Gang Busters - Incorrigible Killer

0:00It's new. It's different. It's tied. T-I-D-E-tied. Now gangbusters presented in cooperation with police and federal law enforcement department throughout the United States. The only national program that brings you authentic police case history. Gangbusters is brought to you by Tide, Proctor and Gamble's new wash day wonder. The new sudseng miracle that gives you all this. The cleanest, brightest, whitest wash you ever hung on the line. That's tied. T-I-D-E-tied. The night gangbusters presents the case of the incorrigible killer. We'll broke out of prison, then broke back in. Only to find that when the brakes run out, the penalty is dead.

1:05Here with us in the studio tonight is the Honorable Paul V. McNut, former High Commissioner of the Philippines and Vice President of the National Probation and Parole Association. We'll be heard at the end of the program, drawing from tonight's case conclusions of vital importance. Gangbusters has asked chief of police, L.R. Grayson of Reno, Nevada, to narrate by proxy tonight's case. A chief Grayson, you've told me that the killer in tonight's case was probably the most extraordinary in your experience. Now that's absolutely right, Don Gardner. I've been a police officer 15 years and I've talked with hundreds of men and women who are guilty of crimes ranging from chicken theft or murder. But this man, well, you'll see what he was like. Suppose we begin exactly a year ago in a cold, dreary Sunday morning in the city of Tacoma, Washington. The vestibule of a small church not far from Tacoma's business section, a young man with piercing brown eyes and thin lips stood watching the congregation file out at the completion of services.

2:09It was evident that he was looking for a particular worshipper, and after a few minutes he saw him. Hello, Rick. Well, you're gone. Dave. What were you praying for me? This is the surprise of my life, Dave. Is it? Let's go over there out of the crowd. Look, Dave, I got some people waiting at home. Oh, my, come on, kid. Yeah. Okay. So it's a surprise of your life, Rick. Yeah, I thought they gave you five years. Wasn't there nothing in the papers about my breaking out? No. I didn't see anything. Guess I'll have to speak to my press agent. Honest, Dave, I got to be going. I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, are you worried about Rick? Look, if you're worried because you think I know you shot your mouth off when the cops picked you up, forget it.

3:12I know you were on a spot. I didn't help but Dave on. I say forget it. Every guy's got to save his own skin. I only got five years out of it. What's five years? They put you on probation right here. Is that why you got a church? You want to make it a press? Yeah. I want to make an impression. They're smart, boy, Rick. You mean there wasn't a thing in the papers about my bus tonight? No. At least they should have told you, Rick. After all, they might have figured I'd be out to get you. Since it's Sunday, kind of you, I was in. I told you I couldn't help but Dave. You know, I'm not the kind of carry grudges, don't you? Yeah. Yeah, Dave. Well, what's your hurry? I waited a long time for you, Rick. We can have a few words for all the time, say, can't we? I told you I got some people waiting. You know something, Rick? I've been a lot of places since I broke out. Salt Lake, Buke, Seattle, Denver. Did all right, too.

4:13Did you? Well, I got about four grand on my pocket right now. You figured out. Now I'm planning another tour. I'd like to come along with me. Look, Dave. I got a good job now. And you got a church every Sunday. Was there anything wrong in that? I got a break and I want to stay out of trouble. I got a break, too, good night. Five years. Look, Dave, I've been working alone. I got to have an outfit. Are you sure you ain't interested, Rick? To be honest, Dave, no. Man, there's nothing I like more than an honest guy. Okay, I'll get my outfit. There's a couple of guys back there when I broke out. I promised I might come back for him. You're kidding. I broke out of the place. I can break back in to get him, can I? Yeah. If you want, I guess so. I much rather have you, Rick. I'm sorry, Dave.

5:13I told you I got people waiting. Okay. Come on, we'll walk out together. How? What do you say? We meet someplace later. After you get ready, air people. Why? Talk over old times. I can get the news. After all, I've been away a while. Okay, Dave, where have you say? How about the hut? Is it to a clock, okay? All right. I guess I can make it. Sure, you can make it. If I let you, you'd have had at least 40 cops there for a company. What do you mean? You know what I mean, rats? I don't know. I hope you said good prayers in there. Hey, don't shoot me, please, don't shoot me. All right.

