 I'll try Western life down here in Corpus Christi. Sure, I know. How are you, Jackson? Pretty good, pretty good. You're all upset over some insurance problem? Well, no, not really. Don't tell me you called up just to pass the time of day and on the company's phone bill? No, not bad either. Well then? Tell me, Johnny, do you ever hear of the Padre Island treasure? I never even heard of Padre Island. Wait a minute. Sure. Are you talking about that long strip of sand and stuff out there in the Gulf? That's it. It runs down the coastline from Corpus almost all the way down to Mexico. That's Padre Island, all 115 miles of it. I didn't realize it was that long. It sure is. And like you said, that narrow finger of land, sometimes a couple, sometimes 10 or 12 miles off the coast, goes all the way from here down to the northeast corner of Mexico. Uh-huh. That's why it's going to be so hard to find that old Spanish ship. Uh, what remains of it? What are you talking about? Loaded with Spanish doubloons. A lot of solid gold bullion. They haven't noticed what else. You mean you want me down there to hunt for treasure? Among, uh, other things. Ah, there's a hitch to it. What other things? Pretty good bait, though, that treasure fish. What other things, Jackson? Why don't you come on down here and see? On expense account. That's right. On expense account. Okay, you've asked for it. I'll grab a plane first thing in the morning. The CBS radio network brings you Mandel Kramer and the exciting adventures of the man with the action-pact expense account. America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. The Kingston Trio sings for 7UP. Was you ever in Quebec? Get in thirsty, mighty thirsty, load in timber. Was you ever in... Buckling 7UP. It's always 7UP time. So fresh up with 7UP. Fresh up with... Accounts emitted by a special investigator, Johnny Dollar, to the Tri-Western Life Insurance Company office in Corpus Christi. Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the perilous Padre matter. Item one, $128 even. Plain fare and incidentals to Corpus Christi, Texas. It was late the next morning when I got there to my surprise, Jack Price, who wasn't at the municipal airport to meet me. So I grabbed a taxi. That's item two, a couple of bucks and a half, to the Robert Driscoll Hotel at the corner of Antelope and North Broadway. Checked in, unpacked my bag, cleaned up and then proceeded to walk over to Price's office in the cat's building. But as I rounded the corner onto Lawrence Street, I passed the big stockbroker's office there and... Okay, buddy. You feel this in the middle of your back? I feel it. Then I straight ahead and keep walking. Act natural, see? You think you can get away with this in broad daylight? This here now, 38 caliber Roscoe is the answer to that. You keep walking or I'll blow a hole in you so big you could shove an expensive house. Oh, please, consider my poor, sick wife and 13 starving children. You think that stuff will get you anywhere as you can try it on big Nick and the rest of them up? We don't like you, Eastern hoods, cutting in on our territory, see? You try any fancy capers here in Corpus and you're going to find out that you're the Corpus, see? Now, that's a funny, so you better laugh, see? Better not laugh. I'm sorry, Doug, but I'm weeping because you'll never make it. Oh, sir, you cut me to the quick. I thought that was a pretty good performance as a fine old John Stone tradition. John Stone tradition? I'll tell you this, your brother Jack will never put it in the script when he writes up this case of mine for broadcast. I'm crushed. Oh, kidding aside, Doug, I'm glad to see you. How are you? Fine, Johnny, fine. But why doesn't that brother of mine let me know in advance when you're coming down here? Are you forgetting that he can't dramatize these insurance investigations for the air until after they're done and over with? Well, I guess you've got a point there. But how'd you find out so soon? Well, that's just the point, Doug. I didn't. You what, Mr. John Stone? I will have you know that at this moment I haven't the least idea what I'm supposed to be investigating down here. Hmm, well, maybe I have. Oh, you were, um, on your way to Jack Price's office? That's right. Try Western life over in the... Why, what's the matter? You, uh, won't find him there. Well, where will I... Wait a minute, what goes? Well, Jackson Price and I have been good friends ever since I moved down here, Johnny. I guess that's why his wife called me this morning to see if I knew what had happened to him. When she told me that he phoned to you last night asked you to come down here, well, then I wondered if you and he had gone out there together. But when I thought about it and realized you couldn't have gone on down here soon enough for the two of you to have gone out there together last night, Doug, gone where? Uh, which wouldn't have made any sense anyway, I mean, going out there at night. But then, last night was the last