August 10, 2025 • 29 mins
Chronicles the cases of a law enforcement officer in the American West, blending traditional Western themes with modern investigative techniques. The stories are based on real cases.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The National Broadcasting Company presents Joel McCrae in Tales.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Of the Texas Rangers.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Tonight Transcribe from Hollywood, another authentic reenactment of a case
from the files of the Texas Rangers, Tales of the
Texas Rangers, starring Joe McCrae as Ranger Jase Pearson, Texas
more than two hundred and sixty thousand square miles and
(00:32):
fifty men will make up the most famous and oldest
law enforcement party in North America. Now from the files
(00:53):
of the Texas Rangers come these stories based on fact only. Names, dates,
and places are big ficious for obvious reasons.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
They evans themselves are a matter of a packard.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Case spot Tonight, Bad Blood.
Speaker 5 (01:19):
It is seven pm September fourteenth, nineteen fifteen. In an
isolated house trailer in the fields on the outskirts of Cheney, Texas.
Joel Prager, an aircraft worker, is packing a suitcase.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
There is a knock on the trailer door.
Speaker 6 (01:33):
Just second.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Howdy, Joe oh, hatti Russ? Ain't she gonna ask me in?
Speaker 4 (01:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Sure, come on in, see you packing already?
Speaker 4 (01:46):
That's right? What's on your mind? Russ?
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Joe?
Speaker 3 (01:49):
I figured two weeks is long enough for old friends
to be mad at each other. I come to ask
you to shake hands. You know, now that you're here,
I can't figure just what we've been mad about.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Ain't anybody I'd rather shake hands with the new Russ?
Speaker 3 (02:04):
You're my boy, but we ain't never gonna talk politics again.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Oh that's the deal.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
I didn't want you to leave feeling sore at me.
Why are you going anyhow? Why are you pulling out
your jobs? You need it here? Well, I didn't want
anybody to know about it yet, but looks like I'm
needed someplace else too. Huh here read this well? Going
back in the army. Eh, I didn't know you stayed unreservedly.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
I'm on it all right.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
You talked to him about this out of the planet.
After all, you're married, now, you got a kid, you're
in essential work. Maybe you could get out of it.
I thought about it, Russ, but I don't want to
get out of it. I got kind of a funny
feeling about it, feeling I've had ever since the kid
was born, Like, well, maybe if I go again now,
maybe I.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Can help so he'll never have to go. And he
grows up.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
I can't argue against that. With two boys of my own,
one of them pushing seventeen, and we had plenty worried
about him with this coryer thing. Ah, don't let it
get you down, Russ Boy'll be all right.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
So I was just about to fix me some grub.
How about joining me?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Thanks? But Ella's expecting me home. Say where's Marge and
a baby? Anyhow? Oh, she drove the kid up to
her mother's today. I got a week more before our report,
but we sort of figured we'd go away someplace together,
just the two of us, you know, till I have
to leave, and when you're pulling out of.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Here tomorrow when March comes back, Ella, i'd.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Like to see you in Marche four.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
You go.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
She's been beefing at me ever since you and me
fell out. Yeah, Marge's been bulldogging me about it. Well,
can't you come and have supper with us tomorrow before
you go? How about that? Well that's the deal? Swell, ell,
it'll be tickled. Well, can't somebody be getting home in
the old pay? And we'll hope you need any help
with anything. I mean, we got a few dollars. No,
no thanks for us we'll get by. Well, good luck
(03:50):
to you fell. We'll see tomorrow. Sure thing russ save
they had a draft somebody. Why couldn't they take that
brother in law, your Oliver, that'd be given aid and
comfort to the enemy. Yeah, I know Orvally ain't giving
any aid and comfort in his department out the plan.
He wasn't short in it. He would in the last
ten minutes. Well, good night, Joe. Can I rush a second?
Speaker 4 (04:26):
You forget something right? Oh, it's you of him?
Speaker 7 (04:29):
Yeah, it's me.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Trust was just here.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
I thought it was him coming back.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
I know he was here. Been waiting out back long enough,
waiting for him to leave.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
You could have come in. Rust, don't buy it.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
He doesn't like me, Reckon.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
That's your fault of him.
Speaker 8 (04:42):
Oh, sure, everything's my fault. How come he's sticking up
for him? Thought you and him wasn't talking.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
We are now, and I don't think it's any of
your business. What do you want of him?
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Joeanne needs some help.
Speaker 8 (04:54):
I got my check cash, and I guess I didn't
notice until I was almost home.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
I got a hole in I lost my pay.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Do I look like a half whit to you?
Speaker 7 (05:03):
Well?
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I only want the last time you came to me
with that story, you said your pocket was picked, and
the time before that you said he got stuck with
the loan.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
You signed for somebody.
Speaker 8 (05:10):
That's right, Joanna, Stop using the word.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
On this Starville doesn't sound right coming from you. If
your money's gone, you lost it in the pay night
crap game at Holland.
Speaker 8 (05:19):
I haven't been near Hollands in weeks, ought, Joe, you
gotta help me.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
My wife will.
Speaker 8 (05:22):
Bought like a maverick under a brand of nine if
I don't.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Bring some money home. You insist got some side money.
Don't know you have. I ain't denying that, but this
is one time you ain't dipping your hand into it.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Yeah, take a look at this paper, go ahead, read it.
Speaker 7 (05:37):
Drafted.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Huh.
Speaker 8 (05:38):
You wanna play soldier again and leave my sister with
a kid.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
To take care of?
Speaker 4 (05:42):
She and the kid'll be taken care of orb. I'll
see to that.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
You never had to give us anything, and you never will. Joe,
I need money and I ain't leaving here without it.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
There's nothing here for you.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Auvan. Better try someplace else. I said I wasn't leaving
without that money. Well, reckon, you be here a long
time then, or you have to excuse me. I'm gonna
fix myself.
Speaker 8 (06:05):
I ain't gonna ask you again. Joe just gonna keep
ignoring me, huh.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Like I wasn't even here.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Maybe I can make you pay a little attention with this.
Put that down. No, I'm gonna help you dish out
yourself like that.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
I told you joy.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
The party of Joe Prager was discovered when his wife
returned to their trailer home early the following day.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Sheriff Verne Laman.
Speaker 5 (06:46):
Immediately called for the help of a Texas Ranger. Ranger
Jace Peers was assigning. He joined the sheriff at the
scene of the crime shortly afternoon.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
I've kept the whole field blocked off, Jace. Nobody's been
near the place except Preger. Here's wife and me and
the deputy. Where's the wife sitting over there in her car.
Tried to get her to go into town to the hotel,
but she won't. She's eating in kind of a daze. Shock.
That's natural. You want to talk to her, I wouldn't
help when she's like that. Maybe by the time we
had to look around, she'll break down and cry it out.
(07:18):
And then we may be able to get something. It's
not a look inside the trailer, right, there's a body
and there's a murder weapon. Wrought iron frying pan won't
be able to pull any prints off that metals, to course,
That's why I just let it lay there. Medical examiner
estimate the time of death. He figured it was between
(07:39):
six and eight o'clock last night. Suitcase on the bed,
half packed, prager trying to run away from something. No,
I don't think so let her on the table here
explains it. It was in the armor reserve, called back
to duty. I see where was he working here? Out
of the aircraft planned the other side of town? I thought, welder?
