Speaker 1: Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're
going to bring you this week's episode of The Big Story.
But first I do want to encourage you, if you
are enjoying the podcast, to please follow us using your
favorite podcast software. And I want to encourage you to
check out our other podcast And today I'm highlighting the
Amazing on a radio an Amazing Great Detectives dot net
where every Wednesday we're bringing you an old time radio
episode featuring an actor who went on to play a
killer in an episode of Colombo. Again check that out
at Amazing Great Detectives dot Net. Now from March fourteenth,
nineteen fifty one, here is the Case of the Cautious Killer.
Speaker 2: A Big Story.
Speaker 3: Beautiful, Yes it is. This is your first time down
here in about the Moon.
Speaker 4: Yeah, I have been in California long.
Speaker 3: I'm you their Time Academy up at a meet you
said you had a.
Speaker 5: Friend down here with Kevin, So I came along with
the Life Work Weekend.
Speaker 4: By the way, the man.
Speaker 3: Don't get me wrong, but I'd rather it's something about
than at.
Speaker 4: Something about it.
Speaker 5: Oh I'm just a normal guy, so normal sometimes drives
me a little crazy.
Speaker 2: H Eureka, California. On the pages of the Humble Times.
The story of a cup reporter and the murderer who
took a liking to him, Eureka, California. The story isn't
actually happened at new Meyer's story as he lived.
Speaker 6: In Maybe some guys enjoy being interviewed for a job.
Maybe some guys can even help themselves by acting is
if they didn't care whether they got the job or not.
Speaker 7: But not you, at Newmire, You'll care very much. And
as you sit.
Speaker 6: Nervously in the office of the Humboldt Times in Eureka
on a hot July second, all you can think of
is that you're not a kid anymore.
Speaker 7: You're married and in need of a job.
Speaker 4: And after you got out of the Air Force, what then? Confusion?
Speaker 5: I couldn't make up my mind what I wanted to
do with myself. Then I got married and the confusion
cleared up.
Speaker 4: Who You're married? A job counsel? No, just a night gal?
Tell you what I can do for you.
Speaker 8: So it's Saturday, Monday is your life? Well, how would
you like to start working for us beginning Tuesday morning.
You mean that, mister Barnes, Sure, I mean would you
like to start Thursday?
Speaker 4: Would I? Geez? Would I just say, mister Barnes, could
I call my wife before you call her? D? Let's
get a couple of details. Takes. You're being put on
as a CUB reporter. Sure, sure, never had any real experience,
so I kind of expect that you will be on
trial for six months at CUB pay. Six months.
Speaker 7: That's the way we work it.
Speaker 5: I'll see six months on trial a CUB pay. That's
a long time matters.
Speaker 4: Man. I know how it was said, but that's our rule.
No way of breaking it, I'm afraid not. What if
find good? We expect you to be good. What I
find very good. Let me tell you something, ed If.
Speaker 9: You went out caught a murderer single handed, then got
him to sign a confession, and then got the story
exclusive for our papers, well.
Speaker 8: We might break the rule and put you on permanent
staff before the sixth month were up.
Speaker 4: And the chances of that happening to a CUB reporter
in Eureka are about oh, I'd say roughly a million
to one.
Speaker 10: Again, this morning, you landed a job. But to look
at somebody who was in the finance company. Just read
what was.
Speaker 5: About how to catch a murderer single handed, how to
get him to confess to me, and how to get
the story exclusive to the tape.
Speaker 3: Come, I think I married.
Speaker 4: At Jackel O. Take, I'm serious. I'm twenty five. I'll
be a CUB reporter for six months. Oh the heck?
Are we going to swing it?
Speaker 11: Yeah?
Speaker 4: But what being married to me? Look at it Saturday,
the July fourth weekend.
Speaker 5: We're broke, so broke, I don't even have enough go
to drive it down to the valley for the weekend.
Speaker 12: I'm serious too, I've died only getting here, just till
look at it. Way, did you see the business eat
the risk, just landed a job? Starting to me, I
ain't you lucky?
Speaker 5: I don't see if that was peg to me? The
lucky ones are down in the Valley of the Moon
for the weekend. The rest of us they're sweating it
out up.
