Speaker 1: Wheatees presents Joel McCrae in Tales of the Texas Rangers
on stage tonight, transcribed from Hollywood. Another in the Wheaties
Big Parade of exciting half hour presentations, Tales of the
Texas Rangers, starring Joel McCrae as Ranger Pearson, Texas. More
than two hundred and sixty thousand square miles and fifty
men who make up the most famous and oldest law
enforcement body in North America.
Speaker 2: Now from the files.
Speaker 1: Of the Texas Rangers come these stories based on fact only. Names, dates,
and places are bigtitious for obvious reasons. They events themselves
are a matter of record. Tonight's case the Broken.
Speaker 3: Spurg Saturday night, June fifth, nineteen forty eight, the time
ten pm, on a small ranch ten miles south of Cranston,
Irwin County, Texas. Milton Thomas was counting a large sum
of money are Parritory to.
Speaker 2: Lock it up to night.
Speaker 3: As he was counting, his dog, Rags appeared to be nervous.
Speaker 2: Thomas tried to quiet Rags, stuff that you're making me
count wrong. His year one hundred? Where night now stop
at the hiatrag down? Count who's there? What do you want?
Seems to me a topfully don't like to be knocking
at people's dark Give it's your baptist. What are you
trying to get your dog? You get the same thing.
You wait, give me that money. No, no, I want
you ask for it? No, no, no.
Speaker 4: All right, then.
Speaker 1: Tales of the Texas Rangers will continue in just a moment.
Speaker 2: If you've got a job to do tomorrow, partner, get
your wheaties. Sure, Breakfast of Champions is for you, Josh
Linkas for Ralph Kiner prior to the Pittsburgh Pirates, you
may not play ball for a living, but whatever your
job is tomorrow, you can do it better on a
better breakfast. And it's a better breakfast starting with wheaties.
There's a whole kernel of wheat in every wheatie's flake. Yes,
whole wheat good sound, whole wheat pump and ripe and
bursting with vitamins and minerals and protein for your vitality,
your energy, your working power. So tumble the wheaties out
of the package, pour on the milk, put on the fruit,
pick up the spoon, and smile. You're eating good to
be feeling good. Breakfast of champions for people who are
going places? Are you ready triumph? See how wheaties at
seven can help at eleven.
Speaker 3: At ten point thirty the same night, Milton Thomas's house
was discovered on fire. The Cranston Fire Department was called.
Next morning, the local sheriff, making a routine investigation, discovered
the burnt remains of a broken chair next to Thomas's body.
Speaker 2: He ordered an autopsy.
Speaker 3: The results prompted him to call the Texas Rangers. Ranger
Jase Pearson was assigned to the case and arrived at
the scene of the fire early that afternoon.
Speaker 2: For hardy ranger. I'm Sheriff tax howdy, my name is
Jace Pearson. Come on, I'll show you at the house,
or what's left of it. All right, folks, step back, please,
shouldn't have all these people walking around here, Sheriff ruin
any footprints there might be. I had my deputy here
at least few minutes ago, Pearson. I sent him down
to get some coffee. Here, all right, folks, step back
away from the house, all of you. I'll get back
to the fans.
Speaker 3: Please.
Speaker 2: All burned out except for the wall. But you may
find something you said when you called you didn't think
it was an accident. I've been sheriff here for eighteen years,
and I'll stake my reputation it was. It was ours
to cover murder. Base that on the autopsy, yep, Browner
couldn't find any trace of the carbon vaniels in the
bronchial patches or learning, and only the normal amount of
carbon monoxide in the lock, indicating milk Thomas wasn't breathing
when the fire started. Right, This was the front door
burned off the hinges and fell off. That's funny, But
a lock on this door special kind takes a key
on both sides. When the door's shut, you have to
have a key to get out of the house as
well as in Oh that, Yeah, milk was a funny
old glop had them put on both doors. The windows
had trick locks too. Why well, folks say, kept a
lot of money in the house. Maybe just a story.
This lock's still working. Let's look at the back door. Oh,
here's what's left. The milkshole iron safe open like that
when you found it. Yeah, empty too, and this lock's
not forced or broken. Kind of hard to tell much
about anything after the roof fell into Yeah, it's a mess,
all right, same kind of lock here on the back door.
It's working too, meaning whoever started the fire was locked in.
I look here, whoever it was, here's where he went out.
See that window glass outside on the ground. Climb out
and look see he didn't break it. It's not crazed.
