Nine Prisoners an episode of Columbia Workshop -

Please enjoy Nine Prisoners a great episode of the legendaryColumbia Workshop - - A Classic Old Time radio Show

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
Be a workshop for then nine prisonersby William Marsh adopted for radio by Brian
J. Byrn. My name isJulius Pelton. I don't mean a thing

(00:36):
to you. I don't mean athing to anybody else, and it means
less to me. There was atime when I was proud of that name,
proud of a lot of things,my background, my character, my
country, my country. I guessthat was my greatest pride. But all

(00:57):
that's changed now. I'm out ofnothing. I'm interested in nothing. Because
you see, I am a body. It probably sounds scurry to you,
but that's what I am. Abody, a thing without a soul.
Wasn't always that way. I hada soul in those days when I had

(01:19):
something to be proud of. Itwas my pride that lost me, my
soul, my pride of my country. That's why I enlisted and did my
bit in the war, HM thewar. I came out of it all
in one piece. I was alucky guy, that's what they said.
But I lost more than an arma leg I had all my life.

(01:47):
It don't make much difference where ithappened. It was a long way from
here on the edge of the woodto our left was a gravel pit,
long abandoned, with one narrow opening. Back of that, a ravine ran
straight for a hundred yards. Thenit stopped blindly against the bank of clay.
That's where I stopped, too,Where I stopped being the man.

(02:07):
I was where I lost all thatmakes the flesh more than so many sounds
of beef. I just ordered mymen to dig in. Our first battalion
was to pass over our heads tocontinue the attack. In the gravel pit
were twenty two prisoners taken that day. We just about finished digging in when
the first men started to jump overus. All right, follow that deepen

(02:30):
out here, come for first battalion, tide, I'll get your head down.
Of those guys, I'll kick yourbrains off and you can watch it.
Come everybody, boy. It seemedto be all lake an arms keeping
over our heads like that. Havethe nimbers, sure enough, but most
of those lakes and arms to beslung off over the country side in a
few minutes. How many then,guys, you pig, you'll come through.
And a fight like this is onlyone out of every three, jeez,
one and three two down for everyoneup. Look at him, go

(02:51):
like there in a hurry to getit over. It's funny when you think
of it as it two out ofthree, one over two over the heaths,
there come a lucky step ahead.One two, lucky three two.
It's like there was a big preveon the other side of this trench,
and every two guys were jumping intoit. Yeah, one, two,
lucky three. Who were they madea sticking here? No, but thank

(03:12):
your stars, you're not go aroundwith the first battalion. We do not
share her, that's what you wouldthink. Don't worry. They've picked up
some sort of a mess fars inthe detail of gods. Then prisoners.
We got over there and there's tampton. There comes to loss of the battalion.
That's good. The next getting steppedfrom being cramped down in this shallow
trench. All right, man,you're gonna romax now, o God.
Anyway, that's Bellie you are suregives you a lot of trouble in Havdent.

(03:35):
Well, I'm hungry, Dargan Pelton, Yes, Captain Matbluf he kind
of loss. Yet, how manymen of you lost horses? That's not
bad, could be worse. Yes, you've nobly two dozen prisoners in tanped
haven't you exactly twenty two? Sir? That's bad taking too many prisoners,
Dargeant. They're a problem, yes, sir, they sure are. What
do you think we're going to dowith them? I was one ring,

(03:58):
sir. Some of them are prettybadly wounded. I wasn't thinking about that
much helpier otherwise, they present aproblem. Can't take them along with us,
and we can't let them all behindour lines, l sir. Something
has to be done. Couldn't wesend them back with our guard so the
wounded ones especially, No, it'simpossible. Be moving up pretty soon.
We'll need all of our men.Trophy and Carter I have to go back
anyway. So they're pretty badly bangedup. They could take our sergeants.

(04:21):
Very simple solution to the whole thing, Yes, sir. The easiest thing
would be to shoot them, shootthem with it. Yes, you can
train the machine gun on the graveltips. That's the simplest way, and
how to be simple enough, sir. It would get them off your hands.
Yes, it wouldn't. I'm afraidthe gap is tuned now and I
signed to Doug Ginns. Pretty hardfor a deminis now I don't. Don't

(04:44):
do it in the sand pit.You better take them up the ravine.
Do the job there. But Captain, you don't mean that, do you?
Sir, don't mean it? Whatdo you think I'm talking for?
But their prisoners I'm on helpless?Well what would you do with them?
We're going to advance, and ifyou are, why, I well,
I don't know right now, sir, mine is the only solution. Take
the man up the ravine and goodgod. So that's murder, cold blooded