6:13Well done, Tacoma police said no difficulty fixing the guilt in that shooting. But the escape convict, David Blackwell, was not to be found. One midnight, less than a week later, two trustees were on all night duty in the prison power plant at the Monroe Reformatory, from which David Blackwell had escaped. Then the lone guard left him to go to the power plant office, one approached the other for a chat covered by the hum of a large generator. Blake? Yeah. Is he clear? Yeah. Come on, behind the dynamometer. You know, we've got to watch a step, Blake. God will be back any second. Max, will you? It's got a half an hour of paperwork out there. Well look, what's on your mind? Listen, you want to crack up with me? Let's get started figuring the way. Don't sound like for somebody else. Who didn't Dave say he was coming back for us? But get Dave. Why didn't they say he was coming back to get us out? Didn't he promise? That was just so much mouthwash.

7:13He's out. Do you want to mess around this joint force so they can nail him sticking back in? But he swore up and down. Oh, sure, sure. Before he made it. You got out and nobody'd find you closer than a hundred miles of this place. Well, maybe, yeah. So if we're going to make it, we're going to figure our own way. It can't depend on Dave or anybody else. What's that? I know you've got me. It came from there. God, maybe it's the coffee, a dope. There, behind the switchboard. Come on. You listen. That old secret. Dave. What did you think it was? How did you get back in here? Same way I'm going to get you out. Tonight. What do you think I'm going to do? I'm not going to warden his door and ask him for a place to sleep. How do we do it? I came over the wall with a rope and a grappling hook. We get back over the same way. OK, let's go. Wait a minute, wait a minute. What? They got guards on the wall, machine guns. It didn't bother me coming in to get you. Yeah, but look, Dave, you want to come or not?

8:13Make up your mind or not hurry. I don't want to take up residence here again. If you think it's OK, Dave. Sure, it's OK. All right, come on. Let's go. Where that guard gets back in here. There's one thing, Blake. Yeah? What? The same out of the goodness of my heart, you know. We got no dough, you know it. I don't want dough. I just want you guys to stick with me. Oh, sure. Dave, I'll stick with you. It's not going to be any joy, right? You know, I got some heavy things in mind. A lot of hard traveling. Well, Blake? All right, that suits me. Come on. Open up and take a look around. I don't see anybody. OK, head for the wall. Right at the drinking farm. That's where I got the hook and rope. Go ahead. Right against the wall. And this is a goddamn towel.

9:15Watch it. Okay, flat against the wall and get the hook. Where is it? Yeah. OK, I got it. Now listen to me. There's three of us. We can only make it one at a time. Go up past, quiet. All right, go on. Follow that hook up. I hope it catches you. Don't worry. It goes. It's over. I might pull it tight. Easy, Dave. Easy. I think it's OK. Watch it. It didn't catch you. Flat against the wall. Stay there. I tried again, Dave. That thing might never hold. It got me inside and then it'll get us out. I'll take another shot at it. It goes. Now pull it tight. It looks like it's going to be OK. It's holding. OK, Arnie, hope you go. Like flat on top of the wall.

10:16Yeah. Make it snappy. He's up. OK, Blake, you're next. I don't need to be coaxed. All right. Hurry. Hurry up. Come on, Arnie. Give me a hand. Yeah. Grab hold. Yeah. Oh, I made it enough noise here to try it out. Oh, yeah. Shut up. Come on, update. Yeah. Pull over. And stay down. OK. Car is parked right over there. It's with a brush. We'll let the rope down here this side. Oh, stay down. The front lights. Hurry with the rope. We should get the rope. It's only about 15 feet. Hang down and let yourself drop. I can't jump that down like this. Let yourself drop. All right. Watch out. Here I come. Hey, listen. Come on. OK.

11:17Come on. Are you OK? I'm my lucky. You can make the car. You can go. Come on. Hurry. But why Reno, Dave? Tell me. Reno's over a thousand miles, or it'll be someplace closer we can light. I say it's Reno and that's file. Ah. After all, Blakey got us out, didn't he? Dave wants Reno. I say OK. Any place he wants. I just want to know what he's got in mind. I got plenty in mind. Only the first thing is for you to get rid of those monkey suits. Yeah, that would help. We ought to be over the line into our gun by the time the store is open. I'll buy you some clothes there. Yeah, what about guns? I got a couple for you and a truck. No kid in, Dave. Hey, this is you, Whitey. You're everything. Don't worry about a kid. You'll pay me back. With interest. So down the criminal, David Blackwell,

