Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true.
The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Dragnet.
You're a detective sergeant.
You're assigned to bunko fugitive detail.
An organized gang of pickpockets is working in your city.
None of the victims can give a description of the suspects.
There's no lead to their identity.
Your job, get them.
It was Tuesday, May 10th.
We were working the day watch out of bunko fugitive division, pickpocket detail.
My partner's Frank Smith.
The boss is Captain Gideon.
My name's Friday.
I was on my way back from communications and it was 1114 a.m. when I got to room 38.
I had to go.
Joe?
Yeah?
Anything come in from St. Louis?
Yeah, they checked the car and he's playing back there.
No trace of Beck.
Tup was wrong, then, huh?
Yeah, it looks like it.
Where to now?
Well, about all we can do is sit and wait for a reply on the radiogram.
He's got to be someplace and he isn't going to stop working.
We'll be worried on him somewhere.
I'll be glad when we turn the key.
Excuse me.
Yes, sir?
I wonder if you could help me.
Well, we'll try, sir.
Do you want to come on in?
What's it all about?
I've been robbed.
Sir?
Nate took my money.
He's a cop.
Sir?
Nate took my money, all of it, every bit.
I don't know how, but they took it all.
I don't know what to do.
Well, do you want to sit down?
Yes, please.
I don't know how they did it.
I tried to be so careful, but they took it all.
Thirty-seven years going without, and now I got nothing.
Well, this is my partner, Frank Smith.
My name's Friday.
Maybe if you tell us what happened here, we could help you.
Yes, maybe.
I'm Lewis Bonning.
Yeah, sir?
I live at 1820 Woodworth Court, Los Angeles, 12.
I have a room there.
I see.
Fourteen dollars a week in privileges.
If you tell us what happened, Mr. Bonning, we might be able to do something for you.
I'm trying to tell you.
I'm trying to think of what happened.
I don't believe it yet.
Oh, now you said you were robbed.
Is that right?
Yes.
Five thousand two hundred dollars.
All gone.
Well, were you held up?
No, nothing like that.
If it was that way, I'd know.
But just all of a sudden, I put my hand in my pocket to peel the money, and it wasn't
there.
I had a pocket full of empty.
Now, sir, do you usually carry that much money around with you?
No, mister, I got it from the bank this morning.
I'm going away.
I was leaving Los Angeles.
That's why I had the money, so I could leave.
All right, sir, suppose you start right at the beginning and tell us the whole story,
will you?
Well, my wife passed on four weeks ago, Monday, April 4th.
That's when it happened, April 4th.
We came to this country when we were both young.
She died four weeks ago.
Yes, sir, if you'd go on about the theft, please.
Well, I thought I'd maybe go back to Chicago to live with one of my daughters.
She asked me to come, and I thought I would, so I drew out the money.
You took the money out of the bank?
Yes, this morning.
Five thousand two hundred dollars.
It's what we'd saved.
I couldn't leave it here in the bank if I was going to be in Chicago.
Well, you could have had the money transferred, you know.
Well, I guess that's what I should have done, but it's too late now.
Did you have the money when you left the bank?
Yes.
I rolled the bills up and put them here in my pocket.
Here, this one on the left side.
I kept my hand on the money so I knew it was there.
Now, what did you do after you left the bank?
Well, I was going home.
I thought I'd walk home.
I went down the street, and then I thought I'd stop for some coffee.
I was all packed at my room, so I didn't want to make a mess.
I thought I'd have a cup of coffee out.
I went into Big Market.
They have a coffee counter there, and I went in and sat down.
All the time I kept my hand on the money.
I could feel it through the pants.
It was in my pocket.
Yes, sir.
I had the coffee, and then I went to go out of the market.
As I walked through, all the people, a box fell off a stack of boxes.
It almost hit me.
I didn't think anything about it.
Nobody was hurt.
All the people in the market came over to me and asked, was I all right?
But I said, yes, I was all right.
Then I went out of the market.
I got on the street.
When I remembered about the money, it was gone.
Now, it had been taken from you in the market, is that right?
Yes, mister.
It was in the market, I think.
Well, let's get this straight.
While you were in there, did anyone bump into you?
I don't understand.
