August 18, 2025 • 25 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 (00:09):
Tales of the Texas Rangers, starring Joe McCrae of Ranger
Jase Pearson, Texas more than two hundred and sixty thousand
square miles and schiste men will make up the most
famous and oldest law enforcement party in North America. Now
(00:38):
from the piles of the Texas Rangers. Tell these stories
based on fact only, names, dates, and pasta partic pictures
for obvioum reasons.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
The events themselves are a matter of records. Case Fortnight,
Sweet Revenge.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
It is six thirty pm, March thirteenth, nineteen forty fourth,
the ranch house of Judd Wilkins. It is raining heavily
as Judd and Aliva Briggs from a neighboring ranch.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Finish their dinner. Yeah, Raine shoot coming down June. Yeah,
and welcome to say the night here if you want
to elders, No, no, those things. I gotta get back
to the moon. Please to night. Told the kid who's been
doing matures over there for the last three days, I'd
meet him in the morning to pay him. And sure
appreciate you helping me and Bryman's vaccinate the cattle. I'm
(01:36):
planning on doing the same for you at your place.
When you're ready, I'm gonna be ready in a couple
of days. Reckon. Yeah, we must have gone opened the
Hello jud Blake, Yeah, hello Alder.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Yeah, well you.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Don't see them too happy to see neither, jud No
it is. That's a big surprise you're popping up this
way after two years. Boy, of course, I'm glad to
see you, my brother, ain't you?
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Alba, where's Kelly? Why you heard me?
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Blake?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Where's me?
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Gordon?
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Didn't you hear? You know what Kelly and me? We
split up? Alba? Screen, Yeah, Dallas, I thought you knew
you you get it to run away with you and
then when you're who whether you're taunting to one shot over? No,
that that ain't true. That ain't the way of it.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Why you.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Cut it out? Ain't pleet me out? Break well?
Speaker 5 (02:30):
Ki?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
If you wasn't your pinch put on away from me
from knowing Jody? Yeah, I'll come, Alb. I didn't know
about Kelly and me. Yeah, you see, Blake, I can
understand Kelly, and I wanted to write Alba about it,
but I wrote here to par right after we split up.
I told him the whole story in that letter. Kelly
was just using me to get away from home. She
(02:53):
left me as soon as she found somebody else. Do
them more good. I told all that in my letter
to par and Alba was playing how come out? I
didn't know Oh died last month, Blake. I know that's
why I come home. Jud I ran into a fell
in love It toil, they have told me. But Paul
wasn't dead when I wrote that letter. I told him
I was sorry about it. I ain't gonna wanted to
come back home if he wanted me to, But I
(03:14):
never heard from him. Jud Why not, Blake? You're making
me say something that I want to see. Even though
you and I are only half brothers, I've always felt
towards you, like, what are you getting that? Jud Well,
thinking about you and Kelly spitting up just now makes
me feel pretty bad. It's part my fault because you
encouraged me to run away with us. Yeah, you telling
me asking advice? I told you on the QT. I
(03:37):
figured you had to write to your own life. But
I sure didn't know who's gonna turn Paul against you
like you did send him against me. Jud. I want
to know what happened to that letter that I wrote, Paul.
All right, Blake, or I wouldn't even open your letter,
just threw it away. What said he never wanted to
see you or hear from me again. But jud that
just doesn't sound like Paul. He just wouldn't say a
(03:58):
thing like that about me. I know, I hard to
believe he always used to be so close. Of course,
she was his own son. I wasn't so as natural
for things to you. You're sure that Park got my letter.
Course I just told you, Blake, what Boss saying is
will Now everything's taken care of, But I want to
know how it's taken care of. Jo wills in town
(04:20):
and go ins soon as we can show it to you.
She got a pleasant surprise coming, kid. You know, it's
still gonna be good having you home. You come at
a good time too. We need another hand here, and
I'm not sure Il will ever be back to help
after the night. Right, having you back again, everything's gonna
be fine. No, I'm not so sure. What do you
mean alsa the way he feels about me. I don't
(04:42):
like things like that. Oh well, don't you worried about
Elvin and Blake? He get over it, you know. I
think I'll take a horse and ride across to Alvis
Place tonight. Yeah, see if I can get things straightened
out with him, after which I could stay on the
shack lest of the night spot halfway that way, I'd
be out there. I'll lend you a hand in the morning.
It's the bedding food out of the shack, Yeah, plenty
(05:03):
of it. Okay, Blake, if you want to go, But
if Iver Dollar is in the reason, don't argue with him,
and don't be afraid of him. He won't hind me
as long as I'm a lab and kicking. Yeah, sare Brake,
and I'll take care of you. No.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
The next morning, Tom Billings Ranch hand rode out to
the isolated shack on the Wilkins Ranch. He discovered the
dead body of Blake Wilkins lying in front of the
open doorway. Sheruff Hedges was immediately notified and requested help
from the Texas Rangers. Ranger Jay s Pearson was assigned
to the case of Jason Partys Air.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Fool wool Chargo. Any trouble getting out here, No, pretty
heavy going though, must have been some rain last night.
Good thing you didn't try to come out of your cars.
He'd been how deep in mud. Yeah, that's what I figured.
I've already talked to the half brother, Chad back at
the ranch house. He's pretty broken up. But I figured
you'd want to look at the scene as they're shooting
(06:08):
before he did any question. Yeah, you find anything?
Speaker 4 (06:12):
Share here?
Speaker 2 (06:13):
A couple of things. He left the body right where
it was, though many examiners on his way up. Whose
horse is that in the crowd? I figure it's the
one Blake Wilkins rode out here last night. Followed the
tracks out here, just one set of them. Any footprints around, well,
couldn't see any lot of gravel rocks around. Yeah, okay,
(06:34):
let's take a look at the body, hum lying in
front of the open door. Bullet ended over the right eye.
Rain must have washed some of the blood away, and
bullet came out the back of the head higher up.
