Philip Morris, America's finest cigarette presents...
Racket Squad.
Ready.
What you're about to see is a thrilling, dramatic real-life story taken from the official files
of the police racket and bunco squads, business protective associations, and similar sources
all over the country.
It is presented by Philip Morris as a public service to expose the confidence game.
The carefully worked out frauds by which confidence men take more money each year from the American
public than all the bank robbers and thugs with their violence.
This case I call the raccoon hunt.
Yes, Charlie.
They finished taking evidence on these hounds, Captain, and the property custodian said that
you pinched them and to give them back to you.
Oh, no.
Turn them over to the SPCA.
They'll get good homes.
Even with prison records?
Hey, we're acting in good faith.
Now get them out of here.
Yes.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Well, you'd hardly expect a pack of coon hounds to figure on a confidence game.
But those four dogs just got out of court.
It was an unusual twist on an old extortion racket.
It all started one night about two weeks ago in a shabby little farmhouse down in the southeastern
corner of the county.
Who's there?
No kidding.
Well.
What's the idea?
You hot already?
No.
No, I'll just have it, that's all.
No, there ain't no flies on Little Orville.
He reports to his parole board twice a week and he never...
Frequents.
Yeah.
Never frequents saloons, pool halls, or any of them other nasty places.
Good.
When'd you guys get out, huh?
Last Monday.
Where'd you get them clothes?
Not in the big house.
Oh, my old man staked me to this new set of threads now that I paid my debt to society
and turned over a new leaf.
You've been out almost a month now, Green.
Have you got anything cased?
I got the sweetest little country store you ever seen.
It's a rural post office, too, and nobody running it but one old lady about 70 years
old.
Uh-uh.
No post office.
But it's a pushover.
One little telephone line.
We cut that and it'll be next morning before the old lady can squawk.
It's a legal or a post office.
Besides, I like it better on the outside than the in.
From now on, we're playing it different.
What's the matter with you?
You getting soft or something?
Not soft.
Smart.
This time, we're playing it strictly safe.
All right.
Go ahead.
I'm listening.
Did you ever hear of a guy in town by the name of Ford Huntington?
Who ain't?
He's only one of the richest guys in town.
We're going to take him.
How?
He don't gamble.
He don't run around with dames.
All he cares about is hunting and fishing.
I know.
We're going to take him on a coon hunt.
Oh.
Oh, and then heist him, huh?
No, nothing as crude as that.
Get some glasses and a pitcher of water, and I'll explain the economic potentialities of
a coon hunt.
The econ...
That's what I call making with the words, huh?
Yeah, he swallowed a dictionary.
And you've no opinion on the matter?
No, sir.
I leave the opinion to the club members.
All I does is feed them when they're hungry.
Well, here comes Mr. Huntington now.
Bet still stand?
Certainly.
Perhaps I'll call this someone.
Yes, sir, Mr. Huntington.
You're Ford Huntington?
Yes.
Well, I'm Fred Brady, and this is Ted Watson.
How do you do?
Now, Mr. Watson and I have had an argument which has resulted in a little bet.
And Ted here has agreed to settle it by the opinion of the first person that came along,
which happens to be you, sir.
Oh.
The $64 question is, what is the best dog for coon hunting?
A red-boned hound or a blue tick?
I'm afraid that's out of my department.
I've never been coon hunting.
Never been coon hunting?
I've hunted just about everything else but.
Ah, then you've been missing something.
The sweetest music in the world is the sound of a pack of red-boned hounds on a hot trail.
Blue ticks.
Red bones.
Tell me, where do you usually hunt, Mr. Brady?
Oh, in a patch of woods on a friend's farm down in the southeastern part of the county.
And tell you what I'll do.
Mr. Huntington's an impartial witness because he's never been on a coon hunt.
Let's take him out tonight with your red bones and tomorrow night with my blue ticks.
We'll leave it up to him as to which pack hunts the best and sings the prettiest.
What's more, I'll double the bet.
A thousand?
A thousand.
Oh, but Mr. Huntington's probably a very busy man and maybe you couldn't get away for it.
Or can you?
I guess.
Yes, as a matter of fact, I could if you don't mind having a greenhorn along.
That's exactly what we do want.
A fair and impartial observer.
Thanks.
Sure.
Will you have a cigarette?
Oh, thank you.
Well, that's your last one.
Don't worry about that.
I can get more.
Thank you.
Tell me, what time do you intend to leave?
Oh, about 8 or 8.30 tonight.
