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 get into this week's episode of Dragnet. I
do want to encourage you, if you enjoy the podcast,
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thank you so much for your support. Well, now it
is time from October fifth, nineteen fifty for the Big thirty.
Speaker 2: Eight the story you were about to hear is true,
only the names have been change to protect the innocent.
You're a detective sergeant here assigned a robbery detail. A
store clerk has been murdered, shot to death in a robbery.
The hold up man is described as tall, well dressed.
He escapes in a taxicab. Your job get him.
Speaker 3: Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime. While the
next thirty minutes, in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department,
you will travel step by step on the side of
the law through an actual case, from official police fins,
from beginning to end, from crime to punishment. Dragnet is
the story of your police force in action.
Speaker 4: Was free.
Speaker 5: August seventeen was hot in Los Angeles. We were working
the night Watch out of robbery detail. My partner's Ben Romero,
the boss's captain Walker, my name is Friday. Was eight
thirty five pm when we got to the Church of
Saint Damian the vestibule. That must be her playing the organ. Yeah,
I don't see any stairs. I wonder how you get up.
Speaker 4: There to the loft. Looks like that might be the
sect and they we're there, or let's ask.
Speaker 5: Her excuse me, sir. Ye, we're looking for an Ernestine Matthews.
Understand she's the organist.
Speaker 4: Here at the church.
Speaker 6: Oh that's her playing up there now, playing over a
few pieces for Sunday.
Speaker 4: Could you tell us how to get up to the
choir lof.
Speaker 5: Sureley through that door over there, follow the stairway straight up,
cad Miss thank you?
Speaker 4: Sure has been a long time. Yeah.
Speaker 5: What's that climbing stairs to a choir saying a lot
in church when I was a kid? Mooieprano? All right,
can you finally throw me out? Boy's change?
Speaker 4: Yes?
Speaker 7: Did you want something?
Speaker 4: Are you? And missus Ernestine Matthews? Yes?
Speaker 7: Did you come about the new provoos?
Speaker 4: No, ma'am Police officers, Oh.
Speaker 7: Can I help you?
Speaker 4: It's about your husband as Matthews brute?
Speaker 7: What about him? Has brit done something?
Speaker 4: He was hurt? Ma'am?
Speaker 7: Well, I don't understand Bert's working at store. What do
you mean he was hurt?
Speaker 4: I was a hold of you God, my husband.
Speaker 7: Was he hurt? Bad?
Speaker 4: Yes, ma'am? Where is he?
Speaker 7: I've got to go to him? Is he in pain? No,
ma'am what are you trying to say to God? Tell
me the truth? Which hospital is he in?
Speaker 4: It took him to Georgia Street. They helped him all
they could.
Speaker 7: Not trying to tell him the BRIT's dead. Not trying
to tell me that are you.
Speaker 4: I'm sorry man.
Speaker 5: In the past sixteen days, seven armed robberies had been committed,
apparently with the same man. The suspect was described victims
as tall, heavily built, and very nervous.
Speaker 4: He was armed.
Speaker 5: It's cold logic that every suspect was armed in the
commission of a robbery is a potential killer. It's a
fact that's been proved a hundred times over. The man
we were after had proven it again. We'd used every
means at our disposal to identify him, through the Stats Office,
the Record Bureau, laden fingerprints, through informants and witnesses. We'd
gotten not an APB on him containing his description and
his method of operation. We'd maintained stakeouts. We hadn't reached
him in time. Early that evening, a.
Speaker 4: Downtown grocery store had been held up.
Speaker 5: One of the clerks, thirty one year old Bert Matthews,
failed to empty the cash register quickly enough, and the
band had shot him three times through the chest. He
died almost instantly in the hold up man escape. Was
only one witness, another clerk who had been on duty
in the store with Matthews at the time of the
hold up. His name was Jess Tallman. He was brought
to the city Hall, where we questioned him further.
Speaker 4: Did you see Bird's wife to show him?
Speaker 5: Yeah, we dropped off at the church on the way
in drover to his sister's place.
Speaker 8: Still can't get through my head. One minute I was
talking to Burt, the next minute he was dead. It's
kind of hard to take, you know.
Speaker 5: I'd like to go over that description of the hold
up man. You were pretty upset out there at the story.
Do you feel up to it now? Yeah, I'm okay,
all right now, you just take it ease. He tell
us everything you remember and take all the time you need.
