Speaker 1: Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
going to bring you this week's episode of Dragnet. But
before we get started, I do want to encourage you.
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per month by going to Patreon dot Great Detectives dot net.
But now, from November eighth, nineteen fifty one, here is
the big hit and run Killer.
Speaker 2: The story you were about to hear is true. The
names have been changed to protect the innocent. You're a
detective sergeant. You're assigned a traffic investigation hit run felony detail.
An elderly woman an your nine year old grandson is
struck down on a pedestrian crosswalk by a speeding truck.
Speaker 3: The woman is killed instantly.
Speaker 2: Witnesses fail to get the license number they hit run
driver escapes. Your job find him.
Speaker 4: 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 files,
from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is
the story of your police force.
Speaker 3: In action.
Speaker 5: Was Tuesday, December twenty first was windy in Los Angeles.
We're working the night Watch out of Traffic Division. Hit
and run felony detail. My partner's Ben Romero. The boss
is Captain Calfi, Commander Aid. My name is Friday. It
was ten fifty one pm. We got to the Carleton
Theater the box office.
Speaker 6: Thank you, how many please?
Speaker 3: Police officers, ma'am like to talk to you for a minute,
if you're good.
Speaker 6: Oh, yes, you mean about the accident.
Speaker 3: Yes, ma'am. One of the officers in the traffic car
across the street. He told us you're one of the
people to saw it happened.
Speaker 6: Yes, that's the right terrible thing. It was an old
lady and a gramson.
Speaker 5: You know, yes, ma'am, would it be possible for you
to get a relief for a little while.
Speaker 7: A few questions we'd like to ask you about. It
won't take very long.
Speaker 6: Well, i'll be off duty eleven. That's when the box
office closed, eight minutes to eleven. Now, would you like
to wait?
Speaker 7: All right, ma'am?
Speaker 3: Fine, who'd win out there?
Speaker 6: Would you like to wait in here? Right around back here?
Speaker 3: I'll open the door for you, all right, ma'am, Thank you. Yeah,
it's nice and warm.
Speaker 6: Did anybody get the license number? Do you know, officer,
I mean on that truck that ran him down?
Speaker 5: No, not that we know of. We understand the officers
in the traffic car talk to you. You didn't see
the number either.
Speaker 6: No, I'm sorry I didn't. The whole thing happened so fast.
Saw the old lady grabbed the little boy pull him
next to her. It was an awful thing. The truck
hit him both together. One of the things you notice,
boy was carrying a little box of candy. I heard
this terrible thud when the truck hit them. I looked
and the candy was spilled all over the street. Just
couldn't help, but I got sick to my stomach.
Speaker 3: Yes, ma'am, I can understand.
Speaker 7: How about this truck that ran them down? Do you
think you'd know it if you ever saw it again?
Speaker 6: I'm not sure. I think I might. Yes, it was
one of those delivery trucks, you know. I think you
call it a panel truck. It was a light tan
color all over, and there was black lettering on the side.
Speaker 7: Could you make out any of the lettering at all?
Speaker 6: Well, I think there were three or four words painted
on the side, and I know one of them was bakery.
I'm sure that.
Speaker 3: Did you recognize what make a truck it was, ma'am?
You're the model?
Speaker 6: It was a late model, I'm pretty sure of that,
either a Chevrolet or Ford. I'd say one of those
regular delivery trucks like some bakery's hues.
Speaker 3: Sure about that word? You saw letter on the side?
It said bakery, Yes, I'm positive with that.
Speaker 5: Know anything else out of the ordinary that you might
have noticed about the truck, ma'am, anything outstanding that might
have caught your eye?
Speaker 6: No, I'm sorry. So that's about all I can tell you.
How is the old lady do you know, and a
little boy. Could they tell you anything, Yes, ma'am.
Speaker 7: The woman's dead. She was killed instantly. They've taken the
youngster over to Georgia Street Receiving Hospital. Afraid he's in
pretty bad shape too.
Speaker 6: Terrible shame, poor lady. She lives right here in the neighborhood,
you know. Seeing her shopping in the market next door
here Saturday afternoon.
Speaker 3: It's just tragic.
Speaker 6: Boys or grandson.
Speaker 3: You know.
Speaker 6: Somebody said he was down visiting her for the Christmas vacation.
