Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Escape: The Lost Special (EP0990)

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Escape: The Lost Special (EP0990) · 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 Detectors dot net. Follow us on Twitter at
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Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook, dot
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com slash Radio Detectives. Today's episode is brought to you by the financial support
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of our listeners. Thanks so much for your support. Especially want to thank
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John for his donation. We'll send along access to our premium site, which
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we do with all our nations of seven dollars or more. And I also
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want to wish everyone in the United States a happy Independence Day. I'll be
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celebrating that as well as my eleventh wedding anniversary today, so I hope everyone's
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just having a great day. Well, I've got this is gonna be one
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of our the longer opening introductions we've done in a while, so I hope
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you will bear with us. We have quite a bit to introduce. Today's
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episode kind of serves as a epilogue on the Sherlock Home series we've been doing
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for about the last four years. It is an adaptation of the Law Special
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and the Law Special was a story that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote in eighteen
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ninety eight in between The Final Problem and The and the Empty House being published.
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However, the story has some definite hints of Sherlock Holmes in it,
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particularly one of the letters to the editors some that was read. There were
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some hints that it came from Holmes and was not too far off from the
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troph In addition to this, the Old Court Radio Theater produced its own take
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on The Law Special, in which it was a just turned into a Sherlock
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Holmes story. You can take a look listen to the Old Court Radio Theater
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adaptations either by searching for the Sherlock Holmes Society. Podcasts are going to Sherlock
2:53
Dash Holmes dot org dot UK. In addition to that for the genuine Sherlock
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Holmes feel This episode actually stars an actor who played Sherlock Holmes, mister Ben
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Wright. This was from February twenty February of nineteen forty nine, so it
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was before Wright had taken on the role for Sherlock Holmes from forty nine to
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fifty four ABC, but after he'd at least stood in for one episode for
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Tom Conway in the forty six forty seventh season episode aired February the twelfth of
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nineteen forty nine. In the program is an episode of Escape. Escape was
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one of the great anthologies at CBS. It wasn't as great as as Suspense,
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and it repeated quite a few stories. A shipment of Mute Fate was
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perhaps its most famous. They did that one four times, but there were
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several stories that they produced multiple times. The program didn't quite have the same
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budget as Suspense, so it tended not to feature as many of the big
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name stars in the day. Particularly when Suspense got it started off, it
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would have just very big name actors like Edward g. Robinson come through.
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They tended to have more up and coming actors, so in some cases Escape
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would have a show alike their second episode, Operation Florida Lee, which we
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played over on the old time Dragnet Show, which featured Jack Webb along with
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a young Elliott Lewis and Harry Bartell. I'm kind of not knowing how much
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talent they were putting on, so you get to see a lot of great
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early performances. But a script for usage was common still. It's two hundred
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and forty episodes that are in circulation make it a favorite for fans. Escape
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tended to defeat feature a high adventure. You would turn in there and you
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would hear You would not hear many a detective stories, so there were a
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few you would hear science fiction, whore thrillers. It was just a very
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exciting, dynamic series that fans are really enjoyed. And well, this is
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the first episode of Escape will bring you, but it certainly won't be the
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last. Well, I apologize for the lengthy introduction, but let's go ahead
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and get into today's episode. From February twelfth, nineteen forty nine, the
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Law Special. Fed up with the everyday grind, tied out by the dull
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routine, want to get away from it all. We offer you Escape,
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Escape designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour
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of high adventure. You are speeding through the English countryside, the fast Express
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train rocking beneath your feet, and you know that somewhere in the dark ahead
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of you, a band of men are plotting the destruction of the train,
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are planning the moment of your death. Today we escape to England at the
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turn of the century and the story of a complete train that vanished from the
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face of the earth. As Sir Arthur Conan Doyle told it in his fascinating
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tale The Lost Special. Twenty years with Scotland Yard had brought me into contact
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with many weird and unusual events in human affairs, but none more strength than
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the occurrences which began on the afternoon of June third, eighteen ninety in the
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railway station at Liverpool. On no case before had I ever felt myself so
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helpless, groping blindly, as it were, for an unseen adversary, not
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being certain of the nature of the crime, not even knowing in fact,
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if it were a crime. Suffice to say that along a short stretch of
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railway line in Western England, I learned what is truly meant by terror of
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the unknown. At four o'clock of the afternoon in question, having completed a
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rather minor investigation which had brought me to Liverpool, I was sitting in the
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waiting room of the railway station, reading and waiting for the six o'clock train
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for London, entirely unaware at that moment of a rather ordinary conversation that was
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taking place in the office of mister James Bland, the station master a few
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yards away. I'm very happy to lay you, mister Carrotell, and you
