From Hollywood. It's time now for Edmund o'bryen. Has Johnny Dollar? Is
Mitchell Candle you call my office? Oh yes, mister Kendall. I'm an
insurance investigator from Hartford, Connecticut. I was sent out here to look into
the job as Wilder killing by the company that holds the policy on his life.
Oh yeah, haven't you called the wrong lawyer of the Dollar. I'm
defending missus wis I'm prosecuting her. I understand that I'm not a prosecution witness,
not yet. Anyway, I'm glad to hear that insurance money had nothing
to do with the situation. Mister Dollar, he killed himself, defends and
Edmund O'Brien and another adventure of the man with the action packed expenser God America's
fabulous freelance insurance investigator, Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Expense account submitted by
special Investigator Johnny Dalla to home office, Britannia Life Insurance Company, May Hertford,
Connecticut. The following is an accounting of expenditure during my investigation of the
Jarvis Wilder matter. Expense account item on one hundred and fifty dollars and fifty
cents airfan incidentals between Hartford and Farmington, New Mexico. It was shortly afternoon
when I reached the drowsing western town. I checked into a hotel and read
in the local paper that the county grand jury at any moment was expected to
indict the widow, missus Alma Wilder, for the murder of her husband.
I contacted her lawyer by phone, and a few minutes later walked into his
office. Well, miss door, you read quite a trip, hi am
misquando. Yeah, it's a lot of miles from Hartford. Not too many
hours these days, thank you. I read the papers. The indictment comes
any minute. Huh. Yes, it didn't take long from aress to conviction,
with his little cost to the taxpayers possible. That's the way they liked.
Not that there's anything wrong with the way things have been handled, you
understand, I haven't gotten too many details of Alma missus Wilder and fasted when
she was arrested, fessed again at the inquest that was only yesterday, also
only a formality. Why they indict them then? Why doesn't she plead guilty
and get it over with? Cause I won't let her. I wanna trial,
cause I'm going to get her not guilty verdict for on the grounds of
self defense and temporary insanity. Those grounds have spent a lot of widows,
I guess do you object to that? No, not at all. I
hope you tell me she's innocent. A lot of money tied up in the
policies for Javis's brother and his estate. None is due her. I wish
I could help you on there. Were you planning on going out to the
ranch? Yeah, I thought I might. Why. I wanted to warn
you about what kind of people they are, what kind of it They have
been the most hated people in this part of the state for two generations.
Russell is a twin brother, you know, and he has not only the
appearance of Jovis, but every single bad quality, selfishness, cruel as they
conceit. Russell has a wife too, hasn't he yes Roses? And if
she shoots him, I won't be surprised. But I'd advise you to be
careful if you're going out there. Don't push too hard. They like to
run people off their property. I'll watch it. Thanks. Just what do
you expect to accomplish, mister Dollar. I've got to make a report.
That's a murdered routine. You still have any idea. I'm working with the
prosecution to set up a motive to your client and turn it into a first
degree charge. Forget it. I'm not well. They've been awfully quiet,
and I've been practicing law long enough to develop a suspicious mind. It was
nice for me. Thanks a lot for the help, mister Kendall. I'll
probably see you again before I leave it. The wild Ranch was about fifteen
miles out of town, if I report, some five thousand acres and cattle
range. I wheeled a rented car up a road that led to a large
house resting on a noll among a few pine trees. There were some outbuildings
and finally a grizzled karaka who got up from a bench to stop me as
I neared the house. You got bidness here? That's right, you have
to wait. Ain't nobody at home? What kind of business? Nothing to
do with ranching. My name is Dolla. I am here from the East
to get a report on the shooting of Javis Wildler. What's that? I
said? I'm from the East. What's your interest in the trouble? And
I've been hired by an insurance company that got a report on it. Where'd
you say he was from the east Hartford, Connecticut? My volks come from
there about come west in the eighties. You heard of the Shrims back there?
No, I don't think soon. I had daddy had six brothers,
so some of their kin is still around hazard bills. Where we was from
from? You heard of that? Yeah, it's in the northern part of
the state, isn't it on the Scantic River? It marked on the map.
