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 first,
I do want to encourage you, if you're enjoying the podcast,
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Great Detectives dot net. Now from December sixth, nineteen fifty one,
here is the Bake Canaries.
Speaker 2: Wow, 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 to homicide detail. A forty
year old mother is found murdered in the bedroom of
her home. The body bears the marks of a savage
attack with a knife. The killer showed no mercy. Your job, get.
Speaker 3: Him Dragnet the documented drama of an actual crime. Well
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 violence, from beginning to end, from crime to punishment.
Dragnet is the story of your police force and action.
Speaker 4: It was Tuesday, February eighteen, was cold in Los Angeles.
We were working the day Watch out of homicide detail.
My partner's Ben Romero. The boss is Thad Brown, Chief
of Detective.
Speaker 5: My name is Friday.
Speaker 4: There was ten forty three am when we got to
Woodview High School the vice Principal's office.
Speaker 5: Good morning, ma'am. Yes, I'd like to see the vice principal.
Police believe her name is Harmon, Miss Harmon, I'm miss Harmon.
Speaker 6: What us you wanted?
Speaker 5: Police officers? Man, there's our identification. Oh yeah, this is
my partner's sergeant, their own. My name is Friday.
Speaker 7: I see, how do you do?
Speaker 5: Well? We'd like to talk to one of your girls students,
Miss Harmon, ROBERTA Dixon. I understand she's registered here.
Speaker 7: ROBERTA Dixon.
Speaker 6: Oh yes, I believe I know her.
Speaker 8: Would you mind calling her out of class please?
Speaker 5: We'd like to talk to her.
Speaker 7: Well, we generally don't like to do that, officer, not
unless it's absolutely necessary.
Speaker 5: Pretty important, man, We've got a message for the girl.
Speaker 7: I see he couldn't wait until after school hours.
Speaker 4: I'm afraid not, Miss Harmon. It's about the girl's mother.
It's pretty serious.
Speaker 6: Oh was she been taken? Ill?
Speaker 8: Iset it? No, ma'am, she's been murdered.
Speaker 5: Sixteen year old ROBERTA.
Speaker 4: Dixon, the daughter of the murdered woman, was called out
of her classroom and brought downstairs to the office of
Miss Harmon, the girl's vice principal. She was a thin,
dark haired girl and sweater and skirt. With the help
of Miss Harmon, whom the girl seemed to know fairly well,
Ben and I broke the news of her mother's death
as gently as we could. At first, the sixteen year
old girl seemed to take the shock with some composure,
but suddenly she broke down, weeping and became hysterical. When
she recovered sophiatiently, the girl agreed to come downtown with
us to answer a few routine questions. Miss Harmon agreed
to a company or eleven o five am. We checked
back in at the office. Ben and I completed the
three eleven dead body report while Miss Harmon and the
daughter of the murdered woman waited in the adjoining room.
Speaker 5: What was that time discovered? Joe? You got a note
on it there? Yeah, let me look eight fifty five am. Oh,
thank you, hi Joe?
Speaker 9: All right?
Speaker 5: Oh hi George, how you doing?
Speaker 9: Ken complain? Got some checking out to day? When if
you help me?
Speaker 5: Well, do I give it a try? Ben? You know
George the COVID.
Speaker 8: Don't you report it from the Daily News?
Speaker 5: Oh? Yeah, sure, sam Aron, I say.
Speaker 10: I understand you too, working on that knife murder out
on Pico the dead woman I found this morning.
Speaker 8: Yeah, that's right.
Speaker 10: A few things I'd like to check with you before
I do the story. The victim's name was Florence elenor Dixon.
That right, that's right, George. Yeah, A couple more things here,
stop me if I got it wrong. The victim was
forty years old, divorced, one child, daughter sixteen. Body was
discovered nine o'clock this morning by a next door neighbor.
You see, your neighbor's name is Esther Fenwick.
Speaker 5: I think the name is Fenmore. George. Oh, thanks, N
M O. R.
Speaker 9: I understand you haven't got much to go on. No murder, weapons,
no other leads.
Speaker 8: No, not much of anything so far. We just started
on this thing.
Speaker 9: How about the husband of the dead woman, you get
anything there?
Speaker 5: Well, he divorced Missus Dixon two years ago. There's no
line on him yet.
Speaker 8: We're still checking him out. They might have some word
later on the day for.
Speaker 9: Any other possible suspects of mine or do you want
to say?