(08:00):
How come his wife didn't report this until this morning where.
Speaker 7 (08:03):
She was away for the night.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
They got a baby baby. You aill a nipple jar
on the dresser there. Yeah, that's why the wife was away.
She took the kid to her mother's up in Abilene.
Come back this morning. You check on that first.
Speaker 7 (08:14):
Thing, got a list of eating places. She stopped that
both ways, and she.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Gassed up at a mobile station in Abilene last night
after she got there. Sponsor her away from here. All right,
let's check around outside all right, will it be okay
for the medical examiner to move the body now? I
think so? How come they parked their trailer out here
instead of using one of the parks near town save money?
I guess rent her high with a plant working full
(08:40):
blast and gasoline lamp and the trailer for light. But
what they do for water? There's a well out back.
Used to be a house here some time ago, but
it was moved. They had everything they needed to get by.
I see, wanna walk.
Speaker 7 (08:53):
Out of the road where our cars are.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
I can send one of the boys into the funeral
home to arrange a pickup. All right, wait a minute, sheriff,
watch your feet. What's the matter? The car tracks up
the road to the trailer Craiger's own car, I reckon
same tracks all over the road from coming and going,
a different tire pattern, and a couple of the soft
spots they'll look here, Yeah, overlaps most of the older tracks.
(09:19):
But Trager's car tracks go over the strange tread once
right here.
Speaker 7 (09:24):
Yeah, I see what you mean.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Another car must have driven in here after hims Preger
left yesterday, and that spot is where she drove over
the tracks when she came back this morning. It's the
way I measured, and we can pull a cast off
that tread may help us run down the car. Hey,
one of your deputy's coming up the road. Now, that
isn't one of my boys. Why they let him in?
I don't know?
Speaker 9 (09:46):
Hey you?
Speaker 7 (09:47):
Yeah, how'd you get in here?
Speaker 3 (09:50):
I come to help my sister. Who is your sister,
Marge Craiger's wife. He was my brother in law. That's
why the deputies let me through. All right, sister's sitting
in the car back there. Reckon, she does need somebody
with her at the Thanks. Wait a minute, yeah, ranger,
walk along the edge of the road, stay out of
the tire tracks.
Speaker 7 (10:10):
Why because we're asking you to. Isn't that good enough?
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Well? I only ask you for a reason, that's all.
What's your name, or James? You work with your brother
in law? Well?
Speaker 8 (10:21):
Yeah, sure, out at the plant. Not in the same
department though.
Speaker 7 (10:24):
How'd you know your brother in law being killed?
Speaker 8 (10:26):
I didn't know until I saw your deputis down by
the road and they told me.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Isn't the aircraft planned working today?
Speaker 7 (10:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Sure it is. It's on the other side of town.
I brought you out here.
Speaker 8 (10:36):
Now, I got a lift out during lunch to see
my sister.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
That just about take your whole lunch hour and more
if you didn't catch your ride back right away. You
make a habit of a hitchhiking out here on your
lunch hour. No, of course don't. And why'd you do
it today? What do you ask me all this for?
Speaker 7 (10:54):
You try to pin something on me, Reckon.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
That's going to depend on how you answer.
Speaker 8 (10:57):
Come on, talk up, well, I I just well, I
wanted to ask her.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
About my mother.
Speaker 8 (11:03):
I knew that she'd been up home. See, I wanted
to find out how my mother was.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
I see your mother been sick? Yeah? No, No, she's
been all right, I reckon. And why the rush to
get out here this afternoon? Why not tonight after work?
Because I wanted to come. That's all. Anything else you
want to know? Yes, when did you see your brother
in law last? I don't know, three maybe four days ago?
Not yesterday? No, not even at work.
Speaker 8 (11:29):
It's a big plant ranger. You don't need ton't even
work in the same building.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
What times you quit yesterday? Five o'clock? Then you weren't
working between say, six and eight o'clock last night?
Speaker 6 (11:40):
No?
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Then where were you at that time, and who was
with you?
Speaker 8 (11:43):
Well, I I cashed my check at Hollins.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
And then and then what did you come out here? Yeah?
Speaker 7 (11:51):
What I said?
Speaker 8 (11:52):
Yes, Yes, I come out here. I'd have told you
before if you hadn't started to crush missile Funny.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Why'd you say you hadn't seen Frager in three or
four days if you saw him lastlast night? I didn't
see him last night.
Speaker 7 (12:01):
Listen, you just told that I talk.
Speaker 8 (12:03):
I'd come out here, but I didn't see Joe. I
changed my mind about going in because there was a
car parked here.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Joe had company that fits in Jason those car tracks. Yeah,
but it still doesn't tell us why Orvill didn't go in.
Speaker 8 (12:16):
I'll tell you why you let me. I recognized the car.
It belongs to Russ nukelemb. And I didn't want to
go in while he was there because I didn't want
to get mixed up in any argument.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Who's Russ nukemb And why should there be an argument?
Speaker 8 (12:28):
Russ works out of the plant too. Him and Joe
had been friends, but they fell out a couple of
weeks ago. Hadn't been talking.
Speaker 7 (12:34):
Then Why would Nucomb be visiting here?
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Why don't you ask Nukelemb that it took a long
time for you to suggest that Arval, considering that Prager
is dead and you knew that there'd been bad blood
between him and the man you say was here last night.
Speaker 8 (12:46):
I don't like to throw suspicion on a man from
murder ranging, but you might quit suspecting me.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
A man ain't likely to kill his brother in law.
Speaker 8 (12:56):
Nukemb had the reason, noting me, Now you're letting me
go to my sister, ain't you?
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Jason? All right, horrible go ahead. Yeah, it looks like
this thing is cracking easy. Jason, sure, does you better
get out to the aircraft plant. Yeah, we got enough
to pick up Nucombe, all right, we got more than that.
That tire track on the road matches Nucomb's car. We
(13:22):
got enough on Nukeomb to send him to Huntsville.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
You are listening to Tales of the Texas Rangers, starring
Joel McCrae as Ranger Jase Pearson. We continue now with
tonight's case, Bad Blood, an authentic story from the files
of the Texas Rangers.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
We drove out to the aircraft planned news of briggers
hadn't reached the place yet we were directed to Russ
Newcomb's section leader, and he pointed a new come out
to us. He was on a welling job. Hey hey
you were there?
Speaker 7 (14:12):
No, come.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Yeah, I compliment and come down from that wing will yea.
Speaker 6 (14:18):
Be right there, I got do for it.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
He's went to the office where we can talk. Sure,
be glad it. Yeah, Sheriff, what's up? You find a
woman who owned that presse purse? What purse? What are
you talking about?
Speaker 7 (14:38):
Press?
Speaker 3 (14:38):
I turned into the office about two months ago? Money
in it? Don't you remember? Oh that was on a Sunday.
I guess I looked different in workout it. Oh oh yeah,
what's this about? Sheriff?
Speaker 7 (14:49):
I thought he looked familiar.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Turned in the woman's purse he found in the streets
a couple of months back, no identification in it, and
the owners never claimed it. Oh way you are talking, Sheriff,
I reckon it isn't it? She want to see me about?
Speaker 4 (15:01):
No?
Speaker 5 (15:01):
It is?
Speaker 3 (15:02):
You know Joe Prager? No what? Joe's one of my
best friends. When'd you see him last? Only last night?
