty much against him. Have we got any description on Mrs. Clinton? Only a very general one. He's the one we'll have to call her. What do you think we ought to do, Jim? Well, I don't think there's very much we can do right now, Dick. I think maybe we ought to go home and get some sleep so we can start fresh in the morning. I'll meet you here at 8 o'clock. Ruth? What is it? Just seen a few sleeping here. I'm not. Real nice here, ain't it? Look, don't worry about Libby. She'll warm up to us after a while. You just remember why we came here, will you? What do you mean? Keep your mind on your business. Honey, are you angry with Walter? Just quit trying to make character with her. Oh, sugar. Don't oh, sugar me. I'm just trying to make the whole thing easier for you. Excuse me, please. Yes, sugar, what is it? My husband just telephoned. You'll have to get off. Why? They're coming home. When? They started to drive back tonight. Where'd they call from? Hartfield. Where? It's about 300 miles from here, up in the mountains. Oh, well, then there's no hurry. They won't be back too quick. They'll be here tomorrow night. You'll have to go first thing in the morning. Very well. But I thought you said we were going to stay here for a while. Not when we're not bothered. You really go. Eh? But there'll be a slight charge. What are you talking about? Well, I think maybe you'd like to have those plittons, wouldn't you? Oh, yes. Oh, OK. You can have them, honey. For $10,000. 10 bucks? Why would I have them got that kind of money? Well, then go sell your jewelry. Go get it from the bank. Go anyplace. Just get the money. Now, honey, you go get yourself a good night's sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a big day for all of us. We will return in just a moment to tonight's file which shows how your FBI promotes security for the nation. Now let's bring this question of security closer to home. Phil, have you got a minute to take a look at this new Equitable Society chart? Why, sure. Oh, it's that fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers you were talking about last week. Right. The new and revised edition of the Equitable Society's famous fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers. I understand it's designed to show me just how much income my wife and kids would need to live on if I should die. And that's it, Phil. You'll know within a dollar or two how much money would be required to keep them well-fed, well-housed, and well-clothed. And what's more, with the help of this Equitable Society chart, you'll have the answer in five minutes flat. Look, you're guided every step of the way by easy-to-understand pictures which illustrate the rock bottom expenses your family will have to meet. And when you're finished, you'll have a clear, accurate, and complete picture of just what income your family would need during the critical years. Critical years? I'm not sure I know just what you mean by that. The years before your youngest child finishes high school. Years during which the home must have a minimum income to keep it together. You don't have to tell me anymore, Mr. Keating. Just tell me if I can buy one of those fact-finding charts. Well, they're not for sale, Phil. They're free. The Equitable Society representative in your community will be glad to bring you a copy. Sit down with him. You and your wife together. There's no obligation and get a true picture of where you stand. Call him tomorrow to bring you an equitable fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers. Or send a postcard, care of this ABC 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 unwilling hostess. There are nearly 5,000 major crimes committed every day in the United States. Many of them fall into the category of crimes against property. Those crimes include arson and burglary and auto theft. The other classification is known as crimes against the person. These include murder, armed robbery, kidnapping and extortion. Of all the crimes committed, perhaps the most vicious, the most basically cruel is extortion. Because it affects not only the personal safety of the victim, but also his mind. It traps the victim in a terrible vice from which escape is possible two ways, neither of which are attractive. The first and most obvious is to pay the extortioner and possibly thus to invite a lifetime of further extortion. The other way to escape and the only logical way is to do what the victim in tonight's case from the files of your FBI should have done. That infallible means of escape is to call your local police. Like your FBI, they have a remedy for extortion. But that remedy cannot be applied without the cooperation of you, the victim. Tonight's file continues in the local FBI field office. Good morning, Jim. Good morning, Dick. I've been waiting for you. What's up? I got a call at home early this morning from Lieutenant Bell of a local police. What did he want? A watch belonging to George Russell turned up in a pawn shop. Here? Yeah. When? This morning. Did you talk to the pawnbroker? Yes. Who turned in the watch? Pawnbroker, he remembered the man and from the description it was Walter Clinton. But that report that came in on the missing watch said it had Russell's name on the case. How did Clinton pawn it? Well, according to Pawnbroker, Clinton identified himself as Russell and showed him an old credit card of Russell. He must have taken that when he killed the old man. I guess so. I checked on the pawn shop. It's legitimate. This is the first time any stolen goods have ever turned up there. I see. When was it pawned? Yesterday morning. Sounds like Clinton is still in town. He is. Lieutenant Bell just called again a few minutes ago. The police have located Clinton's hideout. Where is it? He and his wife have a furnished room over at 411 North Chester Street. Let's pick up a search warrant. They can get over there. Oh, I did sleep. Hmm. Like an innocent babe. Well, sugar, have you figured out how to get hold of that $10,000? Yes. How are you going to do it? I'm selling my jewelry. Why, you sweet child! I still matter to you, don't I? The only thing that matters is getting you out of here. Now you can't fool me, sugar. Go away, please. You look so pretty this morning, Libby. Fresh as a do-dip rose. Leave me alone. Now, sugar. Break it up. Keep your hands off that dame. What are you so angry about? What do you think? I think you're jealous. You just tend to business. But I was. Libby's going to go downtown and sell her jewelry. Is that right? Yes. When are you going? Right now. Ruthie, you're going into town, too. What for? To get us some railroad tickets to New York. And, honey, you better get us on different trains, too. Just in case anybody's looking for the two of us together. Okay. Now, scat. Go on, scat, scat, both of it. And as soon as you're finished, you come right home. I'll have a candle in the window. Number 11. Not very big, is it? No. Shouldn't take us too long to go over it. I wonder where they stayed last night. Well, if Clinton's following his usual pattern, he's got an extortion victim here, too. It's amazing the number of people he's been able to get money from. Don't forget, we don't know about all of them. Don't forget that half of the extortion victims don't report it. Doesn't make much sense, does it? Then the kind of false pride that keeps them from reporting it doesn't make much sense either, does it? No, I guess not. Nothing in this bureau. Jim, I have a hunch... Back for care. This might be something. That phone book? Yes, it was laying open at this place. Take a look at those page numbers. 