Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Smokey Sleeper Matter (EP1441)

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Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Smokey Sleeper Matter (EP1441) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

0:28
Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
0:33
is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, send it
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to me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at
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Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook dot com
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slash Radio Detectives. Before we do get started, I want to encourage you
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as you're making your travel plans for the holidays and for the New Year's remember
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you're making your travel plans, remember Johnny Dollar Air dot com. First.
1:26
All right, Well, now we have a single lost episode, So this
1:30
episode aired two weeks after last week's. The original air at eight August twenty
1:36
fifth of nineteen fifty seven, and the title is The Smoky Sleeper Matter from
1:44
Hollywood It's time now for Johnny Dollar, fred Lack and Johnny New Jersey Fire
1:53
and Casualty. Ope, but didn't get you out of bed? Well,
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you sure did, Freddy. But how are things in Trenton and Trenton fine?
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In the little town of Vineland, I'm not so sure. Fineland about
2:02
halfway between Philadelphia and Atlantic City. That's the place. What goes down there,
2:07
fire Arson, That's what I hope you can find out. Well,
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any reason for suspicion? Yes, a man who holds a policy on eighty
2:15
three thousand dollars worth of Petty Bene mattresses box springs went up and smoked two
2:21
days ago. Okay, fran I'll grab the first train. Bob Bailey and
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the Exciting Adventures of the Man with the action packed expense account. America is
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fabulous freelance insurance investigators, Truly Johnny Dollar, and now act one of yours,
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truly Johnny Dollar. Expense account submitted by a special investigator, Johnny Dollar,
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to the New Jersey Fireant Casually Insurance Company Home Office, Trenton, New
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Jersey, following as an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the Smoky
3:14
Sleeper matter. Expense account Adam one ten seventy five Fair and Incidental's Heart for
3:23
the Trent. Itdem two eighty cents taxi to Fred Larckin's office on West State
3:27
Street. He lost no time in getting right to the point. That's right,
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eighty three thousand total loss. Well, who's filed a claim? Friend?
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Name is Ben Murray, sole owner and manager of Ben Murray Furniture Sales
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in Philadelphia, sort of a small chain scattered around all over the city.
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I thought you said the loss was in Finland. It was that's where he
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had a big warehouse. Well, if his stores are in Philly, he
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claims it's cheaper than maintaining a big warehouse in the city. Also, apparently
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it's close to a couple of sources of supply. He's been a good account,
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Johnny. We've made a lot of money on his policies. Well,
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that sounds like you've issued quite a few now we have. You see,
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in addition to the usual coverage on his stores, we've issued him a lot
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of short termers on warehouse contents from time to time. I don't quite see
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what you mean. His whole business is based on special sales, pre inventory
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going out of business distressed merchandise, fired water, damaged sales, summer,
4:19
winter, spring and fall sales. Anything you can think of. Oh kidding,
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periodically loads up his violent warehouse with stuff he's accumulated for the next big
4:28
sale and we ensure it. This time it was eighty three thousand dollars worth
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of box springs and mattresses. Ah, that's a lot of betting for just
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one sale. Yeah, don't worry. He'd got rid of it. His
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salesman of the sharpest bunch you ever saw, too sharp, if you asked
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me, almost like a bunch of con men. You know what switching means
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in the retail trade, isn't that when they advertise are well known item at
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a very low price, that's it. Then when you try to buy it,
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they just happen to have sold the last one. That's it. But
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by that time they've got you in the store where they he can use the
5:00
high pressure pitch to sell you some inferior item at an even higher price and
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on a no return basis. Yeah, by the time the customer gets wise,
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it's too late. Exactly. I suspect they're not above using the label
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switch to you know, have some local manufacturer make up a cheap item then
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put a nationally recognized label on it or a pretty good copy. My what
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nice clients you have, Freddy. What can we do, Johnny? As
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long as you don't catch them red handed in something that directly affects us,
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you don't need to write any more policies. The company says different, at
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least until such a time as they try to pull something on us or we
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find proof of such doings. I see where I find this, Ben Murray,
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either his main office in Philadelphia were down in Vinland looking over what's left
5:43
in the shell of that ware has on What exactly does Murray base the amount
5:46
of his claim face value of the policy, which in turn was based on
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the course to the goods to him? Huh you mean you use the figures
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he gave you? Mm m, hardly. We got the figures from the
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actual bill send him by the manufacturer. Wow, I wondered. I don't
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blame him, No, Johnny, that eighty three thousand is exactly what the
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mattresses and box springs cause him. It was a special order from one manufacturer,
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made up especially for one big sale. Can your secretary check on Murray'
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whereabouts for me? Sure? All right, then I'm gonna use your phone.
