THE BIG LAUGH and THE BIG IMPOSTER DRAGNET

1001 Radio Crime Solvers

This episode features two classic Dragnet radio segments detailing investigations into different criminal activities in Los Angeles. The fir

Key takeaways

• Jonathan Benton used aliases like Jack Bentley and Thomas Conan to scam women out of thousands of dollars.
• Benton's method involved promising marriage before requesting $100 for a fake business trip emergency.

Main topics

• Confidence games and scams
• Supermarket robberies

Notable quotes

The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Conclusion

The episode provides a gripping look at mid-century crime solving and

Transcript preview

Speaker 6 (0:00) Amazon Great Indian Festival is here. Amazon Speaker 2 (0:06) Great Speaker 6 (0:27) Indian Festival is here. Speaker 8 (0:33) Sound off for Chesterfield. Chesterfield is best for you. First cigarette with premium quality in both regular and king size. Chesterfield brings you Dragnet. Speaker 4 (0:56) Ladies and gentlemen, the story you're about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent. Speaker 4 (1:10) You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned to bunco detail. For the past year, a confidence man has been cheating women in your city. You finally get a lead on him. Your job? Get him. Speaker 4 (1:26) Tonight, I have a new report for you, a most important one, too, because when you're asked to try a cigarette, you want to know and you ought to know what that cigarette is meant to people who smoke it all the time. After a full year of observation, a medical specialist was given a group of Chesterfield smokers thorough examinations every two months for the full year, reports no adverse effects to their nose, throat, or sinuses from smoking Chesterfields. More and more men and women all over the country are finding out every day that Chesterfield is best for them. Enjoy your smoking. Try Chesterfield's today. They're best for you. Much milder, with an extraordinarily good taste. Speaker 8 (2:19) the documented 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, Dragnet is the story of your police force in action. Speaker 1 (2:42) It was Wednesday, February 12th. It was cold in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out of bunco detail. My partner's Frank Smith. The boss is Captain Steve. My name's Friday. We were at the Armstrong Thomas Department Store cafeteria, and it was 3.14 p.m. when I got back to the table. Here, Joe. Let me give you a hand. Oh, thanks. Here you are, Miss Terrence. Speaker 3 (3:01) Thank you. Speaker 1 (3:02) I wonder if you'd tell us what this is all about now, ma'am. Speaker 3 (3:05) Surely. Sorry you had to wait, but I thought it might be better if we talked up here. Speaker 1 (3:09) Yes, ma'am. Speaker 3 (3:11) Would you pass the sugar, please? Speaker 7 (3:12) Oh, yes, ma'am. Here you are. Speaker 3 (3:17) Well, it's not a pretty thing. I don't know how I could have been so foolish. But I guess when you get to be my age and you haven't got anything, almost any attention makes you forget. Speaker 1 (3:27) Yes, ma'am. How'd you first meet this man, Ben? Speaker 3 (3:30) I saw him first at a musicale. I met him very briefly that night. He called me the next day, said that he wanted to see me again. Well, I told him that I didn't think it'd be proper, but he insisted, so that night we had dinner together. He seemed so nice, I still can't believe it. Speaker 7 (3:48) Yes, ma'am. Speaker 3 (3:50) Such a wonderful time. I didn't think anybody could be so happy. We ate at a wonderful little place down at the beach. Then we went for a long drive and listened to the music on the radio. Just beautiful. The way the ocean looked, all moonlight and all. Speaker 1 (4:06) When did you see him again, ma'am? Speaker 3 (4:08) Not until he left. He'd call a couple of times a day. It got a little embarrassing. The girls at the store here got to kidding me about it, but I didn't care. Speaker 3 (4:19) Then he told me he wanted to marry me. I couldn't believe it. So wonderful. Yes, ma'am. Then one day he told me that he was going to have to