Dragnet - Big Court

The story you're about to hear is true. The names have been changed to protect the innocent.

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You're a detective sergeant. You're assigned a robbery detail. An ex-convict is accused of robbery and murder.

Four witnesses identify him as the killer. The man's arraigned and municipal court and held to answer.

Your job? Investigate.

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Dragnet. 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.

It was Wednesday, March 12th. It was cold in Los Angeles. We were working the day watch out of robbery detail. My partner is Ed Jacobs. The boss is Captain Diddy and my name is Friday.

We were on the way over from the office, and it was 10.43 a.m. when we got to the third floor at the Hall of Justice. Municipal Court Department 82.

Do you stand, Joe? I think so. Yeah, that's him up front behind the DA's table. Oh, yeah. Come on.

Hi, Leo. Hi, Friday. Jacob. Hello, Chair. Yeah, thank you. Who's on the stand first, you know? Dickens' wife, I think.

People first of St. Clair. People ready. In this case, Your Honor, we'd like to proceed with number two, three, five, four, eight.

You've been through C. Is the defendant ready? If not, it's ready, Your Honor. Call Agnes Holloway. Agnes Holloway to the stand.

You just saw me swear that the testimony are about to give in the matter not pending before this court will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth set up to God.

Thank you. Stay your name, please.

Thank you, Mr. Holloway.

Following your attention to the fourth day of March of this year, Mrs. Holloway, did you see the defendant in your place of business at 2301 Nailer Avenue?

Yes, sir.

What time of day did you first see him at that location? It was around 9 p.m.

Would you tell us what you saw the defendant do? Well, the purpose of the record may we ask whether that was in the morning or the afternoon.

Was that in the morning or in the p.m.? P.m.

Do you tell us what you saw the defendant do and what you heard him say at that place?

You made it before the hold. At 930. Please tell us what occurred.

Well, I came in about 930, the place. He was already sitting there at the bar.

Continue.

I came in and sat down at the end of the bar. He was sitting about five stills from the door, friend of mine, Doris Henry.

She's here now. Doris was sitting there, and I would over and talk to Doris for one. The man didn't say anything, he's just sitting there.

Did you see him drinking anything? Yes, he's drinking scotch and soda.

You're the wife of George Holloway deceased, is that correct? Yes.

Was he present then? But different.

Was your husband George Holloway present at that time? Yes, he was telling the bar.

By that, do you mean that your husband, yourself and the defendant were the only persons present?

No, my friend Doris Henry was the same with that, too. I don't know who he was.

He sat next to the defendant, though. What occurred then?

As we were ready to close the front door, my husband noticed the light and the men's washroom.

I moved that girl out. What her husband noticed as a conclusion in the witness. It didn't go out.

Well, anyway, my husband went back in to put the light out. Doris's family, and I went out to the sidewalk so that the singer and the fellow did too.

The defendant did? Yes.

And the men that I went back in, decided to see what my husband was doing. The defendant followed me back in.

I was about as far as the music machine. He put his arm around me and he had a gun right here.

He said, ladies, this is a sticker. Could you describe the gun you saw?

No, I just thought it looked like a pistol when you couldn't tell you the maker.

I move that girl out if you're honor please, what it looked like. I know it was a gun.

You motion movie tonight. You were inside the building when the defendant did that.

Yes. He's just required, I'll tell you. And where was Miss Fenwick then?

She was out on the sidewalk talking to the sailor, I think. Doris was expecting her husband to come on the street car.

I move that girl out. Miss Fenwick was out on the sidewalk and I stay in and the balance may go off.

What did the defendant do after that, Mrs. Holloway? He said, I would shoot you if you don't keep quiet.

He made me walk backwards to where my husband was and I said, Johnny, this man has a gun.

He said, this is a sticker and the man said, shut up and you make my husband put his hands up.

Were you in fear of the gun at that time? No, I just got in the air.

Do you believe the defendant would injure you with the gun? I wasn't afraid, I swear.

Well, it's so cold up and we'll give him your money and that's all there is to it.

All right. Continue.

When we got to the bathroom, my husband was trying to open the safe and he says,

hurry up. I have your wife covered. Tell us if you don't hurry.

The defendant said that. Yes, my husband said, don't get nervous. You can have anything we have but don't shoot it.

Then my husband got the safe open and took out the money bag and handed it to the man, the defendant.

