November 3, 2025 • 29 mins
https://www.solgoodmedia.com - Listen to hundreds of audiobooks, thousands of short stories, and ambient sounds all ad free! Dive into the captivating world of classic crime-solving with "Dragnet Radio," where each episode brings to life the thrilling police investigations from the original 1950s radio series. Join Sergeant Joe Friday and his partners as they navigate the mean streets of Los Angeles, unraveling complex cases with meticulous detail and unflinching determination. This podcast not only revisits the groundbreaking drama that set the standard for all future police procedurals but also explores the cultural impact and historical significance of one of the most influential shows of its time.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:07):
The story you are about to hear is true, only
the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Fatima cigarettes, best of all long cigarettes, brings you dragnet.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
You're a detective sergeant. You're as signed of forgery detail.
An accomplished check forger is at work in your city.
His victims small businessmen. You know his m O. You
don't know his identity. Your job.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Get him.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
If you want a long cigarette, smoke the best of
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(01:11):
than doubled its smokers coast to coast. Enjoy extra mild
Fatima yourself, best of all long cigarettes.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima.
Speaker 5 (01:23):
It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Dragnets the documented drama of an actual crime. While 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 filence,
from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is
the story of your police force in action.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Was Monday, February fourth, was cold.
Speaker 6 (01:57):
In Los Angeles. We're working a day watch out of
forgery detail. My partner's Ben Romero or the boss's Captain Elliot.
My name is Friday. I was on the way home
from the office and it was eight twenty five pm
when they got to Collis Avenue.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Remember forty six fifty six. Joseph said you, Yeama.
Speaker 7 (02:17):
We're in the living room. We have company.
Speaker 8 (02:19):
Oh that's all.
Speaker 7 (02:21):
Hello Joe remember the filing.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
I sure do. How are you, Miss Faller.
Speaker 9 (02:26):
Just signed, Joe, thank you doing some shopping out this
wedd thought i'd stop buying. Have a cup of tea
with your mother.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
It's good to see our things in the old neighborhood.
Speaker 9 (02:34):
Oh pretty much the same. Oh, miss Daily rememberhood finally died. Yeah,
I suppose it was for the best, So I was
just telling you mother.
Speaker 8 (02:42):
Jim and Louise watching finally moved.
Speaker 9 (02:44):
Jim got a new job.
Speaker 10 (02:45):
Not by all the dinner.
Speaker 9 (02:46):
Oh that's all yeah, Nah, you certainly I can sign Joe,
don't you wear your police uniform anymore.
Speaker 7 (02:53):
I'm no Mary and Joseph's and the detective girl now
hasn't earned his uniform for years.
Speaker 9 (02:58):
Oh that's right, Ivan, Now that note you sent me
your Christmas guide here before last? What do you do now?
Speaker 6 (03:06):
Joe forgery detail? My partner and I antle bump check cases.
Speaker 10 (03:10):
Nice that certainly must.
Speaker 6 (03:11):
Be in Yes, ma'am, I stopped at the place out
in Santa Monica and had something.
Speaker 7 (03:16):
Yes, when Mary brought me some nice coffee cakes findings
for fillings. Would you like one of a couple of
coffee us?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
No, I don't know.
Speaker 7 (03:23):
When you sit down your chair to rest yourself.
Speaker 10 (03:25):
How I'm so tired?
Speaker 7 (03:27):
No hode? How hard I wor?
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Uh?
Speaker 9 (03:33):
You remember Genevieve, don't you?
Speaker 8 (03:34):
Joe, my oldest girl? Oh?
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Yeah, sure? How is she? Oh?
Speaker 8 (03:38):
Just fine?
Speaker 9 (03:39):
Lots of boyfriends as usual, going out all the time.
Speaker 8 (03:43):
Well that's good.
Speaker 10 (03:44):
She asked to be remembered to you.
Speaker 9 (03:47):
I think you and Jen were stuck off each other
at one time.
Speaker 8 (03:50):
When you do.
Speaker 6 (03:51):
Oh, we went to a couple of dances in high school,
and I think she started going to stay with another fella.
Speaker 7 (03:55):
And she food young girl never open the wheel off.
Speaker 8 (04:00):
The show.
Speaker 7 (04:00):
Set it here in the end table.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Nice.
Speaker 8 (04:03):
I don't think I can use it much.
Speaker 7 (04:04):
Delicious coffee cake, you're smelling pressure?
Speaker 8 (04:08):
Yeah? Nice?
Speaker 9 (04:09):
Oh my quarter to nine should have left half an
hour ago.
Speaker 7 (04:12):
Oh you have to go, Mary, She was her visits strong.
We're so sure.
Speaker 9 (04:16):
Well, I got a lot of ironing to do, and
I have to make Carls lunch.
Speaker 8 (04:19):
He's that was the fussy that he's lunch to.
Speaker 7 (04:21):
Then I get your cold.
Speaker 9 (04:23):
Well, it's nice seeing you again, Joe at do you
want to be remembered to Jennevie's.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Yeah, tell her hello, William, it's father.
Speaker 9 (04:30):
If you're over our way, be sure and drop in
and see it. So she's Jenney's home office by six.
She often says, she'd like to see you again. It's
all the same. Good night, Joe. You'd be sure to
come and see us now, Jenny'll be looking forward to.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
That, okay, and fall to night.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
I'll show you to the door man.
Speaker 8 (04:47):
You don't remember your small amazing.
Speaker 9 (04:49):
She's all right, you know, but you take care of
your salary.
Speaker 8 (04:52):
You're nine, nice person.
Speaker 7 (04:59):
Married, Yeah, you're hind time trying to find a husband.
Virginitated huh, yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
They my, I'm not very hungry.
Speaker 8 (05:05):
I can't eat now.
Speaker 7 (05:07):
Oh h it seems such a shame the waves that
loveday Cock the cake. Do us to understand? Changs? M? Yeah,
I say, wow, it seems it's taking it off your
long accounting.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Oh we've been on a two months here.
Speaker 7 (05:28):
Mm. Don't understand that. Lot of people right down checks
always get caught.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Well, it's easy living while at last you know, you
know what the.
Speaker 7 (05:36):
Man's handwriting is like? Don't you know who's man?
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Well, we think so much, we're not sure.
Speaker 6 (05:45):
There's hundreds of checkmen who work almost alike, some of
'em even look alike.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
There's always a big enough field to pick from. Our
problems picking.
Speaker 8 (05:52):
The right one.
Speaker 7 (05:53):
Yeah, I don't know much about it, but the whole
things is kind of silly to mean, how's that?
Speaker 11 (05:58):
Hm?
Speaker 3 (06:00):
What?
Speaker 7 (06:00):
What's this man supposed to be doing her small neighborhood
stores cashing fifteen twenty dollars chips? If you got himself
with job, he's probably doing that much in one day
during good honor's work. M.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Say, Ben didn't call before I got home, did he?
Speaker 8 (06:16):
Hm?
Speaker 7 (06:17):
M M.
Speaker 8 (06:17):
Wasn't he reading?
Speaker 3 (06:18):
Well?
Speaker 6 (06:19):
He was gonna interview one of the bum check victims
on his way home the grocery store.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
On her down his Island park might be him, now,
I don't hang a nuts yeah Friday talking.
Speaker 8 (06:29):
It's Ben Joe. Got a partial identification from the grocer's
nothing great.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Which mud shot did he like?
Speaker 8 (06:35):
Stanley Bielbeg groser thinks it might have been the guy
pushed the check. He can't be sure.
Speaker 6 (06:39):
M Thirty three bum checks passed the same animo, not
one positive identification.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Something's funny, isn't it?
Speaker 12 (06:46):
As got me stuff? We know the endorsements on every
one of those checks were written with the same guy.
He's practiced the same story on every one of his victims.
Those thirty three people are either blind and they're kidding it.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
There was only one other answer. Looking for the wrong man.
For two months and two days, in different shopping districts throughout.