Yeah, I know the place, mister shrim I take it. You
work here on the ranch for more than forty work for you, old man,
Poor Jarvis and Russell was born. Where were you the other night when
Jonas was shot? I got a cabin to myself. That's it over there,
That's where I was. Could you tell me what happened as far as
you're concerned, as far as I'm concerned, set down. Sure, I'm
old man. I lived through some right troublesome time, seeing a lot of
men get killed, and I always sort of figured I stay healthy because I
never meddled with nobody's business, right or wrong. I'm not sure I know
what you're driving at. Are you advising me to stop meddling. It ain't
my place to advise a young fellow side. I ain't smart enough. You
asked me. As far as I'm concerned, well as fair as I'm concerned,
I don't know what happened. I still don't catch you. You're telling
me that other people don't know what happened. It ain't my place to tell
you anything. I didn't come here to investigate the murder. Well that's been
done and it's in the hands of the authorities. I was his wife,
confessed you. Yeah, you wait here. I we're refusing his wife.
I got short. Wait a minute. That was it? Wasn't it?
You thought something had been uncovered and that I'd come to look into it.
Isn't that? It tran It don't concern me, Yes it does. Is
there a possibility that Alma Wilder did not kill her husband? He can fast?
Didn't she? That's not what I asked. She said she killed him,
and I reckon she knows better than anybody else, don't you. I
ain't got time to talk no more. I ain't got short all right,
Trian, I can't hold you, but I'll have to go to the police
with us. Now, don't go stir up a lot of trouble, young,
So don't stir it up, you do. I got a feeling you're
gonna be sorry. If it's there to be stirred up, I'll have to
do it. And I guess it's there, all right. But I can
make a deal with you, Shrian, What do you You talk to me?
And I won't go to the police. As an insurance investigator, I'm
in a position to make a deal like that legally, all right, young
feller, you want to grab it with the tail you can. It ain't
much for a certain what I saw I heard Jarvis yelling out of That's what
woke me up. When I heard the shot, I jumped to the door.
It was light enough to see and there was bulls laying on the ground.
They'd come out of the house. Yes, And it come over me
when I saw him that she didn't shoot him, cause she was laying on
her belly with her feet towards him, like as if that's where he'd knocked
her. No, that wouldn't mean much with him. I told you,
it wasn't much for certain. So when I got to where she was,
she didn't have no gun. It was on the ground next to Jarvis.
Where was everybody else? They come out of the house, Russell and his
wife, and I got out of sight. It stayed in my mind that
Almud didn't kill him till she said she did. Is that all Shrand?
You're telling me everything. That's the whole of it, The way she was
laying and where the gun was. I got there fast and it come to
me that she didn't shoot him. What are you figuring around doing? Not
sure? Don't see what I can make out of it. Thanks for telling
me. I'm going back to town. You can count on my confidence.
But if anything develops, I may have to talk to you again. You
need to gonna stay or Wrestle and his wife come back after talking to you.
I think I'd better get to them later. And if you don't feel
like it, you don't even have to tell them I was here and I
want it ain't my business that you come, and it ain't their business,
then I talk to you. There was little enough to go on, certainly
back in town. I approached the authorities on the basis of wanting a routine
report. The investigation was no more thorough than could be expected. The profession
naturally would do away with the usual need for examination. There were photographs who
record the position of the body, et cetera, results of ballistic comparison tests
to establish the fatal weapon thirty thirty rifle. That was about all. The
autopsy report hadn't as yet been added. I debated on where to go from
there, and decided against Kendall, the depends lawyer. I got permission to
visit the cell of the confessed murderers. Almer Wilder was a slight, well
formed brunette of twenty four. She looked older than her years, but she
would have been quite beautiful under different circumstances. I don't understand why you've come
to see me, mister Dodge. I saw him all, how it happened.
Didn't you talk to him? Yes, why have you come to see
me? I read your confession. I guess I was curious about what kind
of a woman could make such a calm statement about killing her husband. It
was done and finished, there's no other way to say it. I'm curious
about what kind of woman could be driven to the point where she'd do such
a thing. If you're read it, you know any kind of a woman.
I was kind of a woman. He made out of me. In
your confession, you said he'd been cruel to you. What kind of culture
did you mean? I won't talk about it, physical program physical, Yes,
I won't talk about it. What do you want me? I'd hope
maybe you would wanna talk to somebody that though it might help you. I
told all the truth I'm going to I don't tell anybody about my life with
whom I went through it and I ex finished. I won't talk about it
all right time. I've been here a long time since I killed him.
I've been happier than I have for three years. It's the kind of a
woman I am now happy. I haven't noticed, but I really wasn't after
that part of the truth. You hated your husband and that or not?
What about the twin brother? I hate him? Do think it's me?
Do you? Yes? I hate him, hate him in the same way
I hated Jervis. What about the sister in love? You thought much of
anything about Rosemary? Just any jot to that house? You see? She
dead personally. I should have known then what it was going to be liked.
