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Com first. Well, now it is time for the conclusion of this week's
Yours to lead Johnny Dollar Cereal the original air at eights July eleventh, twelfth,
and thirteenth, nineteen fifty six, and it's the Shady Lane Manor Episodes
three, four and five from Hollywood. It's time now for Johnny Dollar,
Mister Dollar. Where this is Jet Bamler. Oh hi Yah, Constable Reckon,
I got the wrong number. I was calling Shady Lane Cafe. You've
got it. I'm sitting right here at the count if. Well, where's
Millie, missus Dollar. She's busy crying at the moments. I'm waiting for
her to get through and hoping she'll confess to murder. Now, you hadn't
order gone and made her cry that way. Millie is a fine girl.
That's the trouble with this whole case. According to you, everybody in this
township is fine people, all of them. Ellen Bates was a fine woman
too, and now she's dead, and one of these fine people killed her.
I'm going to find out which one, mister Bramler, and I'm going
to tag him for it. With your helper without it tonight and every weekday
night, Bob Bailey. In the Transcribed Adventures of the Man with the Action
Pact, expenser cout America's Fabulous Freelance Insurance Investigator, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar.
From Special Investigator Johnny Location, Shady Lane, Vermont to the home office
Star Mutual Insurance Company, Hartford, Connecticut. Assignment the Shady Lane Matter expense
account continued. Item seven A dollar and forty cents one potrow special at the
Shady Lane Cafe while waitress Milly Wells dried her tears and repaired her face.
I thought over what she'd said, what I'd taken for a confession, and
tried to fit it in with the other facts in the case. What few
facts there were. A young farm wife, a semi invalid named Ellen Bates,
had been shot to death while sitting at the front window of her house.
The weapon was an old fashioned squirrel rifle, a type of gun on
by half the people in the township. Ellen Bates had no known enemies.
Her husband, beneficiary of a ten thousand dollars insurance policy on his wife's life,
had been accused by a spiteful neighbor of carrying on with pretty waitress Milly
Wells. It's a line, mister Dollar. Anyone who says Ben and I
were seeing each other, even thought of such a thing before his wife's death,
is a mean, vicious line. Ah, I take it easy.
I'll take it easy. There's no point in getting yourself all worked up and
starting to cry again. Ben's a fine man, straight and decent, and
it makes me boiled. I have some low sneaking gossip try to smear his
reputation without reason. It reflects on your reputation a little too. Really,
I don't care about me. I told you what I've been through. I'm
used to it. Do you ever get used to something like that? No?
No, not really. A murder charge isn't an easy thing to forget.
Dream about it. Nights prison, the courtroom, the trial, of
the things they said about you. But you were acquitted. Finally, I
was acquitted and I was innocent. Just being tried for murder brands a person
for life. What worthy details of the case. First, let me tell
you about Ben. You haven't met him yet, mister Dowler. You don't
know him, and I know the line you're thinking along. It's the way
things point, Melli. Then things point wrong, that's all. Maybe go
on. Well, he's been coming in here for the last six months,
not often, just every once in a while, just to eat. Does
Ben no use stood trial on a murder church? He does now. He
didn't before. Before his wife was killed. We just made conversation, that's
all. And since her death there's been no carrying on. Some people choose
to think one day, Ben said Millie, when when this mess is all
settled, I'd like very much to see more of you, that's all.
That's all. And that's enough, because I love him. About the trial,
Molly, it was four years ago in Chicago. I was working for
a family on the West Side as a nursemaid governess. They were wonderful what
happened. The wife died suddenly under strange circumstances. It could have been an
accident, or it might have been poison. I thought you already knew about
it. That's why I blurted it out that way. Oh, I'd have
found out anyway, sooner or later. Yes, I know. It was
in all the headlines, the same things that they'll be saying about me here.
What do you mean, I was accused of murdering the wife because I
was in love with a husband. I left the shady Lane cafe, and
the tortured girl, whose secret close hidden for four frightened years, was now
the property of a stranger. It was late now, and the town square
was dark and deserted. A stark white moon was climbing the eastern sky,
and the soft summer night's breath stirred in the leafy tops of the maples,
whispering other secrets, secrets the villagers dared not stay abroad and listen to them.
A fantasy sure, pure and simple. Uh, maybe it was a
bad slice of podlist. Anyway, the dim light burning in the office of
Constable Jed Bramler brought me back to harsh reality. Put up the chair.