I mean there was traveling in an upward angle. Yeah,
that's right. Jays went clear through him and then carried
through the shack. Come on inside, I'll show you. He
(06:56):
got the bullet here in my pocket when he found
it out back here? What's left smashed that? I'm afraid
it won't help us any You take a look at
the roof, Jase back wall over their chelf of the visions. Yeah,
it's like a bullet hole. All right, let's go back outside.
I'd say Blake was just about your height, Sheriff looks like,
(07:18):
I want you to stand here beside the body and
hold your hand out of the level of your forehead.
My boy, Yeah, I will represent the approximate height of
the bullet when it hits Blake.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
Yeah, that's it.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
What do you back it up for? Jay and side
along your hand and the bullet hole in the roof.
I get it. You're trying to figure out where that
shot was fired through. Yeah, and it's leading me straight
to this old water and trough. Okay, Sheriff, you can
take your hand down. You think the killer was hiding
behind the water and trough when he shot Blake behind
it or in it? The bottom of the trough split
(07:52):
it doesn't hold any water. Don't see me footprints around.
Whoever it was gonna walked on this gravel and rocks
over to that gully there, and there's water in the
bottom of the gully. However he did it, he should
cover his tracks. And guess Blake must have heard her
noise outside the shack come outside and got shot. Yeah,
but I'm wondering what Blake was doing out here at
this shack in the first place. Search me. We didn't
(08:13):
even know Blake had come home, and they got the
report of the shooting this morning. About two years ago,
he and Kelly Briggs from the next ranch over ran
off to get married. According to Judd, Blake would turned
home just last night and made a bee line out
to this shack in the rain. Does seem a little
bit cutie. Come on, let's ride back to the ranch
house and see if Blake's half brother can throw any
(08:34):
light on the matter. I doubt about it, Jase. They
had horse at the shack. Is the one Blake rode
out there last night? The backtrack to hoofmarks all the
way here to the ranch house. Yeah, just one set
of prints, all right. Oh, he thought it was heavy
(08:55):
going for our horses this morning. It must have been
a lot of horse last night from the way those
hooflocks up. Blake sagged out of the mud. Yeah, I
noticed that. Yeah. Is that the half brother on the
back fORCH Yeah it's Jud Wilkins. Yeah, boy, oh, Jud,
it's a ranger. Pearson said he's in charge of the investigation.
(09:16):
Your brothers, would it? Huh? Well, got any lane on
the killer so far? Ranger, not much yet, As I
understand that, Judge, your brother had been away from home
about two years. That's right, when you get back. Walked
in last night at supper time, about six thirty. I
guess Alvil Briggs can verify the time for you. He's
having supper with me any reason. The time of Blake's
(09:36):
returned home shouldn't need verifying. Jed, No, no, I just
I just figured you want all the facts straight.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Ring.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yeah, what happened when Blake walked in? Well, ter, Blake
walked in, haw walked out? Oh why? When Blake told
us he and Kelly had stood up. See, John didn't
know anything about it. He did his as a matter
of fact. But Albert, being Kelly's par took it pretty
hard teamed behold it against Blake. I guess he thought
it was all Blake's far. Matter of fact, I had
to pull him away from Blake's strove. I see, of course,
(10:04):
the way Blake explained it to me later, it wasn't
his fault at all. But Howard didn't wait for any explanation.
How'd you feel about Blake coming home. Jed, all right,
I can wear any brother feel. I told him I
was glad he's back. It'd be good to have him
help me with the ranch. Jud there's one thing that's
bothering me. Maybe you can throw a little light on it.
What is it, Ranger? How come your brother went out
(10:25):
to that line shack the first night he got home?
All right? I decided to ride over to albas and
try to straighten things out with him, and said he'd
stayed at the shack resk the night so he'd give
us a hand of the reading in the morning. So
off he rode and I see what time was that?
A seven thirty? I guess what did you do after that? Me? Yeah, right,
let me see now, around nine I sent for my
(10:46):
ranch hand Tom Billings, told him about Blake being back,
and also had him help me check some tally sheets.
I'd say that was about ten thirty when we got through.
Tom went on back to the bunk house. That's right, sir,
And you it turned in you didn't leave the ranch house.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Me.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
No, are you sure about that? Of course? I'm sure.
What are you getting that, Ranger? I'm just trying to
get at the truth welcome. Now, wait a minute, you
think they maybe accurate? Break I'm not thinking anything right now,
I'm just asking questions. I don't like the kind of
questions you're asking. You got kill my own brother in
cool blood and take it easy, jerk Ranger. You know
who discovered Breake's bonny, Tom Billings, my own ranch hand?
(11:24):
Where can I find this ranch hand of yours? Tom Billings,
he's waiting for you to at the bunkhast. I told
him to stick around in case you wanted the questions,
Jess good to have a talk with him. Sheriff whoever
that's skunky is Ranger? Ask sure you get it?
Speaker 4 (11:37):
Thanks?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
What do you think, Jess about jued Wilkins or I
don't know, Sheriff. That's a pretty straightforward story, But listening
to it, I somehow got the idea it was a
little too straightforward, almost like he might have been rehearsing it. Yeah,
I would like that to me too. Well, we'll checked
up on as much of his story as we can
from Tom Billings. Here's a posh house. Am alright, Tom Billings,
(12:06):
that's right.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
I've been waiting for a impacting old pair of jeeves
Jin't I pretty much of a seamstree?
Speaker 2 (12:15):
No, it seems to me I've seen worse looking patches
than that. Billings, you're the one who discovered Blake Wilkins's
body this morning, aren't you?
Speaker 5 (12:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Almost lost my breakfast?
Speaker 5 (12:26):
Pretty bad sight?
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Who told you to ride out that way? Jud?
Speaker 5 (12:31):
Do you wanted me to meet Blake and get started
with the vaccinations again?
