August 6, 2025 • 27 mins
Release Date: July 16, 2013
Jimmy Stewart plays a cynical reporter turned crusader who seeks to clear a man wrongly convicted of murdering a police officer. This episode was based on the 1949 Edgar Award Winning Movie of the same name.
Original Air Date: October 7, 1948
Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net
Support the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.net
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Give us a call at 208-991-4783
Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.net
Check out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net
Jimmy Stewart plays a cynical reporter turned crusader who seeks to clear a man wrongly convicted of murdering a police officer. This episode was based on the 1949 Edgar Award Winning Movie of the same name.
Original Air Date: October 7, 1948
Support the show monthly at https://patreon.greatdetectives.net
Support the show on a one-time basis at https://support.greatdetectives.net
Mail a donation to: Adam Graham, PO Box 15913, Boise, Idaho 83715
Give us a call at 208-991-4783
Take the listener survey at https://survey.greatdetectives.net
Check out our social media at https://www.greatdetectives.net
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:28):
Welcome to our one thousandth episode specialfrom Boise, Idaho. This is your
host, Adam Graham. If youhave a comment, email it to me
Box thirteen at Great Attractives dot net, follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives,
and become one of our friends onFacebook, Facebook dot com slash Radio
(00:52):
Detectives. We're very pleased to justcelebrate this one thousand episodes of a podcast.
It's not something that happens all thetime. Require some determination here,
but just listeners continuing to listen andcomment and be part of the show.
Really truly appreciate all the support we'vegotten, and so we're pleased to bring
(01:15):
you this special. We're actually bringingyou the very first show that was podcast
on the Great Detectors of Old TimeRadio. Before we officially launched the series
on October twenty six, two thousandand nine, I went ahead and I
did a pilot episode on October twelfth, two thousand and nine, so people
(01:38):
would have something that they could subscribeto as we got ready for the official
launch in two weeks and subsequent tothat, it's been knocked out of the
way. Plus I spent about tenminutes at the beginning and commentary. I
hope I don't spend that much thistime, so I was kind of introducing
the show, which isn't necessary.I will introduce the program. This is
(02:01):
an episode of the Screen Guild Theater. This was from nineteen forty eight October
the seventh, and it was calledNorth Science seven seven seven, in which
Jimmy Stewart reprised by his screen role. This was a very important episode of
(02:23):
the Screen Guild player's program because theyhad just made the switch from CBS to
NBC, and so they decided tolead off strong with call north Signed seven
seven seven. I'll let you knowin advance the commercials have been edited out
then, they weren't done by me. That's the way the program came with.
That said, let's go ahead andtake a listen to this classic story.
(02:45):
Well, the first time on theair, the Screen Guild players were
that all Northside seven seven seven,storrying James Stewart, Pad O'Brien and Richard
Covey. First of all, let'sget one thing straight. I didn't just
(03:12):
dream this story up. I'll tryoff the record it really happened. So
if the people don't resemble characters livingare dead, well, believe me,
it's strictly intentional. On October tenth, nineteen forty four, I would report
on the Chicago Times. October tenth, nineteen forty four. Remember that that
(03:37):
date's important. That was the morningthe ad appeared, little ad and on
a classified section a personal notice thatsaid five thousand dollars reboard for the killers
of police officer Bundi on December nine, nineteen thirty two, called north Side
for seven seven seven twelve to sevenpm, ask for Tilly le Chick.
(04:04):
I didn't notice the ad myself,but Brian Kelly did. Kelly was Dart
City editor. It wasn't it wasn'tmuch in the paper he ever met,
And whenever Kelly got an idea heusually had me do something about it.
Well, call it curiosity, Mac. I don't know why. It's what
five thousand dollars or somebody to findout who killed a cop eleven years ago.
(04:27):
Well, in nineteen thirty two,it was open season on cots on
the North Side that were shooting themin Paris like a brace of ducks.
Well, I'll hook chick. Maybeyou get your name in the paper,
Kelly. This is a sucker bait. Every grifter and moods in town will
be after that five gram. They'llframe their own brothers to get at Hey,
maybe this is a frame. Thisthing has a lot of bangles.
(04:50):
Yes, you know what I mean. It just takes you long to catch
up. Oh no, well,I was thinking about a time he used
my phone I got out of Allright, Hello, Patty, give me
a number with him? Yeah,yeah, I want north Side seven seven
seven. Kelly Whecheck wasn't home andthey said she worked nights, and they
(05:18):
told me where. It's one ofthose big office buildings downtown. I found
it on the seventh floor in thecorridor, on her hands and knees,
with a scrubbing brush and bucket ofwater. I showed it the edd and
she got up quickly. Yes,yes, that's just from me. You
(05:38):
don't know something, No, No, I'm a reporter from the Chicago Time.
Oh, we'd like to know whyyou're so interested in finding the killers
of this cop. Thank the chickis my son. It's in prison for
killing him. My friends tell meif I offer big money, maybe somebody
will tell who kiled his police Youmean your sons and person for killing the
cops. All right, yes,but he won't do my Frank is a
(06:00):
good boy. He don't do thisthing. Yeah, yeah, now that's
five thousand dollars. What did youget back? That is important? Yeah,
that's very important. I might havehad it hidden away, or maybe
you got it from some mob that'strying to sprink. No, no,
it's mine. I work. Iscrub thus eleven years. I save every
ten they never miss a day's work, so I can get Frank out.