Okay, thanks that the girl stopped crying yet, sniffling a little maybe,
but she's practically stopped for the time being, at least mean something by that.
You know what I mean by it? Yeah, reckon. You must
have found out about her past, so to speak. You knew about it,
Yeah, since the day she came to town, stopped in to see
me, told me all about it. Well, you were keeping it pretty
quiet, weren't you. It was told in confident, mister Dollar. All
right, but this is a murder case. They don't have no bear in.
Milly ain't involved. Would you mind if I had a chance to decide
that once in a while, I didn't know you'd be interested. Don't you
realize that Millie Wells may be the reason for the killing? Still beating the
dead horse? Hey, I think that horse is coming to life. Mister
Bramler, you do the way things stand right now? Or prosecuting attorney could
go into court with a pretty strong case. The charge first degree murder accused
your friend Ben Bates. You ain't met Ben yet, mister Dolla. No,
No, I haven't met him. But the fact's thatt up. It's
an old, old story. It's downright PASSI an invalid wife, a pretty
girl, a rundown farm that doesn't look as though it's made a provident years,
a ten thousand dollars life insurance policy dangling like a carrots. Yeah,
fact is, it's even worse a picture if you were mind to look at
it that way. Ah, that farm of Bends ain't only run down,
it's mortgage to the hilt. Oh, Ben needed money for evans operations.
She'd had three in the last year and a half. He tried every way
he knew how to. The banks wouldn't touch it. Well. In that
case, Martin Preeny's next door neighbor come through and helped him out. Seventy
five hundred dollars. Is the farm worth that much? Nope, wouldn't bring
forty five hundred if it was sold tomorrow. That's what I mean. Then
feels pretty obligated. And the ten thousand dollars from that policy on his wife
would have taken the pressure off all the way around. Plus leave him free
to marry Millie Wells. All right, all right, I know it adds
up that way. And been studying over this thing for a month now,
trying to figure out some other way of explaining it, hoping that somebody would
show their hand, Yes, make a move some kind, and nothing's happened.
Huh No, whoever done it is just setting tight waiting might be a
good thing to you. Come along, my jar. Things loose a little.
Yeah, Well, whether I'm right or wrong, one thing we've got,
the jar looses that gun. That's a fact, all right. Can't
make much of a case against nobody without that gun, you said, Nearly
everybody in the township own one of those old fashioned squirrel rifles, the type
Ellen was killed with. That's right. What about her husband's bent on one?
Nope, nothing but a shotgun. Yes, I saw it when we
were out there this afternoon, hanging over the mantle. But at the same
time I noticed something else. What do you mean? That shotgun was resting
on a pair of hooks set into the bricks above the fireplace, But the
hooks hadn't been put there for that particular gun, and they were too far
apart. What are you getting at mister Doller. I think those hooks would
fit a squirrel rifle. Fine, Ben ain't one to lie. He told
me he didn't have a rifle. But that's something else I've been steadying about.
What do you mean? I kind of half remember seeing the squirrel going
hanging over that mantle. In years gone by, Expencer count out of eight
three dollars car expense for another trip out to the Baits farm, a late
night trip this time, and the last one I hoped. Constable Bramler had
suggested that my being in the case might help stir things up good. I
was all for it, and not just stir things up, but wind them
up tonight. Maybe if we caught Ben Bates at home, lights on inside,
you must we hear something. Oh even in jedd Man like you to
meet mister Johnny Dollar. It's a dollar. You fellows are out late,
little I reckon mind? If we come inside Ben, Oh sure, Sorry,
JEDDA didn't think that's going back through to the kitchen. That's about the
only room I use since well anymore. I mean, set yourselves down there
at the table. I'll get some lemonade if there's any ice left. Oh,
lemonade left would suit me, fine, don't go. No trouble for
us, Ben, Oh, no trouble at all. Got it already made.
Just have to chip the little ice into it. I reckon, you'll
kind of have to bear with me. I'm not much used to having callers
come around since Allan, It's all right, Ben, here we are.
Hey, you fellow's got some business out this way tonight. The fact is,
Ben, we come out here to talk to you. Mister Dollars,
an insurance investigator. He's here to find out who killed Eln. I see
you got any ideas yet, mister Dollar. I've I've kind of got an
idea. You might have done it, Ben, I wouldn't have harmed a
hair of Ellen's head. I could be wrong. Mister Dollar has been checking
around Ben, talking to people here and there, Preenies, Millie way else.
