November 9, 2024 • 33 mins
Today's Mystery: A twelve-year-old and a grandfather return from a trip to Indiana to find all their belongings from their home stolen.
Original Radio Broadcast Date: September 21, 1950
Originating from Hollywood
Starring: Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday; Barton Yarborough as Sergeant Ben Romero
Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.net
Patreon Supporter of the Day: Michael, Patreon Supporter since August 2016
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call at 208-991-4783
Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectives
Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives
Join us again on Monday for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
Original Radio Broadcast Date: September 21, 1950
Originating from Hollywood
Starring: Jack Webb as Sergeant Joe Friday; Barton Yarborough as Sergeant Ben Romero
Support the show monthly at patreon.greatdetectives.net
Patreon Supporter of the Day: Michael, Patreon Supporter since August 2016
Support the show on a one-time basis at http://support.greatdetectives.net.
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Take the listener survey at http://survey.greatdetectives.net
Give us a call at 208-991-4783
Follow us on Instagram at http://instagram.com/greatdetectives
Follow us on Twitter @radiodetectives
Join us again on Monday for another detective drama from the Golden Age of Radio.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
going to bring you this week's episode of drag Nap.
If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your
favorite podcast software, and today's program is brought to you
in part by the financial support of our listeners. You
(00:51):
can support the show on a one time basis by
mailing a donation to Adam Graham Pielbox one PIP nine
one three that's Peelbox one nine thirteen Boise Ataho eight
three seven one five, and you can become one of
our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little ass two dollars
per month that Patreon dot Great Detectives dot neck. But now,
(01:13):
from September twenty first, nineteen fifty, here's the big pair.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
The story you are about to hear is true, only
the names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're
a detective sergeant. You're assigned to burglary detail. Unidentified thieves
(01:48):
start a campaign of burglaries in your city. Homes are
broken into and stripped of their furnishings. There's no lead
on the criminals. Your job. Get them.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime. For the
next thirty 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 from official police files,
from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is
the story of your police force in action.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
It was Monday, August third. It was warm in Los Angeles.
We're working a day watch out of burglary detail. My
partner's Ben Romero. The boss's Thad Brown, Chief of Detectives.
My name is Friday. I was on the way back
from the business office and it was nine to twenty
five am when I got through forty five burglary detail.
Speaker 5 (02:46):
You get all the mine together, Joe, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Dollar from each man in the detail. We got to
buy the gift.
Speaker 5 (02:51):
When's Austin going to get married next Sunday? You haven't
got too much time. We always have to bick out
the gift.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Somebody has to do it. We got any ideas what
we got to get them to?
Speaker 5 (03:00):
My wife over the weekend. She thinks she'd be nice.
We get him something to start housekeeping with, maybe some
nice kitchen table, lamp, yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
I don't know if we have enough to do for
a good lamp. But maybe they might like a bedspread
you can always use them, or maybe a nice little blanket.
Speaker 5 (03:14):
Huh, I don't know. Gotta be careful about those personal things.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
What do you mean what's personal about a blanket?
Speaker 5 (03:20):
Well, we don't know much about the girl. Aw since
going to marry, she might not need anything.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Excuse me?
Speaker 6 (03:25):
Did you tell me something?
Speaker 4 (03:26):
What's that?
Speaker 6 (03:27):
Could you tell me something? Well?
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Would you want to know? A little girl?
Speaker 6 (03:31):
Since where you come to report about stolen things?
Speaker 4 (03:33):
I know that all depends. Why don't you come on
in and tell us all about it? Huh?
Speaker 6 (03:36):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (03:39):
Like to sit down? A little girl?
Speaker 6 (03:41):
I'm twelve years old. Standford's all right?
Speaker 4 (03:44):
All right? Now? Would you like to tell us what's
been stolen?
Speaker 6 (03:47):
Everything? Everything's been stolen? We came back this morning and
found it that way. Grandpa's awful math.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
Maybe we better get the facts to start with. What's
your name?
Speaker 6 (03:57):
Who's Emory? Janette?
Speaker 5 (03:58):
Jeanette? That's your last name?
Speaker 6 (04:00):
No, Snyder, Ruth, I'm Regina Snyder.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Did you come down here alone? Ruth?
Speaker 6 (04:05):
Yes? Grandpa sent me. He's also mad.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Where do you live with Grandpa. Where's that?
Speaker 6 (04:09):
We're on College Avenue. Grandpa's lake's bothering him arthritis, So
he told me to come down and tell you about it.
Speaker 5 (04:16):
About what man?
Speaker 6 (04:18):
Everything. We came back this morning on the train and
when we got home we found everything was still. It's terrible.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
What do you mean by everything?
Speaker 6 (04:26):
I walked all over here to tell you. I'm thirst
to sir drinking fat in the hall.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Oh, we've got a cool over here. Let me get
to your kapa.
Speaker 6 (04:33):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
You like to drink? Man? Oh? No, thanks, all right,
little lady there you are, thank you very much. Well,
like tell us what it's all about.
Speaker 6 (04:55):
Grandpa and I got back to Los Angeles on the
train this morning, and on the trip back to Indiana
we took a taxicab home from the station. When we
got there, everything was gone. Everything that the rug in
the dining room, yeah, all the furniture, everything bit so
for the chairs, my desk upstairs, the stone. Everything's been stolen.
I want you to find it.
Speaker 5 (05:15):
I mean someone broke in while you were gone and
took all your furniture? Is that what you think?
Speaker 4 (05:19):
You know?
Speaker 6 (05:19):
They did a lock on the back door. It was broken.
They took everything to the dining room rug. That's why
grandpa's home now. He thinks the crooks will be back.
He's sitting on the rug because he says if they
take that, they'll have to take him too well. A
better hurry. Yeah, Grandpa's not very big.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
Nine five am, Bet and I drove little ruth Anne
Snyder back to her home on College Avenue. Was an
old fashioned wooden frame structure of a few doors up
from College Avenue. Whenever it way. Ruth Anne showed us
inside and introduced us to her grandfather, mister John H. Snyder,
aged seventy eight. He told us that a year ago
he and his wife, ruth An's grandmother, had come to
California from Indiana and rented the house on College Avenue.
(06:03):
The grandmother had fallen ill and passed away suddenly three
weeks ago, he and ruth Ann closed the house and
took the body back to Indiana on the train for burial.
On the return that morning, they found the house stripped
of every piece of furniture. We checked room by rome
and listed the missing articles. We put in a call
to latent Fingerprints.
Speaker 5 (06:21):
Do you happen to know the serial numbers? Of your
home appliance as missus Noddy.
Speaker 7 (06:25):
No, sir, I've lived with most of the furniture for
forty years.
Speaker 8 (06:30):
You get to know the thing is jon in forty years.
Speaker 6 (06:32):
I know it was in my room, sergeant, my desk,
my table, I'm sure, the bed, the curtains, I took everything.
Speaker 4 (06:37):
Well, how about the estimated value of the furniture, sir?
What would you say it was worth in Dallas?
Speaker 7 (06:42):
And since I don't know what's a house for of
furniture worth anyone?
Speaker 6 (06:48):
Is?
Speaker 8 (06:48):
Everybody put their own value on their things.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 7 (06:52):
Salad on a dining set, a wedding present, my hug
in the front room table solid too money in their day,
I'm gone.
Speaker 5 (07:02):
Were there any leans against the furniture, sir? How that
did you owe anything on the furniture? I mean there
was no trouble with the finance company or anything like that.
Speaker 8 (07:11):
We didn't even know what the finance company was.
Speaker 7 (07:13):
When the wife and I was married. It was sad enough,
tripp as it was. And Ruthy and me get here.
Speaker 8 (07:20):
This morning and everything's gone. All we are, Ruthie way
the thieves broke in.
Speaker 6 (07:28):
Would just show the officers please spack this way.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Okay, how are you and your grandfather going to make
out here? Ruth?
Speaker 6 (07:37):
Grandpa says, we'll buy two cots for tonight, Army surplus
smooth stove to cook on. We'll have to eat out.
Maybe we'll have to go back to Indiana. Grandpa doesn't
have much money. He's on a pension. Here's the back door.
See what they did to get in.
Speaker 5 (07:56):
You must use the hammer and a crowbar smashed the
planes through.
Speaker 6 (08:00):
You'll find the crooks, won't you start?
Speaker 4 (08:02):
We're gonna try, Ruth. Better have the crime lab checked this, hir.