(06:26):
I dream of this day. Oh, five thousand dollars is a lot for
a dream. Yes, eleven years. I dream and I work. First,
I try three thousand dollars. Nothing. Now I try five thousand dollars
and suppose he's still love it.Then I work eleven more years. I
(06:46):
get ten thousand dollars. But myboy someday he gets out. Well,
it made a pretty good yarn.I guess you know. Mother slaves to
save five thousand dollars, offers itto clear her son. I told myself
(07:10):
all the day's work I wrote it, try to forget it. I tried.
Kelly didn't swell, starty man,swell. That's rights. It's too
good for one day. Run.Why not go up and interview the boy?
Oh no, wait a minute,I'm not glorifying any cop killer.
(07:30):
Is that proof he is a copkiller? Well, they didn't get him
ninety nine years for playing the hockey. He had a record. He was
on pull patient when he shot thecop. Yeah, I know, I
looked it up too. He waspublic Enemy number one. Seeing a couple
of other kids broke into a grocerystore, he got a few candy bars
and the record. Luck, Mac, Let's let's put it this way.
(07:51):
Maybe I'm interested for a personal reasonbecause because my mother did the same thing.
She scrubbed forwys on her hands andknees for more than eleven years.
Send me to school, Okay,okay, I'll go up to the penn
(08:11):
stam in the morning. How aboutexpensive. Here's about you take the cashier,
right, Kelly. Yeah, Ihappened to know that your mother had
a small annuity, she never scrubbeda floor in her life, and you
never got out of the fifth grade. Well, but I just I just
figure if you pulled such a cornygag, you must want me to go
(08:35):
up there pretty bad. So I'mgoing, Oh so well, swell,
keep the expenses down with you,Mac. I guess the Warden told you,
Frank, I'm from the card oftime. Yes, he told me.
Of course, you don't have toanswer to this question. You don't
want to, but I do wanthim. Sure, I want to fine,
(08:56):
all right? I like I likemore of your story, your side
of it. I need an angle, something to hit the public with.
You understand, yes, sir?Now you know about the ads your mother
put in the papers about the fivethousand dollars reward. That's right. Now.
Did you know that she's scrubbing floorsto get the mine, Yes,
sir, I did. Or shelives for is to get me out.
I guess that's all I got tolive for too. You know, if
(09:18):
you're guilly, you're letting her slaverlife away for nothing. She knows I'm
not guilty. I don't know.I read all the news clips, the
transcript of the trial. They don'texactly. White wants you. I know
that you only read what convicted me. All the true facts didn't come out.
Even Judge Molten said I wasn't guilty. But the judge you gave you
ninety nine years. Well he hadto do that. The jury said we
were guilty. But in his chambershe said he knew we were innocent.
(09:41):
When was that after he sentenced?Oh? Oh after well, I think
everybody duck that. What else?My lawyer was a drunk. He didn't
even let me in, understand,because he was afraid I'd get the chair.
Well, when they questioned you hourafter hour, you're bound to get
mixed up on a lot of littlethings. The coup didn't even listen to
me on the important things. Theyhad to have a conviction, so they
went ahead and got that's that's agood angle, railroaded. And then they
(10:01):
took me from one police station toanother every few hours, taking me around
the horn they call it. Mylawyer couldn't get me out. And then
this fender scut make scut make thatthat's the name around the speaking to you.
Yeah, the first come At thetime she saw me, she said
I wasn't one of the killers,and all of a sudden she said I
was fingerwoman. All right, Iwill play that up too. When that
cup was killed, I was homewith my wife. I try, that's
(10:24):
that's what you said. The trial. Another say, does she come up
here in presage? My wife?Yeah, no, not anymore. We
divorced. That's what kept sticking inmy craw. If his wife didn't believe
him, how could I? ButI couldn't forget that old lady's scrubbing floor.
(10:46):
That's the way I wrote the story. Not Gilli says. We checked
places faith in mother, and bythe next night Kelly was full of ideas.
Nice work. We're getting up totwenty four calls an hour on the
story. What are you gonna usefor a follow up? Follow up?
Oh? Sure, it's snow bullying. No, I'm more evan. What
do you want to give me araise? Or do I just get the
five thousand from we checked mother?Listen? How I just work here like
(11:07):
you. I get my artists toofrom home the circulation department. Sure,
we're selling a lot of papers.We might also be selling that dead cop
short. You know he might havea mother who scrub floors too. All
right, all right, I knowyou was blowing your top. Now I'll
tell you another thing. Remember whatwe check said about the judge promising the
new trial. That judge died threeweeks after the case was closed, and
(11:28):
we checked for Oh no, I'mjust saying there was. He's pretty sharp,
you know, give me a leader. He knew I couldn't check.
Mac. If you're so sure he'sguilty and there's nothing more of the story,
and then that right, a finishedpiece and kill it. Okay,
I'll take that deal. I'll interviewhis wife. What. Yeah, she
believed in him so much she gota divorce. Put that in your paper.
Killing. I got to kill itfor keeps. You see, Well,
(11:56):
I've been wondering what you think aboutfrying Bank is innocent. He didn't
do it. He was home withme when that policeman was chilled. You
wouldn't be saying that because you lovedhim then, I mean, yes,
I did love him. I lovedhim very much. So you got a
divorce and right somebody else, onlybecause Frank insisted on it. Look,
(12:16):
would you mind repeating that Frank mademe do it. He made me get
the divorce, then he made meget married again. Oh why so our
boy would have a chance in life, he'd grow up with another name.
(12:39):
I guess the story I wrote thatnight was a little different from the one
eyed plan, but that had anice lead. Divorced wife believes we checked
his innocent And the next day Kellywas on my neck again. Mac.
I know there's nothing more of thatwe tack case. I know it's all
washed up, and at the sametime, I well, but what well?
I just got a call from thewarden. We Check wants to see
(13:01):
you again. What for? Andhe wants to confess. But I was
up. I was up there.Don't I get time off for good behavior?
