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 let you know about
our other podcast, and I want to encourage you to
check out The Great Adventurers of Old Time Radio. There
we bring you two great adventure stories every week, currently
featuring Tarzan and counter Spot. And you can find this
wherever you get your podcast from, or at our website
at Great Adventures dot impo. Well Now from January twenty second,
nineteen forty nine, here is the Jigsaw Crime.
Speaker 2: Well No Famous Cigarette presents the Big Story.
Speaker 3: Two foam conversations place about the same time, one between
a man named Tom Cooey and his wife.
Speaker 4: Don't talk like that, Tom Dog. I can't help it
to you.
Speaker 3: If he goes I'm like this, I swear I'll kill him.
Speaker 5: Ed Rumley's a crump.
Speaker 4: You won't do anything.
Speaker 2: Some partner lazy lies to me, never does any work,
blames me.
Speaker 3: I swear one more stunt like that one in Galaston,
and I swear I'll kill him. The other was between
the first man's partner Ed Rumley and his brother and Galison.
Speaker 6: He pockets fifty bucks. I know it for a fat
jack fifty bucks. I need tell me took in twenty
five and foot step with me.
Speaker 5: Look and talk to him. He's your partner.
Speaker 3: Yeah, yeah, my partner, some partner, some swindler.
Speaker 6: I'll tell you one thing, Jackie. One more deal like that,
just one Tom Cooey's gonna be a dead man.
Speaker 2: The big story here is America. It's found in its fury,
it's joy, and it's sorrow. As batically reported by the
men and women of the.
Speaker 5: Great American newspapers.
Speaker 2: Little Rock, Arkansas on the pages of the Arkansas Gazette,
the story of a puzzle whose pieces would not match
until a reporter put them together.
Speaker 5: Then they spelled murder.
Speaker 2: Joseph Wurgius of the Little Rock, Arkansas Gazette, for his
brilliant work in this jigsaw crime, goes the pell Mell
Award for the Big Story. Now, the story as it
actually happened, Joe Worgers' story as he lived it, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Speaker 3: All your life, you Joe Worgis of the Arkansas Gazette,
did one thing well.
Speaker 6: The police reporting.
Speaker 4: He did it so well.
Speaker 3: There wasn't a crime committed in Little Rock in the
last thirty one years, and most of Arkansas for that matter,
that you weren't connected with, not just reporting it, but helping, sleuthing,
asking questions, finding answer. So at fifty five you were
something of a legend in Little Rock. No crime was
complete without Joe Orgis on the spot. And that was
why you were sore at the young new lieutenant homicide
Sam hauled saw because the first you knew of it
was when you.
Speaker 5: Heard hauld his report.
Speaker 3: Arnie found an empty lot adjacent to farm of sy Travers,
Rose City, two miles north of Little Rock, dead one week,
face disfigured, clues, none, identification impossible. You've got to the
scene of the crime, Travers farm two hours after the
police two hours. Usually you beat them by at least
half an hour. With your son Jean or Cob on
the paper. You walk up to the new lieutenant two
hours late and say it right out, what's the idea?
Speaker 5: Eh? Oh, hello, Joe, what's the idea?
Speaker 6: Lieutenant? You know my son Jeans hiet what idea? Well,
don't I read anymore? Man's murdered. No clues, identification, difficult.
Don't you call me anymore?
Speaker 5: Ah, Look, Joe, the weather is bad.
Speaker 3: I got the news at seven this morning, and it's
a goose chase.
Speaker 6: I didn't want to.
Speaker 3: Get you out of better Necessarily, I'm used to cold weather,
bad weather, any.
Speaker 6: Kind of weather, and I like school chases. Maybe you
think I'm getting old?
Speaker 5: Is that?
Speaker 7: Ah?
Speaker 4: Credits?
Speaker 5: You know? I respect you and all that.
Speaker 6: Okay, okay, now what do you mean? Identification is difficulty
my report?
Speaker 5: I said impossible.
Speaker 6: No such a thing, Lieutenant, Where is he down that dip?
Where the cop is? Can I look? Take a few pictures.
No such thing as impossible.