12:18broke back into prison, and delivered to of his prison mates from Monroe Reformatory in the state of Washington. The three of them headed immediately for Reno Nevada, where they planned to spin the wheels of chance for their lives and the balance. They placed their bets and the wheels stopped on red. Blood red. T-I-D-E tied. You've never used anything like Procter and Gamble's amazing tied. Tide is different from even the newest products for washing clothes. Nothing you can buy will wash clothes as clean as tied. That includes all your family wash, your good linens, as well as your greasy work clothes. Tide, with its amazing new suds, leave clothes free from dirt, clothes dingy soap film too. Yet with all this miracle cleaning power, Tide is truly safe for all your washable colors. In fact, Tide actually brightens those soap dull colors. And in hardest water,

13:18Tide gets your white things whiter than any other washing product known. What's more, Tide keeps them white. Week after week never turns them yellow. So get Tide. Get the only wash day product known that gives you all this. The cleanest, brightest, whitest wash you ever hung on the line. Tide is dirt out. Tide is dirt out. Tide gets clothes dingy soap. Any soap? Yes, any soap. Tide gets clothes dingy soap. T-I-D-E Tide. Now back to gangbusters. You were telling us Chief Greason, a three-escape convicts led by David Blackwell, headed for Reno, Nevada, where Blackwell promised him a spree of robbery and plunder. Oh, that's right, Don. In the afternoon, following their arrival, the crew criminals were sitting around a table at a bar on Center Street. A conversation covered by the music from the jukebox

14:18and the gady of the resort town crowd. What is your rush, Dave? We drove a thousand miles. I've been cooped up two years. I ran away in such a big place, you know? I want to enjoy it a little before we get red. Hot and hot. You didn't come to enjoy the side splake. I can't keep this nod to the tool. You got to earn some. Well, give me a chance to get my bearings. How about it, Donnie? If you think we're going to do a little relaxing first? Well, I'd like to, but Dave has got a point after all. He came and fetched us. We ought to do what he wants. Well, do you think because he came after something to foul and scrape all my life? You do think again. Oh, buddy's asking it to foul and scrape all your life. But we're going to get that job done this afternoon. Come on, Blake. Blake, be reasonable. Will you have it? Okay. Have it your way, Dave. That's the only way I will have it. But what is it you got in mind, Dave? There's a saloon down the street. Charlie's it's called. What's in a saloon? You want whiskey? Buy it. I keep your mouth shut and listen. You have Blake co-operated a little. Okay.

15:18Let's have it. It ought to be a cinch. We used a new car. You stay behind the wheel, Blake. I'll go inside first. I'll play the slot machine. What about me? Minute or so later, you walk in Arnie. You go to the far end of the bar by the piano player. I'll walk up to the bar, keep asking for more change. When he opens the register, pull out your heater. Okay. And if I didn't like it, so what? It's okay with me, Dave. All right. Let's finish up our drinks. Then we'll hit Charlie for it, touch. Camping each. Sergeant Glasscapping. You know that bug with the Washington plates? We found parked on Sierra Street. Yes. What about it? The Washington State Police just answered our wire. It was stolen in Seattle last Sunday. Oh. That's not all, Captain. They had the car or maybe the one that was driven by some escaped convicts. It's broke out of a rural reformatory up there. Like before last. Have there been any cars reported stolen here in Reno since we found that bug?

16:20No, Captain. Nothing's been reported. And there's a good chance those guys may still be in town. Washington Police and a lot of pretty good descriptions of them. Okay, El. You get a hold of Colin and Reed. Between the three of you, check all the hotels. See if you can turn them up. Yes, sir, Captain. Right away. Ah. Eh. Eh. Eh. Eh. Eh. Eh. Eh. Eh. Eh. Eh. Eh. Eh. Eh. Eh. Eh. Eh. Eh, park keep. Eh, right with you, buddy. Eh, well, I'll be, buddy. Give me some more quarters for this. Eh, give me a tip about that slot machine, buddy. That's what the house. Give me the quarters. OK, but don't sell it. OK, everybody, get him up. Hey. He said, get him up. OK, take it easy. A lot of piano player, we want music. Go on. Play the piano. Oh, you don't move. Get what's in the tail, pal.

17:20Right. And none of you move. Hey, boys, slow it with dough. All right, grab it and let's get moving. It's two big bags of silver. OK, throw one on the bar, I'll carry it. Stay still there, Mr. Euraska for trouble. Here you are, boys. OK, let's go out the back. Come on, make a snappy. Go check the back door. Right. I'll listen to all of you. Stay still five minutes. Don't move. And you'll keep that piano going. Come on, boys. All right, with you. Captain, yes, they'll stick up Charlie's cocktail out in South Virginia Street. Oh. Two guys inside and apparently a third in the car. They got nearly 2000 in cash. Nobody saw the car. You think those are the same ones who abandoned that stolen vehicle? Are you washing them the scapeies? Well, the second man in the deal answers the descriptions, but the one giving the orders was a six footer.