Speaker 6: Here, The lucky ones, they're down in the Valley of
the Moon. You said, But how wrong you are at Nomyre.
You weren't to find out for some time, not until
the lust of a woman named May Patterson began running out.
Speaker 7: It was Monday now, the morning of July four May.
Speaker 6: Patterson was just getting out of her bed at the
Valley of the Moon Hotel when.
Speaker 7: Hello, is this mate Patterson?
Speaker 4: Yes, oh, I'm glad I got your mate.
Speaker 13: This is Hank.
Speaker 3: Oh, yes, Hank. What's on your mind?
Speaker 14: May?
Speaker 4: This isn't what you think. I'm not calling you for
a date or anything like that.
Speaker 13: It's about the Fred.
Speaker 4: What about Well?
Speaker 7: He focus on.
Speaker 4: The guy owns a cabin heats looking at him. Fred's
kind of in pang. Mate.
Speaker 15: He wanted me to get you and bring you here
if you.
Speaker 3: Become of course, of course I'll be ready in fifteen I'll.
Speaker 13: Drive for you.
Speaker 4: Mate, I'll be winning in front of the hotel.
Speaker 3: How did it happen, Hang, I don't understand.
Speaker 5: Well, I think it would try to steal the side.
Speaker 4: Of the hill, back of the house. Maybe some of
the Rock State boys.
Speaker 11: Maybe.
Speaker 3: Don't you know what it say?
Speaker 4: Well, that's what he said.
Speaker 3: What about a doctor? Did you call a doctor him?
Speaker 4: Yeah, you'll probably be there by the time we get there.
Speaker 3: Here we are, okay, that's the doctor. I don't see
another car. Why don't you coming to the house.
Speaker 4: I'll be right along way. It's something I left out
here in the bushes.
Speaker 13: Go on, you're.
Speaker 3: Oh, I cause you found what you were looking for.
Thank what's wrong? Putting my arm the.
Speaker 16: Pay Let me come.
Speaker 17: Back, Peter rust regularly scheduled program with gentlemen to bring
you a special news.
Speaker 13: Smile.
Speaker 18: I have just issued an all points bulletin for the
arrest of a merchant Marine officer and the brutal slaying
of two men and an assault upon a.
Speaker 4: Young woman earlier today.
Speaker 18: The woman May Patterson led the police to the Captain
of Peter Dudley forty two, where the bodies of Dudley
and the weekend guest bred Noyer were bombed. Another weekend guest,
Henry Hank Kildecrat, was missing. I believe that he murdered
the two men with an ancient Indian stone pestle and
then assault miss Pattison.
Speaker 13: The Norman police are of the opinion held.
Speaker 18: The brand has headed out of the Valley of the
Moon area Sun.
Speaker 6: M hm.
Speaker 3: There's a lot of people down the Valley of the Moon.
Speaker 19: Oh you'll dismissed, you may, No, we didn't go away
for the weekend.
Speaker 3: Oh yes, mister b is here and it's a paper
you're plot.
Speaker 20: For me, mister Barnes, Yes, yes, I'm here. The murder,
sure so, I just heard about them on the radio.
What would I mind starting this afternoon instead of tomorrow?
Speaker 13: And not at all?
Speaker 4: You bet your life.
Speaker 13: I'll be right down. Thanks, I am.
Speaker 4: Barn got here as fast as I close.
Speaker 9: Fine, good, take this address here and get there as
fast as you can. Right at the ham and Dot
one of the autumn. And just Paul claims he caught
the biggest tun of fish on record. That's tune of fish,
that's what he said. Well, come on, get going, fish,
don't keep forever.
Speaker 4: What's the matter with you? Not not the murders, the
murders down in Sonoma.
Speaker 16: I've got every one of my regular men out on
that murder. You don't think I put a cub on
it to you?
Speaker 4: That's why I called you. The regulars are all tied up.
Now I need you for the local stock. Yes, canon
fish Barnes thinking, what come on?
Speaker 13: Speak up?
Speaker 4: You're talking to low.
Speaker 13: I can't thank you up?
Speaker 4: You what you got a story on the murders in
ten minutes at the Bellage Bar?
Speaker 5: Yeah?