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Check so far? Jez? Yeah? How about last night? Billings?
Judd says he called up to the ranch house.
Speaker 5 (12:41):
Yay, he did, wanted to tell me about Blake being
back and have me hip and check some tallew sheets.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
What times you go up?
Speaker 5 (12:48):
Right around nine o'clock?
Speaker 2 (12:50):
And what time did you come back here?
Speaker 5 (12:52):
About a quarter to eleven? Ready to just stop? I
come back here to the bunk house.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
And turned in, and then this morning you rode out
to the line shack. Okay, I guess that'll be all Billings.
Come on, Sheriff. Well, one thing, sure, Chase, Jud's time
last night is accounted for from nine's at about quarter
to eleven. Yeah, of course we don't know how much
(13:20):
that means until they've completed the autopsy and can tell
us the time of that You know there's another angle
to this case. You could probably stay looking into what
you're gonna say, Sheriff Alva Briggs. Yeah, according to Judd,
Alva was pretty mad at Blake last night when he
found out Blake and Kelly had split up. We're gonna
look into that angle right now, Sheriff. Let's take a
(13:40):
run over to the Briggs ranch and have a talk
with Alba. See if we can find out just how
mad he was at Blake. Wilkins. Okay, we drove over
(14:06):
to Alva Briggs ranch. We could see from a distance
that his car wasn't in the shed, and as we
got closer, we noticed a kid sitting on the front porch.
Who's that kid over there? Hello? Morning looking for ov
of Briggs? Oh, I thought, I'm looking for Samuel Bridge.
Speaker 5 (14:29):
Sure, what do you mean, Well, here's nowhere around.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
He told me to be here this morning and that
he would pay me for feeding his chickens or horses.
So I come this morning like he told me. I wait,
but he don't come trace. Yeah, looks like Alva Briggs
got called away all of a sudden. I'm gonna put
out on all points. Wanted bulleting on him right now
(14:56):
checking in town, I learned that Alva Briggs had caught
the Dallas bus that morning. I notified Company B. Four
hours later, Briggs was picked up at the Continental Trailways
depot in Dallas by Ranger C. B. Wade, who brought
him back to Sheriff Hedges office. After a brief talk
with the ranger Wade out in the hall, I came
back into the room. I'd right, you know the meeting
on this ranger. We'd like to know why you suddenly
(15:18):
decided to take a trip, mister Briggs, I reckon, that's
my vision. You're wrong about that. It's our business too.
Why it looks right now you get mad at Blake Wilkins.
He turns up dead and you leave town. But I
didn't even know about Blake being ko to let other
ranger picked me up getting off to Bush and Dennish.
I still want to know why you took off from
your ranch this morning?
Speaker 4 (15:37):
All right? Last night break to me heman daughter Kelly
and spread up from Denis and comes a bad shook.
So this morning I said to head for Dennish, see
where I could locate Kelly and find out what happened.
Diet her to come back home with me if she would.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I see you left the Wilkins Ranch about six thirty
last night.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Where'd you go home? You stay home the rest of
the night. Yeah, any way of proving that elver m Yes, ma'am,
I leave a room Raine. Jerry didn't kill Blake? Will
Kemson Sure. I felt like it were shaking it too
when he told me about him and Jerry, But thinking
about it later, I get over it. I guess when
a couple of switched up, but you there were completely
(16:20):
one person's for I didn't kill him. You didn't You
want to cooperate, then I'm asking you to postpone your
trip to Dallas. I want you to keep yourself real
handy until this investigation's wound up. All right, Range, Yer,
you'll find me for Range. We did not of last night? Jeez,
you know he hasn't. There are a couple of things
(16:40):
that make me doubt that he killed Blake. What are they?
If he did kill Blake? Why do you wait till
this morning to take off from his ranch?
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Well?
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Another thing? Alva walked out of the Wilkins ranch house
right after Blake arrived. How do you know Blake was
going to be out at the shack. Well, Blake told
Jerry was gonna ride over and talk to ever. Maybe
that's but we know Blake never got as far as
Alva's place. Those horse tracks led right to the shack
and stopped there. See that's right. Do you think jud
(17:08):
was lying to us trying to make it look bad
for Elva? I don't know. Then there's a matter of motive.
You find out like Alva did that your daughter split
up with a guy, and you think it's his fault.
You might knock a few teeth loose over it. But
as for killing him on account of it, I don't know. Well,
speaking of motive, how about jud That's just what I'm
going to follow up next, Sheriff, see if I can
(17:29):
find a motive for Judd Wilkins to kill his half brother.
I checked into the background of the Wilkins family and
found out about several instances of friction between the brothers.
The jud had always been envious of Blake. That started
me thinking about the father's death and his will. The
(17:52):
executor of the estate was a lawyer named Sam Farris,
Sheriff and I dropped in to see him in his office. Yes,
stranger the Wilson Probate, But I'm very familiar with the
terms and provisions of it. What are they? It was
a sort of a peculiar will. I told old man
Wilkins at the time he made it that it might
not stand up in cord. Had him change it a little,
(18:12):
but I'm still not sure it's valid. Of course, doesn't
matter much now Blake being dead. Incidentally, I suppose you
questioned Judd about shooting. Yeah, I have, mister Ferris. Why
do you ask? Because of the way the will read? Oh?
Just how does it read? If Blake returned home with
his own accord anytime during the probate period, the lamb,
(18:34):
the buildings, and the stock were his. Jes, That's very interesting,
mister Ferris. What provision was made for Judd? He was
to get twenty five percent of the profits from the ranch,
and if Blake didn't show up before the probate period
was up, Judd would get the whole thing. I tried
to talk old men Wilkins into set it up as
a trust for I'm boiling it down then, mister Ferris.
(18:54):
If Blake came back of his own accord, the place
was his and jud In effect would be working for him.
About the size of it, Well, Jase, didn't you do it?
