 Wheaties presents Joel McCrae in Tales of the Texas Rangers. On stage tonight transcribed from Hollywood another in the Wheaties big parade of exciting half-hour presentations. Tales of the Texas Rangers starring Joel McCrae as Ranger Pearson. Texas more than 260,000 square miles. And 50 men who make up the most famous and oldest law enforcement body in North America. The Texas Rangers come these dories based on facts. Only names, dates, and places are fictitious for obvious reasons. The events themselves are a matter of record. Case for tonight, the Trigger Men. At 9 o'clock on the evening of May 27, 1947, Jasper Leach, operator of an independent service station in 8 Oklahoma, was preparing to shut down for the night. Suddenly two men in a green convertible pulled into the service island of his station. Close for the night, fellas. Pumps are all locked. We got to get some gas. All night place on the highway south, mister. Big station, you're heading that way. I don't like big stations. We're gassing up right here. I got a tire you can fix. Now look, I told you I'm close for the night. Stop the chatter, will you? You heard him, Hick. Now get moving. I'll put a slug in you. All right, mister. I ain't arguing with a gun. He gets that pump going, make him fill a couple extra five gallon cans. All right, Joe. Stop playing the podium and get that flat sparrow if you're so hot for action. Okay, okay, but let's take it up, eh? Well, come on, Hayseed. Get with the pump. Keys are in the office. Well, let's get them. And while we're in here, you might as well open this safe. All right. I don't know the combination. Yeah? Oh! I said open it, you hick. All right, mister. I'll open it. But you ain't getting their way with this. Not by a dang sight. We'll talk that over later. Just you and me, Hick. Just you and me. Subjects tentatively identified. Joe Gordon, average size, eyes blue, hair blonde, complexion fair. Number two, tiny Gordon, six foot three, peculiar wall, pigeon toes. Same coloring as brother. Subjects now believed to be in Texas and route to Mexican border. Wanted six states and FBI for murder. Bank robbery, narcotics, other charges. Use caution, these men are dangerous. Tales of the Texas Rangers will continue in just a moment. Get up and get at them with Wheaties. Yump for folks up and doing, for folks going places. Breakfast of champions. Sure, begin a better breakfast with Wheaties tomorrow and see if you don't feel the difference all morning long. Here's why. There's a whole kernel of wheat in every Wheaties flake. You got it? There's a whole kernel of wheat in every Wheaties flake. That's why Wheaties can give so much. Energy, you bet, whole wheat energy. Vitamins and minerals, you bet and protein too. That's why Wheaties at seven can make a difference at eleven. There's energy in them dark flakes. You try them. Tomorrow morning, make yours Wheaties. Pour on the milk, put on the fruit and eat happy. Yes, and work happy. Tomorrow see for yourself how Wheaties at seven can help at eleven. Breakfast of champions. Breakfast for you. There were no further signs of the Gordon Brothers on the night of May 27th. But on the morning of the 28th, Captain Stinson of the Texas Rangers received a report that looked like a lead and immediately sent for Ranger Jase Pearson. You sent for me, Captain? Yeah, Jase. I want you to get right over to the general hospital in Palo Pinto County. A little shooting, Deputy Sheriff and his son. Where did it happen? Near Mineral Wells, but checked the hospital first. Shooting took place during the night. Rancher found them in this morning. Mineral Wells, that's on the road south from 8 Oklahoma. You think it might have been the Gordon Brothers? It smells like them. They were headed south according to all previous reports. I figure they're making their run for the border and they'll kill anybody who tries to stop them. Sure looks that way. The deputy never saw who gunned him, Jase. Get all the information you can. And if it looks like the Gordon's, stay with it all the way. We don't want them to get across the border. I understand. Judging by their past movements, they steal cars and dump them for new ones at regular intervals before they get too hot. So don't pin too much in any car descriptions. I won't. I'll see you later. Oh, Jase. Yeah? You get anything hot reported by phone. If I have anything for you, I'll have the radio dispatcher tell you to call in. The men we're after might have a short wave set. Right, Kevin. One thing more, Jase. This department