 The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Fatima cigarettes. Best of all, king-sized cigarettes bring you dragnet. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a robbery detail. An unidentified armed bandit starts a campaign of jewelry store hold-ups in your city. The robberies are carefully planned, carefully executed. The bandit commits brutal attacks on each of the victims. Your job? Get him. Fatima sales report shows thousands and thousands of king-sized cigarette smokers are switching to Fatima. For the month of October, coast-to-coast actual figures show Fatima sales are up 110%, or more than double. Fatima. Best of all, king-sized cigarettes. Definitely the best quality in its class. But the same price as the cigarettes you're now smoking. Remember, thousands of Americans are switching to extra-mild Fatima. Next time, insist on the best. King-sized Fatima in the distinctive golden-yellow package. Dragmen. The documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step-by-step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. It was Wednesday, March 10th. It was cold in Los Angeles. We're working the day watch out a robbery detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Captain Bideon. My name's Friday. It was 328 p.m. when I got to room 27A. Robbery detail. You know? Yeah, Ben. You know, this is Mr. and Mrs. Gordon. Folks would like to have you meet my partner, Sergeant Friday. How are you doing, glad to know you. How are you, Sergeant? Mrs. Gordon, are you feeling a little better now? Qu'est-ce qu'il a dire, Robert? Il veut savoir commenti tout son raconte l'heure, ce que tu sais de voir. She's a lot better now, Sergeant. Thank you. My French isn't very good, but it's a lot better than her English. The field's only been over here a couple of weeks. I met her when I was on occupation duty over there. Army, you know. I see. Well, we'll try not to keep you long, sir. We've got a few questions about the robbery. We think your wife might be able to help us. Well, we'll sure try, Sergeant, like to help you any way we can. Your wife was the only one in the store besides the clerk at the time of the hold-up. I'd like to have her tell us everything that happened, if she would, please. Okay. Qu'est-ce qu'il a dire, à la bijouterie? Oh, oui. Je peux dire, j'ai tout vu. She says she saw everything that happened, Sergeant. What would you like to know first? Well, how about the hold-up, man? Mr. Gordon, your wife, get a good look at him. Can she describe him for us? Qu'est-ce qu'il? Qu'est-ce qu'il décrit le belur? Oh, il paraît être un vestuant bleu. C'était un homme, au cheveu bran, pas trop grand. Says the fellow who was wearing a blue coat. He had dark hair. He wasn't a very big man. Mm-hmm. Does she have any idea about how tall he was? Qu'est-ce qu'il? De quelle taille? C'est à dire... Qu'est-ce qu'il? C'est à dire... Comme ça, il viendrait jusqu'à tourner Paul. Il faisait environ 80 kilos. She can't say exactly how tall, Sergeant, said he'd come up to about here on my shoulder, about 5'48, I guess. She thinks maybe he'd wait about 170 pounds. She's not sure. Would you ask her exactly what happened at the store? That is as much as she can remember, sir. C'est-ce qu'il dit le exactement ce qui est parfait? C'est bien. J'étais au côtoir quand l'homme est entré. Il était allé directement au vendeur, celui qui me servait. Et il avait un revolver dans la main. Well, she says she was standing by the counter-side and when the hold-up man came in, says the fellow went over to the clerk. The man who was waiting on her said the fellow had a gun in his hand. Would you ask her to go on, please? Eh, après, s'il- Il a forcé le vendeur à lui donner tous les bijoux et les amis dans un sac de papier. She says the hold-up man made the clerk get up the jewelry. The guy took it and dumped it in a paper bag. C'est-ce qu'il est parfait? Well, after he got all this jewelry in a paper bag, the thief began beating up on the clerk. She says for no reason at all, he began flugging the clerk with a gun he was carrying. He really got nasty with him. Naturally, it scared the wife and she let out a scream and he turned around and hit her. She says it's all she remembers. She didn't like to get my hands on all of these. Yeah, I understand how you feel, Mr. Gordon. Could you ask your wife if there's anything else about the hold-up man she remembers? This is. Do you recall anything else about this man? Did he say anything extraordinary? No, no, Robert. That's about it, sorry. Well, how about the man's clothes? Does she remember anything else he was wearing besides