The story you are about to hear is true. Only the names have been changed to protect the innocent. Fatima cigarettes. First of all, long cigarettes brings you dragnet. You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to burglary detail. Unidentified thieves start a campaign of burglaries in your city. Homes are broken into and stripped of their furnishings. There's no lead on the criminals. Your job. You're a detective sergeant. When you compare Fatima with other long cigarettes, the difference is quality. Yes, in Fatima, the difference is quality. If you want a long cigarette, smoke that best of all long cigarettes. Smoke extra mild Fatima. Fatima is the quality king size cigarette because it contains the finest Turkish and domestic tobaccos superbly blended and Fatima is extra mild with a much different, much better flavor and aroma than any other long cigarette. Because of its quality, its extra mildness, its better flavor and aroma, Fatima has more than doubled its smokers coast to coast. Enjoy extra mild Fatima yourself. It's wise to smoke extra mild Fatima. Because in Fatima, the difference is quality. Yes, in Fatima, the difference is quality. Smoke Fatima, the quality king size cigarette. Best of all long cigarettes. Dragnet, the documented drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 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 files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. It was Monday, August 3rd. It was warm in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out of burglary detail. My partner is Ben Romero, the boss is Thad Brown, chief of detectives. My name is Friday. I was on the way back from the business office and it was 9.25 a.m. when I got to room 45, burglary detail. Did they get all the money together Joe? Yeah, a dollar from each man in the detail. We got to buy the gift. When's Austin going to get married? Next Sunday. We haven't got too much time. Why do we always have to pick out the gifts? Somebody has to do it. You got any ideas what we ought to get him? I talked to my wife over the weekend. She thinks it'd be nice if we get him something to start housekeeping with. Maybe some nice kitchenware, table lamp. Yeah, I don't know if we have enough dough for a good lamp. But maybe they might like a bedspread. You can always use them. Maybe a nice wool blanket, huh? I don't know. We've got to be careful about those personal things. What do you mean what's personal about a blanket? Well, we don't know much about the girl Austin's going to marry. She might not need any. Excuse me, could you tell me something? What's that? I said, could you tell me something? Well, what do you want to know, little girl? Is this where you come to report about stolen things? Well, no, that all depends. Why don't you come on in and tell us all about it, huh? Thank you, I will. Would you like to sit down, little girl? I'm 12 years old. I'll stand if it's all right. All right. Now, would you like to tell us what's been stolen? Everything. Everything's been stolen. We came back this morning and found it that way. Grandpa's awful mad. Maybe we'd better get the facts to start with. What's your name? Ruth Ann Marie Jeanette. Jeanette? Is that your last name? No, Snyder. Ruth Ann Marie Jeanette Snyder. Did you come down here alone, Ruth? Yes, Grandpa sent me. He's awful mad. Where do you live? With Grandpa. Where's that? Over on College Avenue. Grandpa's leg's bothering him. Arthritis. So he told me to come down and tell you about it. About what, ma'am? Everything. We came back this morning on the train and when we got home we found everything was stolen. It's terrible. What do you mean by everything? I walked all the way over here to tell you. I'm thirsty, sir. Drinking fontanel. We've got a cooler over here. Let me get you a cup. Thank you. Would you like a drink, Ben? Oh, no thanks. Here you are. Thank you very much. Now, would you like to tell us what it's all about? Grandpa and I got back to Los Angeles on the train this morning. We've been on a trip back to Indiana. We took a taxi cab home from the station. When we got there everything was gone. Everything but the rug and the dining room. All the furniture, every single bit. Sofa, the chairs, my desk upstairs, the stone. Everything's been stolen. I want you to find it. It means someone broke in while you were gone and took all your furniture. Is that what you think? You know they did. The lock on the back door, it was broken. They took everything but the dining room rug. That's why Grandpa's home now. He thinks the crooks will be back. He's sitting on the rug because he says if they take that, they'll have to take him too. We better