 Mr. District Attorney, starring David Bryan. Mr. District Attorney, champion of the people, defender of truth, guardian of our fundamental rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. And it shall be my duty as District Attorney, not only to prosecute to the limit of the law all persons accused of crimes perpetrated within this county, but to defend with equal vigor the rights and privileges of all its citizens. This is David Bryan. In a moment we'll bring you another case from the files of Mr. District Attorney. The first a word from our sponsor. Now here is our star, David Bryan as Paul Garrett, Mr. District Attorney. The welfare of a city or county is not jeopardized by criminals alone. Nature itself is capable of sudden and unexpected violence that can lead to terror and death. This case started as part of a natural calamity. A gasoline truck skidded on a wet street hitting a power pole near the city gas works. Sparks exploded the truck and like a chain reaction the storage tanks. In a matter of seconds the entire section was rocked with explosions as flames swept a quarter mile area of warehouses and tenements. Seventy-two hours later the combined fire departments of several cities were still struggling to get the flames under control. The death toll and damages were appalling. Look, just look at that smoke. Did you get the latest edition of the paper? Yeah, 300 dead so far, more than 100 still missing, lots of bodies unidentified. What are the names of that? The list of dead. Right there in page one, only about 20 identified so far. What? Ralph's name? No, he's probably alright. A working square like him would be alright. But he had a job washing dishes in that diner right by the gas station. The explosion started there. Stop blubbering, do you want to draw attention to me? No, but he has my brother. I've got to worry about him too, don't I? He's probably dead. Yeah, he probably is. Your brother Ralph is probably one of the unidentified dead. Oh man. You'll have to go to the emergency headquarters. If Ralph is dead, you have to identify him. If he is there, in with the ones they don't know, there's nothing you can do to help him. But you can help me, Lil. What do you mean? If you find him there, baby, what harm can it do if you identify the body but tell the police it's me? Don't you see, baby, it's a chance for me to get in the clear. He'll stop looking for me if they think I'm dead. I'll leave town right now. I'll let you know where to meet me. Maybe at that resort place we pass near Lake Bluewater, we'll be free, baby. You and me, free from there on. But, good man, how? What do we do for money? There's a safe in Landstone. I've been itching to get out for a long time. One last safe job, baby, and enough to see is through. From then on, we'll be riding the gravy train. Nobody ever arrests a dead man. Now, get going. All right, then. Good girl, go on. There are many of the other places where bodies are being held in the city more. I don't know. Only the identified ones are there. Are you a teacher at the school here? A detective or what? No, ma'am, my name is Garrett. I'm the district attorney. Keep your hopes up, but don't hope too much for a while. I'll be all right, then. These are pretty bad cases. I understand. Does this one seem familiar in any way? No. I know it isn't easy, but try to get a grip. I'm all right, ma'am. You'd better give me his name for the identification tag. His name? His name is Vance. My husband, Vance Young. Vance Young? I'm afraid I'll have to ask you a few more questions, Mrs. Young. Would you mind stepping over here into the alcove? I know this is most unpleasant for you at a time like this, Mrs. Young. It's unpleasant for me, too, but I have to ask you. It may be just a similarity of names, but did your husband have a criminal record? Yes. Yes, he did. Did you know he was wanted in several states for burglary, safe-cracking? Does that matter? No, he's dead, isn't he? Yes. I'm sorry I had to do this, Mrs. Young. You will find several men at desks outside that door at the back of the gym. They'll help you with the funeral arrangements. All right. Thank you. Young. Oh, hello, honey. The mayor and the head of the disaster committee want to see you. Where are they? Riverside Garage. They're converting it into a temporary emergency hospital. Regular hospitals overflowing. You'll be ready for a hospital yourself soon. You'll look tired. I'm all right. I'll be glad when this is over, though. I hope we never see anything like it again. Yeah. What's the worst of it? Up with five today. You stand there with somebody once their lives fall apart. It's possible a freak accident. That woman I just saw you with, did she find somebody? Yes, her husband. Harrington, the man she identified was Vance Young. Vance Young? The safe-cracker? Yes. Was he hiding out in a tenement district? No. She said he had gone to visit a friend at a diner near the gasworks just about a half hour before the