 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 is representative in your community. Now for a moment we're going to hear from a representative of our sponsor, the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. I like my job as an Equitable Society representative because it enables me to do a lot of good for my friends and neighbors. For instance, the Equitable Education Fund. Last week seven boys and girls started off for college because years ago I showed their fathers the advantages of an Equitable Education Fund. In approximately 14 minutes I'll be back to give you the whole story of an Equitable Education Fund. An important contribution to American education made by the Equitable Life Assurance Society of the United States. Tonight's FBI file, The Flying Thieves. From time to time the Federal Bureau of Investigation has brought you the latest reports from the field of crime on this, their official radio program. You have learned that there are more than 5,000 major crimes committed every day in this country that when broken down that figure reveals that major crimes are committed every day and night at the rate of 3 a minute. If you have given those facts any thought and they are worth the serious thought of every decent citizen you may have wondered just who commits those crimes. That is a question to which there is no specific answer, no descriptive phrase that could be applied to cover every person who breaks the law. There are more than 7.5 million people whose fingerprints are in the FBI criminal fingerprint files. If you have any doubts about how large that number of people is, you have only to be told that few armies in World War II from any nation were that big. And the comparison of the number of soldiers in uniform during a war to the number of people with fingerprint arrest records is not merely an idle figure of speech. The attempt by your FBI and other law enforcement agencies to wipe out crime is a war with all the attendant physical dangers that any war has. You who were in this country during the battle against the aggressor nations were told many times that that was a war the United States simply could not afford to lose. Your FBI now tells that the same thing is true of the war against crime. For if this war is lost then the other victory will have been in vain. A nice file opens in a wild and remote section of woods in one of our northwestern states. Middle-aged man and woman on horseback are threading the way through the dense forest. Easy boy, easy. He's mighty playful. Glad to be heading home, I guess. Yeah, I am too. You mean that, Mary? Why shouldn't I? Oh, well, I thought after visiting the village... Hey, Clayton, don't you go starting that again. I like the village fine, but like our cabin better. Well, nobody but me did talk to. I guess I can put up with it. Well, you're a brave woman. Plain. Yeah, horse patrol. You don't look like it's wrong color. Should it sound like that? Sputtering. Uh-huh. I don't think so. Better start climbing if he wants to make the ridge. Yeah. Listen to it now. Yeah, sounds bad. Think you'll make the ridge? Maybe. Guy fueled off his sum 600 miles away. Special Agent Jim Taylor is just leaving the teletype room when he meets Agent George Grayson. George, are you down here for an expression? No, just looking for you, Jim. I found your message on my desk. No? Oh, go ahead. Thanks. You see the late edition in the morning paper? No. No, I didn't. A pair of bandits held up the paymaster out of the airport. One of the men got into the cashier's cage by flashing counterfeit FBI credentials. Uh-huh. After getting the money, they stole a plane from one of the hangers. They probably crossed the state line. Well, that put us in on two counts. Mm-hmm. Any details on the holdup? The paymaster said the job was well planned. He recognized one of the bandits as a man who's been hanging around the airport for a week. Why didn't he complain to the police? Well, the man wore a leather flying jacket, and the paymaster thought he was one of the pilots from the field. Hmm. At least you'll be able to give us a pretty good description. He did on both bandits. What time did they pull the robbery? 7.45 this morning. Hmm. Six hours ago. Hmm. I look like I've gotten a long way from here by now. You've already sent an alarm, Jim? On both men. I also sent the bandits' descriptions to White End in Washington. Good. George, I think I'll go out to the airport again. I'll check with you as soon as I return. Get up. Get up. How's your head? That's all good. And the cabin? What about the plane? Crashed. That, I know. Great little pilot. Well, I couldn't help it. The motor conked out. