Speaker 1: Now in cooperation with police and federal law enforcement departments throughout.
Speaker 2: The United States.
Speaker 1: The only national program that brings you authentic police case history.
Speaker 2: Gang Muster.
Speaker 1: To Night, the case of the Dakota Badman who shedd
Speaker 1: handcuffs as a snake shedd skin, but will learn that
Speaker 1: two sudden shots at a federal agent would be.
Speaker 3: Repaid in kind.
Speaker 1: And now the Gangbusters in facts that show the operation
Speaker 1: of our law enforcement officials in their war against the underworld.
Speaker 1: Gangbusters has asked the Honorable Victor S. Anderson, the United
Speaker 1: States Attorney in Minnesota, to narrate by proxy tonight's case,
Speaker 1: the inside facts in the case of the Dakota band
Speaker 1: Mister Anderson, I know the criminal you're going to tell
Speaker 1: about to Night was for a long time at the
Speaker 1: top of the list of fugitives wanted by the Federal
Speaker 1: Bureau of Investigation. That's right, Don Gardener. This man, John
Speaker 1: Frederick Benson, didn't know when he'd had enough, but he
Speaker 1: was to learn that agents of the FBI are also
Speaker 1: noted for their perseverance. Well, where would you like to begin,
Speaker 1: mister Anderson, I think the best place down would be
Speaker 1: on the outskirts of Houston. Texas, at three o'clock on
Speaker 1: a mild February morning, exactly two years ago this week,
Speaker 1: the all night clerk at the Palace Grove Modern tourist
Speaker 1: camp was fast asleep in his chair as a lone
Speaker 1: figure crept by him. The intruder walked cautiously across a
Speaker 1: dimly lit court, past cabins number one, number two, and
Speaker 1: number three. He stopped at number four. He looked around
Speaker 1: and quietly tried the door.
Speaker 3: Jack, Yeah, it's me. What happened?
Speaker 4: How did you get out?
Speaker 5: They would take 'em into the Federal building for questions
Speaker 5: This afternoon I broke away.
Speaker 3: He couldn't shoot any kind of the people.
Speaker 4: You should have tried it. They might've killed you.
Speaker 5: Or better than rotten the rest of my life in
Speaker 5: jail this afternoon, Yeah, I was lucky. I made for
Speaker 5: the freight yards. You have been laying out in a
Speaker 5: freight car for twelve hours. You sure they don't know
Speaker 5: your hair?
Speaker 3: I'm pretty sure you just said that they would have
Speaker 3: been around.
Speaker 4: You must be starved, Jack.
Speaker 5: They turned on any lights. Oh okay, I got a
Speaker 5: job for you. What things old, Jack? I don't see
Speaker 5: yet how I made it out with these handcuffs on.
Speaker 5: It was lucky they let me wear a top coat
Speaker 5: over my shoulders. I used it to cover 'em.
Speaker 4: But how do you get them off?
Speaker 5: There's no problem with the hacks or the first thing
Speaker 5: in the morning, walk to a hardware store.
Speaker 3: I'm going to hack so.
Speaker 5: I wish I didn't have to wait that long and
Speaker 5: rister practically cut the ribbons.
Speaker 4: Maybe I could use a hairpin or something. Maybe I
Speaker 4: can get them wrong.
Speaker 3: I'm too tired right now to try and need some sleep.
Speaker 5: Get that hack so in the morning and we'll go
Speaker 5: to work on the cuffs.
Speaker 6: Attention Texas Southwestern Authorities. Escape federal prisoner John Frederick Benson
Speaker 6: described in first bulletin. This man, who may still be
Speaker 6: wearing handcuffs, escape custody of the United States Marshall at Houston, Texas.
Speaker 6: Caution caution, Benson may now be armed and is known
Speaker 6: to be extremely dangerous.
Speaker 5: A right, kiddy, baby, come on a little more, all right,
Speaker 5: I'm trying a little more.
Speaker 2: Some more soup.
Speaker 3: That's it, thanks kidding. Didn't think i'd make it.
Speaker 4: I don't see yet how you did.
Speaker 3: Just luck, that's all.
Speaker 4: I guess you're the luckiest guy in the world.