Speaker 5: Oh, I don't think so. It's still wide open.
Speaker 9: How about them on if I've been established yet?
Speaker 5: Could have been one of a dozen things. We're gonna
have to do some digging before we can say definitely.
Speaker 4: Doesn't look like it was a robbery motive. That's about
all we can tell you for sure.
Speaker 5: George.
Speaker 10: So, I was over at the morgue when they brought
the buddy, and it's the worst I've seen a long time. Brutal,
it's pretty bad. I suppose there's nothing from the crime
light yet.
Speaker 4: No, I think they just got back from the house
a few minutes ago. If you want to drop by
later on this afternoon, we might have something new for you.
Speaker 9: Okay, thanks?
Speaker 10: Oh say, I say you're bringing the girl in a
few minutes ago, victim's daughter.
Speaker 9: I like to get a couple of pictures of it.
Speaker 4: Well, how about making a little later, huh, George. Kids
still set pretty much of a shock for you.
Speaker 9: Mother, Storkay, I'll be waiting out in the hall with
a photographer. Oh can you give me a call? I
just a couple of shots. You won't take it, you
bet you?
Speaker 8: George will call it.
Speaker 9: Okay?
Speaker 5: You about finishing that report, man? Yeah, old don I
guess we better talk to the girl. Huh yeah? All right?
The mark say when they're going to force the body
sometime today. We got to have the results first thing
tomorrow morning, Miss Harmon.
Speaker 7: I think she's a lot better than outsigeant Roberta. The
officers would like to talk to you a few minutes
if you feel up to it.
Speaker 6: All right, who killed my mother? Have you found out?
Speaker 5: Not ched Roberta. And we think you might be able
to help her.
Speaker 6: So it's so hard to believe. I just saw her
this morning. She was all right?
Speaker 4: Then, well you try to take it easier. Roberta will
make it as brief as possible. Now, you and your
mother are the only people living at your house.
Speaker 6: No one else, No me and my mother.
Speaker 5: That's so.
Speaker 6: My father used to live with us, he doesn't anymore.
Speaker 5: And how long has it been since your father left.
Speaker 6: I'm not sure. About five years. I think he and
Mamma didn't get along. I got divorced.
Speaker 5: Do you see your father told her anymore? I mean,
does he ever come to your house to busy?
Speaker 6: He did once, it was about a year ago. I
think wasn't much good, and my mother argued all the
time he was there, and he left. He hasn't been
back since.
Speaker 8: Has he been in contact at all with your mother?
Speaker 5: You know? Does he write her letters, call her on
the phone.
Speaker 6: The last time was when he came to her house.
I haven't heard anything about him since. I don't even
know where he is. I don't care. I guess I
hardly even knew him.
Speaker 8: Have you think about this carefully now, Roberta.
Speaker 4: Did your mother have any close friends who used to
come to the house quite a bit?
Speaker 6: Yes, two or three women friends are hers at work?
Speaker 8: Any men friends.
Speaker 6: Mom didn't have any men friends. She didn't like him.
She said they were all no good. She used to
tell me that all the time.
Speaker 5: Do you have any relatives we can contact?
Speaker 6: I don't know about my father's side. My mother has
a brother and sister in West Virginia. Dresses at home.
What am I gonna do? Why would anybody kill my mother?
Speaker 8: You try to take it easy, ROBERTA. Thing's gonna work out,
all right.
Speaker 4: Look, now, do you think you can give us a
list of most of the people your mother knew friends
around the neighborhood, the people she knew at her work.
Speaker 6: Yes, I think so. Most of them are in her
dress book. I think I know where it is.
Speaker 5: All right?
Speaker 8: Fine?
Speaker 5: Just before you left for school this morning, ROBERTA, was
there anyone in the hospit beside you and your mother?
Speaker 6: No? Just the two of us.
Speaker 5: Was your mother expecting anyone?
Speaker 6: Not that I know?
Speaker 8: Your mother was all right?
Speaker 5: Was she? That didn't seem to be anything bothering her?
Speaker 6: She acted all right to me, just like any other morning.
We got up at four to seven. I got dressed,
and I took a shower, I fixed breakfast, We ate,
and then I left for school.
Speaker 8: How about what time was that, Roberta?
Speaker 6: Well before eight through the usual time. I have my
first class nine o'clock. When I left, Mama, she was
just finishing her breakfast. I said, goodbye. Who was the
last time? Is saart? Can we talk after a while? Please?