Wasn't there anybody you liked out there or who liked you? Why any
of the men who worked in I never saw him, weren't allowed in the
house, and I wasn't allowed outside alone. Why I'm asking these things because
I don't know. If it's confession, you and I will stick hu.
I'm a right now. Only you know whether or not you really killed your
husband. Yes, I did. If somebody knew you and felt sorry for
how unhappy you were, he might have killed me. There wasn't anybody.
If somebody had thought enough of you to do that, you could be thanking
him with your confession. It would be a a noble gesture, I suppose.
But if that is the case, it's gonna come out. It wasn't.
You could save everybody a lot of trouble if you'd tell me it wasn't
that nobody would do that for me. I didn't know anybody. I killed
him because I hated him when I was trying to run away and he was
trying to top me. Don't kill anymore more anymore looking for these Why not?
I'm one, and you don't. I kill job as nobody else do.
Nobody had because I killed him. He was trying to run away and
he wouldn't let me. He's going to take me back to that house couldn't
go back. Please please let me stay here alone. You better sit down
around. I won't fight you anymore. Thank you, thank you. We
will return you to the second act of yours. Tooly Johnny Dollar, in
just a moment. There's one married couple you can always depend on for fun
on Saturday evenings. And when bite them over, it's the easiest saying tune
the sea. Yes, they're the seal Ball and that man she calls my
favorite husband. You don't have to get involved in the strange predicaments they do.
All you have to do is sit back and laugh at the results house
for asking them in this evening. The seal Ball and my Favorite Husband will
be waiting on most of these same CBS stations. Now, with our star
Edmital O'Brien, we return you to the second act of yours, truly,
Johnny Dollar. Yes, come in well, missus, doller him, mister
Kennell. I didn't know whether you'd be in here. I was an aunt
five o'clock. Oh yes, I sometimes stay in the office until eight or
so. I'm a single man, no place to do any homework to Now,
thanks well, I see you escape the wild arrange without loss of life?
Old, Yeah, I'm in it all right? Nobody was there?
Were lucky? Did you uh talk to crutch Field? Who crutch Field prosecuted?
Oh? I didn't even know who he was. No, I haven't
seen him. Uh would you like a whiskey? Uh? Yeah, thanks?
I think I could stand on good. Ah. I went to see
how'm my wilder? Oh? What's the matter with her? Just what do
you mean? Oh? Where do you take this? Knee? Yeah?
That'll be fine. I mean, how could any woman live like a prisoner
with a man she hated for three years? Wasn't it three years? This
is the twentieth century. Nobody has to put up with anything like that?
Why didn't she leave? If it was that tough? Hey? Thanks?
I believe she did try to leave one other time and evidently was discouraged from
trying again police. That's what she told me. What that she was beaten?
H hard to believe. I know it. So was uh the case
that broke in the papers last year of the man who'd been locked in a
room for fourteen year? Remember, yeah, answering, Well, shall we
toast the human race? Mister Dollar, Let's not bother mister Kendall did you
ever give a thought to the possibility that Alma Wilder could be innocent? What
I mean actually innocent, that somebody else could have killed her husband. It's
the dollar if you've come in to win the information pertinent to this case.
I want to know about it. Well, it's not quite information yet,
but maybe it will be. Or was it source? I can't tell you
that now. Why not came to me in confidence. I've got to keep
it that way. But I faced Alma with it. The way she reacted
makes me think that there's something to it. What do you say that,
I asked her if somebody we don't know about got rid of her husband for
it? Oh? She answered, Actually, she said no, and I
don't believe it has anything you learned pointed to the identity of this person.
No, until we can be more specific, this is worthless as testimony.
Yeah, I know, and give anything to produce a witness that would blast
Crutchfield's case from here to the state capitol. Yeah, but there's too much
a hoop for here. Who knows? God? Her confession as signed statement
a matter of record. Obviously you're going to follow it up. Oh,
sure, I'll have to. Now, would there be any way to keep
the whole thing confidential. Uh, without interfering with your work. I don't
know. We'd have to see. Of course, it's too much to hope
for. Won't start m paneling a jury until day after tomorrow at the earliest.
