Here's another in NBC's great parade of new shows. ["Dragnet Theme"] Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. NBC brings you Dragnet. ["Dragnet Theme"] You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to narcotics detail. For more than two months, doctors' offices have been burglarized, hospital pharmacies pillaged, drugstores robbed, medical supply firms ransacked, with one purpose in mind. The theft of narcotics. The criminals are expert, cunning, vicious. Your job? Get them. ["Dragnet Theme"] Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime, investigated and solved by the men who unrelentingly stand watch on the security of your home, your family, and your life. For the next 30 minutes, transcribed 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 files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. ["Dragnet Theme"] It was Thursday, March 23rd. It was windy in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch out on narcotics. My partner is Ben Romero. The boss is Ed Backstrand, chief of detectives. My name's Friday. I was on my way back from the record bureau, and it was 10.35 p.m. when I got to room 24. Narcotics detail. Yeah, yeah, okay. Well, we'll be right over. Thank you. Get anything, Joe? Nothing we don't know already. How about you? That was the county hospital on the phone. Doc Welch. Pretty fair lead. I told him we'd be right over. What's he got? One of our informants. Benny Trounsall. Ready? Let's go. What's with Benny? Bad shape. Somebody worked him over. They found him in an alley off of South Main. Yeah? Doc says Trounsall talked before he passed out. Anything good? He claimed he knows who's running the new dope racket in town. Says they got him. No, let's take the stairs in. Why should they bother with small fry like Benny? That's what I'm wondering. Blackmail, maybe. If Benny's still on the needle, maybe that accounts for his story. Doc says his skull is fractured. Morphine doesn't do that to you. Yeah. Benny mention any names? I don't know. Doc didn't say. Here's the garage. Come on. When did they pick up Benny? About an hour ago. He had a pocket full of bentels on him. Heroin. Trounsall's small fry. He never had that much dope on him in his life. That's what makes it interesting. Let's go. County hospital? Yes, sir. The line is busy, will you wait? Thank you. Can I help you, gentlemen? We'd like to see Dr. Welch. She's expecting us. Your names, please? This is Sergeant Romero. My name's Friday. Police officer. Oh, yes. Around the corner to your left, room 127. The doctor's waiting for you. Thank you. Come on, Ben. I hope Benny's still talking. We could sure usually. Yeah. Here it is. 127. Hiya, Ben. Joe. How are you, Doc? Anything new? Just left Trounsall upstairs. You think we can talk to him now? I think we could. He died about six minutes ago. For almost two years, Benny Trounsall and Haddock himself had been one of the most valuable informants Ben and I had in the narcotic gangs. More than once he had helped us solve a case, but this time, if Benny Trounsall had any direct leads to the nerve center of the newest narcotic ring, he took them with him. Besides his dying accusation that the ring had gotten to him, he left behind only two small scraps of information. First, when he arrived at the county hospital, Dr. Welch reported that Trounsall repeatedly muttered the name Patterson. Secondly, among the few personal effects found in his pockets was a good amount of heroin and a small piece of white paper with two words scrawled on it, Tucker Building. Benny Trounsall's body was taken to the county morgue and the next morning it was posted. At the coroner's inquest, the cause of death was listed as a brain hemorrhage induced by severe blows by a blunt instrument on the sides and base of the skull, inflicted by a person or persons unknown. Besides Ben and myself, the only identification witness at the inquest was a woman who managed a rooming house in Benedict Alley where Trounsall used to stay periodically. After the inquest, we questioned her briefly in our office. Miss Stratt, you say you can't remember any friends Trounsall had while he stayed at your room and house? No, I can't. Besides, if I knew that man used dope, I never would have rented him a room. How long did he rent from you, Miss Stratt? About six months. I run a respectable house. I don't mind if my people drink a