Dragnet: The Big Whiff (EP5059)

0:00Welcome to the great detective's of old time radio from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're going to bring you this week's episode of Dragnet. But first, I want to encourage you, if you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software. And our listener support and appreciation campaign continues. You can become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as $2 per month. Just go to Patreon.greatdetectives.net. But now from

1:02June 5th, 1952, here is the bag with. 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 a homicide detail. A woman has found dying in a vacant lot, a identity unknown. Your job, investigate it. Dragnet. The document a drama of an actual crime. For the next 30 minutes in cooperation with the Los Angeles Police Department, you will travel step by step on the side of the law through an actual case transcribed from official police files. From beginning to end, from crime to punishment,

2:07Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. It was Thursday, October 16th, was cloudy in Los Angeles. We were working the night watch out of homicide detail. My partner's Frank Smith, the boss's captain warm, and my name's Friday. It was 9.48 pm when I got to Georgia Street receiving hospital. Dr. Hall's office. Joe, how are you? How about that case you got in from 7th and union? How's she doing? She died about five minutes ago. Film me and what you got on it. You talked to the radio car officers, ones that handled the call? Frank's talking to him now at Malabi. Thought I'd check in with you while he was handling that. Not an awful lot to tell you. Joe ambience G2 brought her in from the location. She was alive when they brought her in. Did everything I could for it didn't help much, too far gone. What's it look like? Clariform poisoning, pretty obvious. Probably self-administered, looks like that anyway. She didn't last long. It's a little unusual, Clariform. Yeah. How about circumstances? It sure is. Anything else? How do you mean? Well, any probable causes, any marks on no little scratch on her wrist. Thanks about all. Where you got her now? Can we look at her? Yeah, bag number three. Come on. Ed Barrett called us, ask us for help. Rough night, huh? Yeah.

3:15Traffic went crazy tonight. Doesn't case in the last two hours. Couple of homicides, too. Does he night? You got the weekend coming up. Yeah, not looking forward to it. Here we go. Over here. Clariform sure hangs on, doesn't it? It's very strong. Now that's the burns around her mouth, then those discoloration. Well, who is she? Any idea? We got her down as Jane Doe. You're going to have to take it from there. I understand the radio car officers couldn't identify. Apparently pretty well off her. Nice clothes. Seems to be well kept. I can't say so. Expensive jewelry there. Rings, wristwatch. Little strange for a probable suicide, isn't it? Looks like she took good care of herself. Hair all done up. Finger nails. About a whole, would you say? Not more than 35. Here's about that. Here's the chart on me. Time arrival 9.38 pm from Southwest corner. 17th and union vacant. A lot of reason for call. A possible drunk woman down. Jane Doe number four. Female Caucasian approximate age 35. Weight 128 and 1 quarter. High five foot four. Brown hair, hazel eyes. Listed as Nordic descent.

4:18Probable suicide. That's it. Okay, Doc. Thanks. I better look up Frank. See what he's got her. Okay. Haven't notified the car man yet. You fellas want to take care of that? Yeah, sure. We'll call her. But all we can do is we find some relatives to notify her. Joe? Yeah, Frank. Oh, hi, Doc. Oh, yeah, Frank. Looks like you're losing weight. Yeah, four pounds in two weeks. Not too bad for me anyway. What'd you get, Joe? Chloroform poison. Probable suicide. Find out who she is. I got to get back to my office. If there's anything I can help you with, come on back. Right, Doc. Thanks very much. Okay. How about it in your defecation? No, I talked to the fellas. It took the call. Unit 182 was routine call. 390 W down. They couldn't find out who put the call in. So they found her in a vacant lot lying over against the side of the building. Yeah. They said she looked like she'd been drinking and they got away for the chloroform. Now they found this empty container by her side. Yeah. Ties in. They were careful handling it. Anything else? Well, while they're waiting for the ambulance, they talk to some of the people in the neighborhood. They couldn't tell me anything about the woman. Building they found her next to is a vacant store. No identification on it all. No, nothing. No purse or wallet. I checked missing persons.

