21st Precinct, Sergeant Waters. No, CB, no word on it yet. Well, we've got men out searching
the whole area. Yeah, we located the care driver. The detectives are talking to him
now. That's right. You are by transcription in the musket room at the 21st Precinct. The
nerve center. A call is coming through. You will follow the action taken pursuant to that
call from this minute until the final report is written in the 124 room at the 21st Precinct.
All right, CB. I'll let you know as soon as anything happens. Yeah, right away. Okay.
21st Precinct. It's just lines on a map of the city of New York. Most of the 173,000
people waged into the nine-tenths of a square mile between 6th Avenue and the East River
wouldn't know if you asked them that they lived or worked in the 21st. Whether they
know it or not, the security of their homes, their prisons, and their property is the job
of the men of the 21st Precinct. The 21st, 160 patrolmen, 11 sergeants, and four lieutenants
of whom I'm the boss. My name is Kennelly, Frank Kennelly. I'm captain in command of
the 21st. I was working my day tour, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. It was a bright, sunny Saturday,
and for the first time of the year, people from all over the city flocked to the zoos,
the mall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and other attractions in Central Park. By
2 p.m., the traffic on 5th Avenue was jammed. I went over to 5th Avenue and sector car number
four for a firsthand look at the condition. A half hour later, I instructed the operator,
Patrolman Jacoby, to return to the station house. As we were driving there, in East 78th
Street, I saw the sergeant's car double parked at the entrance to a large, modern apartment
house. The operator was sitting at the wheel. I instructed Patrolman Jacoby to pull up behind
the wheel. I called a 675. All right, wait here. Captain. 675. Hello, Captain. How was
the trouble, Colley? I don't know exactly, Captain. We rang in from there on Madison
Avenue and 76th Street. Lieutenant Gorman told Sergeant Waters to come on over here and
talk to a Dr. Weill. That's his office there on the ground floor. You see the sign, Captain?
Yeah. What's it all about? This could get more. Oh, how old are kids? I don't know exactly,
Captain. All right, I'll go in and see what it's all about. Yes, sir. Can I help you?
I'm Captain Connelly. Is Sergeant Waters in there with Dr. Weill? Yes, he is. I'd like
to go in and see them. Well, Dr. Weill said that... All right. Captain Connelly. Connelly.
Oh, yes. I'll ring him. You don't think anything's happened to her, do you? Nearly two hours
now. In two hours? Doctor, there's another policeman here. Captain Connelly. All right.
Yes, Doctor. Yes, sir. Would you go right into the consultation room, Captain? It's right
through that door. Oh, thank you. Mrs. Douglas, would you like a glass of water? Come in, Captain.
Hello, Captain. Sergeant, this is Dr. Weill, Captain Connelly. Doctor, where's my Captain?
His child's missing, Captain. Six-year-old girl. Doctor put her in a cab to go home. Miss
Wallace, my nurse, did I tell you that? And she never got home? No, sir. We didn't know
anything was wrong, but she didn't get there until my wife telephoned. What time was she
put into the cab? About a quarter after one. And where was the cab supposed to take her,
Doctor? 290 East 68th Street. That's not a five-minute ride from here. It's been nearly
an hour and a half since she left. What was your daughter's name, Doctor? Sarah. And exactly
how old is she? Six. She'll be seven in August. In a cab or not, Doctor, that's a little young
to let a child travel alone. Well, I know it is, but I couldn't help it, Captain. The
nurse took the Hacks registration on her, Captain. Well, that's something. You see,
my wife and I have been separated a couple of months. Oh? Yes, I've been taking Sarah
on Saturday afternoons and Sundays. But today I had a patient in the hospital, an emergency.
You see, Captain, I usually finish at my office at noon, and my wife drops Sarah by here.
