 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar I kiddo Carter at Universal Adjustment Jim. How are you in a rush? Lucky you nice there this time Oh listen one of our brokers out there wrote a 50,000 straight life policy on a man named James Lansing Lansing dropped dead two days ago. Uh-huh, and you'll never guess why I'll bite why mr. Lansing starved to death Why with a 50,000 he died of malnutrition got the coroner's report from Tucson right in my hand Well if a man could buy a $50,000 policy you ought to be able to buy himself a square meal. Yeah Johnny flight 203 leaves at 1045 you interested See at the airport Jim tonight and every weekday night Bob Bailey in the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator yours truly Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to the Universal Adjustment Bureau home office Hartford, Connecticut The following is an accounting of expenditure is during my investigation of the Lansing fraud Expense account item one one hundred seventy eight dollars and thirteen cents cost a plane ticket Hartford to Tucson I Shaved showered packed and got out to the airport in time to have breakfast there Jim Carter found me at the cashiers case Hey, kiddo, you won't need a coat out there in that desert country as usual Jim Carter was bigger than I thought a man Who stands six foot five always is a little rudder a little more blustery, but as efficient as ever I wrote a special delivery air mail to the insurance commission in Arizona this morning and explained it worldwide They wrote the policy were holding a payment pending investigation Are you gonna tell them that in person will be out there as soon as the letter? Well, I like to be formal on these things especially with the state commission Besides I just soon let them think we'll get around to a routine investigation later in a week or two in other words You didn't tell anybody we're coming. No, I didn't maybe we can work it better this way The faster we move in and find out what's what and aren't bothered by anybody the better off will be Hey, give me a ticket with you. Yeah, sure Hey, yeah, pal. Thank you, sir. Yeah Johnnyette commission is going to get formal sooner or later and ask a lot of questions Mainly why doesn't worldwide honor the claim and pay off the beneficiary? So we'll have to skedaddle and get ourselves some good answers for him. Yeah, sir. Hey board the plane. Yeah, thanks pal Has anybody asked that question here the beneficiary sure James Lansing sisters and Arlene Kennedy She called the broker and he referred her to claims division at worldwide and she called them long distance and then they called me I Told her put her off for a while telling her it was just routine. I see. She's gonna be tough. Yeah, she could be Johnny Understand she has money of her own and she has some influence in and around Tucson a lot of money. Yeah trust She's very comfortably fixed It watch yourself get up Yes, Mrs. Kennedy is pretty upset by the whole business can't blame it for that James Lansing died on the street with no identification on him by the time police found out who he Was a routine PM was already been performed to determine cause You know the county was gonna bury this guy with $50,000 worth of insurance. Yeah Imagine that oh, excuse me, lady Yeah, the post mortem never had happened unless Lansing dropped dead on a public street. Yeah, I see what you mean Oh, I requested the coroner's office in Tucson a whole of bodies What a picture seatbelt First thing that occurred to me when I saw the PM planning was that it might not be James Lansing at all Chronic heart condition long history the ability doesn't sound like anybody worldwide would ensure Lansing took a physical before the policy was issued didn't of course. He did See if you got any material on his insurance examination sure Right here Standard form James Lansing was 100% okay when the policy was issued a couple of years ago Malnutrition long history chronic heart How could he get in that bad shape in two years? That's a pretty good question Johnny. Oh, but the answer is gonna be great. Yeah What's the examining physician's name? Here's a dr. Carl may hood sweet 932 Valley National Building Tucson. He's our first job Johnny Hey cute stories Yeah Well back to business kill It was a long trip and I spent most of it going over the material and Jim Curtis briefcase By the time we circled Tucson Airport at 445 on the afternoon. I had the facts pretty well in mind Expense account item to 350 care fair Tucson Airport to the Pioneer Hotel Jim Carter and I took a joining role. I unpacked my clothes and got on the phone a Sergeant younger Tucson police had made the DOA report on James Lansing. Yes. He was in. Yes He'd be glad to talk to me. I left Jim Carter contacting the state medical Well, I've been here two hours sergeant whether certainly nice like this all through the winter months a little warm in the summer though sir And this Lansing man. Yeah Isn't really much to tell you mr. Dollar one of the cars I answered the call man was found dead in the doorway of a jewelry store about four blocks down the street Uh-huh. This was a day before yesterday sergeant. Yeah, I went down to the scene and call the coroner's office No identification on him. So we started to check him out. It took a little while The time we got a make on the coroner had already performed an autopsy. Yeah, I understood that was about the way it was Say tell me how did you identify him as Lansing? One of his prints matched up on our cards here Lansing was booked on a traffic beef year ago Otherwise, we'd still be trying to make him. You're sure it's Lansing over in the morgue. We're sure his sister came down Identified him name of