take a business trip up north. Speaker 1 (4:32) When was that? Do you remember, ma'am? I Speaker 3 (4:34) guess it was about three weeks ago, something like that. Well, he left. I went down to the station and saw him off. He kissed me and said that when he got back, we'd be married. We were going over to Las Vegas on our honeymoon. Wonderful plans. Wonderful. Then I heard from him, and he got to San Francisco. He called me from the hotel and said that he'd lost his wallet on the train. He told me he'd lost everything. All his money, identification, everything. Speaker 5 (5:07) Mm-hmm. Speaker 3 (5:09) That's when he asked me for the $100. I didn't think that anything was wrong, so I sent it to him. Speaker 1 (5:15) Where'd you send it, ma'am? Speaker 3 (5:17) To his hotel. Speaker 1 (5:19) Did you hear from him at all after that, ma'am? Speaker 3 (5:22) Not a word. At first I thought that maybe he was just busy. I did think it was kind of funny that he wouldn't say something about getting the money I sent, but not a word. Then I got worried. Speaker 1 (5:36) Yes, ma'am. I understand. Speaker 3 (5:38) Finally, I called the hotel, and they told me that he'd checked out. I figured that maybe he was back in town and wanted to surprise me. So I called his apartment. The landlady told me that he had left a couple of weeks before, that he didn't leave any forwarding address. Speaker 1 (5:56) Yes, ma'am. Speaker 3 (5:58) I didn't know what to think. I didn't want to believe that he'd just used me, but there didn't seem to be anything else to think. Speaker 1 (6:07) Yes, ma'am. Speaker 3 (6:08) Then, of course, it was only $100. Seems that if he'd wanted to rob me, he could have asked for more. I still don't believe it, even when I know it's true. Speaker 1 (6:21) Yes, ma'am. Now, I wonder if you could give us a description of the man. Speaker 3 (6:24) Yes, I can do that. Let's see. He was tall. Speaker 1 (6:28) About how tall, ma'am? Speaker 3 (6:30) Over six feet, maybe six feet two. He had blonde hair, kind of wavy. Speaker 1 (6:37) About how much would you say he weighed, Miss Terrence? Speaker 3 (6:40) I'd just be guessing that I'd say about 190 or so. I Speaker 1 (6:44) see. I wonder if you'd be kind enough to come down to the city hall and look at some pictures for us. Speaker 3 (6:48) You think you might have one of his? It's Speaker 1 (6:50) possible, ma'am. Maybe it'd make you feel a little better to know that you're not the only woman that this Benton has taken. There have been quite a few. Speaker 3 (6:56) I guess I knew that. Even if I didn't want to believe it, I guess I knew it was just a confidence game. Such a cruel thing, though, to use a person's loneliness to rob them. Speaker 1 (7:10) Yes, ma'am, it is. Speaker 3 (7:13) When you get along in years and you haven't got anything to hold on to, a little attention and affection makes you forget everything else. Nothing else seems to matter. Speaker 1 (7:25) Yes, ma'am. I guess that's the way they figure it. Speaker 1 (7:33) Frank and I had been looking for Jonathan Benton for the past year. During that time, he'd taken approximately $37,000 from women in the Los Angeles area. His method of operation was to answer the ads in the personal columns of the daily papers. He'd give the woman a whirlwind courtship, then under the pretext of having to clean up some business before marriage, he'd leave town. He'd call the next day and give them the story about losing his wallet and identification. He'd ask them for $100. This in itself was to throw off the suspicions of the victims. In the event that they suspected that they were being taken in a racket, $100 was small enough so that their fears were quieted. Benton would answer about 20 to 30 of these ads at a time, and the request for money would hit all of the suspects at once. We'd had several complaints lately, and there was no way of knowing how many women were being taken and were too embarrassed to report it to the authorities. 