Speaker 6 (07:06):
The city, a man described as well dressed, middle aged
have been passing worthless checks on independent neighborhood businessmen. Most
of the victims were proprietors of small shops, meat markets,
liquor stores, grocery stores. In none of the cases was
the check written for more than twenty five dollars with
the help of the Stats office and our record bureau,
we've gone through the list of experienced checkmen until we
(07:28):
found one man who's description of m Matt's perfectly with
out of a suspect. The man's name was Stanley Bubeck.
Speaker 12 (07:35):
We can't locate him cabin Another thing, we can't get
a positive identification from many of the victims and.
Speaker 11 (07:40):
Find a suspect the candidatifie. They've been tracking the guy
for two months. What's the big messy?
Speaker 6 (07:45):
Oh, we cabbed the man of Stanley Bubeck and his record,
his m is descriptionly all tie in perfectly. Now we're
not sure it's him, but a man Well, if it
is bu Beck, it's almost a sure thing that one
of the victims could have made him on one of
his mug shots.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
None of them can make up their minds.
Speaker 8 (07:59):
Look, maybe one of you two would like to be
kept in the forgery for a day.
Speaker 11 (08:03):
Sit in this office and listen to complaints come in
over that phone about this guy at the front office. Neighborhood,
businessmen's clubs, retail merchants. They tell me they're troublesome and passing.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Them under you.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Now, whoever this paper hanger is we want him.
Speaker 8 (08:15):
We wanted fast.
Speaker 12 (08:16):
Lousy little twenty dollars checks would probably have a lot
better target if you driveing themthing bigger.
Speaker 11 (08:21):
And don't think he and a hundred dollars checkmen like
him don't know that you won't find him stealing company
paychecks and flooding the town with paper. They take it
from the little guy, and they take it in small amounts,
but add up those small amounts at the end of
the year and they'll scare you.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
It's the rotten part about it. None of those victims
can afford a bad check.
Speaker 11 (08:35):
That grocer Don only stands in the speed all day
and at a profit of ten fifteen dollars, he gets
tagged with one bad check and he's working for nothing.
Speaker 12 (08:42):
I mean, got bulletins out on the suspect to all
the small businessmen in town.
Speaker 8 (08:46):
We've all been alerting.
Speaker 11 (08:48):
Excuse me, half million, okay, Don right away, Don Myers,
he went over the handwriting.
Speaker 8 (08:57):
Those last three checks.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Wants to see you.
Speaker 11 (08:59):
Okay, how about that special bullet and you got out
to the prisons on Stanley bu Beck and it replies,
nothing else together, all right, stay on it right, let's
go good.
Speaker 8 (09:12):
It's a sour deal. I'd give a right arm for
a line on this guy.
Speaker 6 (09:17):
Yeah, we little move a lot faster if somebody'd help
us follow those checks closer the way it's running. Now
we hear about the paper two weeks after it'spay cash
and buback.
Speaker 8 (09:24):
Thing isn't every nuts, you know, you just find another
line and we'd get a seven. Hi. Don oh hi. Uh,
just finished up on those last three checks that came in.
You wanna give me a look how they came up?
You know you can see for yourself right here, yeah, uh, here.
Speaker 13 (09:41):
The three I just went over and uh, here are
half a dozen bad ones for cash last month. Now,
the endorsements on this half doesn't match perfectly, and those
other three, well, i'd say they were endorsed with the
same person. Oh look here, h you can notice the
capital letters. He still hand them the same way, disconnected.
Speaker 8 (10:01):
From the other letters in the first name see yeah, yeah, but.
Speaker 14 (10:05):
He connects the capitals in the last name.
Speaker 11 (10:07):
See not very bright.
Speaker 13 (10:09):
Yeah, that much doubt my mind.
Speaker 11 (10:12):
All the other handwriting.
Speaker 8 (10:13):
Factors tie in form skills, shading.
Speaker 14 (10:15):
They all match up. The movement terminals.
Speaker 13 (10:18):
Are all the same for my money, yeah, here the
way he writes the lower case letters, and that's interested
for me.
Speaker 8 (10:24):
How's that done?
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Well?
Speaker 13 (10:26):
Here the inclination of the terminal stroke on the s
see the breest land above the horizontals, just about fifty
five degrees in all cases. The finger movement in his
capitals have plenty of freedom.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
They're not shaded much.
Speaker 8 (10:42):
Nothing like this in his.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Lower case letters.
Speaker 8 (10:43):
You see here, Yeah, that kind of what you mean?
Speaker 13 (10:47):
That much freedom here, lots of shading and the pressure
on the lifts here they match up same on the downstroke. Now,
I'd say the skill is medium in all cases.
Speaker 8 (10:59):
Embellishments both play too. No, it changes the dog in
the style. Oh he made the signature just look a
little different. All eight factors match up though it's the
same person. All we have to do is find him. Hey, uh,
how about this fella, Stanley Bubick I thought you had
him tat I.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
We're not too sure about him, but it's the only
line we got to work on, so it'll have to
do for now.
Speaker 14 (11:19):
Lamarra a man in the office.
Speaker 8 (11:20):
So you and Joe James Loomis right, Fred me there
in a minute, yame?
Speaker 6 (11:25):
Well, thanks John, we'll check you later. Sure, okay, see you,
let's go back. How do you do you mister Loomis, yes,
uh Sajan l Meryl.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
No, this is Sergeant Romaryo here. My name is Friday.
Speaker 7 (11:45):
Oh alright, what can we do for you?
Speaker 14 (11:49):
It's about these texts, serge. Uh these uh right here?
Speaker 15 (11:54):
Well, you see, I run a delicate test and out
on sunset, and a few days ago a new customer
came in for a few things in faith for them
with these checks.
Speaker 14 (12:02):
He came in twice. Yeah, go ahead, Well I got
the checks back today. They're no good.
Speaker 15 (12:08):
I tried to look up the man at the address
he gave, but there's no such address. You can see
once for fifteen dollars, the other ones for twenty. The
reason I asked for you, man is because I know
the man who runs a drug store across the street,
George home Quist.
Speaker 14 (12:23):
He had some bad checks about a month ago, he said,
DU took care of them.
Speaker 8 (12:27):
Oh yeah, yeah, I mean you recall a man who
passed these checks with Jones.
Speaker 14 (12:30):
Yes, I think I do.
Speaker 15 (12:32):
He told me he was new in the neighborhood and
he was looking for a place to trade. Well, I
guess we're all anxious for new business.
Speaker 14 (12:39):
I took the checks.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
He got those much shots there? Man?
Speaker 8 (12:42):
Yeah? Yeah, thank you?
Speaker 6 (12:45):
How about these men, mister Loomis, and he haven't looked
anything like the person who passed the check.
Speaker 14 (12:49):
Shi, No, let's see this one. Yes, it does look
like the man in a way. I don't know if
I could be absolutely sure.
Speaker 8 (13:00):
Stanley Bubeck, Samemo, Well, it.
Speaker 6 (13:02):
Looks like you're stuck with a couple of bad was
mister Lumis probably the same man who passed checks on
your druggist friends.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
We're doing everything we can to run this man down.
Speaker 14 (13:10):
Look what about the checks? Isn't there anything I can
do about them?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
No, sir, I'm sorry, not right now. We would like
to have you make out a crime report if you will,
and would you leave these checks with us?
Speaker 8 (13:21):
Friday, here's mister nis As just came in for you.
Speaker 11 (13:26):
I replied from Salt Lake City, UTA on that bulleting
you sent out on the Stanley Buback. Yeah, he's been
in jail for five months.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
We sent a.
Speaker 6 (13:35):
Request to Salt Lake asking him to question Stanley Bubeck
if he knew of any forger who.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Matched his description or used his m O BW. BEC
could tell us nothing.
Speaker 6 (13:45):
Wednesday, February sixth, we drew away the results of two
months of investigation.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
We went back and started from the beginning.
Speaker 6 (13:52):
Despite all precautions and warnings, the checks kept coming in
at the rate of half a dozen a week. The
same m O was used, the same handwriting showed up
in the.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
Signatures on the check again. With the help of the
staff and.