Speaker 5: Mmm, take some figure into Oh were wrists? H I
Speaker 5: gotta do a lot more figuring. Baby, We're still too
Speaker 5: close for comfort. Tourist cabins are okay, but when they're looking,
Speaker 5: that's the first place on the list.
Speaker 3: You gotta get out of here.
Speaker 4: I suppose we do it.
Speaker 5: Yeah, gotta get out and fast, I mean now worse
Speaker 5: than ever?
Speaker 4: Jack, Yeah, what happens? Now? Where do we go?
Speaker 5: You gotta get a heater, gotta find some place to
Speaker 5: lay out for a while.
Speaker 3: It takes Doe, dough. Everything takes Doe. You got any left, kiddy?
Speaker 4: Oh? Little? How much? Three or four hundred?
Speaker 3: Good? Good? It'll help some Well, you got it.
Speaker 4: In my suitcase?
Speaker 3: Good girl?
Speaker 2: Jack?
Speaker 4: Take the money? Leave me here?
Speaker 3: You kidding, baby?
Speaker 2: No?
Speaker 4: Take it?
Speaker 3: What's some money? You wanna stay here?
Speaker 4: I can't go through that all over again, Jack, I
Speaker 4: can't see them get you again.
Speaker 3: I can't do you have to go through.
Speaker 5: I'm the one there after you talk like I don't
Speaker 5: mean anything to you.
Speaker 4: If you couldn't mean anything to me, would you be
Speaker 4: here now? Would you have those cuffs off? Yeah?
Speaker 3: Sorry, kid, I guess I wouldn't.
Speaker 4: Am I crazy?
Speaker 3: Jack?
Speaker 4: Why do I see only good in you. Everybody else
Speaker 4: sees bad. If they were right, I'm crazy.
Speaker 5: Just you only see what you want to see. Let
Speaker 5: them think I'm bad?
Speaker 3: Will you care?
Speaker 4: Do you want me with you?
Speaker 7: Jack?
Speaker 5: I gotta have you a long baby. You're my insurance.
Speaker 5: They take one look at the two of us together,
Speaker 5: and nobody's suspicious. We can go any place and do anything.
Speaker 5: We're just an ordinary couple of people.
Speaker 4: That's not much of a reason for me.
Speaker 5: Look, kid, you know you come first all the time.
Speaker 5: But I think for the next couple of weeks, I
Speaker 5: can't do much traveling.
Speaker 3: I got a light someplace and stay there.
Speaker 2: Where.
Speaker 3: Well, how about Kansas? Your sister's place?
Speaker 4: No, Jack, I don't wanna get her mixed up.
Speaker 5: Who does wanna mixed up in it? It's a big
Speaker 5: farm and far away from everything.
Speaker 3: You said. She needs help since her husband died.
Speaker 4: You won't like a farm. You'll get restless.
Speaker 3: Do you think I was raised? You wrote? Nora? You
Speaker 3: were married?
Speaker 7: Writer?
Speaker 3: You're bringing your husband for a visit.
Speaker 4: Alright, that's what you want.
Speaker 3: M We can stay there and get my bearings.
Speaker 5: Yeah, maybe'd be a good idea to cool off on
Speaker 5: a farm.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, rotten stuff.
Speaker 4: Hey, yah, yeah, I brought you back some cigarettes from town.
Speaker 5: Thanks cost. You might have let me know you were going.
Speaker 5: I've been having a wonderful time here pitching hay.
Speaker 4: Well, you were still sleeping and I didn't wanna wake you.
Speaker 4: You got in so.
Speaker 3: Late, all right, kitty, So I got in light.
Speaker 4: Besides, with knowing the kids, there would have been room
Speaker 4: in the car.
Speaker 5: Nor the kids are making me sick. I had one
Speaker 5: of this farm, and I can take.
Speaker 4: Three weeks isn't so long? And they're still looking for you.
Speaker 4: They're looking for your heart.
Speaker 5: M Let him look, I need jail. It'll be better
Speaker 5: than breaking your back and this kind of work.
Speaker 4: Where'd you go last night?
Speaker 3: What do you care?
Speaker 4: Well? You didn't get intil so late?
Speaker 3: Okay, I didn't get intil late. I went to mail
Speaker 3: a letter.