But today I didn't get back to the office until nearly noon, and there were a couple
of patients waiting for me. And it so happened that one of her friends had a birthday party
this afternoon, and I promised to have her home by 1.30 so she could get dressed and
go. I couldn't take her myself, and, well, I didn't see any harm in putting her in a
cab. It's done every day. Well, Doctor, looks like you picked the wrong day. Well, my nurse
has the license number. You can find a cab, can't you? Yes, we can find it. But the important
thing is to find the child, not the cab. How did your nurse get the cab? Just flag it down
on the street? Well, I imagine so. You'll have to ask Miss Waller. I was in here busy
with a patient. What can we do to find her, Captain? I'm really worried now. Your daughter
is six years old. She knows her full name, her address, and telephone number, doesn't
she? Yes, of course she does. She's quite a bright child. All right. We'll get the detectives
over here right away, Doctor. Good. I sure appreciate you going out of your way like this.
We're not going out of our way. When a child of that age is missing, it's standard procedure
to get everybody on the job and keep them there. Well, that's fine. Now, Doctor, when
you spoke to your wife, did she make any effort around the building there to see if the girl
had arrived? Yes, she went down and talked to the doorman. He hadn't seen her. Neither
had the elevator operator. And does your daughter have any playmates in the building? Maybe she
went into another apartment. Well, it's just one little girl she sees. My wife calls there.
They're away for the weekend, the whole family. How did you get this information? Did your
wife call you back? Yes. That's why it took me a little while before I phoned the police.
I was waiting for her to call back. Oh, excuse me. Yes, sir. Yes? Did you notify the desk
officer yet, Sergeant? No, sir. I just got here a couple of minutes before you did. Would
you tell her I'll only be a few minutes more, Miss Waller? Thank you. Oh, if there's any
word, you'll let me know immediately. All right. I have one patient still waiting, Captain.
I'd send her home, but she has an acute throat condition. I think I ought to see her. Oh,
why don't you go ahead? We'll talk to your nurse in the meantime. Oh, that'll be fine.
This won't take me more than a few minutes. And then maybe I ought to go to my wife's
apartment. I can look around the neighborhood. We'll look around the neighborhood, Doctor,
but you'll have to stay here and talk to the detective. Well, why here? She's not around
here. And that's the way we work in these cases. The search has started from the place
the child was last seen. Oh, I see. All right, Miss Waller. Ask Mrs. Douglas to come in,
please. It won't take me long. Mrs. Douglas. Oh, that's all right. We have to make a few
phone calls anyway, Doctor. Go right in, Mrs. Douglas. I'm sorry, Mrs. Douglas, that you
have to wait. Do you think you'll be able to find her soon? As soon as we can. I took
down the license number of the cab, you know. Yeah, I know. The doctor gave it to me. What
kind of a cab was it? Do you remember, Miss Waller? Well, it was a blue and yellow one.
Was it one of the large ones or one of the new smaller ones? It was a large one. You
better ring in, Sergeant. Get the detectives over here. Yes, sir. Can I use it? Yes, of
course. Thank you. I told the driver the address. And I also had it written down on a flip of
paper for him. I gave him the flip of paper. Hello, this is Sergeant Waters. Let me talk
to Lieutenant Gorman. He looked all right. Okay. He's taken good care of her. Hello,
Lieutenant. Sergeant Waters. I'm this girl missing over here. It's a child under the
age of seven. The name is Sarah Weald. W-E-A-L-D. Let's step over here, Miss Waller. All right.
I'll go get a father and a doctor. Hello. Yes. You don't suspect the cab driver of anything?
I mean, he looked all right to me. Well, we'll find him and see. How long have the doctor
and Mrs. Weald been separated? I don't know. A couple of months. Nearly three, I suppose.
You know the reason for their difficulties? No. Well, now you must have some idea. Well,
I knew they hadn't been getting along very well. What was it? Another woman? Money? Or
what? To tell you the truth, I think they just got plain tired of each other. I hate to
use the word, but bored. He spent all his time working. When he wasn't here, he was at the
hospital. He's a bridge slayer. He doesn't care for medicine. He doesn't care for bridge.
Yes, that's the answer. How long have they been married, you know? About ten years, I
guess, just after he got out of the Army. And how long have you been working for him,
Miss Waller? Not quite a year. I see. Well, in separation, had nothing to do with me, if
that's what you're thinking. I married myself and very happily. I just continue to use
my maiden name professionally. Where is the doctor living now? He has a small apartment
in this building, upstairs. I don't know why you're asking me all these questions,
Captain. It would seem to me they could do a lot better if you go out and look for Sarah.