Speaker 5: You're quite a guy, aren't you.
Speaker 6: Yeah, and let's walk on over.
Speaker 3: I wrote identification impossible on my report because one, we
don't know who's dead, so we don't know who kills him.
Speaker 5: Three we don't find any clothes.
Speaker 3: No wallet, no identification what Tooever, how about on the underwear,
for if you let me finish, No identification on the
underwear or anywhere on the scene of the crime.
Speaker 6: Oh, there's the body, look jeans see him?
Speaker 3: Yes, pot always look at a body from like ten
feet away, gives you perpective?
Speaker 6: See uh huh? Icy pods.
Speaker 3: Now take a picture from here, Jean, then one from
the feet, then a closer.
Speaker 6: I'll stay here and tell the lieutenant why I said.
Identification is difficult, but not impossible.
Speaker 4: I have bluff and.
Speaker 3: Joe, what tells you the identification and not the identification
with him?
Speaker 6: It just gives me ideas.
Speaker 3: Two men camped out in this field, one the dead man,
the other the guy.
Speaker 6: Who did it. Footprints of two men are quite clear.
Speaker 3: Or okay, two men did camp out travers The pharmer
says that we could go.
Speaker 4: Two men ask to sleep.
Speaker 5: Out in this field.
Speaker 6: They had a car. Yeah, it looks like amateur crime,
not a gangster killing. Gangster never pick a place like this.
Two opens. Gangster never let himself be seen by Travis.
So what so as amateur.
Speaker 3: They bungled somewhere they bungled. That's something for somebody to find.
Speaker 7: Joe.
Speaker 3: I heard you thee your eyes before, and I heard
about how you sound cases, But honest.
Speaker 6: You never heard anything like this before.
Speaker 4: Well exactly a gene you finished yap.
Speaker 3: Okay, Now over there, see about one hundred yards over there,
papers see lots of little pieces of papers, got it
all over those scraps are junk.
Speaker 4: You don't mean to tell me.
Speaker 5: A dig bag, Jean.
Speaker 6: Pick up everything you see, even if you can't make.
Speaker 5: It out of that. Oh what do you think you're doing?
Speaker 6: I said they were amateurs.
Speaker 3: Amateurs always leave something or somebody who can read it.
Speaker 6: Column, Yo, I'm a faigure slipping, getting old.
Speaker 3: Maybe, but i'd advise you not to file that report
on identification impossible for twenty four hours.
Speaker 6: Don't have to listen, just my advice, Pom.
Speaker 4: I'm tired.
Speaker 6: I can't see anymore.
Speaker 5: Well you go to bed jeans.
Speaker 6: Why don't you stop shuffling these scraps of paper. Pie,
We've been.
Speaker 3: Out of twenty hours and we haven't got a thing.
Speaker 6: You'd think the lieutenants right too. I'm getting old. I
didn't say that, Pie.
Speaker 3: I'll sit with you all.
Speaker 6: Day tomorrow and the next day only.
Speaker 3: Only I sounded awful, big, didn't I? Twenty four hours litennant,
I shouted, swell at it? Oh not exactly.
Speaker 6: Ah, Now I.
Speaker 8: Think I got something.
Speaker 6: Look seen a letter, part of a letter anyhow? An envelope,
this little piece of greening? That did it?
Speaker 4: What have you done?
Speaker 6: The letter signed to see.
Speaker 3: Lonely for you dd and in the same handwriting same
ink is a envelope to Tom c o U And
there's a letter missing.
Speaker 8: Why c o u blank y?
Speaker 7: Yeah?
Speaker 6: But Pie, that might not be the murdered man or
the murderer. It might be well.
Speaker 3: Anybody, true, might be someone who uh picnicked there a
year ago we tore off the letter and.
Speaker 5: Left of that, right sure, or.
Speaker 6: Maybe a passing murderer through it out the window. And
why am I excited? Because it might also be the
murdered man or the murderer.
Speaker 3: Right?
Speaker 6: Well, you begrudge me the answer, I suppose I'll never
begrudginating father and answer.
Speaker 3: Come on, Jeane, we're still under the twenty four hours.