We Check's been there for eleven years. You better take that first train
up in the morning. Hello,we checked. I understand you want to
(13:22):
see me. Yes, I wantto tell you something. I don't want
you to write any more about meor my family. No, no,
we brought out our hearts to you, and all that meant was Joe,
wait a month, Wait a minute. You wanted help, don't you.
We've got We've got half a millionpeople following this story. Someone might know
the killers. What do you thinkof kidding? My mother's doing this for
(13:43):
me, not to sell your papers. I don't know. I thought I
was doing a pretty good job foryou, putting my boy's picture in the
paper, spoiling his whole life.I don't want that kind of help.
I'll stay here a thousand years.Just don't write about us anymore, that's
all. Wow, you seemed prettyLook look Frank, suppose I went on
(14:07):
with your case and did my bestto slamp the story your way. I
want you to know that I stilldon't think you're innocent, but I'm willing
to dig get the facts, thefacts, and remember this. The first
time I catch you lying, I'llblast you so hard you won't even get
your parole when you're ninety nine yearsor up. How about it. It's
the deal. I got nothing tobe afraid of. Yes, I'll make
(14:30):
that deal. Okay, all right, now let's start talking. Was there
any witness when Judge Moulton told youhe'd try and get you another trial?
Well there was a bailiff. Yeah, what was his name? And I
don't know. All right, i'llfind out. Who's your lawyer? His
name was Underwood, but he's dispadNow he was a drunk. Well that's
great, a dead judge and adispoy lawyer. All right. What else?
Now, Well there was tender Skutnik. She was a woman who ran
(14:52):
to speakeasy. She identified me.The other two witnesses said no, no,
keep going. Then there was thepolice captain he stood right alongside of
and the Scott Nick when she pickedme out. What she acted like?
She was afraid of him? Whatwas his name? I never found out
he wasn't at the trial. Wherecan I find the Scott Nick Day?
I don't know. You know thisis great material I've got here. Well
(15:13):
it's all I got. But it'sthe truth. I swear it. Look,
but would you be willing to takea lie detective test just to make
neil? For eleven years I've beenwaiting for a chance at that bucks.
You know what you're up against.If it turns out bad, you're cooked.
If it turns out good, itisn't legal evidence. I'll take the
test, Okay, Oh, I'llset it up for you. So seen
(15:41):
a report on that detect test?Yeah, don't your hand give? We
check pretty clean? The health didn'tthat? Yeah? Sure? You don't
want someone to say it? No? No, no, stomachs a little
jenera. Don't I guess it?I guess it's something I ate, you're
sure, or something you wrote.Now look now, look, Kelly,
(16:03):
just just don't think that. Ithought. Slow down, man, Why
don't you let's go and tell yourselfthe truth. You want him to be
innocent, you want him to befree, admitted. Maybe you're right,
Maybe you're right, I do wanthim to be free, but that doesn't
make me believe he's in us.If you want to believe, that's a
pretty good start. I remember,fella, I'll be in there swinging with
(16:25):
you all the way. Thanks,Kelly, Kelly, Yeah, you wouldn't
have some of that sand left withyou. Well, they say that a
(16:55):
convert always praised a louder. Andas soon as as soon as I I
had switched over the frank we checkside, I guess he could have hurt
me all over town. It wasn'tjust the story anymore. It was big
unto a man's wife. And Istarted with the bailer, the one Fiker
told me about it. It's thetruth, mister McNeil. Judge Molton did
promise the lad a new trial.He hands to the saints. I was
(17:18):
there and heard him. You rememberthe details I saw, mister McNeil.
I'll have you understand. I'm thefellow that reminds the elephants. As you
see, the way it happened hascome out in the trial. This opposite
Bundy was having a snort in alittle speakeasy run by this woman nor wander
scot that barely said, and whilsthe was warming himself with being a cold
(17:38):
day. He's two yeggs, comein and let him have it. But
no, there was another color sittingthere having a drink on a truck driver
the name of Gruska. Correct.Correct. And when the trial was done,
the judge god rest his soul hadam all brought into his chambers.
That's when this Fresca Colla speaks upand tells the judge that we checked wasn't
(17:59):
one of the killers? Or whatdid wander scot? They say, well,
she stands pat She claims she sawthe shooting from start to finish.
But then then this Christo fellow getsmad and he says she never saw any
part of it, but when thefirework started she ducked into a closet.
Oh why didn't he say that onthe witness stand. Well, no,
I guess he never had the chance. I'd let him say was yes and
(18:22):
no. Well, the next manon my list is a little harder to
fine. But four days later Idug him off in a greasy little restaurant
washing dishes exactly the same meaning.Yes, my name is Underwood. Was
we Check's lawyer? I didn't carewhat happened to him then, and I
(18:44):
don't care. Now, Look,why should I. I'm at this partcisely.
I'm a drunk of food and acrook. Testimony is no good,
my words, no good my life. I'm no good to anybody. Anybody
did think we check on the adviceof this was? Yeah, my wife
was every night. All right,I'll tell you something. There is only
(19:08):
one thing convicted we check, andthat was a testimony of Fender Scutnan.
Yeah, but that's not me.She said that after the murder, she
didn't see you recheck again until sheidentified him in the police lineup. But
the day before that she was ina squad car with him. She was
with him the day before she identifiedit, and they were writing, we
check around the horn from station tostation, so I couldn't find him,
(19:32):
he intended, Scutnick sat side byside. Well, why didn't you use
that information at the fire? Couldn'tprove it? Well, I'm gonna find
that, scut mac dame. I'llprove it, all right. I'll give
you some advice, and good advice, not shyster talk. You did it
to prove she's a liar. Otherwiseyou're wasting your time. All I had
(19:56):
to do was to find Fender scutMake, except that she didn't want to
be found in Chicago's a pretty faraicizedvillage. But I wasn't exactly wasting my
time. Checking the police filed,I found that Frank had been arrested on
December of the twenty second, buthe hadn't been booked until the twenty third.