Speaker 9 (08:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
How about your neighbors, Ruth? You know im well?
Speaker 6 (08:08):
I know who they are. I don't know any of
them good. They're not very friendly.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
We'd like to ask you and your grandfather a few
more questions. Ruth.
Speaker 6 (08:15):
All right, I don't know what I'm going to do
when school starts. I stole all my stuff, even my
composition tabs. I didn't have to take those.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
What's greatty in, Ruth.
Speaker 6 (08:27):
I was in age seven. I'll be in the baight.
Why did they take my school things?
Speaker 4 (08:32):
I don't know?
Speaker 8 (08:33):
You see how they got in back there?
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Yes, sir, we did. By any chance, did any of
your neighbors know that you and ruth here were going away.
Speaker 8 (08:40):
Why I didn't mention it?
Speaker 5 (08:42):
No, then, no one kept now in your house while
you were gone.
Speaker 8 (08:45):
No, I didn't think it was necessary.
Speaker 6 (08:48):
I just remember Grandpa. Missus Murton, I told her we
were going away.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Who's that roof?
Speaker 6 (08:54):
She runs a store down at the Corner's bird Store.
She stills canaries, other kinds of birds too. Missus Murten's
are named.
Speaker 5 (09:01):
You figure she's the only one who knew you'd be
going from the house, or some time must have been
the only one.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
All Right, mister Snyder, we'll be back to see you
later on. Here's our card. We'll see if we can't
do something to help you out. Here.
Speaker 9 (09:14):
Let's see here Friday mirror burglary detail. All right, thank
you boy. Ruthie'll show you to the door.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
Oh oh site there, Yes.
Speaker 7 (09:34):
Sir, Yes, you understand. But I'd like to apologize anyway.
I just couldn't do it.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
What's that, sir?
Speaker 8 (09:41):
Offer you?
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Chair? Ten thirty am, Ben and I call the Salvation
Army and told them the Snyder's situation. And then we
went down the street to the store at the corner
of Cooley Javenue and ever Way. The sign on the
window said Missus Merton's bird land manager Agnes Murton. We
tried the door was locked. Cardboard clock hanging on the
(10:05):
glass door read be back at one pm. So we
went back up to Collige Avenue and we started ringing doorbells.
Some of the residents on the block didn't even know
the Snyders. Of those that did, only two had noticed
any activity at the house during the three weeks mister
Snyder and his granddaughter had been away. They told us
that they'd seen a moving van park in front of
the house about a week before. They also saw a
(10:25):
man moving furniture from the house into the van. Neither
of the two could describe the vehicle or remember its
license number. Twelve forty five pm. We had a cup
of coffee and a hamburger, and then we headed back
for Missus Merton's bird store. Yes, ma'am, police officers have
(10:47):
a few questions.
Speaker 5 (10:48):
For you, something about free No, ma'am, but one of
your neighbors, Oh, the Snyders. I lived just at the
street front.
Speaker 6 (10:55):
Oh, yes, old couple. Cool Mister Snyder passed away, you
know a few weeks ago.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Yes, Maam, we knew.
Speaker 6 (11:00):
Well, they have a wonderful granddaughter, Ruthy. She and I
are getting to be great friends. The Snyder's having some
kind of trouble.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
We're investigating a burglary at their ass.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Oh was that?
Speaker 10 (11:09):
Now?
Speaker 4 (11:09):
You'll be flat?
Speaker 7 (11:10):
Mary?
Speaker 6 (11:11):
You heard what I told Blackie. Just eat your food
and't be flat.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
I guess you knew the Snyders had been away for
the last few weeks.
Speaker 6 (11:17):
Yes, I did, but they're back. I saw Ruthy pass
the window this morning.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
Have you noticed any activity around the Snyder's house since
you've been gone?
Speaker 6 (11:23):
Yes, I did.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Just what you noticed, Mss Murphy.
Speaker 6 (11:26):
Well, it was seven or eight days ago. I think
some white moving trucks stopped and tried their placing. The
two men started moving out to Snyder's furniture. Huh. It
was a little strange because Ruthy hadn't told me anything
about moving. In fact, she said definitely, she and her
grandpa were coming back after poor missus Snyder's funeral in Indiana.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
Did you investigate it all? Man?
Speaker 6 (11:47):
That's what was that you? Fred? Yes, you ought to
be ashamed. You can see I'm Busy's another outburst like
that and all three of them, Fred, Blackie, Mary, I'll
take care of you.
Speaker 5 (12:01):
Oh what was I You saw the moving van front
of the Snyders.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (12:04):
Yes, and I went up to the moving man and
asked them if the Snyders were going back to Indiana. Well,
of course they didn't know.
Speaker 5 (12:11):
Anything about it.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
Did you inquire at the Snyder's house?
Speaker 6 (12:14):
Well, no, it so happened. I didn't. I was on
my way to one of the big avi areas in
the valley and I just didn't have time to stop.
Speaker 5 (12:19):
How about the moving vans? You happen to notice the license?
Speaker 6 (12:22):
I don't remember the numbers, any.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
Identifying marks about the truck? You might remember maybe a
sign on the side.
Speaker 6 (12:27):
Yes, the side of the truck was painted white and
there was large blue lettering on it. Van and Storage
It said, I remember that much?
Speaker 5 (12:34):
That all?
Speaker 6 (12:35):
Well? Yes, as I said, I was in a hurry.
I had to pick up three sick canaries out in
the valley.
Speaker 5 (12:39):
Is there anything else about the internet? You can remember
anything at all?
Speaker 6 (12:44):
No, I'm afraid not.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Well, thank you very much, missus Merton. Here's our card
if you happen to come across any further information.
Speaker 6 (12:51):
Yes, all right, I'll have to go see the Snyders.
Maybe I can help.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Fine, goodbye, ma'am, thank you very much, Yes, goodbye.
Speaker 5 (13:05):
Yeah, not much help there, not much. Give me an
idea though, waiting prison for the Austins. Yeah, maybe a
couple of canaries in a nice cage. Five PM we
went back to the office. Reports had come in from
two more victims that night. Ben and I drove out
(13:27):
to interview them.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
The circumstances of the theft and the mo of the
criminals matched identically with the Snyder case. Both of the
families victimized had gone off on vacations and neglected to
notify either the neighbors or the patrolmen in their area.
Both had allowed daily newspapers to collect on their doorsteps
in their absence, and otherwise left signs that their homes
were bacon. In both cases, the thieves had forced an
(13:48):
entrance through a back door or a window, stripped the
house of every last piece of furniture, and either hauled
away themselves or hired somebody to do it for them.
We started canvassing the two areas where the crimes had
been reported. Again, the neighbors saw the moving vans, but
none were able to definitely identify the vehicles or their
license numbers. Captain Pultman called us into his office.
Speaker 11 (14:06):
You're gonna have to try harder. I know they're hard
to get, but get them, get them fast.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
Is that about everything we can so farce give only
one small lead. The thieves seemed to be using a
different moving van on each job. We started to check
of the movers around town, the transfer companies, laden friends
come up with anything?
Speaker 11 (14:22):
Yet, no no luck there allows the rackety vat since
I came on this detailed whole house was of furniture,
everything of family owns.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
We'll stay on top of it. The Stat's office may
come up with something.
Speaker 11 (14:33):
How about an outlet for all that stuff? It's been
still lon thieves can't be sitting on it.
Speaker 5 (14:36):
Foreign shopping, second hand details been alerted.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
They're checking regular outlets, auction house, a second hand place.
There's nothing yet.
Speaker 11 (14:42):
What about some kind of preventive idea at least saw
them down.
Speaker 5 (14:45):
Good dose of publicity on the whole thing with hell,
if only people wouldn't give it a secret when they're
going away. Neighbors aren't alerted. That's why a lot of
them didn't think much of it when they saw the
moving vans, parts, throes out.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
Drawn blinds, and the newspapers on the doorsteps didn't help
much either. It's an open end.
Speaker 11 (15:00):
Well, I'll see what we can do on the publicity.
And we've had one campaign on this already. Now excuse me.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
Regularly, Captain Holton.
Speaker 11 (15:12):
What's the address? Okay, I got it, thank you. There
you go, another one.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
M hm, sixty three hours, just.
Speaker 11 (15:20):
Call it in the family. Back from vacation. Furniture all gone.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
Here's your dress here, thank you.
