August 11, 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 of
the Texas Rangers. Tonight transcribed from Hollywood, another authentic reenactment
of a case from the files of the Texas Rangers.
(00:24):
Tales of the Texas Rangers, starring Joel McCrae as Ranger
Jase Pearson, Texas more than two hundred and sixty.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Thousand square miles and fifty men who.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Make up the most famous and oldest law enforcement body
in North America. Now from the files of the Texas
(00:54):
Rangers come these stories based on fact only. Names, dates,
and places are fictitious for obvious reasons. They events themselves
are a matter of record. Case for Tonight the Hatchet.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
It is eight thirty am Sunday, May sixteenth, nineteen forty one.
The Hallick family of Rock Point, Texas is preparing to
leave for church.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
You want any more toast, Jim, Nope, all I want
is another cup of coffee. I get it myself. I
don't ju sit down.
Speaker 5 (01:36):
And eat well, I would if I could get that
border the table.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Robert, Robert, I'm coming.
Speaker 6 (01:43):
You've been saying that for half an hour. You ain't
a getting called and will belief for church, right, all right,
and never mind that all right business?
Speaker 4 (01:50):
When your mother called here, you just come running, hey, way,
work for face.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
I'll be right here.
Speaker 7 (01:55):
I'll see the jar. You'll go without your breakfast.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
You come to had he't no need of your stomach
being empty.
Speaker 6 (02:02):
Just coffee'll do for me.
Speaker 5 (02:05):
Seems like the older boy gets how hard it is
to get him out of.
Speaker 6 (02:08):
Bed in the morning or times he get in.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
Last night after.
Speaker 6 (02:11):
Eleven him and Sadie Lewis went to the picture show.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I told him I wanted him home at ten o'clock nights.
Speaker 6 (02:17):
Jim, it was Saturday night. He goes to school all week.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Well, school will soon be over. He'll be working with
me in the store all summer. Maybe he won't feel
much like staying out half the night when he'd been
on his feet all day.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Look at the time.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Right here, falm here, Well that's about of time.
Speaker 6 (02:35):
Get your breakfast. But the eggs will be like rubber.
I don't want anything to eat him not hungry.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Well, why didn't you say this, sole before your mall
wasted her time and the.
Speaker 6 (02:42):
Food You gotta eat something. I'll have breakfast when we
get back from church.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Sure that'll be fine, you can make more work for
your mall that way.
Speaker 6 (02:50):
Gee, probably just don't feel hungry.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Now.
Speaker 6 (02:52):
I'll leave him alone him. I'll get him something later.
I just put the dishes in, so you too want
to get out of my way? Why don't you going
next and telling mister Drisch but we're about ready to leave.
Is he riding with us again?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yes, he's riding with us again, so stop talking about it.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Come on, you ought to be glad to have your
teacher for a neighbor.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
You wouldn't be at the head of your graduating past,
but weren't for his helping you.
Speaker 8 (03:19):
I see enough of me in school without seeing him
Sunday too.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Yeah, well, when you get away to colleague in the fall,
you might be wishing you had somebody like him close.
If I had to give you a hand ring a bell,
he don't answer. Maybe he went on he had told us,
and I didn't hear his car. Come on, maybe he's
(03:43):
out in the back, mister Drisco. That's funny. Run up
the back steps and take a look in the kitchen window.
Speaker 6 (03:57):
Oh, why don't we just go without him?
Speaker 5 (03:59):
Where you do?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Like I tell you?
Speaker 6 (04:01):
Okay, see anything?
Speaker 2 (04:09):
No, he didn't. Paw, paw, what is it?
Speaker 4 (04:14):
What's the matter?
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Look at him lying there on the floor.
Speaker 6 (04:17):
Oh, pah, what is it? What happened to him?
Speaker 4 (04:20):
Come away? Son, don't look anymore. Come away. I got
a call the sheriff.
Speaker 6 (04:26):
It looks like he's been murdered.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Sheriff Alvin Jeffers took one look at the scene of
the crime and put in a call for the assistance
of the Texas Rangers. Ranger Jase. Person was a sign.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Mighty bluddy job, Jase. No weapon, ins.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
Height, no judging for the marks, though.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
It was something with two edges, one blunt and one sharp.
Probably a hatchet share either that or two weapons as possible,
but not likely.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
You say, the JP's been here.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
As soon as we're finished, the body will be moved
into the funeral home for autopsy, established time of death,
and it will help.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Where'd your call come from?
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Neighbors next door, the hales man, wife and son, man
and boys spotted Brisco through the window when they come
to get him for a lift to church.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
I like to talk to them.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
I sure I told him to stick to home. We
can go out back and hop the fence. Avoid that
crowd out front.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Good front room. Looked like Briscoll went in big for books.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah. He was an English teacher at the high school Calax.
Boy Robert was in one of his classes. I think
Driscoll live alone. Widower here, Step on this box and
hop the fence.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
There you go ahead, I can get over without Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Alex Sauce coming there he is at the back door.
Come on, he thanks Ranger Pearson, Jim Halleck Hady, howdy, Oh,
my wife had hey and my boy Robert to ranger.
You found Driskell's body this morning? Me and Robert sad
through the window. What time about a quarter to nine?
(06:10):
That's when we always leave for services, Jase, I got
to call my office have a funeral home come for
the body?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Now?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
All right, go ahead and mind if I use your phone.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
Hallickpe So I'm not sure you were it this year.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Oh you'd better stay, Robert, if you and your dad
found the body, would you mind, missus?
Speaker 4 (06:24):
Hallick?
Speaker 6 (06:25):
Not all in hereish.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
Either of you see Driscoll yesterday or last night?
Speaker 2 (06:32):
And we both signed outside last night a little leafter six,
I was coming home from the store I selled groceries.
Robert was outside waiting for me so he could take
the car.
Speaker 9 (06:42):
Big date.
Speaker 6 (06:43):
Huh Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:45):
What was Driscoll doing digging a flower boarder on his lawn?
You talked to him, just called to him. After Robert
the car and drove off, asked me, planned on riding
the church with us? No sense taking two cars. Our
neighbors are going to the same place.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
I see not all. So you didn't hear anything during
the evening of the night. Nope.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Me and Hattie turned in a little after nine. How
about you, Robert? What time did you get home? What
time did you get home?
Speaker 4 (07:14):
You can tell him. I know you was late. Your
mother heard you.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Come in a little after eleven. Where were you to
a picture show with Sadie Lewis?
Speaker 4 (07:24):
What did you see?
Speaker 6 (07:25):
I I don't remember the name of it. Bing Crosbie's
in it.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Geezh, you gotta be much longer.
Speaker 4 (07:31):
Oh, no, share why I spoke to my office.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
One of my deputy's got a report. Rancher name Finny
chased somebody off his place with a shot gun last night.
Door bell, Hattie, I'm going he did the deputy think
the report might have anything to do with the Drisco's murder.
Who knows fella Finny Saw was doing something around a
cattle tank though a good place to get rid of
a weapon. Cattle tanks have been used before. Maybe we
(07:57):
ought to go out and take a look.
Speaker 6 (07:58):
Yeahba, it's Geane to see you.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
Hi, Bob, Hi, Hi Muter Hallick's sheriff Hio Jean Jee.
I just drove in and see if Bob wanted to
go out to the shack and camp. And I saw
that crowd in front of next door. Somebody killed the
old man Driscoll. Huh, yeah, I can't go with you today. Well, yeah,
I guess not. Are you helping the sheriff Ranger.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
We're helping each other.
