June 1, 2025 • 26 mins
Dragnet, “Big Note,” aired on April 13, 1954.
All we need are the facts. But you already knew that.
All we need are the facts. But you already knew that.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hudson Riverradio dot Com.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear
is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
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Speaker 2 (00:35):
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a juvenile detail. You
get a report of drug addiction within a group of teenagers.
You don't know if the information is true. Your job
check it out. Meet Peter Lynn Hayes and Mary Healy,
America's favorite husband and wife comedy team. They are typical
(00:56):
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Speaker 4 (01:01):
Mary says, I've.
Speaker 5 (01:02):
Smoked regular sized Chesterfields for about seven years. Guess that
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Speaker 6 (01:09):
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Speaker 5 (01:18):
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Speaker 2 (01:23):
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Speaker 3 (01:46):
Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime. For the
next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department,
you will travel step by step on the side of
the law through an actual case transcribed from official police file,
from beginning to ends, from crime to punishment. Dragnette is
the story of your police force in action.
Speaker 6 (02:10):
It was Wednesday, February tenth. It was cold in Los Angeles.
We were working the day Watch out of Juvenile Detail.
My partner is Frank Smith, the boss's captain Powers.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
My name is Friday.
Speaker 6 (02:18):
I was on my way into the office and it
was eight oh one am when I got to Georgia Street,
Juvenile Squadron.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Hi, Frank, Well, hm, well what do you think about
what Ruth? What do you think? Well? She's nice? Sure?
Was that all you got to say? Well? What do
you want me to say? Did you like her? She's
a nice girl? You know you got another date with her?
Speaker 5 (02:42):
No?
Speaker 6 (02:42):
I told her I'd call her sometimes, I said, you'd
call her? You say when No, I just said sometimes sometimes.
Ophae's not gonna like it. Why she's just not Joe,
You're not sure we had it this time. Well, look, Frank,
I think it's real nice of you and fraid to
be concerned. I don't think that I don't appreciate it.
But when you asked me over the last night, I
figured we're just gonna have dinner and sit around and talk.
(03:03):
I didn't know anything about this girl gonna be there.
But you think you should have told me. Let me know, Joe,
you like girls, don't you. Well, of course I like girls.
We couldn't have done that, you know, would louse the
whole thing up if we told you ahead of time.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
We would just wanted you. The meter got the full effect.
Speaker 6 (03:20):
Bang like that, I got the full effect, and we
tried to set it all up for you.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
See. Yes, pretty, don't you think? Yeah? I guess blue eyes,
red hair. I think she's real pretty. You know, fan
me had the whole evening plan right from the time
you two met. I kind of got that idea.
Speaker 6 (03:36):
What do you mean when you were about as subtle
as a water buffalo?
Speaker 4 (03:39):
Now you tell me where we were obvious? Go ahead?
Tell me, well, all right.
Speaker 6 (03:42):
First off, the music that album or records of yours
there what's it called love music or whatever it was?
Mood for lovers? Yeah, I bought them special. Yeah. And
the flowers on the table. You gotta have flowers. You
gotta have something for the cider of the table. You
must have gone a long way for those orange blossoms.
You had to have those.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
Well, Phase, I didn't like it. Well, I'm very sorry
about that, Frank. Oh, we're just trying to show you
the advantages of getting married. Yeah. Well, I appreciate you
and Fase trying, but let me do it my way up.
Any mail this morning? Huh? Any mail?
Speaker 6 (04:14):
Yeah, Skipper put a note newbos okay mm tickets for
the police show. You gotta sell tickets. Oh yeah, so
do you? Here's your book.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
You're not mad, are you, Joe? Oh Man.
Speaker 6 (04:35):
It's just that all the time people are trying to
be helpful, you know. Well, I I hate to say
it behind her back. Hm, I'd say I hate to
say it behind her back.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
But it was phase idea. I didn't have any part
in it.
Speaker 6 (04:46):
Yeah, phase idea, phase idea. And sure you're not sorry, No,
I told you, ma'n. Sure, I'm sure, Frank. You know,
old Ruth, what.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Look at wasn't the fact that she was the redhead?
Was it? Righty? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (05:11):
Yeah, skip her sister understand?
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Thanks it What do we got Take a look at
this h here, sir, I have some information for you
about a big dope ring. It's important I talk to you.
Speaker 6 (05:30):
I'll reach you at the street car stop at seventh
and Broadway on the East Side after three forty five
pm tomorrow afternoon Wednesday.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
That's today. Uh yeah, read the rest of it.
Speaker 6 (05:40):
I can't tell you my name now, but I'll be
wearing a green skirt and a plaid sweater. I'll be
standing right by the street car stop.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
What do you think? I don't know no signature. You
got anything? The envelope? You know it's.
Speaker 6 (05:52):
Postmarked LA, addressed a Jewil Division. No way of telling
where it came from. Think it's from a cry That
was one place we can find out, Yeah, seventh and Broadway.
The fact that the note had been addressed to Juvenile
Division instead of narcotics detail indicated that the person who
wrote it had some knowledge of the workings of the
police department. It also led us to believe that the
(06:15):
writer was a juvenile. We checked again with Captain Powers
on the letter, and it was decided that we'd make
the meat that afternoon. Frank and I spent the rest
of the morning going over reports on the case that
we just finished in.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
At three fifteen pm, we left the office.
Speaker 6 (06:27):
Frank stopped the cart eighth and Broadway for a traffic signal,
and I got out and walked the remaining block. There
was no one at the street car stopped dressed in
the green skirt in the plaid sweater. While Frank circle
the block. I waited three forty pm, still no sign.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
At three point fifty two.
Speaker 6 (06:40):
A woman of about twenty three got off the street
car and waited on the corner.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
She was wearing a dark green suit with a plaid blouse.
Speaker 6 (06:46):
I waited for some indication that she might be the
person we were waiting for, but she gave none. Finally,
she turned, walked across the street and disappeared into the crowd.
Four o'clock four fifteen, still no sign of a letter writing.
Four point thirty quarter to five, I pulled into a
loading zone near the corner, and I went over to
talk to him.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
What do you think, Well, I don't know.
Speaker 6 (07:04):
She's an hour late now, uh huh uh uh No
it musta been from a crank, I guess, So come on,
get in. We better go back to the office. Now, Hey,
wait a minute, job buh right there across the street.
Oh yea matches. The description must be her. Now she's
looking this way. I'll check it. She looked about fifteen,
(07:25):
brown hair and a thin young face. She was carrying
an armful of school books. She paused in the corner
and watched me. I walked up to her and told
her I was a police officer. She nodded and then
walked out to the safety zone and climbed onto a
waiting street car.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
I followed her.
Speaker 6 (07:39):
She walked to the back of the car and took
a seat. I sat down next to her. I could
see Frank following us in our car. We rode three
blocks before.
Speaker 7 (07:47):
She spoke, I'm sorry I was late.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
Sorry.
Speaker 7 (07:50):
I usually try to be on time, maybe even a
little early. That's the way it should be.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Don't you think what was it you wanted to talk about? Miss?
Speaker 7 (07:57):
I got hung up at school, couldn't get away when
I thought I would.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Yeah, it's a reason late. You said something in the
note about a narcotics ring.
Speaker 7 (08:04):
How much am I gonna get involved in this?
Speaker 4 (08:06):
What do you mean?
Speaker 7 (08:07):
How deep am I gonna get? I don't want any
trouble myself. We're doing this to help somebody, but I
don't wanna get mixed up in it myself.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
Maybe you better tell me what it's all about first. Huh.
We can decide the rest of it later.
Speaker 7 (08:18):
That's the way it has to be.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Well, you called us, remember, yeah, I guess. So what's
your name, Edna? Your last name?