Speaker 11 (15:24):
Gotta get on it right away, let's go. I'll have
a little more help for you on this tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
Crowley and Barnes will be free.
Speaker 11 (15:30):
They can work with you.
Speaker 5 (15:30):
Okay, giving check you later.
Speaker 6 (15:38):
Sergeant Friday, remember me, don't you, Missus Burton?
Speaker 4 (15:41):
Oh sure, the bird story? Yes, whim?
Speaker 6 (15:43):
How are you? They told me to wait here? I
guess everything will be all right now. I saw it
today on Olive Street. Here the truck became to Snyder's house.
That's the license number.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
You are listening to Dragnet.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
Tuesday, August eleventh, six pm. The license number which Missus
Merton had given us was checked through DMV. We found
that the truck was registered in the name of a
local secondhand furniture dealer by the name of Ralph Grismore.
We checked his name through the Police Commission and then
the Eye Bureau. He had a good reputation, no criminal record.
Early the next morning we picked up mister Snyder and
his granddaughter Ruth, and we drove to Grismore, a second
(16:31):
hand furniture store. We identified ourselves and asked to look
at his bybook. Under the date of July twenty seventh,
Grismore had recorded the purchase of more than three dozen
articles of furniture from a house on College Avenue. The
address was that of the Snyders Men.
Speaker 12 (16:45):
And Women's sigest. They said they'd sold their house and
there going east Man said the company worked for a
transferred him to Boston, told me how to get back
to take always new job.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
Would you recognize the people if you saw him again, Grismore.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
I think so.
Speaker 12 (16:56):
A woman was a great talker.
Speaker 8 (16:58):
She said.
Speaker 12 (16:58):
They figured on selling stuff piece by piece that get more,
but since they had to leave town the next day,
she decided to sell a whole lot.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
To a dealer. You got the furniture for a pretty
low price. Didn't she a.
Speaker 12 (17:08):
Pretty good price. Yeah, that's why I went along in
the fast deal. Wasn't going to talk myself out of
a bargain. They wanted to sell fast.
Speaker 11 (17:14):
I want to buy.
Speaker 8 (17:15):
I don't think anything was wrong.
Speaker 7 (17:16):
Sergeant, Yeah, missus Snader, I well, in a dining room
sets that's it.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
Right over there is sher, Miss snap.
Speaker 8 (17:23):
Cigar Burne on top, just above one of the legs.
Know it anywhere? Seems to me that time I hugging
the stable.
Speaker 6 (17:29):
I'll look, sergeant at the table. My best hear the
all right here we schools too, all right?
Speaker 4 (17:35):
They sure stuck me.
Speaker 11 (17:36):
All right, that's the last fast deal, I e.
Speaker 5 (17:38):
I mean, how did they CONTACTI chrismore? What kind of approach?
Speaker 12 (17:42):
Did they call me on the phone? And I came
out and gave him appraisal alund of stuff. Nothing suspicious
about either the man or the woman.
Speaker 4 (17:48):
That's so.
Speaker 12 (17:49):
She was in a house dress and then around her head.
The guy was in old clothes, just as home as
you please, look like he was doing a little repair
work around the house.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
You know, you noticed that they had a car park
with a house or as.
Speaker 12 (18:00):
A matter of fact, I didn't it wasn't any in
the driveway.
Speaker 5 (18:04):
No argument over the price you offered him for the furniture.
Speaker 12 (18:06):
You know, I seemed to hesitate a little, but they
took my first offer. I thought I had a good deal.
Speaker 6 (18:11):
I know.
Speaker 5 (18:12):
How'd they react after you agreed on the price, didn't it?
Speaker 12 (18:14):
Hurry said they had to boil the train that night
for Boston. They asked me to get the furniture out
right away. The woman said they had other business to
wind up. So if they weren't at the house when
I came back with the van, why she leave the
back door open for me?
Speaker 4 (18:28):
I guess you realized they were going to have to
place a hole on this furniture that you bought.
Speaker 8 (18:32):
I know I had no I didn't blame but myself.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
You gave this man a woman a check for the
full amount of the sale. Is that right, Chrismer?
Speaker 11 (18:38):
Five hundred and fifty dollars down the drain?
Speaker 5 (18:41):
Do you have the cancer check?
Speaker 6 (18:43):
No?
Speaker 12 (18:43):
Not yet. If you like, you'll probably get it from
the bank. Don't imagine those crooks would waste any time
cashing it.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
And I would appreciate it if you'd run down the
bank with us.
Speaker 7 (18:51):
Now, okay, sir, sergeant. Could I speak with mister Grismore
so missus Nudding and mister Grismer. Yes, sir, I'm sorry
about all this.
Speaker 8 (19:01):
I didn't know.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
I understand, sir.
Speaker 7 (19:05):
You buy furniture, don't you, Your sir? What could you
give me for two army surplus cuts?
Speaker 4 (19:14):
Gwismore made arrangements round up mister Snyder's furniture and shipped
it back to his home. Then we took him down
to his bank, where he recovered the canceled check for
five hundred and fifty dollars. The endorsement read mister Thomas Butterworth.
According to the bank teller who waited on them, the
suspects had cast the check shortly after the sale of
the Snyder's furniture. From the second hand dealer and the
clerk at the bank, we got a complete description of
(19:34):
the man and woman known as mister and Missus Butterworth.
We also had photostatic copies made of the check and
specimens of the handwriting from the endorsement. From the descriptions,
we checked the suspects through the stats office. We got nowhere.
During the next two weeks we found six more second
hand dealers who had been taken in on the same
furniture deal. The description of the man and woman matched,
and so did the handwriting and the endorsements. On each check.
(19:55):
There was only one variation. The couple went under a
different name on each occasion. Wednesday, August twenty six nine,
am uestas like this today? That right? That's it?
Speaker 5 (20:04):
Captain got the description. M all handwriting still can't reaching us.
Speaker 11 (20:08):
Thieves have been free wheeling for a month. Now, what's
going to take to stop? And?
Speaker 4 (20:11):
Oh, Ben came up with a pretty good idea this morning.
We'd like to talk it over with you.
Speaker 5 (20:14):
Oh what's that kind of a system of decoys, skipper.
We were thinking it might be a good idea to
contact all the division captains and have them ask their
men if they have any neighbors going on vacation.
Speaker 11 (20:24):
Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 5 (20:25):
Well, we've got a few dozen houses spot around the city.
We could plant a few things make them look obviously vacant.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
We keep the houses covered at all times to make
pretty good bait for those thieves. How would you set
it up?
Speaker 5 (20:37):
We could make arrangements to get a key to each home,
keep the milk and paper delivers coming. Let them pile
up on the doorstep. We could reimburse the people for
whatever it cast.
Speaker 4 (20:47):
We're not making any headway. We could run this for
a couple of weeks to what happens. What do you
think try it? Nine thirty am we contacted all division commanders,
request them to ask their men to contact Burglery Detail
if they knew of any of their neighbors about to
leave on a vacation. During the next two days, the
(21:07):
response came in and the plan went into effect. Forty
homes throughout the city were spotted as decoys. They were
kept under surveillance at all times. In the week that followed,
two more burglaries are the same type were reported, but
the suspects failed to try any of the decoy homes.
The men in the pawn shop and second hand details
continued to work right along with us. The stolen furniture
kept turning up, but not the thieves. Again. The homes
(21:29):
that had been broken into displayed all the usual signs
if the occupants were away, old circulars and newspapers scattered
on the lawn, milk bottles lanned up at the door,
all the blinds drawn. The decoy plan continued no results.
August thirty first, we had a report of another burglery
involving the theft of furniture. We made our investigation. Two pm.
We went back to the office to get out a
list of stolen articles.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
Hi man, thank Joe, Hi Austin. When'd you get back
from your honeymoon.
Speaker 13 (21:56):
Late last night? So they tell them, And I'd sure
like to thank you. Call you fellas for that wedding
present you sent us. Darn nice of you.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
We're over glad you liked at Austin.
Speaker 13 (22:05):
Sure a beauty. I'd like to ask you a question
about it, though, I hope you won't take it wrong.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
Oh, go ahead, Well what is it? You've got an
early American house, haven't you. Yeah, that's right, it's an antique. Yeah,
it's an Apple theater on the first ever built. Oh sure,
thanks a lot.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
I get it up Burglary Friday, Yeah, where right away? Thanks?
One of the decoy houses, Yeah, we got a bite.