explosion. I guess the explosion closed our files on him for good. When you check back to the office tonight, have Miss Miller put out a bulletin to all law enforcement agencies. Take Vance Young off the wanted list. There's no point in looking for a dead man. Sorry, fellas. That's all the breadcrumbs for today. See you for lunch tomorrow. I thought I'd find you up here on the roof. Oh, hello, Miss Miller. I was just feeding the pigeon this. Elevator boy told me Harrington called from the basement garage he wanted to speak to. He's on his way up. Oh, there he is now. Hello, Harrington. You busy? No, what's the matter? Well, I had to stop in at the county sheriff's office a few minutes ago. While I was there, his deputy called in from Landstone. Something he thought we might look into. What? A safe at the Landstone Mercantile Company was burglarized last night. He's knocked out, but he's been treated and he's OK now if you want to go out there and question him. Well, we'd better go right away. The elevator. Howling. Was it Harrington a safe cracking? Yeah, yeah. Well, at least there's one safe specialist we can eliminate right from scratch on this one. Who? Vance Young. Oh, yes. I almost forgotten about him. Dead men don't rob safe, do they? Here's the all ready now. Well, this is the layout chief according to the deputy's report. These back rooms are used for storage. He came in through the back, went through that door over there to the general office. That's where the safe is. You want to see it? There it is. Out over there beside the firing cabinets in the corner. Look, it's herculean. New model too. Steel and wrought iron plates and more alarm wires and a police switchboard. Yes, but a good safe cracker could divert the alarm circuit without tripping it. And the box is a cinch because he's got the wire holes to start working on. Take a look. All right. Back plate is blown clear off. Doesn't even look like he used a drill. No, small nitro charges in the wire holes and it was as good as having a combination. I'll give you help with the watchman. Yeah, sure. Hey. Hey, you from the sheriff's office. Yeah, yeah, you. Send that watchman in here, will you? Yeah, I'm carrying it. Neat hookup. Well, that crew take a complete set of photos and they always do. Here comes the watchman. You found it hard to see me and the watchman. Yes, what's your name? Edwin Winkler. Everybody calls me Winking. I understand you were knocked out. How's your head? Aspen ain't got to help it any other day. I think you're going to get that fellow that did it. We'll be able to answer that better when all the fingerprints are checked. Fingerprints? He didn't leave none, I tell you. He's wearing gloves. Looks like our best bet is going to be an M.O. check, Harrington. Yeah? M.O. check. What's that? Motor stop or andy. All people have definite work habits. Even criminals. They repeat the same procedure on each job they do. It forms a pattern. Yeah, we've got a pattern here, all right, chief? This is work we've seen before. Yeah, yeah. Let's see this. It's a bit lockin', but he's still doing time at the Folsom for the job he pulled on the coast. Yes, and the other two are Jack Fontaine and Vance Young. Yeah, but Young is there. That just leaves us Fontaine. You mean you know who did it with nothing to tell you? M.O. can be almost as good as fingerprints on a signature. Well, I'll be damned. Maybe that fellow paid for slugging me after all and for hurt my arm when they grabbed me in the alley out there. You said he grabbed you? Yeah, with my arm up behind me and jabbed his thumb up behind me. It hurt like crazy. I got a good jolo, chief. That's still Fontaine. And Vance Young, too. When did the burglar slug you, Winky? After he made me open the back door and let him in. Sneaked up on you before you could draw your gun, huh? Sneaked dozen. Well, I didn't suspicion him at first. He came walking up the alley whistling like somebody taking a shortcut through. I didn't see the mask he was wearing until I let him out. He asked for a light. Then he grabbed me. He got me in here and then beat on me and kicked me. That doesn't sound like Fontaine, chief. It wasn't Fontaine. He always wears sneakers, comes up on a watchman from behind without a sound. That trick of asking for a match is Vance Young's. Gets the watchman's hands high and away from his gun. But, but chief, Vance Young is dead. Maybe yes, maybe no, but I know one thing. We're going to find out. This is David Bryan. Before we continue with Mr. District Attorney in the case of the living dead man, here is an important message from our sponsor. Back to David Bryan, starring as Paul Garrett. Mr. District Attorney. Explosions and fire in a natural disaster had destroyed a section of the city, killing more than 300 people. One of the dead had been identified by his wife, who admitted him to be a notorious safecracker wanted by the police. But now suddenly we were faced with a crime having all the earmarks