Speaker 8: Well, I know he was a big guy, over six
foot anyway, I'm sure that he had a good build too.
Speaker 4: Wasn't skinny? How about his face? Do yes? You get
a good look at it? Yeah? I did.
Speaker 8: It was thin and he kept working it around, you know,
twitching that guy who was bloody, nervous.
Speaker 4: Can you tell us anything else about it?
Speaker 8: He was young, about twenty one. I'd say had dark
color eyes. That's about all I'd swear to sergeant. He
had a hat on I know that.
Speaker 4: How about the rest of his clothing, I wouldn't be
sure about.
Speaker 8: It could have been a great coat, blue coat, I
don't know. I wouldn't want to give you a bump stare.
Speaker 4: Did you get a look at the gun.
Speaker 8: I couldn't miss that. It was a big one. It
wasn't shine. He was kind of dark blue color. I
can see the guy now walking in the store and
pointing at it.
Speaker 4: What time was that again, Jess? When the bandit showed up.
Speaker 8: Just about seven thirty. Bert was behind the counter. I
was in the back stacking the shelves. The guy just
walked in, point of the gun, said gimme the dough.
I heard him say that. Bert was kind of surprised.
He just stood there for a minute and the guy said,
hurry up, give me the door. Bert said, okay, you
can have everything, and he reached to get the door
from the cash register.
Speaker 4: That's when the guy did it. He hit Bert right
in the chest. What happened? Then? Bert moaned a little
and fell down on the floor.
Speaker 8: I got Samantha started running for the guy, but he
swung around at me with a gun, said stay where
you are. Yeah, I didn't want to get killed. I stopped.
You can't blame me for that, can you? Did you
follow the man when he left? Well, you see, he
backed out of the store, and when he got to
the sidewalk, he jammed the gun in his pocket, ran
down the street.
Speaker 4: I ran out after him, saw him jumping a taxi
cab and take off. Did you get the cabs number?
Speaker 8: Well, he was too far away for that, at least
halfway down the block. I know somebody else must have
been driving it, though. How do you know that the
cabs already moving when the whole up guy jumped in
and got front seat?
Speaker 4: You know it was the front seat and not the back.
Speaker 8: The way those cab doors open, you know, front doors
swing out to the left. Back when swing out to
the right tis end. Joe used the same memo, and
I was hold up last week. Yeah you got anything
else to add? Yes, anything you think we ought to know.
Speaker 4: It's about the size of it, Sergeant. You all think
I'm yellow, do you? Well? What do you mean?
Speaker 3: I mean?
Speaker 4: Because I stopped.
Speaker 8: When he pointed the gun at me, I guess I
should have grabbed him, but that gun looked as big
as a cannon.
Speaker 4: Let's face it, I'm not that much of a haircut.
I'll put in with you. Yes, neither am I.
Speaker 5: Along with a team of men from Homicide Detail, we
continued our investigation of the hold up and killing. Ballistics
reported that the slugs taken from the body of Bert
Matthews had possibly been fired from a thirty eight caliber
Colt revolver. The slugs were in good condition for identification.
All the possible suspects picked from the mud books by
the victims had been checked out.
Speaker 4: All of them had been cleared.
Speaker 5: Fingerprints left by the bandit at the scene of his
latest crime were checked out.
Speaker 4: No make.
Speaker 5: We tried to check the taxicab used in the escape.
We got nowhere.
Speaker 4: The morning after the Matthew was killing, we got a.
Speaker 5: Call from Sheriff's Homicide who went across the street and
checked with Inspector Bowers.
Speaker 9: Either one of you remember that case about six months ago,
the Harry Solomon killing.
Speaker 5: Oh yeah, I inspect here. It's pretty vague right now.
Your men handled it at Connecky.
Speaker 9: Yeah, let me lay it out fair. It's just possible.
It might tie in without killing you. Phill asad last
night and what's the angle. Harry Solomon was a taxi
cab driver. The night of February twenty sixth somebody saw
him pick up a fair at Sunset and Highland about
ten thirty pm. That's the last time he was seen alive.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I think I remember.
Speaker 9: The next morning, we found Solomon's body in a ditch
out in the valley. Two thirty eight slugs in his head,
found his cab a few yards up the road.
Speaker 4: Abandoned killer used a thirty eighth same kind of gun
used on last night's job. Here's something else that ties in. Yeah.