It was knocked out from inside. And do you think
the killer was trapped inside? Could have been after he
set fire to the place. How about footprints, Sheriff, Though
there's thousands of volunteer firemen tramps around alder and the fire. Wait, wait,
here's something huh looks like a spur row? Exactly what
it is? Broken off a spur right below where the
window was. Maybe he busted off by a man jumping
out the window with his tail feathers on fire. Maybe
I don't envy and unperson. How come? Well as a clue,
the spur row is probably mighty important. But what, Sheriff,
I was just thinking, there probably ain't over ten million
spurs in the state of Texas with rawles just like
the one you got there in your hand. Your figure
may be a little high, Sheriff, but I get your point.
He say, Hey, Jack, Yeah, what do you think you're doing. Jack,
what's the matter, Sheriff, You know, darn well, what's the matter?
I told you to keep back. I was just looking around.
I'll stop kicking around. Those ashes and the rest of you.
That's evidence you're tramping on. We didn't mean no harm.
I listen all of you. So the last time, I'm
going to tell you, how'd you like it if we
thought one of you was the criminal coming back to
the scene of the crime and deliberately trying to destroy evidence. Okay,
then get back or get off the property altogether. Books
say that's generally not true. Sheriff, Huh about the criminal
and the scene of the crime happens only one in
a thousand times. Oh, I know it. I just wanted
to throw a scarey into him. I see. Oh, by
the way, who was that fellow you were talking to him?
It names Casey, Jack Casey. The sheriff and I went
over the yard thoroughly that any footprints the murderer might
have left were trampled out by the fireman and the onlookers. Finally,
some distance from the house, I found the place I
was looking for. Sheriff, huh, I'm over here. What is it. Look,
here's where he took off from hoose. Prince dug out
in an awful hurry too, and his horse tethered to this tree.
Seems to me any man who had legitimate business at
the house would have tied up closer. Eh, that's the logical.
Look here horse chewed on the tree. Might be a quibber.
We find our man, who likely find a horse that
chews on his feed. Bend See these tracks head west
toward a snake creek. You got a horse, sheriff, I
can get one good. I'll get mine out of the trailer.
We're gonna follow those hook prints. Hold a sheriff, keep
your horse off that bank. What's the matter? Bootprints, good
fresh ones, I thought for many gypsy and the moccasin.
This stream's full of cotton. I'll take my kit, make
some plaster molds of these prints. He dismounted here and
led his horse across. You're probably afraid of slipping on
those flat moussy rocks and small foot aboutsize seven or eight,
i'd say on track pattern too, not likely it was.
He's outing a heavy load. Probably a fat man. Fat, Yeah,
look at his tracks, deef even in the dry places.
I make tracts as deep asous way over two hundred,
But I ain't exactly fat. No, you're not fat, Sheriff.
But what sized boot do you wear? Eleven and a half?
If you ever see a man in your height, make
a footprint this small. Come to think of it, I
don't foose every dear. Wait a minute. That man who
was poking around the ashes back at the house, Casey wasn't, Yeah,
Jack Casey, what about him? He's fat, Sheriff? Was he
driving a car or riding in case? He was riding
his old paint mayor say she's a quibber. Then I'm
gonna need a warrant. As soon as I get this mold,
I'm heading for town sheriff. Either the books are wrong
or this Casey is one in a thousand. Operator, Operator,
this is Jack Casey again. What about that call I've
been trying to get through for the last hour and
a half. Yeah, money Texas, the Della's Hallmill Company. I
know it Sunday, but somebody bound? What are you doing
with that gun? Oh shoo? Operator? Hello, operator, And you
said you'd call me back every twenty minutes. It was
over a half hour last time. Well, keep trying.
Speaker 4: Jack, who are you trying to call? And what are
you doing with your shotgun?
Speaker 2: Leave me alone? Martha? Where your Bensin's? Noon? You were
supposed to meet me at the Tates for dinner. I
know it, I know it. But oo's Zach Texas raiser.
Speaker 4: Jack?
Speaker 2: What have you done?
Speaker 4: Put that gun away, get in the back room. You
ain't fixing the shoes him?
Speaker 2: Are you? If I have to, Jack, don't do it, please, Jack,
don't hold it wringer here you are. Put that gun down, Casey,
you're not come in here. I got a warrant here
says I can, and I am shot. Put it down?
You are right, ma'am? Yeah, yeah, I'm all right. Shotguns
a nasty thing to carry around cocked. I'll just take this.
I want to look around a little at your bedroom. Yeah,
come on, paint mayor outside yours? Yes? It is? These
your boots? Mm hmmm. How'd you break this? Spur? Eh?
