Latest / Great Detectives of Old Time Radio Volume 2|Mystery Audio Dramas / Police Blotter: Homicide by Hurricane (EP1208)

Transcript

Police Blotter: Homicide by Hurricane (EP1208) · 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
0:34
is your host, Adam Graham. If you have a comment, email it
0:38
to me Box thirteen at Great Detectives dot net, follow us on Twitter at
0:43
Radio Detectives, and become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook, dot
0:48
com, slash Radio Detectives. All right, well, before we get started,
0:53
I do want to let you know this program is brought to you by
0:56
the financial support of our listeners, and I especially want to thank Elaine Richard
1:03
and Linda Thank you so much for your support, and we'll send access to
1:08
our premium side as well as any appropriate thank you guests for those who donated
1:15
during our listener support campaign. Usually this week I would go ahead and we
1:19
would have our video Theater episode on Sunday, but given that we've done specials
1:26
the last three weeks, we're gonna go ahead and delay that until next Sunday,
1:34
just to kind of give a break in here. Also over at Great
1:37
Detectives dot net, be sure and check out my column in which I review
1:42
the Nick Carter movies from nineteen thirty nine and forty and the DVD collection there
1:49
for Warner Archives, and you can follow all my columns directly on your kindle
1:53
right through the kindle store. Well, today we're bringing you a new series.
1:57
Having finished up with the line, we're going to bring you a show
2:00
called Police Blotterer and Police Blotger was a nineteen fifty seven program, and it
2:09
was unique in that there were not a whole lot of programs a detective shows
2:15
that began after Johnny Dollar started in September fifty five. And both the programs
2:22
that I'm aware of that came on US radio were from Mutual. The other
2:29
one is It's a Crime, Mister Collins. This one's from nineteen fifty seven.
2:34
We don't know when. This is an Armed Forces Radio Services version of
2:38
the show, and the series stars character actor Bill Zuckert as the star of
2:47
the show. He plays the role of Sergeant brand Peters. The series bears
2:53
some resemblance to Dragnet in the way that it's produced, in the way the
2:59
story is told, though not quite as good. Zuckert's film roles and television
3:06
roles were huge. He was a frequent judge on Perry Mason, appeared a
3:12
lot on Gun Smoke. One of his last and best known roles was as
3:17
Aceventcher, a pet detective on radio. He did, like I said,
3:24
a lot of background work. That's pretty much what I was able to find.
3:29
Probably the thing that I remember him most from is for playing Peter Chamber's
3:36
policeman friend in crime and Peter Chambers, which will bring you early next season.
3:42
He also starred in a series I just managed to track down and we'll
3:46
listen to and who knows, we might add it to our list of programs
3:50
to air, though we'll have to if it's another procedural, we'll have to
3:53
wait about six years until after we finished running through Dragnet. But here now
3:59
from nineteen fifty seven is Police Order. In the episode homicide by Hurricane did
4:15
night police Blotter, starring Bill Sookerd as Sergeant Brad Peters name Harry Dennis,
4:30
he addressed by forty three Larson Street judge suspicion of murder. The heritage that
4:45
you and I share as Americans has been given to us by many great men.
4:48
One of these was Patrick Henry. He was a very lazy youngster,
4:54
preferring to hunt or fish rather than go to school. But as he grew
4:58
older he developed an interest in law. This together with a marvelous gift for
5:02
oratory led to his becoming a famous lawyer and later helped him serve several terms
5:09
as governor of Virginia. In seventeen seventy five, with the American Revolution at
5:13
a critical stage, Patrick Henry made his famous speech, ending with the immortal
5:17
words, I know not what course others may take, but as for me,
5:24
give me liberty or give me death. Patrick Henry's words have rung through
5:29
the ages. They are part of your American heritage. Police blocker authentic dramas
5:34
of police work in the constant battle that goes on night and day against crimes
5:40
homicide by hurricane. On police Blocker, I'm Brad Peters, sogeant homicide from
5:57
inside a police station, own rings. It might be anything from disturbing the
6:01
peace of murder whatever, whoever it is, rich or poor, innocent,
6:05
Doug guilty. Sooner or later I get to know. Themorrow nine am called
6:15
came in from Jonas Airport on the base side of the precinct small field for
6:19
private planes. A man named Costa, working on experimental plane was found dead
6:25
in the wind tunnel. I've been waiting for you where you've been Just getting
6:35
out here, mister Dennis Harry Dennis. I told Ben to stay away from
6:40
that wind tunnel, told him a dozen times if I told him once,
6:43
But he had his own ideas, got it up ahead in that hangar.
