 The Whistler another signal mystery. I am the Whistler and I know many things for I walked by night I know many strange tales many secrets hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak Tonight the signal oil company marketers of signals famous go farther gasoline and motor oil Bring you another in a series of strange tales By the Whistler the story of the wild moors and strange people of Devon listen to local storm But first I'd like to take a moment to tell you about Harry Carter whose signal station out near one of the big-motion picture studios I visited this week When I asked Harry how long he'd been serving Culver City motorists he replied I've been doing business here since 1927 and some of my first customers are still with me after 17 years One of Harry's proudest jobs is keeping a fleet of 28 studio limousines in first-class condition And you've never seen cars gleam so brightly or motors hum so sweetly Naturally a dealer that gives such service has lots of steady customers to keep that sort of service going There's Jerry Corrully who's been helping Harry 12 years and Conrad McCoy who's been with him six years Well friends like Harry Carter all signal dealers are permanently in business for themselves So you can depend on them for conscientious thorough service that will keep you satisfied year after year Get acquainted this week with the friendly signal dealer near you You'll find that for sincere interest in helping your car last out the duration You can't beat your neighborhood signal oil dealer and now the Whistler On the south-westerly tip of England deep in the wild moors of Devon lies the little village of Stone Cross Invalidated mrs. Wentworth is one of the few residents of this lonely place She hasn't been here very long. She moved from London after the blitz to this Safer place and bought a little white stone cottage on the moor She has few if any friends her neurotic ways and snappy tongue in commanding attitude have turned them away She has few visitors the vicar's wife occasionally and dr. Brooks more often He's not really a doctor. He's a masseur and he's in the living room of the cottage now Giving mrs. Wentworth one of her treatments. It's not going too well. The unseasonable weather seems to have upset mrs. Wentworth Oh Please doctor don't ask me to try to move again. It's agony agony. I tell you but you don't try Please try to understand. It's really mostly in your mind. It's a psycho neurosis I can't believe the pains as bad as you say my dear man It's only by sheer pluck. I stopped from fainting because of the excruciating agony in my legs And this beastly weather has made it ten times worse I don't think you should make me exercise You know what the heart specialist in London told me no exertion or excitement besides I don't think they help me haven't you felt any improvement from all this massage treatment Well, the swelling seems to have gone down a bit sweater. This went where you've never had any swelling Oh, yes, I did and the aching if only you knew sometimes I feel like giving up. Hmm. So do I What do you mean? I mean if you won't try then there's nothing more I can do for you You say my massages don't help you and you don't do your exercises and you don't follow your instructions And you don't take your medicine certainly they don't do me any good You should try something different you promise to cure me you ought to be ashamed of yourself You're sworn by oath to administer to the sick and to relieve the suffering and you say it's a waste of time Very well I'll see what else I can do you'd better or I'll cut you out of my will without a penny Sometimes I think you're letting me die on purpose just to see if you can get your hands on the money But let me tell you this if I don't feel better a lot better very quickly I'm going to get a fresh will drawn up. Please don't say foolish things. Mrs. Wentworth. I don't need your money I assure you all I'm doing is my very best to make you well and have you walking again And what about my wheelchair? You said you'd fix that too. Park at it all the time squeak-squawk squeak-squawk It's getting on my nerves really don't have time now I have to be back at the village hall by six to assist at the post-mortem post-mortem Huh, who are old mrs. Lynn? She was found dead last night probably murdered good heavens the vicar's wife Yes, the vicar's wife. Oh how awful I Never hear anything out here. I don't think you should leave me stuck out miles from everywhere with a murderer at large in this Awful storm. I think it's an olive will take care of you. I really must go I'll phone you if I get any worse. Yes, do that. I'll have we'll let you out. I can let myself out. Thank you Good night But dr. Brooks didn't go to the village if she could have watched him She would see him making his way through the wet rotting vegetation of the overgrown garden to the rear of the cottage Mrs. Wentworth might have wondered about that if she had seen but she didn't and so I'll have come here. I'll have where are you my dear husband were alive. He'd horse whip that doctor for incompetence. Yes, mom I love did you hear about the vicar's wife? I mom weren't it awful milkman told me when I went past there this morning All blinds was down. I thought it was funny. What did he tell you who the milkman? He said vicar went up to London to see about orphans outing and when he got back last night There she were in kitchen. They say it must have been a madman. What runger poor neck Oh, keep quiet. Don't tell