He grabbed it and then he shot my husband twice. The defendant shot your husband twice.

Yes. Do you know what the contents of the money bag worth? About $160.

Any time did you give this defendant authority or your consent to take that money? Yes, sir.

The taking of the money was against your will, is that correct? Yes.

How soon after was it that the officers arrived at the location? It's about seven or eight minutes after death.

Your husband was removed to the hospital? Yes.

Do you know when your husband died? He died on the 7th, Friday, 6 o'clock.

You mean on the 7th of March of this year? Yes, sir.

Did you see your husband in the coroner's office? Why me?

Did you see your husband after death in the coroner's office? No, I saw him in the hospital.

After death, did you see your husband downstairs in the coroner's office? No, my son did.

Did you see your husband after death? Yes, at the mortuary, among the tenants at the mortuary.

And the person you viewed in death was the same Charles A. Holloway who you knew in life as your husband.

Yes. Do you know Grace Thompson? Yes, she works with me in my husband.

Was she present at your place of business on this evening? Yes.

When did she leave there, do you know? About five minutes to 12 midnight.

Can you fix a precise time when your husband was shot? About five minutes after 12.

Five minutes after 12. How many times was the gun fire? Twice.

How close was the gun to your husband, Charles Holloway?

It must have been about two weeks. Do you know Mary and Shaw? Yes.

Was she present on the premises at evening? She was present at evening.

Do you know Mrs. Sam Garber? Yes.

Was she present on the premises at evening? Yes, sir. And that thing was the two.

I didn't know him, though. All that you've related occurred in the county of Los Angeles State of California? Yes.

Across the county. Can I have a drink for you, please?

David? Would you like to rest a while, Mrs. Holloway? Yes, please.

We have a short recess before the cross-examination.

Joe, Ed, yell here. Probably won't get to us for a while. You want to grab her a smoke?

No, it's fine with me. Okay.

What's your idea on it, will you? I don't know. I'm not having bound out with a spirit court.

No, I mean, you think St. Claes is the right man? He's got me.

Yeah, just one good piece of physical evidence. I feel a lot better about it.

Go ahead. Yeah, thanks.

There you go. Bye. Yeah, thank you.

Thank you. How about St. Claes' alibi? All the angles, Jack, sir?

All of them. Doesn't hold much water. Can't prove it's a lie. Can't prove it's the truth.

Sure. I hate these things. I don't know which way to go before identifying the witnesses.

We know how wrong they can be. What about that sailor was supposed to be in the barn at the time?

I know. I'm sorry I didn't do any good. How about you, fella?

Well, seemingly, oh, nothing yet.

He's the only one who really got a close look at the killer besides a wife on me.

Killer bumped into and we ran out of the barn.

If anyone could identify the right man, the sailor could. Nobody at the barn saw him before that night.

Nobody seen him since. He's not a trace of him.

Sure, a best bet.

If we could find him, we might put a foundation under the thing.

Yeah, put in me. There's just one problem. Yeah. Big Navy. Where do we find him?

When 58-year-old tavern owner Charles Holloway was shot and fatally wounded in a hold up on March 4th,

there were five people in the immediate vicinity. Holloway's wife awaited the tavern, two women customers, and an unidentified sailor.

Soon after the shooting, the scene of the crime was gone over thoroughly for all physical evidence,

but besides the two fatal bullets none was found. The preliminary investigation failed to yield any further leads.

A search was started for the missing witness, the unidentified sailor.

The four known witnesses were brought downtown where they checked through volumes of pictures of ex-convicts recently released from the state penitentiaries.

All of them identified the mug shot of Harold St. Clair, a recent parolee from Chino where he'd served time for armed robbery.

St. Clair was brought in immediately in question. He failed to establish an alibi for his whereabouts the night of the hold up and murdered.

He was a reigned and municipal court, and that is preliminary hearing, the first prosecution witness, the wife of the murdered man Agnes Holloway, singled him out as the killer.

By experience, the working detectives found that identifying witnesses under the strain of being present at a horrible crime can often be mistaken in their identification.

In this instance, there wasn't anything else we could do, it was all we had.

1118 AM, the preliminary hearing resumed. The witnesses took the stand in turn and all of them tabbed St. Clair as a murderer.

Ed and I testified as the arresting officers. At 325 that afternoon, the prosecution arrested the case for the people.

St. Clair's lawyer offered no defense for the time being.