6:46
Yeah, you're the one called the police, now, that's right. I
6:50
got here at eight this morning, same as usual. I waited for Ben
6:54
and he didn't show up. I'd began to wonder. Finally I looked in
6:58
the wind tunnel, because that's where I left. And last night Cost and
7:02
I are working on an experimental plane, a flying platform kind of gadget.
7:06
Uh huh. We were making wind tunnel tests. But last night, at
7:11
midnight, I had had it. I told Ben the project was a flop,
7:14
and why throw good money after bad? You were partners up until last
7:17
night. How did the argument end? What? What argument? Dissolving a
7:23
partnership usually means an argument. Not with Ben and me. We've been friends
7:28
for years. I just threw in the sponge, that's all. Look,
7:30
why do you guys always fear there had to be an argument. That's just
7:33
force of habit, mister Dennis. Never mind, Let's see the body.
7:46
And I saw it, but there wasn't much to see. It was all
7:49
chewed up. That's a tough way to die. Huh, yeah, poor
7:55
Ben. You see how a wind tunnel is, Sergeant. The area sucked
8:00
in through that opening at the far end. Huh. These two giant propellers
8:03
up here build up the airspeed over here. This is where we set up
8:07
the airplane model. It's suspended on this platform. Wires are used to test
8:13
stability, turbulence factors and so on. How did it cost to get in
8:16
here with that door? The same one we just used now, only he
8:20
couldn't have used it while the wind tunnel was in action. The door locks
8:24
automatically once power is on. That's what I don't understand. What how it
8:30
started? It can only be turned on from outside. Then, must have
8:33
been in here working on the model. Then something when Haywire with the wind
8:37
tunnel controls, it started up and there he was caught in a wind stream
8:41
of over two hundred and fifty three hundred miles per hour. You sure the
8:45
controls when Haywire? What else? Well, I'll have the controls checked,
8:48
mister Dennis. Maybe they're okay, In which case, what are you getting
8:54
at? Murder? All anybody has to do is push that button. The
9:03
controls were checked. They worked perfectly. At ten thirty, the medical examiner
9:09
reported on cause of death, body battered by sledgehammer wind inside the tunnel.
9:16
I've improved the dead man's clothes. Checked the possessions. I found a remnant
9:20
of a typewritten letter a few words, must have money by Thursday next or
9:26
will file for And that was all. I spent the next half hour questioning
9:33
personnel at the airfoil me. You're taking me in what force? Egeant?
9:39
Suspicion of murder? Mister Dennis, Oh you're off your rock? Or why
9:41
me? You were the last one to see cost alive? Who says song
9:45
guard on duty last night at the field, and look that's nothing. This
9:48
field isn't well guarded. Sure there's a fence, but the fence is broken
9:52
in a dozen places. Anybody could have walked in. And there's another reason
9:56
you said you didn't argue with Costa s You were heard arguing loud voices,
10:01
threats. I can explain all that. You'll get your chance. Dennis was
10:11
taken in booked on suspicion of murder twelve fifteen pm. I went over to
10:16
Costa's apartment the eight hundred bark Shoreham Street. Furniture was being moved out.
10:22
I found a woman supervising, dark hair, good looking, well dressed.
10:30
Who am I Helen Costa? That's who I am, Missus Ben Costa.
10:33
Not for any longer than I can help. And why shouldn't I take this
10:37
furniture out? I paid for it, not then he put every penny into
10:41
that stupid invention. I'm sick of it, you understand. I told him
10:43
over and over I couldn't go on this way. You're divorcing. I told
10:48
him that last night last night. Where was this well, it was at
10:52
the It was right here, sargeant, here in this apartment. Uh what
10:56
time was it? Oh? Six thirty? You certainly? No, I'm
11:00
not certain. I was upset. I told him either he gave me back
11:03
all the money I have poured into that invention, or I file for divorce.
11:07
You put your own money into it? Never said I had, Missus
11:11
Constance, you own a typewriter? A typewriter? Yeah? No, How
11:16
did you tell your husband in writing? No? I just told him that,
11:20
so I spoke to him. If you're contemplating divorce, you have a
11:24
lawyer? Yes, all right? What's his name? William Jefferson William Jeffary
11:28
his address two hundred and fifty Court Avenue. Yeah, hello, yes,
11:39
this is Helen. What what? Oh? No, no, excuse me,
11:48
I can't talk now. Viagine, Why didn't you tell me about your
11:54
husband? That's why you're here. Why didn't you tell me? Who did
12:00
tell you, missus Custer? That was my lawyer, Bill Jefferson dead And
12:05
all the while I was, I was having the furniture moved out all the
12:09
time. Nobody can blame you if you didn't know. Yes, but it's
12:13
so coolish. It was Dennis. Dennis. It must have been his partner,
12:20
fine partner. He never put any money into it. All he was
12:22
doing was fastening on the bend like a leech. He always got paid.
