Speaker 1: The National Broadcasting Company presents Joel McCrae in Tales of
the Texas Rangers. Tonight transcribe from Hollywood another authentic reenactment
of a case from the files of the Texas Rangers.
Tales of the Texas Rangers, starring Joel McCrae as Ranger
Jace Pearson, Texas more than two hundred and sixty thousand
square miles and fifty men who make up the most
famous and oldest law enforcement party in North America. Now
from the files of the Texas Rangers come these stories
based on fact only.
Speaker 2: Names, dates, and places are fictitious for obvious reasons.
Speaker 1: They advanced themselves are a matter of record. Case Fortnite
Death in the Cards.
Speaker 2: It is eleven thirty pm on the night of January
twenty sixth, nineteen forty seven, at the ranch house of
Chester Gentry in Reeves County, Texas. Chester is on the telephone.
Is his steps on? Will Enters? All right, call me
when you find him. Ain't sure where you've been, Will
just out having a beer? That Sheriff Bennett you talk to? Yeah,
friend Tovich telephones you want to go to He didn't
tell a sheriff about Toby. I sure did. Sheriff just
called us. Hey located Tovich's roominghouse over in Biggerstown. But
Tobich wouldn't.
Speaker 3: But I've told you a.
Speaker 2: Hundred times that's the worst thing in the world that
could do. Tovich finds out to kill me. Will. If
maybe has found out to tot the sheriff, maybe he's
honest way here right now to get me. Look, you
got to give me the money to pay him off. Now,
no Will, no more money. Do you know what you're saying?
He'll kill me if I don't pay him. It told me.
Now you listen to me, Will, I've reached the end
of my rope and this whole rotten mess. I'm true,
and I couldn't get another dime from me. I've done
everything I can for you, but you're just no good
at least that I need that doughnut. You shut up
and listen to me. When you know my died. I
promised you I'd do everything I could for you, and
I have. I treated you like you was my own son.
I've given you a home, I've given you money, a
lot of money, and what have you done with it?
You're phoned it away to a slimy gambler named tobch
What two months has been going on? For two months?
You've been breading me, wait to pay off that gambler.
I told you to stay away from him, but you didn't.
Now it's high time for me to meet him and
tell him face to face to stay away from you.
If you just give me the money this once more,
I'll straighten out. I promise. Your promise is ain't worth
a ball of straw. That's what you said last week.
Get straightened out. I told you then i'd give you
just one You're do it, and if you didn't, you
get no more money from me. Now, however, you oh,
don't die. You got yourself into this maces you get
yourself out of it. Which can bluff you, but he
can't bluff me. What's the man window at the window? Now?
He's god? It's probably heading for the front door. All right, Larry,
turn off the lights, wheel what are you doing? Get
my gun? I'll give this too. With your reception. He
ain't looking for no front door. No, stay away from
that door that don't open it? Please don't m hmmm.
I can't see a thing now, look, will you will?
Will just a Gentry laid dead at his own front door.
Will immediately notified Sheriff Bennett's office. Sheriff requested health in
the Texas Rangers Ranger Jace Pearson was a signed to
the case. He joined Sheriff Bennett at the Gentry wrench.
It looks like an opening shutcase. Is Covich came here
to get Will? But it was Chester who opened the
door and collected the slugs instead. Where was the body,
Sheriff lying right across front doorway here? How long ago
the shooting take place? A couple hours ago? Chester notified
me earlier in the evening he'd gotten a call from
this Tovich. The call came from Biggerstown, so I went
over there to see if I could find him. I
located his rooming house, but he checked out. Looks like
while I was there, he was here. You say, Tovich
has been bleeding Will and Chester for some time in
about two months, courting to what Chester told me on
the phone, Wow, let's talk to Well. Oh oh, Sheriff,
come on ere, this is Ranger Pierson Will. He'd like
to ask you a couple of quick questions. For sure, region,
how long have you known this Tovich? Well? A couple
of months, I get, where'd you first meet him? Pete's
place down the highway. That's a road house, chase that
where you did your gambling? No? No, Tovich would call
me from time to time, tell me I had a
game lined up, so I'd meet him at his room
in the house. And biggest time. Who else was in
the games? A couple other fellas, different ones each time.
