boxcars711_2023-02-01T23_58_37-08_00

A popular podcast host thanks his listeners and encourages them to visit his website. Then, a radio drama begins, involving a murder and the search for the killer. The victim's wife suspects foul play and demands an autopsy, which reveals poison in his system. The nurse and her brother are the main suspects, and the detective investigates. The wife is revealed to have orchestrated the murder to frame the nurse and take the inheritance for herself. The detective uncovers her plan and confronts her. Hi, and thanks for tuning in to the Boxcar 7-Eleven Old-Time Radio 5, I'm Bob Camerdell your host. Just taking a moment to thank each and every one of my listeners for helping to make this podcast as popular as it is, and to remind you that visiting my homepage plays an important part in the ratings here at Podomatic. So if you want to support me, one way to do so is to visit boxcar711.podomatic.com. Once again, boxcar711, that's one word, .podomatic.com. The best old-time radio from people you trust, where the oldies are still young. Manhunt, the clue of the legal loophole that led to Manhunt. No crime has been committed, yet. No murder has been done, yet. No manhunt has begun, yet. Come on now, Mr. Banks, is that just a little drink or a straw? I'm only doing this to please you, you know. I'm glad you helped me get well, Mr. Banks. I made it for you myself. Well, is it so bad now? Uh-huh, very good. You're as good a cook as you ought to know. Now, darling, how long have you been with me? Almost two years, Mr. Banks. That's a long time to put up with an invalid. I tried to show you I appreciated it, so I... What, darling? Breathe! I can't breathe! Oh! Help! Help, somebody, help! Mr. Banks is dead! Yes, death has laid an icy hand on the shoulder of an invalid. But it is man-made death that visited Morton French. Who will know that a murder has been committed? Who will know why and by whom? Who will start the manhunt? Manhunt. Manhunt. And the clue of the legal loophole. I tell you, I don't care what anybody says. My husband was murdered. I demand an autopsy. Look, lady, this is a homicide department. We're busy. Guys are shooting people. Those are murders. I don't believe on everybody, just because they're dead. You're going to find time to hold one of my husbands, Sergeant Morton. If necessary, I'll go to the commissioner. I know he was murdered. And I'll never rest until the whole world knows it too. Hey, Drew, you busy? Not no experiments in the laboratory today, Bill. That man is just crazy. What's in the mind? You got another murder, Drew. He's been taken. Everybody thought heart failure was the cause of the death. But his widow demanded an autopsy. She got it. And our doc found enough poison in him to kill an elephant. What the hell is that up there? All I know is this guy, French, had three things. Money, a wife, and a pretty nurse. And enough poison in him to kill an elephant. That makes four things. Well, Bill, it's good for the French heart. Everybody knows that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. But it isn't supposed to be used as a pathway for poison. You go ahead in, Bill, and find out what you can from Mrs. French about the nurse's last words. Last words, he says. How about they find out something from the nurse about Mrs. French? Okay, do that too. Hey, look, there's a black window over the house. There's a girl climbing out of it. I'll get her, Bill. Go on, see Mrs. French. Okay. Oh, sorry I startled you, miss. What happened? What happened? All the doors in this house locked? Let me alone, or I'll scream for help. Oh, I doubt that. Who are you, and what's the idea of a window exit in this place? My name's Doris Ashley, and this suitcase, it's to help me get away. There. Oh, my head. The idea. Hey, hey, wait. Oh, where'd she go? I'm a beginner to this case. I hope Bill hears about this. Well, no matter how this case turns out, Bill, he's going to be happy. Oh, well. Hey, Bill. In here, Bill. You got the girl? Where do I find you, will you, Bill, before you ask questions? You know what happened? Oh, I beg your pardon. This is Mrs. French, Bruce Stevens. How do you do? I'll tell you about it later. Tell me about it later, he says. In this case, you're me. What do you mean, who's in charge? I am, of course. Okay, then, I'll tell you about it later. Okay. What were you saying, Mrs. French? The girl that got away was my husband's nurse, Doris Ashley. I wonder if Mrs. Stevens would look at this, please. Oh, yes, sir. Thank you. Mrs. French's will. You're the sole beneficiary of his will, Mrs. French. Yes, of that will. But my husband made another will a couple of days ago, leaving everything to his nurse. They didn't think I knew about it, but I did. That's what made me first suspect my husband was murdered. Where's that new will now? At the lawyer's office. Frank Grayson in the insurance building. Well, that's kind of put a pretty bright light on the whole thing. Would Miss Ashley have had the opportunity of putting poison into Mr. French's food? Yes, I guess so. So would her brother. He was always around here, too. He had some cheeky fools, but not me. Yes, I can see that now. But have you any idea where Miss Ashley or her brother might