All right? We know jud was always envious of Blake,
So now up pops Blake to take the ranch away
from Yeah, there's our motive, all right, mister Farris. You
got a copy of that will? Yes, but I'm afraid
I couldn't turn over a night copy till.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
You arrange it.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Okay, look over the original at the courthouse, Sheriff, I
want to study that will. We went through the will
with a fine tooth comb. When we returned to the
Sheriff's office, the autopsy report was lying on his desk.
What's it say, Jace. We're all set to arrest jud Wilkins.
(19:37):
Weren't we still are? All? Said fus, I'm concerned. Word
looks like there's not gonna be an arrest. What are
you talking about? We just found out jud Wilkins had
plenty of motive for killing Blake.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
Sheriff.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
All the motive in the world doesn't do as any
good when the facts are against us. You still can't
be in two places at once. I don't follow you, Jays. Look,
Tom Billings told us he was with jud at the
ranch house the night of the shooting, from about nine
until quarter of eleven. That's right. Wait a minute, you
mean that autops of reports like Wilkins was killed at
a shack six miles from the ranch house, and according
(20:08):
to this report, the time of death was somewhere between
nine and nine thirty. Well, Jase, there goes our case
against Judd, then, right, smook, Jase, hang go if I
see what good this is doing us. We've gone over
(20:29):
this shack just like we did before. He had me
hold my hand up again. You sided along it to
the bullet hole in the wall, and we're still over
it a longer than we were. I know it, Sheriff.
The only thing I can figure is that we don't
have all the fact of the cage. Shit. Maybe somebody
else we don't know about shot Blake. I think we've
already got all the important fact. Sheriff. Hey, Hey, wait
(20:49):
a minute, what is it. Take a look at this
sugar bowl, Sheriff. It was right under the bullet hole.
I don't see an you think the matter with it?
Look at the sugar inside it. Nothing the matter with
that either. Yeah, well that's the point, Sheriff. You ever
see sugar that's had a little water dropped on it. Boy,
sugar gets sort of crusty and stays that way. Yo.
(21:10):
But remember what Tom Billings told us that the rain
stopped about quarter to eleven. Blake was shot between nine
and nine thirty. That's right over an hour before it stopped. Jase. Yeah,
a bullet hole over the sugar bowl would have let
a few drops of rain on the sugar. But the
sugar's dry and there aren't any water stains on the
shelf either. That means that bullet hole and the roof
(21:32):
wasn't made until after it stopped raining. We added for
the ranch house, jud was nowhere in sight, which suited
me fine at the moment weazed inside the house. I
didn't find what I was looking for in the front room,
so we went up into the bedroom. What do you
(21:55):
figure on? Fine enough here, jeez, I think I've already
found a sheriff calendar on the wall. Looks like it's
hanging mighty high. Yeah, let's take a look behind it.
A bullet hole in the walls. Yeah, I got my
knife here, I'll figure around it. Yeah, it's in here
(22:19):
all right here. You are sheriff the slug well, you
see that's where jud got the idea. He was probably
standing on the stairs and shot and killed Blake right
here in this room. Then he noticed that the bullet
went clear through into this wall. That's why he fired
a bullet through the rear of the shack to make
it look like Blake had been killed out there. You
(22:40):
mean all the time some Billings was downstairs with Jud
that night, Blake's body was lying right up here in
the bedroom.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
That's just what I mean.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Jud must have shot Blake around nine o'clock then called
Billings over to the house right afterward as a cover.
Then after Billings lifted a quarter to eleven, jud cleaned
up the room and took the body out to the
sheck on horseback, and the door closed. Nobody down there
in the living room. Come on, Sheriff breckon. Jud could
(23:09):
have come in without us hearing them. Mayby take a
look in the kitchen any The kitchen's empty too. Let's
look out the back door. Here he is Chase rolling
for the carshead. Come on, Jud, hold it stuff where
you are. Take he ducks all the corner of the carshead,
trials back there. You might be trying for a horse.
(23:32):
You'll see as soon as we get around that corner,
take cover, sheriff. Shot came from the bunk house. Probably
ducked him. They had to get a good Judd. This
won't do you any good. Come on out of there.
He's gone plum crazy, trying to shoot it up with
both of us. Jud, I'll give you just one minute
(23:53):
to come out of that bunk house with your hands
in the air. You want me, you come in here
and get me, ranger. I don't have to, Jud, I'm
gonna send for you. I jirgled around the ranch house
in my car in front, got something on it, but
we called back to the sheriff to guess. Bo. Yeah,
(24:15):
this is your last chance, Jod. Okay, here's mine. Come
on the sheriff that he's up closer. You'll be coming
out of that door in a minute now, U. I'll
take this side of the door, Sheriff, you take the other.
(24:38):
I can't see. I'll take that gun.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Nice.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Yeah, they're they're up. You're under arrest. Jud All right,
you had a pretty neat scheme figured out, Jed. She
got tripped up by a little bowl of sugar. Sugar. Yeah,
I'll bet you'll hate the wood sugar for the rest
of your life, you know, Sheriff, I got a strong
hunch that isn't going to be very long.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
Judd Wilkins was tried and convicted of the murder of
his brother Blake, on the morning of June sixteenth, nineteen
forty five, in the State Penitentiary at Huntsville. He was
executed in the electric chair next Joel McRae and another
(25:50):
authentic reenactment of the case from the file tub the
Texas Rangers
Tales of the Texas Rangers, starring Joe McCrae of Ranger
Jase Pearson, Texas more than two hundred and sixty thousand
square miles and schiste men will make up the most
famous and oldest law enforcement party in North America. Now
(00:38):
from the piles of the Texas Rangers. Tell these stories
based on fact only, names, dates, and pasta partic pictures
for obvioum reasons.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
The events themselves are a matter of records. Case Fortnight,
Sweet Revenge.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
It is six thirty pm, March thirteenth, nineteen forty fourth,
the ranch house of Judd Wilkins. It is raining heavily
as Judd and Aliva Briggs from a neighboring ranch.