Maybe I'll feel better. I can't talk?
Speaker 5: Oh sure, that's all right, would you like to rest here?
Speaker 6: I don't know why I'm crying, do it? I don't
care anyway, No reason to cry.
Speaker 8: You better get some rest, youngster.
Speaker 6: Oh reason doesn't make sense crying about mamma.
Speaker 5: Hush.
Speaker 6: I'm not sorry, I'm glad she's dead.
Speaker 4: Early that afternoon, after she'd rested sufficiently and recovered herself,
we had another interview with Roberta Dixon, the teenage daughter
of the murdered woman, Miss Harmon.
Speaker 5: The vice principal went back.
Speaker 4: To the school and a policewoman was called in to
be present during the interrogation. Again, she insisted that she
wasn't at all sorry that her mother was dead. She
said that privately she didn't have any love for either
one of her parents, least of all her mother. She
told the usual story of a broken home, a father
who showed little interest in his daughter or providing a
good home for a strict, overbearing mother who apparently made
no effort to understand the girl. We continued to interview
Roberta Dixon, but outside of what she'd already told us,
she showed no further knowledge of the murdered Pending action
by the court, we had the girl placed in the
custody of the juvenile authorities. Three to ten PM, Ben
and I drove back to the murder house on south
peak of Boulevard, where we met police reporter George d.
Speaker 5: Covin.
Speaker 4: Together with Brian and Ortiz, we continued our preliminary investigation.
We rechecked the immediate area of the Dixon home and
talked again with the neighbors. We failed to come up
with anything new. Four twenty five PM, along with the
reporter George d. Covin, Ben and I went back to
the murder house.
Speaker 5: Well, I don't know.
Speaker 9: It doesn't seem to jide at that time of morning.
It's possible, though, what's that joy prowler might have been here?
Do you think so?
Speaker 8: No, we've already run that down.
Speaker 5: Yeah, we checked communications.
Speaker 4: There's no recent complaints about anybody prowling the neighborhood. We
talked to the neighbors too, no indication of it, no
sign anybody tried to break in here.
Speaker 5: Either, got me. I can't figure and Dick's moment short
kept to herself, lived here eleven years and we can't
dig up more than half a dozen neighbors who are
running new yeah.
Speaker 9: Business with her daughter too at cheer stacks up pretty strange.
Didn't the crime lab crew find anything this morning?
Speaker 5: Joe?
Speaker 4: No, nothing, great jacket, a pair of shoes with a
few stains on them. Took them in to run a
benzitin test. That's about the size of it.
Speaker 5: Sure a slow start. Yeah, I expect a little more
from the neighbors. I die. You know, it'd be different
if the thing happened in the middle of the night.
Speaker 4: According to the daughter, it must have happened at least
after eight point thirty this morning. Now, if the killer
got in the house after that, you'd think somebody on
the block would have noticed it.
Speaker 8: Neighbors close by on either side.
Speaker 5: How about checking out in the yard and back. I
didn't get too good a look around this morning. There
was nothing more to cover in here. Crime may have
been all over.
Speaker 10: And how about where this missus Dixon worked, Joe, anybody
tag base there?
Speaker 4: Yeah, Tommy Bryan did hotel down on South Grand. She
worked in the linen room. A couple of people she
knew there. They couldn't tell him anything.
Speaker 5: How about some of her other friends? No, nothing yet,
We're still checking. Go ahead, Joey, all right, it's a
big backyard, kept it nice, didn't I?
Speaker 8: You want to check alongside here, Ben with the house.
Speaker 5: I'll give the back of the yard a look. Yeah, okay,
good size garage. Huh.
Speaker 9: Pretty hard to find him like that anymore.
Speaker 5: Pretty good sized lot too. He's sure must have worked
at keeping it up. There's not a weed on the place,
is here? Yeah?
Speaker 9: More you can say for the neighbors.
Speaker 5: I have a look, George. Down here, huh, flowerbed here?
Two little mounds of dirt? You see him?
Speaker 6: Oh?
Speaker 5: Yeah, the ground looks like it's been recently turned. When
you say fairly recent what what that's supposed to mean? Yeah,
small wooden crosses pressed down in each one of the mounds.
Speaker 9: Where looks like a couple of small graves, doesn't it.
Speaker 5: You want to reach me that stick over there? George?