What's Mellie got to do with it? Nothing? Maybe? Or she
might be part of the motive. I didn't even make her acquaintance hardly before
the last week or two. What about missus Preeney. You've known her longer,
haven't you. Yes, she was a good friend of Ellen's. Why
she thinks you killed your wife? She wrote an anonymous letter about it to
the insurance because the woman's crazy. I knew she never liked me for some
reason, but I sure wouldn't figure her to go that far. Ben.
Whatever happened that squirrel rifle you had around the house? Why the week before
Ellen died? Somebody? Yes, Ben, No, I didn't lie to
you, jed not Actually when I told you I didn't have a rifle like
that, I didn't not then, and you didn't ask me if I had
had one. What happened to the rifle? It was stole the week before
Ellen was killed. I haven't seen it since. No, that's the truth,
mister Dolla. You didn't report it being stolen. Ellen asked me not
to. She figured she knew who took it, and she wanted to give
them a chance to make good, you know how she was. But after
she'd been shot by that same kind of rifle, you still didn't report it,
report afterward that the gun had been took before. Who might have taken
it? Then? I tried to think, wasn't nobody came here that week
except missus Preeney and Grody Hawkins. Brody Hawkins, that's the hired hand we
met here this afternoon, Miss Dollar. Yeah, I know the one who
was a dead shot with a gun. Yeah. No, Brody wouldn't kill
nobody. He's a little touched baby, but he's good hearted and gentle.
Is he another one of your pets? Constable? Don't you care whether the
killer is identified? Kind of a funny question to ask a murder victim's uncle,
uncle, mister Bramler was Ellen Bates your niece. Herod didn't think to
mention it, mister Dollar, just figured you knew, I guess, And
anyhow, you don't have no bearing Johnny Dollar. Hello, Hello, Hello,
Hello, Sorry to scare off your collar, Ben. You always answer
other people's phones, mister Dollar. Yeah, when it's right at my elbow,
and when I want to find out who's calling at this time and night?
Did you find out? I think so? I know of only one
person in the township who'd probably hang up when they heard my voice. And
who you reckon? That'd be mister do Millie Wells, Jed who else?
I think you'd better leave Milly out of this, if you don't mind.
I can understand your concern, Ben, but I'm afraid I can't go along
with it. Your wife has been murdered. Gossip around town says you and
Milli have been interested in each other, and Millie stood trial four years ago
on a charge of murder. Added up Ben added up from special investigator Johnny
Dollar, location Shady Lane, Vermont to the home office Star Mutual Insurance Company,
Hartford, Connecticut. Assignment the Shady Lane matter expense account continued. It
was a messy case, hard to move around in a small community, and
everybody in it was a neighbor or friend of everybody else, except, of
course, the unknown person who'd murdered Ellen, Ben bates invalid wife. But
the ties were close. Ellen had turned out was the niece of Constable Jed
Bramler and Sarah Prini next door neighbor had accused Ben of carrying on with waitress
Millie Wells, who was a good friend of Constable Bramler, and Sarah Priney's
husband had helped Ben out of a jam by loaning him seventy five hundred dollars
on a worthless farm. Yeah, it was sticky and tight and uncomfortable.
Touch one domino, and you moved all of them. But the key of
the game, I was still convinced was Ben Bates himself. H you're wrong,
mister Dolla. I've known Ben here for more years than I care to
think about. Murdered just ain't in his nature, mister Bramler. I think
you're just too close to this case to keep her perspective on it. I
know these people and you don't. Well, that's exactly the point. Ben
is your friend. He was married to your niece, so you just can't
imagine him committing a murder. It ain't in his nature. Oh, I've
never seen a killer yet without at least a few friends who were certain that
murder wasn't in his nature. Now listen to me, both of you.
There's not a question of my nature. It's a question of fact, and
the fact is a plain and simple one. I didn't kill Ellen, mister
Dolla. A lot of things say different Ben, And there's nothing at all
between me and Milly. If Ellen had lived, i'd never spoken to her
as it is. I've only asked her if I could see her sometimes once
this thing is all settled, when you're together. At least that's about what
she told me. We're together because it's the truth, mister Dolla, or
because you've already talked it over one fault. I haven't got his lion,
not even about your rifle being stolen. Oh well, it wasn't no actual
lie. When Jedeair asked me if I had a squirrel gun, I said
no, And like I told you, I didn't, then it had already
been stolen. Suppose he'd asked you if you had a squirrel rifle, I
reckon I'd have had to fess up to it. Well we'll never know,
of course, for sure. But one thing is sure. After your wife
was shot and killed by a gun of that same type, you still didn't
report to the constable here that yours had been taken. Well, I explained
it to you. How would it looked if I'd have told him after Ellen
was shot that my old squirrel gun had been stole before, and you didn't
report the theft when it happened because Ellen asked you not to. Was that
the story? She thought she knew who took it, She wanted a chance
to get it back without causing them trouble. And of course she's not here
now to bank you up on that. It's the truth. She was like
that, jed here, I'll tell you, kind hearted and tolerant with people.