I mean, anyone jostle you, bump into you without reason.
No.
No, I don't remember.
Did anybody follow you from the bank to the market that you noticed?
It was hard to tell, mister.
There are a lot of people on the street.
Would be hard to tell if there was anyone.
Yes, sir, I understand.
But was there any one person you recall having seen this morning, one face that you might
remember maybe?
No, mister.
I tried to think about it, but there's no one.
I see.
Do you think you'll get it back for me?
Sir?
I don't know.
I don't have the money.
It makes a big difference.
How's that?
Before, when I had the money, I could go and live with my daughter.
With the money, I could be independent, be a different feeling.
You understand, don't you?
Yes, sir, I do.
That's why it's so important you get the money back so I can go live with my daughter,
so I can do that.
That's the only reason I trouble you.
The only reason I have to ask you to find the man.
That's the only reason I got it.
Well, it's a little different with us, sir.
Huh?
We've got another one.
For the past several weeks, we've been getting reports of the existence of an organized gang
of pickpockets working in Los Angeles.
Contrary to most opinion, a pickpocket seldom works alone.
Like everything else, it's gotten to be a highly specialized operation.
Normally, there are several men to each team.
The jug mob, who usually spends his time in banks looking for the victim.
The shover, who pushes or bumps the victim so his money can be taken.
And the wire, who does the actual pocket picking.
During certain types of operation, the jug mob is replaced by the short, who works street
cars and spots people who have large amounts of money.
Under normal circumstances, a professional group of pickpockets can take approximately
$5,000 a day out of a tip or a crowd.
1147 a.m.
We had the victim, Louis Bonning, look through the pictures of known pickpockets for a possible
identification of the man who'd taken his money.
He was unable to find anybody who looked familiar.
We told him to go home, and we said that we'd be in touch with him.
It's 2.35 p.m. Frank and I checked back into the office.
They're rufflin', huh?
Yeah, they all come out that color, don't they?
I sure hope we can do some good for them.
Yeah, nice old guy.
You want to get in touch with Slim Ramos?
Let's go down and talk to him.
He might be able to come up with something.
Yeah, I'll get his number.
I gotta get a new book.
This one's getting almost impossible to use.
Look at this.
The number's all crossed out, you know, when they change the prefix.
Yeah.
They made a mess out of my book.
Here it is.
X book.
Or...
Slim Ramos there?
Hey, Slim, this is Frank Smith.
Yeah.
Good.
Yeah, say, Slim.
Now, wait a minute.
Now, the reason I called you, Joe and I'd like to come down and talk to you if it's okay.
You gonna be there this afternoon?
Uh-huh.
No, nothing wrong.
Just a couple of things we want to check over with you.
Yeah.
Okay.
See you around 2.30, huh?
Is that all right?
Yeah.
Okay.
No, I know where it is.
Right.
See you then.
He's gonna be in all afternoon.
Said he'd be glad to see us.
Good.
Maybe he's got something we can use on this thing.
Well, he'll lay it out for us if he has.
Well, it's the one good thing about starting with nothing, isn't it?
Yeah.
We can only go one way.
12.06 p.m.
Frank and I checked out of the office and we started for Santa Monica.
Slim Ramos had been one of the best pickpockets in the business.
He'd been arrested and served a term in San Quentin.
After he'd been paroled, he'd opened a small stand on one of the amusement piers near the
beach.
From his past record, Ramos had been cooperative with the police department and several arrests
were attributed to his information.
Ramos was operating a wheel of fortune booth at the end of the pier.
Frank and I parked the car and walked out.
Quite a place, huh?
Yeah.
I gotta bring the kids down here some Sunday.
They get a real kick out of it.
Yeah.
That's Slim's booth there, isn't it?
Yeah.
I don't see him.
He said he'd be here.
He might be around back.
Yeah.
I'd sure like to win one of those hams.
Yeah.
Big ones, aren't they?
Uh-huh.
Slim?
You around?
Yeah.
Hold on.
Be right out.
All right, Joe, Frank.
Hi.
How are you?
I was in the back, packaging some groceries.
Uh-huh.
What can I do for you?
I'd like to talk to you about a cannon operation.