Speaker 2 (01:14):
Finish their dinner. Yeah, Raine shoot coming down June. Yeah,
and welcome to say the night here if you want
to elders, No, no, those things. I gotta get back
to the moon. Please to night. Told the kid who's been
doing matures over there for the last three days, I'd
meet him in the morning to pay him. And sure
appreciate you helping me and Bryman's vaccinate the cattle. I'm
(01:36):
planning on doing the same for you at your place.
When you're ready, I'm gonna be ready in a couple
of days. Reckon. Yeah, we must have gone opened the
Hello jud Blake, Yeah, hello Alder.
Speaker 4 (01:50):
Yeah, well you.
Speaker 2 (01:52):
Don't see them too happy to see neither, jud No
it is. That's a big surprise you're popping up this
way after two years. Boy, of course, I'm glad to
see you, my brother, ain't you?
Speaker 1 (02:02):
Oh?
Speaker 2 (02:03):
Alba, where's Kelly? Why you heard me?
Speaker 4 (02:06):
Blake?
Speaker 2 (02:06):
Where's me?
Speaker 4 (02:07):
Gordon?
Speaker 2 (02:08):
Didn't you hear? You know what Kelly and me? We
split up? Alba? Screen, Yeah, Dallas, I thought you knew
you you get it to run away with you and
then when you're who whether you're taunting to one shot over? No,
that that ain't true. That ain't the way of it.
Speaker 1 (02:21):
Why you.
Speaker 2 (02:25):
Cut it out? Ain't pleet me out? Break well?
Speaker 5 (02:30):
Ki?
Speaker 2 (02:31):
If you wasn't your pinch put on away from me
from knowing Jody? Yeah, I'll come, Alb. I didn't know
about Kelly and me. Yeah, you see, Blake, I can
understand Kelly, and I wanted to write Alba about it,
but I wrote here to par right after we split up.
I told him the whole story in that letter. Kelly
was just using me to get away from home. She
(02:53):
left me as soon as she found somebody else. Do
them more good. I told all that in my letter
to par and Alba was playing how come out? I
didn't know Oh died last month, Blake. I know that's
why I come home. Jud I ran into a fell
in love It toil, they have told me. But Paul
wasn't dead when I wrote that letter. I told him
I was sorry about it. I ain't gonna wanted to
come back home if he wanted me to, But I
(03:14):
never heard from him. Jud Why not, Blake? You're making
me say something that I want to see. Even though
you and I are only half brothers, I've always felt
towards you, like, what are you getting that? Jud Well,
thinking about you and Kelly spitting up just now makes
me feel pretty bad. It's part my fault because you
encouraged me to run away with us. Yeah, you telling
me asking advice? I told you on the QT. I
(03:37):
figured you had to write to your own life. But
I sure didn't know who's gonna turn Paul against you
like you did send him against me. Jud. I want
to know what happened to that letter that I wrote, Paul.
All right, Blake, or I wouldn't even open your letter,
just threw it away. What said he never wanted to
see you or hear from me again. But jud that
just doesn't sound like Paul. He just wouldn't say a
(03:58):
thing like that about me. I know, I hard to
believe he always used to be so close. Of course,
she was his own son. I wasn't so as natural
for things to you. You're sure that Park got my letter.
Course I just told you, Blake, what Boss saying is
will Now everything's taken care of, But I want to
know how it's taken care of. Jo wills in town
(04:20):
and go ins soon as we can show it to you.
She got a pleasant surprise coming, kid. You know, it's
still gonna be good having you home. You come at
a good time too. We need another hand here, and
I'm not sure Il will ever be back to help
after the night. Right, having you back again, everything's gonna
be fine. No, I'm not so sure. What do you
mean alsa the way he feels about me. I don't
(04:42):
like things like that. Oh well, don't you worried about
Elvin and Blake? He get over it, you know. I
think I'll take a horse and ride across to Alvis
Place tonight. Yeah, see if I can get things straightened
out with him, after which I could stay on the
shack lest of the night spot halfway that way, I'd
be out there. I'll lend you a hand in the morning.
It's the bedding food out of the shack, Yeah, plenty
(05:03):
of it. Okay, Blake, if you want to go, But
if Iver Dollar is in the reason, don't argue with him,
and don't be afraid of him. He won't hind me
as long as I'm a lab and kicking. Yeah, sare Brake,
and I'll take care of you. No.
Speaker 3 (05:26):
The next morning, Tom Billings Ranch hand rode out to
the isolated shack on the Wilkins Ranch. He discovered the
dead body of Blake Wilkins lying in front of the
open doorway. Sheruff Hedges was immediately notified and requested help
from the Texas Rangers. Ranger Jay s Pearson was assigned
to the case of Jason Partys Air.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Fool wool Chargo. Any trouble getting out here, No, pretty
heavy going though, must have been some rain last night.
Good thing you didn't try to come out of your cars.
He'd been how deep in mud. Yeah, that's what I figured.
I've already talked to the half brother, Chad back at
the ranch house. He's pretty broken up. But I figured
you'd want to look at the scene as they're shooting
(06:08):
before he did any question. Yeah, you find anything?
Speaker 4 (06:12):
Share here?
Speaker 2 (06:13):
A couple of things. He left the body right where
it was, though many examiners on his way up. Whose
horse is that in the crowd? I figure it's the
one Blake Wilkins rode out here last night. Followed the
tracks out here, just one set of them. Any footprints around, well,
couldn't see any lot of gravel rocks around. Yeah, okay,
(06:34):
let's take a look at the body, hum lying in
front of the open door. Bullet ended over the right eye.
Rain must have washed some of the blood away, and
bullet came out the back of the head higher up.