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, look, I've been flying planes. I know, since you were 12 years old, and you've flown 2 million miles. That's right. And you couldn't miss a mountain. Look, it's an aeronautical fact. Please, we've got ground facts now. How did we get from where we crashed here? I don't know. I just came to myself. Hey. Hmm? What about the dough? No, it's not here. I just looked for it. Then we've been clipped. By who? Whoever brought us here. Expect to sign up this quick. Who are you? I live here. Where is he? Summit Mountain. That don't mean much. Where's the nearest town? Bottom of the mountain. How'd we get here? Well, we brought you here. Who's we? My husband and me. We saw the airplane fall. How far'd you bring us? About three miles. You carried us that far? Well, the horses did. Did you bring anything else? Anything else? Yeah, from the plane. No. You sure your husband didn't get a small black satchel? Well, I didn't see it. I can ask him when he gets back. Where'd he go? Back to town. What for? To get Doc Jenkins for you. How long had he gone? Well, should take him most the night to get into town. I don't guess he can make it back much for noon tomorrow. You men hungry? Yeah, we could eat. Well, I'll make you something. I'll call you. You better climb out that window and look around. For the horse? For anything that'll get us out of here. Get anything out of the airport, Jim? Well, nothing we didn't already know. However, we have got something to work on now. What's that? I got a tell-as-all bag from Washington and two bandits that have identified both men. Wow, that's their help. Who are they? One of them is named Eddie Whitehall, the other's a Bill Hudson. Any records? Yes, Whitehall's been convicted twice for armed robbery. Oh, what about Hudson? He's got a record too. A dishonorable discharge from the army for theft of company funds. You know, Hudson was probably the one that flew the stolen plane. He was a pilot before his discharge. Oh, Mr. Taylor. Yes, Miss Walker? This teletype just came in. Oh, thanks very much. You're welcome. Something on the bandits, Jim? Yeah. A forest ranger called from a station on top of Mount Summit. He saw the stolen plane. That's about 600 miles from here. Oh. When did he see the plane? About an hour ago. Where? He was in trouble coming over the mountain. Motor conked out and crashed. Has he found the record? No, not yet. He has no idea whether Whitehall and Hudson are even alive. I see. According to the ranger, there are no roads up there. Only one family anywhere in the vicinity. It's a trapper named Hank Clayton and his wife. They live in a cabin in the woods and they have no fawn or no radio. Oh, fine. I suggest here that if we flew to Woodbury, we could get to the wreck plane quicker than he could from the ranger station. George, let's get an OK and be on our way. Help me through the window. OK. I got you. OK. That does it. Find the horse. Tie that button back. Good. Should we blow? First we see the dame. What for? We find out which way to our plane. Huh? The dough, remember? Oh, sure. Oh, come on. Where is she? She said she cooked something. It's probably in the kitchen. Lady. Hey, lady, where are you? She's right here. Huh? Who are you? This is my husband. I thought you went into town. Well, I started to town, but I stopped by your airplane on my way in. You see, it didn't burn when you cracked up. So I found this gun. And this bag, too. It's filled with money. That's right. It belongs to us. This paper here says it's a payroll for an airport. Sure. We were delivering the payroll. I'm not sure I believe that. What do you mean? You were flying west at the time of the accident. This airport's 600 miles east of here. Well, we were lost. That's all. I don't think that should be for me to judge. I don't get this. I'm afraid this is a matter for the sheriff. Wait a minute. Do we turn it up again? Come on! Now, don't try any rough stuff. We'll force me to use it. Mary? Yes, thanks. I think it would be wise if you got some rope. I'd feel better with these fellas tied up. Eddie, what are we going to do? This. Grab the dope, though. Let's get out of here. We'll return to tonight's exciting FBI file in just a moment. Now for another type of thrill. The kind that millions of Americans will enjoy tomorrow listening to their favorite college team play football. Here's the play. It's another pass. A long spiral to Saunders. But hold on. Here's Ackerman. Ackerman intercepts, grabs it right out of Saunders' hand. That's the breakers' big maroon team has been waiting for. In college football, it's often the team that gets the breaks that wins. But after graduation, in business and in social life, you find that the college-trained men and women have a habit of making things break in their favor. Surveys prove that over and over again. For instance, a recent checkup revealed that a college graduate is nearly 15 times more likely to make $10,000 a year or more than a non-college man. With odds like that in favor of college education, odds of 15 to 1, it's not surprising that the Equitable Life Assurance Society decided to create its widely used Equitable Education Fund. An Equitable Education Fund is just what its name indicates. A plan for farsighted parents who want to make sure that their children get the higher education that means so much to their future success in life. First and foremost, an Equitable Education Fund is sure. S-U-R-E, right. This fund combines planned regular saving with life insurance. So if the father dies or becomes permanently disabled, this plan makes certain that his children will still be able to get the education he was ambitious for them to have. Second advantage, an Equitable Education Fund is easy. You spread the cost of college over 12 or 15 years instead of taking a beating in four. On that basis, it is surprising how small a monthly payment is required to build up a sum ample to see a boy or girl through college. Remember, higher education and higher salaries go hand in hand. So the more truly you love your children, the more determined you will be to give them a head start toward