Seemed like a nice kid, well behaved. She seems so
proud of him. It suld be a sad Christmas for
the family.
Speaker 3: Just one more question, man, When the boy and his
grandmother were crossing the street, would you say the visibility
was good? I mean, is there any reason why it
would have been hard for a driver to see them?
Speaker 6: No reason in the world, officer. It's a clear night.
You can see how well the intersections lighted up, all
the Christmas lights strung up along here. The lights from
the theater Marquee was just as well lighted then as
it is now. The intersection was perfectly clear, no other
cars around. The boy had a white sweater on the
old lady was wearing a light colored it certainly easy
to see the traffic light too.
Speaker 3: It said. Stop.
Speaker 6: I can't understand why that driver didn't see him.
Speaker 7: Neither can Wait, how.
Speaker 6: Could anybody do such a thing? Just isn't any excuse
for it, no excuse in the world. It's downright murdered.
Speaker 7: We maybe that explains it. What that's why I kept going.
Speaker 5: Eleven thirty five pm, Ben and I finished interviewing the
cashier in the theater box office, and then we called
the office and had them get out a supplementary broadcast
and an APB.
Speaker 7: On the description of the hit and run vehicle.
Speaker 5: We went back across the street to the scene of
the accident, where the officers in the tea car, along
with the crew from the crime lab, were finishing up
their preliminary investigation. We interviewed two more witnesses to the
hit run accident, but they were unable to tell us
anything that we didn't already know. When we got back
to the office, we put in a call to Georgia
Street Receiving Hospital, where they told us the nine year
old boy struck down by the hit run driver was
still in a critical condition. The husband of the sixty
four year old woman who had been killed instantly was
brought downtown to the Morgue, where he identified the body.
The next morning, we got out a special bulletin too
all garages, auto repair and paint shops throughout the city
to be on the lookout for a late model tan
panel truck black lettering on the sides with damage to
the front end. Eight thirty am. I checked with Communications,
and then I went back.
Speaker 7: To the office.
Speaker 3: Hi, just check with Georgia Street. Joe asked him about
the boy, the old lady's grandson.
Speaker 7: How's he doing?
Speaker 3: Not the same critical condition? That's about all they'll say.
That's a lows of shame. Communications, get any kickback on
the old points.
Speaker 7: Yet, No, nothing at all. Just get in touch with
the crime lab.
Speaker 5: Yeah, they're not going to be able to help much
what they find out there, anything at all. Just what
we saw a two small pieces of glass, probably from
one of the headlights on the truck. You don't think
they're going to be able to do much with them.
Is not enough fear to going.
Speaker 7: That's the only physical evidence they got, and.
Speaker 3: So might be able to tie it down a little
tight if we could find that panel.
Speaker 7: You start checking on that bakery truck angle.
Speaker 3: Yet McGowan and I called every bakery in town, got
a pretty well narrowed down. There's only two companies that
use ten late model panels for delivery truck. Only one
of them uses black lettering on the sides of the truck.
Other companies says they use red lettering. Which one has
the black I got it right here. Outfit called Nielsen's
Wholesale Bakery. They got afraid of one hundred and seventy
three trucks, all the same ten color black lettering on
both sides late model for delivery truck.
Speaker 5: They tell you whether or not any of their drivers
could have been making deliveries that time in night ten
thirty eleven o'clock.
Speaker 3: Yeah, they were about a dozen of them out on deliveries.
Oh more UPM to account for than that, though, What
do you mean all their drivers are allowed to take
the trucks home with them when they are off. Dude,
if they want to afraid, he's going to mean checking
out every one of them.
Speaker 7: You know, they might as well get moving on it.
They're going to give us some kind of a list
of work with, are they?
Speaker 3: Yeah, I got it all set up with him. I'm
getting accident investigational Merril. Oh yes, sirs, that's all I see.
You're right, thank you, rotten deal.
Speaker 7: What's the matter?
Speaker 3: Had young kid the grandison?
Speaker 7: Yeah, he just.
