 another case for that most famous of all man hunters. The detective whose ability at solving crime is unequaled in the history of detective fiction, Nick Carter, master detective, presented by the three great Linux home brightness. Linux clear glass varnish, Linux cream polish, and Linux self-polishing wax, created by ACME, America's great producer of fine ACME quality paints. Today's curious adventure. Ready for murder, for Nick Carter and the mystery of the dead Scotty. In just a moment, we'll hear how the dead Scotty dog helped Nick Carter solve the mystery of the Aims farm, and of how he saved from death the young heir to the estate who was ready for murder. You know, it doesn't take folks long to learn what's worthwhile. That's why millions of wise American homemakers have discovered chemtone, the miracle wall finish. That's why they're now discovering this new magic for woodwork floors and furniture, the three great Linux home brightness. Linux clear glass varnish to give lustrous, longer lasting protection to every wood and linoleum surface. Linux cream polish to renew the sleek gleaming beauty of fine furniture, and Linux self-polishing wax to lend rich satiny loveliness to any floor, wood, linoleum, or tile. Take the modern shortcut to new home beauty with the three great Linux home brightness. You'll find them all at your hardware, paint, or department store. Your headquarters also for chemtone, the miracle wall finish. And now for today's mysterious adventure with Nick Carter. As our story opens, we find Nick and Patsy just entering the hotel room of John Aims, a young friend of Nick's. Hello, Nick. Patsy, hello, John. Glad to see you. Come on in. Thanks. Good to see you again. Oh, Nick, look at that darling Scotty on the bed. Hey, Mac, get down off that bed. I look so cute there with his head on the pillow. I've never been able to break McTavish of the habit. Oh, by the way, this is Chief Danis of the local police. Nick Carter and Patsy Bowen, chief. How are you? How are you, John? Well, let's get down to business. Chief Danis and I have just come from Aunt Mary's funeral, as you know. The coroner's verdict was that Aunt Mary killed herself with akinite. But I don't believe it. Why not, John? First, because she wasn't a suicide kind. Second, because if she wanted to kill herself, she would have used poison she was more familiar with. She was a gardener, knew all about nicotine sulfate, and arsenic, and so on. Nothing very positive there. Well, Mr. Carter, how about this? Since John's grandfather, old Henry Ames, passed on at the age of 83, four years ago, three of the heirs have died. Typhoid killed Frank last year. Phil was shot in a hunting accident two years ago. And now Mary dies of akinite poisoning. But the purse cells keep right on running the farm, the way they always have. Who are the purse cells? Adam and Paul purse cell were first employed as farm managers by my grandfather. Each successive owner since then has kept them on. So far, everything seems quite open and above board. Yes, but each time one of the last three Ames' has died, the word murder has been whispered all over town. But why? I don't get it. Not just a feeling, no proof at all, but the rumor persists that the purse cells know more about than they can let on. And as a medical student, I can say that the chances of three healthy people dying off like that, one after another, purely as a coincidence, is less than one in a hundred. Is there any question about your grandfather's death being natural? Well, no, not at all. And how about Phil? He shot himself in the chest, while out hunting with the purse cells. And it was his gun, with only his fingerprints on it. I see. And how about Frank's death? Died in bed of not Typhoid. Nothing to show it wasn't on the level? Not a thing, Mr. Carter. Uh-huh. Well, now tell me about your Aunt Mary's death. Anything wrong there? Nothing you can put your finger on. Oh, here are the facts. And I want to say that they've been checked and proven in every detail. That's right, Mr. Carter. What journal tell you is none of the facts. All right, let's have them. Aunt Mary lived alone in the big house. The purse cells and Lizzie Gregg, their hired girl, lived in the tenant house. Lizzie took care of the big house and got the meals for Aunt Mary, but she didn't sleep there. Well, this particular morning, Lizzie walked over to the big house at seven in the morning, called my aunt, got no answer and investigated. My aunt was in bed, dead. And it snowed that night before all night. And the tracks we found when we got there proved. Proved, mind you, that no one was in the house that night with his aunt. And the folk morsel shows she died of aconite poisoning, huh? Yes, a minute dose, but fatal and positive. Just enough to kill her. Where'd she get this aconite? Lizzie used it for a hard condition for years. Kept the bottle in the big house in the kitchen cabinet. Oh, I see. The bottle was found on his aunt's bedside table with her fingerprints plainly showing on top of Lizzie's. But it couldn't be an accident because aconite is neither odorless nor tasteless and couldn't be taken without knowing it. And the poison was administered to my aunt through her mouth. It certainly looks like suicide