Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Silver Belle Matter (EP1489)

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Yours Truly Johnny Dollar: The Silver Belle Matter (EP1489) · Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas

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Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This
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is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, email 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. Well, before we do get started, I want to
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remind you as you make your travel plans, remember Johnny Dollar Air dot com.
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Johnny Dollar Air dot com is a Priceline of uh. So you get
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all the benefits of going through Priceline dot com, such as being able to
1:03
name your own price on hotels, rental cars, airline tickets and even more,
1:11
or choosing from great published fairs. Plus part of your purchase price goes
1:15
to support the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio at no additional cost to you.
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So remember, when you're making your travel plans, check Johnny Dollar Air
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dot com first. Well, now it's time for today's episode of Yours Truly
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Johnny Dollar the Silver Bell Matter. Well, Hollywood, it's time now for
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Johnny Dollar. George Reed here. Well, Hi, George, haven't heard
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from you in a long time. Get the formalities Johnny, I have a
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problem you and everybody else, twenty five thousand dollars problem possibly fifty dollar any
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clause? Huh right, I was insurance. Name is Mercedes Crabtree Santree,
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an elderly woman lives out in Montana. And how long has the policy been
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in effect? Almost thirty years and you're crying because you have to pay it
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off. Well, that's it, Johnny. We aren't sure what a few
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days ago sowbody took a shot at it. They missed, But yeah,
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last night she disappeared. Bob Bailey and the Exciting Adventures of the Man with
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the Action Packed Expense Account America's Fabulous Freelance Insurance Investigator, Yours truly, Johnny
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Dollar, now Act one, Now Yours truly Johnny Dollar. Expense account submitted
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by a special investigator, Johnny Dollar Floyd's of England, American Branch Office,
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Hartford, Connecticut. Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of
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the Silver Bell Matter spell Beat double l e expense account out of one eighty
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five cents taxi from my apartment at George Reed's office. He was on his
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feet waiting for me. His suit looked like he'd slept in it, closed
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the door. Johnny. Yeah, sure, Johnny, I'm not going to
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mince words with you. This one's important not only to me but the Floyd.
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How come you because Missus Crabtree was one of our first American clients,
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and because Murdoch Morton sold her that policy DC Morton, who dad, My
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goodness, Johnny, mister Morton's the president of our company. You should know
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that by now. Oh yeah, I suppose I should. Yes. Well,
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at the time mister Morton sold her the policy, he and Missus Crabtree
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became very close friends. And where was mister Crabtree while all this was going
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on? He'd been killed in an accident in his mind six months before.
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Johnny, you have a very suspicion. I know, George prettier people than
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you have told me. Yeah. Well, anyway, since that time,
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mister Morton and Missus Crabtree have corresponded regularly. And when mister Morton heard that
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someone had taken a shot at it, now iteman at George mister Morton's in
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London, right, yes, well, just how did he happen to hear
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about the shooting through Missus Crabtree? No, Missus Henrietta Scott wrote to him,
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and just who is missus Henriette Scott? According to her letter to mister
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Morton, she claims to be Missus Crabtree's only friend and silver Girl Silver Gout,
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Montana. It's where Missus Crabtrees lived for over half a century, and
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it's where mister Morton wants you to go immediately. When did missus Crabtree disappear?
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Well? You see a telegram from missus Scott early this morning. She
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was supposed to have dinner with Missus Crabtree last night and got up to her
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house, but it was empty. She waited until midnight, checked again this
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morning. Then why it does? Who's the beneficiary on that life policy?
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George? He doesn't mean a thing? No, why not? Only a
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couple of people know the policy exists. Also, the beneficiary happens to be
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Missus Crabtree's favorite charity. Good luck Jenny, Oh, thanks pal, I'm
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gonna need it. Expense account Item two one hundred and seventy eight dollars their
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transportation Abute, Montana, adam three fourteen dollars and ninety cents bus fare vite
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to Silver Gulch. Like George had said, it wasn't much of a town.
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I checked into the Silver Queen Hotel, rendered a battered muddel tea,
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and drove out to the home of Missus Henriette Scott Booth. Oh, you
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startled me out of a day's boot. I'm sorry, Missus Scott. Yes,
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oh, you must be from grandma's trunk. Yes, I beg your
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pardon. Grandma's trunk, they said, you didn't they Well, come along
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with these in the house, Missus Scott. Wait a minute, I'm afraid
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you've made a mistake. You mean you're not from grandma's trunk. I don't
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even know Grandma. It's ann teeth shop in View, they said. They
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send the man out to offer me a price for my handcarved rosewood headboard.