18:21Then they apparently had a third one waiting in the car. We only got a report on two escapees. There was a Chrysler reported stolen a little while ago. Oh, yes, Captain, I heard about that. Nobody in the neighborhood remembers seeing a Chrysler pull away. All right, let's go on the basis that it is these Washington Fellows. And get busy on that hotel check. If these boys haven't flown out of town already. Who is it? Well, you think it is open up? It's Dave. OK, Dave, just a second. Come in, come in. Well, I've been nose around town a little hub like... Hi. Good day. That little job calls much talk. Sure it calls talk. And we're hotter than Biritt Moon. Do you think so, Dave? We're not hot. I don't know. This is the biggest little city in the world, but it's still little. I said we'd pick up another car and get out of town as fast as we can. Yeah, we'll get out of town all right. We'll get out of town after we knock over one more joint. Are you kidding?

19:21Well, I'd be saying it if I was kidding. What are you trying to do? Get us a nap? We should have been on our way as soon as we knocked over that saloon. We had no business staying whole up in this hotel. Have you said your peace, Blake? Blake, you shouldn't fly off like that. Well, it's a stupid. But I don't like something I speak out. It's a good idea. I always speak out. I always want to know what's on your mind. But we take the other joint. Now, listen. Blake cut it out with it. Didn't he crash us out? Didn't he risk his neck to do it? We ought to listen to him. OK, I'll listen. But because I listen, it don't mean I'll do. If we pulled another deal, I couldn't want us any worse than they want us now. Could they? We ought to be on our way. Cops catch up with us all the time in Nevada plus time in Washington. Why invite trouble? If a cop catches up with me, only one of us is going to walk away from it. No. Hey, what are you talking about? Cops catching up with us. I don't even want to think about it. I know deal is more of a sense in the last one. Yeah, they're all a cinch. You get nails. And we kiss, we know, goodbye tomorrow morning. I got your word for that. Didn't he tell you? You got my word. OK, what's it all about?

20:22A place on East Fourth Street, the U.S. Highway 40 Tavern in Cologne. Yeah. I remember seeing the place when we drove in. The cash paychecks, a lot of it cash. We'll take them at midnight. OK. We'll make the touch. And blow Reno in the morning. Yeah. And blow Reno in the morning. Kevin Hitch. Hello, Captain Sergeant Glass reporting. Glad you called, Alan. Highway 40 Tavern was just stuck up with the same guys. Captain. When did it happen? About 20 minutes ago. Why? I'm calling from the lobby of the Carlton Hotel. There's three guys checked in here. Two of them answered the descriptions. In their room during the last hour or so? No, Captain. They just walked into the lobby a minute ago. And went upstairs right before I called you. They were in a hurry. They could be the ones, I don't know. I'd give up, say, are. Watch the set up there. They've got a two room suite on the third floor. And there's only one door to the suite. It's far enough away from a fire escape. Okay. You stick around the lobby there.

21:23I'll bring Colin and Reno. We'll give you a hand. If they try to leave the hotel the meantime, pick up all three of them. If they know? Give them a chance to get a sleep. Then we'll wake them out of their slumber. T-I-D-E-Tide. There's never been anything like Procter and Gamble's sensational tide. No soap. No other suds. Nothing else you can buy anywhere. We'll wash your clothes as clean as tide. And here's why. Tide with its new miracle suds not only leaves clothes free from dirt, but removes dingy soap film too. And that's only the beginning of the miracle. With all its amazing cleaning power, Tide is safe, truly safe for all your washable colors. What's more, Tide actually brightens soap dull colors. And listen to what Tide does for white things. In hardest water, Tide gets them whiter than any other washing product known. And Tide keeps them white week after week, never turns them yellow. Try Tide next wash day.

22:23Start using the one, the only wash day product that gives you all this. The cleanest, brightest, whitest wash you ever hung on the line. Tide is dirt out. Tide is dirt out. Tide gets clothes thinner than any soap. Any soap? Yes, any soap. Tide gets clothes thinner than any soap. T-I-D-E-Tide. Now back to gang busters. Arnie. Yeah. What do you want, Blake? Couple of words with you with that song. Oh, can't wait to come on. And I gotta hit the sack. Your Dave has got the right idea. Get plenty of sleep. That's what I'm going to do to him. I'm going to sit still. I'm going to go get you. What is he? I got a sneak and hunch Dave wants to pull a third job here in Reno. I know. You know that ain't so Blakey. He promised we'd pull out tomorrow. Yes. Yeah, yeah, he promised. Something tells me he's got other ideas. Well, that's the way he wants it.