I didn't know it was broken. I'll take these boots along.
Do you want me to get a check? No? Somebody
gonna answer? Yeah? Sure? Hello? What but never mind? Catching
you better come along with me, Casey? What's this all about? Ranger?
Where you're taking Jack. He thinks somebody killed Milk Thomas
the exact he thinks I did. Oh, you seem to
know some of the answers, some of them. Before we go, Ranger,
I'd like to ask you one question. Sure, what time
did this soul called murder take place? About ten o'clock
last night? Ten o'clock? Well, that's your hands. Suppose I
can prove where it was last night. We're just as
anxious to prove a man innocent as guilty. Casey, do
you have any witnesses? About three hundred of them? At
ten o'clock last night, I was sitting in the Cranston
High School auditorium watching my niece graduate.
Speaker 1: In just a moment, we continue with Tales of the
Texas Rangers, starring Joel McCrae as Ranger Jase Pearson.
Speaker 2: If a man rides herd on one hundred head of
cattle all day, first he needs his wheaties. Yes. And
if a man sits behind a big desk and pushes
buttons on his job, first, he needs his wheaties. And listen, mamma,
you too. If you keep track of a couple of
growing up kids and wash dishes and make beds on
your job. First, you need your wheaties jump whatever your job,
wherever you work, wheaties can help whether you run a machine,
or pound a typewriter, or play baseball for a living. First,
you need your wheaties because here is whole wheat, with
the rich, full bodied energy of whole wheat. There's a
whole kernel of wheat in every wheaty's flake. That's why
wheaties give so much vitamins, minerals, protein. Wheaties have them,
and they're for you. For the wheaties into the cereal bowl,
add the milk, add the fruit, and dig right in.
Do that at seven and see how much better you're
working when eleven am rolls around. Yes, try them every morning,
crisp and tempting, And see if I'm not right. See
if a better breakfast with the whole wheat nourishment of
wheaties doesn't make a pleasant difference in your morning's worked.
See if milk fruit wheaties isn't honest and truly breakfast
of champions. See yourself how wheaties at seven can help.
At eleven, Casey stuck to the alibi that he'd been
at the graduation the night before, and I already had
enough evidence to take him in. While the sheriff was
out asking questions around town, I tried to break down
Casey's story. I kill you. I was there, all right,
Take it easy, Casey. Let's assume for a minute you were.
And how do you count for the boot prints made
by your boots near the scene of the crime. Lots
of people wear boots. Could have been anybody, I'm afraid not.
You see, I made plaster cast of those prints, and
the boots, the ones you admitted were yours, matched the
prince to the last nailmark. Well, I've tramped around this
part of the country a lot of times. They could
have been old prince. Uh huh, these were fresh prints. Well,
what about it? I don't know? All right? Then, what
about the row we found just outside Thomas House, one
broken off your spur. I don't know anything about that either.
There's no point in withholding information, Casey. You know we'll
find out about it sooner or later. How are you doing, person?
Casey decided to come clean hunt chef. What about the
niche sheriff. The neighbors say she and her family left
on a vacation early this morning. You know anything about that, Casey. No,
too bad, because I've had several interesting chats. Casey. I've
just talked to four people who were at the graduation
exercises last night, four people who know, oh you, and
not one of them remember seeing you there. I was
at the high school last night, I tell you, Casey.
The Sheriff's talked to four people who didn't see you. Well,
who did, I don't know. We're dark in the auditorium.
Didn't you speak to anybody? No? Sing had already started.
And wait a minute, yeah, I talked to one of
the ushers. What was his name? Wasn't it him? It
was to her one of the high school girls. He
was wearing a long pink dress. Sheriff, who's the principal
of the high school? Mister shot Warren? Shot? All right, locked, Casey. Up,
I'm going to find out who the ushers were, and
especially the little girl with a long pink dress. Right.
Speaker 5: Why, yes, sir, I remember mister Casey being.
Speaker 2: There with missus Casey, are you sure this is very important?
Speaker 3: For sure?
Speaker 6: I'm sure they came in late and had to wait
until the invocation was over, and then he asked for
an aisle i'll see.
Speaker 5: He said he couldn't climb over people.
Speaker 2: Well you know, yeah, I know. And he didn't leave
at any time during the exercises.
Speaker 6: Not until near the end. They left just before the recessional,
while everybody was standing and singing the class song.
Speaker 2: What time was that?
Speaker 7: Oh a few minutes before eleven?