Speaker 4: Sure, there it goes the first government, firstus, home of the.
Speaker 9: Barn cranks, the crack pots, the boys with the overheated brains.
Is this the city editor, where if you send a
reporter to the.
Speaker 7: Village bar in ten minutes, I'll tell him all about
the murders.
Speaker 4: The minute they hear about a murder, they start cooking
in the village bar is on the way to the dock.
Speaker 9: Want me to check on it, mister barn huh oh,
go ahead if you want to ask for Joe, he said,
But don't let.
Speaker 13: The just tie you up.
Speaker 4: And Ed, Yes, sir, if he tells you he's Napoleon,
don't believe him.
Speaker 14: I'm Napoleon, missus, Si Harris returning into your narrator and
the big story of Ed new Meyer as he lifted.
Speaker 6: And when you left the office of the Humboldt Times
that afternoon at no myer, you look like a kid
has been sent out of the loom, just from the
grown up began talking something the regulars on the paper.
We're all the sign of the double murder which had
occurred that morning.
Speaker 7: But you were on your way to.
Speaker 6: Cover a fish. I gonna ask the thought. The editor
had also asked you to follow up a crank call
on the murder.
Speaker 4: I'm as new Meyer with a humble times. Yeah, don't
tell me if you go and drink, what'll it be?
Speaker 5: Uh? Plus, a fellow named Joe said he teaser. He
said he had a story for the paper. You happen
to know what these guys was named Joe?
Speaker 4: Look in the bar.
Speaker 7: Everybody's name Joe.
Speaker 4: Hey, an, you guys call it off like that. This
guy here says, somebody named Joe said he had a
story from the paper, and you were man, you the
one called the paper. I sain not okay, Come on,
why guy, what's your story?
Speaker 13: What's my story? For the fun?
Speaker 6: It's not very pleasant to have a balloon full of
men laughing at you. So you turn to the street door.
He's you're nun too patient with a man blocking your egg.
You don't care for his cloud sports clothes or his
dark sun glass.
Speaker 4: Excuse me?
Speaker 13: Are you the time?
Speaker 4: What's it to you?
Speaker 5: It's just a look on, young, Come on, fellow, let
me buy. I've got a job to do, because I
call what do you mean you called? I thought it
was that drunk playing a practical joke.
Speaker 7: No you mind?
Speaker 13: Well, I.
Speaker 5: Oh sure, come on, Hey, what's the matter with your hands?
The way they're shaking?
Speaker 4: Look, look, you want to know what I think.
Speaker 5: I think you're a guy with a DT he's just
lonesome for company. I don't think you've got a thing
to tell about those murders.
Speaker 4: I'm the child. Look the murders this morning. You don't believe?
Oh no, I mean, hello, I what's your real name? Thanks?
Sigger bling? Mhm, No, you could have gotten that from
the radio report, so honestly anymore? Thank well? Well, I
mean if any guy can say that just for some publicity. Look,
I just started on the paper day. I mean I
I can't take any chance. But that's my name, Hank Kills,
the brand. Okay, show me your credential. I don't know,
you don't have like a weird report of me. Show
me your I'm yah, yeah my first start me. Okay,
now sell me your adition to my Social Security card
or not? When they're in the academy. Yeah sure, okay,
all right, what are we doing now? Now? How you.
Speaker 2: Listen?
Speaker 4: Hank?
Speaker 5: It?
Speaker 4: What if we all right with you? If I called
my editor, No, I don't know, No, no, you better not.
You might call the police. I don't want to police
catching in the public place. I might get hurt. That's
why I'm getting myself up to you.
Speaker 21: Oh why don't you drive me over to your place.
Speaker 13: I'll be safe there.
Speaker 5: The only thing is my wife half a car. Mhm,
ll nic, I just do. We've gotta walk the walk
Crosstown for the taper. Why not didn't I say? Really
nice town?
Speaker 4: Yeah it is.
Speaker 5: I've not like walking through sounds like this. This is
if nothing happened. Yeah, yes, here so normal?
Speaker 4: You got much further to go. No, it's just a
few blocks. Look, what do you mean as I had
seen all this last time. Oh, I'm not so sure anymore.
