21st Precinct, Sergeant Burns. Well, who shot him? Very good. Now, wait a minute. Don't talk so fast. That's 34-22. Is that right? An arrest. Yeah? Well, who shot him? You're in the master room at the 21st Precinct. The nerve center. A call is coming through. You will follow the action taken for sure. Yes, sir. You're in the master room at the 21st Precinct. You will follow the action taken for sure for that call from this minute until the final report is written in the 124 room at the 21st Precinct. All right, I'll send the officers right up there. Yeah, right away. We'll just wait there. Tell them where it is. Yeah, just wait there. Okay. 21st Precinct. Just lines on a map of the city of New York. Most of the 173,000 people waged into the 9th, 10th, and the square mile between 5th Avenue and the East River wouldn't know if you asked them if they lived or worked in the 21st. Whether they know it or not, the security of their homes, their persons, 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 Cannelli, Frank Cannelli. I'm captain in command of the 21st. I was working my night tour 4 p.m. to 8 a.m. It had been raining hard when I came on the job and I was on the job for a while. It had been raining hard when I came on the job and it continued to rain through the night. After I turned out the 12 to 8 platoon at midnight, I went on patrol of the Precinct in sector car number 3. It was another quiet tour. The rain helps policemen as well as farmers. It keeps troublemakers off the street. At 2.25, I returned to the station house where I signed reports and communications and caught up generally with the voluminous paperwork that plagues commanding officers. A meeting of all Precinct division and borough commanders had been called by the police commissioner for 9 a.m. in the line-up room at police headquarters, 240th industry. In order to get some rest at 3.40 a.m., I lay on the couch in my office with instructions to Lieutenant Gorman, the desk officer, that I be awakened in time to turn out the platoon for the day tour. Captain. Excuse me, Captain. Yeah? Oh, I'm sorry, Captain. Yeah, what is it? We've got a homicide. What? 3422 Lexington Avenue at the restaurant. The paper chef, you know the baker. He was shot twice. Is there a car on the way? Yes, sir. I put out a radio call for a car. He'll be here for you any minute. What time is it? It's 5.25. What was it, robbery? Is it still raining, Sergeant? Yes, sir. You'd better take your raincoat. The information we've got so far is the paper chef comes to work at midnight. The restaurant closes at one in the morning. But the paper chef works all night in the kitchen, baking. The kitchen help starts coming in a little after five. Go ahead, Sergeant. The first one there went in the kitchen door, found the baker on the floor. The place was wrecked. The car went direct to C.B. When the sector men got on the job and saw what they had, they rang in. They said it looked like robbery. The car will be here right away, Captain. I'd better get back. Yes, that's right. Okay. The detectives are there, yeah. You're welcome. I know it was too quiet at school, Captain. Have you got your notifications all made, Lieutenant? That was the medical examiner's office. I've notified the detectives of the Division Mahomet High Squad. I just got the D.A.'s office. Sergeant, will you get me the D.A.'s office in here? What detectives, Lantrad? Italian Howard. What about Lieutenant King? I told him at home he was on his way. He was around here until two o'clock. Probably didn't even get the bed worn. There's one cure for that, Captain. Have his phone taken out. In a few minutes, Sector Car Number 2 came by the station house to drive me to 3422 Lexington Avenue, the scene of the homicide. It was still raining hard when we pulled up to the place. The front of the restaurant, a large and popular place, was still dark. The flashlights of cops inside could be seen poking around in the empty dining room. I instructed the operator of the cop Patrolman Coley to pull around to the kitchen entrance on the side street. Parked there were two Sector Cars, the Patrol Sergeant's car, the detective's car, and an ambulance. I got out of the car and crossed the sidewalk to the kitchen door where a patrolman had been posted by Sergeant Waters to keep out unauthorized persons. The patrolman saluted me as I approached and opened the door. Thank you, Marsha. Sergeant? Oh, Captain, what have we got? Want to take a look? Looks like a robbery. The fellow was in here alone. That's just the way he was found. One shot got him in the shoulder, the other one in the forehead. His name was Eugene Francis Torpin. He was either 2119 Miller Avenue in the Bronx, 31 years old. He's a banker here. Comes to work at midnight. He's here all alone after the place closed at 1 a.m. Makes rolls and bread, five cakes and so forth. Works all night until 8 a.m. Want to take a look over here, Captain? Yeah. The floor usually doesn't get in to open up the safe until half-eight in the morning. The place opens for business at 6.30. So it's been accustomed to leave about $100 in coins and small bills locked in this drawer here. The early cashier