Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
is your host, Adum Graham. If you have a comment, email it
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and All I needed too, Oh I Learned from Dragnet. Each examines the
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Now it's time for this week's episode of Follow Evans. The original air date
June thirteenth, nineteen fifty and the title is The Full Dress Murder Case.
Ypp gets pretty lonely pounding a beat in this neighborhood. Mister Gorham, glad
to walk it away with you. Oh, it's just the other way around.
The officer walking home alone at midnight in this section isn't my idea of
fun? You know pretty near all the characters around here, don't you?
All of them that ever checked into the hotel I clerk at, that is,
if you're charitable and can call it a hotel. Ah, poor fellows.
I kind of feel sorry for some of them, yes, some of
them, Yes, fellaws like a Johnny Edwards, a box car Charlie or
Billy Duke. Nice boys who just never quite made it. They'll work,
only nobody'll give them a job, or mister Gorham. Everybody's got their own
problems. Some guys, holds, Look look where well over there behind the
ash cancers are lying? Man, there is I would asson see about that.
No, it's a it's a body, all right, A body in
a full dress suit of that. That is all I need. I won't
sleep for a week now. I've got to fall in a report on this
right away. He is hurry swell got himself murdered? Why did he have
to do it on my bait? If it's a wait, wait just a
minute, or what I think I know this man, I'm mister Gorham.
You know a lot of the characters from around here on account of your job.
But you'll think he'll know this color in the full dress suit. I'm
positive I know him. Evening clothes or no evening clothes. I know him.
He stays at my hotel anytime he has a Buck for a room.
The dead guy, all dressed up in a full dress suit is Buck's car.
Charlie, what's the use of being District Attorney Vans if I can't have
a siren on my car. Well, there's the little matter of seeing that
guilty people are punished, that the laws are upheld. Little things like that
marker. I know, but I think this siren is a throwback in the
days when I was a kid wanted to be a fireman. I wanted to
be a street car conductor. I'll have to have a bell put in this
car for you. Oh thank you. But there's a spot where they found
the body, Vans, just up the street where the crowd has gathered.
Glad I was with you when the call came in the land definitely identified as
a terrelict, but wearing full evening dress when he was found murdered. Fascinating
powerlation. I thought you like it. Let's see what we can do about
finding out who killed him after you vents right, surprising the crowd that'll gather
in any hour of the day or night just to see something unusual. Oh,
these people have plenty of time. Excavating work doesn't start for seven hours
or so when they have to watch something that's so let us throw please,
I'm sorry you don't mind what happen. Please out of my way, please,
thank you. Hello, officer, I'm just a returning Markham. I
recognize miss Markham. I'm Riley's start precinct. I found the body, Yes,
I know, I see it hasn't been removed. I'm waiting for the
men from the margue now, mister Markham. While we're waiting, is it
all right for me to examine the body? Go ahead, Vance, It's
all right, Riley. He's final. Vance. Oh all Vance is and
go go right ahead, mister Vance. Thank you. I don't think i'll
be more than a few moments. Ride vance, officer. Oh, yes,
your report said the dead man lived at a very cheap hotel down in
his section. Yet when you found him, he was wearing evening clothes and
it did mister Markham, and don't ask me to explain it because I can't.
You won't have to, officer, But I think I can. What
was that? Vance? You took one look at the body and you can
explain why a down and out individual would be wearing a dress suit. Not
only that, but I think I have an idea where I can start talking
for the killer of our friend bucks card Charlie. All Vance. I've seen
you do astounding things, but never anything like this. How would you possibly
find a clue so quickly? Charlie was stabbed but the nicest so I couldn't
be that. It isn't and I never saw it Charlie while he was living.
If that's what you're thinking, Margam, I'm not thinking anything at the
moment. All right, my friend, let's leave it just that way.
Personally, I never saw anything like this. All right, You're a pretty
smart miss bad thank you. Now, I'm going to investigate the clue I
found, which will give me an idea of just how smart I am.
Okay, bum out, come out, just your copper corffee jar, Just
get out. I said, this is a din and not a free lunch
joint. Out that's said, Yeah, I read of him. Will he
maybe maybe you'd be back. I doubt it. I suppose we get organized
and at gimmick we got going. Everything's all set up for us. I
don't think so. I got another idea about that. That's a matter with
you. Do you have to argue about everything? It's used to living.