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mister Gomez. And now if I might learn the nature of your wish is
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simply this, mister Bland, my companion and I have arrived on the Schemer
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from Central America, which ducked less than an hour ago. It is of
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the utmost importance that we reach London as quickly as possible in order to arrange
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passage across the channel to France. I see it, well, it's unfortunate
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you miss the three o'clock pain, mister Carrotell. However, there'll be limited
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leaving at six that will put you in London. That is not soon enough,
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mister Bland. I cannot stress too highly the importance of my reaching Paris
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at the earliest possible moment. I can understand that. But there simply isn't
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any other training quite so. Quite so. I am informed, however,
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that it is possible to charter a special train upon occasion, a special Yes,
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it's possible, rather expensive, though the cost is not important, mister
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Blair. How soon can the arrangements be made? Well, mister Hood,
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do we have an engine available, Sir number two forty seventies on the north
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siding under emergency stained good, very well, mister Carotula, it's four oh
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eight. Now we can roll a special out of here at four thirty.
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The charges fifty five pounds. Gormez, you will pay mister Blade fifty five
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pounds. Who is on the standby crewmister Hood, let's say er John Slider's
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engineer McPherson, guard Smith Farm and call them at once, help them carry
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two standard coaches behind the engine, and telegraph the station master at Saint Helen's
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to hold the local on siding there until the special goes through. Make sure
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the line is clear as far as Manchester us. Sir, I'll send for
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a porter to take care of your briefcase. Mister Carrotul seems to be rather
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heavy, Thank you. No, I prefer to keep it with me if
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you don't mind, certainly, whatever you wish. Now, if you leave
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here at four thirty, you should be in Manchester at quarter to six.
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The station master there will clear you on to London. Trust you'll have a
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very pleasant journey. As I say, I was not aware of these events
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until a while later, and would have placed no significance on them. In
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any case, at four thirty one, a special train with its two passengers
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and three crew members pulled out a Liverpool station and headed to Manchester, and
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at ten minutes to six I was summoned to the office with mister James Bland,
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the station blaster, and so that seems to be it very likely.
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I have no real reason at all to be worried, Inspector Collins, but
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since I saw you below there in the station, I thought it was call
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you in on it. I'm happy to be of any help, mister Bland,
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as I understand it, your special train is running behind schedules and incredibly
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behind schedule, nearly half an hour overdue at Manchester right now. We've wired
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them to check and report back. It isn't exactly unheard of a train to
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runs slow, mister Bland. It is unless there's some reason, and I
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can't think of one. In this case. The special head clear track all
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the way. It passed through Saint Helen's at four fifty two, right on
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time, and they wired us and then fifteen minutes later released the local to
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follow along behind it into Manchester. You mentioned something about mister Carrotrol having a
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companion. I believe. Yes, a great bulking route named Gomez. He
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didn't that for a word while they were here. Seemed to be a sort
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of bodyguard. Carotl himself was small and stooped, with a swarthy complexion,
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possibly a Latin America. And you've got the impression that he was carrying something
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rather valuable in his briefcase. Yes, he wouldn't let it out of his
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hands, and he seemed to be in great fear of something, though I
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haven't any idea of what it. Near them? What about This second chapter
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is more typically English? About forty years old, seemed very anxious to reach
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his sick wife in London. Here's Manchester on the wire. Now, mister
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Blao, good, what are they? Why it's the moment? Yeah,
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well here's a message. Assume change in your original plan. Vocal from Saint
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Helen's arrived Manchester reports no sign special train, but it's impossible. Saint Helen's
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reported the special through ahead of the local. Where is there a branch line
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between Saint Helen's and managed him as a bland No, not even a double
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track. There's only a single track mainline straight through. Sidings have paused at
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the local stations. For loading purposes. But mister Hood, so check every
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local operated from Saint Helen's arm. We've got to get to the bottom of
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this. I can't understand it, Inspector Collins. A locomotive and two coaches
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can't simply well, it's utterly impossible. It can't have just disappeared. In
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a few moments, the answers began coming in over the wire. The first
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was from Saint Helen's repeating our previous message. A special train pasteer of four
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fifty two local departed fifteen minutes later. Then from Collins Green Special past tear
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at five o'clock, followed by local train seventeen minutes later. Then Earl's Town
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special pasteer five oh six, followed by a local eighteen minutes later, Newtant
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special past tear five twelve, low call train seventeen minutes later. At Kenyon
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Junction special through here at five twenty, Local past nineteen minutes later, and
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then Burton Muss local through at five fifty three. Now special train passed here
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today. I tell you it's absolutely unprecedented, inspect Collins, an entire train
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and five human beings vanishing from an open track between two local stations, only
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eight miles apart. It's impossible. It's the only thing to the country being
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the fact that it has apparently happened. But I can't understand, mister Bland.