Together with Sergeants Crowley and Austin, we drove out to
the decoy house where an unidentified man and a woman
had been seen forcing entry through a back door. They
(22:47):
had been spotted by a police officer's wife who lived
next door and who had called in the report. We
parked down the street from the decoy home and waited.
Five minutes past we saw women dressed in a house
coat come out onto the porch of the house, look
up and down the street, and then go back inside.
A few minutes after that, a great Chevrolet Sadan pulled
up in front of the house. A man in a
dark suit got out and entered through the front door.
(23:07):
Ben called communications for a make on the car.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
Eighty K to control four eight okay to control four
request DMV on six Mary six seven seven may repeat
six M sixty seven seven may information urgent.
Speaker 14 (23:28):
Roger eighty K.
Speaker 4 (23:31):
We waited. There were no signs of activity from the
decoy house. Two minutes after Ben put in the call,
we got our make on the gray sedan.
Speaker 5 (23:40):
Control for eighty K eighty K go ahead.
Speaker 14 (23:45):
Six Mary six seven seven eight six M sixty seven
seven eight is registered to the Donahole Furniture Company, legal
the same seven eight one one Harvard Boulevard. It is
the Chevrolet de Lucks two doors of Dan nineteen forty
one model engine number the six D A four four.
Speaker 15 (24:04):
One four eighty K, Roger M A three six seven
A few minutes after the call back, a moving van
drove down the street and backed into the driveway at
the decoy house.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
The sign on the side of the van read Donahoe
Furniture Company. Two men got out, went up to the
front door and were let in. They came out in
a couple of minutes and loaded the sofa into the
moving van. Okay, probably in Austin, get the sign any time.
That's good. Hey, you would probably want to cover the
(24:36):
back Austin.
Speaker 8 (24:36):
Right, let's go crowd.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
Monday.
Speaker 5 (24:51):
Yuh see, you want something?
Speaker 4 (24:52):
Police officers like these then steal you Austin trolley got her?
Speaker 6 (24:58):
All right?
Speaker 5 (24:58):
Hold stale, mister, what's this all about?
Speaker 4 (25:02):
You cops? That's right you thanks, donah I'm buying this
lot of furniture something the matter. You're buying from the
wrong people, are not the owners. You better have your
men move that stuff back in the house. Okay, you
say something?
Speaker 5 (25:13):
All right, let me be relaxed.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
Take it easy, Helen.
Speaker 11 (25:17):
There's no use fighting.
Speaker 4 (25:18):
They got us.
Speaker 6 (25:19):
I told you luck doesn't last forever.
Speaker 8 (25:21):
Okay, all right, don't make it worse.
Speaker 4 (25:23):
All right, let's go.
Speaker 5 (25:24):
I'll take you better fix your sure. Yeah, come on, man,
it's the matter with your shirt, Austin.
Speaker 11 (25:34):
Look, it needs to happen. And she tried to get away.
Speaker 16 (25:37):
You know, let's stick all over the car there. Doesn't
look very good, doesn't What are you gonna tell your
new bride? I got nothing to high and I'll tell
her the truth. Yeah, she will believe me, won't she.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
The story you just heard was true, only the names
were cha used to protect big innocent.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
On November twenty fifth, trial was held in Superior Court,
Department eighty seven, City and County of Los Angeles, State
of California. In a moment the results of that trial and.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
Now here is our star, Jack Webb, thank you. Under
our system of law, the jury selected the here A
cases accorded complete freedom. The jury's decision is the final
result of the testimony and evidence presented in the course
of the trial.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
The suspects were identified as mister and Missus Thomas Dunbar.
They were arraigned on fifteen counts of burglary and tried
and found guilty on all counts. They are now serving
their terms in the state penitentiary. You have just heard Dragnet,
a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice
(26:52):
came from the office of Chief of Police W. H. Parker,
Los Angeles Police Department. Coming up, Duffy's Tavern, Bob Hope
returns October third on NBC.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Welcome Back. First of all, I have to say that I,
just like Friday and Romero, have no idea why they
keep getting put in charge of buying wedding gifts for
other detectives, unless it's the fact that the detectives who
got married and got a gift from them figure everyone
else ought to have to suffer an apple peeler. Really,
(27:53):
I mean they pulled their money for this present, and
then again, wedding gifts may have been more stereotypically useless
before most couples started to go to registries. As to
the case itself, it's a great example of an episode
that does more than entertain, but it also helps the
(28:15):
police in educating the public to prevent crime. Because Dragnet
isn't a show that like most other series focused on homicide,
which most of us aren't going to deal with, Dragnet
could educate its audience about all types of crimes and
their prevention. This sad case provides some great best practices
(28:37):
for vacationing homeowners and also the owners of second hand
stores and illustrating why making an exception in cutting corners
is a really bad idea. Well, listener comments and feedback,
and we go over to YouTube and we have some
comments regarding a specific character in the episode The Big Check.
(29:02):
Betsy writes, no wonder Joe stayed a bachelor with that mother,
and Matt g writes that old bird sounds tired all over.
Gee whiz, I try to bounce out of that pad
a sap. Well, thank you so much, appreciate you taking
the time to comment. In terms of blaming Joe's mother,
(29:24):
I won't get into the psychology of it because I'm
not qualified, But one thing I will say is that
Joe's mother, played by the great Peggy Weber, was actually
written out of the series with a subtle line with
Joe being asked if he had gotten a letter from
his mother and him mentioning that his mother had moved
(29:48):
back east. That was in nineteen fifty two or fifty three,
and that was because Peggy Weber was in her mid
twenties and and not work in the TV series. Now,
Joe Friday remains single throughout the rest of the nineteen
(30:08):
fifties TV series, which ended Your Call in nineteen fifty nine,
some six years after Mom Friday was out of the picture.
So while parents can definitely set you on, of course,
I tend to think that as an adult, you really
(30:28):
do need to proactively make choices as to how you're
going to live your life. And Joe Friday did that.
I think that, truth being known, He's just married to
his job and I couldn't imagine him getting into a
serious romantic relationship. So whatever you think of Mom Friday,
(30:51):
I can't really blame her for Joe not ever getting married.
All right, well, now it is time to think our
Patreons the day, and I want to thank Michael, Patreon
supporter since August twenty sixteen, currently supporting the podcast at
the Shawmas level of four dollars or more per month.
Thank you so much for your support, Michael, and that
(31:13):
will actually do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast,
please follow us using your favorite podcast software, And if
you're enjoying the podcast on YouTube, be sure to lock
the video, subscribe to the channel, and mark the notification bell,
all those great things that help YouTube channels to grow.
We'll be back next Saturday with another episode of Dragnet,
(31:37):
and tomorrow we will be back with an encore from
several years ago, and resume your regular lineup on Monday
with an episode of The Falcon Wear.
Speaker 10 (31:49):
If you could find out anything about a mister Richard
or a mister Inshaw, well, that's what I don't know.
But from the way that we behaved yesterday morning, I
suspected that something is going on. And mister Riddard folled
the house. I couldn't make out much of the conversation,
except that Louis said that mister Riddard still wasn't talking
loud enough and he couldn't hear him, and he said
(32:10):
it was too late anyway, because Earnshaw already spoke English.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
Oh that's a great conversation.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
And you don't know who either of these men are
you I never mentioned it before.
Speaker 4 (32:19):
Is there anyone who might know them?
Speaker 10 (32:21):
Well, the only one I can think of is my
husband's assistant, Pete Kerns. But the police asked him about them,
and he came he.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Didn't know thee Oh maybe I'll have better luck by
the way, missus Breddy, And what did your husband and
Kerns do?
Speaker 10 (32:33):
They had a little art studio. They made silk screen
reproductions and etching things like that. But I always had
an idea they were doing something else too, only I
never could find out what it was.
Speaker 2 (32:44):
Just goes to show man shouldn't keep secrets from his wife.
It's dangerous.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
How if you'll be with us then in the meantime,
send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot nat,
follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us
out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com slash Great Detectives from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.
Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
going to bring you this week's episode of drag Nap.
If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your
favorite podcast software, and today's program is brought to you
in part by the financial support of our listeners. You
(00:51):
can support the show on a one time basis by
mailing a donation to Adam Graham Pielbox one PIP nine
one three that's Peelbox one nine thirteen Boise Ataho eight
three seven one five, and you can become one of
our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little ass two dollars
per month that Patreon dot Great Detectives dot neck. But now,
(01:13):
from September twenty first, nineteen fifty, here's the big pair.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
The story you are about to hear is true, only
the names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're
a detective sergeant. You're assigned to burglary detail. Unidentified thieves
(01:48):
start a campaign of burglaries in your city. Homes are
broken into and stripped of their furnishings. There's no lead
on the criminals. Your job. Get them.
