Speaker 1: The Avenger, the road to crime mend's in a trap.
Speaker 2: Just as said crime does not pay.
Speaker 1: The Avenger, sworn enemy of evil, is actually Jimp Brandon,
a famous biochemist. Through his numerous scientific experiments, Brandon has
perfected two inventions to aid him and his crusade against
crime at the Avenger, the telepathic indicator, by which he
is able to pick up thought flashes and speakred. The
fusion capsule, which keeps him in the black light of invisibility.
Brandon assistant, the beautiful fern Codier, is the only one
who shares his secrets and knows that he is the
man in the world fears as the Avenger, and now
the Avenger and the Ghost murder. At the end of
a long table in her darkened, sad room, Princess Stella,
the renowned myistic sits bomless opposite her. A man leans forward,
nervous and expectant. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a swirling spiral
of white mist appears, takes shape, and from it comes
a ghostly voice.
Speaker 3: I am steer more, your wife, hor Lonesilla. We were
so happy that it hold many memory stills you to
me the hall horse, keep you now, I must perceive you.
Speaker 4: But I will come again. I will read, I will.
Speaker 3: Mother. Mother, don't believe me, Come back, mother, she's gone,
Princess Stella, call her back, Call Michael back.
Speaker 4: Princess Fella, wake up, wake up? Hell?
Speaker 1: Hell, what's the matter? What happens? It's the princess. I
can't wake her. Don't be alarmed. I'll up the lights.
She must have been a manifestation. It always affected this way.
Speaker 5: Yes, she brought my wife back.
Speaker 1: Princess, Wake up, Princess Stella. She'll come out of it
in a minute. Princess wake up?
Speaker 3: What what is it?
Speaker 4: Oh it's you?
Speaker 1: Yes, you all right, Princess. You frightened your clan.
Speaker 4: Oh, I'm so sorry. Was a sance success?
Speaker 1: Yes, you recalled another spirit for a lonely soul. Princess.
I saw my wife. She spoke to me.
Speaker 4: I'm glad.
Speaker 1: I think we'd better leave the princess alone. Now she mistressed,
of course this way.
Speaker 4: Well how much did he pay you, Jordan?
Speaker 1: Fifty dollars?
Speaker 4: Tenny, Well, I'm getting sick of going through this routine
day after day. For that kind of money, you'll promise
the patient.
Speaker 1: Stella. I told you that before. We'll be cleaning up.
Speaker 4: Well, you'd better pull something out of the hat or
I'll retire.
Speaker 1: And then will you be joining Stella? That's no way
to talk. After all I've done for you.
Speaker 4: After all you've done for me.
Speaker 1: Shut up. A woman in the waiting room. You've got
to see her.
Speaker 4: Yeah, well, she's in for a disappointment. I've had enough
goos today.
Speaker 1: You've got to see her and talk to her at least.
Oh well, all right, I'll bring her in. Then I
have to leave. I have an appointment uptown with a
fellow by the name of friend, mister Jordan. What can
I do for you, mister Brandon? I represent Princess Stella,
the mystic. No doubt you've heard of her, yes, I have. Well,
Princess Stella is going to try for that fifty thousand
dollars prize the rollins the state is offering for a
genuine manifestation. Isn't that rather a waste of the princess time?
Mister Jordan? What do you mean? Well, so far every
medium always tried for that prize has fell completely. Every
so called manifestation was properly exposed as a hoax. Or
Princess Stella is in a class by yourselfs those others
work for Charlattan's. Princess Stella is a true sighting, a genuine,
a genuine spirit meeting. Mister Jordan, suppose you come to
the point what brought you here to see me. You
may be a scientist, mister Brandon, yet I feel that
some of your ideas may be in sympathy with those
of the princess. Why well, you've written some brilliant articles
about your experiments and the field of mental telepathy, So
I thought you might be interested in endorsing Princess Stella's medium.
Your word would go a long way in helping her.
Just a minute, Jordan, let's clarify our terms. My telepathic
experiments have to do with the concentrated thought waves of
the living. That is a sile. But Princess Stella is
a very clever actress, no doubt, no sale, Jordan. If
we win the Rollins Prize, we're willing to cut you
in for ten percent. No, thank you, I'm not interested.
As a matter of fact, I'm on the other side
of the fence completely. You mean you're going to fight
us in a way, Yes, you see, I promised Neil Hayden,
the Rolins lawyer, to act as a judge when Princess
Stella puts in her bid for the prize. You what,
I'm willing to give your client a fair enough chance.