Speaker 5: H I see it's the Harry Porter and Omaha want
Speaker 5: him to line up somebody for me? Good gunman.
Speaker 4: Then we're leaving here and you had enough? I guess
Speaker 4: you have. There's big news in town, Jack, Yeah, the
Speaker 4: state bank at CACLI was broken into last night.
Speaker 3: Oh what do you want me to do? Body?
Speaker 4: You promise, Jack, you promised you laylo and stay out
Speaker 4: of things.
Speaker 3: I don't win for safe crackings. I'm a gunman.
Speaker 4: How did you know the safe was cracked? I didn't
Speaker 4: say it.
Speaker 3: Oh don't all banks have safes? Hey? What are you
Speaker 3: trying to make me walk into?
Speaker 4: You were and there's no place to go.
Speaker 3: I never broke in any place before. That's not my line.
Speaker 4: The talk is it was an amateur job.
Speaker 3: Get it had nothing to do with a thing. Now,
Speaker 3: let me get finished up here.
Speaker 4: Yeah, Jack, that'll be a good idea. Oh, Norah wants
Speaker 4: to fix up early. She's taking the kids over to
Speaker 4: them blocks later.
Speaker 5: Yeah, the kids, they give me a pain in her neck. Well,
Speaker 5: let me get some hay pitched.
Speaker 2: Hello, Sheriff, Oh Haynes, anything.
Speaker 1: New, Jiff. This is a special Agent Dire also of
Speaker 1: the FBI. He was sent down from the Kansas City
Speaker 1: Field Office to help out the investigation. Sheriff Leaning, How.
Speaker 2: Are you, Sheriff, glad to have your dire. We need
Speaker 2: all the help we can get.
Speaker 1: Have you been able to turn up anything, Sheriff?
Speaker 2: Oh, Well, like you suggested, it could have been somebody
Speaker 2: look home. I had my deputies checking up with the
Speaker 2: people around here. Anybody suspicious, you know how it is.
Speaker 2: We know most everybody in the county on him for years.
Speaker 2: There's a few people we might check into. The huh
Speaker 2: Princess out at Lamb's garage to peak a road. Lamb
Speaker 2: took on a new mechanic stranger a week or ten
Speaker 2: days ago. I talked to him. We could. And then
Speaker 2: there's that new couple out at the Widow Emmetts, Jack
Speaker 2: Rogers and his wife. She's Nora Amitt's sister. Been there
Speaker 2: about three weeks. I haven't seen much of him, but
Speaker 2: she's been around with Nora and the kids.
Speaker 1: Is there anything suspicious about this Jack Rogers?
Speaker 2: Well, no, can't say there is. I got a car
Speaker 2: and seems to have money. The Emmits are good people.
Speaker 2: We'll have a look at them too. And there's three
Speaker 2: or four others I've got them listening to here.
Speaker 1: All right, serff, we'll check on everybody beginning tomorrow, just
Speaker 1: to play safe.
Speaker 4: Kitty kitty in here, Jack in the kitchen, where are
Speaker 4: you when I watch you? I'm just fixing lunch for
Speaker 4: the kids.
Speaker 3: What are your nurse maid or something?
Speaker 4: To let nor take care of our own kids?
Speaker 3: W again?
Speaker 5: She have to go to town every day. She's been living
Speaker 5: a life of riley since we came. I pitched the Hey,
Speaker 5: you take care of the kids.
Speaker 7: What is this after all?
Speaker 4: Jack, she's been awfully nice to us.
Speaker 5: Well, let her get a couple of hired hands. We're
Speaker 5: pulling him out anyway, as soon as I hear from
Speaker 5: Harry Porter.
Speaker 4: Jack, you promised you'd stay until the heats off.
Speaker 5: You promised me, well, I had enough farm a night
Speaker 5: car Norah.
Speaker 4: No, she said you wouldn't be back to six.
Speaker 3: Take a look out the window. Who is it.
Speaker 4: It's not Laura, it's a man. I'll talk to him, Jack.
Speaker 4: I'll send him away.
Speaker 5: Where are the kids upstairs? Were up and keep them there?
Speaker 5: All handass?
Speaker 3: Be careful, Please be careful, up and take care of
Speaker 3: the kids.
Speaker 4: Let me talk to Jack's not going to use that
Speaker 4: guff I got her.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I'll get up there. Wanna meet him on the porch.