Your Honor.

This time, the people moved the case number 23529 be dismissed on the grounds that it states in substance.

23529?

Is that correct?

Yes, Your Honor.

Dismissed on the grounds that it states in substance the offense covered in the present case.

23529 covers the offense of robbery and assault with intense commit murder under the present victim in our case here, Charles Holloway.

He was not dead at the time this case. 23529 was filed.

Subsequent to its filing, he died and the murder count accomplished that complaint.

The record showed that on the motion of the district attorney, the case of people versus Harold R. St. Clair, number 23529, that case is dismissed.

Therein to mean that the offenses in the within-deposition mentioned the Witt count one murder of felony and count two robbery of felony have been committed and that there is sufficient cost to believe that within named defendant Harold R. St. Clair, you'll be there.

I ought to be held to answer the same and you could commit it to the custody of a shell from Los Angeles County without that.

In the 17 days intervening between St. Clair's preliminary hearing and his arrangement in superior court, Ed and I along with Sergeant Stoner, Beeson and Leo Tracy continued our investigation of the case.

Physical evidence to either prove or disprove the case against St. Clair was not to be had.

We concentrated on trying to find the all-important missing witness to the killing, the unidentified sailor.

We got out an APV along with special letters and bulletins for distribution to local Navy yard common dance as well as Navy Department officials in Washington requesting help in locating him.

It went slow.

The day before St. Clair's superior court arrangement, we got our first lead but not from where we expected.

A two-time robbery loser, Lester Jaffey, who bore a close resemblance to St. Clair, was arrested at a check-catching agency on South Hoover trying to pass a fraud's check.

He had several prior arrests and convictions for burglary in AVW and the check of his package showed that he violated his parole.

A 38 caliber SNW revolver found on Jaffey was delivered to Lester's camp in ballistics for examination in comparison.

The next day, Monday, March 29th, St. Clair came up for his arrangement and superior court.

He had no where there.

St. Clair.

You think of this present ready, Your Honor?

The reign of President.

Harold, I say Clair, is that your true name?

That's right.

Harold, I say Clair, by information number two, three, five, four, nine, your charge didn't count one with a crime of murder.

In that honor about March 4th of this year, you did woefully, unlawfully, and feloniously, and with malice of four thoughts.

Murder one, Charles A. Holloway, a human being.

Do this charge, how do you now plead guilty or not guilty?

Not guilty.

In comp two of the same information, your charge with a crime of robbery, in that honor about March 4th of this year, you did rob one, Charles A. Holloway.

So that charge, how do you now plead guilty or not guilty?

Ah, guilty.

John, do you have the better?

Oh, yeah.

Is Martin to your phone call or yes, must be for you?

Yeah, thanks, Ed.

Gentlemen, have you agreed on what date is convenient for trial?

Your agreement is yet, Your Honor.

Harris, now phone call for you, Sergeant.

Right here.

Okay, thank you.

Friday talking.

Yep.

Is that right?

Yeah, okay, Russ.

As soon as we finish here, y'all right, bye.

Sure, Alex, you're watching over our trial, there's only ideas.

Well, we better get all the time you can.

Alex, we're gonna need it for anything you say.

What's the matter, we got troubles?

We just had a call from Russ Camp in Bullistics.

Yeah.

I figure we got a whole new case to build.

What do you mean?

Well, the man we've got, St. Clair.

Yeah.

Maybe he's taken the rap for somebody else.

You are listening to Dragnet, authentic stories of your police force in action.

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March 29, Monday, 4.15 pm.

After the arrangement of Harold St. Clair and Superior Court,

Ed and I checked with Russ Camp and Ballistics.

He said he'd run tests on the 38 S&W revolver,

taken from robbery forgery suspect Lester Jaffe the day before.

Comparison microscopic examinations of test bullets fired from the gun,

taken from Jaffe, and the two slugs, which had been removed from the body of

Tavern owner Charles Holloway, matched.

After checking with Braden at the CII Bureau in Sacramento,

we discovered new additions to Jaffe's long criminal record.

We also found out his known MO corresponded closely to that of the man

who robbed and murdered Mr. Holloway.

At a special show up of both St. Clair and Jaffe,

the close resemblance of the two became apparent to the four identifying witnesses.

They frankly admitted their mistake and positively identified Jaffe as the killer.

