August 9, 2025 • 26 mins
Dragnet - Old Time Radio Show - 252 The Big Cat
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
Ladies and gentlemen. The story or about the year is true.
The names were changed to protect Peterson drag Meth. You're
a detective sergeant. You're assigned to auto theft details. You
(00:28):
receive a report that a circus struck has been broken into.
Several of the animals are missing. Some of them are dangerous.
Your job find them.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
It was Monday, May twelfth. It was cold in Los Angeles.
We were working the day watch out of auto theft detail.
My partner's Frank Smith, the voss Acivity tective sad round.
My name is Friday As I'm a way back for
Superior Court. And it was eleven forty six am when
I got the room. Forty Auto theft all right, got
to go? Well as lawyer's got to continue. Yeah, I'll come.
(01:01):
I don't know new evidence they want to introduce. What's
the d A's off to say nothing? They can say
it comes under the heading and due process, you know. Yeah,
I think he's gonna nail him. Alex thinks so the
guys admitted his guilt. Now he's claiming the confession. There's
a lot of bunks. Says we got it out of
him by force. HM were now Trovey did it without
the confession. Again, it shouldn't be too hard. We got
all the evidence. We get the chance to lay it
(01:22):
out for the jury. Yeah, when you go back, let's
see he set it off for a week. I guess yeah, anything,
come in, no not big, excuse me. Yeah, there's something
we do for you. I say, park something, store him
all right, sure, just come on in.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Sure you get serish around here?
Speaker 2 (01:42):
All right, sir? Now what kind of a car was it?
Speaker 3 (01:45):
He ain't no car, big pardon, no car, storing stuff
in the car?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
All right? What was it?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
There wasn't really a car anyway, a truck. That's where
they showed her from, a truck.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
All right, if you'll give us a description, far.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
As I know, they might not it anyway, I just
will open it and let them all out.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yeah, said, Well, sooner we get this report filled out,
the faster we can start looking for the stolen merchandise.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yeah, just that Michelle should have.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
All right, sir, Now, what's your name?
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Clarens have H A V, I, L L no R.
Most people put R in.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
It's he, It ain't it's he. Where the theft take place?
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Corner Fountain DeLong Prie right on the corner there, just
south of the red zone on Fountain.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
It, sir, what was taken?
Speaker 4 (02:32):
Shee?
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I got this call from one of the drivers who
ruts for my brother and me drives one of our
trucks called and said the machine broke down. Wanted to
bring another tractor over or we can get.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
To all that later. Mister Havell. What were the stolen
articles animals?
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Sir?
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Animals from my kernival?
Speaker 2 (02:50):
What kind of animals?
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Oh, a couple of monkeys, Cody mundy to raccoons, all right?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Anything else?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Yeah, here comes a bad part. This is what I
was afraid of.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
What's that?
Speaker 3 (03:02):
It's the reason I waited so long to report it.
I thought, maybe turn out what's a black pan?
Speaker 4 (03:10):
Sir?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
We got to discuss of the animals on a local
broadcast was gotten out on them immediately twelve eighteen pm.
We continued to talk to Clarent's.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Travel Friday night.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
That's when it happened.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
What time Friday night?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
About seven oh five or seven ten, right after the
fights went on. That's when the phone rang. I says,
kind of sure about being interrupted and the fighters on
always watch them. Wish my friends know not to call
me then I said, well, anyway, the phone rang, I
got up, Winowed answered it was Bert.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
It was Bert.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Bert knew he's a driver, Oh, I say, said he
had a breakdown, and Fountain de long Cree asked me
if I had an extra tractor happened. I did, but
he asked me to bring it over, said he wanted
to use it to get the shoot in Nevada.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
So you drove over there?
Speaker 4 (03:58):
Now?
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Not right away?
Speaker 1 (04:00):
I'll go.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Well, it looked like the fight wasn't gonna last much longer,
and I wanted to see the finish of it, so
I stuck around for a couple more rounds. After that,
I left, drove over and found Burt right on the corner.
Just stand him there, not trying to do nothing. I'm
about the breakdown. Just stand him there. They said, well,
you just bet I read him off, told him at
least he could have numbers, get out a ranch or something,
(04:21):
tried to find the trouble. I have read him off, good, Yes,
said didn't do no good. He's shiftless, you know, real shiftless.
I say, you know Bert?
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Do you the say shiftless?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
You know him? Need none of least.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Want to go on for you?
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Oh yeah, well, we got the trailer on the hitch
and the tractor hooked up, and he took a couple
of minutes and got it done, and Burt took off.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Where was he going to, you know, over.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
To Nevada, Gonna play a show there, Overton, Gonna play
a show there, sir, right by Lake Mead Overton.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Yes, sir, why did you find out the animals were missing?
Speaker 3 (04:55):
When I got the wire for my brother, That's when
I got the first inkling. When was that last night?
The company forned me about. Oh? I guess it was
about eight thirty.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
I see you have the telegram.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
No, I told you they founded Uh.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
What did it say?
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yes, the animals are gone from my brother said that
the animals running on the truck when it got to
over again. Uh huh told me about how the locks
on a couple of the cages was busted and smashed
and the animals was gone, an.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Ounsters are possible that the cages might have been broken
into some other place.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Than Los Angeles, might be Yes, might be me likely.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Oh why do you say that?
Speaker 3 (05:31):
The only reason I know of stan likely, not only
that I got proof of it.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
How do you mean, sir?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Well as soon as I got the wire, I went
down the fountain d Long Cree, went right there and
looked around. Figured I might as well go down there
and look around. I might find something, you know. Took
a big foesel flash, went down the corner. I see,
I was right. That's where it happened, and that's why
they got away. Found a spoor, you know how they
(05:58):
get find spoors. Found them all over the place of
the panther. No, raccoons. Not only that. I found something else, yes, sir,
monkeys found them too.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Where were they?
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Phone pole? Right up on the top, just sitting there shivering.
They kind of litter, you know, get real cold easy.
We have them around the place. They were a little sweaters.
Get chilly really easy.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
How about the rest of the animals. You see any
sign of them? No.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
I went over to the little store near there and
got ahead of lettuce seventeen cents pi back the phone
pole showed that the season slowed me. Oh, they love
the lettuce?
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Is that the monkeys?
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Yeah, my right, ear loud the lettuce.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
They came right down into the yeah, right down.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
The pole slithered right from the lettuce, and it was
scarce difference being up there on that pole all night.