Speaker 6 (08:19):
Boy, I show up, you catch that guy.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
Mister Driscoll was the best teacher we ever had.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
We'll try to square things for him. Jean, I'm in Jason, Yeah,
thanks for your help. We may want to talk to
you again later.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
You're sure welcome. Ranger, Bye bye, man by a long ranger.
Who was that kid the one who just came in?
Speaker 2 (08:44):
You mean, Jane, No, name's Jean McCready, Halo Roberts.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
They go to school together.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Why just wondering, Robert Hallick ever give any of you
any trouble around here.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Yeah, we'll take my car.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
You know, he's a good kid. Why, I just got
a feeling he was covering up or something. That's like,
what if I knew that, I wouldn't be wondering about it?
How far the Phinney's Place turn off to the right,
about six miles out, just this side of the Lewis Place.
The Lewis Place, Robert Hallick says that he was out
of the movie last night with a girl named Sadie Lewis. Yeah,
(09:16):
she lives out there, Mike Lewis daughter only fifteen, but
the big girl for her age. Lewis watches her like
a hawk. I'd like to stop by the Lewis Place
and talk to that girl. Okay, we can go out
there after we check at Phinney's.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Well, right, here's about where he was when I spotted him.
I called, but it started to run through a little
buckshot after him.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
You didn't see who it was, No, it didn't too.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Far off, about three hundred feet back to all the huff.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
What time was that, Anny?
Speaker 6 (09:51):
Ooh, just for eleven o'clock last night?
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Wasn't I kind of late for you to be out here?
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Well, I've been vegeting. I was cutting across the ranch,
walking home from where Mike Lewis's place. We'd get together
Saturday nights play cards.
Speaker 6 (10:04):
Oh no, no, not for money, just fashion time.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
You always carry a shotgun when you're passing time?
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Well, matter of fact, it do bagger jack rabbit once
in a while, going come in between here and Mike's place.
So I always throwed a gun just in case I see.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
I see better than you do jas I've eaten out here.
Missus Finney can do more things with a jack rabbit
in a pot than most women can do with a chicken.
It okay, I was just checking now about the fellow
you saw.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Oh yeah, yeah, Well, like I shed when he didn't
answer my call, I fluffed him.
Speaker 7 (10:34):
With a shot.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Don't think I hit him? No, little too far, barely
shawm as it was, which way do you take off? Well,
by the way highways.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
About a mile across country there.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
You chase him?
Speaker 6 (10:44):
Sure did, But I reckon he was lock younger than me.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
What makes you say that?
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Well, I have two minutes to run it. I was
puffing like an engine of tunnel. He was pulling away
with every jump. Is there anything around here? He might
have been trying to steal. No, not a thing, bless,
he was trying to make off with a cow.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
And let me help them try on foot.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Well, Sheriff, I guess we'd better chuck our boots and
hop in there into.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
My cattle tank.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
That's right, Fenny, But what for if we're lucky the
weapon that was used in the killing of the high
school teacher Driscoll. The cattle tank was big, The bottom.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
Was covered deep with a couple of inches of oozing.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Mud and slime, and we slithered around in it for
almost half an hour.
Speaker 6 (11:30):
Let me take along the bottom, Jason.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
That sure is I was gonna have a cleaned off
next month.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Looks like we're gonna have to save you the trouble
and the expense.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
We have to call a pumping cruise, Sheriff.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Yeah, it looks that way. Hey, give me a handle.
Speaker 9 (11:44):
Any wait over here, Jason, we'll push you out, okay, Sheriff.
We're sure gonna feel silly if we have pumped out
and there's nothing.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
Here, feel siller. If we don't have it done and
there is something here that turns up later. I think
we ought to.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
What's the matter, Jase, feel something here under my foot.
I felt it coming over this way too, some stones
in the Maudi.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
Oh, this is metal. Wait, I'll get it. What is it, Jace,
look for yourself, Sheriff. Just about what we're looking for?
A hatchet.
Speaker 10 (12:36):
You are listening to Tales of the Texas Rangers, starring
Joel McCrae as Ranger Jase Pearson. We continue now with
tonight's case. The hatchet an authentic story from the files
of the Texas Rangers.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
It was the murder weaponar right. The blood had been
washed away from it, but there was skin tissue and
the hair that had stuck to the blunt end. And
I recommends hit all right, Jason.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
But threw it away on my peration.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Why killer wanted to get rid of it in the
place he thought nobody'd be able to find it. Must
have thought of this spot last night. That means he
knew the place. He wouldn't cross the range on foot
unless he did. You say he ran off that.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
Way, that's right, like Sheriff said, Highways, Bob.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
But he could have left the car there he was
getting back to, or he might have cut off in
another direction when you lost him.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
You have horses here don't you finny, Why?
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Sure, sure, but nothing like Well you're toning that trailer
behind your car.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
It's really a horse ranger. I think so too. What
I want is a mount for the sheriff.
Speaker 5 (13:40):
Here.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Where do you figure on riding?
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Jesse? Out on the range. See if we can pick
up a trail.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
I'll unload charcoal and start ahead, and you walk back
to the ranch house and get one of Phinney's horses
and catch up to me.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Gee, I'll wait for your shaft. He's easy.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Find anything, tracks all right, not too heavy on this ground, though,
they're easy to lose. Yeah, but this is a straight
shot from the ridge. Looks like he was sure going
for the road, all right, no doubt about it. He
left the car there. We might be able to find
some tire marks where he parked. Fraid you're going to
be stimy there, Jason. Why county just worked? The roads
over shoulders are all fresh gravel.
Speaker 4 (14:26):
Oh, what's the shortest way to the Lewis ranch? Go
back for the car. Keep riding.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
We'd save a little time going back for the car.
Not much. Well, charcoal's full of run. Let's give him
a chance for workout. Come on the Lewis ranch was
big and well kept. There was something dismal and brooding
(14:54):
about it. When we got inside, I knew what it was.
It was as though the place were reflected the personality
of the heavy browed man who wounded.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
So you want to see my daughter?
Speaker 2 (15:04):
Huh, that's right? What about just want to ask her
where she was last night? She was into the movie
house with Robert Hellick. We'd like a little more information
than that, Mike, the ranger. I know everything my daughter does.
I can tell you anything you want to know, and
maybe so mister Lewis. But we still want to see her.
That's an official request.
Speaker 4 (15:22):
I'll call it. Sadie.
Speaker 7 (15:26):
Come into the house, into the parlor.
Speaker 4 (15:35):
I didn't know anybody who was here.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Sheriff and the ranger want to talk to you. They
don't think you and Robert was at the show last night.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
Nobody said that. You don't have to say it.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Look, if you can't keep out of this, you can
take your mind reading act into another room until we're finished.
It'd be better if you didn't interfere.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
Mike, go ahead ask.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Maybe I'll be interested in the answers too, Sadie, don't
be nervous.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
Just tell the truth. Were you with Robert Halleck last night?
Speaker 6 (16:04):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (16:05):
Where'd you go?
Speaker 6 (16:06):
We went?
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Where did you go to?
Speaker 7 (16:08):
The movie?
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Remember the name of the pictures, the new one with
Being Crossed? Shot that with me a month ago. When
I took it a sweet Water, I thought.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Again, there's no other show to see in town. There
Robert brought you the ticket stubbs, didn't he?
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Pas brought you the ticket stubs. That's right, Ranger brought
me the stubs. My daughter is supposed to be someplace.