Speaker 7 (08:26):
That isn't gonna help any you don't need it.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
How old are you?
Speaker 7 (08:30):
Fifteen?
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Alright? What about this dope ring?
Speaker 7 (08:34):
I wanna tell you about it. A friend of mine
is in pretty deep. I think she's hooked bad. I
wanna help her.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
What's your friend's name?
Speaker 6 (08:42):
You have to have that.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
We're not gonna be able to do very.
Speaker 7 (08:44):
Much without a diary, Catherine, I can't give you a
last name. I can't How.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
Old is she?
Speaker 7 (08:50):
Fifteen?
Speaker 4 (08:52):
All right? Now? What makes you think she's using narcotics?
Speaker 7 (08:54):
I just know that's all.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
Well, it's a pretty serious charge. You must have some
reason for saying it.
Speaker 7 (08:58):
Got a reason. I've got good reasons. Do you think
I'd go to the cops if I didn't have you
think that.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
What kind of narcotics? Do you think she's using?
Speaker 6 (09:04):
Heroin?
Speaker 4 (09:05):
You know that for sure, do you? Yeah?
Speaker 7 (09:06):
I've seen her take a fix?
Speaker 4 (09:07):
Where hm, where'd she take the fix?
Speaker 7 (09:10):
I've seen her do it in her room at home
placed near school of a Lewis apartments, Louis, Louis Conklin.
He got Catherine hooked. He's the one I wanna see
you get?
Speaker 4 (09:21):
Oh's he?
Speaker 7 (09:21):
Well?
Speaker 4 (09:22):
I don't know.
Speaker 7 (09:22):
I think around twenty twenty one.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
Where'd you meet him?
Speaker 7 (09:24):
Down at bal Bol last summer? Katherine and me went
down for a week. We met him then Lewis and Vince.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
You know this? Vince's last name?
Speaker 7 (09:31):
I think it's Bill b e l. I guess.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
So now these two boys are they supplying Katherine with
the heroin?
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (09:38):
They got it for how'd you happen to meet him?
Speaker 7 (09:40):
First day we were down at bal Bol. We we
went down to the beach. We saw him. Then we
didn't talk to him right off, Not the first day,
uh huh. The next day they came over to where
we were and laid down on the beach. They had
a portable radio and they were playing it loud. They
were playing at real loud.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
Yeah. Oh.
Speaker 7 (09:58):
Lewis asked us if they had the radio too loud,
and we said no.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
Then we got to talking, alright, go ahead.
Speaker 7 (10:06):
We found out that they knew a lot of the
kids that go to our school, so we talked about them.
We talked and listened to the radio.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
Were either you were or Katherine's parents with you?
Speaker 7 (10:16):
No, Catherine's father's got a friend, Eliza at balbout all
the time we were staying with her.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Alright, go ahead.
Speaker 7 (10:23):
After we knew him a week, one night, they suggested
that we'd go for a ride down the coast toward
San Diego. No, they'd never given us any trouble, so
Katherine and me talked it over and decided to go.
They'd never gotten fresh or anything, so we thought it'd
be alright. We drove down the beach and then we stopped.
Boys had some beer in the car, and we drank
some of it, just a little. We didn't think would hurt,
(10:45):
just a little.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
Alright.
Speaker 7 (10:48):
I guess we drank more than we thought, cause we
both got a little drunk. First time I ever got drunk.
All I wanted to do was go home and go
to sleep. That's all I wanted to do. I didn't
feel good. I remember that I didn't feel good.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Go ahead.
Speaker 7 (11:01):
I got out of the car and I walked around.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
For a while.
Speaker 7 (11:04):
After I walked, I felt better and I went back
to the car. Catherine and the two boys were smoking.
I could smell it when I got in the car.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Real sweet, sickly marijuana.
Speaker 7 (11:13):
Yeah. Vince asked me if I wanted some. Told him
I didn't. They all laughed again, said I was just
a little kid, called me chicken.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
So I did you smoked the marijuana.
Speaker 7 (11:23):
Di j Yeah, but not very much. Got sick again.
I threw the stick away. That made Vince sore because
I hadn't smoked very much. He got out of the
car and found it was left of the cigarette and
put it in a box he had. Then he got
in the car and the three of 'em all drank
some more of the beer and smoked the rest of
the marijuana. They were all laughing and yelling.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
Katherine was smoking too.
Speaker 7 (11:43):
Yes, she was having a great time laughing it up.
Seems like everything that happened was just about the funniest
thing she ever heard. They were all laughing and telling
me what a square I was. Finally, I couldn't stand
it anymore. So I said, if they wouldn't take me home,
i'd walk.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
And what'd they say to that told me.
Speaker 7 (11:59):
To go ahead? Said I was a drag anyway, and
may'd be glad.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
To get rid of me. And you left? Then?
Speaker 7 (12:03):
Yeah. I tried to get Catherine to go with me.
She said she was having too good a time, that
she wasn't leaving. She told me to go home and
to expect her when she walked in. Yeh, So I left,
got out of the car and walked up the highway.
It was gonna catch her ride back to town. Pretty scared,
but I wanted to get back. I didn't feel very good.
I waited for the car, but the ones that went
(12:24):
by wouldn't stop. Then Vincent Lewis and Catherine came by.
They told me to get into the car and we
drove home. I had to wait out in front with
Catherine until she sobered up. Said she was too drunk
to go into the house.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
What time did you get home, Oh.
Speaker 7 (12:38):
Must have been three or three thirty.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
Did you see Vincent Lewis again?
Speaker 7 (12:42):
Oh? I didn't, but Catherine did. Every night we were there,
she went out with him. I didn't wanna have anything
more to do with him. She told me if I
said anything that the people we were staying with, she
caused me a lot of trouble. I like Catherine, she's
my best friend. I didn't wanna see her get into
any trouble. Thought when we left out boys, she'd quit
seeing the Fellers. That's what I thought, she'd stop seeing them,
(13:05):
did she no? When the school started again, she was
still going with Lewis. I'd see her around the school,
but she wouldn't have anything to do with me, said
I was a cube, talking all the time about how
she didn't know they grew corners like me anymore.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
How'd you find out she was on heron?
Speaker 7 (13:20):
One day? I saw her take a pop. She was
at her house, and I came over to talk to her.
She was pretty sick and she went into her room.
I went in after her to see if I could help,
and I saw her taking a fix. After that, I
didn't see much of her. I guess she didn't want
me around knowing she was hooked. When was all us
about two months ago. I've seen her a couple of
times since. She looks real bad.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Her parents know anything about the narcotics.
Speaker 7 (13:43):
I don't know. There's just her father. I don't think
he cares much. If he does, he's not doing anything
about it. I'm just telling you all this so you'll
get Lewis and Vince. They're the ones who started her.
They're seeing that she gets the age.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
You know where we can find him?
Speaker 7 (13:57):
Yeah, Lewis has a little apartment over in the west
You know the address. No, but I can show you
where it is, all right. I just want to see
you get them, get them good. She was my best friend. Orsh,
you won't have anything to do with me nothing.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Ill may wait and straighten it out.
Speaker 7 (14:12):
What do you want to do now?
Speaker 6 (14:14):
Well, first we better get off the street car. End
of the line. Edna and I got off the street
car and Frank picked us up. We stopped at a
drug store and put in a call at the office
requesting that a policewoman be sent out to take the
girl into custody. Ten minutes later, off Sir Irene Gardner
arrived and the four of us drove over to the
Westlake area. The young girl pointed out the building where
(14:37):
she told us that Vince Bale and Lewis Conklin lived.