Yeah, I should have known.
Come on back here.
We can sit down.
All right.
Hey, watch your heads on the counter.
Yeah.
Got a couple of chairs back here.
Come on.
I can finish up the sack.
All right.
Go ahead.
Oh, what's it about?
Have you got any rumbles about a bunch working the downtown area?
What kind of operation?
Jug mob.
It's like I heard something about a bunch coming in from the East.
KC, I think.
Seems I heard they worked a couple of still dates with a county back there.
Boss didn't know they were working.
When he found out, he had them kicked off the lot.
You got any names, Boss?
No, not right off.
Got to check around.
Might be able to come up with them.
What's the bet?
Yeah, they've been scoring good work in the downtown area.
Took an elderly man for his life savings this morning.
Uh-huh.
Figures?
Huh?
They always pick on the elderly ones.
Bump into a young guy might give you trouble.
Pick the old ones, they don't seem to notice it.
Yeah.
How you been doing, Slim?
Oh, good.
Got it real good.
I ain't killing the world, but my rent's paid.
I know there ain't going to be a fuzz on my tail tonight.
I got it real good.
How long you been here now?
I guess it's been about a year.
Thought if I could get permission, I might go out with a carny this year.
You know, with the front end?
Uh-huh.
Got a letter from a friend that's got a grind store, one of the big ones.
Says he might be able to get me in.
A grind store?
Yeah, you know, everybody plays, everybody wins.
Pay a dime to win a piece of slum worth maybe a couple of cents.
Well, this carny I might go with's got no grift in the front end, all percentage games.
The way I figured, if you go out with a good one, the weather holds, you're going to do all right.
You figure you can come out better than you do here?
Oh, sure.
You see, we get a real good play over the weekends.
Regular days is kind of slow.
Go out with a big carny, you can draw crowds any time if the weather's good.
Bound to come out better.
You'll check into those names for us, will you, Slim?
Yeah, I'll make a couple of calls.
Can you make them now?
No, I have to get in touch with the guys tonight.
I'll get back to you first thing in the morning.
All right, fine.
Same number, Michigan 5211?
That's right, Bunko Fugitive.
Yeah, all right, I'll give you a call.
Buy you guys a cup of coffee?
No, thanks, Slim, we're just going to eat.
You want to come along?
We'll buy you one.
Okay, now hold on while I check with Harry.
Have him keep an eye on things.
All right.
You go ahead.
Okay.
Now watch the counter.
I came up too fast the other day, like took all the skin off my back.
Yeah.
Hold on a minute, I'll be right back.
All right.
Nice looking place, huh?
Yeah.
He's painted it since we were down here last time.
Yeah.
Well, let's go.
You painted up the place, huh, Slim?
Yeah, thought I might turn a bigger tip and place look good.
You know, people like a clean looking place.
How are the rest of the booths doing down here, Slim?
Doing pretty good, I told you.
Great, other times a little slow.
Any griff down here?
No, at least if there is, I haven't heard of it.
Guy in the Santa Monica Police Department, Lieutenant Cunningham, he keeps the place real clean.
Yeah, that's right.
Last thing I heard about was a guy was working with a camelback wheel.
A what?
Camelback.
Like mine, only this was gaffed.
How?
Smoothest pitch around.
The arrow is connected to a spindle.
It goes through a stand.
Looks like it'd be no way to gee it.
Plain pipe, looks clean.
What's the gimmick?
Well, the frame rests on four pins.
Pins are supposed to be what anchors it to the counter.
Uh-huh.
Now, three of the pins go into one piece of the counter.
They really do hold the wheel in place.
The other one goes through a separate piece of wood on the booth side of the counter.
There's a space between the board on the booth side and the one the three legs go through.
Yeah.
Now, the pin in the fourth leg is loose.
It's connected with a bunch of levers inside the pipe, acts as a brake on the wheel.
All the operator has to do is lean against the board and he's got complete control of the wheel all the time.
That's a real nice deal, isn't it?
Yeah.
The way they figure it, it's perfect.
In case they get a cowboy in the crowd, the mark can pick the wheel right up out of the counter.
Shows that there's no wires running to it.
The wheel's gaffed.
There's no way to prove it.