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I think you'd better make arrangements to get us out to Kenyon Junction as
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quickly as possible. Within ten minutes we were in a coach behind the goods
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engine, moving at full throttle on the main line east out of Miller Liverpool.
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Since the missing Special had been reported safely through Kenyon Junction, there was
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no need for concern with the country this side of that stage. While the
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coach rattled and banged along the miles, we spent the time pouring over a
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large scale map of that eight mile stretch between the junction and bartom Muss.
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As you can see for yourself on the map, Inspector Collins, it's rather
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open country through their low rolling hills, mostly with quite a lot of coal
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mining and one steel mill. No towns or villages near the railway line.
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Yes, so I see, mister Planders. What about these spur tracks that
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join the main line. There must be a dozen or more of them,
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fourteen to be exact. Isn't it possible the special could have been switched on
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to one of those spurs twelve years and no. Eight of them can be
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eliminated immediately. Besides being narrow gage tracks, they're also much too flimsy to
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bear the weight of a standard locomotive. Furthermore, they end at loading bins
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adjacent to the main line. There they're not actually connected to it. I
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see, well, that's still leaves six. Are they all standard gage?
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Yes? But three of those six can be eliminated too, since they've been
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abandoned for years. The mines they were built for are no longer operated the
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Red Gauntlet, Despond and heart Tease collieries. There's been abandoned or not.
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If the tracks are still there, couldn't they be used? Though? No,
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they could not. When service to the three mines was discontinued years ago,
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the switches along the several hundred yards of track adjacent to the main line
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were removed to prevent accidents. That settles that. But we still have three
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lines left, yes, and all in operation. They served the Big Ben
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and Perseverance collieries and the Carnstock iron work. Good that there's the probable area
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of our investigation. Probable Inspector I failed to see anything probable about a train
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scheduled from Manchester turning up in a dead end siding. For many years now,
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I'm mister planned. I've been approaching problems of this sort with a certain
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theory of logic. Once both the obvious and the impossible are eliminated, and
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we seem to agree on those, then the solution must lie in the realm
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of the improbable, no matter how fantastic it may at first seek. I
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can't believe it. Why wouldn't the train crew report in What about mister Carrotel's
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anxiety to get to London? Why would they quit? Quinn was slowing down
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untwein et Stratcher, We're pulling it to Keny injunction. This is the last
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station to report seeing the last special. Very well, gentlemen, this is
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where we start to work. We stopped in the junction only long enough to
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rig acetylene spot lanterns at either side of the coach, directed in such fashion
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as to light up the roadbed and embankment along both sides of the track,
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and then we pupped slowly out onto the main line and headed towards Barton Moss,
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eight miles away. The first mile of those eight dropped behind us and
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brought no significant discovery, and we moved on through the second mile. Save
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for the flood of light from our lanterns and the dull red glow from the
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firebox at the engine, a night was as black as pitch. Now and
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again the ugly shape of a loading bin for one of the narrow gage feeder
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lines would loom out of the darkness ahead of us and float past ghostly for
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a moment in our lights, and then desirable way behind us into the blackness.