If Prince Astella really can produce her ghost, I'm sure
the whole scientific world will sit up and take notice. Well,
thanks for being such a sport about it, Brandon. I
think you understand my position. Neither true artists needs a
little clever exploitation. Yes, that seems to be a generally
accepted idea. Anyway, I feel we'll get a square deal
from you, Brandon. I'm merely interested in keeping things in
their proper places. Jordan. I think Princess Stella's so called
manifestations belong strictly in the field of entertainment, not to
be confused in any way with any branch of science.
Perhaps the Princess can convert you well, I won't take
up any more of your time. I'll see you at
the say once next Thursday. Right, I'm looking forward to it.
I can find my way out. Thanks for the interview,
not at all.
Speaker 6: Goodbye the nerves trying to offer you a broad Jim,
that's the limit. I don't see how you kept your temper.
Speaker 1: Friend Jordan is playing for big stakes, and he's not
the sort to leave any stone unturned.
Speaker 6: Well, I don't trust a man like that. He's not
only too glib, but too well dressed.
Speaker 1: He's a dandy, all right. You notice the spats?
Speaker 4: How could I miss them?
Speaker 1: Jim?
Speaker 4: I can know you've been asked to be a judge
at this same.
Speaker 1: Yes, Princess Stella is by the cleverest medium to try
for the prize. I kneil paper isn't going to take
any chances of being duped and carrying out the extraordinary
terms of the robins.
Speaker 4: Will Who are the other judges, Jim, you've.
Speaker 1: Met the both Professor Gans and doctor Strong.
Speaker 4: Princess Stella isn't going to have an easy time of it.
Speaker 1: No, even though Gans are Strong are constantly at odds.
They'll probably agree this once that Princess Stella is a
colossal fake.
Speaker 6: Jim, can you arrange for me to go to the seance?
I don't believe in ghosts.
Speaker 1: Would you like to see one?
Speaker 6: Well, yes, I'd like to see what fast is for
a ghost, all right, Vern, But.
Speaker 1: In the meantime we have a great deal of research
to do.
Speaker 4: What kind of research, Jim.
Speaker 1: We're going to look into all the tricks that mediums use,
all the accoudiments that the earthly ghost is heir to,
the blaring horns and trumpets, the moving tables and the
tilting chairs, and all known devices that have ever passed
for ghosts.
Speaker 4: Sounds interesting, Jims.
Speaker 1: We must have under up made, Princess Stella Vern. This
seance will be a kind of challenge, and we can't
let science take a back seat.
Speaker 5: You're late, Brandon, Strong and I have finished for that
side of the room. Nothing unusual there.
Speaker 1: You don't mind if Fern and I have a look
Fortess again. Well, if you're not willing to take our
work for you, ahead, Brandon, there's plenty of time. Thanks.
Wrong this way, Fern.
Speaker 6: So this is what a seance room looks like. I
always thought they were done in black velvet. This one's
completely in white.
Speaker 1: Yes, the princess knows the value of contrast. She's a
showman all right. Now for the inventory, white painted walls,
white rug that completely covers the floor, eight straight back
white chairs. Help me examine them, Fern, Right, Jim, They're
all metal, no false bottom.
Speaker 4: Nothing could be hidden in these chairs.
Speaker 1: Let's take the table next to Hm. That's all metal too.
Examine the legs, Fern, there's.
Speaker 6: Single strips of metal, Jim. Nothing there, Nothing under the rug, Jim.
There's no place to hide any ghosts in this.
Speaker 1: Room certainly doesn't look that way. No windows. In fact,
there's only one thing about this entire room that strikes
me as a little odd.
Speaker 4: What's that, Jim?
Speaker 1: There are four radiators, two at each end.
Speaker 6: Well, this is a very large room in cold weather.
I imagine all four of them are needed.
Speaker 1: They're all cold today. Are you ready, Brandon, Yes, strong,
I think so. Or just one other thing? Did you
and Gans go over the room for hidden wires? Yes,
we covered the walls and floor with the detector. I
guess that takes care of everything. Then I'll tell Jordan
we're ready to begin the seance.
Speaker 4: Who call, Who call?
Speaker 1: Quick? Gans, put your flashlight on that corner.
Speaker 6: There's someone there, Jim, Look something white, something there near
the wall.
Speaker 4: It's a ghost.
Speaker 1: I see a Turn on the lights. There's something there.
All right, I'll do it. Hurry, Yrdon, it's gone good.
Speaker 6: Heaven's Jimmy, it must have been a ghost. Look at
the Princess Tower.
Speaker 1: Wake up, my princess, George figure out, of course, Princess Stella,
Princess wake up.