Oh here you go, thank you. I have a look here,
all right, nothing on mind? How are you? What's it?
And we're not sure ourselves? Wait a minute? Uh huh?
What is it? Wait a minute? All right? There you
are a bird, the canary? How about that hasn't been buried? Long?
Speaker 8: Look here at the breast.
Speaker 5: What do you think a night could be?
Speaker 8: Sharp instrument of some kind.
Speaker 5: Just a minute, I'm gonna try this other mounder. Wait
a minute, Joe, Yeah it's another one. Yeah, a canary,
same thing, Look at the breast. Neither one's been buried
for more in a few days. Anyway.
Speaker 9: The Dixon's raise canaries, you know.
Speaker 5: I don't know.
Speaker 8: I don't think so.
Speaker 5: Surrey doesn't make any sense to me. They didn't want
the bird, you'd think they'd give them away. Why go
slaughter them like there? Yeah, well it works both ways.
Deep wounds in the chest, some kind of sharp weapon. Yeah.
The Dixon woman, she died the same way.
Speaker 4: Four thirty five pm. We took the two canaries, wrapped
them in paper, and brought them downtown to Lieutenant Lee
Jones at the crime labed to be processed. He was
still running tests on a stained jacket and pair of
shoes which had been found in the house among the
dead woman's personal effects. Five point fifteen pm we checked
by the office and then we drove over to Juvenile
Hall to see ROBERTA.
Speaker 5: Dixon. Apparently she was in a much better frame of mind.
Speaker 6: I talked to miss Harmon this afternoon, our vice principal.
She wants me to come and stay with her for
a while. Hope she can arrange it at you'll.
Speaker 5: Be nice moving back at your house this afternoon, ROBERTA.
We found himself something with doctor asked you, but what's that?
Do you keep any pets in your house? I mean
either you or your mother?
Speaker 6: Well, no, not usually.
Speaker 5: Why how do you mean not usually?
Speaker 6: Well, we didn't up until a week ago. Mama didn't
like him, she didn't want him around. Then I got
these two canaries. I bought him with my own money.
I work after.
Speaker 5: School, you know, I see.
Speaker 6: I bought a cage for him too. My mother was
mad when I brought him home. She didn't like any
kind of animals, kept preaching at me. She finally made
me get rid of him, and I do that with Brett.
Speaker 11: I got a knife and I killed him.
Speaker 4: February eighteenth, the Dixon girl was released to the custody
of Miss Harmon, pending action for the juvenile court.
Speaker 5: Nine pm.
Speaker 4: Ben and I double checked with Lieutenant Lee Jones at
the crime lab. He showed us the school jacket and
a pair of shoes which had been found in a
closet in the home of the murdered woman, missus Florence Dixon.
Apparently the clothing belonged to the daughter, Roberta. There were
several dark stains on each of the articles. They'd been
checked thoroughly, first a Benzandeine test to determine if they
were blood stains, then a biological precipitent test to classify
them further. There wasn't any doubt in Lee's mind that
the stains were recent, that they were made by human blood,
the same blood type as that of the murdered woman.
It was a little hard to believe, but the evidence
on hand pointed only one prime suspect, sixteen year old
Robert Dixon. Early the following morning, we checked back in
at the office. Ben went across the street to see
if the coroner's autopsy report was ready. Eight o five am.
I checked by communications. They had a report on the
tracer we'd gotten out on the murder victim's husband, the
Charles Dixon.
Speaker 5: I picked it up and headed back for the office,
worning Joe, Well, Hi, George, you got the message I
left for you. I put it on your desk over
the press room. Yeah, I got it. Thanks.
Speaker 9: I was looked this morning. Anything new?
Speaker 4: Well, this here an answer on that tracer. We got
out on missus Dixon's husband. He's been living up north
for the past year San Francisco.
Speaker 9: That's so he's still up there.
Speaker 5: No, not, According to this he died six months ago
heart attack.
Speaker 9: What do you figure?
Speaker 5: Well, there's not much choice, Joe, Oh hi, do you
autopsy report? Corner just got it out.
Speaker 8: What's the word?
Speaker 5: It doesn't jibe with this story. We got the Corner
places at time of death close to seven thirty am yesterday.
Of course, a desk what we figured chess boom, kind
of a sharp weapon. There's something else. According to the girls,
he had breakfast with their mother before she left for school.