If you can't argue, no fun in agreeing with people, and it's no
fun in listening to you. Doubt everything either. Look, let's get something
straight, because if anybody as crooked as us could get anything straight. Here
you go again. Anyhow, here's something you can't argue about it. But
Box Scott Charlie is dead. Any It seemed like that when I stuck a
knife in him. But I ain't no doctor. I ain't sure you know
I am. He walked into this lunch from of mine at the wrong time,
he heard something he shouldn't have heard. He had to go. Maybe
he didn't hit nothing. We ain't sure he did. We couldn't take any
chances because we don't get sore at me. I killed him. No,
forget anybody traces that knife and back to us. We can forget about this
place and that big plan we got and everything else. Nobody's gonna do that.
Don't worry who's doing the contradicting. Now, okay, Georgie, we
got rid of the one guy who might interfere with us. We got clear
sailing from here in. It's going to be happy days here again for us
unless now what, unless somebody gets helped to what we're doing, and then
it ain't happy days are here again. It's goodbye forever. Hello, Diric,
Attorney Mark, I'm speaking anybody that called the DA's office at two o'clock
in the morning doesn't rate as dignified an answer with that. Hello man,
Hello, I thought you'd come right back to your office when I left you
after we found that dressed up buddy, and I thought you'd get in touch
with me, so we both thought correctly, that's right. It's a little
difficult getting information at this hour, but I think I finally come up with
something something like what something like what? I promised you a place to start
investigating the murder of box car Charlie. I thought you knew that when you
looked at the body. I had only a general idea. It isn't that
any longer gone. Like all good ideas from the general to the particular.
Oh, I just thought i'd let you know I'm on the way to a
certain diner hungry vance for information. I've been to five diners since I left
you. According to the phone book, there's only one more particular diner left
in town. One. Apparently I've left it to last. And like most
of the cases we've had in this office, when it comes to a lead
on a killer, I've left it to vance. Keep you pretty busy,
don't they counting? Oh? I don't mind. This mission is part of
my life, George. I like helping people. Oh, and I want
to thank you for bringing those sandwiches. The men will appreciate. It's glad
to do it. What's the use to running a coffee shop if you can't
give away the food you're not going to sell anyway. How's the big thing
coming? Oh? The benefits? Yeah, better than I had any right
to expect. Everybody's help. They announced it over the radio. The newspaper
men have been wonderful, and people are actually buying tickets. I'll bet I
sold more than a thousand dollars worth today along. Why not? It's a
good cause. A mission like the one you'll run here helps people who helps
unfortunate people. Oh, but the others are being very kind. Well why
shouldn't they? Well, after all, what are other people accept? Unfortunate
people who got a break philosophy from a coffee shop owner? George, I
never believed it anyhow. I've got three thousand dollars in cash right here in
this envelope, and it'll be ten thousand by tomorrow. I hope. All
I can say is you're a pretty nice gal, Conny. Personally. I
Oh, here comes a customer, George. Excuse me, lady, I'm
unfortunate. I sure like a cup or coffee, maybe if you had something
to go with it. I like that too. Well, that's what we're
here for. It's rather late, but I just got in a fresh batch
of sandwiches, so if you'll sit Downez, thanks joined me by no,
thanks, Conny. Yes. Don't you think you ought to put this money
in a safe or a bank or something? Oh not tonight anymore. I
haven't got a safe in the banks aren't open. Besides, he knows how
much there isn't sound three thousand bucks? Hey, that bum is going for
it, George, I will give me that. Let go all right,
Oh, George, I didn't want to do that. But and you didn't
want to lose that three grand either, did you. Connie? You know
I'll get some water for this poof though. Oh and George, it was
good of you to stop him from stealing that money. Nobody touches that money.