she saw of him. Doug, that busher beating around. I know. Come on, Johnny, you and I had better round up some equipment and get out there without wasting any time. Get out where, Doug? Padre Island. Yes, and let's hope that... well, let's hope we find Jackson still alive out there. Major toothpaste advance since fluoride. Westbrook bamboo is announcing new ipanah with hexafluoride. Contains fluoride plus hexafluorifing. Now listen, gum troubles cause more loss of adult teeth than tooth decay. Gum trouble is often caused by tartar. Thorough cleansing with new ipanah helps prevent this gum trouble from loose soft film on teeth before it hardens into tartar. Help protect your gums as you protect your teeth. Brush us directed with new hexafluoride ipanah. Doug Johnstone spoke of rounding up some equipment. He meant getting hold of a beach buggy. A sort of contraption that was just as much at home on soft sand as on a paved highway. It turned out to be a jeep with a set of the biggest, fattest tires on it I'd ever seen. Doug borrowed it from a friend of his by the name of Obi O'Brien who was very, very curious about what's going and why. I thought I told you Obi, Johnny here is absolutely nuts about fishing. Oh, sure Obi. Why else do you think I've come all the way down here to Corpus Christi? Well, from what I've heard about you Johnny. File in Johnny. We'll see you later Obi. Sure, but from what I've heard about you Johnny. From what I've heard Obi, we ought to have some pretty good luck over in the surf over on Foundry. Well just answer me one thing. If you two are going fishing, where's the tack? Oh, we'll pick up whatever we need at my place. Oh, fishing now. Let's go Johnny. Sure. You sure you don't want me along too? Now you know that three's a crowd in this rig of yours. Oh, it is huh? Now besides, why should I let you in the secret of all my pet spots over there on the island? Well, okay. Okay, I can take a hint but I don't believe either you guys. I mean about going fishing. And I'd still like to know, Doug. Obi, if curiosity killed people like it's supposed to kill cats you'd be dead ten times over. So what's wrong with being curious? Oh, Brian, my boy, it'll only get you into trouble. So what's wrong with a little trouble now and then? We'll see you later Obi. Doug's house on Hinman Drive instead of loading up with fishing tackle he threw in a couple of long handled shovels a couple of jeep cans of extra gas a can of water and most important of all he said was an old but well-oiled 3030 Winchester in a box of cartridges. It's better to throw some shells into it Johnny. I don't like toting a loaded gun in a car any more than you do but I think we'd better be prepared for anything. We tore on up to the north end of town then crossed the new causeway to Potray Island through the park then headed south on the so-called highway that stretches from one end of that long narrow sandy island to the other. Then and only then did Doug tell me what it was all about. And he unfolded one of the most fascinating bits of history I've heard in a long time. You see Johnny, it goes back to the year 1553 when a Spanish treasure fleet 20 ships or more set out from Veracruz, Mexico loaded down with more gold and jewels than you can take a stake at. The treasure that Jack Price told me about over the phone. Just let me get out of the story. Now somewhere along the line they ran into a terrific storm. That sent three of those galleons to the bottom and at least three of them. What is the much treasure hunting off the lower coast of Florida? Right. Now some of the ships got through that storm and kept on eastward. But most of them came back westward hoping to get back to Mexico in safety maybe to the port of Tampico. Tampico? Right. Now that's about 400 miles south of here. Uh huh. Anyhow they must have hit another storm because 13 of those treasure ships came aground here on Padre Island. No kidding. That's from the lower end of it to what is now the Rio Grande Valley town of Fort Isabel. I see. And the rest of them made a tasty meal or two for the people who lived on this island. Carincawa Indians. They were cannibals. Cannibals? Yeah, ouch. Anyhow some time later, a salvage fleet came on from Spain under the leadership of a Don Angel de la something or other found most of the wrecks and took the gold off them back home. They found most of the wrecks, huh? One of them, Johnny, with its load of Spanish doubloons and bars of solid gold is still somewhere under the sands of this island. And Jackson has found out where? Well, one of Jack's clients, a young fella named Jose Pineda found a chart in the false bottom of an old wooden chest he was about to throw out. Here on this island? Yeah, according to this chart, it was from ships and... Hey, whose car is that? Huh? Parked there at the side of the road. Probably just a breakdown. There's nobody around. Go on. Yeah, well, now this chart I was talking about called for taking bearings on a Spanish dagger