Speaker 9: A description of the passenger Solomon picked up at Sunsett
and Hyland the night he was murdered. The last fairy
ever handled.
Speaker 5: White man Eric over six feet tall, heavy bills, age
twenty twenty one, dark eyes, had a dark suit on the.
Speaker 4: Half matches all the way down the line. You had
a robbery motor figured on the Solomon killing, didn't you.
That's right?
Speaker 9: Except for a five dollar bill hidden in his wallet,
Solomon didn't have a penny of his receipts for the night.
Might have been another reason behind the killing.
Speaker 4: The size set. Yeah, it's just barely possible. Solomon might
have known the hold up man, the guy who killed it.
How do you figure it?
Speaker 9: Solomon had been a cabby for fourteen years before he
was murdered from this hold up man's moo, using cabs
for a getaway car. It's possible he might have been
a cab driver at some time or other.
Speaker 5: I mean, if the kell had got in a cab
and thought Solomon recognized him was suspicious, that.
Speaker 9: I could have been reason enough for him to kill Solomon.
I know there's a lot of goods and if some
maybees in it that I thought you might be.
Speaker 4: Interested, I would check it out. First thing. How are
your men coming on the Solomon case? Progress is pretty slow.
Speaker 5: I We'll keep you posted on anything near forty if
we can help. And we know, right, two sets of
thirty eight slugs, what do you think? Let's ask the
crime lab. We'd put in a request to RUSS Camp
and Ballistics to check the thirty eight slugs found in
taxi driver Solomon's body against those found in the body
of G.
Speaker 4: Burt Matthews. Then we contacted the special agent at the
taxi camp company. We asked him for.
Speaker 5: Pictures of all their drivers employed by the company during
the past year, who were six feet and highter over.
He told us that they'd have a file ready for us.
The following morning, we drove back to the office and
checked in with Russ Camp at the crime lab. He
was examining the thirty eight slugs under the comparison line.
Speaker 4: Just a few more menus fellows have a share.
Speaker 6: Yeah, not much luck so far.
Speaker 4: Well well, well, well that's it.
Speaker 8: Yeah, make these slugs come from two different guns.
Speaker 5: That night, two more armed robberies were committed, one at
a liquor store, the other at a cafe. In both cases,
the hold up man escaped in a taxi cab. The
description of the man who robbed the liquor stor matched
that of the bandit who shot and killed Bert Matthews.
Speaker 4: The big switch came when we checked the cafe hold up.
Speaker 1: There.
Speaker 5: The victims described the suspect as short and fat with
dark blonde hair.
Speaker 4: He had a deep scar on his chin.
Speaker 5: During the robbery, this suspect had become so nervous that
he dropped his gun, but he'd succeeded in getting outside
and escaping in a taxi cab before it could be apprehended.
The gun was taken back to Lake Fingerprints and checked
was clean. Russ Camp checked it through ballistics.
Speaker 2: Some days are like this, Fellas, what do you mean
that cab driver Solomon was shot with a thirty eight?
Speaker 4: Yeah?
Speaker 8: Bert Matthews was shot with a thirty eight a different
one though it's gone the bandit dropped tonight.
Speaker 4: It's a thirty eight too, you know, we know that.
What are you getting it? It doesn't match either case.
Speaker 5: The next morning we started working one of the few
leads we had left. We drove down to the taxicab
company and collected the pictures of all the drivers that
they employed during the past year, who were six feet
and the hider over the eighty seven of them. We
started checking them out. That's what the working detective calls legwork.
It's slow and it's tedious, and you're not sure it's
going to amount to anything even by the time you finished.
Two nights later, the taxicab banned hit again. His first repeater,
a restaurant in South figure O. He robbed the same
place less than three weeks before. Ben and I interviewed
the manager of mister Cavallo tell.
Speaker 4: You, Sogant, I can't take any more of it.
Speaker 5: Twice in one month, Yes, sir, could we talk back
there in one of the bullets.
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, come on, you've got a good look at
the man.
Speaker 5: Did Jimmy kavab two feet from him memorize his face
from the first time.
Speaker 4: It's a a joke, you know, so I have no
time for.
Speaker 5: The customers, and too busy opened the cash box for
that feet Yeah, shut.
Speaker 4: Up, thanks man.
Speaker 5: Well, and you're positive it's the same man who robbed
you before, there's no question. There are non positive And
he used the same moo too.