Well, sometimes the answers to questions give us a good idea where to look. Okay, Captain.
Lieutenant Corman is notified of the detectives and C.B. They're putting out a teletype right
away and the detective will be on the job in a few minutes. Good. Would you go outside,
Sergeant, and see Jacobi? Yes, sir. Tell him to pick up his partner and we'll zoom patrol.
Okay, Captain. Right away. Sorry, Captain, I'm just a little upset. Yes, well, that's
all right, I understand. I don't know what you can do, where you can start. We've started
already, Miss Wallace. A teletype alarm has gone out to all the 81 precincts in the city.
One of them might be holding Sarah and not know who she is. By now, probably a radio
broadcast has gone out, too, to all cars on patrol. Well, that ought to do something.
And all the men on foot patrol between here and the residents will be given our description
when they ring in. What about the cab driver? Well, we'll find out who he is through the
registration number. We'll get him up here. I don't know why I took the number of the cab.
I didn't have any premonition or anything like that. I just felt it would be a good idea
because he's so young. Yes, well, it turned out to be. What time did Sarah get here?
It was about noon. Mrs. Wheeler had been leaving her here every Saturday at noon. And Sarah
and the doctor would spend the rest of the day together. Oh, there's Mrs. Wheeler.
Oh, why don't you let me do the talking? Have you found her yet? No, not yet, Mrs. Wheeler.
I'm Captain Cannelli. We're just getting a start, Mrs. Wheeler. Well, I didn't know
what to do around the apartment. I had to come here and find out something. There's nothing
to find out yet. Is there someone at home in case Sarah's brought home? Yes, the maids
there. I don't understand it. I don't know where he could have taken her. Well, first
of all, we've got to presume the cab driver let her out where he was told to at your apartment.
Well, I talked to the doorman and the elevator operator and they didn't see any of them.
Is there any place in the building she might have gone beside this one playmate's box? No,
no, no place that I know of. So she has gone into any of the stores in the block or around
the corner? Well, when I came down I did ask in a couple of them. I went into the drug
store. I'd take her there for ice cream and they hadn't seen her. She's a very sensible
little girl. She wouldn't wander off. Well, she shows a lot of responsibility for six years
old. She wouldn't do anything like that on her own. I'm sure it's the cab driver. You
shouldn't have put her in a cab alone. That's the one thing you shouldn't have done. We've
done it before, Mrs. Williams. Well, you shouldn't have done it this time. Where's the doctor?
He's in with a patient. A patient? How can he take care of a patient now? Why isn't he
out looking for Sarah? She's out combing the street. No, Mrs. Williams, that'll all be
taken care of. The patients come first. Everybody's troubles except his own. This woman has a
very bad cough, Mrs. Wheely, trying to help her. My child is missing. Why doesn't he try
to help me? Why doesn't he even try to help himself? That's what I don't understand. Miss
Wallace. George. Yes, doctor. Would you go inside, please? Have you done anything to
find her? Just a minute, Gloria. Just a minute? I want you to take the hemoglobin and the
differential on Mrs. Douglas. Yes, doctor. I will right away. Now listen, George. Have you
heard anything, Captain? No, not yet, doctor. This is a fine way to carry out your
responsibilities. Whoever heard of sending a six-year-old child home alone in a cab? All
right, Gloria. Well, you ought to be ashamed of yourself, absolutely ashamed of yourself.
Now, please. Heaven only knows where your child is. And you do nothing but take care of
some patient, a stranger. All right, Gloria. The police are here. They're going to do
everything they can. They'll find her. She never should have been lost. That may be so,
Mrs. Wheely, but she is. Let's find her. You are listening to 21st Precinct, the factual
account of the way police work in the world's largest city. The precinct will take a brief
vacation, and on its return will be heard on a different day and at a different time.
