 The national broadcasting company presents Joe McCrae in Tales of the Texas Rangers Tonight transcribed from Hollywood another authentic re-enactment of a case from the files of the Texas Rangers Tales of the Texas Rangers starring Joel McCrae as Ranger Jayce Pearson Texas more than 260,000 square miles 50 men will make up the most famous and oldest law enforcement body in North America Tales of the Texas Rangers come these stories based on facts only names dates and places are fictitious for obvious reasons The events themselves are a matter of record Case for tonight death by adoption It is 9 45 p.m. On a Saturday night September 1937 The business district of Central City, Texas is dark except for the office of Harry Cashman's use car lot Cashman is pacing the small office in agitation a Man in a leather windbreaker crosses the lot slipping between the cars for sale and knocks the door Well, how'd they mr. Cashman? Glad see you waited for me. All right spit it out. What do you want this time? I'm kind of short on folding money. Oh, it might be a pound. Help me out again You know what this is don't you strike her the Lord call it a shake down I gave you a hundred dollars two weeks ago and another hundred the month before so I need more You're not getting more not for me. Why it's too bad. I'm sorry feel that way mr. Cashman I kind of thought you're a nice guy Kind of guy I'd like to see raise my baby long as I can't raise him myself Now you leave the baby out of this now You can't expect me to forget about her mr. Cashman after all she's more flesh and blood. She belongs to me and my wife legally by Adoption but you keep forgetting one important thing. I never signed no papers letting you adopt your wife said you were dead She thought I was dead for my being here proves. I ain't and if we ever have to take this into court mr. Cashman, I'm baby hands natural father. I got my rights, you know All right, how much? Breaking a hundred will see me through again. I'll give you five hundred. Well, it's better just a minute I'll give you five hundred if you sign a paper waving all rights to baby I am I ain't signing nothing. I like our arrangement just the way it is It's working out fine if you think well go ahead mr. Cashman answers May be business and I'd like to say you do a good business for the baby's sake. You understand Hello Well, I'll be home a little while hazel something came up No, no, no, no, of course not baby Where's my daddy? I'm sorry hazel Give her a kiss for me. I'll be home in a little while Oh, it's it's nothing I'm just tired I'll see in half an hour. Well, all right. Goodbye honey That's your wife. Yes, never did meet her Maybe we all get together have little talk striker if you try that. It's the last talk you ever have What are you trying to do your baby's got a home a good home and we love her We've been married 15 years never had a child of our own and now we've got her and she's ours Well, if we ever lost her we'd have nothing to live for Haven't you got a heart? I can see I made a big mistake mr. Cashman. I should have started seeing you a lot sooner and a lot often Oh, what do you mean by that there from now on I'll be around ever Saturday night to pick up my hundred dollars And I'll take tonight's payment right now. Why don't be a fool mr. Cashman. I'm younger and lots stronger than you now Don't get yourself hurt Yeah, how about my money? All right strike There's a hundred and it's the last you'll get now get out of my sight and don't ever come back because if you do I'll go to the police. I'll spend every dollar. I've got fighting you I'll prove what you are. I'll prove you're not fit to have custody of Anne Mr. Cashman, I do believe you mean they swear before heaven. I mean it so this is your part and gift to me Not much can sit in the size of the roll. You peel it off, huh? All right All right, I'll leave you alone. I'll take my payment and for right now dig that roll out again toss on the desk. I see Now it's a gun. You say it and I know how to use how could Anne have a father like you She couldn't have not you you've never proved you are her father You're getting real bright tonight. Mr. Cashman. I get the money up on the desk I'm not gonna give you another time striker. All I'm gonna give you is what you deserve Maybe I'm stronger than you think Maybe you should have been fighting your way You see you're still only one who knows about me and you ain't never gonna tell anyone else Thanks for the final payment At 11 o'clock after three more calls to her husband's used car lot Hazel Cashman was disturbed by the busy signal and her husband's failure to come home a Phone company check showed the line was not in use Hazel Cashman called the police. They found Harry Cashman's body and requested aid in the Texas Rangers Ranger Jase Pearson was assigned. He arrived at the lot shortly after 2 a.m Oh Howdy Ranger You must be Jase Pearson. That's right. You in charge here. Yeah, the damn Simmons chief of police fellas. I'll talk to you later You've already lifted some fingerprints How'd you know dusting powder on the