Sound off for Chesterfield.
Chesterfield, the first cigarette in America to give you premium quality in both regular and king size, brings you greatness.
Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true.
The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Projector Sergeant, here is trying to rob we detail.
A man has been found in the trunk of an automobile.
He's been badly beaten and is suffering from shock.
Your job, investigate.
Here's what the nation's press has had.
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 to an actual case transcribed from official police files.
From beginning to end, from crime to punishment, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action.
It was Wednesday, February 18th.
It was rolling in Los Angeles.
We were working the day watch out of robbery detail.
My partner, Frank Smith, the boss, had found two detectives by Monday, Friday.
It was 10.40 in the morning when I got back to the car.
I'm here at one game.
He went out in it.
Was he in?
No, he's the guy doing it. It's a big story like stealing a lunch bucket.
Oh, he's home by 9 o'clock?
Yeah.
There was a call while you were out. Someone locked in a car trunk.
We better roll on it.
Yeah.
What do you think you're about to inform us?
I don't know. There's rain. He's holed up someplace. He's not on the street.
He's your boy, Joe. He never came up with anything more to inform us.
Well, he used to.
It's got to be an awful life now. He can't stay sober long enough.
All he's talking about is driving away. He never seems to get out of it.
Too bad.
We're in good if we give him a chance. If you want to be helped, they're the ones who can do it.
Well, I'll try to catch him in the morning. He's getting late. I'm tired.
Yeah, I could use some sleep.
Hey, when we see this guy, you think he'll be able to give us anything?
I don't know. Can't see him. He might be able to come up with something.
Doesn't think it, Joe. Nice job they've pulled. There's not a rumbling sound on him.
How do you know he's got a clue for identification?
Well, we don't turn him soon. It's going to be out of our hands. He's coming for homicide or whatever.
You think of this country, he might be the same one.
Come up at 10, let's make number 10 for him.
The old man will clean his head off in the morning.
Joe won't help us out there. He'll be sipping milk all day.
He's graduated with a soft boiled egg. This thing will put him right back on the sippy diet.
Poor old Diddy.
Diddy's an ulcer. He just can't win.
Well, we'll see it up there, fellow guy waving the radio card.
Hell yeah. There's 1-8-4 just coming in, too.
Yeah. Let's sit here.
You want to get off my side?
Yeah.
Go ahead.
Right around the corner, officer. I don't want to fall.
Diddy, take him on and get here. I'll do it. You right around here?
Aye, Joe. Frank.
You police officer, too?
Yes, sir. I'm Friday. This is my father, Ted Flair.
I do. I'm Carl Moore. I own the drug store on the corner. I'm the one who found the car, you know.
Yes, sir. If you'd show up the car.
Yeah, sure thing. Around this way.
I'm going way back from this building.
Go over to College Hill for a baby.
That's it. I thought I heard something.
I walked by, then I got to thinking that maybe something might be wrong.
I went back.
I looked in the car, but I couldn't see anything.
Yeah?
I figured that maybe it might be my imagination. You know, maybe something else.
And I heard this voice. Sounded like it was coming from the trunk.
I tried to get it open, but it was locked.
That's when I called you.
Ah, this is?
Yes.
Put your ear against the trunk. You'll probably hear it.
Go around the corner.
Oh, I'm so scared.
I'm going to get this thing open.
There ain't nothing to pry open.
What do you mean, the car?
Oh, wait a minute. Maybe there's something in here.
I'll look, officer. Please don't touch the car.
What?
Don't touch the car, sir.
Oh, sure. You want to look for fingerprints.
I'll get my good story.
There's something in there.
All right, fine. How?
Yeah.
What? You got anything in your trunk?
Yeah, I'll check.
Fine.
Ooh, ooh. All right, sir. We're police officers. We'll get you out.
Same ones, huh, Joe?
Yeah, looks like I'm pulling them all.
I don't think so. You're not going to die, are you?