Speaker 5: You get up with the kids. Yeah, miss there, I
Speaker 5: gonna do for you.
Speaker 1: Don't talk to Jack Rogers.
Speaker 3: I'm Jack Rogers. Oh, my name's dire.
Speaker 1: I'm a special Agent of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Speaker 3: That's uh.
Speaker 2: I understand you.
Speaker 3: You understand too much roget Jack shot shut him. Son't
Speaker 3: going back?
Speaker 4: What are you gonna do? They knew he came here.
Speaker 4: There must be more than around I'm gonna do.
Speaker 3: I'm getting not the back way, Jack, I'll get ready,
Speaker 3: Oh kid, this time I have to travel light. I'll
Speaker 3: get a touch for you.
Speaker 2: But I want to go.
Speaker 3: There's no time. They got nothing on you, Kitty. Don't
Speaker 3: tell him a thing. You don't know a thing.
Speaker 4: I won't tell him anything.
Speaker 3: Bias sod on.
Speaker 1: That was the situation. The criminal John Frederick Benson, shot
Speaker 1: and critically wounded an agent of the Federal Bureau of
Speaker 1: Investigation who attempted to question him. Benson fled the scene
Speaker 1: and left the girl Kitty alone to face the other
Speaker 1: law enforcement officers. When Sheriff Laney and Special Agent Haynes arrived,
Speaker 1: they placed Kitty in custody and rushed Special Agent Dier
Speaker 1: to a hospital. At the Sheriff's office, the girl was
Speaker 1: being questioned by the officers in their attempt to get
Speaker 1: a lead on the whereabouts of Benson.
Speaker 4: I'm telling you, I don't know where he is.
Speaker 1: I don't I known't You traveled all over the country
Speaker 1: with Benson. You were at the farm together three weeks.
Speaker 1: He must have mentioned where he counted on going when
Speaker 1: he left.
Speaker 4: We were going to stay for a while. There wasn't
Speaker 4: any thought of leaving.
Speaker 2: The FBI agenty shot might die.
Speaker 4: I know, I'm sorry.
Speaker 1: I'm being sorry. Doesn't help much.
Speaker 2: If you want to help, tell us where he went.
Speaker 4: I I don't know.
Speaker 1: He must have given some indications.
Speaker 4: I don't know where he went. Please believe me. I don't.
Speaker 3: All right, miss, that's all.
Speaker 4: You mean? I can go?
Speaker 3: Yes, Yes, you can go.
Speaker 4: No.
Speaker 2: Yes, As much as we'd like to hold you, there's
Speaker 2: no charge we can place against you.
Speaker 4: I see.
Speaker 1: Have you got any place to go?
Speaker 7: Back?
Speaker 4: To farm? My kiss for a while? And I don't know?
Speaker 2: Alright? If we need you, we will be in touch.
Speaker 4: I'm sorry I couldn't help you.
Speaker 3: More so are we, hell Sheriff.
Speaker 1: She's on her way.
Speaker 2: I hope you get something out of it. Haims me.
Speaker 2: When I get somebody that belongs in jail, I like
Speaker 2: to keep 'em there.
Speaker 1: Sure, if Benson's a lot more important than she is,
Speaker 1: and if he knows she's out, maybe he'll arranged to
Speaker 1: see her.
Speaker 3: Hi, Well, jack Anne, what do you care? But he
Speaker 3: drinking up?
Speaker 5: By your nuh n mind the names makes Harry Porter.
Speaker 1: Said, I might find you.
Speaker 3: Yeah, how is Harry? Okay, say here is still giving
Speaker 3: 'em trouble.
Speaker 5: It's not as here. It's a stomach. That's right, there's
Speaker 5: a stomach.
Speaker 3: He said.
Speaker 5: You was looking for somebody to go in business with.
Speaker 5: Maybe I am, but not here at all. My I'm
Speaker 5: free of travel, makes sir. That's a gun.
Speaker 3: Boy, nothing else. Okay, I'll think about it.
Speaker 5: I gotta think about it, too, Jack, you're a pretty
Speaker 5: hard customer. There's not many who shoot up Gemen and
Speaker 5: are walking on the street to dunk up. I'll never
Speaker 5: talk about it, especially in the bars. It's a nice
Speaker 5: quiet boys. Let's go for a ride. There's not so
Speaker 5: many years and automobiles come out.
