Drag me.
Ladies and gentlemen, the story you're about to hear is true.
The names have been changed to protect the innocent.
You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned the bunko fugitive detail.
A secretary tells you her employer has suddenly left town. She says he's taken all the company records with him.
Your job, check it out.
It was Monday, May 18th. It was cloudy in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out of bunko fugitive detail.
My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Didion. My name's Friday.
We were on our way back from lunch and it was 1.46 p.m. when we got to room 38. Bunko fugitive.
Sergeant Friday?
That's right.
They told me to see you.
Yes ma'am, it's my partner Frank Smith.
How do you do?
Good afternoon.
My name's Givens. Clara Givens.
Would you like to sit down here?
Thank you.
All right.
Well?
Yes ma'am.
It isn't anything when you put your finger on it. At least it isn't anything I'm sure of.
Wasn't even my idea. Coming to the police.
Mama said I... I mean my mother advised me to discuss this matter with you.
I see.
She's always claimed there's something funny about my job.
She said this just goes to prove it. I'm sure she's mistaken.
I'm sure Mr. Orlean wouldn't do anything wrong.
Mr. Orlean?
Oh he's my boss. My employer, Henry Orlean.
The thing is he's disappeared.
Yeah?
All of a sudden.
I wanted to see him last.
Friday. Friday evening when I left the office. 5 p.m.
Have you checked with his home?
I don't know where he lives. He never told me.
I see.
He's never gone out of town before. Not since I started working for him.
How long has that been?
Seven months. Seven months on the third.
What kind of business is he in?
Uranium. Uranium stocks.
Multiple Uranium Investments Incorporated. That's the name of his company.
I see.
Well don't the other employees have any idea where he went?
There aren't any other employees. I'm the only one.
Oh I see. Have you talked to a missing person?
No. No I haven't.
You see mama doesn't think he's missing.
She says he's skipped out that he's a crook.
Does your mother know this Mr. Orlean?
Only what I told her about him. They've never met.
She's been suspicious from the very beginning though.
Fated to go following you.
Well it's...
Well it's kind of hard to explain.
How's that?
You see the thing is mama just can't understand why he ever hired me.
Hmm?
The employment office sent me to see him.
Along with seven or eight other secretaries.
Mr. Orlean picked me out from all the rest.
Was there something strange in that?
Well the truth is I'm not much of a stenographer.
Not a real good one that is.
I get kind of nervous whenever I have to take dictation.
My typing's just fair too.
I could do a real clean copy if they'd just let me take my time.
But they never do.
Is that right?
Except for Mr. Orlean.
He doesn't rush me or get me all upset.
It's the first time I've ever been able to hang on to a job.
Pays awful good.
Twenty dollars a week more than I ever earned before.
That's so.
Mama couldn't believe it when I told her.
She said there's a catch to it someplace.
Hmm.
It'd be different if I was...
Well...
If I wasn't plain.
Two or three of the other girls who tried out for Mr. Orlean.
They were very attractive and they all had nice clothes.
Mm-hmm.
Mama sure was surprised when I told her he'd picked me.
That there's a catch to it somewhere.
That's how she put it.
He's up to something and he wants a secretary who's not too bright.
Well I'm afraid we're going to need more than that to start an investigation, Miss Gibbons.
Yes sir.
I see.
Well thank you very much.
Just a minute.
Does he owe you any back wages?
Oh no.
No, I'm paid up a month in advance.
Mm-hmm.
That was another thing that seemed funny.
I mean when you think about it now it seems funny.
What do you mean?
My being with him less than a year and him wanting me to take a vacation with pay a whole month off.
How'd that come about?
Well it was just last week.
Monday.
Mm-hmm.
A week ago today when he brought up the subject.
He said it was getting on towards summer and I had to start thinking about where I wanted to go on my vacation.
Yeah.
I told him I didn't feel entitled to a vacation yet.
He just smiled and said it was up to him to decide that.
But he's the boss, wasn't he?
Then he insisted I tell him just where I wanted to go.
I couldn't think of any place at all.
He finally asked me why I didn't visit my sister in Hawaii.
I see.
She's married to a Navy officer stationed in Honolulu.
I guess I must have mentioned her to Mr. Rowan.
I guess that's what I knew about her.
Yes ma'am, must be.
But the idea of ever paying her a visit hadn't even crossed my mind.
Mm-hmm.
I tried to argue with him but he pretended to get mad and told me if I was a good enough secretary to deserve a holiday he's going to see that I got it.
Then he said he'd make up for it when I got back that he'd really pour the work on.
Mm-hmm.