I wish you'd make it 8.30 because I've got a dinner engagement.
Hmm.
8.30 is fine.
I'll pick you up at the entrance of the St. George Hotel.
Will that be convenient?
That's perfect.
What do I bring?
Just yourself.
That's good.
Thanks a lot.
Well, it sure didn't take them long.
Now you're going to hear some real music.
Might as well make ourselves comfortable.
In this kind of hunting, the dogs do the work.
Tell me, how do we know when they've got the coon treed?
Well, the dogs will tell us.
That's right.
Just listen to old Renny.
Don't he sing pretty?
And that's Henry at her right behind.
Yeah.
Beanie and Mistletoe right up in there too.
They're young, but mighty fine hounds.
A little mosquito lotion?
Oh, thanks.
Yeah.
Just listen to them rascals.
It won't be long now.
No, it won't be long now.
They've treed one.
Come on.
Well, there's your coon, Mr. Huntington.
I don't see anything.
Neither do I, but he's up there somewhere.
Maybe we should have brought along a pair of opera glasses for Mr. Huntington.
Cut it out, Ted.
Look up, you jerk, up in the tree.
Will you take it easy?
He's drunk.
I know.
Who's drunk?
Listen, Buster, I can take care of you, drunk or sober, any time of day or night.
Cut it out, Ted.
Mr. Huntington, we'll go around the other side of the tree and see if we can spot the
coon.
All right.
Orville.
Yeah, yeah.
You and Ted stay on this side and keep Ted away from that bottle.
Come on, Mr. Huntington.
Ever see anything any prettier than this?
So far, so good.
Yeah.
There it is, right up there.
Be careful with my gun.
It's got a hair trigger.
I don't see it.
We just went around the other side of the trunk.
Hey, Fred.
Mr. Huntington.
Hey, we're in trouble.
What's the matter?
It ain't a coon.
It's a wildcat.
Wildcat?
Where?
Yeah, right there.
There, in the center of the tree.
Where?
Right where my light is showing.
He just come down on that lower limb.
There he is.
Go ahead and shoot.
It's Watson.
Killed him.
No.
Come on, let's get out of here.
We've got to get a doctor.
Doctor nothing.
He's dead.
You saw it.
It was an accident.
Of course it was an accident.
But listen.
Come over here.
Orville, you stay there.
Of course it was an accident.
But who's going to believe it?
I mean, a thing like this, anything can happen.
We're your witnesses, we can prove it was an accident.
We won't have to prove anything.
Now listen.
I've got a couple of big deals pending, and a story like this will ruin them for me.
I'm going to slip Green a couple hundred bucks and let him take care of things.
And in that way, no one is going to be any the wiser.
What about Watson?
What about his family?
Watson hasn't got any family.
Strictly on his own, he'll never be missed.
Believe me, this is the best way out.
Wait here till I have a word with Green, and then we'll get in the car and beat it back
to town.
I don't know.
Well, I do.
And remember, you were the one that pulled the trigger.
Wait here.
Yes?
Mr. Brady to see you, sir.
Send him in.
I'm glad I found you in.
Can we talk here?
Yes, of course you can.
We're in trouble.
Real trouble.
I knew we should have reported that accident the second it happened.
Maybe we should have, but it's too late now.
I mean, you can't go to the police and say, look, I accidentally killed a man a week ago
and I ought to tell you about it.
OK, OK, OK.
What happened?
I said dirty, blackmailing farmer Green.
That's what happened.
Green?
I thought you paid him money to take care of things.
I did.
I gave him $500.
But now he wants more.
How much?
Brace yourself.
$50,000.
Wow.
$50,000.
What?
That's what he said.
Came down to my hotel last night drunk and mean as a snake.
Said he wanted the money to go to northern Canada and buy a ranch.
I suppose we don't pay.
He says he'll go to the police and tell them everything.
He'll even show them where he buried Watson's body.
All right.
The thing we've got to do is go to the police first.
That's what I told him we should do.
But he says, no, I don't think you will.
I don't think Huntington would want the police to know that he quarreled with Watson before he shot him.
It had nothing to do with the accident.
I know it didn't, but what are we going to do about it?
Well, it's our word against his.
Sure.
But you did kill a man and you didn't report it as an accident when it happened.
I know it's my fault, but the question is now, what are we going to do about it?
I don't know.
I think I better call my lawyer.
Wait a minute.
Let's leave lawyers out of this.
I've got a better idea.