little now and then, but those dope users, no sir. Did you know anything about Trounsall, Miss Stratt, where he spent his time, where he had his meals? Well, don't serve at my place, too much trouble. Most of the people eat at the Ace lunchroom down the corner. Where's that, Miss Stratt? Oh, Grant and South Main, right down the corner. And you think Trounsall might have spent some time there? He might have, I don't know. Miss Stratt, did Trounsall ever mention anyone by the name of Patterson? No. Patterson? No. And you can't recall any friends he might have had? He had any friends. He never set foot in my house. That's all I know. All right, Miss Stratt, thank you. Here's a card, ma'am. If you come across any information about Trounsall, we'd appreciate it if you'd call us. All right. That all? That's all, ma'am. Thank you. Yeah? Bye. Goodbye, ma'am. Big help. Yeah, not even a good identification witness. You got those listings we made on the Tucker building? Yeah. Yeah, let's see. Here it is. Okay, let me have it, huh? Tucker building, 7310 South Wilshire. I wonder what Benny Trounsall could have been doing out there. Shouldn't be too hard to check. It's a small building. Yeah. Six listings for the whole place. A couple of law officers, real estate guy, dentists, architect, and a doctor. One dentist, one doctor. Could be a lead. Maybe. Pretty thin. Friday. Romero. You got a minute? Yes, Gipper. Come on in. Yeah. What do you got, Ed? Letters. Here's a sample. Now listen to this. Chief of Detectives, Ed Backstrand, City Hall, Los Angeles. Mm-hmm. In view of mounting wave of narcotic robberies, strongly recommend that your efforts to curb this lawlessness be redoubled. They all like that? All of them. They're mad. Can you blame them? Not a bit. We haven't got much to go on, Chief. The gang's pretty smart. All right. Then let's be smarter. There's no law against it. Doing our best, Gipper. Then make it better. I'm sick of that bunch and I'm tired of these letters. And look at that record. In two months, 15 drug store robs, eight medical offices, two supply houses, two hospital pharmacies. Narcotics missing every time. Now who's behind it? None of the old timers. We've checked them out. Gone over every hype and mainliner we know of. All right. Then get on the tranchions. New faces. Climb on every one of them that shoots the stuff until you get to that gang and break it. If you need help, holler. But get to that gang and break it. Do you understand? Okay, Scapa. We'll try. You dig up anything on that Trounsall case yet? Still checking out one late... What? Slip of paper we found in Trounsall's pocket, Ed. Said Tucker Building on it, that's all. Just gonna check it out when you called. All right. Hop on it. Fast. We got a lot of pressure on us. Keep in touch with the office. It was almost noon when Ben and I got out to the Tucker Building. It was a two-story affair, comparatively small, very modern. We checked with the dentist in the building first, but he'd never heard of anyone with the name of Benny Trounsall. His records and appointment books proved it out. Well, that's one down, Jill. Yeah. Let's try that doctor's office now. What's his name? Let me see. Oh, Springer. Dr. Fred Springer. He's on the second floor. Okay. There's a stairway down there. Come on. Pretty close to lunchtime. Might not be in. Maybe. Somebody should be there. We haven't got much time to play with. Yeah. Chief sure was up in there this morning. Here's the office. Fred Springer, M.D. Good morning. May I help you, gentlemen? We'd like to see Dr. Springer, please. Do you have an appointment? No, we don't. Well, the doctor's not in at present. Would you like to make an appointment for later in the day? No, we're police officers. This is Sergeant Friday. I'm Sergeant Romero. How do you do? I'm Miss Turner. I'm the doctor's nurse. Then you must take care of the appointment and record books for the doctor. Yes, I do. Well, maybe you can give us the information we're looking for, Miss Turner. Did the doctor ever have a patient with the name of Trounsall, Benny Trounsall? Trounsall? No, I don't think so. Just a moment. I'll check. Thank you. No? T-R-O-U-N-S-E-L. Is that the way you spell it? Yes, ma'am. No. The name's not listed here. Let me check the account book. No. Wait. It's funny. What's that, Miss Turner? Here in the back of the book in the doctor's handwriting. Look. Hmm. Trounsall. The