glass top here? Yeah crew just left Prince aren't gonna be much good though. I'm afraid Too many people coming in and out of a place like this signing papers on that desk. What's that over there chief? What oh that yellow spot on the carpet? Yeah, I noticed that before Seems to be a piece of chalk that was stepped on few little pieces not quite ground in I don't see a blackboard or anything around here Any of the for sale signs on the cars marked with chalk? No, no, they're all marked with cardboard cutouts Floor is pretty clean otherwise Waste paper baskets empty. Yeah, this place was swept out after the day's business that chalk got ground into the rug last Night after the place was cleaned. Yeah, I can see that now the phone hanging off the hook like that when you've got here Cashman struggled with whoever killed him must have been trying to make a call. I don't know Jase Body is just where we found it good eight feet from the phone He might have staggered over there and fell but the fight started right here by the desk and the phone Got some reason for being so sure then the desk was moved a little in the fight chief Look at the carpet deep warn spot where the desk usually rested Carpets bunched up around the base showing the desk was pushed not lifted and moved for any reason. You're right. I Can't see that it helps us any though gives this little picture the action. That's all I'm gonna get some of this yellow chalk in an envelope. Oh, you're gonna send that to your lab at Austin That's right. They can analyze it. Maybe come up with something with a shot Doesn't seem too much anything else to help as though Robbery motor for murder is usually the toughest one to crack and cashmen make a habit of carrying a lot of money Yeah, I had to in this business People selling cars in a hurry need a fast dollar. He usually had a couple of thousand on them All we found in his pocket was 86 cents and change You finished it. Yeah, I'd like you to put a man to work on that filing cabinet get a record of all sales We've already checked that every car cashmen had accounted for nothing's been stolen from the lot I wasn't thinking of a stolen car. I just want a list of recent customers. Oh somebody might have bought an automobile He wasn't happy with and come back to get even it could be but I'm afraid that's a blind alley to ranger Cashmen gave a mighty good guarantee on everything he sold and he stood behind it a hundred percent Just the same. Let's check it. I want to examine every reason he might have been killed a hundred percent. I Sent the ground yellow chalks through to Austin There was nothing that could be done that night But the next morning chief Simmons and I went to see Hazel cashman the dead man's wife We don't like to ask you questions at a time like this mrs. Cashman, but I Understand and I want to help you if I can probably isn't much you can tell us but any little thing might help Your husband ever have trouble with anybody. No Aside from the money he carried you know of any reason why anybody might have been out to get him No, there was never anybody who didn't like her What am I gonna tell the baby? How am I ever gonna make her understand that her daddy will ever come home again? Oh Would you answer that for me, please? I I don't want to talk to anybody. No, I sure ma'am Maybe for us anyhow had to leave this number at headquarters Hello Yes, I'm speaking Go ahead. I'll write it down. We We were going on a picnic today Last night. I made the sandwiches and everything. We were gonna leave right after church. I Knew something was wrong when he didn't come home. I knew it take it easy ma'am All week long Harry was teaching and how to say picnic She was just learning to pronounce it No, you got to get a grip ma'am for your baby's sake Yes Yes, I know all right. Thanks. We'll be in soon Better get back to headquarters chase Unless you have something else to ask Mrs. Cashman. No, you shouldn't be alone though, ma'am Especially when your baby wakes up. I called the neighbor just before you came She'll be here in a few minutes. That's good. Goodbye ma'am and thank you. Goodbye, Mr. Cashman. Goodbye Find out who killed my husband. He never hurt anybody never. We'll do our best ma'am Let's rush back to headquarters Simmons one of my boys pulled in a suspect Jason Fellow who worked for cashmen and cleaning man named Moe Smith. What do they got on him? Well, he cleaned the office last night about 8 30 and 9 o'clock Cashmen usually closed before then on Saturday nights, but Smith admits cashman was still there when we clean up Well, he's not trying to hide anything there. No, no, but there's something else Moe Smith was on the town last night through a big party and threw a lot of money around Still had a few hundred on him when he was picked up and a man checked on that Jase Smith is usually dirt poor. I see he's gonna be worth talking to you can say that again I had told you inside the house, but I didn't want to say anything in front of Mrs. Cashman I was best. How old is their baby? Just two years old Jase Why you look kind of funny. How old