Yeah.
That's it, it's fine. It's stuck. You want to try it?
Yeah, fine. Here.
Yeah. Let me help you.
Oh, that's right.
All right.
Hey, I think I got it in my hand.
Here.
There.
I'll check it.
I'll get it open.
I'll give you a hand.
All right.
It's all right, sir.
Get you out of there.
I'll get some tape on you.
Good to see everybody's fine.
What's going on?
I have to go too now.
You want to tell us what happened to it?
Sure.
I can't break it.
Better get an ambulance out.
Right.
Hey, let's get him under that awning over there out of the rain.
Right.
I need you more.
What do you think you're doing?
I don't know.
Laying down.
I'll take my coat.
Cover him up.
Yes, sir.
Okay, I'm off, sir.
It's all right.
You already got it open?
Yes, sir.
We did.
A little bitty screwdriver probably wouldn't have worked anyway.
Oh, thank you anyway, sir.
Good thing.
Anything else I can do for you?
No, sir.
It's all right.
Nothing you need?
Nothing at all?
Well, I don't know if you got a good memory for all of this.
1101 DM.
The ambulance arrived and took the victim to Georgia Street Receiving Hospital.
Frank and I followed in our car.
The creature was in the car.
We were in the car.
We were in the car.
We were in the car.
We were in the car.
We were in the car.
We were in the car.
This was the tenth in a series of kidnappings in which the suspects had pulled cars to use
in armed robberies.
After beating the victims, they locked them in the trunk of the car, and after completion
of the robberies, they'd abandoned the automobile with the victims tied to the egg in the trunk.
Although today none of the victims had been killed, we knew it was only a matter of time
until the suspects kidnapped somebody who was being capable of failing the treatment
and was not only other robberies but a murder to deal with.
The holdups had been going on for a period of six weeks.
Frank and I followed up what leads and assured that they brought us nothing.
None of the victims could describe the suspect, other than the telephone with mail, why Americans,
and that one of them spoke with a certain draw.
1117 DM.
We arrived at the hospital.
The victim had been placed in treatment room number three.
Dr. George Hall was treating him.
Frank and I went into the room to talk to the doctor.
Hi, Joe.
Frank.
Hi, Danny.
How is he?
Oh, he's all right.
Suffering from shock.
I'll get him a setter, just quiet him down.
He'll be okay in a few minutes.
What happened today?
He had a trouble bandage again.
Is he going to be okay?
Yeah, I'll be all right in 15 or 20 minutes.
You know his name?
I want to make other treatments for him.
No, Pat, I'll let the poor boy get it.
He's coming around now.
You're all right now, Paula.
Just relax, take it easy.
Here, see if you can sit up here on the edge of the table.
Joe?
Yeah, Doc.
You want to pour a glass of water, cup silver down the wall?
Yeah, sure.
I'll get you some water, sir.
That's it.
Easy.
Thank you.
Sure, go ahead.
What do you hear the telephone happening?
Yeah, about a quarter to eight, made that to my wife.
Said we were out of coffee.
We were having a late dinner, so while she was finishing fixing it, I went out to get
something.
I got down to Pico and Union, signal was working, stop.
I pulled up.
There were two guys standing on the safety zone.
You know, they were all standing on the safety zone.
They were all standing on the safety zone.
They were all standing on the safety zone.
You know, like they were waiting for a street car.
I thought the time when a lousy thing happened, standing out in the rain waiting for a street
car.
Go ahead.
Well, the next thing I knew, one of them opened the door up in front.
When they opened the door, figured that maybe it was somebody that knew me.
It was dark, you know.
Couldn't see very well.
The other one opened the back door and got right in the car.
I knew very soon.
I didn't know these guys.
But, well, the fellow in front had a very good eye.
He was a very good boy.
He was a very good boy.
He was a very good boy.
He was a very good boy.
He was a very good boy.
He was a very good boy.
He was a very good boy.