12:26
Even when Ben was starving, Dennis got paid. Is there anything else you
12:31
want? Not right now, missus Custer, I'd better have this spiniture moved
12:35
back. Oh it's awful, that's what it is. It's just awful.
12:46
She was crying. It could have been grief. On the other hand,
12:50
it could have been guilty. I got one of the neighbors to stay with
12:52
her, and I went over to Court Avenue, called on attorney Jefferson Hey,
12:58
sergeant, missus Custer was going to file for divorce. Now, naturally
13:01
it's not necessary. You knew Ben Coster yourself, mister Jefferson, I met
13:05
him once or twice? Are you his lawyer? Not recently? Wouldn't have
13:09
been ethical to handle his wife's divorce and represent him at the same time.
13:13
But I was representing him until a month ago. Why did you stop money,
13:18
sergeant? He was delinquent in his bill? Ah, how much ill
13:22
you over? Five thousand dollars? Huh? Most of that was for filing
13:26
the patent on his invention. I had to do a patent search, draw
13:30
up the usual legal documents, very complicated. You've seen this invention, yes,
13:33
several times. What do you think of it? Well, I'm a
13:37
lawyer, not an aeronautical expert, but I'd say it was worthless. Never
13:41
got off the ground. We talked a while longer, I got no further
13:46
information. I went back to the office, put in a call of government
13:50
patent office in Washington. That's right, Peter's homicide. We're investigating the murder
13:56
of a man named Ben Coster Y. Yeah, I'd like information on a
14:01
patent filed in his name in the aeronautical field. Well, the other name
14:05
on it may be Harry Dennis. Yeah, well get back to me as
14:09
soon as you can, will you. Thanks? Three thirty pm got the
14:22
information from the patent office. Only two names on the patent Ben Costa Harry
14:26
Dennis. I held further conversation with Dennis in my office. Now you know
14:33
you can't hold me. I didn't have anything to do with it. What
14:35
happens that invention with Costa dead? The invention isn't any good. It's worth
14:39
well as surviving partner. Do you get it? Look that happens to be
14:43
How much money was invested in that invention? All told? Well, I
14:48
should say sixty seventy thousand dollars? What was your share? That's my business
14:52
too? Do you ever see this? Must have money by Thursday next or
15:00
we'll file for where's the rest of them? That's all? It's not familiar
15:05
to me. Who's is it? We found it in the wind tunnel.
15:09
Must have been bands. I don't get it. What money? I thought
15:13
you might know? He cost to borrow any money, not that I know
15:18
of. He had some. I had some and his wife say this could
15:24
be about a divorce. He was pretty mad. About Ben using up all
15:26
her money. That's all you can tell me, yes, except that you've
15:30
got no right to keep me here. I talked to my lawyer. He
15:33
says, you can't. We can for twenty four hours. Now. One
15:37
more question you can ask. I may not answer. Who was Costa's lawyer
15:41
for the past month, Bill Jefferson. Jefferson says, no, Oh,
15:46
that's right, sure, a man named Hazel John Hazel. I thank Dennis
15:56
and then checked the phone book for Hazel. Oh, yeah, he address
16:00
twenty eight to fifty Man Drake. I went over there at once. Excuse
16:06
me, miss, Yes, oh, yes, sergeant, I'd like to
16:08
see mister Hazelton. Well, he's very busy right now, doesn't want to
16:11
be disturbed. But if it's important, it could be. What's murder?
16:15
Awful? That got it? She disappeared at once. While I waited,
16:22
I checked the typewriter. I found a sample in the waistbags basket, put
16:26
it in my pocket. Five minutes later, I was talking to Hazelton.
16:30
Yes, I've heard about it. Terrible tragedy, terrible. Anything I can
16:34
do at all, just call on me, Sergeant. I am not that
16:38
I can give you much help. I've only known Costra a month, and
16:41
Dennis saying not very well. In either case this invention were affairs in the
16:47
tangle. Sergeant, you heard of the Gordian not yeah, I think so.
16:52
Oh this was worse. Well, just two days ago I learned that
16:55
cost had borrowed twenty thousand dollars and was being threatened with a lawsuit. Twenty
16:59
thousand. Well, that's the figure he gave me. Who do you borrow
17:02
it for him? I don't know. You're his lawyer and you don't know.
