July 18, 2022 • 29 mins
The mystery continues in this episode. Is the colonel crazy? Is Millie Stevens behind everything? And who - or what - is actually stealing the jewels? Find out in the next exciting episode!
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Hi, everyone.
And welcome again to anotherepisode of forward into the
past.
I'm JC Renee, your host andnarrator.
And today we're continuing themysterious jewel heist case of
Nick Carter's ghost story.
Dime novels have a long andstoried history.
Unfortunately some of thathistory has been very negative,
(00:23):
like many other forms ofentertainment.
Just before the turn of thecentury.
Dime novels and other derivativeforms of these stories, like
story papers, weekly magazinesand thick books were often
maligned portrayed as corruptingthe youth of America.
Dime novels like our streamingservices today, television of
(00:43):
the past, and of course filmsand literature of any kind we're
separated by genre.
Many of the themes used backthen for dime novels were
frontier stories whicheventually morphed into
westerns.
Stories of the circus stories ofthe sea and far away Tropic
lands.
And the early prototype ofscience fiction stories where
(01:05):
young inventors tinkered awaywith everyday objects and
created floating dirigibles andother flying contraptions.
But as you can see, most ofthese stories concerned
themselves with other places,other worlds and other realities
where the reader could escapeto.
Of course, there were otherstyles of stories as well, like
(01:26):
the early detective stories,such as Nick Carter or romances
where a young shop girl falls inlove with a well-to-do man about
town, but eventually classdifferences crush her hopes of a
budding romance.
But the moralistic tone of theearly 20th century was all about
keeping kids in line.
They saw these stories asdangerous because they were in
(01:48):
the accusations of the times.
Filling the heads of thesechildren with stories of running
away and not listening to theirparents.
Hmm.
That seems eerily like theaccusations, the following
generation had about rock androll music.
Unfortunately, what this meantwas that dime novels were often
seen as something shameful, eventhough the publishers and even
(02:11):
the writers of these storiespublicly announced that the
stories were in fact, quitemoralistic and followed the same
values that we had as a societyback then.
Of course.
Looking at some of those valuestoday with our 21st century
eyes.
We can see that they were andstill are quite troublesome and
(02:33):
in many cases outright wrong.
But for the time they were stillfairly respectable.
In either case dime novelscontinued to be a huge source of
entertainment for many years.
In fact, when those childrenlook back at the stories of
their youth, they did.
So as we do today, with a senseof nostalgia and longing and
(02:54):
managed to save most of them inbetter printed paperbacks.
And in some cases, the verywealthy managed to save and
donate original story papers,dime novels, and weekly
magazines to universitylibraries for preservation.
And it is through theseuniversities that they have been
able to digitize the stories forplaces like project Gutenberg to
(03:17):
share with the world.
This is one of the reasons why Iwill always donate some of the
money that is provided to me byyou, the listener back to
project Gutenberg.
Save the stories so that we cancontinue to share them.
And now.
Back to our main story.
Last time.
Our Intrepid detective NickCarter was quietly figuring out
(03:41):
who had the motive to steal thedeceased.
Ms.
Levina Richmond's jewels thathad been left to Colonel
Richmond's daughter, Mrs.
Pond.
After investigating Mrs.
Pond's dressing room.
Nick had noticed that somethinghad stolen one of three diamond
hairpins from that very roomwhen his back was turned.
(04:02):
To make matters, even worse.
A few minutes later, Nick andthe rest of the guests at the
mansion watched, Mrs.
Stevens arrive in a carriagewith the missing pin.
While interviewing Mrs.
Stevens about her knowledge ofthe events at plumber house.
Her daughter Millie made astrong case against herself as
lead suspect.
(04:24):
Where do we go from here?
Well, let's find out as we goforward into the past.
Once again, with the next twochapters in the strange case of
Nick Carter's ghost story.
Chapter five Colonel Richmond'snight adventure.
Of course, Nick questioned theservant.
(04:46):
To have failed to do that wouldhave been to throw light upon
his real suspicions.
She was a tall slender, andrather pretty Irish girl named
Annie O'Neill.
Her answers to all questionswere plain and simple.
She told what she had been doingon the previous day while Mrs.
Stevens was at lunch.
She had not been in the diningroom all the time, but had come
(05:07):
in twice or thrice whensummoned.
During the remainder of the timeshe had been in the kitchen.
Nobody had been with her there.
When Nick left the house, herode half a mile back along the
road.
And then dismounted and sat downunder a big tree.
In a few minutes, a farmer'swagon came along.
A young man who looked like afarm laborer.
(05:29):
Was riding beside the farmer.
He did not ride far beyond theplace where Nick was sitting.
In a few minutes, they sattogether under the tree.
The young farm laborer, wasPatsy.
I got your message said, Patsy.
I took the chance to ride overfrom the station with that
fellow.
And I've asked him a fewquestions about the house where
(05:49):
you want me to go on duty.
It seems that there's no show toget in there on any pretext.
I'll have to camp around on theoutside, like a grass eater.
That won't hurt you.
Patsy, my lad said Nick.
The weather's good.
You're to keep an eye on thewhole household, but on Ms.
Stevens, especially.
This is the way the case looksat the present.
The girl is doing the work onthis end in connection with some
(06:12):
Confederate concealed in ColonelRichmond's house.
Do you understand the game?
It's to work the spirit racketon Colonel Richmond until he
buys the jewels from hisdaughter or her husband and
gives them to Ms.
Stephens.
You must watch for the system bywhich she communicates with her
Confederate in Richmond's house.
They work the mails, but theremust be some quicker means to
(06:33):
use in emergencies.
Try to snare a letter or getsight of the other party.
And be sure not to jump atconclusions, Patsy.
I've told you how the caselooks, but it may be any other
way.
I haven't begun to work down toit yet.
Nick mounted his horse and Patsystrolled away in the direction
of the Steven's house.
When the detective got back toColonel Richmond's, it was well
(06:55):
along in the afternoon.
He spent the remainder of hisday in exploring the secret
recesses of the old house.
It was indeed a marvelous place.
