Ladies and gentlemen, the story you are about to hear is true.
The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
Dragmint.
You're a detective sergeant.
You're assigned a robbery detail.
A special officer has been shot during a routine patrol.
His assailants have escaped into the city.
There's no lead to their whereabouts.
Your job, find them.
It was Saturday, May 21st.
It was warm in Los Angeles.
We were working the night, watched out for robbery detail.
My partner is Frank Smith, the boss of Chief of Detective Stad Brown.
My name is Fidey.
We're on our way back from the scene and it was 10 56 p.m. when we got to Georgia Street
Receiving Hospital.
Treatment room.
Is that you, doctor?
No ma'am, police officers.
The doctor said we could ask you some questions.
About the robbery?
Yes ma'am.
That's my partner, Frank Smith.
My name's Fidey.
Hello, Miss Montgomery.
You heard anything about Keith?
Is he all right?
The doctor's still with him.
Is he going to be all right?
We better talk to the doctor about that, I think.
He tried to stop the man from robbing us.
Tried to throw him out of the store.
Yes ma'am.
Now can you tell us what happened?
Well, I guess if the doctor said I could.
Well, any time you don't feel like going on, just tell us, please.
All right.
What time did the man come into the store?
About nine thirty, right around in there.
Yeah.
Keith and me were sitting in the back room playing cribbage.
We usually play a couple of games before we close up.
Especially when the business is kind of slow.
These two men came in.
Keith went out to wait on them.
Did you go with him?
No.
Wasn't any reason to.
Just two customers.
No reason for me to go out.
It looked like they came in together.
You could see them from where you were, huh?
Oh yes.
We had the card table set up right in the doorway of the back room.
All right ma'am.
So I could go on?
Well, Keith went out and asked them what they wanted.
Yeah.
One of them said he wanted a bottle of vodka.
Keith asked him what kind and the man said it didn't make any difference.
Said he wanted a hundred proof though.
Uh huh.
Keith got the bottle off the shelf and came back.
Told the man how much the bottle was and that's when the other man pulled out the knife.
They say the second man drew the knife.
That's right.
Short fell.
Had this kind of knife with a spring blade where you push a button and the blade snaps
out, you know how?
Yes ma'am.
Did the men know you were in the back room?
They must have.
All they had to do was look through the door and they'd have seen me.
I wasn't trying to hide.
All right.
Feel like going on?
Yes.
The doctor gave me some kind of pill and makes me a little numb but I feel all right.
All right.
Please go ahead.
Now what happened after they pulled this knife?
Well the short one told Keith to give him the money.
Said it was a hold up.
Could you remember his exact words?
Oh I don't know.
Seems he said, all right old man this is a stick up.
Put all the money in the register in a paper bag and don't cause any trouble.
As near as I can remember that's what he said.
All right.
What happened then?
Well Keith told him to get out of the store.
Said the two of them were too young to get mixed up in that kind of foolishness.
Told him to get right out.
Little fella, the short one with the knife, grabbed Keith and told him they weren't playing
games but if he knew what was good for him he'd do like he was told.
Had the knife right at his chest.
Thought he was going to cut Keith.
That's when I came out of the back room when I thought they were going to hurt Keith.
All right.
Keith?
Yes.
I want to get this over and tell you what you need to know so you can catch the fella.
All right ma'am.
What happened when you came into the store?
I tried to get the men out of the place.
Told them that if they knew what was good for them they'd leave right then.
Uh huh.
Might as well have been talking to a wall.
They didn't pay any attention to me.
Yeah.
That's when I tried to get to the phone.
I wanted to call the police.
What was your husband doing at this time?
Standing there trying to keep from moving into the knife.
This short little fella had it pressed right against his chest.
Had the point right here.
Keith made any kind of a movie that had been stabbed.
When they saw me go to the phone the tall one grabbed me and hit me with his fist closed.
Hit me about as hard as he could.
As soon as he did that Keith seemed to go crazy.
Wrenched himself away from the one with the knife and jumped on the tall man and fought
him as hard as he could.
Terrible the way it happened.
The tall man hit Keith along the neck with the edge of his hand and knocked my husband
down.
Then the little fella jumped on him.