be? She lived here, but her brother had a room downtown somewhere. I don't know where she's gone, maybe to him. I've got an idea we haven't much trouble in this case as soon as I pick up that Ashley girl. So long, Bill. So long, Bill, he says. Where you going? Away, Bill. I'm out to corral Miss Ashley. In fact, what you might say is I'm heading for the last round up. Hello? Pat, this is Drew. Oh, hello, boss. Listen, Pat, I want you to go right down to the office of a lawyer named Frank Grayson in the insurance building. Oh. Pick up a copy of Morton French's will, and I don't care how you get it, catch on? You know me, the little shoplifter. It's a new will, Pat. I got it for the office this week. Get it and meet me at the French house in an hour. Okay, I'll do it. So long, boss. So long. Don't turn, copper. Keep walking out the door and into that car. Okay. That thing on my back is a gun, I suppose. Yeah, and a corncob pipe. Open the door. Okay, get into that car. You'll drive me. I haven't got a license, you know. You're going to have a death certificate, unless you're a hot-head and a dick. Okay. Okay? Now what? Come on, start her up. Start stalling. Where do I drive to? Straight ahead. Look, copper, lay off the French, buddy. Lay off it. You know what's good for you. That's my job, you know, investigating murders. Did you kill French? Maybe. You're not going to do anything about it. Don't turn to look at me. Keep your eyes on the road. I don't have to turn to know who you are. You're Doris Ashley's brother. That figures. Figuring could be bad for your health. What if I am? Nothing, except you're being pretty foolish. Your sister murdered French. She'll get picked up. Look, I may even buy somebody up. You can't kidnap the whole police force. Who says my sister killed nobody? Maybe you did. But you'll get picked up eventually, too. The police know about you. I'm going to tell you something, copper. Couple of days ago, this guy French called Doris and me and asked us to witness something. We both signed our names. I got a slant at what we were signing. It was a will. Leaving everything to my sister. I don't know whether she knows what was in it or not. Do you know that she just slugged me with a valet suit and lead it out of the French house? I don't know anything about that, but if she skipped, she had a reason. Look, I've kicked around a lot, but my sister's been a doll. Maybe if she saw French's will, the idea of all that dough knocked her haywire and poisoned the guy. Well, supposing it did happen that way, then I'm confessing to the murder, see? Only first I've got to know that she did it. Oh, Drew. I've been waiting for you for just a minute. Here's the will. Oh, good. Sorry it was delayed. Let me see. He said he was into Doris Ashley and she and her brother witnessed it. I've been out of town for a week, but I got the will, didn't I? Yes, you sure did. Is Mrs. French at home? Yes, she's inside with Bill. All right. Oh, don't get up, Mrs. French. Don't get up, he said. What are you doing back here, girl? Just a second, though. Mrs. French, you told me that you saw the new will your husband made out. Yes, I saw it. It left everything to Doris Ashley. I have the will here. Are you going to contest it? On what grounds? The court will hold that the new will is an illegal one. That's the law, you know. You're familiar with law, Mrs. French? Familiar with law, he says. Who cares about that? What I want to know is, where's the thing who poisoned Morton French? Hold it there. Now, Mrs. French, how familiar are you with law? I studied it for a while. You're out of your mind, Drew. French would have been buried as a medical case if Mrs. French didn't yell for an autopsy. Yes, I know, Bill. Very clever of you, Mrs. French, but you poisoned your husband just in time. I repeat, why should I have poisoned my husband? So that Ashley girl could inherit his estate? I'm penniless, do you know that? No, I don't, and you know it isn't so either. As long as you know law, Mrs. French, you know the will would never hold up in court. Under the law, a witness to a will cannot inherit. Any previously made will is then legal. You do know that, Mrs. French? Yes, she knew it all right, but Mrs. French didn't. He really wanted to leave his estate for the Ashley girl. Wait a minute. If French was buried as having died of heart failure, and his second will wasn't legal, Mrs. French still would have collected. She must have known that. But if he had to start the autopsy first... Yeah, I'm not through. No, you're not, Bill. You hated Doris Ashley, didn't you, Mrs. French? Why shouldn't I hate her? She broke her way into my house, stole my husband's affections, left me out of the cold... Oh, no, wait. You hated her. That's all I wanted to know. And you knew that when this new will was turned up, and you made sure we knew about it, suspicion would fall on her and her brother. They supplied us with their motive for murder by telling us about the new will. Very clever, Mrs. French, and it didn't work. True. You mean Mrs. French knew all along the second will was illegal, but she hated Doris Ashley so much she wanted her help in Mr. French's murder? That's right. That's how I planned it. But you'll never take me to prison. I've