And Nick got a very high opinionof the ingenuity of the man who
had designed its mysteriouspassages.
He got little else however.
One or two discoveries.
He certainly made.
(07:16):
They were important asindicating that somebody had
recently been in the secretpassages.
There was nothing to show whatthat person had been doing in
there.
But the probability was ofcourse that he had concealed
himself in the old part of thehouse while preparing for his
operations in Mrs.
Pond's room or while escapingfrom them.
These indications were veryvague and did not point to the
(07:38):
principal in this affair, thatmysterious thief who worked
invisibly and by such strangemethods.
After dinner, Horace Richmondtook Nick aside for what he
termed a discussion of thisghostly rot.
The very devil is in thisbusiness, said Horace.
The servants are getting scaredout of their wits.
(07:59):
They all sleep in the old partof the house, you knew.
And there isn't one of them who,hasn't some story to tell of
what goes on there at night.
Some of these yarns are the oldfashioned business about sighs
and groans and doors opening andshutting without anybody to open
and shut them.
But under it all, I must say,that there seems to be a basis
of fact.
(08:21):
There's John Guilder, theCoachman you've seen him.
Does he look like a man who canbe scared easily?
I should say not laughed Nick.
He looks to me like a Yankeehorse trader who is too intimate
with the devil and his ways tobe at all alarmed about them.
Just so, uh, John Guilder cameto me today and told me just as
calmly as I tell you the time ofday that he'd seen the ghost of
(08:44):
Ms.
Lavina Richmond.
He saw her right in this roomwhere we are now.
They had gone to the largedining hall in the old mansion.
Horace sometimes used it as asmoking room, but otherwise it
was seldom visited except whenthe house was full of guests and
all the old part was thrownopen.
It was a long and high roomfinished in dark wood and
(09:06):
decorated with molderingportraits in the worst possible
style of art.
At one end was a giganticfireplace, which was closed by a
screen of boards.
He told me, continued Horace.
That he was passing through herelate last night.
Uh, near midnight, he said, Andthat he saw Lavina Richmond
standing just about where youstand now.
(09:28):
He came in by that door behindme and she was directly facing
him.
He says that he did not move oryell or do anything, but just
stood staring at her.
She paid no attention, whateverto him, but passed across the
room and went out by that otherdoor, which opened as she
approached and closed after herof itself.
(09:50):
Then he ran for his room.
He claims that he wasn't scared.
Uh, only a bit nervous.
You can believe that if you wantto.
I tell you that he was scared Sothat he won't get over it in a
year.
If it wasn't for that, I mightthink he was lying.
But when a man like Gildaquietly invites the footman,
whom he's always hated to takehalf of his bed for a few weeks.
(10:13):
It's a sure thing that he seensomething out of the ordinary.
And the footman, as I learnedwas mighty, glad to accept the
invitation for he's been havinga few experiences of his own.
Now, Mr.
Carter.
You and I believe that thesethings are done by some clever
trickster.
It may be that some bogus mediumwho used to get the Colonel's
(10:35):
good money away from him wantsmore of it and is taking this
means of driving my uncle backto the fold of true believers.
I'm beginning to believe thatthat may be the fact, but
whatever it is, the case is allmighty serious.
Here's a nice old man livinghappily and gradually getting
away from this delusion.
And he is an agent of the deviltrying to drive this old man
(10:57):
back to his delusion and make alunatic of him for that's what
the doctor says will certainlyhappen.
I say it's too bad.
Not to mention the jewels atall.
Now, what are we going to doabout it?
Catch the rascal said Nickpromptly.
And catch him mighty quick.
Well, I hope you will succeed.
I tell you Mr.
Carter.
I feel toward Colonel Richmond,all the affection that I would
(11:19):
give my own father, if he werealive.
And I can't bear to see himdriven out of his wits in this
infernal way.
Have no fear.
said Nick.
We'll save him.
This trickery with the servantsmay give us a chance to catch
our man.
They returned to the parlor inthe new part of the house.
Colonel Richmond was not there.
Where is he?
(11:39):
Asked Horace anxiously of Mrs.
Pond.
He has gone to his room.
He said that the excitement ofthis affair had worn him out
completely.
Horace looked relieved.
Nick said that he too would goto his room.
He went, but he did not remainlong in it.
He had a fancy for a quietstroll around the house on the
outside.
It would be interesting to knowwhether anybody entered or left
(12:02):
it during the night.
One of the secret passages ofthe old house communicated with
a sort of tunnel which had itsouter extremity in an old well
about 20 yards away.
This tunnel had caved in longbefore, but had been restored by
Colonel Richmond who wished topreserve all the old time
peculiarities of the place.
The inner end of it had beenclosed by a strong door.
(12:24):
So as to prevent anybody whomight have the secret from
entering in that way.
But Nick was strongly of theopinion that it would not keep
out the persons who werehaunting the house in case they
desired to come in.
If anybody was going in and outsecretly, this seemed to be the
readiest way.
So Nick had resolved to watchthe well that night.
(12:45):
A little house with sides oflattice work had been built over
it and vines covered it.
Nick stealthily, crept into itsshadow and prepared for his
vigil.
But it was not destined to be along one.
He had not been there 10 minutesbefore he saw a figure hastening
along one of the numerous paths,which wound through the grounds.
(13:07):
This person evidently wished toavoid observation.
And that was enough for Nick.
He immediately started inpursuit.
He trailed his man to the edgeof the Colonel's grounds.
During this pursuit, the mankept in the shadow of some trees
and Nick had no opportunity tosee him clearly.
But as the man stepped out intothe highway, a Ray of Moonlight
(13:28):
fell upon him and Nickrecognized him in an instant.
It was Colonel Richmond.
Why this man should be leavinghis own house by stealth and
under the cover of darkness wasan interesting problem.
Nick resolved to know all aboutit before the night was much
older.
So he trailed along.
The Colonel walked up thehighway with rapid strides.
(13:50):
About half a mile from thehouse.
He found a carriage standingunder the shadow of a tree.
Evidently he expected to find itjust there for, he immediately
jumped into it and the driverwhipped up his horse.
