 Blair of the Mounties We present episode 28 in the dramatic series Blair of the Mounties Being the further adventures of Inspector Blair as a private investigator in London The tragic death of Virginia Stewart, well-known actress, brings Blair his first case London in spite of Blair's 24 years absence on service in Canada The scene of his birth and early training is strangely familiar For the first time in his professional experience Blair is for the defense Clement Wilson fiance of miss Stewart has been arrested and is awaiting trial on the charge of murder In spite of the overwhelming evidence against Wilson Blair finds a curious flaw in the Scotland Yard case As our scene opens we find Blair's wife Marjorie waiting expectantly for her husband's return from the day's work Oh Hello, dear. I thought you were never coming. Are you awfully tired? Oh Marjorie, I'm not specially tired. We're getting on there. Oh, you mean the case is all finished Well, no dear good gracious. I'd say not it's only just beginning to soften you might say Oh, I'm so glad darling because I've got a tremendous secret to tell you. You're going to be awfully surprised Yes, I know these secrets of yours. Oh, but you'd never guess all right. Keep it for a bit Marjorie My head's full of this case. I know it's very bad for him to talk shop Especially England, but why not a bit dear? I'd love to talk about it We'll just go right over this whole case from the very beginning. I know you don't think I have any brains darling But you're going to be awfully surprised. I always said I'd make a good wife for a detective Of course, I think you're the finest wife a detective could possibly have myself. Oh, yes But I don't mean that I mean it in a very practical way. Well, all right. It's awfully good of you anyway Now, let's see I'll begin dear the first thing is that Jennings, Mr It's butler finds Virginia Stewart dead in the drawing room. No, that's not the first thing my dear That's personal evidence. We start with the fact that's official record The first thing is that the police get a call from mr. It's house reporting her death. Oh, yes I know well then The police go to the house and they find the body of Virginia Stewart in the drawing room She's been shot twice and she's dead. Oh, isn't it terrible Jimmy? Just think of that pull Here steady on no sentiment. What do they find? Oh, of course, I forgot out in the garden. They find a revolver It belongs to mr. Clement Wilson the big bear to manager mr. It's the answer. What else they find Well, nothing unless you want to start on the butler story No before we come to that on evidence by the man Jennings. They arrest Clement Wilson at this club Yes, and in the pocket of Wilson's overcoat. They find a letter. Good. That's the big thing This letter is anonymous. It charges Virginia Stewart with unfaithfulness. I'll bear this in mind It's the basis of motive in the police case. Oh, yes, of course Now do we have the butler's evidence? Yes, we can take that now But he isn't a butler Jenny's a sort of a handyman waits on table does the garden and runs errands and so on But it's so much nicer to call him a butler. I've got a reason dear. That's the secret I'm going to hold on we're getting off the track. Let's have the butler's evidence and stick to the point Oh, I always stick to the point here. We are Jenny says he was in the servants room He heard the sound of quarreling. Mr. Wilson's voice raised in anger Knowing Mr. Wilson had a very violent he'd on just facts. Anyway, he heard a shot from the drawing room He ran into the hall just in time to see Wilson run out the front door Throwing something into the strawberry. That was the revolver. Yes. Now. I think we've got the police case Wilson is a very jealous man. He gets this letter accusing his fiance of unfaithfulness He goes to her house has a severe quarrel flies into a mad rage and kills her on Being questioned by the police Wilson story is so ridiculous that it strengthens the case against him What is it story a purely negative defense says he didn't quarrel with Mr. Stewart and of course He says he didn't kill her says he never fired a revolver in his life But the most astonishing thing of all is he says he never saw that letter Oh, but that's stupid. It was found in his pocket with the envelope torn open. Oh dear That does give him away. Why it's ridiculous Marjorie. It's so ridiculous that he must be telling the truth That's the break in the case for us dear. I've been working on it all day Here's a photo of the envelope. It's addressed. Mr. Clement Wilson manager royalty theater 719 Gresham Square, London West See anything funny in that address? 719 Gresham Square is Wilson's private house and as there's a postmark on the letter that's where it went. No, but Jimmy Leave that house address off. How does the address read without it? It reads Clement Wilson manager royalty theater, London West. Yes, that was the address on the letter when it was posted Just royalty theater and that's where it went. Oh dear. I'm getting so mixed up now Hold tight Marjorie somebody got that letter at the royalty theater and took it away without the Gresham Gardens address on it That was written in after perhaps it was mr. Wilson Then why would he forward the Gresham Gardens address on it? Oh dear? I don't know why the plainest can be somebody wanted to plant that letter on Wilson They wanted it postmarked so they sent it to the theater. It goes into a pigeonhole in the office there Somebody got it out filled in the person address and planted it in Wilson's pocket Oh wonderful, so that upset the Scotland yard. Oh lord. No, I wouldn't dream of springing that on them There's not enough proof to stand in court and I haven't got the man But you forget we've got a piece of serious evidence. What's that? Wilson and miss Stewart must have had a quarrel the people next door heard that's no good Wilson's statement that he didn't have a quarrel and he's telling the truth Don't forget they were both in the theatrical business But what difference does that make simply they were going over a new play. Oh dear have disappointings It's another point to Wilson two points in which he's telling the truth even though it does look ridiculous But the revolver was here sure somebody gave it him as a present years ago. He gave it miss Stewart She was afraid of burglars. I believe he's telling the truth, but only he and miss Stewart knew about it