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But on the road bed, the rails themselves remained unmarred, undisturbed,
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and offered not the slightest clue to explain a disappearance that grew more mysterious by
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the minute. We completed the second while and moved on. And then suddenly,
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what is it, inspector, what do you see? I stop the
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engine at once, mister hood sir, what is it, Inspector? I
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think I've seen something. I don't see a thing. It's just stop the
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embankment there the edge of the bushes. We'll need a hand light. Heyah,
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sir, good, all right, come on, let's have a look
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by heaven there there is something light enough, I say, no, Well,
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it looks like a man lying there. It's more likely the body of
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a man from the position is in. Well, now, lad oh,
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let's turn you over and have a glimpse at your face. What inspector?
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This is John Slater? And who is John Slater? He was the engineer
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on the special. Well, he's dead. He next broken in dead.
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I'll venture a quick guess it was caused by a fall from the cab of
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his engine traveling rather fast at the time. I'd say you can see where
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he rolled through the bushes for some little distance there. But then what happened
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to the locomotive inspector afterwards? On me? That still remains if you've seen,
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mister hood, it can be fairly certain of one thing, though.
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A special must have come at least this far out of the junction. Otherwise
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it's pretty difficult to account for the engineer's body being here. No more difficult,
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surely than it is to account for any of this. This whole thing
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is incredible impossible. Well, we still have our improbabilities, mister Bland.
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Those three connected spur lines are ahead of us yet, and the chances are
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one of them is going to supply some kind of an answer. By midnight
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I'd completed a thorough check with the three lines. The first one to the
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Big Ben Collieri, ran a mile and a half back into the hills and
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ended against the face of a huge pile of coal, not large enough,
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however, to cover a locomotive and two coaches. I made certain of that
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The line of the Perseverance Colliery was hardly more than a half mile long.
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They had been blocked all day, and it was still blocked by a string
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of loaded orchids and ended beyond them against the open rock face of a quarry.
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The last line, running to the Carnstock Iron Works, was a double
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track and had been left open all day. However, as sleepy Superintendent and
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Vom made that over two hundred repairmen had been busy on the road bed until
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well after duk, and it was impossible to imagine in a non scheduled train
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passing through such a horde of witnesses unnoticed. Oh shortly after midnight, dog
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tie and we walked into Barton Muss Station, still without the slightest explanation of
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the mystery. I want to send a wire through the Scotland yard. Yes,
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sir, yeah, I am prepared to postpone further investigation in this exation
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until daylight. Yes, sir has sign a Collins. They're going to get
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it up right away, right away, sir, fine peaceful English countryside in
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a dead engine driving you're speaking of me, sir, h no, No,
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it is strange, though strange, sir. In broad daylight, a
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forty ton locomotive with two carriages and four passengers has vanished from the face of
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the earth. In just a moment, we will return to Escape, But
20:36
first, ten great shows come to you every Sunday night on CBS, and
20:41
right and bright in the middle as America's number one comedy The Jack Benny Show.
20:45
Tomorrow night, Jack will take his place on CBS All Star Night with
20:48
the cast that's made the Jack Benny Show a welcome visitor in millions of American
20:52
homes. Yes, Jack, Benny, Amos and Andy, Helen Hayes,
20:56
Eve Barton and all the other great stars come to you over most of these
20:59
stations in CBS's ten Great Shows on Sunday Nights. And now with our star
21:07
Ben Wright, we returned to the second act of Escape Man, the last
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special. By the next morning, of course, the story was out and
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the daily papers went to work on it, but fortunately for Scotland Yard,
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the main attention of the press was directed at the moment toward the international scandal
21:30
which had been brewing for a week or two among high financial circles in France.
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As it was. However, let us to the editor in the morning
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postscape us quite a rough go of it. Oh, the all manner of
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crack Seat suggest to believe that the worthy operators of Scotland Yard have overlooked the
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one obvious explanations to the whereabouts to the missing train. May I advise them
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that some two miles from Barton Moss the railroad line crosses the West Branch Canal.
