 adventures in time and space told in future tense what you will hear transcribe in the next half hour represents either a magnificent hoax or the true explanation of a famous Grimshaw sanatorium scandal which made the headlines back in 1947 the manuscript upon which this account is based was removed by the New York State Police from a fountain pen cover found in the doorway to dr. Grimshaw study we offer this manuscript as evidence only whether it is authentic or not you must judge for yourself college class of 34 member of theta alpha I'm one of those fools who wanted some excitement in life so instead of going into my father's shoe business I became a private detective these are facts you can check them if you like the rest of what I write here is so fantastic that I don't expect it to be believed if anyone should find this manuscript and read it all I ask is that you notify Ms. Millison Ambruster of 2 9 9 Wallace Avenue Buffalo that Johnny Doherty is dead on the evening of July 1st Ms. Ambruster and I were driving to a wedding not our own though I wish it had been it was Sunday and in order to avoid traffic I took the old mill road single lane dirt of there that runs past the go on the cemetery Johnny aren't you going to back not for this row there isn't a thing around except some tombs Johnny's is a gate to the cemetery what about her I don't see any Johnny look out like hers with no lights on pulling out of the cemetery lucky I had good breaks we skidded for about 20 feet and slammed into the back of hers two rear doors buckled and snapped open it was a freak huge oak coffin with brass handles tipped up and began slowly to slide back towards you stay right here honey I'll help the driver with that thing hey you okayed in the speed limits do you jack now look let's not get hung up on who was right and who was wrong I was going too fast and you were traveling without lights after dark main thing is nobody's hurt and no damage done except of that coffin and I don't suppose the argument minds too much let's see the driver's license and registration right here John Dorothy oh a private eye huh you listen to the radio too much junior now if you don't mind who does this joy wagon belong to go on the funeral service it's being rented to Grimshaw who Grimshaw from the private sanatorium you mind if I ask what you were doing after dark coming out of a cemetery with a wooden kimono we're moving one of Grimshaw's patients to a new grave they always travel like this now look Hawkshow how about skipping the third degree and giving me a hand getting the box back in the wagon huh the pleasure better screw on the cover again it's gonna slide off let's get it in the hearse first okay junior you get on that end ready that's the guy's name junior I don't ask him real wise guy half of mine to report this accident see what gets you Grimshaw's got a lot of influence around here mr. a lot of influence not to pardon me I'll deliver the body until a few seconds ago listen baby can you sit here in the car for another five minutes oh we're due at the wedding in half an hour I won't be long where are you going first through the cemetery oh hey Johnny stop making jokes honey when we lifted that coffin back on a meat wagon I got a good look inside of it oh exactly how I felt I figured we'd knock the stuffing out of the corpse I didn't expect the stuffing to be sand what yes it wasn't a body it was a dummy stuffed with sand a dummy with a wax face which brings up an interesting question who's supposed to be in that box and just where is the dead man spending his time times in my business when things drop off you have to go out and dig up new clients my next case was a gentleman named Harlan Ward senior the wealthy automobile manufacturer I got in his name of his son's tombstone are you trying to tell me Dorothy that my son Harlan was never buried at Gwanda cemetery exactly mr. Ward why maybe if you will tell me the circumstances surrounding your son's death I can help answer that my son was a rather impetuous young man tall good looking after his graduation from Princeton he began drinking quite heavily after he got into a couple of scrapes we sent him to Dr. Grimshaw sanatorium and the hope that he could be cured while my wife and I were in Europe we received word that he had died he was buried at Gwanda in our absence last week my wife and I decided have his body removed to the family vault here at short here's how did your son die mr. Ward suicide he slashed this wrists at the sanatorium you never saw the body no we couldn't get back from Europe in time I see see here how do I know this whole thing isn't a plan to fleece me how do I know that you didn't remove the body yourself you don't but you're a rich man mr. Ward and you're perfectly willing to take a chance that I'm on a level and that your son may still be alive you sound very sure of yourself mr. Dorothy my fee is $2,000 retainer plus expenses what sort of expenses however much it costs to take the cure at Dr. Grimshaw sanatorium what do you say mr. Ward my secretary will send you a check in the morning good oh one other thing what's that I want a photograph of your son and good one I think that can be arranged look here Dorothy if I cooperate how do I know that you won't run off I won't guarantee it on the other hand I might have to get myself killed on this job we both take a risk mr. Ward Michaud sanatorium was just outside Goanba and it was strictly for the $460 a day most of the cases were nervous breakdowns and alcoholics I committed myself as a dipshow and just to make it convincing I stopped at five or six bars on the way over I was interviewed by Grimshaw himself a small man with a fringe of white hair seemed on the level and yet there was something just the slightest bit phony about the whole deal you understand mr. Dorothy that's not my real name of course social reasons and we understand our paid clientele is very select my rates are rather high you'll be paid in cash and in advance doctor Grimshaw you will find us most sympathetic how long does a cure usually take doctor that of course depends on the degree of alcoholism this is my assistant dr. boy now how'd you do how would you do we are accepting mr. Dorothy is patient that place him in the ward with mr. K and mr. Crekey mr. K is a long term patient mr. Dorothy