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I may be able to save us all a lot of time, labor
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and soap. I call my old friend Adam Bowles, who lived within a
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few miles of Vinland, who before he retired, was one of the top
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arson men in the country. Investigator. I mean he wasn't home, but
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I left word for him to drive to Vinland and meet me in the lobby
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of the East Landis Hotel whenever I got there. Meanwhile, Fred's secretary had
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learned that Ben Murray was in his Philadelphia office expense account Adam three point five
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sixty for a train to Philadelphian cab in the main office of Benmver Furniture.
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Say the place was a madhouse. Oh kry Dollar, go ahead in it's
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that first office on the right. Thanks and listen a minute. Sales department
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call me back. I'm busy. Listen Dollar, if you can get a
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word in edgewise with Ben, ask him where's the contracts for that West Philadelphia
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deal? Will you? Oh? Sure, Sal's apartment? Yeah, alturn
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of holes. I thought I nothing call it a fun Say like that.
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Make the picture in that advertisement look good? See put a lot of stuff
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around, pictures on the wall, rugging the floor, stuff like that.
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Yeah. Make the suckers think they're getting a twenty five piece dining room suit,
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not just a table, four chairs and twenty crummy dishes. Dollas it
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down, thanks, Yeah, make it look back to be getting everything they
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see in the ad. Yeah. Now do you get them sofas in from
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Sterling? Okay, put a price ticket of ninety five bucks on them,
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and then mark it down to forty nine to ninety five and we'll clean out
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the holes. To murray, he walked. Sterling charges twenty five bucks for
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those lousy sofas. Listen, we're giving them twenty two to fifty for them,
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except for the demonstrator we're showing the floor, the good one. Who
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does he think he is telling me the price you're gonna charge me? Oh,
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the lousy bunch of cheers. I was trying to hike the price on
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me. Holy what a business. From the looks of that outer office,
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you've got plenty of it. Yeah, volume dollar, that's what does it.
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I work on a narrow margency. Oh yeah, sometimes even lose money
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just to keep the volume up. I got nine stores. See they're roll
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over Philadelphia. I bet yeah. Whats the matter now? Pinesteg wants to
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know the tail price is on a three grades of night Cloud matters. What'll
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I tell him? What are the cost prices all the same? Thirteen bucks
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apeech coust Us thirteen bucks? Well price you're at thirty nine ninety five,
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forty nine ninety five and sixty nine ninety five. Okay, then hell are
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narrow profit margin? Huh? And I look dollar your card scision an insurance
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investigators Ryan, Well, if it's about that fire I add down and fine
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on a couple of days. That's exactly what it's about. Well, let
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me tell you something. Oh for yeah, what is it? Oh?
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Yeah, well listen, hey, pick that out of phone off the hook?
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Dollar that No, he's just killing me, do not? Well you
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tell him, I don't care. These a Department of Internal Revenue person.
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Hello, we pay, I got here in the store, the same one
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she saw on the floor. Wait just a minute, I business beer off.
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Look this isn't ben Hold on a minute. Hold on, you tell
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that book people we got there. He either keeps the books the way I
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tell him or either he well, look i'll call you back. See you
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hold that call for me dollar. Yeah yeah, hello, yeah, yeah,
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Well, don't take any chances. Give her anything she wants, give
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her the one she saw on the floor. Go out and buy her one,
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a good one. Let's make her happy. Keep her from uh oh,
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you know what I mean. Yeah, troubles, troubles, troubles.
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When I look Doll him, you think there was anything wrong with that fire?
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You prove it, I'll give you this whole business. What do you
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think I am a crook? I have a said that, yep, But
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what's the idea? Investigate? Not to you, but that fire. We
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always investigate when I claim this large is involved. Oh yeah, do it
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automatically. Look, I'm trying to run an honest business here, just barely
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scraping by that phone call. Just now, a customer in one hundred percent
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satisfied. We make her satisfied. Oh sure, to keep her from blabbing
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about the way you're rooked. Oh look, look, get out of here.