After his place? Why? What's the matter? Joe's some kind
of trouble? You say he was a good friend. Other
people say you weren't on speaking terms for the last
couple of weeks. We weren't until last night. We where
we got in a dumb political argument one day during
lunch here both got hotter and we should have, but
(15:24):
you patched it up last night. Yeah, we got around
and Joe was quitting going away. Well, I went out
and buried the hatchet. You sure you mean a hatchet,
not a frying pan. Look, you fellas asking me something
which you ain't telling me nothing. You talked politics again
with Prager last night? No, No, we just shook hands
and I asked him to bring his wife over for
(15:44):
supper night and then I left.
Speaker 7 (15:45):
That's ah, Prager still alive when you left.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Well, what do you mean he was still alive? You
telling me Joe Prager's day. He was beating to death
last night with an iron frying pam beating to death, Jue,
you see anybody else at the trailer? No, no, no,
(16:09):
we're alone.
Speaker 7 (16:10):
Just to us, Nucombe.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
The law requires me to warn you that anything you
say from here on can be used against you. Use
against me for what you're talking like, I'm under arrest.
You are under arrest for the murder of Joe Preger.
We took Nucombe back to Cheney and locked him up. Meanwhile,
(16:33):
Preger's body had been brought into a funeral home. I
went over to see Missus Preger to see if she
could give further verification of a quarrel between her husband
and a man under arrest.
Speaker 10 (16:41):
Yeap, Joe told me that had some kind of an argument,
but I didn't think it ever bes Bead is this?
I didn't think russe of chili?
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Why don't you leave her a lone ranger.
Speaker 7 (16:55):
I've already told you.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
There was bad, but now maybe you believe me. Other
witnesses aren't going to hurt anything horrible. I'm all right off.
Speaker 11 (17:01):
He's gotta find out.
Speaker 7 (17:03):
Everything he wants to know.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
What else do they need to know? If you ask me,
they got enough of a case right now, if we
ask you. But so far nobody has, and until somebody does,
I'm about keeping quiet, all right. You're of the law.
Speaker 8 (17:17):
Go ahead and make him miserable. I'm going over, Holland says,
I'll be there for.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
I'm sorry to keep after you like this, Missus Prager,
did your husband ever have any trouble with anybody besides
snookem No, was he in fear of anybody, worried about anything.
Speaker 11 (17:35):
No, he was worried at first when the army letter came,
But when we decided it was right for him to go,
he didn't worry anymore. Just figure out things so me
and baby could get along.
Speaker 10 (17:49):
We we even had a little money, say, but we
were going away together for a week, just showing me
to the place we.
Speaker 7 (17:58):
Went on her honeymoon.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
We were gonna have.
Speaker 11 (18:02):
So much fun. No, I have to use that money
to bury you.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
I'm sorry, ma'am.
Speaker 10 (18:10):
Why did rust do a thing like this to Joe?
Speaker 7 (18:14):
Why?
Speaker 11 (18:15):
Why?
Speaker 3 (18:17):
I don't know, ma'am. I've never been able to figure
out why men do a lot of things they do
to each other. I went back to the sheriff's office.
It looked like the case against Nukeomb was just about closed,
but it opened again, opened wide when the sheriff showed
me the personal effects that had been removed from Prager's body.
(18:39):
Look at this, Jeez, thankfulk isn't it Yep? Frager's was
in his shirt bucket. Take a look at that last
line drew out every dime he had. Yesterday afternoon, missus
Preger told me they had some savings. They were going
to use it to go away Reckon. That's why he
drew it out yesterday. Was paidy at the plant too, Jace,
So Prager should have had this amount. He withdrew three
hundred and twelve dollars plus his pay. Wasn't there any
(19:01):
money on him? Less than a dollar in change? I
had my deputies go out and comb that trailer, cupboards, dishes.
Speaker 7 (19:07):
They didn't find a dime.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Nucomb turned any money over to the jailer when you
booked him about five dollars.
Speaker 7 (19:13):
That's all.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
But he had time to hide that money. All we
got to do is find out where.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
He hid it.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
If he did hide it, What do you mean that
first Nucomb found a couple of months ago, and one
he turned into you, he mentioned that there was some
money in it. That's right, little over one hundred dollars.
Speaker 7 (19:29):
What are you thinking?
Speaker 3 (19:29):
I'm thinking about motives. We've been figuring Nucomb killed Pregger
because he was nursing a grudge. Robbery angle changes that picture. Yeah, yeah,
it sure does. Fellow who finds money in and turns
it in when he could keep it, he isn't likely
to kill somebody and steal from him, unless, of course,
he was trying to cover up. He said he'd invited
the preggers to suffer to night and they were gonna come.
(19:51):
That's right. You check on Arval's movements last night, see
if he was telling the truth. Had my deputy do it.
The only place to check was Hollins and he was
there all right to work. Cashier's checked there, like you said,
then got in a crap game with some of the
boys in the washroom. He couldn't have played very long,
or he wouldn't have gotten the Prager's by seven o'clock
when Nucombe was there. I don't get what you're driving in.
Arville must have lost in that crap game. Game like
(20:14):
that between fellows who work together, the winners usually stick
to the end. Yeah, they get short of winner who
quit until they've had a chance to get even Your
deputies find any sign of bloody clothing when they check
Nucomb's place. Nope, but they're checking the cleaning shops. Now
you know where Newcomb lives. Sure you want to go
over there, just into the neighborhood. I want to talk
to Newcomb's butcher monk.
Speaker 7 (20:35):
Nucomb's butcher. What can he tell you.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
What missus Nucomb ordered for the night's dinner. I saw
the butcher and his answer to my question pull Nucomb
back a step away from the electric tear. I got
in my car and started to drive toward the field
in Prager's trailer.
Speaker 7 (21:00):
You look like you learned something.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Jeez, I did as Nucomb ordered stew meat yesterday for
the night's supper. She called up this morning and changed
They ordered the lamb chops. Twelve lamb chops?
Speaker 7 (21:11):
Does that mean anything to you?
Speaker 3 (21:13):
And changing from stew meat to lamb chops sounds like
she was expecting company. When she orders lamb chops for
her own family, she usually gets eight. And I see
the other four chops.
Speaker 7 (21:23):
Could have been for Prager and his wife.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
Then I think so. And Frager was dead when she
ordered him. Well, nukemb could have told her to order
him for a cover up. Could have, but it's a
little too smart. He didn't strike me as being that clever. Yeh,
I'm gonna go along with that. I think you're right.
But what do you expect to find at the trailer?
I don't know, and I want to look around a
lot more than we did before. I shouldn't have waited
this long. Didn't seem to be any reason for it,
(21:47):
with the case we had against nukembe well as a reason.
Now we need a new case. And I got a
hunch which way it's gone to point? I don't know, Jace.
We've fine combed that trailer and there's nothing we didn't
see before. And the only strange car track you found
(22:09):
on the road was Newcombe. Wait a minute, Sheriff, somebody
was sitting down here by the well, leaned back against
it and had his feet stretched out. You can see
where the edges of his heels were resting on the ground. Yeah,
circle out around the back here, let's do a little
trail cutting.