Speaker 6 (14:02):
The statisticians office and the record Bureau, we waited through
hundreds of names of known checkmen and compiled a new
list of thirty eight possible suspects. Each one fitted the
general description.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
Of the forger.
Speaker 6 (14:12):
Each one, at some time in his forgery career, had
used the same general method of operation.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
Well.
Speaker 6 (14:18):
After days of leg work, we finally boiled down the
list of possibles to three names, George Roberts, James Young
and Harry L.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Johansson. We got out a flyer to all the small
businessmen in the areas where the forger operated. Another week passed,
the worthless check kept showing up at the rate of
two and three a day. On February twenty first, Ben
and I answered a call from a druggist in the
Echo Park district.
Speaker 11 (14:39):
He bought some toothpaste and a cotton of cigarette. Sergeant
asked me to cash a twenty dollar check.
Speaker 8 (14:43):
Fork if you've ever seen a man before?
Speaker 11 (14:45):
No, he gave me the same old story about being
new in the neighborhood. That's when I remembered that police
full of the department sent me. Do you still have
that poem?
Speaker 3 (14:53):
No?
Speaker 8 (14:53):
I looked it over, and then I guess it got mislaid.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
I wonder if you'd mind taking a look at these
pictures here, not at all these right here?
Speaker 14 (15:02):
M sure this one right on top that's the man.
Speaker 8 (15:05):
Sure, I am.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
It only happened a.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Few hours ago.
Speaker 8 (15:09):
Do you know who he is? Harry ol Johansson. That's
the name we have on him.
Speaker 11 (15:13):
It doesn't mean anything to me. He got real happy
when I wouldn't take his check, stalked right out of
the store, very suspicious.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Did you follow him?
Speaker 15 (15:20):
No?
Speaker 3 (15:20):
I told Ralph, my clerk, to follow him. Ralph, you
want to tell.
Speaker 11 (15:25):
These officers about that man this morning? I followed him
down the street for blackman, turned the corner. That's where
I lost him.
Speaker 8 (15:32):
He's too bad.
Speaker 14 (15:33):
Yeah, well, I got was a license number.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
You are listening to Dragnett The case history of a
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Speaker 6 (17:02):
September twenty first Thursday, three pm. We took the license
number which the drug store clerk had given us.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
We went back to the office and checked it through DMV.
We found the car was registered to a Russell Burrows
on Pico Boulevard.
Speaker 6 (17:15):
We checked him out. He told us that he had
loaned his car the day before to a friend of his.
He identified the friend as Harry L. Johansson and gave
us his last known address, six fourteen Elderwood Avenue.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
We got out a broadcast on the car.
Speaker 6 (17:30):
The Elderwood Avenue address turned out to be a single
story wooden frame house in the southern part of the city,
on the edge of the industrial district. It needed a
coat of paint. A woman in her elderly at thirties
answered the door and identified herself as missus Johansson. She
invited us into the living room. There was a baby
playing on the floor.
Speaker 5 (17:51):
I don't expect my husband home for another two weeks, Sergeant,
he says, cosmetics salesman travels all over to Western State.
Speaker 8 (17:58):
When did he leave on his last trip the first
of the month.
Speaker 10 (18:02):
Why is anything wrong?
Speaker 3 (18:04):
What's the name of the cosmetics company that your husband
works for?
Speaker 10 (18:07):
Harrington Universal offices are down on East Name.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
Do you know a friend of your husband's named Russell Burrows?
Speaker 10 (18:13):
Yes, I do. He's kind of a friend of the family. Please, sergeant.
If there's anything wrong, I don't know.
Speaker 8 (18:18):
We talked to mister Burr's this afternoon. He killd us.
Your husband's in town. Burr's nonna miss.
Speaker 10 (18:24):
Carr, Harry, that's silly. He's still on the road. He'd
certainly let me know if he was coming back early.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
You sure of that man?
Speaker 10 (18:31):
Would you excuse me a minute, sergeant, I'll have to
put the baby to bed, certainly some body. I'll be
back in a minute.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Kind of a funny set up in it.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
I mean, if Johansson's pushing bum checks, the money isn't
going into his home here, My life doesn'tknock not she
knows anything, seems cooperative. I'm afraid we're gonna have to
level whether if we're gonna find out anything.
Speaker 8 (18:55):
Hw She an't govern accute a little girl. It's perfectly
all right. Just a few more questions.
Speaker 6 (19:03):
Is it possible that your husband could be in town
and you might not know what I mean, but he
be staying with a friend or some relevance.
Speaker 10 (19:08):
You know if Harry was in town, he'd come home.
Why would he stay with anyone else?
Speaker 3 (19:12):
When did you last hear from your husband?
Speaker 10 (19:14):
Last week? He wrote from San Francisco. The letters write
there on the mantle.
Speaker 12 (19:18):
Oh huh well besides that letter, do you have any
other samples of your husband's handwriting?
Speaker 8 (19:23):
Then? Huh well? I think so?
Speaker 3 (19:25):
Yes?
Speaker 10 (19:27):
Where did you say you were from?
Speaker 3 (19:28):
Central Division? Forgery?
Speaker 8 (19:30):
Detail?
Speaker 10 (19:31):
You investigate checks bad checks?
Speaker 3 (19:33):
That's man, that's right. And you know about my husband
this prison record.
Speaker 10 (19:37):
Yes, Harry promised me he was through it all that.
He gave me his word.
Speaker 5 (19:41):
Sorry, man, about a month ago he had some extra money.
He wouldn't tell me where he got it. Look, Sergeant
n maybe you've made a mistake.
Speaker 10 (19:51):
Maybe it's not Harry at all. You're not sure, are you?
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Did your husband use the phone much? I mean for
out of town call?
Speaker 5 (19:58):
Say no, just that one total call, a long beach number.
I think he has a business friend down there I
used to call.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
Do you know the number?
Speaker 15 (20:05):
Man?
Speaker 10 (20:06):
I can show you.
Speaker 5 (20:07):
It's on last month's Phoneville. Please, sergeant. If Harry's done
something wrong, he did it for us, I mean the baby.
Harry's not bad. Yes, he's done something.
Speaker 10 (20:18):
He did it for us.
Speaker 5 (20:20):
Harry hasn't had it easy. He wanted to get things
for the baby, clothes, a better house.
Speaker 10 (20:26):
Oh he wanted was a little happiness, a little happiness.
Speaker 6 (20:31):
He had it wrong, man, Hm, you don't buy it
with bum checks. Before we left missus Johansson.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
We called and had a steak out placed.
Speaker 6 (20:43):
On the house, and then we got a sample of
her husband's handwriting and the Long Beach.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Telephone number that he was in the habit of calling.
Speaker 6 (20:49):
The next morning, Don Myers and handwriting compared Harry Johansson's
letter with.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
The signatures on the worthless checks. It matched. We called
the Harrington Universal Cosmetics Company.
Speaker 6 (21:00):
I never heard of Harry Johansson. We call that Long
Beach phone number. A woman answered and gave us the
address where the telephone was installed. Turned out to be
a swanky modern apartment house. In apartment eighteen, we interviewed
a good looking brunette. She identified herself as Harry Johansson's
commonweal white.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
She was well dressed in the apartment was originally furnished.
Speaker 7 (21:19):
Well, what's it all about?
Speaker 8 (21:21):
Why do you want Harry oh Lank's business?
Speaker 7 (21:22):
You know where he is, well, what's he done?
Speaker 3 (21:25):
Do you know where he is?
Speaker 7 (21:26):
And he drove into Hollywood this morning? He might be
back tonight, and I don't know for sure.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
Is this your apartment?
Speaker 7 (21:33):
Yeah, I'm minding, Harry.
Speaker 8 (21:35):
Yeah sure, Johnson is not here now, of course, I'm sure.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Why well, and you won't mind if we come in
and look around. Now.
Speaker 7 (21:42):
I have a right to know what it's all about.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Johnson's wanted for forgery. If you want to get involved,
you'll help him hide out.
Speaker 7 (21:49):
I'm not ask him for that kind of trouble.