swallowed some of the same poison I gave my husband. Hey, you can't do that for the will. I'm sorry, but I've done it. I guess you can say where there's a will, there's always a way out. Manhunt. The clue of the gloomy room that led to manhunt. No crime has been committed. Yet. No murder has been done. Yet. No manhunt has begun. Yet. About time you got here. I've been waiting ten minutes. I've been walking around the house looking for this room. Does old man Wilson have any servants? I don't know. I found the room easy enough. I remember all we have to do is keep Wilson from signing that contract with our competitors, and we're settled. Here he goes. Mr. Wilson? Mr. Wilson, it's me, Tom Baker. Frank, Purdy, and I'd like to talk to you. If he lets us in, we can stall him from signing. We only need a half hour. Yeah, let's see what's his in. Mr. Wilson! Maybe he's not in, Tom. Let's see, look. He's in all right. Sitting there in his big chair. Well, it's locked, eh? Yeah, thought they pulled it from the inside. I can't understand why Wilson doesn't answer. Mr. Wilson! Something's wrong, Tom. Break down the door. Yeah, this heavy chair will do it. What's the matter? You scared? Step aside and I'll do it. I've got it. Put your hand through the panel and slide the book. Okay, that's what I'm doing. Mr. Wilson? Mr. Wilson, what's wrong? Frank, he doesn't answer us. He'll never answer anyone again. He's dead, Tom. Dead as a doornail. Yes, Andrew Wilson is dead. Murdered. Murdered under conditions so impossible as to challenge explanation. Who will find out how he died? Who will discover his murderer? Who will stop the manhunt? Manhunt and the clue of the gloomy room. What did they want, Drew, do you know? He has someone in his office who wants him to see. Well, I'll walk you to the door and then hop back to the laboratory, okay? Yeah, sure. Andrew, wait a minute. I'll see you later, Pat. Andrew, before you go in, I want to tell you something. Andrew Wilson, an eccentric millionaire, had an appointment with two fellas this morning. When they showed up to keep it, they knocked on his library door and he couldn't get any answers. He was out, all right. Out cold. They broke down the door and found Wilson dead. Not a mark on him. And we checked with his doctor and found the guy never had any serious trouble. The door was bolted from the inside and the one window in the room was locked and barred. Well, he might have locked himself in and then died of natural death. It could be, but it wasn't. What I came out to tell you is we're holding an autopsy and one of the men who found Wilson is in my office. All right. They're okay. This guy Baker's got a wonderful story to do. Claims that if Wilson found a certain paper, he and his partner would be bankrupt. But if Wilson was murdered, that's plenty of reason for killing him, huh? Yeah, it certainly is. Glad you sent for me, Bill. Now, let's go in. Oh, yeah. I'm Joe Stevens. My name's Tom Baker. I was telling Sergeant Morton my partner and I were calling on Mr. Wilson this morning. He knows, I told him. Mr. Baker, when you discovered Mr. Wilson was dead, what did you do? Well, our first thought was to call the police. We ran downstairs to find a phone. Oh, no phone in the room? No, sir. I know the police aren't sure yet that it was murder, but I am. And I know who murdered Wilson, too. Oh, exactly, Mr. Baker. My partner, Frank Curtis. Maybe I shouldn't say this, but Frank's a little hot-headed. It was important that Wilson wouldn't sign a certain paper if my partner knew that Wilson was going to sign it. I'm sorry to have to say this, Mr. Wilson presented it. Her body, he thought he could get away with it. Thank you very much, Mr. Baker. That's very helpful. Oh, absolutely. We have your address, Mr. Baker? Yes, I left it here with Sergeant Morton. Thank you. We'll be in touch with you, and thanks very much for your help. I'm just doing my duty as a citizen. Goodbye, Mr. Stevens. Goodbye. Yeah? Okay, goodbye. That was the medical examiner, Drew. The autopsy's over. Wilson was murdered, all right. Poison gas in his lungs. Poison gas, eh? What is it, were they calling a game? Yeah, Morton speaking. Yeah, I know. What? Yeah. Yeah, okay. Thanks. What were you saying, Drew? Oh, I wasn't saying anything, though. As long as the medical examiner says Wilson's dead, and our recent visitor here certainly put the finger on his partner, Frank Purdy. You think so? Well, listen. That was Frank Purdy on the telephone just now. He called to tell me that if we found Wilson had been murdered, then it was his partner, Tom Baker, who did the murdering. Well, Drew, you insisted on seeing the room where Wilson was murdered. Here it is. Look around. Oh, yes, that's right. I'm Ruth Morgan. I was Mr. Wilson's secretary. Oh, yes. We were wondering whether we could find you, Ms. Morgan. I never get in until 11 o'clock. Why, it's good to be indoors where it's warm. I walk from home. It's only 4 o'clock. I almost froze. What is this, an investigation or a weather report? Go ahead, Drew. Look at the room. I've seen too much of it already. I'm going downstairs. Okay. Care to come in, Ms. Morgan? I certainly do. I've never been in there. Oh, this is Mr. Wilson's den. No women allowed. Not even his