highly intelligent man formerly a professor of plant pathology mr. Crekey suffers mild illusions I think you'll find him rather amusing about three days my roommates are the key and Crekey got used to me and we even began to play three handed bridge K was a chronic dope addict an intelligent sensitive man Crekey was nothing but a clown he kept a big black cat named the professor but she talked to us if it were human and so I said to her my dear countess if you don't like the company of my cat then you don't like me and she looked at me as if I weren't saying but of course the joke wasn't her because I was a professor you don't have to forgive count Crekey mr. Dorothy when you've been here as long as I have you'll get used to him do you like cats mr. Dorothy I do hope you like cats since we had to have adjoining rooms the professor is very sociable and excellent company except when he kills birds and deposits them in your bed he's nothing but a feline murderer as far as I'm concerned see you have insulted him come here professor let's make friends how about giving me your paw you insulted him you hurt his feelings well keep him away from me it would be a pleasure I would advise you not to insult him again count Crekey is not altogether without influence he has mr. cable inform you good afternoon and evening is he always as nuts as that ever since I've been here I didn't let him keep that black Satan I don't know I suppose Grimshaw wants to pamper him he's been here since they opened the place I understand spends about three hours a day getting therapy from Grimshaw what's his problem manic depressive a little paranoid to how long have you been here Arthur Grimshaw's two years I left for a while but I couldn't stay away from the junk so I committed myself again did you happen to know a patient here named Harlan Ward what do you ask that you know I met met him socially a few times I understand he died here so the newspapers said I wouldn't know suicide wasn't it was it you're being pretty careful aren't you mr. dirty what would you say if I were to tell you that I don't believe Harlan Ward is dead what makes you so certain Harlan Ward used to share this room with us he slept in the same bed you now use I see he was an alcoholic doing quite well too from what I could observe we all expected him to go home soon then one evening he had a violent fight with Cracky Cracky accused him of snooping or something later that night Grimshaw and Boyner took him out where they take all the special treatment cases to the charity clinic that small building on the other side of the stone wall I think they do their surgery cases there why did they take him there I don't know can find but I guess a few days later we read about his death suicide they say it why do you think he's still alive this about a month ago I was in the garden next to the wall that separates us from the charity clinic suddenly I thought I heard a sound like a child whimpering it stopped the moment later this note came over the wall wrapped around a stone then I'm certain I heard a blow and a scream again like a child what does the note say helped me for God's sake Harlan Ward I haven't told anyone yet for fear Grimshaw and Boyner might find out it might just be some insane prank by one of the charity cases and yet why should Dr. Grimshaw want to pretend Harlan Ward is dead I'm not an oracle mr. Doherty what about this charity clinic I've always been curious Grimshaw and Boyner make sure that no patient goes there unsupervised many of those who've been taken across like Harlan Ward I've never seen again Arthur how'd you like to have some fun like what like sneaking out tonight and going over the wall what do you say it'd break them and not me a little I don't know if there's something fishy going on it'd be better to find out now wouldn't it I suppose there's no real harm in it of course not I'd go alone but I'll need help scaling that wall will you do it all right I'll go with you it was shortly after midnight when Kay and I slipped out of the room and made our way out to the garden count creaky was snoring soundly when we left the wall was about eight feet high but we made it without too much trouble out all clear give me your hand and I'll let this charity building over there one of the lights in the basement window come on we'll make a run across the driveway and hide in that clump of bushes alongside the building ready all right crawl over toward the window with the light maybe we can see something sounds like Grimshaw let's get closer can you make out what he's saying probably some patient having a DT's they could keep that basement window let's get over there when I can have a look do to get caught see anything relax it's some sort of laboratory that's right I can see Grimshaw and someone else told me if we're still we may make out what they're saying take it quietly it will be easier I warn you it will all be over soon you won't remember any boy now give it to me my boy now what did you see what did they do to the child Arthur that wasn't a child it was a midget the smallest midget I've ever seen what are they doing trying to give it some sort of injection when it resisted boy to knock it out what are you supposed they were doing to it I don't know Arthur all I know is that when it fell it had the face of Harlan was working like a pinball machine only the score wouldn't add up the pieces where they're all right crazy old doctor a brutal assistant the private sanatorium and midget with a dead man's face and I couldn't figure it out I thought that when I got back to our room I'd have some time to think about I'd forgotten about our friend the happiness boy Count Creaky so you've caught us now how about calling back into the woodwork like a good little count well where you make hunting Arthur and I like to go make hunting in life it's funny thing though the mink went running very good the grungy and we're running like crazy though weren't they Arthur like crazy mr. dirty you make fun of Count Creaky you're lying I should report you to dr. Boynard better not if you know what's good for you so you threaten me me Count Creaky world's champion gymnast and barbell balancer I should scream for help what do we do now put him to bed hope that honey wakes up in the morning he's forgotten the whole thing and if he hasn't