Speaker 8 (21:51):
Go ahead and look, take the bedroom, leave in all right, however, mind,
thanks for honey.
Speaker 7 (22:04):
I don't want any part of your troubles, Harry. I
didn't know a thing about it all.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
Ben, Yeah, you better come along to lady.
Speaker 7 (22:15):
We'll tell him her. I don't know what it's about.
See the idea getting me mixed up in me?
Speaker 14 (22:21):
How do you think I was paying for this twice?
Taking you out bound us clothes for you.
Speaker 7 (22:27):
I don't want any part of him. Three room apartment,
couple addresses.
Speaker 10 (22:30):
That's all he ever got me.
Speaker 6 (22:31):
You got no complaints, lady. That's morning he bought his kids.
One pm Friday, Ben and I took Harry Johansson to
the county jail, where he was booked for suspicion of forgery,
but called Missus Johansson a notifier. She immediately contacted friends
and relatives and raised enough money for a rip to
have her husband released from jail. Three days later, Johansson
(22:54):
was arranged when a date set for his preliminary hearing.
After the arrangement, Ben and I took him back to
the county jail for rebook.
Speaker 8 (23:00):
Think I'd like to ask you a question, Johnson. Yeah,
if you got any money, if you.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
On the oh, don't just stick to your own business, Copper.
That family of yours is having a pretty rough time.
Your wife borrowed every since you could find to bail
you out, and now what she gonna live on?
Speaker 12 (23:14):
Good relatives. No, there's the elevator. Come on, Johnson, and
I gonna put me back in fullsomer.
Speaker 8 (23:28):
Not a hundred years.
Speaker 6 (23:30):
You've done two stretches already for hanging paper. You should
have known better, mystery.
Speaker 14 (23:34):
You got it all figured out, having me fuzz Well,
I'm not going.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
Back take it anything.
Speaker 8 (23:39):
You get a couple of more weeks on bail before
the trial. Yeah, A couple of weeks.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
What's the matter with you? Don't you feel well?
Speaker 8 (23:49):
I won't get me back to Fulsom.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
You're not making it any easier on yourself. Alry, don't you.
Speaker 11 (24:02):
A bunch of cops understand I hate it, every lousy
bit of an I'm not going back to Fulsom.
Speaker 14 (24:09):
I'm not going back.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
And he understands A good idea. Mister, you remember that
when you get out. We booked Harry Johansson in the
county jail. His veil was continued. He was released pending
a trial. During the next week.
Speaker 6 (24:24):
Along with the District Attorney's office, Ben and I helped
prepare the case against Johansson. Three days before the trial opened,
we had a phone call from Missus Johansson. She told
us that her husband had disappeared.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Well, there was nothing we could do until he actually
failed to appear in Superior Court at the appointed time.
Speaker 6 (24:39):
On Monday, April third, the case of the State versus
Harry Old Johanson officially opened.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
The defendant failed to show. A bench warrant was.
Speaker 6 (24:46):
Immediately issued and we got out of broadcast on an
APB on the suspect. Stakeouts were placed in his house
and at the apartment of his common law wife.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Two days passed, no sign of it.
Speaker 8 (25:01):
Nothing's wrong, umbly, just checked it out.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
Or how about those two ex compounds of Johansson's to
check with them?
Speaker 12 (25:08):
Yeah nothing, man, I don't see I can last out
much longer.
Speaker 8 (25:12):
When to suit of clothes? No money?
Speaker 3 (25:14):
You still got a check book when the skipper, say,
was coming.
Speaker 8 (25:17):
Back on seven thirty nine, seven fifteen, Now I'll get
a forgery Friday jeer.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Since this is your mother, Oh yeah, I'm uh.
Speaker 7 (25:29):
I forgot to tell you when you're called earlier.
Speaker 8 (25:32):
You're supposed to be home tonight by eight o'clock.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
What's that? Man?
Speaker 15 (25:36):
Uh?
Speaker 7 (25:36):
Mary Powler, she's coming over to visit tonight, and Genevieve's.
Speaker 8 (25:40):
Coming with her.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (25:42):
Well, look well you try to explain to them that
I'm working and I can't get away.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
Huh well, all right, I'll try if I possibly can,
I'll try to make it home by ten. I'll I'll
be all right.
Speaker 7 (25:53):
Oh that drives, I'll see what I can do. Genevieve's
going to be disurprised.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
Yeah, uh, if I might have that, don't wait up
for me.
Speaker 8 (26:01):
Huh bye man, Yes, oh thanks giver the all just
came in. Yeah, they found Johnson.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Captain Elliott, Ben and I drove out the highway to
the Tahunga Wash.
Speaker 6 (26:22):
We turned off and headed into the mount policing area.
Captain Elliott directed us onto a dirt road. Half way
up one of the mountains. We spotted a group of
cars pulled off on the shoulder of the road.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
We parked behind them and got out and started over.
Speaker 8 (26:36):
Who found the cars?
Speaker 11 (26:37):
Kivin one of the people looking back in my hells
spotted a nice way.
Speaker 8 (26:41):
Home from one. M Farnon's got here now hurry yeah, Hi,
Dave hid.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
Done, Joe cat Melly?
Speaker 3 (26:47):
How long has you been dead?
Speaker 8 (26:49):
This last night? I figure come on hour.
Speaker 11 (26:54):
You talked to the man and found Johnson's body day Yeah,
he didn't touch the thing.
Speaker 8 (26:58):
Don't you find thought of brand on the temple?
Speaker 11 (27:00):
Powder on their hands? Boye from homicide found the note.
It's on the seat right next to him. Here it
is here, It's been checked.
Speaker 8 (27:08):
Yeah, thanks, I'll tizan.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
Are they very tight?
Speaker 14 (27:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (27:13):
Jane Bickel from homicide wants to talk to you, Captain.
Speaker 12 (27:16):
Okay, if you're right back, Joe right, who do you
addressed the note to Joe as what yeah the girlfriend.
Speaker 8 (27:24):
Look what he wrote it on Yeah blank check.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
The story you've just heard was true, only the names
were changed to protect the innocent.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
On April ninth, an inquest was held in the Coroner's
office on the main floor of the Hall of Justice,
Los Angeles, California. In a moment the results of that inquest.
Speaker 8 (27:49):
And now here is our star, Jack Webb, thank you.
Speaker 6 (27:53):
The working detective comes in contact with many people in
his daily tour of duty, people who are willing to.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
Cooperate and those who will even try.
Speaker 6 (28:01):
It's a difficult task, but the police officer has been
trained to try to please everybody to the best of
his ability. So with a cigarette, the people who make
Fatima try to please all long cigarette smokers. They carefully
select and blend the finest Turkish and domestic tobaccos to
make Fatima Extra Mile the best of all long cigarettes.
(28:22):
If you're a long cigarette smoker like I am, smoke Fatima.
Every pack is Extra Mile Fatima.
Speaker 2 (28:38):
On April ninth, the coroner's jury returned a verdict that
the death of Harry L. Johansson was caused by a
gunshot wound in the head, self inflicted. You have just
heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files.
Technical advice for Dragnet comes from the Office of Chief
(28:59):
of Police WA H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
Fatima Cigarettes, the best of all Long Cigarettes, has brought
you Dragnet from Los Angeles.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
Coming up Duffy's Tavern. More good Times on NBC
The story you are about to hear is true, only
the names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Fatima cigarettes, best of all long cigarettes, brings you dragnet.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
You're a detective sergeant. You're as signed of forgery detail.
An accomplished check forger is at work in your city.
His victims small businessmen. You know his m O. You
don't know his identity. Your job.
Speaker 3 (00:43):
Get him.
Speaker 4 (00:47):
If you want a long cigarette, smoke the best of
all long cigarettes. Smoke extra mild Fatima. Yes, Fatima is
the king size cigarette which contains the finest Turkish and
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(01:11):
than doubled its smokers coast to coast. Enjoy extra mild
Fatima yourself, best of all long cigarettes.
Speaker 1 (01:20):
It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima.
Speaker 5 (01:23):
It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima.