black parrot. Certainly funny. I can't remember seeing that notation before. It must be fairly recent. Miss Turner, what kind of a clientele would you say Dr. Springer has? Oh, it's quite exclusive. Beverly Hills, Bel Air. That's where most of the bills are mailed. Can you recall seeing Trounsall in the office here, Miss Turner? Small man, thin, walk with a kind of a limp, not very well dressed? No, I don't think so. Doesn't sound like any of our patients. Would you show us the doctor's prescription lists for the last two months? We'd like to check them. Well, I'm afraid I can't. Dr. Springer keeps them in the safe. He's the only one who has the combination. How long have you been with Dr. Springer? About ten months. Ever since he started his practice out here. Where was he before that? Philadelphia. I don't understand all these questions. Is anything the matter? Just a routine check, Miss Turner. When do you expect the doctor back? About four this afternoon. He's out making home calls. All right. Here's our card. Would you ask him to call us as soon as he comes in? I'll do that. Thank you, Miss Turner. Bye. Goodbye. Bye. Oh, say, Miss Turner, one more question. Yes? Does Dr. Springer have a patient by the name of Patterson? Oh, yes. One of a doctor's first patients, John Patterson. He lives out on East Beverly Drive. When we left Dr. Springer's office, we called R. and I. There was no make on John Patterson. Ben and I drove over to see him, just on a hunch. It didn't pay off right then, but it showed a little promise. When the maid came to the door of the swank apartment, she told us Patterson was out for the day. We asked her about Patterson's occupation. She didn't know. We asked her about his friends, his business acquaintances. She could remember only two people visiting the apartment. One of them was Dr. Springer, apparently a constant visitor. The other, a tall, dark man who spoke bad English. We asked the maid how long she had worked for Patterson. She said ever since he moved to Los Angeles, about six months before. A few things started to fall into place, but it was strictly a guesswork operation. Ben and I got in the car and headed for the south end of the city to check out some of the places Benny Trounsall was supposed to have frequented. We met a stone wall from the Ace Lunchroom near Benny's former rooming house to the Black Parrot. No one was willing to talk. Threats didn't work and neither did promises. Ben and I gave up for the moment and headed back to the office. Specific ambulance, one call to Alhambra is now code three. Seems like Skid Row doesn't want any part of this. Yeah, there's a bad feeling. Something's got him scared. Sure would like to know what it is, or who it is. Yeah, I'd like to know what it is. Control one to unit 80K. That's Joe. Get it, will you? I got it. 80K to control one. 80K to control one. Go ahead. 80K. Call station 2511, code three. 80K to control one. Roger. KMA 367. I wonder what that's all about. Let's find out. There's a drug store. They ought to have a phone. Pull over, huh? You got a nickel? Yeah, I got it. Oh, yeah, yeah, sure. Thanks. I'll be back in a minute. City Hall. 2511. Thank you. Chief of Detectives Office, Hannan. This is Friday, Mike. The chief there? Oh, yeah. Just a minute. Backstrand talking. This Friday, Ed. What do you got? You tied up? Nothing big. Then check in as soon as you can. Got something good. What? You remember the stick-up at St. Agnes Hospital about a month ago? Pharmacy there? What about it? Two patrolmen picked up a user down near Union Station about an hour and a half ago. Yeah? Guy was way back in his heels. He had two vials of morphine on him. Vials had serial numbers. Good. Did they match out? Perfectly. Thanks, Ed. We'll be right in. When Ben and I got back to the office at 3.52 p.m., we picked up Chief Ed Backstrand and went directly to the crime lab, where Lieutenant Lee Jones analyzed the contents of the two vials taken from the suspect. Jones told us it was high-grade morphine. We went back to the office and double-checked the serial numbers on the vials with the crime report on the St. Agnes Hospital robbery. They matched. There's a good break. These vials were in the loot when the gang knocked over the hospital 28 days ago. We'll stay on the trail and we'll crack that gang wide open. This the arrest report on the guy, Ed? Yeah. Picked