Speaker 3 (02:07):
Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime. For the
next thirty 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 from official police files,
from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is
the story of your police force in action.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
It was Monday, August third. It was warm in Los Angeles.
We're working a day watch out of burglary detail. My
partner's Ben Romero. The boss's Thad Brown, Chief of Detectives.
My name is Friday. I was on the way back
from the business office and it was nine to twenty
five am when I got through forty five burglary detail.
Speaker 5 (02:46):
You get all the mine together, Joe, Yeah.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
Dollar from each man in the detail. We got to
buy the gift.
Speaker 5 (02:51):
When's Austin going to get married next Sunday? You haven't
got too much time. We always have to bick out
the gift.
Speaker 4 (02:57):
Somebody has to do it. We got any ideas what
we got to get them to?
Speaker 5 (03:00):
My wife over the weekend. She thinks she'd be nice.
We get him something to start housekeeping with, maybe some
nice kitchen table, lamp, yeah.
Speaker 4 (03:07):
I don't know if we have enough to do for
a good lamp. But maybe they might like a bedspread
you can always use them, or maybe a nice little blanket.
Speaker 5 (03:14):
Huh, I don't know. Gotta be careful about those personal things.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
What do you mean what's personal about a blanket?
Speaker 5 (03:20):
Well, we don't know much about the girl. Aw since
going to marry, she might not need anything.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Excuse me?
Speaker 6 (03:25):
Did you tell me something?
Speaker 4 (03:26):
What's that?
Speaker 6 (03:27):
Could you tell me something? Well?
Speaker 4 (03:29):
Would you want to know? A little girl?
Speaker 6 (03:31):
Since where you come to report about stolen things?
Speaker 4 (03:33):
I know that all depends. Why don't you come on
in and tell us all about it? Huh?
Speaker 6 (03:36):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (03:39):
Like to sit down? A little girl?
Speaker 6 (03:41):
I'm twelve years old. Standford's all right?
Speaker 4 (03:44):
All right? Now? Would you like to tell us what's
been stolen?
Speaker 6 (03:47):
Everything? Everything's been stolen? We came back this morning and
found it that way. Grandpa's awful math.
Speaker 4 (03:54):
Maybe we better get the facts to start with. What's
your name?
Speaker 6 (03:57):
Who's Emory? Janette?
Speaker 5 (03:58):
Jeanette? That's your last name?
Speaker 6 (04:00):
No, Snyder, Ruth, I'm Regina Snyder.
Speaker 4 (04:03):
Did you come down here alone? Ruth?
Speaker 6 (04:05):
Yes? Grandpa sent me. He's also mad.
Speaker 4 (04:07):
Where do you live with Grandpa. Where's that?
Speaker 6 (04:09):
We're on College Avenue. Grandpa's lake's bothering him arthritis, So
he told me to come down and tell you about it.
Speaker 5 (04:16):
About what man?
Speaker 6 (04:18):
Everything. We came back this morning on the train and
when we got home we found everything was still. It's terrible.
Speaker 5 (04:23):
What do you mean by everything?
Speaker 6 (04:26):
I walked all over here to tell you. I'm thirst
to sir drinking fat in the hall.
Speaker 4 (04:30):
Oh, we've got a cool over here. Let me get
to your kapa.
Speaker 6 (04:33):
Thank you.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
You like to drink? Man? Oh? No, thanks, all right,
little lady there you are, thank you very much. Well,
like tell us what it's all about.
Speaker 6 (04:55):
Grandpa and I got back to Los Angeles on the
train this morning, and on the trip back to Indiana
we took a taxicab home from the station. When we
got there, everything was gone. Everything that the rug in
the dining room, yeah, all the furniture, everything bit so
for the chairs, my desk upstairs, the stone. Everything's been stolen.
I want you to find it.
Speaker 5 (05:15):
I mean someone broke in while you were gone and
took all your furniture? Is that what you think?
Speaker 4 (05:19):
You know?
Speaker 6 (05:19):
They did a lock on the back door. It was broken.
They took everything to the dining room rug. That's why
grandpa's home now. He thinks the crooks will be back.
He's sitting on the rug because he says if they
take that, they'll have to take him too well. A
better hurry. Yeah, Grandpa's not very big.
Speaker 4 (05:40):
Nine five am, Bet and I drove little ruth Anne
Snyder back to her home on College Avenue. Was an
old fashioned wooden frame structure of a few doors up
from College Avenue. Whenever it way. Ruth Anne showed us
inside and introduced us to her grandfather, mister John H. Snyder,
aged seventy eight. He told us that a year ago
he and his wife, ruth An's grandmother, had come to
California from Indiana and rented the house on College Avenue.
(06:03):
The grandmother had fallen ill and passed away suddenly three
weeks ago, he and ruth Ann closed the house and
took the body back to Indiana on the train for burial.
On the return that morning, they found the house stripped
of every piece of furniture. We checked room by rome
and listed the missing articles. We put in a call
to latent Fingerprints.
Speaker 5 (06:21):
Do you happen to know the serial numbers? Of your
home appliance as missus Noddy.
Speaker 7 (06:25):
No, sir, I've lived with most of the furniture for
forty years.
Speaker 8 (06:30):
You get to know the thing is jon in forty years.
Speaker 6 (06:32):
I know it was in my room, sergeant, my desk,
my table, I'm sure, the bed, the curtains, I took everything.
Speaker 4 (06:37):
Well, how about the estimated value of the furniture, sir?
What would you say it was worth in Dallas?
Speaker 7 (06:42):
And since I don't know what's a house for of
furniture worth anyone?
Speaker 6 (06:48):
Is?
Speaker 8 (06:48):
Everybody put their own value on their things.
Speaker 4 (06:50):
Yes, I do.
Speaker 7 (06:52):
Salad on a dining set, a wedding present, my hug
in the front room table solid too money in their day,
I'm gone.
Speaker 5 (07:02):
Were there any leans against the furniture, sir? How that
did you owe anything on the furniture? I mean there
was no trouble with the finance company or anything like that.
Speaker 8 (07:11):
We didn't even know what the finance company was.
Speaker 7 (07:13):
When the wife and I was married. It was sad enough,
tripp as it was. And Ruthy and me get here.
Speaker 8 (07:20):
This morning and everything's gone. All we are, Ruthie way
the thieves broke in.
Speaker 6 (07:28):
Would just show the officers please spack this way.
Speaker 4 (07:30):
Okay, how are you and your grandfather going to make
out here? Ruth?
Speaker 6 (07:37):
Grandpa says, we'll buy two cots for tonight, Army surplus
smooth stove to cook on. We'll have to eat out.
Maybe we'll have to go back to Indiana. Grandpa doesn't
have much money. He's on a pension. Here's the back door.
See what they did to get in.
Speaker 5 (07:56):
You must use the hammer and a crowbar smashed the
planes through.
Speaker 6 (08:00):
You'll find the crooks, won't you start?
Speaker 4 (08:02):
We're gonna try, Ruth. Better have the crime lab checked this, hir.
Speaker 9 (08:05):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (08:05):
How about your neighbors, Ruth? You know im well?
Speaker 6 (08:08):
I know who they are. I don't know any of
them good. They're not very friendly.
Speaker 4 (08:12):
We'd like to ask you and your grandfather a few
more questions. Ruth.
Speaker 6 (08:15):
All right, I don't know what I'm going to do
when school starts. I stole all my stuff, even my
composition tabs. I didn't have to take those.
Speaker 5 (08:25):
What's greatty in, Ruth.
Speaker 6 (08:27):
I was in age seven. I'll be in the baight.
Why did they take my school things?
Speaker 4 (08:32):
I don't know?
Speaker 8 (08:33):
You see how they got in back there?
Speaker 4 (08:35):
Yes, sir, we did. By any chance, did any of
your neighbors know that you and ruth here were going away.
Speaker 8 (08:40):
Why I didn't mention it?
Speaker 5 (08:42):
No, then, no one kept now in your house while
you were gone.
Speaker 8 (08:45):
No, I didn't think it was necessary.
