 Good evening. This is crime classics. I am Thomas Highland with another true story of crime Listen a maidens laughter a maid of India With bells on her feet That jingle when she runs She's having a lovely time The picnic's been a great success and now her husband's chasing her through the tall grass Here he comes For an older man, he's got a pretty good stride and before she knew it he had his wife circling around an almond tree caught her Then the thing that ruined the picnic for everybody Jealousy lurking nearby with a sledgehammer Tonight my report to you on old six toes how he stopped construction on the BBC and I Crime classics a series of true crime stories taken from the records and newspapers of every land from every time Your host each week. Mr. Thomas Highland connoisseur of crime student of violence Teller of murders now once again, Mr. Thomas Highland In 1880 the great Sepoy rebellion was already just a memory and those who had lived through the hundred days of Lance and torch and British square had settled back with a tight little smile waiting Queen Victoria had been proclaimed Empress and Lord Dundridge was saddling his first pony in the cool gardens outside Bombay And to the west and south Concan province was welcoming spring the soft winds up from the Gulf were cooling and Set us away the temple bells Of other bells, however, those small ones held to the ankles of buggy with golden wires She set them a sway herself She seemed to always be running from this task to that from this person to that on this mission or that and one day she was noticed and admired and Bargain for I have seen her and am told you are her father as I am Has she been spoken for many times the young men of the village all young Men They have youth What have you but I gave my youth for wealth and what would you give for my daughter by he two boats Two bullocks and a field to till My daughter dances lightly to whatever music maybe if I give you this then I shall be poor if you be poor then work My daughter will wait home for you to kiss away the pain of toil My daughter is slender as the reeds on the river and as pliant My daughter's voice is as the loot and her hands are wings Then it is done done buggy Come buggy Bow to your husband Now greet him. I have waited long my lord Command me Command her he did to dip three times in santa water Which was the custom for there were to be wed this night to bind her hair in the manner prescribed To spend the appointed hour with her mother the appointed hour with her father and thus anointed with fragrant oils and wisdom To come to him in the place of marriage and the vows were taken and they were wed and went to the hut of the newly married of the village and Removed their shoes before entering Yes, you have six toes since birth a good omen husband buggy beloved Yes draw closer your command Husband first a thing What in the village I come from far to the north a ritual which guaranteed identity? I do not understand identity beloved In case you forget Who you belong to but therefore? These I show you beloved Oka Sienna the million and Needle Well, what reason the tattooing of you please please do not command it Still You may ask why I saw new formerly of wealth and station now whole spike So that they may be driven by you into the ties which hold the rails You may ask why I saw no formerly of wealth and now but an employee of the Bombay Bengal Calcutta and Indian Railroad You may wonder these things and I will tell you I have traded wealth for greater wealth The lands which I had and the animals these I bartered for a bride and such a bride a child of 18 summers who is called Parkie friend friend on do Muscular youth will dare the great hammer while I hold come home with me and I will show her to you Will you come home with me? Yes Well, of course he wants more wine fill high his cup Have I not said it don't do this treasure truly sir Yes, and what do you do on the railroad? Well marvelous things with his hammer all day long. He drives deep the spikes more spikes and deeper than anyone else Poor I might up again very weary and toy This is wine will soothe husband drink Good wise I Sir Yes, the arms of yours could lift him as if he were a child and place him upon his bed Yes, that is here Sleep well honored husband Toiler bring her of bread to this happy house Baggy I know Let us walk to where the night will wash over us I want Come then Do you love me with all the might and passion that is the strength of me my husband has six toes It is written that this is a good omen a man with six toes is said to be blessed in this way He has brought you to me Terry here They tarried and the moon swung over from where it was and became for that brief time Their moon as did all the marvelous things of the night and Baggy forgot all the vows she made to Sonu and made new vows to Dundoo forever always always and forever and Dundoo made promises to her tomorrow night When the old man is asleep here forever always Always and forever Which goes to prove I suppose that railroading men have a certain fascination all over the world and Dundoo of the BBC and I was certainly one who gave rise to the legend Baggy forever there is a thing Listen to what I say. Yes This is wrong. What is you are bride to an old