I want to make sure she's there. Not gambling on
being fed any lies. No, I can see that you're
not gambling that your girl might tell you the truth either, giving.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
The chin reckon.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
The law has got nothing to say about that, I
reckon not. Let me have that package, Sheriff.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Here, what's in it?
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Just something I want you to look at hat you Yeah,
you ever see this before?
Speaker 6 (16:53):
No?
Speaker 4 (16:54):
How about you, Sadie? You ever see this before?
Speaker 6 (16:57):
No, sir, I never.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
Why are you asking us about it? Just routine?
Speaker 2 (17:01):
This is the weapon used to kill Drisco the high
school teacher. All right, Sheriff, wrap it up again, let's go.
Sorry to bother Jim, mister Lewis, Yeah, you ready, Sheriff, Yeah, goodbye, Mike, Sadie.
Speaker 6 (17:17):
Sadie been lying to me.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Looks like CD's in for a rough time. Jeez.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
And she wasn't telling the truth. He knows that her.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Story ties in with Robert Hallick. Jes, I know, be
dark by the time we get back to Phinney's Place.
Movie house open tonight?
Speaker 4 (17:37):
Sure?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Why I want to talk to the manager. The theater
was a small town showplace. The manager couldn't remember seeing
Robert Hallick and Sadie Lewis.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
He referred as to the ticket taker.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Ticket taker turned out to be Robert Halex Pal Jean McCrady,
Come on, Jean, talk happy. Was Robert here for the show?
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Yes? Not?
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Or wasn't he?
Speaker 7 (18:02):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
He's your best friend and you were on the door
last night if he came in you saw him?
Speaker 6 (18:07):
Yeah, he was here.
Speaker 4 (18:09):
Did he stay for the whole show?
Speaker 3 (18:11):
No?
Speaker 6 (18:12):
No, he didn't stay for any of it.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
How do you know? Did you see him leave before
it was over?
Speaker 7 (18:16):
Well, he he didn't even go in.
Speaker 5 (18:19):
He just stopped by to get a couple of ticket
stubs from him.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
So that's it.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
Why didn't you tell us that right off?
Speaker 5 (18:26):
Because I promised Bob that if anybody asked, I'd say
him and Sadie was here, or why would anybody ask
Bob thought Sadie's father, Mike. He's asked me before when
they were supposed to be here.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
And I guess that's what we wanted. Jace Han's part
of it, not all of it. Jeane, I want you
to forget that I asked you anything. Understand, Yes, sir,
let's go shareff. I guess we better pick up Robert Hallick.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
And the Lewis thorough Jase that you all we know
is they didn't see the show. That isn't enough.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Don't see why not. This wasn't just a cranchient thing.
Driscoll didn't have no enemies unless it was one of
his pupils hated him. We can narrow it down to
one student, though, until we've checked on all of them.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
I'm gonna sleep on this tonight. When school opens tomorrow,
I'm going out there.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Driscoll had been a popular teacher at rock Point High,
but he had an ironbound code of ethics where honesty
was concerned, and that was the key I needed.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
I found the answer in a batch.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Of test papers he'd been grading. I took the papers
back to the Sheriff's office. Jason morning find anything out
the school plenty?
Speaker 4 (19:45):
Look at these?
Speaker 2 (19:46):
What are they? English class test papers of Robert Halleck
and Jean mccrdy. See Alex Mark's pretty high ninety four? Yeah, Hey,
only half the answers on mccratey's paper been checked. His
isn't graded. Compare them and you'll see why his answer
to every single question is exactly the same as Hale's,
(20:07):
all the way down the line. Driskell must have noticed
it while he was marking. Hm, you think mccratey was
cribbing his answers from Bob Hallick's paper. Hallick was at
the head of the class. Mccrdy was just barely hanging on.
Those papers were clipped together in the drawer of Briskell's desk,
with this slip of paper, a few notes scribbled on it,
and Driskell's handwriting here read but.
Speaker 4 (20:27):
It says.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
An obvious case of cheating flank mccrdy. If Halleck knew
of this advice principle, neither should be permitted to graduate.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Well.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
The tests was on Friday, Driscoll must have been grading
those papers after school let out. Hallick came home, but
Jean mccrdy was sitting out of punishment in another class
for being late. That means driscoll might have run into
Jane Friday afternoon and asked him about it.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
That's what I figured.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Of course, Jean could have told Bob later.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
Yeah, he could have.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Robert Hawick's the boy, all right, jeez. He lied about
where he was Saturday night, and Jean was working at
the theater.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Maybe yes, maybe no? You get the autopsy report yet?
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Oh? Yeah, yeah, came in this morning. What time did
Driscoll die between nine thirty and ten thirty Saturday night?
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Then we can't eliminate Jean McCrady.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Why not. He starts taking theater tickets at six thirty,
but the box office closes at nine when the main
feature goes on again.
Speaker 4 (21:29):
He's got nothing to do after that. His work's finished.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
I didn't think of that.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
You better give me the hatchet, sheriff. I'll need it, sure,
got it.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
Lock the drawer here. What's your plan? You go out
to the school, get Bob Hallick and bring him to
his father's store. I'll meet you there, but you want
Geene McCrady too. He's not in school. He's supposed to
be home sick. We can pick him up later. I
don't want him and Robert together.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
Rain Drew York Craig crazy.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
I tell you, I'll calm down. Mister Hallick, you admit
the hatchet comes from your place.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
No. A minute ago you said it did.
Speaker 6 (22:07):
Well, it disappeared months ago, it was lost.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Got lost again in a cattle tank. Where's your car?
Out back through that door? All right, let's look it over.
Your son was using this car Saturday night. Yes, why
(22:31):
what are you looking for? Hatchet had to be carted
away from Driscos and there was blood on it. I'm
looking for a stain.
Speaker 4 (22:38):
Well, you don't see any, do you. No?
Speaker 2 (22:42):
I see a spot on the front seat that's cleaner
than the rest. Can you smell that it's been reblued? Gasoline?
Speaker 4 (22:49):
Ranger? You're wrong, You gotta be wrong. My kid wouldn't
do a thing like that.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Here we are.
Speaker 6 (22:59):
What's the matter of why did they take me out
of school?
Speaker 4 (23:02):
Son? Son? Whatever you'd done?
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Me and your mall stand by you now tell him
the cruth you were at the show Saturday. Tell him
you were How about a Robert, Jean said, you just
dropped by to pick up ticket stubs.
Speaker 6 (23:18):
I wasn't at the show.
Speaker 4 (23:21):
Why didn't you tell me why?
Speaker 6 (23:24):
I couldn't because of Sadie's father, he'd kill her.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
You better tell us what happened?
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Boy?
Speaker 3 (23:30):
Why?
Speaker 8 (23:31):
I picked up Sadie in the car at six point thirty.
We went into the movie house to leave the car
with Jean and get the stubs. You left the car
with Jeane, Yes, so.
Speaker 6 (23:41):
It'd be around the theater in case Sadie's paw came by.
Speaker 4 (23:44):
Oh, then what happened?
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Then?
Speaker 6 (23:46):
We arranged for.
Speaker 8 (23:47):
Jean to meet us out at the crossroads between the
Lewis Place and Finney's at eleven o'clock, so I'd have
the car and take Sadie home.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
See shee ranger.
Speaker 6 (23:56):
He didn't have the car all the time.
Speaker 4 (23:57):
I go ahead, Robert, where did you and Sadie go?