Corner says Miss Dixon hadn't eaten for at least twelve
hours before she died.
Speaker 9: What was that time of death?
Speaker 5: Ben, seven thirty am? No later?
Speaker 8: Oh, yes, we better move on it.
Speaker 5: Yeah, what's the angle?
Speaker 8: Well, the daughter, she says she didn't leave the house
until eight thirty.
Speaker 4: Along with the policewoman, Ben and I drove out to
the home of the high school vice principal, Miss Harmon,
where the suspect, ROBERTA. Dixon, was staying. There was no
one there. We checked at the high school. Miss Harmon
told us that she'd brought Roberta to school that morning.
She thought that if the girl attended classes, it had
helped keep her mind off her troubles. Miss Harmon checked
the classroom the Dixon girl was supposed to be in,
but she wasn't there. Her teachers were contacted. None of
them had seen her that morning nine forty am. We
drove over to the Dixon home. We found Roberta in
the back bedroom. She was sitting calmly at a sewing machine,
stitching ruffles on a dress. In one corner of the room,
there was an empty bird cage.
Speaker 6: I'm pretty busy right now. I've got this sewing to do.
What you want to talk to me about?
Speaker 5: We've got a few more questions for your bert It's
about your mother.
Speaker 6: She's dead, isn't she Do we have to talk about it?
Speaker 8: Yeah, I'm afraid we do.
Speaker 6: Why do we just told me she was dead? There's
no sense in talking about dead people anyway. I've got
this sewing to do. I have to get finished. There
isn't that pretty? These ruffles go all the way around
the bottom of the skirt here, like this beautiful color brown?
You like it?
Speaker 5: You want to tell us. What happened, Roberta, yesterday morning?
Speaker 6: Yesterday? I already told you, didn't I we.
Speaker 5: Don't think you were telling the truth. You want to
go over it again for it.
Speaker 6: I've got this sewing to do. You can see that,
can't you. Three more rows of ruffles go on right here?
I have to get it finished. Takes time in them.
Speaker 5: I think you better let the sewing go. Roberta, Oh no.
Speaker 6: I couldn't do that. I have to get finished.
Speaker 5: I'm afraid this is a little more important. I think
you realize that I went over.
Speaker 6: The whole thing for you already. I told you everything
wasn't the truth.
Speaker 11: You know that.
Speaker 6: Why do you say that? What do you expect me
to say? You think I lied, don't you? That's stupid.
I haven't got any reason to lie.
Speaker 5: Did you kill her, Roberta?
Speaker 8: What did you kill your mother?
Speaker 6: I told you everything already. That's just the way it was.
Mom and I got up and had breakfast and I
went to school. It's all. I don't have any reason
to lie. Oh excuse me? Hello, Well hi, fran Yeah,
I'm working on it now. It's gonna be beautiful.
Speaker 10: What.
Speaker 6: Oh no, that's all right? Sure, Well thanks. Yeah, I'm
all right. M M. Look, can you call me back later? Yeah,
I'll be here, Okay, honey, Bye, I'm sorry. Officer's my
girlfriend friend. He's a good friend of mine. She can
vouch for me. She'll tell you I'm not a liar.
Speaker 8: Do you want a pair of brown and white satell oxfords, Roberta?
Speaker 6: No?
Speaker 8: Why how about a school jacket green plaid?
Speaker 6: No, I don't like green. Brown's my favorite color.
Speaker 4: The green plaid jacket was fine in the house here.
It was stuffed back in the hall closet. It had
your name stancel on it.
Speaker 6: Oh yeah, that old thing. I don't even wear it anymore.
Speaker 11: Look at that.
Speaker 6: It won't be pretty when I get finished.
Speaker 5: That jacket to yours, Roberta. They found bloodstains on it.
On the shoes too, Noberta.
Speaker 6: I already told you the shoes aren't mine, the jacket is.
Why do you keep calling me a liar? Can't you
believe me for once? It isn't bad enough the way
things are now.
Speaker 4: The last time we talked to you, you said you
left the house at eight thirty yesterday morning.
Speaker 5: Is that right?
Speaker 6: Yes, it was around eight thirty.
Speaker 5: Well, we got the report on your mother this morning, ROBERTA.
The corner says she died at seven thirty.
Speaker 6: No waiter, that's stupid. How could he tell anyway?
Speaker 5: He can tell?
Speaker 6: He's a liar?