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You can't to see him busy. I try to run a decent business
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here and punks like you come in and over. Yeah, hold on,
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look, you got some legit reason to investigate? Doll like you come around?
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Then maybe I will now go on get out? Will you gladly listen,
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Charlie, you telling me try to out smart me. I'll see him
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for every cent he's got expense account out of four fifty dollars deposit on a
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drive your own car. I crossed the Delaware River Bridge and finally picked up
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Rob forty seven for the thirty five mile drive down the island flat country,
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this with plenty of beautiful trees and rich farmland. An occasional cranberry bog.
11:05
The soft smell of brightening peaches greeted me from the vast orchards I passed.
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It was all very pleasant, certainly a complete contrast to the noisy, unhealthy
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joint I just left. And I could see only too plainly why Fred Larkin
11:16
suspected Arson in the warehouse fire. Sure if a character like Ben Murray didn't
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resort to Arson, he'd feely was missing a good bet. Proof of Arson,
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however, is a different matter and not always easy to come by.
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That's where I wanted the help of Ad Bulls. But Ad hadn't got to
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the hotel when I arrived in Vineland, so I drove over to the police
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headquarters at six ten Woods Street, a block north of Landis Avenue, the
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main dragon. There I found Sergeant Louis Tomaso, who had been working on
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the case. Be glad to take you over there, Dollar, just the
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other side of Chestnut Avenue, that's over south of town. All right,
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Sergeant, I'd like to see that warehouse, or what's left of it.
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Oh, there's plenty left of the warehouse. All metal construction come on,
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that in itself might make it hard to spot Arson. We went over the
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lieutenant, mister Dollar and I are going out to the bed warehouse. We
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went over that place with a fine tooth comb, both during and after the
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fire, and came up with nothing. Nothing that would give any course was
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suspicion. Sergeant, do you know man with the name of Adam Bowles,
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I certainly do. He's been giving me a lot of help with this,
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you know, just to sort of keep his hand in, and he's found
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nothing another thing. Of course, he's the kind that never gives up.
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Yeah, well, let's get on over and take a look at that place.
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It was obvious that the whole contents of that warehouse was damaged beyond repair,
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and apparently the big steel building had been packed to the roof. I
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looked over some of the damage maps. It's very careful sometimes with the aid
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of my pocket knife, and I learned some rather interesting things, things that
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showed the best possible reasons for wanting to burn up a lot of merchandise like
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this. Hm. Wow, Well have you seen enough, mister dollar.
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Yeah, I guess so. But I still want to talk to Adam Bowles,
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so let's go on back to Wait a minute, Ante, it looks
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like ad pulling up in that car there. Huh so it is? Hey,
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ed Johnny? Yeah, well, hid sargeant, don't tell me you'd
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sent for a half quit my dogs. I was thinking, why the greenish
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rookie on the forest and get fat out brain? You you two know each
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other? You kidding? Johnny? How are you? Baby? Great?
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Just great? You got my message? Uh yeah? But I hereby inform
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you that, as usual, you got here too late. Oh is that
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song? When I found out you were coming, I decided I'd better get
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to work, if only to show you up. So I did, and
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I have found out who started the fire, and I've got a pretty good
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suspicion myself. Who did it? Add poor old Jerry Cumber? Who Jerry
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the old town there do will Yep, that poor foolish old whineow that happened.
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Oh he was just wandering around that night, as he often does,
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with a bottle to keep in company. Found the back door of the warehouse
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open. Thought he'd take a little nap, or rather sleep it off.