Speaker 6 (24:01):
We went for a ride with somebody who picked us
up behind the theater.
Speaker 4 (24:06):
What do you mean by somebody who.
Speaker 6 (24:10):
Sadie's mother?
Speaker 7 (24:11):
What?
Speaker 2 (24:11):
Why Sadie Lewis His mother is dead?
Speaker 6 (24:13):
No, she isn't.
Speaker 8 (24:14):
That's what mister Lewis tells everybody they were divorced before
he moved here with Sadie.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Could that be true, Sheriff, Well, jeez, I don't know.
Mike Lewis always had his wife died.
Speaker 6 (24:24):
She didn't.
Speaker 8 (24:25):
He just hated her, that's alid Well, if he finds
out Sadie's been seeing her, he'll beat her up.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
All right, Robert, I think you're telling the truth. There's
something I want you to identify.
Speaker 6 (24:37):
This Why that's our old kinling hatchet.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
Where'd you see it last?
Speaker 7 (24:43):
Well?
Speaker 6 (24:44):
The shack. Me and Jean built a shack up in
the woods last fall. We go camping up there.
Speaker 8 (24:50):
I built most of it because Jean he was working.
Speaker 6 (24:52):
Part time after school at Senny's ranch.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
That's all right, Jase, Jean did work for a finny
for a while. Come on, Sheriff, we'd better go pick
him up. Jeane McCrady wasn't at his home and he
wasn't sick. We got the location of the shack he
built with Robert Halleck got horses and rode into the
(25:15):
woods to.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
Look for him.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
There's the shack, JS, just through that clump of tree. Yeah,
come on, Charky, Hey, the door's opening.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
It's Jeane Horry.
Speaker 6 (25:26):
Jean, what are you doing up here?
Speaker 4 (25:28):
Has come up to take you into town. Jean.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
A few things we want to ask you about, like
what like how you spent Saturday evening between the time
you stopped taking tickets and the time you met Robert
at the crossroad between the Lewis Place and Pinney's. Come on, Geane,
I'll boost you up behind me. Well can I can
I get my jacket it's inside.
Speaker 4 (25:47):
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
Hey, he don't look guilty. J's not a bit rattled.
I know we could be wrong, but you better give
me your holster, Sheriff if he's gonna ride behind. Yeah,
I guess you're look out, Jesus, you hit Sheriff.
Speaker 3 (26:04):
No, but I hit him.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
He had a rifle in there, left out.
Speaker 6 (26:08):
Shooting just as you hit me.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Let's see, it's a flesh wound through the sign. I
didn't want to.
Speaker 6 (26:16):
Hurt him, but mister Drisco wasn't gonna let me. Graduate
old fool.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
All right, shut up still till I fixed this wound. Well,
he'll be all right, Jason. Yeah, I'm sorry I had
to do that, shooting a kid. Yeah, but he's being
a kid doesn't make you bulletproof, and it didn't stop
him from killing Driscoll. There all right, sheriff, Let's rig
(26:44):
a letter and carry him in.
Speaker 3 (26:59):
Jean mccradye just old enough to stand formal trial for
the murder of his high school instructor. On September twentieth,
nineteen forty one. He was taken to the State Penitentiary
at Huntsville to serve out a sentence of twenty five years.
Speaker 7 (27:24):
And here again is the.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
Star of our show, Joe McCrae.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
As a poem that was sent to me by Captain M. T.
Lonewolf Gonzales, whose commander Company B of the Texas Rangers.
It's not only amusing, but seems to reflect the thoughts
of many a police officer.
Speaker 4 (27:38):
I hope you'll enjoy hearing it. It's called not guilty.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
I guess I've seen a thousand men go in this
jail and out, from tramps with month old whiskers to
rich men with a gout. Not one of them was
guilty of the crimes the law accused. Seems they were
all just victims of some officer's abuse. From the time
the keys are rattled till they're locked up in the cell.
Their voices, though they differ from a whisper to a yell,
the song is always just the same that everyone will sing.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
I don't see why they put me here. I haven't
done a thing.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Makes no difference what they've done or how mean the
crime has been. When they're locked behind those prison bars,
they're always free from sin. Though the evidence be solid
and their voice with guilt may ring, They'll stand right
up and tell you I haven't done a thing. Good Night, folks,
see you again next week. Good Night, next week.
Speaker 10 (28:35):
Joel McCrae and another authentic reenactment of a case from
the files of but Texas Rangers. Joel McCray is currently
seen starring in the Universal International Technicolor production Frenchies. Tonight's
cast included Tony Barrett, Parley Bear, Mike Barrett, Sam Edwards,
(28:58):
Joe Dubal, Cook and Gerald Moore. This story was transcribed
and adapted by Joel Murcott, and the program is produced
and directed by Stacy Keach.
Speaker 7 (29:09):
Hell Give Me Speaking, Three Chimes Mean Good Times on NBC.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
There's music fond and prizes Monday through Friday on NBC
to help your busy morning along Tommy Bartlett brings you
Welcome travelers. Walter O'Keefe MC is double or Nothing. Clever
quiz Master Budd Collier asked the questions. On Break the Bank,
Jack Birch presents songs and Stories and Dave Garaway with
melody and humor. That's Monday through Friday on NBC. Now
(29:45):
hear the sixty four dollars question. Three Chimes mean good
Times on NBC
The National Broadcasting Company presents Joel McCrae in Tales of
the Texas Rangers. Tonight transcribed from Hollywood, another authentic reenactment
of a case from the files of the Texas Rangers.
(00:24):
Tales of the Texas Rangers, starring Joel McCrae as Ranger
Jase Pearson, Texas more than two hundred and sixty.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
Thousand square miles and fifty men who.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Make up the most famous and oldest law enforcement body
in North America. Now from the files of the Texas
(00:54):
Rangers come these stories based on fact only. Names, dates,
and places are fictitious for obvious reasons. They events themselves
are a matter of record. Case for Tonight the Hatchet.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
It is eight thirty am Sunday, May sixteenth, nineteen forty one.
The Hallick family of Rock Point, Texas is preparing to
leave for church.
Speaker 4 (01:27):
You want any more toast, Jim, Nope, all I want
is another cup of coffee. I get it myself. I
don't ju sit down.
Speaker 5 (01:36):
And eat well, I would if I could get that
border the table.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
Robert, Robert, I'm coming.
Speaker 6 (01:43):
You've been saying that for half an hour. You ain't
a getting called and will belief for church, right, all right,
and never mind that all right business?
Speaker 4 (01:50):
When your mother called here, you just come running, hey, way,
work for face.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
I'll be right here.
Speaker 7 (01:55):
I'll see the jar. You'll go without your breakfast.
Speaker 4 (01:59):
You come to had he't no need of your stomach
being empty.
Speaker 6 (02:02):
Just coffee'll do for me.
Speaker 5 (02:05):
Seems like the older boy gets how hard it is
to get him out of.
Speaker 6 (02:08):
Bed in the morning or times he get in.
Speaker 4 (02:10):
Last night after.
Speaker 6 (02:11):
Eleven him and Sadie Lewis went to the picture show.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I told him I wanted him home at ten o'clock nights.
Speaker 6 (02:17):
Jim, it was Saturday night. He goes to school all week.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
Well, school will soon be over. He'll be working with
me in the store all summer. Maybe he won't feel
much like staying out half the night when he'd been
on his feet all day.
Speaker 4 (02:29):
Look at the time.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
Right here, falm here, Well that's about of time.