The police had held him for twentyfour hours. He could have he
(20:18):
could have been with that Scutnic Dame. I said to myself, if I,
if I could only prove it,And then suddenly I got a big
idea, and I raced for thenearest telephone. Should he asked, Kelly.
Listen, Kelly, about the wecheck yard. Now? I know
it wasn't important back in nineteen thirtytwo, but maybe somebody took a picture.
You want to get one autograph?Don't clown I'm not hurry. Don't
(20:40):
check your file. Have somebody checkthe other papers. Mac. You've read
every word it was printed on thecase. You've seen every picture, No,
Kelly. Now, a photographer shootsmaybe ten pictures and only princh one.
I want to see the other nine, Kelly, Hello, Mac,
When you got out, have Igot I just got a partner, or
Frank. We checked, that's all. Here. Take a look at this
(21:02):
picture, will you shut of?We check it out of a squad turn
and then the scot mak right besidehim. That proves that she was lying,
doesn't it. That'll invalidate everything shesaid. Well, she testified she
didn't see. We check between thetime of the murder and the time she
identified him on December the twenty third, But Frank claims she saw him on
(21:22):
the twenty second, when the compswere taking him from station to station.
You see, and you think that'swhen this picture was snapped? Well,
obviously it was. Well look back, when you come up before the pardon
board, you can't just say obviously, you've got to have proof and this
picture could have been taken outter sheidentified. Well, but it wasn't.
You how it wasn't and I thinkit was the boy will just sit there
(21:45):
and ask for facts, you know, that could be pretty rough on.
We checked. If they review hiscase now and turn him down, well
might hurt his chances for cool.Well, I wouldn't want to hurt Frank.
I know you wouldn't. I knowwhat you've done a great job back.
Nobody could have done any better.Yeah, yeah, sure the operation
(22:06):
was successful, but the patient died. Oh personally, I go along with
you. But the front office isgetting a little worried these cracks. We've
taken it the police department, inthe state's attorney, and well, okay,
okay, what do we do?Write a finished story, get the
paper off the hook. Then youbetter go out and see re search's mother.
(22:29):
Now I can't. I can't dothat, Kelly, Okay, I
can't do that. You wanted toread it in the paper till you're mad?
Oh no, all right, I'llgo. Well, that was the
(22:53):
toughest assignment I'd ever had to haveto tell Frank's mother. We're pulling out.
I have to tell her she wason her own again. On the
way back to the paper and thecab, I just kept staring at that
picture of Frank and the scutnake andjust staring at us, looking looking for
something, you know, like whenyou get a letter and it's got bad
(23:14):
news on it and you keep readingit over and over again, hoping you've
read it wrong. And I guessI didn't even hear the cab driver at
first seen in the afternoon paper.But I said, have you seen the
afternoon paper paper? No? Ihave the top full to lift you in?
All right, group, some guywas a Forgern. First time they
use that new machine machine. Yeah, yeah, machine that enlarges things a
thousand times. They can take apiece of writing, a picture, anything
(23:38):
and a thousands A thousand times,yeah, a thousand times. Brings about
players of bell. Hey, hey, hey, do you know where the
you know where the police lab is? Please land? Sure it's down a
few blocks. Okay, Oh Idon't park, just drive No, no,
wait a minute, I'll pull upthe drug store there when you I
want to make a phone call.First I dropped everything. Mac's right down.
(24:00):
What's it all about? We've stillgot a chance, Kelly. If
you know how to pray, ifwe get a break, pray for what
slow down? Give me an anglewith They got a new process. It
just perfected in the largest pictures thatare now Frank and yeah, yeah,
but they're not working on them.Over the one side, there was this
kid in the picture, a newsboywith some papers under his arm. Now
(24:21):
that's the part they're working on,Kelly, Kelly, if I'm right,
if they can, if they canbring this ready, man, want to
come in, try and stop it. Don't write any matches or anything.
I have to develop these prints inthe dot, got it, Joey's just
Kelly what I said about praying.I still don't know what you're looking for.
(24:41):
The date? The date on thenewspapers under the newsboys falling that all
coming up news Watch Kelly, watchit. Watch that date there is it's
come on to the lif simper.What is that? December twenty something,
(25:08):
December twenty second, nineteen thirty two. Well, as that cab driver said,
it was just clear as a bell, clear enough for even the pardon
board. I guess I should bepretty happy. But there was just one
(25:29):
thing. There were two men convictedfor the murder of Offshore Bundy. Two
men convicted in the same evidence.One of them, Frank, we checked
even pardon now. The other one'sstill in jail. You know I I'm
sort of wondering about that. Hmm. Looks like I'll have to go to
(25:55):
work again. Welcome back. Wella great performance by Jimmy Stewart and absolutely
solid story. It was worth notingthat call north Side seven seven seven was
(26:23):
based on a was based on atrue story, and I found this in
the Columbia Journalism Review. In theactual story, it doesn't appear that the
flipped picture the negative was a bigfactor. It was just more solid journalism
(26:44):
finding a witness to the promise ofa second trial and exposing police corruption.
But they had to spose it upa little bit for the film. But
a great story. Love Jimmy Stewartas always. And I was, you
know, when I was planning onthis, I you know, there's not
(27:04):
a whole lot of mystery programs aroundwith Jimmy Stewart's voice for radio. I
decided to lead off strong and hopefullywe started our next thousand episodes strong with
this story. All right, Well, that will do it for today.