has a few of the drawers and gives the money to the bank till the board sits in. Really hacked away on the drawer, huh? Yes, sir. Found it with that meat cleaver there. Must have taken a good ten minutes to get it open. No sign of a gun around? No, sir. Must have taken it out with him. He or they? Yes, sir. He or they. We take it as a token of the fellow that found him and rang in. That fellow over there, Emil Lindbeck, he's a fry cook. He's doing here a quarter after five. All right, let's go over there. You don't need all these men around here, Sergeant. I'm getting back on the job. I thought he was a speaker or something. Thank you. That's what I thought. Hello, Captain. This is Emil Lindbeck, Captain. He found the body. He's a fry cook here. I come in and there you are. Right in the middle of the floor. You haven't used your key to get in, huh? Oh, yeah, yeah. It looks like every morning. I had to use my key. The door wasn't standing open. It was locked. I had to use my key. He always worked here alone at night? Yeah. He baked all night so we'd have fresh frozen bread and cake for the trade the next day. You see, we got a sign out in the dining room. All baking done on the premises. He did it, Sergeant. Did he always work alone? Oh, yeah, yeah. Oh, no. Well, you're always the first employee in the morning. I'm the fry cook. I got to get things heated up, the deep-fried fries for the breakfast, right? You know, french fries, potatoes, et cetera. Mm-hmm. Was the baker always alone here from the time the restaurant closed at 1 a.m. until you came to work? Oh, yeah, yeah. He worked alone. Tell me, did you ever see anyone in here with him? Or did he ever tell you he had friends in during the night? Well, yeah, once in a while. Once in a while what? Once in a while he had company. He didn't come in to work until midnight, like I said. And once in a while if he had a date, he'd bring her in the kitchen and he'd work and she'd become company. Did you ever see a woman in here with him? No. Oh, no. Did you ever see a woman in here with him? Oh, yeah, yeah. Once in a while. Always the same woman. Yeah, he went with her. Did you know her name? Look, she's a married woman. She's got a husband. I don't like to get her involved. She's involved whether she wants to be a nob, don't you think? Yeah, yeah, yes, she is. What's her name? Edna. Edna what? I was told Edna bought what I... I don't remember. How about Captain? No, lawyer for the time. Lieutenant Vizzena Lindvig, he found the body. Lieutenant King, the manning officer of the 21st Detective Squad. How do you do, Lindvig? What's it look like? A drawer where about a hundred dollars was kept was broken up, Lieutenant. Robbery maybe, but... any of it says that the victim never opened the door if anyone even knows, isn't that right? Yeah, I put it out in my key one morning. I had time convincing him it was me before he'd opened the door. No sign of forcible entry? No, sir. Nice guy, a very nice guy. What a baker. His damages couldn't be beat. They just couldn't be beat. Within a few minutes, detectives of the Manhattan East Homicide Squad arrived to aid the 21st Squad in the investigation. A deputy medical examiner and a representative of the New York County District Attorney's Office were on the scene shortly afterwards. As the ranking officer of the Detective Division's presence, Lieutenant King dictated to a stenographer from the Homicide Squad a detailed description of the surrounding conditions and the position, appearance, and condition of the body. Meanwhile, the Homicide Squad photographer took pictures of the premises and of the body from every possible angle. The deputy medical examiner then made a preliminary examination of the body and ordered its removal to the Bellevue Mall. The first officer on the scene in response to the original call, patrolman Ernest Adelman, placed a UF-95 identification tag on the body. He made a search of the victim's pockets and inventoried the contents in his memorandum book. Fingerprints of the victim were taken by a homicide detective and the body removed to the ambulance. The investigation was underway. Detectives of the 21st Squad and the Homicide Squad were assigned to various tasks in this connection. Detectives of the battalion Howard were in each made a call at an apartment building on West 101st Street, an address found in the victim's wallet. Knock, knock, knock, knock. Somebody's coming. Yeah. It's about time. Uh. Mrs. Edna Hibner? Yes, that's right. You'll have to excuse me. I thought you were somebody else, especially when my husband. What is it? Where's the detective? All right. Well, you got him. Every time you turn around and you wake up at seven o'clock in the morning he's in some jail. So he's getting into some kind of trouble. Can we come in? Sure, come ahead. I'm used to it. Don't mind the house and that chance of breaking up yet. That's okay. I'm Detective Howard. This is Detective Vitalik. How are you doing? Well, what do you do now? He was down in Jersey, Kenton. Built me to be home last night, 10.30 the latest. He fell up? I asked, did he fell up? He did not. Never seen a man like him. It's a wonder I've