Held his knife right at his throat and told him to take the money and put it in a bag.
That he didn't want any more trouble or he'd kill us both.
All the time he had the knife right here at Keith's throat.
Your husband did what they said?
Yes, that's right.
He opened the register and gave them the money and put it in a paper bag.
I thought they'd leave after that but they didn't.
Only made a matter.
Why was that?
You know?
Wasn't enough money.
Only about thirty or thirty five dollars.
They said we had more in the back room and they wanted that too.
If Dad was to get it or they'd kill us.
Did you get it for them?
Yes.
I went back and took it out from where we hid it.
Handed it right over.
What did the doctor say about Keith?
He must have said something.
Frank, would you check with Dr. Sebastian and see what's going on in there?
Yeah, I will.
Would you go on please?
After they got the other money the two men left the store.
Put the cash in the paper bag and walked out.
Said to me to stay still for five minutes or they'd come back and kill Keith and me.
When did the special officer come into the store?
We didn't.
Ma'am?
He drove up when we were arguing with the men on the sidewalk and after they left the
store Keith got up and ran after them.
Tried to hold him.
Did the officer know what was going on?
No, not at first.
He thought it was just an argument.
When he walked up Keith tried to tell him that the store was being robbed but the tall robber
said it was just a personal fight.
Said it didn't concern anybody else but Keith and him.
Were you on the sidewalk at the time?
Yes, right beside Keith.
I see.
Robber said that Keith was just an old crackpot trying to cause trouble.
That the officer should forget about it.
Yeah.
I guess it didn't sound very good to him because he said it'd be better if Keith and the men
talked to a policeman.
That's when the tall hold up man grabbed the gun and shot.
At the officer?
Yes.
Grabbed the gun out of his holster and shot him in the stomach.
What happened then?
Smaller of the two stabbed Keith a couple of times and both of them ran down the street.
Did you see where they went?
Yes.
They got into a car that was parked about a half a block away.
Jumped into the car and left.
All right, Mrs. Montgomery, just a couple more questions now.
Did either of the two men use a name at any time?
What do you mean?
Well, when they were talking to each other did they use a name of any kind, do you remember?
Yes.
When they shot the officer, the big one, he did the shooting.
He said, come on, Hank, let's get out of here.
Like that he said it.
Now, is there anything outstanding about the two men that you can remember?
Anything that would make them easier for us to identify?
Oh, I can't think of anything right off.
Just that one was tall and the other one was short.
That's all I can think of.
About how tall, do you remember?
The big one?
Yes, ma'am.
Over six feet.
I'd say he was about six feet three, maybe even more.
Did he have any special marks or scars that you can recall?
No, no, nothing like that.
Now, how about the short one?
Anything that would make it easier for us to identify him?
Just his fingernails.
How do you mean?
They looked like he'd never cleaned them.
Real long and dirty, I remember that.
Was there anything else?
No.
Did either of them speak with any kind of an accent, would you remember?
No, sounded just like anybody else.
Nothing special about him.
I see.
Joe.
Yeah, Frank?
See you, madam.
Did you find out about Keith?
Did you talk to the doctor?
I'm going to be right in to see him, if I can remember.
Is Keith going to be all right?
Why don't you tell me what's happened?
Try to take it easy, ma'am.
The doctor will be right in.
All right, but time to hurry, please, please.
Yes, we'll do that.
Did you call county?
Yeah, they're operating on Holman.
How's he doing?
Well, as soon as they got the bullet out, he should make it.
And he's not serious.
What about Keith Montgomery?
He just died.
Knife wound.
The story we'd gotten from Irene Montgomery was pretty much the same as Special Officer
Kenneth Holman had given us.
Immediately after the robbery, a local in an APB had gone out on the suspect.
In canvassing the neighborhood, the investigating officers had found two eyewitnesses to the
shooting stabbing.
A man and a woman had been parked in an automobile directly across the street from the Montgomery
store.
They had been able to give us a description of the car that the suspects had driven away
from the scene along with the last three numbers on the license plate.
While Frank and I had been talking to Mrs. Montgomery, officers Benson and Herman from
robbery detail had been going through the Department of Motor Vehicle Records looking
for the owner's name.