Yeah, he was that, all right. It's a fact. If
either Missus Preeney or Grody Hawkins took it, and they're the only ones that
was here that week, then she was aiming to talk to whichever one it
was and get it back without bringing the lawyer. Only she never had the
chance to she was killed. Yeah, yeah, and that gun figures in
it somehow, it's bound to. Look, we've got to find it,
mister Bramler, right takes him do it, then we better get at it
tonight. Tonight. We got things stirred up. Now, let's keep them
stirred up, all right, Ben, you claim you're not guilty of this,
It ain't a claim, it's a fact. Then who would you say
is the most likely suspect? Ellen didn't have a single enemy in this world.
As far as I know, there ain't a person in this township that
had a reason to kill her except you for the money. You mean for
that life insurance policy. It's worth ten thousand dollars. And I'm that kind
You think a man who'd murder his own wife just to get his hands on
ten thousand dollars, Ben, I don't know, but there's one thing he
can count on I'm gonna find out. Constable Bramler and I left been alone
and farmhouse drove back into town. The moon was higher now and the countryside
was dappled in black and silver, and it too was empty and silence.
We alone moved and made noise as we rattled down the winding dirt road through
the flint rock valleys between the sleeping elms and maples. Logic still pointed at
Ben Bates, but I'd begun to doubt logic A little Rambler was right.
Murder didn't seem to be in Ben's nature, and I wasn't sure now whether
he sat there in his silent house alone with guilt or alone with grief.
Rody lives back at the feed store there. What do you mean back of
it? Eh? Kind of be shocked there on the back corner of the
lot. They let him live in it and returned for keeping an eye on
the store at night. Yeah, quite a choice for a night watch when
a kid who's been up several times for petty theft. Mm hmm, I
reckon it does seem a bit odd. Yeah, let's go see if he's
there. You know, folks around here use a person according to his nature.
Rody is pretty really biable. It's something he's made responsib before. And
why do you think he might have stolen that squirrel rifle from Ben Bates's place?
He was working for Ben, wasn't he but just as a hired hand.
He wasn't hired specially not to steal. But here he is. Now
that's a fine point of ethics. Most points of ethics, is that way.
Recongrody just does henre things sometimes. Hope people will notice him, take
an interest in him. He's a little simple minded, but he ain't a
bad kid at heart. Is anybody bad in your book? Mister Bramley?
Whoever killed el In Bates is watch step now? It's pretty doc back here.
Yeah, I hope nobody has dug a hole here someplace. A't likely
now, I think the door is here, to the corner somewhere. Try
to collect rightly. It's been a while. You are right, Bruce,
machines are now? Who in the sam Hill put all these boxes in front
of the door. You stop right there, don't you move. He's got
a rifle on us, all right, don't try nothing, miss Dollar.
Like I told you, he's a dead shot. What's you whispering about that.
Never you mind, Grody, you just put that gun down. I'll
put it up, don't you now? Let me give a flass flight.
It's Jed Brody, Constable Bramler, mister dollars with me. You stand still,
I get a light on you. Then we'll see I got it.
Yes, didn't you recognize my boys? Never can't tell people might try something
funny, try to break in something like that. Well, now that you
know who we are, Brody, how about having a look at that gun
you're holding on us? Well, I don't know. I guess if Constable
Bramler says it's all right, it's all right, grode. Let him look
at the gun? All right? Then here? Thanks mind holding the flashlight
here? All right? Well, at least this isn't the one. It's
twenty two? What he fellas up to? Anyhow, Grody? What did
you do that squirrel rifle you took from over Ben Bates's mantle? Well,
Brody, I don't know what you're talking about. You don't anybody says I've
done that is lying? Ah Nah, don't get excited, Brody. You
do want to wake up this whole town While we're walking across there. Where
are we going, constable over to the city jail? Quiet night, not
even the mocking bird singing out there. I wish that bird back in the
cell would do some singing. He will always gets to bother in him.