Connie, you mean nobody but me? Of course. Sure, that's
exactly what I mean. Hello. Look, the joint is open, but
nothing is going on. The boss is out and I don't sling no,
Hedge, I wasn't looking for food. What are you doing here at two
thirty in the morning? Slumming? Could be that you look like something from
uptown. It doesn't matter where I come from, does it? Maybe it
doesn't. It'll be difficult, friend, I'm fill a vance. That name
mean anything to you, no, but I'm glad for your sake. You
got it. Everybody's got to have some kind of a name. Of course,
you overdid it. He the coat, don't pin the coat? Relax?
Okay, what do you want? I want to know whether you ever
heard of a manly called box Card Charlie. Not that I remember. He
never came in here, Not that I know of you around this place very
often. Not so you couldn't notice. Where's the owner? George? I
don't know out somewhere, I guess I see I'm not getting anywhere. Is
there anything you do know, my friend? Yeah? Sure, try me
on that two and two business. Look, I've had no sleep and I
have very little patience. Lift, get me a cup of coffee. Hey,
why don't you drink milk? It's better for growing boys. I'll be
did Sonny. I'm awful, busy doing nothing. I've got nowhere to go.
You don't get out of here, they'll be digging you a place to
go. Now, beat it? I said, that's right, you did
say that. Now? Is there any way you know of making me leave?
Yeah? Just one very simple way, I ask you nicely. And
then this Ah, that was better than walking around the reservoir. Gave me
some exercise, but very little else. What else did you want? What
happened to Willie? Willie is out you? George? Yeah? What hit
him? Beside you? The truck that just happened to be going through your
coffee shop? I say, shortcut. I guess my trucks go through here.
George, I've got some questions to ask you. That funny, I
got no answers. Look around for some of you, like, don't you
be cute? Why should I answer anything you ask? Whether you look at
Willie? Not a good enough reason? What do they do? Argue with
you? Take the side or whatever you said? He always did that you
shouldn't have got So the next time I feel my emotions carrying me away,
I'll remember to ask your permission. Yeah, do that, George, and
follow evans. I want to know something about a man called bux Car Charlie.
Who here we go again, George? Remember Willie here? Oh Bucks,
Scott, Charlie. Why didn't you say so? What do you want
to know about him? When did you see him last? Yesterday? Sometime?
Why he was knife to death? Earlier to night? He was?
Yes, I thin't that too bad? He didn't have very much said living
for it, though, did he? What are you, detective? Not
exactly in that case? If I was you, you know what i'd do?
Should I? Yeah? If you smart, you'd follow your nose right
out of here. It's the only way I know of keeping it out of
a business. That don't concern you. This is just you to turning Markham.
The full Dress murder case opened with the finding of the knife body of
box Car Charlie derelict when discovered. Charlie's body was clothed in full evening dress,
which led Filo Vans to announce he knew where to start looking for the
killer. Vance told me that a certain diner would supply a clue how he
arrived at that. Well, what happened at the diner when he went there?
I have yet to find out. Vance is here, however, Vance,
I have a theory about the evening clothes, have you, Markham?
Yes, box Car Charlie wasn't a tramp. He was living in the slums
for some reason. Actually, he lived a double life and was known by
quite another name in society. That would account for his full dress. Yes,
it would. Then you agree that what I believe is possible. Oh
definitely. Of course I haven't done any investigation along those lines. But it
is possible. If you haven't investigated, it's because you're on a highly different
and chances are a much more logical angle. Well, it is different,
I'll tell you that. Will you also tell me what it is? What
other reason there could be for a broken down character to be wearing top hat
and tails? No, I will not not yet, but I must very
shortly. Well that's something. And by the way, why must you,
because you'll find out for yourself very shortly. That's interesting news. Tell me
what you found out at George's diner, would you ask? I think I
found out who killed Charlie just like that. Yes. I have several reasons
for thinking that, one of them being the fact that it was so hard
to get information about Charlie from the owner of the diner and his friend Willie.
How do you know they knew him? That I've got to keep to
myself until I'm sure they did. Remember I said, I only think I
know our killers when I'm sure, And when I find why Charlie was killed,
I'll let you know and let you in on how I know. Connie.