17:04
Well, I know that sounds odd, but it's not really. You
17:07
see, he told me that on the phone two days ago, very much
17:11
upset. Said he'd drop in and discuss it with him. Well, he
17:15
died before he could. So all I know is there's someone around whom Costro
17:22
owed twenty thousand. And there's one other point about the debt. Yes,
17:30
I shouldn't violate a client's confidence. But since Costor is dead, he kited
17:36
the figure, Sergeant, Kit the figure, that's what he told me.
17:41
The original note was for two thousands. He changed it to twenty years.
17:45
That's criminal offense, So I told him. He said he was desperate for
17:48
money, said his invention was close to becoming practical. He'd been testing out
17:52
the bugs. He had blueprints of an improved model. Improved model. Oh
17:56
that's what he said. Of course, I have no way of knowing whether
18:00
that was true or not. Where did cost to have his office office?
18:06
Well, the only office he had, as far as I know, was
18:10
out of the airport. I asked some further questions that that was all he
18:15
knew. I went back to the office, gave the lab the original typewritten
18:21
sentence, gave them the sample from Hazelton's office. I arranged for searches for
18:26
other samples from the other lawyer, Jefferson, from Dennis, from missus Cost.
18:32
She denied having a typewriter, but in a murder case, a lot
18:34
of people deny a lot of things. At six pm, Dennis was sprung
18:38
by his lawyer. Okay, mister Dennis, you're out on bail. Just
18:44
don't leave town. I have no intention of leaving town anymore. Thoughts about
18:48
Ben. Yeah, I don't know why I should help you out me and
18:52
mister Dennis yourself. You're the suspect, But I tell you, okay,
18:59
I guess you were just doing your job. Okay, Ben, and I
19:04
did have a quarrel last night, Yes, every day for the past week.
19:08
Sergeant, did you know what that darn fool had done? I'm listening.
19:12
He stole eighteen thousand dollars eighteen He had taken a personal loan for two
19:17
thousand. He highted the value to twenty thousand. He told me all about
19:21
it. He was worried, sick. The lender had threatened criminal action.
19:25
You were involved. I'm his partner in a partnership. Each is responsible.
19:30
Who came the loan, Dennis. I don't know your own partner, and
19:33
you don't know I told you no. Well, if it was a personal
19:36
loaner, you know it wasn't He forged my name to it too. Now
19:41
if there's nothing, Yeah, there is one more thing. Yeah, I
19:44
hear that invention was close to success. What where'd you hear that that's true?
19:49
Don't you think I'd know if it was. It's not true, Sergeant,
19:53
It can't be true unless Yeah, Ben worked there along without you.
20:02
Yeah, many nights. I knocked off at five or six. He kept
20:06
going. I never thought of that. A man who would order a check
20:11
and forge another's signature, he might be completely on scoopious would that flying platform
20:17
be worth anything, worth anything, Sergeant. If it worked, it would
20:21
be worth millions, millions. The newspapers carried it in the late editions.
20:33
Inventor murdered on brink of great triumph. I checked the lab at eight thirty.
20:37
I was still working on the typewriter search. And then a call came
20:41
in at nine pm. Peter's homicide, right how long ago. Check call
20:53
was from plainclothesman Walker. He had Missus Costa under surveillance. She'd gone to
20:57
Javis Airport. I went out there, walked across the airport. So I
21:04
came to the hangar that housed the winding tunnel. I entered through the big
21:08
steel door and I could just feel that echo, and just then the door
21:15
beside me opened. I thought it was a man. I didn't recognize him.
21:22
But a flashlight went on across the hangar from me, and then there
21:26
were two figures, a man and a woman. I started to tiptoe across
21:37
Missus Tata. There's nothing, there's no answer, and then something came flying
21:45
through the air and it hit the hangar wall instead of me. I looked,
21:51
you're wasting your time. There's been one murder already. You can't get
21:56
away with another passed there missus, And then I heard it. I couldn't
22:07
tell where it was. Hanger had echoes, might have come from any direction,
22:11
but somebody was dragging her. And I listened and there was a door
22:18
somewhere, got an outside door. It sounded different, and the same door
22:25
again closing. What other door was there? Front door on the hanger,
22:33
the back door, one other and another sound and I listened. There was
22:41
a hum that started low. It seemed to vibrate through the hanger, the
22:47
wind tuggel and then I used the flashlight wide open this time, narrow beam
22:52
but strong, and I ran toward the wind tunnel and beside the door,
22:56
leaning into it, I saw the starting button just as I got there.