him up in a bar off South Main. Who is the guy? A trangian? Yeah, here it is, Ben. James Steiner, Phoenix, Arizona, age 37, tranch and laborer. Anybody talk to this guy yet, Ed? Not yet. He shouldn't be too hard. You better get on it. Right, skipper. Come on, Jill. Check you later, Ed. What time you got, Ben? Let me see here. 25 past four. Did a phone call for you, Ben? Yeah, who was it? Your wife. Wants you to pick up some aspirin and a bottle of nose drops for your kid on your way home. Oh, yeah. I almost forgot. That the only call we had, Mike? That's right. Thanks. You got that Dr. Springer's number, Ben. Yeah. Here it is. Questview 55284. Thanks. Nurse said he'd call us around four, didn't he? Yeah. Yeah. Dr. Springer's office. This is Sergeant Friday down at the police department. Dr. Springer there? Well, no, he isn't, Sergeant. He called in about 20 minutes ago and I gave him your message. He said he'd call you. All right, Miss Turner. When he comes in, tell him to call us and press on him. It's urgent. All right, Sergeant. I'll do that. Goodbye. Goodbye. No luck? I don't know. Just a hunch he may be ducking us. Who are you calling now? State Medical Board. Maybe they can check us out on Dr. Springer. I put the call through to the State Medical Board and asked for a check on Dr. Fred Springer. They said they'd call back within the hour. In the meantime, we had James Steiner brought to one of the interrogation rooms for questioning. It was all talk. Look, it's like I told the Sergeant when they booked me. I don't know anything about this hospital, John. Sit down, Steiner. Oh, all right. Thanks. How long you been in the city, Steiner? L.A. About a month. I came from Phoenix looking for work. Things are pretty slow in Phoenix. Where'd you get the morphine? Huh? I said, where'd you get the morphine? The stuff? I bought it just for a pop now and then I just play around with it. Just for kicks. Who'd you buy the vials from? Who? I don't know. A guy in a bar gave me a price. Which bar was that? Which bar? Black Parrot. I'm not hooked. I just play around with it just for kicks. What'd the guy look like, Steiner? What did he look like? I don't know. Tall, I guess. Would you remember him if you saw him again? Remember him? Sure. I talked to him a couple of nights at the bar. Was he on the stuff? Was he a hype? A hype? Yeah. Maybe. Tall fella, dark. You shooting the stuff? Shooting the stuff? No. I'm no mainliner. I never took it in the veins of my life. I told you I'd do it just for kicks. Just a pop now and then. Take off your shirt. Let's see your arms. Huh? My arms? Come on. Take it off. Where? Who are you kidding, Steiner? Your arm looks like a pincushion. I told you. Just once in a while. Just for the kicks. I'm not hooked on it. They found two vials of stolen morphine on you, Steiner. You can go two ways, hard or easy. Hard or easy? I told you I ain't done nothing. I bought the stuff. I use a cap or a spindle once in a while for kicks, but I'm not hooked. I bought the stuff, I tell you. Who was he, Steiner? Who sold it to you? Who? I told you. I met him in a bar. The black parrot. Who was he? He was tall. Dark. He gave me a good price. Come on, let's have it, Steiner. His name. I'm feeling sick. You got something for me. I'm sick. All right. Mike! Yeah, Joe? Get some milk. A couple of quarts right away. Okay, Joe. You ready to tell us, Steiner? Who was he? I'm sick. I'm sick. We're getting some milk for you now. Come on, you better talk. Max. That's all he said. Name was Max. He gave me a good price. I only take a pop now and then just for kicks. You think you could point him out for us? Yeah. Yeah. Maybe. I'm sick. I'm sick. Narcotics from Meryl. Hello. This is Dr. Springer calling. You wanted to talk to me. Yes, we did, Doctor. And we've got a few questions we'd like to ask you. Oh, hold on just a minute, will you? It's Dr. Springer, Joe. All right. Tell him we've got to see him tonight. We'll call him back later. Dr. Springer? Yes? Sorry, Doctor. We'll have to see you later on tonight. You be at home? Well, I have an appointment this evening. Would you mind telling me what this is all about? Sure, Doctor. It's about a man named Benny Trounsall. Oh. I see. And if you don't mind, we'd like to check over your prescription list with you. Yes. I'll cancel my appointment. You can contact me here at home. 1538 South Road. I'll be here all night. All