5:20No one of her description reported. Felt as a handle of calls that they went over her clothing. No marks of identification. Better notify latent prints, huh? Maybe they can identify. Already caught them, Joe. Looks like probable suicide. Sure, a new twist, though. Chloroform road. Doesn't figure it out. What do you think? I don't know. No violence committed on the body, no indication of robbery. Jeterist watch on rings, too. Wouldn't figure anyway. Chloroform angle. No other physical evidence out there, huh? I mean besides the chloroform container. Nothing else besides the handkerchief. Yeah, plain white handkerchief. Chloroform are what they thought next to the body. It's the only thing that doesn't fit 100%. What do you mean? It's a man's handkerchief. 10.25 pm. Frank and I took the dead woman's clothing. The handkerchief and the almost empty container of chloroform and drove back downtown to the office. We dropped off the clothing and the handkerchief at the crime lab to be processed for possible identifying marks. The chloroform container was taken to latent fingerprints for examination. The following morning, the body of the unidentified woman was taken to the county ward for posting. As soon as the dead woman's prints were made available to us,

6:21they were checked through our record bureau and also through the record bureau at the sheriff's office. In addition, they also made a run on her description. They were unable to identify her. We checked with the crime lab, but they couldn't help us either. A detailed examination of the dead woman's clothing failed to yield any leads as to her identity. Laten prints didn't have any better luck with the chloroform container. The only prints they found on it were those of the dead woman. Meantime, the morning papers had picked up the story and given it front page billing, 11.16 am. How's that again, Doc? Yeah, I see. A little unusual, wouldn't you say? Yeah. Okay, we'll pick it up after lunch. Right, bye. Anything? Yeah, Doc, cephalo with the morgue just finished posting the body. What do you say? The chloroform killed or even found traces of it in the stomach. That's right. It's a weird one, isn't it? It doesn't leave much doubt, suicide. No indication of anything else, isn't it? I got it. I'm a side Friday talking. Yes, sir.

7:23Now, Mitchell? That's all. Yeah, sure, be glad to. Yeah, we'll be here. You want to give us your address? Hello. Here we go. Oh, it was a joke. Somebody named him James Mitchell. He's on his way down to Celius once to talk to us about the dead woman. Yeah, he says he killed her. 11.50 am. While Frank and I waited around for Mitchell to show up, we checked his name through our eye, but we were unable to find anything on him. A few minutes before 1 p.m., a short blonde haired man and a blue surged suit entered the squad room and asked for us. He introduced himself as James Mitchell. Frank and I took him to the interrogation room. Where we started to question him. He told us he was a steel worker by trade, currently unemployed. He said he was originally from Alabama that he'd been in California for approximately two years. After that, he lapsed into silence. We tried to question him about the dead woman, but we made little headway. The only admission we could get from him was that he killed the woman. Outside of that, he refused to say anything. How about it, Mitchell? What's the trouble?

8:24You called us volunteer to confess, and you said you killed the woman you wanted to tell us a story. Now, why don't you answer our questions? Jim? How about it? Don't you feel well? I want us to call a doctor. Jim? You're not going as much of an out-master. You're volunteering to make yourself a suspect and this thing you say you killed the woman. Now, why don't you answer the questions? We can't keep this up forever. You ought to know that. You haven't answered the question almost an hour now. Look, if you're not going to talk, Jim, there's only one thing we can do. We're going to have to book you. Mitchell? That what you want? Go ahead and book. I killed it. Go on book me. But why can't you tell us the story? Now, you admit you killed the woman. Why won't you tell us about it? Why should I? I killed it. That's all you have to know. You said on the phone you tell us the whole story. Didn't you know what made you change your mind? You got the story. I killed it. All there is to it. You know better than that, Mitchell. You know the woman very well? No. Not very well. I was in a name. Mary. Mary what? Mary, that's all. I met her in a bar. I didn't know. I killed it.