And I really got something for Lieutenant calder.
Speaker 5: So.
Speaker 3: His name is cou blank why cooory COOLi something like that,
and he's got a wife' named Gja.
Speaker 4: That's all, Joe.
Speaker 6: The letter was mailed from Bridgeport.
Speaker 5: Yeah, oh shot, end it alone.
Speaker 4: I'll put a call through.
Speaker 6: You don't have to, right, I already did.
Speaker 3: I put the call through, told the operator to connect
you here at your office soon.
Speaker 6: As she got a missus.
Speaker 3: Jis cou blank y in Bridgeport? Well, don't say it,
but a hold a homicide.
Speaker 5: Hey, thank you?
Speaker 4: Hello, Hello, this is missus Delia cooey.
Speaker 6: Oh, hello, Missus Cooley. The name is Cooley. Who is this,
Missus Cooley? My name is Joe Wurgers from Little Rock, Arkansas.
And nothing to be alarmed that.
Speaker 8: Just your husband's name is Tom?
Speaker 5: Is that right?
Speaker 4: That's right?
Speaker 6: Have you heard from him? No, man, just just a
routine newspaper check. Have you heard from him?
Speaker 4: No? I thought it was him calling. See it's been
a long time, over ten days, and he always writes
or phones me.
Speaker 6: Have something happened?
Speaker 3: No, Missus Cooley, it's nothing, definitely, just we may have
some information for you. If we do, we'll get in
touch with you. Missus Cooley. How old is your husband?
Speaker 4: He's thirty two?
Speaker 6: Something is the man? As I said, if anything comes up,
we'll call you back. Don't worry.
Speaker 4: Why didn't you tell her? Joe?
Speaker 5: Tell her what?
Speaker 6: Lieutenant?
Speaker 8: I tell her to come down and identify the body? Well,
it's her husband we found in the field.
Speaker 5: Now you know it as well.
Speaker 6: As I might be. But then again it might not.
Speaker 8: What are you talking about?
Speaker 5: Now?
Speaker 6: Did you take a good look at that body?
Speaker 8: I spent a day going over that body.
Speaker 5: Did you see his teeth? I saw his teeth.
Speaker 3: Are those the teeth of a man thirty two?
Speaker 6: A false upper plate?
Speaker 4: Well, it's happened before.
Speaker 6: To look at his feet?
Speaker 3: Bunions on his feet, sir? Are those the feet of
a man of thirty two?
Speaker 6: That man was fifty at least?
Speaker 8: Well, just because a guy has a plate in his
mouth and bunions will.
Speaker 4: Well, maybe he's a thirty two.
Speaker 3: Year old male carriers possible, But I say our man's
fifty five.
Speaker 6: He's a day all right. I've said my piece. What
are you going to do?
Speaker 3: File the death certificate in the name of Tom Cooey?
Speaker 4: What are you going to do?
Speaker 5: First?
Speaker 6: Give you some free advice? Don't?
Speaker 3: And second, I'm going back and finished by jigsaw puzzle.
Speaker 6: I've been working on a gene.
Speaker 3: There's still a few pieces of paper.
Speaker 5: Have me worried?
Speaker 6: You've got Lieutenant Hall to worried.
Speaker 3: But you're worried too, Joe wurges. A few pieces of
paper have you worried? One I have torn receipt with
a number seventy three thousand, five hundred and sixty nine,
and the other the name of a Post Office Hudson
Terminal post Office, and a somewhat similar piece of paper.
If you wonder if the two go together. If you
have on the disarrayed table in front of you two
pieces of a receipt for a registered letter for suppose
you have PI, then maybe the amateur.
Speaker 6: Murderer tore up his receipt and you'll find his name.
Oh that's one thousand and one at least two thousand
and one gene.
Speaker 3: It might be the murdered man tore up to receipt,
or it might be neither of them did it. Maybe
it's seventy three and sixty nine to one gems. But
I like long shots. You play the long shot a
phone call to a friend in the post office at
Hudson Turmo, and you find that the letter was mailed
three months ago by a man named Ed Rumley, who
has brother Jack in Sacramento, California. So you put through
a call the Sacramento and mister.
