 I'm the Whistler, and I know many things for I walk by night. I know many strange tales hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows. Yes, I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak. Tonight, transcribed, it's the Whistler's strange story, Letters from Aaron Burr. Beating down on the prison yard, the afternoon sun seemed to fade the greyness somehow. Dwarf the height of the high wall. The prisoners, milling slowly about, were standing in little groups, were talking quietly and smoking, during their brief recess from the chores of the jute mill, the machine and print shops. Yes, it was a let-up in the middle of the afternoon, an easing of pressure on both the men in confinement and the guards who watched them. And in the far corner of the yard, there was one man who actually felt happy, pleased with himself as he talked with an older companion. You know, Pop, still kind of hard to believe. Yes, I won't really believe it till I actually walk right out of those gates. Well, I envy you, Sean. I wish I hadn't pulled that last forgery. I figured it'd put me on my feet. But you figured wrong, huh? Me, an artist who can duplicate anything. Ernie, I don't want to preach. Yeah, I'll skip it, Pop. I'll manage. They tried to help you, the prison officials, the people outside too. It's still the same. Five bucks of blue shirt suit and a pat on the back. Might as well be a shove. Yeah, yeah, sure. I like you, Ernie. You're all right. I want to make sure you stay out of here. So? So, there's somebody I want you to see. Mrs. Alden. Mrs. Alden? You know, she's a fine, wonderful old woman. Tries to help people. Lives just for that. Now, you go see her tomorrow afternoon. Tell her I'm well. Talk to her. Yeah, yeah, I'll talk to her, Pop, about you. Oh, about yourself. If you need anything, well, she's prominent in the community ages. Oh, look, Pop, I'll see Mrs. Alden for you, but I'm not looking for any handouts. You forget Pop Wiley almost immediately, don't you, Ernie? Yes, because you have other things on your mind, other plans. Finally, it's the big gate open for you. The guards call the last goodbyes and you walk through. There's a car waiting for you. And your old friend, Joe Bennett, reaches out to shake your hand and pull you inside. Hello, Ernie. Good to see you again. Real good. Yeah, thanks, man, thanks. See, you got my letter asking you to meet me, huh? Come on, come on, get in, pal. Yeah, sure. Oh, I'll tell you one thing here. Take a look across the street there. Huh? What, the name? Yeah. You know her? Ah, never saw her before in my life. That's funny. Why? She's been hanging around ever since I pulled up. Kept watching the gate, just sitting there in her car, watching, waiting. Oh, well. Hey, what do you want to do, Ernie? First, I mean, where do you want to go? Bennett, you just take me to the best men's store in town. And then? And then you can let me have a couple of hundred bucks. I want to get started right here. Check. A few hours later, you enter the clothing store, don't you, Ernie? Buy the suit you've been dreaming about. You have some time to kill while the tailor in the clothing store makes some hurried alterations on the new suit. And you walk across the street, to a small bar. You're about to slide down to a stool when you see something in the mirror. The girl again, taking a booth only a few feet away. You turn and walk over to it. Well, something on your mind, honey? I beg your pardon. And I beg yours, only I shouldn't. Because you've been following me, sweetheart, all morning ever since I checked out of my, my last hotel. If you'd sit down, I'll try to explain. All right, baby, I'm listening. But you didn't listen to Pop Wiley and go to see Mrs. Alden, did you? Oh, you know, Pop? Mrs. Alden does. I work for her. Well, sort of a watchdog to see that the charity cases don't go astray. Not a watchdog, a social secretary. And not charity. Oh, no, no, just a helping hand. All words. What do you get out of it, honey, huh? Not a living. I donate my time. Not all of it, of course, but I'm there every evening. I also have a curio shop, you know, antique, old manuscripts, objects of art. Baby, I think a couple of Martinias would be objects of art right now, may I? Oh, thank you. I know how little you... How little you poor boys are given to start out again in the cold, cold world. Oh, you're wrong, honey, about me. I don't need a helping hand, a kind word, or a loose buck. And don't let the blue surge fool you. I'm changing that today. Oh? Yeah, you won't even know me. You just bought me a complete new outfit. Tell how to make a few alterations, you know, cuffs, sleeves, padding in the shoulder. Really? I'd have thought in your case they'd have to take a little padding out. Oh, wow, baby. Thank you. You're cute, too. Waiter! And never mind ordering for me. I think you can manage drinking alone. You seem so, um, self-sufficient. Okay. You're lost, honey. I'm sure of it. Goodbye. I've got to stick around. See me with the