Speaker 4: Yeah, sure mo, what's that? Excuse me? I mean he
used the same approach, the same method of.
Speaker 5: Operation, and everything was the same, the man, the gun,
the taxi cab, everything.
Speaker 4: You didn't get the number of the cab.
Speaker 5: I looked for it to see any must cover it up, someway. Well,
we've got some pictures here, mister Vallow. We'd like to
have you a look at him. Just tell us if
you recognize any of them.
Speaker 4: I won't do any good. I already did that. They
showed me pictures the last time. This is a different lot.
Oh all right, quite a few of them.
Speaker 5: Like to have you check each one of them carefully,
if you would just take your time.
Speaker 4: We can't sit here without coffee, Natalie, I would. I
don't care for him. I don't be silly. You can't
work without eating, Natalie. Coffee three cups? And now where
do I start? Well? These right here? If you just
check these over? Please?
Speaker 10: Uh huh No not him?
Speaker 4: U not him either? Oh, thank you, thank you? Oh
it's hot. No, not that one? No? Is that all? No?
I have some more here?
Speaker 9: Yeah.
Speaker 5: Oh hey, that's an ugly looking guy.
Speaker 4: I don't look at that scar. You look familiar.
Speaker 5: No, better check with his skipper when we finished year.
I mean, it's been a couple hours in there.
Speaker 4: That allows you, no good thief? So right here, this one.
That's a guy you're sure? I open my cash box
twice for might know his face in a.
Speaker 5: Million Morris Copley, age twenty one description matches scoping.
Speaker 4: Thanks mitches.
Speaker 5: Well, it's only forty minutes, since the robbery's probably.
Speaker 7: Not even home yet.
Speaker 4: What can you do? We'll wait up ten thirty pm.
Speaker 5: We parked down the street from five twenty seven Dayton Avenue,
a two story white Stuccle apartment house. We checked the
names on the mailboxes. Morris Copley's wasn't on any of them.
We rang for the manager.
Speaker 11: Copley, Mars Copeland. No, he doesn't live here, never heard
of him.
Speaker 5: I wonder if you'd take a look at this man
this picture, ma'am.
Speaker 4: Have you ever seen this man before?
Speaker 11: Let me get over here in the line let me
say no, No, it doesn't live.
Speaker 4: Here, and you've never seen him before. No, I didn't
say that. I just said he doesn't live here. You
have seen him before, I believe in my time.
Speaker 11: Yes, matter of fact, I'm sure of it. It's a
friend of mister Tauben's apartment five comes to visit mister
Tauben every now then?
Speaker 4: Is this mister toubin in now man? We like to
talk to him?
Speaker 11: No, try not. He works nice, never comes home for
two am. Yeah, he's a cab driver.
Speaker 3: You are listening to dragnet authentic stories of your police
force in action.
Speaker 5: Ten pm, in the presence of the manager, we made
a search of the apartment registered in the name of
Ralph Tobin, the man who was supposed to be a
friend of the suspect Morris Copley We found nothing that
would tie either of them up with the robberies and
the killings. Before the manager returned to her apartment, we
instructed her to say nothing about our being there in
case Tobain or Copley returned. We called the office and
told them we'd received an identification on Morris Copley. They
checked them both through R and I. Neither had any
criminal record. They got on an APB on Copley.
Speaker 4: We waited. Midnight came, nothing happened. One am.
Speaker 5: Still no sign up. Be there, man one, somebody's coming.
Run back your kitchen.
Speaker 4: Door, Maury, you're back or right? Hold it right there,
mister police officers. I'm fanny. Why is this a stick up?
Police officers? Explain Joe?
Speaker 6: What's it all about? What do you want you?
Speaker 4: Ralph Tobin?
Speaker 6: That's right. This is my apartment.
Speaker 4: You know Morris Copley.
Speaker 6: Copley, Yeah, I know him. You're looking for him. He's
not here, We know that. Where is he? I wish?
Speaker 7: I know?
Speaker 6: I'm looking for him too. He owes me money.
Speaker 4: Hopefully he's a pretty steady visitor. Here's that right?
Speaker 8: He was till I let him at sixty five dollars.
I haven't seen him since he took off.
Speaker 4: When was that? When? About two weeks ago?
Speaker 9: Yeah?
Speaker 6: Just about Look you mind if I sit down, I'm
a little nervous.
