Would it's time now for Johnny Dillar. Eve Holden's son, Hi, Sheriff.
You put in a call for me, did you? Yes? I'm
ready to go to work. Now that the inquest has been held in George
Henderson's death is officially an accident, I might be able to move around your
little town a little easier. What can I do for you? Help me
to move around? As I'm concerned? Eve, what's the matter with you?
That inquest was a farce. For all I know, Henderson could have
been pushed out of that hotel window. The attitude of different people in this
town makes that whole thing. Hold on now, Son, hold on.
I meant to say it's closed. As far as my office concerned. Personally,
I think it needs investigating. We can help each other. Maybe you
and me? Can I come over? Oh? I better come there.
You know how folks are around here tonight and every weekday night. Bob Bailey
in the transcribed Adventures of the Man with the Action Packed Expense Account, America's
Fabulous freelance insurance Investigator. Yes truly, Johnny Dollar expense account submitted my special
investigator, Johnny Dollar, Location, Culver, Montana to Paramount Insurance Adjusters,
Hertford, Connecticut. The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of
the Henderson matter. The question accident, suicide or murder expense account item four
three dollars and forty eight cents. One day later to Tim Connor's office in
Hartford, explaining the situation in Culver, I'll read back to you, miss
Dollar, mister Tim Connor's Paramount Insurance Adjusters, Hartford, Connecticut. Corners in
quest in the death of George Henderson policy number EMP Dash one nine six six
six seven found death to be accidental. In my opinion, the inquest was
not thorough. Have decided to stay on in Culver and conduct my own investigation.
If any change, please advise via Western Union Beauti Hotel, Culver,
im boarding copy of coroner's verdict this date, best regards Dollar correct Okay,
Oh, mister Dollar, good luck? Yeah sure? Expense account item five
sixty eight cents postage. I mailed a copy of the Corners ready to Hartford
Airmail Special. After that, I went back to my hotel to wait for
the sheriff. Equal come on in Aphi. Oh Hello, hello, mister
Dollar. My name's Porter. I'm the manager of this hotel. Oh,
mister Porter, I can't right now. I've got some other things to attend
to. Well, anything I can do for you, mister Porter, I'm
going to have to ask you for your room, mister Dollar. Oh when
today any particular reason? We're all filled up. The room's been reserved for
six weeks by home. What who reserved it? Why? A man from
Bozeman. It's a sort of convention, Sort of convention. What kind of
convention is that, mister Porter. Look, mister Dollar, you'll have to
leave this room today. The man's coming in tonight. Aha. And there's
no other hotel in town. That's the way it is, mister Dollar,
no other place to stay. No, so I have to pack my bags
and get out of town. Is that it? I must have the room?
Mister Dollar? Who asked you to say you wanted the room? Mister
Porter? Who asked you to come here and kick me out? Why no
one? Will you go back to no one? Mister Porter? And you
tell no one that I'm staying right here in this room here in Culver until
I finished what I have to do here. You tell that to no one,
would you, mister Doller? I'd hate to call the police. Go
ahead, mister Porter, be sure and tell them about the sort of convention
you're having and how all the rooms are sold out. Tell him about mister
No One and tell him I called your bluff. Anything else, mister Porter,
I was at the stage where I was beginning to take notes for myself.
Note one, the mayor didn't want to have an inquest into the death
of George Henderson. Not two. When they did have an inquest, they
didn't want to really find out anything. No Three, mister hotel manager wanted
me to keep on not finding out anything by getting me out of town.
I explained all of this to Eve Holton when he showed up a half an
hour later. Yeah, I'm kind of tied, isn't it. I don't
know what that means, but it's pretty stupid. Yeah, it's stupid,
so but it could be effective. I'll tell you what. If Porter calls
the police, I'm the police, so don't worry about that. I'll hand
him and Hawy all right, thanks now, and tell me how much your
insurance company's stuck for fifty thousand dollars if Henderson's death goes by as an accident.
The Good Book says, that's what it was. I know, I
know. There's a chance too, we had a heart figure and fell out
of that window. No sure, always a chance. We might have to
dig him up and find out, sir, hold on autop season. Digging
people up is one thing you'd have a hard time doing around here. I
might insist on it. I don't know. I'll let that go for now.
Say tell me about missus Henderson. Where's she from? Here? Right
here in Colder. Now, she didn't get that mink coton, those diamonds
she was wearing at the end quest in Culver. More important, she didn't
get that continent look here either, So what's the story. Her name was
Pauline Underwood before she married George Born and Ray right here in Culver. Of
course, she went to school in the East, and she's been in Europe
a couple of times, but most of her lafe's been right here. She
is a mighty pretty widow and mighty rich one too. Henderson had it.
That's divorce she talked about at the inquest yesterday. Everybody in tom knew they
weren't getting along, never did get along. How could he? Pauline's twenty
six and George is fifty nine. He could have been her father. As
a matter of fact, he almost was. Tell me about that. You
got a drink? Oh yeah. But George raised Pauline from the time she
was fourteen. He paid for all her schooling and growing up. She didn't
have any polkes after her old man died. George was pretty good to her.