hasn't lost a man in a long time. Let's keep it that way. Yeah. I wouldn't want to be the one to spoil a record. I checked my car out and headed for Palo Pinto County. I reached the hospital at 9.45 a.m. and saw the doctor in charge. He pulled through, I think, but his condition is critical. Shot three times through the back, one of the bullets is large in his spine. Which room's he in? I'll show you. Deputy's son hurt bad too? Too bad, Ranger. Dead unarrivaled. He know it? Yeah, he knows. It'd be better if you could wait. I wish I could. I can't. I understand. He's in here. The deputy was lying on his stomach, a dazed look on his face like he was remembering something over and over, but still couldn't believe it. I knelt on the floor beside him so he could see me while he was telling me what happened. You see, my boy built himself one of them hot rod cars at an old chassis in spare parts. You know youngsters. Yeah. I broke down on him last night, fooled with it and couldn't get it to start, called up home about midnight. Tell me in his mind why he was out so late. Sure. I drove out in my car and meet him, where he called from, up at Salesville. We both fooled around with his car some, but wasn't fixing to go at all. Here. You sip a little water through this glass straw. Better? Thank you. You couldn't get the car started? Yeah. Yeah, so finally I told the kid to come on home. And we'd get it taken care of today. And it don't matter none now. What happened on the way home? We passed the carpet place, big place. He raised his silkworms. Here, let me fix that pillow for you a bit. Worms feed off in the leaves of the mulberry trees. He was passing the grove, the carpet's mulberries. Spot of fire, little campfire, like deep in the grove, almost out of sight. I see. Thought I'd better stop and have a look. The kid, he wanted to get out of the car with me. Don't know why I let him, but I had no way of knowing. Now, of course, you couldn't know. We walked in. I guess he heard us coming. One of them kicked at the fire. I saw this shadow. That's all. I yelled at him to stand where they wasn't. They started blasting. Go on. Turned, pushed the kid down. Something hit me in the back. Went out. When I came to, my kid was lying there. Just a couple of feet from me. 15 years old. All right. Don't try to talk anymore. Get him, poor me, Ranger. Please get him. Me and my kid. I left the hospital and headed for the Carvath Ranch outside Mineral Wells. Big Jim Carvath, the owner of the place, took me into the mulberry grove where the deputy and his boy had been gunned. Well, this is the spot. Sheriff's combed it over pretty complete, though. Hmm. Had their fire right over here. What are you digging out of their mashers? Fire wasn't burning long. Started it with a road map and an envelope. A little corner of the envelope, not quite burned. I can just make out the stamp. It's Mexican. Maybe our lab can make out the postmark. Out of that, shard hunk? If I can slide it into this fresh envelope, I'll break it up too much. You fellas sure can figure a lot from a little, I reckon. Sometimes, when they left, they went through there toward the road. How do you know that? Here's the mark where the fire was kicked. Steps from it moved that way. Might have been the sheriff in his men. Not in low-heel eastern boots. See the impressions? One set, same as yours or mine, except for the difference in boots. The other set scuffs in at the toes. Man who made those is pigeon-toed. You sound like you could draw a picture of them. I could, now. Let's see where these prints lead. They led to the road, they're almost to the road. Just at the edge of the grove were tire markings where a car had been backed into the mulberries to screen it from sight. Well, this is it all right. You can see where it scraped the branches. It mourned scraping. And this one's been torn off. The part that got torn off isn't on the ground. Low branch, too. Oh, that means something? From the tire marks and the height of the branch, it means the baggage compartment of the car was open and then closed down on the end of the branch. See, it snapped off when the car moved. You sound like that's worth knowing. It might be worth plenty. The highway patrol turns up an abandoned car with a piece of mulberry branch caught on it. I drove back to headquarters to get a charred envelope over to the lab. Then I went in and reported to Captain Stinson. Sounds like the Gordon Brothers are all right. I'd bet on it. And if they're in the habit of ditching their cars, we