stuck with him this long. I've been wanting to leave him and wanting to leave him. But I stuck like a fool. What's he in for now? We don't have your husband, Mrs. Edna. We don't? No, we don't. Who wouldn't want to? Do you know a man named Eugene Francis Tarpan? Oh, sure. You? Why not, Gene? You in trouble? What'd he do? He's never been in trouble before. He's dead. Dead? He was shot. Mind some swamps? No, no matter how. Who did it? After we're trying to find out. How long have you known him? He was a little 2, 4, 5 months. Something like that. I was thinking of marrying him. You're married already, Angie. Married? You don't call this married, do you? What's that, a child all the time? You ever think you'd get any money hiding? You think you'd run around with this man and that one? How often did you see Eugene Tarpan? Oh, two, three times a week. I don't know. I was going to go to the art museum. We were going to get married. I think we were thinking about getting married. Is your husband no Tarpan? Sure he is. You wouldn't like him, though. Why not? I was interested in him. He didn't like him at all. Where is your husband now? Don't ask me where he is now. I don't know. That was five days ago, and here I am with honey and nickel in the house. He hasn't showed up. He got off his construction job near Kenton last night. He's supposed to be home. I thought you were him at the door. You don't think he killed Eugene, do you? What do you think? Don't ask me. I don't know. I didn't ask you what you know. I asked you what you think. Well, I wouldn't put it past him. I'll say that. He could be. That's a nice guy. Really nice guy. Yes, so we understand. If it always happens to nice guys, huh? I guess. It couldn't happen to a bum like that husband of mine. It's got to happen to a nice guy like you. Well, that's life for you. In addition to assigning detectives to run down what leads existed, Lieutenant King and members of the 21st squad and the Homicide Squad remained at the restaurant to question employees as they came to work and to talk to the proprietor of the place. I stayed there myself until 20 minutes after 8 when Sector Car Number 1 came by to take me to Police Headquarters, 240 Center Street, for the scheduled meeting of all boroughed division and precinct commanders in the lineup room. The meeting called by the new police commissioner to explain his policy in regard to the enforcement of laws relating to gambling and public morals lasted until 1115 A.M. At that time, I returned to the 21st in order to change into civilian clothes and finally go on duty. Hello, Sergeant. Captain, how are you doing? I was quiet to her. I got a call from the president of Homicide. I saw a couple of messages for you. Nothing looks important. I'll sign the blood of the person. 21st, please, think Sergeant Burns. All right, 19. You go to me or I'll call you. All right, 19. You go to me or I'll call you. All right, Sergeant. Is it okay? Yes, sir. I just want to see the captain. Matt, you all through up there? Yes, sir. Your messages, Captain. What's it look like, man? Looks like robbery, Captain. Money missing out of the drawer. There's another angle too. This Baker Tarpen was going with a married woman. The husband was supposed to be home last night Is the husband that kind of guy? No, I don't know. Any husband can be that kind of guy. Then you think robbery's out? No, not necessarily. The money was taken. I had a long talk with the owner of the restaurant. This Tarpen was pretty cautious when he was working there alone. He wouldn't open up that door unless he was sure of the person that wanted in. He wouldn't open up that door unless he was sure of the person that wanted in. If it was robbery, I figured it had to be someone Tarpen knew. If it was robbery, I figured it had to be someone Tarpen knew. And someone who knew where that change was kept. Former employee, maybe. Yeah, could be. The writer told me about a kitchen help where he fired last week. He came in drunk and napped a couple of times and let him go. Did Tarpen know him? Yeah, he knew him. Got a couple of men out there tracing the boy. His name is Julio Fernando O'Ganzer. His name is Julio Fernando O'Ganzer. Moved from his last address a week ago. People there said they thought he went to Bridgeport, Connecticut to work. Well, that doesn't look so good. The moment I like the burned up husband angle a little better. The moment I like the burned up husband angle a little better. Yeah, it does look a little better. 