Speaker 5: Rumley, you've got a brother named Ed. That's right.
Speaker 6: He's about fifty five edge fifty four full supper plate
in is mouth.
Speaker 5: That's right. Say what is this?
Speaker 3: Bunion's honest feet bad bunions?
Speaker 5: Yes, but what's this all about?
Speaker 3: And mister Rumley, you'd better hop a plane and get
out the Little Rock as soon as you can.
Speaker 6: I'm afraid your brother has been murdered.
Speaker 5: We'll be back in just a moment with tonight's big story.
Speaker 2: This is Sy Harris returning it to your narrator and
the big story of Joe Burgess as he lived it.
Speaker 4: And wrote it.
Speaker 3: First, Lieutenant Sam Halder announces that the identification of a
murdered man is impossible, and you, Joe Wurgeses of the
Arkansas as that proved that wrong. Then he announces that
the murdered man is one term Cooie, and you blandly
write a lead story for your paper that the murdered
man is Ed Rumley.
Speaker 6: The thing on the safe side, you don't run the story.
Speaker 3: Because the identification by Rumley's brother on his way from
California hasn't been made yet. But when Rumley's brother arrives
and takes one look at the body, you'll know you're right.
Speaker 6: The murdered man is Ed Rumley. So you run your
story and you and the lieutenant get on with the case.
Speaker 5: So your brother and Koey were partners.
Speaker 6: Mister Rumley, that's right.
Speaker 8: Return, and he and Kuey didn't get along. They hated
each other.
Speaker 6: Yes, that's true.
Speaker 3: They well partner's in business, sold udo polished together and
they weren't doing well.
Speaker 4: They fought a lot. I was it a surprise to.
Speaker 5: You your brother was killed.
Speaker 6: I knew they had trouble, but I never thought it
would come to this.
Speaker 5: Do you think who he did it? I don't know.
Speaker 3: Why don't we let the man go to his hotel, Lieutenant.
He's had a great shock his brother's death and all that. Yeah, yeah, sorry,
mister Rumley, that's all right, thank you, thank you. Now,
joe oh, I think we sent out a dragonet for
a man.
Speaker 6: Named Kooy term c o u e y All right, right,
but here you're both wrong. It isn't two minutes later
when I gut start and opened the door and let's in.
Speaker 3: A tall man wearing a palm beach suit. Lieutenant holler,
I'm Tom Cooey, you're Cooy. Yes, I have got a
story in the paper that it had been killed.
Speaker 6: I thought I could be a help.
Speaker 3: Got here as soon as I could, so well where
he been, Well, that's as you see, I didn't even
bother to change my clothes.
Speaker 6: I was in Florida. I took a plain and got
here as soon as possible.
Speaker 3: That's just good friend, Lieutenant Jeans outside, you might if
I get.
Speaker 5: A dog, go ahead?
Speaker 8: You do anything like sit down the skooy anyway I
can help, Lieutenant.
Speaker 5: Well, just tell me you and Rumby were partners.
Speaker 6: Yes, that's right, auto polish line. But about three months
ago we broke up.
Speaker 5: We weren't doing too well.
Speaker 6: We split what we had to stock.
Speaker 5: I took the car and he just parted friendly.
Speaker 6: Why it was the song of the year.
Speaker 4: You have no idea how it's distresses.
Speaker 6: Just hold of mister cooey. Pictures go ahead, Jean, one
from the fire, then one from the front.
Speaker 4: Uh, what are you shooting pictures for now? Joe? Okay,
you were friends with Rumley? Were you ever in this territory?
Speaker 5: Oh?
Speaker 6: Yes, we have a little rock with the guy.
Speaker 5: Recently.
Speaker 6: No, about six years ago.
Speaker 4: I was not recently.
Speaker 8: No, every Knatsville.
Speaker 6: Uh, you're ago for pleasure, but not recently.
Speaker 4: Where did you last see Rumley?
Speaker 6: Well, let me see now, must be four.
Speaker 4: Months ago, and where did you see him? Lad? Richmond?