hurry. Yeah. Grandpa's not very big. Nine forty-five a.m. Ben and I drove little Ruthann Snyder back to her home on College Avenue. It was an old-fashioned wooden frame structure. A few doors up from College Avenue and Everett Way. Ruthann showed us inside and introduced us to her grandfather, Mr. John H. Snyder, age 78. He told us that a year ago he and his wife, Ruthann's grandmother, had come to California from Indiana and rented the house on College Avenue. The grandmother had fallen ill and passed away suddenly three weeks ago. He and Ruthann closed the house and took the body back to Indiana on the train for burial. On their return that morning, they found the house stripped of every piece of furniture. We checked room by room and listed the missing articles. We put in a call to latent fingerprints. Do you happen to know the serial numbers of your home appliances, Mr. Snyder? No, sir. I've lived with most of the furniture for forty years. You get to know the things you own in forty years. I know what was in my room, Sergeant. My desk, my table, and chair, the bed, the curtains. They took everything. How about the estimated value of the furniture, sir? What would you say it was worth? Dollars and cents? I don't know. What's a house full of furniture worth to anyone? I guess everybody puts their own value on their things. Yes, sir, they do. Solid walnut dining set, wedding presents, mahogany front room table, a solid two. It cost money in their day, all gone. Were there any liens against the furniture, sir? How's that? Did you owe anything on the furniture? I mean, there was no trouble with the finance company or anything like that. We didn't even know what a finance company was when the wife and I was married. It was sad enough, trippers, it was. And Ruthie and me get here this morning and everything's gone. All we own. Ruthie. Yes, Grandpa? Where the thieves broke in, would you show the officers, please? It's back this way. Okay. How are you and your grandfather going to make out here, Ruth? Grandpa says we'll buy two cots for tonight, Army surplus. There's no stove to cook on. We'll have to eat out. Maybe we'll have to go back to Indiana. Grandpa doesn't have much money. He's on a pension. Where's the back door? We'll see what they did to get in. Uh-huh. Must have used a hammer and a crowbar to smash the clean through. You'll find the crooks, won't you, Sergeant? We're going to try, Ruth. Better have the crime lab check this, huh? Yeah, how about your neighbors, Ruth? You know any of them well? I know who they are. I don't know any of them good. They're not very friendly. We'd like to ask you and your grandfather a few more questions, Ruth. All right. I don't know what I'm going to do when school starts. They stole all my stuff, even my composition tablets. I'm going to have to take those. Which grade are you in, Ruthie? I was in A7, I'll be in the B8. Why would they take my school things? I don't know. You see how they got in back there? Yes, sir, we did. By any chance, did any of your neighbors know that you and Ruth here were going away? Well, I didn't mention it, no. Then no one kept an eye on your house while you were gone? No, I didn't think it was necessary. Might have helped. I just remembered, Grandpa. Mrs. Merton, I told her we were going away. Who's that, Ruth? She runs the store down at the corner, the bird store. She sells canaries, other kinds of birds, too. Mrs. Merton's her name, store's right down the corner. You figure she's the only one who knew you'd been gone from the house for some time. Must have been the only one. All right, Mr. Snyder, we'll be back to see you later on. Here's our card. We'll see if we can't do something to help you out here. Let's see here. Friday, Romero, burglary detail. All right, thank you, boy. Ruth, he'll show you to the door. Yes, Grandpa. Bye, Mrs. Merton. Bye, sir. Oh, oh, say there. Yes, sir. I guess you understand, but I'd like to apologize anyway. I just couldn't do it. What's that, sir? Offer your chair. Ten-thirty A.M. Ben and I called the Salvation Army and told them the Snyder situation. Then we went down the street to the store at the corner of Coolidge Avenue and Everett Way. The sign on the window said Mrs. Merton's Birdland, manager Agnes Merton. We tried the door. It was locked. A cardboard clock hanging on the glass door read, be back at 1 P.M. So we went back up to Colley Avenue and we started ringing doorbells. Some of the residents on the block didn't even know the Snyders. Of those that did, only two had noticed any activity at the house during the three weeks Mr. Snyder and his granddaughter had been away. They told us that they'd seen a moving