9:26That's all you got to know I had to. Why'd you have to, Jim? I don't have to tell you. I had a reason. Good reason. Probably. I don't have to say. You have a fight with her? Lovers' quarrel? Maybe. What's the difference? Well, this bar where you met Mary. And downtown LA wasn't? Yes, downtown. She had it coming. I'm glad I did it. Not worth much, huh? She was when I met her. But what happened? She go off the deep end. Guess so. What's the difference? She's dead. But why'd you turn yourself in, Jim? Are you couldn't beat her? Maybe. How do you mean? I could have stayed all your way if I wanted to. For a while anyway. I didn't want to. Why not, Jim? Good reason. I'm glad I killed her. She had it coming. I'd go ahead and do what you want. I know what the rap is. I'll pay for it. Well, if you're willing to take the rap, Jim, why not tell us the whole story? You got the story. I killed it. That's all you need. Don't you want to brief us in on the details? How it happened, how it came about. Might be extenuating circumstances. You can't tell. Well, how you mean? Different things that might throw a new slant on the case.

10:27Of course, I'm not going to hand down a decision to her. They got the whole story. You mean, Bob Marry? I'll never tell them about her. Lies of things she did to me. Never tell anybody about it. Must have been pretty bad, huh? I mean, the way you took it out on it. She was rocked. All the way through. I had to kill her. What happened with the chloroform, Jim? Didn't it work fast enough for you? Chloroform? Yeah, huh. Didn't it react on her fast enough for you? No. No, it didn't. I hated her. Yeah, I guess you did. Must have had quite a scrap with her. Struggled quite a bit, didn't you? And she fought me all the way. I got it, though. I hated her. Out of my mind, I hated her so much. Well, we've been trying to figure it out, Jim. What'd you hit her with? I mean, around the head and on the neck. What'd you use? Piece of metal? Yeah. Angle iron. Kind of lost my head. I kept beating her. She tried to scream, but I had my hand over my mouth. And then she fell down. She'd make a sound after that. I see. Well, how come you took her jewelry? I mean, if you just wanted to kill her, I was at you took all her valuables, too. Jim, how about it, Mitchell?

11:27Well, I don't know. I spurred the moment, I guess. I took them, but I didn't keep my thumb away. I don't remember where. Glad it's over. All right, Jim. Now, what's this all about? You didn't kill that woman. You know that as well as we do. Well, what are you talking about? Of course, I killed her. She's dead, ain't she? How many times have I have to admit it? The woman had one mark in her body. Mitchell has a small scratch on the wrist. Now, the single wound on the head, not on the neck, either. Well, I killed her. That's all you've got to know, not say anything. All the woman's valuables weren't taken either, Jim. She was found with a couple of rings on her hands and expensive watch a bracelet, too. Now, come on, Jim. What's the angle here? You can't prove I didn't do it. You can't prove that. I think we can. Now, why can't you just take my word for it? Queer setup, I ever saw. I'm willing to admit I killed it, and you won't believe me. What kind of cops saw you anyway? What'd you spend last night, Jim? Where were you? I don't know. I don't remember. You remember? Now, how about it? The quiz said if I ever saw, hold town, you wouldn't believe it. Yeah. Look, I come here from Alabama. I told you that I've been here for 22 months, a long time. It's almost two years.

12:29Queer's town I ever saw. Thousands of people all over millions of them. People all around, y'all over the place, every way you go. I didn't know any of them. Not of one. They didn't know me. 22 months couldn't get to know nobody. I still don't. They don't know me either. Well, try to get acquainted. It just seemed I never could. Nobody knew me. Nobody cared. Didn't even know who I was. What kind of town is that? 22 months right here. They don't even know who I am. Nobody knows. Living alone, you just get sick of it. That sick and tired of it. That's what brought all this on her. Well, I mean, Lisa, I'll notice me. I don't know. I'm here. I killed a woman. They don't know who I am now. Every family is having a hospital, that's your institution. Now, what'd you have to ask that for? Just because there weren't no people wanting to notice me? That doesn't make me crazy. Can't be alone all the time. You've got to have somebody to notice you. Were you ever in an institution, Jim? Just once, only a couple of months. It wasn't anything. Look, can't you just forget what I said? I mean, I told you I killed a woman. The paper's going to be out pretty soon. Pictures and things probably big right up.