I knew he wasn't serious about pouring the work on.
But it did seem like he really wanted me to go to Hawaii.
Well why didn't you take him up on it?
Well I meant to. I had my ticket.
Round trip flight.
Mr. Rowan paid for it just like he said he would.
Yeah.
I was supposed to leave Saturday night.
I sent Anne an airmail letter telling her all about the trip.
That's my sister, Anne Burkott.
Yeah.
Well Saturday morning she wired me not to come.
Her husband's being transferred in a week or two.
But she wasn't sure where.
Maybe back to the States.
I see.
Oh I suppose I could have made the trip anyway but it wouldn't be any fun going some place where I didn't know anybody.
I don't make friends very easy.
Is that so?
Well I didn't know just what to do whether Mr. Rowan would still want me to take the month off or not.
I went down to the office this morning to talk to him about it.
He wasn't there. Everything was gone.
Yeah.
From the safe, all records and stock certificates, everything.
And corporation papers he had framed up on the wall. They were gone too.
Had somebody broken in?
I don't think so.
The door to the suit was locked when I got there. It had my key.
And what about safe?
I don't understand.
Well was the safe open or closed?
Closed.
Well how'd you happen to look inside?
I telephoned my mother and told her that Mr. Rowan wasn't there and she said I'd better check and see if anything was missing.
Said it sounded to her like he'd skipped out.
After I looked in the safe she told me to get in touch with the police.
Well now just exactly what sort of business was this uranium company?
Mr. Rowan invested in various uranium stocks.
For other people?
Yes that's right.
Which bank did he use?
Western National. The accounts in the main branch.
I'll give him a call Joe.
Yeah.
Okay.
Well there just wouldn't be any reason for him to run away would there?
Well it's pretty hard to tell yet.
I mean he's doing a real good business.
Well that might be a reason.
Oh?
You know the names of his customers?
The people who invested in Mr. Rowan?
That's right.
Well I guess I could remember some of them.
Books are gone though. I wouldn't be able to recall them all.
I see.
The old customers, the ones who've been with us for several months, I'd remember them.
Uh huh.
Was the business new when you started to work with him?
Yes sir, brand new.
Find out anything?
Yeah, Orlean closed out the mullable uranium bank account last Friday evening.
A little before six.
Six?
Yeah.
Banks they open late on Fridays Joe.
Oh I forgot.
How much did he withdraw?
Just under a hundred thousand.
A lot of money.
Yeah.
I guess mama was right about him.
I'm starting to look that way.
I should have known.
From the beginning I should have known.
What?
She's always right.
While Frank put in a call to Sacramento to check on the corporate status of multiple uranium investments,
I asked Clara Givens to give me a detailed description of the suspect.
Two twenty eight p.m. Sacramento reported that no such corporation had ever been authorized.
We ran the name Henry Orlean through RNI and they had nothing on him.
We turned the description and MO over to the stats office.
They came up with seven possible stock fraud artists.
We pulled their mug shots and showed them to Miss Givens.
She was unable to identify any of the pictures.
Three oh seven p.m. Miss Givens accompanied us to the Wendler building on Wilshire Boulevard in the Miracle Mile.
We went up to Suite 4D.
Just a second until I find my key.
Yes ma'am.
Here it is.
This is the outer office where I work.
That's his office in there?
Yes sir.
That's real fancy.
Have you talked to the building manager today?
No sir.
Is he around do you know?
There isn't any manager.
Not exactly. The owner has an office down the hall.
I'd be glad to find out if he's in.
Thank you.
You'll be here?
Yes ma'am.
Very impressive quarters huh?
Must have been a very impressive guy.
Yeah.
Look at that John. I wonder what he had up there.
On the wall. See that spot?
Looks like it used to be a picture or something.
Those incorporation papers maybe huh?
Phony.
I don't know as far as the state of California is concerned they're phony.
This is Mr. Wendler.
Mr. Wendler is Sergeant Friday.
How are you?
How do.
This is... I'm off the ferry. I don't seem to remember your name.
Sorry my name's Frank Smith.
Pleased to meet you. This is our identification.
Forget him.
Well you're the owner of this building are you?
Well it's the Wendler building. I'm Ted Wendler.
Yes sir.
Draw your own conclusions.
Do you have any objections to answering a few questions Wendler?
No.
Alright will you answer them for us please?
I thought I was.
Yes sir I asked you one before to own this building.
Outright.
That isn't important.
It's important to me. It's important to the mortgage company.
Is it in your name?
Yes it's in my name.
Alright fine.
What about the man who rented this suite?
Yes sir.
What about him?