shoulder padding. You return to the clothing store and change to your new suit. As you leave, you look around, half expecting to see the girl again. You feel better now, don't you, with the new suit on. And it gave you a certain satisfaction to pay cash for it. Tell the tailor to throw your old one away or give it to charity. Half a block away, you stop and turn. As you see someone crossing the street, it's the girl again, isn't it? She doesn't think you've seen her. You step back against a building and watch as she enters the store you just left. She comes out a few minutes later carrying something in a suit box. You hurry after her. The entrance to the alley, you stop as she reaches her parked car. You see her take the blue-surge suit which you discarded from the box. A moment later, she tears at the lining with a nail file and takes something out. Hello, honey. What do you want? What do you got from the suit? I mean, my suit. Come on, let me see. Give me that. It's nothing. Well, well, well. Sort of a letter, huh? Time but... What? Aaron Burr. It's just a joke. And who? Not Aaron Burr. No letter. No letter smuggled out of the pan. I get it. I get it. Pop Wiley, the forgery artist. He's still at it, huh? No, that isn't true. It's just a letter that isn't true, honey. Just a clever forgery, huh? Well, hey. I think it's pretty clever how you smuggle the stuff out of there on the backs of the poor unfortunate. You know, it's pretty neat, Miss... Yeah, Fenton. Really? Yeah, Fenton. Well, now, Fenton and Madden. No, no, no. I mean, Madden and Fenton. Well, that sounds kind of nice, doesn't it? Pardon me. All right. What's so funny? It's going to be a short partnership, Mr. Madden. This is the last letter. Oh? What's the matter? Pop's good old right hand getting shaken? No, but the sale of items like this is. Last one, huh? All right. How much do I get? Half. Half. Oh, I should say about $5,000. $5,000? It's not bad. Not bad at all. And now, parking for the goodness and letters so I can make a arrangement for the sale. With pleasure, partner. And, uh, when and where do I pick up my dividend? I'll have it for you. Where are you staying? California Hotel, probably. I'll bring it to you there tomorrow. Good. Oh, and, uh, partner? Yes. Don't get any ideas like this Aaron Burke I had. I mean about pulling a fasty, shall I? Don't worry. Oh, but I will, baby. I'm going to be sticking close to you when you write up and send you deliver those 5,000 wonderful green clams. Yeah. Till then I'm going to think of nothing else. In just a minute, the whistler will continue tonight's story. All of us are proud of our hometowns and rightly so. In this brief moment before we continue with our program, we'd like to offer a salute to one of our hometowns in America, New Orleans, Louisiana. It has a colorful and fascinating history that dates back to the year 1718 when the French founded it and named it in honor of the Duke of Orleans. Later, it was part of the Spanish Empire in America and became part of the United States under the terms of the Louisiana Purchase. Thus, New Orleans has been under three flags. As a memento of the old days, the city has a French Quarter which holds a fascination for tourists and for gourmets. The narrow streets are crowned by the iron trellis falconies of quaint old dwellings and shops. The restaurants are world famous for their good food. New Orleans is sometimes called America's most interesting city and it is a unique combination of the old world romance and modern progress. It is the greatest distribution center in the south and the second greatest port of the United States with its 11-mile system of state-owned and controlled docks along the riverfront. The Mississippi River is the heart of modern New Orleans industry. Everything centers about it. From its docks are shipped oil, sulfur, salt, molasses, sugar and purrs. Here comes much of the nation's trade with South America and on up the river to Chicago, to Canadian ports through the Great Lakes and to New York through the Erie Canal. New Orleans is the gateway to some 15,000 miles of navigable waterways. The most spectacular and gayest festival in the United States is held in New Orleans, the Mardi Gras, which involves the week of carnival and reaches the climax on Trove Tuesday, the day before the beginning of length. Whether it's a matter of pleasure or business, whether you admire the charm and grace of old world settings or the beauty of the modern city, New Orleans is proud of the part it has played in the building of America. And now back to The Fristler. He wanted you to go to Mrs. Alden's house for another reason, didn't he? So that his accomplice, Louise Fenton, could somehow manage to get your suit and the letter pop forward. The letter supposedly written years ago by Aaron Burr and worth quite a sum in the current collector's market. You decide not to take any chances. So that evening you pay a visit to Mrs. Alden's address and surprise Louise. You, I thought... Sorry, honey. I