Nick was unable to see thedriver, for the carriage was a
covered buggy and had beenstanding with its back toward
him.
The horse was evidently a goodone, but Nick overhauled him and
(14:12):
got hold of the carriage behind.
There was no chance for him toride there, but his grip on the
wagon helped him along and heran about eight miles quite
comfortably.
His presence so near wasentirely unsuspected by the
occupants of the carriage.
He was favorably situated foroverhearing their conversation.
But unfortunately they did notsay anything.
(14:33):
Nick discovered that the driverwas a woman, but he could only
guess at her identity.
At last, they turned suddenlyout of the road into the grounds
of a private house.
The sound of the wheels wasevidently heard within and the
front door was thrown open,letting out considerable light
from the hall.
Nick could not go too near thatlight.
So he let go and crept into someshrubbery.
(14:56):
The carriage drew up before thedoor and the Colonel and his
companion hurried into thehouse, leaving the horse tied.
The detective failed to obtain agood view of the woman or of the
person who had opened the door.
The latter seemed to be aservant.
When the door had closed, Nickcrept up.
He maneuvered carefully anddiscovered that there was
(15:17):
somebody sitting in the halljust inside the door.
Entrance by that means was outof the question.
However he succeeded withoutmuch difficulty in entering the
house from the rear.
He found himself in the kitchenfrom which he passed into a
dining room.
This apartment was almosttotally dark.
Nick felt his way to the side,opposite the kitchen and came to
(15:39):
a heavy pair of folding doors.
From the other side, came aconfused murmur of voices as if
many persons were talking inhushed tones.
Presently, they became quitestill.
And then there arose the soundof music.
It was a slow and somber strainas from an organ gently played.
(15:59):
Nick was crouching against thedoor among the folds of a
curtain, which could be drawnacross.
Suddenly he heard a slight soundbehind him.
He turned noiselessly.
A white figure flitted acrossthe room.
Nick was at one end of thefolding doors and the figure
pass to the other end and intothe corner beyond.
There it suddenly vanished.
(16:21):
The light was so dim that Nickcould not tell exactly what had
happened.
It certainly seemed as if thefigure had gone straight through
the wall.
About a minute later, anotherform appeared in the same way.
It crossed the room andvanished.
Good muttered, Nick.
I'll back these ghosts againstany that Colonel Richmond can
(16:42):
raise in his house.
Almost immediately, there wasthe sound of a voice in the room
beyond the doors.
Does any person presentrecognize a departed friend it
said.
Then Colonel Richmond's voicearose, hoarse and trembling with
emotion.
Aunt Levina.
He said.
Tell me what you wish me to do.
(17:03):
I will obey you.
Absolutely.
I thought so chuckled thedetective.
The Colonel has come to attend aspiritualistic seance.
Chapter six.
A Roundup of spook artists.
It began to look very much as ifHorace Richmond's theory was
correct.
Certainly the Colonel had fallenagain into the clutches of bogus
(17:26):
mediums.
It might be that the whole plotwas directed to that end and
that the transfer of the jewelsto the Stevenson's was only to
be an incidental result of theplot.
Yet, so long as Ms.
Stephens unusual conductremained unexplained.
It would not do to go upon thistheory.
One of the principle things thatHorace Richmond employed me to
do said Nick to himself.
(17:47):
Was to break up his uncle'sbelief in spiritualism.
I guess that this is a firstchance to do that.
He softly crept to the cornerwhere the gliding figures had
disappeared.
There as he expected.
He found one of those movablepanels, which the bogus mediums
prepare so cleverly.
His experience of such affairstaught Nick exactly what he
(18:08):
should find in the other room.
There must be a little cabinetin the corner covering the other
side of the sliding panel.
The medium might be in it, orshe might be sitting blindfold
just by the door, but thecabinet was certainly not empty.
Two figures had gone into it asNick had observed.
One of these was doubtlessplaying the part of aunt Lavina.
(18:29):
The other must be waiting toappear in some other role.
Nick listened.
He could hear the colonelquestioning the supposed spirit.
The replies were put in thatsilly and mysterious language,
supposed to be appropriate tovisitors from the other world.
The meaning of them.
However, was plain enough.
Colonel Richmond was commandedto restore the jewels to Millie
(18:50):
Stevens.
This point was made.
So exceedingly clear and hispromise was demanded in such
stringent terms that Nick was nolonger able to doubt that the
interests of the Stevenson'swere being very carefully
attended to by these spookcompellers.
In view of the facts alreadyknown it was hardly possible to
reach any other conclusion thanthat Millie Stevens had hired
(19:13):
this medium to do the whole job.
That it was being done to theQueen's taste, Nick was forced
to admit.
Yet he couldn't help being sorryto believe that such a charming
and beautiful girl as MillieStephens should be mixed up in
such a dirty business.
He waited till Colonel Richmondhad completed his solemn
protestations and then suddenlyslid the panel and passed
(19:36):
through.
There was another person in thecabinet who was of course
instantly aware of Nick'sentrance.
But the place was so dark thatat first, the bogus ghost did
not know that Nick was not oneof the regular company of
spirits.
He had a chance to get hisbearings before the discovery
was made.
The shade of aunt Levina wasjust retreating toward the
(19:56):
cabinet, making that absurdseries of nods and gestures,
which such spirits always use.
Nick could see this performancethrough an aperture in the side
of the cabinet.
He instantly leaped out andgrappled with the spook.
Then there was an uproar.
The whole room was inindescribable confusion.
Somebody turned up the light.
(20:16):
For an instant Nick grapplingwith the spirit saw Colonel
Richmond.
The Colonel had not been given aprivate seance.
Possibly he had not desired it.
He had come with a dozen othervictims of the same delusion.
He had been given a seat alittle in the rear.
Before him as, is usual was arow of persons who were in the
game.
(20:37):
The space where the spiritsappear is always encircled by
such a line as a guard againstpossible attempts at exposure.
Of course, everybody in the roomwas on his feet.
Some of the front row, peoplewere rushing upon Nick.