of being committed by the man we thought to be dead. I went back to the office and started to check through the records. Here's the information you wanted on Young's wife, Mr. Garrett. Oh, thanks. The woman is Lillian Young when she arranged burial with the Disaster Committee. Did she give an address? Yes, 1310 Morton Avenue. There's something the police made an notation on though. What? That ring she said she identified the body by? Yes. Well, the undertaker turned it into the property claims division, but she's never showed up to claim it. I don't understand it. I swear to you, Miss Miller, that woman was not putting on a night. She was hurt, very deeply hurt, and she made that identification. Come in. What did you find, Hayden? Well, I checked on the tag number on the body, Young's body, or whoever it was. Fight-apartment code showed that it was found in the vicinity of that diner by the gas wicks. All right. That's where the wish was came from, the heart of that first explosion. All right, here's what we do. Mrs. Young didn't claim the ring she used in identification. Get it from the property section, I'll give you an order. Yeah. Lots of workers who escaped the blast, truckers and people like that, might have eaten at that diner. See if any one of them can remember seeing that ring before. See if they can tell you who owned it. Right. Meanwhile, Miss Miller, I want you to check the Hall of Records. Find out when and where Young and that woman were married. I want her maiden name, where she came from, everything we can get on her. Yes, sir. Where would you be, Chief, when I get finished? I'm going to try the home address Mrs. Young gave. You can follow me out there if you get anything. This was the room, mister. If there was anything they did, I didn't know about it. My wife and I run a respectable place here. I do, mister Johnson. I just want to look around. Well, as I said, they didn't leave a thing. They only lived here five, six weeks or so. You get to know the husband very well? To tell the truth, I hardly ever saw him. Come to think of it, I haven't seen him in more than a week since the big fire. He went out one night while that was going on and never did come back. But you say his wife left only yesterday. Yeah, right after the morning mail come. She gave him the keys to the room and packed up and left. After the mail. You know if she got a letter from anybody? Yeah, but I didn't see who from or where from. She waited for the postman most every morning. I got a house to take care of. Maybe Charlie can tell you where she went. Charlie? Yeah, a cab driver has the hack stand right up in the corner. She called him when she got packed. Well, there's Charlie's cab now. You can see through the window. He just pulled up. Thanks. I'll talk to him. So long. Yes, sir. Where to? What makes you think I want a cab? The way I've seen you coming to me. I can spot a fare a mile out where to. And that's up to you here on the police station. Oh, God. What I do forget to answer the ticket. I'll ask the questions. You pick up a fare yesterday at 1310. The rooming house up the street. Yes, sir. Now, let me think. Think faster. The landlord said you did. A woman named Lillian Young. You know which bus she took? No, I don't. But whatever it was, it left 11-5. You're sure of that? I ought to be sure. Almost got a ticket for speeding to get to it. We'd had plenty of time and she'd made me come dash him back here the first time after we was almost halfway to the depot. Dash him back where? Back to the rooming house? No, back to the laundry at the street there. I guess she had some stuff in there. Although she didn't bring a bundle of water. It's up the street, huh? That's right. Oh, thanks, but there's a friend of mine I can ride with. Hello, Herrington. Come on, hop in. I was just heading for the rooming house when I spotted you talking to the Kelly. What's up? Young's been missing since the fire. Mrs. Young checked out yesterday after getting the morning mail. He bought an 11-05 bus. 11-05? Yeah, that's a northbound, I think. Upstate the mountain areas. We can check it later. You got anything on the ring? The gas was when they blew. He used to eat at that diner. Said the ring belonged to a counterman named Ralph Brenner. He must have been our dead man. Mrs. Young must have known him to cry the way she did. Oh, she knew him all right. Miss Miller checked on her. Her maiden name was Lillian Brenner. The guy in the diner was her brother. And that's why she was so broken up. And what's her move? The bus depot? No, along the upper street. Why? The bus depot. Yeah, she was real upset because the things wasn't ready. Do you know how things was? We're five days behind on our regular work because of the fire. Funny thing, the only one who complained about the laundry being late was Mrs. Young. Maybe that was the only cause she had to leave town. She had taken the stuff where they're finished or not. Hadn't been in the tubs. Oh, why did