Speaker 4: Go ahead kind of upsets you. You know, why are
you looking for Mauric?
Speaker 5: Like to have you repeat what you said when you
came in that door? What I said as to your
word and you know, I mean before that said, I
don't think I know what you're getting that officer.
Speaker 4: You said, Maury, you're back already? What you said?
Speaker 6: Yeah, I guess I did.
Speaker 8: I guess I thought Maury came back to pay me
the sixty five he borrowed.
Speaker 5: You didn't make it sound like keptob And I've got
the idea.
Speaker 8: You were expecting expecting him. I haven't seen more in
two weeks, maybe three. It took me for sixty five hours. Right,
that's enough small talk. Mister Copley's in deep. You're gonna
match him if we don't get a straight story. Some
cans of beer in the refrigerator. Let's have one around.
Speaker 4: Get the beer. Where's Copley?
Speaker 6: I'll swear in the Bible if you want me to.
Speaker 4: I don't know.
Speaker 6: Look, if Maury pull anything heavy, I'm not in on it, Ben.
Speaker 5: You want to check with the manager. Ask her when's
the last time she saw Copley here?
Speaker 6: Yeah?
Speaker 8: Right now, Wait a minute, officers, I want to cooperate.
Maury's in deep. That's his fault, not mine. That's right,
isn't it. I'm right nowhere is he?
Speaker 6: I don't know. That's the truth. I'll tell you something else.
I wasn't squaring.
Speaker 8: I saw Maury early tonight six o'clock, came here and
borrowed another five from him.
Speaker 4: But you don't know where he is now?
Speaker 6: No, said sure? Like a can of beer?
Speaker 5: If you I don't know, I sit still, I'll get
it for you.
Speaker 6: You sure you won't have one?
Speaker 1: No?
Speaker 4: Not me? No thanks, I don't want to. There you go,
good cold beer.
Speaker 6: I like it when I get nervous.
Speaker 5: Always calms me down, say Tobin, Yeah, sorry, you haven't
taken your hat off.
Speaker 6: Oh I was nervous. I guess I forgot.
Speaker 4: Your hair always been dark blond since I was a kid. Yeah,
why how about that scar in your chin? It's a
pretty deep one? Beer?
Speaker 6: Sure good?
Speaker 8: I asked you about the scar. It's kind of embarrassing.
I got a little high one and I fell off
a Merry Garron big night. Now, I've heard everything.
Speaker 5: I had a robbery report a couple of nights ago, Tobin,
hold up, man was just about your height and weight?
Speaker 4: Yeah, dark blonde hair, had a scar on his chin too.
I'm afraid you.
Speaker 8: Got a wrong slant, Officer. I work my cab every
night of the week, wasn't me? And if we have
a look at your cars?
Speaker 6: How'd you know I had a car?
Speaker 4: We didn't misgive it a look, Shelley. Why do you
want to look at it? Do you have anything to
hide at it? Of course not.
Speaker 6: And then like Maury's.
Speaker 8: Oz in trouble oz on the lamb, you probably think
it's funny when you checked the glove compartment my car.
Will we yeah, he will? Why is that keep a
gun in there? You know how many camp drivers get shy.
A guy can't be too careful.
Speaker 4: What kind of gun you have, Tobin?
Speaker 8: Revolver?
Speaker 4: Regular revolver? What caliber? Here? He ate? Why? Two thirty am.
Speaker 5: We searched his car, picked up his thirty eight caliber Revolver,
and then we drove Ralph Tobin back to the office
where he was detained for questioning.
Speaker 4: We had a stakeout placed in his apartment.
Speaker 5: Russ Camp and Ballistics checked Tobin's gun against the slugs
which had taken the lives of Harry Solomon and Bert Matthews.
Was found beyond the question of a doubt that his
gun had been used in the Solomon killing. We confronted
Tobin with the evidence. He started talking. He told us
that Copley was responsible for the murder of both Solomon
and Matthews, that Copley had borrowed.
Speaker 4: His gun for the Solomon job.
Speaker 5: In all the robberies except one, he described himself only
as the accomplice. He drove the getaway taxi cab. The
only occasion he tried to handle the actual hold up
was at the cafe, where he became so nervous that he.
Speaker 4: Had dropped his gun.
Speaker 5: Before he was booked on suspicion of murder, Tobin told
us that Morris Copley still had two thirty eight revolvers
in his possession.