All of a sudden, I'm not so sure that I
want to give all this up. Stodies. Well, it's just
a few blocks. I'm not so sure I want to give.
Speaker 3: Up all this.
Speaker 4: Someone talking?
Speaker 12: You want by I go into some challenging time you Well,
how about introduce the media.
Speaker 4: Uh, this is my wife. Hey guy, I'd like you
to meet Joe. Yeah, Joe, do you want to be
no dinner? What about it?
Speaker 3: He had lunch hours ago? If the office at talk
at dinner?
Speaker 4: What happened? Well, hey, guys, Uh, I'm on business. This
man here, I mean, Joe, this is business.
Speaker 3: I don't step back to How about it, Joe, would.
Speaker 19: You like to do this today?
Speaker 13: Just pay?
Speaker 16: You don't understand you've got business with Joe anything harrying
on over a good dinner just as well than what about?
Speaker 5: No?
Speaker 7: Thanks, Peg, I'll call.
Speaker 13: You from the office.
Speaker 4: Joe and I have to get along. Sure, sure, see
you later, Peg. Nice real your wife? Yeah? They was
nice to unt. Thank you? What made you do it?
Come on all of a sudden, Let's get to your walls.
Sit here for nobody will disturbed you in this office?
Where you're going me? I I thought i'd better get
mister Bonham. Who's he? My ball? Oh? You'll sit right there.
Once he's in the next office. I'll be right fast. Sure,
I listen to.
Speaker 13: Me, Gady Ready, are you listening?
Speaker 9: The highway police justin ounced they got when you were
seen in the vicinity of Gilsburg two hours ago.
Speaker 4: I'm near will it mister Barnes will excuse me? Yeah?
Speaker 13: See if the sheriff knows that.
Speaker 16: Mister Barnes, please he says something, I m get off
my neck, will you as you say, I'm on the phone.
But if the sheriff lost, kill the brand's trail. Get
inside for the stay highway.
Speaker 4: For mister Barnes. You don't understand.
Speaker 13: For all, I don't like.
Speaker 4: To be interrupted in the middle of a murder story.
Speaker 13: I've got Brady on the phone here or not?
Speaker 4: Say I could?
Speaker 5: I've got Hank killed the Brands in the office next door,
the murderer, Grady, Hold.
Speaker 4: On a minute, our new club, let's not done. Okay
in my head, slowly now, who is in the office
next door? Kill the brown? The guy who calls from
the village bar. Remember it turned out to be him.
I just walked across town with a how do you know? Oh?
Speaker 5: Showed me his social Security card, is his papers and
some more stuff here here there's a social security.
Speaker 4: Card ready, listen, say where you are? I think we've
just been.
Speaker 7: Stuck by liking.
Speaker 4: No mayra ed Son. I just show Oh, thanks, so
which authoress? He's waiting him so patiently like.
Speaker 16: In the next one the make up desk. Oh, yes,
I guess that although raisically knives and shock cheers we
used for dumbing up the patent. Well, I I didn't
know if I was so.
Speaker 4: It come up. Thank you, mister. This is my boss,
mister bond h how do you do something? Oh? Oh,
I go, Hank.
Speaker 5: I explained to mister Barnes, why you gave yourself up
to us instead of the police.
Speaker 4: I don't want to get hurt.
Speaker 7: Yeah, I understand.
Speaker 4: How do we begin? How do you mean? Oh? Well,
maybe I'd better sit down here and take no? Yes, yeah, Hank.
Do you mind if we both asked a question? No?
Speaker 5: Well, well, Hank, maybe if you answered the most important question,
you know what made you do it?
Speaker 4: Both? Bred?
Speaker 5: Muller invited me up over the weekend if he does
these places h and May Tennison was staying at a
hotel nearby. Final night, she came over. She knew that before,
and I made a pass at her and she brushed
me off. But everything went along fine, was until Monday morning.
I walked between eight and ten am and.
Speaker 4: I've got a final pulsation was rapid heart? Have you
ever had that fay before?
Speaker 21: And I went outside and I put the strong. I
think it was an Indian prestle came into the cabinet.
I hit bread, I hit yeah, he was great fort.
Speaker 4: Yam.