After he's in for a while. Thirty minutes hasn't bothered that much. He'll
talk pretty soon, provided, of course, he has anything to talk about.
I know that boy inside out, whether he's told that gun or not,
he's lying about something. Eh. And I'm gonna have to buy some
oil one of these days, Doug Guncherry even gets on my nerves. I
don't think anything gets on your nerves, mister brownwain Well. The country up
here has that kind of influence. I reckon these hills were older than man.
They've seen a lot of things come and go. It's the kind of
quiet person down if he stays here long enough. I doubt if this place
is as quiet as it looks. I think there are things under the surface,
like flint rocks in a field, and sooner or later they worked at
the top and break off a plowshare. Yeah, it happened sometimes. Isn't
there anyone you can think of who might have hated her? Even slightly if
Dollar. If I was to say honestly who I thought was the best like
person in this whole township, I would have to name my niece Ellen Bates.
And yet somebody put a bullet through her head and fired at it from
the brush without even any warning. It's a fact there had to be a
lot of hate behind that bullet, or a lot of greed. Same old
tune. Eh Ben killed her for the insurance. I keep coming back to
it because nothing else makes any sense, and neither does that. He owed
that mortgage to Martin Preney and the farm wasn't worth it. Martin wasn't pressing
him for maybe not. But if I tagged Ben Wright, he still felt
the obligation, the sense of pressure. Ten thousand dollars must have looked pretty
big to him, not that big, mister Dollar. Then there's Millie Wells,
pretty as a picture and in love with him, and an invalid wife
at home, pigeons starting to chirp and let him think I ain't coming right
away. He gets more anxious, saved time in the long run. A
matter of understanding his nature, something like that, What about your nature?
Mister Browner always was kind to my mother and your niece too, Meaning,
how did you and Ellen get along? Fine? Just fine? I reckon,
he must be ready to talk. It's true, I was lying about
it. I stole that gun, all right, but I ain't got it
now. Where is it? Really? I sold it to mister Martin Preeney
to hang in his house. Martin Preeney, Yeah, I can't figure Martin
paying money for something to hang in the house. He's too tight fisted.
He give me four dollars for it about three weeks ago. That would be
after Ellen was shot and you took the gun the week before the murderer.
Are you saying that I shot Miss Baits? That gun was in your possession
at the time, Brody. Oh, she was the best friend I ever
had, the only one in this town that ever treated me like somebody.
I wouldn't ever done nothing to hurt Miss Babs. You had that gun,
the same kind she was killed with. Oh, that gun ain't been fired
in years? What why? Mister bas never did use it even got rested
inside the barrel, Brody, For your sake, I hope it has Johnny
Dollar, Good morning, mister Dollar. I do hope I didn't wake you
up. I was already of Missus Preeney, Missus pretty how did you know
I recognized your voice? What can I do for you? Well, I
know you'll think me terribly forward, but I have to see you, mister
Dollar, right away. All right, I'm in Rome twenty two. Come
on up. Oh good heavens, I couldn't possibly do that. After all,
you're a man and you're a woman, Missus Preeney. I'm sure you
haven't come into town this morning to play foot sea, So let's both relax
and forget about the fact that this is a small town, mister Dollar.
And you know how people talk here, Yeah, I know. And what
are they talking about this morning? Well, the murder, I suppose.
And mister Dollar, I've got to see you right away. I've done a
horrible thing and I'm ready to confess. From Special Investigator Johnny Dollar. Location
Shady Lane, Vermont to the home office Star Mutual Insurance Company, Hartford,
Connecticut, Assignment the Shady Lane matter. Expense account continued, Item ten fifty
five cents A cup of coffee for myself and a pot of tea for missus
Sarah Preeney. She considered the hotel lunch room an innocent enough place, and
I met her there five minutes after she phoned my room. It was missus
Preeney who brought me into the case by writing the anonymous letter to the insurance
company. Ellen Bates, a farm wife with no known enemies, had been
shot to death. Missus Preeney, her best friend, had implied in a
letter that Ellen's own husband, Ben was guilty, and I was inclined to
agree with her. Ben was the beneficiary of Ellen's ten thousand dollars life insurance
policy. There seemed to be no other motive unless Missus Preeney was about to
confess one. She did mister Bella, who didn't do what that girl?