Speaker 4: He insisted he had no idea where Copley was. Ben
handled the.
Speaker 5: Questioning while a stenographer took Tobin's statement. I contacted Inspector
Bowers and informed them of our progress.
Speaker 4: Eleven am. I got back to the squad room.
Speaker 5: All right, to check back through that personnel record we
got from the cab company. Yeah, I got half an idea.
I think you know, see here on Copley's application for
the job.
Speaker 4: I'm sure we checked out all those references. They didn't
go anywhere. No, I mean that's right here, all right?
Speaker 5: Yes, children one daughter aged four months when his application
dated May sixth. That means his baby was born in Babruary.
I'm sure Copley was working here then, so it's ten
to one the baby was born in the local hospital.
But I mean, if we find the right hot hospital
of the doctor they did lead us to him.
Speaker 4: There's the phone book. Let's go from noon until four pm.
Speaker 5: We called every hospital, sanitarium, clinic, and rest home listed
in the book. The answers were the same. No record
of confinement for a Missus Morris Copley.
Speaker 4: H It seemed like a good idea. How you's going now,
we've got one more in the county hospital.
Speaker 5: Well, this is Sergeant Friday, Police Department Robbery Detail. Yes,
I'd like to find out if you have any record
of confinement for a Missus Morris Copley. No, it's Copley,
SA isn't Charlie, Yes.
Speaker 4: Thank you. You might have sent his wife out of
town to have them baby.
Speaker 5: That's possible. Yeah, h eleven eighteen, thank you. Eleven eighteen
Rochester Copley's aunt.
Speaker 4: Let's go. Four thirty pm.
Speaker 5: Together with Olsen and Thaxter from Homicide Detail, we drove
out to eleven eighteen Rochester Avenue in the Prenshaw District, vacant.
Speaker 4: From a neighbor we learned that Kopley's aunt had moved
two weeks before.
Speaker 5: We got her address from one of her friends in
the neighborhood, and finally located her at work in a
beauty shop on Melrose Avenue. We posed as traffic investigators.
The aunt told us she thought we could find her
nephew Morris at home and address on East thirteenth Street.
Speaker 4: Six pm.
Speaker 5: We located the house and parked the cars at half
a block away. As we approached the house on foot,
we saw a light burning in one of the windows
on the left side of the house. Thaxter and Olsen
covered the back At a given signal, we entered the
back door, Ben and I went.
Speaker 4: Through the front. It's empty, well fatter I here at happy.
That's great.
Speaker 5: It looks like somebody passed him a tip off just
in time. We've become messis places in here.
Speaker 4: We got out in a hurry. Hey, what's going on here?
Few men think you're doing police office?
Speaker 6: Is your name?
Speaker 4: Silvera? One of the neighbors. Are you looking for the
Copley's when they leave twenty minutes ago? I guess, in
an awful hurry. What's the trouble? You know where they
were going? No, but you might try mister Kopley's ant.
She lives over in Rochester. They're not there. Well, if
you tried his sister's house.
Speaker 5: Six forty five pm, the neighbors Silvera directed us to
the home of Morris Copley's sister, a small framed cottage
on the edge of Beverly Hills. The lights were on
in the living room, but the shades were drawn. Thaxter
and Olsen made their.
Speaker 4: Way quietly around to the back ben and I went
up the front steps and rang the bell.
Speaker 5: Yes, what do you want you, miss Copley?
Speaker 7: Yes, what is it?
Speaker 4: Police officers, ma'am? I'm sorry.
Speaker 7: Oh, he isn't here, Moore, he isn't here.
Speaker 4: We know he's here. Living room's empty. Must be in
the bad year.
Speaker 6: You can't.
Speaker 7: She's in the bedroom of the baby. He's got a gun.
You can't go in there.
Speaker 4: Where's the bedrooms?
Speaker 7: See into the hall at that door.
Speaker 4: He wasn't sleeping.
Speaker 7: I think he's awake now.
Speaker 4: The baby close to him have.
Speaker 7: The same beds propped up on cools right next to it.
He's got that gun with him. Don't go in and
cleat it.
Speaker 4: Where's the bed sit you waiting in the room.
Speaker 11: It's right inside the door the let please don't go in,
and she won't care what happens to the baby.
Speaker 4: Man, I'll open the door. You hit the light switch
and cover me. What the baby? You might just stays
go for your baby, won't get her. Let's go, all right,
that's going robot the gun?