I'm over here, George, Come on over Roger some fresh coffee from
the shop this morning? Connie? Oh thanks, would you set it down
right there? Please? Sure? Thanks? Guess how much came in this
morning? At eight thousand dollars, George, I've got over eleven thousand dollars
right here? Is that wonderful? I'll be able to build a sleeping dormitory
and put in a kitchen and oh, golly, I think people are nice,
don't you. I'm Connie. I still think you gotta put that money
in a safe place. Oh I will. As soon as someone comes in
to relieve me. I'll go to the bank. Oh it was wonderful opening
those letters and seeing all the money, that everything. George's got a gun.
George, it's a matter with your boyfriend. Lady Kenny, talk,
what do you want? This is a mission. There's nothing here you can
steal. I wouldn't say that. I'll take that envelope on that desk place.
Oh no, no, no, please, that isn't my money.
It belunch. It's gonna belong to me. That's all I care about.
I hand it over. Okay, okay, Connie, I love you.
That money is charity, though it's supposed to help put people. It's a
matter you think I'm rich giving me that's better? How about it. You'd
be nice and quiet for five minutes. You're not knocked the gun out of
his hand, grab any you're not grabbing any gun hold. I got my
gun back, and you got your boyfriend on the floor. I see,
did these stays there for a few minutes and you stay here too? To
take care of him, which will be also taking care of yourself. Over
ten grand already, Georgie, and I ain't through yet. I'll be over
eleven thousand. I don't think so. Again, he don't think so.
Don't you ever agree with anything, Willie? Not? If I can help
it? Yeah? Yeah, one thing? What's that? That is a
pip of a shiner you got on your right eye. I didn't know I
could hit so hard. You know when I clipped you with the mission,
Georgie, I wasn't trying to hurt you, didn't I fake getting knocked out
and you know it? Well, then what's with the eye? That's smart?
Alec final Vans has been around, hasn't he? I suppose he is
about the stick up of the mission. It starts putting two and two together
and finds I was at the mission when a hole up took place. Oh
so you gave yourself a black guy, smart guy, and on you it
don't look bad, big joke? Hey, Now where did I stop downing?
It was over ten thousand. I don't know the exact figure. I
would call it ten thousand and twenty. That was about it, Georgie.
Somebody's trying the door shut up? And he'll go away. Whatever it is.
Open up in there. I heard you talking open up. That sounds
like Vans. For once. I wish I could argue with you. You'd
better open up as soon as I statious money out of sight. Okay,
get rid of it. I'm going to open the door, all right.
Oh that I'm coming, Okay, Georgie letting me Okay, Hello Vans.
Hello, aren't you open for business? Does it look like we are?
Oh? I came over to see about that hold up at the mission,
George. I understand you were quite a hero. Well are you back again?
Apparently right at the moment. I want to talk to George. Any
objections not from me? I thought you were investigating box card Charlie's murder.
Vans. I'll come a stick up interest you. There might possibly be a
connection, you know. Oh that's a lovely eye you have. Like it?
Maybe you'd like one to match. Willie would talk you out of trying,
but I'm hoping he won't, if you know what I mean. Have
any trouble seeing out of it? Not a bit. My left eye is
awfully good. Well you here, Vans. I'm still waiting to find out
why, just to get your story to hold up? What story? Guy
come in with a gun. He grabbed the envelope with the money in it
with his left hand. He started backing away when I knocked the gun out
of his Mit cut me while I was trying to grab the envelope. And
that's all. It probably ain't Vans ask him more questions. I really don't
have to, Willie. I'm quite certain I know all the answers. Now.
It's Connie here, and I have been waiting quite a while for you
venture. I'm sorry, Markham, My apologies, Miss Connie. Quite all
right, but I wanted to be very sure of my ground first. And
are you now, mister Vance. Yes, I know George and Willie killed
Boxcar Charlie. I know why they did it. Oh, and I know
both of them were in on the plan to rob your O mission of the
benefit money. You don't have to know very much more than that to make
our arrest Vans. I'm still waiting to find out the reason Boxcar Charlie was
dressed in evening clothes. By the way, I'm so glad he was,
Markham. It made things so much easier not for me. Well, mister
Vans, if you know who killed Charlie? If you know it was Willie
and George, and you know they both robbed me. What are you waiting
for? Why don't you let mister Markham arrest him so I can get that
money. I want you to try and get it without our having to arrest
them, Miss Connie. What you took the word right out of my mouth,
Miss Connie, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be mysterious. What
I meant was that if you will do one thing for me, Miss Connie,
yes, we'll have two killers in custody before nightfall. Sure I know
where George lives, Miss Connie. Sure, I am anxious to do something
for you. And it kind of ow the coffee. Give me a the
mission. Oh, that's perfectly all right. Just point out the house to
me. It can't really a house. It's a kind of like a basement.