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You're not herem huh no, No. My name is Johnny Dollar. I'm
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an insurance investigator. Well why didn't you say so? Right off? Come
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on inside. I suppose you're here about poor Mercedes Crabtree. God rest her?
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So, yes, that's right. Is she still missing? Westerr Soul?
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It's a down anywhere? No, not there, oh, William said,
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tea. That's it? You comfortable now? H fine? Nice?
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The Shears and a couple of men who worked for Charlie Greenfaw. We're not
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looking for her most of yesterday. They're at it again today, but they
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won't find her, leastwise alive. Well can you think of anyone who might
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have reason to kill her? Well, now that's hard to say. Most
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people in this town right now, they ain't got no use for us.
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They say she's stopping progress. Just what do you mean by stopping progress?
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Well, trying to. Green PAW's busy getting some of the old buildings fixed
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up so they're Liverpool again. He's planning on turning the whole town into a
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tourist attraction. Uh huh, Well, Mercedes, you won't hold still for
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it. You won't let him set foot on any of her land. Won't
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tell none of it, neither does she own very much of the property around
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here, little more than half of Main Street. And the thing that Charlie
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wants most the silver Bell, the silver Bell which is silvermining Nevada. Leastways
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it was once George grab Tree discovered it. Yes, when the main ran
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out, he's killed trying to find it again. After that the mine was
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closed, Missus Scott, was the town closed? Down the mind, missus
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Scott. Were you with missus Crabtree to day someone tried to shoot her?
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No, he was walking up toward her mine alone. Thought it was just
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a stray bullet. Uh. Just where is this one? Well, you
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can see it from the window right behind it. It's about halfway up the
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hill yonder here here. You come over here and take you Where are we
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first cousin to a stink bugs? Why? What is it up there on
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that here going towards the mines? It's Charlie Greenpawn Slim Richard's, the sheriff
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said, I wonder if they think she's down inside that mine. A few
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minutes later I caught up with Green Pawn Richards. They'd stopped near a large,
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newly painted no trespassing sign about twenty yards from the mine's entrance. I
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introduced myself, mister Dollar. You see that sign says no trespassing. Yeah,
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well, folks around here take the signs. Missus Crabtree up mighty seriously
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at right, Slim you were in? You mean you're not going in there?
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Greenlaw. Well, now we didn't say we weren't going in. We
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just thought we'd better consider it before we did. Anything hasty. But she
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could be dying in there for that. And she's in there, right,
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mister green Ball, that's right. Slip now, Dollar, you want to
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go on in? Why there's nothing to stop, no, sir, not
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a thing. I left daylight behind as I followed the narrow tunnel deep into
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the side of the hill. About fifty yards down, the tunnel branched off
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in two different directions. I stopped for a moment. I took them one
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to the right. I hadn't gone ten feet when it happened, Act two
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of yours, truly, Johnny Dollar, in a moment. It is a
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rare event when a young man decides to leave civilization behind and hide himself away
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in the steaming jungle, just so he can help his fellow humans in a
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remote corner of the world. The late doctor Tom Dooley did just that when
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he left the United States to help the sick and starving jungle people in the
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little kingdom of Leos in Southeast Asia. Doctor Dooley's story is well known to
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nearly everyone, and all over the world people talk of his little jungle hospital
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on stilts. That's where he treated the dread diseases of the jungle and trained
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native medical technicians so that they might help their own people. Doctor Dooley wrote
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and lectured to many people so that the work of his medical assistance program MEDICO
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might go on. It was not easy for someone so young and so talented
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to give up the bright lights of the city and plan himself down in an
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unknown jungle just for the purpose of helping unfortunate people he didn't even know.
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But through MEDICO, doctor Tom Dooley wanted to help people. He wanted to
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help people to help themselves. Today, the work of MEDICO is going forward
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in a number of countries besides Laos. Young men are being sent to the
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United States to be schooled in medicine with the idea of returning to their own
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countries to help their own people. Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of medical
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supplies have been donated by American businessmen and pharmaceutical companies. Today, doctor Tom
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Dooley's work is being continued for him. It is helping to create better understanding.