got lonesome. I want to talk some more. You shouldn't have come here. Why not? This is where pop told me to come in the first place, seeing Mrs. Alden. She's upstairs asleep. I told you I'd bring you the money. I thought you just might have picked it up earlier. Well, I... All right, I did. Here, I have it for you. Well, that's better, honey. That's much better. Yes, Ernie. Louise gives you your share of the money for the sale of the letter. But despite what she told you, you decide to remain near at hand with a word that might indicate the future possibility in the transactions between Louise and Pop Wild. It comes sooner than you expected. One a few days later, you drop in at Louise's curio shop and overhear a telephone conversation. That's right, Mrs. Legal. I'll have the Aaron Burr letter for you Tuesday. Tuesday evening. What's that? Yes, of course, Mrs. Legal. You'll have the money? Yes. My price is $25,000. All right. Tuesday. Tuesday. That's all you need to hear. Louise spent and lied to you didn't she, Ernie? There is another letter. And you know just how it'll be smuggled out of prison. Yes. And that's why you're waiting outside the prison gates on Tuesday. Bright and early. Ready to intercept a certain party who's being released. Hello, Sid. Ernie, Matt, and what are you doing around here? I just came by to see you. Me? Yeah. I'm tidying with an outfit now. Oh, so long. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. It's legit. I'm working with a community A society. An old lady named Mrs. Alden runs it. Oh, yeah, her. Yeah, prop made me promise I'd see her. But I changed my mind. I don't want a charity. All right, all right. You don't have to talk to her. You don't want her. But look, she gave me the dough for a soup field. What's wrong with the one I got on? Okay, so it ain't the last word. Look, I'll see you around. All right, all right. Look, if you feel that way about it, come on. If you're going in the town to give you a lift, I got a car down the block. It's a free ride. You don't mind. All right, I can. You get him away just in time, don't you, Ernie? Because as you round the corner, you see Louise's car pull up to the prison gate. You drive off before she can follow. Now you're alone with Sid. And you know it's not going to be easy getting him to part with his prison issue, the search suit. A suit that's worth 25,000 because of the forged letter hidden in the shoulder pad. You've made up your mind, haven't you, Ernie? Yes. You're going to stay close to Sid in that suit he's wearing. And you do in the hours that follow as you drive him several places while he tries to find a girl he used to know. Now look, why don't we go over to my place? I've got a room uptown. Nice place to relax. Take your coat off, have a couple of drinks, huh? Well, no. Oh, look, Ernie, there's a drugstore up ahead. If you can park along here, I'd like the phone her again. Oh, come on. Relax. And you don't have to wait, pal. I took up enough of your time already. It's been swell. No, no, I don't mind at all, Sid. I've got nothing else to do anyway. I'll look. I'll wait for you. You'll find a parking place just around the corner from the drugstore. Light a cigarette. Sit back. Wait for Sid to return. You've got to get that suit from him. And the letter you're certain is hidden in the shoulder padding. Yes. But how, Ernie? Quickly, you step around to the back of the car. The baggage compartment. Your hand closes over the heavy wrench. Slip it into your pocket. And then you're just easing in behind the wheel again when Sid joins you. She's still don't answer. That's tough. Hey, Ernie, I've been thinking about seeing my girl and everything that offer you made this morning. Still good? What? What did you say? So a nice old lady wants to buy me a classy outfit. So what's wrong with that, huh? Make sure happy what I got against making old lady happy. Yeah. How you talk? Sure. So how about a buy me a suit? It's a smart thing to do. This is probably the smartest move you've ever made. Hmm? Skip them. Yes, I think you really enjoy this suit, sir. Now I'll have our tailor here in just a moment. Yeah, by the way, will it take long? Yeah, we've been rather busy, you know. I'd say the suit should be ready sometime tomorrow afternoon. Well, look, pal, maybe you and the tailor could get together. Split this 20 between you. And get the suit out, my friend, Wiley Wates. Well, I... Yeah, I think perhaps we can arrange that. That's good. The alterations are minor, really? Fine, fine, here, and this will take care of the suit. Oh, thank you, sir. Hey, hey, you leaving, Ernie? I've got a very important date. Look, here's a magazine you can read while you're in the dressing room wedding with the alterations. I'll take this blue search of yours with me, said Mrs. Alden, you know. She can give it to someone who could really use it. See you around, pal. Back at your hotel room, you rip open the suit coat. Neatly concealed in the shoulder padding. The letter from Aaron Burr. The