(05:06):
murder. It's war, sergeant,use them out a little way. Which
way men die? The fact isthat they must stay in war, but
not like that's the way I happen. Yes, sir, how long have
you been in the service? Twentyyears, so long enough to know that
you should obey orders aout questioning,Yes, sir, better take Crpl Foster

(05:27):
and his squad use automatic rifles.I think Foster is the right man to
do it. Yes, sir,Foster's just the man for a job like
that, and you better tell himright away. I haven't finished the job
before nightfall. Good luck to you. Li'll clean job, Yes, sir,
flaty sergeant, you look glue aroundthe gills. You have to give
you some bad news. Yeah,yeah, Lord help me. And I've

(05:50):
been on the army since I wasa kid. I've seen plenty to turn
a man's stomach. But this iswrong for ars thing I am. My

(06:15):
name is Clarence Foster. I wasCorporal Foster. Then there's a big difference
between Clarence Foster and Corporal Foster.In fact, I'm not able to hook
on up or the other. Now, you see, I cut my teeth
almost a war propaganda. I wastold how glorious war was. They've played

(06:38):
a dirty trick on guys like me. They led me to believe all the
stuff they wrote. Now they sayjust the opposite. The propaganda is for
peace. So war is a terriblething. The things that were so right
then are so wrong now. Itmakes a guy feel that nothing at all

(07:00):
is right. It ain't a pleasantthing to be turned from the hera to
the beast just by the things thatGUIDs write down on paper. It's taken
me all these years to understand justhow sergeant caught himself when he came to
relay the captain's orders. I couldn'tunderstand then. He's just pale and trembling,

(07:21):
acting like the human being in hima soldier. I didn't get the
guy at all. He called mea side out of earshot on my spotty
looks so scared I wanted to laughtGod, God fusteros tanda like I don't.
He told you it was time forgrub. Don't you realize what I
sayd Sure, sure, it's sorry. You just told me that captain wants
me that you're funny to do unarmedprisoner that I mean, he's no more

(07:41):
to you than any order, likeany other order, certainly not that enemy.
The guys were fighting. We're notfighting them in in that sand,
but they're helpless. They can't dono harm anymore. That's what you say.
Sorry, But it ain't so.Don't you realize what they're up to.
The enemy send a lot of menover to give themselves up. Then
when they get enough men back ofour line, they start a bribe and
the prison's attacked from the rear.It's an old drink side. I'm surprised

(08:03):
you ain't heard about it before.I've heard a lot of hooey in my
time, but this is Frank Goods. I tell you. I've read all
about their dirty tricks, even beforeI came over. Do you believe all
the trice you're ready? Who don'tthink they got all the trouble of printing
it if it wasn't prove I say, sorry, you're getting chicken hearted.
You're gonna realize that in a war, anything you do to the enemies,
all right, you believe that's too. I'm sure I believe it. Don't
take furn down churches and dash thebrain dot Anderson creepies. Gee, now,

(08:26):
look, don't you go getting yourselfin an uproar about this. Don't
leave everything to me? I sure, Well, the captain said, you're
just the man for the job.Sure, he's got confidence in me.
Why start wars? Warret ain't notea party. Those fellas in the sands
are dirty. You gotta freedom dirty. We're doing that, all right.
This is the dirtiest thing I everheard of, and I hope something will

(08:48):
happen to stop it. That's theway you feel about it, and I
guess you can't help it. Wellthe captain once had done before. Dog,
see better, get your men ready, okay, sir, we'll do
ready. All right, Hey,you guys, loch automatic raffles and make
us trappy that set row. Wegot a little job to do, you
know what I mean, A littlejob. We're taking the president out of
the sandspits were true up the ravine. What's your idead? We're gonna shoot

(09:11):
him? What you shoot him?Yet? What have they done? There
ain't nothing else we can do withthem. We gotta get rid of them.
What kind of a guy gets thisfalter? What are you giving us?
I'm giving you the captain daughters,and I don't want no arguments out
of you. Guys. Act musthave gone off is nothing, expects to
go throw it? This is showfcrazy. No, he ain't. He
knows what he's doing. People whodon't understand that this is necessary may think

(09:31):
that Captain's wrong, but I understand. I think he's doing the right.
Team Well, I ain't gonna doit what. I don't mind killing a
man in a fight, but Iain't gonna shoot him down a cold blast.
He'll do it your cold nobody's makinga minor around on me. If
you don't obey the captain daughters,Joe get court martialled, then maybe we
let that shoot you too. TheCaptain knows dead do a thing like that.
No shit, he can't make usdo it. I don't shoot,

(09:52):
So it's your south Foster. You'llgo out with one machine. Guys,
a enough cat, get your gunsand talk moving now, I ain't.
I'm not cool with you, guysanymore quiet, you'll go and you'll get
court martialess Hi till now, whowants to be the first to disobey orders?