van parked in front of the house about a week before. They also saw men moving furniture from the house into the van. Neither of the two could describe the vehicle or remember its license number. Twelve forty-five P.M. We had a cup of coffee and a hamburger and then we headed back for Mrs. Merton's Bird store. Can I help you, gentlemen? Yes, ma'am. Police officers. You have a few questions for you. Certainly. Something about birds? No, ma'am. About one of your neighbors. Oh. The Snyders? They live just out the street from here. Oh, yes, old couple. Poor Mr. Snyder passed away, you know, a few weeks ago. Yes, ma'am. We know. They have a wonderful granddaughter, Ruthie. She and I are getting to be great friends. The Snyders having some kind of trouble? We're investigating a burglary at their house. Oh, is that so? Now, you be quiet, Mary. You heard what I told Blackie. Just eat your food and be quiet. I guess you knew the Snyders had been away for the last few weeks. Yes, I did. But they're back. I saw Ruthie pass the window this morning. You noticed any activity around the Snyders' house since they've been gone? Yes, I did. And just what did you notice, Miss Merton? Well, it was seven or eight days ago, I think, some white moving truck stopped in front of their place and the two men started moving up Snyder's furniture. Uh-huh. I thought it was a little strange because Ruthie hadn't told me anything about moving. In fact, she said definitely she and her grandpa were coming back after poor Mrs. Snyder's funeral in Indiana. Did you investigate at all, ma'am? Excuse me. Who is that? You? Fred? Yes? You ought to be ashamed. You can see I'm busy. Never out this like that. And all three of you, Fred, Blackie, Mary, I'll take care of you. Oh, where was I? You saw the moving van in front of the Snyders. Oh, yes. And I went up to the moving men and asked them if the Snyders were going back to Indiana. Well, of course, they didn't know anything about it. Did you inquire at the Snyders' house? Well, no, it so happened I didn't. I was on my way to one of the big aviaries in the valley and I just didn't have time to stop. How about the moving van? Did you happen to notice the license? I don't remember the numbers. Any identifying marks about the truck you might remember? Maybe a sign on the side? Yes, the side of the truck was painted white and there was large blue lettering on it. Van and storage. It said I remember that much. Was that all? Well, yes. As I said, I was in a hurry. I had to pick up three sick canaries out in the valley. Is there anything else about the incident you can remember? Anything at all? No, I'm afraid not. Well, thank you very much, Mrs. Burton. Here's our card if you happen to come across any further information. Yes, all right. I'll have to go see the Snyders. Maybe I can help. Fine. Goodbye, ma'am. Thank you very much. Yes, goodbye. Goodbye. Fred, now you stop up this minute. Fred? Yeah, not much help there. Not much. Give me an idea, though. Hmm? Wedding present for the Austen's. Yeah? Maybe a couple of canaries in a nice cage? Five p.m. We went back to the office. Reports had come in from two more victims. That night, Ben and I drove out to interview them. The circumstances of the theft and the ammo of the criminals matched identically with the Snyder case. Both of the families victimized had gone off on vacations and neglected to notify either the neighbors or the patrolmen in their area. Both had allowed daily newspapers to collect on their doorsteps in their absence and otherwise left signs that their homes were vacant. In both cases, the thieves had forced an entrance through a back door or window, stripped the house of every last piece of furniture, and either hauled it away themselves or hired somebody to do it for them. We started canvassing the two areas where the crimes had been reported. Again, the neighbors saw the moving vans, but none were able to definitely identify their vehicles or their license numbers. Captain Fulton called us into his office. You're going to have to try harder. I know they're hard to get, but get them. Get them fast. We've done about everything we can so far, Skipper. With only one small lead, the thieves seemed to be using a different moving van on each job. We started to check the movers around town, the transfer companies. Did Clayton Prince come up with anything yet? No. No luck there. One of the loudest rackets we've had since I came on this detail. Whole house full of furniture. Everything a family owns. Well, we'll stay on top of it. The stats office may come up with something. How about an outlet for all that stuff that's been stolen? The thieves can't be sitting on