Speaker 5: Died many times and on many different occasions. The police
officer has it proved to him that there can be
very little difference between a crime of neglect and a
crime that's been willfully premeditated. If you look at it
closely enough, you can judge it for yourself. How much difference,
for example, as far as moral guilt is concerned, is
there between the following number one, a man who plans
a killing, takes up a gun, finds his victim, and
shoots him to death. Our number two, the man who
thinks he has to look out for no one's welfare
but his own, gets behind the wheel of a car,
disregards the ordinary rules of safety, and proceeds to commit
homicide with a motor vehicle. Oftentimes the crime masquerades under
the guise of an accident, Moraley. No matter how you
spell it, it adds up to murder just as surely as
if the person had taken a gun and shot the
victim down.
Speaker 7: The way it looked to us.
Speaker 5: The hit and run killing of the elderly woman and
her grandson was a prime example. Wednesday, December twenty second,
Ben and I began checking out the delivery trucks owned
by Nielsen's wholesale bakerate. Late that afternoon, we located one
of the trucks with recent damage to the front end.
Speaker 7: We checked and found the driver's name was Arthur V. Singer.
We drove out to his home to interview him.
Speaker 8: No, I wasn't working last night, off, sir, I was off.
What's it all about?
Speaker 3: Did you spend the night at home, mister Singer?
Speaker 8: Or where you was home part of the time? After dinner,
I went downtown to Little Bowling, our neighborhood team bulls
every Tuesday night.
Speaker 3: Where is that place?
Speaker 8: Downtowns on West Seventh got a pretty good team.
Speaker 7: Did you drive down, mister Singer?
Speaker 3: Did you take the bus? No?
Speaker 8: I drove down, had the company truck with me. I'll
just used him when we're off duty. We pay for
the gas.
Speaker 3: Did you drive down by yourself or was there someone
else with you?
Speaker 7: No?
Speaker 3: I was alone.
Speaker 8: The other boys had their cars.
Speaker 3: When did you leave the bawling yell? You remember about
ten ten fifteen, I'd say.
Speaker 7: How'd you drive home, mister Singer? I mean what route
did you take?
Speaker 8: I drove straight out west Seventh, got the carnado, came
over carnaut of the house here.
Speaker 3: What do you want to know?
Speaker 7: What time did you get home?
Speaker 8: About quarter to eleven? This wouldn't be about that little
scrape I had last night with her? What was that
down at seventh in Grand View, right by west Lake Park?
The old guy in the car head he stopped fast
right in front of me, didn't even signal. I almost
plodded right into him like I was watching, and slammed
on the brakes, turned in toward the curb. Should have
seen it. I clipped the headlight in the right fender
against a telephone poll had it. Take the truck in
this morning, get it fixed up.
Speaker 7: Are there any witnesses to this accident that.
Speaker 3: You had, Singer?
Speaker 8: Yeah, a half dozen people saw it.
Speaker 7: Did you get any names?
Speaker 3: No address?
Speaker 8: Well, no I didn't. I was so teed off about
the whole thing. I guess I didn't think about it.
Speaker 3: Is there anyone at all we can check with? Anybody
to corroborate your story?
Speaker 8: Just the old guy in that car. Sure a lousy driver.
I really chewed him out.
Speaker 3: Did you get his name in Andre?
Speaker 8: No, but I took down his license number. Wasn't gonna
pay for that damage, he admitted it was his fault.
Speaker 3: Let me see.
Speaker 7: Do you mind giving us that license number?
Speaker 8: No, if I can find it. Wrote it down on
the back of an old envelope. Thought I put it
in my jacket when I looked this morning, wasn't there.
It's around someplace, so I'll check around again for a
leave for work. It'll bound to turn up.
Speaker 5: I'd like to have you look for it now, mister Singer,
if you would, it's pretty important.
Speaker 8: Wow, I think I get it. Officer, what it's all about?
Speaker 3: Anyway? Then lemonary investigation? I want to see if you
can find that number four?
Speaker 5: Wow?
Speaker 8: What did it I have to do with an investigation?
I didn't do anything at oh man, it was his fault.
The old bakery.
Speaker 7: Truck was involved in a serious accident last night, the
same kind that you were driving. Fred. You're gonna need
some kind of an alibi, mister Singer.
Speaker 3: Alibi.
Speaker 8: I don't know what you mean.
Speaker 3: Why do I have to have an alibi?
Speaker 7: I'll just take my word for it. You're gonna need one.
Speaker 8: Why do I need one?
Speaker 3: Two reasons?
Speaker 7: Yeah, A nine year old boy and his grandmother.