She gave us a description of the two suspects, and finally,
after miss Gardner had talked to her, she also gave
us the full name of her friend, Catherine Pilgrim. We
checked at the building and found that the two suspects
occupied apartment four G. Frank and I talked to the
manager of the place, but she told us that the
pair weren't in and that she didn't know when they'd
be back. She returned to the car and told Officer
(14:58):
Gardener to take Eddon to George Street Juvenile and.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
Hold her until we could get there.
Speaker 6 (15:02):
After that, Frank called the office and ran the names
Vincent Biale and Lewis Conklin through R and I. They
both had misdemeanor records in California, and Bill had served
time in the county jail for possession of narcotics. We
called Captain Powers and told him what had happened, and
then we returned to the apartment and set up a surveillance.
At seven twenty five pm, we heard someone coming down
the hall.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Don't worry about it. Things. Who needs to all be
all right? Sick?
Speaker 6 (15:29):
I know, I'll make a call, get you fixed upf
Just come hold it right there.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
Police officers? Hey, what are you doing in here?
Speaker 6 (15:33):
You got no right to break in like this?
Speaker 4 (15:35):
What's this all about? I got hold of that miss Pilgram?
Speaker 7 (15:38):
How do you know who I am? What are you gonna?
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Don't say anything? Kathy? You don't tell him nothing? Turn around? Bill?
Speaker 7 (15:43):
What for?
Speaker 4 (15:43):
Will you shove me? Run around? Turn around? I'll shake them?
Speaker 6 (15:45):
Job say you won't find nothing? Cop, I'm clean? Call
it nothing? Where's conflin?
Speaker 4 (15:51):
You got to figure it's so good? You'd tell me?
But I watch that mouth kit. It's gonna get you
into trouble. You tell me all about it? Cop, I
got no problem. What are you taking this in on?
What's it? Violations of the Narcotics Acting contributing?
Speaker 6 (16:02):
Yeah, you didn't find anything on me. You didn't find
anything in the pad. You've been on a spike, cop,
and you know it. I why didn't you run along?
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Enough?
Speaker 6 (16:08):
Forget all about you being all right?
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Let's go?
Speaker 7 (16:09):
Where are you taking?
Speaker 4 (16:10):
Downtown? To Jai Hall?
Speaker 7 (16:12):
You call my father? That's right, Well, he won't tell
you anything. You won't tell you give my shut why
I got nothing to hide? I'm not a HiPE. Ask
my father.
Speaker 6 (16:19):
Let me see your arms veil. Huh your sleeves, roll
them up? Come on quick here, where'd you get those marks?
You tell me you see your arms, miss Pilgrim.
Speaker 7 (16:28):
It's not gonna prove anything, not a thing.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
You see him?
Speaker 6 (16:30):
Go ahead, honey, if you don't go along with him
and bring out the rubber hose. Somebody messed with you
a long time ago. Come on this, Pilgrim, let me
see your arms.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
Well, all right here, how about it, Joe think a lot? Yeah,
fresh needle marks.
Speaker 6 (16:50):
We called a narcotics division and asked them to come
out and go over the room and an attempt to
find a trace of narcotics. We put in a call
to the office and Irene Gardener came out and took
the Pilgrim girl in the custody. Stay was set up
on the apartment to apprehend the other spect Lewis, Conklin,
Frank and I took Vince Bial to the office and
questioned him for over an hour, but he failed to
come up with his.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Source of supply for the heroin.
Speaker 6 (17:10):
He was turned over to officers from Narcotics Detail and
booked in at the main jail and suspicion violation of
the state.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
Narcotic Act a felony.
Speaker 6 (17:16):
The call had been put into the father of Catherine Pilgrim,
and at nine thirty seven pm he arrived at the
office Friday and Smith.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
Where at. My name's Friday. What can I do for you?
I'm Robert Pilgrim. I want my daughter. She's downstairs right now.
A doctor's taking care of him. What forth? Well, she's
pretty sick, mister Pilgrim, sick? What's the matter?
Speaker 8 (17:33):
You've gotten a right to give her any kind of
medication without my approval.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
We couldn't reach you.
Speaker 6 (17:37):
How hard did you try? He called your home, your
place of business. We got no answer.
Speaker 4 (17:40):
Our doctor thought it was best to give the girl
something right away. What's wrong with it? What are you
doing to it? Your daughter's a narcotic acticist, Pilgrim?
Speaker 8 (17:46):
That is a lie. You get her up here right now.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
You hear me.
Speaker 8 (17:49):
You get on that phone and have I brought this
office right now.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
I'm taking a home afraid we can't do that.
Speaker 8 (17:53):
Will you to tell me what's going to happen? I
pay you a salary officer. Don't forget it if you
don't get on that phone and have my daughter brought
up here right now. Oh, I'll make some calls and
you'll be pounding the beat out in the tooleys. I've
got a lot of friends in this town, and you've
got a daughter who's hooked bad as she told you that.
Speaker 6 (18:06):
No, sir, but all the test point that way. She's
got needle marks all up and down her arm.
Speaker 8 (18:09):
Well you better get out and find a lawyer fast,
because I'm gonna pull that ten badge right off.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
Because that's so, you bet it is. How do I
get a line down? Nine? Hello? Jackets?
Speaker 8 (18:28):
Is Bob Pilgrim? I'm down at the police station. Yeah,
Kathy's here. The cop says, she's a hophead. I want
you to tell him here, you talk to.
Speaker 6 (18:36):
Him, Yes, sir? Who am I speaking with? Yes sir, Yes, sir.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
Well we did find hypodermic marks. I see all right. Sure,
we'll be checking with you. Now you'll get my daughter.
I'll ever sent right up.
Speaker 6 (18:58):
Want to come the hall, frank, Yeah, would be called
as a family doctor.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
You might not have a case here. What's the match?
Speaker 6 (19:10):
Well, the doctor says he's been treating the girl for
the past six months. Yeah, been giving her hypodermic injections.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
You are listening to dragnet the authentic story of your
police force election.
Speaker 6 (19:41):
With a doctor's statement, there was nothing we could do
but release the girl to her father, pending for their investigation.
The parents of the teenager who had written us the
first letter, came to the office and she was released
to them.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
At eleven forty pm that night.
Speaker 6 (19:53):
We got word that the other suspect had returned to
the apartment and been taken into custody. It was identified
as Lewis Conklin, aged twenty three, was taken to the
main jail and booked on the same charges as Vincent Beale.
Their apartment was gone over, but no trace in narcotics
was found. We questioned both suspects again, but they failed
to co operate with us. Frank and I checked out
of the office and went home. The following morning, we
(20:14):
drove out to see the doctor who had told me
he was treating the pilgrim girl. He said the girl
was underweight and highly nervous, and that he had been
giving her vitamin injections. He went on to say that
he'd stopped treating her five months previous at her father's request.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
And that he had not seen the girl since then.
Speaker 6 (20:29):
February eleventh, ten twenty four a m We checked the
car belonging to Vincent Beale. In the trunk we found
an expensive leather jacket that looked too expensive to be
worn by a man who had the reputation of never
holding a job. We took the jacket over to the
crime laban had a checked from a cleaning tag. We
got the name of the cleaner who'd serviced the jacket.
We contacted him and he remembered the jacket as having
been among several stolen from his store. With this information,
(20:52):
we went back to the main jail and had the
Conklin boy brought from his cell. He told us that
the jacket belonged to Vincent Beale, who was brought into
the interview room.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
This leather jack I could belong to you.
Speaker 6 (21:00):
Events No, I never saw it before, Conklin says, it's yours.
I don't know, maybe it is. What difference does it make?
Take a look, you want to know? Yeah, yeah, where'd
you get it? Where do you think I bought it?
You know someplace you can get these without buying them?