4.30 p.m. We drove Miss Terrence back to the city hall and had her check the mug books. She was unable to give us an identification, however. Another month passed. During that time, we received 14 more complaints. In all instances, the description of the suspect matched that of Jonathan Benton. All available sources of information were checked. Bulletins had been gotten out carrying his description and the name he used. No results. On Wednesday, March 25th, we got a call that a man answering Benton's description had placed an ad in the personal columns of one of the daily papers. It used the name of Thomas Conant. The clerk at the ad counter gave us his address, and at 5.32 p.m., Frank and I went out to talk to him. Yeah? You Thomas Conan? Yeah, that's right. What can I do for you? Police officers would like to talk to you. Speaker 7 (9:04) Sure, come on in. Always glad to talk to the law. This is my partner, Frank Smith. How do you do, Mr. Smith? How do you do, sir? If you boys will come on in, I'll shut the door. Thank you. Now, what's this all about? Well, sir, did you put this ad in the paper? Let me see. Texas cowman desires to meet petite young lady object companionship. Spelled everything right, Dad. Yes, sir, that's mine. I wrote it all myself. How long have you Speaker 1 (9:32) been in Los Angeles? Speaker 7 (9:33) Well, now, let's see. Got in on the bus last Tuesday. That'd make a week and a day. Uh Speaker 1 (9:39) -huh. Speaker 7 (9:39) What brings you out here? Well, I guess you could say it's kind of a business trip. Got a little tired of the same faces back home, so I thought I'd just see what the rest of the country looked like. Well, a little A's of it. I'm from Texas, you know. Amarillo. Yeah, what's all this about, anyway? Some law I broke? Speaker 1 (9:56) No, it's about that ad. Speaker 7 (9:57) Oh, you found out, huh? Beg pardon? Oh, you found out about me saying I was a cattleman. That's it, ain't it? What do you mean? Well, now, I didn't mean to harm. I do have a couple milk cows on the place. A Holstein and a Guernsey. They're real nice, too. Just that I was so darn lonesome, I kind of thought this might be a way to meet some nice gal. I didn't mean to harm. You can see that, can't you? Yes, sir, I guess so. I wonder if you'd mind taking a ride with us, sir? Well, I should say not. Always happy to go along with the law. Where are you thinking to go to? We'd like you to meet somebody. Well, now that's right. Nice of you. Got some gal you'd like me to meet, huh? Well, it's not exactly that, sir. Well, it don't matter none. I got nothing to do anyhow. Just sitting here wondering if I'd get any replies to the ad. Speaker 1 (10:43) All right, sir. If you wouldn't mind, let's go. Speaker 7 (10:46) Not at all. I'll get my hat. Speaker 7 (10:53) Hardly feel conspicuous in this hat at all. Speaker 1 (10:55) Is that right? Speaker 7 (10:56) Yep. Kind of thought people might make something of it, but hardly even notice it. Had two little kids come up today, ask for my autograph. Guess they figured I was a movie star. Made me feel real good, too. Then I wrote my name for them. They didn't know who I was. That didn't make no mind to them. They just thanked me and went on about the business. Right nice little folks he was. Yeah. Well, let's go. Sure. Real nice people here in L.A. Real nice. Haven't met a bad one yet. Speaker 1 (11:25) Well, you haven't been here long. We got him. Speaker 1 (11:31) 5.40 p.m., we drove Thomas Conant downtown and had a car go out and pick up Miss Terrence. While we talked to Conant in the interrogation room, she walked by the open door and looked in at the suspect. She told us that he was not the man who'd victimized her. She was returned to her home, and after Conant had been checked through R &I, he was released. The next morning, Frank and I ran down a tip from an informant, but it led us nowhere. 