Should have had their sweaters.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
What about the other animals gone?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
I to sign them, just to spur the raccoons, and
we got the slightest idea.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Where they might have gone. No real problem.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
No, not them, I mean easy to replace. I'll stroke
in the Hollywood Hills. Lots of them there, run all
over the place, up setting garbage cans. Imagine some of
the people be glad to have me come up there
and take them away. Eh. Raccoons ain't no problem.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Or mister Happer, what about the panther.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Man, he's a problem, Yes, sir.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Can you give us a description of the animal.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
He's black, yes, sir, like the inside of him, well,
just black, even blacker than that teams they're talking about
about seven feet long, little easy there, Yes, sir, that's
counting a tail seven.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Feet Anything else about him that we should know.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
No, just a plain black panther that's a special Is
he dangerous? Well not unless he meets somebody. Dandy's got
a temper.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
That's the name of the animals, A dampy yeah, naming
it because.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
He's blacker than a pinchty infernal dandy.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
You're pretty sure he got out of that truck when
the monkeys did. Huh.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Well, I ain't gonna give you no written guarantee, but
I'm sure of.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
It all right.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Sure, we'll start looking for him right a way I
have away with these animals coming from winter quarters.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
The standard orbiting is going to be our first just
starting the season.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Is anything else you can tell us, it'll make it
easier to find the panther.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
No, not a thing. Just be careful, that's all.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
Don't hurt him.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
He's really is genleely kitten, and you get to know
him like a big overgrown cat.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
He handle.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
That's something Clyde didn't understand. Whose clients My brother Clyde,
he didn't like. Dandy didn't understand him. That's as car
as the trouble flows. That last winter. Cride came to
see the show. Tell me about the brook and curs.
We discussed about how the best way that Ehip and
Dandy would be and Clyde got too close to cage.
(08:40):
Dandy almost killed him.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
All officers in the area where the panther escape were notified,
and an additional team of men were called for Metropolitan
Reserves to patrol the vicinity. The presence of the animal
on city streets presented a very real and us to
all citizens in the city. A team of detectives Model
Theft Detail were dispatched to the corner of Fountain and
(09:05):
Delonged Trade to talk to the people who lived in
the area. However, they were unable to come up with
any new information on the escaped panther. Frank and I
talked to TV detectives Sad Brown and with Captain Nelson,
who was decided to start a block by block search
for the missing camp Authorities from the Griffith Park Zoo
were consulted as to the possible hiding places of the animal.
When the afternoon newspapers hit the streets, calls began to
(09:27):
flood the complaint board asking for additional information on the panther.
Local radio and television broadcasts carried stories about the escape
and the number of calls went up. Additional men had
to be called a care for the switchboard. The search
went on. Frank and I worked in the field along
with the other men from Model Theft Detail and officers
from Metro Division. Every possible hiding place in the vicinity
(09:47):
of Fountain and DeLong Cree was searched without turning up
any new information on the cat. It was the opinion
of authorities that the panther might try to hide in
the brush at the Hollywood Hills, and the search was
moved to that vicinity. Tuesday, May twelfth, Frank and I
got back to the office from the area. We've been
up all night looking for the animal.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
You want to check with the skippers.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Anybody around a convenience some coffee, but I'll call Stalle,
He'll bring them over. I have a really good idea.
Actually was sent over a sandwich too, and well you what,
I don't care. Just tell him make sure the coffee
is high.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Yes, yes, sir, I'd like to talk to the men
who are working on the fans think.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Yes, sir, come on in at the end of the hall.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
I'd find him here while.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
I'm starting at the party. Maybe I can help you.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
You're working with the church party.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Yes, sir, a partner that I've been out with him
and they caught it yet No, sure, not yet.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
They know where there is coffee?
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Well, no, sure, we don't stop it.
Speaker 5 (10:38):
When I thought I'm Sydney Norton, I live in this town. Yes, sir,
got a family I say taxes.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Just want to ask one question, Yes, sir, go ahead now,
according to the papers it's cabl or whatever his name is.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
He owns the panther. He's at Writings Clarence Hal but
he owns the cat.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Yes, sir, that's right.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
When I want his address, thank you. I want the
number of his house. That simple, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
But we're not allowed to give that out.
Speaker 4 (10:57):
I'm sorry. All I want is address so I can
go over there and punch him right in minds you're
going to give it to me.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Most who's your superior, Captain Wilson?
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Well, where is he? I want to talk to him.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
He's in Chief Brown's office right now. Where is that
down the end of the hall, office number twenty six.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
All right, I'll talk to him. I want that man's address,
and I want it now.
Speaker 5 (11:15):
Terrible thing for the law to allow a person to
keep animals like that so they can get away and
walk around killing anybody to meet. If you cops can't
do anything about it, I can.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
You can, just bet I can.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
If you go out with cars, mister havell any trouble,
you're liable for arrest or buy home any policeman.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
He wants to call, Well, you protect him, but you
don't care about me and my family.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Is that it, Bilster, You've both got rights of protection
under the law. Now, if Havel's done anything, will take
care of it.
Speaker 4 (11:37):
When soon as we find that panther, Well, you may
just be wrong. I've been talking around.
Speaker 5 (11:42):
There are a lot of people who feel like I do,
a lot of them enough maybe to decide to do
things our way.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Well, I wouldn't try it with the organ too late.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
Mister, you can't do anything about it. We will, Me
and my friends will take care of it. It's out
of your hands. We will take care of have the
take care of him good.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
I wouldn't make books on this.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
We've been to stop us, like I chold you.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Any cop that have will calls. Frank and I talked
to Sydney Norton and we finally convinced him that any
action he might take would not help the situation. We
sent him home and then we met with Captain Nelson
Chief Brown. The progress of the search was reviewed and
it was decided to continue it in the Lake Hollywood
area into the upper grip of Park Hills. All days
(12:19):
off had been canceled and additional officers were joining in
the hunt for the panther. After the meeting, Frank and
I got some breakfast. Then we drove out to Clarence
Havell's home, with a large ranch house at the corner
of Victory Boulevard and Monterey Avenue out in the San
Fernando Valley. We drove through the gates and park the car.
Clarence Hall was sitting on a large porch waiting for
the small monkey was sitting on his shoulder.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Hi, come on up to sit down.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Yes, mister Smith, all right, thak.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Anything that's a ginger beer? Maybe he got some cool
nigh boss. Heard from my brother this morning, all right
in the valley. Got a telegram. Company folded to me again.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Good news, shorts.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
C'ster well, beginning to look like it's all.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
A mistake, sir.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
The whole thing looks like the animals didn't get away.
You're in Los Angeles.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Why do you say that?
Speaker 3 (13:08):
Well, they telegram from my brother says they found the
cody Monday in one of the raccoons in Baker, California,
farm him alongside the road, tired and hungry. Yes, they're sorry.