Speaker 4 (21:14):
Yeah, the same place you picked this one up. And
what's that supposed to me? You know? A man named
Ted Hartman, who Ted Hartman?
Speaker 6 (21:21):
Ted Hartman never heard him.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
He knows you. Maybe he's got a better memory than me.
Speaker 6 (21:25):
Says he used to work for him. That' right, yeah,
how about it? Maybe I did. I had a lot
of jobs. A cleanner says, you worked for him a
couple of weeks last December. It's a long time ago.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
Says this jacket was stolen from him. Where do I fit?
He thinks you stolen? He's crazy and sure enough to
make a complaint. Now laugh him out of court. Conklin says,
it's yours. I told you I bought it.
Speaker 6 (21:44):
Conkland wants no part of a burglary rap.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
But Conklin tell you maybe we ought to get your
side of it. What did he tell you? I got
to write to know. Look, he's gonna make a beef
like that.
Speaker 6 (21:54):
I mean, I gotta right to know what he said.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
He wants no part of it. He lays it all
on you. He's no good.
Speaker 6 (22:00):
I hadn't figured for a guy I could trust.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
He did all right on the deal.
Speaker 6 (22:03):
Luke kept us both going, what do you mean I
thought he told you all about Well, we want to
hear it from you. A lot of time stories get
all mixed up. Now we want to get it right.
We knocked the place, but it was both of us.
Lou was in on it all the way.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
Go ahead.
Speaker 6 (22:17):
We were scratching for h. We had a real bad
We needed some way out. I thought about the cleaning place,
figured we could score good. We did all right. Took
care of three of us for a long time. You
conquer them, the Pilgrim girls.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
It that's it.
Speaker 6 (22:28):
What were you shooting? Me and Luke kept it down
the Pilgrim kids. She built up fast. She was using
five caps a day. I should have listened to Louis
kept telling me to drop her, leave her alone. Wasn't
anything between us, just for last and then all of
a sudden she was hooked bad. We had to do something.
He stole her jacket so we could keep her supplied.
Five caps a day and that's a lot of h.
I tried to break her down. I tried to cut
(22:49):
her habit. I did what I could. You can see
that catch. I did everything I could.
Speaker 4 (22:53):
How much was that? Twenty three pm?
Speaker 6 (23:00):
Frank and I, along with the policewoman iron guardener, go
out to the Pilgrim residence.
Speaker 4 (23:04):
We went up to the front porch and rang the bell.
Speaker 8 (23:07):
Yeah, what do you want like to see your daughter?
You get out of here. You get out of here
right now. I've had enough of this shoving around from you.
It's about time you learned your plate.
Speaker 4 (23:14):
It might be better if we came in.
Speaker 8 (23:16):
Anything you've got to say to me, you can say here.
I don't want any cops in my house.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
You want to get your daughter?
Speaker 5 (23:21):
What for?
Speaker 4 (23:21):
You're gonna have to take her down at Jubul home.
Speaker 8 (23:23):
You guys just don't give up, do you? You want
me to call my doctor again. We talked to him
this afternoon, and you know the story. And I get
out of here. You want to get your daughter? Look,
i've got a gun inside. If you're still here when
I come back, I'm gonna you listen to me.
Speaker 4 (23:34):
Mystery.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
You've been aking like a big man long enough. You
can play the part of the outraged parent with your family,
but don't try it with us.
Speaker 8 (23:39):
I'm not gonna have you talk to me like that.
Speaker 6 (23:41):
Not much you can do about it. We've got the
boys been supplying your daughter with narcotics. It's pretty clear
that this home isn't the place for She's.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
A good girl. We didn't say she wasn't, And why
don't you leave her alone? You know better than that,
do you? Boy? Some good downtown? I got a lot
of friends. You're gonna need him all right.
Speaker 8 (23:54):
You want to make a case out of this, I'll
fight you in every court in the country before I
let you take my daughter away from me.
Speaker 4 (23:59):
Now you just tried it. Her daughter's a drug addicts.
She's sick. She's got to be straightened out. She needs help.
Speaker 6 (24:03):
Who are you to set yourself up as the jury?
Speaker 4 (24:05):
You got a fine girl in there. She got all
the breaks except somebody who thinks enough of her to
stand by her.
Speaker 8 (24:09):
Isn't anything she wants she doesn't have.
Speaker 6 (24:10):
What about the things she needed? You let her run
all over the town by herself. She gets in trouble
and you won't take the time to care for.
Speaker 8 (24:17):
What about those two men who got her started? What
are you gonna do with them? They're guilty. If it
hadn't been for those two, this never would have happened.
Speaker 6 (24:23):
They'll be taken care of. You lay the blame any
place you want, mister, but if you're honest.
Speaker 4 (24:26):
You'll keep it.
Speaker 6 (24:28):
What's gonna happen to her?
Speaker 4 (24:29):
She'll be giving medical attention. We'll do what we can.
Speaker 8 (24:31):
I can afford to take care of her. I've got
the money. I'll hire the best people. I wanted to
have the best. Yeah, she's mine. I'm her father. I've
got the right to take care of her.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
Yes, sir, that's right. Why didn't you.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
The story you have just heard is true. The names
were changed to protect the innocent.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
On June, third trial was held in Department ninety eight,
Superior Court of the State of California in and Fall
the Count of Los Angeles in a moment the results
of that trial. Vincent Norman Biale and Lewis Shellman Conklin
(25:17):
were tried and convicted of one count of burglary and
additional charges of violation of the State Narcotic Act, of
felony and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. They
received sentences as prescribed by law. Burglary is punishable by
imprisonment for a period of not less than five years
in the state prison. Catherine Nourene Pilgrim had a hearing
in Juvenile Court and was made award of that court.
(25:49):
You have just heard Dragnet a series of authentic cases
from official files. Technical advice comes from the Office of
Chief of Police W. H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department
Technical Advisors Captain Jack Donaho, Sergeant Marty Wynn, Sergeant fans Bracher.
Heard tonight were Ben Alexander, Joyce, McCluskey, Harry Bartel, Carolyn Jones.
Script by John Robinson, music by Walter Schumann, Hell Gibney speaking.
(26:15):
Watch an entirely different drag Net case history each week
on your local NBC television station. Please check your newspapers
for the day and time Chesterfield has brought you Dragnet.
Transcribe from Los Angeles
Speaker 1 (26:29):
Hudson River Radio dot com
Hudson Riverradio dot Com.
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear
is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Speaker 3 (00:18):
Drag Net is brought to you by Chesterfield, made by
Ligott and Myers, first major tobacco company to bring you
a complete line of quality cigarettes.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a juvenile detail. You
get a report of drug addiction within a group of teenagers.
You don't know if the information is true. Your job
check it out. Meet Peter Lynn Hayes and Mary Healy,
America's favorite husband and wife comedy team. They are typical
(00:56):
of smokers everywhere who are saying Chesterfields for me.
Speaker 4 (01:01):
Mary says, I've.
Speaker 5 (01:02):
Smoked regular sized Chesterfields for about seven years. Guess that
don't approve how I feel about Chesterfield's taste and mildness.
Speaker 6 (01:09):
Peter says Chesterfields for me too, far as I'm concerned,
King is the only size, and like Mary says, Chesterfield
is the only cigarette.
Speaker 5 (01:18):
Either way you like them, I'll bet you'll find Chesterfield
is best for you.
Speaker 2 (01:23):
Yes, smoke America's most popular two way cigarette, Regular and
King size Chesterfield for the taste you want the mildness.
You want join the thousands now changing to Chesterfield, Always
say Chesterfields for me.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime. For the
next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department,
you will travel step by step on the side of
the law through an actual case transcribed from official police file,
from beginning to ends, from crime to punishment. Dragnette is
the story of your police force in action.