Others had crowded aroundColonel Richmond so closely that
Nick was afraid.
He might not fully see theexposure of this fake.
The person whom Nick had seizedwas not a woman as might've been
(21:01):
expected, but a man.
He was of short stature, butsurprising strength.
Even in the mighty arms of thedetective, he managed to
struggle vigorously.
And for a moment prevented Nickfrom tearing away the white and
ghostly wrappings, but acomplete exposé could not have
been long delayed.
In spite of the odds againsthim.
Nick was certain to come outahead.
(21:22):
He called out to ColonelRichmond.
Look, look at this.
It's a man.
Just at that instant, a tall manwho had been standing beside the
female medium and acting asmaster of ceremonies, seized an
ornament from the mantlepieceand hurled it, not at Nick as
the detective expected, but atthe lamp in the corner of the
room.
This lamp had been turned up byone of the timid believers, as
(21:45):
soon as the row began.
The missile, which thespiritualistic bouncer hurled
was well-directed.
It smashed the lamp intofragments and the room for a
minute was dark.
Then another light flashed up.
The broken lamp had set fire tothe window.
Curtains.
The scene hadn't been what onewould call peaceful before, but
it had been nothing at all towhat it became when the fire
(22:07):
leapt up.
Pandemonium broke loose.
Doors and windows were burst outand everybody rushed toward the
outer air.
Among the last to emerge wasNick.
He held the bouncer in one handand the ghost of aunt.
Lavina in the other.
Both of them were very badlyused up.
When the detective dropped themon the lawn, they made no
attempt to rise.
(22:29):
Some of the medium stool pigeonswere beginning to get their wits
together and were makingpreparations for putting out the
fire.
Nick yelled to them and pointedto a line of garden hose on the
lawn.
There was a head of water inthis pipe and with the aid of
its stream, the fire wasextinguished.
The detective did not assist.
He turned his attention todiscovering what had become of
Colonel Richmond.
(22:50):
The Colonel had disappeared.
The carriage in which he hadcome, was gone.
Doubtless, the person who haddriven him over had hustled him
into the carriage at theearliest possible moment.
A shrewd move.
Muttered, Nick.
And a bad one for me.
However, I've got this gangcornered and if they've been
doing the job at the Colonel'shouse, their operations are
(23:12):
over.
There was an excited group ofpeople by the main door of the
house.
In the midst of them stood themedium, a fat and coarse woman
who Nick had seen before in thesame crooked business.
Those around her were the realbelievers in spiritualism who
had come to the show.
They had witnessed the exposureand were ready to mob the
medium.
Nick took his two prisoners tothis group.
(23:33):
He tied them securely and thenturned to one of the dupes.
Why don't you have these peoplearrested.
He whispered Charge them withtaking money under false
pretenses.
Good said the man there's awarrant for some of them
already.
I'll get the Constable who livesover across the fields and he'll
put them all in.
A half hour later, the wholegang was under arrest and on the
(23:54):
way to the nearest lockup.
The detective felt that hisevenings work was not in vain.
Whatever might be the factsabout the connection of this
gang with the affair at ColonelRichmond's.
It was a good thing to get themall out of the way.
The Colonel's presence amongthem prove that they were the
spiritualistic crowd, which wasafter him.
Their removal would simplifymatters.
(24:16):
Moreover the Colonel's presenceand his questioning of the
spook, show that any theoryconnecting him with the
disappearance of the jewels waswrong.
It was evident that he had askedthe questions in all sincerity,
believing that he was really inthe presence of his aunt's
spirit.
He could hardly be crazy enoughto do that.
Supposing that his lunacy hadled him to abstract the jewels.
(24:38):
Having witnessed the arrest ofthe gang.
Nick procured a horse and droverapidly toward Colonel
Richmond's house.
He arrived there at about halfpast 11.
O'clock.
There was a light in the parlorand through the open window,
Nick beheld an unusual scene.
The Colonel Mrs.
Pond and Horace were present.
Mr pond was not in the house.
(25:00):
He had returned to New York.
Besides the persons named.
There were in the parlor, nearlyall of the servants connected in
any way with the establishment.
It looked as if the Colonel washolding court.
One of the servants seem to begiving testimony.
The expressions on the faces ofthe others showed deep interest
and superstitious terror.
(25:21):
Nick had no doubt about what wasgoing on.
The Colonel was getting to thebottom of the ghost stories.
There must have been moremanifestations that night.
The detective was in doubtwhether to enter the house in
his own character.
Finally he decided not to do so.
He disguised himself in thecharacter of John Gilder, the
Coachman who was not present inthe parlor.
(25:42):
It seemed best to gain access tothe room from an entrance toward
the old part of the house,instead of from the main hall.
So Nick passed around the cornerof the house.
As he did.
So he was aware of a dark figurecrouching in the shadow.
He instantly grappled with it.
And the figure was not lessprompt in grappling with him.
The struggle was very brief.
(26:03):
It ended with Nick on top and noharm done.
The detective instantly leapedto his feet again.
Patsy! He exclaimed.
What brings you here?
Is the Colonel really done withcontacting the spirit world.
Was Ms.
Millie Stevens really behind thefake seance.
What information does Patsy haveto assist the case?
(26:25):
And exactly who or what isstealing the jewels.
Find out next time on the nextepisode of Nick Carter's ghost
story available here at forwardinto the past.
Hey gang.
As always, I want to give a hugeshout out and a plethora of
thanks to the tirelessvolunteers out of project
(26:46):
Gutenberg.
Their efforts have made accessto this and other public domain
stories possible.
Now remember I will alwaysdonate$1 back to project
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this show.
By following the links on thepodcast website or the
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(27:08):
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And remember if you like theshow.
Tell your friends.
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(27:28):
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(27:50):
And once again, that's forwardinto the past podcast.com.
Well gang, once again.
Thanks for listening.
Keep sharing the stories and bea good human.
Bye for now.
Hi, everyone.
And welcome again to anotherepisode of forward into the
past.
I'm JC Renee, your host andnarrator.