Set it up with a couple of sticks in front.
Let them win a couple of times.
You got it made.
That's the way they figure it.
Doesn't work out, though.
Well.
Like on my wheel.
I got 120 numbers on it.
Figure I get good action, I'm going to have maybe half of them covered.
Right off, the odds are on my side.
Uh-huh.
Out of the rest, there's only one winner.
Half of them covered means a gross of about six bucks.
I give away five dollars worth of groceries.
Even with a winner, I come out every time.
Percentage is proven.
Look at it that way, you don't need a gaffed wheel.
That's too bad, Mormon, don't figure it like that.
Yeah, I suppose.
Took me a long time to find it out.
Yeah, but you came up with the answers.
I hope I can do the same for you on the cannon operation.
So do we.
It's funny.
I get to think of when I was working as a wire.
How we figured that anytime we could lift a poke from the mark was a big laugh.
A lot of difference now.
Yeah.
Now I sleep nights.
Two fifteen p.m.
We continued to talk to our informant, Slim Ramis.
He said that he didn't know the name of the carnival the possible suspects had been fired from.
He said that he'd call some of his contacts and try to get the information for us.
We set up a time for him to get in touch with us and then Frank and I drove back to the office.
We contacted Captain Didion and made arrangements for additional men to be assigned to help us.
Sergeant John DeBetta and Danny Gilmore were asked to aid us in the search of the market where the victim had been robbed.
We spent the next three hours in the market looking at the crowd in the hopes that we'd see a known pickpocket or even see a wire in operation.
But the surveillance netted us nothing.
We made arrangements for the victim's bank to be watched the following morning.
Six fifteen p.m.
Frank and I got back to the squad room.
Well, you sure does a good business, doesn't it?
Right.
The market, Joe. A lot of people going there.
Yeah.
What's the matter with you?
Well, I was just thinking. I guess it comes down to the point where the only way to hang on to your money is to carry it in your hand and keep your fist closed.
It's very close.
I was talking with Lieutenant Jack Swan. He was telling me a guy came in here from Nebraska, came in by bus.
Yeah.
He was sitting in the station waiting for a coach to take him up north. Had all his money in his shoe.
In his shoe?
Yeah. Had it in his left shoe. Had the money all flat so we could walk on it. Figured it'd be safe there.
But wasn't it?
No. Dosed off for a minute. Next thing you know, the shoe's off, the money's gone.
How would anybody know where it was?
I don't know. The guy that took it found it, though. Guy dozed off for a minute, loses his shoe and all his money.
Anything turn up on it?
No.
I get it.
Bunker fugitive Friday.
Yeah. Yeah, Slim.
Mm-hmm.
What was that name again?
Yeah.
Mm-hmm. What'd you say about it?
Yeah, well, wait a minute.
Friday?
Yeah.
Here you go.
Let me have a pencil. Pencil, too.
Yeah.
Okay. Thank you. All right, Slim, go ahead.
What was that with a K?
Mm-hmm.
What?
O-L-C? C as in Charlie. O-T-T.
Right. You know where they're staying.
Mm-hmm.
All right. Well, give us a call if anything more turns up, huh?
Right.
Okay, Slim. Thanks a lot.
Right. Bye.
How do you do?
Well, pretty good. Three names of the guys who worked the Kearney and KC.
Yeah?
Slim talked to a friend, got the information that the guys who work in the downtown area have been scoring real good.
Say where we could find them?
No. He's gonna try to get the address for us.
Well, we took a big jump just knowing who they are.
The deal now is to make it work.
What do you mean?
Well, Slim says his bunch is pretty hinky. They're playing it real careful.
Yeah.
Words out they got two more big scores to make and then they're gonna leave town.
You are listening to Dragnet, the authentic story of your police force in action.
The three names our informant had given us were Howard Kremer, Victor Lydon, and Edward Olken.
We had the names checked through our record bureau, but we found that none of the three men had been arrested in Los Angeles.
We got a radiogram off to the police department in Kansas City, the last place the trio was known to have worked.
We asked that all information on the thieves be forwarded to us.
We also sent a teletype to George Bratton up in Sacramento, C.I.I., asking him to check the names for us.