Speaker 6: We split up in Richmond as I said, he took
the stock polish and I took the car and.
Speaker 4: That was the last time I saw him.
Speaker 5: Well, thanks for coming in, mister Ken.
Speaker 8: Can I do a work you don't have to wish
for Joe?
Speaker 4: You are going to go? Are you go?
Speaker 6: Maybe Trappator? See him the farmer from one of the
mass travers of permission to camp on the farm. Remember, yeah,
I remember?
Speaker 4: Okay, okay, And mister Ko, I'll have to keep you
for a few hours.
Speaker 6: I'll make it twenty four lieutenant. Why just to be
on the safe side fus, just a few hours.
Speaker 5: Mister Kohe.
Speaker 4: Just routine travers.
Speaker 8: It was on your property, they say that night I tried. Now,
just look at this man and tell me did you
ever see him before?
Speaker 4: Was he one of the men?
Speaker 6: And man, I've never show him before?
Speaker 4: That is my Joe.
Speaker 3: I'd still say make it twenty four hours, lieutenant.
Speaker 6: What given to an old man's whim? Lieutenant? Okay, okay,
I'm awfully sorry, mister kohed just a few more.
Speaker 7: Hours, stee, we'reges see where are you at? O?
Speaker 4: Where s? Where's your father?
Speaker 5: See?
Speaker 3: I don't know, Lieutenant, but he said he'd be I've been.
Speaker 5: Waiting half the day for him.
Speaker 4: He said he'd be here at six.
Speaker 5: I'm gonna let Koy go.
Speaker 6: He said, please to wait twenty four hours? He said, Lieutenant,
twenty four hours? What four?
Speaker 3: The man's innocent? Why am I holding him suspicion to murderer?
I've got no suspicion to murder.
Speaker 5: What's your old man doing anyway?
Speaker 6: I don't know, Lieutenant, but he said please to wait.
Speaker 3: Well at seven, he's gotten to light o'clock, not a
bit at moore. Tell him that I don't know where
I'll find him eight o'clock.
Speaker 4: I don't care.
Speaker 7: He marg, Yes, Lieutenant Faulder, it's aint fifteen.
Speaker 4: And he's not here yet. Did you hear from him?
Speaker 6: No, Sir, I didn't.
Speaker 4: Okay, bring Coley and sergeant, I'm releasing him. Don't see
so he's lieutenant?
Speaker 6: What ah did you find anything? I think it's a
fine idea to bring Cooey in, but I don't think
you want to release it?
Speaker 4: What did you find?
Speaker 6: What have you got? But tell me you want to
developed patience to gen Patience is an askest in the
old as weller.
Speaker 4: Than the young. Yo. What did the yes, mister Cooey
I did.
Speaker 3: Well.
Speaker 6: Go ahead, Joe, mister Cooley, sit down that chair. You'll
be more comfortable than standing.
Speaker 4: Yeah, go ahead, sit down, Go ahead, shoe. Uh.
Speaker 6: I have a document here, mister Koe just a second
that says, you know. It's the letter I forgot the
mail for my wife. Ah.
Speaker 3: Here it is, I let us in your wife and
kooy from deed from dearly. Oh, don't be alarmed, perfectly
harmless letter. Miss you love you write more often, But
that's not what I'm ask It's an envelope I called
your attention.
Speaker 6: But what about it?
Speaker 3: The postmark chloral postmark. This was sent to you a noster,
then forward to you in Little Rock. Note it bears
three postmarks, Bridgeport where she mailed it, from Knoxville, and
Little Joe, suggesting that mister Cooey was at one time
in Knoxville and later in Little Rock, two facts which
if I remember.
Speaker 6: Correctly, he did not.
Speaker 4: Why are you uh well?
Speaker 6: I uh oh, yes, yes, I I guess I was.
Speaker 3: Now were that much cleared? We asked this question, mister Cooey,
were you ever in Rose City?
Speaker 6: Rose City, to refresh your memory, was.
Speaker 3: The place where Ed Rumley met his death On the
farm of a man named Travers in Rose City.
Speaker 6: Ever there, Oh, never good.