If you're making any progress and need more time, let me know I
can delay that, all right, I will. You ought to be congratulated,
mister dollar. However you came about its uh possibility case of plain full
lock. As a matter of fact, Ah, don't say that. You
put us in the back seat. A green horn. We Westerners don't like
that at all. I turned in early the next morning. I looked up
the arresting officer in the Wilder case, the man who had supervised what little
work had been done on it. It's not only a greenhorn, but a
Johnny come lately. I expected a lot less cooperation than I got. Well,
i'll be dag. I don't know what to make of that. She's
a queer one, all right, but I never thought of nothing like that.
Maybe there isn't a thing to it, But well, how did she
act that night? Well, she was kind of numb when I got out
there. Acted day, she didn't talk till next morning. Russell, that's
the brother says he was an eyewitness. His wife didn't see nothing, and
an old timer that works out there says he didn't either. I suppose it's
pretty later on a paravan test on her, isn't it. We can try.
I don't hold much by myself when you're trying to prove somebody didn't fire
a gun when you want to know did they? Then they're all right.
I guess we'll test her though in the rifle. Yeah, I'll send that
back to you again. Got her prints off of it. But we'll see
what else. I know. This is a lot of trouble. No,
we need nothing. We don't get many like this, And to tell you
the truth, I sort of enjoy trying to work out these things. It
was about a quarter after ten when I turned into the Wilder Ranch road,
passing the out buildings. I looked for, but didn't see the old man
Shram who'd been there the day before. You've got business here, Mester,
Yeah, are you, Russell Wilder? I don't remember asking you to come.
I don't do business with anybody I don't know. I think you better
get back in your car and drive on out. I think you'll talk with
me, mister Wilder. What about the Britannia Life Insurance company sent me out
a few things to take care of on your brother's policies. You are the
salesman we bought from. No. I came out from Hertford, Connecticut.
Why'd you come all the way from there? It's quite a bit of money
involved. Company wants to be sure everything's in order. Jarvis and I kept
our own books. Everything's in order. There seemed to be a few loose
ends to take care of, not that I know about it. I understand
you saw your brother's wife kill him. I saw it. That's what you
told the police. But it's not true. Maybe I didn't hear you.
Sometimes it doesn't do any good to throw your weight around, no matter what
kind of reputation you got for being rough. This is one of those times
while they're so take it easy and you better get out of here, get
off my line. You can put me off, it won't do any good.
Murder doesn't brush off that easy. And you're in this one up to
your neck. Say what you gotta say. I said it. You didn't
see your brother get killed. You know it, And the police are working
now to prove it. I saw it. What were you doing outside at
eleven at night? Didn't the sound of the shot bring you out? She
killed him. It's not the open and shutcase you thought they had against it.
Why did you lie about seeing her shoot him? Didn't make any difference.
I do things the way I think I ought to be done. You
got no right to ask me questions. I don't have to ask you anymore.
I've found out all I want. Yeah, wait a minute, let
go, I may What do you want? She killed him? It was
the same as if I saw her. I know she killed him. No,
they don't. She said she did. Now they want to find out
why she said it. She's not the only one in the picture anymore.
You're in it too. You could have done it, kill my own brother.
Your reputation says you could have your I mean full of hate. Both
of you seem to get a lot of satisfaction out of kicking your wives around.
That's what passed for love and your marriage is what can you expect people
to think about the association between you and Jervis. You don't kill your brother?
Why not for the insurance money and the ranch? I'll kill you if
you don't stop talking like that, you know Wilder, I think you would.
I guess that tells me everything I wanted to know. Oh yeah,
come all right, just been out to the ranch. I'll never see it
again. And I finally met your brother in law or him again. How
did you happen to marry Jarvis? Cause my friends were all married. I
wanted to be. I was dumb enough to believe his promises he could be
different when he wanted to be a long time ago. Anywhere the rifle you
shot him with is it his? Yes? That you knew where he kept?
Yes, in the bedroom he kept it loaded. Yes, And you
took it when you tried to sneak out of the house. Yes. I
had my mind made up to kill him this time if he tried to stop
me. He was asleep and you got up and got dressed, shirt and
leave eyes and shoes. He didn't wake up while you were dressing. What
if he had Were you near the rifle? Yes? Is there a cartridge
in the chamber. I don't know very much about him, I think so.
You ever shot the rifle before? One like it? Long time?
How did you cock the rifle with the lever? Over the hammer. What
when you shot him? Did you cock the rifle with the hammer of the
lever? I'm not sure? Now what difference? Does it make a lot
of difference? You'd cock it one way if the cartridge was in the chamber,
and the other way if you had to bring one up from the magazine.