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Unquestionably the special leapt from the bridge and lies now in the muddy.
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This whole affair is obviously the work of some subversive organization, and until the
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culprits are brought in to face their just desserts, no man, woman or
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child in England can be considered safe. Now sizing the fulfillment of ancient prophecies,
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the forces of evil grow boulder and begin now to invade the earth openly.
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There is no doubt but what that strange man carrot All was really the
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devil in disguise, and it is by action this morning is to gaze quickly
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across the city toward Westminster Abbey. Considering the recently demonstrated inefficiency of Scotland Yard
22:41
and the Manchester Liverpool railway affair, it's quite possible the abbey may be spitted
22:45
away some night. Soon. A week past and then two weeks we scoured
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the whole western countryside, following up a relief, tracking down each rumor,
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and we got nowhere. Three weeks four, and then the press began to
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ignore the matter. Two months went by, nothing new. Three months and
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the activity of Scotland Yard in the matter had come to a standstill. The
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reason was simple enough. We had no idea what else to do. So
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the records were finally taken from the active file and barked. Case still open
23:21
and unsolved. Even though I worked on other assignments, my mind kept turning
23:33
continually back to the case of the lost special I tried to think of some
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avenue left untried, some path overlooked, and I could think of nothing.
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I reviewed all of the improbabilities I tested and disapproved, and I tried to
23:49
improbabilities. Suddenly a fallacy and my own logic began to dawn on me.
23:56
Arbitrarily. I had called certain explanations impossible, and it's the only likely in
24:00
my investigation. And yet what could really be classed as impossible in a case
24:03
which itself was utterly impossible? Back down to Barton mus again, and then
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ten days of painstaking work. At the end of those ten days, I
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was certain that I'd found at least the essentials of the answer, and I
24:23
was equally certain that I could never prove it. I could see only one
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bear chance, a desperate chance against longards. I laid my plan before the
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Chief Inspector, and then Scotland Yard went into action. The London Times twenty
24:41
first November eighteen ninety rumors are circulating that a man named Dalton, arriving in
24:45
Liverpool and the steam of Vistulo tomorrow, may hold the key to the long
24:49
standing Manchester railway mystery. According to reliable sources, mister Dalton possesses recently discovered
24:56
copies of the documents which were carried in the briefcase of the year fated mister
25:00
Carrotol. It is further stated that Scotland Yard is arranging to meet mister Dalton
25:04
at the Liverpool pier and rush him forthwith to London. The next afternoon,
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accompanied by mister Dalton, I walked into the office of mister James Bland,
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Stationmaster at Liverpool and charted a special train for London. We shall have the
25:19
train ready for usually even ten minutes, Inspector Collins Good, I'm most anxious
25:23
to get mister Dalton at his briefcase to London as quickly as possible. Yes,
25:26
I saw the squib in yesterday's paper and I was afraid then you'd be
25:30
wanting a special train arranged. I'm still worried about it. As a matter
25:33
of fact. Oh, I hardly think there's any need to be. You
25:37
run a good many specials up to Manchester since that affair six months ago,
25:40
and you've never lost another one, now, have you? No? But
25:42
I'll confess I've shaken in my boots every time I've watched one of them pull
25:45
out of here. Hi say, now you're going to have me jumping at
25:48
my own shadow. Oh don't worry, mister Dalton. I'll have you in
25:52
London before you know it and done the worst for the trip. Nevertheless,
25:55
Inspector, you'll have to admit the situation today is very much like the one
25:59
six months ago, is in some ways the mysterious stranger arriving by steamer from
26:03
South America and in urgent haste to reach London. The carefully watched briefcase,
26:07
which according to rumor, contains the very same sort of material mister Kerodll was
26:11
carrying. But there is one difference. Mister Dalton is being accompanied by an
26:15
agent from Scotland. Yard. Yes, but mister Kendal also had a guard
26:18
that Chap Gomes, and both of them disappeared. Oh come now, surely
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you don't think that anything so fantastic could pass said No, He's right,
26:29
mister Dalton. It did happen once, and a number of the elements are
26:30
similar. Well, mister Bland, why you as soon as we reached Manchester?
26:34
Hardly necessary, Inspector. I I think I shall go along with you?