Speaker 6 (02:10):
It was Wednesday, February tenth. It was cold in Los Angeles.
We were working the day Watch out of Juvenile Detail.
My partner is Frank Smith, the boss's captain Powers.
Speaker 4 (02:17):
My name is Friday.
Speaker 6 (02:18):
I was on my way into the office and it
was eight oh one am when I got to Georgia Street,
Juvenile Squadron.
Speaker 4 (02:26):
Hi, Frank, Well, hm, well what do you think about
what Ruth? What do you think? Well? She's nice? Sure?
Was that all you got to say? Well? What do
you want me to say? Did you like her? She's
a nice girl? You know you got another date with her?
Speaker 5 (02:42):
No?
Speaker 6 (02:42):
I told her I'd call her sometimes, I said, you'd
call her? You say when No, I just said sometimes sometimes.
Ophae's not gonna like it. Why she's just not Joe,
You're not sure we had it this time. Well, look, Frank,
I think it's real nice of you and fraid to
be concerned. I don't think that I don't appreciate it.
But when you asked me over the last night, I
figured we're just gonna have dinner and sit around and talk.
(03:03):
I didn't know anything about this girl gonna be there.
But you think you should have told me. Let me know, Joe,
you like girls, don't you. Well, of course I like girls.
We couldn't have done that, you know, would louse the
whole thing up if we told you ahead of time.
Speaker 4 (03:18):
We would just wanted you. The meter got the full effect.
Speaker 6 (03:20):
Bang like that, I got the full effect, and we
tried to set it all up for you.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
See. Yes, pretty, don't you think? Yeah? I guess blue eyes,
red hair. I think she's real pretty. You know, fan
me had the whole evening plan right from the time
you two met. I kind of got that idea.
Speaker 6 (03:36):
What do you mean when you were about as subtle
as a water buffalo?
Speaker 4 (03:39):
Now you tell me where we were obvious? Go ahead?
Tell me, well, all right.
Speaker 6 (03:42):
First off, the music that album or records of yours
there what's it called love music or whatever it was?
Mood for lovers? Yeah, I bought them special. Yeah. And
the flowers on the table. You gotta have flowers. You
gotta have something for the cider of the table. You
must have gone a long way for those orange blossoms.
You had to have those.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
Well, Phase, I didn't like it. Well, I'm very sorry
about that, Frank. Oh, we're just trying to show you
the advantages of getting married. Yeah. Well, I appreciate you
and Fase trying, but let me do it my way up.
Any mail this morning? Huh? Any mail?
Speaker 6 (04:14):
Yeah, Skipper put a note newbos okay mm tickets for
the police show. You gotta sell tickets. Oh yeah, so
do you? Here's your book.
Speaker 4 (04:33):
You're not mad, are you, Joe? Oh Man.
Speaker 6 (04:35):
It's just that all the time people are trying to
be helpful, you know. Well, I I hate to say
it behind her back. Hm, I'd say I hate to
say it behind her back.
Speaker 4 (04:44):
But it was phase idea. I didn't have any part
in it.
Speaker 6 (04:46):
Yeah, phase idea, phase idea. And sure you're not sorry, No,
I told you, ma'n. Sure, I'm sure, Frank. You know,
old Ruth, what.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Look at wasn't the fact that she was the redhead?
Was it? Righty? Yeah?
Speaker 6 (05:11):
Yeah, skip her sister understand?
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Thanks it What do we got Take a look at
this h here, sir, I have some information for you
about a big dope ring. It's important I talk to you.
Speaker 6 (05:30):
I'll reach you at the street car stop at seventh
and Broadway on the East Side after three forty five
pm tomorrow afternoon Wednesday.
Speaker 4 (05:37):
That's today. Uh yeah, read the rest of it.
Speaker 6 (05:40):
I can't tell you my name now, but I'll be
wearing a green skirt and a plaid sweater. I'll be
standing right by the street car stop.
Speaker 4 (05:47):
What do you think? I don't know no signature. You
got anything? The envelope? You know it's.
Speaker 6 (05:52):
Postmarked LA, addressed a Jewil Division. No way of telling
where it came from. Think it's from a cry That
was one place we can find out, Yeah, seventh and Broadway.
The fact that the note had been addressed to Juvenile
Division instead of narcotics detail indicated that the person who
wrote it had some knowledge of the workings of the
police department. It also led us to believe that the
(06:15):
writer was a juvenile. We checked again with Captain Powers
on the letter, and it was decided that we'd make
the meat that afternoon. Frank and I spent the rest
of the morning going over reports on the case that
we just finished in.
Speaker 4 (06:24):
At three fifteen pm, we left the office.
Speaker 6 (06:27):
Frank stopped the cart eighth and Broadway for a traffic signal,
and I got out and walked the remaining block. There
was no one at the street car stopped dressed in
the green skirt in the plaid sweater. While Frank circle
the block. I waited three forty pm, still no sign.
Speaker 4 (06:40):
At three point fifty two.
Speaker 6 (06:40):
A woman of about twenty three got off the street
car and waited on the corner.
Speaker 4 (06:44):
She was wearing a dark green suit with a plaid blouse.
Speaker 6 (06:46):
I waited for some indication that she might be the
person we were waiting for, but she gave none. Finally,
she turned, walked across the street and disappeared into the crowd.
Four o'clock four fifteen, still no sign of a letter writing.
Four point thirty quarter to five, I pulled into a
loading zone near the corner, and I went over to
talk to him.
Speaker 4 (07:02):
What do you think, Well, I don't know.
Speaker 6 (07:04):
She's an hour late now, uh huh uh uh No
it musta been from a crank, I guess, So come on,
get in. We better go back to the office. Now, Hey,
wait a minute, job buh right there across the street.
Oh yea matches. The description must be her. Now she's
looking this way. I'll check it. She looked about fifteen,
(07:25):
brown hair and a thin young face. She was carrying
an armful of school books. She paused in the corner
and watched me. I walked up to her and told
her I was a police officer. She nodded and then
walked out to the safety zone and climbed onto a
waiting street car.
Speaker 4 (07:38):
I followed her.
Speaker 6 (07:39):
She walked to the back of the car and took
a seat. I sat down next to her. I could
see Frank following us in our car. We rode three
blocks before.
Speaker 7 (07:47):
She spoke, I'm sorry I was late.
Speaker 4 (07:50):
Sorry.
Speaker 7 (07:50):
I usually try to be on time, maybe even a
little early. That's the way it should be.
Speaker 4 (07:54):
Don't you think what was it you wanted to talk about? Miss?
Speaker 7 (07:57):
I got hung up at school, couldn't get away when
I thought I would.
Speaker 4 (07:59):
Yeah, it's a reason late. You said something in the
note about a narcotics ring.
Speaker 7 (08:04):
How much am I gonna get involved in this?
Speaker 4 (08:06):
What do you mean?
Speaker 7 (08:07):
How deep am I gonna get? I don't want any
trouble myself. We're doing this to help somebody, but I
don't wanna get mixed up in it myself.
Speaker 4 (08:14):
Maybe you better tell me what it's all about first. Huh.
We can decide the rest of it later.
Speaker 7 (08:18):
That's the way it has to be.
Speaker 4 (08:20):
Well, you called us, remember, yeah, I guess. So what's
your name, Edna? Your last name?
Speaker 7 (08:26):
That isn't gonna help any you don't need it.
Speaker 4 (08:29):
How old are you?
Speaker 7 (08:30):
Fifteen?
Speaker 4 (08:32):
Alright? What about this dope ring?