Join us back here tomorrow. We'llcontinue with our current yours truly, Johnny
(27:27):
Dollar matter in the Maintimes. Andrewcomments to box thirteenth Great Detectors dot Matt,
follow us on Twitter, Radio Detactors, and become one of our friends
on Facebook, Facebook, dot com. Slash Radio Detectives from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Grahamsonand off
Welcome to our one thousandth episode specialfrom Boise, Idaho. This is your
host, Adam Graham. If youhave a comment, email it to me
Box thirteen at Great Attractives dot net, follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives,
and become one of our friends onFacebook, Facebook dot com slash Radio
(00:52):
Detectives. We're very pleased to justcelebrate this one thousand episodes of a podcast.
It's not something that happens all thetime. Require some determination here,
but just listeners continuing to listen andcomment and be part of the show.
Really truly appreciate all the support we'vegotten, and so we're pleased to bring
(01:15):
you this special. We're actually bringingyou the very first show that was podcast
on the Great Detectors of Old TimeRadio. Before we officially launched the series
on October twenty six, two thousandand nine, I went ahead and I
did a pilot episode on October twelfth, two thousand and nine, so people
(01:38):
would have something that they could subscribeto as we got ready for the official
launch in two weeks and subsequent tothat, it's been knocked out of the
way. Plus I spent about tenminutes at the beginning and commentary. I
hope I don't spend that much thistime, so I was kind of introducing
the show, which isn't necessary.I will introduce the program. This is
(02:01):
an episode of the Screen Guild Theater. This was from nineteen forty eight October
the seventh, and it was calledNorth Science seven seven seven, in which
Jimmy Stewart reprised by his screen role. This was a very important episode of
(02:23):
the Screen Guild player's program because theyhad just made the switch from CBS to
NBC, and so they decided tolead off strong with call north Signed seven
seven seven. I'll let you knowin advance the commercials have been edited out
then, they weren't done by me. That's the way the program came with.
That said, let's go ahead andtake a listen to this classic story.
(02:45):
Well, the first time on theair, the Screen Guild players were
that all Northside seven seven seven,storrying James Stewart, Pad O'Brien and Richard
Covey. First of all, let'sget one thing straight. I didn't just
(03:12):
dream this story up. I'll tryoff the record it really happened. So
if the people don't resemble characters livingare dead, well, believe me,
it's strictly intentional. On October tenth, nineteen forty four, I would report
on the Chicago Times. October tenth, nineteen forty four. Remember that that
(03:37):
date's important. That was the morningthe ad appeared, little ad and on
a classified section a personal notice thatsaid five thousand dollars reboard for the killers
of police officer Bundi on December nine, nineteen thirty two, called north Side
for seven seven seven twelve to sevenpm, ask for Tilly le Chick.
(04:04):
I didn't notice the ad myself,but Brian Kelly did. Kelly was Dart
City editor. It wasn't it wasn'tmuch in the paper he ever met,
And whenever Kelly got an idea heusually had me do something about it.
Well, call it curiosity, Mac. I don't know why. It's what
five thousand dollars or somebody to findout who killed a cop eleven years ago.
(04:27):
Well, in nineteen thirty two,it was open season on cots on
the North Side that were shooting themin Paris like a brace of ducks.
Well, I'll hook chick. Maybeyou get your name in the paper,
Kelly. This is a sucker bait. Every grifter and moods in town will
be after that five gram. They'llframe their own brothers to get at Hey,
maybe this is a frame. Thisthing has a lot of bangles.
(04:50):
Yes, you know what I mean. It just takes you long to catch
up. Oh no, well,I was thinking about a time he used
my phone I got out of Allright, Hello, Patty, give me
a number with him? Yeah,yeah, I want north Side seven seven
seven. Kelly Whecheck wasn't home andthey said she worked nights, and they
(05:18):
told me where. It's one ofthose big office buildings downtown. I found
it on the seventh floor in thecorridor, on her hands and knees,
with a scrubbing brush and bucket ofwater. I showed it the edd and
she got up quickly. Yes,yes, that's just from me. You
(05:38):
don't know something, No, No, I'm a reporter from the Chicago Time.
Oh, we'd like to know whyyou're so interested in finding the killers
of this cop. Thank the chickis my son. It's in prison for
killing him. My friends tell meif I offer big money, maybe somebody
will tell who kiled his police Youmean your sons and person for killing the
cops. All right, yes,but he won't do my Frank is a
(06:00):
good boy. He don't do thisthing. Yeah, yeah, now that's
five thousand dollars. What did youget back? That is important? Yeah,
that's very important. I might havehad it hidden away, or maybe
you got it from some mob that'strying to sprink. No, no,
it's mine. I work. Iscrub thus eleven years. I save every
ten they never miss a day's work, so I can get Frank out.
(06:26):
I dream of this day. Oh, five thousand dollars is a lot for
a dream. Yes, eleven years. I dream and I work. First,
I try three thousand dollars. Nothing. Now I try five thousand dollars
and suppose he's still love it.Then I work eleven more years. I
(06:46):
get ten thousand dollars. But myboy someday he gets out. Well,
it made a pretty good yarn.I guess you know. Mother slaves to
save five thousand dollars, offers itto clear her son. I told myself
(07:10):
all the day's work I wrote it, try to forget it. I tried.
Kelly didn't swell, starty man,swell. That's rights. It's too
good for one day. Run.Why not go up and interview the boy?
Oh no, wait a minute,I'm not glorifying any cop killer.