that blue jacket? And the rest of his clothes? And his blue clothes? Do you recall anything? No. I think he had a fake coat, but I don't remember anything else. I was too scared. She thinks maybe he had dark trousers. She's not sure, though. She was too scared to notice. Do you recall anything? No, he didn't have a hat. After he was wearing a hat, she said no, she's sure of that. Say, well, is there anything else that she can remember about him? Anything at all? Is there anything else that the police should know about? No, I would have said everything I remember. No, you got it all right. Well, thank you very much, Mr. Gordon. Mrs. Gordon. I don't understand. How's that, ma'am? Do you recall anything? I don't understand. Why are they doing the same thing? I don't understand. She says she can't understand how a man would do such a thing. She means how he'd cut up the quirk that way. Yes. I don't understand. So hard for her. She just can't understand. Tell her we can't eat her. Two weeks before, on the 27th of April at 2.30 in the afternoon, the robbery suspect had begun his campaign of downtown jewelry store hold-ups. Since that time, in the same general area, he'd succeeded in committing three more jewelry robberies and making good his escape. Each of the hold-ups meted him more than $3,000 in rings, diamonds, and other precious stones. From his ammo, it was obvious that he was experiencing. All of the robberies were committed in broad daylight. All of them were apparently well planned. After obtaining the loot, which he dumped into an ordinary paper bag, he turned on his victims and, with no provocation, beat them viciously. After two weeks of investigation, we had yet to come up with a solid lead on either the identity of the suspect or his whereabouts. We had a fair description of the hold-up man. We had a good rundown on his method of operation, but repeated checks on possible suspects through the record bureau, CII and Sacramento, and through our statistician's office, failed to get us anything. There were no kickbacks on our all-points bulletin. After we interviewed Mrs. Gordon, the witness to the latest jewelry robbery, we were no further along than we were two weeks before, an ammo and a description. Neither one of them were giving us much help. 4.05 p.m., we met with Captain Didion. How about the mug books? Any luck there? Mrs. Gordon's in there now, a skipper with her husband and checking through them, nothing yet. What else you got working? New run going through the stats office. Third one this week might get us something. A store manager on that job this afternoon. Did you talk to him yet? Yeah, we did. He gave us the best lead we've had so far in the thing. Looks pretty good. What's that? We had him checking the mug books and he came up with a partial identification from one of them, Sam Quentin Relief. Jack Maynard. He's only been arrested once here, a drunk charge, done time up at Q for robbery before. Then I pulled a package out of him and figured we ought to still be serving time at Quentin. Couldn't tell from his record though. How's that? Well, it's possible he might have been parole over the last month or so. I had put him in line for these holdups. You checked Quentin? We got out to tell us that to the warden's office late this morning skipper. We'll have an answer pretty soon. Best lead we've had so far. I hope it stands up. Excuse me. Robbery Didion. Yeah. Well, I'm out here now. No, you and the Caleb stay on it. Yeah, that's right. Over the weekend anyway. Yeah, all right, come on. Well, what's the answer? He's had three weeks. He's cleared four jobs. Every one of them in broad daylight, more than $10,000 worth of stuff. Now, how do we reach him? How about some extra men, power skipper? Can we manage him? What have you got in mind? Steak out. Seems to be the best angle for us of this kind of a setup. How many teams you figure it'll take? Oh, a dozen anyhow. You figure that, Joe? Yeah, just about. The thief seems to be concentrating on the downtown area. All four hold up through in the same general neighborhood within a 20 block radius. We can't cover all the jewelry stores with a dozen teams. It'll give us pretty good coverage, though. Sure help our chances. You can check out all the other angles, huh? Everything. Not doing us much good. Robbery Didion. Yeah, just a minute. You Friday. Oh, thanks. Yeah, Friday talking. Yeah, that's right. Mm-hmm. That's all. No, we'll pick it up. Thank you. That's communication. It's just got an answer on the teletype equipment. On Jack Maynard? What did they say? No way. He's still in prison. We went back and