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He certainly had his choice in nice soft beds. Yeah, so he went
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to sleep with a lighted cigarette in his fingers. There you have it,
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and the funny thing, sergeant, Yeah, only charge you can really hold
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the old bahman is being drunk and disorderly and of course trespass. What well,
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you look it up. You see him right, it's for you,
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Johnny. You can just go on back to your company and tell him to
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pay the claim. Oh that's so, yes, sir. The case is
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closed at least for you. That's where you're wrong, huh. After a
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couple of things I heard at the Bendmar office, plus a couple of things
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I've seen here, Adam, I think this case is just starting for me,
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Act two of yours, truly, Johnny Dollar in a moment. For
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a long time, people have been saying that the earth is shrinking because transportation
15:13
is getting faster and faster and because this is true. People are getting closer
15:20
too. Today. Our neighbors are not only the ones who live next door
15:24
to us, they're all over the world. It is axiomatic that one should
15:28
help his neighbor, but Americans have gone a step further. In addition to
15:33
individuals helping individuals, now many American cities help many other cities through the Sister
15:41
City program. Perhaps you've heard how it works. If not, here's an
15:45
example or two. In the fall of nineteen fifty nine, a large area
15:50
of Nagoya, Japan, was struck by a devastating typhoon. Her sister city,
15:56
Los Angeles, California, sent tons of relief materials Nagoya by way of
16:00
an Air Force plane headed for the area. The Marines and the Navy rendered
16:06
vital emergency aid during the disaster. When earthquakes shook Vigna del mar Chile during
16:12
the summer of nineteen sixty, her sister city, Soslito, California, sent
16:18
hundreds of dollars worth of relief materials to help out. Another case in point,
16:23
the school children of Clovis, New Mexico, sent a number of cultural
16:27
exchange packages to students in their sister city of Adana, Turkey. There are
16:34
hundreds of such examples, because there are hundreds of sister cities. By using
16:41
this means of diplomacy, friendship and understanding have increased throughout the world and paved
16:47
the way for permanent freedom, the right of all men everywhere. And now
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act two of yours, tru Lead Johnny Dollar and the Smoky Sleeper matter.
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From the looks of things, the case was practically over the fire of the
17:10
warehouse full of box springs and innspring mattresses had been accidental. And it looked,
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I underline that word, looked as though Ben Murray's claim for reparation of
17:18
the tune of eighty three thousand dollars was entirely justified. Add Bulls, the
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finest expert on Narson I knew, had produced the man who started the fire
17:25
as proof. So on the surface, there was nothing for the company to
17:29
do but pay Ben Murray's claim. But I smell a rat a big one
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expense of count at in five seventy five cents for a person of a person
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called a Fred Lockan and Trenton Well, Johnny, if you're satisfied with Bull's
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conclusion that it wasn't Arson, Well that's that we're gonna have to pay off
17:45
the claim. Ah, what if I could prove fraud? Fraud? What
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do you mean? Look? Fred, you told me you saw the bills,
17:52
the manufacturer's bills to Murray giving valuation on the bedding that was stored in
17:56
that warehouse. Yes, I have photostats of those bills right here in my
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desk. What good for you? Dig them out? Oh? Why come
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on? Go on dig them out, Fred and read them to me?
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What if there was no arson? I feel to see what you're driving up?
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Will you do what I asked you? I'm trying to save your company
18:08
some money? All right? All right? Ah here now now what do
18:14
you want to know? Well, the labels on the remains of the mattresses
18:17
I looked at at the scene of the fire. Those labels indicated there there
18:21
was a model called the night Cloud Sleeprest, and that checks with these bills.
18:26
Let's see there were thirty five hundred mattresses called night Cloud Sleepress. Well,
18:32
forget the quantities. What was the manufacturer's price to Ben Murray on that
18:34
night Cloud Sleeprest. Oh, let's see, Johnny, that cost Ben Murray
18:41
exactly twenty five to fifty apiece, and there's an equal number of box springs
18:45
fifty five fifty. That's right. But I overheard him saying Philadelphia did the
18:48
only pick. Why Johnny and nothing? Nothing? What are the models are
18:55
on those bills? Night Cloud super Sleep and the price? Just a second,
19:00
I've out you're figuring it might be interested in knowing that the labels on
19:03
that sleep rest indicated a retail price of sixty nine dollars each some profit?
19:08
Ah here, now, Johnny, the night Cloud soupers cased Murray twenty six
19:12
twenty apiece. Wow, all right, I got it, and he claimed
19:15
to be working on a narrow profit margin. Now the night Cloud Perfection sleap
19:19
cost him twenty seven dollars and fourteen cents each. Good anymore? How those
19:23
were the only ones he fought and stored in the warehouse. All right,
19:26
I'll give you the name and address of the manufacturer, Easy Golden Bedding Corporation,
19:30
Woodvine, New Jersey. Good. Now, one more thing. Can
19:33
you think of the name of another big chain of furniture stores, you know,
19:37
like Ben Murray's only in New York, at Chicago or some other big
19:41
city. Well, of course, there's Glodder Brothers in New York Bladder Brothers.