Information on the method of operation used in the crime
was sent to the stats office and the run was started.
The moniker file at R&I was checked for a suspect
with the nickname Hank,
who matched the description of the smaller thief.
The two eyewitnesses were brought into the city hall
to go through the mug books for a possible identification.
While Frank went to the office
to check with Benson and Herman, I worked with the witnesses.
No.
Uh-uh.
No, not on this page.
How about here?
No, it doesn't seem here either.
All right.
Wait a minute. This fellow here, Hank.
This one?
Yeah, it's not the holdup man,
but he's got the same kind of ears.
Close to his head like, yeah, same kind of ears.
You're sure it's not the man, though?
Uh-uh. Just got ears like him.
All right, Mr. Steele, would you go on, please, here?
Uh-uh.
I remember those ears.
I used to go to school with a kid who had ears like that,
junior high school.
Yes, sir.
He was a mean kid. I'll never forget him. He was real mean.
I guess I thought of him for at least 15 years.
I'll never forget him, though.
Mean.
Yes, sir.
He waited for me after school once.
Had a big fight. I don't even know what it was about.
Big fight.
It really beat me up.
Yes, sir.
I'd sure like to meet him now. They had a different story.
Yes, sir.
Now, how about right here?
Do you see either of the suspects on these pages?
No. No picture in this book. You got another one?
Yeah, I got it.
All right.
Say, how many more got of these things, anyhow?
Quite a few. You can see them right here on the shelves.
You want me to go through all of them?
Well, we'd like to have you check the pictures, yes, sir.
It's going to take a while.
You and your wife are the only two people who can give us an identification.
Well, how about the woman who was held up? What's her name? Mrs. Holman?
No, Montgomery. Holman was the officer who was shot.
Yeah. Yeah, what about Mrs. Montgomery? Can't she tell you about the robbers?
She's out of the care of her doctor. Her husband died, you know.
More from being stabbed?
Yes, sir. That's right.
That's too bad.
We didn't know what it was all about, you know.
Yes, sir.
Again, Harry was just sitting there. All of a sudden there's this fight and a shot.
We didn't know what the craigs was.
Yes, sir.
I wonder if we can go on with the books here.
Oh, yeah.
Now, how about right here?
No. No, not here.
Say, he's mean. What'd he do?
Robbery.
Yeah. Yeah, you can tell. Look at the face. You can always tell.
Yes, sir.
No, I don't see him here.
Perry.
Sir?
Perry Nicholson. That's the guy's name.
One with the close ears or remember it now?
Haven't told him.
Fifteen years. Perry Nicholson.
Bully.
Yes, sir.
If you'd like to meet old Perry now, it'd be a different story.
If he wanted to fight now, a whole different story.
Yes, sir.
Joe.
Yeah?
The holdup car.
Yeah.
I just found it abandoned.
Two officers in the radio unit had found the car in a parking lot at the corner of Rosemount Avenue and Waterloo.
When the vehicle was discovered and the similarity to the description that had been broadcast was noticed,
the car was put under surveillance and our office had been notified.
Frank and I left the city hall and drove out to the parking lot immediately.
The car was placed under surveillance again and we checked it through DMV.
We found the car was owned by an Edwin Vargas, 1879 Moss Street out in Burbank.
We checked the name through R&I but we found that he had no criminal record in our file.
We drove out to see Vargas.
While Frank covered the rear of the place, I rang the bell of the house and waited.
Yeah?
Like to see Mr. Vargas?
Well, he's not in right now. Anything I can do?
You know where he is?
No. I imagine he got held up downtown. Probably working late.
Wonder where he is if I wait for him.
I'm not sure. You mind telling me who you are?
Sorry. Police officer. My name's Friday.
What'd the cops want Ed for?
Might be better if we talk to him.
You alone?
Anybody else in the house ma'am?
No.
Your husband on a 1953 dark blue Ford sedan?
Yes.
You're driving it tonight, is he?
Well, sure. He took it to work with him this morning.
All right. Might be better if I waited inside, huh?
All right. Come on in.
I don't know what this is all about but you can bet it's some kind of mistake.
Ed's never had no trouble with the cops. Never. None.