Speaker 5: We continued questioning the suspect, Arthur Singer, but he denied
any knowledge of the hit run accident the night before
at the intersection of Drexel and Pico Boulevard. We stayed
with him while he searched his home for the licensed
number of the car, which he said caused him to
have his accident the night before.
Speaker 7: After half an hour of.
Speaker 5: Looking, he came up with a number scribbled on a
scrap of paper which he'd found back in one corner
on the floor of his closet. We put in a
call to our DMV and they came back with the
information that the license number was registered to a mister
Thomas Foley on Lancasham Boulevard. We drove out to the
address to check with mister Foley, but there was nobody home.
Speaker 7: We left our card along with.
Speaker 5: Our message to contact us as soon as possible four
fifteen pm. Ben and I got back to the office
at four thirty five. Mister Foley returned our call.
Speaker 3: Yes, that's right, well you did uh huh, I see
well what time was that do you remember? Well, all right,
mister Foley, thank you very much. We may be contacting
you later. Right by. I thought this was starting up
too easy.
Speaker 7: Why what you say?
Speaker 3: Apparently this Arthur Singer is telling us the truth. Mister
Foley says he did have a little scrape with a
Baker truck last night. Described singers driver the truck. What
about the location? Is fully pretty sure about that? Grand
viewing lest seven says it happened about ten thirty five
last night. That put Singer about three miles from the
scene of they hit run. It's impossible, Joe, Yeah, this
mister Foley's right Singer couldn't have done it wasn't anywhere
near the scene. I sure thought he was it in
jew we can drive out and double check with fooling.
Can't think of any reason why he'd lie about it,
can you?
Speaker 7: I saw get it Acts Investigation Friday? Yeah, Ted? Where yeah? Nobody? Huh? Yeah?
Speaker 3: Right away?
Speaker 7: Thanks, that's moving a little fast. Got a piece of
luck here. Who was Ted Zimmerman? He and McLendon are
down the south end of town. Yeah, they hit and
run truck. They think maybe they found it. Four twenty
eight pm.
Speaker 5: Ben and I left the office and drove to the
south end of the city, where we met with Sergeants
Zimmerman and McLendon a block from where the Tan Panel
Bakery truck had been located. As soon as the truck
had been discovered, an immediate stakeout was placed on it.
A Code five was broadcast on the vehicle's location, warning
all you to stay away so as not to discourage
the suspect in case he decided it was safe to
return and get the truck.
Speaker 7: Ben and I drove down the side street where the
truck was parked and got a good look at the
front end of it. The right headlight was damaged and
so was the right fender. While Zimmerman and McLendon remained.
Speaker 5: On stakeout, Ben and I contacted the Nielsen Bakery people again,
gave them the number of the truck and they traced
down the driver's name for us.
Speaker 7: He was listed as Daniel Miller.
Speaker 5: He'd been employed by the bakery for the past three
years and he had a good record. They told us
this was his day off five point thirty pm. We
checked at his home address, but his wife told us
he wasn't there. She said that Besides driving a truck
for the bakery, he also had a part time job.
Speaker 7: At night.
Speaker 5: He worked as a counter man at a small coffee
shop out on Wilshire Boulevard. We drove out to the
coffee shop and interviewed him on the job.
Speaker 9: No, I'm sorry, I don't know where the truck is.
I wish I did and what happened, mister Miller?
Speaker 3: Was his done?
Speaker 9: No? No, not exactly. A fellow that comes in here quite
a bit. His name's Paul, good customer. He borrowed the
truck from me last night, said he don't be gone
and now I haven't seen him since.
Speaker 7: Where does this man live? This friend of yours, Paul?
Speaker 9: I'll tell you the truth. I don't know good Customy
comes in quite a bit at night when I'm working.
Gott to know him pretty well. He has to borrow
the truck for an hour. Didn't think much about it.
Let him have it. Is there anything wrong?
Speaker 7: What's this Paull's last name? You know?
Speaker 9: Oh? I guess I don't never thought to ask him,
as a matter of fact, because they never had any
reason to about.
Speaker 3: What time was it last night that you lean in
the truck.
Speaker 9: At eight o'clock. I think it was. He said he
wanted to take his television set over to the guy
he knew and get it fixed. He told me he'd
be backed by tenn oy' clark at the latest.