Speaker 1: Special Agent Haynes.
Speaker 2: Haynes's Marshall.
Speaker 3: We just gotta tell a joy message from Minneapolis.
Speaker 7: The girl kitty got there on the train this morning.
Speaker 2: I bought a bus ticket to Saint Is, North Dakota.
Speaker 1: Santa Huh. Benson's got relatives there.
Speaker 3: Yeah, I know, we're already watching him.
Speaker 1: Okay, let's move in a little closer. Get playing reservations
Speaker 1: from Minneapolis. We'll work out of there.
Speaker 3: Okay, Mags, you'll do.
Speaker 7: Thanks, coach. I never thought i'd make it. Look.
Speaker 5: If there's one thing I don't like, it's wise guys.
Speaker 5: Take it easy on the cracks and take it easy
Speaker 5: on the talk.
Speaker 2: And what's see it?
Speaker 7: Can you jack? If a guy's got no sense of humor,
Speaker 7: he's got nothing.
Speaker 3: I got nothing to laugh about it strictly business makes
Speaker 3: and remember that.
Speaker 5: Okay, Well, when we get started. Ever worked in Dakota's Dakotas.
Speaker 7: What's up there?
Speaker 3: Honey? You know where to find it?
Speaker 7: Who I take such a trip.
Speaker 5: I've got a way of operating makes It includes having
Speaker 5: a girl along make things look good.
Speaker 3: The girl I went along is up there.
Speaker 7: Ah, it's not a bad idea.
Speaker 3: I got a girl.
Speaker 4: Two.
Speaker 3: One's enough.
Speaker 7: Yeah, yeah, one's enough, as long as she's yours.
Speaker 3: If you don't want it my way, Meg's you can
Speaker 3: get out right here.
Speaker 7: Okay, you're right. You gotta traveler, companion. Don't get excited.
Speaker 8: That's the house hands kidding. Moved here in the day
Speaker 8: before yesterday. We got a mail check on the place.
Speaker 8: No letters from Benson or what about the phone. Well,
Speaker 8: that's gonna give us some trouble.
Speaker 1: Or what kind of trouble Benson. Oh, stop light a cigarette.
Speaker 1: I want a better look at the place. All right,
Speaker 1: it so happens at Benson's. Aunt is the night operator.
Speaker 1: I didn't wanna plant anyone in the exchange. If she's sponsor,
Speaker 1: it might wear the works, okay, but keep agents posted
Speaker 1: around the exchange every minute. The Amazon duty will.
Speaker 3: Do the manager the exchange. There's no connection with Benson.
Speaker 1: Good. I don't think Benson will have nerve enough to
Speaker 1: come right to the house. You might figure it's covered,
Speaker 1: but I'm almost certain he'll try to get in touch
Speaker 1: with Kitty, and if he does, we wanna know about it.
Speaker 5: Come on, hello, Kitty, Jack, I wanna make the short
Speaker 5: and sweet Baby, I'm close.
Speaker 3: I'm gonna come by for you, Jack, Baby walking to
Speaker 3: it will work? Is my at home?
Speaker 4: No, she would see a friend full work.
Speaker 3: Okay, y'all get in touch with her. When I get in,
Speaker 3: she'll tell you where to make me.
Speaker 4: Be careful, Jack, be careful.
Speaker 3: Don't worry about me. I'll be all right.
Speaker 5: I wanna get off this line so long, goodbye, Okay, began,
Speaker 5: Let's get out of here. Sit down, Yeah, Jack, let
Speaker 5: me finish my drink. I have to make it snappy.
Speaker 5: Who you calling that dame here? She got a friend?
Speaker 3: She all live in this time?
Speaker 5: Who cares if she's got a friend? And when do
Speaker 5: we get this baby?
Speaker 3: He is? And where I'm getting curious? They don't have
Speaker 3: long to wait?
Speaker 5: Now's if very a little place called Sainish should I have?
Speaker 3: We're driving there right now?
Speaker 7: Good?
Speaker 3: Good.
Speaker 5: That's where we take on our extra pass year I
Speaker 5: get finished up. We got fifteen miles to drive.