Did you know he left town?
Well she just told me.
Did you know about it before?
No.
What can you tell us about him?
He's a broker or something. Uranium stocks I guess.
We got that much.
That's all you know about him huh?
Yeah.
How long has he rented from you?
Let's see a little over seven months.
He ate on the third.
Did he mention anything about where he had offices before?
No he said he was from back east.
Any particular place?
No.
Why what's he done?
We like to talk to him that's all.
Well maybe he'll come back.
Well if he doesn't it's all the same to me.
Why?
I made him pay his rent in advance the whole first year.
That's your usual practice?
No only with fellas in the stock market.
You see I remember 1929.
Yeah.
You never know what's going to happen not with fellas in the market.
You see I remember 29.
Yeah.
If Orleans stays away I'm way ahead of him.
Rent's paid up.
I'm nearly five months ahead of him.
Yes sir.
I wish we were.
Ted Wendler confirmed Miss Gibbons description of the suspect and insisted he could tell
us nothing further about the man.
While a crew from the crime lab went over the offices we again questioned Clara Gibbons.
She gave us the names and addresses of some of the people who had invested money with
Orleans.
4.48 p.m. the crime lab reported that they'd been unable to discover any useful fingerprints
in the suite.
The only physical evidence they had uncovered was a copy of a prospectus which purported
to list various securities owned by multiple uranium investments.
It had fallen behind a filing cabinet.
The next day May 19th Frank and I checked with several of the uranium companies listed
on the prospectus.
They all informed us that none of their stock had ever been purchased by multiple uranium
incorporated or Henry Orleans.
3.13 p.m. Frank and I drove out to interview one of the victims.
Would you like to sit down?
Thank you.
Miss Custis do you know a man named Henry Orleans?
Yes.
Yes I know him.
Why?
Did you ever invest any money with him?
Five thousand dollars.
Nothing's happened to Mr. Orleans.
We aren't sure yet.
How'd you happen to give him the money?
It was some insurance my husband left me.
Yes ma'am.
I'd kept it in savings.
Didn't bring in much interest.
When I heard about Mr. Orleans' company.
Where did you hear about it?
Do you remember?
At the hospital.
Ma'am?
St. Agnes Children's Hospital.
Oh.
I spend a day a week there helping out in the charity ward.
I'm on some of the committees too.
You know fundraising, things like that.
Yes ma'am.
Oh I'm not one of the big people behind the work but somebody has to get out and dig for
the little donations too.
Yes ma'am I do.
And I have quite a bit of free time now.
Do you remember who it was that first mentioned Mr. Orleans to you?
I think it was Mrs. Larrington.
Larrington?
Yes Mrs. Arthur Larrington.
You must have heard of her.
She does so much charity work around town.
She's very prominent socially.
Yes ma'am.
Just what did she say about Mr. Orleans' company?
Well she wasn't talking to me exactly.
One afternoon when she was showing some people the plan for the new clinic.
I guess she was asking them for some contributions.
That's how it sounded.
One of the ladies said it all depended on how well her husband's stocks did during the next
quarter.
I see.
And Mrs. Larrington laughed and told her her husband ought to be in multiple uranium.
But he wouldn't have anything to worry about.
Go on.
Well that was all I heard.
They went on to the next room.
Afterwards I got to thinking if this uranium stock was good enough for Mrs. Larrington maybe
I ought to check into it.
You know you're always hearing about people making fortunes in uranium.
Yes ma'am.
Well I looked up the company in the phone book and talked to Mr. Orleans.
At first he wasn't very anxious for me to invest but when I told him I knew Mrs. Larrington
he said he'd take me in as a favor to her.
When was all this?
Oh about four months ago.
Have you seen Mr. Orleans since?
No.
You heard from him?
Not directly.
I get a dividend check every month though.
Stock's paying very well.
I figured it out.
On a yearly basis it'll come to over 30%.
You can't do much better than that.
I told some of my friends about it too so they could get in on it.
Well thank you very much ma'am.
You still haven't explained what this is all about.
We're trying to get in touch with Mr. Orleans that's all.
Oh the Wendler building on Wilshire Boulevard.
That's where he's off to.
The Wendler building.
Yes ma'am.
Isn't he there?
No he isn't.
I don't understand.
Orleans seems to have disappeared.
What about my money?
I'm afraid that went with him.
Why that isn't possible.
He couldn't have.
Mrs. Lawrence said it was a good stock.
Yes ma'am we'll talk to her about it.
Well he paid me dividends every month.
Good dividends.
Yeah well I wouldn't count on any more of them.
Why I'll bring charges against him.