are the cashmen's? Well, I'd say Harry was about 55 Yes, Mrs. Cashman must be in her 40s. Oh, I see what you mean The baby's an adopted child. I thought they were a little bit old to have a child of that age Yeah, they never had any of their own a couple years ago. They took in a poor girl had lost her husband and was her child Cashmen's took to the kid right off Then the mother got sick and when she knew she was dying she agreed to let the cashmen's adopt the baby No kid ever got a better break. Believe me. I gathered they were pretty crazy about her plenty crazy Why if that kid even sneezed Harry cash in to be ready to charter a plane and fly at a Mayo Clinic They wrapped their lives around it just like she was their own when you feel that way about a kid It is your own loving them is what makes them belong to you and you can say that again Say any messages from my headquarters and that phone call you took oh, Jason forgot I was too hot about my man picking up moves Smith Your lab phoned in a report on that chalk any lead Well, I don't know under the circumstances, but it wasn't an ordinary piece of chalk Analysis showed that it's a special type that surveyors used for marketing surveyors Isn't likely that a janitor would be carrying the kind of chalk used by surveyors odd might have come from any place Jace and customer might have dropped it. It was dropped and stepped on after the office had been cleaned Maybe our case against most Smith isn't gonna be as strong as it looks You are listening to tales of the Texas Rangers starring Joel McCrae as Ranger Jase Pearson We continue now with tonight's case death by adoption an authentic story from the files of the Texas Rangers At the city jail moves Smith was being held in an anti room the day was cool But beads of sweat stood out on his forehead if he was innocent he didn't look it I began to forget about the surveyors chalk. Come on was where were you last night? I was at a party mr. Simmons at my own house and where were you before the party? I was working for mr. Harry Cashman had to use call-out Everybody knows I worked there. What time did the party start mose after 10 o'clock sir And later we left my house and went a few other places with you paying all the bills Well, is that right or isn't it? That's right sir. I don't remember much about it The next thing I knew it was this morning on the policeman woke me up and brought me down here What time was it when you left the car lot last night? Oh Worked almost nine o'clock sir cleaning up like always do was mr. Cashman. All right when you left the lot Also, he wasn't mr. Harry was always mighty nice to me But somebody called him on the telephone. He didn't say much to whoever it was Then he slammed the phone down real mad and it hollered me to her up and finished He's never done that before sir Then when I got done and was ready to leave he told me he's sorry yelled at me like that. What'd you do then I? Did some shopping for the party got some food a couple of jugs of sweet Lucy Where'd you get the money spill it mose cashman was robbed and you had almost $300 on you this morning when you were picked up It is my own money. So honest you never got that kind of money working on a used car lot three days ago You were broke you borrowed two dollars from your landlady better count for that money mose. Where'd you get it? From the numbers numbers You mean you've been gambling on the numbers record. Yes, sir, and yesterday my number hit 424 I got my $500 that's how come I got money you expect us to swallow that who paid you off mose I don't know I don't know who he was you trying to tell us you gambled on numbers without knowing who you gave your bets to If I tell you who it is mr. Simmons is gonna rest and everybody'll know I told and if I don't find out you're gonna stand trial for murder Everybody will know that too. Oh no, sir, please. I never heard mr. Harry. Oh I got the money from Jonas one of the pin boys at the bowling alley Jonas been booking numbers on the side No, sir. He just worked for somebody for a little cut. All right, mose. We'll check on your story and it better be true He sounded on the level Jase And if he is I'll be able to smash a hole in the numbers record. Yeah, you can do that. All right, but we'll still be shy of murder Simmons staked out the bowling alley where Jonas worked as a pin setter Mose Smith had told the truth. All right, the pin boy confirmed it when he was arrested for possession of slips made out by better Is playing the numbers we were back to a single clue again the yellow chalk We've checked the only surveying crew in the city Jase Every man working on it had an alibi all surveyors aren't in the city and killer could have come from any place in the county No road-building projects underway and only other surveying crew We've been able to trace as a mapping crew down in the big bend not going to be easy to get to I'll get to them Wherever this car won't take me the horse in the trailer. I'm towing will you leave them right away Soon as I can drop you at your headquarters I drove to the big bend to