13:30Well, can't we let it go with that? I killed it. Just forget the rest. No, I'm afraid not. Why not? We'll just make out it's that way. People get to know me anyway. At least they'll know I'm around. I won't be alone. You know you're just worrying, Jim. You won't be alone anymore. At 1.38 p.m., we continued to question the self-accused suspect James Mitchell. And he finally told us that he'd been confined for a period of 18 months in a state mental hospital in Alabama. That had been more than three years before. The questioning also left no doubt in our mind that Mitchell had nothing at all to do with the death of the unidentified woman. A sister of Mitchell's living in Alabama was contacted and she agreed to come out west as soon as possible to look after her brother. In the meantime, he was delivered to the care of psychiatrists at the county hospital. The incident of a man confessing guilt of a crime of which he's wholly innocent certainly wasn't anything new. Like police officers all over the country, all over the world, we've come to accept it as almost a routine part of a criminal investigation. Most of the time, there would be criminals suffering with metal trouble.

14:33Sometimes it's a thirst for notoriety. In any event, they all have to be checked every one of them. It means time, trouble, and money. Hours of cautious interrogation. More hours of checking stories that have bases only in the imagination of a sick mind. They slow the investigation, they waste hundreds of manhours. But like anonymous leads or it would be witnesses, they can't be ignored. It's part of the job. Saturday, October 18th, the newspapers continue to cooperate by giving his front-paid space to the story of the unidentified woman. Joe? Yeah, how'd you do? Nothing. Identification wasn't even close. How about Brian Lopez? What are they doing on that call of theirs? Well, they're over at the morgue now with a boy. 16-year-old kid was pretty rot up when he came in. We sure had a parade of them all last night, all this morning. Well, it doesn't hurt our chances any the more the better. I suppose so. Why can't I make much headway if we can't identify her? Any answers on the draw points we got out on? Yeah, four of them. They all been checked, nothing. Joingham, Joe? New kind, times of rainflavor. No, no, thanks. How about that check of the hospitals around town?

15:35Anything to show up there? No, not so far. A scar on the woman's leg was from an operation, all right. Doc figures it might not have been done in the hospital, though. It was a minor operation, could have been done in a doctor's office, maybe. All right, stop it. Sure. Tough enough checking hospitals for a record of the operation. Next, damn possible, check every doctor in town for it. Well, even then, we could miss. Don't know where the woman's from. She could have had the operation done anywhere. I'll get it. I'm aside, Friday talking. Yeah, Tom. I know. You did? That's all. Yeah, okay. Fine. You're bad. Thanks, Tom. It was Brian, Ian Lopier driving that boy over to Georgia Street, the 16-year-old. What happened? Well, they took the boy to the morgue, they showed him the body, asked him if he recognized it. What's he say? It's his mother. Two-O-Five-P-M. Frank and I left the office and drove over to Georgia Street receiving hospital. The 16-year-old boy who had identified the dead woman as his mother was being treated for shock in hysteria. The youngster told Brian and Lopias that his name was Arnold Hopkins

16:36and that he'd been living with his mother at a Norwood Street address. After he was given a sedative and recovered himself a bit, the boy was driven to the home of his aunt and uncle out near Barnesdale Park. That night, Frank and I called on the boy and found him sufficiently recovered to answer a few questions. He confirmed his identity of the body he'd viewed that afternoon as that of his mother, Mrs. Jeanette Hopkins. He said he was an only child and that his father was dead. He told us his mother had been working for the past six years as coast representative for an Eastern cosmetics firm. We asked him what had happened the night his mother disappeared. The phone just rang about, well, when we were finishing dinner, about eight o'clock, maybe quarter after. Well, when Ma hung up, she said something important come up, she had a go out to see somebody. She said she had to see him right away. She got her coat and left. This is the last time I saw her. Well, who was she going to see Arnold? Did she tell you? No, she didn't. I heard her talking on the phone, though. Her to say Leo. She said it a couple of times. Leo. Well, where was she going to meet this person, Arnold? You haven't overheard that? No, I didn't. I think she said, okay, I'll meet you there, Leo.