She didn't want the teapot for two cents, I'd send it back and make
her do it right. Well, I'm a little pressed for time, Missus
Proba, I'm not going to do it. Really. I just said that
I wouldn't want to attract attention under the circumstance. You mean the fact that
I'm a man and you're a woman. And apparently the twain had an automy
meeting in Shady Lane at least, well, people will talk, you know,
And I didn't want Martin to know why not. Well, then he'd
want to know why. Of course i'd have to tell him. And well,
well, as a matter of fact, Missus Breeney, i'd kind of
like to know why. Well, it's oh, this isn't easy for me
to say, you know, well, let's have a tryad In anyway,
it's about that letter that I wrote to the insurance company that I didn't sign
my name to. Yes, it was a terrible thing to do, just
terrible in what way? Why those things I said about Ben, mister Bates,
I mean, insinuating he might have had something to do with Ellen's death,
her murderer. I mean, you made some fairly definite statements, Missus
Preney. They weren't true, mister Dullah, But I'm telling you the truth
now. I know Ben didn't have anything to do with Ellen's death, Missus
Preenney. There were some other things you implied to me too, you know,
Yes, about him and aunt Millie Wells that works at the Shady Lane
Cafe. I said they were carrying on before Ellen was killed. I made
that up just to hit out at him. Why. I don't know.
Really, Ellen was wonderful and I just loved her. But sometimes i'd get
to thinking that, not that my Martin isn't a fine man. You understand
steady, reliable. You know you've met him. Oh yes, i'd say
your husband is quite steady and reliable. I didn't want you to think that
I was saying anything against him. But life on a fane isn't easy for
a woman at the best, mister Dolla. Sometimes she gets silly notions.
I guess what sort of notions. Oh well, a woman's human. She
wants a little warmth understanding. That's all, nothing more. You understand what
I'm saying, Yes, I think I do. But Ben beats well,
he didn't even look at me, didn't see me. That's all I wanted,
just for him to look at me. But he didn't do it,
mister Dolla, not even once I left her sitting there in the stark,
bare wooden booth in the lunch room, sipping her prim cup of cold tea
and trying to hide a red faced confusion behind the shreds of decent dignity.
Constable Bramler was right. Scratched the surface of shady lane anywhere, and you
found a human passion just beneath the skin. Good morning, Constable, Yeah,
Mary and mister dollar sleep well, So, so, how's Grody Hawkins
seriously back Daddy sail? He admits stealing that squirrel gun from Ben Bates Metal
the week before Elm was shot, and claims he sold it to Martin Priney
the week after the murder. Yeah so, by his own admission, the
gun was in Grody's possession the day of the killing, but Grody claims the
gun is rusty and hasn't been fired in years. Yeah, whether it's rusty
or not, Rody didn't kill nobody. Have you been out to the Prene
farm yet to pick up the gun? Nope? Thingured you might like to
do that yourself. You can use my car if you want to cost you
another three dollars? Though, how did you make a living before I came
along? Gorotn't easy traffic? Tickets mostly new Turnpike's going to stop all that
though? Misses the town complete along with ben Bates farm. Huh, Yeah,
to bad. He didn't stick to the original survey made that place.
If he's worth something maybe, and I might have saved his wife's life.
Still beating that dead horse, eh oh. Ben Bates was up against the
wall a worthless farm mortgage for seventy five hundred dollars to Martin Preeney, a
strong sense of moral obligation to pay it off, an invalid wife who would
never get well with a ten thousand dollars policy on her life, murder ad
in Ben's nature? I've told you then, whose nature isn't in missus Preeney's.
Maybe she came to see me at the hotel a little while ago,
you don't say so. She wanted to explain why she lied about Ben eh
reckon was because he wouldn't pay no attention to her? Who told you?
Who figured it out? Beck and Martin ain't too easy a man for a
woman to live with, too straight, lace, tight tisted, and Ben
right next door that way, fine looking young fella, her running in all
the time, taking things to Ellen, bound to want to be noticed.
Yeah, it's the nature of a woman. What about Ellen, mister Bremler,
she was your niece. What was her nature? Ain't so easy to
figure your own kin, mister Dolla reckoned? Was just her nature to be
a victim? Kind of. I drove slowly through the early morning countryside,
lush and green, still moist from the nightdo and not yet touched by the
heat of day. Farm after farm, snug and smug and safe. But
Ellen Bates, a woman who never harmed anyone in her life, had lived
on such a farm, yet a bullet had crashed through the window and found
her. I'd left the car parked in the yard and walked on up to
the porch. The door opened before I had a chance to Good morning,
missus Bretney. You surprise me, mister Dolla. Is your husband at home?