Speaker 7 (22:25):
You figured the killer took off away from the road
if he.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Was on foot, would be his best bet. He went
to the highway and walked, somebody might have seen him
if he had the blood on his clothes. He'd steer
clear of town until it was late and everybody was sleeping.
Speaker 7 (22:36):
All right, Jee, which way do you want me to go?
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Circle out that way? I'll work from this side. Okay, Hey, Jace, Yes,
Sheriff Orville was on foot. I know he was. That's
why we're looking. We found the trail just as it
(23:00):
was getting dark. It led me into open country. I
got my horse charcoal from the trailer behind my car
while the sheriff went to a nearby farm to borrow mount.
It was dark when he caught up to me.
Speaker 7 (23:12):
You steal on the trailer. You're cutting to pick it up.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
I lost it a couple of times further back, but
I'm on it now. You know this country back here,
who I've ridden it before. We'll become to the Horner
River soon. About a half mile farther. River angles forward town,
doesn't it. Sure? It does cuts under that bridge just
outside Cheeney, and maybe the way the killer followed to
get back to town. Let's ride for the river bank
(23:35):
and see if we can pick up tracks there. May
save us time.
Speaker 12 (23:38):
A good idea, dig Turkey.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
We found tracks on the bank, all right, just a
few that led to the edge of the water, and
that was all. We cut back and forth on both
banks for hours before we picked up a sign oude
of the river on rock and we barely spotted the
place where he'd marked the ground. Again. That's it, all right, Jess,
same heel impression he had us fool for a while,
all right, Now, let's go. Come on, Charky, Yeah, come on.
(24:11):
What I sat up there ahead? Looks like a shack
of some kind.
Speaker 7 (24:16):
I don't know, Jess. Quite a few shacks in here
along the river. A lot of deer around. Some folks
keep places for fishing and hunting.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
His tracks lead right to it. Yeah, get on, boy,
come on, charky.
Speaker 7 (24:29):
Yeah, he's up here, all right.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
Flash your light on that door. Yeah yeah, block's been sprung,
it's open, And he was here all right, left his
marks and the dust on the floor. I guess nobody's
been using the place for quite a spell. Yeah, there's
something else too, foot locker here, lock on, it's busted too.
(24:55):
Shirts and jeans in there. I'd like to bet there's
one sitting missing. Or the ruler, whoever it was, stopped
here to change clothes. He must have known the setup.
Is it funny? Smelling here? Sheriff, like the place been
smoked up not long ago. Something burning, hot bellied stove there, Yeah,
anything guinea plenty clothes that didn't quite burn. Smells from
(25:16):
kerosene poured on him, but he came through the river,
so his pants were wet. Fire must have smoldered out
after he left. Better pull those things out and see
if we can save enough of them for identification. It's enough,
all right, Look at this bloodstained didn't even wash off
when he came through the water.
Speaker 7 (25:30):
We prove who.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Owns these things, and we've got our man. We'll be
able to prove it. Look, shirt was bundled up with
the wet pants just enough to say most of the collar.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
And this.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
We laund remark. Let's get back to town. It was
daybreak when we got back to Cheney. We got what
we were after on our third laundry stop. A half
burned shirt belonged to Rabald James. We went to his home.
His wife was at the funeral, partner with Missus Prager,
(26:03):
so he was there alone. What you want from and
now Sheriff's got a few things rolled up in that poncho.
Maybe you might be able to identify him. Who who
they belonged to? Joe and nukem. We want you to
tell us, all right, Sheriff, and roll them recognize ease.
What's a matter of arble? You look kind of sick.
Speaker 8 (26:25):
I'm just upset about Joe, that's all I was at
the funeral home with my sister almost all night.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
Well you ever seen these things before? Yeah? Yeah, I
see whose are they? I could be wrong, I guess,
but they look like Newbom's. That's funny. Well what's funny
about it? Looks like they were burning quite a bit. Yeah,
but they were too wet to burn all the way.
Speaker 8 (26:49):
Guess that gives you a real tie case against nukem now,
doesn't it?
Speaker 3 (26:55):
It does? Doesn't it a perfect case except for the
laundry mark on the shirt. Laundrymock. That's right, orrible your laundrymark.
But they can't be a laundrymark.
Speaker 5 (27:06):
They can't be a look at your hands, the whole
thing you're hurting marble.
Speaker 12 (27:09):
Let me go, let me go, hold my arm, better,
hold still, come on.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
Let's go.
Speaker 8 (27:22):
My wife, My wife always howling me for money.
Speaker 7 (27:27):
Oh, we're screaming about her heart.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
She work, so we're yelling about it because she was
ruining her hand, scrubbing greasy work shirts.
Speaker 11 (27:35):
But she wasn't.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
She was sending them out.
Speaker 12 (27:40):
Laundry buck, lazy.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Pig, I'll killer around, killer. You're not gonna kill anybody, horrible.
Your killing days are over. Open the door, will you
share sure all right orble In the car Let's Go.
Speaker 5 (28:12):
Orville, James broke down at his trial and confessed the
robbery slaying of his brother in law. He was found
guilty in less than twenty minutes and sentenced to Huntsville
for the rest of his natural life.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Next week, Joel McCrae and another authentic reenactment of the
case from the files.
Speaker 6 (28:30):
Of the Texas Rangers.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Joel McCrae is currently seen starring in the Universal International
Technicolor production Frenchie. The night's cast included Tony Barrett, Paul Freeze,
Whitfield Connor, Sam Edwards, Harley Bear, and Barbara Luddy. This
story was transcribed and adapted by Joel Murcott, and the
program was produced and directed by Stacy Keats.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
This is Hal Gifney.
Speaker 13 (29:10):
Speaking three Times Mean Good Times.
Speaker 9 (29:28):
On NBC Tomorrow, The Voice of Firestone presents Metropolitan Opera
Baso c cesare siepi in a melodic variety of operatic selections.
Speaker 13 (29:38):
Your Monday Evening of Music also.
Speaker 9 (29:39):
Includes the Telephone Hour, and tomorrow's guest artist is the
renowned coloraturo soprano Lilly Poles. Among this Poe's selections, tomorrow
is the Beautiful Aria from Rigoletto, Karenome Phil Baker asks
the sixty four dollars question next on NBC
The National Broadcasting Company presents Joel McCrae in Tales.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Of the Texas Rangers.
Speaker 1 (00:10):
Tonight Transcribe from Hollywood, another authentic reenactment of a case
from the files of the Texas Rangers, Tales of the
Texas Rangers, starring Joe McCrae as Ranger Jase Pearson, Texas
more than two hundred and sixty thousand square miles and
(00:32):
fifty men will make up the most famous and oldest
law enforcement party in North America. Now from the files
(00:53):
of the Texas Rangers come these stories based on fact only. Names, dates,
and places are big ficious for obvious reasons.
Speaker 3 (01:00):
They evans themselves are a matter of a packard.
Speaker 4 (01:08):
Case spot Tonight, Bad Blood.
Speaker 5 (01:19):
It is seven pm September fourteenth, nineteen fifteen. In an
isolated house trailer in the fields on the outskirts of Cheney, Texas.
Joel Prager, an aircraft worker, is packing a suitcase.
Speaker 3 (01:30):
There is a knock on the trailer door.
Speaker 6 (01:33):
Just second.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Howdy, Joe oh, hatti Russ? Ain't she gonna ask me in?