me such things. You asked me turn the wireless on. It's time for the news. Yes, mom That's right. Leave it there anything else mom. No, I don't think so Dear oh dear why don't they get on with the news is the BBC regional program Before we get on with the regular news We have a special police bulletin the police warn residents of the county of Devonshire We look out on the lookout for a dangerous criminal wanted for murder. This is his description. He is a man aged about The lights have gone I'll have come here quick. Oh Oh dear. Oh dear. I'll have I be here mom Well, don't just stand there in the dark like the candles. Yes, ma. Oh, what a ghostly place This is every time there's a storm the lights go out just when one needs the most I wish I'd never come to this godforsaken place What have you got your coat on for I've put you a nice supper on a train kitchen All you have to do is light the gas for the hot water for your tea mom Hey, I hope I can be at home before rain starts. You're not thinking of leaving me alone. Are you? Yes, mom. Well, you can't dr. Brooks left strict instructions I was not to be left alone it be my early night mom. You don't seem to understand I'm too ill to be left alone in this dreadful storm. Sorry mom, but my husband asked to have his supper come storm or no storm Nothing in does his appetite. Oh, please please stay a little while tonight There's a good girl just till the lights come on again. Hey, you can see fine now mom Ain't no good being afraid on thunder thunder never hurt no one I forbid you to leave this house, but I got to mom I warn you olive if you go now, I'll cut you and your husband out of my will I'm an old woman. I won't live much longer. So don't do anything. You'll be sorry about later. I have to go mom You don't know George when he's kept waiting. Please. Please don't olive. Please don't go If you'll stay, I'll give you that hat and that coat you liked in the village I'll buy it for you tomorrow. I'm so afraid. I'm old and I'm lonely I'm dreadfully afraid. Please. Please say you'll stay on. Sorry mom, but I've got to get home I'll be back in morning. Good night. How can you be so unkind? You ungrateful girl Come back come back olive come back Yes, she's all alone now her old gray head buried in her hands Sobbing as if her heart would break She stays that way for perhaps a quarter of an hour in the flickering candlelight The only sound the thunder and her sobbing and then What was it? What was that? Oh must have been the rain I don't hear anything now Couldn't have been that man that murderer. No No, it couldn't no one would want to harm me a poor old invalid No, no, I won't think of such things. I won't I won't Man is peering in the window. He's silhouetted by the lightning He's moving away toward the door Who's that? Is that you olive? Is anyone there? Oh, what an awful night. I shouldn't be left here alone I'll have a heart attack. Oh dear. Oh dear. I wouldn't be left alone. No the telephone I doesn't she answer. Oh, why doesn't she answer me? Please what number please? I want waterfield 1702 water field 1702. Yes. Yes not reply, but they must reply That's the village hall. They're having a post mortem on that pool. Sorry. They do not reply We'll keep trying them. There must be someone there The man is in the room now. I can just see him in the dim flickering candlelight He's hiding in the shadow of the doorway She has her back to him as she sits hunched in her old wheel chair trying to get the doctor on the phone Hello? Hello? Hello? What is the matter with the phone? Hello? Hello? Hello? The man is right behind her now He's raised his hands huge hands with the fingers outstretched reaching Reaching toward her neck. Hello? Hello? Hello exchange? Drat the phone. Drat the whole blessed place. What a place. What am I to do? What was that? I could have sworn I heard Who's there? There's someone right behind me Who is it? Who? We're listening to the whistler another signal mystery brought to you by your friend the signal oil company Marketers of signals famous go farther gasoline and motor oil As the storm clouds thunder across the countryside the invalid mrs. Wentworth left alone in her solitary cottage at the edge of the moor Is startled by a hulking figure intruding into her living room. Is it Could it be the murderer who is roaming the countryside? Could it be? Who are you evening mrs. Wentworth? Hope I didn't frighten you Oh It's you george Yes, you did frighten me. I knocked and as you didn't answer I thought better come on in see everything were all right Thank you george. I'm very pleased you did I told olive I didn't want to be left alone, but she had to go and get your supper I know I just seen and she told us our thunder made you a bit jumpy So I told last never mind about my supper. I said I'll go and cheer the old girl up Won't be long for as you're laughing like a 16 year old Oh george you shouldn't talk like that You really are a one you are come here by the fire and get warm, eh What you need is drop a parsnip wine Get roses back in your cheek. I'll get it for you. Oh, you're a good boy Get my supper will you george? It's all ready. I'll have left it on a tray on the kitchen table Won't be a couple of shakes or duck tails Oh, what a difference it makes if you aren't all alone I didn't think I was going to eat a thing There you be your royal majesty supper fits at full queen. Oh, thank you george You don't know how nice it is to have you here Here you are. Here's your very good elf. Thank