He sure was. Was he a friend of her parents. Tom Underwood
worked out at the ranch for George. When he died. There was Pauline
standing there, and she eventually married him and his money cool. Well,
I wouldn't put it that way exactly. I think she liked him. I've
gone over what you're thinkings on. Those two were talking about divorce for some
time. The papers had been drawn up for a settlement. She'd got a
lot of baalomoning so on. Oh, Bauline had no call to push him
out that when hav him pushed out, at least not for money. All
right. Suppose he didn't want a divorce. Suppose he loved her, and
she came to the hotel room that morning and he pleaded with her to try
all over again. Suppose she said no. Suppose she said no in a
great, big cold way, and George Henderson sat there and thought about it
after she left, and he got sick all over and he walked over to
that window and suicide. What do you think you know him? He wasn't
a suicide type. Oh, nobody's the suicide type until they come to the
end of the line. Then it's too late to interview them and ask them
how they got there. Everybody seems I think it was an accident, So
I'm just throwing words around. You have a right to do that if you
aren't satisfied. Son, Hey, getting back to this hotel again. Who
might want me to get out of town and not ask any questions anybody?
Well, no idea, but it's somebody who has some feelings in this.
Hey, who owns this hotel? Noah Baxter? Who's Noah Baxter? Andrew
got a place about fifteen miles from here, pretty big man? Uh,
friend of Henderson's. Yeah, and let me put that question a little different
banks to a friend of missus Henderson's. I don't know. Can you find
out? I can dry, We'll find out about him and any other frenzy
friends that might be younger that might have gone to Europe or a school in
the East. Yeah, sure, what are you thinking now, Son?
Well, Now, if I were a Missus Henderson and my husband fell out
of a window and this hotel and killed himself, I'd hire a lawyer and
I'd sue the hotel for damages. If the insurance company didn't pay off my
claim, I'd hire a lyar insists that they pay that claim. I'd do
those things right away, Sheriff, especially if I thought it was all legitimate.
Yeah. Yeah. Two hours later, I received a wire from Tim
Conners. He requested me to look up a man named Thurber, an insurance
broker living in great Falls. Expencer count itdem six four dollars two cents tank
of gas. I borrowed Sheriff Holton's car and drove the eighty odd miles to
Great Falls that afternoon. Mister Thurper bought lunch. My lord, I hope
there isn't anything to all this, mister Dollar. I just hope there isn't.
George Henderson, Yeah, well, there isn't anything to anything yet,
mister Thurber. I'm still trying to find out the fact. Oh I knew
you were over in Culver. I tried to call you there A couple of
times you were out both times. Finally I put in a call to the
home office in Hartford. I talked to this man Connor's with the Adjustment Agency.
Yeah, you see, mister Dollar, it's like this. I've been
over in Jackson Hope five days now, hunting Duck. We were way in
and I didn't hear about Henderson's death until I got back yesterday. Uh huh.
Now, oh, look, mister Dowler, I don't know what reflection
this will have on your attitude toward this case. But two days before I
left, mister Henderson telephoned me here in Great Falls. He said he wanted
to change the beneficiary on his policy. Oh. In other words, he
was going to cut his wife on. Yes, I suppose. So.
I know they weren't getting along. They'd been talk of divorce. Yes,
I guess so. Uh huh. Did he name a no beneficiary? Yes,
a school teacher in Culver name until the Nickerbocker. Everybody calls her Maddie.
What was his connection with her? None that I know of. I
think it was just a name from the throw in until he could decide on
another beneficiary. Why he didn't have him Maddy Nickerwroker, just a school teacher.
Everybody knows her. He was awful mad when he talked to me that
day. I could tell it in his voice. Now here's what might interest
you just a little more. The day I left in my hunting trip,
mister Henderson phoned me again. He said, to never mind, missus.
Henderson was still his beneficiar. Had you changed the policies yet? No?
Are you sure it was Henderson or telephoned you? Well, yes, I
I think it was him. Do you remember when he got the call?
Somewhere around noon? A little later? I guess he died between twelve thirty
and one. It must have been just before he fell out the window.
He phoned your long distance from cover, sir. Well, he was supposed
to have been in the hotel all morning, so he had the phone from
his room. But you can check that, can't you. She'd be surprised
how hard it is to check simple things like that around the Butte Hotel.
Did you know Henderson very well, mister Thurber. He was a customer.
I wrote a lot of insurance for it. Now his wife? Oh yes,
well tell me about them. Go ahead, mister Thurber. Eh,
Now, look accidents rarely have reason behind them. Suicides and murders always do.
You don't think it was an accident, I'd say I've heard an eye
seen enough to make it a draw. So far, go ahead tell me
about him. And I wish I was married to missus Henderson. I mean
I wish she could see me. I think most any man who's ever met
her hoped the same thing, young men, old men, any kind.
But she picked George. George was as tough and leathery as these mountains around
us, exactly her opposite. Pauline married him, He raised her, He
was close to her all her adult life. Yes, But mister Dalla,
you know and I know, she didn't have to marry him. She could
have married anybody here in Culver, or anybody in London or Paris. You
see what I mean? Not quiet well? I always had the idea that
after she married him, she kept letting him know she could have had anybody
else she wanted. Go ahead, therber. I think she married him for
his money. I think she would have killed him for his money. There
will be another intriguing episode in our story of the Henderson matter tomorrow. Tomorrow.
The whole affair becomes a town issue, and I become the town goats.
Incidentally, let me take a moment to say thanks for the many kind
letters you've said. We appreciate them more than you know, and I only
wish it were possible to answer them all personally. Again, Thank you,
Yours Tully, Johnny Dollar. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar, starring Bob Bailey,
is transcribed in Hollywood. Written by John Dawson, It is produced directed by
Jack Johnstone. Be sure and join us tomorrow night at the same time in
station for the next exciting episode of Yours Truly. Johnny Dellar, Roy Rowan speaking