Speaker 6 (02:35):
Get your breakfast. But the eggs will be like rubber.
I don't want anything to eat him not hungry.
Speaker 2 (02:39):
Well, why didn't you say this, sole before your mall
wasted her time and the.
Speaker 6 (02:42):
Food You gotta eat something. I'll have breakfast when we
get back from church.
Speaker 2 (02:46):
Sure that'll be fine, you can make more work for
your mall that way.
Speaker 6 (02:50):
Gee, probably just don't feel hungry.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Now.
Speaker 6 (02:52):
I'll leave him alone him. I'll get him something later.
I just put the dishes in, so you too want
to get out of my way? Why don't you going
next and telling mister Drisch but we're about ready to leave.
Is he riding with us again?
Speaker 2 (03:05):
Yes, he's riding with us again, so stop talking about it.
Speaker 4 (03:08):
Come on, you ought to be glad to have your
teacher for a neighbor.
Speaker 2 (03:15):
You wouldn't be at the head of your graduating past,
but weren't for his helping you.
Speaker 8 (03:19):
I see enough of me in school without seeing him
Sunday too.
Speaker 2 (03:22):
Yeah, well, when you get away to colleague in the fall,
you might be wishing you had somebody like him close.
If I had to give you a hand ring a bell,
he don't answer. Maybe he went on he had told us,
and I didn't hear his car. Come on, maybe he's
(03:43):
out in the back, mister Drisco. That's funny. Run up
the back steps and take a look in the kitchen window.
Speaker 6 (03:57):
Oh, why don't we just go without him?
Speaker 5 (03:59):
Where you do?
Speaker 2 (04:00):
Like I tell you?
Speaker 6 (04:01):
Okay, see anything?
Speaker 2 (04:09):
No, he didn't. Paw, paw, what is it?
Speaker 4 (04:14):
What's the matter?
Speaker 2 (04:15):
Look at him lying there on the floor.
Speaker 6 (04:17):
Oh, pah, what is it? What happened to him?
Speaker 4 (04:20):
Come away? Son, don't look anymore. Come away. I got
a call the sheriff.
Speaker 6 (04:26):
It looks like he's been murdered.
Speaker 3 (04:36):
Sheriff Alvin Jeffers took one look at the scene of
the crime and put in a call for the assistance
of the Texas Rangers. Ranger Jase. Person was a sign.
Speaker 2 (04:46):
Mighty bluddy job, Jase. No weapon, ins.
Speaker 4 (04:49):
Height, no judging for the marks, though.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
It was something with two edges, one blunt and one sharp.
Probably a hatchet share either that or two weapons as possible,
but not likely.
Speaker 4 (05:00):
You say, the JP's been here.
Speaker 2 (05:02):
As soon as we're finished, the body will be moved
into the funeral home for autopsy, established time of death,
and it will help.
Speaker 4 (05:08):
Where'd your call come from?
Speaker 2 (05:09):
Neighbors next door, the hales man, wife and son, man
and boys spotted Brisco through the window when they come
to get him for a lift to church.
Speaker 4 (05:17):
I like to talk to them.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
I sure I told him to stick to home. We
can go out back and hop the fence. Avoid that
crowd out front.
Speaker 4 (05:24):
Good front room. Looked like Briscoll went in big for books.
Speaker 2 (05:29):
Yeah. He was an English teacher at the high school Calax.
Boy Robert was in one of his classes. I think
Driscoll live alone. Widower here, Step on this box and
hop the fence.
Speaker 4 (05:41):
There you go ahead, I can get over without Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:47):
Alex Sauce coming there he is at the back door.
Come on, he thanks Ranger Pearson, Jim Halleck Hady, howdy, Oh,
my wife had hey and my boy Robert to ranger.
You found Driskell's body this morning? Me and Robert sad
through the window. What time about a quarter to nine?
(06:10):
That's when we always leave for services, Jase, I got
to call my office have a funeral home come for
the body?
Speaker 3 (06:15):
Now?
Speaker 2 (06:15):
All right, go ahead and mind if I use your phone.
Speaker 4 (06:17):
Hallickpe So I'm not sure you were it this year.
Speaker 2 (06:19):
Oh you'd better stay, Robert, if you and your dad
found the body, would you mind, missus?
Speaker 4 (06:24):
Hallick?
Speaker 6 (06:25):
Not all in hereish.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
Either of you see Driscoll yesterday or last night?
Speaker 2 (06:32):
And we both signed outside last night a little leafter six,
I was coming home from the store I selled groceries.
Robert was outside waiting for me so he could take
the car.
Speaker 9 (06:42):
Big date.
Speaker 6 (06:43):
Huh Yeah?
Speaker 2 (06:45):
What was Driscoll doing digging a flower boarder on his lawn?
You talked to him, just called to him. After Robert
the car and drove off, asked me, planned on riding
the church with us? No sense taking two cars. Our
neighbors are going to the same place.
Speaker 4 (06:58):
I see not all. So you didn't hear anything during
the evening of the night. Nope.
Speaker 2 (07:03):
Me and Hattie turned in a little after nine. How
about you, Robert? What time did you get home? What
time did you get home?
Speaker 4 (07:14):
You can tell him. I know you was late. Your
mother heard you.
Speaker 2 (07:17):
Come in a little after eleven. Where were you to
a picture show with Sadie Lewis?
Speaker 4 (07:24):
What did you see?
Speaker 6 (07:25):
I I don't remember the name of it. Bing Crosbie's
in it.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
Geezh, you gotta be much longer.
Speaker 4 (07:31):
Oh, no, share why I spoke to my office.
Speaker 2 (07:34):
One of my deputy's got a report. Rancher name Finny
chased somebody off his place with a shot gun last night.
Door bell, Hattie, I'm going he did the deputy think
the report might have anything to do with the Drisco's murder.
Who knows fella Finny Saw was doing something around a
cattle tank though a good place to get rid of
a weapon. Cattle tanks have been used before. Maybe we
(07:57):
ought to go out and take a look.
Speaker 6 (07:58):
Yeahba, it's Geane to see you.
Speaker 5 (08:01):
Hi, Bob, Hi, Hi Muter Hallick's sheriff Hio Jean Jee.
I just drove in and see if Bob wanted to
go out to the shack and camp. And I saw
that crowd in front of next door. Somebody killed the
old man Driscoll. Huh, yeah, I can't go with you today. Well, yeah,
I guess not. Are you helping the sheriff Ranger.
Speaker 4 (08:18):
We're helping each other.
Speaker 6 (08:19):
Boy, I show up, you catch that guy.
Speaker 5 (08:21):
Mister Driscoll was the best teacher we ever had.
Speaker 2 (08:25):
We'll try to square things for him. Jean, I'm in Jason, Yeah,
thanks for your help. We may want to talk to
you again later.
Speaker 4 (08:32):
You're sure welcome. Ranger, Bye bye, man by a long ranger.
Who was that kid the one who just came in?
Speaker 2 (08:44):
You mean, Jane, No, name's Jean McCready, Halo Roberts.
Speaker 4 (08:47):
They go to school together.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
Why just wondering, Robert Hallick ever give any of you
any trouble around here.
Speaker 4 (08:54):
Yeah, we'll take my car.
Speaker 2 (08:55):
You know, he's a good kid. Why, I just got
a feeling he was covering up or something. That's like,
what if I knew that, I wouldn't be wondering about it?
How far the Phinney's Place turn off to the right,
about six miles out, just this side of the Lewis Place.