And today we're continuing themysterious jewel heist case of
Nick Carter's ghost story.
Dime novels have a long andstoried history.
Unfortunately some of thathistory has been very negative,
(00:23):
like many other forms ofentertainment.
Just before the turn of thecentury.
Dime novels and other derivativeforms of these stories, like
story papers, weekly magazinesand thick books were often
maligned portrayed as corruptingthe youth of America.
Dime novels like our streamingservices today, television of
(00:43):
the past, and of course filmsand literature of any kind we're
separated by genre.
Many of the themes used backthen for dime novels were
frontier stories whicheventually morphed into
westerns.
Stories of the circus stories ofthe sea and far away Tropic
lands.
And the early prototype ofscience fiction stories where
(01:05):
young inventors tinkered awaywith everyday objects and
created floating dirigibles andother flying contraptions.
But as you can see, most ofthese stories concerned
themselves with other places,other worlds and other realities
where the reader could escapeto.
Of course, there were otherstyles of stories as well, like
(01:26):
the early detective stories,such as Nick Carter or romances
where a young shop girl falls inlove with a well-to-do man about
town, but eventually classdifferences crush her hopes of a
budding romance.
But the moralistic tone of theearly 20th century was all about
keeping kids in line.
They saw these stories asdangerous because they were in
(01:48):
the accusations of the times.
Filling the heads of thesechildren with stories of running
away and not listening to theirparents.
Hmm.
That seems eerily like theaccusations, the following
generation had about rock androll music.
Unfortunately, what this meantwas that dime novels were often
seen as something shameful, eventhough the publishers and even
(02:11):
the writers of these storiespublicly announced that the
stories were in fact, quitemoralistic and followed the same
values that we had as a societyback then.
Of course.
Looking at some of those valuestoday with our 21st century
eyes.
We can see that they were andstill are quite troublesome and
(02:33):
in many cases outright wrong.
But for the time they were stillfairly respectable.
In either case dime novelscontinued to be a huge source of
entertainment for many years.
In fact, when those childrenlook back at the stories of
their youth, they did.
So as we do today, with a senseof nostalgia and longing and
(02:54):
managed to save most of them inbetter printed paperbacks.
And in some cases, the verywealthy managed to save and
donate original story papers,dime novels, and weekly
magazines to universitylibraries for preservation.
And it is through theseuniversities that they have been
able to digitize the stories forplaces like project Gutenberg to
(03:17):
share with the world.
This is one of the reasons why Iwill always donate some of the
money that is provided to me byyou, the listener back to
project Gutenberg.
Save the stories so that we cancontinue to share them.
And now.
Back to our main story.
Last time.
Our Intrepid detective NickCarter was quietly figuring out
(03:41):
who had the motive to steal thedeceased.
Ms.
Levina Richmond's jewels thathad been left to Colonel
Richmond's daughter, Mrs.
Pond.
After investigating Mrs.
Pond's dressing room.
Nick had noticed that somethinghad stolen one of three diamond
hairpins from that very roomwhen his back was turned.
(04:02):
To make matters, even worse.
A few minutes later, Nick andthe rest of the guests at the
mansion watched, Mrs.
Stevens arrive in a carriagewith the missing pin.
While interviewing Mrs.
Stevens about her knowledge ofthe events at plumber house.
Her daughter Millie made astrong case against herself as
lead suspect.
(04:24):
Where do we go from here?
Well, let's find out as we goforward into the past.
Once again, with the next twochapters in the strange case of
Nick Carter's ghost story.
Chapter five Colonel Richmond'snight adventure.
Of course, Nick questioned theservant.
(04:46):
To have failed to do that wouldhave been to throw light upon
his real suspicions.
She was a tall slender, andrather pretty Irish girl named
Annie O'Neill.
Her answers to all questionswere plain and simple.
She told what she had been doingon the previous day while Mrs.
Stevens was at lunch.
She had not been in the diningroom all the time, but had come
(05:07):
in twice or thrice whensummoned.
During the remainder of the timeshe had been in the kitchen.
Nobody had been with her there.
When Nick left the house, herode half a mile back along the
road.
And then dismounted and sat downunder a big tree.
In a few minutes, a farmer'swagon came along.
A young man who looked like afarm laborer.
(05:29):
Was riding beside the farmer.
He did not ride far beyond theplace where Nick was sitting.
In a few minutes, they sattogether under the tree.
The young farm laborer, wasPatsy.
I got your message said, Patsy.
I took the chance to ride overfrom the station with that
fellow.
And I've asked him a fewquestions about the house where
(05:49):
you want me to go on duty.
It seems that there's no show toget in there on any pretext.
I'll have to camp around on theoutside, like a grass eater.
That won't hurt you.
Patsy, my lad said Nick.
The weather's good.
You're to keep an eye on thewhole household, but on Ms.
Stevens, especially.
This is the way the case looksat the present.
The girl is doing the work onthis end in connection with some
(06:12):
Confederate concealed in ColonelRichmond's house.
Do you understand the game?
It's to work the spirit racketon Colonel Richmond until he
buys the jewels from hisdaughter or her husband and
gives them to Ms.
Stephens.
You must watch for the system bywhich she communicates with her
Confederate in Richmond's house.
They work the mails, but theremust be some quicker means to
(06:33):
use in emergencies.
Try to snare a letter or getsight of the other party.
And be sure not to jump atconclusions, Patsy.
I've told you how the caselooks, but it may be any other
way.
I haven't begun to work down toit yet.
Nick mounted his horse and Patsystrolled away in the direction
of the Steven's house.
When the detective got back toColonel Richmond's, it was well
(06:55):
along in the afternoon.
He spent the remainder of hisday in exploring the secret
recesses of the old house.
It was indeed a marvelous place.
And Nick got a very high opinionof the ingenuity of the man who
had designed its mysteriouspassages.
He got little else however.
One or two discoveries.
He certainly made.
(07:16):
They were important asindicating that somebody had
recently been in the secretpassages.
There was nothing to show whatthat person had been doing in
there.
But the probability was ofcourse that he had concealed
himself in the old part of thehouse while preparing for his
operations in Mrs.