Speaker 2 (01:32):
Dragnets the documented drama of an actual crime. While 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 filence,
from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is
the story of your police force in action.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Was Monday, February fourth, was cold.
Speaker 6 (01:57):
In Los Angeles. We're working a day watch out of
forgery detail. My partner's Ben Romero or the boss's Captain Elliot.
My name is Friday. I was on the way home
from the office and it was eight twenty five pm
when they got to Collis Avenue.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Remember forty six fifty six. Joseph said you, Yeama.
Speaker 7 (02:17):
We're in the living room. We have company.
Speaker 8 (02:19):
Oh that's all.
Speaker 7 (02:21):
Hello Joe remember the filing.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
I sure do. How are you, Miss Faller.
Speaker 9 (02:26):
Just signed, Joe, thank you doing some shopping out this
wedd thought i'd stop buying. Have a cup of tea
with your mother.
Speaker 3 (02:31):
It's good to see our things in the old neighborhood.
Speaker 9 (02:34):
Oh pretty much the same. Oh, miss Daily rememberhood finally died. Yeah,
I suppose it was for the best, So I was
just telling you mother.
Speaker 8 (02:42):
Jim and Louise watching finally moved.
Speaker 9 (02:44):
Jim got a new job.
Speaker 10 (02:45):
Not by all the dinner.
Speaker 9 (02:46):
Oh that's all yeah, Nah, you certainly I can sign Joe,
don't you wear your police uniform anymore.
Speaker 7 (02:53):
I'm no Mary and Joseph's and the detective girl now
hasn't earned his uniform for years.
Speaker 9 (02:58):
Oh that's right, Ivan, Now that note you sent me
your Christmas guide here before last? What do you do now?
Speaker 6 (03:06):
Joe forgery detail? My partner and I antle bump check cases.
Speaker 10 (03:10):
Nice that certainly must.
Speaker 6 (03:11):
Be in Yes, ma'am, I stopped at the place out
in Santa Monica and had something.
Speaker 7 (03:16):
Yes, when Mary brought me some nice coffee cakes findings
for fillings. Would you like one of a couple of
coffee us?
Speaker 3 (03:23):
No, I don't know.
Speaker 7 (03:23):
When you sit down your chair to rest yourself.
Speaker 10 (03:25):
How I'm so tired?
Speaker 7 (03:27):
No hode? How hard I wor?
Speaker 3 (03:32):
Uh?
Speaker 9 (03:33):
You remember Genevieve, don't you?
Speaker 8 (03:34):
Joe, my oldest girl? Oh?
Speaker 3 (03:36):
Yeah, sure? How is she? Oh?
Speaker 8 (03:38):
Just fine?
Speaker 9 (03:39):
Lots of boyfriends as usual, going out all the time.
Speaker 8 (03:43):
Well that's good.
Speaker 10 (03:44):
She asked to be remembered to you.
Speaker 9 (03:47):
I think you and Jen were stuck off each other
at one time.
Speaker 8 (03:50):
When you do.
Speaker 6 (03:51):
Oh, we went to a couple of dances in high school,
and I think she started going to stay with another fella.
Speaker 7 (03:55):
And she food young girl never open the wheel off.
Speaker 8 (04:00):
The show.
Speaker 7 (04:00):
Set it here in the end table.
Speaker 3 (04:02):
Nice.
Speaker 8 (04:03):
I don't think I can use it much.
Speaker 7 (04:04):
Delicious coffee cake, you're smelling pressure?
Speaker 8 (04:08):
Yeah? Nice?
Speaker 9 (04:09):
Oh my quarter to nine should have left half an
hour ago.
Speaker 7 (04:12):
Oh you have to go, Mary, She was her visits strong.
We're so sure.
Speaker 9 (04:16):
Well, I got a lot of ironing to do, and
I have to make Carls lunch.
Speaker 8 (04:19):
He's that was the fussy that he's lunch to.
Speaker 7 (04:21):
Then I get your cold.
Speaker 9 (04:23):
Well, it's nice seeing you again, Joe at do you
want to be remembered to Jennevie's.
Speaker 3 (04:28):
Yeah, tell her hello, William, it's father.
Speaker 9 (04:30):
If you're over our way, be sure and drop in
and see it. So she's Jenney's home office by six.
She often says, she'd like to see you again. It's
all the same. Good night, Joe. You'd be sure to
come and see us now, Jenny'll be looking forward to.
Speaker 3 (04:43):
That, okay, and fall to night.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
I'll show you to the door man.
Speaker 8 (04:47):
You don't remember your small amazing.
Speaker 9 (04:49):
She's all right, you know, but you take care of
your salary.
Speaker 8 (04:52):
You're nine, nice person.
Speaker 7 (04:59):
Married, Yeah, you're hind time trying to find a husband.
Virginitated huh, yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
They my, I'm not very hungry.
Speaker 8 (05:05):
I can't eat now.
Speaker 7 (05:07):
Oh h it seems such a shame the waves that
loveday Cock the cake. Do us to understand? Changs? M? Yeah,
I say, wow, it seems it's taking it off your
long accounting.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Oh we've been on a two months here.
Speaker 7 (05:28):
Mm. Don't understand that. Lot of people right down checks
always get caught.
Speaker 3 (05:33):
Well, it's easy living while at last you know, you
know what the.
Speaker 7 (05:36):
Man's handwriting is like? Don't you know who's man?
Speaker 3 (05:43):
Well, we think so much, we're not sure.
Speaker 6 (05:45):
There's hundreds of checkmen who work almost alike, some of
'em even look alike.
Speaker 3 (05:49):
There's always a big enough field to pick from. Our
problems picking.
Speaker 8 (05:52):
The right one.
Speaker 7 (05:53):
Yeah, I don't know much about it, but the whole
things is kind of silly to mean, how's that?
Speaker 11 (05:58):
Hm?
Speaker 3 (06:00):
What?
Speaker 7 (06:00):
What's this man supposed to be doing her small neighborhood
stores cashing fifteen twenty dollars chips? If you got himself
with job, he's probably doing that much in one day
during good honor's work. M.
Speaker 3 (06:14):
Say, Ben didn't call before I got home, did he?
Speaker 8 (06:16):
Hm?
Speaker 7 (06:17):
M M.
Speaker 8 (06:17):
Wasn't he reading?
Speaker 3 (06:18):
Well?
Speaker 6 (06:19):
He was gonna interview one of the bum check victims
on his way home the grocery store.
Speaker 3 (06:21):
On her down his Island park might be him, now,
I don't hang a nuts yeah Friday talking.
Speaker 8 (06:29):
It's Ben Joe. Got a partial identification from the grocer's
nothing great.
Speaker 3 (06:34):
Which mud shot did he like?
Speaker 8 (06:35):
Stanley Bielbeg groser thinks it might have been the guy
pushed the check. He can't be sure.
Speaker 6 (06:39):
M Thirty three bum checks passed the same animo, not
one positive identification.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Something's funny, isn't it?
Speaker 12 (06:46):
As got me stuff? We know the endorsements on every
one of those checks were written with the same guy.
He's practiced the same story on every one of his victims.
Those thirty three people are either blind and they're kidding it.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
There was only one other answer. Looking for the wrong man.
For two months and two days, in different shopping districts throughout.
Speaker 6 (07:06):
The city, a man described as well dressed, middle aged
have been passing worthless checks on independent neighborhood businessmen. Most
of the victims were proprietors of small shops, meat markets,
liquor stores, grocery stores. In none of the cases was
the check written for more than twenty five dollars with
the help of the Stats office and our record bureau,
we've gone through the list of experienced checkmen until we
(07:28):
found one man who's description of m Matt's perfectly with
out of a suspect. The man's name was Stanley Bubeck.
Speaker 12 (07:35):
We can't locate him cabin Another thing, we can't get
a positive identification from many of the victims and.
Speaker 11 (07:40):
Find a suspect the candidatifie. They've been tracking the guy
for two months. What's the big messy?