where the roads ran out and I had to cut cross country to reach the mapping crew I unloaded charcoal from the trailer the crew was deep in wild country almost a full day's ride before I reached him Chucky easy boy easy Anybody here? Howdy saw marks of a camp here, but it looked deserted. It is we moved in another couple of miles I just come back to the birds to haul the last of our stuff on the new camp I'll just tie in a pack on this last one you the crew foreman. Yeah, all right on away with you Keep you from getting lonesome glad to have you I got company though One of my men just went on ahead few minutes ago. We'll catch up to him on the way Hey, you want me to take one of those lead ropes? No, they're good bars. They won't give me no trouble. All right Let's go up Chuck. Oh boy. Come on you long-edge scavengers. You've had enough grazing You must be covering a lot of ground in here plenty sprawling country like this ranch is loose out of their boundaries when the land ain't fenced off Hey, you after somebody in here Ranger, maybe how long you fellas been working through here? Oh been almost two months now you ever pull out to go into town. Well, we got horses of course But it's a long ride to a road and transportation any place and the size I Just decided to grow me some whiskers and stay here till the job's done any of your men right out Oh, yeah, you haven't go out weekends to Central City or someplace like that for Saturday night Then they got a turn around and spend all day Sunday coming back Family men usually stay and just keep on working pile up over time. How many men you got working? Oh, I've got 11 any of them away last weekend You know where they went no Hey, I reckon Bill Stryker can tell you though. Who's he? They're a fellow with other borough Now there is just talking that rise about a quarter mile ahead. He one of the ones who left camp Yeah, they all went off together. Let's catch up to him. Okay. Come on, boy We rode after the man named Bill Stryker on the way I saw the surveyors marks I'd been following for miles cloth markers nailed to trees yellow chalk marks on rocks Within a few minutes we caught up to him Well, yeah, I'll arrange you where's the way for the weekend like Tracy told you main three other fellas Where'd you go? Central City only place worth going we get to in time. What did you do up there? Just fool around all of us together. Well, you're only there for Saturday night You must have done something special something you remember. I thought one of the boys mentioned the dance trucker Well, well, yeah, yeah, that's right. Uh squad dancer Alamo borough will spend the whole evening there Yeah, like I said, we were all together all evening Four stags of the dance drift around hard to keep an eye on each other all evening Yeah, I reckon we could lose sight of each other for a minute or two You fellas take time out to do any shopping. Well, why could we buy that we could bring back here? I thought maybe one of you might be saving some money Maybe enough to make a deal on a used car We we rode a bus both ways after our horses got us from here to land is junction. That's too bad You've been shopping around a used car lot. You might have been able to help me You might have gotten a look at a man who killed a dealer named Cashman in Central City on Saturday night kill Hey ranger, you got a reason for being here. Hey, you think one of my crew killed that man I'll know better when we see the other three who went to town with striker here. Let's get on to the camp It didn't help they all told the same story there were gaps times during the evening when they drifted away from each other But they couldn't pin it down any specific time on the clock. I didn't have anything to take them in on singly or together They knew it and I knew it I camped with him overnight and headed back to Central City police headquarters No good chief and we haven't turned up anything new either just a chance armed robbery chase That's what it must have been my feelings still bucket that Simmons Most told us that cashmen was upset about a phone call stayed at the lot long after he should have gone home It must have been a reason like what like somebody who wanted to see him telling him to wait there Most said the call made cashmen mad Why'd they wait for somebody he was mad at maybe because they had some kind of a club They could use to make him wait whether he liked it or not You're still digging for something deeper than an armed robbery motive then that's right Well, nobody's giving us anything to back up any other motive. I know but a man doesn't make a telephone appointment to be robbed And murdered he makes it for something else. I'm going out see mrs. Cashman again When you called your husband last Saturday night, it was almost 10 you said What makes you think he was upset when you married to a man the 15 years you just know that's all But he said there was nothing wrong anything like that ever happened before he's not coming home I mean acting upset. Yes, it did twice before once was almost two months ago Then a couple of weeks