man Evil bird hammers at your brain where conscience is so that you say our love is wrong. Did you not hear it? You are bride to this old man Then you want done with our love? No Then what? If you were widow If I were widow we would not sneak about as children who do evil tricks True think of it then If you were widow Dundoo Yes, I want to be and So you shall And when they reached the village on the edge of it where they said goodbye They were startled for a moment. Suddenly it was morning and they looked and they saw The sky was blood-red. You are listening to crime classics and your host Thomas Highland 35 years ago this week a few hundred AEF delegates in Paris founded the American Legion today in 17,200 posts there are nearly three million Legionnaires Service to the community state and nation service to veterans and their families These have grown to be hallmarks of American Legion activity without which the nation and its people would be great losers Happy 35th birthday American Legion keep up your great work and continue to grow Now once again Thomas Highland and the second act of crime classics and his report to you on old Toes how he stopped construction on the BBC and I each country has and is proud of its own history of Railroading it may come as a surprise to some that playing track in India has a lore unparalleled in railroading animals To give you a hint There's a saying out of Bombay that never did the Tigers eat so good as when the BBC and I put down a steel through South con can the place that concerns us here tonight Consider the feet if you will 116 miles of rail through jungle swamp and wasteland a body died there for every cross-tie 116 miles of rail plunging progress from Taj Pahor to the sea and Two-thirds of the way the living legend of a man Dundoo And at his feet holding the spikes an old man with a young wife Dundoo Dundoo Terry a minute Say the truth to me of what of my wife. Whatever is she not butchess. Yes. I see how you look at her Oh as young brother to me Happy for my happiness Yes So no yes the next spike cited well To get close to it and line it yes Bring your head closer to it old man and make sure in time for me Why do you stand with hammer poised over your head? What the whistle has blown come let us eat. Yeah Let us eat Hired old man you are young you would not know a sigh of happiness if you heard it Oh, I have just breezed one. Oh look how neatly my pride my joy my treasure has made for me my lunch Grape leaves and chutney and coconuts too and you don't do what I bought in the village The same thing each day rice would you like a grape leaf? Well, I hung a knot take it Well, I am an old man and such richness as grape leaves and chutney does not agree with me in truth I would prefer rice, but I would not tell my treasure of it since she Pleasures so in cooking for me. Well, I'm take my rice Mmm That was the young man falling over on his face Because the old man's wife had put cobra venom in the chutney so the old man would die So she and the young man could pursue their love unencumbered But the young man having eaten the poison food became deathly sick He had eaten a dose that would have killed a less strong man, but he was the mighty don do and he did not die A month later. He was well enough to try and this he did. I did not come to you don. Do you know that? Yes Lovely one, what do you do? Kneel to the gods for having preserved you for me add a prayer then of your husband That he should die for my love for you for your love for me Therefore he must and soon I will help together then yes. Oh, yes But the precise opportunity never quite arose either there was someone near or within calling distance Or the old man didn't rise to the bait There was one night when the bride put a crate a small and deadly snake into Sonu's bed on the very night that Sonu Elected to sleep in the hammock outside Something always seemed to go awry. I cannot stand him. He must die or I shall there is a festival Next week for us of the railroad for the completed section There he will die. I cannot stand him. He must die or I will and the days spun away and a week Until there came a day of festival And mr. Graves of the railroad was concerned that everyone enjoy himself and what do you do, sir? I am a spike holder site Each member of our team is as important as the other. Yes, and who is this lovely trial by your side my wife Charming charming There's a rise up child Charming charming charming a treasure sir. You're blessed. Yes. I Enjoy yourself. Yes, I the BBC and I want you to have a day or remember. Yes. I'm a good day then Barkey did you hear him? I heard notice me. Yes, perhaps perhaps what this is the start of something of Position again and wealth as I was once wealthy Yes, and perhaps again our own land and the house and bullocks and servants Beloved what in your eyes? Am I old? Oh, no, then look at me Yes, what do you see? Wisdom a face which has pushed aside youthful folly to become lined with love and gentleness and knowledge But now you what of me so youthful you are Do you not sometimes miss the folly of youth? Not I but it seems that you do Then let us be foolish. I will flee from you and you will chase me Yes, yes, then catch me catch me You remember the maidens laughter the