Intensive investigation during the next three weeks,

uncovered enough evidence and testimony against Jaffe by associates and informers

to give us a good foundation for a murder conviction.

But we were still without a lead to one of our most essential witnesses,

the unidentified sailor.

The first suspect, Harold St. Clair, was cleared of the charge,

but detained on a want from the Denver Police Department.

After arrangement and preliminary hearing in municipal court,

the arrangement and superior court,

Lester Jaffe went on trial for the Holloway killing on June 2nd.

Dr. West, the autopsy surgeon,

was first to be called by assistant district attorney Adolf Alexander.

He stated the results of the autopsy on Mr. Holloway and testified as to the cause of death.

John Mar, the police surveyor,

was next to produce the various diagrammatic drawings of the murder scene.

The third day of the trial, June 5th.

Robert Womens, come back on.

Freda Miss Holloway.

Oh, yeah.

Mrs. Samuel Garber.

We seated.

I'll see you to the trial's examination.

Mrs. Garber, at the time you testified against the former suspect, Harold St. Clair,

you were just as positive then where you're now.

The whole up man who killed Mr. Holloway was Harold St. Clair.

Yes, I was, but I also said he didn't have the same type I.

You were absolutely sure about Harold St. Clair then, weren't you?

Yes, I guess I was.

And you identified St. Clair and testified a number of times during that examination

that St. Clair was the man, is that right?

I said he resembled to me.

You said he was the man, didn't you?

I said I thought he resembled to me.

You also said there was no doubt of it, didn't you?

That the whole up man was Mr. St. Clair.

Well, I guess so, I don't know.

No, I don't know.

You don't know.

No, I guess I don't.

I don't remember.

Not sure.

Mrs. Garber, you sure you remember the man you saw sitting in the bar that night?

Well, I don't know.

I've got the book mixed up.

I guess I'm not sure.

During the next two days, the other three identifying witnesses were called to testify.

And like Mrs. Garber, we're badged by the defense attorney unmercifully.

Despite the efforts of Alexander, the prosecuting attorney,

it was apparent the jury was being swayed heavily in favor of the defendant.

Even the full day and a half Ray Pinker from the crime lab spent on the stand

seemed to have little effect in counteracting the damage done by the confused testimony.

To prepare the jury for Russ Camp's expert report,

and for the presentation of scientific facts about the lethal bullets in the murder gun,

found on jaffy at the time of his arrest, Pinker and assistant district attorney Alexander

gave the jury a thorough briefing on the fundamentals of ballistics.

They also pointed out the scientific value of ballistics and determining the guilt or innocence of a defendant.

On Thursday, June 12, Russ Camp took the stand as a prosecution witness

and under questioning presented the findings of the various tests he'd run on the alleged murder weapon.

Mr. Camp, sometime after you had obtained people's exhibits,

13, did you fire a test bullet or several test bullets from it in the crime laboratory?

I did.

Did you make a comparison of any of those test bullets with exhibits three and three A,

the bullets which killed Charles Holloway?

Yes, I did.

Now, in making your comparison and examination under the microscope,

after you've completed the mechanical part of your work,

and after you've completed your examination of the observable and comparable sections of the fatal bullets

with a test bullet fired from people's exhibit 13,

did you come to any conclusion with respect to the Holloway fatal bullets?

Yes, I did.

And what was that conclusion?

The conclusion was that the fatal bullets, the Holloway fatal bullets,

people's exhibit number three and three A, were fired through the barrel of people's exhibit number 13.

After another hour of testifying, Russ Camp left the stand.

His ballistics report on the murder gun had made an impression on the jury,

but we couldn't be sure it was enough to balance the setback the prosecution received from its own witnesses.

As far as we were concerned,

Jeffy was the guilty man.

There wasn't a doubt about it.

But the case against him was apparently inconclusive as far as the jury was concerned.

The defense attorney obviously had heard about the unidentified sailor who was also present at the scene of the killing.

He charged outright in the court that the district attorney was purposely preventing the appearance of the unknown sailor as a witness

and was concealing his identity.

As he told the jury, the prosecution was afraid that the testimony of their alleged silent witness would damage its case.

Meantime, our intensive search for the missing semen was still underway.

Despite half a dozen favorable prosecution witnesses,

the case for the people appeared to be on the losing end,

growing into the closing days of the trial.

Tuesday, June 17th,

one of the final defense witnesses was a Mrs. Albert Dolan,

who presented a fair alibi for Jeffy.