ago those other times you remember what day they happened on I mean, can you remember if it was always on a Saturday? Yes always all three times But I don't know why I don't know what was bothering him. How do you react? He was nervous irritable Surprised me the first time Harry'd never been that way with anybody. He snapped at me the hard girl apologize later, but The only one he didn't snap at was the baby He just seemed to want to hold her in his lap Just sit there and rock back and forth holding and then during the night. He kept getting up Going to a crib to look at it. I see Ma'am, did your husband ever say he was worried about somebody trying to take little Anne away from you? Why no Who could take her from us? Both her parents were dead her mother agreed to the adoption before she passed on you ever know the baby's father ever see him No, he died before Anne was born killed in an accident. You're sure of that Well, that's what hands mother told us she couldn't alive. You got a copy of the baby's birth certificate. Yes, right in this drawer With a copy of the adoption papers we got from the court Here's the code order and the paper signed by Anne's mother Dorothy striker striker What's the father's name bill or William striker? Why no Here it is on the birth certificate. His name was Arthur striker came from Fort Worth Ranger What is it? I think I know who killed your husband now and I'm beginning to figure why You'll hear from me ma'am I Headed for the big bin making a radio check with KTX a asking the station to contact the Fort Worth police on possible Relationship between Arthur and Williams striker The answer fit they'd been brothers, but Williams striker had a criminal record It was late afternoon when I mounted charcoal for the ride into the surveying camp. I reached it about 3 a.m dismounted and slipped into the office tent Tracy What the quiet? It's me Pearson. Oh You scared me Why'd you come back? Not all your boys were square dancing at Central City. Where's striker sleeping? Oh striker, huh? That's right. I'm back near where the horses are hobbled. We better be careful ranger He's got a gun good a test can give me the final proof I need if it's the same gun that killed Cashman I'll come with you He wakes up before I get to him you hit the ground and stay there no matter what happens. Don't worry. I'm a severe Not a hero There under that tree branches in the moon got it all in shadow though He's not here Somebody's trying to get away with one of the horses. Come on. He must have seen me out in the moon I've crossed into the tent Get away from that horse striker. You're in the light now. I can see you too Stop Got him be careful might be a trick. Are you other man stay down? Don't move It's no trick ranger. Oh, he's hit more than once and bad Better get whatever first aid stuff you have it try and patch him up. You're gonna need some work, too I'll be all right You men can get up now Need a couple of you to make a letter You need it to take him in. I hit easy ranger. I got you. Oh Man, I have to make two letters You need one yourself William striker lived long enough to confess his masquerade as the father of his dead brother's child and the murder of Harry Cashman He was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at the nearest emergency hospital Jase Pearson had three bullets removed from his body. They matched the bullet taken from the body of Harry Cashman Six weeks later. Jase Pearson reported back to his company ready again for duty with the Texas Rangers Oh here again is the start of our show Joel McCrave There's a story about one of the first Texas Ranger captains who doubt were to appearances seem to be little more than a boy One of the Rangers in his command a big raw bone muscular fellow noted for his complete lack of fear was asked by a townsman I'll come a big fellow like you takes orders from him why he ain't even gotten up a beard to need shaving Ranger looked at the townsman. Maybe he hasn't got much of a beard the ranger admitted But when we go out after a gang of bandits with him outnumbered as three or four to one I never yet heard the captain say go get him boys. He always says come on men. Follow me Good night folks. See you again next week Next week Joel McCrave and another authentic re-enactment of a case from the piles of the Texas Rangers Joel McCrave is currently seen starring in the Universal International Technicolor production Frenchy tonight's cast included Tony Barrett Joe Kerns, Tom McKee, Roy Glenn and Barbara Luddy This story was transcribed and adapted by Joel Merkott and the program was produced and directed by Stacey Keats Hal Gibney speaking Three times mean good times on NBC Coming up next on NBC. It's genial accordion playing master of ceremonies Phil Baker back at his old Sunday night stand asking America's favorite question. What's that? Why the $64 question, of course The chimes are your invitation every Sunday to all the fun and prizes and excitement of everybody's favorite quiz game the $64 question Tomorrow here the railroad hour right now. It's the $64 question on NBC