Why don't we jump into my car and go down to Orville's place tonight?
That way, while he just lives in a little cabin alone, maybe we can arrange another accident.
Are you serious?
Why not?
I have no compunctions of killing a dirty blackmailer.
Well, I have.
The last was an accident.
This will be murder.
Well, maybe you're right.
But I'm so worried, I don't know what to do.
I can't raise $50,000.
I could raise $25,000.
Do you think you'd get the other half?
Well, I suppose I could.
I haven't got that kind of cash lying around.
I'd have to sell some securities.
So will I.
How long will it take you to raise the money?
I promised Green I'd give an answer tonight.
Tell him all that.
Okay.
But personally, I'd rather take care of it another way.
I told you I wouldn't.
I'm not going to have anything to do with murder at any price.
All right.
I'll meet you here tomorrow afternoon with my half the money.
And I'm not going to say anything to anybody about it.
And I hope you have enough sense to do the same.
Yeah, I guess you're right.
Okay, tomorrow afternoon.
Okay.
Tomorrow.
A penny for your thoughts.
Hmm?
Oh, I'll have my black, Mother.
When a person's thoughts are dark and bitter,
sometimes a little cream and sugar helps.
Now, what made you think my thoughts are dark and bitter?
Well, I'm your mother, and I've known you longer than anyone else.
No, I've had a couple of sour business deals.
Nothing important, Mother.
What do we have for dessert tonight, Ford?
Hmm?
My...
We had banana cream pudding, your favorite dessert.
And you didn't touch it.
I...
It takes more than a business deal to make you forget banana cream pudding.
Oh, I don't want to pry into your affairs, Ford.
It's just that you have a look on your face that frightens me.
And it frightens me because I feel that you're frightened.
You have a wonderful sense of imagination, Mother.
I've been watching the expressions on your face ever since you were a little boy.
And what I saw there tonight was not imagination.
Mother, I told you, it's nothing, nothing important.
You never could lie to me, Ford.
I want to know.
I'm being blackmailed.
Huntingtons don't pay blackmail.
What happened?
It was an accident, but I can't prove it.
What happened?
I killed a man.
With your car?
It was a hunting accident.
Ford.
Start at the beginning.
Then Brady came to my office yesterday afternoon.
He said Green wanted $50,000.
It was up to me to furnish half of it.
And did you personally examine Watson's body to see if he were dead?
No, I didn't have to.
The face was all covered with blood.
A shotgun at that short range can...
It wasn't necessary to examine him.
A bottle of ketchup at short range can mess up a man's face, too.
Do you mean, Captain, that this entire thing is a hoax?
I'm not sure of that.
But it certainly follows the pattern of an old extortion game.
A new twist on an old confidence game.
I didn't...
You mean I didn't kill Watson?
I'm not sure.
I'm not going to file charges against you for the present.
What about these blackmailers?
Draw some money out of the bank.
Bundles of ones.
Cover the outside of the bundles with large denominations.
Then bring them into my office.
I'll mark them so that we can identify them in court.
Let me know the time and place of the payoff,
and we'll have an airtight case against these people.
Good.
Oh, just a minute.
I'll give you my private telephone number for both here and at home.
Notify me the minute the time and place has been set for the payoff.
Oh, and don't give the money to Brady.
Insist upon paying to Green and Brady's presence.
Yes, sir.
Now, don't forget, notify me immediately.
Thank you very much, sir.
Goodbye, Miss Lyons.
Thank you, Captain.
Well, I got my half.
How'd you do?
I got it.
Well, let me have it, and I'll take it down there to this drunken skunk
before he shoots his mouth off to the police.
I think I'd better go with you.
What's the matter? We're in this together.
Oh, all right.
But we'll have to leave right away.
I've got to get back to town and get a plane to New York.
What's the rush?
I've got to get to New York and sell some securities
to cover my overdraft at the bank.
That's the rush.
All right.
I'll be with you as soon as I make a call.
Who are you going to call?
A bit jumpy, aren't you?
It's just that I don't want this thing to blow up after all I've been through.
Who are you going to call?
I was going to call my mother and my broker.
But I can't call my mother and tell her to call my broker.
You know, I had a bit of trouble raising $25,000 too.
Okay, but make it snappy.
We've got to get out of here.
Hello, Mother.
Look, I won't be home for dinner.
I've got to go out of town on a little business.
I want you to call my broker for me.
Yes, you got pencil, paper, honey?
All right.