(10:13):
I'm waiting loose the first. Okay, then let's get going. My

(10:37):
name is Qus. Ever it wasthey told me, like they told the
others, that who are fighting ahumanitarian war? The war to save the
world, the war to end warwas. But I know better now there's
no such thing as the humanitarian war. I know two that war was never
end, not for some anyway.They go on and on. If you

(10:58):
forget the wars of oh, sure, there's always some incident that sticks in
your mind. You live and relivethat incident over and over again until you
know that there is no end.I was a private, proper, fastest
squad. I was detailed of God, the prisoners, and the sand pit.

(11:20):
They were mostly young boys with finefuds on their weary faces. He
looked sick and hungry. There wasone among them, the little man the
clearss blue eyes i've ever seen.He's much older than the others, and
he he he seemed to be theleader. His name was Schmidt. I
found out that he was a cabinetmaker like myself. Then we became good

(11:43):
friends. We talked a lot aboutwhat he was gonna do, and the
war would be over that time.We didn't know anything about Captain Netlock's order.
In fact, we had forgotten allabout the war for the time being.
He told me some dne interesting thingsabout cabinet making. Where he came
to me, we sat there inthe side of the pits are right,

(12:05):
heavy guns were coffee. The minuteI saw you, Quaus, I knew
you were a buildup of things likemyself. That your hands they still have
the stain of your trade. Hemight have to Yeah, nothing can wear
that off. I guess I neverwanted to wear off. I'm proud of

(12:28):
my trade. I'm proud of myhands. With these two hens. I
once made a music cabinet for aprince. He's not like a tradesman's at
all. They're long and being likea musicians are nice. Well, that's
what we are called cabinet makers.They are artists. And I guess you're
right there. Not a few peoplecan ever make a box, much less

(12:50):
a cabinet. I learned my tradefor my father. He learned it from
his father. It's funny how atrade can bring people together. I don't
feel it. You're like the farnat all. That's just it, chrls.
If we could only stop and realizethat the man we fight is a
man just like ourselves, and thatwould be no war. You're all right,

(13:13):
Smith, I have a cigarette.You want to give me one of
your cigarettes? Yeah? Take it? Oh so long, since I have
a smoke, I bet it makeme stay him, hadn't ah, that's
so good a class. Please,you wouldn't mind if I passed a cigarette

(13:35):
among my men. You see howthey look at it? Ahead, Yeah
yeah, young yeah, Sumnat,thank you, thank you, I thank
you for all of my men.And they cannot speak in your language.
That's all right, boys, surethat cigarette like they need it. Most

(13:56):
of them have not had a smokein many Schmidt, Schmidt, yes,
Victor, buses now. I can'tskind it much longer. The thing is
too much. Oh it's both belong now, Victor. Soon they will
take us out of here, andyou will go to a hospital, you
think so, Schmidt, Yes,my friend, soon now now you save

(14:18):
your energy. Yeah, you havea smoke too. What's the matter of
that chunster Schmidt? Oh, hewas shot in the stomach. Only his
youth keeps him alive. Croosy sixteenyears sure comes from the same town as
I. He thinks that I canhelp him. I wish I could.
He should be in a hospital.He looks so fair. It's a much

(14:39):
more bloodless. Should not of themmind what they're gonna do with you?
Man, I'm afraid poor Victor willnot be able to wait much longer.
Thinks must be pretty bad in yourcountry. When they send babies like that
at the fight, it means thatthe wall will be over soon. There's
no more men than I will beglad to get back home. How we
used to have such good times forpart of war. After the day's boy

(15:01):
was done, we got together andwe drink deal and we bring bongs.
And I wonder if you'll ever sing? They sure? Don't. You tell
me you'll forget all about it?Hey, what's up? What are they
talking about? S Bye? They'reexcited because you see, as part of
your men coming through the goods yousee over there. Oh yeah, that's
part the squad. He's my corporYou you think that they're going to take