Speaker 4 (01:40):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (01:41):
Sure, come on in, see you packing already?
Speaker 4 (01:46):
That's right? What's on your mind? Russ?
Speaker 3 (01:49):
Oh?
Speaker 4 (01:49):
Joe?
Speaker 3 (01:49):
I figured two weeks is long enough for old friends
to be mad at each other. I come to ask
you to shake hands. You know, now that you're here,
I can't figure just what we've been mad about.
Speaker 4 (02:01):
Ain't anybody I'd rather shake hands with the new Russ?
Speaker 3 (02:04):
You're my boy, but we ain't never gonna talk politics again.
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Oh that's the deal.
Speaker 3 (02:09):
I didn't want you to leave feeling sore at me.
Why are you going anyhow? Why are you pulling out
your jobs? You need it here? Well, I didn't want
anybody to know about it yet, but looks like I'm
needed someplace else too. Huh here read this well? Going
back in the army. Eh, I didn't know you stayed unreservedly.
Speaker 4 (02:30):
I'm on it all right.
Speaker 3 (02:32):
You talked to him about this out of the planet.
After all, you're married, now, you got a kid, you're
in essential work. Maybe you could get out of it.
I thought about it, Russ, but I don't want to
get out of it. I got kind of a funny
feeling about it, feeling I've had ever since the kid
was born, Like, well, maybe if I go again now,
maybe I.
Speaker 4 (02:50):
Can help so he'll never have to go. And he
grows up.
Speaker 3 (02:53):
I can't argue against that. With two boys of my own,
one of them pushing seventeen, and we had plenty worried
about him with this coryer thing. Ah, don't let it
get you down, Russ Boy'll be all right.
Speaker 4 (03:05):
So I was just about to fix me some grub.
How about joining me?
Speaker 3 (03:08):
Thanks? But Ella's expecting me home. Say where's Marge and
a baby? Anyhow? Oh, she drove the kid up to
her mother's today. I got a week more before our report,
but we sort of figured we'd go away someplace together,
just the two of us, you know, till I have
to leave, and when you're pulling out of.
Speaker 4 (03:24):
Here tomorrow when March comes back, Ella, i'd.
Speaker 3 (03:26):
Like to see you in Marche four.
Speaker 4 (03:28):
You go.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
She's been beefing at me ever since you and me
fell out. Yeah, Marge's been bulldogging me about it. Well,
can't you come and have supper with us tomorrow before
you go? How about that? Well that's the deal? Swell, ell,
it'll be tickled. Well, can't somebody be getting home in
the old pay? And we'll hope you need any help
with anything. I mean, we got a few dollars. No,
no thanks for us we'll get by. Well, good luck
(03:50):
to you fell. We'll see tomorrow. Sure thing russ save
they had a draft somebody. Why couldn't they take that
brother in law, your Oliver, that'd be given aid and
comfort to the enemy. Yeah, I know Orvally ain't giving
any aid and comfort in his department out the plan.
He wasn't short in it. He would in the last
ten minutes. Well, good night, Joe. Can I rush a second?
Speaker 4 (04:26):
You forget something right? Oh, it's you of him?
Speaker 7 (04:29):
Yeah, it's me.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Trust was just here.
Speaker 4 (04:32):
I thought it was him coming back.
Speaker 3 (04:34):
I know he was here. Been waiting out back long enough,
waiting for him to leave.
Speaker 4 (04:38):
You could have come in. Rust, don't buy it.
Speaker 3 (04:39):
He doesn't like me, Reckon.
Speaker 4 (04:41):
That's your fault of him.
Speaker 8 (04:42):
Oh, sure, everything's my fault. How come he's sticking up
for him? Thought you and him wasn't talking.
Speaker 4 (04:47):
We are now, and I don't think it's any of
your business. What do you want of him?
Speaker 3 (04:52):
Joeanne needs some help.
Speaker 8 (04:54):
I got my check cash, and I guess I didn't
notice until I was almost home.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
I got a hole in I lost my pay.
Speaker 4 (05:01):
Do I look like a half whit to you?
Speaker 7 (05:03):
Well?
Speaker 3 (05:03):
I only want the last time you came to me
with that story, you said your pocket was picked, and
the time before that you said he got stuck with
the loan.
Speaker 4 (05:09):
You signed for somebody.
Speaker 8 (05:10):
That's right, Joanna, Stop using the word.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
On this Starville doesn't sound right coming from you. If
your money's gone, you lost it in the pay night
crap game at Holland.
Speaker 8 (05:19):
I haven't been near Hollands in weeks, ought, Joe, you
gotta help me.
Speaker 3 (05:22):
My wife will.
Speaker 8 (05:22):
Bought like a maverick under a brand of nine if
I don't.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
Bring some money home. You insist got some side money.
Don't know you have. I ain't denying that, but this
is one time you ain't dipping your hand into it.
Speaker 4 (05:32):
Yeah, take a look at this paper, go ahead, read it.
Speaker 7 (05:37):
Drafted.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Huh.
Speaker 8 (05:38):
You wanna play soldier again and leave my sister with
a kid.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
To take care of?
Speaker 4 (05:42):
She and the kid'll be taken care of orb. I'll
see to that.
Speaker 3 (05:46):
You never had to give us anything, and you never will. Joe,
I need money and I ain't leaving here without it.
Speaker 4 (05:53):
There's nothing here for you.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
Auvan. Better try someplace else. I said I wasn't leaving
without that money. Well, reckon, you be here a long
time then, or you have to excuse me. I'm gonna
fix myself.
Speaker 8 (06:05):
I ain't gonna ask you again. Joe just gonna keep
ignoring me, huh.
Speaker 3 (06:12):
Like I wasn't even here.
Speaker 4 (06:13):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Maybe I can make you pay a little attention with this.
Put that down. No, I'm gonna help you dish out
yourself like that.
Speaker 6 (06:28):
I told you joy.
Speaker 5 (06:39):
The party of Joe Prager was discovered when his wife
returned to their trailer home early the following day.
Speaker 3 (06:45):
Sheriff Verne Laman.
Speaker 5 (06:46):
Immediately called for the help of a Texas Ranger. Ranger
Jace Peers was assigning. He joined the sheriff at the
scene of the crime shortly afternoon.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
I've kept the whole field blocked off, Jace. Nobody's been
near the place except Preger. Here's wife and me and
the deputy. Where's the wife sitting over there in her car.
Tried to get her to go into town to the hotel,
but she won't. She's eating in kind of a daze. Shock.
That's natural. You want to talk to her, I wouldn't
help when she's like that. Maybe by the time we
had to look around, she'll break down and cry it out.
(07:18):
And then we may be able to get something. It's
not a look inside the trailer, right, there's a body
and there's a murder weapon. Wrought iron frying pan won't
be able to pull any prints off that metals, to course,
That's why I just let it lay there. Medical examiner
estimate the time of death. He figured it was between
(07:39):
six and eight o'clock last night. Suitcase on the bed,
half packed, prager trying to run away from something. No,
I don't think so let her on the table here
explains it. It was in the armor reserve, called back
to duty. I see where was he working here? Out
of the aircraft planned the other side of town? I thought, welder?
(08:00):
How come his wife didn't report this until this morning where.
Speaker 7 (08:03):
She was away for the night.
Speaker 3 (08:05):
They got a baby baby. You aill a nipple jar
on the dresser there. Yeah, that's why the wife was away.