started again from the beginning. With our best lead gone, there wasn't any alternative. The following day, Thursday, March 11th, the stakeouts went into effect. A dozen jewelry stores in the immediate downtown area, all of them potential hold up victims, were placed under constant surveillance. Three days passed. Nothing happened. No sign of the holdup, man. We stayed on it. Tuesday, March 16th, 11 a.m. At a small downtown jewelry shop, three blocks from the nearest stakeout team, the band had committed his fifth successive robbery and made good escape. The M.O.N. description matched in almost every respect. Ben and I answered the call and drove to the scene of the holdup to interview the victim, a Mr. Walter Myers. And he came straight back this way. He was just where I'm walking. I was at the end of that counter there, just where you are. He had a brown paper bag in one hand, and it was just a couple of feet from me. He put his other hand in his coat pocket and he came up with a gun, pointed it right at me. The door was empty at the time. There were no customers around? Yeah, that's right. Just myself and my son-in-law, Herb, in the back room. I guess he heard this thief talking to me and he came out to see what it was all about. That's when the fireworks started. And what happened? Well, he made Herb line up along the counter right next to me. By this time, he had all the loot he wanted and that paper bag he was carrying. Just when I thought he was going to leave, he turned around, all of a sudden he said to Herb, You think you're a smart guy, don't you? Then he slugged Herb with the gun, brought it right down on the side of his head, all his might. That's where the fight started. Just about, yeah. Herb fell down on one knee. There was a great big gash on the side of his face. Even when he was down, the thief kept slugging Herb, kept pounding him in the face with that gun. Herb wasn't doing anything. I got good and sore. What happened, Lord? Well, I didn't care what happened. I just got sore at the lousy crook. I made a dive for him, grabbed him around the chest. Here. Something like this. Yeah. The two of us went down on the floor and I wrestled him for the gun. That's when it went off. A wild shot. Plowed right into the wall over there. Herb picked himself up and piled on the guy, too. I guess the crook really must have figured he was through, fought like a wild man. I had a good hold of the topcoat he had on, but he slipped right out of it. Herb just got in the paper bag, ran out of the store, left me there, holding an empty coat. This is the coat he was wearing right here, is that right? Yeah, that's it. You can see one of the sleeves there. They almost ripped it clean off, trying to get away. Yeah, I see. I already looked through the pockets. Nothing in them. How about this description of the man, Mr. Myers? You're pretty sure of that, are you? Yeah, I'm positive, Sergeant. Ma'am, you want to call the crime lab and there's a phone booth right over there. You might. Oh, yeah, thanks. If I could check that spot with a bullet hit, Mr. Myers, that wild shot he fired. Oh, yeah, right over here, sir. Back of the casket. Yeah, I bet it in there pretty solid. Yeah, lucky it was the wall, not one of us. They say I got a pocket knife here if you want to dig it out. No, sir, we've got a crew on the way out from our crime lab. Ballistics man, they'll take care of it. I would like to take a look at that topcoat the one the thief was wearing. Oh, yeah, sure. I had already looked it over pretty good. There's no pockets. Couldn't find anything. Hey, here. All right, sir. There's no ordinary topcoat, isn't it? There's no label on it. No? You're right. There's nothing in the pocket. Oh, what is it? Did you find something? Oh, no, sir. It was like a hole in the pocket here. Good size, ma'am. No? Yeah. Crime lab's on the way. It should be any couple of minutes. Okay, fine. Anything at all in the coat? I don't know here. Seems to be a hole in this pocket here. It's possible something might have dropped down into the landing with a coat. Yeah, let me hold out that end for you. All right, thank you. Let me hold it up a little. That's fine, right there. You like this? Uh-huh. Yeah. Yeah, it feels like something down in here. What is it? In just a minute, I'll get my hand down in there. See if I can get it. Yeah. There we are. Ah, scrap of paper. Is the writing on it? What is it, Joe? Telephone number. The phone number printed neatly on the scrap of paper was Crestview 92085. There were no other notations. We checked out the number and found that the telephone was installed at 6414 