(15:24):
us back to hand hinds Now,So my time, God, they are
victor. You see they're coming totake you to the hospital. You don't
fix me, sure, Envy,you fellas it was over for you,
No more fighting, no more sleepingand muddy trenching, no more smelling dead

(15:46):
pleasure. Well it's really it's myname. I just got out of military

(16:07):
prison, you said. Twenty years. I thought I'd be able to start
life all over again. I'm onlyforty two now, but I ain't no
start in life again. I thoughti'd forget you those twenty years, but
I didn't for twenty years, hethinking, thinking, uh, what had

(16:33):
happened before I was caught? Marshall. You say I'm a little queer,
and now stirredipy they caught. Nobodywants to have anything to do with me.
Yeah, you say I'm a littlequeer, So his life. I

(16:53):
remember when he put a soldier's uniformon me. I thought I looked swell.
I did too. It's a greatthing at jenniform feet of me like
a glove. I was so anxiousto prove myself worthy of it. I
don't think I did. That's whythey threw me in prison. But I

(17:17):
ain't know. I proved myself livingin myself when caught with fuss. They
marched this into the gravel. ButI was thinking of the same things every
other one of the men was.But I put my thoughts in action.
We was lined up and front ofthose twenty two frightened prisoners, there was

(17:41):
nine us. The nine was justas scared as the twenty two. Loved
your dumb How many more times doI have to explain this to you?
But I can't believe it faster sucha thing has ever been done. Well,
I've been telling these men that theywere going back behind. I have
their wounds taken care of. Hell, yeah, I didn't lie to them.
Their wounds I'll be taken care of, alright. They drawing. What's
the matter with you? Picked upyour gun walls? Ain't no use getting

(18:02):
yourself in trouble. What's the ideaof throwing your rifle away? And don't
get into this water? Those thingslike that, And if you saught it
was gonna be a child game.You should have brought you a thousand dishes
along with you. I'll pick upthat gun. I'm never gonna take that
gun again. I gotta have nothingto do with this. Come down.
Watch you're getting the business excited.You gotta dig record martial jury. I
don't care. I don't care whatthey do with me. I'm getting mad
at here. I'll be a stampwall. Don't can do it if you

(18:22):
want to, but I ain't evengonna look at it. I'm getting out
of here. I gonna have morefat good that they whah, whoa come
back? You hit him go,he won't get far. The military police
will take him up then and gethis surey scam, scam. He's got
more guts, the whole bunch ofus. You got nerve enough to do
what we all like to do.We'll cut the belly. You can then
get those men out of the sandpits. We gotta be at the ravine
the port dark Doc, Now,Foster, k you're nuts. The sun

(18:45):
still shriners, the sun shining.All right? What if the darkest day
any of us I ever know?I'm Charles Gordon. I've been around the

(19:22):
world a couple of times. Idon't know what else to do with myself.
But of all the traveling I've everdone, the longest trip of all
was the track from the graph whopitched to the ravine. The prisoners came
out of the pit stolidly, lookingneither to the right or the left.
The wood had been raked by artilleryfire. They glanced apprehensively over their shoulders

(19:44):
evers, and began to mutter excitedly. You'll be up your almost do with
your to come on down. Andthen there's all right, damn, here
here come the gap. Get inthere, you men alone, fright,
see, patient, can't wait hereall night. Do tell him your own
linger to get into the ravine,all right him. He's telling him that

(20:12):
we wear a different uniforms and wespeak a different language, but we're made
of the same flesh. And he'sexpressing his faith in men, and we're
getting ready to kill him. Nowthey go in. All right, I'll
get in yourself. I will goto Hey, fussy, what do you

(20:34):
want? Calls? So we haveto go through with this thing. Sure
I'm not The captain shows up bythe change your hard in the next few
minutes. Hopef we have to dealwhat I want to favorite. What is
it that little old fellow with theblue eyes? Wait, let me take
him back. And I wasn't chilledhim myself. But the matter, I
gotta gradue against him. He wouldn'tunderstand. He would I don't want him
to see what we do to hiscomrade. I don't want him to get
hurt. I can't be done called. The captain said here here, it's

(20:56):
gotta be. You got in line. God, I can't do this.
I cant do it, Monday.If you stampize prisons, I'll do your
top off. I'll get yourself together. Hey, your prisoner, get all
the ways back in there there over, that's it, I'll close in keep
together all right. Now, fellas, when I give you this signal,

(21:18):
let go quick bread your fire,ransom, tide to side ready, now
let them have it fire. Idon't always go down, thank you.
We want to take the camel,pick up a rifle, balls? What
are you fearing? Have? Icome on here, I'm Dick Monday.