I didn't know any of them, didn't even know the names.
You kept losing to Tovich, didn't you? Yeah? I did,
but you kept on playing cards with him. I kept
thinking my luck would change. Your luck never changes when
you're up against a professional gambler. I guess I know that. Nah,
it's too bad you didn't know it two months ago.
Your stepfather might still be alive. Frings you. That just
isn't a thing you can say to me that I
haven't already said to myself. I've been sitting here for
two hours thinking about it. Known if I had the
guts to straighten out, this wouldn't happen. It's only one
thing I hope right now, hope somehow Dad knows how
I feel. All right? Well, what does Tovich look like? Well?
Pretty oldinary looking, fella. Can you never noticed in the
crowd about my height? I'd say black hair, regular feature
has nothing to rid a set him apart, and it's
pretty general, I guess it is, but it's the best
I can do. Okay, better get some sleep. You find
any tracks outside, Sheriff, Nope, My deputy scarred in the yard,
but it's too gravely to hold any kind of tracks,
car or foot will? Do you remember hearing a car
pull away from here after the shooting? Why no ranger
come think of it? I didn't even hear one come up. Okay,
when it gets light, we'll ride around a little in
the back of the ranch, Sheriff and see if we
can pick up any footprints. Right I. Meantime, let's take
a run over to Bigger's town and talk to Tovic's landlady.
Maybe she can give us a better line on him.
Speaker 3: Afraid I can't help it much on a description, Ranger.
I only got a good look at Toovic once. That
was when I rented this room to him two months ago.
Speaker 2: It's pretty strange that it'd be the only time you
saw him, Missus Packer.
Speaker 3: Well, he came and went by night. I'd hear voices
in his room, sometimes in the evening, a couple of
times a woman's voice.
Speaker 2: But as far as seeing him around, I didn't you
said he checked out earlier tonight. Didn't you see him then?
Speaker 3: No, he just left an envelope under my door with
his key and the money he owed on the room.
Speaker 2: You think you'd recognize him if you saw him again,
missus packer, Well I might.
Speaker 3: I don't know, but to sit down and describe him
to you, I'm afraid it can't be much help there.
Speaker 2: I don't like it. Sheriff Man's been living in this
room for two months. Take a look around you. It's clean,
too clean, nothing here to give us any line on. Hey,
wait a minute, have you cleaned this room since Tovis
checked out? No?
Speaker 3: I ain't gotten around to it yet. I was figuring
on giving it a good swamping out in the morning.
Speaker 2: I'd like to save you the trouble. What do you mean,
I'd like to have one of our men from the
lab vacuum the room for you.
Speaker 3: Well, it's my back the way he is sure, I
ain't gonna say no.
Speaker 2: You figure on having the content of the dustbag analyzes? Yeah,
Covich has covered his tracks pretty well so far, but
maybe he doesn't know. You can sometimes pick up a
lot besides dust with a vacuum cleaner, missus packer. If
you should ever see Tovich again, I'd like you to
get in touch with me right away.
Speaker 3: Well you can count on that, Ranger say, I don't
hanker to have any killers running loose around my room
in the house.
Speaker 2: Dawn came and the only thing new on the case
was the publicity papers were carrying this story with pictures
of Chester and Will the sheriff and I started scouring
the country in back of the gente ranch on horseback.
This is hunting weather, Jase, with all that frost on
the ground. Yeah, so far the hunting hasn't been good.
Let's see, we're right in line with the back of
the ranch house now, Yeah, maybe we better split up
and go right hold it. Take a look on the
ground there. Yeah, foot tracks coming from the back of
the ranch house too, And judging from the distance between
the tracks, he was in a hurry. Come on, heading
straight north for the river, Jase. He could be trying
for the new Mexico border. Could be you know one thing,
It would be pretty easy to follow the tracks in
the frost. Yeah, there's something funny about these tracks, though,
what do you mean, I don't know yet. He'd just
put my finger on it. But we'll keep trailing. See
if we can put our finger on Tovich, Come on, charcoals. Yeah,
I can't understand why you don't want to cross the river.