to me. Except for one thing, Patsy. What's that? A person going to commit suicide would pour themselves out a good sizable portion of the poison they intended to use. Not just barely enough to kill them. She wouldn't know enough to do that if she didn't leave any suicide note, either. But if it wasn't suicide, and if she couldn't have taken it by accident, and if nobody could have forced it on her without her knowing it was being done, where does that leave you? Exactly, Patsy. It proves just one thing in my mind. It proves a cold-blooded, deliberate murder carefully planned and executed. I don't know how it was done, but it was. The same goes for Phil's death and Frank's. And I'll bet the purse cells of the murderers are the accomplices. They stand to gain a nice income from the farm, which goes to them at the last air dies. They've been planning this for years. They've planned it so carefully that the evidence proves I'm not guilty every time. Let him purse cell. Where did you come from? I knocked, but there was so much talk, and nobody heard me. So I come in. John, I heard what you said. Well, I meant it, every word. How do you happen to be here, purse cell? I heard John was coming down here to meet Chief Dennis and you, Mr. Carter. I guessed why, so I followed him. To spy on me? Now, young man, not to spy to resign. Paul and Lizzie are against the idea. I'm the elder brother and what I say goes. You mean you'll all move off the farm? Just that and right now. Mr. Purcell, I meant every word I said just now, and I'm not taking back a word of it. But you can't resign and I can't let you go. No, why not? Because if they go now, it means either they're quitting under fire or I'm afraid to live on the farm with them. Besides, I need farm managers, and the purse cells are the best managers I know. I think you're right, John. Well, how do you feel about it, Mr. Purcell? I don't know, but I... Well, I guess I can stand it if he can. All right, we'll put the food on your table, clean your house, run your farm. But that's all. We won't have nothing to do with you nor you with us. I understand and I agree. I'll be getting along. And quiet, Mac, and get down off my bed. Come on, come on, get out. Aren't you going back to the farm tonight, Mr. Ains? Yes, especially in view of what just happened. You still think Purcell's guilty? Yes, I do. Adam wanted to resign either because he was afraid or because he wanted to establish an alibi. Because if I should be killed while the purse cells weren't living on the farm, they'd be cleared of all the deaths. Oh, no. I'm going back there and prove that the purse cells actually did what I think they did. This seems to be the kitchen. There's nobody here. Yes, there is in that rocking chair. How do you do? You let your dog in the house? Yes. Mac's always lived with me in my room. Tanefitting, where do you sleep? In the master bedroom, of course. Good. Best room in the house. What time do you want breakfast? About 8 o'clock. I'd like eggs, bacon, and coffee. Use at the time, young man. I'll finish the meals. Good night. Well, yes, Mac. That was probably Lizzie. Well, if that's the way they want it, OK. Come on, let's have a look at our house. So this is the master bedroom. Hey, gosh, Mac. So furniture's beautiful. Hey, get down off that bed, Mac. You've got to turn over a new leaf in this house. Lizzie won't have you sleeping on beds, I know. Oh, all right. Stay there for now. Gosh, I wonder why the whole house smells so strongly of alcohol. Smells like a bottle. Foam's here in the bedroom. Smell. Oh, Tom, I just thought I'd call and see how you're making out. Gosh, Nick, it's good to hear your voice. This is a grand old house, but it's so quiet you can cut it with a knife. Any new ideas yet? Yes, one or two. Nick, I'd like to have you get me a permit to exhume Frank Gaines' body and autopsy the remains. If arsenical poisoning was wrongly diagnosed as typhoid, I can still be checked. All right, John. I'll bring the permit up with you when I come tomorrow. Oh, by the way, if a purse cell were to inherit the farm, where would Lizzie come in? She wouldn't. She has no interest in it at all. She wouldn't get to touch a dollar on that. Why? Oh, just wondered. I understand Lizzie and Paul were talking of getting married about five years ago, but nothing came of it. I see. All right, John. I'll see you about 11 in the morning. Good night. Good night, Nick. Well, come on, Mac. You'll have to get off the bed now, because I'm getting in it myself. Breakfast I have read, and I mean it. Guess maybe you do. I know when I'm being made fun of. Lizzie, I wonder if you could manage to get rid of that barrel of alcohol I saw on the cellar this morning. I can smell it all over the house. You better speak to Paul, young man. I've been trying to get rid of that barrel all winter. It leaks. Yes, it certainly does. You'll have to get Paul to get rid of it. And he's real stubborn. Hey, where is Paul now? Clown, of course. Where else this time of year? Well, thanks, Lizzie. See if I can find him. Yeah, Dad. Yeah! Paul, could you come over here a minute, please? Whoa! What you want? I'm Paul for busy, young man. I want to see where Phil was killed. Oh, right over there it was. We was after gross. I