Speaker 6 (08:48):
I just remember Grandpa. Missus Murton, I told her we
were going away.
Speaker 4 (08:52):
Who's that roof?
Speaker 6 (08:54):
She runs a store down at the Corner's bird Store.
She stills canaries, other kinds of birds too. Missus Murten's
are named.
Speaker 5 (09:01):
You figure she's the only one who knew you'd be
going from the house, or some time must have been
the only one.
Speaker 4 (09:07):
All Right, mister Snyder, we'll be back to see you
later on. Here's our card. We'll see if we can't
do something to help you out. Here.
Speaker 9 (09:14):
Let's see here Friday mirror burglary detail. All right, thank
you boy. Ruthie'll show you to the door.
Speaker 4 (09:33):
Oh oh site there, Yes.
Speaker 7 (09:34):
Sir, Yes, you understand. But I'd like to apologize anyway.
I just couldn't do it.
Speaker 4 (09:40):
What's that, sir?
Speaker 8 (09:41):
Offer you?
Speaker 4 (09:42):
Chair? Ten thirty am, Ben and I call the Salvation
Army and told them the Snyder's situation. And then we
went down the street to the store at the corner
of Cooley Javenue and ever Way. The sign on the
window said Missus Merton's bird land manager Agnes Murton. We
tried the door was locked. Cardboard clock hanging on the
(10:05):
glass door read be back at one pm. So we
went back up to Collige Avenue and we started ringing doorbells.
Some of the residents on the block didn't even know
the Snyders. Of those that did, only two had noticed
any activity at the house during the three weeks mister
Snyder and his granddaughter had been away. They told us
that they'd seen a moving van park in front of
the house about a week before. They also saw a
(10:25):
man moving furniture from the house into the van. Neither
of the two could describe the vehicle or remember its
license number. Twelve forty five pm. We had a cup
of coffee and a hamburger, and then we headed back
for Missus Merton's bird store. Yes, ma'am, police officers have
(10:47):
a few questions.
Speaker 5 (10:48):
For you, something about free No, ma'am, but one of
your neighbors, Oh, the Snyders. I lived just at the
street front.
Speaker 6 (10:55):
Oh, yes, old couple. Cool Mister Snyder passed away, you
know a few weeks ago.
Speaker 4 (10:58):
Yes, Maam, we knew.
Speaker 6 (11:00):
Well, they have a wonderful granddaughter, Ruthy. She and I
are getting to be great friends. The Snyder's having some
kind of trouble.
Speaker 5 (11:05):
We're investigating a burglary at their ass.
Speaker 4 (11:08):
Oh was that?
Speaker 10 (11:09):
Now?
Speaker 4 (11:09):
You'll be flat?
Speaker 7 (11:10):
Mary?
Speaker 6 (11:11):
You heard what I told Blackie. Just eat your food
and't be flat.
Speaker 4 (11:14):
I guess you knew the Snyders had been away for
the last few weeks.
Speaker 6 (11:17):
Yes, I did, but they're back. I saw Ruthy pass
the window this morning.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
Have you noticed any activity around the Snyder's house since
you've been gone?
Speaker 6 (11:23):
Yes, I did.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Just what you noticed, Mss Murphy.
Speaker 6 (11:26):
Well, it was seven or eight days ago. I think
some white moving trucks stopped and tried their placing. The
two men started moving out to Snyder's furniture. Huh. It
was a little strange because Ruthy hadn't told me anything
about moving. In fact, she said definitely, she and her
grandpa were coming back after poor missus Snyder's funeral in Indiana.
Speaker 4 (11:45):
Did you investigate it all? Man?
Speaker 6 (11:47):
That's what was that you? Fred? Yes, you ought to
be ashamed. You can see I'm Busy's another outburst like
that and all three of them, Fred, Blackie, Mary, I'll
take care of you.
Speaker 5 (12:01):
Oh what was I You saw the moving van front
of the Snyders.
Speaker 4 (12:04):
Oh?
Speaker 6 (12:04):
Yes, and I went up to the moving man and
asked them if the Snyders were going back to Indiana. Well,
of course they didn't know.
Speaker 5 (12:11):
Anything about it.
Speaker 4 (12:12):
Did you inquire at the Snyder's house?
Speaker 6 (12:14):
Well, no, it so happened. I didn't. I was on
my way to one of the big avi areas in
the valley and I just didn't have time to stop.
Speaker 5 (12:19):
How about the moving vans? You happen to notice the license?
Speaker 6 (12:22):
I don't remember the numbers, any.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
Identifying marks about the truck? You might remember maybe a
sign on the side.
Speaker 6 (12:27):
Yes, the side of the truck was painted white and
there was large blue lettering on it. Van and Storage
It said, I remember that much?
Speaker 5 (12:34):
That all?
Speaker 6 (12:35):
Well? Yes, as I said, I was in a hurry.
I had to pick up three sick canaries out in
the valley.
Speaker 5 (12:39):
Is there anything else about the internet? You can remember
anything at all?
Speaker 6 (12:44):
No, I'm afraid not.
Speaker 4 (12:46):
Well, thank you very much, missus Merton. Here's our card
if you happen to come across any further information.
Speaker 6 (12:51):
Yes, all right, I'll have to go see the Snyders.
Maybe I can help.
Speaker 4 (12:55):
Fine, goodbye, ma'am, thank you very much, Yes, goodbye.
Speaker 5 (13:05):
Yeah, not much help there, not much. Give me an
idea though, waiting prison for the Austins. Yeah, maybe a
couple of canaries in a nice cage. Five PM we
went back to the office. Reports had come in from
two more victims that night. Ben and I drove out
(13:27):
to interview them.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
The circumstances of the theft and the mo of the
criminals matched identically with the Snyder case. Both of the
families victimized had gone off on vacations and neglected to
notify either the neighbors or the patrolmen in their area.
Both had allowed daily newspapers to collect on their doorsteps
in their absence, and otherwise left signs that their homes
were bacon. In both cases, the thieves had forced an
(13:48):
entrance through a back door or a window, stripped the
house of every last piece of furniture, and either hauled
away themselves or hired somebody to do it for them.
We started canvassing the two areas where the crimes had
been reported. Again, the neighbors saw the moving vans, but
none were able to definitely identify the vehicles or their
license numbers. Captain Pultman called us into his office.
Speaker 11 (14:06):
You're gonna have to try harder. I know they're hard
to get, but get them, get them fast.
Speaker 4 (14:10):
Is that about everything we can so farce give only
one small lead. The thieves seemed to be using a
different moving van on each job. We started to check
of the movers around town, the transfer companies, laden friends
come up with anything?
Speaker 11 (14:22):
Yet, no no luck there allows the rackety vat since
I came on this detailed whole house was of furniture,
everything of family owns.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
We'll stay on top of it. The Stat's office may
come up with something.
Speaker 11 (14:33):
How about an outlet for all that stuff? It's been
still lon thieves can't be sitting on it.
Speaker 5 (14:36):
Foreign shopping, second hand details been alerted.
Speaker 4 (14:39):
They're checking regular outlets, auction house, a second hand place.
There's nothing yet.
Speaker 11 (14:42):
What about some kind of preventive idea at least saw
them down.
Speaker 5 (14:45):
Good dose of publicity on the whole thing with hell,
if only people wouldn't give it a secret when they're
going away. Neighbors aren't alerted. That's why a lot of
them didn't think much of it when they saw the
moving vans, parts, throes out.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
Drawn blinds, and the newspapers on the doorsteps didn't help
much either. It's an open end.
Speaker 11 (15:00):
Well, I'll see what we can do on the publicity.
And we've had one campaign on this already. Now excuse me.
Speaker 4 (15:07):
Regularly, Captain Holton.
Speaker 11 (15:12):
What's the address? Okay, I got it, thank you. There
you go, another one.
Speaker 4 (15:18):
M hm, sixty three hours, just.
Speaker 11 (15:20):
Call it in the family. Back from vacation. Furniture all gone.
Speaker 4 (15:23):
Here's your dress here, thank you.
Speaker 11 (15:24):
Gotta get on it right away, let's go. I'll have
a little more help for you on this tomorrow.
Speaker 4 (15:28):
Crowley and Barnes will be free.
Speaker 11 (15:30):
They can work with you.
Speaker 5 (15:30):
Okay, giving check you later.
Speaker 6 (15:38):
Sergeant Friday, remember me, don't you, Missus Burton?