maid of India Scampering over the field away from the crowd and not running too fast so her husband can keep her in sight And the maiden runs toward her lover who is hiding in the tall grass with a sledgehammer right near that Where the old man caught his wife it is done now it is done hold me As if what as if a great burden had been lifted up from me Now you are widow And I must grieve Then I will be bride again Now we will take this one to the place where I have dug his grave and Put this one in it and cover him with tall grass the stride of you as you walk down do the suppleness the grace And you belong to me forever always always and forever Here for the old man looks small there on the earth. I wish to see him no more And I will cover him baggy Yes, the thing we talked of yes Do it now? Yes, what has happened? Who are you talking about my husband? What happened tell me there we were walking there where the bank was moist He tore the river and the banks lit away and you fell into you fell into the river. Yes Oh crocodile do not say it child child Yes, I saw it. He slipped into the river and the current was strong and then the crocodiles There was no question about it now she was widow and She observed all the self-denials that ritual called for for six months She went about clad in coarse garments her skin whitened with ashes her hair unkempt And when the allotted time was done She washed the morning from her and got out her best silk sorry and the bells again And went into the village and made it known that she was marriageable again And it goes without saying that the first young man in line outside her father's hut Was a hammerman named don do and what will you give to me for my daughter? Peace of mind that your daughter is happy and what will you give to her my strength if I? Refuse you my daughter. There is no refusal. We have looked upon each other and found each other good Bargay Bargay come Bargay Bow to your husband now Greet him. I have waited long my lord Command me I'll help you down, mr. Collins. Thank you mr. Graves I don't know why the company bothered to send you all the way out here mr. Collins, but the BBC and I has a reason for everything mr. Graves Now let's look at it Why you elected to build a spur right here? Why you have all these people building up a road bed when you could run the road by way of mudwap You stand here sir and see for yourself Below you see how the river curves. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes like an eagle in the shape of an S Therefore it would take two bridges to complete but the company chart had but one curve That's why we have men in the fields are digging have them dig away So then you'll give a proper report of me sir with mr. Glenn What's he wants that digger there waving at you? Let's have a look shall win They tell mr. Glendale. It's all been well thought out in the spell be completed before the monsoon Yes, my man. What is it? Do you want looks out where I was digging to provide dirt for the road bed? Well, I'll be that Skeleton that fall No, look there that fall. Yes a thing. Yes six toes on each foot Now there's a thing Now since burning was the manner of disposal of corpses a skeleton in the ground was something to ponder a Skeleton with six toes now Somebody remembered that an old man named son who had had six toes and a young wife So the young wife was questioned by the local authority who happened to be mr. Graves of the BBC and I child Skull crushed in like that He did not fall into the river did he I cannot lie. Yeah, then don't He did not fall into the river now. He was murdered He was murdered by a man of strength according to the fracture By a man of strength. Hmm. You're present husband. Yes. Yes You swear to this? Yes Hmm, you realize it. He'll be hanged. Yes, and what of me? What of me side you and your husband is hanged yes, I dare say you'll be right by his side Her present husband was hanged Then she was in just a moment Thomas Highland will tell you about next week's crime classic All six toes tonight's crime classic was adapted from the original court reports and newspaper accounts By Morton Fine and David Friedkin The music was composed and conducted by Bernard Herman and the program is produced and directed by Elliott Lewis Thomas Highland is portrayed on radio by Lou Merrill in tonight's story Jane Webb was heard as Boggy and her Butterfield as Sonu Featured in the cast were Jack Edwards Banright and Jack Crucian Bob LeMond speaking and Here again is Thomas Highland Next week we will concern ourselves with a band of gay conquistadores Who decided to conquer the land of Peru in the year? 1540 because of what happened to them. It's listed in my files as Francisco Pizarro his heart on a golden knife Thank you. Good night This Sunday night Herbert Marshall stars as the Honorable Edmund Burke British statesman and member of Parliament Burke is the man who spoke so eloquently on behalf of American freedom during the Revolutionary War That his colleagues called him a traitor Hear his story on CBS radio Sunday night when the Radio Hall of Fame with Lionel Barrymore as your host Turns the spotlight back to this stormy time The Radio Hall of Fame on most of these same stations America listens most to the CBS radio network