you. Hmm. That does go down nice that do It's very good How is my garden these days george with the nasty wet weather? I haven't been out of the house and sunday garden be doing fine What will modern or I've been done nothing much from outside Well, I saw you digging between the raspberry bushes. I think it was yesterday What you said I hadn't been out I saw you from the window Was thinking of putting you in there Oh george, you're always joking. Oh, don't tease me What's it for going to bury some old rubbish what I want out of the way Do them raspberry bushes will look good that well. Oh, how nice. I love raspberry Do you think I'll get a good crop you ask me? I think you'll get more What you're bargain for? Oh, I do hope so And how are the other things getting on I don't know what I'd do without you You've worked wonders around here It's a real pleasure to have you working for me and real pleasure to work for you It'd be not like working up to vicarage old parsley be mowning about always mowning about something If it made one thing be another not like us and us and gets on all right, don't you? Oh, you are a one you are I had forgotten you used to work at the vicarage Uh, tell me george. Did you hear any gossip in the village about what happened to the vicar's wife? They say she was murdered. Yes, I heard in talking some say she was some say she weren't if she asks me I say it were a good rinse Let's forget about her Drink up now. Yes, you're very good else again I shouldn't really oh come along. Whoa dirt you my pretty I'm feeling a lot better now You cheered me up george. I think the storm is passing over now And what do you think bless you in morning? Storm will be gone. Oh sun will be shining. You'll never know as always ever happened I do hope so this weather makes me feel my world is coming to an end Tell me uh, what did you do for work before you went to the vicarage? Worked down to the slaughterhouse. I did. Oh, how ghastly those poor animals. How you must have hated it Nay, I liked it. Well there to more fun than a barrel of munchies Well, uh, why did you leave george? The blooming inspector throwed me out. What on earth poor? I used to like to kill him with me bends Hahaha Oh how dreadful how fearfully dreadful I wish you wouldn't say such things like that. You've given me the cold shivers Put some more wood on the fire. Will you george? You ain't supp enough of that wine. That's what matter with you. I've had enough and if you ask me I think you had too much George gets up and puts more wood on the fire The blaze gives long weird fantastic shadows to the scene as he moves behind a chair He's looking at his great hands now. He's slowly raising them to the level of mrs. Wentworth's old neck She doesn't turn but she's tensed up. She seems to sense her danger What are you up to george? Let go of my chair. Stop pulling at wheels. You've been going nowhere Go Shut up and hollering hollering won't help you. You must be mad The murder that hole you've been digging those poor animals. Please. Please listen to me You can have anything you want You won't tell her no tales to this away. You can have my money all of it. I'll give it to you I'll get it. Don't you worry about that? Oh still I'll get it over quick light. It won't hurt you Please let me go. Please Don't don't She's struggling trying to move the chair by pulling at the wheels But he holds it easily with one hand while where the other is reaching for her scraggly fragile old neck At the touch of his finger. She struggles up from her chair and runs from him Now two people are running down the garden path toward the cottage They're at the door now Why It's dr. Brooks in olive mrs. Wentworth is standing in the center of the room And george is by the fire holding her chair and he's laughing God bless whom is it went worth you'll be all right now You'll always be all right from now on. Thank god it worked. I knew it would I'm sorry george frightened you so but you asked me to try something else And so I told you to do it as if it was the only way we could get you walking again Now you won't ever need that chair again. So I think you'll agree that it was worth it I'm going to faint leave her alone olive. She won't faint. How dare you trick me like this I'm desperately ill. You might have given me a heart attack Oh, there's nothing at all the matter with you get out of my house all of you get out Go on get out of my house. I'll see you're all sorry for this Don't want to be well. You know what you'll be you'll be an ungrateful old witch on wheels I'll I hope you get struck like it get out get out of here. You'll be sorry the lot of you You'll be sorry. I'll cut you all out of my will all of you Well, I'm certain that's all right with us mrs. Wentworth None of us asked to be put there in the first place. So none of us will miss being taken out If we ever were there at all, what do you mean ever there at all? I mean, I don't think that we were in your will at all That's only another device of your new rotten brain to force people to do as you wish Well, I for one have had enough of such things. I've tried to help you and I did I proved you tonight that you can walk that there's nothing at all the matter with you By frightening me nearly to death with that horrible man. Yeah, no be that proper us. We're only trying to help Oh, never mind George. Have to be best forget about it and leave her. Yes, get out get out of my house You friends you fiends Oh, who could that be on such a night? I don't know you better