Speaker 4: Oh gosh, Jim, this is more than I bargained for.
Speaker 1: She's coming too. What happens, Brandon? Strong?
Speaker 4: Help me?
Speaker 1: Justus enter the room early. This sort of engish is impossible.
That was the strangest thing I ever saw, A truly
wonderful performance that doesn't seem to be a trace of
anything to mark the passage of that ghost. Well, fellow scientists,
what are we going to do if we can't explain
this manifestation? We have to award the prize to Princess Stella.
You aren't so fast, Strong, Well, what do you suggest? Cans?
I don't know. What do you think, Brandon, there's no
denying it. We saw the ghost and it's up to
us to explain exactly what it was and where it
came from. I think we'd better call for a repeat performance, right,
I'll tell Jordan, Jordan, Jordan, come over here, Yes, yes,
what is it? Professor? We're not convinced, Jordan. We're calling
for another chance.
Speaker 4: No, No, I cannot. I am exhausted. I cannot.
Speaker 1: Princess. The judges are within their rights. The terms of
the will stipulate that two tests may be demanded.
Speaker 4: Oh, I think I cannot go through all.
Speaker 1: This, gentlemen. The princess is nervous and upset. Could we
postpone the second seance until tomorrow? Well? I don't see
why not? What do you say, Brandon? I think that's
an excellent idea. Are you agreed dance? Yes?
Speaker 5: In fact, I prefer that I've just remembered something that
may prove helpful to us.
Speaker 1: I'll need a little time to check on it. We'll
meet tomorrow then, yes, Jordan's However, I'd like to speak
to you privately for a few moments. Now, certainly, come
into the other room this way, professor.
Speaker 5: Have you and the Princess traveled much abroad? Yes, widely,
about twenty years ago. Did you build yourselves as the
Countess and the clown?
Speaker 1: Why? No, that must have been someone else. Why do
you ask?
Speaker 5: They were a popular carnival act in Austria when I
was teaching there, Something about you two reminded me of them.
Speaker 1: Well, the Princess and I are not exactly a vaudeville team, Professor.
Speaker 5: I wonder what became of that act? I must find
out before the seance tomorrow.
Speaker 1: Really, Professor, what can that have to do with Princess
Stella on the Rawleans prize money?
Speaker 5: It may have everything to do with it, Jordan, I'm
rather certain that the Countess and the clowns are fugitives
from justice.
Speaker 1: And now back to the Avenger and the ghost murder Fern.
We can't let Princess Telly get away with this ghost business.
There's got to be an answer here in the seance room.
Examine that radiator, friend, I'll take this one.
Speaker 4: This one's cold, Jim, that's strange.
Speaker 1: This one is warm. Turn it out, friend, Maybe the
heats turned off. I'll see about the other radiators. Warn.
One of these radiators is warm and one is cold.
Speaker 4: What do you make of it, Jim, I don't know yet.
Speaker 1: I turned the heat on. We'll give them a chance
to warm up. Even though we never held the same
idea as Gans, I never thought you'd deliberately opposed me
in a thing like this.
Speaker 5: I have a good authority that your vote was the
only one against me. I admit it, strong. I don't
think you're fitted to be head of a research foundation.
Such a position requires an older man quite experience like yourself.
Speaker 1: I suppose, so that was the reason for it. If
you want the position yourself, I'll listen here, Strong, mind
your commons. What's the trouble, Brandon, Professor Ganz blackfault me?
I'd have been elected head of the Landsdown Foundation if
it hadn't been for him and his petty personal ambition.
Speaker 5: The matter between you and me, Strong, Let's keep it
that way. I voted in good faith for what I
believe to be the good of the foundation.
Speaker 1: Your day is coming, Gans, I'll get you for this.
Are you, gentlemen ready to begin? Everyone is waiting well, Jordan,
I see you decided to brazen it out. If you
have anything to say to me, Professor Gans, say it
in private.
Speaker 5: I'm afraid that won't be possible. My news will be
of interest to the public. But I have decided to
let you put your show on first. My news can wait.
Speaker 1: I'll call everyone in then just a moment, Princess Della,
we'll sit at this end of the shot today.
Speaker 4: Very well, mister Brandon, it makes no difference to me.
Speaker 1: You turn off the lights, shorwden. I'll keep my flashlight
on you. All right, Now take your place in the circle,
and everyone join hands. Hayden will hold my right wrist
so that my hand will be pre to turn on
this flashlight in an instant. There are you ready, Princess,
I am ready.
Speaker 4: I call upon some friendly spirit.