23:00
One side like, look you pool, whoever you are never know. He
23:07
was big. He was bigger than I was, and he was fight.
23:10
He was desperate. He was tough to handle, but I finally handled him.
23:17
My head was swimming. All I had was a match. First one
23:21
went out, the second one held it and I found the switch and I
23:25
cut it off and I went into the wind. And that was like stepping
23:32
into a hurricane. The wind sucked at me and I thought it, missus,
23:36
cuttle, missus cars all right, take anything, just keep talking,
23:42
keep talking, all right, olright, easy now easy, I know,
23:52
stop it, stop it. I listen him dying down. Now, it's
24:00
all right, missus. Put me out of the wind tunnel. Clothes were
24:07
torn. She certainly needed another permanent. I found the hangar lights, switched
24:15
them on. I sat her down, slipped handcuffs on the man I had
24:18
knocked out. All came and discust there. William Jefferson, Eh, yes,
24:25
he killed your husband. Yes, he came here last night. Been
24:30
holding money, a lot of money, twenty thousand dollars. You knew about
24:36
that, Yeah, we knew. Another couple of hours. We'll have the
24:40
proof, Willard. Well, he was angry. It'd been very angry,
24:45
only because of the money. Well, yes, nothing else, No,
24:49
of course not. What else could there be? She's lying, Tartan.
24:55
Why are you lying? Helen? So your conscious? Jefferson, Eh,
24:59
she came to me for a divorce. We were going to get married,
25:03
Helen and me. That's funny, funny. I'm a lawyer. I didn't
25:11
want to wait for a divorce. I figured it'd be easier with Ben out
25:15
of the way. An accident. Accident, Okay, no accident. I
25:19
came here late last night. I sneaked through a break in the fence.
25:23
I put him in the wind tunnel. And you did the same to me.
25:27
You know what. He wanted to kill me too, don't you?
25:30
Don't you, Sargan, I can guess. You don't have to guess,
25:33
Sergeant. I got panicky. That's why Helen knew what I'd done. I
25:38
told her, and I got panicky. She was the only witness. I
25:42
told her to meet me here. I picked up that story in the newspapers
25:45
as an excuse. Coster had blueprints around a new flying platform, a successful
25:51
one worth millions. You tried to kill me, yes, I didn't want
25:55
to, but I had to. I had to keep your mouth shut.
26:00
Sergeanties handcuffs, what about them? Well, you don't need them now I'm
26:07
finished. I know that. Can't you take them off? Sure? When
26:14
you're sitting pretty behind bars? Name William Jefferson, Address thirteen oh four Elmwood
26:32
Place, Jorge murder remarks. Missis consta turned state's evidence. The laboratory found
26:40
the piece of letter had been typed on Jefferson's machine. Jefferson and died it
26:45
and tried and found guilty executed for murder first degree signed Sergeant Brad Peters,
26:51
Homer said, you have just heard Police Blotter, starring Bill zuckerd as Sergeant
27:07
Brad Peters. The cast included Joseph Bolan, Elaine Ross, and Carl frank
27:14
Tonight's drama Homicideal Hurricane was written by Sheldin Stark and directed by William Marshall.
27:21
Police Blotterer has come to you through the worldwide facilities of the United States Armed
27:26
Forces Radio and Television Service. Welcome back. Well, I've actually enjoyed this
29:17
episode. I think that the idea of the murder by wind tunnel was actually
29:25
pretty clever. There were a few parts of the program that had some odd
29:30
dialogue. The big one was the you know when I was listening to it
29:37
and the widow demanded of him of Peters, you know, why didn't you
29:44
tell me he had been murdered? And that just made me think, why
29:48
were you answering all of his questions without knowing why he was asking it?
29:56
Though, since she had a knowledge of the murder, she could have just
30:00
been giving herself away. A little bit on that when I return to some
30:04
listener comments and feedback, and we have this from Linda Love. The podcast
30:10
keeps me entertained on my trips. Well, we're glad to be of service,
30:15
and thanks so much once again for the donation, Linda, I truly
30:18
appreciate it. All Right, Well, that will wrap it up for today.
30:22
We'll return on Monday with yours truly, Johnny Dollar, and join us
30:26
back here next Saturday for one last episode of police Blotter. In the meantime,
30:32
send your comments to Box thirteen at Great Attractives dot net and follow us
30:37
on Twitter at Radio Detectives. Become one of our friends on Facebook, Facebook
30:41
dot com slash Radio Detectives. But from Boise, Idaho, this is your
30:45
host, Adam Grahamson and off