Speaker 7: And you don't know where this man lives. You have
no idea at all how to get in touch with him.
Speaker 9: No, I guess they don't sag it.
Speaker 3: Why you're in the habit of lending the truck to
strain you?
Speaker 9: No, not usually? Well, what's your beef anyway? What's this
all about?
Speaker 7: What are your hours here at the coffee shop? Mat
or when do you check in for work? When do
you leave?
Speaker 9: I checked in at seven o'clock. I go straight five
hours to midnight. That's when we close out midnight.
Speaker 7: You worked that shift last night? Did you? Seven pm?
Straight through to midnight?
Speaker 9: That's right, Monday through Saturday, six days a week. That's
a schedule. It's just a part time job for me,
extra door. You know, my regular job's driving the truck
the bakery.
Speaker 3: Was anyone around last night when your friend Paul came
into board the truck, Maybe another customer, waitress, somebody we
could double check with.
Speaker 9: No, there we were a couple other customers in the place.
I don't know who they were, though. Why do you
have to double check? Anyway? I haven't done anything. I
loaned Paul a truck. That's all I'll have.
Speaker 3: You ain't wed all of proving you were here from
seven to twelve last night. Must have been some customers
you withed on that you remember.
Speaker 9: Sure, at least half dozen of them. They'll tell you
I was here.
Speaker 7: I'd like to have their names and addresses, if you
don't mind.
Speaker 9: Miller, Yeah, excuse me a minute. H I've got a customer.
Speaker 3: Away right in. All right, Dan, I missed you last night.
All right, Fred?
Speaker 9: What do you have coffee?
Speaker 3: A couple of those doughnuts back there? Potter sugar ones?
Speaker 10: Okay, I mean the message dropped in for a sandwich
after the show last night.
Speaker 9: We're looking for you that so you how about ten thirty?
Speaker 3: Where were you? Dan?
Speaker 5: Seven fifteen pm, Wednesday, December twenty second. We continued questioning
the hit run suspect Daniel Miller for a full hour,
but he seemed to be unable to account for his
time the previous night. His first story was that he'd
been on duty behind the counter and the coffee shop
without a break between the hours of seven pm and midnight. Then,
after the customer entered and disclosed that he was in
the coffee shop at ten thirty the night before and
that Miller was nowhere about the suspect switched his story.
He said he thought he left the coffee shop briefly
for about fifteen minutes between ten thirty and ten forty
five pm to run down the street to a hotel
to say goodbye to some friends of his who were
leaving for New York. We checked at the hotel, but
they didn't know Miller, and they hadn't seen him the
night before.
Speaker 7: They were sure of it. We returned to the coffee
shop and.
Speaker 5: Took up the questioning of the suspect all over again,
but he made littler no sense at all. Apparently he
was piling up lie after lie in an effort to
cover his tracks before and after they hit and run murder.
Speaker 7: The night before eight pm, Ben and I pulled Miller.
Speaker 5: Off the job at the coffee shop and took him
downtown to the interrogation room.
Speaker 9: I'm telling you it's the truth. I wasn't in that
truck last night. I wasn't in an accident. I don't
know what you're talking about. Well, then give something to
go on, Miller. You've vented three different stories so far.
Not one of them is strong enough the whole water.
I'm telling you the truth. What are you trying to
hang this on me for? I didn't have a wreck
and I didn't kill anybody. Why are you picking on me?
Speaker 7: Because you don't make sense? Mister.
Speaker 5: You're trying to sell us a story and you haven't
got one ounce of proof to back it up. At
bakery truck you're responsible for as the same truck that
killed the old woman and the little boy. Now you
come up with a solid story that we can check
on her, you're going to be resting your back in
the main jam.
Speaker 9: I wonder they call you cops, dumb. I wasn't in
that truck last night. Can't you get that through your heads?
I wasn't in the truck. I didn't have an accident.
Speaker 3: Didn't prove it to us, mister Miller, that's what we're
waiting for. Listen, call Bill Colder. He's a good customer.
He was in last night. I think he'll tell you.
Go ahead and call him. He'll back up what I say.
Speaker 7: What's his numbered? You know?
Speaker 9: Yeah, I got it right right here in my wallet.
The bill can tell you. Yeah, here it is.