The Lewis Place, Robert Hallick says that he was out
of the movie last night with a girl named Sadie Lewis. Yeah,
(09:16):
she lives out there, Mike Lewis daughter only fifteen, but
the big girl for her age. Lewis watches her like
a hawk. I'd like to stop by the Lewis Place
and talk to that girl. Okay, we can go out
there after we check at Phinney's.
Speaker 3 (09:39):
Well, right, here's about where he was when I spotted him.
I called, but it started to run through a little
buckshot after him.
Speaker 4 (09:45):
You didn't see who it was, No, it didn't too.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
Far off, about three hundred feet back to all the huff.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
What time was that, Anny?
Speaker 6 (09:51):
Ooh, just for eleven o'clock last night?
Speaker 4 (09:54):
Wasn't I kind of late for you to be out here?
Speaker 3 (09:55):
Well, I've been vegeting. I was cutting across the ranch,
walking home from where Mike Lewis's place. We'd get together
Saturday nights play cards.
Speaker 6 (10:04):
Oh no, no, not for money, just fashion time.
Speaker 2 (10:06):
You always carry a shotgun when you're passing time?
Speaker 3 (10:09):
Well, matter of fact, it do bagger jack rabbit once
in a while, going come in between here and Mike's place.
So I always throwed a gun just in case I see.
Speaker 2 (10:18):
I see better than you do jas I've eaten out here.
Missus Finney can do more things with a jack rabbit
in a pot than most women can do with a chicken.
It okay, I was just checking now about the fellow
you saw.
Speaker 3 (10:30):
Oh yeah, yeah, Well, like I shed when he didn't
answer my call, I fluffed him.
Speaker 7 (10:34):
With a shot.
Speaker 3 (10:35):
Don't think I hit him? No, little too far, barely
shawm as it was, which way do you take off? Well,
by the way highways.
Speaker 2 (10:41):
About a mile across country there.
Speaker 4 (10:43):
You chase him?
Speaker 6 (10:44):
Sure did, But I reckon he was lock younger than me.
Speaker 4 (10:46):
What makes you say that?
Speaker 3 (10:47):
Well, I have two minutes to run it. I was
puffing like an engine of tunnel. He was pulling away
with every jump. Is there anything around here? He might
have been trying to steal. No, not a thing, bless,
he was trying to make off with a cow.
Speaker 4 (10:59):
And let me help them try on foot.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Well, Sheriff, I guess we'd better chuck our boots and
hop in there into.
Speaker 4 (11:06):
My cattle tank.
Speaker 2 (11:07):
That's right, Fenny, But what for if we're lucky the
weapon that was used in the killing of the high
school teacher Driscoll. The cattle tank was big, The bottom.
Speaker 4 (11:22):
Was covered deep with a couple of inches of oozing.
Speaker 2 (11:24):
Mud and slime, and we slithered around in it for
almost half an hour.
Speaker 6 (11:30):
Let me take along the bottom, Jason.
Speaker 4 (11:32):
That sure is I was gonna have a cleaned off
next month.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
Looks like we're gonna have to save you the trouble
and the expense.
Speaker 4 (11:39):
We have to call a pumping cruise, Sheriff.
Speaker 2 (11:41):
Yeah, it looks that way. Hey, give me a handle.
Speaker 9 (11:44):
Any wait over here, Jason, we'll push you out, okay, Sheriff.
We're sure gonna feel silly if we have pumped out
and there's nothing.
Speaker 4 (11:59):
Here, feel siller. If we don't have it done and
there is something here that turns up later. I think
we ought to.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
What's the matter, Jase, feel something here under my foot.
I felt it coming over this way too, some stones
in the Maudi.
Speaker 4 (12:13):
Oh, this is metal. Wait, I'll get it. What is it, Jace,
look for yourself, Sheriff. Just about what we're looking for?
A hatchet.
Speaker 10 (12:36):
You are listening to Tales of the Texas Rangers, starring
Joel McCrae as Ranger Jase Pearson. We continue now with
tonight's case. The hatchet an authentic story from the files
of the Texas Rangers.
Speaker 2 (12:56):
It was the murder weaponar right. The blood had been
washed away from it, but there was skin tissue and
the hair that had stuck to the blunt end. And
I recommends hit all right, Jason.
Speaker 4 (13:06):
But threw it away on my peration.
Speaker 2 (13:08):
Why killer wanted to get rid of it in the
place he thought nobody'd be able to find it. Must
have thought of this spot last night. That means he
knew the place. He wouldn't cross the range on foot
unless he did. You say he ran off that.
Speaker 4 (13:19):
Way, that's right, like Sheriff said, Highways, Bob.
Speaker 2 (13:22):
But he could have left the car there he was
getting back to, or he might have cut off in
another direction when you lost him.
Speaker 4 (13:28):
You have horses here don't you finny, Why?
Speaker 3 (13:30):
Sure, sure, but nothing like Well you're toning that trailer
behind your car.
Speaker 4 (13:35):
It's really a horse ranger. I think so too. What
I want is a mount for the sheriff.
Speaker 5 (13:40):
Here.
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Where do you figure on riding?
Speaker 4 (13:41):
Jesse? Out on the range. See if we can pick
up a trail.
Speaker 2 (13:44):
I'll unload charcoal and start ahead, and you walk back
to the ranch house and get one of Phinney's horses
and catch up to me.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
Gee, I'll wait for your shaft. He's easy.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
Find anything, tracks all right, not too heavy on this ground, though,
they're easy to lose. Yeah, but this is a straight
shot from the ridge. Looks like he was sure going
for the road, all right, no doubt about it. He
left the car there. We might be able to find
some tire marks where he parked. Fraid you're going to
be stimy there, Jason. Why county just worked? The roads
over shoulders are all fresh gravel.
Speaker 4 (14:26):
Oh, what's the shortest way to the Lewis ranch? Go
back for the car. Keep riding.
Speaker 2 (14:31):
We'd save a little time going back for the car.
Not much. Well, charcoal's full of run. Let's give him
a chance for workout. Come on the Lewis ranch was
big and well kept. There was something dismal and brooding
(14:54):
about it. When we got inside, I knew what it was.
It was as though the place were reflected the personality
of the heavy browed man who wounded.
Speaker 4 (15:02):
So you want to see my daughter?
Speaker 2 (15:04):
Huh, that's right? What about just want to ask her
where she was last night? She was into the movie
house with Robert Hellick. We'd like a little more information
than that, Mike, the ranger. I know everything my daughter does.
I can tell you anything you want to know, and
maybe so mister Lewis. But we still want to see her.
That's an official request.
Speaker 4 (15:22):
I'll call it. Sadie.
Speaker 7 (15:26):
Come into the house, into the parlor.
Speaker 4 (15:35):
I didn't know anybody who was here.
Speaker 2 (15:38):
Sheriff and the ranger want to talk to you. They
don't think you and Robert was at the show last night.
Speaker 4 (15:43):
Nobody said that. You don't have to say it.
Speaker 2 (15:45):
Look, if you can't keep out of this, you can
take your mind reading act into another room until we're finished.
It'd be better if you didn't interfere.
Speaker 4 (15:52):
Mike, go ahead ask.
Speaker 2 (15:55):
Maybe I'll be interested in the answers too, Sadie, don't
be nervous.
Speaker 4 (16:00):
Just tell the truth. Were you with Robert Halleck last night?
Speaker 6 (16:04):
Yes?
Speaker 4 (16:05):
Where'd you go?
Speaker 6 (16:06):
We went?