Speaker 6 (07:45):
Oh, we cabbed the man of Stanley Bubeck and his record,
his m is descriptionly all tie in perfectly. Now we're
not sure it's him, but a man Well, if it
is bu Beck, it's almost a sure thing that one
of the victims could have made him on one of
his mug shots.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
None of them can make up their minds.
Speaker 8 (07:59):
Look, maybe one of you two would like to be
kept in the forgery for a day.
Speaker 11 (08:03):
Sit in this office and listen to complaints come in
over that phone about this guy at the front office. Neighborhood,
businessmen's clubs, retail merchants. They tell me they're troublesome and passing.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
Them under you.
Speaker 3 (08:13):
Now, whoever this paper hanger is we want him.
Speaker 8 (08:15):
We wanted fast.
Speaker 12 (08:16):
Lousy little twenty dollars checks would probably have a lot
better target if you driveing themthing bigger.
Speaker 11 (08:21):
And don't think he and a hundred dollars checkmen like
him don't know that you won't find him stealing company
paychecks and flooding the town with paper. They take it
from the little guy, and they take it in small amounts,
but add up those small amounts at the end of
the year and they'll scare you.
Speaker 3 (08:32):
It's the rotten part about it. None of those victims
can afford a bad check.
Speaker 11 (08:35):
That grocer Don only stands in the speed all day
and at a profit of ten fifteen dollars, he gets
tagged with one bad check and he's working for nothing.
Speaker 12 (08:42):
I mean, got bulletins out on the suspect to all
the small businessmen in town.
Speaker 8 (08:46):
We've all been alerting.
Speaker 11 (08:48):
Excuse me, half million, okay, Don right away, Don Myers,
he went over the handwriting.
Speaker 8 (08:57):
Those last three checks.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Wants to see you.
Speaker 11 (08:59):
Okay, how about that special bullet and you got out
to the prisons on Stanley bu Beck and it replies,
nothing else together, all right, stay on it right, let's
go good.
Speaker 8 (09:12):
It's a sour deal. I'd give a right arm for
a line on this guy.
Speaker 6 (09:17):
Yeah, we little move a lot faster if somebody'd help
us follow those checks closer the way it's running. Now
we hear about the paper two weeks after it'spay cash
and buback.
Speaker 8 (09:24):
Thing isn't every nuts, you know, you just find another
line and we'd get a seven. Hi. Don oh hi. Uh,
just finished up on those last three checks that came in.
You wanna give me a look how they came up?
You know you can see for yourself right here, yeah, uh, here.
Speaker 13 (09:41):
The three I just went over and uh, here are
half a dozen bad ones for cash last month. Now,
the endorsements on this half doesn't match perfectly, and those
other three, well, i'd say they were endorsed with the
same person. Oh look here, h you can notice the
capital letters. He still hand them the same way, disconnected.
Speaker 8 (10:01):
From the other letters in the first name see yeah, yeah, but.
Speaker 14 (10:05):
He connects the capitals in the last name.
Speaker 11 (10:07):
See not very bright.
Speaker 13 (10:09):
Yeah, that much doubt my mind.
Speaker 11 (10:12):
All the other handwriting.
Speaker 8 (10:13):
Factors tie in form skills, shading.
Speaker 14 (10:15):
They all match up. The movement terminals.
Speaker 13 (10:18):
Are all the same for my money, yeah, here the
way he writes the lower case letters, and that's interested
for me.
Speaker 8 (10:24):
How's that done?
Speaker 3 (10:26):
Well?
Speaker 13 (10:26):
Here the inclination of the terminal stroke on the s
see the breest land above the horizontals, just about fifty
five degrees in all cases. The finger movement in his
capitals have plenty of freedom.
Speaker 3 (10:39):
They're not shaded much.
Speaker 8 (10:42):
Nothing like this in his.
Speaker 3 (10:42):
Lower case letters.
Speaker 8 (10:43):
You see here, Yeah, that kind of what you mean?
Speaker 13 (10:47):
That much freedom here, lots of shading and the pressure
on the lifts here they match up same on the downstroke. Now,
I'd say the skill is medium in all cases.
Speaker 8 (10:59):
Embellishments both play too. No, it changes the dog in
the style. Oh he made the signature just look a
little different. All eight factors match up though it's the
same person. All we have to do is find him. Hey, uh,
how about this fella, Stanley Bubick I thought you had
him tat I.
Speaker 3 (11:14):
We're not too sure about him, but it's the only
line we got to work on, so it'll have to
do for now.
Speaker 14 (11:19):
Lamarra a man in the office.
Speaker 8 (11:20):
So you and Joe James Loomis right, Fred me there
in a minute, yame?
Speaker 6 (11:25):
Well, thanks John, we'll check you later. Sure, okay, see you,
let's go back. How do you do you mister Loomis, yes,
uh Sajan l Meryl.
Speaker 3 (11:43):
No, this is Sergeant Romaryo here. My name is Friday.
Speaker 7 (11:45):
Oh alright, what can we do for you?
Speaker 14 (11:49):
It's about these texts, serge. Uh these uh right here?
Speaker 15 (11:54):
Well, you see, I run a delicate test and out
on sunset, and a few days ago a new customer
came in for a few things in faith for them
with these checks.
Speaker 14 (12:02):
He came in twice. Yeah, go ahead, Well I got
the checks back today. They're no good.
Speaker 15 (12:08):
I tried to look up the man at the address
he gave, but there's no such address. You can see
once for fifteen dollars, the other ones for twenty. The
reason I asked for you, man is because I know
the man who runs a drug store across the street,
George home Quist.
Speaker 14 (12:23):
He had some bad checks about a month ago, he said,
DU took care of them.
Speaker 8 (12:27):
Oh yeah, yeah, I mean you recall a man who
passed these checks with Jones.
Speaker 14 (12:30):
Yes, I think I do.
Speaker 15 (12:32):
He told me he was new in the neighborhood and
he was looking for a place to trade. Well, I
guess we're all anxious for new business.
Speaker 14 (12:39):
I took the checks.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
He got those much shots there? Man?
Speaker 8 (12:42):
Yeah? Yeah, thank you?
Speaker 6 (12:45):
How about these men, mister Loomis, and he haven't looked
anything like the person who passed the check.
Speaker 14 (12:49):
Shi, No, let's see this one. Yes, it does look
like the man in a way. I don't know if
I could be absolutely sure.
Speaker 8 (13:00):
Stanley Bubeck, Samemo, Well, it.
Speaker 6 (13:02):
Looks like you're stuck with a couple of bad was
mister Lumis probably the same man who passed checks on
your druggist friends.
Speaker 3 (13:08):
We're doing everything we can to run this man down.
Speaker 14 (13:10):
Look what about the checks? Isn't there anything I can
do about them?
Speaker 3 (13:14):
No, sir, I'm sorry, not right now. We would like
to have you make out a crime report if you will,
and would you leave these checks with us?
Speaker 8 (13:21):
Friday, here's mister nis As just came in for you.
Speaker 11 (13:26):
I replied from Salt Lake City, UTA on that bulleting
you sent out on the Stanley Buback. Yeah, he's been
in jail for five months.
Speaker 3 (13:35):
We sent a.
Speaker 6 (13:35):
Request to Salt Lake asking him to question Stanley Bubeck
if he knew of any forger who.
Speaker 3 (13:40):
Matched his description or used his m O BW. BEC
could tell us nothing.
Speaker 6 (13:45):
Wednesday, February sixth, we drew away the results of two
months of investigation.
Speaker 3 (13:49):
We went back and started from the beginning.
Speaker 6 (13:52):
Despite all precautions and warnings, the checks kept coming in
at the rate of half a dozen a week. The
same m O was used, the same handwriting showed up
in the.
Speaker 3 (13:59):
Signatures on the check again. With the help of the
staff and.
Speaker 6 (14:02):
The statisticians office and the record Bureau, we waited through
hundreds of names of known checkmen and compiled a new
list of thirty eight possible suspects. Each one fitted the
general description.
Speaker 3 (14:11):
Of the forger.
Speaker 6 (14:12):
Each one, at some time in his forgery career, had
used the same general method of operation.