secretary. Mm-hmm. Well, it really was his country. What a dismal room, isn't it? Not much furniture in here. Just a desk and a chair. I wonder where that door leads to. I'll look. It doesn't lead anywhere. It's just a book closet. Well, it's more complicated by the minute. What do you mean, complicated? Mr. Wilson was gassed to death as he sat in that chair. But there was no trace of gas in there when the apartment broke in. Somebody might have aired the room out, it's true. So it was vaulted. There was nobody in here when Baker and Purdy discovered the body. The doctor says that the time of death was only a few minutes before they broke in. That does sound impossible. Yes, that's what I'm trying to say. There were no fingerprints in the room. The bars in the window haven't been tampered with. Hey, that window is pretty high up. I wonder how it was open when we wanted air in here. That window pole in the corner probably. Oh, this one, eh? No, this proves nothing. What's this? What's what? A little mark on the pole. I think that because of something on this little pole, I've really got something on Wilson's murderer. I've got Baker and Purdy and the Morgan girl in the next room, Drew. Tell me why I had all three of them brought down to Headquarters. Well, I guarantee you, Bill, that only two of them will leave, okay? Okay. Oh, yeah, here's a picture of whatever it was you found on the window pole. It looked like a crescent or a quarter moon or something. Oh, thanks, I need that. Where is that, Bill? Inside, I said. About time I got on the inside of something around here. Please don't get up, anybody. I hope all of you have a pair of gloves. Have you, Miss Morgan? I'll get them out. Oh, dear, I'm sorry, it slipped out of my hand. I'll help you retrieve your gloves, Miss Morgan. There. Thank you. A little lipstick, you turned on that when the car passed. A little box. And what's this? Nothing, just a box of special headache powders and this other box of the capsules I put them in. Oh, I see. Well, there you are. Well, I guess that's everything. Now, please put on your gloves, Miss Morgan. Is that all? Okay. Before, Drew, you're going to take the fingerprints of everybody in this room, starting with Miss Morgan. With gloves on? You're crazy, Drew. You can't get prints off gloves. Why do I have to listen to you for? Now, hold it there. If you'll please, Miss Morgan. Sorry to have to get ink on you gloves, but it's really very important. Right there in the old case. What do I do? Run your index finger on this ink roll. Right? Now press it on this piece of paper. There. Now, I want to check this smudge with the picture that President Bill gave me. The mark that was on the window frame. I don't think they're a match, but... But if they do... Miss Morgan, those capsules you had in the bag. I want one. All right. Here. Is that radiator hot, Bill? Yeah, plenty. This is more than I can say for you. All right. I'm going to lay this cap collection for Miss Morgan on the radiator. All right, but why? You'll see. Look. It's beginning to melt already. So what? Well, in a minute, that cap will melt completely. I'll know exactly how Andrew Wilson was murdered by Ruth Morgan. We know Ruth Morgan killed her boss because she'd been stealing from him and he was going to examine the books. She admits that. But how was it done? Ruth Morgan made a slip when she handled the window pole and Wilson's ladder. She'd never been in that room before, remember? But what about it, Drew? Don't be so vague. Okay, Pat. I'll tell you the story as it happens. Ruth Morgan put some liquid gas in one of those gelatin capsules I found in the bag. Then she placed the capsule in the library radiator. Now we're getting somewhere. I follow that. Okay, Julia. Then she hid in a book closet with a wet handkerchief on her face. Oh, so the gas wouldn't affect her. Right. Wilson came in, bolting the door behind him. He sat down on his chair and the gas hit him. See, the capsule had melted, leaving no trace. But it had left the room full of vaporized gas. Hey, even I begin to get it. Then after Wilson was dead, the dame put on her glove, grabbed the window pole, opened the window to wear out the room, then closed it again. And went back in the closet where she was hiding when the curtains broke down the door. Right. Well, after they'd left the downstairs and telephoned, she slipped out the back way and went back to her own house. Okay, okay, but what about all this hocus pocus That wasn't hocus pocus, Pat. You see, Ruth Morton had a little rip in the seam of the glove. And just a corner of her finger touched the window pole. That corner left a print. Well, she was wearing the same gloves today. And the print I took from her showed that part of her finger. The same part of the same finger that appeared on the window pole. Uh-huh. And inasmuch as she had said that Wilson never allowed her in his library, she must have been in there only that one time, huh? That's the way I figured that. Oh, and she seemed like such a nice girl, too. Too bad after she decided to murder Wilson, something didn't happen to make her change her mind. Not to change her mind, Pat. If she wanted to get away with it, something should have happened to make her change her glove. Manhunt.