21st Street, Bank Sergeant. Got Howard and Mattalli over there planning a wedding club to show up at home. Got Howard and Mattalli over there planning a wedding club to show up at home. Captain Cannelli. Dr. Rustal, the principal of the PF88, calling in for you. Oh, all right, I'll take it in my office. Well, I'm interested to know how it comes out, man. Well, I'm interested to know how it comes out, man. All right, Captain. Well, I've got to get upstairs. All right, I'll see you. 21st Placing, Captain Cannelli. Yes, Dr. Rustal. Yes, Dr. Rustal. Oh. Oh, well, I was supposed to go off duty at eight this morning, Oh, well, I was supposed to go off duty at eight this morning, but we had a homicide break. Yeah. I see. Well, I'll be back on the job at eight tomorrow morning. Will it keep until then? Uh-huh. Well, all right, I'll stay around and meet you here. Well, all right, I'll stay around and meet you here. One-thirty? All right, good-bye, Mr. Rustal. I had more than two hours to wait before the visit from Dr. Ruskell, the principal of Public School 88, on what he said was an urgent matter. In the meantime, Detectives Vitale and Howard maintained their plait at the apartment of Mr. and Mrs. Phil Hepple, waiting for him to return. The woman of the house, Ms. Edna Hepple, was in the kitchen. Detective Howard watched out the front window down onto the sidewalk as Vitale sat on the studio couch. What do you see down there, Whitey? Nothing. Hey, you know what? Know what? I went to the candy store to ring in Lieutenant King. I called my wife. Huh? I told her I got stuck. We had a homicide and I wouldn't be home. Why, what'd she say? She said bring home the evening papers, if you could read about it. I said, I'll tell you all about it. No, no. You want to read it in the paper. There's something I don't think she trusts me. What if she thinks you're gonna go at eight o'clock in the morning? Read to me. Well, I don't know where you are. See what I told you about him being unreliable? Yeah, we see. Not getting your lunch done? Eh? All I got I can whip up is a can of soup and some saltines. Oh, we're not hungry, Ms. Hepple. Well, I'm getting hungry. You don't mind if I fix them for myself? No, not at all. Pleasant. Man with a suitcase, getting out of the cab. Is that your husband, Ms. Hepple? Yeah, that's him, that's him. All right, away from the window. Madden, I got a can of soup and a few saltines in the house. You can't take bags, you can't. See what I mean? Ms. Hepple, my partner's going up on the next landing out in the hall. What for? Go ahead, Wetty. Aye. That's good. What's the matter? I want to wait in the kitchen. You answer the door, all right? Yeah, all right, but I don't get the production. I don't want you to break the news to them about Dean. Can't be in the building? That's the idea, but don't tell them we're here. I shouldn't? They'll know soon enough. All right? How I would knew, I like it. I guess I can't. Go ahead. Oh, don't close it. Like that's good. Okay. All right! Aye. Look what the wind blew in. So you got to say to me, Edna, look at the wind blew in? I got plenty more to say to you. What? What, as if you didn't know. Well, tell me. Sure, I'm just getting to. Dean Toppin got killed. No kidding. No kidding. Who killed him? Well, a couple of cops were here and told me about it, and they've got a sneaky little thing going on. What? Well, they're out of their minds. I wasn't threatening them. I just got off the train. Stop that. Look, if I was going to kill somebody, you don't think I'd kill them over you, do you? You told them to stay away from me. You told them to stay away from me or you'd kill them. Now, you forget you ever heard that. I'll forget nothing. You didn't say anything to the cops about it. What if I did? You did. I'll break every bone in your body. That's what I swear. I'll break every bone in your body. Oh, fine husband I got. You don't go home when he's supposed to. If he does, he brings me nothing but a lot of dirty laundry and I'm going to break every bone in my body. You're asking for it, Edna. You're asking for it right between your eyes. Oh, I'm going to go hard, why, God. I don't need much encouragement. Who are you? Police officer. You just stay right where you are. What's the idea? You'll find out what the idea is. Okay, Whitey. Whitey. All right, old fool. What are you looking for? I got nothing. Take a look in the bag, will you, Whitey? Yeah. Listen, if you think I had something to do with that baker getting killed, you're out of your mind. I got off the job in Clinton late last night. I took the train in this morning. I just got here 15, 20 minutes ago. That's who I was, isn't that right, Edna? That's who you said you were. You and Tarpan didn't get along so well, did you? Listen, I was out of town breaking my back on a job. He was chasing after my wife. Would you get along with a guy like that? He wasn't chasing after me. I was chasing after him. You stay out of this. I think you better stay out of it, Mrs. Hepple. Just sit down right there. It's a lie. A born lie. Nothing in the bag, Quig. Even if you wanted to tell a truth, you wouldn't know how. What are you trying to do to me? You better just sit down, Mrs. Hepple, and listen. What did you do in Trenton? Well, it wasn't exactly in Trenton. I was outside of Trenton on a road job. I ran a bulldozer. For who? For the state of New Jersey on a road job. You got finished up last night? That's right, last night. I got finished up and paid off. Where'd you spend the night? Down in Trenton. It's the roomie house I stayed. The name in the room is Trenton. I'm not going to tell you anything. I'm not going to tell you anything. I'm not going to tell you anything. Why are you still here? Why are you still here? What'd you say? The name in the roomie house. It's got no name. It's by