Please listen for details at the conclusion of tonight's show. Now back to 21st Precinct
and Captain Frank Kennelly. There are few occurrences which are handled with more urgency
than the report of a missing child. The action to be taken is described in great detail in
the manual of procedure and Rule 316. With or without suspicion of a crime being involved,
the desk officer is obliged to refer the report to the precinct detective squad commander
for immediate investigation. Then, as required in no other case, the desk officer must personally
and forthwith notify the detective commander at borough headquarters, the immediate superior
of the precinct squad commander. Assistance in the form of men, radio motor patrol cars,
police launches, emergency service trucks and cars, and the facilities of any other
department of the city are required to be made available forthwith on request of the
detective commander in charge. All superior officers of the patrol force concerned must
cooperate with the detective commander and render any assistance requested. In the case
at hand, Lieutenant Matt King, commander of the 21st detective squad, arrived at the doctor's
office within five minutes after he was notified. Under his direction, a complete search of
the area was organized with both uniformed officers and detectives participating. At
twenty minutes before, he was in the waiting room talking to the mother as I listened.
The doctor was out in a cruiser with detectives scouring the district.
Mrs. Weird, I want you to think a minute and see if there's any other place, any other
place in the neighborhood Sarah might have gone.
There's no place else, no place I haven't thought of.
Did she ever roam around in the streets alone?
No, I told you I didn't permit that.
Well, was there any place else besides that one spot in the park that you took her to play?
No, just there and school, that's all.
The only relative you have in town is this one brother.
Yes, that's right.
Does the doctor have any family?
Yes, yes he does, but as I told you, they all live over in Jersey.
She wouldn't know how to get there. She wouldn't even know their addresses.
How about some of her schoolmates? Does she ever visit them?
Yes, she does on occasion. Well now, this was a school friend whose birthday party she
was supposed to attend this afternoon, but actually she wouldn't know how to get there
by herself, she's only six. Did you detect that place again? She just may have gone there.
I don't know how she would have gotten there.
I had a detective stop by there, they promised to call us if Sarah did show up.
Well, Mrs. Miller would call. She's very dependable.
Lieutenant Kane?
Yes, Sergeant. That was the desk officer.
Yeah?
They located the hacker in the 18th.
Does he know where Sarah is?
No, apparently not, Mrs. Wheel.
Oh.
An RMP car in the 18th set the alarm over the area and saw the cab making a turn at the
Broadway. This cab was empty. They rang in and wanted a truck to bring them to this address.
And that's all they said, nothing else?
Well, we'll talk to the driver himself in a few minutes, Mrs. Wheel.
He said he could have found out more from him.
We'll find out all he knows.
My first thing I hope you do, I suppose. There's my husband.
George! George, did you find her, George?
No, we didn't.
What did you look?
Gloria, these detectives drove me through every street within here and ten blocks of the apartment.
We didn't see any sign of her.
Who did you look?
What do you mean, did I look? Of course I looked.
George, if this is some trick to get our way from these things.
If it is, I'm going to kill you. I swear I'm going to kill you.
No, no, Mrs. Wheel.
You're not going to do it, George. You're not going to do it to me.
Now please, she's lost, Gloria. I want to find her. I want to find her as much as you do.
I'll believe that when you prove it to me.
Now look, we're not going to get any place if you two are fighting with each other.
He's right, Gloria. Now please.
I'll believe it when I see it.
Sergeant, yes, sir.
When I see it.
Why don't you go outside and wait for that hack driver. Bring him right in here when he comes.
Yeah, Lieutenant. Right away.
Everybody's standing around here. Nobody seems to be doing anything.
Why doesn't somebody do something and look for us?
You want to know what's being done, Mrs. Wheel?
I'd just like to see some results.
Your husband was riding around that neighborhood with a couple of detectives.
We brought in men from other precincts and from the emergency service division.
We have detectives from other squads and from the borough headquarters.
We're going into every building over there. We're searching the halls and the basements and the roofs.
We're looking every place.
We'll know more as soon as we talk to that cab driver.
He's going to lie to you, don't you know that?
Now, Mrs. Wheel.
He's going to lie to you.
Now, Gloria, why don't you come inside and lie down on the couch?
I want to be right here. I want to know what's going on.
Well, as soon as we know anything, you will.
Now, come on inside. I'll give you something to relax.
Oh, no, you won't.
Gloria, please.
Yes, I think it's a good idea, Mrs. Wheel. Why don't you go in and lie down?
I promise I'll let you know as soon as we do hear something.
You really promise?
Yes, I do.
Well, I ought to try and relax a little bit.
Yes, you should.
But you're not going to give me anything.