Now they got out of the.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Shirk how about the panther?
Speaker 4 (13:20):
Any word on him?
Speaker 3 (13:21):
No, not yet, but Clyde sets some men out to
look for it. Sure Danny will turn out.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
How can we get to touch with your brother?
Speaker 3 (13:27):
Hal can't? What can't get in touch with him? Out
in the desert looking for Danny? How to touch?
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Can you give us the address if you're winter quarters
here in town?
Speaker 3 (13:36):
I can't do that, mister Friday.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Why not?
Speaker 3 (13:39):
You don't know him?
Speaker 2 (13:41):
So you run a circus and you don't know where
the animals are kept.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
You're not really a shirt.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
It's a kind of this that we understand.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
But what's the address?
Speaker 3 (13:47):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
You haven't any idea, not the least, and you can't
tell us where to reach your brother.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
He's out looking for Danny.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Now about it? Havel, something that you're not telling us? Howl?
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Yeah, what was it? Well, we haven't gotten a regular
winter quarters, not regular set up. That's why I can't
tell you where it is. Ain't none?
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Alright?
Speaker 4 (14:10):
Go ahead?
Speaker 3 (14:10):
You see the half of amalgamate. The combined shows are
really a gypsy urnival.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Why do you mean that?
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Well, we ain't got no big operation. A couple of
mainsy animals. We don't have a license to keep them
in the cities. When the quarters we got our vacant lots,
we set up and stay there until the neighbor starts
to complain and we move on. Trucks for the shore
registered in states where the fee is smallest. And we
got about every dal we could to keep the cost
operation down. And what about the past Dandy. Yeah, see
(14:39):
when you read the traction we got m man, she'll theer.
I told you about Howling almost got clients, and then
I told you that I don't understand that there are
nothing works with him?
Speaker 4 (14:49):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Might be something about Dandy?
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Couse we are officer. We gave him this number.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Yeah, yeah, just's a minute.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
At all.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Yeah is his number? Huh Yeah, it's a minute uh
for you A to Fridy.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
You're up, yish, thank you, thank you very much, No
girl at all.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Like to do what I can.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Yeah, sir Friday, Yes that's right, But don't wanna give
me that address I checked out in it. Uh now
we'll get right over, Frank, let's go.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Good news.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
We're not sure yet, huh, I said they found the panther.
The address we'd gotten on the telephone was in the
Hollywood Hills, just off Beechwood Drive. Frank and I drove
down the freeway, turned off at Dower up Franklin to Beechwood,
and we continued up to the Ledgewood Drive. By the
time we got there, other units that arrived in the
(15:51):
immediate vicinity where the animal had been seen was surrounded.
From one of the officers, we got the story the
panther had been seen by one of the civilians searching
the Yeah, the animal would run between two houses and
jump through a window into a ground floor garage. We
checked the house, but we found that the occupants were
not there. Because of the danger of the panther's presence
and the difficulty of taking it alive, it was decided
(16:12):
to try to shoot it. The officers involved in the
search were on with large caliber weapons. Frank and I
took two short off shotguns and we approached the door
leading to the garage. Was covering the window. Max. You know,
I now hit the door, stand back, We'll try to
see its inside. Okay, I can't see anything from the window.
(16:34):
You know, might be behind those boxes of the rear there.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Yeah, you know, tray Y, no.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
See anything.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
No, wait a minute, Hm, back there behind the cases.
Looks like something there or they can take that sign
all right, take it easy, you don't have to sell it. Hi,
frank By from where you are, can you keep those
boxes over there? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (17:10):
I think so.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Well, let's try it. Maybe it'll drive him out in
the open hill there he is. Yeah, that's pretty mean,
black tomcat. The event was similar to several what had
(17:38):
happened during the hunts of the black panther. During the
twenty odd hours we've been looking for the animal, there's
been several reports that seemed authentic enough to be checked out.
All of them turned out to be false. By this time,
there were over three hundred officers engaged in the search.
Frank and I went back to the office and put
in a call to the Telegraph Company in an effort
to find Clyde Hall. They checked through their files, but
(17:59):
they were unable to find any record of any wires
We didn't. Put in a call to the California Nevada
Border station in an attempt to get information. Yes, sir,
that's right, Apple amalgamated combined shows but a sorry a
the victor, I L. L. Apple, Well what we got
(18:21):
it should have come through Saturdays at thirteenth all might
have been Sundays to fourting you're pretty sure about that?
I was it possible?
Speaker 4 (18:30):
All right?
Speaker 2 (18:30):
I understand? Okay, thank you if anything turns up when
you call us Friday Extension two, five oh seven, I
thought of theft detail, right, Thanks again?
Speaker 4 (18:40):
Bye?
Speaker 2 (18:42):
How about it together? Records of the show going through
they never heard of it. We immediately put in a
call to the authorities in Baker, California. We talked with
members of the State Highway Patrol, and from them we
obtained the information that there had been no stray animals
captured in the vicinity during the past few days. The
conversation with him linked in the possibility that the story
(19:04):
we've gotten from Clarence's Hall was alive. We checked his house,
but Havel wasn't there. From his neighbor, he had been
the name of his sister, which tends in We drove
out to the address. The two families stuck o duplex.
We rang a bell and we waited, Yes, this Havel,
that's right. What is it you want? A police officer,
Frank Smith.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
My name's Friday.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Hello, how do you do, ma'am?
Speaker 6 (19:24):
What is it you want?
Speaker 2 (19:25):
We like to talk to you about your brother khy.
Speaker 6 (19:28):
No, ma'am, Clarence, mister Friday, and I've done what I
can for him. If he's in trouble again, he's just
gonna have to go it alone.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
What if we could talk in science, now, come on in,
Thank you very.
Speaker 6 (19:41):
Much this time your funny, but my brother had done
this time.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Does your better own a circuit?
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Is this a joke?
Speaker 2 (19:50):
No, ma'am, it's a pretty serious study, sure, big one.
Speaker 6 (19:54):
I was amalgamated and combined shows, travels all over the country, animals, concessions,
even got a man ain't in black panther.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Yes, ma'am. That's one of the things we want to
find out about Dandy, you know the animals.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
Oh, Clarence's friends too, talks about.
Speaker 6 (20:08):
Him all the time.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Do you know where the circus is right now?
Speaker 6 (20:11):
Saying glad it's always been man, never been in the
face else now in Clarence's head.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
We continued to talk to Lillian Havell. From her, we
got the background of the story. He told us that
her brother had been a press agent for one of
the larger carnivals, but that he'd been discharged several years before.
