I hope you like Fastphoto systems, because you’re about to hear a lot about them.
It’s high tech versus the criminal mind in Mr. District Attorney #40 (July/August 1954), and Mr. D.A. faces arsonists and murders and the skepticism of the people holding the purse strings…
…in a story they had to call:
Following a suspicious fire, Mr. District Attorney and his associate Harrington investigate a suspect, sending a photo and his fingerprints to Washington via air mail to check with the FBI’s criminal records. However, the suspect posts bail and leaves Mr. D.A.’s custody.
The next day, a reply is received from Washington, but:
At the demonstration, Mr. D.A. runs the Fastphoto system past the mayor:
…who isn’t having any of that newfangled technology, no sir:
Shortly thereafter, a suspect in a robbery is brought in, and Mr. D.A. feels he looks familiar…in fact, that he might be wanted for murder. Again, he has photos and fingerprints air-mailed to Washington, and again, the suspect is unable to be held overnight until a reply is received.
However, Mr. D.A. has a plan…mooching off of someone else’s Fastphoto system:
Harrington’s crap car conks out on him, but after having two gals on horseback tow his car to town (no, really…ropes are tied from the horses to the bumper), he makes it to the Hawthorne police station:
Lieutenant Condescending and Captain Explainypants let Harrington in on the magical workings of the mysterious electronic box:
And exactly nine minutes, 34 sec…oh, wait, it says that in the caption:
And just as the suspect was about to be set free, due to lack of sufficient evidence and whatnot, Harrington phones Mr. D.A.’s office to let him know they got the goods on this nogoodnik.
Harrington’s all ready to spend that reward money:
…And, again, the mayor cheaps out on Mr. D.A.:
But Harrington comes through in the end:
…most likely because Harrington wants to sit on the Fastphoto machine and send pics of his butt to those condescending bastards over in Hawthorne City. You totally know he’s going to.
And, hey, they never did catch that arsonist.
For more Mr. District Attorney, pal Dorian posted a couple choice covers, with commentary, quite a while back.