You know that. Yes, which way? I remember? And it
doesn't make any difference, Yes, it does. One way would have left
an ejected cartridge on the ground and the police would have found it. They
didn't ask me these questions. They didn't have any reason not to believe your
confession. It's true. Did Russell see you kill your husband? Yes?
Did he tell the police he saw you? Yes? He said she killed
my brother. I'm a weakness. I saw he said that he was lying,
wasn't he No, he saw me. He told me he was lying.
He didn't he saw me. He didn't see you. He didn't see
you because you didn't kill him. I did. Did Russell kill him?
Did he? He could have come on? Tell me the truth, cow
man, tell me the truth. Huh? What is it, Officer Dandy
said? Word? He wants you to come over, can't it wait?
He says, it's mighty important, and you better come all right. It
wouldn't have to be so rough, you know. I'm h was it?
You know, I'm not certain something about the rifle they was working on.
I think we did her, dollar. I think we did her I hope.
So look right here, and this is the murder weapon. Didn't bother
a lot. But look at that butt plate. Yeah, jammed into the
ribbing on the plate and into the indentations for the screwheads. More on the
one side. We got that cover too. And you told me how she
was lying with her feet towards the deceased, Well that figures in two.
And I called back the corner about some march they found in Jarvis's arm teeth,
Mark Harry. See, yeah, it's done a lot of work,
dandy, And next time I won't wait. Anyhow, we didn't have a
Marlin rifle like the murder gun, but it didn't make no difference. We
took one of our winchesters out on some dirt. We sort of guessed at
the angle to get more dirt onto one half of the plate than the other,
like that Marlin has in it. That's it, Dandy, You've got
it here. We jammed the stock on the ground and pulled the trigger.
The recoil pushed the butt plate into the ground, and we got dirt in
it, about the same as the marlin. It's good work. Say,
could we phone Mitchell Kendall? I promised him he'd be in on this opposite
dandy and I waited twenty minutes for candle outside. Alma whiless cell and we
went in without it. Itscept for a while to realize how much we knew
now about what had happened. Why here I want to keep on saying that,
missus Wiler, it ain't true. It can't be. You didn't know
anything about that rifle. You didn't have it when you left the house.
Javis had it when he came out after you didn't he I'm scared. I
don't know what happened. We can tell you. He tried. I had
to stop you outside with a rifle. It was calm. I don't know,
we do, Alma. He tried to stop you and you bit him.
He threw you with one arm and the rifle fell from the other went
off when it hit the ground. Everything fits in and you were lying and
set your way. You couldn't have shot him and got there. Nothing you
can say now will change it. We know what happened. It's true,
isn't it. Yes, Yes, it's true. Why didn't you tell us
you made a false confession and stuck with it? What made you do that?
What were you afraid of? Were you afraid of? Russell? I
was afraid I'd have to go back to that house. I mean it's it's
better to go to prison. Yes, I wouldn't have died for it,
would I? But I will know? Why should you? Alma? What
do you mean he said I would? Russell said I would? He said,
you killed my brother. I am a witness. I am a witness
before the law. Don't kill you. I swear no matter where you go,
I will. And they will. That's the kind of men they are
when they say, if they can do anything, please these you've got to
let me stay here. Expense account Item too miscellaneous one hundred and eighty five
dollars item free, same as item one. Transportation back to Hartford expense account
total five hundred and forty dollars remox No pleasant ones. The girl who'd reached
the point where prisons seem better than what we call freedom is giving up both
for a hospital where they hope she'll improve its Truly Johnny Dahr. Yours Truly
Johnny Dollar stars Edmond O'Brien in the title role and is written by Gil Dodd
with music by Wilbur Hatch. Edmund O'Brien's latest picture as the Paramount Picture production,
The Redhead and the Cowboy. Featured in tonight's cast were Parley Bear,
Tim Graham, Bill Conrad Her Butterfield and Mary Lansing. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar
is produced and directed by him del Vallie. This is Dick Cutting inviting you
to join us next week at this time when Edmund O'Brien returns as Yours Truly
Johnny Dollar. There have been some changes made, and it's faster, it's
funnier, it's got new life and a brand new punch because Dan Murray's taken
over. What show is this? Why CBS Saturday Night Musical Quiz Sing It
Again that are of melody, mirth and money that's heard on most of these
same CBS stations. Yes, Jan Murray is your new host. Be sure
to hear the new Sing It Again with Jan Murray this evening on CBS.
Stay tuned now for Bob Monroe's Caravan, which follows immediately on most of the
same CBS stations. This is CBS where you'll laugh at Jack Benny every Sunday
night. The Columbia Broadcasting System