Speaker 5: Something else, Roberta. You told the shoe and your mother
got up and you had breakfast together.
Speaker 6: Yeah, we had breakfast together. Why are you picking on it?
Speaker 5: You couldn't. I had breakfast together. At the time she died.
Your mother hadn't eaten anything for twelve hours.
Speaker 6: I guess you're gonna say they can tell that too.
Speaker 4: That's right. You want to tell us what really happened. Now,
Now tell us the truth, Roberta, it's going to work
out a lot easier.
Speaker 6: These are some of the toys I had when I
was little. I saved almost all of them. My best
doll had a lot of dolls. I loved them. I
guess I still do. I love them more than her.
Speaker 8: You mean your mother.
Speaker 6: I wasn't fooling. I don't care if she's dead. She
didn't mean anything to me. She never did mean anything.
These are more my dolls here. I dressed them all myself,
every one of them.
Speaker 5: What was the matter, Roberta, between you and your mother?
Speaker 6: I mean, I don't know. I guess she just didn't
mean anything. Not like anybody else's mother. She didn't mean
anything at all, same as my father. You're in the
same house. That's all. Nobody cared for anybody else, anything
but fighting, fighting, or just not saying anything at all.
I'm glad she's dead.
Speaker 5: You killed her.
Speaker 8: Is that what you want to say.
Speaker 6: Here's a little piano I had. I got one Christmas.
I think, look still play.
Speaker 5: You want to tell us from the beginning.
Speaker 6: It took a long time. I had thought about it
a lot.
Speaker 12: Week ago.
Speaker 11: I made up my mind, it's time to kill her.
Speaker 6: She was getting worse. I couldn't do anything.
Speaker 12: I was always wrong, couldn't go out, couldn't do this,
I couldn't do that. She started the same way. Yesterday morning.
I got the knife from the kitchen. I went in
and she was sitting on the bed putting her stockings on.
I don't think she knew what happened. Didn't take long.
Speaker 5: Were you having an argument with her? Said west Gardener.
Speaker 6: We argued every morning. I got so tired of it.
She had an awful voice. Finally made up my mind,
planned it all out. I even practiced it. You know
the two canaries I had? Yeah, I didn't buy them
because I wanted them got to be cute, though, felt
bad about killing them.
Speaker 5: Why'd you kill him?
Speaker 8: Roberta?
Speaker 6: Practice decided to use a knife. I'm sure I knew
how to do it, though, So I got the canaries
one day after school. I killed him. Gave me more confidence.
I knew I could do it after that. Poor little things. Yes,
I shouldn't have killed them, went knife.
Speaker 5: You killed your mother with, Roberta. You want to show
us where it is?
Speaker 6: All right, I'll show you. I don't think you ever
could have found it. It's up in the attic, special
place I hide things. Say would you like some coffee
or coke or something?
Speaker 5: No, one more thing? Why'd you leave school this morning?
I mean going off without telling anybody.
Speaker 6: I wanted to come back here. I felt like it.
I wanted to come back to my room. It's the
only place I really liked to be. I've lived in
this house all my life, and this has always been
my room.
Speaker 5: I had.
Speaker 6: My dolls. Everything's here, everything, I have my books, Oh,
my dolls.
Speaker 5: Yeah, I think we better be going, Roberta.
Speaker 8: We'll have to take you downtown.
Speaker 6: Yes, all right, I'll get my coat, then I'll show
you where the knife is. Officers, could I ask you
one favorite? It probably sounds silly, will help a lot though.
This doll here, could I take it with me? Just
this one? Make me feel a lot better? Please? Do
you think I could?
Speaker 5: Yeah?
Speaker 8: Sure, bring it along.
Speaker 6: If you're like, thank you, you probably think I don't
care for any thing but my dolls. There's one thing though,
I want to tell you.
Speaker 5: What's that?
Speaker 6: I'm sorry now, I really am. I shouldn't have done it.
I know it was wrong. You do, Yes, I'm sorry.
I killed the canaries.
Speaker 5: The story you have just heard was true.
Speaker 2: The names were changed to protect the innocent.
Speaker 13: On May sixth, the hearing was held in Juvenile Court,
Department thirty eighth, City and County of Los Angeles, State
of California. In a moment the results of that hearing.