Speaker 5: Well, thank you, hello, William Calder there please, yes, ma'am,
it's important, all right. Well you have him called Michigan
five to two one one, yeah, five two one one
as extension two five one two right, Thank you very much.
Speaker 7: He's busy. You'll call back in a minute.
Speaker 9: He'll tell you the truth. I was in the coffee
shop all night, Just those couple of minutes, I ran
down to the hotel, I say goodbye to those friends
of mine. That's the only time I left the place.
Speaker 3: How come you couldn't tell us that to begin with?
Mauh You say you've got nothing to hide, Well, why
do you have to hand his three different stories? Which
when are we supposed to believe?
Speaker 9: I got nervous, that's all, when you first come in
and started to ask questions. I didn't know what it
was all about it. I didn't know there was any trouble.
I just loaned the truck to this guy. Paul is
a favor. How do I know what he was going
to do getting himself in a jam like that?
Speaker 7: All right, I'll try to look at it from where
we stand. Miller, you rown out your true to him.
Speaker 3: Man.
Speaker 7: You don't know his last name, you don't know where
he lives.
Speaker 5: You say he must have been driving the truck when
the lady and the boy were killed.
Speaker 9: Sure he must have been driving that.
Speaker 3: I wasn't.
Speaker 9: I was back at the coffee shop. I was there
until midnight.
Speaker 7: Mark, Then prove it to us. If you know the
man well enough to loan him the truck, you ought
to be able to find him. Now.
Speaker 9: They must be bill called a hill. Tell you go ahead,
see what he said.
Speaker 7: Interrogation room. Friday. Oh yeah, mister Kolver.
Speaker 5: My name is Sergeant Friday, LABD Accident Investigation Friday.
Speaker 7: Yes, sir, that's right. Wonder if you'd tell me if
you know a Daniel Miller. When's the last time you
saw him? Do you remember? I see the place where
he works, the coffee shop. Were you in there last night?
By any chance? Did you see Miller in there? You're sure? Yes, sir. No.
So that's all for now, Thank you very much. We're
going to contact you later on. Thank you, goodbye.
Speaker 9: Well how about it?
Speaker 3: He told you?
Speaker 9: Didn't I that enough for you?
Speaker 7: He says, he hasn't been in the coffee shop for
three days. Nine For five.
Speaker 5: PM, our interrogation of the hit and run spect Daniel
Miller went on. At his suggestion, we called half a
dozen people who he figured might substantiate.
Speaker 7: His alibi, but none of them were able to.
Speaker 5: Miller continued to deny any knowledge of the hit run killing,
but he still couldn't account for his whereabouts at the
exact hour the nine year old boy and his grandmother
were run down. The time element especially didn't work in
his favor. Nothing worked in his favor. Eleven thirty PM,
Ben and I took Daniel Miller over to the main jail,
where he was booked in on suspicion of four eighty VC.
The following afternoon, his lawyer obtained a writ and he
was released from custody.
Speaker 7: The writ was returnable in five days. He came immediately to.
Speaker 5: The office to plead with Ben and I to help
him find Paul, the man who borrowed his truck, and
thus clear himself. We took him up on it. Either way,
we figured we'd get to the bottom of it. If
Miller dreamed up the character Paul to escape blame for
the hit and run killing. We were bound to find
out sooner or later if Miller was telling the truth.
Speaker 7: We had little reason to believe he was.
Speaker 5: And a man named paul All that borrowed the truck
the night of the hit and run killing, we were
bound to find that out too.
Speaker 7: In any event, we had to investigate.
Speaker 5: It's the job of the police officer to prove guilt
or innocence, not guilt alone. Two days passed, and then
another two the Monday following the Christmas weekend.
Speaker 7: We were ready to call a halt.
Speaker 3: I don't know what else we can do. I think
we've given enough time, don't you know.
Speaker 7: The deeper we get into it, the more it looks
like Miller's our man. I still can't make in my mind.
Speaker 3: Why do you have to be stubborn about it? We've
checked every possible angle on this story. We still having
an ounce of proof that this guy Paulie talks about
even exists. We can't string along with.
Speaker 5: Miller for even I suppose you're right we've given him
a square enough break on it. I still got that
funny hunch as possible he might be telling the truth.
Speaker 3: We've gone four straight days on a Joe haven't come
across one lead to back up his story. It's too
much for me. I can't bite any more for.
Speaker 7: Him, so I do.