Speaker 5: Then I like the cabin aster calling me about the
broken armstrong.
Speaker 4: He at to the cabin. I got the strong. I
had to push. She ran into the house and can
thread and seep and then and then mm hm like
she said, were you jealous of the two? Is that why?
Speaker 6: You don't know?
Speaker 4: I don't know.
Speaker 3: Maybe I just paid that private pulsation in the record heart.
Speaker 21: Seem the only way to get whether that's.
Speaker 4: I'm unlike something.
Speaker 5: Yeah, well, I'll go down and get you something.
Speaker 4: Hank steak, Make it a steak now we it it's
your real.
Speaker 13: H oh.
Speaker 2: We redo that telegram from at Newmyer for Eureka, California,
Humble Times.
Speaker 5: Murderer and Tonight's big story seemed resigned to his face
as he walked into San Frentin's gas chamber.
Speaker 4: We had nothing to add to the confession already given
to our tapers.
Speaker 5: By the way, I covered the story of the execution
as a full fled reports.
Speaker 4: And so ends another big story.
Speaker 15: In order to protect the names of people actually involved
into nice, authentic big stories, the names of all characters
and the dramatization were changed, with the exception of the
newspaper recorders. This is the United States Armed Forces Radio Service,
The Voice of Information and Education.
Speaker 1: Welcome back. Well, first of all, let's go ahead and
go through the cast. Mister Newmeyer was played by Owen Jordan.
Also in the cast were Melbourne Ray, MZ Strickland, Chat Stratton,
William Keene and Joe Helgeson. Well, let's go ahead and
talk about the real life story on which this was based.
The name of the killer was Henry brum Gold Branson,
and I will admit to being amused a bet by
what the Big Story decided to do with this, because
they make this point about we changed the names to
protect the innocent, and they changed the last name but
left the first name as Hank, which is just a
shortened form of Henry. It's like the Blanche thing a
couple weeks ago. If you're trying to cover yourself from
getting in trouble legally, your best just to change both names.
The names of the victims were Lieutenant Peter Flint of
the Merchant Marine and Peter Jensen, and the events occurred
on July fourth weekend nineteen forty nine. Now, the whole
cop reporter thing, which and getting on the staff full time,
isn't something that's confirmed. The point that he covered the
execution as a full fledged member of staff doesn't really
even speak to that, as the execution occurred in October
of nineteen fifty, by which point Newmeyer, even if he
had just started on July fourth, would have been with
the paper fifteen months. The end part where they said
that there was no additional explanation offered at the time
of the execution is completely inaccurate. Actually, Humboldt Times from
October obert eighth, nineteen fifty has the headline Goldbranson tells
motives for murder subhead story revealed the Humble Times reporter
at San Quentin eighteen hours before doomed Man executed, So
not true at all. The motive was just not something
that you would talk about on the radio in nineteen
fifty one, and even in the Times, Newmeyer was opaque
in his explanation so that this could run in a
family newspaper. A modern reader reading between the lines can
say that Albernson had a traumatic event happened when he
was fifteen years old, and something happened that triggered him
at the cabin and and then he did what he did.
And new Meyer tells a very compelling story of his
visit It started after new Meyer got there and he
asked him about something Goldbsen had told a San Francisco
reporter that he had a secret he was going to
take to his grave, and he asked whether Goldbernsen would reconsider,
and he was really unsure about it. He ended up
asking new Meyer to call his mother, give him give
her the date nineteen thirty and ask if he was
okay with him revealing what had happened. And so new
Meyer called the mother in New Jersey and found out
to his whore that she did not actually know that
her son was going to be executed, so he had
to tell her, and she conveyed that she loved her
son never stopped thinking about him, and when Goldbernson heard that,
he broke down, which really made new Meyer uncomfortable, and
he ended up after just getting this information and hearing
this story was such an ordeal that and the conversation
with the mother, he ended up deciding he did not
want to stay around for the execution and left before
that happened. But he still wrote a very compelling story
and it was actually just a very solid read, and
Newmeyer just showed a real strong sense of being able
to tell a story and to get the audience engaged,
which a lot of news articles did not do at
the time. They're a lot more dry. This one very engaged.