Cordova Drive in the Los Feliz District. After the crime lab crew arrived at the store, Ben and I took the bandits' top coat and drove to the address listed to the phone number, a 12-year-old apartment house on the corner of Franklin Avenue in Fairfax. The number turned out to be a public phone booth located in the lobby of the apartment. The manager could tell us nothing. We began checking with the tenants on the first floor of the building. We gave them the description of the jewelry store abandonment. We showed them the top coat. They failed to recognize either one. We started them the second floor at the end of the hall, the tenant was a Mrs. Iverson. Do you recognize the description and throw them as Iverson in anything to you? Yeah. I'd say it did, Sergeant. We tried the apartment next door, Ms. King's apartment. Oh, no, ma'am. Why do you ask that? Yes. I'm almost sure of it. Ma'am? I've seen a man who looks like this doing this several times. You are listening to Dragnet, authentic stories of your police force in action. Millions heard it, yet only 52 have written. Starting on Dragnet over two months ago, on September 20th, to be exact, Fatima made a special money-back offer to more than 10 million listeners. The results? Amazing. Millions heard it, yet only 52 have written. If you smoke King-sized cigarettes, listen to Fatima's famous offer. Buy a pack of Fatimas. Enjoy their extra mildness and superbly blended tobaccos. If you're not convinced, Fatima is better than the King-sized cigarette you're now smoking. Just return the pack and the unsmoked Fatimas before January 1st and we'll give you your money-back plus postage. This is Fatima, box 37, New York 1. Fatima's latest sales report shows Fatima sales up in every state in America. The month of October, coast to coast, actual figures show Fatima sales up 110% or more than double. Yes, thousands and thousands of Americans are switching to King-sized Fatima. So why wait? Switch to Fatima today. So, best of all, King-sized cigarettes. March 16th, Tuesday, 2.48 PM. Ben and I went next door to the apartment where a man answering the description of the jewelry store bandit reportedly had been seen several times. We rang but there was no answer. We went back and checked with the manager of the building who told us that the apartment was registered to a Miss Lenora King. He told us that as far as he knew we were apartment between 7 and 8 o'clock at night. The manager gave us the address of the place she worked and we checked it out. It was an exclusive gift shop on La Sienica Boulevard in West Hollywood. We located Lenora King back at the main packing desk where she was employed as a gift wrapper. When we put the question to her that a man answering the description of the jewelry store bandit had been seen visiting her, she readily admitted it. Yes, that's right. I'd say he looks just like that. He drops by my apartment four or five times a month. His name's Marty. What's his last name, Miss King? What can you find? I'm sorry, I never did know his last name. I'm afraid I don't know where you can find him either. Well, how's that, Miss King? He visits you quite a bit. He's a friend of yours, isn't he? Not exactly. I know him. That's about all. He's a friend of a friend that's more like that. Excuse me. I'm sorry, this package has a rush on it. I'll have to wrap it now. Do you mind? No, ma'am. You go ahead. About this man, Marty, Miss King, you might explain him a little more. If you don't know him well, why should he visit you so often? Well, to tell you the truth, it's more a favor than anything. It's for Virginia. She's my girlfriend. I wish I never got mixed up in it to begin with. Well, how do you mean mixed up in what? Well, it's confidential, Sergeant. I'd just as soon not mention it if you don't mind. Well, I'd like to have you tell us everything you know about it. It's a pretty important matter, ma'am. Well, I don't know really how it started. I mean, how the two of them got together, Marty and Virginia. They just met, I suppose. Virginia fell in love with him. She had to find some way out. How's that, ma'am? Virginia, she was crazy about Marty. I guess she still is. They didn't want to get all involved, but I need a one of them. It's a romantic and a way. Could I have the scissors there, Sergeant? Yes, here you go. Well, what two of them want is to see each other once a week. It's enough for Virginia, she says. She loves him. That's our account. She doesn't want to know where Marty lives, what he does, anything about him, and gets the same dose for Marty. Let's see. So the two of them get in touch with each