Kennedy. Yes What did Mrs. Kennedy have to say about the cause of death? Nothing that malnutrition bit didn't do a thing for her Now see we all thought Lansing is some sort of a transient, you know, just some old bum until we identified him Any witnesses see him die? No, I haven't found any According to the coroner. He'd been dead an hour or so before anybody noticed him at all Happened early in the morning. I see Say did Lansing have any other business down here other than that traffic violation? Nope All right Who do I have to see to get into the morgue? Go out on the corner for you won't be any trouble there You want to go over now? No later on baby Dollar yeah Death was from natural causes There's no doubt about that. Yeah, then no matter how much you investigate you people are gonna have to pay off Well, aren't you? Maybe We just have to be sure of one thing. What's that? That we insured the right man By the time I finished with Sergeant younger it was six o'clock I phoned the hotel and Jim Carter busy and efficient as always had already gotten the vital statistics on Dr. Carl Mayhood Northwestern University Medical School 1940 Army Medical Corps 1941 to 45 Dr. Mayhood's license to practice medicine in Arizona was issued in June of 1946 married two children in common practice according to Carter was average in Person Dr. Mayhood was a tall blonde man in the late 30s. He looked like he needed a week's rest in a few light Day and night You haven't a lime clock around the house, Mr. Garland Man use that Yes, goodbye Yes, sir, Dr. Mayhood my name is Johnny dollar. I'm from Hartford. I represent the adjustment bureau handling a claim for worldwide insurance Well, what does that mean? I'm an investigator So July 14th, 1953 you examined a man. I'd like to get some information about I hope this won't take too long Was it an insurance examination? Yeah, the man's name was James Lansing Do you happen to remember him? James Lansing No, I can't say that I do remember him Mr. Donner What about it? Well, I'd like to show you the standard examination form first Is this your signature? Hmm is that your signature doctor? I suppose so yes, I Don't know Aren't you sure how many people are certain of their signatures? It looks like my signature mr. Dollar. I can't say for sure if it is a reason all right. What about these? Are these notations on the form in your handwriting? I Would think so. I don't know it looks like my handwriting I can't say According to this form you gave mr. Lansing a complete physical and pronounced him sound That's my job as a doctor on these insurance examinations anything unusual about that That's the Lansing died two days ago doctor. There's nothing unusual about that either Did they send you all away from Hartford so I could tell you to go back there and buy a book on heart disease? You can get them anywhere in the country the simplest kind not even a doctor's book Read it know it and don't take up my valuable time Now let me have that sure This patient Lansing was 41 years old If he had no heart condition when I examined him two years ago, obviously he didn't according to my findings It's entirely reasonable to assume that he could have developed heart trouble in a very short while Even the day after I examined him you people gauge those things in your premiums. Why do you bother me? Are you finished? Huh, I take it you've had yourself a tough day doctor and you don't want to be bothered with anybody Now look, I'm not here to bother you just from what's on this sheet and what's happened You're in enough trouble to get yourself involved in a police investigation I'm here to try to avoid all that for you as well as me and Please don't lecture me on heart trouble incidentally We know the statistics by age race color climate state religion occupation geographical area and sex It so happens. We don't have to go into that doctor James Lansing died of malnutrition Hmm, I said Lansing died of malnutrition I'll be darker on his report. Look for yourself. Well He should know now was it possible for you to overlook that condition at the time you examined Lansing If he'd been suffering from malnutrition in any degree I would have discovered it and noted it according to the Corners findings James Lansing had been ill several years The lung and heart condition existed at least 10 years Can you explain how you were able to pronounce them physically fit doctor? No, I can't all about this the angina condition. I Could have missed that but it's unlikely with the degree of aggravation noted here on the Corners report Have you had much experience reading chest x-rays doctor? The lesions reported by the corner if there'd been any lesions on Lansing's chest I would have reported them. I can't explain that either. Well now you understand why I'm here Certainly I Wish I could help you you can just let me see your file copy of the examination and the x-ray you took at that time I'll have my nurse look them up. I don't keep files over a year old up here. We have a place down in the basement Okay, I'll have them for you tomorrow. What time tomorrow? Soon as possible like to have them first thing doctor You're kind of on me, aren't you? That's right doctor. I'm kind of on you There'll be another intriguing episode in our story of the Lansing fraud tomorrow tomorrow $50,000 is a good price for a killing most anybody will listen for that kind of money Join us. Won't you yours truly Johnny dolly truly Johnny dollars starring Bob Bailey is transcribed in Hollywood Written by John Dawson. It is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone Be sure and join us tomorrow night same time and station for the next exciting episode of your truly Johnny dollar Roy Rowan speaking