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What good? You're looking forward to? Excitement? I can't promise you
26:44
no. It will probably be a very ord midfit. But if I stayed
26:48
here I'd be a nervous wrecktor the time you reached Manchester. Well, then
26:49
come along by all means, mister Dawton, and I will enjoy your company.
26:52
You are trained. Is just pull up the platform, gentlemen. Good,
26:56
well, gentlemen, we can't keep the faces waiting. Let's get aboard.
27:11
Well, it's certainly been an uneventful journey so far. Why I hardly
27:15
expected anything to happen the side of Kenyon Junction and it's right ahead of us,
27:18
then, Inspector Collins, do you mean you are expecting something to happen
27:22
on the other side of it? Oh? Yes, yes, that's the
27:25
whole purpose of the trip. I don't believe I follow you. Yes,
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I imagine it is about time that you were brought in on this, mister
27:32
Bland. I didn't want to take any chances by discussing it before we were
27:34
well along towards the danger area we're passing through Kenyon Junction. Inspector good,
27:41
mister Dalton. There as a Scotland yard agent by the way, mister Bland,
27:45
and all he's carrying, and that mysterious briefcase is half a dozen ham
27:49
sandwiches. I think I should welcome some sort of explanation and Inspector Cullin,
27:56
Yes, do you ever hear of the old trick and archer use it?
28:00
When he loses an arrow he shoots another in the same general direction follows it,
28:03
and sometimes he finds both of them. Well, this train and all
28:07
of us aboard it constitute the second arrow, mister Bland, Do you mean
28:11
you're expecting this train to vanish like the other? Why you're deliberately risking our
28:15
lives? Or the risk is not quite so great as you may imagine.
28:18
But what makes you believe the attempt will be repeated? I've created, as
28:21
nearly as possible the same set of conditions that led to the first disappearance.
28:25
If I'm right about the motivation, the party is concerned, can hardly afford
28:27
not to repeat what motivation I fail to see what well. It requires a
28:33
bit of assuming, mister Bland. But the assumption seemed to fit the facts
28:37
as well as the method us. Let's take some of those facts. Mister
28:41
karat Or was in a fantic hurry to reach Paris. His briefcase apparently contains
28:45
something of great value. He was afraid an attempt would be made to prevent
28:49
his reaching Paris. Yes, in Paris at that time, a huge financial
28:52
scandal was brewing, which later came to nothing because of lack of evidence.
28:56
The scandal involved illegal land operations, in Central America, and mister Carrotol had
29:00
just arrived from Central America with his briefcase. Even and finally, it must
29:06
require a good deal of money to bring about the disappearance of a locomotive and
29:10
coaches, whereas ordinary criminals rarely have a good deal of money. Now do
29:14
you follow me? Yes, yes, of course. If all that's true,
29:18
then the idea was to eliminate caratal completely along with his evidence. And
29:22
that's exactly what was done, Inspector. We just passed the spark for John
29:26
Slater's body was found. Then heads up, mister Dalton, It's only a
29:30
few hundred yards. Now tell me this, inspector. Have you also discovered
29:33
how the thing was done? Oh? Yes, but I'm in the unfortunate
29:37
position of not being able to prove it. And what do you think is
29:41
going to prove if the same thing happens to us? Oh? That well,
29:45
I forgot to mention that there are twenty agents of Scotland Yard concealed in
29:48
the coach behind us. They're specially selected, armed with rifles and are there
29:53
for the express purpose of making sure the same thing does not happen to us.
29:57
Was slowing down, Inspector Collins. Well, I think this is it
30:00
slowing down? Why we're leaving the main line. But we can't leave the
30:04
main line. There's no siding here. Oh yes there is. There's the
30:07
spur track to the heart Seas colored but it's abandoned. There's no connection to
30:11
the main line. The rails were taken away years ago. Ordinarily you'll be
30:15
right, mister Bland. But at the moment there's an excellent switch and stored
30:18
at the main line, and also a very serviceable set of rails connecting it
30:22
with the old track traveling over them. Now, as a matter of fact,
30:26
you see anything, mister Dalton, Not yet. The train is being
30:30
manned incidentally by Scotland yard agents. I took the liberty of holding the regular
30:34
crew in the coach behind us until we could find out which of them has
30:37
been bought off which schedule to end up like John Slater. But I confess.