(07:30):
Is that proof he is a copkiller? Well, they didn't get him
ninety nine years for playing the hockey. He had a record. He was
on pull patient when he shot thecop. Yeah, I know, I
looked it up too. He waspublic Enemy number one. Seeing a couple
of other kids broke into a grocerystore, he got a few candy bars
and the record. Luck, Mac, Let's let's put it this way.
(07:51):
Maybe I'm interested for a personal reasonbecause because my mother did the same thing.
She scrubbed forwys on her hands andknees for more than eleven years.
Send me to school, Okay,okay, I'll go up to the penn
(08:11):
stam in the morning. How aboutexpensive. Here's about you take the cashier,
right, Kelly. Yeah, Ihappened to know that your mother had
a small annuity, she never scrubbeda floor in her life, and you
never got out of the fifth grade. Well, but I just I just
figure if you pulled such a cornygag, you must want me to go
(08:35):
up there pretty bad. So I'mgoing, Oh so well, swell,
keep the expenses down with you,Mac. I guess the Warden told you,
Frank, I'm from the card oftime. Yes, he told me.
Of course, you don't have toanswer to this question. You don't
want to, but I do wanthim. Sure, I want to fine,
(08:56):
all right? I like I likemore of your story, your side
of it. I need an angle, something to hit the public with.
You understand, yes, sir?Now you know about the ads your mother
put in the papers about the fivethousand dollars reward. That's right. Now.
Did you know that she's scrubbing floorsto get the mine, Yes,
sir, I did. Or shelives for is to get me out.
I guess that's all I got tolive for too. You know, if
(09:18):
you're guilly, you're letting her slaverlife away for nothing. She knows I'm
not guilty. I don't know.I read all the news clips, the
transcript of the trial. They don'texactly. White wants you. I know
that you only read what convicted me. All the true facts didn't come out.
Even Judge Molten said I wasn't guilty. But the judge you gave you
ninety nine years. Well he hadto do that. The jury said we
were guilty. But in his chambershe said he knew we were innocent.
(09:41):
When was that after he sentenced?Oh? Oh after well, I think
everybody duck that. What else?My lawyer was a drunk. He didn't
even let me in, understand,because he was afraid I'd get the chair.
Well, when they questioned you hourafter hour, you're bound to get
mixed up on a lot of littlethings. The coup didn't even listen to
me on the important things. Theyhad to have a conviction, so they
went ahead and got that's that's agood angle, railroaded. And then they
(10:01):
took me from one police station toanother every few hours, taking me around
the horn they call it. Mylawyer couldn't get me out. And then
this fender scut make scut make thatthat's the name around the speaking to you.
Yeah, the first come At thetime she saw me, she said
I wasn't one of the killers,and all of a sudden she said I
was fingerwoman. All right, Iwill play that up too. When that
cup was killed, I was homewith my wife. I try, that's
(10:24):
that's what you said. The trial. Another say, does she come up
here in presage? My wife?Yeah, no, not anymore. We
divorced. That's what kept sticking inmy craw. If his wife didn't believe
him, how could I? ButI couldn't forget that old lady's scrubbing floor.
(10:46):
That's the way I wrote the story. Not Gilli says. We checked
places faith in mother, and bythe next night Kelly was full of ideas.
Nice work. We're getting up totwenty four calls an hour on the
story. What are you gonna usefor a follow up? Follow up?
Oh? Sure, it's snow bullying. No, I'm more evan. What
do you want to give me araise? Or do I just get the
five thousand from we checked mother?Listen? How I just work here like
(11:07):
you. I get my artists toofrom home the circulation department. Sure,
we're selling a lot of papers.We might also be selling that dead cop
short. You know he might havea mother who scrub floors too. All
right, all right, I knowyou was blowing your top. Now I'll
tell you another thing. Remember whatwe check said about the judge promising the
new trial. That judge died threeweeks after the case was closed, and
(11:28):
we checked for Oh no, I'mjust saying there was. He's pretty sharp,
you know, give me a leader. He knew I couldn't check.
Mac. If you're so sure he'sguilty and there's nothing more of the story,
and then that right, a finishedpiece and kill it. Okay,
I'll take that deal. I'll interviewhis wife. What. Yeah, she
believed in him so much she gota divorce. Put that in your paper.
Killing. I got to kill itfor keeps. You see, Well,
(11:56):
I've been wondering what you think aboutfrying Bank is innocent. He didn't
do it. He was home withme when that policeman was chilled. You
wouldn't be saying that because you lovedhim then, I mean, yes,
I did love him. I lovedhim very much. So you got a
divorce and right somebody else, onlybecause Frank insisted on it. Look,
(12:16):
would you mind repeating that Frank mademe do it. He made me get
the divorce, then he made meget married again. Oh why so our
boy would have a chance in life, he'd grow up with another name.
(12:39):
I guess the story I wrote thatnight was a little different from the one
eyed plan, but that had anice lead. Divorced wife believes we checked
his innocent And the next day Kellywas on my neck again. Mac.
I know there's nothing more of thatwe tack case. I know it's all
washed up, and at the sametime, I well, but what well?
I just got a call from thewarden. We Check wants to see
(13:01):
you again. What for? Andhe wants to confess. But I was
up. I was up there.Don't I get time off for good behavior?
We Check's been there for eleven years. You better take that first train
up in the morning. Hello,we checked. I understand you want to
(13:22):
see me. Yes, I wantto tell you something. I don't want
you to write any more about meor my family. No, no,
we brought out our hearts to you, and all that meant was Joe,
wait a month, Wait a minute. You wanted help, don't you.