17:39And she hung up. And she got her coat, kissed me, and she went out. So, did she leave on foot or was she driving, remember? Oh, on foot. My mother didn't drive. Who's Leo, so? Your mother ever talked about him? Her to talk until my phone a couple times. That's about all. Well, do you know where he lives? What he looks like? Can he tell us anything about him at all? No, sir, nothing. I wouldn't know if I saw him. You are listening to Dragnet, authentic stories of your police force in action. Saturday, October 18, 830 pm. Frank Smith and I continued interviewing the dead woman's son, 16-year-old Arnold Hopkins. The big lead pointed in the direction of the man known as Leo, who telephone Mrs. Hopkins Thursday night, little more than an hour before she died, and made an appointment to meet her. It was a good lead, but it didn't go too far. All the boy could tell us was that the man's name was Leo.

18:41He'd heard his mother address a man with that name on the telephone several times, but that was the extent of it. He didn't know Leo's last name. He didn't know where he lived. He had no idea where his mother was to meet the man the night she died. We talked to the boys, Aunt and Uncle. The dead woman's brother and sister-in-law, but they couldn't help us either. Frank Smith and I obtained a list of all of Mrs. Hopkins' friends and business associates known to the son and the aunt and the uncle. We spent the rest of the weekend checking with them. Most of them gave us pretty much the same story. Mrs. Hopkins was well-liked and well-respected both in her business and private life. She was devoted to her teenage son. She didn't drink, and socially her behavior was beyond question. She attended church regularly. She was active in several women's clubs engaged in social and religious work. None of the people we talked to could think of any reason that she would want to end her own life. All of them denied any knowledge of the man known as Leo. Monday afternoon, October 20th, Frank and I had another meeting with the victim's son, Arnold Hopkins. We had him check over the personal effects found on the body.

19:42Yes, sir, that's hers. The other ring, too. How about this bracelet, sir? Yes, sir. She always wore that. My dad gave her to her, I think, when he was alive, I mean. She always wore it. Now the wristwatch, two rings, the bracelet, and this lapel pin here. There's about it, sir. Yes, sir, I guess so. You have her necklace, too. How's that? My mother's necklace. She was wearing it that night. She had it on when she left the house, didn't you find it? What kind of necklace is it, son? What's it look like? What's made like the bracelet is, that one there. See the two of them go together to set. Your mother wearing expensive jewelry like that every day, did she? No, sir. She wore the bracelet quite a bit, not the necklace, though. She only wore that when she was dressed up. I thought about it yesterday. I meant to tell you about it. What's that, sir? Well, right after she got the phone call that night, when she told me she had to go out. Well, she went back and got her coat and then she came in the living room and kissed me goodbye. She had the necklace in her hand. Are you sure she took it with her? Oh, yes, sir, I'm positive. After she kissed me goodbye, she went over to the mirror and I saw it put the necklace on.

20:45She was wearing it when she left. I didn't think much about it till later on. Most of the time, she only wears it when she dresses up. She wasn't very dressed up that night. Joe. Yeah. Can you describe the necklace for her son exactly what it looks like? Yes, sir, I think I can. When you saw your mother with a necklace on, did you think to ask her about it? Yeah, I did. She said she was wearing it because she wanted to look pretty. She was going to meet a good friend. She didn't say where. No, sir. I guess she was wrong, huh? About her necklace, I mean. No, son. About her friend. Monday 3.18 p.m., we got a description of the necklace from the Hopkins boy, confirmed it with his aunt and uncle and then we double-checked it at the jewelers where it had been purchased. After that, we contacted the pawn shop detailing Burglery Division. The necklace in its description was put on the stolen property list and copies were sent to second-hand jewelry stores and pawn shops throughout the area. We also got out of broadcast and an APB on it. For 15 the following afternoon, we got a reply from the San Diego Police Department.