better check on all the stolen and abandoned. We find the car, we'll know which way they're headed. I'll send out a bulletin on it. What did labs say about the envelope? It burned pretty bad, Captain, but they think they can restore it. Take time, though. And if they can bring out that Mexican postmark, it might tell us where the Gordon's planned across the border. That's what I was thinking. They won't go through a regular border station. It'll be an illegal crossing. They'll probably have a hideaway arranged on the other side. Yeah, probably other members of the Crawford gang. I figure they'll try to make it before tomorrow morning. They'll be making their big run tonight. Well, head south, Jace, toward the border. We will relay all information to you as it comes up. I better get charcoal out of the barn and hitch up my horse trailer. Good idea. Wherever they try to cross, it's a cinch. It won't be good territory for a car. The border stations are covered, though, aren't they, in case they do try illegal crossing? And their mugs are hanging in every customs house from Brownsville to El Paso. FBI has given them extra cover, and the Mexican police are helping, too. I better get going, then. So long, Captain. So long, Jace. And good luck. I loaded charcoal into the horse trailer and headed south, aiming for the center of the border near Valverde County so I could change my direction fast, either way. I kept a lead foot on the gas pedal. Towards Sundown, I was just outside El Dorado when the radio dispatcher came through telling me to call headquarters. I got Captain Stinson on long distance. How long ago? Must be planning to try a border crossing in Presidio or Brewster County, then. Any report on that burned envelope? I'll do my best, Captain. So long. Well, it's another baseball summer with ball fans all over the country watching their favorites and baseball champions all over the major leagues eating their Wheaties. Yop, and do they eat their Wheaties? The Philadelphia Phillies, Ashburn and Annas, the Cleveland Indians, Laman and Boudreaux, Stan Musil of the St. Louis Cards, George Kell of the Detroit Tigers, Pee Wee Reese of the Dodgers. They're all getting their Wheaties breakfast of champions. And you know, so are a lot of other smart people. Folks who want high-stepping energy to strive through their mornings high-wide and handsome, they're getting Wheaties, too. Are you? Well, listen, you may not play ball for a living, but you can use Wheaties energy. You can use Wheaties vitamins, minerals and protein. You can use breakfast of champions, too. There's a whole kernel of wheat in every Wheaties' flake. A whole golden kernel rolled out flat and toasted. Yes, there's a whole kernel of wheat in every Wheaties' flake. That's why Wheaties can do so much and help send you through the morning on high. That's why Wheaties at 7 can help at 11. You have some. Wheaties, the crisp way to get your whole wheat. Tomorrow morning, make yours milk and fruit and Wheaties. Breakfast of champions. See for yourself how Wheaties at 7 can help at 11. I started for the roadblock area in Pickers County, but I never got there. I was still 50 miles away when headquarters radioed me to contact them by phone. Had a feeling the news wasn't going to be good, and it wasn't. We can forget about Pickers County, Jase. The Gordon's broke through our roadblock. Where? Back road near Hovey. I turned a Tommy gun on the highway patrol and the sheriff's car. Kill anybody? Two. And two more badly wounded. The men were just found when they didn't answer a radio call. Happened two hours ago. Then the Gordon's could be at the border by now. The wildest part of it, Jase. And you'll have to guess what... Just a second. On the burned envelope. Where was it mailed from? For Keyers, right across the Rio Grande from the Santiago mountains. That country's murder. Worse for them than for us. Rivers swollen by spring rains. They'll need a boat to cross. Countish air can beat through the mountains with posses. Ten miles each side. I'll get as close as I can by car and then charcoal I'll ride in. The Posseo Corner'em will have'em. You're the closest Ranger you need, Jase. But those men are dangerous. You want to wait for some help? No time for waiting. Now's the time for getting'em. You'll hear from me. In the south of Brewster County the world comes to an end. I drove as far as I could and met one wing of the sheriff's posse where Maravillas Crick runs into the Rio Grande. Any sign of him, Sheriff? Nope. Got men working in from