Where's that door lead over here?
Bedroom.
What, if I take a look?
Go ahead. You ain't gonna find anything.
Is that over there the bathroom?
Yeah.
All right. Just the one bedroom.
No need for any more. Me and Ed don't have any children.
Kitchen this way?
Yeah.
Say, if you're looking for something, maybe if you'll tell me what it is I can help you.
Just want to check the house, ma'am.
Is this all there is to the house?
I told you we don't need any more room.
I see.
Just unlocking your back door, ma'am. My partner's out there.
Hi, Frank.
See here?
No.
Who is this? Another cop?
This is my partner, Frank Smith, and his body.
Hello.
Seems to me you should be able to tell me what this is all about, Mr. Friday.
Can you give us a description of your husband?
Why?
It might help us to get him out of trouble, maybe.
He's in no trouble. You got something on your back and you're trying to dump it on Ed, and it isn't gonna work.
You want to give us a description?
What do you want to know?
How tall is your husband?
Six-three.
How old?
Thirty-two.
What color is his hair?
Kind of sandy.
Look, what is this? A third degree? What are you trying to prove with all these questions?
We just want to get at the truth, ma'am.
It's a kind of hard way to do it, if you ask me.
Well, I'm sorry for causing you any trouble.
You are.
Where does your husband work?
He's a salesman.
Who for, ma'am?
Insurance company downtown.
Does he usually work this late?
No, I told you that.
But you think he's at work tonight?
Yes.
Well, then you wouldn't mind if we called him, would you?
I'm not gonna have you causing him any embarrassment.
Don't worry about it, Miss Vargas.
Would you like to give us the number?
Yeah.
It's in the phone book. Look under emergency numbers.
You want me to call Frank?
Yeah, I'll do it.
Look, what do you think he's done?
Police business, ma'am.
I'm his wife. I got a right to know.
It'll be better if we talk to him, I think.
That's what you say.
Your husband ever been in trouble with the police before?
Not that I know of.
How long you lived here?
You mean in California?
That's right.
I was born here.
How about your husband?
He's been here a couple of years.
Where's he from?
New York State.
Where in New York State?
A little place right outside of Utica.
Ever been in trouble back there, would you know?
Well, if he was, he didn't say anything to me about it.
How long has he had the job?
Since the week after he came out.
He's a smart guy. He'd have no trouble getting work.
How about it?
I talked to the building superintendent.
Yeah.
He says Vargas left at 5.30 this afternoon.
The description of the owner of the car used in the holdup,
coupled with his absence, made him a prime suspect in the robbery.
We continued to talk to his wife.
She gave us some of the background on Vargas.
She told us that they'd only been married a little over a year,
and that they were still trying to pay off the debts
that her husband had incurred before they were married.
She went on to say that in the last few days,
he'd been depressed about their finances,
and on that morning, Vargas had said he'd figured a way out for them.
Frank called the office, and the broadcast was gotten out,
asking if the man be picked up and detained for questioning.
1.15 a.m.
We asked Mrs. Vargas about her husband's friends.
Isn't anyone Ed's real close to?
Well, is there one man he's with more than the others, would you know?
Maybe somebody he works with.
No.
Unless maybe it's Vic.
Ed don't have much to do with him, though.
He knows I don't care for him.
Don't like to hammer on.
Who's that man?
Vic Noble.
He works in the same office as Ed.
And what's he look like?
Oh, not much.
Little guy.
Kind of nondescript.
Never did figure out he could be a good salesman.
I'd never buy anything from him.
Honestly, it makes me nervous just to have him around.
Yes, please.
Oh, excuse me.
Yes, go right ahead.
I bet your husband, it might be better if you didn't tell him we were here.
All right.
Hello?
Yeah, honey, where you been?
What?
Well, do you know when?
Uh-huh.
Well, did you call the police?
Well, you should have called them right away.
Yeah, huh?
No, I'll drive right down and pick you up.
You wait right there.
Uh-huh.
Well, right away.
That's right.
Well, look, tell me where it is.
Oh, yeah, yeah, I know.
Turn left, yeah.
All right, I'll find it.
You wait right there, will you?
All right, goodbye.
Bye.
That was Ed.