21:49A pawn shop owner down there had reported taking in the necklace the Friday before, which meant the description of the one we were looking for. The man who pawned the necklace listed his name in the pawn shop's buybook as Raymond Butler. San Diego officers had checked out the home address that he'd given. It was a vacant lot. The necklace was sent back to Los Angeles where it was identified as Mrs. Hopkins. The description of the man who pawned the necklace was forwarded from San Diego together with a photostatic copy of the suspect's signature and we got out on all points bulletin on him. Two days passed. Nothing. Along with Brian and Lopez, we continued checking all public places in the general area where the body of Mrs. Hopkins had been found. You got anything, Frank? Talk to a man by name of Wagner Joey. Tell me you should do a lot of traveling, business trips, most of them to San Diego. Wagner says he heard she had a boyfriend down there tall, dark, hair to fellow. That's all no name. I get it. I'm a side Friday. What? Oh yeah, Lopey. Where? Checked out, does it? Yeah, that's good. Fine. Okay, thanks, Lopey.

22:49Yeah, right away. Anything, Joe? Lopey as he and Brian just checked a bar out in the neighborhood where the body was found. They talked to the bartender in the place, showed him the description of the man who pawned the necklace. bartender says he knows a man. He sure. Pretty sure. He told Brian and Lopey that the man's either a boxer or a wrestler or something like that. You know the man's name where he lives? Says his name's Taylor, no home address. You know his first name? Yeah. Leo. One 25 p.m. After interviewing four other people who were in the bar the night of Mrs. Hopkins' death, Lopey as in Brian checked back in at the office. They told us that at least one of the four persons they talked to in addition to the bartender was sure that the description of the suspect who pawned the necklace fitted a man known as Leo Taylor, who was in the bar the previous Thursday night. He was seen in the place between 8.30 and 9.00 p.m. and he was seen with a woman answering Mrs. Hopkins' general description. The bartender had no idea where the man lived, but he seemed fairly certain of the man's name. So Taylor and his occupation either wrestling or boxing. 505 p.m. We made a run on Taylor's name and description through R&I and we got to make.

23:53We checked his handwriting and that matched out also. He had one previous arrest for assault and disorderly conduct. His residence was a West 11th Street address. We checked it out but he'd moved six months before. The landlady had no forwarding address on him, but she told us one of the places he used to frequent was a gym on South Olive down near Olympic. We ran it down. I checked with the fellow in the office over there. Joseph's the man we once taken a shower back there. Locker room. In here? Yeah. Go ahead. Yeah. Excuse me. Your name Leo Taylor? How's that? I said are you Leo Taylor? That's right. What is it? Police officers. I'd like to talk to you. Oh. I'll take the shower right now. You want to wait a while? Oh, keep Taylor. I want to talk to you now. All right. All right. What's the rush? What's it all about? I want to talk to you downtown. What do you want me downtown for? The routine check. I'd like to ask you a few questions. About what? Did that happen? That's all. What about it? When's the last time you saw the woman Taylor? I don't know. A couple of months ago.

24:53At least that's why. Well, you can talk about it downtown. Well, let's talk now. I'll take me a little time to get dressed. What's the pitch? You know as well as we do. You want to throw me that shirt, Mack? Thanks. I'll take you to the bathroom. I'll take you to the bathroom. I'll take you to the bathroom. You want to throw me that shirt, Mack? Thanks. What do you mean I know as well as you do? You know what? No rush, Leo. We can talk downtown. All right. I'll write about it in the papers. It's a terrible thing. I'm just going to look her up on these days. It's too bad. You live in Los Angeles, Taylor? Yeah, why? I ever get down to San Diego. I want some oil, not too often. You don't think I'd do anything to do with it, do you? How do you mean, Leo? With what? I mean, Jeanette, she's dead. You don't think I'd have handled it, do you? I'll tell you I'm going to level with you, Leo. We've been on this thing a week. We've got you placed in San Diego. We've got you placed here. You said you haven't seen Mrs. Hopkins for two months. We can do a lot better now. You were with her in San Diego two weeks ago. We were drinking with her in a bar off there last Thursday night. You were with her 20 minutes before she died. We got all we need, Leo. Got my coat there. Graveen?