climbed through the wire here, and he went over the fence there, shoved his gun through ahead of him, stuck it that rock, and bang, got him in the chest. See, thanks. Might have I get back to my plow and we're behind now. Oh, not at all. You and Adam certainly keep this place in beautiful shape. We aimed to run down when Adam and me was hired, but now, everything's up to snuff. And no aim has ever put his hand to it yet. I think I'll roam around and see what there is to see. I haven't been here since I was a kid. Come on, Mac. Mac, look at the time. What an o'clock. Must be Nick blowing for us. Come on. We'll go back to the cattle lane. ought to be the quickest way to the house. Gosh, this cattle lane's a beautiful job. Almost 200 yards straight from the barn out of the fields where the cows are put out to pasture. Fenced on both sides with five strands of barbed wire. Each one of them as tight as a banjo string. That, Mac, is a model fence if I ever saw one. Yes, Mac, I see him. It's Nick, all right. Oh, he's got Patsy with him. Mm. Ah! He under the fence by a quip. He'll have to go to the top if I can jump that high. Mm. Stories of accidents is continuing. John's first day on the farm and already death runs to meet him. Can this murderer set up be solved in time to save John from being killed? We'll see in just a moment. When your youngsters track in mud, slush, or snow, just after you've cleaned the floor, you know it's exasperating. But when your floors are protected by Linux Clear Gloss varnish, presto, those wintertime puddles are whisked away in a hurry. That's because Linux Clear Gloss keeps dirt and water right on the surface. Linux Clear Gloss gives a beautiful finish, too. Its gleaming, transparent luster gives that lovely, sparkling, clean look every homemaker delights in. And how Linux Clear Gloss wears. It even resists damage by hot grease, boiling water, fruit acid, perfume, and alcohol, which makes it especially fine for tabletops, as well as for linoleum and wood floors. Best of all, Linux Clear Gloss is brushed on so easily, so smoothly, that it's practically no work at all. And once it's applied, your home has that handsome, well-kept appearance for a long, long time. Ask for it at your dealers now. Linux, LIN-X, Linux Clear Gloss varnish. You'll find all three great Linux home bright news, and Kentone, the miracle wall finish, at hardware, paint, and department stores everywhere. And now back to our story. As we left John, he was in a narrow lane, hemmed in on both sides with high barbed wire, trying to escape the mad rush of a bull, charging down on him from the farm. It is now a few minutes later. Did the bull get you, John? No, I'm all right. I never saw such a pretty villager balding as you did over the top of that fence. I can understand it. The bull couldn't break out of his pen. Somebody must have left the gate to the pen on latch. Doesn't matter now. No damage was done. I told you that bull to get away some day. Told you the pad knocked the pen. But no, you men knew it all. What are you doing here, Lizzie? Get back to the house where you belong. Come down here to tell the young man he's got company. Let's see he's found out for himself. Yes, I found him. Well, John, shall we go somewhere and talk? We won't be disturbed there. The bother's here, Nick. Good. First, John, I got the permit to exhume your uncle's body. I brought the undertaker along to dig it up and take it back to town. Good. Second, I got hold of your uncle Phil Shotgun, the one that killed him. I examined it pretty closely. Find anything interesting? I did. I found evidence that seems to bear out your feeling that his death may not have been the accident they claim it was. Well, this has reeks of alcohol, doesn't it? Yes, there's a barrel of this stuff in a cellar. For some reason, it smells up the whole place. Come in. Young man, you'll leave this farm tonight. Otherwise, you're going to get yourself killed. Killed? By whom? Maybe I don't know, and maybe I do. I seen the hand and the arm that pushed the bolt on the bullpen gate open. That bull was loose deliberate. If you know who did it, you ought to speak up to prevent further tragedy. I only recognize the sleeve of the shirt. It was Thoromite. But they could have got their shirts mixed up, so I ain't saying. Now you heed what I tell you, young man. Get out, and get quick. Huh, I wish she could have been more positive in her identification. I wonder how positive she really is. Maybe she doesn't know herself. Maybe, but I'm beginning to get an idea. You mean you can see an end to this riddle? No, but I think I began to see where we're headed. And it's not pretty. Well, I've got work to do right now. I'll see you tonight, John. And in the meantime, be careful. Hello, Nick. I know I'm going to see you tonight, but since you've been gone, something's happened. I think you ought to know. What's that, John? Both Adam and Paul have come to me secretly at different times, and each one has told me that he saw his brother unlatch the gate to the bull's pen. You mean they each accuse the other? Yes, Nick. Well, very interesting. Oh, by the way, John, an autopsy in your Uncle Frank's body shows our cynical poison in fatal quantities. No question, but what it was