Speaker 9: Oh, Holli, Miller, I'm okay, glad to see I've been
looking for you.
Speaker 3: We've been looking for your friend Miller, still having found
a trace of him.
Speaker 9: That's why I came down to see you. A friend
of mine called me this morning. He knows this guy
Paul I told you about. He says he saw him
last night going into a hotel down on South Flower.
Speaker 3: How come we haven't heard from this friend of years before.
We've checked through twice on the list of everybody you know.
Speaker 9: This fella has been out of town, just got back
yesterday when he heard about the gem I was in.
He called me about seeing Paul.
Speaker 7: This hotel Paul was supposed to have been seeing going into.
Speaker 3: If you got the.
Speaker 9: Advessity, Yeah, it's around South Flower, right near Twelfth. I'm
going to go over there with me right now. This
friend of mine wouldn't kid me. Paul must be there.
Speaker 7: You're sure about that.
Speaker 9: He must be there. I'll bet a month's pay on it.
Speaker 3: He might be low, mister, what stands to court you
a lot? More than that.
Speaker 5: We went up to the third floor, room three eighteen,
but the man registered as Paul Barton wasn't in. He'd
left no word at the desk as to when he'd returned.
We sent Miller home and told him to wait for
our call. Ben and I went on steak out at
the hotel. At seven twenty five that night, Paul Barton
returned to his room and we began questioning him.
Speaker 7: He showed no signs of being upset.
Speaker 5: His answers were quick, straightforward, and they seem to make sense.
The interview went on a half hour an hour, and
Barton began to grow a little nervous. He contradicted himself.
Big holes began to show up in his story as
to how and where he'd spent his time the night
of the hit run killing. Eight forty five pm, Ben
and I took Barton back to the office. We found
Zimmerman in the squadroom and had him phone Miller at
his home and ask him to come downtown as soon
as possible. Meantime, we checked Paul Barton through R and I,
and then we took him to the interrogation room, where
the questioning went on.
Speaker 3: You're a little mixed up about that, aren't you? Mister Barton?
I thought you said you went to that boar downtown
about ten pm and then you went to visit at
your sister's house. Now you tell us you went to
your sister's house first, and then you went to the
bar downtown. And which is it? Well?
Speaker 10: I was getting a little high handed, isn't it. Why
do I have to account for my time to you?
Speaker 7: If it wasn't important, we wouldn't be asking you. I
think you know that.
Speaker 10: Well, I don't know anything of the kind. You're trying
to take advantage of me. That's the only impression I
can get. Can't answered enough of your questions. I'm going
back to the hotel just.
Speaker 3: A minute, Barton, is one more thing?
Speaker 10: Huh?
Speaker 3: Last time you were arrested for a traffic violation. You
want to tell us what the george was? Why I
think you've heard me? Well, that was a year ago.
Speaker 10: I was driving a little too fast going out Beverly Boulevard.
Speaker 3: And what's that got to do with our record?
Speaker 7: Bureau says? The charge was for drunk driving? Your license
was revoking that right?
Speaker 3: Well, so what I haven't been driving? I haven't been
near a cup about.
Speaker 7: Last Tuesday night. Last Tuesday night, did you do any
driving then?
Speaker 10: No, No, of course, not sure about that. You're not
trapping me. I answered all your questions.
Speaker 7: To stay right where you are, mister, stay put, Ben.
You want to check next door, see if Miller's coming.
Speaker 3: Yeah, okay, you can't make me stay here. It's illegal.
Speaker 8: You got none to hold me.
Speaker 5: All right, and there's nothing to worry about. This won't
take very long. We got him in by the name
of Miller. Coming in, He says, he thinks he knows you.
Speaker 3: Miller. I don't know anything.
Speaker 7: Miller.
Speaker 9: Nice going, Paul, Why you've been? I said, why you been?
What'd you do with the truck?
Speaker 3: Grab him?
Speaker 5: Ben?
Speaker 7: Grab him?
Speaker 3: All right?
Speaker 9: Let me write down?
Speaker 3: Said, come on, mister said, I didn't do I didn't
do a thing. Well, look, you can't prove it. You
can't prove I did.
Speaker 9: They're going to approve it.
Speaker 3: Paul.
Speaker 9: Well, I'm going to help improve it. You should have
been a real good friend.