Yeah.
You're going to have to find yourself another boy.
Ma'am.
Well, whatever this is, it has something to do with Ed's car, doesn't it?
That's right.
And then you're all wrong about Ed.
He couldn't have had anything to do with it.
What do you mean?
Ed's car was stolen tonight.
We got the address of the bar where Ed Vargas had called from.
Frank and I drove down and talked to him.
He told us that he'd left work and had stopped in the bar for a couple of drinks before he went home.
However, when he left the place, he found that his car was gone.
He returned to the bar and spent the next several hours trying to figure out what to do.
We talked to the bartender and he verified Vargas' statement that he'd been in the place all evening.
He was released from custody and allowed to return home.
Frank and I continue to talk to the bartender.
Got to get ready to close up pretty quick.
Just a couple more questions.
Will you mind if I clean up the back bar while we talk?
No, sir, go right ahead.
Thanks.
What do you want to know?
You told us that Vargas came in about a quarter of six, is that right?
As far as I can remember, yeah.
I could ever take a couple of minutes on either side.
But he was here before seven.
For sure.
You meet anybody here?
How far is this going to go?
What do you mean?
Is Watt going to find out if I tell you?
Not from us.
Well, Ed and the missus haven't been getting along so good lately.
You know, been beefing a lot.
Yeah.
Ed's a funny guy.
He don't like no trouble at home.
As soon as Sarah started giving him problems,
he found another girl, a kid that works in his office.
They usually drop in here for a couple of drinks before he goes home.
Yeah.
Nothing serious going on with them.
Just they like to sit and talk.
Ed's all the time telling her how this wife doesn't understand them.
Old line, but I think he means it.
He was in here with a girl tonight, was he?
Yeah.
Just like all week.
Every night they come in about a quarter to five,
sit in the back booth, have a couple of martinis, and then they leave.
I think maybe Ed drops her off on the way home.
She don't have a car.
Yeah.
Tonight they had more than just a couple of drinks.
I think maybe there was something wrong, you know, a little problem.
What about?
Look, people come in here to relax.
They all got something on their minds.
I make it a practice not to eavesdrop or interfere.
What was their problem, you know?
Sarah won't hear it?
No, we told you before.
Yeah.
One wanted to come around here causing her beef.
She's jealous, you know, real jealous.
That so?
Oh, yeah.
Anyway, Ed must have told the girl that he was thinking of leaving his wife,
because tonight she told him to do something about her,
or she was walking out.
Had a little kind of tiff, and then she left.
After that, he went out to get the car and found it had been stolen.
Where'd he leave it, do you know?
A lot behind the building.
Did he leave the keys in the car?
I don't know.
You saw him when he left carrying a big load.
He don't remember.
Probably did, though.
You have anybody else in here tonight that looked like Vargas?
What do you mean?
Well, as tall as he was, maybe.
A lot of tall people come in here.
We understand, but were there any tonight?
A couple, yeah.
Any of them come in with a short fellow, about five, six, or seven?
Yeah.
What time do they come in?
Well, about a little after seven.
When they leave?
I don't know, maybe 7, 30, quarter of eight.
I'm not sure.
There's one of the tables back there.
I served them a couple of times.
Didn't take much notice when they left.
They paid for the drinks when I brought them.
Left a half a buck tip.
Took off.
They come in here regular, do they?
Yeah, a couple times a week, maybe more.
They usually together?
Oh, I've never seen them any other way except once.
I'd rather not remember that time.
What do you mean?
Came in here early, spent the whole night here boozing, got pretty plastered.
I had to take Nick home.
He couldn't make it alone.
Which one is Nick?
The short one, little guy.
What's he do for a living?
Nothing I ever heard of.
Well, how's he live?
Any way he can. Always seems to have dough.
I think maybe some kind of gambler, something like that.
Always loaded.
The way he looks, though, you'd think he was some kind of mechanic, but he's not.
Is that right?
Sure, he dresses nice.
Always got a good suit on, but he doesn't know how to carry it off.
What do you mean?
Nice fingernails.
I don't think he ever cleans them.
We got complete descriptions of the two men.
They matched those of the thieves perfectly.