Speaker 3 (14:17):
Well.
Speaker 6 (14:18):
After days of leg work, we finally boiled down the
list of possibles to three names, George Roberts, James Young
and Harry L.
Speaker 3 (14:24):
Johansson. We got out a flyer to all the small
businessmen in the areas where the forger operated. Another week passed,
the worthless check kept showing up at the rate of
two and three a day. On February twenty first, Ben
and I answered a call from a druggist in the
Echo Park district.
Speaker 11 (14:39):
He bought some toothpaste and a cotton of cigarette. Sergeant
asked me to cash a twenty dollar check.
Speaker 8 (14:43):
Fork if you've ever seen a man before?
Speaker 11 (14:45):
No, he gave me the same old story about being
new in the neighborhood. That's when I remembered that police
full of the department sent me. Do you still have
that poem?
Speaker 3 (14:53):
No?
Speaker 8 (14:53):
I looked it over, and then I guess it got mislaid.
Speaker 6 (14:56):
I wonder if you'd mind taking a look at these
pictures here, not at all these right here?
Speaker 14 (15:02):
M sure this one right on top that's the man.
Speaker 8 (15:05):
Sure, I am.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
It only happened a.
Speaker 3 (15:07):
Few hours ago.
Speaker 8 (15:09):
Do you know who he is? Harry ol Johansson. That's
the name we have on him.
Speaker 11 (15:13):
It doesn't mean anything to me. He got real happy
when I wouldn't take his check, stalked right out of
the store, very suspicious.
Speaker 3 (15:19):
Did you follow him?
Speaker 15 (15:20):
No?
Speaker 3 (15:20):
I told Ralph, my clerk, to follow him. Ralph, you
want to tell.
Speaker 11 (15:25):
These officers about that man this morning? I followed him
down the street for blackman, turned the corner. That's where
I lost him.
Speaker 8 (15:32):
He's too bad.
Speaker 14 (15:33):
Yeah, well, I got was a license number.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
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Speaker 6 (17:02):
September twenty first Thursday, three pm. We took the license
number which the drug store clerk had given us.
Speaker 3 (17:08):
We went back to the office and checked it through DMV.
We found the car was registered to a Russell Burrows
on Pico Boulevard.
Speaker 6 (17:15):
We checked him out. He told us that he had
loaned his car the day before to a friend of his.
He identified the friend as Harry L. Johansson and gave
us his last known address, six fourteen Elderwood Avenue.
Speaker 3 (17:28):
We got out a broadcast on the car.
Speaker 6 (17:30):
The Elderwood Avenue address turned out to be a single
story wooden frame house in the southern part of the city,
on the edge of the industrial district. It needed a
coat of paint. A woman in her elderly at thirties
answered the door and identified herself as missus Johansson. She
invited us into the living room. There was a baby
playing on the floor.
Speaker 5 (17:51):
I don't expect my husband home for another two weeks, Sergeant,
he says, cosmetics salesman travels all over to Western State.
Speaker 8 (17:58):
When did he leave on his last trip the first
of the month.
Speaker 10 (18:02):
Why is anything wrong?
Speaker 3 (18:04):
What's the name of the cosmetics company that your husband
works for?
Speaker 10 (18:07):
Harrington Universal offices are down on East Name.
Speaker 3 (18:11):
Do you know a friend of your husband's named Russell Burrows?
Speaker 10 (18:13):
Yes, I do. He's kind of a friend of the family. Please, sergeant.
If there's anything wrong, I don't know.
Speaker 8 (18:18):
We talked to mister Burr's this afternoon. He killd us.
Your husband's in town. Burr's nonna miss.
Speaker 10 (18:24):
Carr, Harry, that's silly. He's still on the road. He'd
certainly let me know if he was coming back early.
Speaker 3 (18:30):
You sure of that man?
Speaker 10 (18:31):
Would you excuse me a minute, sergeant, I'll have to
put the baby to bed, certainly some body. I'll be
back in a minute.
Speaker 3 (18:42):
Kind of a funny set up in it.
Speaker 6 (18:44):
I mean, if Johansson's pushing bum checks, the money isn't
going into his home here, My life doesn'tknock not she
knows anything, seems cooperative. I'm afraid we're gonna have to
level whether if we're gonna find out anything.
Speaker 8 (18:55):
Hw She an't govern accute a little girl. It's perfectly
all right. Just a few more questions.
Speaker 6 (19:03):
Is it possible that your husband could be in town
and you might not know what I mean, but he
be staying with a friend or some relevance.
Speaker 10 (19:08):
You know if Harry was in town, he'd come home.
Why would he stay with anyone else?
Speaker 3 (19:12):
When did you last hear from your husband?
Speaker 10 (19:14):
Last week? He wrote from San Francisco. The letters write
there on the mantle.
Speaker 12 (19:18):
Oh huh well besides that letter, do you have any
other samples of your husband's handwriting?
Speaker 8 (19:23):
Then? Huh well? I think so?
Speaker 3 (19:25):
Yes?
Speaker 10 (19:27):
Where did you say you were from?
Speaker 3 (19:28):
Central Division? Forgery?
Speaker 8 (19:30):
Detail?
Speaker 10 (19:31):
You investigate checks bad checks?
Speaker 3 (19:33):
That's man, that's right. And you know about my husband
this prison record.
Speaker 10 (19:37):
Yes, Harry promised me he was through it all that.
He gave me his word.
Speaker 5 (19:41):
Sorry, man, about a month ago he had some extra money.
He wouldn't tell me where he got it. Look, Sergeant
n maybe you've made a mistake.
Speaker 10 (19:51):
Maybe it's not Harry at all. You're not sure, are you?
Speaker 3 (19:54):
Did your husband use the phone much? I mean for
out of town call?
Speaker 5 (19:58):
Say no, just that one total call, a long beach number.
I think he has a business friend down there I
used to call.
Speaker 3 (20:04):
Do you know the number?
Speaker 15 (20:05):
Man?
Speaker 10 (20:06):
I can show you.
Speaker 5 (20:07):
It's on last month's Phoneville. Please, sergeant. If Harry's done
something wrong, he did it for us, I mean the baby.
Harry's not bad. Yes, he's done something.
Speaker 10 (20:18):
He did it for us.
Speaker 5 (20:20):
Harry hasn't had it easy. He wanted to get things
for the baby, clothes, a better house.
Speaker 10 (20:26):
Oh he wanted was a little happiness, a little happiness.
Speaker 6 (20:31):
He had it wrong, man, Hm, you don't buy it
with bum checks. Before we left missus Johansson.
Speaker 3 (20:41):
We called and had a steak out placed.
Speaker 6 (20:43):
On the house, and then we got a sample of
her husband's handwriting and the Long Beach.
Speaker 3 (20:47):
Telephone number that he was in the habit of calling.
Speaker 6 (20:49):
The next morning, Don Myers and handwriting compared Harry Johansson's
letter with.
Speaker 3 (20:54):
The signatures on the worthless checks. It matched. We called
the Harrington Universal Cosmetics Company.
Speaker 6 (21:00):
I never heard of Harry Johansson. We call that Long
Beach phone number. A woman answered and gave us the
address where the telephone was installed. Turned out to be
a swanky modern apartment house. In apartment eighteen, we interviewed
a good looking brunette. She identified herself as Harry Johansson's
commonweal white.
Speaker 3 (21:15):
She was well dressed in the apartment was originally furnished.
Speaker 7 (21:19):
Well, what's it all about?
Speaker 8 (21:21):
Why do you want Harry oh Lank's business?
Speaker 7 (21:22):
You know where he is, well, what's he done?
Speaker 3 (21:25):
Do you know where he is?
Speaker 7 (21:26):
And he drove into Hollywood this morning? He might be
back tonight, and I don't know for sure.
Speaker 3 (21:32):
Is this your apartment?
Speaker 7 (21:33):
Yeah, I'm minding, Harry.
Speaker 8 (21:35):
Yeah sure, Johnson is not here now, of course, I'm sure.