Speaker 3: But give me a break, Danny, I didn't mean it, honest,
I didn't mean it.
Speaker 9: I loan you the truck. You get boozed up, you
run down a little kid, and the grandmother. Then you
take off and leave me hole in the sack like
I did it.
Speaker 3: But I didn't mean it, Danny, it was an accident.
I wasn't boozed up.
Speaker 9: Yeah, you're a real good friend. I hope you get
it in the neck. I hope you get it with
both batts. Look, sergeant, it's not true. I wasn't boosed up.
I only had two drinks, now, believe me. That's all
I had. Yeah, I couldn't have been drunk. It doesn't
affect me that way. Two drinks never hurt me. Cover
of drinks never hurt anybody.
Speaker 2: They killed a little boy and his grandmother. The star
you have just heard was true. The names were changed
to protect the innocent.
Speaker 11: On February twenty eighth, trial was held in Superior Court,
Department eighty seven, City and County of Los Angeles, State
of California. In a moment the results of that trial,
Paul Barton was filed on for violation of the State
Vehicle Code Section four eight, a hit and run felony,
and also for manslaughter two counts. He was convicted only
for Section four eight and received sentence as prescribed by law.
A hit and run felony is punishable by imprisonment in
the state penitentiary for not less than one or more
than five years. 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.
Speaker 1: Welcome back. This is a story that I really do
have a great place in my heart for because it's
a bit unusual and different from so many other Dragnet episodes,
and particularly when we come to this man who's working
the second job, it really does feel like an utterly
unbelievable nonsense alibi. In fact, if you weren't dealing with
a case or a series that used true life cases,
you would not make this up because it is such
a transparently nonsensical story. And indeed, I think the first
time I encountered the episode, I thought we were heading
towards a point where by helping them him out, they
would actually find evidence that he really was involved and
he'd see that the lie was pointless. And that has
happened on Dragnet a few times, but this one took
a really big turn towards the end, because right up
until the end, it looked like the same sort of
flim flam.
Speaker 7: You know.
Speaker 1: He told a story, but they could find no corroboration
for it. They tried to reach out to his friends
and the people whose names he'd given them, and they
couldn't find anyone. Until at last he's able to come
through and we get a really good confrontation at the
end with someone that, like I said, the first time
I encountered this and I think it's when I saw
it on television, I really thought that it was a
case where he was making the whole part about pull up.
But this story serves as yet another reminder that people
can behave oddly, and sometimes even more oddly in real
life than authors of fiction might imagine. Well, now we
turn to our Patreon supporter of the day, and I
want to thank Lisa, Patreon supporter since April of twenty sixteen,
currently supporting the podcast at the shawmus level of four
dollars or more per month. Thanks so much for your support, Lisa,
and that will do it for today. If you're enjoying
the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software
and be sure to rate and review the podcast wherever
you download it from. We'll be back next Thursday with
another episode of dragging that. But join us back here
tomorrow for yours truly Johnny dollarware right.
Speaker 12: After waiting twenty years for this old beneficiary to show
up twenty years. Like I told you, the insured was
Albert Schuyler King sixty five grand. Yes, he was a widower,
lived up near Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and he had
a son named Henry. Henry was his sole heir and
beneficiary of his policy. Okay, and you say that Kingwin
died twenty years ago. Yes, during that big hurricane back
in thirty eight. Remember it did about forty million dollars
damage up and down the coast.
Speaker 2: Earl.
Speaker 7: I was a mere child at the time.
Speaker 12: Oh sure, Oh was Henry, Well, he was ten, just
a kid. Anyhow, it was several days before the old
man's body was fine and the boy no trace of
him disappeared in due course of time because of the
statute of limitations. The old man's estate was well, I
guess it went to the state, but not his insurance. No, No,
we kept the matter of the insurance. Open company policy
requires a lot of legal finagling. But in the company's
history they turned up beneficiaries as much as fifteen eighteen
years after death by advertising. And that's what accounts for
the sudden appearance of two Henry Kingdom's claiming to be
the beneficiary of Albert Kingman's policy, and each having a logical,
legitimate story, each saying he didn't know about the insurance
until he saw it.
Speaker 1: I hope you'll be with us then in the meantime,
send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot nit,
follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us
out on Instagram, Instagram dot com slash Great Detectives from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.