Jase packs led smack into it back there. I know
its sheriff, but let's just keep looking along the bank
on this side, Okay, but he probably waded along a
spell and kept going on the other side. What's on
the other side Santa Fe track about fifteen mile away.
And what's between the river and the tracks just open country.
That's what I mean. I don't think Tovich would risk
fifteen miles of open country. Yeah, see your point. Hey,
we will keep looking along his side then, and we
don't have to look any farther Sheriff. Look there they are,
ooh ooh, charky. Hey they sure pacts coming up out
of the river and heading back the way we came.
There's still one thing I don't understand. What's that The
shooting took place about eleven thirty last Tovich could have
been halfway across that open country on the other side
of the river by dawn. Now why do double back?
I think I've got an answer for that, Sheriff. I
told you a while back something was bothering me about
those tracks. I finally figured out what it is. Oh,
look at the tracks, and then look at the hoofmarks
of our horses. They looked just about the same to me. Hey,
they both cut down through the frost. Yeah, that's the point.
What time you figure the frost formed on the ground
this morning, between four and five maybe, and those tracks
were made after the frost formed, they cut through it.
If they'd been made before the frost, it would have
formed over them. Wait a minute, maybe Tovid realized he
killed the wrong man. Maybe he hid around the ranch
trying for another crack at Will. Now those tracks are
heading toward the ranch again. Come on, Sheriff, we better
get back there, and a hurry. We followed the tracks
back to the highway below the ranch and lost them there.
Then we headed for the ranch house. There's no sign
of life around the place. I don't see will outside anywhere.
There's cars in the driveway. I hope we're not too
late now, well will oh morning, chef Ranger. Yeah, I
had to relief. Oh, come on here, something the matter
we thought there might be? Can I use your phone?
I want to call my office and see if there's
anything new. I help you. Sair back in the haul. Okay,
thanks ranger. So sheriff mean about being relieved to see me? Well,
it's possible tobitch hung around here the ranch last night
after the shooting. What you see or hear anything after
we left there wasn't my imagination. What do you mean? Well,
after you fellas left, I locked up tight about there
for this morning's sound woke there? What kind of a
sound like somebody walking around outside? Do you think would
have been Tovich? I don't know. Well, I've got dad's
good Tovich ever shows up around here again, I'll hand
law enforcing's our business, will I'll try and take it
into your own hands. Yes, er, Now what is it?
My deputy just told me that landlady missus Packer phoned
the office for you about an hour ago. Missus Packer, Yeah,
they told her to call out here. Will. Yeah, did
a missus packer phone me? Oh? Woman? Phone didn't leave
a name, but she did leave a number. I got
a written down right here. Thanks operator, two seven, three four.
J How long ago she call? Will oh about hog?
I guess she leave any message? No, just said to
ask you to call her. You told her to get
in touch with you if she ever saw Tovich again. Jason, Yeah,
I know. Hm, no answer. Come on the sheriff. We
better get over to Biggerstown and find out what's on
missus Packer's mind. M She must have gone out her
doors on lock, missus packer. Missus Packer. Look, jeez on
the table there by the phone newspaper holded to the
story of the killing. Well, she can't have gone very far.
Coffee's boiling on the hot day. Humm's just about boiled. Dry.
Come on, let's take a look in the next room.
You know it's funny she'd call and then jeez on
the bed. Yeah, missus Packer strangled.
Speaker 1: You are listening to Tales of the Texas Rangers, starring
Joel McCrae as Ranger Jace Pearson. We continue now with
tonight's case Death in the Cards, an authentic story from
the files of the Texas Rangers.