She took the kid to her mother's up in Abilene.
Come back this morning. You check on that first.
Speaker 7 (08:14):
Thing, got a list of eating places. She stopped that
both ways, and she.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
Gassed up at a mobile station in Abilene last night
after she got there. Sponsor her away from here. All right,
let's check around outside all right, will it be okay
for the medical examiner to move the body now? I
think so? How come they parked their trailer out here
instead of using one of the parks near town save money?
I guess rent her high with a plant working full
(08:40):
blast and gasoline lamp and the trailer for light. But
what they do for water? There's a well out back.
Used to be a house here some time ago, but
it was moved. They had everything they needed to get by.
I see, wanna walk.
Speaker 7 (08:53):
Out of the road where our cars are.
Speaker 3 (08:55):
I can send one of the boys into the funeral
home to arrange a pickup. All right, wait a minute, sheriff,
watch your feet. What's the matter? The car tracks up
the road to the trailer Craiger's own car, I reckon
same tracks all over the road from coming and going,
a different tire pattern, and a couple of the soft
spots they'll look here, Yeah, overlaps most of the older tracks.
(09:19):
But Trager's car tracks go over the strange tread once
right here.
Speaker 7 (09:24):
Yeah, I see what you mean.
Speaker 3 (09:26):
Another car must have driven in here after hims Preger
left yesterday, and that spot is where she drove over
the tracks when she came back this morning. It's the
way I measured, and we can pull a cast off
that tread may help us run down the car. Hey,
one of your deputy's coming up the road. Now, that
isn't one of my boys. Why they let him in?
I don't know?
Speaker 9 (09:46):
Hey you?
Speaker 7 (09:47):
Yeah, how'd you get in here?
Speaker 3 (09:50):
I come to help my sister. Who is your sister,
Marge Craiger's wife. He was my brother in law. That's
why the deputies let me through. All right, sister's sitting
in the car back there. Reckon, she does need somebody
with her at the Thanks. Wait a minute, yeah, ranger,
walk along the edge of the road, stay out of
the tire tracks.
Speaker 7 (10:10):
Why because we're asking you to. Isn't that good enough?
Speaker 3 (10:13):
Well? I only ask you for a reason, that's all.
What's your name, or James? You work with your brother
in law? Well?
Speaker 8 (10:21):
Yeah, sure, out at the plant. Not in the same
department though.
Speaker 7 (10:24):
How'd you know your brother in law being killed?
Speaker 8 (10:26):
I didn't know until I saw your deputis down by
the road and they told me.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Isn't the aircraft planned working today?
Speaker 7 (10:32):
Yeah?
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Sure it is. It's on the other side of town.
I brought you out here.
Speaker 8 (10:36):
Now, I got a lift out during lunch to see
my sister.
Speaker 3 (10:41):
That just about take your whole lunch hour and more
if you didn't catch your ride back right away. You
make a habit of a hitchhiking out here on your
lunch hour. No, of course don't. And why'd you do
it today? What do you ask me all this for?
Speaker 7 (10:54):
You try to pin something on me, Reckon.
Speaker 3 (10:55):
That's going to depend on how you answer.
Speaker 8 (10:57):
Come on, talk up, well, I I just well, I
wanted to ask her.
Speaker 3 (11:02):
About my mother.
Speaker 8 (11:03):
I knew that she'd been up home. See, I wanted
to find out how my mother was.
Speaker 3 (11:07):
I see your mother been sick? Yeah? No, No, she's
been all right, I reckon. And why the rush to
get out here this afternoon? Why not tonight after work?
Because I wanted to come. That's all. Anything else you
want to know? Yes, when did you see your brother
in law last? I don't know, three maybe four days ago?
Not yesterday? No, not even at work.
Speaker 8 (11:29):
It's a big plant ranger. You don't need ton't even
work in the same building.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
What times you quit yesterday? Five o'clock? Then you weren't
working between say, six and eight o'clock last night?
Speaker 6 (11:40):
No?
Speaker 3 (11:40):
Then where were you at that time, and who was
with you?
Speaker 8 (11:43):
Well, I I cashed my check at Hollins.
Speaker 3 (11:46):
And then and then what did you come out here? Yeah?
Speaker 7 (11:51):
What I said?
Speaker 8 (11:52):
Yes, Yes, I come out here. I'd have told you
before if you hadn't started to crush missile Funny.
Speaker 3 (11:56):
Why'd you say you hadn't seen Frager in three or
four days if you saw him lastlast night? I didn't
see him last night.
Speaker 7 (12:01):
Listen, you just told that I talk.
Speaker 8 (12:03):
I'd come out here, but I didn't see Joe. I
changed my mind about going in because there was a
car parked here.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Joe had company that fits in Jason those car tracks. Yeah,
but it still doesn't tell us why Orvill didn't go in.
Speaker 8 (12:16):
I'll tell you why you let me. I recognized the car.
It belongs to Russ nukelemb. And I didn't want to
go in while he was there because I didn't want
to get mixed up in any argument.
Speaker 3 (12:25):
Who's Russ nukemb And why should there be an argument?
Speaker 8 (12:28):
Russ works out of the plant too. Him and Joe
had been friends, but they fell out a couple of
weeks ago. Hadn't been talking.
Speaker 7 (12:34):
Then Why would Nucomb be visiting here?
Speaker 3 (12:36):
Why don't you ask Nukelemb that it took a long
time for you to suggest that Arval, considering that Prager
is dead and you knew that there'd been bad blood
between him and the man you say was here last night.
Speaker 8 (12:46):
I don't like to throw suspicion on a man from
murder ranging, but you might quit suspecting me.
Speaker 3 (12:53):
A man ain't likely to kill his brother in law.
Speaker 8 (12:56):
Nukemb had the reason, noting me, Now you're letting me
go to my sister, ain't you?
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Jason? All right, horrible go ahead. Yeah, it looks like
this thing is cracking easy. Jason, sure, does you better
get out to the aircraft plant. Yeah, we got enough
to pick up Nucombe, all right, we got more than that.
That tire track on the road matches Nucomb's car. We
(13:22):
got enough on Nukeomb to send him to Huntsville.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
You are listening to Tales of the Texas Rangers, starring
Joel McCrae as Ranger Jase Pearson. We continue now with
tonight's case, Bad Blood, an authentic story from the files
of the Texas Rangers.
Speaker 3 (13:57):
We drove out to the aircraft planned news of briggers
hadn't reached the place yet we were directed to Russ
Newcomb's section leader, and he pointed a new come out
to us. He was on a welling job. Hey hey
you were there?
Speaker 7 (14:12):
No, come.
Speaker 3 (14:14):
Yeah, I compliment and come down from that wing will yea.
Speaker 6 (14:18):
Be right there, I got do for it.
Speaker 3 (14:25):
He's went to the office where we can talk. Sure,
be glad it. Yeah, Sheriff, what's up? You find a
woman who owned that presse purse? What purse? What are
you talking about?
Speaker 7 (14:38):
Press?
Speaker 3 (14:38):
I turned into the office about two months ago? Money
in it? Don't you remember? Oh that was on a Sunday.
I guess I looked different in workout it. Oh oh yeah,
what's this about? Sheriff?
Speaker 7 (14:49):
I thought he looked familiar.