Speaker 2: Oh, thank you very much, good bye. Was I any help, Ranger? Yes,
Ela May you were a big help. I was stuck
and it looked like I was going to have to
release Casey. And I remembered something. The phone call that
came in while I was out at Casey's place, the
one he'd been reluctant to answer. I dropped by the
Lanston telephone office.
Speaker 5: This is the call you wanted, Ranger.
Speaker 2: What was it?
Speaker 7: Mister Jack Casey placed a call to the Della Sawmill
Company in Money, Texas at two twenty two pm today.
There was no answer, and when the Money operator did
get through, she called back at three forty, but mister
Casey had canceled it.
Speaker 2: Do you know who the call was for?
Speaker 7: Yes, sir, it was person to person of mister Ben Casey.
Ben Casey, mister Jack Casey's son son.
Speaker 2: But do you know him.
Speaker 5: I used to when well, we went to high school together.
Speaker 7: Some of my girlfriends and I used to go places
with Ben's bunch, but my mother made me stop. She
said he wasn't the kind of boy that girls should
run around with. I see, and he finally left home.
Couldn't get along with his stepmother.
Speaker 2: Oh then missus Casey's not his mother.
Speaker 5: Oh no, ranger. They used to fight all go on.
Speaker 2: This may be very important.
Speaker 7: Well, I heard that she and Ben fought all the time,
and then one day after they had a big fight,
Ben packed up and left.
Speaker 2: Well when was this?
Speaker 5: I reckon It was.
Speaker 2: A couple of years ago.
Speaker 5: He went down to Monee then and got a job
at that sawmill there.
Speaker 2: What does this Ben look like?
Speaker 5: He's a spitting image of his father and just as
fat too.
Speaker 2: Have you seen him lately?
Speaker 5: I saw him at the bus station. His father came
and picked him up.
Speaker 7: When let's see him day before yesterday Friday.
Speaker 2: There was no doubt now why Jack Casey wasn't talking.
He was protecting his own son. I put a call
through to missus Casey and met at the Sheriff's office.
Speaker 4: I ain't saying this because he ain't my flesh and
blood ranger. But Ben's bad through and through. I might
have knowed he was the one killed Milk Thomas.
Speaker 2: Uh, missus Casey, tell me about Ben. He came in Friday,
didn't he.
Speaker 4: Yeah, come in on the bus and stayed over Saturday.
He wanted to borrow money. He's always broke.
Speaker 2: Gambles, That's right. Pearson picked him up a couple of
times for gambling. Go on, miss Casey.
Speaker 4: Well, like I say, he wanted to borrow fifty dollars
from Jack, but Jack didn't have it. He just paid
off a note to Milk Thomas and he was kind
of strapped.
Speaker 2: Oh, your husband old Thomas money.
Speaker 4: Yes, but it was the last payment. Jack was joking
about how Thomas always wanted cash money, didn't trust Jack's.
Speaker 2: It'd been hear him say this. He sure did, sheriff.
Speaker 5: And then he sucked around all.
Speaker 4: Day Saturday until we was getting ready to go to
the commencement that night. And just before we left, he
said he was going to use Jack's horse to.
Speaker 2: Go for a ride at night.
Speaker 4: Yeah, seems strange to me too, And then he asked
could he borrow a pair of Jack's boots he was
wearing flatteel shoes.
Speaker 2: They wear the same size, oh have ever since I
can remember. Well. Anyway, we went onto.
Speaker 4: The graduation, and when we got home, the mayor was
in the barn, still saddled, all sweaty. Look I she'd
been run almost to death. And Jack's boots were tossed
on the floor, and Ben was gone.
Speaker 2: All right, miss Casey, that's all for now, and thanks,
you're welcome. Come on, Sheriff, we're going on a little trip,
sheriff taxon and I piled into my car and headed
for Monee. As soon as we got out on the highway,
I put in a call to my headquarters. Unit ten
to kt X A, Unit ten to kt x A
kt x A ton ten go ahead, Unit ten leaving
Cranston State Highway twenty two to Monee, investigating murder suspect
believed in vicinity of Delta Sawmill. We'll keep kt XA informed.
Unit ten ten to four. Okay, kt XA Austin, Sheriff,
you know young Ksey by sight. Don't you washed him?
Grow up? Gertie. If he's gone, we have to comb
for him. I don't want to turn up the wrong
fat man again. Oh you'd know him now, after seeing
his father, except for age. They're the same, you mean,
except for age and the fact that the young one's
a murderer. When we reached the sawmill, the moon was up.
Afore moon there was a light burning through the wind
of one shack at the edge of the camp. We
pulled up there and got out of the car and
went in. Well, how to arrange in, Sheriff. We're looking
for a man named Casey. Ben Casey, Yeah, you're on.