Speaker 3: You also told us you never sold or will be
a polish in Knoxville or Little Rock or Rose City
in the company of Ed Rumley. Yes, that's true. I
was in Knoxville and Little Rock, but not with Rumley.
We broke up in Rechimond four months ago.
Speaker 6: I told you, Oh, yes, so you did. But if
it should be establish.
Speaker 3: That you did sell the polish in all those cities
with Rumley within the past month, you might look like
a lion.
Speaker 6: I said, I never did, and that's all I've got
to say. And here in my pocket, I have no
that's my colorphone bill. Here I have seven.
Speaker 3: Depositions from auto store owners in Little Rock and Rose
City swearing that you and Ed Rumley together sold them
polish within the past month.
Speaker 4: Well, how could they swear that when I never do?
Speaker 6: You recall my son to your picture?
Speaker 3: Well, armed with that picture and the photo of mister
Rumley before you murdered it.
Speaker 6: I never did anything. These photos, I say. I went
to the auto stores and asked if they saw you,
and these depositions say they did. Seven. Lieutenant called seven fairly.
Speaker 4: Conclusively all right, cool, let's have the truth.
Speaker 3: It's about time. Okay, Okay, we sold the polish together,
but that's all. I left town two weeks ago and never.
Speaker 6: Saw Rumley again.
Speaker 3: Another lie one of the depositions, as you sold pollup
together the day of the murder one week ago.
Speaker 6: You hated him and he hated you. Bromiley's brother says that,
and soold of your wife. As a matter of fact,
you gentlemen, both threatened to kill each other.
Speaker 4: Now could he start talking?
Speaker 6: Okay, we're in the field together. If we can't Dot
and Travis Field, we were broke, that's why we can't die.
Rummley threatened me. We're about to go to sleep that night.
When he threatened me, I had to do it. He
would have killed me. He had a club maybe you
say it was the carjack. I don't know, and he
tried to kill me.
Speaker 8: I took it away from him with self defense.
Speaker 6: I didn't even think of what.
Speaker 4: I was doing.
Speaker 6: Oh, how the man lies.
Speaker 3: Gene, note how criminals lie. First, it was premeditated. You
removed not only his clothes but also the labeled from
the underwear. You were careful to leave his body face.
Speaker 6: Down the water hoping you would leave him unrecognized. And
you know how I know that. Oh, it was not
a hot night. The weather bureau, with whom I have
just checked, tells me the night the question was a
very cold. Man.
Speaker 3: You slept with your clothes on, and when the deed
was done, you removed his clothes. You dragged the body
two hundred jobs to the gully and left it there.
Speaker 6: Do you want me to prove each of these points
or would you sign the full confession I prepared for you?
Speaker 3: Well, I think mister COOOI needs a fountain to lieutenant,
but you know he lost his in Travis Field. I
found it if you wanted to to kooy, but I
don't think you have much use for it where you're going,
do you, Lieutenant.
Speaker 4: Well, Jeane, we better get along.
Speaker 6: It's my after nine o'clock. I had better get to bed.
You know I can't take these late hours anymore. I'm
not as young as I used to do.
Speaker 2: In just a moment, we'll read you a telegram from
Joseph Worges of the Little Rock, Arkansas Gazettes with the
final outcome of tonight's big story. Now we read you
that telegram from Joseph Worgs of the Little Rock Arkansas Gazette.
Speaker 3: Realizing his story of self defense wouldn't stand up in court,
gillern Tonight's Big Story, pleaded guilty to the murder and
thereby escaped the electric chair.
Speaker 6: Sentenced to life imprisonment in the penitentiary.
Speaker 3: He escaped after serving four years, but was recaptured two
years later. My sincere appreciation for tonight's Pellmell Award.
Speaker 5: Thank you, mister Wogs.
Speaker 2: The makers of Pellmell Famous Cigarettes are proud to have
named you the winner of the pell Mell five hundred
dollars Award for notable service in the field of journalism.
Listen again next week, same time, same station, and pell
Mell Famous Cigarettes will present another big story, A big
story from the front page which is of the Joliet,
Illinois Harold News byline William M. Hart, a big story
about a reporter who tried to stop an explosion of
dynamite human dynamite. The Big Story is produced by Bernard J.