other through you, is that it? That's right. Usually once a week, maybe once every two weeks. Just assume not to talk about it if you don't mind, though. I can give you Virginia's address. She can tell you more about Marty than I can. You have no idea where we can locate them, ma'am. I'm sorry, none at all. The only contact I have is when Marty phones me or when it comes around. He leaves a message for Virginia where to meet him and when and when to leave. I really think you ought to talk to Virginia about it. There we are. One thing I don't quite understand, ma'am. Yes. This girlfriend of yours, Virginia, you say she's in love with his fellow Marty? Oh, yeah, crazy about him. And why are they playing this hide-and-seek if they're in love? Why don't they come out and get married? What's the problem? Virginia. What? She's already married. Before we left Lenore King, we advised her what the situation was. In the event the suspect Marty contacted her, she was to get in touch with us immediately. She gave us her promise that she wouldn't disclose our conversation with her. We left her our card, and she gave us the address of her girlfriend, Virginia Brewer, who was a South Argyle Street address, but Mrs. Brewer wasn't at home. 8.15 p.m. We drove to a place of employment, a Valley nightclub out along Ventura Boulevard where she was appearing in the floor show. She was a dancer. We located her backstage waiting to go on. You must have some other girl in mind, Oscar. I don't know anyone by the name of Marty. You sure about that, Ms. Brewer? We got it from a pretty good sewer. Well, I'm sure. I don't know where you got it, but it's wrong, and I'm even familiar at all. Who told you this, anyway? A close friend of yours, ma'am. She seemed to know what she was talking about. Who was it? I got a right to know that. Lenore King. Lenore? How did she tell you a story like that? We wouldn't know, ma'am, unless it's the truth. Of course it's not the truth. I don't know any, Marty. I don't even know what this is all about. She says you know the man, Mrs. Brewer. She says you're in love with him. She seemed to have all the details. Now, is there any good reason why she tell lies about you? I don't know. Do you believe what she told you? Yes, ma'am, we do, unless you can prove it's a lie. I'm sorry. That's my introduction. I have to go off. All right, ma'am. We'll wait. Only one thing I'd like to ask you. Yes, ma'am? My husband doesn't have to know, does he? I mean, whatever there is to this, you don't have to tell the papers, do you? We can keep it quiet. Whatever you tell us will be strictly confidential, ma'am. All right. I know Marty. I've known him for six months. Lenore wasn't lying. I'm in love with him. Well, we're not trying into your personal life, Mrs. Brewer. We just like to locate this man, Marty. That's all. It's pretty important to us. Why is it important? Why do you want him? Robbery investigation, ma'am. We'd like to get hold of him for an interview. Robbery? You think Marty's done something? Is that why you want him? We're not sure. Do you have any idea where we can find him? No. I'm working on Lenore. I guess she told you about it. I mean Marty and her husband. You have no idea where he stays, where he works? No, I don't. It's been that way from the beginning. Lenore knows as much about that as I do. Only one way I can get in touch with him is when he leaves a message up in the north. I'll leave a message. We first met, Marty and I. That's the way we both wanted it. We didn't want to get all involved. Because of my husband. I didn't either. Have you seen this Marty lately, Mrs. Brewer? Yes, about ten days ago. You expect to see him again soon? I don't know, I suppose so. He'll leave a message up in the north if he wants me, so I can go on. Could you leave a message for him with Lenore? Yes, I suppose so. I have to wait until he calls, though. Can't you tell me more about it, Sergeant? Why do you want him? What's it about? We're going to have to ask your cooperation, ma'am. Your friend's a robbery suspect. We think he's a pretty good one. Marty? Yes, ma'am. The next time he contacts you, the next time he sets up a date with you, we'd like to know where, we'd like to know when. You think he's guilty? You really think he's done something? Well, he's a suspect, ma'am. That's all we know. I guess Lenore told you. I love him. Love him more than anyone. It won't make any difference. Ma'am. It won't make any difference. I love him. Even if he is guilty, it won't make any difference. The will to him. 8.55 p.m., we continued questioning Virginia Brewer. Before we left, we got her promised that in the event the man known as Marty contacted her, she would notify us immediately. 