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It is an injection of the spirit of freedom, the right of all
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men everywhere, and now act too of yours, truly. Johnny Dollar and
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the Silver Bell Matter, I wasn't alone on the mind, that was for
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sure, But whoever was in there with me wanted to be alone and resented
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the intrusion. I wondered to take it here, so I picked up a
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rock and toss it on down the side of the cop Oh, you you're
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a bad thinker him, Missus Crabtree, Is that you me? No?
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No, no, wait a minute. My name's Johnny Dollar, insurance investigator.
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I got a feat on you now, miss you're saying, Oh,
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no, I don't intend to. What are you looking for? You?
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Your friend mister Morton is worried about you. Oh this way, mister dollars,
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would you be mighty careful about it? Yes, ma'am, I sure,
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will you say? My dog Morton sent you all the way out here.
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That's right, ma'am. Your friend, Missus Scott wrote to him.
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It seems for good. She even knew you know, No, ma'am,
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I've never had the pleasure. Oh he's such a fine gentleman. I remember
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years ago when I first met him. Oh he was so kind understanding.
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What's the matter, crazy fool thing? I didn't come in here and fall
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and hurt myself bad too. Mister Dollar, you're just gonna have to carry
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me out. It'll be a pleasure. She couldn't have weighed more than eighty
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pounds six shooter in all. I carried it out of my mine and down
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the hill to her cabin. I had just finished making her as comfortable as
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I could when missus Scott arrived. Oh dear, oh, you poor old
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dear thing. You ever hear such stick garbage? Mister dollar, woman stopped
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looking like you buried me yesterday, and none gets the doctor to take care
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of my ankle. Your ankle, well, what's the matter with it?
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And it's busted? Now? Why do you think mister Dollar had to carry
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me? Oh? Is there a doctor in Silver Gulf? Not Weaver.
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He's pretty old, but he adopted me for almost forty years. Go get
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him, Henriettafore I get mad at you for tattling to mister Morton. Yes,
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yes, yes, I'll do I'll do it right now. Now,
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then, mister Dollar, you'd come over and sit by me. He can
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tell me till the doc gets here. Yeah, sure, you know you
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really ought to rest. Why don't you start asking me questions? Mister dollars
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came all the way out here to do that now, didn't you. Well,
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there are a few things I'm curious about, like what now? For
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one thing, why you took those shots at me in the mine. You
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might be one of Charlie Greenpaw's friends. Oh he's the man who's trying to
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buy your mind, isn't he? But I ain't gonna sell it, no,
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sir, no matter how much he offers. You believe the mine could
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be worked again. Someday, might be somebody could find the vein again.
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But that is why I won't sell. It's because my husband, he's buried
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in there, mister Dollar, him and the others that were caught in that
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cave in. I've told them all if they step one foot on my property,
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I'm going to shoot first and ask questions later. Aren't you afraid someone
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might shoot back one of these days? That's not what missus Scott told us.
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I know what she told you, and she's mistaken by that bullet missed
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me by a good two feet. You don't think it could have been a
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warning. No, I don't people in these thoughts. If they wanted to
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fight me, they are better ways of doing it than that. Well,
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that's so, I sure hope they don't try any of them. No one
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at least so far as she knew, had reason enough to try killing her,
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not even Charlie green Paw, although she refused to cooperate with a Silver
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Glch improvement committee. I waited until Missus Scott returned with the doctor, then
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left to drove back to my hotel. I had finished suffer and was heading
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toward my room when someone called me, oh, mister Dillan, Yeah,
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oh, mister Greenthal, I was just thinking about you, that's so yeah.
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I was wondering why you hadn't thought to take a look in the Silver
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Bell mind when you first heard that Missus Crabb was missing. Well, to
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tell the truth, I had left the search up to the sheriff until the
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day. Then this morning, Isabelle, that's my wife. She said,
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if something did happen to missus Crabtree, it sure looked like I did it.
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Good thing. You listen because she was right. Yes, I know,
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say Dollar, I hear Missus Crabtree is taking quite a shine to you.
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I want to hear that, Duc Weaver. So that's all she talked
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about. He look, if you'd like to pick yourself up a few hundred
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dollars, you sure could do it easy. Oh how's that? Just get
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the old lady to sell me your mind and the acreage along next to Missus
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Scott's place. I'd give her full value for both and then come to enough
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money for her to live on the rest of her life. Real comfortable.