30:44
Look, men are coming out of the bushes behind us. You're already
30:47
starting to pull up the rails you're seeing, mister Bland. In fifteen minutes
30:49
you'll be right again. There'll be no connection between the heart Seas siding and
30:53
the main line. Yes, yes, I see now, by heaven.
30:57
I never mister Blair did. Won't do any good to try to signal with
31:02
that pocket handkerchief. I'm I'm afraid I don't quite understand you inspected, Then
31:07
perhaps you'll understand the fact that you're under arrest for the murder of carat or
31:11
Gomiz and John Slater. Why that's utterly ridiculous. Why have we stopped in
31:17
order to permit it? Ah, where's your answer? I think a twenty
31:22
agents of Scotland yard should prove more than a match for your assistance. Your
31:26
guesses are nothing less than preposterous, Inspector, what could I or anyone else
31:30
gain by merely switching a train onto an abandoned siding? The other special,
31:34
if you recall, disappears, Ah, yes, yes, so it did,
31:38
and straight ahead of us a mile and a half, if you recall,
31:41
mister blam, this spur ends at the heart seas Mine Shaft, one
31:45
of the largest inclined shots in this part of the country. According to the
31:48
records, it used to be nine hundred feet deep, but upon investigating it
31:52
last week I found it closed off by a tremendous cave in at four hundred
31:56
feet. Now tell me mister Bland. Was the cave in caused by the
32:01
explosion of the locomotives boiler when it struck the bottom, or did your dynamite
32:06
the sharp after the train went into it. You've no proof of any of
32:08
this and no evidence whatsoever against me your train crew in the coach behind us,
32:13
of all science statements, and I think we'll get a good deal more
32:16
evidence from the menu are being rounded up out there now. I have nothing
32:22
further to say. There's nothing you can say, mister Bland. We've seen
32:25
your bank account with those mysterious and heavy entries which are dated about the time
32:29
the Special disappeared, which I am sure we shall be able to trace to
32:32
certain French sources. We've succeeded in tracing down McPherson and Smith, a fireman
32:38
and conductor you bribed to Vanish. Too bad you couldn't bribe Slater, the
32:43
engineer, because his death was most unfortunate. You see, his body furnished
32:49
us with our first clue. Yes, mister Bland. Without Slater's body,
32:53
we might really have thought that the lost Special had disappeared into thin air.
33:04
Escape is produced and directed by Norman McDonnell. Today we have presented The Lost
33:10
Special by Conan Doyle, adapted for radio by Less Crutchfield, with editorial supervision
33:15
by John Duckle. Starred as Inspector Collins was Ben Wright, and the featured
33:21
players were Parley Bear, John Dyer, Edgar Barrier, Larry Dupkin, and
33:24
Paul Freese. The special music was arranged and played by Ivan at Bars.
33:31
Next week, you're aboard the Orient Express, rushing through the European night,
33:38
bound for Constantinople, and in your compartment with you a gun pointed at your
33:45
head. A small, mysterious foreigner is about to take your life. Next
34:01
week we escape with Graham Greene's exciting novel of intrigue Orient Express. Goodbye then,
34:09
until this same time next week, when CBS again offers you escape for
34:27
more adventures, seek it out with two top CBS shows tonight, The Adventures
34:31
of Philip Marlowe and Gangbusters, both regular Saturday features on most of the same
34:37
CBS network stations. Be sure to hear them tonight. Now stay tuned for
34:43
five minutes of the latest news, to be followed by the Let's Pretend program
34:46
over most of these same CBS stations. This is Roy Roy speaking for CBS,
35:00
the Columbia Broadcasting System, welcome back. Every adaptation I've heard of this
35:27
story has been a little bit different. The old Courts story was perhaps a
35:31
little bit more cynical and Jaden certainly probably not what Doyle had in mind this
35:40
one. I like, this is a straight detector story, but there's some
35:45
definite feelings, particularly when it comes to the note of improbabilities, that really
35:52
give this episode a true Sherlock Holmes feel to it. So I enjoyed this
35:58
episode, and I hope, but I hope you liked it as well.