I mean there was traveling in an upward angle. Yeah,
that's right. Jays went clear through him and then carried
through the shack. Come on inside, I'll show you. He
(06:56):
got the bullet here in my pocket when he found
it out back here? What's left smashed that? I'm afraid
it won't help us any You take a look at
the roof, Jase back wall over their chelf of the visions. Yeah,
it's like a bullet hole. All right, let's go back outside.
I'd say Blake was just about your height, Sheriff looks like,
(07:18):
I want you to stand here beside the body and
hold your hand out of the level of your forehead.
My boy, Yeah, I will represent the approximate height of
the bullet when it hits Blake.
Speaker 4 (07:28):
Yeah, that's it.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
What do you back it up for? Jay and side
along your hand and the bullet hole in the roof.
I get it. You're trying to figure out where that
shot was fired through. Yeah, and it's leading me straight
to this old water and trough. Okay, Sheriff, you can
take your hand down. You think the killer was hiding
behind the water and trough when he shot Blake behind
it or in it? The bottom of the trough split
(07:52):
it doesn't hold any water. Don't see me footprints around.
Whoever it was gonna walked on this gravel and rocks
over to that gully there, and there's water in the
bottom of the gully. However he did it, he should
cover his tracks. And guess Blake must have heard her
noise outside the shack come outside and got shot. Yeah,
but I'm wondering what Blake was doing out here at
this shack in the first place. Search me. We didn't
(08:13):
even know Blake had come home, and they got the
report of the shooting this morning. About two years ago,
he and Kelly Briggs from the next ranch over ran
off to get married. According to Judd, Blake would turned
home just last night and made a bee line out
to this shack in the rain. Does seem a little
bit cutie. Come on, let's ride back to the ranch
house and see if Blake's half brother can throw any
(08:34):
light on the matter. I doubt about it, Jase. They
had horse at the shack. Is the one Blake rode
out there last night? The backtrack to hoofmarks all the
way here to the ranch house. Yeah, just one set
of prints, all right. Oh, he thought it was heavy
(08:55):
going for our horses this morning. It must have been
a lot of horse last night from the way those
hooflocks up. Blake sagged out of the mud. Yeah, I
noticed that. Yeah. Is that the half brother on the
back fORCH Yeah it's Jud Wilkins. Yeah, boy, oh, Jud,
it's a ranger. Pearson said he's in charge of the investigation.
(09:16):
Your brothers, would it? Huh? Well, got any lane on
the killer so far? Ranger, not much yet, As I
understand that, Judge, your brother had been away from home
about two years. That's right, when you get back. Walked
in last night at supper time, about six thirty. I
guess Alvil Briggs can verify the time for you. He's
having supper with me any reason. The time of Blake's
(09:36):
returned home shouldn't need verifying. Jed, No, no, I just
I just figured you want all the facts straight.
Speaker 3 (09:41):
Ring.
Speaker 2 (09:42):
Yeah, what happened when Blake walked in? Well, ter, Blake
walked in, haw walked out? Oh why? When Blake told
us he and Kelly had stood up. See, John didn't
know anything about it. He did his as a matter
of fact. But Albert, being Kelly's par took it pretty
hard teamed behold it against Blake. I guess he thought
it was all Blake's far. Matter of fact, I had
to pull him away from Blake's strove. I see, of course,
(10:04):
the way Blake explained it to me later, it wasn't
his fault at all. But Howard didn't wait for any explanation.
How'd you feel about Blake coming home. Jed, all right,
I can wear any brother feel. I told him I
was glad he's back. It'd be good to have him
help me with the ranch. Jud there's one thing that's
bothering me. Maybe you can throw a little light on it.
What is it, Ranger? How come your brother went out
(10:25):
to that line shack the first night he got home?
All right? I decided to ride over to albas and
try to straighten things out with him, and said he'd
stayed at the shack resk the night so he'd give
us a hand of the reading in the morning. So
off he rode and I see what time was that?
A seven thirty? I guess what did you do after that? Me? Yeah, right,
let me see now, around nine I sent for my
(10:46):
ranch hand Tom Billings, told him about Blake being back,
and also had him help me check some tally sheets.
I'd say that was about ten thirty when we got through.
Tom went on back to the bunk house. That's right, sir,
And you it turned in you didn't leave the ranch house.
Speaker 1 (11:02):
Me.
Speaker 2 (11:03):
No, are you sure about that? Of course? I'm sure.
What are you getting that, Ranger? I'm just trying to
get at the truth welcome. Now, wait a minute, you
think they maybe accurate? Break I'm not thinking anything right now,
I'm just asking questions. I don't like the kind of
questions you're asking. You got kill my own brother in
cool blood and take it easy, jerk Ranger. You know
who discovered Breake's bonny, Tom Billings, my own ranch hand?
(11:24):
Where can I find this ranch hand of yours? Tom Billings,
he's waiting for you to at the bunkhast. I told
him to stick around in case you wanted the questions,
Jess good to have a talk with him. Sheriff whoever
that's skunky is Ranger? Ask sure you get it?
Speaker 4 (11:37):
Thanks?
Speaker 2 (11:39):
What do you think, Jess about jued Wilkins or I
don't know, Sheriff. That's a pretty straightforward story, But listening
to it, I somehow got the idea it was a
little too straightforward, almost like he might have been rehearsing it. Yeah,
I would like that to me too. Well, we'll checked
up on as much of his story as we can
from Tom Billings. Here's a posh house. Am alright, Tom Billings,
(12:06):
that's right.
Speaker 5 (12:08):
I've been waiting for a impacting old pair of jeeves
Jin't I pretty much of a seamstree?
Speaker 2 (12:15):
No, it seems to me I've seen worse looking patches
than that. Billings, you're the one who discovered Blake Wilkins's
body this morning, aren't you?
Speaker 5 (12:23):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (12:24):
Almost lost my breakfast?
Speaker 5 (12:26):
Pretty bad sight?
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Who told you to ride out that way? Jud?