Speaker 4 (15:41):
Oh sure, the bird story? Yes, whim?
Speaker 6 (15:43):
How are you? They told me to wait here? I
guess everything will be all right now. I saw it
today on Olive Street. Here the truck became to Snyder's house.
That's the license number.
Speaker 3 (16:03):
You are listening to Dragnet.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
Tuesday, August eleventh, six pm. The license number which Missus
Merton had given us was checked through DMV. We found
that the truck was registered in the name of a
local secondhand furniture dealer by the name of Ralph Grismore.
We checked his name through the Police Commission and then
the Eye Bureau. He had a good reputation, no criminal record.
Early the next morning we picked up mister Snyder and
his granddaughter Ruth, and we drove to Grismore, a second
(16:31):
hand furniture store. We identified ourselves and asked to look
at his bybook. Under the date of July twenty seventh,
Grismore had recorded the purchase of more than three dozen
articles of furniture from a house on College Avenue. The
address was that of the Snyders Men.
Speaker 12 (16:45):
And Women's sigest. They said they'd sold their house and
there going east Man said the company worked for a
transferred him to Boston, told me how to get back
to take always new job.
Speaker 5 (16:53):
Would you recognize the people if you saw him again, Grismore.
Speaker 4 (16:56):
I think so.
Speaker 12 (16:56):
A woman was a great talker.
Speaker 8 (16:58):
She said.
Speaker 12 (16:58):
They figured on selling stuff piece by piece that get more,
but since they had to leave town the next day,
she decided to sell a whole lot.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
To a dealer. You got the furniture for a pretty
low price. Didn't she a.
Speaker 12 (17:08):
Pretty good price. Yeah, that's why I went along in
the fast deal. Wasn't going to talk myself out of
a bargain. They wanted to sell fast.
Speaker 11 (17:14):
I want to buy.
Speaker 8 (17:15):
I don't think anything was wrong.
Speaker 7 (17:16):
Sergeant, Yeah, missus Snader, I well, in a dining room
sets that's it.
Speaker 4 (17:21):
Right over there is sher, Miss snap.
Speaker 8 (17:23):
Cigar Burne on top, just above one of the legs.
Know it anywhere? Seems to me that time I hugging
the stable.
Speaker 6 (17:29):
I'll look, sergeant at the table. My best hear the
all right here we schools too, all right?
Speaker 4 (17:35):
They sure stuck me.
Speaker 11 (17:36):
All right, that's the last fast deal, I e.
Speaker 5 (17:38):
I mean, how did they CONTACTI chrismore? What kind of approach?
Speaker 12 (17:42):
Did they call me on the phone? And I came
out and gave him appraisal alund of stuff. Nothing suspicious
about either the man or the woman.
Speaker 4 (17:48):
That's so.
Speaker 12 (17:49):
She was in a house dress and then around her head.
The guy was in old clothes, just as home as
you please, look like he was doing a little repair
work around the house.
Speaker 4 (17:56):
You know, you noticed that they had a car park
with a house or as.
Speaker 12 (18:00):
A matter of fact, I didn't it wasn't any in
the driveway.
Speaker 5 (18:04):
No argument over the price you offered him for the furniture.
Speaker 12 (18:06):
You know, I seemed to hesitate a little, but they
took my first offer. I thought I had a good deal.
Speaker 6 (18:11):
I know.
Speaker 5 (18:12):
How'd they react after you agreed on the price, didn't it?
Speaker 12 (18:14):
Hurry said they had to boil the train that night
for Boston. They asked me to get the furniture out
right away. The woman said they had other business to
wind up. So if they weren't at the house when
I came back with the van, why she leave the
back door open for me?
Speaker 4 (18:28):
I guess you realized they were going to have to
place a hole on this furniture that you bought.
Speaker 8 (18:32):
I know I had no I didn't blame but myself.
Speaker 4 (18:35):
You gave this man a woman a check for the
full amount of the sale. Is that right, Chrismer?
Speaker 11 (18:38):
Five hundred and fifty dollars down the drain?
Speaker 5 (18:41):
Do you have the cancer check?
Speaker 6 (18:43):
No?
Speaker 12 (18:43):
Not yet. If you like, you'll probably get it from
the bank. Don't imagine those crooks would waste any time
cashing it.
Speaker 4 (18:49):
And I would appreciate it if you'd run down the
bank with us.
Speaker 7 (18:51):
Now, okay, sir, sergeant. Could I speak with mister Grismore
so missus Nudding and mister Grismer. Yes, sir, I'm sorry
about all this.
Speaker 8 (19:01):
I didn't know.
Speaker 4 (19:02):
I understand, sir.
Speaker 7 (19:05):
You buy furniture, don't you, Your sir? What could you
give me for two army surplus cuts?
Speaker 4 (19:14):
Gwismore made arrangements round up mister Snyder's furniture and shipped
it back to his home. Then we took him down
to his bank, where he recovered the canceled check for
five hundred and fifty dollars. The endorsement read mister Thomas Butterworth.
According to the bank teller who waited on them, the
suspects had cast the check shortly after the sale of
the Snyder's furniture. From the second hand dealer and the
clerk at the bank, we got a complete description of
(19:34):
the man and woman known as mister and Missus Butterworth.
We also had photostatic copies made of the check and
specimens of the handwriting from the endorsement. From the descriptions,
we checked the suspects through the stats office. We got nowhere.
During the next two weeks we found six more second
hand dealers who had been taken in on the same
furniture deal. The description of the man and woman matched,
and so did the handwriting and the endorsements. On each check.
(19:55):
There was only one variation. The couple went under a
different name on each occasion. Wednesday, August twenty six nine,
am uestas like this today? That right? That's it?
Speaker 5 (20:04):
Captain got the description. M all handwriting still can't reaching us.
Speaker 11 (20:08):
Thieves have been free wheeling for a month. Now, what's
going to take to stop? And?
Speaker 4 (20:11):
Oh, Ben came up with a pretty good idea this morning.
We'd like to talk it over with you.
Speaker 5 (20:14):
Oh what's that kind of a system of decoys, skipper.
We were thinking it might be a good idea to
contact all the division captains and have them ask their
men if they have any neighbors going on vacation.
Speaker 11 (20:24):
Yeah, go ahead.
Speaker 5 (20:25):
Well, we've got a few dozen houses spot around the city.
We could plant a few things make them look obviously vacant.
Speaker 4 (20:32):
We keep the houses covered at all times to make
pretty good bait for those thieves. How would you set
it up?
Speaker 5 (20:37):
We could make arrangements to get a key to each home,
keep the milk and paper delivers coming. Let them pile
up on the doorstep. We could reimburse the people for
whatever it cast.
Speaker 4 (20:47):
We're not making any headway. We could run this for
a couple of weeks to what happens. What do you
think try it? Nine thirty am we contacted all division commanders,
request them to ask their men to contact Burglery Detail
if they knew of any of their neighbors about to
leave on a vacation. During the next two days, the
(21:07):
response came in and the plan went into effect. Forty
homes throughout the city were spotted as decoys. They were
kept under surveillance at all times. In the week that followed,
two more burglaries are the same type were reported, but
the suspects failed to try any of the decoy homes.
The men in the pawn shop and second hand details
continued to work right along with us. The stolen furniture
kept turning up, but not the thieves. Again. The homes
(21:29):
that had been broken into displayed all the usual signs
if the occupants were away, old circulars and newspapers scattered
on the lawn, milk bottles lanned up at the door,
all the blinds drawn. The decoy plan continued no results.
August thirty first, we had a report of another burglery
involving the theft of furniture. We made our investigation. Two pm.
We went back to the office to get out a
list of stolen articles.
Speaker 5 (21:52):
Hi man, thank Joe, Hi Austin. When'd you get back
from your honeymoon.
Speaker 13 (21:56):
Late last night? So they tell them, And I'd sure
like to thank you. Call you fellas for that wedding
present you sent us. Darn nice of you.
Speaker 4 (22:03):
We're over glad you liked at Austin.
Speaker 13 (22:05):
Sure a beauty. I'd like to ask you a question
about it, though, I hope you won't take it wrong.
Speaker 5 (22:10):
Oh, go ahead, Well what is it? You've got an
early American house, haven't you. Yeah, that's right, it's an antique. Yeah,
it's an Apple theater on the first ever built. Oh sure,
thanks a lot.
Speaker 4 (22:25):
I get it up Burglary Friday, Yeah, where right away? Thanks?