she leave? Oh, just shirts. Her husband's, I guess. Real good shirts, though. My old man wouldn't be found dead by some of them. She says he'd be back to pick up the shirts? No, she wanted them sent to her C.O.D. Since she needed the money she had on her for traveling. Shirts like that she'd think her and her man was rolling in money. We understand, but did she give you a farting address? Yeah, I got it right here in this book. Here it is, here it is. See, she wrote it down herself. Let me see, general, only general delivery chief. Lake Bluewater. She's ready now. They're there on that there shelf up there. I'm going to wrap them and mail them out tonight. We'll save you the trouble. Just wrap them and we'll deliver them for you. Young's laundry isn't going to get there until we do. Here's the road sign now, chief. Blue water. 25 miles speed limit. Better slow down. Yeah, not if there's any need to. That's mostly for summer. Season's over now. Regular residents turning early. Yeah. Looks like you're right, though. Main Street's practically deserted. Looks like everything's closed up for the night already, except for the movie, the drug store. Hey, we better find the hotel and turn in. No, I think we better drive out of town and find the motel someplace on the highway. Motel's up here, aren't much. Mostly cabins with kitchens along the shore in the lake when we get past town. No, here's the end of town now. Now I can let her out here a little. No, I won't mind spending the night beside the lake. The air is crisp and fresh. By midnight it'll be crisp and frozen. Here's the lake shore turnoff. I hope we find a place open. We will. Some of the owners must stay on to postseason repairs. You know, chief, it's funny thing about Young's wife remembering his shades even when she was getting ready to run. I guess it's for some habit for a woman, huh? Strong thing, habit. Young's safe-cracking habits tipped us that he was still alive. Maybe his wife's habits are going to make him wish he were dead again. I think, stop the car hiring him, huh? What is it? What's the matter? I just saw something. Back up, about 50 feet. What was it? That's the flash of something through the trees. Back up. Let's pick it up as we came past. Little roll goes down there, that's all. Wouldn't sign on that tree. Forsters' cabins. Oh, yeah. See the backs of the cabins down there? It's all dark, though. I see something else, don't you? Put the bright lights on again. Yeah. Wash hanging on the line behind one of the cabins. Look at the two men's shirts on the end of the line. Looks like a couple of rainbows even in this light. Hey, hey. Those steam vents young goes in for. The shirts we have in the laundry bundle are just like those. You better put out the lights. Don't slam the car door getting out. Let's walk down and have a look at those shirts. Right. You know the laundry mark on the ones we picked up? Here's four numerals, 1310. Same as the address of the rooming house they lived in. All right, man. Got your flashlight handy? Yeah. As much as you can. Marks will be inside the collar. There it is. 1310. Vance? Is that you? Who are you? What do you want? Come on, Harrington. Come on, Mrs. Young. I won't tell you any good. Grab her. Vance, it's a police. Where is he? Harry, he went into town. Down there, Harrington. Oh, where? The boat docked by the lake. I saw a shadow moving. Another go. We'll pick her up later. There. There he is, chief. Hurry. He's getting ours out of the boat house. I'm going to jump through. I got her, Harrington. They are. You're just real. Here, Harrington. I'll give you a hand. Grab him. Grab him. He's starting to come too. I got him. Heave. I told you I couldn't swim. Well, where you're going, Mr. It won't matter. Vance. Good. Vance, look at him. That water's freezing cold. Don't just stand here with him. Well, he's no worse than I am, lady. No, he isn't, Harrington. As a matter of fact, he's much better off than you are. What's that supposed to mean? You'll see when we get back to our car. At least we have a nice, dry shirt waiting for you. Come on. Come on. Get over. This is David Bryan again. I hope you've enjoyed this case from the file of Mr. District Attorney. I'll be back in just a moment after this message from our sponsor. Mr. District Attorney, David Bryan, with a word about the program you have just heard. Having been convicted three times previously for felonies, Vance Young, on this fourth conviction for burglary and assault, was sentenced to life imprisonment as an incorrigible criminal. His wife, Lillian Young, having no previous criminal record, was sentenced to five years in the woman's penitentiary for aiding a criminal, obstructing justice, and willfully giving false information to law enforcement authorities. Now this is David Bryan inviting you to join us when we present our next case based on the facts of crime from the file of Mr. District Attorney. Mr. District Attorney was originated by Philip S. Slore.