Speaker 5 (12:31):
Do you wanted me to meet Blake and get started
with the vaccinations again?
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Check so far? Jez? Yeah? How about last night? Billings?
Judd says he called up to the ranch house.
Speaker 5 (12:41):
Yay, he did, wanted to tell me about Blake being
back and have me hip and check some tallew sheets.
Speaker 2 (12:47):
What times you go up?
Speaker 5 (12:48):
Right around nine o'clock?
Speaker 2 (12:50):
And what time did you come back here?
Speaker 5 (12:52):
About a quarter to eleven? Ready to just stop? I
come back here to the bunk house.
Speaker 2 (12:57):
And turned in, and then this morning you rode out
to the line shack. Okay, I guess that'll be all Billings.
Come on, Sheriff. Well, one thing, sure, Chase, Jud's time
last night is accounted for from nine's at about quarter
to eleven. Yeah, of course we don't know how much
(13:20):
that means until they've completed the autopsy and can tell
us the time of that You know there's another angle
to this case. You could probably stay looking into what
you're gonna say, Sheriff Alva Briggs. Yeah, according to Judd,
Alva was pretty mad at Blake last night when he
found out Blake and Kelly had split up. We're gonna
look into that angle right now, Sheriff. Let's take a
(13:40):
run over to the Briggs ranch and have a talk
with Alba. See if we can find out just how
mad he was at Blake. Wilkins. Okay, we drove over
(14:06):
to Alva Briggs ranch. We could see from a distance
that his car wasn't in the shed, and as we
got closer, we noticed a kid sitting on the front porch.
Who's that kid over there? Hello? Morning looking for ov
of Briggs? Oh, I thought, I'm looking for Samuel Bridge.
Speaker 5 (14:29):
Sure, what do you mean, Well, here's nowhere around.
Speaker 2 (14:32):
He told me to be here this morning and that
he would pay me for feeding his chickens or horses.
So I come this morning like he told me. I wait,
but he don't come trace. Yeah, looks like Alva Briggs
got called away all of a sudden. I'm gonna put
out on all points. Wanted bulleting on him right now
(14:56):
checking in town, I learned that Alva Briggs had caught
the Dallas bus that morning. I notified Company B. Four
hours later, Briggs was picked up at the Continental Trailways
depot in Dallas by Ranger C. B. Wade, who brought
him back to Sheriff Hedges office. After a brief talk
with the ranger Wade out in the hall, I came
back into the room. I'd right, you know the meeting
on this ranger. We'd like to know why you suddenly
(15:18):
decided to take a trip, mister Briggs, I reckon, that's
my vision. You're wrong about that. It's our business too.
Why it looks right now you get mad at Blake Wilkins.
He turns up dead and you leave town. But I
didn't even know about Blake being ko to let other
ranger picked me up getting off to Bush and Dennish.
I still want to know why you took off from
your ranch this morning?
Speaker 4 (15:37):
All right? Last night break to me heman daughter Kelly
and spread up from Denis and comes a bad shook.
So this morning I said to head for Dennish, see
where I could locate Kelly and find out what happened.
Diet her to come back home with me if she would.
Speaker 2 (15:53):
I see you left the Wilkins Ranch about six thirty
last night.
Speaker 4 (15:57):
That's right.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Where'd you go home? You stay home the rest of
the night. Yeah, any way of proving that elver m Yes, ma'am,
I leave a room Raine. Jerry didn't kill Blake? Will
Kemson Sure. I felt like it were shaking it too
when he told me about him and Jerry, But thinking
about it later, I get over it. I guess when
a couple of switched up, but you there were completely
(16:20):
one person's for I didn't kill him. You didn't You
want to cooperate, then I'm asking you to postpone your
trip to Dallas. I want you to keep yourself real
handy until this investigation's wound up. All right, Range, Yer,
you'll find me for Range. We did not of last night? Jeez,
you know he hasn't. There are a couple of things
(16:40):
that make me doubt that he killed Blake. What are they?
If he did kill Blake? Why do you wait till
this morning to take off from his ranch?
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Well?
Speaker 2 (16:48):
Another thing? Alva walked out of the Wilkins ranch house
right after Blake arrived. How do you know Blake was
going to be out at the shack. Well, Blake told
Jerry was gonna ride over and talk to ever. Maybe
that's but we know Blake never got as far as
Alva's place. Those horse tracks led right to the shack
and stopped there. See that's right. Do you think jud
(17:08):
was lying to us trying to make it look bad
for Elva? I don't know. Then there's a matter of motive.
You find out like Alva did that your daughter split
up with a guy, and you think it's his fault.
You might knock a few teeth loose over it. But
as for killing him on account of it, I don't know. Well,
speaking of motive, how about jud That's just what I'm
going to follow up next, Sheriff, see if I can
(17:29):
find a motive for Judd Wilkins to kill his half brother.
I checked into the background of the Wilkins family and
found out about several instances of friction between the brothers.
The jud had always been envious of Blake. That started
me thinking about the father's death and his will. The
(17:52):
executor of the estate was a lawyer named Sam Farris,
Sheriff and I dropped in to see him in his office. Yes,
stranger the Wilson Probate, But I'm very familiar with the
terms and provisions of it. What are they? It was
a sort of a peculiar will. I told old man
Wilkins at the time he made it that it might
not stand up in cord. Had him change it a little,
(18:12):
but I'm still not sure it's valid. Of course, doesn't
matter much now Blake being dead. Incidentally, I suppose you
questioned Judd about shooting. Yeah, I have, mister Ferris. Why
do you ask? Because of the way the will read? Oh?
Just how does it read? If Blake returned home with
his own accord anytime during the probate period, the lamb,
(18:34):
the buildings, and the stock were his. Jes, That's very interesting,
mister Ferris. What provision was made for Judd? He was
to get twenty five percent of the profits from the ranch,
and if Blake didn't show up before the probate period
was up, Judd would get the whole thing. I tried
to talk old men Wilkins into set it up as
a trust for I'm boiling it down then, mister Ferris.
