03 - Menace from Below by Harl Vincent

An entire subway train filled with unsuspecting passengers vanishes without a trace in the depths of the New York subway! A murder victims body appears to dissolve into the ground right before a witnesss eyes! What dark secrets do the mysterious subterranean ape men hold? Dive into this enthralling tale of wild science fiction and uncover the truth for yourself! - Summary by Ben Tucker

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Chapter three of The Menace from Below by harl Vincent.
This LibriVox recordings in the public domain. Chapter three comparing notes.
As Ward Platt and Charlie Frazy discussed the problem which
had been turned over to them by the mayor, there
was a ring at the telephone in the conference room

(00:22):
they occupied. Ward answered the ring and then passed the
telephone instrument to his partner long distance. For you, Charlie,
he said, Hello, Yes, this is mister Frasy speaking. Charlie
repeated mechanically into the transmitter. Oh, hello, Tony, glad to
hear from you. What's that Van Alsteen's dead? His body vanished.

(00:45):
Ward Platt sat forward, startled into close attention as his
partner listened closely to the words spoken so rapidly at
the other end of the wire. An occasional interruption by
his partner gave him a fairly good inkling of the
drift of the conversation, and his mind instantly associated this
new development with the strange happening in the subway. When
Charlie eventually hung up the receiver, he turned to his

(01:07):
partner with amazement written all over his features. Now was
Tony Randall, He said, He's up in Cartersville at Old
Van Alstein's country home. Happened to be passing by and
saw the old man apparently killed. Rushed into the house
and found him dead but with no wounds. Margaret, the
daughter you know, was there and suspected someone of the murder,
but Tony could find no evidence that he had been murdered,

(01:29):
no bullet or knife wounds. Then, while he was talking
with the girl, the body vanished from before their very eyes.
The girl's gone too now, and Tony's nearly bug house
evidently fell for her. I told him to hurry down here,
as you overheard. But isn't it the darnest thing you
ever heard of? Next to the subway mystery? Yes? And

(01:50):
I can't help tying the two events together somehow, me too.
These sure are queer doings. Four hours later, the two
engineers returned to their office more completely mystified than ever.
They had examined every foot of the tunnel from which
the train had vanished, and were unable to find the
slightest evidence upon which a theory could be based. It

(02:11):
was an impasse that stumped them and left them at
their wits ends. A feeling of relief came to the
two men when they were advised that Anthony Russell awaited
their return. Here at least was a new angle to
the mystery, something else to discuss and puzzle over. Tony
and Charlie greeted each other effusively. They were fraternity brothers
and had been closely associated during their college years. Ward

(02:34):
Platt took an instant liking to the young man who
was the friend of his partner. What is your business,
mister Russell, he asked, after the formality of the introduction
was over. Tony's an inventor, laughed Charlie before his friend
could reply. But one of those rare specimens with a
head for business along with the genius. He's president of
the uh Russell Television Corporation. Fine Fine said Ward, I

(02:59):
must congratulate you on the wonderful work that has been
done by your outfit. Maybe you could help us in
the job we have before us. Have you heard about
the mysteriously missing subway train? Just read about it on
the way down, replied Tony. Are the newspaper accounts true?
They are, said Ward solemnly, and it is a strange

(03:19):
parallel to the case of old Van Olstein's body. Yes,
replied Tony. I was struck with that idea as soon
as I read of the tunnel mystery. What on earth
can it mean? That's what Hamlin has commissioned Charlie and
me to find out, said Ward dryly. But suppose we
discuss it at lunch. It is way past the hour.

(03:41):
The three men were soon on the street and on
their way to the Astor on foot. They chatted lightly
as they elbowed through the crowds that packed the vicinity
of Times Square. The mystery of the subway tunnel was
on every tongue, and they found no little amusement at
some of the remarks of the excited passers by. The
congestion of traffic was terrific, and as they crossed Broadway
and turned northward alongside the Times Building, they found great

(04:04):
difficulty in progressing toward their destination. There was a startling
exclamation from Tony, and he attempted to make his way
from his companions in the direction of someone he had
seen in the crowd, Margaret van Alsteen, he repeated when
questioned by Charlie. There up ahead, She's about to enter
the subway Kiosk. He struggled and pushed to force his

(04:25):
way in the direction pointed out, and by dint of
much tussling with exasperated and complaining pedestrians, finally managed to
reach the entrance through which the girl had disappeared. Down
the stairs, he clattered, and it was several minutes before
Ward and Charlie were able to follow. When they did
reach the stairway, Tony was not in sight, so they
decided to wait for his return. Guess he's gone on

(04:48):
to the girl, all right, commented Charley, and looked scared
to death. Did you notice her? No, answered Ward. She
was too quick for me, and I hope too quick
for Tony. If he he becomes involved in a wild
goose chase after this young woman, we may not be
able to use him in the task that confronts us.
I have an idea he may be of great assistance

(05:09):
if we can keep him put on the job. No
doubt of that, agreed Charlie. The boy has a wonderful
brain and has had a raft of experience in all
sorts of research. He was the shining light in the
physical lab at college and has dabbled a whole lot
in pure science ever since. It's a hobby with him
and he is smart enough not to let it interfere
with the success in business. But here he comes alone,