Speaker 3: Let my voice penetrate these walls and travel on wings
of winds. Out there in the vast unknown, I speak
a friend, a lonely, unhappy spirit. I would call you
back from the dark lost valley of the beyonds.
Speaker 4: Come spirit, manifest I the veil is lifting.
Speaker 3: The boundary between the living and the dead is not
a barrier. It is but a frail cloud of mortal
man's uncertainty. Come kind spirit, help.
Speaker 4: Here, help here.
Speaker 1: The spirit approaches.
Speaker 4: Oo long, there it is in the corner.
Speaker 1: Ghosts, it's there, all right, keep your hands, joining everyone,
I'll turn on the lights. Hurry, Brendon, it's already disappearing.
Speaker 4: What's gone, Jim, Look, Professor Gans, he must have fainted.
Speaker 1: Help me, Brandon, We'll get him out of here. Don't
touch him, strong, Why not look closer. There's a small
dagger below his heart. What, Professor Gangs is dead? Well,
the police have confirmed my suspicions. Burn Professor Gans was
killed by a poison dagger.
Speaker 4: Any prints on it?
Speaker 1: Jim, inspector says there was a partial print, but it
was too smudge to feel any value.
Speaker 6: Jim, up until now, I'd never believed in ghosts. But
you have to admit that no living person in that
room could have thrown that dagger. No one broke the
circle for a second.
Speaker 1: So you're willing to pin this murder on a ghost, Well,
how do you explain it? Then? The ghost is the
only one that we can rule out, because you see,
there wasn't any ghost.
Speaker 4: There wasn't any the gym. We saw it twice.
Speaker 1: What we saw was nothing more than a clever mixture
of muriatic acid and ammonia vapor released through tiny holes
in the dummy radiator. One radiator at each end of
the room was a dummy.
Speaker 4: But how did the ghost just hear so quickly?
Speaker 1: The gas was operated by an automatic pressure gauge in
the basement. It was time to last for ten seconds,
and that spiral whirling effect was due to the intermittent
release of air which circulated about the vapor. At the
end of ten seconds, the whole thing was dissolved by
a very light spray of ammonia and water also released
from the radiator.
Speaker 2: USh.
Speaker 6: I almost believed in that ghost, especially after you placed
Princess ter at the opposite end of the table for
the second sale.
Speaker 1: That's why they had two sets of radiators in room,
just in case a skeptic made a request like that.
Speaker 4: But what of the voice, Jims. It didn't come from
anyone in the room, It came from the ghost.
Speaker 1: Well, that's easy, Princess Fella's accomplished pentriloquist.
Speaker 6: Wow, there goes my ghost story. Right up the chimney,
or I should say, right down the radiator.
Speaker 1: Ern, I don't want any of this revealed until we
know whom ends.
Speaker 4: All right, Jim, But I don't see how we're ever
going to find that out.
Speaker 1: At the moment. Neither do I. But we'll keep trying.
Speaker 4: Is the inspector still questioning Jordan Strong and the Princess?
Speaker 1: Yes, but he'll have to let them go for lack
of evidence.
Speaker 6: I wonder if Jordan had time to put on his
socks before it went a headquart his socks? Yes, our
fashion plate disillusioned me. He appeared at that last seance
without any socks.
Speaker 1: Well, Fern, get your coat We're going to the gymnasium
whatever for Jim. I'm interested in seeing a little professional boxing.
I've often heard those French savat boxes are something to see. Stella.
What are you doing?
Speaker 4: I'm packing, Jordan. I'm gonna pull out.
Speaker 1: Don't be a fool, Stella. When you're at the bond,
you've got to stay here and stick things out.
Speaker 4: You suit yourself. I'm leaving.
Speaker 1: Listen to me, Stella. We still have a chance to
pull through all this and win that fifty thousand dollars prize.
You've got to go through without seance today.
Speaker 4: If we stay here, we'll wind up in jail, no
matter how the seance turns out.
Speaker 1: What are you getting it? The police have no evidence
against us. Strong was the only one with a motive
for killing gangs. We're in the clear.
Speaker 4: You're wrong, Jordan. Jim Brandon knows we had a motive
for killing gangs.
Speaker 1: Brandon, how could he know anything?
Speaker 7: I heard the inspector tell Brandon to search Gan's apartment.
Says knows who we were and all about the trouble
that you got us into in Vienna. He must have
had some proof of it. Brandon has that proof now
and he's just waiting for the proper.
Speaker 1: Time to use it does put us in a spot.
Speaker 4: We've got to get out of here, Jordan. I'm afraid.
Speaker 1: What are you afraid of? Stella? Did you kill games?