He was a very good boy.
He was a very good boy.
He was a very good boy.
He was a very good boy.
Let's go back to the factory and get some money.
Come on.
Coming out of the factory.
Yeah.
Well, the fellow in front had a gun pointed right at me, looked like a can, the biggest
gun I ever saw.
Told me I was scared.
He told me to pull up the curtain.
Now I did.
So I had him then.
He told me to get in the back seat.
I told them I can take my money, car, whatever they wanted.
Just let me go.
The guy in the back told me to shut up and get back there with him.
I asked him if I could let go.
Told him I wouldn't say anything.
They said that they'd just let me go. I wouldn't tell anyone. I was scared, you know.
Yeah, I totally understand. Guy in the front got a real wild look in his eye.
Looked like he was crazy. I tried to get out of the car and he hit me.
Right in the head with that gun. Then they grabbed me, threw me in the back seat,
held me right over the front, just got me on the floor in the back.
Uh-huh. What'd you do then?
Oh, nothing. I just played.
Figured that maybe they'd take out without calling me along.
What happened?
Well, the guy in the back took a roll of adhesive tape out of his pocket,
wrapped around my wrist and ankles.
What'd they do then?
Well, they still thought I was knocked out.
The guy in the front said, get me out of the car.
They fell open. The door lifted me out, picked me up like a sack of potatoes.
Guy went around, ran around, opened the trunk, and they threw me in.
One of my legs was over the bumper and the big guy grabbed it and twisted it so it had fed in the trunk.
I almost died, but I didn't tell them I wasn't out.
And after that, they locked the car and drove away.
They drove for a while and they stopped.
You got any idea how long they drove, sir? How far?
No. I couldn't see anything. Couldn't hear much.
Just a little mumbling.
I know they stopped the gas station, though.
Well, how'd that happen?
Well, right after we stopped, I heard one of them yell at somebody.
I couldn't tell what he was yelling, but it's been a little while.
I heard somebody come back, take the gas cap off of the tank.
And I heard the gas go in the tank right in front of the trunk.
Well, that's the guy that put the cap back on the tank.
I heard one of the guys say something about stick up.
Why would we stop? Did you try to let the gas table set it low if you were in the trunk?
Oh, shoot.
And I tried to kick the trunk, but the way they twisted my leg, put me in, I couldn't move.
They gagged me, too. Put a big piece of adhesive tape over my mouth.
Well, sir, I tried to let the guy know. I just couldn't do it.
You said if you heard one of them say, this is a stick up.
Yeah. Those were the words they used, too. This is a stick up.
Uh-huh. Well, if you go ahead, sir.
Well, there was some quiet talking after that.
I couldn't tell what was going on, and they drove away again.
You had no idea where the gas station was.
No. I'm sorry, but I was being bounced around the trunk.
My head hurt when they hit me.
I know they turned some corners, but I couldn't even guess where the station might be.
All right. Guess what happened then?
Same thing. They'd drive for a while, and then they'd stop.
They'd get out of the car, then come back. We'd start to drive again.
Well, finally they parked. I waited for them to come back.
They didn't. I tried to get the gag off my mouth, so I could yell for help.
I rubbed my face against the spare tire and got loose.
Then I yelled, kicked my feet against the trunk.
I just about gave up when you found me.
I'm sure I was through.
It's getting hard to breathe in there.
I can imagine.
No, you can't. Until you've been locked in the trunk.
Nobody can imagine that.
Terrible. Just terrible.
Say, have you called me? That's my wife. Have you called her?
No, sir, we haven't.
Oh, she'll be a hot, hot man. What time is it?
It's 1145.
Four hours to get a pound of coffee. She'll be raising her roof.
Would you call her? Tell her where I am?
Yes, sir, I'll call her.
Want to give me the number?
Madison 3-4656.
Tell her you're calling for Henry. Explain what happened.
All right, I'll be right away.