10.18 a.m., we checked back into the office. Speaker 4 (11:55) You get the latest bulletin from San Francisco, Joe? Speaker 1 (11:57) Yeah, I looked it over this morning. They checked out the hotel Benton was staying at. He checked out of there. They haven't seen him since. Well, that means he's probably back here in town, huh? Well, if he is, we should start hearing about him again pretty soon. I'll get it. Bunko, Friday. Who? Oh, yes, ma'am. Yes, Miss Terrence, I remember. Yes, ma'am. Where was that? Would you give me that again? Yes, ma'am. 4-8 Vine. Yes, that's right, ma'am. We'll get in touch with you. Right. Thank you very much. Bye. Grace Terrence? Yeah, she just saw Benton. Where? Went into an apartment out on Vine Street. Speaker 1 (12:37) 10.41 a.m. Frank and I got to the apartment house on Vine Street. We talked to the landlord and he told us that a man answering the suspect's description was registered in apartment 4B. He was registered under the name Jonathan Benson. He told us that this Benson had just moved in and paid his first month's rent in advance. He'd said that he was just going to be in town for a short time and that in the event that he moved out before his month was up, he expected no refund. Frank and I went up to the fourth floor and knocked on the door. Yeah? You Jonathan Benson? Who are you? Police officers. We want to talk to you. What about? Might be better if we talked inside. Speaker 2 (13:10) Maybe I don't want you in my... All right, now, mister, Speaker 1 (13:12) you get your hat. We want to talk to you downtown. Speaker 2 (13:14) What for? Come on, get your hat. Just a minute. I think maybe there's been some kind of mistake here. Just tell me exactly what it is you're looking for. I'm sure we can work it out. Come on, mister, Speaker 1 (13:21) quit stalling. Get your hat, will you? Speaker 2 (13:23) Come on in. Speaker 2 (13:26) I'll get my hat. I'll get it Speaker 7 (13:27) for you. In this closet? Yeah, Speaker 2 (13:29) the gray one. You sure you got the right man? Looks that way. No way to work this out. What do you mean by that? I don't even know why you want me to go with you. Seems you could fill me in on that. Got some people we'd like to have you meet. Speaker 1 (13:41) Who? You'll see when we Speaker 2 (13:42) get there. Here's your hat. Come on, let's go. You guys sure think you're the Gestapo coming in here dragging a private citizen out of his house. You haven't done anything wrong. You got nothing to worry about then, have you? That's not the point. I don't like it. Coming in here and taking me downtown so a lot of stupid old broads can look at me. Who said we wanted women to look at you? Speaker 1 (13:57) You did. No, we said we wanted you to meet some people. Speaker 2 (14:00) Must have misunderstood, huh? Yeah, I guess you did. Um, no way we can work this out, huh? There's no way. Now, come on. Oh, just a minute. I want to be sure I got my key. I don't want to be locked out. Don't worry about it. What do you mean? You might not be coming back. Speaker 1 (14:16) Frank and I took Jonathan Benson downtown. We ran him through R &I, but we got no identification. His fingerprints were rolled and checked, but they didn't make him. Miss Terrence was called and asked to come down to the city hall to try to identify the suspect. 2.30 p.m., we took him to the interrogation room. Speaker 2 (14:30) You ever use the name Benton? No. You sure? Yeah. You ever use any other alias? Why should I? You tell us. Now, look, why don't you come off it? Tell me what this is all about. You told us you just got into town, is that right? Yeah, I've been here about a week. Where'd you come from? Up north. Where up north? San Francisco. You live up there, do you? Most of the time, yeah. Most of the time? What's that mean? Just that. Most of the time I live in San Francisco. That hard for you guys to understand? What am I to work you in? I'm a salesman. Yeah? What do you sell? Whatever people want to buy. What are you selling now? Nothing right now. That's why I'm here. I'm looking for a deal. Speaker 7 (15:00) You know a woman named Terrence? Grace Terrence? Speaker 2 (15:02) I don't think so. Might. Why? We'd like to know. Hey, maybe I'm wrong about all of this, but it seems to me that when they taught me civics in school, they said that I had to be booked, that you had to let me go. They changed that law? No, that law's still good. Then let's stop horsing around. I got a lot of things I want to do. Fill me in on this and then let me out