25:53Check the pockets, right? Yeah. Gonna take a lot of proof. I guess you know that. Gonna take a lot of it. We got it. Better have. Let's see. Keys? Come on. Yeah. Okay, let's go. No, just a minute, Leo. Yeah. Come on, take it here. You forgot it. The story you have just heard was true. The names were changed to protect the innocent. On January 28th, trial was held in Superior Court, Department 89, City and County of Los Angeles, state of California. In a moment, the results of that trial. When confronted with the evidence and testimony against him, Leo Francis Taylor broke down and confessed to the murder of Mrs. Jeanette Hopkins. She'd been paying blackmail to Taylor in order to keep their affair secret. But a month before her death, she refused to pay him anymore.

26:55Taylor threatened her again and she agreed to give him the necklace as a final payoff. At their meeting, Taylor demanded cash. His victim threatened him with arrest and he administered the chloroform. Taylor was tried and found guilty of first-degree murder and was sentenced to a life term in the state penitentiary. You have just heard dragnet, a series of authentic cases from official files. Technical advice comes from the Office of Chief of Police, W.H. Parker, Los Angeles Police Department. Technical advisors Captain Jack Donahoe, Sergeant Marty Wynn, Sergeant Fence Prasue. Her tonight were Herbellis, Big Perrin, Gil Stratton, Jack Krushin. Scripped by Jim Mosin, Music by Walter Schumann, Hellgivny Speaking. Each Thursday night, it's counter-spy on NBC.

27:59Welcome back! Well, I liked the little part at the end where Friday drops the final piece of crucial evidence in that pawn ticket. The false confession segment was interesting even though it was probably the weakest false confession that I'd heard. Obviously, this guy wasn't prepared to answer anything outside of what was publicly available information and hope that the police would just take his word for it. All right, well listen to comments and feedback now. And we have a couple on YouTube regarding the big mail. Davey writes, I love Dragnet and Mark Rites, also a big fan of Radio Air Dragnet was Murphy in the Harry Nile Detective series Made in Seattle. I've listened to that series and I don't know if I remember her name dropping Dragnet.

29:06She was such a great character who was very bag on facts and details. And of course, there are all kinds of nods to old-time radio as well as to classic detective series. One episode that stands out to me is they actually had Fred Allen visiting Seattle and they had, I believe it was Larry Albert in that playing Fred Allen and doing this very spot on impression. But thank you so much, appreciate the comments. Well now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day. Thank you to Tony, Patreon supporter since March 2023, currently supporting the podcast at the shaman's level of $4 and more per month. Thanks so much for your support, Tony. And that will do it for today if you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software and be sure to rate and review the podcast wherever you download it from.

30:12We'll be back next Thursday with another episode of Dragnet, but join us back here tomorrow for your truly Johnny doll or wear. Well, Johnny, I suppose you're curious, but why I send for you. Yeah, well according to Fred Stake, it's all a big mystery. Oh, mystery's right. Well, it's right. But Johnny, I've found it. Oh. Yes. The mystery replied my lumberyard burned down a few weeks ago. You mean it was set? That's exactly what I mean. I had no clue from the beginning, no reason to think it was set, but I have no. I hope Mrs. Tuffin. No, I wish you'd call me Grace Johnny. Just do a flat in the bit. Okay, sure. But who set the fire? All right. You said three suspects out there in the living room. That's right. Would you like to go in and meet them and then pick out the one? I hope you'll be with us then. In the meantime, send your comments to box 13 at greatdetectives.net. Follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives and check us out on Instagram, Instagram.com.

31:18Slice great detectives from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham, signing off.