Pond's room or while escapingfrom them.
These indications were veryvague and did not point to the
(07:38):
principal in this affair, thatmysterious thief who worked
invisibly and by such strangemethods.
After dinner, Horace Richmondtook Nick aside for what he
termed a discussion of thisghostly rot.
The very devil is in thisbusiness, said Horace.
The servants are getting scaredout of their wits.
(07:59):
They all sleep in the old partof the house, you knew.
And there isn't one of them who,hasn't some story to tell of
what goes on there at night.
Some of these yarns are the oldfashioned business about sighs
and groans and doors opening andshutting without anybody to open
and shut them.
But under it all, I must say,that there seems to be a basis
of fact.
(08:21):
There's John Guilder, theCoachman you've seen him.
Does he look like a man who canbe scared easily?
I should say not laughed Nick.
He looks to me like a Yankeehorse trader who is too intimate
with the devil and his ways tobe at all alarmed about them.
Just so, uh, John Guilder cameto me today and told me just as
calmly as I tell you the time ofday that he'd seen the ghost of
(08:44):
Ms.
Lavina Richmond.
He saw her right in this roomwhere we are now.
They had gone to the largedining hall in the old mansion.
Horace sometimes used it as asmoking room, but otherwise it
was seldom visited except whenthe house was full of guests and
all the old part was thrownopen.
It was a long and high roomfinished in dark wood and
(09:06):
decorated with molderingportraits in the worst possible
style of art.
At one end was a giganticfireplace, which was closed by a
screen of boards.
He told me, continued Horace.
That he was passing through herelate last night.
Uh, near midnight, he said, Andthat he saw Lavina Richmond
standing just about where youstand now.
(09:28):
He came in by that door behindme and she was directly facing
him.
He says that he did not move oryell or do anything, but just
stood staring at her.
She paid no attention, whateverto him, but passed across the
room and went out by that otherdoor, which opened as she
approached and closed after herof itself.
(09:50):
Then he ran for his room.
He claims that he wasn't scared.
Uh, only a bit nervous.
You can believe that if you wantto.
I tell you that he was scared Sothat he won't get over it in a
year.
If it wasn't for that, I mightthink he was lying.
But when a man like Gildaquietly invites the footman,
whom he's always hated to takehalf of his bed for a few weeks.
(10:13):
It's a sure thing that he seensomething out of the ordinary.
And the footman, as I learnedwas mighty, glad to accept the
invitation for he's been havinga few experiences of his own.
Now, Mr.
Carter.
You and I believe that thesethings are done by some clever
trickster.
It may be that some bogus mediumwho used to get the Colonel's
(10:35):
good money away from him wantsmore of it and is taking this
means of driving my uncle backto the fold of true believers.
I'm beginning to believe thatthat may be the fact, but
whatever it is, the case is allmighty serious.
Here's a nice old man livinghappily and gradually getting
away from this delusion.
And he is an agent of the deviltrying to drive this old man
(10:57):
back to his delusion and make alunatic of him for that's what
the doctor says will certainlyhappen.
I say it's too bad.
Not to mention the jewels atall.
Now, what are we going to doabout it?
Catch the rascal said Nickpromptly.
And catch him mighty quick.
Well, I hope you will succeed.
I tell you Mr.
Carter.
I feel toward Colonel Richmond,all the affection that I would
(11:19):
give my own father, if he werealive.
And I can't bear to see himdriven out of his wits in this
infernal way.
Have no fear.
said Nick.
We'll save him.
This trickery with the servantsmay give us a chance to catch
our man.
They returned to the parlor inthe new part of the house.
Colonel Richmond was not there.
Where is he?
(11:39):
Asked Horace anxiously of Mrs.
Pond.
He has gone to his room.
He said that the excitement ofthis affair had worn him out
completely.
Horace looked relieved.
Nick said that he too would goto his room.
He went, but he did not remainlong in it.
He had a fancy for a quietstroll around the house on the
outside.
It would be interesting to knowwhether anybody entered or left
(12:02):
it during the night.
One of the secret passages ofthe old house communicated with
a sort of tunnel which had itsouter extremity in an old well
about 20 yards away.
This tunnel had caved in longbefore, but had been restored by
Colonel Richmond who wished topreserve all the old time
peculiarities of the place.
The inner end of it had beenclosed by a strong door.
(12:24):
So as to prevent anybody whomight have the secret from
entering in that way.
But Nick was strongly of theopinion that it would not keep
out the persons who werehaunting the house in case they
desired to come in.
If anybody was going in and outsecretly, this seemed to be the
readiest way.
So Nick had resolved to watchthe well that night.
(12:45):
A little house with sides oflattice work had been built over
it and vines covered it.
Nick stealthily, crept into itsshadow and prepared for his
vigil.
But it was not destined to be along one.
He had not been there 10 minutesbefore he saw a figure hastening
along one of the numerous paths,which wound through the grounds.
(13:07):
This person evidently wished toavoid observation.
And that was enough for Nick.
He immediately started inpursuit.
He trailed his man to the edgeof the Colonel's grounds.
During this pursuit, the mankept in the shadow of some trees
and Nick had no opportunity tosee him clearly.
But as the man stepped out intothe highway, a Ray of Moonlight
(13:28):
fell upon him and Nickrecognized him in an instant.
It was Colonel Richmond.
Why this man should be leavinghis own house by stealth and
under the cover of darkness wasan interesting problem.
Nick resolved to know all aboutit before the night was much
older.
So he trailed along.
The Colonel walked up thehighway with rapid strides.
(13:50):
About half a mile from thehouse.
He found a carriage standingunder the shadow of a tree.
Evidently he expected to find itjust there for, he immediately
jumped into it and the driverwhipped up his horse.
Nick was unable to see thedriver, for the carriage was a
covered buggy and had beenstanding with its back toward
him.
The horse was evidently a goodone, but Nick overhauled him and
(14:12):
got hold of the carriage behind.
There was no chance for him toride there, but his grip on the
wagon helped him along and heran about eight miles quite
comfortably.