It's right here, it's right there, Miss Connie. I sure hope
you ain't gonna get tangled up with him. I sure hope you ain't,
Miss Kinnie. I'll be all right, and thank you very much. It's
all right, it's sure all right. I should not to come over to
the mission sometime anytime at all. Yeah, it's me Connie from the mission.
Ah. I never expected you here. I know you didn't. Oh,
George, Hi, Willie your row we need here cars. I'm delighted
to have you visit me, Connie. But I can't think of any reason
why you're here. I can. I think Willy's got something you said it.
Look, George, you don't think I felt for that phony? Hold
up? Do you? I know Willie didn't hit you hard enough to knock
you down. I let him grab that money and now I'm here for a
cut. Oh who once? I agree with you, George. I have
a little information. Boys, Carlo Vance knows the whole score too, And
if you don't lam you two characters are cooked. So you're not the big
hearted dame or only live the past out coffee? The bums? Are you?
You want to talk about me or you? Vance knows you killed box
car Charlie, and he knows Charlie probably overheard you two planning to stick up,
and so you killed him Vance? How could he know that? That
ain't important? Connie, avenge your cut and you'll get it fine. How
can you install vants? If we make a three way cut of a dough?
We got maybe, And I think I know how Vans located us.
But does he know we faked that hold up? Georgie and me? He
sure does, could that we didn't do anything? Of opinion and District Attorney
Markham, Oh, how well did I do? Mister? Snapping off the
lock on the door so we could get in? It was excellent, misscon
That dame was a phony phony? How do you like that? Niece?
Characters hurt us, admit we killed Charlie a window, Willie, let's get
out the watch. Well, I'd say you were doing very well. Now,
Mssconni, your money is probably in this place somewhere. I think we'll
be able to find it and officially close this case. Oh no, you
don't vance No, why not? First I want to know how you track
box Car Charlie's murder to George and Willie, and how you knew that hold
up was fake? All right, Markham, I'll tell you. But let's
take George and Willie downtown first, and i'll tell you how I knew.
Second, Micham, you've been puzzled as to why box cart Charlie was wearing
a full dress suit when he was killed, aren't you? Among other things,
I am puzzled about that. Yes, well, when I saw the
full dress he was wearing, I noticed there were two worn spots about an
inch and a half wide on each shoulder. What would make warn spots like
that? I haven't the slightest idea. I thought it might be from a
sandwich sign that was being carried around. The straps from the sign would wear
down the cloth just that way. It still doesn't tell you anything. Rather,
it doesn't tell me anything. I believed that if the man were in
evening clothes, there had to be a reason for it. I believed he
was carrying a sign advertising something to do with high hat or full dress.
I looked in the phone book. Yes, I remember, you're telling me
you used the phone book. I did, and found a number of high
hat diners, five of them, to be exact. I investigated them all
until I found George's place. It sounds very simple now, and you tell
it. Do you mind telling me how you knew? The hold up at
the mission wasn't on the level, not at all. According to Miss Connie's
story and George's, he was standing facing the masked hold up man and was
trying to get the envelope with the money in it out of that individual's left
hand. That's right. Then the hold up character allegedly hit George in the
eye and dropped him. That's the story George and Connie told, certainly,
but George's eye made it a lie. You see, in that situation,
the hold up man must have hit George in the left eye, yet it
was George's right eye that was black, an indication that somewhere along the line
there was something a little bit spurious, no doubt about that. George probably
black in his own eye to make his story and Connie's corroboration really stand up.