23:25I ain't been doing so bad. String along with Dave. Well, good night. Sit still on then. Hey, look, I'm asleep. I'm like feet like way away. If he says another job here, you're with me. We pull away from him. Pull away from him. That's what I said. But he knows what he's made. Maybe, maybe, but he don't want to stop. I did enough time. I'm not risking doing it anymore. Please, you got to have come. Hey, who's that? Get it down. Cops. You don't think it's cops. Hey, we ought to wait Dave. Get Dave. Get your gun out. Get behind the door. But if it's cops. If it's cops, Dave can't help us. Come on. Listen, Blake. Dave got up. Yeah? What do you want? We're police officers. Open up. Open up. Okay. It's the idea, Mr. Wego. Now tell you what the idea is. Watch your captain. It's one behind the door. Come on, man. Hey, we're not. Come here, you. Let go of me. Shoot.

24:25I just want to hold you. Shoot. He's out. All right, Mr. Talkin. Talk fast. Where's the other one? What other one? Come on, where is he? Okay, he's in there, sleep. Sure, he's asleep. Yeah, I'm sure. Well, we'll see. Where's the light switch in there? Right inside the door on the right. Come on, Reid. Watch these two. Got you, captain. Last. Let's go. All right with you. Okay, you open the door. I'll reach into the light. Come. It's sound asleep. Come on over to bed. Let's pull back the covers. Watch him, captain. Don't sleep. You said I knocked. Oh! Then I'll hold you two for a while. Are you ready, okay? Oh, they don't care. But for you. For you. Oh! No, settle down. Take it easy. Come right through. I've heard it. You've said it. You're through. Reid. Get an ambulance. Get two of them.

25:25Now, that done was the disaster's ending to this case. Two heroic Reno police officers. Captain Leroy Geach and detective sergeant LNA Glass were shot and killed by this desperate criminal, David Blackwell. Blackwell himself was shot, but he recovered his wounds and went on trial and first degree murder charges a few months ago. He was convicted and sentenced to death in the Nevada gas chamber. The other criminals, Arnold J. Thomason and James Blake, received maximum terms of 50 years each in the Nevada State Penitentiary. Well, thank you, Chief Greason, for telling us this case history. And now gangbusters is privileged to present the Honorable Paul V. McNutt, former High Commissioner of the Philippines and Governor of Indiana, speaking as Vice President of the National Probation and Parole Association. The Honorable Paul V. McNutt. We have heard it dramatic story, a tragic story. In one form or another, it is a story all too common in America today.

26:27What can we do about it? Law enforcement? Yes, efficient police work is essential to protect you and me and all of us. But we must do more than catch criminals and send them up. We must prevent crime. We must do everything possible to reclaim young offenders before they become criminals. Firm guidance from understanding judges and probation officers and from parole officers in cases involving parole can help to avoid lives of crime and tragedy. Crained men and women, such as the members of the Western probation and parole conference, who have heard the program in Phoenix tonight, are needed in every court dealing with young and first defenders. To provide such guidance, to assist those skilled and sincere workers with beginners in delinquency, the National Probation and Parole Association is working today through its offices from coast to coast, with trained specialists in the field of crime prevention.

27:39It is a nonprofit organization supported entirely by voluntary contributions and its services are available to your community. It's ready to help you and your courts and probation officers, the agencies in your town, and in turn, it needs your help and support to carry on its great work. If your community needs help in these matters, or if you can help the association in its program, get in touch with it. The National Probation and Parole Association, with offices in San Francisco, Chicago, and New York. Here is its platform, effective treatment of delinquency and prevention of crime throughout America. In short, protection for you and the square deal for youngsters in trouble. Thank you, Paul V. McNutt, for this message of vital importance. Next week, the case of the war-bright amendment, who used the tactics of the wartime underground to rob her victims,

28:43but have found that in peace, as well as in war, the loser's penalty is sure. Next week, same time, same station, the case of the war-bright bandit, Don Gangbusters. The night's case was dramatized by Stanliness, directed by William Sweets, with Ken Lynch and John Larkin in leading roles. Don Gardner speaking, Gangbusters is a Phillips H. Lorde production. Gangbusters is brought to you by Ty, the amazing new Wash Day Miracle. Third time is Dirt Out P-I-D-E Ty. This is ABC, the American Broadcasting Company.