36:02
We do. If you do have the premium site, we're offering you another
36:07
version of the Law Special. This one takes a different tact as well.
36:15
It's not a detective story. It was starred Orson Wells and really it was
36:21
from the early war years and really has a different feel to it. So
36:24
if you've got the premium site or you have the app, you definitely take
36:30
a listen to that because that is really amazing vintage Orson Wells Radio. All
36:36
right, listener comments and feedback. We'll go ahead and get that information together.
36:43
And we have this comment from Jocelyn. Hey there, Adam, thank
36:51
you. I love love this episode. This was regarding episode nine seven eight
36:55
The Final Problem. Mister Wells was truly spell bodying as always, and I'm
37:04
glad you enjoyed that episode. And as I've recorded this, we still have
37:10
not yet posted the Empty House, so we'll probably still have some Homes feedback
37:20
yet to come. And let me see here if we have any additional feedback
37:27
on Homes. So we have one somewhat lengthy thought from Tony who says,
37:31
Hi, Adam a few words on the Geelgood Richardson Sherlock Holmes series. If
37:37
I may, first off, I'm so glad you've been playing them. While
37:39
I have some issues with the tone of the program, Homes personality and them
37:44
is far too engaging. Both players are marvelous actors, so it's a treat
37:47
listening to them. Also was a boy I had their version of The Final
37:52
Problem and Scandal of Bohemia on cassette tapes. They would often play on repeat,
37:57
as would my other OTR recordings. Listening to it again brings back a
38:00
lot of memories. The Final Problem was a particular favorite of mine because of
38:04
the use of Orson Wells, one of my favorite actors on and off the
38:07
radio. He was himself no stranger to the world of Holmes, having played
38:10
him on the Mercury Radio Theater program in The Immortal Sherlock Holmes. His inclusion
38:22
in the Gielgood Richardson production was due to his association with Harry Allen Towers,
38:28
the producer of the Lives of Harry Lyne and the Back Museum, And that's
38:34
definitely true. You can go back and listen to the Wells story. It's
38:37
over at Archives dot Great Detectives dot net. I believe it was episode thirty
38:45
four way back then, and he definitely did a good job as Homes.
38:50
He was quite a bit younger. I tend to prefer Wells's younger material.
38:55
There was I think something a lot more dynamic about it and almost unpredictable,
39:02
and maybe a little bit more joy than in the later days. But I'd
39:07
aggress there's more to his letter. By the way, I really enjoyed your
39:10
little bonus of the story of doctor Joseph Bell some weeks back. I found
39:15
it amusing, especially since Conan Doyle was portrayed as an Englishman he wasn't,
39:19
and Bell's requested the character of the detective not be Scottish. Homes as a
39:22
Scottish name. On a similar note, Conan Doyle named his creation after a
39:27
cricket player called Sherlock, which was actually his last name. It actually means
39:31
barber or sheerlock, as in to cut hair. I thought that was a
39:36
funny little facto it. Thanks again, like so many others, I love
39:39
the hard work you put into your podcast. Well, thanks for adding the
39:43
clarification and apparently sometimes on strange as it seems the facts seems so strange because
39:51
they aren't really facts. I love the clarification and additional information, though I
39:58
think some of the facts was to color the just to add some color to
40:06
the story. And while you're right that home could be a Scottish name,
40:14
it was never quite played that played that way. It's like a very strong
40:19
ethnic scott So I think that may have been where the writers got the information
40:23
from. All right, or misinformation from, I should say, all right,
40:28
Well, that will do it for today. We're going to in the
40:32
next three weeks review the first of the great detective stories, the ones that
40:39
many say started at all, those of Edgar Allan Poe. Join us in
40:47
the next three weeks as we will be bringing you these stories and then coming
40:55
up in four weeks we will We'll be bringing turning our attention to Nick Carter
41:04
in the meantimes and your comments to Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net,
41:07
follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on
41:10
Facebook, Facebook dot com. Slash Radio Detectors from Boise, Idaho. This
41:15
is your host, Adam graham Son and Off