Speaker 4: How dare you say that?
Speaker 1: Might take it easy? Stella? Listen, I'll make a deal
with you if you stay here and go through with
this seance. I promise you have nothing to fear from Brandon.
Speaker 4: What are you talking about, Jordan? You would not.
Speaker 1: Don't worry about what Brandon knows, that's all. Is it
a deal? I don't know.
Speaker 4: How do I know I'm not next on the murderer's list.
Speaker 1: You're being hysterical. Come on now, get things ready for
your performance. If you'll make it a good one, Stella,
we'll be on easy Street.
Speaker 4: Well, mister Jordan, may I speak with you a moment,
of course, Miss Corner?
Speaker 6: What is it? Well, mister Brandon is busy at police
headquarters and won't be able to get here for the
day off.
Speaker 4: But you must.
Speaker 1: This is the final test for the price.
Speaker 4: You are to go on with the seance as usual.
Speaker 6: It is understood that if you can vince Strong and Hayden,
that Princess Della has brought about a genuine manifestation.
Speaker 1: The prize is all right, I'll call a princess.
Speaker 4: We are ready. Close the door, please, mister Jordan, and
turn out the lights. Jordan, Wait a moment. What was
that noise?
Speaker 1: I don't know? Seemed to come from just outside the door,
but there's no one there.
Speaker 7: Close the door then, and let's get started. Join the circle, Jordan.
Let me warn you all, do not break the circle
no matter what happens. Let silence reign a moment. Spirit
of another world come to us.
Speaker 3: Manifest thyself to those who do not believe, show thyself
within this room.
Speaker 4: Come spirit, appear, appear and speak. Who who is sleep?
Speaker 1: I am the spirit of Alvin.
Speaker 4: Something is wrong. Turn on the lights where you are,
all of.
Speaker 1: You, and hear me out. Ghosts of the murdered have
a right to speak.
Speaker 4: Turn your flashlight on him.
Speaker 1: Doctor Strong, there's no one there. I'm here, but you
can't see me. Be a ghost killer me. You admit
before witnesses, Princess Stella, that you have no power to
produce a ghost.
Speaker 4: Yes, yes, but tell me who you are.
Speaker 1: I am the Avenger Stella. I am here to accuse
Claude Jordan of the murder of Professor Gans. It's a
sorry trick you're playing on. It's no trick, Jordan. I'll
turn on the lights and produce the evidence. It's step
Strong and Hayden. Search Jordan. You'll find something interesting there.
There's a small bow and arrow attached to his leg
and fastened underneath it is a small dagger like the
one used to kill Gans. Yes, that's right, is wrong?
Call Inspector White. Tell him Jordan is ready to give
him an exhibition. That some amazing footwork. Well heerned you
furnished the clue that solved this murder case.
Speaker 4: I did, Jim.
Speaker 1: You noticed that Jordan wasn't wearing socks at the seance
when Gans was killed.
Speaker 4: That a glue.
Speaker 1: The thing that had us stumped until then was the
certain knowledge that no one of that seance could have
used his hands to dry that dagger into Gan's heart.
That's right, But what if a person were just as
dexterous with his feet as with his hands.
Speaker 4: You mean, could have thrown the dagger with his feet.
Speaker 1: Hardly thrown it, but he could have aimed it with
his feet.
Speaker 4: I see that.
Speaker 6: Little bow and arrow fastened to Jordan's leg could be set,
aimed and release by his other foot.
Speaker 1: That's right after I'd figured that out, I realized that
the smudge print on the dagger could have a toe print.
Speaker 6: So that's why we went to the gymnasium to see
those Sabbat boxes who boxed with their feet.
Speaker 1: Yes, one of those boxes demonstrated my theory of how
the crime was committed without moving the upper part of
his body at all.
Speaker 6: Jim, just what was that the professor Gans knew about
Princess Stella and Jordan's the motive.
Speaker 4: For the murder.
Speaker 1: Jordan was mixed up in a killing in Vienna about
twenty years ago that Gans happened to remember. He intended
to expose Jordan after the seance that day, and Jordan
knew it.
Speaker 4: It seems to be no limit to the methods of murder.
Speaker 1: They don't give us detectives a chance to grow complacent.
Speaker 4: No, this one really had you on your toe.
Speaker 1: Oh upon Miss Gallia, that some would call a very
murderous weapon. All characters, names, places, and plots used in
the Avenger program are fictitious. Any similarity to persons living
or dead is purely coincidental. This is a thought, a thought,
a thought. Remember listen for another adventure of the Avenger
of