it. Phone shop and secondhand details have been alerted. They're checking regular outlets, auction houses, secondhand places. Nothing yet. What about some kind of preventive idea? At least slow them down. Good dose of publicity on the whole thing would help. If only people wouldn't give it a secret when they're going away. Neighbors aren't alerted. That's why a lot of them didn't think much of it when they saw the moving vans parked at those houses. And drawing blinds and the newspapers on the doorsteps didn't help much either. It's an open invitation. Well, I'll see what we can do on the publicity end. We've had one campaign on this already. No, excuse me. Regular A, Captain Fulton. What's the address? Okay, I got it. Thank you. Here you go, another one. 63R just called it in. Family back from vacation, furniture all gone. Here's your address, sir. Thank you. Better get on it right away. Let's go. I'll have a little more help for you on this tomorrow. Crowley and Barnes will be free. They can work with you. Okay, Skipper. Check you later. Right. Sergeant Friday? Yes, ma'am. You remember me, don't you, Mrs. Merton? Oh, sure. The Bird Store. Yes, ma'am. How are you? Well, they told me to wait here. I guess everything will be all right now. Yeah? I saw it today on Olive Street. Here. Hmm? The truck that came to Snyder's house. That's the license number. You are listening to Dragnet, the case history of a police investigation presented in the public interest by Fatima Cigarettes. It's amazing how many long cigarette smokers are changing to extra-mild Fatima. Here is the actual report. From coast to coast, Fatima has more than doubled its smokers. Here is the reason why. When you compare Fatima with other long cigarettes, the difference is quality. Yes, in Fatima the difference is quality. Fatima is the quality king-size cigarette because it contains the finest Turkish and domestic tobaccos, superbly blended, and Fatima is extra-mild with a much different, much better flavor and aroma than any other long cigarette. And because of its quality, its extra-mildness, its better flavor and aroma, more and more smokers say it's wise to smoke extra-mild Fatima. I agree, says Dick Hyland, sports columnist. I agree, says Mrs. Deems Taylor, painter and theatrical designer. I agree, says Frank Fenton, author. Yes, all agree. It's wise to smoke extra-mild Fatima. Best of all, long cigarettes. Because in Fatima, the difference is quality. Yes, in Fatima, the difference is quality. Smoke Fatima, the quality king-size cigarette. Tuesday, August 11th, 6 p.m. The license number which Mrs. Merton had given us was checked through DMV. We found that the truck was registered in the name of a local secondhand furniture dealer by the name of Ralph Grismore. We checked his name through the police commission and then the Eye Bureau. He had a good reputation, no criminal record. Early the next morning we picked up Mr. Snyder and his granddaughter Ruth, and we drove to Grismore's secondhand furniture store. We identified ourselves and asked to look at his buy book. Under the date of July 27th, Grismore had recorded the purchase of more than three dozen articles of furniture from a house on College Avenue. The address was that of the Snyders. A man and a woman, Sergeant, they said they'd sold their house and they were going east. The man said the company he worked for had transferred them to Boston. Told them he had to get back to take over his new job. Would you recognize the people if you saw them again, Grismore? Sure, I think so. The woman was a great talker. She said they figured on selling the stuff piece by piece, they'd get more, but since they had to leave town the next day, she decided to sell the whole lot to a dealer. You got the furniture for a pretty low price, didn't you? Pretty good price, yeah. That's why I went along in the fast deal. I wasn't going to talk myself out of a bargain. They wanted to sell fast, so I wanted to buy. I don't think anything was wrong. Sergeant. Yeah, Mrs. Snyder? Our walnut dining room, sir. That's it right over there. You sure, Mr. Snyder? Cigar burn on top, just above one of the legs. No, it anywhere. It seems to me that's on the agony table. I'll look. Sergeant, the table in my desk, here they are right here. My school stuff, too. All right, Ruthie. Yeah, they sure stuck me all right. That's the last fast deal I ever made. How did they contact you, Grismore? What kind of approach did they use? They called me on the phone, and I came out and gave them an appraisal on the stuff. Nothing suspicious about either the man or the woman. And that's all? She was in a house dress, bandana around her head. The guy was