Speaker 2: We were getting nowhere fast on this case. First Chester Gentry,
then Missus Packer. We questioned all the rumors, but none
of them had seen a thing, and we went back
to the sheriff's office and Jace, there's no doubt about
it at all. Ms. Packer was trying to tell you
something about Povich, but he got to her first and
killed her to shut her mouth. Yeah, we know who
the killer is, all right, but the big question is
where is he. It's just like the earth opened and
swallowed him up. Every sheriff's office in the state's been alerted,
Highway patrols on the lookout too, So sooner or later
we're bound it. Yeah, excuse me, Jason, Sheriff Bennett speaking.
Oh yeah, just a minute. You're headquarters, Jase KEPTN. Stinson, Thanks, Hello, Cavin.
Speaker 4: Just got a report from the lab on those vacuum
sweeping you had them take from Povich's.
Speaker 2: Room in Biggerstown, JAS. What they find only.
Speaker 4: Items of interest were two or three women's hairs red.
Speaker 2: A lot of redheads in Texas, cap'n. I'm afraid that's
not much help.
Speaker 4: Maybe more than you think. His hair wasn't naturally red.
It was a heavy dye job. You're judging from the
distance between the roots.
Speaker 2: And the dye.
Speaker 4: The lab figures it was dyed about a week ago.
Speaker 2: Well that's a horse of a different color. Thanks a lot, Cavin.
I'll keep you posted, Sheriff. We haven't had any luck
finding Tovich, have we? You sure have it? Okay, Now
we're gonna start looking for Tovich's girl is girl? How
many beauty partners do you figure they are in biggest town?
I don't know, six or seven. Maybe before the day
is over we'll know exactly how many there are. We're
gonna visit them all. The sheriff had underestimated the town.
There were ten of them. We had no luck on
the first seven, and then just at dark we hit
number eight. There we found an operator who remembered giving
a henna dye job to a girl named Thelma Parrish
about a week ago. We learned that Thelma was a
waitress in a coffee shop. So I parked my car
around the corner and we dropped in on her. Well,
you men look like you could use a nice cup
of coffee. Nothing I'd like better right now than having
a pretty red headed waitress for me one, ma'am. Why
thank you? Rangels coming up? What do you think? Jee?
I think maybe black and black here too? Well? Here y'all. Thanks,
and senior boyfriend lately boyfriend Tovich? Who Tovich? You must
have me mixed up with somebody else, Ranger. I don't
know anybody by that name. Are you really sure about that, ma'am?
Speaker 3: Well, of course I am a girl sure who she
does know.
Speaker 2: And who she doesn't. Well, either I'm mistaken or you're
lying to me.
Speaker 3: Look, I don't know what this is all about, but
I do know better than lie to a ranger.
Speaker 2: I hope. So welcome on, Sheriff. You better be getting
back to your office. Okay, here's for the coffee as.
Speaker 3: Sorry, I can't help you any about.
Speaker 2: Watch his name, it's am I. This way, Sheriff. Where
are we going across the street. Yeah, but the car's
on this side around the corner. Keep walking. She's watching
us from inside. Oh, I think she was lying. That's
what I want to find out. She seem pretty sure
of herself. Okay, we're out of her line of sight. Now,
let's get in this doorway quick good, and we're in
the shadows here. She can't spot us some across the street.
Now we just keep an eye on the front of
that coffee shape. Look, she's coming outside. Uh, huh yeah,
false alarm. She just washing the winded Yeah, well, that's
the fastest wash job I've ever seen. She's heading inside again.
She came out to make sure we'd gone. Come on,
we'll work away along the sidewalk until we can see
across the street into the coffee shop. Yeah, but she
may spot us. They hold it. She's on the phone
with her back doors. She was lying, all right, probably
calling Tovich right now, Sheriff. How about slipping into the
drug store and tracing that call. I can keep an
eye on the front of the shop for my car.
I'll meet you there. And the sheriff disappeared into the
drug store. I waited my car. A couple of minutes later,
he came over and got in, wearing a very puzzled look.