One of the decoy houses, Yeah, we got a bite.
Together with Sergeants Crowley and Austin, we drove out to
the decoy house where an unidentified man and a woman
had been seen forcing entry through a back door. They
(22:47):
had been spotted by a police officer's wife who lived
next door and who had called in the report. We
parked down the street from the decoy home and waited.
Five minutes past we saw women dressed in a house
coat come out onto the porch of the house, look
up and down the street, and then go back inside.
A few minutes after that, a great Chevrolet Sadan pulled
up in front of the house. A man in a
dark suit got out and entered through the front door.
(23:07):
Ben called communications for a make on the car.
Speaker 5 (23:11):
Eighty K to control four eight okay to control four
request DMV on six Mary six seven seven may repeat
six M sixty seven seven may information urgent.
Speaker 14 (23:28):
Roger eighty K.
Speaker 4 (23:31):
We waited. There were no signs of activity from the
decoy house. Two minutes after Ben put in the call,
we got our make on the gray sedan.
Speaker 5 (23:40):
Control for eighty K eighty K go ahead.
Speaker 14 (23:45):
Six Mary six seven seven eight six M sixty seven
seven eight is registered to the Donahole Furniture Company, legal
the same seven eight one one Harvard Boulevard. It is
the Chevrolet de Lucks two doors of Dan nineteen forty
one model engine number the six D A four four.
Speaker 15 (24:04):
One four eighty K, Roger M A three six seven
A few minutes after the call back, a moving van
drove down the street and backed into the driveway at
the decoy house.
Speaker 4 (24:15):
The sign on the side of the van read Donahoe
Furniture Company. Two men got out, went up to the
front door and were let in. They came out in
a couple of minutes and loaded the sofa into the
moving van. Okay, probably in Austin, get the sign any time.
That's good. Hey, you would probably want to cover the
(24:36):
back Austin.
Speaker 8 (24:36):
Right, let's go crowd.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
Monday.
Speaker 5 (24:51):
Yuh see, you want something?
Speaker 4 (24:52):
Police officers like these then steal you Austin trolley got her?
Speaker 6 (24:58):
All right?
Speaker 5 (24:58):
Hold stale, mister, what's this all about?
Speaker 4 (25:02):
You cops? That's right you thanks, donah I'm buying this
lot of furniture something the matter. You're buying from the
wrong people, are not the owners. You better have your
men move that stuff back in the house. Okay, you
say something?
Speaker 5 (25:13):
All right, let me be relaxed.
Speaker 4 (25:16):
Take it easy, Helen.
Speaker 11 (25:17):
There's no use fighting.
Speaker 4 (25:18):
They got us.
Speaker 6 (25:19):
I told you luck doesn't last forever.
Speaker 8 (25:21):
Okay, all right, don't make it worse.
Speaker 4 (25:23):
All right, let's go.
Speaker 5 (25:24):
I'll take you better fix your sure. Yeah, come on, man,
it's the matter with your shirt, Austin.
Speaker 11 (25:34):
Look, it needs to happen. And she tried to get away.
Speaker 16 (25:37):
You know, let's stick all over the car there. Doesn't
look very good, doesn't What are you gonna tell your
new bride? I got nothing to high and I'll tell
her the truth. Yeah, she will believe me, won't she.
Speaker 2 (25:55):
The story you just heard was true, only the names
were cha used to protect big innocent.
Speaker 3 (26:01):
On November twenty fifth, trial was held in Superior Court,
Department eighty seven, City and County of Los Angeles, State
of California. In a moment the results of that trial and.
Speaker 4 (26:09):
Now here is our star, Jack Webb, thank you. Under
our system of law, the jury selected the here A
cases accorded complete freedom. The jury's decision is the final
result of the testimony and evidence presented in the course
of the trial.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
The suspects were identified as mister and Missus Thomas Dunbar.
They were arraigned on fifteen counts of burglary and tried
and found guilty on all counts. They are now serving
their terms in the state penitentiary. You have just heard Dragnet,
a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice
(26:52):
came from the office of Chief of Police W. H. Parker,
Los Angeles Police Department. Coming up, Duffy's Tavern, Bob Hope
returns October third on NBC.
Speaker 1 (27:31):
Welcome Back. First of all, I have to say that I,
just like Friday and Romero, have no idea why they
keep getting put in charge of buying wedding gifts for
other detectives, unless it's the fact that the detectives who
got married and got a gift from them figure everyone
else ought to have to suffer an apple peeler. Really,
(27:53):
I mean they pulled their money for this present, and
then again, wedding gifts may have been more stereotypically useless
before most couples started to go to registries. As to
the case itself, it's a great example of an episode
that does more than entertain, but it also helps the
(28:15):
police in educating the public to prevent crime. Because Dragnet
isn't a show that like most other series focused on homicide,
which most of us aren't going to deal with, Dragnet
could educate its audience about all types of crimes and
their prevention. This sad case provides some great best practices
(28:37):
for vacationing homeowners and also the owners of second hand
stores and illustrating why making an exception in cutting corners
is a really bad idea. Well, listener comments and feedback,
and we go over to YouTube and we have some
comments regarding a specific character in the episode The Big Check.
(29:02):
Betsy writes, no wonder Joe stayed a bachelor with that mother,
and Matt g writes that old bird sounds tired all over.
Gee whiz, I try to bounce out of that pad
a sap. Well, thank you so much, appreciate you taking
the time to comment. In terms of blaming Joe's mother,
(29:24):
I won't get into the psychology of it because I'm
not qualified, But one thing I will say is that
Joe's mother, played by the great Peggy Weber, was actually
written out of the series with a subtle line with
Joe being asked if he had gotten a letter from
his mother and him mentioning that his mother had moved
(29:48):
back east. That was in nineteen fifty two or fifty three,
and that was because Peggy Weber was in her mid
twenties and and not work in the TV series. Now,
Joe Friday remains single throughout the rest of the nineteen
(30:08):
fifties TV series, which ended Your Call in nineteen fifty nine,
some six years after Mom Friday was out of the picture.
So while parents can definitely set you on, of course,
I tend to think that as an adult, you really
(30:28):
do need to proactively make choices as to how you're
going to live your life. And Joe Friday did that.
I think that, truth being known, He's just married to
his job and I couldn't imagine him getting into a
serious romantic relationship. So whatever you think of Mom Friday,
(30:51):
I can't really blame her for Joe not ever getting married.
All right, well, now it is time to think our
Patreons the day, and I want to thank Michael, Patreon
supporter since August twenty sixteen, currently supporting the podcast at
the Shawmas level of four dollars or more per month.
Thank you so much for your support, Michael, and that
(31:13):
will actually do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast,
please follow us using your favorite podcast software, And if
you're enjoying the podcast on YouTube, be sure to lock
the video, subscribe to the channel, and mark the notification bell,
all those great things that help YouTube channels to grow.
We'll be back next Saturday with another episode of Dragnet,
(31:37):
and tomorrow we will be back with an encore from
several years ago, and resume your regular lineup on Monday
with an episode of The Falcon Wear.
Speaker 10 (31:49):
If you could find out anything about a mister Richard
or a mister Inshaw, well, that's what I don't know.
But from the way that we behaved yesterday morning, I
suspected that something is going on. And mister Riddard folled
the house. I couldn't make out much of the conversation,
except that Louis said that mister Riddard still wasn't talking
loud enough and he couldn't hear him, and he said
(32:10):
it was too late anyway, because Earnshaw already spoke English.
Speaker 4 (32:14):
Oh that's a great conversation.
Speaker 2 (32:16):
And you don't know who either of these men are
you I never mentioned it before.
Speaker 4 (32:19):
Is there anyone who might know them?
Speaker 10 (32:21):
Well, the only one I can think of is my
husband's assistant, Pete Kerns. But the police asked him about them,
and he came he.
Speaker 2 (32:26):
Didn't know thee Oh maybe I'll have better luck by
the way, missus Breddy, And what did your husband and
Kerns do?
Speaker 10 (32:33):
They had a little art studio. They made silk screen
reproductions and etching things like that. But I always had
an idea they were doing something else too, only I
never could find out what it was.
Speaker 2 (32:44):
Just goes to show man shouldn't keep secrets from his wife.
It's dangerous.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
How if you'll be with us then in the meantime,
send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot nat,
follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us
out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com slash Great Detectives from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.
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