Yes, he's in there working on his account. I was just going
to take some strawberry preserves to missus Thrasher up the road. She hasn't been
feeling too well. Sorry to hear it. You're you're not going to say
anything to Martin about well, you know what about I wouldn't think of it,
Missus Preeney, Thank you. I have to take these preserved to missus
Thrasher. You just go right on in, mister Dollar. Yes, thanks,
mister Preeney in here, come on in. Sorry to bother you this
early in the morning. Oh, mister Dollar, just finishing my accounts for
the fiscal year. What can I do for you, sir? Well,
unless I've been misinformed, you bought an old squirrel gun from Grody Hawkins a
while back. That's right, it's hanging me over the fireplace quite a bug.
And unless he stole did it someplace, as a matter of fact,
he did from your neighbor, Ben Bates, then I'm out the price.
Take it over to Ben this afternoon. Mind if I take a look at
the gun, mister Peeney, I'm trying to check up on Grody's story.
No, no, go right ahead. I just finished this total while you're
at it, then you would have time for a chat. He went back
to the ledges on the table in front of him, and I reached up
and took down the rifle down from its hooks above the mantle. Grodi had
told the truth. There was rust in the barrel and breech. The gun
hadn't been cleaned nor fired in a long time. The hooks over the fireplace
were old and rusted too, They'd been there for years. And suddenly I
knew find what you were after, mister Dolla. I found more than I
was after. I found out who killed Alan Bates. Grody Hawkins. Oh
no, not Grody and not Ben Bates, even though he is named his
beneficiary of that ten thousand dollars insurance policy. What do you mean it was
somebody who stood to profit even more than Ben did from that ten thousand dollars
who somebody who made a seventy five hundred dollars loan out of kindness that alone
should have tipped me off, mister Preeney, As Jed Bramer says, it
wasn't in your nature my nature. But of course it wasn't kindness. At
the time, it was good business because a turnpike was planned that would make
the farm worth double alone. But the road fell through. When you were
stuck with a worthless farm unless Ben could get money to pay you. I
imagine that's when you started thinking about murder. Are you accusing me of murdered?
Mister Dolla? Those hooks over the mantle have been there a long time.
Where's the rifle that hung there before you bought this one from Grody Hawkins?
There might not have been one the neighbors will remember. Let me just
put down this plane with total Yeah. I did a good year last year,
very good. Yeah. I doubt it's going to be that good this
year. Her he gets, mister Dolla, it's like farming take risks on
drought, frost insects. Sometimes you make a mistake and lose. I knew
i'd made a mistake the second I pulled that trigger. After that, it
is just a amount of time. The gun is buried out behind the barn.
I'll get my hat Adam twelve ninety four dollars and thirty five cents inc
An nettles and shady Lane and transportation back to Hartford expense account total one hundred
and eighty six dollars and sixty cents. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Now
here's our star to tell you about next week's intriguing story next week. A
diamond, a huge one, the star of Cape Town, a piece of
ice that should have been kept on ice? Join us, won't you?
Yours truly, Johnny Dollar? Yours truly, Johnny Dollar, starring Bob Bailey,
is transcribed in Hollywood. It is written by Les Crutchfield and produced and
directed by Jack Johnstone. Heard in this week's cast were Jeanette Nolan, Chorus,
Lewis Shirley Mitchell, will Right, Bert Holland and John Dayner. Musical
supervision by A. Marigo Marino and Carl Fortina. Be sure to join us
on Monday night, same time in station for another exciting story of Yours Truly,
Johnny Dollar Roy Rowan speaking wh Welcome Back. Johnny kept Jeb Blamler on
his suspect list to one agree or another all the way to the end of
the story, which is impressive as there was never any reason to suspect him,
as was the case with so many of the serials. This was adapted
from a John lun episode, in this case, The Pawnee Corners Matter from
nineteen fifty four. We played that one on the podcast in September of last
year, and I said at the time that the show that the episode's point
about being able to discern who committed to the crime based on their nature had
been undermined for me by listening to so many episodes of Tales of the Texas
Rangers, which we were also playing at that time. There are only so
many times you can listen into an episode where Jace Pearson has to patiently persuade
a sheriff that the buddy they swore couldn't be the killer had committed the most
brutal crime imaginable in their nature philosophy rings hollow because there's only a certain degree
to which you can know people and what they are capable of, even in
a small town. However, thinking about it this time, I think that
what Johnny did was a bit of a twist on Bramler's philosophy. In some
ways, It's like the opposite point Bramler was taking a look around town and
seeing potential suspects and saying the murder was not something that they were capable of.