Speaker 3 (16:07):
Where did you go to?
Speaker 7 (16:08):
The movie?
Speaker 4 (16:09):
Remember the name of the pictures, the new one with
Being Crossed? Shot that with me a month ago. When
I took it a sweet Water, I thought.
Speaker 3 (16:16):
Again, there's no other show to see in town. There
Robert brought you the ticket stubbs, didn't he?
Speaker 2 (16:21):
Pas brought you the ticket stubs. That's right, Ranger brought
me the stubs. My daughter is supposed to be someplace.
I want to make sure she's there. Not gambling on
being fed any lies. No, I can see that you're
not gambling that your girl might tell you the truth either, giving.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
The chin reckon.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
The law has got nothing to say about that, I
reckon not. Let me have that package, Sheriff.
Speaker 3 (16:44):
Here, what's in it?
Speaker 4 (16:47):
Just something I want you to look at hat you Yeah,
you ever see this before?
Speaker 6 (16:53):
No?
Speaker 4 (16:54):
How about you, Sadie? You ever see this before?
Speaker 6 (16:57):
No, sir, I never.
Speaker 4 (16:58):
Why are you asking us about it? Just routine?
Speaker 2 (17:01):
This is the weapon used to kill Drisco the high
school teacher. All right, Sheriff, wrap it up again, let's go.
Sorry to bother Jim, mister Lewis, Yeah, you ready, Sheriff, Yeah, goodbye, Mike, Sadie.
Speaker 6 (17:17):
Sadie been lying to me.
Speaker 2 (17:23):
Looks like CD's in for a rough time. Jeez.
Speaker 4 (17:26):
And she wasn't telling the truth. He knows that her.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
Story ties in with Robert Hallick. Jes, I know, be
dark by the time we get back to Phinney's Place.
Movie house open tonight?
Speaker 4 (17:37):
Sure?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Why I want to talk to the manager. The theater
was a small town showplace. The manager couldn't remember seeing
Robert Hallick and Sadie Lewis.
Speaker 4 (17:50):
He referred as to the ticket taker.
Speaker 2 (17:53):
Ticket taker turned out to be Robert Halex Pal Jean McCrady,
Come on, Jean, talk happy. Was Robert here for the show?
Speaker 3 (18:00):
Yes? Not?
Speaker 2 (18:00):
Or wasn't he?
Speaker 7 (18:02):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (18:03):
He's your best friend and you were on the door
last night if he came in you saw him?
Speaker 6 (18:07):
Yeah, he was here.
Speaker 4 (18:09):
Did he stay for the whole show?
Speaker 3 (18:11):
No?
Speaker 6 (18:12):
No, he didn't stay for any of it.
Speaker 4 (18:13):
How do you know? Did you see him leave before
it was over?
Speaker 7 (18:16):
Well, he he didn't even go in.
Speaker 5 (18:19):
He just stopped by to get a couple of ticket
stubs from him.
Speaker 2 (18:23):
So that's it.
Speaker 4 (18:24):
Why didn't you tell us that right off?
Speaker 5 (18:26):
Because I promised Bob that if anybody asked, I'd say
him and Sadie was here, or why would anybody ask
Bob thought Sadie's father, Mike. He's asked me before when
they were supposed to be here.
Speaker 2 (18:40):
And I guess that's what we wanted. Jace Han's part
of it, not all of it. Jeane, I want you
to forget that I asked you anything. Understand, Yes, sir,
let's go shareff. I guess we better pick up Robert Hallick.
Speaker 4 (18:53):
And the Lewis thorough Jase that you all we know
is they didn't see the show. That isn't enough.
Speaker 2 (18:58):
Don't see why not. This wasn't just a cranchient thing.
Driscoll didn't have no enemies unless it was one of
his pupils hated him. We can narrow it down to
one student, though, until we've checked on all of them.
Speaker 4 (19:11):
I'm gonna sleep on this tonight. When school opens tomorrow,
I'm going out there.
Speaker 2 (19:25):
Driscoll had been a popular teacher at rock Point High,
but he had an ironbound code of ethics where honesty
was concerned, and that was the key I needed.
Speaker 4 (19:34):
I found the answer in a batch.
Speaker 2 (19:35):
Of test papers he'd been grading. I took the papers
back to the Sheriff's office. Jason morning find anything out
the school plenty?
Speaker 4 (19:45):
Look at these?
Speaker 2 (19:46):
What are they? English class test papers of Robert Halleck
and Jean mccrdy. See Alex Mark's pretty high ninety four? Yeah, Hey,
only half the answers on mccratey's paper been checked. His
isn't graded. Compare them and you'll see why his answer
to every single question is exactly the same as Hale's,
(20:07):
all the way down the line. Driskell must have noticed
it while he was marking. Hm, you think mccratey was
cribbing his answers from Bob Hallick's paper. Hallick was at
the head of the class. Mccrdy was just barely hanging on.
Those papers were clipped together in the drawer of Briskell's desk,
with this slip of paper, a few notes scribbled on it,
and Driskell's handwriting here read but.
Speaker 4 (20:27):
It says.
Speaker 2 (20:29):
An obvious case of cheating flank mccrdy. If Halleck knew
of this advice principle, neither should be permitted to graduate.
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Well.
Speaker 2 (20:44):
The tests was on Friday, Driscoll must have been grading
those papers after school let out. Hallick came home, but
Jean mccrdy was sitting out of punishment in another class
for being late. That means driscoll might have run into
Jane Friday afternoon and asked him about it.
Speaker 4 (20:57):
That's what I figured.
Speaker 2 (20:57):
Of course, Jean could have told Bob later.
Speaker 4 (20:59):
Yeah, he could have.
Speaker 2 (21:01):
Robert Hawick's the boy, all right, jeez. He lied about
where he was Saturday night, and Jean was working at
the theater.
Speaker 4 (21:08):
Maybe yes, maybe no? You get the autopsy report yet?
Speaker 2 (21:11):
Oh? Yeah, yeah, came in this morning. What time did
Driscoll die between nine thirty and ten thirty Saturday night?
Speaker 4 (21:19):
Then we can't eliminate Jean McCrady.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
Why not. He starts taking theater tickets at six thirty,
but the box office closes at nine when the main
feature goes on again.
Speaker 4 (21:29):
He's got nothing to do after that. His work's finished.
Speaker 2 (21:32):
I didn't think of that.
Speaker 4 (21:34):
You better give me the hatchet, sheriff. I'll need it, sure,
got it.
Speaker 2 (21:37):
Lock the drawer here. What's your plan? You go out
to the school, get Bob Hallick and bring him to
his father's store. I'll meet you there, but you want
Geene McCrady too. He's not in school. He's supposed to
be home sick. We can pick him up later. I
don't want him and Robert together.
Speaker 4 (21:58):
Rain Drew York Craig crazy.
Speaker 2 (22:00):
I tell you, I'll calm down. Mister Hallick, you admit
the hatchet comes from your place.
Speaker 4 (22:04):
No. A minute ago you said it did.
Speaker 6 (22:07):
Well, it disappeared months ago, it was lost.
Speaker 2 (22:10):
Got lost again in a cattle tank. Where's your car?
Out back through that door? All right, let's look it over.
Your son was using this car Saturday night. Yes, why
(22:31):
what are you looking for? Hatchet had to be carted
away from Driscos and there was blood on it. I'm
looking for a stain.
Speaker 4 (22:38):
Well, you don't see any, do you. No?