Since that time, he talked with very little else but
the day when he'd be able to start his own
show starring Danny the Man Killing black panthers. Jing On
the tellops that he spent most of his time in
the hills of the San Fernando Valley trapping small animals,
(20:45):
preparing for the first tour of the carnivals. We called
the office and notified them. The search for the black
panther was called off. Eight forty six pms. We left
the duplex and we drove out the freeway of the valley.
When we got the Havel's he was sitting on the
front porch reading. He was still on his shoulder.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Hey come back, huh, yes, sure, Aunt Dandy, Yet you
hope you come up with You might hate to lose
a mean acushion't had any word of man. Eh no, Yeah,
he's a sly on, old dandy sly He knows if
you're finding me, you go back in the cage. You
just keep looking at his starts has been called off,
handle called off. That's right, you mean you quit looking. Well,
(21:24):
you can't do that. You can't dangerous. I don't like
that loose in the city. All the people in dire
danger You can't call off the posse.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
What's you tell us about it? What do you mean?
Speaker 4 (21:33):
All right?
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Handle telophonia?
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Did it? Huh?
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Why do you report the panther being gone?
Speaker 3 (21:37):
Chris? She was when to save all the people from
dire danger?
Speaker 2 (21:41):
What you tell it the truth? Huh? We checked your story.
It's a pack alive, you know.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
No, I just IMNTE ain't no, man, I said, I
tell right, no man.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
You say you got two telegrams from your brother, Is
that right? Yeah? From cr Well we check with a
telegraph company, but it's got no record of any such messages.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
Hey, it's a big company. Might have lost them.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
No, I don't think they lost them. Might have you
told us the carnival truck went in the Nevada, didn't you?
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Well we checked at the border. They don't know anything
about the show. There are a lot of.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Dents in the vat. Maybe you called the wrong station.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
We talked to the right one.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Big truck, red and yellow have us combined amalgamated shows
letters about this Big on the side yelled, always got
a picture Danny on the side mean you can always
try his teeth.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
He told us the truck was registered in your name.
DMV has no record of it.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
You must be some mistake. She gotta be wrong.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
We talked to your sister. She tells you don't have
any kind of a show.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Lillian said there, that's what she said.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
You here too, Pessa.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Lillian told you I didn't have no shows. Lillian told
you here.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Let me get your cold handle. Huh, well, cold out
tonight you might meet a code.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
We going someplace.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Yes, we're gonna take you downtown. Why well, you've had
half the sitting on a wild goose chase here cause
a lot of people, a lot of work. Turns out
there was no.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
Reason for it.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
We're trying to find out why.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
You did it. Why, Yes, sir, you ever run in
anything bad? Charging You ever wanted something so bad you'd
almost taste it. Get to a point where you think
about it so much pretty soon it don't come over
like a dream anymore. It's real, homost be true, real,
You ever want anything like that?
Speaker 2 (23:21):
I wouldn't know.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Well, that's the way it was. Was have those amalgamatic
combined shows. That's way it was. I was weaned on
SAWT I's been around it all my life. The animals
side shows the alley, all of it, then my whole life.
When I left, it just seemed like I jumped into
a big hole that didn't have no bottom, wasn't anything
(23:43):
to hang on to, nothing to tie down to you.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
You know.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Always I had in the back of my head that
I could I could do it again. I was a
good publicity, mean goodn't used to pack the mean never
no trouble getting the people in when I was there.
When I left, I I I knew I'd be back.
I knew it. With my own show. Have those amalgamated
combined shows the biggest in the world. I guess I
(24:09):
just got shoes. I believed it too much and lost
the line between what's real and but I was dreaming
it this morning when you was out here, remember and
try to stop you from going on with it. Tried
and then mean there's a phone call where they found
Daddy didn't see right to stop things. Then just didn't
didn't see me right? All right?
Speaker 2 (24:31):
I wanna gets cooked.
Speaker 3 (24:33):
Yeah, you're gonna take me downtown the police car.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Canna use the siren. But what's the sirene?
Speaker 2 (24:41):
There no reason for any siren.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Uh, I suppose not used to have sirenes. When I
come to town, me and the Chief of Police ride
down the street, Sirene going. Everybody knew I was in town,
beg to do everybody knew I was there. Things the
sure changed very much. Any things had changed, people used
to know why I was in town.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
I still do. Clarence Neil Hall was held over for
a sanity hearing in Superior Court.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
On recommendation of the court.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
Appropriate action was taken. Dragnet The Story of Your Police
Force in Action as a presentation of the United States
Armed Forces Radio service.
Speaker 4 (25:53):
Often often todas
Ladies and gentlemen. The story or about the year is true.
The names were changed to protect Peterson drag Meth. You're
a detective sergeant. You're assigned to auto theft details. You
(00:28):
receive a report that a circus struck has been broken into.
Several of the animals are missing. Some of them are dangerous.
Your job find them.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
It was Monday, May twelfth. It was cold in Los Angeles.
We were working the day watch out of auto theft detail.
My partner's Frank Smith, the voss Acivity tective sad round.
My name is Friday As I'm a way back for
Superior Court. And it was eleven forty six am when
I got the room. Forty Auto theft all right, got
to go? Well as lawyer's got to continue. Yeah, I'll come.
(01:01):
I don't know new evidence they want to introduce. What's
the d A's off to say nothing? They can say
it comes under the heading and due process, you know. Yeah,
I think he's gonna nail him. Alex thinks so the
guys admitted his guilt. Now he's claiming the confession. There's
a lot of bunks. Says we got it out of
him by force. HM were now Trovey did it without
the confession. Again, it shouldn't be too hard. We got
all the evidence. We get the chance to lay it
(01:22):
out for the jury. Yeah, when you go back, let's
see he set it off for a week. I guess yeah, anything,
come in, no not big, excuse me. Yeah, there's something
we do for you. I say, park something, store him
all right, sure, just come on in.
Speaker 3 (01:39):
Sure you get serish around here?
Speaker 2 (01:42):
All right, sir? Now what kind of a car was it?
Speaker 3 (01:45):
He ain't no car, big pardon, no car, storing stuff
in the car?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
All right? What was it?
Speaker 3 (01:51):
There wasn't really a car anyway, a truck. That's where
they showed her from, a truck.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
All right, if you'll give us a description, far.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
As I know, they might not it anyway, I just
will open it and let them all out.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Yeah, said, Well, sooner we get this report filled out,
the faster we can start looking for the stolen merchandise.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Yeah, just that Michelle should have.
Speaker 2 (02:11):
All right, sir, Now, what's your name?