Speaker 7 (08:34):
I wanna tell you about it. A friend of mine
is in pretty deep. I think she's hooked bad. I
wanna help her.
Speaker 4 (08:39):
What's your friend's name?
Speaker 6 (08:42):
You have to have that.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
We're not gonna be able to do very.
Speaker 7 (08:44):
Much without a diary, Catherine, I can't give you a
last name. I can't How.
Speaker 4 (08:50):
Old is she?
Speaker 7 (08:50):
Fifteen?
Speaker 4 (08:52):
All right? Now? What makes you think she's using narcotics?
Speaker 7 (08:54):
I just know that's all.
Speaker 4 (08:55):
Well, it's a pretty serious charge. You must have some
reason for saying it.
Speaker 7 (08:58):
Got a reason. I've got good reasons. Do you think
I'd go to the cops if I didn't have you
think that.
Speaker 4 (09:02):
What kind of narcotics? Do you think she's using?
Speaker 6 (09:04):
Heroin?
Speaker 4 (09:05):
You know that for sure, do you? Yeah?
Speaker 7 (09:06):
I've seen her take a fix?
Speaker 4 (09:07):
Where hm, where'd she take the fix?
Speaker 7 (09:10):
I've seen her do it in her room at home
placed near school of a Lewis apartments, Louis, Louis Conklin.
He got Catherine hooked. He's the one I wanna see
you get?
Speaker 4 (09:21):
Oh's he?
Speaker 7 (09:21):
Well?
Speaker 4 (09:22):
I don't know.
Speaker 7 (09:22):
I think around twenty twenty one.
Speaker 4 (09:24):
Where'd you meet him?
Speaker 7 (09:24):
Down at bal Bol last summer? Katherine and me went
down for a week. We met him then Lewis and Vince.
Speaker 4 (09:29):
You know this? Vince's last name?
Speaker 7 (09:31):
I think it's Bill b e l. I guess.
Speaker 4 (09:34):
So now these two boys are they supplying Katherine with
the heroin?
Speaker 2 (09:38):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (09:38):
They got it for how'd you happen to meet him?
Speaker 7 (09:40):
First day we were down at bal Bol. We we
went down to the beach. We saw him. Then we
didn't talk to him right off, Not the first day,
uh huh. The next day they came over to where
we were and laid down on the beach. They had
a portable radio and they were playing it loud. They
were playing at real loud.
Speaker 4 (09:57):
Yeah. Oh.
Speaker 7 (09:58):
Lewis asked us if they had the radio too loud,
and we said no.
Speaker 4 (10:02):
Then we got to talking, alright, go ahead.
Speaker 7 (10:06):
We found out that they knew a lot of the
kids that go to our school, so we talked about them.
We talked and listened to the radio.
Speaker 4 (10:13):
Were either you were or Katherine's parents with you?
Speaker 7 (10:16):
No, Catherine's father's got a friend, Eliza at balbout all
the time we were staying with her.
Speaker 4 (10:21):
Alright, go ahead.
Speaker 7 (10:23):
After we knew him a week, one night, they suggested
that we'd go for a ride down the coast toward
San Diego. No, they'd never given us any trouble, so
Katherine and me talked it over and decided to go.
They'd never gotten fresh or anything, so we thought it'd
be alright. We drove down the beach and then we stopped.
Boys had some beer in the car, and we drank
some of it, just a little. We didn't think would hurt,
(10:45):
just a little.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
Alright.
Speaker 7 (10:48):
I guess we drank more than we thought, cause we
both got a little drunk. First time I ever got drunk.
All I wanted to do was go home and go
to sleep. That's all I wanted to do. I didn't
feel good. I remember that I didn't feel good.
Speaker 4 (11:00):
Go ahead.
Speaker 7 (11:01):
I got out of the car and I walked around.
Speaker 4 (11:03):
For a while.
Speaker 7 (11:04):
After I walked, I felt better and I went back
to the car. Catherine and the two boys were smoking.
I could smell it when I got in the car.
Speaker 4 (11:10):
Real sweet, sickly marijuana.
Speaker 7 (11:13):
Yeah. Vince asked me if I wanted some. Told him
I didn't. They all laughed again, said I was just
a little kid, called me chicken.
Speaker 4 (11:21):
So I did you smoked the marijuana.
Speaker 7 (11:23):
Di j Yeah, but not very much. Got sick again.
I threw the stick away. That made Vince sore because
I hadn't smoked very much. He got out of the
car and found it was left of the cigarette and
put it in a box he had. Then he got
in the car and the three of 'em all drank
some more of the beer and smoked the rest of
the marijuana. They were all laughing and yelling.
Speaker 4 (11:41):
Katherine was smoking too.
Speaker 7 (11:43):
Yes, she was having a great time laughing it up.
Seems like everything that happened was just about the funniest
thing she ever heard. They were all laughing and telling
me what a square I was. Finally, I couldn't stand
it anymore. So I said, if they wouldn't take me home,
i'd walk.
Speaker 4 (11:57):
And what'd they say to that told me.
Speaker 7 (11:59):
To go ahead? Said I was a drag anyway, and
may'd be glad.
Speaker 4 (12:01):
To get rid of me. And you left? Then?
Speaker 7 (12:03):
Yeah. I tried to get Catherine to go with me.
She said she was having too good a time, that
she wasn't leaving. She told me to go home and
to expect her when she walked in. Yeh, So I left,
got out of the car and walked up the highway.
It was gonna catch her ride back to town. Pretty scared,
but I wanted to get back. I didn't feel very good.
I waited for the car, but the ones that went
(12:24):
by wouldn't stop. Then Vincent Lewis and Catherine came by.
They told me to get into the car and we
drove home. I had to wait out in front with
Catherine until she sobered up. Said she was too drunk
to go into the house.
Speaker 4 (12:36):
What time did you get home, Oh.
Speaker 7 (12:38):
Must have been three or three thirty.
Speaker 4 (12:40):
Did you see Vincent Lewis again?
Speaker 7 (12:42):
Oh? I didn't, but Catherine did. Every night we were there,
she went out with him. I didn't wanna have anything
more to do with him. She told me if I
said anything that the people we were staying with, she
caused me a lot of trouble. I like Catherine, she's
my best friend. I didn't wanna see her get into
any trouble. Thought when we left out boys, she'd quit
seeing the Fellers. That's what I thought, she'd stop seeing them,
(13:05):
did she no? When the school started again, she was
still going with Lewis. I'd see her around the school,
but she wouldn't have anything to do with me, said
I was a cube, talking all the time about how
she didn't know they grew corners like me anymore.
Speaker 4 (13:18):
How'd you find out she was on heron?
Speaker 7 (13:20):
One day? I saw her take a pop. She was
at her house, and I came over to talk to her.
She was pretty sick and she went into her room.
I went in after her to see if I could help,
and I saw her taking a fix. After that, I
didn't see much of her. I guess she didn't want
me around knowing she was hooked. When was all us
about two months ago. I've seen her a couple of
times since. She looks real bad.
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Her parents know anything about the narcotics.
Speaker 7 (13:43):
I don't know. There's just her father. I don't think
he cares much. If he does, he's not doing anything
about it. I'm just telling you all this so you'll
get Lewis and Vince. They're the ones who started her.
They're seeing that she gets the age.
Speaker 4 (13:56):
You know where we can find him?
Speaker 7 (13:57):
Yeah, Lewis has a little apartment over in the west
You know the address. No, but I can show you
where it is, all right. I just want to see
you get them, get them good. She was my best friend. Orsh,
you won't have anything to do with me nothing.
Speaker 4 (14:11):
Ill may wait and straighten it out.
Speaker 7 (14:12):
What do you want to do now?