Poctor with music by Vonna Mitzelenski. The night's program was
written by Arnold Pearl. Your narrator was Bob Sloan and
Martin Wilson played the part of mister Wigs.
Speaker 5: In order to protect the names.
Speaker 2: Of people actually involved in Tonight's authentic Big Story, the
names of all characters in the dramatization were.
Speaker 5: Changed, with the exception of the reporter mister Wigs.
Speaker 2: This is Ernest Chapple speaking for the makers of Palmel
Famous Cigarette.
Speaker 1: Welcome back. Well, first of all, let's go ahead and
provide the rest of the cast. In addition to mister
Wolfson of the cast Joyce Gordon as Delia, and then
we had Larry Haynes, Art Corney, Michael O'Day and Joe DeSantis.
This episode was a strong one. I think that the
characterization is very different from your typical Big Story episode,
which is usually about this sort of unassuming a reporter
who does his job and has this one case that
is his big moment. The way that he's written and
played feels like if you tuned in not knowing that
this was supposed to be based on a true story,
you would not suspect it. But the fact of the
matter is that the real life Joe Warges was a
larger than life character. He did not have the national
profile of Dorothy Kilgallon or a Bulter Winshoal because, to
be honest, he was based in Arkansas and not New
York City. But Joe Gazette, as he was known, went
to work as a newspaper reporter when he was glad
of nineteen and stayed with it for forty nine years
out of fifty. Took like a one year sabbatical in
the middle of that, but he had a massive legacy.
Quoting from the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, he was a natural
detective and helped the police break down suspects and solve crimes.
During the heyday of the national pulp detective magazines the
thirties through the fifties, Warges was a free contributor to
and subject of journals like True Detective that publicized crime mysteries.
So probably at least some of the fictional detective heroes
may have been indirectly inspired by Joe Worges because a
lot of people who grew up to be crime writers
they read these sort of magazines. Police literally relied on him.
They knew where he could be reached even when the
newspaper couldn't, and they would notify him if something broke,
which you know, the idea that he was taken aback
that he wasn't notified in this episode. Yeah, that is true.
You if you were in Arkansas Little Rock area and
someone was breaking in the crime area, you would call
Joe Wergis. You would make sure that he knew what
was going on. I mean, according to this even they
even scheduled execution so that he could be there. And
according to the Encyclopedia We'regis was actually featured in multiple
episodes of The Big Story, though this appears to be
the only one in circulation. And I love the way
Wilson portrayed him. I was amused during the part when
he was confronting the suspect and was doing this thing.
Oh wait, no, no, no, that's my grocery list, and
I thought, oh my goodness, he's doing Colombo before Peter Falk. Now,
I think most of the facts of this case, the
story behind The Big Story. Doctor Joe Webb tracked down
the real incident, and the victim was George Riolo and
the killer was Walter Beal, and both were actually from
Westchester County, but Riolo was originally from California. Now, the
big difference with the case is that it did not
happen in nineteen forty nine, when Worges would be about
fifty two, give or take, actually happened back in nineteen
thirty one when Warges was thirty five, So a lot
of references to him being old or be a bit
over the hill. Nobody would have had that assumption in
nineteen thirty one. It's probably one of those conceits of
the program that it is acted like each case is
somewhat recent to make the accomplishment seem fresh. Warges would
actually keep on writing and being a living legend until
he retired in nineteen sixty six. Two of his sons
I had four sons would go on to work in journalism,
with his son Gene becoming a publisher and editor of
a paper and being a crusader against corruption in state politics.
So probably one of the more fascinating subjects for one
of these big story episodes we've encountered so far. Listener
comments and feedback now, and we have a few comments
regarding the episode A Blond Date with Murder. We start
with Peter on Spotify. I guess it wasn't such a
harmless little fib after all, society can still learn a
lesson from this story. I think that there are lessons
to be learned from real life that should teach us
to be more circumspect about how we talk and warn
us against that. But we he seemed not to want
to learn those lessons. Dawn comments, whoever told the actress
she could play a young girl live out the music
was spectacularly inappropriate for the story, the focus on the
consequence of gossip and not the fact that a policeman
went on a killing spree. By modern sensibilities, it misses
the mark completely. A good story told well usually stands
the test of time. This one had an expiration date
well mark. I definitely think there's something to the perspective.