There must be some mistake, Jason, What do you mean,
I wakers she just telephoned the gentry ranch. I don't
think there is any mistake, sheriff, And right now it
doesn't surprise me much. But as far as we know,
the only one of the gentry ranches, Will. Yeah, but
Will's gonna have a company as soon as we can
make it. There. Wait a minute, you trying to say
that Will Genfry, Sheriff. It looks like there is no
Tovich and never has been. I guess the boy we've
been up against right from the start is Will Gentry.
I radioed KTXA to set up a roadblock on the
highway ten miles each way from the Gentry ranch in
case Will should take off before we could get there,
and I jammed the gas pedal of the floor and
held it there. Jace, you're leaving me way behind Will Genry.
Looks like I was way behind for a while too.
But looking back on it, it all falls into place.
We know Will was always after money from his stepfather Chester,
and he invented the story about a gambler named Covich
is an excuse to get that money, even once so
far as to rent a room in biggers Down under
that naz. But when Chester cracked down and threatened to
disinherit him, we'll use the same Tovich device to kill Chester.
That way he'd get all Chester's money. So when Chester
opened the front door thinking Covich was outside, there wasn't
anybody there at all, And it was Will who plugged me.
KTX ten Unit ten Go ahead, kt XA unit three
to two Station at Tucker's Junction Unit two five six
station at Biggerstown turnoff Unit ten ten to four kt
XI clear. We only got the roadblock set up Tucker's
junctions about five miles the other side of the Gentry Ranch,
isn't it yep? And with another highway patrol car back office.
If the bigger Town turn off looks like we got,
Will bottled up tight if he makes a run for right.
There's no side roads off the highway for six or
seven miles long. Here good. Soon as we get the
top of this rise, we ought to be able to
spot the Gentry Ranch. Yeah, ranch house only a mile
or so from here. Jason, it was Will who made
those tracks in the frost. Then, huh he heard me
say we'd start trailing in the morning. I guess he
figured on giving us something to trail. Yeah, And that
explains miss Packer's murder too. She must have seen Will's
picture in the paper, recognized him as Tovich, so she
tried to phone you. And when she called the ranch house,
Will knew he had to shut her mouth for keeps.
He probably got back from killing her just before we
showed up at the ranch house. After the trailing there's
a ranch house only half mile more and wait, taiylight
swinging out on the highway. He's making a run for it.
What kind of cars he drive? Gray sedan, isn't it yep?
Unit ten to all units in roadblock subject will Gentry
attempting getaway? Proceeding east on Highway nineteen and gray sedan?
Unit ten pursuing gonna do all three Unit dan, Unit
ten go ahead, Unit two oh three, Unit two All
three on Highway nineteen, three miles west of Tucker Stuckure.
That's only a couple of miles east of us. Jase,
proceed west on Highway nineteen, Unit two oh three, Unit two,
All three ten four, Unit ten. Player. You know we
got him bottled up for sure, Jace. We're back stopped
at both ends, and we're coming at him from both ends.
It's a squeeze, player, I sure hope, so Unit ten
the unit two O three, Unit two three, go ahead,
Unit ten. Have you sighted Gentry's car yet?
Speaker 4: I get Unit ten well report contact.
Speaker 2: Unit ten, Claire. I don't get at Sheriff. He should
have spotted Gentry by this time. We're almost together. You
watch it, Jase, sharp bend in the road just ahead,
just past his driving movie here, Yeah, I see it.
The only way Gentry could get off the highway is
to ditch his car, and I don't think he'd do that. Hey,
red light coming at us. That must be Unit two
o three. He's stopping too. But where's will now? Sign
a Gentry? How about throwing any side? Roads are tall?
He couldn't have vanished into thin air. Hey wait a minute,
that drive in movie would just passed. You think he
turned in? It's the only place he could have turned in.
Come on. We went back to the drive in theater,
stationed the highway patrol car at the exit. Then the
sheriff and I talked to the theater manager. He remembered
a gray sedan pulling in there a few minutes before
he'd sent at the rear aisle. So the three of
us circled around the theater on the outside of the
fence and then came in through a small gate in
the rear. But Gentry's car wasn't in the back row.