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Clarens have H A V, I, L L no R.
Most people put R in.
Speaker 2 (02:19):
It's he, It ain't it's he. Where the theft take place?
Speaker 3 (02:23):
Corner Fountain DeLong Prie right on the corner there, just
south of the red zone on Fountain.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
It, sir, what was taken?
Speaker 4 (02:32):
Shee?
Speaker 3 (02:32):
I got this call from one of the drivers who
ruts for my brother and me drives one of our
trucks called and said the machine broke down. Wanted to
bring another tractor over or we can get.
Speaker 2 (02:43):
To all that later. Mister Havell. What were the stolen
articles animals?
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Sir?
Speaker 3 (02:49):
Animals from my kernival?
Speaker 2 (02:50):
What kind of animals?
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Oh, a couple of monkeys, Cody mundy to raccoons, all right?
Speaker 2 (02:57):
Anything else?
Speaker 3 (02:58):
Yeah, here comes a bad part. This is what I
was afraid of.
Speaker 2 (03:01):
What's that?
Speaker 3 (03:02):
It's the reason I waited so long to report it.
I thought, maybe turn out what's a black pan?
Speaker 4 (03:10):
Sir?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
We got to discuss of the animals on a local
broadcast was gotten out on them immediately twelve eighteen pm.
We continued to talk to Clarent's.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
Travel Friday night.
Speaker 4 (03:23):
That's when it happened.
Speaker 2 (03:24):
What time Friday night?
Speaker 3 (03:25):
About seven oh five or seven ten, right after the
fights went on. That's when the phone rang. I says,
kind of sure about being interrupted and the fighters on
always watch them. Wish my friends know not to call
me then I said, well, anyway, the phone rang, I
got up, Winowed answered it was Bert.
Speaker 2 (03:43):
It was Bert.
Speaker 3 (03:45):
Bert knew he's a driver, Oh, I say, said he
had a breakdown, and Fountain de long Cree asked me
if I had an extra tractor happened. I did, but
he asked me to bring it over, said he wanted
to use it to get the shoot in Nevada.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
So you drove over there?
Speaker 4 (03:58):
Now?
Speaker 3 (03:59):
Not right away?
Speaker 1 (04:00):
I'll go.
Speaker 3 (04:01):
Well, it looked like the fight wasn't gonna last much longer,
and I wanted to see the finish of it, so
I stuck around for a couple more rounds. After that,
I left, drove over and found Burt right on the corner.
Just stand him there, not trying to do nothing. I'm
about the breakdown. Just stand him there. They said, well,
you just bet I read him off, told him at
least he could have numbers, get out a ranch or something,
(04:21):
tried to find the trouble. I have read him off, good, Yes,
said didn't do no good. He's shiftless, you know, real shiftless.
I say, you know Bert?
Speaker 2 (04:31):
Do you the say shiftless?
Speaker 3 (04:34):
You know him? Need none of least.
Speaker 2 (04:36):
Want to go on for you?
Speaker 3 (04:38):
Oh yeah, well, we got the trailer on the hitch
and the tractor hooked up, and he took a couple
of minutes and got it done, and Burt took off.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
Where was he going to, you know, over.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
To Nevada, Gonna play a show there, Overton, Gonna play
a show there, sir, right by Lake Mead Overton.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
Yes, sir, why did you find out the animals were missing?
Speaker 3 (04:55):
When I got the wire for my brother, That's when
I got the first inkling. When was that last night?
The company forned me about. Oh? I guess it was
about eight thirty.
Speaker 2 (05:04):
I see you have the telegram.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
No, I told you they founded Uh.
Speaker 2 (05:08):
What did it say?
Speaker 3 (05:09):
Yes, the animals are gone from my brother said that
the animals running on the truck when it got to
over again. Uh huh told me about how the locks
on a couple of the cages was busted and smashed
and the animals was gone, an.
Speaker 2 (05:21):
Ounsters are possible that the cages might have been broken
into some other place.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Than Los Angeles, might be Yes, might be me likely.
Speaker 4 (05:29):
Oh why do you say that?
Speaker 3 (05:31):
The only reason I know of stan likely, not only
that I got proof of it.
Speaker 2 (05:35):
How do you mean, sir?
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Well as soon as I got the wire, I went
down the fountain d Long Cree, went right there and
looked around. Figured I might as well go down there
and look around. I might find something, you know. Took
a big foesel flash, went down the corner. I see,
I was right. That's where it happened, and that's why
they got away. Found a spoor, you know how they
(05:58):
get find spoors. Found them all over the place of
the panther. No, raccoons. Not only that. I found something else, yes, sir,
monkeys found them too.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
Where were they?
Speaker 3 (06:11):
Phone pole? Right up on the top, just sitting there shivering.
They kind of litter, you know, get real cold easy.
We have them around the place. They were a little sweaters.
Get chilly really easy.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
How about the rest of the animals. You see any
sign of them? No.
Speaker 3 (06:26):
I went over to the little store near there and
got ahead of lettuce seventeen cents pi back the phone
pole showed that the season slowed me. Oh, they love
the lettuce?
Speaker 2 (06:34):
Is that the monkeys?
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Yeah, my right, ear loud the lettuce.
Speaker 2 (06:41):
They came right down into the yeah, right down.
Speaker 3 (06:43):
The pole slithered right from the lettuce, and it was
scarce difference being up there on that pole all night.
Should have had their sweaters.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
What about the other animals gone?
Speaker 3 (06:54):
I to sign them, just to spur the raccoons, and
we got the slightest idea.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
Where they might have gone. No real problem.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
No, not them, I mean easy to replace. I'll stroke
in the Hollywood Hills. Lots of them there, run all
over the place, up setting garbage cans. Imagine some of
the people be glad to have me come up there
and take them away. Eh. Raccoons ain't no problem.
Speaker 2 (07:16):
Or mister Happer, what about the panther.
Speaker 3 (07:18):
Man, he's a problem, Yes, sir.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Can you give us a description of the animal.
Speaker 3 (07:22):
He's black, yes, sir, like the inside of him, well,
just black, even blacker than that teams they're talking about
about seven feet long, little easy there, Yes, sir, that's
counting a tail seven.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
Feet Anything else about him that we should know.
Speaker 3 (07:36):
No, just a plain black panther that's a special Is
he dangerous? Well not unless he meets somebody. Dandy's got
a temper.
Speaker 2 (07:43):
That's the name of the animals, A dampy yeah, naming
it because.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
He's blacker than a pinchty infernal dandy.
Speaker 2 (07:50):
You're pretty sure he got out of that truck when
the monkeys did. Huh.