The bartender closed the place and took us down the street to a hotel where he said he'd taken Nick Roxford.
We talked to the desk clerk, but we found that Roxford had moved several months before.
By checking with some of the people in the hotel, we got a forwarding address for him.
It was a cheap rooming house down on South Peaco.
Frank and I went by the city hall and ran the name through R&I.
We found that Roxford had an arrest record for petty theft in ADW.
He'd served a term in the county jail and was present under the jurisdiction of the court.
His mugshot was pulled and taken out to the witnesses for identification.
We checked with the manager of the boarding house and we found that Roxford and a Henry Larson were registered in one of the rooms.
In the company of the manager, we went up to the room, but the pair wasn't in.
We contacted the office and told them where we were.
They told us that Roxford had been positively identified as one of the holdup men.
We settled down to wait for the suspects to come back.
3.30 a.m.
4.00
5.00
5.15 a.m.
Sounds like somebody's coming.
I'm sorry.
There was no other way. You was there. I didn't see you.
You're doing nothing to stop it. You shot the cop.
I still think so.
All right, hold it right there.
What are you doing here?
Police officers, you're under arrest.
Watch it, Frank.
All right, look out, Frank.
Get up.
They were kind of rough, didn't they?
Yeah, they did.
All right, come on.
Get up. Come on.
Three feet.
Let's take them downtown.
Get up.
All right.
Get up.
Let's take them downtown.
Yeah.
I better check the cuffs. Don't want them too tight.
No, you might hurt them, huh?
Two suspects were taken downtown to the interrogation room.
Henry Larson was handcuffed to the chair in robbery,
while Frank and I talked to Nick Roxford.
It's a bad beef. I know it. You guys are gonna find out.
Why don't you tell us about it?
Ain't got no robbery wrapped in me.
Look, we've already done it.
The witnesses gave us a positive identification on you.
How could they? They never seen me.
We got a picture of you that's pretty good.
You want to tell us about him?
I got nothing to say. I want a lawyer.
I ain't gonna talk till I see a lawyer.
All right?
Yeah.
Do you know the old man died?
I don't know nothing about no old man.
His wife says you're the one who stabbed him.
She's crazy.
She's willing to take you to court.
It'll never stick.
We think it will.
We think we can make you for first degree.
What about Hank?
Who? Larson?
Yeah. What happens to him?
Same charge.
You know it yet?
Well, you're the first one to hear.
What if I give you a hand?
How do you mean that?
Well, suppose I tell you it was Hank's idea, the whole thing.
Go any better with me?
You know we don't decide that.
Well, it seems like if I helped you, you'd be better with me.
All right. You want to tell us about it?
I'll make you a deal.
No deals.
Look, just promise me you won't tell Hank about this.
I promise.
Look, just promise me you won't tell Hank if I give you the real story.
All right. Go ahead.
Well, the whole thing was his idea right from the start.
He cased the store. The whole thing was his idea.
What about the car?
Well, that was Hank's too. He spotted it.
Said it'd make a good deal.
You check the car, you'll find his prints all over it.
All right. What happened after that at the store?
Well, it was Hank again.
I didn't want no part of it. Hank made me.
Said if I backed out, he'd get me.
He's a big man. He gets mean when he's crossed.
I wasn't about to give him no trouble.
Go ahead.
Well, we got to the place and he made me go and he made me take a piece of the action.
Now, wait a minute. Let's back up here and get this straight.
You trying to tell me all the time you wanted no part of it?
No. No, you got to believe it.
Well, the way we got it, you were having a time with a knife.
Well, I got scared. That's all. I got scared. I didn't know what I was doing.
Sure you did.
Look, you got to believe me. I'm telling the truth.
It was all Hank's idea. The whole thing. I want no part of it. Never did.
All right. Just keep your voice down, will you?
I told you now you know about the whole thing. You won't tell Hank, will you?
What difference does it make?
He finds out I told you, he'll kill me.
Remember I asked you before?
Huh?
What difference does it make?
Henry Taylor Larson and Nicholas John Roxford were tried and convicted of murder in the first degree.
On recommendation of the jury, they received maximum sentence and were executed in the lethal gas chamber at the State Penitentiary, San Quentin, California.
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