I think on some of the points the music, it
feels like with the big story that you kind of
get the same sort of music and score every episode.
There are other series that meant mix it up to
capture the tone. As to the sensibilities, think you raise
a fair point, although it all wasn't written for our
sensibilities in the twenty first century, and there are many
good or even great stories that cut against our sensibilities,
and certainly the way that some stories are told in
the twenty first century may offend the sensibilities of future generations.
I think that whenever you're creating something, you are kind
of limited by the standards of the time and what
your audience will accept and what, in this case, what
the network is going to broadcast. Probably having this storyline
where the focus is on the danger of gossip and
being malicious made it more palatable to the networks, and
so that the story could actually be made and the
reporter could get their Palmell award, and five hundred dollars
was certainly a big sum of money at the time.
Will see that with films that are made today and
stories that are produced in a dramatic way, they are
not told true to life. They are told in ways
that fit into our cultural narratives and the narratives of
the people who are making the productions. I've yet to
see one where people are like, yeah, that is totally
accurate to how everything happened. There are you know, not
to say that no truth is reflected, but it is
colored with the perspective of its time. But I think
you do have a point. Over on Facebook, Joey writes,
I can't help but think how the child and the
story would feel if she realized what her feb fed
led to. However, even if her feed was true the
friendly neighborhood, Copp's reaction was still way over the top.
And I think, and that's a fair point, Joey, because
there are ways that our lies can harm others. But
the way people choose to respond to a lie or
respond to a situation is on them. And the same
thing with the real life policeman who went on a
killing spree after some allegations. If the allegations were false,
there are all sorts of ways he could have chosen
to respond to it. He chose a killing spree, and
that is ultimately on him. And then we go over
to YouTube comment regarding the episode The Lottery from Mildred,
I like these episodes of The Big Story. Well, thanks
so much, Mildred. I'm glad you're enjoying this series. Well,
now it's time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day,
and I want to go ahead and thank susan Patreon
supporter since October twenty eighteen, currently supporting the podcast at
the Detective Sergeant level of seven dollars and fourteen cents
or more per month. Thank you so much for your
support and that will do it for today. 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 this from. We will be back next
Tuesday with another episode of the Big Story, but join
us back here tomorrow for Broadways My Beat, where she.
Speaker 9: Said the man who's been annoying her with the here
at ringside?
Speaker 4: To see him anywhere?
Speaker 5: Big?
Speaker 6: How would I know?
Speaker 9: If I so a man running away from something in
the street, that's an annoyer. I get to urge myself sometimes.
You know any of these men around us? Yeah, that's
one there with the two blinds and a male anutenant.
Speaker 6: That's Chili Crane.
Speaker 9: His last wife made a settlement on him, a native
village at Malak there someplace he needs probably lay good. Hey,
that one it looks like scientists. Huh, the scientist with
things a dollar around here. I go over to him
and discuss what's new and nuclear fission and there's only
something new. Probably interested him in terms of how soon
she's gonna explode? Do you think him a cult of science?
The one along hence the wall.
Speaker 5: Uh, Yeah, that is surprised.
Speaker 9: You do not be taken in by the rough and
tumble degree Bob, And that's probably I heard a scream before.
Where is it sounds like I'm addressing room Danny. I
think maybe take me to evict Yeah, sure, sure, come
on in here Danny.
Speaker 6: To meet.
Speaker 9: Probably take it easy, It's gonna be all right me.
Wherety go, Miss Margin, Where doty go?
Speaker 4: Miss Martin.
Speaker 1: Hope you'll be with us then in the meantime. Sends
your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot nat,
follow us on Twitter, Radio Detectives, and check us out
on Instagram, Instagram, dot com, slash Great Detectives from Boise, Idaho.
This is your host, Adam Graham's sign and off