Speaker 2 (22:42):
I see a spot on the front seat that's cleaner
than the rest. Can you smell that it's been reblued? Gasoline?
Speaker 4 (22:49):
Ranger? You're wrong, You gotta be wrong. My kid wouldn't
do a thing like that.
Speaker 2 (22:57):
Here we are.
Speaker 6 (22:59):
What's the matter of why did they take me out
of school?
Speaker 4 (23:02):
Son? Son? Whatever you'd done?
Speaker 2 (23:06):
Me and your mall stand by you now tell him
the cruth you were at the show Saturday. Tell him
you were How about a Robert, Jean said, you just
dropped by to pick up ticket stubs.
Speaker 6 (23:18):
I wasn't at the show.
Speaker 4 (23:21):
Why didn't you tell me why?
Speaker 6 (23:24):
I couldn't because of Sadie's father, he'd kill her.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
You better tell us what happened?
Speaker 2 (23:29):
Boy?
Speaker 3 (23:30):
Why?
Speaker 8 (23:31):
I picked up Sadie in the car at six point thirty.
We went into the movie house to leave the car
with Jean and get the stubs. You left the car
with Jeane, Yes, so.
Speaker 6 (23:41):
It'd be around the theater in case Sadie's paw came by.
Speaker 4 (23:44):
Oh, then what happened?
Speaker 2 (23:46):
Then?
Speaker 6 (23:46):
We arranged for.
Speaker 8 (23:47):
Jean to meet us out at the crossroads between the
Lewis Place and Finney's at eleven o'clock, so I'd have
the car and take Sadie home.
Speaker 4 (23:55):
See shee ranger.
Speaker 6 (23:56):
He didn't have the car all the time.
Speaker 4 (23:57):
I go ahead, Robert, where did you and Sadie go?
Speaker 6 (24:01):
We went for a ride with somebody who picked us
up behind the theater.
Speaker 4 (24:06):
What do you mean by somebody who.
Speaker 6 (24:10):
Sadie's mother?
Speaker 7 (24:11):
What?
Speaker 2 (24:11):
Why Sadie Lewis His mother is dead?
Speaker 6 (24:13):
No, she isn't.
Speaker 8 (24:14):
That's what mister Lewis tells everybody they were divorced before
he moved here with Sadie.
Speaker 2 (24:19):
Could that be true, Sheriff, Well, jeez, I don't know.
Mike Lewis always had his wife died.
Speaker 6 (24:24):
She didn't.
Speaker 8 (24:25):
He just hated her, that's alid Well, if he finds
out Sadie's been seeing her, he'll beat her up.
Speaker 2 (24:31):
All right, Robert, I think you're telling the truth. There's
something I want you to identify.
Speaker 6 (24:37):
This Why that's our old kinling hatchet.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
Where'd you see it last?
Speaker 7 (24:43):
Well?
Speaker 6 (24:44):
The shack. Me and Jean built a shack up in
the woods last fall. We go camping up there.
Speaker 8 (24:50):
I built most of it because Jean he was working.
Speaker 6 (24:52):
Part time after school at Senny's ranch.
Speaker 2 (24:55):
That's all right, Jase, Jean did work for a finny
for a while. Come on, Sheriff, we'd better go pick
him up. Jeane McCrady wasn't at his home and he
wasn't sick. We got the location of the shack he
built with Robert Halleck got horses and rode into the
(25:15):
woods to.
Speaker 4 (25:15):
Look for him.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
There's the shack, JS, just through that clump of tree. Yeah,
come on, Charky, Hey, the door's opening.
Speaker 4 (25:24):
It's Jeane Horry.
Speaker 6 (25:26):
Jean, what are you doing up here?
Speaker 4 (25:28):
Has come up to take you into town. Jean.
Speaker 2 (25:30):
A few things we want to ask you about, like
what like how you spent Saturday evening between the time
you stopped taking tickets and the time you met Robert
at the crossroad between the Lewis Place and Pinney's. Come on, Geane,
I'll boost you up behind me. Well can I can
I get my jacket it's inside.
Speaker 4 (25:47):
Go ahead.
Speaker 2 (25:51):
Hey, he don't look guilty. J's not a bit rattled.
I know we could be wrong, but you better give
me your holster, Sheriff if he's gonna ride behind. Yeah,
I guess you're look out, Jesus, you hit Sheriff.
Speaker 3 (26:04):
No, but I hit him.
Speaker 2 (26:06):
He had a rifle in there, left out.
Speaker 6 (26:08):
Shooting just as you hit me.
Speaker 4 (26:12):
Let's see, it's a flesh wound through the sign. I
didn't want to.
Speaker 6 (26:16):
Hurt him, but mister Drisco wasn't gonna let me. Graduate
old fool.
Speaker 2 (26:20):
All right, shut up still till I fixed this wound. Well,
he'll be all right, Jason. Yeah, I'm sorry I had
to do that, shooting a kid. Yeah, but he's being
a kid doesn't make you bulletproof, and it didn't stop
him from killing Driscoll. There all right, sheriff, Let's rig
(26:44):
a letter and carry him in.
Speaker 3 (26:59):
Jean mccradye just old enough to stand formal trial for
the murder of his high school instructor. On September twentieth,
nineteen forty one. He was taken to the State Penitentiary
at Huntsville to serve out a sentence of twenty five years.
Speaker 7 (27:24):
And here again is the.
Speaker 4 (27:25):
Star of our show, Joe McCrae.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
As a poem that was sent to me by Captain M. T.
Lonewolf Gonzales, whose commander Company B of the Texas Rangers.
It's not only amusing, but seems to reflect the thoughts
of many a police officer.
Speaker 4 (27:38):
I hope you'll enjoy hearing it. It's called not guilty.
Speaker 2 (27:43):
I guess I've seen a thousand men go in this
jail and out, from tramps with month old whiskers to
rich men with a gout. Not one of them was
guilty of the crimes the law accused. Seems they were
all just victims of some officer's abuse. From the time
the keys are rattled till they're locked up in the cell.
Their voices, though they differ from a whisper to a yell,
the song is always just the same that everyone will sing.
Speaker 4 (28:06):
I don't see why they put me here. I haven't
done a thing.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
Makes no difference what they've done or how mean the
crime has been. When they're locked behind those prison bars,
they're always free from sin. Though the evidence be solid
and their voice with guilt may ring, They'll stand right
up and tell you I haven't done a thing. Good Night, folks,
see you again next week. Good Night, next week.
Speaker 10 (28:35):
Joel McCrae and another authentic reenactment of a case from
the files of but Texas Rangers. Joel McCray is currently
seen starring in the Universal International Technicolor production Frenchies. Tonight's
cast included Tony Barrett, Parley Bear, Mike Barrett, Sam Edwards,
(28:58):
Joe Dubal, Cook and Gerald Moore. This story was transcribed
and adapted by Joel Murcott, and the program is produced
and directed by Stacy Keach.
Speaker 7 (29:09):
Hell Give Me Speaking, Three Chimes Mean Good Times on NBC.
Speaker 3 (29:21):
There's music fond and prizes Monday through Friday on NBC
to help your busy morning along Tommy Bartlett brings you
Welcome travelers. Walter O'Keefe MC is double or Nothing. Clever
quiz Master Budd Collier asked the questions. On Break the Bank,
Jack Birch presents songs and Stories and Dave Garaway with
melody and humor. That's Monday through Friday on NBC. Now
(29:45):
hear the sixty four dollars question. Three Chimes mean good
Times on NBC
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