The following morning, Wednesday, May 11th, we got word from Kansas City that the officials there were forwarding mugshots and descriptions of the three men.
During the day, Frank and I met with Captain Didion and a surveillance of the downtown area banks was set up.
On Friday morning, when Frank and I checked into work, a special delivery letter was waiting for us.
In it, we found the records and pictures of Kremer, Lydon, and Olken.
The pictures were handed over to the photo lab and they started to reproduce them.
The descriptions were sent to the print shop and ammo sheets were made up.
As soon as possible, the pictures and the bulletins were distributed to all bank guards in the area.
Additional officers from Bunko Fugitive were placed in the vicinity.
Frank and I maintained a ruling stakeout in the downtown area.
At 9 p.m. Friday night, the banks closed and we'd gotten no report that the thieves had worked.
Local broadcasts were gotten out on the men, but there were no reply.
Monday, May 16th, the plan was put into effect again, no results.
Tuesday, the game didn't work.
It began to look as if they might have closed up operations in Los Angeles and moved on.
Wednesday, May 18th, Frank and I came back from lunch.
I'll get it.
Bunko Fugitive, Friday.
Yes, sir.
That's right.
Where?
Right. No, don't do anything to let them know.
Right.
Let's go.
Something good?
A bank guard just spotted him.
The call had come from a bank at the corner of 7th and Jackson Streets.
The guard told us that he'd seen one of the suspects enter the bank and under the pretense of filling out deposit slips,
observed the withdrawals that the customers were making.
It took us a little under three minutes to get to the address.
We checked with the guard and he pointed out the suspect.
Frank pretended to make out a deposit slip while I waited at the new account desk.
When we entered the bank, the suspect was standing at the teller's window.
In front of him was an elderly man.
As the line moved up, the suspect began to examine the slip that he'd made out.
Then as the elderly man took his turn at the window, the suspect walked away and stopped by the door.
He waited for the man to finish his business at the teller's counter.
Then as he passed through the door, the suspect fell and stepped behind him.
Frank and I followed him down the street.
As he walked through the crowds, he was joined by Edward Alcott, the shover in the operation.
The elderly man entered a small tobacco store and as he went through the door,
the wire, Howard Kremer, joined the other two suspects.
As the elderly man stood at the counter waiting to be served,
the shover walked over to the magazine rack.
He stood looking at the magazines for a moment and then as he turned away,
he seemingly tripped and fell against the proposed victim.
Though Frank and I knew it was coming, we were watching for it and yet we missed the actual theft.
The wire moved in and removed the victim's money so fast that we couldn't see it.
The shover took the wallet from the wire and the gang was ready to move on.
Frank and I stepped into them.
All right, Mr. Police officers, you're under arrest.
Stop dreaming, you know the route. Now come on.
Beat it!
All right, mister, come on, on your feet. Get up.
There's no way to be cop. Leave me alone.
You're going to regret this. Shoving a citizen around, no reason for this.
How about the other two?
They're out.
All right, let's get them downtown.
How about the victim?
No, he left when the beat started. Better try to catch him.
You're going to be sorry for this. You wait, you're going to be real sorry shoving an honest citizen around.
Yeah, that's the trouble with you, punk.
What do you mean?
You're wrong on both counts.
The three suspects were taken into custody and brought downtown.
The victim's wallet was found on the person of Edward Alcott.
It was identified by the owner and booked as evidence.
3.15 p.m. We took the wire Howard Kremmer to the interrogation room.
Sit down, Kremmer.
Yeah.
All right, you want to give us a statement?
For what?
Come off it. You know what we're talking about.
You've got to have me cross with somebody else. I'm trying to level with you.
I don't know what you're talking about.
You want us to lay it out for you?
I don't care much either way.
You guys slam into a store where I'm trying to buy a pack of cigarettes and all of a sudden I got handcuffs on.
You tell me I'm hooked for being a pickpocket.
That's the way you want to tell it, huh?
There ain't any other words.
Your two friends tell it different.
What two friends?
Two fellows we picked up with you.
This is a big town. A lot of people.
You walk into a store, you don't ask who's standing next to you.
They put the whole deal on you.
Who?
Lyden and Alcott.