plant. The other markers were an old anchor and three heavy brass spikes. All of them, no doubt, buried in the sand. But now with dagger plants around here and thousands... Yeah, I wanted about that. Go on though, Doug. This buried treasure bit's getting to me. Well, you're not the first, believe me. Anyhow, back in the 1840s, a man who'd settled here on the island, he was digging around. He uncovered a chest full of jewelry and gold coins worth over 80,000 bucks. That was before inflation. Right. But the Civil War came along, brought a lot of naval activity in these waters. So the old man buried all this stuff again and fled up north. And later, when he came back to look for it, well, he never found it again. And nobody else has, huh? Oh, there's lots of stories, Johnny. But until young Jose Pineda found that chart... And then found the wreck? That's what I'm not sure of. Jackson Price is the only one he told about that chart. Swore him to secrecy, at least until Jose himself could dig around a bit. Well, how come you know about it, Doug? Jose equipped himself with all sorts of modern detecting operators. Some kind of combination of radar, sonar, a new type of mine detector. All sorts of stuff. Then, early last week, he told Price he thought he found something. Yeah. Told him he'd be back to Corpus day before yesterday, morning at the latest. Pick up Price and the two of them would come down here and dig it up. That's it, go on. Only Jose was worried about something. About the man he bought some of his equipment from a fellow named Tony Larker. Kind of a beachcomber in these parts. He thought maybe this Larker had gotten wise to what he was after? Well, that's what Jackson thought too. Anyhow, yesterday morning came and Jose Pineda still hadn't shown up. Jackson's not worried. I don't blame him. So he looked all over for Tony Larker. Couldn't find him either. That's when he confided in me. Told me that he was coming down here for a look around. Did he tell you exactly where? Well, only approximately. So keep an eye out for Price's beach buggy. It's an old bottle of tea that he's rigged up. I sure hope he's all right. He's found Jose okay and hold everything. Yeah? Have I had there on the right back that big mass of yuckers? Hey, you're right. You've got good eyes. That's his beach buggy all right. Hang on, sonny. Treasure hunting spot. Look, Doug, somebody's working in it. I caught the flash of a shovel. Well, thank goodness. That means that Jackson's okay. Scoot around that big mound on the left. Right. Looks a little smoother over there. Oh, sir, it says it's done. Hang on. Hey, you're right. This is a lot better. It's a better approach to that hollowed-out spot, too. Only, what's happened to Jackson? Where is he now? Well, he's buggy still there. Slow down a minute, Doug. You sure knows that Pineda's gonna be out here, too? Yeah, you're right. Are you sure it was Jackson and that hollow? Well, who else could it have been? Well, why did he duck out of sight when he saw it's coming? I don't like the looks of this. He's shooting at us. Let's get out of this thing and around in the back. I'm way ahead of you. That bullet through the windshield was too close for comfort. Wait a minute. I can just reach that old 30-30 in the back without making a target of myself. Careful, will you? I don't get it. I'm afraid I do. That isn't Jackson pulling off those shots. He isn't Jose Pineda. I know that he would. Larker. Tony Larker. Sure. If there really is all that treasure out here, if Jose and Jackson found it, and if Larker found that out... Where are they then, Jose and Jackson? Let's just hope they're still alive. Easy as one, two, three. You've made ice tea, and oh what a beautiful flavor. Take a spoonful of instant tender leaf. One. Add cold half water. Two. Load it with ice. Three. You've made ice tea. New instant tender leaf is 100% pure tea. Richer, brighter, livelier tea. It's made right from the juices of ripe young tea leaves. Instant tender leaf brand. Make a pitcher full. Easy as one, two, three. You've made ice tea, and oh what a beautiful flavor. A couple of sand dunes and a few Spanish dagger plants between us were like sitting ducks for Larker. As long as we don't get out from behind this jeep. Hey, I want to hit one of the tires. You hear it? Yeah. There's another one. All right, Doug, if he wants to play at war, we can too. You mean try to shoot it out with him? First of all, if I can reach one of these shovels in the back. We'll dig ourselves in. Huh? Then sit here and wait for darkness, which isn't too far away now. Yeah, and then? Well, the two of us, Doug. Maybe if we handle it right, we can surround him. You feeling brave, old boy? Johnny, I'm just as scared as you are. OK, then. Let's map out our plan of action. We didn't have to wait for dark. Old Mother Nature suddenly stepped in and gave us a hand with one of the quickest, windiest, wettest thunderstorms that ever came up out of a Gulf. Doug and I separated them. He