We've got We've got half a millionpeople following this story. Someone might know
the killers. What do you thinkof kidding? My mother's doing this for
(13:43):
me, not to sell your papers. I don't know. I thought I
was doing a pretty good job foryou, putting my boy's picture in the
paper, spoiling his whole life.I don't want that kind of help.
I'll stay here a thousand years.Just don't write about us anymore, that's
all. Wow, you seemed prettyLook look Frank, suppose I went on
(14:07):
with your case and did my bestto slamp the story your way. I
want you to know that I stilldon't think you're innocent, but I'm willing
to dig get the facts, thefacts, and remember this. The first
time I catch you lying, I'llblast you so hard you won't even get
your parole when you're ninety nine yearsor up. How about it. It's
the deal. I got nothing tobe afraid of. Yes, I'll make
(14:30):
that deal. Okay, all right, now let's start talking. Was there
any witness when Judge Moulton told youhe'd try and get you another trial?
Well there was a bailiff. Yeah, what was his name? And I
don't know. All right, i'llfind out. Who's your lawyer? His
name was Underwood, but he's dispadNow he was a drunk. Well that's
great, a dead judge and adispoy lawyer. All right. What else?
Now, Well there was tender Skutnik. She was a woman who ran
(14:52):
to speakeasy. She identified me.The other two witnesses said no, no,
keep going. Then there was thepolice captain he stood right alongside of
and the Scott Nick when she pickedme out. What she acted like?
She was afraid of him? Whatwas his name? I never found out
he wasn't at the trial. Wherecan I find the Scott Nick Day?
I don't know. You know thisis great material I've got here. Well
(15:13):
it's all I got. But it'sthe truth. I swear it. Look,
but would you be willing to takea lie detective test just to make
neil? For eleven years I've beenwaiting for a chance at that bucks.
You know what you're up against.If it turns out bad, you're cooked.
If it turns out good, itisn't legal evidence. I'll take the
test, Okay, Oh, I'llset it up for you. So seen
(15:41):
a report on that detect test?Yeah, don't your hand give? We
check pretty clean? The health didn'tthat? Yeah? Sure? You don't
want someone to say it? No? No, no, stomachs a little
jenera. Don't I guess it?I guess it's something I ate, you're
sure, or something you wrote.Now look now, look, Kelly,
(16:03):
just just don't think that. Ithought. Slow down, man, Why
don't you let's go and tell yourselfthe truth. You want him to be
innocent, you want him to befree, admitted. Maybe you're right,
Maybe you're right, I do wanthim to be free, but that doesn't
make me believe he's in us.If you want to believe, that's a
pretty good start. I remember,fella, I'll be in there swinging with
(16:25):
you all the way. Thanks,Kelly, Kelly, Yeah, you wouldn't
have some of that sand left withyou. Well, they say that a
(16:55):
convert always praised a louder. Andas soon as as soon as I I
had switched over the frank we checkside, I guess he could have hurt
me all over town. It wasn'tjust the story anymore. It was big
unto a man's wife. And Istarted with the bailer, the one Fiker
told me about it. It's thetruth, mister McNeil. Judge Molton did
promise the lad a new trial.He hands to the saints. I was
(17:18):
there and heard him. You rememberthe details I saw, mister McNeil.
I'll have you understand. I'm thefellow that reminds the elephants. As you
see, the way it happened hascome out in the trial. This opposite
Bundy was having a snort in alittle speakeasy run by this woman nor wander
scot that barely said, and whilsthe was warming himself with being a cold
(17:38):
day. He's two yeggs, comein and let him have it. But
no, there was another color sittingthere having a drink on a truck driver
the name of Gruska. Correct.Correct. And when the trial was done,
the judge god rest his soul hadam all brought into his chambers.
That's when this Fresca Colla speaks upand tells the judge that we checked wasn't
(17:59):
one of the killers? Or whatdid wander scot? They say, well,
she stands pat She claims she sawthe shooting from start to finish.
But then then this Christo fellow getsmad and he says she never saw any
part of it, but when thefirework started she ducked into a closet.
Oh why didn't he say that onthe witness stand. Well, no,
I guess he never had the chance. I'd let him say was yes and
(18:22):
no. Well, the next manon my list is a little harder to
fine. But four days later Idug him off in a greasy little restaurant
washing dishes exactly the same meaning.Yes, my name is Underwood. Was
we Check's lawyer? I didn't carewhat happened to him then, and I
(18:44):
don't care. Now, Look,why should I. I'm at this partcisely.
I'm a drunk of food and acrook. Testimony is no good,
my words, no good my life. I'm no good to anybody. Anybody
did think we check on the adviceof this was? Yeah, my wife
was every night. All right,I'll tell you something. There is only
(19:08):
one thing convicted we check, andthat was a testimony of Fender Scutnan.
Yeah, but that's not me.She said that after the murder, she
didn't see you recheck again until sheidentified him in the police lineup. But
the day before that she was ina squad car with him. She was
with him the day before she identifiedit, and they were writing, we
check around the horn from station tostation, so I couldn't find him,
(19:32):
he intended, Scutnick sat side byside. Well, why didn't you use
that information at the fire? Couldn'tprove it? Well, I'm gonna find
that, scut mac dame. I'llprove it, all right. I'll give
you some advice, and good advice, not shyster talk. You did it
to prove she's a liar. Otherwiseyou're wasting your time. All I had
(19:56):
to do was to find Fender scutMake, except that she didn't want to
be found in Chicago's a pretty faraicizedvillage. But I wasn't exactly wasting my
time. Checking the police filed,I found that Frank had been arrested on
December of the twenty second, buthe hadn't been booked until the twenty third.