At the hearing in Juvenile Court, ROBERTA. Evelyn Dixon was
found unfit to be handled as a juvenile and was
certified to Superior Court as an adult. There, she was
found to be criminally insane by three Sekaiah interists appointed
by the state. She is now confined to a state
mental institution where she is undergoing treatment. 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. Bartney Yarborough is Sergeant venro Merrow.
Also heard was Joyce McCluskey. Script by Jim Mosy, music
by Walter Schumann.
Speaker 14: Hell give me speaking, counter Spy Fights, International Intrigue.
Speaker 15: Next on NBC, Welcome Back.
Speaker 1: A great episode, and I think it illustrates how Dragnet's
often emotional understatement can be quite powerful. Now, obviously we
hear a lot of shows on this podcast that dial
it up to eleven, but when Roberta was talking honestly
before the midpoint where she stated she killed the canaries,
that was chilling. And of course if there was any
doubt as to what happened, you know, they had to
do the whole investigation.
Speaker 15: But I pretty much knew who did it at that point.
Speaker 1: And again, the sort of calm way she talks about
it is really I think part of the strength of
the episode and what makes it so realistic and suddenly disturbing.
And I think the facts of the case reflect a
situation where you had an angry teenage girl who didn't
know what she was doing or have a really strong
insight into what the police figure out, which led to
her making mistakes that she got caught in. All right, well,
listener comments and feedback, and we're going over to Spotify,
where we have a comment from Vicky, who writes the
police only knew about the wife's disappearance because the husband
called them, But yet the husband was the guilty party.
Perhaps he wanted to be caught. Great episode. Well, Becky,
I didn't think he wanted to be caught. I think
in that case, the fact is that his wife was
not around, and if he had at no point reported it,
somebody was going to notice that she was missing, and
the question would be, okay, doctor, why did you never
report your wife was missing?
Speaker 6: Oh?
Speaker 1: He couldn't remove the mystery, but he could relocate the
mystery to the other side of the city. Yeah, she
went to New York and I don't know what happened
to her. And he thought he'd been very clever, but
of course he was amateur and made some mistakes along
the way. All right, Well, now it's time to thank
our Patreon supporter of the day. Thank you to Joe,
Patreon supporter since April twenty nineteen, currently supporting the podcast
at the Master Detective level of fifteen dollars more per month.
Thanks so much for your support, Joe.
Speaker 15: That will do it for today.
Speaker 1: 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 Dragnet. But join us
back here tomorrow for yours truly. Johnny dollarware, you were here.
Speaker 16: To see missus Ballen.
Speaker 3: That's right, I'm Johnny Dollar.
Speaker 16: I'm Hal Winters, her nephew.
Speaker 5: Hi.
Speaker 16: Say tell me something, yes, about this little statue that's missing?
You mean that little chunk of pot metal that's disappeared.
Speaker 5: Oh is that what it is?
Speaker 6: Oh?
Speaker 16: Yes, just a piece of junk. But a couple of
months ago at Dora decided it looked like her grandfather
when he was a general back in the Civil War.
Speaker 5: Oh why does she value it so highly?
Speaker 16: I expect the general was the only Ballon who had
guts enough to do anything on his own. What do
you mean, I mean instead of just living off the
family shipping fortune.
Speaker 2: So when she.
Speaker 16: Suddenly decided the statue looked like the General, Johnny Dollar,
did you.
Speaker 2: Say that's right?
Speaker 16: The insurance investigated, Yes, Well, now why should she bother
you with it? I don't know, truly, mister Dollar.
Speaker 5: It's not worth it.
Speaker 16: If I were you, i'd forget it. And now, if
you'll excuse me, i'd better see if the morning mail
has arrived?
Speaker 1: Helu Just when.
Speaker 16: Did the statue disappear? Where kind of discovered it missing
from the reception room yesterday morning? Now, if you'll pardon me.
Speaker 13: Was the house broken into?
Speaker 1: Possibly?
Speaker 16: But there was no sign of it.
Speaker 5: How about guests?
Speaker 16: No, we haven't had guests for a week or more.
How many servants are there, mister Dollar? Perhaps there's something
i'd better tell you about that statue, the statue.
Speaker 5: Of the General.
Speaker 1: I tell you, mister Dolla. You are mister Dollar, aren't you?
Speaker 16: Yes, ma'am, I tell you that if you don't find
out who's stole it and get it back, I'll can
celevery bit of my insurance.
Speaker 1: I hope you'll be with us then in the meantime.
Send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot NAT.
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This is your host, Adam Graham, Sogn and all