Speaker 3 (14:50):
Turned in the woman's purse he found in the streets
a couple of months back, no identification in it, and
the owners never claimed it. Oh way you are talking, Sheriff,
I reckon it isn't it? She want to see me about?
Speaker 4 (15:01):
No?
Speaker 5 (15:01):
It is?
Speaker 3 (15:02):
You know Joe Prager? No what? Joe's one of my
best friends. When'd you see him last? Only last night?
After his place? Why? What's the matter? Joe's some kind
of trouble? You say he was a good friend. Other
people say you weren't on speaking terms for the last
couple of weeks. We weren't until last night. We where
we got in a dumb political argument one day during
lunch here both got hotter and we should have, but
(15:24):
you patched it up last night. Yeah, we got around
and Joe was quitting going away. Well, I went out
and buried the hatchet. You sure you mean a hatchet,
not a frying pan. Look, you fellas asking me something
which you ain't telling me nothing. You talked politics again
with Prager last night? No, No, we just shook hands
and I asked him to bring his wife over for
(15:44):
supper night and then I left.
Speaker 7 (15:45):
That's ah, Prager still alive when you left.
Speaker 3 (15:48):
Well, what do you mean he was still alive? You
telling me Joe Prager's day. He was beating to death
last night with an iron frying pam beating to death, Jue,
you see anybody else at the trailer? No, no, no,
(16:09):
we're alone.
Speaker 7 (16:10):
Just to us, Nucombe.
Speaker 3 (16:12):
The law requires me to warn you that anything you
say from here on can be used against you. Use
against me for what you're talking like, I'm under arrest.
You are under arrest for the murder of Joe Preger.
We took Nucombe back to Cheney and locked him up. Meanwhile,
(16:33):
Preger's body had been brought into a funeral home. I
went over to see Missus Preger to see if she
could give further verification of a quarrel between her husband
and a man under arrest.
Speaker 10 (16:41):
Yeap, Joe told me that had some kind of an argument,
but I didn't think it ever bes Bead is this?
I didn't think russe of chili?
Speaker 3 (16:53):
Why don't you leave her a lone ranger.
Speaker 7 (16:55):
I've already told you.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
There was bad, but now maybe you believe me. Other
witnesses aren't going to hurt anything horrible. I'm all right off.
Speaker 11 (17:01):
He's gotta find out.
Speaker 7 (17:03):
Everything he wants to know.
Speaker 3 (17:04):
What else do they need to know? If you ask me,
they got enough of a case right now, if we
ask you. But so far nobody has, and until somebody does,
I'm about keeping quiet, all right. You're of the law.
Speaker 8 (17:17):
Go ahead and make him miserable. I'm going over, Holland says,
I'll be there for.
Speaker 3 (17:25):
I'm sorry to keep after you like this, Missus Prager,
did your husband ever have any trouble with anybody besides
snookem No, was he in fear of anybody, worried about anything.
Speaker 11 (17:35):
No, he was worried at first when the army letter came,
But when we decided it was right for him to go,
he didn't worry anymore. Just figure out things so me
and baby could get along.
Speaker 10 (17:49):
We we even had a little money, say, but we
were going away together for a week, just showing me
to the place we.
Speaker 7 (17:58):
Went on her honeymoon.
Speaker 3 (18:01):
We were gonna have.
Speaker 11 (18:02):
So much fun. No, I have to use that money
to bury you.
Speaker 3 (18:09):
I'm sorry, ma'am.
Speaker 10 (18:10):
Why did rust do a thing like this to Joe?
Speaker 7 (18:14):
Why?
Speaker 11 (18:15):
Why?
Speaker 3 (18:17):
I don't know, ma'am. I've never been able to figure
out why men do a lot of things they do
to each other. I went back to the sheriff's office.
It looked like the case against Nukeomb was just about closed,
but it opened again, opened wide when the sheriff showed
me the personal effects that had been removed from Prager's body.
(18:39):
Look at this, Jeez, thankfulk isn't it Yep? Frager's was
in his shirt bucket. Take a look at that last
line drew out every dime he had. Yesterday afternoon, missus
Preger told me they had some savings. They were going
to use it to go away Reckon. That's why he
drew it out yesterday. Was paidy at the plant too, Jace,
So Prager should have had this amount. He withdrew three
hundred and twelve dollars plus his pay. Wasn't there any
(19:01):
money on him? Less than a dollar in change? I
had my deputies go out and comb that trailer, cupboards, dishes.
Speaker 7 (19:07):
They didn't find a dime.
Speaker 3 (19:09):
Nucomb turned any money over to the jailer when you
booked him about five dollars.
Speaker 7 (19:13):
That's all.
Speaker 3 (19:13):
But he had time to hide that money. All we
got to do is find out where.
Speaker 4 (19:17):
He hid it.
Speaker 3 (19:18):
If he did hide it, What do you mean that
first Nucomb found a couple of months ago, and one
he turned into you, he mentioned that there was some
money in it. That's right, little over one hundred dollars.
Speaker 7 (19:29):
What are you thinking?
Speaker 3 (19:29):
I'm thinking about motives. We've been figuring Nucomb killed Pregger
because he was nursing a grudge. Robbery angle changes that picture. Yeah, yeah,
it sure does. Fellow who finds money in and turns
it in when he could keep it, he isn't likely
to kill somebody and steal from him, unless, of course,
he was trying to cover up. He said he'd invited
the preggers to suffer to night and they were gonna come.
(19:51):
That's right. You check on Arval's movements last night, see
if he was telling the truth. Had my deputy do it.
The only place to check was Hollins and he was
there all right to work. Cashier's checked there, like you said,
then got in a crap game with some of the
boys in the washroom. He couldn't have played very long,
or he wouldn't have gotten the Prager's by seven o'clock
when Nucombe was there. I don't get what you're driving in.
Arville must have lost in that crap game. Game like
(20:14):
that between fellows who work together, the winners usually stick
to the end. Yeah, they get short of winner who
quit until they've had a chance to get even Your
deputies find any sign of bloody clothing when they check
Nucomb's place. Nope, but they're checking the cleaning shops. Now
you know where Newcomb lives. Sure you want to go
over there, just into the neighborhood. I want to talk
to Newcomb's butcher monk.
Speaker 7 (20:35):
Nucomb's butcher. What can he tell you.
Speaker 3 (20:38):
What missus Nucomb ordered for the night's dinner. I saw
the butcher and his answer to my question pull Nucomb
back a step away from the electric tear. I got
in my car and started to drive toward the field
in Prager's trailer.
Speaker 7 (21:00):
You look like you learned something.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Jeez, I did as Nucomb ordered stew meat yesterday for
the night's supper. She called up this morning and changed
They ordered the lamb chops. Twelve lamb chops?
Speaker 7 (21:11):
Does that mean anything to you?
Speaker 3 (21:13):
And changing from stew meat to lamb chops sounds like
she was expecting company. When she orders lamb chops for
her own family, she usually gets eight. And I see
the other four chops.
Speaker 7 (21:23):
Could have been for Prager and his wife.
Speaker 3 (21:25):
Then I think so. And Frager was dead when she
ordered him. Well, nukemb could have told her to order
him for a cover up. Could have, but it's a
little too smart. He didn't strike me as being that clever. Yeh,
I'm gonna go along with that. I think you're right.