murder. But who did it, Nick? You did it. Suppose you get all three of the first cells in the big house at 10 in the morning. I'll need until then to clean up the details. Tell them I've found out something conclusive. But don't tell them what. May make one of them come through with a confession maybe. All right, Nick, 10 in the morning. Right, John. And watch yourself tonight. Emergency. I poisoned. Get me a doctor quick. Harder at the hotel. You got that? Get a doctor. This is if you and Nick got here awful fast, Betsy. Well, Nick's in a hurry. He doesn't waste any time getting prizes. You know what you were poisoned with, John? Yes. It was that kind of all right. I know that. I can't figure out how I got it. Your pulse is very low. We've got to make it pick up. Do you know how? Of course she does. Betsy's practically a full-fledged nurse. Oh, it's lucky. There's nobody here on the farm I can trust. Here, drink this, John. It'll stimulate your heart. And you better walk up and down. Say, I just heard on the extension phone that John was poisoned. Is that true? It's true, all right. You only know what you heard on the phone? For sure. What else? How is he? We don't know yet. Oh, I'd rather take him to poison in my own stomach than he should get it. I never dreamed of any killing or no than he was being done. Nick, will you get me some? Adam, Adam, come quick. It's Paul. What? Paul, too? Paul poisoned? Adam! If you could let me have some of that stuff you're using for John, ma'am, I'll go tend to Paul. Oh, of course. Here you are. Adam! Adam! Come in, Lizzie. Come in. Paul must have poisoned you and himself, John. That's the only answer. And that means Paul did all those other things, too. But I took nothing since dinner. That was much too long ago to await it all this time to take effect. It isn't possible. I've eaten nothing and drunk nothing since 7 o'clock. It's 2.40 in the morning. Then what in the world could it? If that's the doctor, Patsy, rush him to Paul. OK. Paul must talk before he dies. He's got to clear this thing up. John, did you say you had had nothing to eat or drink for the last seven or eight hours? That's right, Nick. The same as Aunt Mary's case exactly. She was poisoned without knowing how it was done. So is I. The answer to one is the answer to both. And Paul's killing himself looks as if he were that answer. Although I can't figure out how he could have done it. John, I'd like to have a look at your room. Feeling strong enough? Yeah, sure, Nick. Let's do it now. Nick, do you think that, hey, Mac, get off that bed. Hey, Mac, come on. That's funny. Usually, just, Nick. Look, John, his head's on a pillow when the same place yours would be if you were in bed. I guess, Nick, but so what? You slept on that pillow and almost died. Mac sleeps there and does die. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Oh, I'm afraid not. What should it mean? Aconite was poured on the pillow case before you went to bed. What? Remember, aconite is so powerful, it can be absorbed through the skin, particularly the thin, damp, mucus membrane of the lips. That's right, Nick. The person sleeping on that pillow with aconite spilled on it and poisoned himself in a couple of hours. Because you were restless, you got up before the dose was fatal. But, Mac, where there's very bad habit of sleeping on your pillow and sleeping very soundly, slept there once too often. But, Nick, why did Mac smell it? What does aconite smell like? With alcohol. Of course, the house reeks of alcohol. Naturally, I'd never smell it. That alcohol smell is part of the plot, John. But who, Nick? Who? Let's get everybody together and talk it over. Maybe that way, we'll get along faster. So up to now, we've got this much settled. I found that the safety catch and the shotgun that killed Phil two years ago had been tampered with, so it is no good. Lizzie swears she saw Paul fooling around the gun just before the accident. An autopsy proved that Frank was killed by a mixture of arsenic and boron, which Lizzie and Adam both saved Paul was trying out as a new spray for bean beetles. The bull was let out of his pen on purpose, unquestionably to kill John Ames. Lizzie says she recognized the torn sleeve of Paul's shirt on the arm she saw slipped the latch. Adam agrees with her. Unfortunately, Paul died without saying anything, so we don't know his side of the story. But we do know. He told John that Adam did it. I don't need to hear no more, Mr. Carter. I'm packing up and getting out of here now tonight. I'll help you pack, Adam. I know where your things are. I ain't leaving you. You ain't a per cell, Lizzie. It ain't fair to ask you to share my troubles. But I want to, Adam. I've always looked after you. You think I'm gonna stop now? Lizzie are real kind, but I can't allow it. I can take care of myself. Adam, if I were you, I wouldn't refuse Lizzie like that. She's in love with you. She ain't neither. Lizzie's an old maid. That's why you're wrong. And that's where everybody went wrong. Lizzie is in love with you. That's how all this came to happen. Oh, Nick, you're not making any sense now. Yes, I am, Patsy. Lizzie hated Paul for not marrying her that time they were engaged. Now she's going to love Adam and she wanted him to have the