Auditor, be sure to tell her you're a policeman. She'll believe you.
Yes, sir.
I have a couple questions, sir. I have to solve this card.
I hate to ask. Could I have another couple of ones?
I'll get it.
What do you want to know?
Your full name?
Henry J. Hilde.
H-I-L-L-D-A-L-E?
Uh-huh.
All right, see you in a while.
Thank you.
I don't know why I'm so thirsty.
I got in the trunk, I guess. Got in the trunk.
Yes. What's your address, Mr. Hilde?
920 North Lebanon Avenue.
Phone number is Madison 3-4656.
4-6-5-6.
How old?
48.
It's 49, it's October.
All right, Mr. Hilde. You have a way to get home. We'll run him home, Doc.
What about my car? Can't I take it?
Well, we're going to have to pocket the fingerprints so we can release it to you in the morning.
You called me?
Yes, sir. I just talked to her.
Where's she store?
Well, she was a little upset, worried about you.
But she told her about what happened.
Yes, sir. Everything's all right now.
That's good.
Mr. Hilde, you can leave now. I suggest you see your own doctor in the morning just to check up.
Oh, all right. Well, thanks a lot for your trouble. Sure appreciate it.
That's okay.
You know, just this way, all the way down here.
Oh, yes.
I'll get the baton for her.
Thanks, sorry, Joe.
One big trouble.
What's that?
We're hearing it too often.
12.18 p.m. We left Jersey City City Hospital and drove Mr. Hildale back to his home.
On the way we asked him for a description, but he was only able to give us the very major one.
We did hear enough information from him for our crime report.
He told us he'd come in the next day to look through the mug books.
We checked into the city hall, got a D.I. number, and filled out the crime report.
We booked the adhesive tape as evidence.
The information on the robbery suspected school that night had come into the office.
There had been three of them, and among them was a service station Mr. Hildale had told us about.
At 1.46 a.m., Frank and I signed out of the office and went home to get some sleep.
7.58 a.m. We talked with Captain Didion.
Here's the description we got from the service station, Lieutenant.
Yes, sir.
Hey, guys.
Want to hand me that milk?
Yeah, there you are.
Stomachs clear, didn't you, King?
This is a potential kidnapping, the 23rd robbery.
One of you two is going to get off the dime and bring those guys in.
Oh, do it again, Skipper, you know that.
And it's not enough. I know you guys have been beating your heads against the wall on this thing,
but the corner pocket's on my back and we've got to break it.
We've contacted all our informants.
We've run out of every lead that's turned up. They all go to the same place.
I'm going to achieve every excuse I can.
I'm not going to try to sell them anymore. I don't think you'd buy them.
You know what? The guys who are pulling these jobs, they're flesh and blood. They eat and sleep.
Somebody in town knows them. They're not fainted, but it's fine.
These guys aren't the brainiest ones in the world.
If they were, they wouldn't be getting the cars the way they do.
Oh, yeah, that's figured.
How about the cars, my name's Hing?
They said the car was dried up to work on it. I couldn't tell if they were old, so they thought that.
I've been going over their crime reports. I've nearly got an idea.
What?
The way it looks, they picked up the cars in one area, pulled the jobs in the same area.
It could be that they live in that area.
They've been working inside a 30 square block, straight down a hill, 7th to Peacock.
I've got a description on them. Talk to the desk clerks at every hotel and boarding house in the area.
Where are they, did you?
Yeah, he's here.
See you, Jim.
This side.
What do you have here?
Hmm?
You bet. That's the way it goes sometimes.
Yeah, well, thanks a lot.
Bergman?
Yeah, he just finished the car. It's cool, not a thing on it.
930 AM. Mr. Hildale got to the city hall and I took him into the mud room to look at the books.
Fogged out in Texas suits and the police spinning around.
We gave him the description of the suspect's NLMO and the fact that one of them spoke to the seven accents.
We asked him to write off 500 flyers for distribution in the area that we were going to canvas. 1215 PM.