the other side of the mountains, though. I'll get my horse and ride in with your ways. Then we can split and fan out. Good. Mighty fine horse, Ranger. The best. Come on, charcoal. Which of your men knows this section best? I'm here, Sanchez, I reckon. I'd like him to ride with me when we split. Oh, he'd be proud to. Sanchez! You want me for something, Sheriff? Ranger wants you to ride with him. That's good with me. Thanks, Sanchez. You got any signal arranged with the rest of your posse? Three shots. Two seconds between each one. Good. Well, let's ride. All right, men. Malt up. We'll follow the river and then you can drop off in pairs and head in toward the peak. The sheriff will pair you off. If you hit ground too rough for your horses, tie him off and move through on foot. All got that? Along the river, closing the circle and hoping that Joe and Tiny Gordon were inside of it, the country got rougher and no horse could have taken it without the light of the moon. Posse paired off and thinned out. Finally, the sheriff and his last deputy turned off. Sanchez and I went on alone. How far are we from Boquia, Sanchez? About five miles, senor, and it will be right across the Rio. We better turn toward the peak, then. We can't go in very far. The horses, maybe we should leave them right here. It's easier to find again. You're probably right. Whoa, whoa, boy. Oh, whoa. Tie him off over here. See? There are some cabins up here in the mountain, but the men we are after wouldn't know about them. What kind of cabins? Old hunters' cabins from long ago when they were good hunting. But most of the game is gone. Nobody lives in them anymore. No, but the Gordon's might know about them anyhow. You said they do not know this country. Yeah, they could have been told they're meeting somebody in Mexico. Some of their gang might have come through here before, and that's why they picked this spot. They're such a hurry, though. I don't think they would stop. They would if the big boy got tired. The big boy? Tiny Gordon. He's pigeon-toed. Something wrong with his feet. He's big and heavy and carrying a lot of weight. He's going to slow down in this country. I think you're right, Ranger Pearson. He ain't got good feet. He's still down plenty in here. The cabins in the territory we're covering? See, two of them. Let's take a look. See, the first one is right up this way to the left, about two miles in. Is there anybody in there? No. Maybe they just wait in there. Soon find out. Stay clear of the doorway and keep your gun ready while I go in. See, but you better have your guns ready, too. Don't worry. I got them. Watch it. Nobody here. Come in. Lamp here. I'll light it. Is something wrong with the lamps in you? No. I don't think I'll light it after all. Use your flashlight instead. See. There. Feel a glass. Lamp chimney. It's warm, senor. Use less than half an hour ago. Could any of the passe have reached here before us? I don't see how. They're all turning further back. I mean the group working in from the other side. No, they came all the way from hot springs further than where we start. That's where the sheriff's deputy went to get them. Flash your light around a little. See. Wait. Wait, turn on that chair again. See. Dust wiped off it. Somebody's sitting there not long ago in a scraped spot on the floor. Sat with his legs straight out. Scraping was done by his heels. See, you have a good eye. I think I'll sit down there and stretch my legs. My heels reach those marks? No, not quite so far, but why do you do that? Because I'm six feet tall. The man that sat in that chair is taller. Tiny Gordon is six foot three. Come on. Look around. See which way they headed. I think this way, Ranger Pearson. Why? What'd you find? Somebody step on this dead log. Take off a piece of the bark. Yeah. And prints there too. Here, flash your light. See? Here. Two sets. One of them with the toes turning in. And throw the light that way. See, that bush. First one through here held the branch back for the other to pass. Knocked off a few berries. Crushed them on the ground. Still wet from the juice. We've got direction now. Let's move. Better put that light off. They headed for the rear, all right. Should we fire the gun now, the signal for the posse? No, we're too close. Gordon's might hear it too. Probably think they're safe in here. They don't know we've got a postmark. Better chance of getting them cold if they don't know. See, you think they're going to fight if we catch them? With murder charges in a couple of states, they've