Tell him to cover Southeastern,
sell Baltimore and Ohio,
basic, verdant, agricultural domicile.
I know, darling.
It'll mean something to him.
And tell him to hurry, to do it immediately,
because if he doesn't, they're going to close me out.
All right, dear.
What's this basic, agricultural, verdant domicile?
It was to be a housing development that I'm interested in.
All right, let's go.
Is it all there?
Sure it is.
Why?
Oh, just nervous.
Come on.
Well, I'm sure he meant the message for you, Captain Braddock,
but I can't make head or tail of it.
I'm quite sure I can figure it out, Mrs. Huntington.
Now, don't worry.
We'll take care of everything.
And I'll call you as soon as we've made an arrest.
Goodbye.
Charlie, I want a large-scale map of the county on the double.
Are you any good at puzzles, Charlie?
I'm fair at crossword puzzles.
This is a cryptogram.
It says, cover southeastern.
That could be the southeastern part of the county.
By Baltimore, Ohio.
Sounds like a stock deal.
Yeah, that's what it was meant to sound like.
But I think it means the southeastern part of the county
by the Baltimore, Ohio railroad tracks.
Basic agricultural verdant domicile.
That's Green's farmhouse.
I don't get it.
But Green will.
Here we are.
Narrow country road crosses the Baltimore on Ohio at this point.
The farmhouse should be right about there.
Well, Peters, Braddock,
I want a squad car, a couple of men, and Tommy guns.
Call the sheriff's office and tell them to meet us at the city limits
on the south post road.
And tell them to bring along someone who knows the southeastern part of the county
and step on it.
I'm in a hurry. I'll be down in two minutes.
Watch out, Captain. Raccoon hunt.
Brady?
Yeah.
Come on in.
Anybody follow you here?
No.
Hey, wait a minute.
Anybody know you was coming?
Certainly not.
Good.
Give me the hat.
Give me the dough.
Here's my hat.
Aren't you going to look at it?
Oh, yeah, sure.
That's there.
Now give me your hat.
How do I know this is for the last time?
What do you mean?
How do I know when this is gone you won't be back for more?
You just got to take my word for it, that's all.
You can take my word for it.
If you come for any more from me, you'll get lead instead of money.
I ain't greedy.
Guess you guys paid enough for your mistake.
Now give me.
How about signing a piece of paper that you won't ask for anymore?
I ain't signing nothing.
Go on, give it to him.
I got to get back to town, get that plane to New York.
I've got to have some sort of a guarantee.
$25,000 is a lot of money.
All right, Buster.
Here's your guarantee.
Now give me the dough and beat it before I change my mind.
Better give it to him.
Better beat here too.
All right.
Come on, give me the key, wise guy.
What key?
The key!
I didn't know it was locked.
I don't think I've got a key.
Hey, Fred.
This guy's stalling.
There's something wrong.
Cut it open.
Yeah.
Yeah, here it is.
Hey, what are all these $1 bills doing in here?
$100 bill on top and singles underneath.
Look.
All right, wise guy.
What's your game?
Hold it, you stupid jerk.
Nobody's going to make a chump out of me and live to brag about it.
Hold it, I said.
There's enough money there for us to make a getaway.
I ain't holding nothing.
Drop that gun or do you want me to drop it for you?
That's the one, Captain Baddock.
That's the one I was supposed to have killed.
A walking corpse, huh?
Well, none of you will be walking very far for a long, long time to come.
Take them in, boys.
Thank you, Captain.
Mr. Huntington was lucky in that he had an intelligent mother who saw the futility of paying blackmail.
If ever you're faced with the demands of blackmail, go to your police department and give them the circumstances.
Regardless of the threat, the blackmailer is never satisfied until his victim is in his grave and beyond the reach of extortion.
And remember, it could happen to you.
Bring me the file on Mr. Xavier, please.
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
In a moment, I'll tell you about next week's case and how you can be burned when other people play with fire.
But first, let's put tonight's case to bed.
Right now, you may be the victim of a racket and not even know it.
Yes, right now, someone could be plotting a swindle that would increase your insurance premiums next year.
And the man or woman might even be a respected member of your community.
In next week's story, we'll meet such a person.
Don't miss The Case of the Old Flame, one of the most dramatic episodes from the files of Racket Squad.
And presented by Philip Morris, America's finest cigarette.
Hold on, Philip Morris.
Hold on, Philip Morris.
Next week, same time, same station, don't miss Racket Squad.
Presented by Philip Morris, America's finest cigarette.