Definitely more of a feature writer style to it, but
it was a good read. Newmeyer end Up went on
to have a very long career, though not all of
it in journalism. I found his obituary the Marine Independent
Tunnel from two thy ten when he passed at eighty six.
He had irved in World War Two. Then he went
to college Eastern Washington College, and then got a law
degree from Golden Gate University. But they don't mention him
practicing law, but it did a lot else. He went
on to become a teacher at Temple Pious Union High
School District as well as an administrator and helped set
up three different high schools with student news bureaus, taught
classes on the sea, and he also after retirement, he
and his wife went overseas and taught in a host
of different countries. His wife said, one of his nephews said,
you have led an adventurous and intelligent life. That's exactly
what he set out to do and what he did. Now,
one other thing I should mention the name Edward new
Meyer might sound familiar to you, and you might be wondering,
is he any relation to Edward V. New Meyer, who
wrote the first RoboCop film as well as Starship Troopers.
And yes, the Edward Newmeyer in Tonight's Big Story is
actually the father of the screenwriter for those films. A
very interesting life, and it's nice that this little chapter
of it gets captured, although not in a complete way
through an old time radio program. Listener comments and feedback.
Now and we have an email from Lawrence regarding the
episode The Killer with the Mind of a Child. I
really like this latest installment you played. That is what
I could hear of it. It was probably the worst
audio I've heard on your show. I was surprised that
you didn't at least mention the poor quality like you
some times do. Anyway, continued success, well, thanks so much.
I appreciate the comment, Lawrence, and I probably should have
mentioned that. The thing is that with that one, I
got so focused on all of the practical issues with
the story and with understanding what was going on from
a practical standpoint and what actually happened, and was able
to understand pretty well everything that happened in the story,
so I ended up focusing on that forgot about the
sound quality, which was isn't the greatest, although I think
we've played a few worse. But I should have called
out the sound quality. Would not have taken long to
do so, and I'll try to keep that in mind.
Thanks so much, appreciate the comment. And then we go
to Patreon for a comment on our five thousandth episode special.
Congrats on five thousand episodes. That's an amazing number to reach.
Appreciate your work so much. Robert Young doesn't sound much
like Jim Anderson here to me, which is a good
thing given the tone. Well, thank you so much and
I definitely agree. And again Robert Young just shows some
real range here. Well, now it's time to thank our
Patreon supporter of the day. Thank you to Glenn, Patreon
supporter since March of twenty twenty five, currently supporting us
a detective Sergeant level of seven dollars and fourteen cents
or more per month. Thanks so much for your support, Glenn,
and that'll do it for today. If if you're enjoying
the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software
and be sure to rate and review the podcast. Wherever
you download it from. We will be back next Tuesday
with another episode of the Big Story. But join us
back here tomorrow for Broadways My bait.
Speaker 4: Where please come in?
Speaker 5: I asked you something?
Speaker 3: Yes, what have I to do with Gordon Merrick alive?
Speaker 6: We found him holding a portrait of you when he
was shot in the back.
Speaker 7: He must have reached out and in the back, cool
boy in the back.
Speaker 4: It must have hurt you, think, so think what I
think that it hurts. Tell me I want to know.
Speaker 7: I'll send you the Audiptsey report.
Speaker 4: Do that, please do that.
Speaker 2: That's all it means to you?
Speaker 7: Is dying like that?
Speaker 11: Gordon call me at the theater tonight, asked me to
a champagne supper for two, a cold bird and candle
light to talk about things. I was bored talking to
about things, so I didn't go. I came home, tried
to sleep.
Speaker 6: Oh my portrait in his arms, poor boy, talk to
him about what things?
Speaker 4: Miss Rice vic king.
Speaker 11: Him over there in the silver picture frame. I met
him when I toured the USO last floor. The man
stood out from that olive drab crowd on the hill.
I went after him, tooth and flow.
Speaker 7: I got him and Marek wanted you back, wanted you
away from this that came.
Speaker 11: He never made it, but he died trying. That you
can say for good and Merik, he never stopped trying.
Speaker 1: I hope you'll be with us then in the meantime,
send your comments to Box thirteen at 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, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Grahamson and Off