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Plot

In 1935, the numbers racket (selling of illegal lottery tickets) is big business throughout New York City, much of it controlled by mobsters, who are feared by the populace. Meanwhile, crusading, likeable young newspaper reporter Tim Higgins has just published an expose of graft in the awarding of major city contracts, only to have his article challenged by the accused, who threatens to sue for libel. Ordered by his editor to print an apology, Higgins instead resigns his job in anger, despite having a young family to support. As he is about to leave the office meeting, he is approached by a young woman, Ann Devlin, the daughter of a kindly old shopkeeper near the waterfront. She pleads for Higgins to help her father, who was just visited and ordered by a mob representative to aggressively increase his sales of lottery numbers to gullible store patrons. Higgins over many days interviews Ann, her father, and other witnesses, sometimes over dinner dates. He jokes to his wife that he is dating a blonde. At one point, Higgins receives a package containing a dynamite bomb. Mr. Devlin eventually sells his store to a Mr. Comos, and with the money, boards a cruise ship to Cuba. Mr. Comos is known to the mob and disliked by them. Suddenly, radio news reports that Devlin's ship is aflame and sinking off North Carolina. Higgins, over his wife's objections, hastily boards an open-cockpit(!) private airplane to fly and view the disaster, taking photographs of the burning ship. After some worry, they learn that Mr. Devlin is among the passengers rescued, and he later tells his daughter and Higgins that the fire was caused by combustible material apparently planted by the mob, who must have known he was aboard. Many other passengers died. Due to having this incriminating knowledge, Devlin is then ambused and killed by the mob. In the end, however, Higgins and Ann testify in court and the mobsters are convicted.

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