find out Is mrs. Wentworth at home? Yes, sir. Who shall I say is calling inspector gentry a scotland yard and constable urban of your village Please my gun scotland yard inspector. Oh come in come in inspector. Thank god you came here I've just had the fright of my life. Is that right now, ma'am well What caused these these terrible people? They frightened me nearly to death. Well now that's hardly a nice thing to do I can explain it inspector. Yes, perhaps you'd better. Well, you see mrs. Wentworth is my patient I'm dr. Brute. This is her maid olive and her gardener george. Yes, I know and you're her doctor Well, no, he's not a doctor at all just a masseur But I was giving mrs. Wentworth treatments and she didn't respond I was sure that she was not really ill so I tried an experiment to see if I couldn't prove it And I thought uh, she would of course realize that I I was trying to help her Oh, and what was the experiment? Rightening me to death making me think george was going to murder me. Oh, well Yes, you see there'd been all this talk about the murderer the vicar's wife And I asked george to come in here when she was alone tonight and act as if he intended to strangle her In her fright she got up from her chair for the first time in months So you see the experiment did work rather rough on the patient though, don't you think doctor? Well, I didn't intend to upset her so much. I'm sorry if I made a mistake It was really something of a joke, you know But you to get so excited about I'm not so sure about that mr. Brooks Is this the man constable? Oh, that's him riding off inspector. You see mrs. Wentworth I'm not so sure they didn't really intend to murder you tonight Because you see we have positive proof that this man george your gardener is the murderer of the vicar's wife George. Oh, no Inspector you Look how get him constable Yeah Good show constable that blow should hold him for a while inspector. I'm sorry. I had no idea I'd never have done such a thing if I'd known Perhaps not You're not thinking that that I could have been planning a murder with george. I didn't say that dr. Brooks Do you have a guilty conscience? No, no, no, of course not but mrs. Wentworth Tell you I'm one of her best her only friends here in the village. She'll tell you wait a minute mrs. Wentworth mrs. Wentworth mrs. Wentworth I don't think mrs. Wentworth will tell us anything dr. Brooks And I'm just wondering Wondering what? Whether the law considers frightening a person to death murder Now in just a moment the whistler will return to give you the ending of tonight's tale But first I'd like to call your attention to an automobile headache That's happening more and more often these days Drivers go out to start their car and find their battery dead With all cars at least three years old and most of them much older It's only natural for batteries to be wearing out But there's another reason for increased battery trouble ration driving The little driving we do these days can't put back into the battery The charge used up by long standing and frequent starts as a result Most batteries remain in a rundown condition and wear out sooner Now here's a tip So that the cold months ahead don't catch you with a battery that you that can't take it See your neighborhood signal dealer now for a complete free battery inspection Your signal dealer has just received a fresh stock of quality batteries Built to signals own specifications for longer service Batteries so fine they're fully guaranteed up to two years Throughout winter and for many months to come You'll be assured of quick starts if you arrange with your signal dealer now To get a new deluxe quality signal battery And now back to the whistler Well that was rather a drastic cure Dr. Brooks used on mrs. Wentworth wasn't it Yes, he cured her of her illness all right by frightening her to death You see Dr. Brooks streamed up that character for George The character of a man who just loved to strangle things and people with his big strong hands And he was utterly amazed to find that He had hit the nail on the head That George actually was that character George probably would have murdered mrs. Wentworth some night anyway Just as he did his other gardening client the vicar's wife Quite a coincidence wasn't it So much a coincidence in fact that the police wouldn't believe it could be a coincidence Especially after they found out dr. Brooks had a good motive for murder Yes, you see the good doctor was surprised to find that the old lady had named him in her will Her death would bring him a tidy fortune Another coincidence Well, just one too many i'm afraid No jury will ever believe the good doctor's protestations of innocence No, i'm afraid the good doctor will find himself convicted of a crime He didn't commit a crime that wasn't a crime at all The murder of mrs. Wentworth The whistler is broadcast for your entertainment by the signal gasoline and motor oil company And your neighborhood signal dealer at your service to keep your car running for the duration The whistler was produced and directed by george w allen the story by james sussex Music composed and conducted by wilbur hatch This program is being transmitted to our troops overseas by the armed forces radio service Next week the whistler changes its time of broadcast and will be heard on monday nights at 9 p.m Remember the next whistler program will be a week from tomorrow night monday september 18th at 9 p.m This is bill panel speaking This is cbs the columbia broadcasting system