His presence so near wasentirely unsuspected by the
occupants of the carriage.
He was favorably situated foroverhearing their conversation.
But unfortunately they did notsay anything.
(14:33):
Nick discovered that the driverwas a woman, but he could only
guess at her identity.
At last, they turned suddenlyout of the road into the grounds
of a private house.
The sound of the wheels wasevidently heard within and the
front door was thrown open,letting out considerable light
from the hall.
Nick could not go too near thatlight.
So he let go and crept into someshrubbery.
(14:56):
The carriage drew up before thedoor and the Colonel and his
companion hurried into thehouse, leaving the horse tied.
The detective failed to obtain agood view of the woman or of the
person who had opened the door.
The latter seemed to be aservant.
When the door had closed, Nickcrept up.
He maneuvered carefully anddiscovered that there was
(15:17):
somebody sitting in the halljust inside the door.
Entrance by that means was outof the question.
However he succeeded withoutmuch difficulty in entering the
house from the rear.
He found himself in the kitchenfrom which he passed into a
dining room.
This apartment was almosttotally dark.
Nick felt his way to the side,opposite the kitchen and came to
(15:39):
a heavy pair of folding doors.
From the other side, came aconfused murmur of voices as if
many persons were talking inhushed tones.
Presently, they became quitestill.
And then there arose the soundof music.
It was a slow and somber strainas from an organ gently played.
(15:59):
Nick was crouching against thedoor among the folds of a
curtain, which could be drawnacross.
Suddenly he heard a slight soundbehind him.
He turned noiselessly.
A white figure flitted acrossthe room.
Nick was at one end of thefolding doors and the figure
pass to the other end and intothe corner beyond.
There it suddenly vanished.
(16:21):
The light was so dim that Nickcould not tell exactly what had
happened.
It certainly seemed as if thefigure had gone straight through
the wall.
About a minute later, anotherform appeared in the same way.
It crossed the room andvanished.
Good muttered, Nick.
I'll back these ghosts againstany that Colonel Richmond can
(16:42):
raise in his house.
Almost immediately, there wasthe sound of a voice in the room
beyond the doors.
Does any person presentrecognize a departed friend it
said.
Then Colonel Richmond's voicearose, hoarse and trembling with
emotion.
Aunt Levina.
He said.
Tell me what you wish me to do.
(17:03):
I will obey you.
Absolutely.
I thought so chuckled thedetective.
The Colonel has come to attend aspiritualistic seance.
Chapter six.
A Roundup of spook artists.
It began to look very much as ifHorace Richmond's theory was
correct.
Certainly the Colonel had fallenagain into the clutches of bogus
(17:26):
mediums.
It might be that the whole plotwas directed to that end and
that the transfer of the jewelsto the Stevenson's was only to
be an incidental result of theplot.
Yet, so long as Ms.
Stephens unusual conductremained unexplained.
It would not do to go upon thistheory.
One of the principle things thatHorace Richmond employed me to
do said Nick to himself.
(17:47):
Was to break up his uncle'sbelief in spiritualism.
I guess that this is a firstchance to do that.
He softly crept to the cornerwhere the gliding figures had
disappeared.
There as he expected.
He found one of those movablepanels, which the bogus mediums
prepare so cleverly.
His experience of such affairstaught Nick exactly what he
(18:08):
should find in the other room.
There must be a little cabinetin the corner covering the other
side of the sliding panel.
The medium might be in it, orshe might be sitting blindfold
just by the door, but thecabinet was certainly not empty.
Two figures had gone into it asNick had observed.
One of these was doubtlessplaying the part of aunt Lavina.
(18:29):
The other must be waiting toappear in some other role.
Nick listened.
He could hear the colonelquestioning the supposed spirit.
The replies were put in thatsilly and mysterious language,
supposed to be appropriate tovisitors from the other world.
The meaning of them.
However, was plain enough.
Colonel Richmond was commandedto restore the jewels to Millie
(18:50):
Stevens.
This point was made.
So exceedingly clear and hispromise was demanded in such
stringent terms that Nick was nolonger able to doubt that the
interests of the Stevenson'swere being very carefully
attended to by these spookcompellers.
In view of the facts alreadyknown it was hardly possible to
reach any other conclusion thanthat Millie Stevens had hired
(19:13):
this medium to do the whole job.
That it was being done to theQueen's taste, Nick was forced
to admit.
Yet he couldn't help being sorryto believe that such a charming
and beautiful girl as MillieStephens should be mixed up in
such a dirty business.
He waited till Colonel Richmondhad completed his solemn
protestations and then suddenlyslid the panel and passed
(19:36):
through.
There was another person in thecabinet who was of course
instantly aware of Nick'sentrance.
But the place was so dark thatat first, the bogus ghost did
not know that Nick was not oneof the regular company of
spirits.
He had a chance to get hisbearings before the discovery
was made.
The shade of aunt Levina wasjust retreating toward the
(19:56):
cabinet, making that absurdseries of nods and gestures,
which such spirits always use.
Nick could see this performancethrough an aperture in the side
of the cabinet.
He instantly leaped out andgrappled with the spook.
Then there was an uproar.
The whole room was inindescribable confusion.
Somebody turned up the light.
(20:16):
For an instant Nick grapplingwith the spirit saw Colonel
Richmond.
The Colonel had not been given aprivate seance.
Possibly he had not desired it.
He had come with a dozen othervictims of the same delusion.
He had been given a seat alittle in the rear.
Before him as, is usual was arow of persons who were in the
game.
(20:37):
The space where the spiritsappear is always encircled by
such a line as a guard againstpossible attempts at exposure.
Of course, everybody in the roomwas on his feet.
Some of the front row, peoplewere rushing upon Nick.
Others had crowded aroundColonel Richmond so closely that
Nick was afraid.
He might not fully see theexposure of this fake.
The person whom Nick had seizedwas not a woman as might've been
(21:01):
expected, but a man.
He was of short stature, butsurprising strength.
Even in the mighty arms of thedetective, he managed to
struggle vigorously.