19:44
Only they're such a disreputable outfit that when they try to talk insurance with
19:47
us, Freddy, that's all the better, thanks a lot. Oh wait,
19:48
Johnny, you still haven't tall. Oh I will, Freddy, don't
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you worry? I will. Why I didn't get pinched for speeding somewhere along
19:57
Highway forty nine, I'll never know, because I certainly didn't hold back the
20:00
horsepower. Just short of the town of Tuckahoe, I turned off on five
20:04
fifty seven, and then a few miles later pulled in the Woodbine. Although
20:07
it's a small community surrounded by farms, it boasts a big hat factory,
20:11
a couple of clothing factories, a vast, sprawling state institution, and on
20:15
the far edge of town, the Golden Bedding Corporation's huge plant. I figured
20:19
the best thing to do was put on a bull front and pull my way
20:22
into the President's office. But any such tactics proved entirely unnecessary. Bonnila,
20:30
Uh yes, mister Golden. But just Barney's good enough. Well, I
20:33
should say it is because you must be Bonnie Junior. I've known you a
20:36
papa for years. Sit on my boy, would you like a cigar?
20:41
Why? No, you don't look like you're old man, you know that,
20:44
not a bit. Of course. I haven't seen him since forty two,
20:48
Bonnie glad. Yeah, well what are you doing this part of the
20:51
country, uh, Bonnie? Oh? Business and pleasure business? Eh,
20:56
it does the matter. We haven't had any orders from new people lately,
20:59
while up to now I haven't really had anything to do with the business.
21:02
Living off the old man's minion. The smart boy go to college? Yeah,
21:06
four year, Yeah, that's the way, smart boy. Now you
21:10
are in the business buying maybe if you mean from you, and that depends
21:15
if you're a shop as your papa. How old is he now? Pop?
21:21
Yeah? Oh, let me see how your mama mama? Alright,
21:25
look, mister Gordon, if you, if you don't mind, will talk
21:27
business, for instance, chip off the old blog. Sure, business always
21:30
work after maybe you come out of the house left dinner, talk over old
21:34
times your family. Sure. Maybe? All right, you go right ahead,
21:37
tell me what you want to order. A thousand mattresses and box springs
21:41
ten thousand, anything you want, my boy, and at a good price.
21:45
Well, like I said, that depends what kind of the deal is
21:48
that what you mean. All right, I'll tell you your Papa is a
21:51
very smart man. You know that he's a good business man. I know
21:55
what he's thinking, So I know what you're thinking, all right. If
21:57
you want to give me a nice big order for a life merchandise, I'll
22:00
name you a price that you Listen, Bonnie, I've got such a good
22:03
customer in Philadelphia these days. Not mentioning any names, but you'll pardon me.
22:08
I don't even miss you Papa's business understanding. But to get your business
22:11
back again, I'll make you the same type deal I give this man for
22:15
a firm motive, that is, you understand no cancelations. You'll pre ticket
22:21
the merchandise, that is, put the list price on the labels for me,
22:25
for us, any price you say, regardless of the cost to you.
22:30
Look over here, my boy, the pictures of our merchandise. You're
22:32
on the wall. Uh huh, nightcloud perfections. So we'll put on any
22:37
name you like. One should sound like some national brand, will think up
22:41
a name for you. Not a bad deal so far, and we make
22:44
up as many models as you want. You know, we change just the
22:47
ticking. They look different. All one hundred and ninety six springs. I
22:49
personally guarantee you only one hundred and ninety six all you need. Sure,
22:52
nobody can tell the difference, except, of course, the demonstrators you keep
22:56
on the floor to show the customer demonstrators you are three hundred nine two springs.
23:00
Those you can jump on and bend them anything you like, eh,
23:03
And the customer thinks that's the kind he's getting. What else I tell you,
23:07
Bonnie boy, just as smart as your old man. Yeah. Now
23:11
what about the price? Ah? Price, now, Bonnie, this you
23:14
can't resist. You understand out here in the country, low overhead, no
23:18
labor problems, nobody snoopy, Yeah, yeah, I know how much?