9.20 p.m., we checked back in at the office and made arrangements to keep the home of Virginia Brewer under constant surveillance, as well as the apartment of her girlfriend, Lenore King. The following morning, we checked with the ballistics men at the crime lab who examined the slug which had been taken from the wall of Walter Meyer's jewelry store, the latest of the holdup man's victims. It was identified as having been fired from a .32 caliber revolver. The slug was marked and filed as evidence. Thorough examination of the top coat which the suspect had left behind at his last holdup failed to yield any new leads. The jewel trays at the store which had been held up were also checked for fingerprints. A week passed, no sign of the jewel tape. Wednesday, March 24th. I'll grab it. All right. Robert and Merrill. Oh, yes, yes, ma'am. Well, when was that? All right. Fine, yes, ma'am. Thank you. Bye. You got anything? That friend of Mrs. Brewer is Lenore King. Yeah. Said this fellow Marty called a few minutes ago. Mm-hmm. Set up a date with Mrs. Brewer. It's supposed to mean that Lenore's a partner. When? 8 o'clock tonight. 4.45 p.m. We checked with Captain Gideon and set up a plan to have the apartment building where Lenore King lived thoroughly covered that night. Carr and Matthews were assigned to cover outside the main entrance. McKaleb and Olson would cover the lobby. Ben and I would be in the apartment proper along with Mrs. Brewer and Lenore King. By 6 o'clock that night we were all in position. We waited. 6.30. 7 o'clock. 7.30. We waited. Mrs. Brewer walked the floor with a drink in her hand. 7.45. 7.50. Ben watched at the window. Virginia Brewer got nervous. You can't prove it. You don't know anything for sure. How I know you're not trying for a frame. Trying to blame Marty for something he didn't do. We're not blaming him for anything, ma'am. He's a suspect. We want to talk to him, that's all. Why don't you sit down, huh? Virginia, no use getting upset. It'll be all right. Come on, honey. I got him all over the place, Lenore. Come. Waiting for Marty. Why don't you relax, Mrs. Brewer? If he's not the man you've got nothing to worry about. He's right, honey. Sit down, huh? Let me freshen up that drink. Hey, Joe. Yeah. Carpooling up outside to sit down. Let me see. Right in front, see? Man getting up. Yeah, he's coming in here. Marty. Can't see him. He must be inside. Marty. Marty. Why didn't you tell me? I'm going to hop downstairs and see what happened. Yeah, all right. It'll be all right, honey. Take it easy. It'll be all right. I didn't know. I didn't know. Sergeant, why did you do it? Do what, ma'am? Marty. I didn't know about it. We didn't know anything about each other, and this has to happen. Why didn't he tell me? I wouldn't know. I love him. The rest, I don't know, but I love him. If he wasn't in trouble, he could have told me. If he loved me, he would have told me. He would have told me everything. Well, I guess maybe you got the answer. What? He didn't love you. When I go to the New York City during the holiday season, when you drop in, notice Fatima's new poster. It's a reminder that he has Fatimas in smart Christmas cartons. Now this Christmas season, I'm buying Fatimas for all my friends. I suggest you do the same. You'll be giving the best, and believe me, they'll thank you for introducing them to Fatima quality. It's extra mildness and better flavor and aroma. Remember, ask your dealer for Fatima When you see it, you'll agree it's the smartest of all Christmas cartons, just as it should be, because Fatima is the best of all king-size cigarettes. The suspect, Martin Arthur Kessington, was wounded, but not fatally, when he attempted to resist arrest. After interrogation, he dictated a signed statement admitting guilt for all five of the jewelry store hold-ups. He was tried and convicted on five counts of first-degree robbery, and received a sentence as prescribed by law. Robbery in the first degree is punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a term of five years to life. You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the office of Chief of Police W. H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department. Barton Yarborough, Sergeant Ben Romero, also heard were Vic Peron and Virginia Grave. Script by Jim Mosey. Music by Walter Schumann. Hell, give me speaking. Fatima's cigarettes, best of all king-size cigarettes, has brought you Dragnet transcribed from Los Angeles. Next, Counter Spy fights international intrigue on NBC.