Sorry, Sergeant, didn't recognize any of them.
Oh, that's all right. I understand.
I don't think his picture was there. I'd feel awful if I saw it and didn't recognize it, but I'm pretty sure you just don't have a picture of the man.
Well, maybe you'd like to rest a little bit before you look at any more.
Yes, I can. I get a little confused looking at so many. After a while they all begin to look alike.
Joe, yeah?
See you later.
Sure, sir. Excuse me, Mr. Hildale.
Of course.
Joe, what?
Yeah?
It's got a call from Sally Sutton.
San Francisco?
Yeah.
I think they got our boy.
You are listening to Dragnet, the authentic story of your police force in action.
Folks would tell me that in talking to Inspector Sutton of the San Francisco Police Department he found out that they had one of the suspects.
Sutton said he was apprehended after he kidnapped the one who stopped for a boulevard stop.
The suspect would tape the man up and throw him in the trunk of the automobile.
Sutton would argue that a witness along the street had called the police and tells them a description of the car and the license number.
The kidnapper was apprehended immediately. He refused to talk and further investigation disclosed that the suspect was a PZ from Los Angeles.
Inspector Sutton told us that he sent a stand-up mug to the suspect by email special delivery.
The following morning when he received the mug, he showed them to the victims of the robberies in the Los Angeles area.
Several of them positively identified the man. Others stated that he resembled the suspect and some of the victims were unable to give any identification of the suspect at all.
In view of the circumstances, Falcon, I were ordered to take two of the most reliable witnesses up to San Francisco in order to observe the suspect in person.
We found the out of town book, checked out a trip car, picked up our witnesses and left for the Bay Area.
Seven fifteen p.m. we checked into the San Francisco Police Station on Training Street. A special show up with the remains of a victim from Los Angeles.
They failed to give a positive identification of the suspect but both of them said that he could be one of the men involved in the robbery.
Eight twenty p.m. we talked to the suspect, a Jack Webster, in Inspector Sutton's office.
What are you guys trying to prove?
We're not trying to prove anything. Let's do what we want to fast.
Well that's what I'm giving you. Seems like when you get them you don't want to lose them.
Look, we got two people outside that came all the way up here from L.A.
Both of them say you're the guy who stole their cars and beat them up.
Well they're both crazy.
According to the reports, you pulled a kidnapping just like the ones we pulled out south. How about that?
So it looks the same. That mean I did it?
Looks like it.
We ran your names to R&I down in Los Angeles. There's a cab on your car for PZs. You know that?
What?
Galloway in Los Angeles wants you for parole violation.
Oh, well I think I can explain that.
I don't think he can. Webster Galloway says he hasn't heard from you for the past six weeks.
That's how long these robberies have been going on. You look awful good for him.
So I maybe skipped town. I was going to report up here. I got a job. Now I'm trying to go straight.
How about the job they got you for now?
I needed a little extra dough. You know, some came up.
I read about those jobs in L.A. I figured it might work for me.
I thought maybe you'd figure it was the same guy.
Yeah, we do.
Now you got it all wrong.
Sure you got me nailed for this one, but that's all. I had nothing to do with him in L.A.
I witnessed a few other things.
I tell you, witnesses, they're full of cheese. I didn't have anything to do with him.
Now I'm sorry, but you got me tagged for a job up here. Nothing else.
How'd you figure that?
Well, how long you say those jokes has been working in L.A. about six weeks?
When you got nothing on me.
Sure, I have less time for a month and a half and I can prove it.
Jack Webster told us that he's been registered at a hotel on Gary Street for the past month and a half.
Further, he said that he's been working in a foundry in South Wofford, just go through the same period of time.
We checked both of the places out and found that he was telling the truth.
He was filed on in San Francisco for grand theft auto and kidnapping.
Sunday, February 22nd, we arrived back in Los Angeles, took our witnesses to their homes and checked into the office.