23:22
Well for you, my boy, how many? Well, say ten thousand
23:29
units? Ten thousand all right, I'll give you a special price. How
23:32
much well, now this depends on the ticking material. You look here,
23:37
see first class material looks like twice the money go on playing blue and white
23:41
ticking that cost you. And remember, Bonnie, this is very special because
23:45
of your popin getting back his business. So at ten thousand units than this
23:49
ticking fourteen dollars ninety three cents and you never saw such a bye that Okay,
23:56
strikes me as a little high, a little high on not making a
24:00
thing on it. Look at here, this the fancy taking. This is
24:03
real class fifteen dollars and six cents a unit. Now you can't be now
24:07
wait a minute, wait a minute, of course, Bonnie, my boy,
24:10
if you want to order a few more, I think maybe I can
24:12
do better up in New England. In New England, who tell me?
24:15
Who? Well? All right, all right, now, look I told
24:18
you I've got a big customer in Philadelphia. Well, all right, never
24:22
mind. We'll do it the same way for you we do for him.
24:23
All right. On the books, what do you mean? I mean fourteen
24:27
ninety three cents only? What would you think if the bill I send you
24:30
says twenty nine ninety six double? It'd make it look like I paid twice
24:37
as much. So yeah, yeah, for text purposes, i'd only be
24:45
showing about half the profit I was actually making. Smart boy, Bonnie light
24:49
Suppose I ensured this stuff for the amount your bills showed and something happened,
24:53
that's right, Sure, however you want to excuse me? Hello, oh
25:00
hello, Ben, I was just thinking of you. I hear you had
25:03
a lucky fire up it. No, not. Now. Listen, Ben,
25:07
I've got a customer. Now, I've got an important customer, the
25:11
son of a very dear old what yes he is, Yes, a blue
25:18
shirt and a bow tie. Oh no, then I'll call you back,
25:29
mister Dollar. That's right, Johnny Dollar in person from the insurance. Oh
25:33
no, no, too bad, Ben, Murray's call interrupted our conversation.
25:37
That was a very interesting amount of facts you gave me, and I strongly
25:41
suspect it will not only put Murray out of business, but you too,
25:45
and a lot of people you've been dealing with. Dollar, brother. I
25:47
hate to think of what the Better Business Bureau will do when they get hold
25:49
of the business ball say nothing in the federal trade chemish, but I have
25:52
an ocean that will help to clear up one of the dirtiest chip rackets in
25:56
years. There's no need. Even the long suffering public understands this sort of
25:59
shady operation when it's brought to their attention, not at all for the decent,
26:02
legitimate national firms. You've been practically stealing, dream Dollar. Would you
26:04
please listen a minute. Yeah, a business has been good. I've made
26:07
a lot of them on Now you could use a little bit, you know,
26:10
we'll call it the commissioner, say ten thousand dollars in cash, It
26:12
wouldn't show gold. And I wouldn't even spit on that kind of Oh.
26:17
I could maybe persuade you couldn't persuade me to have any part of it.
26:21
Brother, You've had it coming for a long long time, and believe me,
26:25
I'm going to see that you get it. Understand Yes, dollar you
26:29
make it, I understand. I understand you too, You dirty crook,
26:37
you faker, you liar, you cheating, dirty conniving chiseling light. You
26:41
ruined me here, you ruined me, yes, Bred I'm afraid that your
26:52
nice client Ben Murray based his insurance claim on a lot of values that didn't
26:56
exist on the hiked up prices, hiked up to cheat you and income tax
27:00
boys. And if that is not right, fraud, I'll eat my shirt.
27:03
So you can just forget about paying that claim or any part of it.
27:07
And I hope that you and the company will take whatever legal steps are
27:10
necessary to put these guys out of business. Expense account total including incidentals and
27:15
the trip back to Hartford one hundred and thirty dollars forty nine cents and cheap
27:18
at half the price yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Our star will return in
27:37
just a moment. Our flag now number is fifty stars, and behind each
27:41
star there stands yet another flag representing one of the fifty states. Kansas state
27:48
flag is dark blue, and in the center is the state's seal surmounted by
27:52
a large sunflower, the official state flower. The seal reflects the history of
27:56
Kansas. The train of ox wagons going west for most of the great roads
28:02
passed through Kansas. An Indian is defected, chasing a herd of buffalo,
28:06
recalling the words of the official state song, or give me a home where
28:11
the buffalo roamed, for this truly was the home of the buffalo and Indian.