got nothing to lose. They'll fight plenty. They left a trail all the way. Easy to follow even by moonlight. Got pressures. We moved along and saw more and more spots where tiny Gordon had stopped to rest. And the paced spots where Joe Gordon had moved around restlessly waiting for him. It wasn't long before we could hear the lapping of the Rio Grande as the foothills dipped down toward him. Then we heard them moving and talking in the reeds at the edge of the river. How do you know? How do you know they got our letter? They expected us last night. Let's try again. I know we ain't moving on a train schedule. Suppose they don't come. You'll lighten a couple of arms. So we'll go back to that cabin and hold up again until tomorrow night. Besides, who's going to see us here? Maybe an idiot or something. I don't know whose life we'll be trapping around. What are you, a Daniel Boone or something? That's dry air. No truth, tell me it's dry air. God, tiny. We figured that right. They're expecting a pickup from the Mexican side. Gee, good thing the boat did not come yesterday. We brought those Tommy Gunners. Lucky, if they carry a 45, you're trying to carry a Tommy Gunner away. You were plopping around here, man. You didn't kill yourself and me, too. I might kill you someday, Joe. Shoot your mouth off. Come on, come on, try it. I'll blow your brain dry. Why are you... You want a punch in the jaw, Joe? Dry air. Well, they got 45s. But so have we, see. Let's move in and take them. We slipped down to the edge of the reeds. I kept Sanchez to move off about 30 yards, so they'd have to come between us if they made a break away from the river. We couldn't see them in the reeds, but they couldn't see us either. Sanchez reached his position, and then I straightened up. Tiny, Joe. Who's that? Get up, Tiny. I'm a Texas Ranger. There's a posse of 20 men in the hills. You're surrounded. Will you come out? I won't do you any good. This way, Tiny. Open up Sanchez. That's a posse signal, Tiny. They'll all be heading this way. You won't be... What's the matter, Tiny? You're gun empty? Why do you think I'm mad? How'd you fellas ever kill anybody? You don't even come close. Where's the posse? You'll be here soon. It'll be daylight. We'll starve you out or burn you out. You're hog-tied. You better give up while you can. I ain't giving... Almost finished. Almost finished. They look like they've finished good. Yeah, I mean the rest of the Crawford gang are from across the river. I'm a nice surprise for them if they come over in their boat. Possibly they'll be here soon and we may be able to take them by surprise. Easier than these two, senor. You know, I don't think they like this very much. I saw what they did to a deputy sheriff and his kid. I didn't like that Gordon Brothers very much either. Two hours later, other members of the Crawford gang were surprised and captured without resistance when they crossed the Rio Grande to keep their rendezvous with the Gordon Brothers. They were turned over to federal authorities to stand trial for their crimes. Well, partner, whether you're riding the Texas prairie or smelting steel in Pittsburgh, first you need your Wheaties. Yep, breakfast of champions for folks with big things to do. It's a brighter morning and a better job when you begin a good breakfast with Wheaties. Here's why. There's a whole kernel of wheat in every Wheaties' flake. Yes, there's a whole kernel of wheat in every Wheaties' flake. That's why Wheaties can give so much. Whole wheat vitamins and minerals, protein 2, whole wheat energy to help you stride through the morning high-wide and handsome. Yes, there's a whole kernel of wheat in every Wheaties' flake. That's how Wheaties at 7 can help at 11. You try them. Golden flakes, crisp flakes, Wheaties' flakes. Have some tomorrow with milk and fruit and see yourself how Wheaties at 7 can help at 11. Next week, Joel McCray in another authentic re-enactment of a case from the files of the Texas Rangers. Joel McCray will soon be seen starring in the Universal International Technicolor Productions saddle trim. Tonight's cast included Tony Barrett, Tom McKee, Tom Holland, Jack Krushen, Byron Kane, and J. Novello. This story was transcribed and adapted by Joel Murkoff, and the program was produced and directed by Stacey Keech. This is how, give me speaking. And this is the Wheaties' man, Frank Martin, inviting you to listen Tuesday night to the Penny Singleton show on the Wheaties' Big Parade. See you then. Tomorrow, Rose Bampton sings with the Summer Symphony on...