Mrs. Wymark. Mrs. Wallace, Wymark. You can call her. Stayed here last night, got the train this morning. Is that right? I told you it was right. Have you ever been arrested before, Phil? What do you mean before? Arrested now? Were you ever arrested? Yeah, I was. You was arrested. But big. Keep your mouth shut. Ever do any big time? I was with. The big. The market but the only big time. I get them big things where. I'm going to go up. I'm only at the top of the gun or fight with the gun would you get out of it. And it's one of the most. Close to killing. It was. It was the quarter to when I finished with Dr. Russell the principal of the F. 88. As soon as he left my office I went up there to the twenty first to take it squad. The suspect in the homicide case still have a little sitting next to a desk where to take a how I was going to get a great. Take the battle it was on the telephone on the other side of the room. And what year was that. Nineteen forty five. I. Was going to take it out of the. Thank you. But. I know you're up to your neck I'm sorry the body you know it's all right I'm just waiting for the thing to wrap up I was checking out it's time sorry I got better into look out facing the dishwasher so it looks better. What is it kept. Well Dr. Russell the principal of the F. 88 was just in here he's got three boys over there have been flashing a lot of money around the school today and yesterday he says he thinks there's only one way they could have gotten hold of it. Pretty bad actors he says and he thinks we ought to take a look into it I asked him to come up here with me but he had to get back I told him you'd send a man around to talk to him OK yeah sure Captain I'll send someone over that. Yeah. Come in. A. Call back. I checked out that road project rooming house both. A little bit of the rooming house last night he was fired off the road job on Monday didn't work yesterday he said he did. Like that wrap it up. Why did you bring him in here again. Why do you get it once you bring him in here OK. That's a really house night before that they said but not last night I got an idea where it was last night I got them all right go on and. Go. Right there. I don't want to say we stop wasting time. By your own admission you didn't like to happen with running after your wife but if you'd asked me to give it to you kill them you know it I was in. You want. To get this straight you want to get the afternoon you're going to that rooming house last night. This morning right. You've been telling us nothing but lies you're in New York went to that restaurant not going to a door and I know you like him you got in there you got him. Open up to make it look good that's not so I'll get it I was in front of. The one to get it settled about your wife you got them and on the outside line for you little. One for the squad with anything. That's been. Why. All right. You coming in with a. OK good. Why you're lying to us I'm not lying and I didn't kill him you didn't kill him it was one of my detectives on the phone I got the man who did. That's the organza. On the 24th. That's a gun there and the money took it Mr Kelly I told you how do you like I told you I didn't do it I told you how many times that I have to tell you I got the lie about where you were there's no spot to lie if you want to get straightened out you were in New York you could have said so I wasn't in New York I was in. Jail. I got a little drunk the day before yesterday I got in a fight with a guy I wound up in a can. They want to say anything about it because I still owe a little time to me that I did. Get in jail down to get my parole revoked. I think about that I. If I do you'll hear about it from your parole officer. OK. I go a little while but then sit on the bench for now. OK. Leave it open yeah. I want to get that. I. Ever see anything that looks so good low so I don't think no. One killer is good. Yes you want to go anything else with them and I'm carrying a pocket full of squeal yeah Chris take a ride over to PSA to get to talk to the principal got three boys kind of worried about this right away. Worker. The other way. I had it on the husband. Did you. Yes. But I guess we're trying to. But I guess we're trying to. But I guess we're trying to. Why are you playing. Yes ma'am. Yes ma'am this is a place about. All your toys. Well. What's his name. You know. What part. Did you see him take it. Yeah. And so it goes around the clock with a 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. Oh. The brass ring can catch anyone. Twenty first precinct a factual account of the way the police work in the world's largest city is presented with the official cooperation of the patrolman benevolent association an organization of more than 20,000 members of the police department city of New York. Ever flown in the role of Captain Pennelly and mentioned the tenant. Featured in tonight's cast well to Derek Wendell Holmes and also take a. Little stone Ross Martin Bill Quinn and Mabel Kramer. Written and directed by Stanley Nitz produced for CBS radio by John I. Hurston John Marshal what happens because of the force of physics does not give us a little insight into the