All right. I won't try to give you anything.
Well, don't blame her too much, man. It isn't easy.
Nothing.
Captain.
Yes, Miss Wallace.
I understand you've located the cab driver.
Yes, we have.
That's good.
If you're positive, you can recognize him.
Well, I'm not positive, but I think I can.
Hasn't it been an awfully long time?
I mean, somebody would have found her by now.
A policeman or just an ordinary man.
It has been known something was the matter that she was lost.
All right.
Go right in.
That's him. That's the cab driver.
OK. Step right over here.
Yeah, sure.
This is the cab driver, Albert Sprizio.
Captain Canelli.
Hi. How do you do?
Lieutenant King.
Hello, Lieutenant. How?
And this is Miss Wallace.
Oh, yeah.
Yeah, you were the lady that gave me the address where to go with the kid.
Yes.
Where did you take the child from here?
I don't know.
Well, she said to take it. 290 E 68th Street, right?
That's right.
Oh, that's where I took it.
Here.
I got my call card.
I brought it in.
See?
See on there?
From here to 290 E 68th.
Sitting down.
1.50 PM, 65 cents an o'clock.
Let's go over there and sit down, Mr. Sprizio.
Ow!
Everybody caught me out.
Why, I'm telling you, when that squad car came around after me and cut me into the curb,
Sit down.
Yeah.
I didn't know it was a murder.
I knew I didn't run no lights or anything like that.
Right on Broadway there.
You know something?
Those guys play it cagey.
They won't tell me what it's all about for a minute.
I got to squeeze it out of them.
You're saying you took a little drill right to the address?
Right to the address.
Right to the door.
Somebody gives me a responsibility with a six-year-old, I take it serious.
How did you know she was six?
Oh, she told me.
Sorry, I think I got it wrong.
Sorry, she said her name was Sue.
We got into a regular conversation.
When you left here, how did you go?
What do you mean, how did I go? My route?
Yeah.
Well, listen, do you mind if I smoke this cigarette?
No, go ahead.
How about you?
No, thanks.
Captain?
No.
Okay.
Here you go.
Oh, much obliged.
Which way did you go?
Well, I went straight over here to Park.
And I went down to Park to 68 and over to 68 to the building there.
Was there a doorman on the job when you got there?
Nobody.
He didn't say a doorman?
Nobody.
What did you do?
Oh, I threw up the flag and I got out of the car and let the little girl out.
Where'd you go?
Straight inside the building.
Lady here said watch it, so I watched her until she opened the door and went inside the building.
You remember what that building was like?
Yeah, sure, it's a new kind of, it's that red brick and there's a blue canopy out front.
Then what did you do?
I got back in the car and right away I got another job, then another.
I'm busy all afternoon, midtown mostly.
A lot of shoppers out there.
You married, Al?
Oh, yeah.
You got any children?
Three.
Two boys and a girl.
My girl's about the same age as this kid.
I was telling her I got a girl too where it's guilty of my kid.
You ever been arrested?
Me?
No, not even a traffic summons.
I've been pushing a hack since I got home from the wars.
Ten years nearly and I haven't gotten tagged once.
But I reckon, huh?
Why, when my heart was down a hill and those cops curbed me, I could see my mark falling.
Listen, no kidding, how serious is her?
Have you got any ideas what happened to the kid?
No, we thought you could help us.
You know me, if I could I would.
Al, you were talking to her about your daughter?
That's right.
What was the conversation?
Well, I asked this kid what grade she was in.
She said first.
And I said I got a girl in first grade too.
We got to talking about what my kid liked and what she liked.
Out of a clear blue sky she asked me was I separated.
Separated from what, I said?
From Leona, yeah, but from my wife, no.
But Al, she said no kid talk, you know.
She wants to know if a mother and father are separated, why can't she be separated too?
Said it ain't in the cards.
Kids don't get separated from their mother and father.
I said, listen, you don't think she was serious that she wanted to get separated?
Crying out loud, those kids today.
What else did she say?
Nothing.
Come to think of it, nothing.
I got a red light and I pulled up.
I turned around to look at her and she was sitting way back there on her seat.
Thinking like, you know, she'd been saying all the word, that kid.
I pulled up in front of the building there.