future success and happiness with an Equitable Education Fund. Get in touch with your Equitable Society representative soon or send a postcard care of this station to the Equitable Society. That's E-Q-U-I-T-A-B-L-E. The Equitable Life Insurance Society of the United States. And now back to the FBI file, The Flying Thieves. Tonight's case from the files of your FBI is illustrative of an important point about crime, a point with which you should be familiar if you have any desire to know something about the background against which America's army of criminals operate. Certainly no two people could have isolated themselves with any more success than the Claytons, the two decent law abiding people you have met tonight. They were far from their nearest neighbor, far from any radio, telephone, and even far from the nearest highway. Yet they were not so isolated that crime did not find its way into their lives. And that is the point your FBI desires to impress upon you. There is no geography to crime. It can happen anywhere and does. And the moral to be learned from this set of facts is that it is impossible to run away from crime. It will find you in the darkest corner of the nation. Unfortunately, there is only one course open regarding crime. And that is to fight it. You, the decent citizens, are in the law enforcement agencies of the nation in that fight, and you must use every weapon of your command. In less than two months' time, there will be elections held in various parts of the country. In all of those elections, the basic issue will be good government. Your FBI urges you to examine the facts, to study them before you vote for the candidate you desire, make certain he is on the side of law and order, then go to the polls and use the weapon that will help wipe out the criminal in your midst. Use your secret ballot. The night's file continues that same night. The two special agents, weary from their flight to the small town of Woodbury, meet in a room at the local sheriff's headquarters. Are you able to get the ranger station on the phone? Yes, Jim. Has he seen anything of Whitehall and Hudson? Not yet. Sheriff have anything? No. Just bad news. What kind? Whitehall and Hudson have another 12-hour jump on us. How come? We can't possibly go up the side of the mountain till morning. I see. Well, there's one consolation. If we can't go into the woods at night, they can't find their way out. Yeah, that's true. What kind of progress can we make in the morning? Oh, sure. So you can get an auto jar of force by then. That'll take us up to that trapper's cabin. Well, can we land there? Yeah, there's a clearing right in front of their place. Oh, fine. Hey, is that a map of the mountain over there, Jerry? Uh-huh. The ranger thinks the wreck plane should be right about here. That's about three miles from the cabin. Yeah. Well, let's go get some sleep now, George. We'll start by the cabin as soon as it gets light. What floor? Find out where we are. How? By raiding it. That's what they church in the army, didn't they? Not when I'm surrounded by trees. You'll have to wait till we hit a clearing. You ever ride a horse before? Yeah, some. Do they all feel this phony? They'll get used to it. I don't want to get used to it. I want to get to some place where you ride cars, not horses. Well, this is a great spot for me to wind up. What about me? You like the country. You told me that once. What's you? I feel like I'm ruffin' it when I'm next to a potted pond. You know, once I had my choice, I'd do in six months on a work farm or two years in a downtown can. I took the goose just so it wasn't in that... Hey, look. Clearing up ahead. Hey, hey, not so fast. Whoa, boy, whoa. Stop, will ya? Stop. Look. There's a river down there. That river's on this map. What else is on the map? Well, we've crossed the river. There's a town on the other side. Good, let's cross it. Your husband is all right. It's only a flesh wound. Oh, thank goodness. The flesh legend, Grayson, is out in the outer jar and now calling on the radio for a doctor. Oh, I'm real grateful. Mr. Clayton, would you mind answering a few questions for me, please? I'll try. When did you first see Whitehall and Hudson? After they fell yesterday. Did they come here to the cabin? Oh, no, they couldn't. We went to the wreck. Hank pulled him out and we put him on our horses and brought him here. Well, then what happened? Hank went for a doctor for him. He passed their airplane. He looked in at the wreck. He found a bag with money in it and a gun. So he came back here. He asked him questions. They got Matt and then one of them shot Hank. Did they leave right after the shooting? Just about. They took the gun that your husband had found, didn't they? Yes, sir. Oh, that means they're both armed. They also took the money. I see. Anything else? Yes. A map. A map? Covering how large an area? It was just a real local map. It's the country surrounding the mountain. Would you happen to have a duplicate copy of that map? Oh, yes. Several. Would you like one? Yes, yes, I would, please. Here's one. Oh, thanks. Any idea where these men went? No, sir. But they took our horses. What color are your horses, Mrs. Clayton? Well, my horse lady's gray and Hank's is a ron. Oh, he might be able to spot your horse from the jarrow. No, not a fair in the woods, Mr. Taylor. We located the doctor, Mrs. Clayton. The jarrow pilot's gone in to get