they won't take him seriously anyway I don't think Grimshaw would believe him besides which he doesn't know what we actually were doing come on let's get him back into bed I went to sleep in my own room and the next thing I felt was the sharp chap of the hypodermic needle in my left arm I started to struggle but it was no use take it boy now in another assistant were holding me down Grimshaw stood over me the empty needle still in his hand that's it the useless to struggle mr. Dorothy in the moment your motor nerves will be completely paralyzed what's this about Grimshaw I might ask the same of you my good friend count Creaky informs me you and mr. K decided to do some snooping earlier tonight he followed you and so you climb the wall Creaky's insane that is a matter of opinion mr. Dorothy Creaky what is this perhaps my assistant dr. Grimshaw would be good enough to explain assistant yes you see I am the actual head of the Grimshaw senatorium Grimshaw count Creaky feigns many delusions mr. Dorothy but in this case he's telling the truth count Creaky is actually professor Ernst Hassler professor Hassler and I worked together in the Berlin Urological Institute before the last war unfortunately my political affiliations for the third right you an investigation after the war by the war crimes commission however dr. Grimshaw managed to smuggle me into this country where masquerade as a mental patient thus we are able to continue certain experiments which were interrupted by the American army I can imagine the sort of experiments you've conducted you on your friend mr. K will discover their exact nature very shortly mr. Dorothy it's a magnificent opportunity to serve science the next thing I knew I was coming to a different home I guess it was somewhere in the charity building because the angle of the sound through the windows they had me in a straight jacket and kept doping me until I lost count of time I don't know how long it kept up and every one day being wheeled along a corridor into an operating room and hearing the voices of Boiner Grimshaw and Creaky as if from a great distance pituitary and pituitary for cc's for cc's how are the measurements reducing rapidly we'll operate at once the bonus not the anesthesia all right doctor commence I had a blinding headache after that war off horrible sensation of weakness I began to wonder and Creaky and Grimshaw weren't doing something to drive me insane because I lost all sense of perspective the room seemed to grow in size I don't know how much time passed but one day Grimshaw came into the room with a bundle in his arms about the size of a newborn baby the bundle was my friend Arthur K good morning Mr. Dorothy I brought you a companion I'm sure you two gentlemen will enjoy each other's company couldn't believe my eyes until Grimshaw sat out the down on the bed beside me it was then that I got the real shock but I realized that what it looked like a tiny bundle in Grimshaw's arms was actually the same size that I was then for the first time I began to understand what was happening to us Arthur K and I were being made into midgets we got the full explanation next morning by the eminent professor hustler alias count Creaky came in to gloat over us I'm disappointed gentlemen do you not feel privileged to be a part of an experiment that will place me at the very top rank of the words endocrinologist it has been long established gentlemen that dwarfism and giantism result from injury to or malfunction of the pituitary and thyroid glands the interlock between these glands was thought to be a hormone I have discovered that this was incorrect it is an enzyme an enzyme I isolated some years ago I was well on the way to synthesis in Germany when the surrender interrupted me the interruption also limited the number and type of subjects on whom I could experiment I was forced to find others such as Harvin Ward Mr. Ward was only a control experiment no gentlemen for you I have reserved a special privilege you gentlemen will be the first to test the full effects of the enzyme in short I intend that you Mr. K and you Mr. Doherty when the experiment is completed will emerge as perfectly healthy and normal individuals except of course that you will be only five inches tall a nightmare from which Arthur and I will for brief periods to find ourselves in a strange new world a huge tightening world where everything was enlarged a hundred times when we finally emerged we found ourselves imprisoned in a tiny mouse cage judging by the relative size of things we could not have been more than five inches tall now that our senses cleared we realized that the experiment was at an end that from now on it was either escape or be destroyed in Shaw Sanatorium there is nothing to add except that the fire which destroyed the Sanatorium and killed so many of its occupants including Dr. Grimshaw and Dr. Voina was definitely of incendiary origin it is believed by the fire chief that some small creature either a mouse or possibly a cat chewed the insulation off the wire and short circuited the system the two patients John Doherty and Arthur K vanished completely after the fire and their remains were never found whether the manuscript which you have just heard is authentic or whether it was the work of one of the more demented inmates of the Sanatorium we leave to your judgment next week on dimension X and the moon be still as bright the story of the first the spoilers of the planet Mars the men from Earth mention X has transcribed Dr. Grimshaw sanatorium adapted for radio by George Lefferts from an original short story by Fletcher Pratt featured in the cast were Carl Weber as John Doherty and Roger Decoven as Arthur K your narrator was Norman Rose music by Albert Berman engineer Bill Chambers dimension X is directed by Edward King your National Guard is a strong well-knit military organization of men from every state and territory in the nation no matter what emergency faces our country a National Guardsman has insured his future he's trained to handle himself if the going gets tough and at the same time he's learned new skills to help his civilian career regular Army and Air Force pay scales apply to every hour of training a Guardsman takes so men if you're over 17 join the National Guard keep your guard up enjoy Bob Hope and Groucho Marx coming soon on NBC