I'll have him put in jail.
He'll find out.
But that's all you need isn't it?
Somebody to bring charges?
No ma'am not quite.
Well what do you mean?
We need him.
Frank and I left Mrs. Custis and drove out to interview another victim.
Mrs. J.T. Pressing on Highland Avenue.
She told us that she had invested eight thousand dollars in multiple uranium.
She also told us that she had first heard about the stock to a friend who was on the fundraising committee for St. Agnes Hospital.
We interviewed three more victims.
All of them were in some way associated with the hospital or were acquainted with Mrs. Arthur Lorington.
8.45 p.m. We drove up to the Lorington Estate in Bel Air.
A maid showed us into the library and said that Mrs. Lorington would see us in a few minutes.
Hey Joe.
Yeah.
That's her.
Huh?
Up there on the wall that painting, that's Mrs. Lorington.
Yeah.
Saw it in the Sunday paper once.
Society page.
Real honest to gosh.
Artist did it.
You don't say.
Hmm.
Probably flatters her a lot.
Maybe.
Well it's bound to.
What makes you think so?
Well it stands to reason Joe.
If all a person wants is a good likeness, a photographer ought to do the trick.
Yeah.
Artists know that too.
They do.
Hmm.
Figures they want something else.
Want to look better so he flatters them.
Oh I see.
That's the way it works.
Are you gentlemen waiting for me?
Mrs. Lorington?
That's right.
We're police officers.
This is Frank Smith.
My name's Friday.
Well I'm sure it's my husband you want to talk to.
Unfortunately he's in San Francisco on a business trip.
No ma'am.
We'd like to talk to you if you don't mind.
You know a man named Henry Orlean?
Orlean?
That's it, yeah.
Hmm.
The name sounds familiar but I meet so many people it's hard to be certain.
Have you ever heard of a stock called Multiple Uranium Incorporated?
Oh yes, yes of course.
Well I didn't associate the two for a moment.
That's Mr. Orlean's company isn't it?
Yes ma'am.
Do you have any money invested in that stock?
No, not me personally but I can vouch for the company if that's what you want to know.
You see I'm on the fundraising committee for St. Agnes Hospital.
Matter of fact I'm the chairman.
Yes ma'am we know.
And we do own some of Mr. Orlean's stock.
The hospital that is.
Tell us how'd you happen to buy it?
We didn't.
It was a donation.
Would you mind telling us from who?
No not yet.
It's Orlean himself.
I see.
When did he give it to you?
Last year.
September.
Yes it was September.
Charity Bazaar.
I don't recall the exact date but I can find out for you.
Well September's close enough.
Just what was this bazaar?
A party here at my home.
We opened the grounds to the general public.
A garden party and auction combined.
An auction?
Some of the most picture people donated the items we sold and all the money went to the hospital.
We raised over $25,000.
Not counting what Mr. Orlean gave us.
That's the stock donation.
That's right.
He congratulated me on the bazaar.
He seemed to be very interested in charity work.
I said we would certainly use his help and he offered to do whatever he could.
Go ahead.
He said that unfortunately he couldn't give us cash at the moment.
He mumbled something about a tax problem.
I'm not really too clear about those things.
Everyone seems to be having tax problems nowadays.
So instead of an outright gift he offered us a block of stock in his company.
I see. Now just how much stock was involved?
Five hundred shares. I think something like that.
At any rate he said the market value of what he was giving us would be in the neighborhood of $10,000.
Did he tell you anything else about it?
He didn't go into the details of his corporation and I certainly didn't question him.
You don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
Yes ma'am.
All I recall he said his company owned shares in other uranium companies so that the money was well diversified.
Now was that all?
Yes I believe so.
Except that he made one request.
What was it?
He asked me not to sell the stock for at least a year.
To give you a reason?
Oh yes.
He said that within a year's time it would double in market value.
And in the meantime the hospital would be receiving excellent dividends.
I see.
As a matter of fact the dividends have been remarkable.
Something like $500 a month I believe our treasurer told me.
Mr. Orlean must be a very shrewd investor.
Did you ever discuss this uranium stock with any of your friends Miss Larkin?
Why yes, once or twice.
One of our committee meetings when we were going over the books we were surprised at the return it was paying us.
We all talked about it then.
I suppose I may have mentioned it since.
Just in conversation.
Yes ma'am.
Is Mr. Orlean upset that I told other people about his company?
I didn't know he wanted it kept secret.
No he wanted you to tell him.
Well then.
Several people that you discussed multiple uranium with invested in the company as a result.
It's a perfectly sound investment.