But he's gonna be in the back row, ranger, That's
where I send him. Look so vacant spot in the
row one in the next row ahead. He could have
wormed his way forward a few rows. Yeah, it's right.
A lot of people do that trying to get a
better sponge. About two hundred cars in here, it's going
to be like looking for a needle and hold it
three aisles up near the side. Yeah, that's You's Carl right,
Gonna take him now, Jason, I can't. There's too many
cars around him. It's so since she won't come peacefully,
somebody might get shot. If we can only get the
car on each side of him to get clear, I
could make an announcement on the public adrest. Noah, it's
no good. He'd probably start shooting. I can't warn the
car on each side. Will would spot me. Same goes
for you, Sheriff. Want me to do it? You, I
don't know. It'd be pretty Hey wait a minute, Yeah,
I think I got it. You go up to the
car on this side of Will, tell him to clear
out in exactly one minute. Then go to Will's car,
tell him you're checking the reception on those speakers they
hang on the side of their cars, and then go
to the car the other side of him. Tell them
to clear out in two minutes. Good idea. That way,
maybe Will won't get suspicious. Thirty seconds after the second
car leaves, turn on all the lights.
Speaker 5: Oh game, I'll give it a whirl. She could's all over,
I hope. We watched the manager go along the line.
He worked his way to Will's car and then passed
it to the one beyond. Then he headed for the
projection booth. So far, so good.
Speaker 2: Seconds take By the end of the first minute, the
car this side of Will pulled out. Another minute went by,
and the car the other side of Will got going.
He's out in the open now, Jason. Yeah, twenty seconds,
so the lights go on. Come on, John, your change
and we'll get just a little closer. I'll take him
from this side. Hey, Jase, he's starting up to mascotsisticious.
He won't get far. You get it far well, I'm
out of that car with your hands.
Speaker 3: In the air.
Speaker 2: There goes the light. John coming out, all right, Rachel,
Look we had on, sir, You okay, Jason? Yeah, you're
sure enough? Him down hollow hit him in the shoulder.
Why didn't you finish me off? That's up to the
State of Texas. Will not me, but I think they'll
have you, are right. Will Gentry was tried and convicted
of the murders of Chester Gentry and Leona Pecker. In
the morning of April twelfth, nineteen forty eight, he was
executed in the electric chair at Huntsville Penitentiary.
Speaker 1: And here again is the star of our show, Joel
McCrae with another interesting story about the Texas Rangers.
Speaker 2: Although the Texas Rangers is a highly organized law enforcement agency,
the men themselves are rugged individualists. One ranger in particular
that I know of, carries his six shooters with only
five shells in each gun. One day, he was asked
why he did this if the hammer's resting on an
empty chain mur He said, the gun can't be fired accidentally,
but said, is interested friend, with only five bullets instead
of six in the gun, aren't you endangering your own position?
Maybe so, he said with a grin that if you
can't hit your target with five shells, the sixth one
won't do you much good anyhow. Good night, folks, See
you next week.
Speaker 1: Next week, Joel McCrae and another authentic reenactment of a
case from the files of Texas Rangers. Joel McCrae is
currently seen starring in the Universal International Technicolor production Frenchie.
The Night's Past included Tony Barrett, Bill Johnstone, Barley Bear,
Jeannette Nolan, Byron Kane, Mike Barrett, and Ernie Newton. This
story was transcribed and adapted by Bob Wright from the
program is produced into acted by Stacy Keach Hell give Me.
Speaker 6: Speaking, Three chimes mean good Times on NBC. Remember all
the delightful troubles that beset mister Blandings when he built
his dream house.
Speaker 2: While starting next Sunday.
Speaker 6: Afternoon, you can hear the further adventures of the beleagued
mister Blandings and his wonderful wife Muriel.
Speaker 2: It's top listening for the entire family.
Speaker 6: Next Sunday and Sundays thereafter, when Carrie Grant and Betsy
Drake star as mister and Missus Blandings. Stay tuned for
the sixty four dollars question. Tomorrow hear the Symphony on
NBC