farm because she thought that was what he wanted more than anything else in the world. So she tried to kill off the heirs one after another and throw the blame on Paul. But the safety catch on Phil's gun, the poison that killed Frank. Oh, John, any farm woman knows enough to do those things and she killed your Aunt Mary the same way she tried to kill you. No trace of aconite was found on your aunt's pillow because Lizzie changed the pillowcase before calling for help. She'd have changed yours too if things had gone right, but she didn't have time. And every once in a while, she spilled a little alcohol out of the barrel in the cellar to keep the house smelling of it. But that's not proof, Nick. No, it isn't. But I'm willing to bet that if you look, you'll find she just changed Paul's pillowcase. And I don't doubt you'll find that pillowcase still smelling of aconite somewhere in the house where the fur cells live. And that will be proof. You don't need to look. Of course I done it. All of it, just like you say. It was easy. You're all so dumb, just like old men. Never thought a woman could do anything for you but cook and soul. Lizzie. But letting the bull out of his pen, you couldn't have done that. Oh, couldn't I? Look at my hands. They look just like a man's. I put one of Paul's shirts under my skirt when I went out to the barn and slipped it over my arm when I opened the bolt. Nobody knowed it was me. Even them as saw me do it didn't know. How did you know, Nick? It had to be that way. There was no other answer that would fit all the facts as I gathered them in. The exact method used and the motive behind it were the things I had to find out before I could act. Lizzie almost beat me to it this last time. I didn't think she was ready to act so quickly. Gosh, Nick. I hate to think of having to turn her over to the police. Since I've been here, I've grown fond of Lizzie. You won't have to feel sorry for me, young man. I do things that are talking about them. When you all was drawn, I took the rest of the aconite in the bottle. That just leave me be. I'll die without no help from any of you. In just a moment, Nick and Patsy will bring you a preview of next week's exciting case. But first, a word to the ladies. Homemaking is an art. An art that brings genuine happiness to everyone who lives in a well-kept home, everyone who visits it. It's a real achievement to keep your home attractive. So it's worthwhile to know how much help the three great Linux homebrightners can give you. Linux Cream Polish, for instance, restores the original shining beauty of your fine furniture. Disposes of blurry fingerprints almost by magic. Gets rid of that cloudy film left by dust and old polish. Linux Cream Polish helps hide ugly scratches, too. Yet it takes only one quick application because Linux Cream Polish actually cleans your furniture as it polishes, leaving it spick and span, bringing out the true beauty of the wood. What's more, Linux Cream Polish dries to a hard surface without oiliness to attract more dust. Ask your dealer for the modern furniture polish which cleans as it polishes, saving one whole step in your cleaning routine. Ask him for Linux Cream Polish for fine furniture. You'll find all three great Linux homebrightners, Linux self-polishing wax, Linux clear glass varnish, and Linux Cream Polish at your nearest hardware, paint, or department store. And now let's hear from Nick Carter himself. Well, Nick, what new and exciting adventure do you plan to tell us about next week? A scientist and inventor whose home was on the coast was found in his laboratory one morning with a bullet hole through his forehead. Much to my regret because we were supposed to be vacationing up there, not capturing murderers. Well, I suppose murderers have to be captured no matter what happens. Yes, Ken. And this time I was intrigued by the killing because the only clue that had any value was a piece of rope, a kind of rope that none of us had ever seen before. And there was a thunder shower at midnight too, which helped to put the finger on the killer. Sounds interesting. Guess I'll listen. What's the title of your story? I call it Crime at Cold Harbor. Well, the mystery of the murdered scientist. And that's all for now. Details next week. So long. So long, everybody. And so long to both of you. We'll be expecting to hear from you again next week as usual. Next week at the same time, listen to another curious experience of Nick Carter, master detective, entitled... Crime at Cold Harbor. Or Nick Carter and the mystery of the murdered scientist. Nick Carter, master detective, is featured in Street and Smith magazines. Lawn Clark is starred as Nick with Helen Schott as Patsy. Original music is played by Lou White, and the programs are written and directed by Jock McGregor. Nick Carter, master detective, is presented at this time and over these same stations each week by the three great Linux home brightness. Linux clear-glass varnish, Linux cream polish, and Linux air-conditioning. Linux cream polish and Linux self-polishing wax, created by ACME, America's great producer of ACME fine-quality paints. This is Ken Powell speaking for the thousands of Linux dealers all over America and saying so long until next week. This is Mutual.