in old clothes, just as homey as you please. Looked like he was doing a little repair work around the house, you know. Mm-hmm. You noticed that they had a car parked by the house? No. Matter of fact, I didn't. There wasn't any in the driveway. Mm-hmm. No argument over the price you offered them for the furniture? No. They seemed to hesitate a little, but they took my first offer. I thought I had a good deal. I don't know. How'd they react after you agreed on a price in a hurry? Said they had to board a train that night for Boston. They asked me to get the furniture out right away. Mm-hmm. The woman said they had other business to wind up, so if they weren't at the house when I came back with the van, why should you leave the back door open for me? I guess you realized you were going to have to place a hold on this furniture that you bought. Yeah, I know. I had nobody blame but myself. You gave this man and woman a check for the full amount of the sale. Is that right, Grisma? $550 down the drain. Do you have the canceled check? No, not yet. If you like, you can probably get it from the bank. Don't imagine those crooks would waste any time cashing it. We'd appreciate it if you'd run down the bank with us now. Okay, sir. Sergeant, could I speak with Mr. Grismore? Sure, Mr. Snyder. And Mr. Grismore? Yes, sir. I'm sorry about all this. I didn't know. Oh, I understand, sir. You buy furniture, don't you? Yes, sir. What could you give me for two Army surplus cuts? Grismore made arrangements to round up Mr. Snyder's furniture and ship it back to his home. Then we took him down to his bank where he recovered the canceled check for $550. The endorsement read, Mr. Thomas Butterworth. According to the bank teller who waited on them, the suspects had cashed the check shortly after the sale of the Snyder's furniture. From the second-hand dealer and the clerk at the bank, we got a complete description of the man and woman known as Mr. and Mrs. Butterworth. We also had photostatic copies made of the check and specimens of the handwriting from the endorsement. From the descriptions, we checked the suspects through the stats office. We got nowhere. During the next two weeks, we found six more second-hand dealers who had been taken in on the same furniture deal. The description of the man and woman matched, and so did the handwriting and the endorsements on each check. There was only one variation. The couple went under a different name on each occasion. Wednesday, August 26th, 9 a.m. Twelve cases like this today, is that right? Yes, Captain. Got the description, M.O. handwriting. Still can't reach him. Well, Steve's been freewheeling for a month now. What's going to take a stoppin'? Well, Ben came up with a pretty good idea this morning. We'd like to talk it over with you. Oh, what's that? Kind of a system of decoys, Skipper. We were thinking it might be a good idea to contact all the division captains and have them ask their men if they have any neighbors going on vacation. Yeah, go ahead. Well, if we got a few dozen houses spotted around the city, we could plant a few things. Make them look obviously vacant. Keep the houses covered at all times. They ought to make pretty good bait for those thieves. Uh-huh. How would you set it up? We could make arrangements to get a key to each home, keep the milk and paper deliveries coming, let them pile up on the doorstep. We could reimburse the people for whatever it cost. We're not making any headway. We could run this for a couple of weeks, see what happens. What do you think? Try it. At 9.30 a.m., we contacted all division commanders requesting them to ask their men to contact burglary detail if they knew of any of their neighbors about to leave on a vacation. During the next two days, the response came in and the plan went into effect. Forty homes throughout the city were spotted as decoys. They were kept under surveillance at all times. In the week that followed, two more burglaries of the same type were reported, but the suspects failed to try any of the decoy homes. The men in the pawn shop and secondhand details continued to work right along with us. The stolen furniture kept turning up, but not the thieves. Again, the homes that had been broken into displayed all the usual signs that the occupants were away. Old circulars and newspapers scattered on the lawn. Milk bottles lined up at the door, all the blinds drawn. The decoy plan continued. No results. August 31st, we had a report of another burglary involving the theft of furniture. We made our investigation. 