Yes, your theory of why George and Willie killed Charlie has been borne
out by their confession. So I guess that's the end of them, the
end of them and of the full dress murder case. It is the ten
welcome back. I would comment on the siren on Markham's car, but at
this point in the series that would be just way too easy, so I'm
gonna let that one go. Once again. I am impressed by the prodigious
pugilism I follow vants. I mean, we have a lot of tough guys
in old time radio, but I almost would bet that Vance has been in
more fist fights than them all, at least has started more fist fights.
I mean, some of these hard boiled private eyes like Pat Novac for hire
getting grabbed every episode and have somebody start beating on him. But with Vans,
he just walks in looking for a fight, Edi seems to find one
and also walk away with an impressive one loss record. I don't have time
to come up with a fight statistics for old time radio detectives, but I
would love to see them if anyone ever saw that as something that was worthwhile
to do. Overall, though, I did think that this was probably above
average for a file of Vance story. None of the characters were annoying in
particular, and I thought the reasoning was solid, although at this point Vance
does seem to rely a lot on criminals, adding unnecessary details to their story
and in this case, getting a black eye in the process. I should
note that we are nearing the end of our time with Filo Vans. We
only have three more weeks left, and then in four weeks we will be
visiting a series with newly available episodes. Now let's turn to listener comments and
feedback, and we start with a comment by Ronser regarding our discussion on the
Manicure murder case about tectional characters known only by their last name. In your
discussion of famous detectives who are known only by last names, you forgot the
most famous character in this category, Colombo. Once, when he was asked
what his first name was, he answered lieutenant. That's a good point.
I would say that there's a difference, say between Colombo and also Quincy and
follow Vance in that their last name isn't known, although there were actually goosed
on both series that hinted at last names that were never confirmed or intended to
be the case. On Colombo, for example, there was a close up
of the driver's license that showed his first name is Frank, and on Quincy
there was a paperwork that showed Quincy's first initial was our. Regarding mcgeiver,
Nonah Rights, mcgiver's friends would call him Mac in private, and we don't
learn to the last season that his first name is actually Angus. I don't
know if I was watching as much in the last season. I do remember
finding out somewhere that his first name was Angus, and by my reckoning and
remembrance of the series, I think that mcgeiver's best friend was Pete Thornton,
and he called him mcgiver pretty much everywhere, and so there may have been
some people who called him something else, like Mac, which would be an
understandable nickname. So that may limit the number of members and in follow Vance's
club of people who have a known first name but are never called by it
by anyone. Appreciate the comments. And it's been so many years since I've
seen mcgeiver, but I have such great memories of that series and would love
to watch it again. And I am in no way referring to the remake,
just saying that. Right here, Angel writes in I want to slap
Vance. Then I realize I ought to slap myself. Okay, thanks,
all right, Well, now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the
day. Thank you to Wendy, Patreon supporter since May twenty nine, team
currently supporting the program at the shamous level of four dollars or more per month.
Thank you so much for your support, Wendy, and that will actually
do it for today. If you are enjoying this podcast, please follow us
using your favorite podcast software and be sure to rate and review us. Wherever
you download us from. We will be back next Thursday with another episode of
Follow Vans, and next Saturday we'll be bringing you crime Fighters. But join
us back here tomorrow for the conclusion of the Clinton matter. Where come here?
Why not cold weather to be out so late at night? Yeah,
but then I've got a lot to do, and you've been in to see
mister Hobby. Yeah, how's Richard these days? I wouldn't know. I
only spoke to missus. Humm. I see lovely girl and Gene, Well,
she's a little sad right now. Her husband's missing. He left town
during the fire yesterday. Yeah. I have a feeling he might have been
ordered out of town. Sooner or later. People be asking the building inspector
embarrassing questions about this school. Huh, We're are you going to ask him
some some embarrassing questions that is? Yeah, Yeah, sure I was.
I was going to ask him why he passed it. I was going to
ask him how much he was paid to pass it. I was going to
ask who paid him to pass it, and then I was going to ask
him to make a statement. I figured you might have had something like that
in mind. Well, that's when I was talking to you, mister Vickery.
I hope I see a real soon in jail. I hope you'll be
with us then. In the meantime, do send your comments to Box thirteen
at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and
check us out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com, slash Great Detectives From
Boise, Ottaho. This is your host, Adam Grahamson and Off.