The police had held him for twentyfour hours. He could have he
(20:18):
could have been with that Scutnic Dame. I said to myself, if I,
if I could only prove it,And then suddenly I got a big
idea, and I raced for thenearest telephone. Should he asked, Kelly.
Listen, Kelly, about the wecheck yard. Now? I know
it wasn't important back in nineteen thirtytwo, but maybe somebody took a picture.
You want to get one autograph?Don't clown I'm not hurry. Don't
(20:40):
check your file. Have somebody checkthe other papers. Mac. You've read
every word it was printed on thecase. You've seen every picture, No,
Kelly. Now, a photographer shootsmaybe ten pictures and only princh one.
I want to see the other nine, Kelly, Hello, Mac,
When you got out, have Igot I just got a partner, or
Frank. We checked, that's all. Here. Take a look at this
(21:02):
picture, will you shut of?We check it out of a squad turn
and then the scot mak right besidehim. That proves that she was lying,
doesn't it. That'll invalidate everything shesaid. Well, she testified she
didn't see. We check between thetime of the murder and the time she
identified him on December the twenty third, But Frank claims she saw him on
(21:22):
the twenty second, when the compswere taking him from station to station.
You see, and you think that'swhen this picture was snapped? Well,
obviously it was. Well look back, when you come up before the pardon
board, you can't just say obviously, you've got to have proof and this
picture could have been taken outter sheidentified. Well, but it wasn't.
You how it wasn't and I thinkit was the boy will just sit there
(21:45):
and ask for facts, you know, that could be pretty rough on.
We checked. If they review hiscase now and turn him down, well
might hurt his chances for cool.Well, I wouldn't want to hurt Frank.
I know you wouldn't. I knowwhat you've done a great job back.
Nobody could have done any better.Yeah, yeah, sure the operation
(22:06):
was successful, but the patient died. Oh personally, I go along with
you. But the front office isgetting a little worried these cracks. We've
taken it the police department, inthe state's attorney, and well, okay,
okay, what do we do?Write a finished story, get the
paper off the hook. Then youbetter go out and see re search's mother.
(22:29):
Now I can't. I can't dothat, Kelly, Okay, I
can't do that. You wanted toread it in the paper till you're mad?
Oh no, all right, I'llgo. Well, that was the
(22:53):
toughest assignment I'd ever had to haveto tell Frank's mother. We're pulling out.
I have to tell her she wason her own again. On the
way back to the paper and thecab, I just kept staring at that
picture of Frank and the scutnake andjust staring at us, looking looking for
something, you know, like whenyou get a letter and it's got bad
(23:14):
news on it and you keep readingit over and over again, hoping you've
read it wrong. And I guessI didn't even hear the cab driver at
first seen in the afternoon paper.But I said, have you seen the
afternoon paper paper? No? Ihave the top full to lift you in?
All right, group, some guywas a Forgern. First time they
use that new machine machine. Yeah, yeah, machine that enlarges things a
thousand times. They can take apiece of writing, a picture, anything
(23:38):
and a thousands A thousand times,yeah, a thousand times. Brings about
players of bell. Hey, hey, hey, do you know where the
you know where the police lab is? Please land? Sure it's down a
few blocks. Okay, Oh Idon't park, just drive No, no,
wait a minute, I'll pull upthe drug store there when you I
want to make a phone call.First I dropped everything. Mac's right down.
(24:00):
What's it all about? We've stillgot a chance, Kelly. If
you know how to pray, ifwe get a break, pray for what
slow down? Give me an anglewith They got a new process. It
just perfected in the largest pictures thatare now Frank and yeah, yeah,
but they're not working on them.Over the one side, there was this
kid in the picture, a newsboywith some papers under his arm. Now
(24:21):
that's the part they're working on,Kelly, Kelly, if I'm right,
if they can, if they canbring this ready, man, want to
come in, try and stop it. Don't write any matches or anything.
I have to develop these prints inthe dot, got it, Joey's just
Kelly what I said about praying.I still don't know what you're looking for.
(24:41):
The date? The date on thenewspapers under the newsboys falling that all
coming up news Watch Kelly, watchit. Watch that date there is it's
come on to the lif simper.What is that? December twenty something,
(25:08):
December twenty second, nineteen thirty two. Well, as that cab driver said,
it was just clear as a bell, clear enough for even the pardon
board. I guess I should bepretty happy. But there was just one
(25:29):
thing. There were two men convictedfor the murder of Offshore Bundy. Two
men convicted in the same evidence.One of them, Frank, we checked
even pardon now. The other one'sstill in jail. You know I I'm
sort of wondering about that. Hmm. Looks like I'll have to go to
(25:55):
work again. Welcome back. Wella great performance by Jimmy Stewart and absolutely
solid story. It was worth notingthat call north Side seven seven seven was
(26:23):
based on a was based on atrue story, and I found this in
the Columbia Journalism Review. In theactual story, it doesn't appear that the
flipped picture the negative was a bigfactor. It was just more solid journalism
(26:44):
finding a witness to the promise ofa second trial and exposing police corruption.
But they had to spose it upa little bit for the film. But
a great story. Love Jimmy Stewartas always. And I was, you
know, when I was planning onthis, I you know, there's not
(27:04):
a whole lot of mystery programs aroundwith Jimmy Stewart's voice for radio. I
decided to lead off strong and hopefullywe started our next thousand episodes strong with
this story. All right, Well, that will do it for today.
Join us back here tomorrow. We'llcontinue with our current yours truly, Johnny
(27:27):
Dollar matter in the Maintimes. Andrewcomments to box thirteenth Great Detectors dot Matt,
follow us on Twitter, Radio Detactors, and become one of our friends
on Facebook, Facebook, dot com. Slash Radio Detectives from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Grahamsonand off
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.