(18:54):
If Blake came back of his own accord, the place
was his and jud In effect would be working for him.
About the size of it, Well, Jase, didn't you do it?
All right? We know jud was always envious of Blake,
So now up pops Blake to take the ranch away
from Yeah, there's our motive, all right, mister Farris. You
got a copy of that will? Yes, but I'm afraid
I couldn't turn over a night copy till.
Speaker 4 (19:14):
You arrange it.
Speaker 2 (19:15):
Okay, look over the original at the courthouse, Sheriff, I
want to study that will. We went through the will
with a fine tooth comb. When we returned to the
Sheriff's office, the autopsy report was lying on his desk.
What's it say, Jace. We're all set to arrest jud Wilkins.
(19:37):
Weren't we still are? All? Said fus, I'm concerned. Word
looks like there's not gonna be an arrest. What are
you talking about? We just found out jud Wilkins had
plenty of motive for killing Blake.
Speaker 4 (19:47):
Sheriff.
Speaker 2 (19:47):
All the motive in the world doesn't do as any
good when the facts are against us. You still can't
be in two places at once. I don't follow you, Jays. Look,
Tom Billings told us he was with jud at the
ranch house the night of the shooting, from about nine
until quarter of eleven. That's right. Wait a minute, you
mean that autops of reports like Wilkins was killed at
a shack six miles from the ranch house, and according
(20:08):
to this report, the time of death was somewhere between
nine and nine thirty. Well, Jase, there goes our case
against Judd, then, right, smook, Jase, hang go if I
see what good this is doing us. We've gone over
(20:29):
this shack just like we did before. He had me
hold my hand up again. You sided along it to
the bullet hole in the wall, and we're still over
it a longer than we were. I know it, Sheriff.
The only thing I can figure is that we don't
have all the fact of the cage. Shit. Maybe somebody
else we don't know about shot Blake. I think we've
already got all the important fact. Sheriff. Hey, Hey, wait
(20:49):
a minute, what is it. Take a look at this
sugar bowl, Sheriff. It was right under the bullet hole.
I don't see an you think the matter with it?
Look at the sugar inside it. Nothing the matter with
that either. Yeah, well that's the point, Sheriff. You ever
see sugar that's had a little water dropped on it. Boy,
sugar gets sort of crusty and stays that way. Yo.
(21:10):
But remember what Tom Billings told us that the rain
stopped about quarter to eleven. Blake was shot between nine
and nine thirty. That's right over an hour before it stopped. Jase. Yeah,
a bullet hole over the sugar bowl would have let
a few drops of rain on the sugar. But the
sugar's dry and there aren't any water stains on the
shelf either. That means that bullet hole and the roof
(21:32):
wasn't made until after it stopped raining. We added for
the ranch house, jud was nowhere in sight, which suited
me fine at the moment weazed inside the house. I
didn't find what I was looking for in the front room,
so we went up into the bedroom. What do you
(21:55):
figure on? Fine enough here, jeez, I think I've already
found a sheriff calendar on the wall. Looks like it's
hanging mighty high. Yeah, let's take a look behind it.
A bullet hole in the walls. Yeah, I got my
knife here, I'll figure around it. Yeah, it's in here
(22:19):
all right here. You are sheriff the slug well, you
see that's where jud got the idea. He was probably
standing on the stairs and shot and killed Blake right
here in this room. Then he noticed that the bullet
went clear through into this wall. That's why he fired
a bullet through the rear of the shack to make
it look like Blake had been killed out there. You
(22:40):
mean all the time some Billings was downstairs with Jud
that night, Blake's body was lying right up here in
the bedroom.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
That's just what I mean.
Speaker 2 (22:48):
Jud must have shot Blake around nine o'clock then called
Billings over to the house right afterward as a cover.
Then after Billings lifted a quarter to eleven, jud cleaned
up the room and took the body out to the
sheck on horseback, and the door closed. Nobody down there
in the living room. Come on, Sheriff breckon. Jud could
(23:09):
have come in without us hearing them. Mayby take a
look in the kitchen any The kitchen's empty too. Let's
look out the back door. Here he is Chase rolling
for the carshead. Come on, Jud, hold it stuff where
you are. Take he ducks all the corner of the carshead,
trials back there. You might be trying for a horse.
(23:32):
You'll see as soon as we get around that corner,
take cover, sheriff. Shot came from the bunk house. Probably
ducked him. They had to get a good Judd. This
won't do you any good. Come on out of there.
He's gone plum crazy, trying to shoot it up with
both of us. Jud, I'll give you just one minute
(23:53):
to come out of that bunk house with your hands
in the air. You want me, you come in here
and get me, ranger. I don't have to, Jud, I'm
gonna send for you. I jirgled around the ranch house
in my car in front, got something on it, but
we called back to the sheriff to guess. Bo. Yeah,
(24:15):
this is your last chance, Jod. Okay, here's mine. Come
on the sheriff that he's up closer. You'll be coming
out of that door in a minute now, U. I'll
take this side of the door, Sheriff, you take the other.
(24:38):
I can't see. I'll take that gun.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
Nice.
Speaker 2 (24:46):
Yeah, they're they're up. You're under arrest. Jud All right,
you had a pretty neat scheme figured out, Jed. She
got tripped up by a little bowl of sugar. Sugar. Yeah,
I'll bet you'll hate the wood sugar for the rest
of your life, you know, Sheriff, I got a strong
hunch that isn't going to be very long.
Speaker 3 (25:21):
Judd Wilkins was tried and convicted of the murder of
his brother Blake, on the morning of June sixteenth, nineteen
forty five, in the State Penitentiary at Huntsville. He was
executed in the electric chair next Joel McRae and another
(25:50):
authentic reenactment of the case from the file tub the
Texas Rangers
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