Speaker 6 (14:14):
Well, first we better get off the street car. End
of the line. Edna and I got off the street
car and Frank picked us up. We stopped at a
drug store and put in a call at the office
requesting that a policewoman be sent out to take the
girl into custody. Ten minutes later, off Sir Irene Gardner
arrived and the four of us drove over to the
Westlake area. The young girl pointed out the building where
(14:37):
she told us that Vince Bale and Lewis Conklin lived.
She gave us a description of the two suspects, and finally,
after miss Gardner had talked to her, she also gave
us the full name of her friend, Catherine Pilgrim. We
checked at the building and found that the two suspects
occupied apartment four G. Frank and I talked to the
manager of the place, but she told us that the
pair weren't in and that she didn't know when they'd
be back. She returned to the car and told Officer
(14:58):
Gardener to take Eddon to George Street Juvenile and.
Speaker 4 (15:00):
Hold her until we could get there.
Speaker 6 (15:02):
After that, Frank called the office and ran the names
Vincent Biale and Lewis Conklin through R and I. They
both had misdemeanor records in California, and Bill had served
time in the county jail for possession of narcotics. We
called Captain Powers and told him what had happened, and
then we returned to the apartment and set up a surveillance.
At seven twenty five pm, we heard someone coming down
the hall.
Speaker 4 (15:25):
Don't worry about it. Things. Who needs to all be
all right? Sick?
Speaker 6 (15:29):
I know, I'll make a call, get you fixed upf
Just come hold it right there.
Speaker 4 (15:32):
Police officers? Hey, what are you doing in here?
Speaker 6 (15:33):
You got no right to break in like this?
Speaker 4 (15:35):
What's this all about? I got hold of that miss Pilgram?
Speaker 7 (15:38):
How do you know who I am? What are you gonna?
Speaker 4 (15:40):
Don't say anything? Kathy? You don't tell him nothing? Turn around? Bill?
Speaker 7 (15:43):
What for?
Speaker 4 (15:43):
Will you shove me? Run around? Turn around? I'll shake them?
Speaker 6 (15:45):
Job say you won't find nothing? Cop, I'm clean? Call
it nothing? Where's conflin?
Speaker 4 (15:51):
You got to figure it's so good? You'd tell me?
But I watch that mouth kit. It's gonna get you
into trouble. You tell me all about it? Cop, I
got no problem. What are you taking this in on?
What's it? Violations of the Narcotics Acting contributing?
Speaker 6 (16:02):
Yeah, you didn't find anything on me. You didn't find
anything in the pad. You've been on a spike, cop,
and you know it. I why didn't you run along?
Speaker 4 (16:08):
Enough?
Speaker 6 (16:08):
Forget all about you being all right?
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Let's go?
Speaker 7 (16:09):
Where are you taking?
Speaker 4 (16:10):
Downtown? To Jai Hall?
Speaker 7 (16:12):
You call my father? That's right, Well, he won't tell
you anything. You won't tell you give my shut why
I got nothing to hide? I'm not a HiPE. Ask
my father.
Speaker 6 (16:19):
Let me see your arms veil. Huh your sleeves, roll
them up? Come on quick here, where'd you get those marks?
You tell me you see your arms, miss Pilgrim.
Speaker 7 (16:28):
It's not gonna prove anything, not a thing.
Speaker 4 (16:29):
You see him?
Speaker 6 (16:30):
Go ahead, honey, if you don't go along with him
and bring out the rubber hose. Somebody messed with you
a long time ago. Come on this, Pilgrim, let me
see your arms.
Speaker 4 (16:37):
Well, all right here, how about it, Joe think a lot? Yeah,
fresh needle marks.
Speaker 6 (16:50):
We called a narcotics division and asked them to come
out and go over the room and an attempt to
find a trace of narcotics. We put in a call
to the office and Irene Gardener came out and took
the Pilgrim girl in the custody. Stay was set up
on the apartment to apprehend the other spect Lewis, Conklin,
Frank and I took Vince Bial to the office and
questioned him for over an hour, but he failed to
come up with his.
Speaker 4 (17:07):
Source of supply for the heroin.
Speaker 6 (17:10):
He was turned over to officers from Narcotics Detail and
booked in at the main jail and suspicion violation of
the state.
Speaker 4 (17:14):
Narcotic Act a felony.
Speaker 6 (17:16):
The call had been put into the father of Catherine Pilgrim,
and at nine thirty seven pm he arrived at the
office Friday and Smith.
Speaker 4 (17:23):
Where at. My name's Friday. What can I do for you?
I'm Robert Pilgrim. I want my daughter. She's downstairs right now.
A doctor's taking care of him. What forth? Well, she's
pretty sick, mister Pilgrim, sick? What's the matter?
Speaker 8 (17:33):
You've gotten a right to give her any kind of
medication without my approval.
Speaker 4 (17:36):
We couldn't reach you.
Speaker 6 (17:37):
How hard did you try? He called your home, your
place of business. We got no answer.
Speaker 4 (17:40):
Our doctor thought it was best to give the girl
something right away. What's wrong with it? What are you
doing to it? Your daughter's a narcotic acticist, Pilgrim?
Speaker 8 (17:46):
That is a lie. You get her up here right now.
Speaker 4 (17:49):
You hear me.
Speaker 8 (17:49):
You get on that phone and have I brought this
office right now.
Speaker 4 (17:51):
I'm taking a home afraid we can't do that.
Speaker 8 (17:53):
Will you to tell me what's going to happen? I
pay you a salary officer. Don't forget it if you
don't get on that phone and have my daughter brought
up here right now. Oh, I'll make some calls and
you'll be pounding the beat out in the tooleys. I've
got a lot of friends in this town, and you've
got a daughter who's hooked bad as she told you that.
Speaker 6 (18:06):
No, sir, but all the test point that way. She's
got needle marks all up and down her arm.
Speaker 8 (18:09):
Well you better get out and find a lawyer fast,
because I'm gonna pull that ten badge right off.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
Because that's so, you bet it is. How do I
get a line down? Nine? Hello? Jackets?
Speaker 8 (18:28):
Is Bob Pilgrim? I'm down at the police station. Yeah,
Kathy's here. The cop says, she's a hophead. I want
you to tell him here, you talk to.
Speaker 6 (18:36):
Him, Yes, sir? Who am I speaking with? Yes sir, Yes, sir.
Speaker 4 (18:46):
Well we did find hypodermic marks. I see all right. Sure,
we'll be checking with you. Now you'll get my daughter.
I'll ever sent right up.
Speaker 6 (18:58):
Want to come the hall, frank, Yeah, would be called
as a family doctor.
Speaker 4 (19:08):
You might not have a case here. What's the match?
Speaker 6 (19:10):
Well, the doctor says he's been treating the girl for
the past six months. Yeah, been giving her hypodermic injections.
Speaker 3 (19:24):
You are listening to dragnet the authentic story of your
police force election.
Speaker 6 (19:41):
With a doctor's statement, there was nothing we could do
but release the girl to her father, pending for their investigation.
The parents of the teenager who had written us the
first letter, came to the office and she was released
to them.
Speaker 4 (19:51):
At eleven forty pm that night.
Speaker 6 (19:53):
We got word that the other suspect had returned to
the apartment and been taken into custody. It was identified
as Lewis Conklin, aged twenty three, was taken to the
main jail and booked on the same charges as Vincent Beale.
Their apartment was gone over, but no trace in narcotics
was found. We questioned both suspects again, but they failed
to co operate with us. Frank and I checked out
of the office and went home. The following morning, we
(20:14):
drove out to see the doctor who had told me
he was treating the pilgrim girl. He said the girl
was underweight and highly nervous, and that he had been
giving her vitamin injections. He went on to say that
he'd stopped treating her five months previous at her father's request.