32 and 35. There's a page missing. This might be that the new victim's name is on that page, Dick. We could check and see. It means going through about 800 names, Jim. I know. Let's get back to the office and start calling. It makes 15 for me. How many you done, Dick? 12. Well, that leaves approximately 775 to go. We can get the Californians back by the time we finish these. The worst part of it is that even if we're right about this page having the victim's name on it, you might not admit it if we call him. I've been thinking about that myself. Special Agent Taylor. Hello. Hello. I called the police and they told me to call you. Yes. I understand. You are looking for a man named Walter Clint. That is cool. Yes, ma'am. We are. He's going to be on the 614 train out of here tonight for New York. 614. And how do you know that, ma'am? Never mind how I know. I'm telling you he'll be on that train. Do you want his space number? Yes, please. He'll have component B train number 21. I see. And may I ask who this is? I'm just a citizen. Well, that's very commendable of you, ma'am. Are you sure to have someone at the station to arrest him? Oh, yes. We will. Fine. Goodbye. Hello. Dick, I hope they were able to trace that. I talked as long as I could before she hung up. Our operator's calling me right back. Good. He said Clinton was going to be on the 614 to New York. Is that the space on the train she gave you? That's right. Special Agent Madison. Well? I'm afraid it's not going to be too much help, Jim. That call was made from a pay station. Where's the phone located? In a drug store at Main and 48th. It might be more help than your think, Dick. Let's see that page out of the phone book. Is that you, Libby? Yes. Living room, sugar. Did you get the money? Yes, I have it right here. Ten thousand? Mm-hmm. Oh, you're an angel. Let's have it, sugar. Here you are. You know, I was beginning to worry about you. That little old Ruth has been home for almost an hour. Where is she? She's upstairs. She had a headache. I wanted some aspirin. Call her down. I want you both to leave at once. You don't have to call. I'm here. Look here, Ruth. I forgot the money. Well, I'd like those clippings. Well, sure, honey. You're entitled to them. You get what you pay for. I'll let you have them just as soon as I finish counting this green stuff. Walter, um, maybe you better let me carry that. The money? Yes. What for? Well, in case you get picked up. Uh-uh. Why not? I peaked in your bag while you were out. You what? Mm-hmm. I saw that you bought a ticket for me to New York and one for you for California. Looks like you were going to take the money and hang me up. Right, Ruthie? Of course I am. You're lying, Ruthie. Ain't you, sugar? Ain't you? No, no, no. What? Who are you? I'm from the FBI. The maid let me in the back way. What are you doing here? You're supposed to be at the train. No, you call the FBI. Shut it. He called us, Clinton. We traced the call to a drugstore on the corner. But how did you know he was in this house? He tore a page out of the phone book that has your name on it. There are only three names on either side of that page within two miles of that drugstore, so we checked those three first. All right, come on, Clinton, and, uh, you too, Mrs. Clinton. Let's not keep my partner waiting too long. Walter Clinton was sentenced to 10 years for violation of the extortion statutes, after which he was turned over to local authorities to face charges of murder. His wife, Ruth, was sentenced to a six-year term in a federal penitentiary. With those convictions, your FBI was able to close another case involving murder and extortion, two of the most serious crimes in the federal code of law. But these crimes and others like them will continue to be committed so long as the general public retains its present apathy regarding the very serious and dangerous rising tide of lawlessness. You, the decent citizen listening to this program tonight, can do something about this if you want to take the trouble. The biggest step you could take in the right direction would be to join with your fellow citizens in seeing to it that you have a strong and alert and above all a politically unhampered local police force. Your FBI will always be available as a final bastion against crime, but your first line of defense against the criminal army in America today is in your hometown and the stronger you make your local police, the better your protection will be. That is the job you can do if you want to help in fighting America's rising tide of lawlessness. Just a moment, we will tell you about next week's exciting case from the official files of your FBI. Now, one last word to all the fathers and mothers in our audience who want to get copies of the new and enlarged edition of the fact-finding chart for fathers and mothers just published by the Equitable Life Assurance Society. I believe you said that this chart is not for sale. That's right, Phil. You can't buy it. It's free. And the man who will be glad to see that you get one of these fact-finding charts is your Equitable Society representative. No charge or obligation, of course. Make a note to phone your Equitable Society representative soon or send a postcard, care of this ABC 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 case describing one of the vilest of rackets, its subject, Black Market Babies. Its title, The Mercenary Mother. 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 Jerry Lewis. Your narrator was William Woodson and Special Agent Taylor, was played by Stacey Harris. This is your FBI as 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 Mercenary Mother on This Is Your FBI. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company.