They weren't capable of doing something that bad. But Johnny took a look
at an act of generosity or seeming generosity by Martin and said, you know,
being that generous, that's not something that he would do. That's not
in him his nature, and taken together with the other indications, Martin's the
guy. The final scene was played really well, and I loved how cold,
matter of fact Martin was about the whole thing, viewing it as a
business decision and as a mistake, but in a really dispassionate business like way.
I mean, before Johnny had accused him, he was pointing a suggestion
at an escent teenage boy. That shows the sort of cold bloodedness of his
approach. And it's not something that Braemler would like to think about. But
it was totally in his nature and at the core of the whole case.
One thing I remember about this episode is we actually moved it up a few
weeks out of where it would normally play because Shirley Mitchell, who appeared in
this past away at the age of ninety six, and I wanted to play
something with her in it, kind of in honor of her. It's hard
to believe that it's been that long since she passed. All right, well,
listener comments and feedback now, and we have this from male Vox,
you know over on podbean who rights regarding a serial episode of Johnny Doller,
What a great run, and that's absolutely right. I think that one way,
you know, to evaluate this whole air of the series is to look
at it as a run, and I think you look at each story close
enough, you're gonna find things that are off or weird in one way or
another, But none of that really diminishes the series as this long, fifty
eight week run of episodes, which is really incredible and I still think some
of the best radio drama ever produced. It's incredible in so many ways,
with just great acting from the top as well as a superb company of actors
who play all these supporting roles and some pretty solid and interesting writing. And
the pace at which this series was made is remarkable because you add it up
and you're essentially putting out an hour per week every week without really any breaks
other than or the national conventions. You consider how many series that we put
out today, or that are put out I want to take any responsibility for
them myself, but how many series that are put out where they will do
thirteen episodes if that, in entire year. And there are benefits to doing
it that way, obviously, but you have to respect the quality of this
series given that they had to be doing things week after week and at this
rate. Because one thing. While a lot of the older dramatic serials seem
to drag on forever, you know, you might have a twenty five part
story on something like the Adventures of Superman, and the reason you do that
is you don't want to be coming up with a new scenario, a new
set of characters every week. You want to tell a story that will last
a good long while. And that definitely helps you to appreciate what they do
on Johnny Dollar in essentially giving every week a new mystery and not just you
know, the sort of half hour kind that happened for so many years,
but really almost a feature length mystery every single week. Thank you so much
for the comment, and then over on site called x Tina Wrights regarding the
long shot matter, very good episode. Well, now it's time to thank
our Patreon supporter of the day, and I want to go ahead and thank
Boss. Bodi has been one of our Patreon supporters since April twenty nineteen,
currently supporting the podcast at the Detective Sergeant level of seven dollars and fourteen cents
or more per month. Thank you so much for your support, Boss,
and that will do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please
follow us using your favorite podcast software. If you're enjoying the podcast on YouTube,
be sure to like the video, subscribe to the channel, and mark
the notification bill. We will be back on Tuesday with another yours truly Johnny
Dollar Cereal, but join us back here tomorrow for dragnantware. Fill me in.
How did it have? Well? I took the girl out of business
school. You had he called out a class order if father was sick,
said he was a friend of the families. How about the teachers. What
was their story? Said? The girl didn't want to go with a man
at first, but he finally talked her into it, kept telling her father
was dying. That's about as low as it come. Yeah. Did he
use a car? Witnesses said it was a blue Sedan. They didn't get
the license number of the make. Did they remember what the guy looked like?
About five nine one sixty, brown suit, dark hair, m Nothn't
that you know? He's a copy of the letter for usual Read it?
Yeah, Yeah, I have your daughter, Judy. Get what's that thirty
thousand, thirty thousand dollars quick? If you want her back alive, don't
call police or I'll kill her. Contact you later? Signed it? What
was it? The Wolf? I could think of a better name. Hope
you'll be with us theaying in the meantime, do send your call mans to
Box thirteen. Great Detectives dot nett, follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives,
and check us out on Instagram, Instagram, dot com, slash Great
Detectives from Boise Idahol. This is your host, Adam Graham's son and off