We called Captain Gideon and found that there had been no new developments in the case.
Frank and I went home to get some sweets. Monday morning, 7.45 a.m., we signed into the office.
We picked up supplies and started to camp at the area where we thought the holdup men were living.
During the first day, we were able to check out 28 places.
Tuesday, the 24th, it started to rain again.
At 8.30 a.m., we started to camp at the rest of the hotel's rooming houses and boarding houses in the area.
For three days, we talked of the day and the night curtain each place.
We left each of them a flyer with the description of the men and our time,
asking them to call if anyone else in the description should register at their particular place.
For three days, it started on Saturday, February 28th.
You think the love has stopped, Joe?
Yes, it is left.
Yeah.
It's like the guys we want to drop off the face of the earth, nobody's seen or heard of them.
I never realized there were so many hotels in LA.
Well, there's a lot of them.
Well, let's try this one.
All right.
Here's something to walk.
We're going to call the police officers, sir, with our ID.
What, sir?
Police officers.
Oh, oh, police.
That's right, sir.
Yeah. Well, what do you want?
We'd like to know if you got anyone here who answers these descriptions.
Like this, huh?
Yes, sir.
Well, it's kind of hard to say. If you had a picture of them, it might help.
I'm sorry, sir, we don't have a picture, just that description.
It could be the fellows with four A's and still think we'll be searching, huh?
Yeah, I bet it's them. I knew we should have called you fellows about.
Sir?
See, the day before yesterday, Amy, she's the girl, you know, teams up with taking care of the rooms.
She said that she opened the closet, she saw a gun laying on the shelf.
You know what? They're right out in the open.
Did you report that to the police?
Huh? What'd you say?
Did you report it to the police?
Oh, no. No, no, I didn't.
You see, I figured that, you know, living, not living, didn't cause any trouble about the cause.
And Amy talked about whether we should let you know, but then we decided against it.
I said, I don't see no issues.
Why didn't you tell us when you saw them last, sir?
Oh, well, a couple of hours ago.
They registered here?
Yeah, and they started that with us. They're up in room four A. Ain't there now, though?
Well, I'll be darned if he ain't there. Well, I guess not, I'm sad.
Huh, I must have given them the key and didn't remember.
That's room four A, she said.
What'd you say?
I said that's room four A.
Four A? Yeah, that's right, four A, four four. They're up there now.
Thank you, sir.
Hey, uh, what do you want it for? The dangerous criminals?
Well, we don't know, sir.
Well, be careful, you know, we wouldn't want anything to happen.
Yes, sir.
Here, I'll get the button.
What'd he say to you, Joe?
I don't know.
We'll go through our boys.
Yeah, listen to me.
Down this way.
Room two, room four, room six. Here it is.
You want to cover me?
Yeah.
Where is it? Room first.
Why, what?
Mike's after you.
Ah, I guess I'm in.
I told you, anyway, you ain't going to move.
Watch out, watch out!
All right, sir, on your feet.
Come on.
How about the other one?
He's out.
Here, I'll take him down for you.
Stupid, you point stupid. I told him, told him a hundred times.
Stand still. You told him what?
That we should have left. Get out of this lousy town, going back home.
Yeah, all right, let's go.
Back in a can this time, we'll never get out of him and his big ideas.
Smart guy, old ad to big brains.
It's right, Joe.
Yeah, well, maybe you'll make it this time.
You'll have a lot of time to convince him.
The story you have just heard was true.
The names were changed to protect the innocent.
On the 17th, 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.
Andrew J. Scott and Edward F. Winters were tried and convicted on 12 counts of robbery in the first degree
and 10 counts of kidnapping for the purposes of robbery.
They are now serving their terms in the state penitentiary.
A hold has been placed on them in the event of parole by the State of Arkansas.
First degree robbery is punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for from five years to life for each count.
In the case of Scott and Winters, these sentences are to run consecutively.