What do you like, Dan?
Captain, let's go in and talk to the parents.
You want me?
No, you sit right here a minute, Al.
Listen, you don't think I'll be around here long, do you?
I got to make a buck, five months to see.
I'll get you out as quick as we can, Al.
I'd appreciate that.
He's all right, Ken.
Yeah.
Sergeant Waters.
Yes, sir.
Stay on the job here, I'll be right out.
Yes.
Yes?
Mrs. Weald isn't asleep, is she, Doctor?
Would you like to talk to the two of you?
No, she's not asleep. Would you come in?
Yes, sure.
Did you hear anything?
Is there any news?
There's no news, Mrs. Weald, but the cab driver's here.
Where?
Now, Gloria, you'd better rest.
No, I don't want to rest. Where is he? I want to talk to him.
Well, we've talked to him already, Mrs. Weald.
But what did he say?
He said he picked up Barron, the cab there.
He deposited her at the door over at the apartment house.
He walked in the front door.
He's sure it was our building?
Yes, he's sure, and so am I.
Did he tell you the truth, Lieutenant?
I take a bet on it.
The doorman didn't see him?
No, no. He told me himself that he didn't.
The cab driver said the doorman was on the job when he got there.
Well, at that time.
Oh, yes. He did say that he went down to the basement for a few minutes
to get something for a tenant, but he was only gone a few minutes.
Well, it must have been the right few minutes.
And that's all you know? Nothing else?
No, Gloria.
Don't Gloria me.
We don't know where she went, but we might know why she went.
Why?
She wanted to get separated, too.
Sarah?
That's what she told the cab driver.
Well, now where would a six-year-old get such ideas?
That's ridiculous.
Yes, it does sound kind of ridiculous,
but I guess we all know where she got the idea.
Oh.
Yes, I guess we do.
Honest.
Come in.
Oh.
Captain.
Yes, what is it, Sergeant?
Is that called the decoy?
They got her down at the 17th preaching station out there.
Oh, thank God.
Is she all right?
Yeah, she's fine.
They found her roaming around on 57th Street.
A patrolman outpost.
57th Street?
That's 13th block.
What was she doing way down there?
How did she get there?
I guess she walked.
Can we go?
Can we go there right now?
Yes, we can go.
Oh, come on.
George, will you come and see that she's all right?
Yes, I'll come.
She wanted to get separated too.
What?
Silly.
Yes, it is, isn't it?
But how are you going to convince her of that?
Oh, she may write down on the squad draw matters if she's still here.
Yeah, I think so.
George.
Yes.
Well, is it silly to ask you to come home to dinner tonight?
No.
Just for Sarah's sake.
All right.
Sergeant, would you tell the tally to drive Dr. and Mrs. Weill down to the 17th?
Yes, sir.
Are you ready, folks?
Yes, yes, we're ready.
Oh, goodbye and thanks.
Thanks a lot, Captain.
Well, all right.
Where is the 17th, sir?
Whatever.
Big afternoon for us, Captain.
Yeah, but it may turn out to be bigger for them.
Twenty-first precinct, Sergeant Waters.
And where is this?
Yeah, yeah.
Well, who is it?
His wife?
Hitting with what?
Oh.
All right.
Our sending officer's right over there.
So are you.
Oh, a tenant there.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah, I see.
On what floor?
And so it goes, around the clock, through the week, every day, every year.
A police precinct in the city of New York is a flesh and blood miracle round.
Anyone can catch the brass ring, or the brass ring can catch anyone.
Twenty-first precinct transcribed, a factual account of the way the police work in the world's largest city,
is presented with the official cooperation of the Patrolman's Benevolent Association,
an organization of more than 20,000 members of the police department, city of New York.
This is the last broadcast in the current series of 21st precinct.
The cast and production staff are going to take a brief vacation.
Please watch your local newspapers and listen to your CBS radio station for word of our return to the air.
Everett Sloan in the role of Captain Kennelly.
Ken Lynch as Lieutenant King.
Harold Stone as Sergeant Waters.
Featured in tonight's cast were Lola Peyser, Jan Miner, Les Damon, and Frank Campanella.
Written and directed by Stanley Niss.
This is Brian speaking.