with that 30-30 rifle, me with the only handgun that I always carry. With the darkness, he circled wide to the right, firing an occasional shot on the hope of drawing the fire and the attention of Larkin. There in the protection of that big hollow in the sand. Most of the light now came from the lightning, and I ran and stumbled over the dunes through the clumps of Yucca. Then as I got close, got down in my belly, I was about to make that sneak out of the hollow. Oh, no. Johnny! Johnny! Larkin's got away! I heard him take off in Christ's car. The only thing we can do is go back to our buggy and put those tires. Yeah. How are we going to get... Hey, Johnny, look. Did you see them? Two of them down there in the hollow. Come on. Johnny. Jack, Jack. What happened here? That bullet creased on the top of your head. Larkin. All right, Jackson. Take it easy now. But was he... was he... Yes, I see. Judging by those bullet holes, there was one in the chest and one in the head. It was Larkin. Yeah. Looks like a murder case now. But what happened, Jackson? I met... I met Jose on the road. His car had broken down early this morning. It was the one we passed a couple of miles back, John. Yeah. I should have wrecked it. Go on, Jackson. But he found... found the treasure. It was on his way back to get me in some shovels, and... He found the treasure here in this hollow? No. I don't know where he found it. But that's when we saw Larkin prowling around, keeping an eye on us, sort of throw Larkin off the track. You and Jose started digging around here in this hollow. Yeah. But then Larkin came up to us with a gun. He shot Jose, and I... I guess this one on my head knocked me out. I don't remember anything... You came. All right, Jackson. Now, one thing, Jackson, before we got out here, do you know where Jose found the treasure? Well, that's something he's gonna tell to me. What? Larkin. I know. Watch it, boys. Just drop those guns in the sand. Johnny, you better do it, Doug. Well, okay. So I fooled you, huh? Taken that buggy away from here and then coming back on foot? So you fooled us? Well, too bad, boys. The both of you. So now I gotta kill you. The both of you. Larkin, listen to me. You listen. Price is gonna stay alive long enough to tell me where his pal, Jose, found the treasure. I know it ain't here because I dug down and looked for it. Larkin, if you think for one minute... You don't tell me all right after you've laid out here in the sun for a couple of days. Did I say that I know where it is? Well, you're trying to bluff, not just shut up. But you two, the both of you are gonna die. You ready? Now, wait a minute. Wait a minute. Oh, no. You want it first, huh? Okay? You're gonna get it right now. Obi! What? Stay away, Obi. Who are you? What are you doing? Don't try this. Oh, and this. Grab the gun, dog. Oh, you bet I will. Oh, Obi. Thanks a lot. That's a pleasure, Johnny. Whatever brought you sneaking up on us in the rain this way? Well, dog gun, I told you guys you should have let me come out here with you. Had a terrible time tailing along in my other car without you seeing it. Oh, Obi, Obi, you did all right. Yeah, but what do I get for all my trouble? Soak to the skin and a handful of sore knuckles. Oh, that lockers tough, Johnny. Well, he's not nearly as tough as the sentence he's gonna serve. He's afraid the secret of its location, there on Padre Island, died with Jose Pineda. Unless, of course, somebody happens to find out where he hid away the chart. But you can bet you, bottom dollar, there'll be plenty of people looking for it. Maybe even Jack Price and Obi O'Brien. As for Doug, he says he's had enough of it. Expense account total, including a suit of clothes for Obi and a couple of new tires for his Jeep. 485 bucks even. Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. You suffer a touch of arthritis or rheumatism, and you've never tried mentholatum deep-heating rub. You can't know how good its deep-heating action can make you feel. As you massage it into painful areas, you feel its deep-heating action. You know relief is on its way. Mentholatum deep-heating rub is an extra-strong combination of active ingredients for safe, temporary relief of minor arthritic rheumatic pain. Use greaseless, stainless mentholatum deep-heating rub often. Now, here's our star to tell you about next week's story. Next week, one of the dirtiest rackets I've ever had to deal with. To say nothing of a man behind it. Join us, won't you? Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Truly, Johnny Dollar is written by Jack Johnstone, produced and directed by Bruno Zorato Jr., music supervision by Ethel Huber. Johnny Dollar is played by Mandel Kramer. Also featured in our cast were Louis van Rooten as Doug, Larry Haynes as Tony, Maurice Tarplin as Price, and Lawson Zerbe as Obi. Be sure to join us next week. Same time, same station for another exciting story of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. This is Stuart Metz speaking.