Or well, there was perhaps somebody else. I see So that's as far as you've gone dear. Yes, and a long way from success Marjorie The case will come before Lord Justice Harbury. Oh, he's such a nice old man, and he looked beautiful in his robes They say he's always making jokes jokes. Yes, he's full of them jokes of the council even jokes of the prisoner But when it comes to a verdict he hangs them Marjorie. Oh, what a horrible old man Yes, the prosecution be led by Sir James Douglas crowned prosecutor. He's a doer implacable Scotsman Yes, unless I get a lot more than I have now there's mighty little chance for poor Wilson not in England anyway And now Jimmy darling for my secret all right, I suppose that's only fair now. We're through with the case Oh, but it's about the case to what certainly you see dear. I've been reading those wonderful books by Jeremy Stout Oh, yes, I know detective stories. Oh, but he's awfully clever. He saw the most battling crime. Yes in the book Now darling don't be sarcastic Jeremy Stout really is clever He makes you think everybody is a guilty party and then right on the very last page Who do you think turns out to be the murder? No, no give it up. Why you'd never guess it's the butler Oh heaven's sake Marjorie now dear I don't want to make you angry, but you must let me tell you my secret. Yes. Yes, all right I feel sure that butler at Miss Stewart is hiding some now Marjorie. I've been all over that He's a queer old fellow, but he's quite honest little fanatical about religion perhaps, but that's nothing I Tried him with that letter. He even wrote a line or two for me. The experts say it's not the same hand at all Oh, yes, dear, but you said he wrote with his left hand. I know we've been over that too plenty of people do that He always use his left hand can't write for the other. What would you say if I told you he has written with his right? What oh good Lord Marjorie isn't it enough to have one member of the family in this case But I only want to help you all right go on you see this afternoon I went out collecting for the girls friendly society and I called her miss parents She lives next door to that poor stewart girls house. Yes Oh, she's such a dear old thing with lovely silver ringlet and the most adorable cameo brooch you ever saw Oh, I say really Marjorie look I know dear, but I'm coming straight to the point. Oh, let's see Where was I who got to the cameo brooch? Oh, yes, it really was lovely darling Oh, but of course it hasn't anything to do with the murder. Well, that's something to know anyhow Yes, now you'd better listen very carefully because very soon as I said before I'm coming to the point Yes, dear. I feel sure you will sooner or later Yes, uh, Miss Parrot was a friend of Virginia Stewart and one day they were talking about cleaning gloves You know Virginia Stewart wore the most beautiful I suppose we're coming to the butler sometime or other too. Oh, yes, we're coming to the butler Jennings had a good recipe for cleaning gloves and he wrote it out for miss Parrot. Well, what then darling now? I'm coming to the point good. I thought you'd forgotten it. Oh now. Don't be nasty dear Jennings was in an awful hurry when she called for the recipe, but she made him stop and write it out Yes, and what then my dear he wrote that recipe with his right hand. Marjorie. Are you sure not only that? But I've got that right what where is it Marjorie quick? Oh, I've got it in my hand back You see, I'm very methodical since I started working for the girls friendly society Oh dear, where did I put that hand? Marjorie for heaven's sake. Oh now here it is under the flower pot. Let's see it bite Bite Joe Marjorie. It's all right. I showed it to professor Blake He says it's the same hand as the letter in the Stuart case. Good Lord. Marjorie. Do you know what this means? Oh, of course, I do. I told you it was the butler bite Joe if we could break that case before it goes to trial Tomorrow be too late. I might persuade Mac to pull Jennings in for questing Let's see the lawyers people have been working on the past life of this man Jennings if we could establish a motive. I'd Yes, I'd have a perfect case. I wonder if they got anything. Can't you get mr. Well born at his house? Yes I'll try give me that phone Hello, give me Kensington 817. Thanks Hello Can I speak to mr. Welbin? Thanks Hello. Hello. Oh, mr. Welbin Blair speaking that Wilson case Did you get anything on Jennings? What a daughter? Can that be proved? Well, that's all I want Yes, I've got the rest if you can get Jennings pulled in for questioning You you think you can Right. I believe you've got it Is there something against Jenny? I should say there was a first-class motive Welbin's going to use his influence to get Jennings Question I've got to go. But what is it dear? See you later Marjorie. Hold on You got Jennings here Mac. Yes, he's here. All right. Try him with those questions just as I wrote them. All right Bring him in slade Sit down Jennings. I don't know what this is all about. Oh, just a question or two No, this letter found in mr. Wilson's pocket. You ever see it before? No, never. All right Now you've worked for Mr. Stewart for two years. Yes, sir. Never go to the Royalty Theatre to get her mail Why why why yes, sir now on a gun you were there the day of mr. What's death? Why yes, I did happen to be there that day. All right Three years ago Jennings you were a living in Chester under the name of Richard Marsden that rate I ain't I'm prepared to answer that question. Why not? It's true. Isn't it well? Yes, it's true and you had a daughter named Alice Marsden. What if I have what you got to do with you come on Jennings There's a girl named Alice Marsden in an asylum for the insane at Serbeton and she's your daughter Yes, she is I know what you're after and I'll tell you I'm not afraid My daughter Alice was a good girl. It was that Stuart woman as coaxed a to go on the stage It ruined her body and soul It was if your men Wilson had discharged her from the theater when she was no more used to him Turned her out on the streets. They did William Jennings. I charge you with a murder of Virginia Stuart Anything you say, maybe I killed her and I've got him too about it. Take him out We'll Blair my boy Congratulations You made a mighty thing start. Thanks Mac You've a third episode 28 in the dramatic series Blair of the mountains Our next episode is entitled Lord Weaverton's Dilemma