Speaker 8: Okay, okay, Haines, Yes, manager of the local telephone exchange
Speaker 8: just got in touch with me.
Speaker 3: There was a call to Kitty. It came through from
Speaker 3: Bismock from Benson. He doesn't know.
Speaker 8: He just saw the ticket. He happened to go buy
Speaker 8: the office and the ticket had just been filed.
Speaker 1: There's Benson's out on Judy at the board.
Speaker 8: Oh she's not scheduled to come on for another hour.
Speaker 1: Okay. We'll get in touch with the police at Bismarck
Speaker 1: to be on the lookout for Benson there, and we'll
Speaker 1: keep a double watch here in town all night. Crossman
Speaker 1: and Gould on the house. You and I had the
Speaker 1: telephone exchange where we can cover any more calls.
Speaker 7: So this is sanus share.
Speaker 3: Yeah, this is Saanish.
Speaker 5: I can see where you left it at such an
Speaker 5: early age. Jack, What do people do around here for excitement?
Speaker 3: They sleep much where you're driving there?
Speaker 7: Stop so I see it?
Speaker 3: Okay, what.
Speaker 7: Stop signing? They need there? Why to see the cows coming?
Speaker 3: That's the telephone exchange in the middle of the block.
Speaker 7: And then your ants gotta stay on and do it
Speaker 7: the all night. The next cars around here.
Speaker 3: At night pull in over there?
Speaker 7: Okay, why don't we go to the dame's house.
Speaker 3: I'm doing this alright, turn off the lights.
Speaker 5: Okay, what do you need a gun for here?
Speaker 3: I didn't need it back in Kansas either, but I
Speaker 3: use it.
Speaker 5: I'm on, I'll wait here. Come on, I said, oh okay.
Speaker 3: Alright, we'll go around the back. It's no matter what
Speaker 3: the front.
Speaker 5: Nobody's there but your rent and go around the back
Speaker 5: and we'll just trouble to see it day he mind it.
Speaker 3: Shut up, that's far off, but copsa camp sho Jack, Okay, okay,
Speaker 3: take it easy.
Speaker 1: Where do the where do the bullets catch Benson?
Speaker 2: Alright? I guess he's dead.
Speaker 1: Okay, wait here, the carner comes, I'll take care of
Speaker 1: this one. Go on, you start walking.
Speaker 3: Okay, I'm walking. I'm walking.
Speaker 4: Just a minute, I'm coming. Oh, hello, Kitty, he's not here.
Speaker 4: I swear he isn't I know?
Speaker 3: He isn't.
Speaker 1: Two in the morning, in your old dressed You weren't
Speaker 1: expecting to go out.
Speaker 4: I was upbreading.
Speaker 1: Oh I thought you might be going out to meet Benson.
Speaker 4: That's not so.
Speaker 1: It is so, kitty, And you know it.
Speaker 4: What do you want? You can't come in here?
Speaker 1: And I I came to tell you, Kitty, Benson's dead.
Speaker 1: Oh no, he tried.
Speaker 3: To fight us.
Speaker 1: All right, you better come along with me.
Speaker 4: He wasn't bad, not really. He was good to me,
Speaker 4: honest he was. He was good to me.
Speaker 1: I don't doubt it, Kitty. But being good to you
Speaker 1: wasn't enough, not nearly enough. He wasn't very good to
Speaker 1: his victims, nor to the FBI agency. Shot. Come on,
Speaker 1: let's go. That don was the end of one of
Speaker 1: the most intensive manhunts in recent years. John Frederick Benson
Speaker 1: died by the gun the way he expected to thrive,
Speaker 1: and the same finish faces any man who thinks he's
Speaker 1: bigger than the law which governs all of us. Thank
Speaker 1: you very much, United States Attorney Anderson for this pointed
Speaker 1: case history and Gangbuster's congratulations to all the law enforcement
Speaker 1: officers who participated in the investigation leading to the conclusion
Speaker 1: of this case. Delight's case was dramatized by Statliness and
Speaker 1: directed by William Sweets, with Ken Lynch and Charlotte Lawrence
Speaker 1: in leading roles. Don Gardner speaking. Gangbusters is a Phillips
Speaker 1: h Lord production.