Speaker 3 (21:39):
Why well, and you won't mind if we come in
and look around. Now.
Speaker 7 (21:42):
I have a right to know what it's all about.
Speaker 3 (21:44):
Johnson's wanted for forgery. If you want to get involved,
you'll help him hide out.
Speaker 7 (21:49):
I'm not ask him for that kind of trouble.
Speaker 8 (21:51):
Go ahead and look, take the bedroom, leave in all right, however, mind,
thanks for honey.
Speaker 7 (22:04):
I don't want any part of your troubles, Harry. I
didn't know a thing about it all.
Speaker 3 (22:09):
Ben, Yeah, you better come along to lady.
Speaker 7 (22:15):
We'll tell him her. I don't know what it's about.
See the idea getting me mixed up in me?
Speaker 14 (22:21):
How do you think I was paying for this twice?
Taking you out bound us clothes for you.
Speaker 7 (22:27):
I don't want any part of him. Three room apartment,
couple addresses.
Speaker 10 (22:30):
That's all he ever got me.
Speaker 6 (22:31):
You got no complaints, lady. That's morning he bought his kids.
One pm Friday, Ben and I took Harry Johansson to
the county jail, where he was booked for suspicion of forgery,
but called Missus Johansson a notifier. She immediately contacted friends
and relatives and raised enough money for a rip to
have her husband released from jail. Three days later, Johansson
(22:54):
was arranged when a date set for his preliminary hearing.
After the arrangement, Ben and I took him back to
the county jail for rebook.
Speaker 8 (23:00):
Think I'd like to ask you a question, Johnson. Yeah,
if you got any money, if you.
Speaker 3 (23:05):
On the oh, don't just stick to your own business, Copper.
That family of yours is having a pretty rough time.
Your wife borrowed every since you could find to bail
you out, and now what she gonna live on?
Speaker 12 (23:14):
Good relatives. No, there's the elevator. Come on, Johnson, and
I gonna put me back in fullsomer.
Speaker 8 (23:28):
Not a hundred years.
Speaker 6 (23:30):
You've done two stretches already for hanging paper. You should
have known better, mystery.
Speaker 14 (23:34):
You got it all figured out, having me fuzz Well,
I'm not going.
Speaker 3 (23:38):
Back take it anything.
Speaker 8 (23:39):
You get a couple of more weeks on bail before
the trial. Yeah, A couple of weeks.
Speaker 3 (23:46):
What's the matter with you? Don't you feel well?
Speaker 8 (23:49):
I won't get me back to Fulsom.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
You're not making it any easier on yourself. Alry, don't you.
Speaker 11 (24:02):
A bunch of cops understand I hate it, every lousy
bit of an I'm not going back to Fulsom.
Speaker 14 (24:09):
I'm not going back.
Speaker 3 (24:11):
And he understands A good idea. Mister, you remember that
when you get out. We booked Harry Johansson in the
county jail. His veil was continued. He was released pending
a trial. During the next week.
Speaker 6 (24:24):
Along with the District Attorney's office, Ben and I helped
prepare the case against Johansson. Three days before the trial opened,
we had a phone call from Missus Johansson. She told
us that her husband had disappeared.
Speaker 3 (24:34):
Well, there was nothing we could do until he actually
failed to appear in Superior Court at the appointed time.
Speaker 6 (24:39):
On Monday, April third, the case of the State versus
Harry Old Johanson officially opened.
Speaker 3 (24:44):
The defendant failed to show. A bench warrant was.
Speaker 6 (24:46):
Immediately issued and we got out of broadcast on an
APB on the suspect. Stakeouts were placed in his house
and at the apartment of his common law wife.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Two days passed, no sign of it.
Speaker 8 (25:01):
Nothing's wrong, umbly, just checked it out.
Speaker 3 (25:03):
Or how about those two ex compounds of Johansson's to
check with them?
Speaker 12 (25:08):
Yeah nothing, man, I don't see I can last out
much longer.
Speaker 8 (25:12):
When to suit of clothes? No money?
Speaker 3 (25:14):
You still got a check book when the skipper, say,
was coming.
Speaker 8 (25:17):
Back on seven thirty nine, seven fifteen, Now I'll get
a forgery Friday jeer.
Speaker 3 (25:26):
Since this is your mother, Oh yeah, I'm uh.
Speaker 7 (25:29):
I forgot to tell you when you're called earlier.
Speaker 8 (25:32):
You're supposed to be home tonight by eight o'clock.
Speaker 3 (25:35):
What's that? Man?
Speaker 15 (25:36):
Uh?
Speaker 7 (25:36):
Mary Powler, she's coming over to visit tonight, and Genevieve's.
Speaker 8 (25:40):
Coming with her.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 6 (25:42):
Well, look well you try to explain to them that
I'm working and I can't get away.
Speaker 3 (25:46):
Huh well, all right, I'll try if I possibly can,
I'll try to make it home by ten. I'll I'll
be all right.
Speaker 7 (25:53):
Oh that drives, I'll see what I can do. Genevieve's
going to be disurprised.
Speaker 3 (25:58):
Yeah, uh, if I might have that, don't wait up
for me.
Speaker 8 (26:01):
Huh bye man, Yes, oh thanks giver the all just
came in. Yeah, they found Johnson.
Speaker 3 (26:19):
Captain Elliott, Ben and I drove out the highway to
the Tahunga Wash.
Speaker 6 (26:22):
We turned off and headed into the mount policing area.
Captain Elliott directed us onto a dirt road. Half way
up one of the mountains. We spotted a group of
cars pulled off on the shoulder of the road.
Speaker 3 (26:31):
We parked behind them and got out and started over.
Speaker 8 (26:36):
Who found the cars?
Speaker 11 (26:37):
Kivin one of the people looking back in my hells
spotted a nice way.
Speaker 8 (26:41):
Home from one. M Farnon's got here now hurry yeah, Hi,
Dave hid.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
Done, Joe cat Melly?
Speaker 3 (26:47):
How long has you been dead?
Speaker 8 (26:49):
This last night? I figure come on hour.
Speaker 11 (26:54):
You talked to the man and found Johnson's body day Yeah,
he didn't touch the thing.
Speaker 8 (26:58):
Don't you find thought of brand on the temple?
Speaker 11 (27:00):
Powder on their hands? Boye from homicide found the note.
It's on the seat right next to him. Here it
is here, It's been checked.
Speaker 8 (27:08):
Yeah, thanks, I'll tizan.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
Are they very tight?
Speaker 14 (27:12):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (27:13):
Jane Bickel from homicide wants to talk to you, Captain.
Speaker 12 (27:16):
Okay, if you're right back, Joe right, who do you
addressed the note to Joe as what yeah the girlfriend.
Speaker 8 (27:24):
Look what he wrote it on Yeah blank check.
Speaker 1 (27:35):
The story you've just heard was true, only the names
were changed to protect the innocent.
Speaker 2 (27:41):
On April ninth, an inquest was held in the Coroner's
office on the main floor of the Hall of Justice,
Los Angeles, California. In a moment the results of that inquest.
Speaker 8 (27:49):
And now here is our star, Jack Webb, thank you.
Speaker 6 (27:53):
The working detective comes in contact with many people in
his daily tour of duty, people who are willing to.
Speaker 3 (27:58):
Cooperate and those who will even try.
Speaker 6 (28:01):
It's a difficult task, but the police officer has been
trained to try to please everybody to the best of
his ability. So with a cigarette, the people who make
Fatima try to please all long cigarette smokers. They carefully
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If you're a long cigarette smoker like I am, smoke Fatima.
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Speaker 2 (28:38):
On April ninth, the coroner's jury returned a verdict that
the death of Harry L. Johansson was caused by a
gunshot wound in the head, self inflicted. You have just
heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files.
Technical advice for Dragnet comes from the Office of Chief
(28:59):
of Police WA H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
Fatima Cigarettes, the best of all Long Cigarettes, has brought
you Dragnet from Los Angeles.
Speaker 3 (29:08):
Coming up Duffy's Tavern. More good Times on NBC
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