28:17
The east is represented by a rising sun, and the promise of future
28:21
prosperity is indicated by the steamboat on the river and the farmer plowing the field
28:26
above a mountain. Range are thirty four stars for Kansas was the thirty fourth
28:32
state admitted to the Union. Overall is the state motto ad Astra per aspera
28:37
to the stars through difficulties. Kansas state flag, the flag of the thirty
28:41
fourth state to enter the Union, was adopted on March twenty third nineteen twenty
28:47
seven. Now here's our start to tell you about next week's story. Next
28:51
week, the case of a girl who is willing to kill the money she
28:56
didn't need. Join us, won't you? Yours truly Johnny Dollar? Yours
29:15
Truly Johnny Dollars, starring Bob Bailey, originates in Hollywood. It is produced
29:19
and directed by Jack Johnstone, who also wrote tonight's story. Heard in our
29:23
cast were Russell Thorson, Jack Edwards, Will Write, Paul Dubob Lawrence Dopkins,
29:29
and Vic Perrin. Be sure to join us next week, same time
29:32
in station for another exciting story of Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Welcome back.
29:45
Now. This is why Johnny Dhler is able to submit his expense accounts
29:51
and the insurance company smile and pay him when the Arson angle fizzled out.
29:56
Yeah, the insight really be focused not just on Arson, but finding these
30:00
signs of fraud. Of course, it helped that the owner of the mattresses
30:07
went on and on very loudly about how he did his business. However,
30:11
the point of this episode wasn't just the mystery. It was one of those
30:17
programs that was meant to educate the audience at home as well as to entertain
30:22
them. And it certainly does that in exposing practices used by shady wholesalers and
30:30
retailers to fleece consumers. And it does it in a subtle enough way so
30:34
you don't think you're being educated, but by the end you certainly are.
30:38
I will admit being surprised or curious anyway here of Johnny wearing a blue shirt
30:45
and bow tie. That's not my typical image of Johnny Aller. I just
30:51
always imagine him with a straight time, and so I'm curious whether this is
30:56
like every day time or just a one off. I think of detectives in
31:00
both ties. I associated with Jeremy Britt's interpretation of Sherlock Holmes and also Inspector
31:10
Queen on the Ellery Queen series. But at any rate, in interesting detail
31:14
we don't usually get from the radio shows. Now we turn to listener comments
31:18
and feedback. And Bobby Li says regarding episode fourteen twenty nine, The Wayward
31:25
Widow Matter, I would agree with Adam that the title may have given the
31:29
ending away, but I still love the journey to get there, as I
31:30
always do listening to our favorite insurance investigator. I also like the lighthearted banter
31:37
back and forth between Johnny and Harry at the beginning of the story, and
31:42
certainly Harry Branson when he's in the story. Even if the whole tale doesn't
31:48
have the feel of comedy, usually the introduction with Harry will. Of course,
31:53
in that episode, Harry also had some pretty good judgment and bringing john
32:00
in, even if he didn't really suspect what was going on. Speaking of
32:04
Harry Branson, he first appeared in The Ricardo Amerigo Matter, which also was
32:10
the first story to feature ad Bulls appeared in Today's show, though his specialty
32:15
as an Arson investigator wasn't a key point. I have to admit that I'm
32:22
stunned by the continuity of this program. It's pretty deep for a series from
32:30
nineteen fifties over radio or television for that matter, that wasn't a soap opera.
32:36
Because they have all these characters, even some who are relatively minor,
32:39
and they've got them cataloged, and there are a few holes, but not
32:45
many. It's definitely very unique to Johnny Dahlan. Oh, and I should
32:49
also mention the title of the lost episode, It's The Winnipesake Wonder Matter from
32:54
August eighteenth of nineteen fifty seven is missing. And the good news is that's
33:01
the last missing episode we'll have to deal with until January. So this continues
33:07
to be a very good era of Johnny Dollar with few missing episodes. All
33:12
right, well, we will be back tomorrow with Dragnett. Join us again
33:15
next Friday for another episode of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar. In the meantime,
33:21
send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on
33:25
Twitter, Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook
33:30
dot com. Slash Radio Detactives from Boise, Idaho. This is your host,
33:35
Adam Grahamson and Off