Never heard of them.
How long do you figure you're going to keep this up, mister?
As long as it takes to get you on my side.
They don't build days that long.
That's your loss.
I'm a nice fellow if you take the time to get to know me.
All right, Kremmer, this is way off the road.
Now maybe you got all day, we haven't.
You can either give it to us here and now, or we can drop you into a cell and let you wait it out.
You put me in a tank and I'll be out in half an hour.
How many times have you been arrested?
Who says there was a first?
How many times?
You got the books? Look it up.
We ask you a question.
So I'm not a genius. I got trouble with addition.
Take everything out of your pockets.
What? Come on.
Or why?
Now look, you're running out of funny time here, Kremmer.
Then you better ring the bell, because I'll need more of it.
You got a job?
Yeah, I'm a president of a bank.
You're going way out on this, Kremmer.
I like the scenery.
You work?
Yeah. Where?
Round, no special place.
What do you do?
I'm a salesman.
What do you sell?
Whatever people can afford.
All right, now come on. Put your things on the table right now.
You going to sign a receipt?
They aren't going to be taken from me. You want to see what you're carrying.
Okay.
You boys deserve a break, but I'll tell you now, the numbers on my phone book are mine.
Don't go near them.
Come on, get it up.
Here's my wallet.
Anchor chip, comb, nail clippers, some change.
A couple of ticket studs from a movie.
A lousy picture.
Cigarette slider, that's it.
You got any money in that wallet?
Yeah.
How much?
I don't know.
How much do you need?
How much I'm carrying?
You can't even come close to how much you got.
No.
Take it out and count it.
Okay.
One, two, three.
All right.
Comes off to $3,700.
You must do real good at that salesman job.
Company pays big commissions.
I put the money in your pocket.
Why don't you put it in yours?
What did you say?
Look, cop, I've been around.
I've been with most of the cardies in the country one time or another.
I know the score.
There ain't a place in the world that the fix can't be put in.
Now why don't you just take the money?
You drop it in your pocket.
I'm going to put it in your pocket.
Now forget I was ever in here.
Won't be nobody hurt.
The old guys may be out a couple hundred bucks, but so what?
He won't miss it.
Why not put the fix in?
We'll both come out all right.
Now the fix just curdled, Kremmer.
What?
You said we had the record.
Will you call it?
We got all the word about you.
Way down the line, you talk about how you worked with carnies.
How long?
Huh?
What's the longest time you ever stayed with one outfit?
I like to move.
Yeah, sure you do.
That's the way the people who run the show want it.
Decent carnie doesn't want a guy like you to be in the show.
You know, I'm not going to be in the show.
I'm going to be in the show.
That's the way the people who run the show want it.
Decent carnie doesn't want a guy like you around.
You or anybody like you.
You've been on the road taking money away from people who can't afford it for a long time.
Now we nail you and you come in here acting like a big man.
You do the indignant bit and then when that doesn't work, you try to buy your way out.
You've had it, mister.
We know it and your two buddies know it.
When are you going to take a good look?
You really figure you've got it made, huh?
We know we have.
The other two guys really cop out?
The whole thing.
All comes down to how you engineered it.
You buy what they say?
We buy it.
Uh-huh.
Then there isn't much more for me to say, is there?
Not a great deal?
No.
Okay, let's go.
How about a statement?
Why?
Make it easier on yourself.
Use it if I cop out.
You know what I mean.
Yeah, all right.
Bring the girl in.
I'll give you a statement.
Frank.
Yeah.
You mind if I have a smoke?
What was that?
I said, you mind if I have a smoke?
No, go ahead.
Wild one, isn't it?
What?
Had it all down so fast.
Good shover, better jug moth.
I'll sit in the front row with any wire in the business.
All that and it don't add up to a win.
That's like you said.
Huh?
You got trouble with the dish.
I'll get you a drink.
Howard Nathan Kremmer, Edward Francis Hallcott, and Victor Frederick Leighton were tried and
convicted on six counts of grand theft money and received sentence as prescribed by law.
Grand theft money is punishable by imprisonment in the state penitentiary for a period of not
less than one nor more than ten years.
Pregnet is a presentation of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service.
Thank you.