Speaker 4 (20:26):
And that he had not seen the girl since then.
Speaker 6 (20:29):
February eleventh, ten twenty four a m We checked the
car belonging to Vincent Beale. In the trunk we found
an expensive leather jacket that looked too expensive to be
worn by a man who had the reputation of never
holding a job. We took the jacket over to the
crime laban had a checked from a cleaning tag. We
got the name of the cleaner who'd serviced the jacket.
We contacted him and he remembered the jacket as having
been among several stolen from his store. With this information,
(20:52):
we went back to the main jail and had the
Conklin boy brought from his cell. He told us that
the jacket belonged to Vincent Beale, who was brought into
the interview room.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
This leather jack I could belong to you.
Speaker 6 (21:00):
Events No, I never saw it before, Conklin says, it's yours.
I don't know, maybe it is. What difference does it make?
Take a look, you want to know? Yeah, yeah, where'd
you get it? Where do you think I bought it?
You know someplace you can get these without buying them?
Speaker 4 (21:14):
Yeah, the same place you picked this one up. And
what's that supposed to me? You know? A man named
Ted Hartman, who Ted Hartman?
Speaker 6 (21:21):
Ted Hartman never heard him.
Speaker 4 (21:22):
He knows you. Maybe he's got a better memory than me.
Speaker 6 (21:25):
Says he used to work for him. That' right, yeah,
how about it? Maybe I did. I had a lot
of jobs. A cleanner says, you worked for him a
couple of weeks last December. It's a long time ago.
Speaker 4 (21:35):
Says this jacket was stolen from him. Where do I fit?
He thinks you stolen? He's crazy and sure enough to
make a complaint. Now laugh him out of court. Conklin says,
it's yours. I told you I bought it.
Speaker 6 (21:44):
Conkland wants no part of a burglary rap.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
But Conklin tell you maybe we ought to get your
side of it. What did he tell you? I got
to write to know. Look, he's gonna make a beef
like that.
Speaker 6 (21:54):
I mean, I gotta right to know what he said.
Speaker 4 (21:56):
He wants no part of it. He lays it all
on you. He's no good.
Speaker 6 (22:00):
I hadn't figured for a guy I could trust.
Speaker 4 (22:02):
He did all right on the deal.
Speaker 6 (22:03):
Luke kept us both going, what do you mean I
thought he told you all about Well, we want to
hear it from you. A lot of time stories get
all mixed up. Now we want to get it right.
We knocked the place, but it was both of us.
Lou was in on it all the way.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
Go ahead.
Speaker 6 (22:17):
We were scratching for h. We had a real bad
We needed some way out. I thought about the cleaning place,
figured we could score good. We did all right. Took
care of three of us for a long time. You
conquer them, the Pilgrim girls.
Speaker 4 (22:27):
It that's it.
Speaker 6 (22:28):
What were you shooting? Me and Luke kept it down
the Pilgrim kids. She built up fast. She was using
five caps a day. I should have listened to Louis
kept telling me to drop her, leave her alone. Wasn't
anything between us, just for last and then all of
a sudden she was hooked bad. We had to do something.
He stole her jacket so we could keep her supplied.
Five caps a day and that's a lot of h.
I tried to break her down. I tried to cut
(22:49):
her habit. I did what I could. You can see
that catch. I did everything I could.
Speaker 4 (22:53):
How much was that? Twenty three pm?
Speaker 6 (23:00):
Frank and I, along with the policewoman iron guardener, go
out to the Pilgrim residence.
Speaker 4 (23:04):
We went up to the front porch and rang the bell.
Speaker 8 (23:07):
Yeah, what do you want like to see your daughter?
You get out of here. You get out of here
right now. I've had enough of this shoving around from you.
It's about time you learned your plate.
Speaker 4 (23:14):
It might be better if we came in.
Speaker 8 (23:16):
Anything you've got to say to me, you can say here.
I don't want any cops in my house.
Speaker 4 (23:19):
You want to get your daughter?
Speaker 5 (23:21):
What for?
Speaker 4 (23:21):
You're gonna have to take her down at Jubul home.
Speaker 8 (23:23):
You guys just don't give up, do you? You want
me to call my doctor again. We talked to him
this afternoon, and you know the story. And I get
out of here. You want to get your daughter? Look,
i've got a gun inside. If you're still here when
I come back, I'm gonna you listen to me.
Speaker 4 (23:34):
Mystery.
Speaker 6 (23:34):
You've been aking like a big man long enough. You
can play the part of the outraged parent with your family,
but don't try it with us.
Speaker 8 (23:39):
I'm not gonna have you talk to me like that.
Speaker 6 (23:41):
Not much you can do about it. We've got the
boys been supplying your daughter with narcotics. It's pretty clear
that this home isn't the place for She's.
Speaker 4 (23:46):
A good girl. We didn't say she wasn't, And why
don't you leave her alone? You know better than that,
do you? Boy? Some good downtown? I got a lot
of friends. You're gonna need him all right.
Speaker 8 (23:54):
You want to make a case out of this, I'll
fight you in every court in the country before I
let you take my daughter away from me.
Speaker 4 (23:59):
Now you just tried it. Her daughter's a drug addicts.
She's sick. She's got to be straightened out. She needs help.
Speaker 6 (24:03):
Who are you to set yourself up as the jury?
Speaker 4 (24:05):
You got a fine girl in there. She got all
the breaks except somebody who thinks enough of her to
stand by her.
Speaker 8 (24:09):
Isn't anything she wants she doesn't have.
Speaker 6 (24:10):
What about the things she needed? You let her run
all over the town by herself. She gets in trouble
and you won't take the time to care for.
Speaker 8 (24:17):
What about those two men who got her started? What
are you gonna do with them? They're guilty. If it
hadn't been for those two, this never would have happened.
Speaker 6 (24:23):
They'll be taken care of. You lay the blame any
place you want, mister, but if you're honest.
Speaker 4 (24:26):
You'll keep it.
Speaker 6 (24:28):
What's gonna happen to her?
Speaker 4 (24:29):
She'll be giving medical attention. We'll do what we can.
Speaker 8 (24:31):
I can afford to take care of her. I've got
the money. I'll hire the best people. I wanted to
have the best. Yeah, she's mine. I'm her father. I've
got the right to take care of her.
Speaker 4 (24:39):
Yes, sir, that's right. Why didn't you.
Speaker 2 (24:49):
The story you have just heard is true. The names
were changed to protect the innocent.
Speaker 3 (24:54):
On June, third trial was held in Department ninety eight,
Superior Court of the State of California in and Fall
the Count of Los Angeles in a moment the results
of that trial. Vincent Norman Biale and Lewis Shellman Conklin
(25:17):
were tried and convicted of one count of burglary and
additional charges of violation of the State Narcotic Act, of
felony and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. They
received sentences as prescribed by law. Burglary is punishable by
imprisonment for a period of not less than five years
in the state prison. Catherine Nourene Pilgrim had a hearing
in Juvenile Court and was made award of that court.
(25:49):
You have just heard Dragnet a series of authentic cases
from official files. Technical advice comes from the Office of
Chief of Police W. H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department
Technical Advisors Captain Jack Donaho, Sergeant Marty Wynn, Sergeant fans Bracher.
Heard tonight were Ben Alexander, Joyce, McCluskey, Harry Bartel, Carolyn Jones.
Script by John Robinson, music by Walter Schumann, Hell Gibney speaking.
(26:15):
Watch an entirely different drag Net case history each week
on your local NBC television station. Please check your newspapers
for the day and time Chesterfield has brought you Dragnet.
Transcribe from Los Angeles
Speaker 1 (26:29):
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