Speaker 3 (07:52):
Well, I ain't gonna give you no written guarantee, but
I'm sure of.
Speaker 4 (07:55):
It all right.
Speaker 2 (07:56):
Sure, we'll start looking for him right a way I
have away with these animals coming from winter quarters.
Speaker 3 (08:01):
The standard orbiting is going to be our first just
starting the season.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Is anything else you can tell us, it'll make it
easier to find the panther.
Speaker 3 (08:10):
No, not a thing. Just be careful, that's all.
Speaker 4 (08:13):
Don't hurt him.
Speaker 3 (08:14):
He's really is genleely kitten, and you get to know
him like a big overgrown cat.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
He handle.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
That's something Clyde didn't understand. Whose clients My brother Clyde,
he didn't like. Dandy didn't understand him. That's as car
as the trouble flows. That last winter. Cride came to
see the show. Tell me about the brook and curs.
We discussed about how the best way that Ehip and
Dandy would be and Clyde got too close to cage.
(08:40):
Dandy almost killed him.
Speaker 2 (08:43):
All officers in the area where the panther escape were notified,
and an additional team of men were called for Metropolitan
Reserves to patrol the vicinity. The presence of the animal
on city streets presented a very real and us to
all citizens in the city. A team of detectives Model
Theft Detail were dispatched to the corner of Fountain and
(09:05):
Delonged Trade to talk to the people who lived in
the area. However, they were unable to come up with
any new information on the escaped panther. Frank and I
talked to TV detectives Sad Brown and with Captain Nelson,
who was decided to start a block by block search
for the missing camp Authorities from the Griffith Park Zoo
were consulted as to the possible hiding places of the animal.
When the afternoon newspapers hit the streets, calls began to
(09:27):
flood the complaint board asking for additional information on the panther.
Local radio and television broadcasts carried stories about the escape
and the number of calls went up. Additional men had
to be called a care for the switchboard. The search
went on. Frank and I worked in the field along
with the other men from Model Theft Detail and officers
from Metro Division. Every possible hiding place in the vicinity
(09:47):
of Fountain and DeLong Cree was searched without turning up
any new information on the cat. It was the opinion
of authorities that the panther might try to hide in
the brush at the Hollywood Hills, and the search was
moved to that vicinity. Tuesday, May twelfth, Frank and I
got back to the office from the area. We've been
up all night looking for the animal.
Speaker 4 (10:04):
You want to check with the skippers.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
Anybody around a convenience some coffee, but I'll call Stalle,
He'll bring them over. I have a really good idea.
Actually was sent over a sandwich too, and well you what,
I don't care. Just tell him make sure the coffee
is high.
Speaker 4 (10:18):
Yes, yes, sir, I'd like to talk to the men
who are working on the fans think.
Speaker 2 (10:24):
Yes, sir, come on in at the end of the hall.
Speaker 4 (10:27):
I'd find him here while.
Speaker 2 (10:28):
I'm starting at the party. Maybe I can help you.
Speaker 4 (10:30):
You're working with the church party.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
Yes, sir, a partner that I've been out with him
and they caught it yet No, sure, not yet.
Speaker 4 (10:35):
They know where there is coffee?
Speaker 2 (10:36):
Well, no, sure, we don't stop it.
Speaker 5 (10:38):
When I thought I'm Sydney Norton, I live in this town. Yes, sir,
got a family I say taxes.
Speaker 2 (10:43):
Just want to ask one question, Yes, sir, go ahead now,
according to the papers it's cabl or whatever his name is.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
He owns the panther. He's at Writings Clarence Hal but
he owns the cat.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
Yes, sir, that's right.
Speaker 4 (10:52):
When I want his address, thank you. I want the
number of his house. That simple, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (10:56):
But we're not allowed to give that out.
Speaker 4 (10:57):
I'm sorry. All I want is address so I can
go over there and punch him right in minds you're
going to give it to me.
Speaker 2 (11:02):
Most who's your superior, Captain Wilson?
Speaker 4 (11:06):
Well, where is he? I want to talk to him.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
He's in Chief Brown's office right now. Where is that
down the end of the hall, office number twenty six.
Speaker 4 (11:12):
All right, I'll talk to him. I want that man's address,
and I want it now.
Speaker 5 (11:15):
Terrible thing for the law to allow a person to
keep animals like that so they can get away and
walk around killing anybody to meet. If you cops can't
do anything about it, I can.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
You can, just bet I can.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
If you go out with cars, mister havell any trouble,
you're liable for arrest or buy home any policeman.
Speaker 5 (11:29):
He wants to call, Well, you protect him, but you
don't care about me and my family.
Speaker 2 (11:32):
Is that it, Bilster, You've both got rights of protection
under the law. Now, if Havel's done anything, will take
care of it.
Speaker 4 (11:37):
When soon as we find that panther, Well, you may
just be wrong. I've been talking around.
Speaker 5 (11:42):
There are a lot of people who feel like I do,
a lot of them enough maybe to decide to do
things our way.
Speaker 2 (11:47):
Well, I wouldn't try it with the organ too late.
Speaker 5 (11:48):
Mister, you can't do anything about it. We will, Me
and my friends will take care of it. It's out
of your hands. We will take care of have the
take care of him good.
Speaker 2 (11:55):
I wouldn't make books on this.
Speaker 4 (11:56):
We've been to stop us, like I chold you.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
Any cop that have will calls. Frank and I talked
to Sydney Norton and we finally convinced him that any
action he might take would not help the situation. We
sent him home and then we met with Captain Nelson
Chief Brown. The progress of the search was reviewed and
it was decided to continue it in the Lake Hollywood
area into the upper grip of Park Hills. All days
(12:19):
off had been canceled and additional officers were joining in
the hunt for the panther. After the meeting, Frank and
I got some breakfast. Then we drove out to Clarence
Havell's home, with a large ranch house at the corner
of Victory Boulevard and Monterey Avenue out in the San
Fernando Valley. We drove through the gates and park the car.
Clarence Hall was sitting on a large porch waiting for
the small monkey was sitting on his shoulder.
Speaker 3 (12:39):
Hi, come on up to sit down.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Yes, mister Smith, all right, thak.
Speaker 3 (12:46):
Anything that's a ginger beer? Maybe he got some cool
nigh boss. Heard from my brother this morning, all right
in the valley. Got a telegram. Company folded to me again.
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Good news, shorts.
Speaker 3 (12:59):
C'ster well, beginning to look like it's all.
Speaker 4 (13:01):
A mistake, sir.
Speaker 3 (13:03):
The whole thing looks like the animals didn't get away.