She claimed Jeffy was at night's school at the time of the Holloway killing.

Would you say of your own knowledge that on the night of March 4th,

Mr. Jeffy was at the school until midnight?

Yes, we were.

When you left the school, did you go home alone or with somebody?

My husband and I go home with Mr. Jeffy.

Anything else that you can remember?

Uh, let me think.

I'm sure we read the convincing story, huh?

Yeah, I wonder what the connection is.

I don't know. I'm sure you got plenty of them.

What do you figure, Joe? The jury, you think we got a chance?

Well, I don't know. Don't bet on it.

Ed? Joe? Oh, hi, they don't. Hi.

Going bad?

Couldn't be a lot better. It's getting that way.

Just got a call from Wormington, oh, it's Squadron.

Oh, what a bomb. Say what we've been looking for.

We found him.

Before we left the courtroom, Ed and I briefed the Assistant District Attorney Alexander on the latest development.

He put in a special order to the county jail for Hell, St. Clair.

Ed and I went across the street and met with a long missing murder witness in the homicide squadroom.

The sailor identified himself as Seaman First Class Roy Maslin.

He told us that about three and a half weeks before he'd happened to see a copy of the bulletin we'd gotten out on him.

He checked with his commanding officer and was returned to the mainland from his post on Midway Island.

3.22 PM, we returned to the courtroom along with Seaman First Class Roy Maslin and conferred with Assistant District Attorney Alexander.

The first murder suspect, Harold St. Clair, had already been brought downstairs to the courtroom from the county jail.

He was placed at the opposite end of the council table from the defendant, Lester Jaffe.

May we approach the bench, Your Honor?

Come forward.

Your Honor, we're just now located a witness in this case.

He's in the armed services and must report back for duty tonight.

May we have permission to call this witness out of turn?

Permission granted.

All right, son.

Raise your right hand.

Do you solemnly swear that the testimony or oblong to give in the matter and offending before this court will be the truth?

The whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you, God.

I do.

Take your name, please.

Seaman First Class Roy Maslin, nice stage name.

Receive it.

Are you acquainted with the Tavern Cafe at 2301 Nailer Avenue?

Yes, I am.

Are you there on the evening of March 4th of this year?

Yes, I do.

A few minutes for midnight.

Will you tell the court in your own words what happened on the premises that night?

Well, it was just a couple of minutes before midnight.

People around the place had said they were closing up, so I had a night cap.

Shot dice for the drinks of this guy next to me.

I won.

Who was this, man?

I didn't know who it was.

After you had your drinks, did you leave the bar?

Yes, I did.

And the guy said that.

I went out to the sidewalk and stood there talking with one of the gals I saw in the barn and heard a couple shots fired.

So I'm inside and doing a screening to holler or something.

I'd just go into the door to get inside of this man came rushing out.

He had me square on and went down.

I remember seeing him run down the street saying God was thinking of me.

Would you recognize this man if you saw him again?

Yes, sir, I would.

Is that man in this courtroom now?

Yes.

Your honor, please direct the defendant to stand alongside Mr. St. Clair so that this witness may properly identify the man involved.

Mr. Jaffe, will you stand up, please?

Stand for the right of Mr. St Clair.

Will you step down from the stand, please, Mr. Maddler, and place your hand on the shoulder of the man who was in the bar with you the night of March 4th?

Yes, sir.

This is the man, Jaffe.

Jaffe!

That's work, sir.

Really burned out.

You seem like you killed me, huh?

No, you're not the only one, son.

What?

When they read him the verdict.

The story you've just heard was true.

The names were changed to protect the innocent.

On June 21st, the jury retired to deliberate the case.

In a moment, the results of that deliberation.

And now, here is our star, Jack Webb.

Thank you, George Phanaman.

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Lester Carl Jaffe was found guilty of murder in the first degree.

He was executed in the lethal gas chamber at the State Penitentiary, San Quentin, California.

Exchange clubs sponsor crime prevention week to remind you that the fight against crime is your fight.

The year round.

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.

Her tonight were Pony Phillips, Big Peron, and Virginia Craig.

Scripped by Jim Moser, Music by Walter Schumann.

Hellgipney speaking.

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Best of all, king's eyes cigarettes has brought you Dragnet transcribed from Los Angeles.

Next, it's David Harding and Cutterspile on NBC.