right, Doctor. Thank you. We'll see you later then. Yes. Goodbye. Goodbye. What'd he say? All right? Yeah, it's all right. I'll buy that hunch of yours now, Joe. Dr. Springer, he knows who killed Benny Trounsall. I bet he knows why. When Mike Hannon came back with the milk, we fed it to Steiner and then we put him back in his cell. We put in another call to John Patterson out on East Beverly Drive, but there was no answer. We left word with Hannon where we were going, and Ben and I headed out for Dr. Springer's home. It was 735 when we pulled up into the driveway at 1538 South Road, a low, rambling, ranch-type home. We got out of the car and made our way down the path to the front door. A gray Persian cat followed us. The door was half open. We knocked, but there was no answer. Through the window, we could see the living room was dimly lighted. We went in. We found Dr. Springer sitting in a large, carved mahogany chair in the dining room. The room was hung with draperies. It was slumped forward, face down, on the dining table. There was a bullet hole in his right temple. On the floor near his right hand was a.32 automatic pistol. In the center of the dining table was a piece of white paper. Looks like he beat us. Yeah. Any names on that confession? One says he killed Trump. No, wait a minute. It says John Patterson, he forced me to this. What? I don't know. What's it look like to you? Here's another one. Norberg. That's all it says. Then he signed his name, Dr. Fred Springer. Ben, come over here. Look at these. Epidermic needle. No works. Is this morphine? White powder. Could be. And he was on it himself. Looks like it. We'll find out when they post him. I'll get it. Yeah. Sergeant Friday there, please. This is Joe, Mike. What do you got? Can you talk all right there? Yeah, go ahead. Just got a kickback on your call at the state medical board on this Dr. Fred Springer. He's not a registered physician in the state of California. Besides that, his license was revoked in Pennsylvania two years ago. Illegal operations. That explains it. Notify homicide. Get the crime lab in the corner out here, will you? Looks like Springer shot himself. Okay, Joe. Right away. We'll wait for him, but hurry him up, Mike. We got a couple more places to check out tonight. Okay, Joe. See you later. Right. What's next? Patterson place? I don't know. Maybe we ought to try Steiner first. Sounds good to me. Feels like we're getting close. Yeah, man. Real close. Twelve minutes later, homicide and the crime lab men checked in at the Springer house, and Ben and I checked out. We went back to the office and found Ed Backstrand waiting for us. We told him our story, and he sent two men out to keep an eye on the Patterson place. Two other men went to work to try and track down the other name in Springer's confession note, Norberg. Ben and I went up to the county jail and picked up Steiner. The three of us started out to look for the man who sold Steiner the two vials of morphine stolen from a hospital pharmacy a month before. The man's name was Max. He was tall and dark. That was all we knew. The rest of it was up to Steiner. Two other men from the detail, Davis and Emerson, came along with us to take care of Steiner if anything went wrong. Our first stop was the Black Parrot Tavern. Davis parked the car in an alley down the street. Steiner, Ben, and I got out and walked the rest of the way. You understand what you're supposed to do, Steiner. Me? Yeah. I go in first and sit at the bar. You two will follow me. I sit at the bar and if I see Max, I give you the sign. That's okay, huh? That's right. And you don't try to break for it. Break for it? Me? I told you, I'm squaring with you guys. All right, Steiner. Go ahead. Let's hope it works, Jill. Yeah. There he goes inside. Come on. Now look, try to grab one of the booths along the wall if you can, huh? Right. Here we are. The first booth, Ben, it's empty. Yeah. Well, there's left order at the bar. Waitress got a night off. Make it a couple of beers, will you? Couple of beers? Okay. Jill, go look at Steiner. Yeah, he's signaling. Must mean the guy putting on his coat over there. No, no, hold it, Ben. We'll get his passes. All right, get Steiner back to the car. I'll tell you the guy. You come after me. I didn't know how right Steiner was or how much we could trust him. All I knew was that the man I was following was tall and