him. Oh, thank you. Oh, George, let's us hit the trail. What about the jarrow? We may be able to grab Whitehall and Hudson before they ever get out of the forest. If we don't, we can come back for the jarrow, so let's go. Got your horse tied, Eddie? Yeah. Now, how do we get across the river? We walk across. Are you kidding? No. It's full of logs. They're packed solid. And will they hold us? Of course. Come on. I don't like this. Just like walking down a road. You got the lock? Uh-huh. You got the money? Yeah, right here. Look, are you sure about that being a town across here? Yeah. We pick up a road on the other side. Another three miles from there. Hey, these things are slippery. Just keep walking. Don't mind. Yeah, great little deal, I mean. Basically, crack up a plane, then I get a bony horse, now I walk logs. You know what? What's that? It sounded like an explosion. Yeah. Hey, I know what it was. Why? It could be breaking up this log jam. What does that mean? The logs will start floating loose. Well, let's get back. Hold on. No, we're past the middle now. We'll have to run for the other side. Deborah says he can set this gyro right down to the horses, George. All right. I don't see any sign of the man to you. Hey, George, how long ago did you see that blast went off? You mean when they broke the log jam? Yeah. I guess about a half an hour. Well, then they could have reached the river bank before it broke and just walked across. That's true. These things land real easy, don't they? Yeah. Deborah, we'll be with you in a minute. Go ahead, George. Thanks. Those are the Clayton horses, all right. Here are the men's footprints. Yeah. Yeah, I see them. They seem to lead right to the river. George, let me see that map, will you? Yeah. Thanks. They did walk across on the logs, Jim. Uh-huh. Gonna make them tough to find. Maybe not. Come on, let's get back to the gyro. What does a map say? How can I read it in the dark? Well, where are we? Where's that town like this? What was that? It sounded like a coyote. Wild coyote? They're all wild. What do you think they're doing out here? Look up ahead. What? There's houses. Come on. Where are the lights? They're probably all in bed. Watch it. What? It's a wooden walk. Let's hit this joint here. We got something to eat, something to drink, and some transportation. Hold it, Eddie. Huh? Something funny here. What do you mean? It's too quiet. Too dark. Well, it looks like one of those ghost towns. You mean deserted? Yeah. Campy. Let's try this joint here. Do okay, then. Look at the windows. They're all busted. Cobwebs. Let's try another. So now you'll still all be like this. Come on. Let's get out of here. Wait, wait, wait. Listen, I don't see nobody. What is this? Stay where you are. Drop those guns. Come on. Drop them. Who are you? Special agent of the FBI. You're both under arrest. Hudson and Eddie Whitehall. Were tried and convicted in federal court and sentenced to 25 years in the penitentiary for armed robbery. Special agent Taylor knew that there was a town indicated across the river on the map, which had been taken by the two fugitives. He also knew that it was a ghost town and that they didn't have that knowledge. He and special agent Grayson, therefore, flew to the entrance of what had once been a busy mining town and waited. Waited with results which you have already witnessed. And so a combination of superior investigation plus cooperation from the forest ranger and the local sheriff's office, plus the kind of retentive memory that is taught to agents as part of the strenuous period of training they undergo, resulted in the arrest of the two criminals in tonight's case. It is well known that every member of the Federal Bureau of Investigation has to be in top physical shape because fighting crime often takes sheer muscle. However, they are also put into fit metal condition too because your FBI knows that only in that way can it be sure adequately to protect you, your property, and your freedom. In just a moment, we will tell you about next week's exciting case from the files of your FBI. But first let's hear briefly from an equitable society representative on the subject of an equitable education fund. I just want to remind all you fathers and mothers that an equitable education fund takes the if out of education. Even if the father dies or becomes permanently disabled, the fund still carries on. The man whose words you have just heard speaks for 6,000 equitable society representatives from coast to coast who are always ready to give you friendly help and counsel. If you do not know the name of the equitable man in your community, send a postcard 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 dramatic story of criminal corruption. Its subject, murder, its title, Dead Man's Tale. The incidents used in tonight's equitable life Assurance Society's broadcast are adapted from the files of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. However, our 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 Steinberg. The author was Jerry D. Lewis. Later was William Woodson, and Special Agent Taylor was played by Stacey Harris. Others in the cast were Grace Albertson, Tom Brown, Ted D'Corsia, Jack Webb, Peggy Weber, and Roland Winters. This is your FBI as a very 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. Dead Man's Tale on This is Your FBI. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company.