letter that you're sure is a forgery from the skilled pen of Pop Wiley. And it will bring you $25,000. It takes you a little time to find the man you're looking for. Mr. Slagle, the man Louise spoke to. But finally, you find his phone number. Call his office. And then... Hello? Hello is Mr. Slagle, Emily. Hello, Ernie. Louise. Yes, Ernie, I've been expecting you to call. When I didn't hear from you, I knew you would call here. So I've already talked to Mr. Slagle. Oh, look, what's the idea? I told him, darling, partner that you'd be delivering the letter. You can meet us at my curio shop, you know the address? Okay. Good time. Eight o'clock will be fine. And don't be late, Ernie. Mr. Slagle is a very interested buyer. Yes. Well, Ernie, Louise has out guessed you, hasn't she? But it's still a windfall. And you'll still share in Mr. Slagle's payment. Shortly before eight, you drive across town and enter the curio shop. Come in, Ernie. Come in. Yeah. I want you to meet Mr. Slagle. Mr. Slagle, Mr. Davis, high associate. How do you do, Mr. Davis? Mr. Slagle. You have the letter, Ernie? Yeah. Here you are. Oh, thank you. Oh, yes. Yes, that is it. And now, Ms. Fenton, this envelope is for you, if you care to count the money. No, that won't be necessary, Mr. Slagle. Thank you. After all these years, the letter is mine. You don't know what this letter means to me, Ms. Fenton. Mr. Davis. And you don't know what this envelope means to me. To both of us, Ernie. Of course, Ernie. Both of us. Don't be half right. Use your suffix. Are you interested in machines and electrical power? Would you say an ordinary-sized turbine could have as much as 5,000 horsepower? No, that's only half right. Brush up on your mechanics. Tell your I and E officer you want to study with the United States Armed Forces Institute. You suffix. It's easy. It's simple. If you don't want to be half right, use your suffix. And now, back to The Whistler. It's over, Ernie. You've sold the Aaron Burr letter to Mr. Slagle. And he's given you and Louise the $25,000. It's fantastic, isn't it? How you discovered the clever plot between Louise Fenton and old Pop Wiley, the imprisoned fortune. But Louise caught on to you when you intercepted the second letter, unwittingly smuggled out by Sid Nolan. Yet it really doesn't matter now, because the money Slagle paid is enough for both of you. You smile as Mr. Slagle leaves the shop. But as he does, someone else enters. Hello, Madden. Oh, hello, Solari. What do you want? A word. In private, if you'd ran it. No, no, it's okay. Miss Fenton, Lieutenant Solari, police department. How do you do? Oh. All right. We'll bring you around here, Lieutenant. Sid Nolan. Two of you got pretty chilly today. You spend an awful lot of time together. You ought to know we don't like a couple of parolees palling around. Okay, okay. I was just doing him a favor. Anything else? I guess not, Madden. For now. Oh, hi, Miss Collins and Mr. Davis. I just want to say, if you ever run across any more original Aaron Burr letters. Pardon me, Mr.... Slagle. I forgot to slagle. May I see that letter? Huh? Are you sure this is the real thing, Mr. Slagle? Real? Why, of course. It's funny, you're Mr. Davis here. His real name is Ernie Madden. His former cellmate, a man named Wiley, is an expert forger. Forger? You mean this letter's a fake? How about it, Ernie? Okay, Solari, so it's a folly. How'd he go? He kept it low ways. It's no use now when you call I ought to know. Ernie, you fool, it's not a poetry. Don't you understand? How well he had to have something to work from. Oh, he did! I sent Papa genuine original Aaron Burr letter. This is it! The one we just sold to Mrs. Wagle. Now, a question. Did you know there was once a military encounter between units of the Navy and the cavalry? During the Civil War, the Union gunboat Marblehead, steaming down the Pamunkey River in Virginia, was spotted by Confederate cavalry unit under the leadership of General Jeb Stewart. Since the gunboat was armor-plated, Stewart called his horse-drawn howitzers into action. As the Marblehead continued to sail down the river, Stewart's men and guns raced after it along the shoreline. Though a furious battle raged for some time, it finally ended in a draw without either side being able to claim a victory. This is but one of many interesting facts which can be found in the history of your United States Navy. Transcribe story where Bill Foreman as the Whistler, Tony Barrett, Marine Tuttle, Joe Kearns, Jack Moyles, Herb Bygren and Barney Phillips. The Whistler, directed by Gordon T. Hughes with music by Wilbur Hage, is written and produced by Joel Malone and transmitted overseas by the Armed Forces Radio Service. The Whistler was entirely fictional and all characters portrayed on the Whistler are also fictional. Any similarities of names or resemblances to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. This is George Walsh speaking and reminding you to listen again next week for another strange tale by The Whistler.