No ma'am.
What?
Orlean has disappeared and so has their money.
I'm sure you're mistaken.
The stock he sold him was phony.
So was the stock he gave your hospital fund.
It couldn't be.
Look at the dividends it paid.
It was just good advertising.
You mean he used the hospital?
He used me?
I'm afraid so.
I just don't know what to say.
I've never been involved in a situation like this before.
Yes ma'am.
It's terribly distressing.
I know it's not my fault but I can't help thinking I should have been more careful more discreet.
Well I'm sorry.
I'm afraid you'll have to excuse me.
I don't feel like talking anymore.
I'm very upset.
We understand.
Annesia we'll show you out.
We'll find a way.
Let's go.
Oh I was just looking at that painting up there again.
You know I was right Joe.
Platters here.
The interview with Mrs. Lorington had enabled us to establish the suspect's M.O.
Additional bullets were sent out alerting all police departments, charity organizations and fundraising committees.
During the rest of the week we interviewed other victims of the stock swindle.
None of them could furnish any additional information about the whereabouts of the man who called himself Henry Orlean.
Three weeks later on June 9th we received a report from the Chicago Police Department.
They informed us that a man answering Orlean's description had worked an oil stock swindle in that city during the previous year.
He had then used the name of Roger Norgant.
They also told us that this Norgant was suspected of an earlier stock swindle in Kansas City.
Neither the Chicago nor Kansas City police had a positive identification of the suspect.
But in both cities the M.O. had been the same.
The suspect had donated a block of phony stock to a charitable organization.
Had paid very high dividends on the donated shares and then had been able to acquire investments from private persons.
Wednesday June 11th 317 p.m. Frank and I were in the office.
Sergeant Friday.
Yes ma'am.
You remember me.
Clara Gibbons.
I used to work with Mr. Orlean.
Yes ma'am.
How are you?
What can we do for you?
Mama just found him.
Where?
Over on Hill Street.
She was just walking along and she saw him.
Is she sure it's him?
Positive.
Please hurry.
Just a minute Miss Gibbons.
What is it?
Didn't you tell us your mother had never seen this man?
Well she's seen him now.
He was walking downhill.
Why does she know it's him if she never saw him before?
I told her what he looked like dozens of times.
All about him.
I see.
For heaven's sake you don't have to see a person to know what he looks like.
Mama would recognize Mr. Orlean anywhere.
She said so half a dozen times.
She can describe him better than I can.
My mother's very intelligent Sergeant.
She's not like me.
Now please don't stand here and argue about it or he'll get away.
Well just where is he?
The Norbridge Hotel corner of Hill and Hall.
I thought your mother saw him on the street.
Well she followed him into the hotel.
She didn't want to lose him.
He went upstairs and she telephoned me from the lobby.
She said she'd wait there to make sure he didn't leave.
Oh I see.
She told me to bring you as soon as I could.
It's nearly half an hour since she called me.
We haven't got much time.
Fine Miss Gibbons.
All right we'll check on her right away.
You're going to arrest him aren't you?
If it's the right man.
Of course it's the right man.
Excuse me a minute.
Do you have to answer it now?
Uncle Fugitive Friday.
Yeah that's right.
I see.
Fine.
Okay.
We'll forward our warrant to you.
Will you send us a notification by telegram?
Thank you.
We sure are.
Many thanks.
Salt Lake City Police Department.
Yeah?
Picked up Orleans this morning.
Tadden from our circular.
Are you sure it's him?
Gave him a full confession.
Admitted to KC and Chicago deals too.
But it couldn't be Mr. Arlen.
He's at the Norbridge Hotel.
No Miss Gibbons I'm afraid your mother was mistaken.
I've never known Mama to make a mistake.
No we all make them.
But she's waiting for us at the hotel.
What'll I tell her?
Well let's see I guess there's only one thing.
What's that?
Tell her not to wait.
The story you have just heard is true.
The names were changed to protect the innocent.
On August 16th trial was held in Department 98,
Superior Court of the State of California,
in and for the County of Los Angeles.
Francis Caxton Wheatley alias Henry Orlean alias Roger Norgott
was tried and convicted of grand theft seven counts
and received sentence as prescribed by law.
Grand theft is punishable by imprisonment in the County Jail
for no more than one year or in the state prison
for not less than one or more than ten years.
Polls were placed on the suspect by the states of Illinois and Missouri
at the termination of his sentence in San Quentin.
You have just heard Dragnet,
the authentic story of your police force in action
and starring Jack Webb,
a presentation of the United States Armed Forces Radio Service.
Three day in last
four day in couple in