(05:33):
joining forces. It was a disconsolate Tony who greeted them
at the turnstile through which they had not passed. He
was out of breath from his efforts in attempting to
overtake the girl, mister, he said gloomily. She ran for
a downtown express and I just reached it in time
to have the doors close on my face. Never mind,
old man, said Charley. She's probably on her way to

(05:56):
visit relatives until she gets over the shock of her
father's passing. I shouldn't worry if I were you. That's right,
mister Russell, chimed in the cheery voice of Ward Platt.
You'll find her later. Come on, let's eat. Ten minutes later,
in the comparative quiet of the astor or grill room,
the three men continued the discussion of the strange events
of the past night. So you think there is some

(06:19):
connection between the Van Alsteen case and the disappearance of
the subway train, asked Tony. Yes, I do, replied Ward,
though I have no real reason other than that both
cases are similarly baffling and unprecedented. You say that miss
van Alstein left the house shortly after the discovery that
her father's body had vanished. Yes, said Tony. After she

(06:42):
recovered from her swoon, I called the local police and
they arrived on the scene before dawn. They questioned us,
and Miss van Alstein seemed ill at ease when the
name of her brother was brought up. It seemed that
this nocturnal visitor in the high powered car was young
Bob van Alsteen, and it was quite evident that she
he was involved in the crime. Of course, she wanted

(07:03):
to protect him because from what I learned up there,
she is unduly fond of this worthless brother of hers.
It developed that his argument with the old man was
brought about by a demand for more funds to carry
him on his downward path among the gamblers and gangsters
of the White Light district. But I am sure the
girl was mystified, as were the police, and of course
they could not hold her since there's no evidence that

(07:24):
her father was actually killed. The corpus delect high not
being producible. You know, there were no sounds in the
room when the body vanished, asked Ward. Not a sound?
And though my back was turned to the corpse. Miss
van Alsteen swore she heard none, and that she saw
nothing except a sudden deflation of the corpse filled pajamas,

(07:45):
which appeared to slump to the floor in a sort
of a mist that left the clothing empty when it cleared.
Sounds like witchcraft, laughed Charlie. Not more so than the
subway incident, said Ward. And one cannot blame man on
the street for suspecting something of the sort. Both occurrences
are uncanny, to say the least, But I have a

(08:06):
feeling that the solution of one will lead to the
solution of the other. How do you expect me to assist,
asked Tony. My idea is this, was Ward's reply. Your
company must have in stock a considerable number of television
transmitters and receivers of the latest type. And if so,
it is my thought that we might equip every train

(08:27):
that enters the tunnel with one of the transmitters, so
that any further happening can be watched from a distance.
Undoubtedly there will be repetitions of the incident, you think so,
asked Tony, with great concern. I do well. We have
plenty of television instruments out at the factory in Long
Island City, and I can put a force of men

(08:48):
at work on a moment's notice, installing them wherever they
may be needed. Good said Ward. Then when we return
to my office, I'll get in touch with the proper
authorities at once and arrange for their installation on a
number of trains to be sent through the tube. It
may take days of watching, but I am confident we
shall learn something by this means. But objected, Charlie. Suppose

(09:12):
the perpetrator of these outrages strikes at some other point
next time. If the same hand that wiped the train
out of existence accounted for Van Alstein as well, there's
no reason to suppose it cannot strike at any desired point.
A reasonable supposition, Charlie. But somehow I feel there is
something big behind this, and that the thing is being

(09:32):
accomplished by scientific means that have been in the course
of development for years. I think that a definite program
is planned by someone who has erected mechanisms of some
sort at a number of points where they may be
operated to accomplish the desired results. But I do not
feel that the train was wiped out of existence. I
think that it was stolen intact, and that its occupants

(09:54):
are still alive, though they may be in grave danger.
The apparatus, whatever its nature, that was involved in the
removing of that train from the tube, must be of
great power and tremendous cost, and could hardly have been
duplicated at other points. Possibly there may be individual cases
at other points similar to that of Van Alsteen, but

(10:14):
as far as the wholesale kidnapping of a trainload of
people is concerned, I hardly think we may look for
its duplication at other localities. The third blow. The subject
was discussed for a full hour during and after lunch,
and the three men returned to the office of the
Engineers with a well formed plan in mind. When they arrived,

(10:35):
Ward Platt was informed that the mayor had been trying
to get him by telephone for more than three quarters
of an hour, and that he seemed most anxious to
get in touch with him. Something's happened already, said Ward.
As sure as you are a foot high. He called
the mayor's office immediately and was soon conversing with that official.
A few minutes later, he replaced the receiver carefully and

(10:57):
faced his companions, with a set expression of determination in
his gray eyes and in the angle of his chin.
You got most of it, he asked. There was another,
asked Tony, Yes, an eight car express lost in the
same spot, just as I predicted. What time did it happen?
Asked Charley? While we were at lunch. The train left

(11:19):
Times Square at two ten and was reported out of
Chambers Street at two twenty nine. They're not running them
very fast, you know, and it is being kept out
of the papers for the present. Tony jumped to his
feet and his face took on a ghastly expression of fear.
Two ten from Times Square? Did you say, he intoned,
in a feared, deadened voice. Good God, fellows. Margaret van

(11:42):
Alstein was on that train. I looked at my watch
as it pulled out of the station. End of Chapter three.