And for a moment prevented Nickfrom tearing away the white and
ghostly wrappings, but acomplete exposé could not have
been long delayed.
In spite of the odds againsthim.
Nick was certain to come outahead.
(21:22):
He called out to ColonelRichmond.
Look, look at this.
It's a man.
Just at that instant, a tall manwho had been standing beside the
female medium and acting asmaster of ceremonies, seized an
ornament from the mantlepieceand hurled it, not at Nick as
the detective expected, but atthe lamp in the corner of the
room.
This lamp had been turned up byone of the timid believers, as
(21:45):
soon as the row began.
The missile, which thespiritualistic bouncer hurled
was well-directed.
It smashed the lamp intofragments and the room for a
minute was dark.
Then another light flashed up.
The broken lamp had set fire tothe window.
Curtains.
The scene hadn't been what onewould call peaceful before, but
it had been nothing at all towhat it became when the fire
(22:07):
leapt up.
Pandemonium broke loose.
Doors and windows were burst outand everybody rushed toward the
outer air.
Among the last to emerge wasNick.
He held the bouncer in one handand the ghost of aunt.
Lavina in the other.
Both of them were very badlyused up.
When the detective dropped themon the lawn, they made no
attempt to rise.
(22:29):
Some of the medium stool pigeonswere beginning to get their wits
together and were makingpreparations for putting out the
fire.
Nick yelled to them and pointedto a line of garden hose on the
lawn.
There was a head of water inthis pipe and with the aid of
its stream, the fire wasextinguished.
The detective did not assist.
He turned his attention todiscovering what had become of
Colonel Richmond.
(22:50):
The Colonel had disappeared.
The carriage in which he hadcome, was gone.
Doubtless, the person who haddriven him over had hustled him
into the carriage at theearliest possible moment.
A shrewd move.
Muttered, Nick.
And a bad one for me.
However, I've got this gangcornered and if they've been
doing the job at the Colonel'shouse, their operations are
(23:12):
over.
There was an excited group ofpeople by the main door of the
house.
In the midst of them stood themedium, a fat and coarse woman
who Nick had seen before in thesame crooked business.
Those around her were the realbelievers in spiritualism who
had come to the show.
They had witnessed the exposureand were ready to mob the
medium.
Nick took his two prisoners tothis group.
(23:33):
He tied them securely and thenturned to one of the dupes.
Why don't you have these peoplearrested.
He whispered Charge them withtaking money under false
pretenses.
Good said the man there's awarrant for some of them
already.
I'll get the Constable who livesover across the fields and he'll
put them all in.
A half hour later, the wholegang was under arrest and on the
(23:54):
way to the nearest lockup.
The detective felt that hisevenings work was not in vain.
Whatever might be the factsabout the connection of this
gang with the affair at ColonelRichmond's.
It was a good thing to get themall out of the way.
The Colonel's presence amongthem prove that they were the
spiritualistic crowd, which wasafter him.
Their removal would simplifymatters.
(24:16):
Moreover the Colonel's presenceand his questioning of the
spook, show that any theoryconnecting him with the
disappearance of the jewels waswrong.
It was evident that he had askedthe questions in all sincerity,
believing that he was really inthe presence of his aunt's
spirit.
He could hardly be crazy enoughto do that.
Supposing that his lunacy hadled him to abstract the jewels.
(24:38):
Having witnessed the arrest ofthe gang.
Nick procured a horse and droverapidly toward Colonel
Richmond's house.
He arrived there at about halfpast 11.
O'clock.
There was a light in the parlorand through the open window,
Nick beheld an unusual scene.
The Colonel Mrs.
Pond and Horace were present.
Mr pond was not in the house.
(25:00):
He had returned to New York.
Besides the persons named.
There were in the parlor, nearlyall of the servants connected in
any way with the establishment.
It looked as if the Colonel washolding court.
One of the servants seem to begiving testimony.
The expressions on the faces ofthe others showed deep interest
and superstitious terror.
(25:21):
Nick had no doubt about what wasgoing on.
The Colonel was getting to thebottom of the ghost stories.
There must have been moremanifestations that night.
The detective was in doubtwhether to enter the house in
his own character.
Finally he decided not to do so.
He disguised himself in thecharacter of John Gilder, the
Coachman who was not present inthe parlor.
(25:42):
It seemed best to gain access tothe room from an entrance toward
the old part of the house,instead of from the main hall.
So Nick passed around the cornerof the house.
As he did.
So he was aware of a dark figurecrouching in the shadow.
He instantly grappled with it.
And the figure was not lessprompt in grappling with him.
The struggle was very brief.
(26:03):
It ended with Nick on top and noharm done.
The detective instantly leapedto his feet again.
Patsy! He exclaimed.
What brings you here?
Is the Colonel really done withcontacting the spirit world.
Was Ms.
Millie Stevens really behind thefake seance.
What information does Patsy haveto assist the case?
(26:25):
And exactly who or what isstealing the jewels.
Find out next time on the nextepisode of Nick Carter's ghost
story available here at forwardinto the past.
Hey gang.
As always, I want to give a hugeshout out and a plethora of
thanks to the tirelessvolunteers out of project
(26:46):
Gutenberg.
Their efforts have made accessto this and other public domain
stories possible.
Now remember I will alwaysdonate$1 back to project
Gutenberg for every cup ofcoffee donated in support of
this show.
By following the links on thepodcast website or the
information page for the podcastshow on whichever platform
(27:08):
you're using.
Just follow the link that sayssupport the show and it will
take you to my, buy me a coffeesupport page.
And remember if you like theshow.
Tell your friends.
If you don't like the show, tellme.
You can send me a messagethrough our website at forward,
(27:28):
into the past podcast.com.
Remember, you can always send amessage, leave a voicemail, give
a review of the show, read theblog for more behind the scenes
info.
Or sign up for the upcomingmailing list, which will have
upcoming story titles for therest of the year.
All of that, and more isavailable on the website.
(27:50):
And once again, that's forwardinto the past podcast.com.
Well gang, once again.
Thanks for listening.
Keep sharing the stories and bea good human.
Bye for now.
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