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You do that, dollar and I'll give you one thousand dollars cash. You
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know something, Green Park? What's that? I could have been mistaken about
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you. You want that mine and the land around it real bad, don't
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you sure? I spent a good deal of money fixing up the old buildings
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here in town. If I can get the silver bell and enough land out
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fair to put a dude ranch on, why this town will be able to
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make Virginia City look second rate? Now what are you saying? I don't
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know. I'll relay your proposition of Missus Crabbrey the rest of it. That's
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all the excitement out there, paw. What is what's going on? Far?
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Missus Cramsey's cabin hits flaving like tourist Act three of yours, truly,
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Johnny Dollar in a moment. For thousands of years, the oceans of the
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world have taken their toll of the treasures of the people who live near them
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or travel over them, and calm and in storm, and for an equally
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long time, these same people have dived to the bottoms of these oceans seeking
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those treasures. Gold, silver jewels, and emblems of tradition or symbols of
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history have been the sought after prizes. Late in nineteen fifty nine, a
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group of English divers seeking underwater specimens of fish and plant life off the coast
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of the island of Tesayra in the Azores came across a group of some seventeen
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ancient cannons. They'd been swept off the walls of the old fortress by a
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tidal wave sometime during the middle of the nineteenth century and sank about one hundred
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feet to the bottom of frequently storm swept waters. News of the discovery was
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relayed to the Portuguese government, which gave permission for the raising of the relics.
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American skin divers stationed at the Air Force base on Tesaya volunteered to do
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the job on off duty hours in cooperation with the Portuguese Museum. The men
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made a few exploratory dives to determine the situation. Then the salvage work began.
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After cleaning the cannons, some made of brass, others of bronze,
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it was discovered that they had been forged in England, France and Portugal more
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than a high hundred and ten years before. Now. The shiny symbols of
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history are on view in the Portuguese Museum. The Portuguese people are happy because
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of an unselfish American gesture that brought back to them their symbols of the defense
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of freedom, the right of all men everywhere, and no act free of
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yours truly, Johnny Dollar and the silver bell matter. By the time we
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reached the cabin, it was all over. For a moment, I was
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afraid missus Crabtree hadn't managed to escape, and I saw her on the ground
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at the Sheriff's car wrapping blankets. Hey, you get back over there.
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It's all right, Sheriff. This is mister Dollar. Oh, I heard
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you're in town, mister Dollar, mister Sheriff Wilkins, Johnny Sarff. You
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have any idea how this fire started? Not yet I don't, I asked
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her. Ever, I'd rather not talk about now, Johnny, maybe maybe
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some other ten whatever you say. He's pretty done there, Johnny, you
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tell mister Greenpaw tell him I'll sell. Will you do that for me?
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Well, well, look, I'll talk to you about it in the morning.
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No, I want to sell now. Nothing to stay here for.
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No, we better get it down to mister Scott's place. Doc Weaver's giving
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us a morphine. You go ahead, Sheriff. I'm going on back to
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town. Sure you later. Dollar. Oh, mister Dollar's she gonna be
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all right? Yeah? Yeah, I think so, Greenport. Do you
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have a map of this area, including all the lands you're planning on buying?
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Not on me. It's down at the office. You want to see
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it tonight? Yeah, I sure do. I took a look at the
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map, got a little sick at my stomach, then drove back to Henrietta
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Scott's. There was a light on in the front room, so I got
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out of the car and walked up to the door. Yes, who is
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it, Johnny Dollar, Missus Scotton. Oh, well, and the little
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lady come calling mister Dollar on me? After all, Missus Crabtree's keeping down
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and I'm all ready for that. I want to see Missus Crabtree. I
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want you to wake her up. Well, I just couldn't do that.
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The doctor told me she should have as much sleep as she can get.
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Yeah, you took his orders a little too literally, Missus Scott. And
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whatever do you mean, I mean trying to burn her house down with her
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still in it? Yes, she trusted you, She thought you were the
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only person she could trust. Then when she found out different, she decided
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to sell her land and get away from here. That's a pack of the
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biggest liars I ever did here. Now what reason would I have for wanting
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to hurt the poor old deep money money? You own most of the land
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of Joining the Crabtree property, including that around the Silver Bells Green Paul wouldn't
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buy your land unless he could buy Missus Crabtree. Once she refused to sell,
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you decided to see that that property changed hands the hard way. Is
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that? So? Why would I be so concerned about her? And now
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why would I write mister Morton telling him she'd been shot at and wiring when
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she disappeared? Why to protect yourself? You purposely missed her that day.