But what do you expect to find at the trailer?
I don't know, and I want to look around a
lot more than we did before. I shouldn't have waited
this long. Didn't seem to be any reason for it,
(21:47):
with the case we had against nukembe well as a reason.
Now we need a new case. And I got a
hunch which way it's gone to point? I don't know, Jace.
We've fine combed that trailer and there's nothing we didn't
see before. And the only strange car track you found
(22:09):
on the road was Newcombe. Wait a minute, Sheriff, somebody
was sitting down here by the well, leaned back against
it and had his feet stretched out. You can see
where the edges of his heels were resting on the ground. Yeah,
circle out around the back here, let's do a little
trail cutting.
Speaker 7 (22:25):
You figured the killer took off away from the road
if he.
Speaker 3 (22:28):
Was on foot, would be his best bet. He went
to the highway and walked, somebody might have seen him
if he had the blood on his clothes. He'd steer
clear of town until it was late and everybody was sleeping.
Speaker 7 (22:36):
All right, Jee, which way do you want me to go?
Speaker 3 (22:39):
Circle out that way? I'll work from this side. Okay, Hey, Jace, Yes,
Sheriff Orville was on foot. I know he was. That's
why we're looking. We found the trail just as it
(23:00):
was getting dark. It led me into open country. I
got my horse charcoal from the trailer behind my car
while the sheriff went to a nearby farm to borrow mount.
It was dark when he caught up to me.
Speaker 7 (23:12):
You steal on the trailer. You're cutting to pick it up.
Speaker 3 (23:15):
I lost it a couple of times further back, but
I'm on it now. You know this country back here,
who I've ridden it before. We'll become to the Horner
River soon. About a half mile farther. River angles forward town,
doesn't it. Sure? It does cuts under that bridge just
outside Cheeney, and maybe the way the killer followed to
get back to town. Let's ride for the river bank
(23:35):
and see if we can pick up tracks there. May
save us time.
Speaker 12 (23:38):
A good idea, dig Turkey.
Speaker 3 (23:50):
We found tracks on the bank, all right, just a
few that led to the edge of the water, and
that was all. We cut back and forth on both
banks for hours before we picked up a sign oude
of the river on rock and we barely spotted the
place where he'd marked the ground. Again. That's it, all right, Jess,
same heel impression he had us fool for a while,
all right, Now, let's go. Come on, Charky, Yeah, come on.
(24:11):
What I sat up there ahead? Looks like a shack
of some kind.
Speaker 7 (24:16):
I don't know, Jess. Quite a few shacks in here
along the river. A lot of deer around. Some folks
keep places for fishing and hunting.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
His tracks lead right to it. Yeah, get on, boy,
come on, charky.
Speaker 7 (24:29):
Yeah, he's up here, all right.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
Flash your light on that door. Yeah yeah, block's been sprung,
it's open, And he was here all right, left his
marks and the dust on the floor. I guess nobody's
been using the place for quite a spell. Yeah, there's
something else too, foot locker here, lock on, it's busted too.
(24:55):
Shirts and jeans in there. I'd like to bet there's
one sitting missing. Or the ruler, whoever it was, stopped
here to change clothes. He must have known the setup.
Is it funny? Smelling here? Sheriff, like the place been
smoked up not long ago. Something burning, hot bellied stove there, Yeah,
anything guinea plenty clothes that didn't quite burn. Smells from
(25:16):
kerosene poured on him, but he came through the river,
so his pants were wet. Fire must have smoldered out
after he left. Better pull those things out and see
if we can save enough of them for identification. It's enough,
all right, Look at this bloodstained didn't even wash off
when he came through the water.
Speaker 7 (25:30):
We prove who.
Speaker 3 (25:31):
Owns these things, and we've got our man. We'll be
able to prove it. Look, shirt was bundled up with
the wet pants just enough to say most of the collar.
Speaker 4 (25:38):
And this.
Speaker 3 (25:41):
We laund remark. Let's get back to town. It was
daybreak when we got back to Cheney. We got what
we were after on our third laundry stop. A half
burned shirt belonged to Rabald James. We went to his home.
His wife was at the funeral, partner with Missus Prager,
(26:03):
so he was there alone. What you want from and
now Sheriff's got a few things rolled up in that poncho.
Maybe you might be able to identify him. Who who
they belonged to? Joe and nukem. We want you to
tell us, all right, Sheriff, and roll them recognize ease.
What's a matter of arble? You look kind of sick.
Speaker 8 (26:25):
I'm just upset about Joe, that's all I was at
the funeral home with my sister almost all night.
Speaker 3 (26:30):
Well you ever seen these things before? Yeah? Yeah, I
see whose are they? I could be wrong, I guess,
but they look like Newbom's. That's funny. Well what's funny
about it? Looks like they were burning quite a bit. Yeah,
but they were too wet to burn all the way.
Speaker 8 (26:49):
Guess that gives you a real tie case against nukem now,
doesn't it?
Speaker 3 (26:55):
It does? Doesn't it a perfect case except for the
laundry mark on the shirt. Laundrymock. That's right, orrible your laundrymark.
But they can't be a laundrymark.
Speaker 5 (27:06):
They can't be a look at your hands, the whole
thing you're hurting marble.
Speaker 12 (27:09):
Let me go, let me go, hold my arm, better,
hold still, come on.
Speaker 3 (27:18):
Let's go.
Speaker 8 (27:22):
My wife, My wife always howling me for money.
Speaker 7 (27:27):
Oh, we're screaming about her heart.
Speaker 3 (27:29):
She work, so we're yelling about it because she was
ruining her hand, scrubbing greasy work shirts.
Speaker 11 (27:35):
But she wasn't.
Speaker 3 (27:37):
She was sending them out.
Speaker 12 (27:40):
Laundry buck, lazy.
Speaker 3 (27:42):
Pig, I'll killer around, killer. You're not gonna kill anybody, horrible.
Your killing days are over. Open the door, will you
share sure all right orble In the car Let's Go.
Speaker 5 (28:12):
Orville, James broke down at his trial and confessed the
robbery slaying of his brother in law. He was found
guilty in less than twenty minutes and sentenced to Huntsville
for the rest of his natural life.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
Next week, Joel McCrae and another authentic reenactment of the
case from the files.
Speaker 6 (28:30):
Of the Texas Rangers.
Speaker 2 (28:49):
Joel McCrae is currently seen starring in the Universal International
Technicolor production Frenchie. The night's cast included Tony Barrett, Paul Freeze,
Whitfield Connor, Sam Edwards, Harley Bear, and Barbara Luddy. This
story was transcribed and adapted by Joel Murcott, and the
program was produced and directed by Stacy Keats.
Speaker 3 (29:09):
This is Hal Gifney.
Speaker 13 (29:10):
Speaking three Times Mean Good Times.
Speaker 9 (29:28):
On NBC Tomorrow, The Voice of Firestone presents Metropolitan Opera
Baso c cesare siepi in a melodic variety of operatic selections.
Speaker 13 (29:38):
Your Monday Evening of Music also.
Speaker 9 (29:39):
Includes the Telephone Hour, and tomorrow's guest artist is the
renowned coloraturo soprano Lilly Poles. Among this Poe's selections, tomorrow
is the Beautiful Aria from Rigoletto, Karenome Phil Baker asks
the sixty four dollars question next on NBC
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