he was in a hurry. I followed him three quarters of a block before he turned in at a motel. He went to a cottage at the rear of the lot, let himself in and closed the door quickly behind him. A minute later, Ben and the others pulled up in the car. Got him staked, Joe. Steiner says that was Max. Let's make sure. Come on. Which one is he in? The one down at the end here. Now be careful. You too. All right, here we are. Wait a minute right there. All right, look, there's no rear door. He's got to come out the front and keep the door clear. You ready? All set. Cover me. Open up in there. Who is it? Police officers. Open up. Just a minute. All right, Ben, give it back to him. No, Joe, don't shoot. We'll come out. All right, throw your guns out first and come out with your hands behind your head and make it fast. Watch it, Ben. He's making a break. All right, mister, that's four and a... Get out of my way. Get out of my way. Get him, Ben. That's good, Ben. You all right? Yeah. He didn't mean it, Cooper. He didn't mean it. He didn't know what he was doing. Well, that must be a good excuse, lady. A lot of people use it. Come on, Ben, let's take him in. It was ten minutes past midnight when we got back to headquarters. Both the man and the woman were booked for violation of the State Narcotics Act, a felony. He gave his name as Max Jansen. In his luggage, we found 13 vials of morphine, large quantities of heroin, and a small amount of panopin. He gave us the names and addresses of six active members of the narcotics gang. He identified Dr. Springer as second in command. Just a few more questions, Jansen. Yeah, all right. Why did Springer kill Trounsall? He had it coming. Trounsall knew the score and he was blackmailing them, bleeding them white. Why didn't the gang take care of him? The boss said no rough stuff. Things were going too good. He warned Springer, but he wouldn't listen. All right, Jansen, just one more question. Who's the boss? Do I get off-flight? State's witness? It might help. We can't promise you anything. Who's the boss, Patterson? Yeah. 138 East Beverly Drive? That's right. What about Norberg? How does he figure? It's the same guy. Patterson and Norberg, both the same. And what's his real name? Norberg. Tony Norberg. What's his front? He's legit or he used to be. Importing business. Where? Here. Got an office downtown. Do I get protection? Where's Norberg now? Home out in Laurel Canyon. Do I get protection? I thought you said he lived out on East Beverly. His apartment, his home's out in the canyon. Where? What's the address? Do I get protection? You'll get protection. Wind and weigh. 860 Wind and Weigh. All right, Fratty. Romero, take some men with you. All right, Davis, cover the back of the house. Levine, you cover the front. Come on, Ben. Yes? Mr. Norberg in? Who's calling? Police officers. Oh, come in, won't you? Thank you. Now get your hands up. Face the wall. You'll never make it, lady. The house is surrounded. Tony, get the stuff. It's our only chance. They'll cut you down, Norberg. All right, Jeannie, give them the gun. Don't be a fool. They're going to march out the door in front of us, right to the car. I'm not going, Jeannie. Try it if you want. I'm not going. All right, Tony, stay. Come on, coppers. You'll never make it, lady. I said move. Fast. All right, Ben, hit the dirt. She's going for the car. See if you can get those tires. Come on. Dane? Yeah. Norberg was smart. Must be the girlfriend. Guess so. Wonder why they're starved. Why do they get on the stuff, Joe? For kicks, Ben. None of them ever get hooked. Just for kicks. The story you have just heard is true. Only the names were changed to protect the innocent. Tony Norberg, alias John Patterson, was tried and killed for possession of drugs, robbery, and conspiracy, and sentenced to the maximum term prescribed by law, each count to run consecutively. He died three years and 11 days after his arrival at the state penitentiary. You have just heard the ninth in a new series of authentic cases transcribed from official files. Technical advice for Dragnet is furnished by the Los Angeles Police Department. Tonight's program is dedicated to Chief Erskine Erkfish of the North Sacramento Police Department, who on the night of August 11, 1935, gave his life so that yours might be more secure. Dragnet came to you from Los Angeles. This is NBC, the national broadcasting company.