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You had to set up your alibi. You got no who No, No,
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You're right, I haven't, but Missus Crabtree has. She knows who
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and what started that fire in the cabin. I'll get out of my way.
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No, oh, Missus Crabtree, Missus Crabtree, all right, mister,
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do you move away from her? Away now? I'll shoot when you
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put it that way. Missus Scott, I'll have to. You were right
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about me missing her on purpose. Everybody's lived up here long as I have.
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They don't miss for the rifle. What is this one, mister dollar?
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Mister dollar, she started the fire. I say, you shut up.
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You can't make me. Maybe I will like I should have been poor
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he Oh no, you don't know. Shouldn't that rifle? Wow? Why
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why did you have to ruin its? Why somebody had to you? Okay,
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missus Crabtree did that? Did that? Do good? Getting hurt?
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You did? Just fine. I was ready to leave Silver Golps the next
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day, but I stayed over for another week, waiting for a little English
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gentleman by the name of Murdock Morton to arrive and claim his bride. Yeah,
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just about everybody in Montana came to Missus Crabtree, pardon me, Missus
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Morton's wedding. Everybody, that is, but her old friend, Missus Henriette
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Scott expense a count total three hundred and seventeen dollars and ten cents, yours
23:00
truly, Johnny Dollar, And now here is our star. They'll tell you
23:15
about next week's story. Next week. A beautiful girl a skill, and
23:21
with her goes a big part of my own heart. It's one of those
23:23
things that we'll join us, won't you? Yours truly, Johnny dollars?
23:40
Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Starrying Bob Bailey originates in Hollywood. Written by
23:45
Charles B. Smith, it is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone. Heard
23:48
in our cast were Virginia, Greg DJ Thompson, G Stanley Jones, Frank
23:52
Nelson, Sam Edwards, and Will Right be sure to join us next week,
23:57
same time and stations for another exciting story of your truly, Johnny Dollar.
24:06
This is Dan Coverly speaking. This is the United States Armed Forces Radio
24:34
and Television Service. Welcome back. I have to admit that a few of
26:00
the episodes with Howard mcneer had me expecting a really sort of oddball case with
26:07
Floyd's of London involved, with this one a lot more standard. I did
26:11
like the twist with the shotgun where they were afraid to go into the mind
26:19
because of the nope trespassing sign. And you know, I thought, and
26:26
I'm sure Johnny thought to these people were just really heartless. And then he
26:30
goes in and he gets fired upon it was a classic and pretty interesting,
26:36
nice twist at the end to boot. All right. Well, now for
26:40
some listener comments and feedback and review from Old and Gray sixty two on iTunes
26:47
said, enjoy Adam's quirky comedy and commentary, excuse me and his knowledge of
26:52
the genre. An enjoyable way to fall asleep each evening. Thanks Adam,
26:56
Well, thanks so much, or to appreciate the review. And then we
27:00
have a nice comment from Colin who says Johnny Dollar is one of my favorite
27:04
old time radio shows. It would make a great TV show. Yours truly,
27:11
Colin Kingston, Well, thanks so much, Colin, And it could
27:15
make an interesting a TV show. There were actually two attempts to make Johnny
27:19
Dollar TV shows. They recorded pilots. Unfortunately, as far as I know,
27:25
those pilots are lost. At least one of them done by the late
27:29
great Blake Edwards. And it could make an interesting modern TV series. I
27:33
always get nervous when people try to bring back classic characters because they usually end
27:41
up, in my opinion anyway, ruining them. But a good director,
27:47
producer might be able to do something interesting with that. There was actually a
27:52
television pilot recorded a few years ago and made available online based on broad Ways
28:00
My Beat, but set on the West Coast, called The Boulevard. It's
28:04
actually a pretty interesting concept. Never got picked up, which was a shame,
28:10
but Johnny Dollar, the television show, or maybe Johnny Dollar revived radio
28:15
series could see that. Definitely an interesting idea. I appreciate so much the
28:19
comment that will actually do it for today. We'll be back tomorrow with Dragnett.
28:29
Join us next Friday for another episode of Yours Truly Johnny Dollar. In
28:33
the meantime, send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net,
28:37
follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on
28:41
Facebook, Facebook, dot com. Slash Radio Detectives from Boise, Idaho.
28:45
This is your host, Adam Graham signing off.