2 p.m. We went back to the office to get out a list of stolen articles. Hi, Ben. Joe. Hi, Austin. When did you get back from your honeymoon? Late last night. I'd sure like to thank all you fellas for that wedding present you sent us. Darn nice of you. Well, we're glad you liked it, Austin. Sure a beauty. I'd like to ask you a question about it, though. I hope you won't take it wrong. No, go ahead. Well, what is it? You've got an early American house, haven't you? Yeah, that's right. It's an antique. Yeah? It's an apple theater. One of the first ever built. Oh, sure. Thanks a lot. I get it. Burgery Friday. Yeah? Where? Right away. Thanks. One of the decoy houses. We got a bite. Together with Sergeants Crowley and Austin, we drove out to the decoy house where an unidentified man and a woman had been seen forcing entry through a back door. They'd been spotted by a police officer's wife who lived next door and who had called in the report. We parked down the street from the decoy home and waited. Five minutes passed. We saw a woman dressed in a house coat come out onto the porch of the house, look up and down the street, and then go back inside. A few minutes after that, a gray Chevrolet sedan pulled up in front of the house. A man in a dark suit got out and entered through the front door. Ben called communications for a make on the car. 80K to Control 4. 8 OK to Control 4. Request DMV on 6 Mary, 6 7 7 8. Repeat, 6 M, 6 7 7 8. Information urgent. Roger 80K, AMA 6 6 7 8. We waited. There were no signs of activity from the decoy house. Two minutes after Ben put in the call, we got our make on the gray sedan. Control 4 to 80K. 80K, go ahead. 6 Mary, 6 7 7 8. 6 M, 6 7 7 8. Is registered to the Donohoe Furniture Company. Legal the same. 7 8 1 1, Harvard Boulevard. It is a Chevrolet Deluxe two-door sedan, 1941 model. Engine number, C6VA4414. 80K, Roger. AMA 3 6 7. A few minutes after the call back, a moving van drove down the street and backed into the driveway of the decoy house. The sign on the side of the van read Donohoe Furniture Company. Two men got out, went up to the front door and were let in. They came out in a couple of minutes and loaded a sofa into the moving van. OK Joe. Crowley and Austin get the sign. Here they come. Hey, you and Crowley want to cover the back, Austin. Right. Let's go Crowley. Come on Ben. Yes, sir, you want something? Police officers like you. Cut in the cops, run him! Stand still, you. Austin and Crowley got her. All right, hold still mister. Oh, that's a good one. What's this all about, you cops? That's right, you. Thanks Donohoe, I'm buying this lot of furniture. Something the matter? You're buying from the wrong people, they're not the owners. You better have your men move that stuff back in the house. OK, if you say so. All right, baby, relax. Take it easy, Helen, there's no use fighting, they got us. Whose fault is it? I told you luck doesn't last forever. OK, all right, don't make it worse. All right, let's go. I'll take her, Austin. You better fix yourself. Yeah. Come on, baby. Put your hands in. Hey, what's the matter with your shirt, Austin? Look, it used to happen when she tried to get away. Yeah, lipstick all over the collar there. Doesn't look very good. No, it doesn't. What are you going to tell your new bride? I got nothing to hide, I'll tell her the truth. Yeah? She'll believe me, won't she? The story you just heard was true. Only the names were changed to protect the innocent. On November 25th, trial was held in Superior Court, Department 87, City and County of Los Angeles, State of California. In a moment, the results of that trial. And now, here is our star, Jack Webb. Thank you. Under our system of law, the jury selected to hear a case is accorded complete freedom. The jury's decision is the final result of the testimony and evidence presented in the course of the trial. So, with Fatima, they are the final result of carefully selecting and blending only the finest Turkish and domestic tobaccos to make Fatima extra mild. If you're a long cigarette smoker like I am, buy a pack of Fatimas and compare them with other long cigarettes, and you'll see the difference is quality. Yes, in Fatima, the difference is quality. So, smoke Fatima. The suspects were identified as Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Dunbar. They were arraigned on 15 counts of burglary and tried and found guilty on all counts. They are now serving their terms in the State Penitentiary. You have just heard Dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice came from the Office of Chief of Police, W.H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department. Fatima cigarettes, the best of all long cigarettes, has brought you Dragnet from Los Angeles. Coming up Duffy's Tavern, Bob Hope returns October 3rd on NBC. Thank you.