Speaker 5: Bet all right, I got it, Joe, all right, go
to get.
Speaker 4: Him up, Come on up.
Speaker 5: Yeah, yeah, just a little frightened, ma'am.
Speaker 4: She's all right. I kill your baby.
Speaker 8: You tell him where to find this didn't job kill you,
lousy damn.
Speaker 4: Nobody else knows.
Speaker 6: She's the one who told you didn't.
Speaker 4: And who did who told you? You're looking at her?
What do you mean your baby?
Speaker 2: The story you've just heard was true, only the names
were changed to protect the you know.
Speaker 3: On December sixteenth, trial was held in Superior Court, City
and County of Los Angeles, State of California. In a
moment the results of that trial.
Speaker 4: And now here is our star, Jack Webb, thank you.
Speaker 5: The working detective knows that there is one mark of
identification that never changes a man's fingerprints. The suspect may
change his appearance in many ways, but his fingerprints always
remain the same, a mark of identity that cannot be changed.
Speaker 3: Maurice John Copley and Ralph Edward Tiburn were tried and
convicted of murder in the first degree, two counts. They
were both sentenced to be executed in the lethal gas
chamber of the State Penitentiary San Quentin, California. You have
just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files.
Technical advice comes from the Office of Chief of Police
wh Parker, Los Angeles Police Department.
Speaker 2: Coming up, we the people tomorrow enjoy the Life of
Riley on NBC.
Speaker 1: Welcome Back. I like the line where Friday reassured the
surviving clerk who was concerned he should have been braver.
I think in particular, men will have this expectation of
themselves that they should take some heroic measures when dealing
with someone with a gun, and doubtless, on top of
that general expectation, this guy was probably dealing with what
we call survivor's guilt. Friday makes it clear that he
wouldn't have tried anything, which is not only reassuring, but
also reflects the preference of law enforcement in general on
unarmed citizens dealing with dangerous individuals. I think the juxtaposition
of the big pair in this episode in the schedule
is an interesting contrast. In the Big Pair or sympathetic
grandfather and granddaughter were burgled because of no neighbors knowing
that they were away or what exactly was going on.
In today's episode, a criminal is captured in part because
the police had a neighbor who knew all of its business.
This forms the idea that neighbors and community are blessing
to the law abiding but a curse to the criminals.
Not sure it was intended, but it struck me that way.
Now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day,
and I want to thank Maggie. Maggie has been one
of our Patreon supporters since January twenty eighteen, currently supporting
the podcast at the shamous level of four dollars or
more per month. Thank you so much for your support, Maggie,
and that will actually do it for today. If you're
enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software.
And if you're enjoying the podcast on YouTube, be sure
to lock the video, subscribe to the channel, and mark
the notification bell. We'll be back now Saturday with another
episode of Dragnet. Coming up. Tomorrow, we'll have our Sunday
encore and it'll be Thanksgiving themed. But then we will
resume your regular great Detectives of Old time radio line
up with the adventures of the fall can Wear.
Speaker 6: Do you ever hear of the character named Lippy Mayo?
Speaker 4: Do you mean you're related to Lippy?
Speaker 12: Only have my father and mother's son. I see you
ever run across him? Well, it's all right, Mike. I
can understand why no one would be overly fond of Lippy.
As a matter of fact, I'm not too crazy about myself.
You know he was shot tonight, Yeah.
Speaker 4: So I heard. How is he?
Speaker 12: Jax says he'll pull through, but he'll be paralyzed for life.
So then you wouldn't happen to know who was responsible. No,
I wouldn't please you to find Anthony.
Speaker 4: I don't think i'd care to. Steve.
Speaker 6: Suppose I put it on a.
Speaker 12: Professional basis, as a private detective at your usual feet,
I still wouldn't be interested in well, as a job
for the police. And secondly, well, secondly, I think I
got an idea what you have in mind, and you
don't approve. Nope, not a bit, okay, friends of our feelings,
I suppose there are other ways of finding out.
Speaker 4: Listen to me.
Speaker 12: Sorry, Mike, I haven't time, a lot of work to do.
Speaker 1: I hope you'll be with us then in the meantime,
send your comments to Box thirteen at Greatdetectives dot net,
follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and check us
out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com slash Great Detectives from
Boise Atahol. This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.