You're in Los Angeles.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
Why do you say that?
Speaker 3 (13:08):
Well, they telegram from my brother says they found the
cody Monday in one of the raccoons in Baker, California,
farm him alongside the road, tired and hungry. Yes, they're sorry.
Now they got out of the.
Speaker 2 (13:18):
Shirk how about the panther?
Speaker 4 (13:20):
Any word on him?
Speaker 3 (13:21):
No, not yet, but Clyde sets some men out to
look for it. Sure Danny will turn out.
Speaker 2 (13:25):
How can we get to touch with your brother?
Speaker 3 (13:27):
Hal can't? What can't get in touch with him? Out
in the desert looking for Danny? How to touch?
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Can you give us the address if you're winter quarters
here in town?
Speaker 3 (13:36):
I can't do that, mister Friday.
Speaker 2 (13:37):
Why not?
Speaker 3 (13:39):
You don't know him?
Speaker 2 (13:41):
So you run a circus and you don't know where
the animals are kept.
Speaker 3 (13:43):
You're not really a shirt.
Speaker 2 (13:45):
It's a kind of this that we understand.
Speaker 4 (13:46):
But what's the address?
Speaker 3 (13:47):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
You haven't any idea, not the least, and you can't
tell us where to reach your brother.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
He's out looking for Danny.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Now about it? Havel, something that you're not telling us? Howl?
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Yeah, what was it? Well, we haven't gotten a regular
winter quarters, not regular set up. That's why I can't
tell you where it is. Ain't none?
Speaker 2 (14:09):
Alright?
Speaker 4 (14:10):
Go ahead?
Speaker 3 (14:10):
You see the half of amalgamate. The combined shows are
really a gypsy urnival.
Speaker 2 (14:14):
Why do you mean that?
Speaker 3 (14:16):
Well, we ain't got no big operation. A couple of
mainsy animals. We don't have a license to keep them
in the cities. When the quarters we got our vacant lots,
we set up and stay there until the neighbor starts
to complain and we move on. Trucks for the shore
registered in states where the fee is smallest. And we
got about every dal we could to keep the cost
operation down. And what about the past Dandy. Yeah, see
(14:39):
when you read the traction we got m man, she'll theer.
I told you about Howling almost got clients, and then
I told you that I don't understand that there are
nothing works with him?
Speaker 4 (14:49):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Might be something about Dandy?
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Couse we are officer. We gave him this number.
Speaker 3 (14:53):
Yeah, yeah, just's a minute.
Speaker 4 (14:59):
At all.
Speaker 3 (15:01):
Yeah is his number? Huh Yeah, it's a minute uh
for you A to Fridy.
Speaker 2 (15:08):
You're up, yish, thank you, thank you very much, No
girl at all.
Speaker 3 (15:16):
Like to do what I can.
Speaker 2 (15:17):
Yeah, sir Friday, Yes that's right, But don't wanna give
me that address I checked out in it. Uh now
we'll get right over, Frank, let's go.
Speaker 4 (15:30):
Good news.
Speaker 2 (15:31):
We're not sure yet, huh, I said they found the panther.
The address we'd gotten on the telephone was in the
Hollywood Hills, just off Beechwood Drive. Frank and I drove
down the freeway, turned off at Dower up Franklin to Beechwood,
and we continued up to the Ledgewood Drive. By the
time we got there, other units that arrived in the
(15:51):
immediate vicinity where the animal had been seen was surrounded.
From one of the officers, we got the story the
panther had been seen by one of the civilians searching
the Yeah, the animal would run between two houses and
jump through a window into a ground floor garage. We
checked the house, but we found that the occupants were
not there. Because of the danger of the panther's presence
and the difficulty of taking it alive, it was decided
(16:12):
to try to shoot it. The officers involved in the
search were on with large caliber weapons. Frank and I
took two short off shotguns and we approached the door
leading to the garage. Was covering the window. Max. You know,
I now hit the door, stand back, We'll try to
see its inside. Okay, I can't see anything from the window.
(16:34):
You know, might be behind those boxes of the rear there.
Speaker 1 (16:37):
Yeah, you know, tray Y, no.
Speaker 4 (16:48):
See anything.
Speaker 2 (16:49):
No, wait a minute, Hm, back there behind the cases.
Looks like something there or they can take that sign
all right, take it easy, you don't have to sell it. Hi,
frank By from where you are, can you keep those
boxes over there? Yeah?
Speaker 4 (17:10):
I think so.
Speaker 2 (17:11):
Well, let's try it. Maybe it'll drive him out in
the open hill there he is. Yeah, that's pretty mean,
black tomcat. The event was similar to several what had
(17:38):
happened during the hunts of the black panther. During the
twenty odd hours we've been looking for the animal, there's
been several reports that seemed authentic enough to be checked out.
All of them turned out to be false. By this time,
there were over three hundred officers engaged in the search.
Frank and I went back to the office and put
in a call to the Telegraph Company in an effort
to find Clyde Hall. They checked through their files, but
(17:59):
they were unable to find any record of any wires
We didn't. Put in a call to the California Nevada
Border station in an attempt to get information. Yes, sir,
that's right, Apple amalgamated combined shows but a sorry a
the victor, I L. L. Apple, Well what we got
(18:21):
it should have come through Saturdays at thirteenth all might
have been Sundays to fourting you're pretty sure about that?
I was it possible?
Speaker 4 (18:30):
All right?
Speaker 2 (18:30):
I understand? Okay, thank you if anything turns up when
you call us Friday Extension two, five oh seven, I
thought of theft detail, right, Thanks again?
Speaker 4 (18:40):
Bye?
Speaker 2 (18:42):
How about it together? Records of the show going through
they never heard of it. We immediately put in a
call to the authorities in Baker, California. We talked with
members of the State Highway Patrol, and from them we
obtained the information that there had been no stray animals
captured in the vicinity during the past few days. The
conversation with him linked in the possibility that the story
(19:04):
we've gotten from Clarence's Hall was alive. We checked his house,
but Havel wasn't there. From his neighbor, he had been
the name of his sister, which tends in We drove
out to the address. The two families stuck o duplex.
We rang a bell and we waited, Yes, this Havel,
that's right. What is it you want? A police officer,
Frank Smith.
Speaker 4 (19:22):
My name's Friday.
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Hello, how do you do, ma'am?
Speaker 6 (19:24):
What is it you want?
Speaker 2 (19:25):
We like to talk to you about your brother khy.
Speaker 6 (19:28):
No, ma'am, Clarence, mister Friday, and I've done what I
can for him. If he's in trouble again, he's just
gonna have to go it alone.