Speaker 3: I don't know for sure, sleeps in the big bunk
house down the line, which bunk I'll show you if
you lie fine, Sheriff.
Speaker 2: Maybe you better take a look through the mess hall.
Fat boy like him might be fixing the lights. If
you don't find him, come up and meet me. And
if you do find him, call me before you try
and take him. Right bunk houses this way, no light
in the place.
Speaker 3: Well, some of the boys was going into town for
moonlight dance. Don't know Ben went with him or.
Speaker 2: I has He didn't packing any money that you know
of we Oh, yeah, come think of it. He had
quite a bit.
Speaker 3: Said he hid it lucky in the dice game, and
that oh he did get it in the dice game didn't.
Speaker 2: If he did, the other fellow never got a chance
to roll him. Oh, here, will I light this lamb
for you?
Speaker 3: Ben sleeps in that third bunk on the right.
Speaker 2: Thanks. I'll wait for him, all right.
Speaker 3: I'll get back to my books and just entering the
shipment that's been hauled out tonight.
Speaker 2: That's why you find me working. Go ahead, but if
you see k don't mention I'm here. The farman went
back to his shack and I ripped Ben Casey's bunk apart.
There was nothing in the bunk of the covering. I
dragged a foot locker out from underneath and was bending
over it. Point up with him. Don't turn around, they're up.
What are you doing here? If you're Ben Casey, you
know what I'm doing. This is the end of the road, boy,
I'll take that landin. I'd be careful of that. Ben.
Remember what happened the last time you dropped the lantern.
You're pretty smart, ain't you? Mischief?
Speaker 8: But I'm smart too. Here's a present for you.
Speaker 2: The lanyard at the edge of the bunk, and the
flaming kerosene splashed over me. I beat the flames out
of my hands and dove for the door. He rammed
something against the outside of it. When I forced it open,
I stumble over a heavy logged bench he used as
a barricade. Hathy you see him, Sheriff, Well, somebody roll
that way for the rail side and let's go. We
spotted him swinging up the side of a flat cars.
The train hit the main line and start to roll.
We grabbed on to one of the last cars and
scrambled to the top and started to work our way forward.
There he is about five cars ahead. I can't see him.
Kerosene starts. My eyes see us all right and true
prop flat. We'll crawl up on him. He can't go
any farther than the length of the train. There he goes,
he's jumping.
Speaker 6: I see him.
Speaker 2: I'm going after him. Call I'm coming with you here down, Sheriff. Stop.
Can you see over these coasts about ten yards in
not moving? Keep low, we're stillhouetted. A good against this clearing.
What you do, Pierson, take an over my jacket. See
if you can find a stick about five feet long.
Here's a dead branch, this new fine. Give it to me.
Speaker 4: What you fit to do.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna put this branch to my coat sleeves like
this here. When I tell you hold it up, I
get him something for him to shoot at. Right, I
fired his gun. Flash All right, Casey, come on with
your hands up. There's your last chance. Casey. Okay, Sheriff,
lift the coat you got him? Come on? Oh cut it? Please,
please give me a chance like you gave Milt Thomas.
It was a short train ride, Casey, but I got
a hunch you'll get a longer one soon. Come on.
Speaker 3: In case. He confessed to the murder of mil Thomas.
On August two, nineteen forty eight. He entered Huntsville Penitentiary
his sentence life imprisonment.
Speaker 2: Joel McCrae, that was a great show tonight, wheedies, and
I are proud of you. Thank you, Frank. I like
to please the customers. Well, now, so do I take
wheety's for instance? Frank, Are you going to say that
wheaties taste good? Well, yes, I was going to touch
on that. And are you going to say that wheaties
are good for people? Yes? Yes, I was going to say,
just there anything else? Well no, I guess that just
about covers of Joel accept telling people to get something
that's it, I do you know? Well, that's easy, Frank.
I'm a Wheati's eater myself. You hear that, Folks, you
too can be a Wheati's eater as early as tomorrow
morning Breakfast of Champions, you know, get some.
Speaker 1: Next week Joel McCrae and another authentic reenactment of a
case from the files of not Texas Rangers. This story
was transcribed and adapted by David Bruce and was produced
and directed.
Speaker 2: By Stacy Keach. Hel give me speaking, and this is
the Wheedies Man, Frank Marsham Invade. He listened Monday night
to Frank Lovejoy and Night Beat on the Wheaties Big Parade.
See you. Then tomorrow there's good listening with the Summer
Symphony on NBC