(21:57):
I have always been considered a prettyhard boiled guy, and I guess I
was. I never saw men diejust like that before, and it did
something to me. I never thoughtit'd take so long before they stopped kicking.
I was in a tough spot.Belle Nugent was screaming on one side

(22:21):
of me. On the other sidewas big old ever At Qualls. After
the first burst of rifle fire,the gun dropped out of Quall's hand.
He stood there staring wild eyed atthat little blue eyed cabinet maker. He
had shot that little guy right off, but he didn't go down. Everett

(22:47):
Quall seemed like he was ready togo burser. Then the little guy looked
straight at every turned his head away, dropped on his face, tried to
get up a few times, finallyflattened out and was still corporal. Foster

(23:08):
Masters back brought our French. Westopped in the woods to eat bread past
that monkey meat along the Monday billbe I, I don't want to want
the matter, nothing, nothing atall. I'll come on, you guys,
snap out of it. You actlike that were your own brothers they
were less so than you. Toa man like us, farmers painters,

(23:32):
quick layers, cut the nakers.We slotted him. Oh go half,
I got a thicke. It wasn'tyour fault. Come on, get up
with the ground, dick, havea swing of this. Hey, what's
happened? Doing happened at? Wheredo you go? You got behind a
little way back? No, didn'tyou go back and see what happened doing?
Okay? Cop? I retraced mysteps back to the woods, looking

(24:00):
for an evidence. I was thinkingof the twenty two prisons in the trenches,
prisons they were just a few minutesbefore they were free now, while
of the nine of us, andye know, we'd never know freedom again.
There were nine prisoners ourselves now,men whose hearts and minds would be

(24:26):
forever locked in our own conscience.Things such as we had done could never
be forgotten. The ghosts of thetwenty two would walk with us forever.
Or realized where I was and stillon the edge of the ravines. There

(24:47):
they lay where we had left,and twisted into grotesque knots like anglo wings
and the can. Then I becameaware of something moving among them. Looked
more closely. It was Roger Invantgoing through their pockets. They shot at

(25:07):
him, Hey, novident, Ohhello, Bill, what are you doing
here? The person? Tell mewhat you're doing here? Oh? Just
looking verst of iron crosses and putthat stuff back? Oh Bill, don't
be like that. They ain't nogood to them square heads anymore. We
might as well have them. I'llspell them with you. But I have
they gotten that out of hands?Oh? I also just some regimental rings
and stuff doesn't have many value.Who are you, dirty louse robbing the

(25:32):
dead? Well, I'm gonna leaveyour hair for somebody else to rob your
cockets. Still, he forgot,I don't that's murdered. Really, I
was sure it's murder. That's mytel in it. That's what they're playing
me for. Well, I'm gonnado well by my Teake yourself for God
take you. Why. My nameis James Wade. I was the youngest

(26:07):
in Corporal Foster's squad when we wentinto the ravine, but I was the
oldest man in the world coming back. My father was a clergyman, and
I was gonna be a clergyman justlike him. But I knew I could
never preach to man about justice,love and mercy. Those things had vanished

(26:30):
from the earth. They were nomore. If indeed they ever existed as
more than worth, perhaps it wouldn'thave shaken my faith. So if Captain
Medlock hadn't lined us up next dayand marched us a lot as a chapel.
I could never trust men again.I've I've been back to that ravine

(26:56):
once since that day. The pitsand scars all gone from the land,
abandoned trenches and shell holes, andnow a solid mass of gently sloping vines
that ripple all day in the wind. You can tell the places where the
men died. The grass is themore green. Poppies grow more red than

(27:19):
corn, flowers more blue. Perhapsthat's because the soil is fertilized by the
blood and bodies of those who fell. More likely, it's because God is
so sicken where the things men doto each other that he covers the places
where they've been as quickly and completelyas possible. They say that war makes

(27:44):
beasts of men, But I saythat beasts of men make war. You

(28:04):
have been listening to the Columbia Workshopsproduction of Nine Prisoners, the celebrated American
short story by William Marsh, adaptedfor radio by Brian J. Byrne.
Special music was composed by Bernard Hermann, and the production was under the direction
of Earl McGill. Next Monday night, at this same time, the Columbia

(28:25):
Workshop will present an original play forradio entitled Jury Trial by James and Elizabeth
Hart. This is the Columbia BroadcastingSystem.