Speaker 2 (19:37):
What if we could talk in science, now, come on in,
Thank you very.
Speaker 6 (19:41):
Much this time your funny, but my brother had done
this time.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
Does your better own a circuit?
Speaker 3 (19:49):
Is this a joke?
Speaker 2 (19:50):
No, ma'am, it's a pretty serious study, sure, big one.
Speaker 6 (19:54):
I was amalgamated and combined shows, travels all over the country, animals, concessions,
even got a man ain't in black panther.
Speaker 2 (20:01):
Yes, ma'am. That's one of the things we want to
find out about Dandy, you know the animals.
Speaker 3 (20:06):
Oh, Clarence's friends too, talks about.
Speaker 6 (20:08):
Him all the time.
Speaker 2 (20:09):
Do you know where the circus is right now?
Speaker 6 (20:11):
Saying glad it's always been man, never been in the
face else now in Clarence's head.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
We continued to talk to Lillian Havell. From her, we
got the background of the story. He told us that
her brother had been a press agent for one of
the larger carnivals, but that he'd been discharged several years before.
Since that time, he talked with very little else but
the day when he'd be able to start his own
show starring Danny the Man Killing black panthers. Jing On
the tellops that he spent most of his time in
the hills of the San Fernando Valley trapping small animals,
(20:45):
preparing for the first tour of the carnivals. We called
the office and notified them. The search for the black
panther was called off. Eight forty six pms. We left
the duplex and we drove out the freeway of the valley.
When we got the Havel's he was sitting on the
front porch reading. He was still on his shoulder.
Speaker 3 (21:01):
Hey come back, huh, yes, sure, Aunt Dandy, Yet you
hope you come up with You might hate to lose
a mean acushion't had any word of man. Eh no, Yeah,
he's a sly on, old dandy sly He knows if
you're finding me, you go back in the cage. You
just keep looking at his starts has been called off,
handle called off. That's right, you mean you quit looking. Well,
(21:24):
you can't do that. You can't dangerous. I don't like
that loose in the city. All the people in dire
danger You can't call off the posse.
Speaker 2 (21:30):
What's you tell us about it? What do you mean?
Speaker 4 (21:33):
All right?
Speaker 2 (21:33):
Handle telophonia?
Speaker 3 (21:34):
Did it? Huh?
Speaker 2 (21:35):
Why do you report the panther being gone?
Speaker 3 (21:37):
Chris? She was when to save all the people from
dire danger?
Speaker 2 (21:41):
What you tell it the truth? Huh? We checked your story.
It's a pack alive, you know.
Speaker 3 (21:45):
No, I just IMNTE ain't no, man, I said, I
tell right, no man.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
You say you got two telegrams from your brother, Is
that right? Yeah? From cr Well we check with a
telegraph company, but it's got no record of any such messages.
Speaker 3 (21:58):
Hey, it's a big company. Might have lost them.
Speaker 2 (22:01):
No, I don't think they lost them. Might have you
told us the carnival truck went in the Nevada, didn't you?
Speaker 4 (22:06):
Is that right?
Speaker 3 (22:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (22:07):
Well we checked at the border. They don't know anything
about the show. There are a lot of.
Speaker 3 (22:10):
Dents in the vat. Maybe you called the wrong station.
Speaker 2 (22:12):
We talked to the right one.
Speaker 3 (22:13):
Big truck, red and yellow have us combined amalgamated shows
letters about this Big on the side yelled, always got
a picture Danny on the side mean you can always
try his teeth.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
He told us the truck was registered in your name.
DMV has no record of it.
Speaker 3 (22:29):
You must be some mistake. She gotta be wrong.
Speaker 2 (22:31):
We talked to your sister. She tells you don't have
any kind of a show.
Speaker 3 (22:35):
Lillian said there, that's what she said.
Speaker 2 (22:38):
You here too, Pessa.
Speaker 3 (22:40):
Lillian told you I didn't have no shows. Lillian told
you here.
Speaker 2 (22:45):
Let me get your cold handle. Huh, well, cold out
tonight you might meet a code.
Speaker 3 (22:50):
We going someplace.
Speaker 2 (22:51):
Yes, we're gonna take you downtown. Why well, you've had
half the sitting on a wild goose chase here cause
a lot of people, a lot of work. Turns out
there was no.
Speaker 4 (22:59):
Reason for it.
Speaker 2 (23:00):
We're trying to find out why.
Speaker 3 (23:01):
You did it. Why, Yes, sir, you ever run in
anything bad? Charging You ever wanted something so bad you'd
almost taste it. Get to a point where you think
about it so much pretty soon it don't come over
like a dream anymore. It's real, homost be true, real,
You ever want anything like that?
Speaker 2 (23:21):
I wouldn't know.
Speaker 3 (23:23):
Well, that's the way it was. Was have those amalgamatic
combined shows. That's way it was. I was weaned on
SAWT I's been around it all my life. The animals
side shows the alley, all of it, then my whole life.
When I left, it just seemed like I jumped into
a big hole that didn't have no bottom, wasn't anything
(23:43):
to hang on to, nothing to tie down to you.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
You know.
Speaker 3 (23:48):
Always I had in the back of my head that
I could I could do it again. I was a
good publicity, mean goodn't used to pack the mean never
no trouble getting the people in when I was there.
When I left, I I I knew I'd be back.
I knew it. With my own show. Have those amalgamated
combined shows the biggest in the world. I guess I
(24:09):
just got shoes. I believed it too much and lost
the line between what's real and but I was dreaming
it this morning when you was out here, remember and
try to stop you from going on with it. Tried
and then mean there's a phone call where they found
Daddy didn't see right to stop things. Then just didn't
didn't see me right? All right?
Speaker 2 (24:31):
I wanna gets cooked.
Speaker 3 (24:33):
Yeah, you're gonna take me downtown the police car.
Speaker 2 (24:36):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (24:37):
Canna use the siren. But what's the sirene?
Speaker 2 (24:41):
There no reason for any siren.
Speaker 3 (24:42):
Uh, I suppose not used to have sirenes. When I
come to town, me and the Chief of Police ride
down the street, Sirene going. Everybody knew I was in town,
beg to do everybody knew I was there. Things the
sure changed very much. Any things had changed, people used
to know why I was in town.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
I still do. Clarence Neil Hall was held over for
a sanity hearing in Superior Court.
Speaker 4 (25:17):
On recommendation of the court.
Speaker 2 (25:19):
Appropriate action was taken. Dragnet The Story of Your Police
Force in Action as a presentation of the United States
Armed Forces Radio service.
Speaker 4 (25:53):
Often often todas
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