 In the name, we bring you another of the thrilling stories in this exciting series, taken from actual pulling case files. Gens on the night of August 5th, 1935, outside of Los Angeles, California, in the peaceful little community of La Cagnada, the summer night is centered with the haunting fragrance of orange blossoms whose drifting petals somehow seem like falling tears. That strange sound that seems to float on the air like the echo of some weird rattle. What is that? We shall see. It's a little bungalow, Bob. Not bad for a barber, huh, Harry? What do you say, Melvin? Just marvelous, Bob. That is all dark. Not a light showing. Hey, Bob, maybe Mary's asleep. Just too bad or she is. We'll wake her up. Oh, Bob, don't do that. Don't you think Harry and I could come and visit some other time? I'm done. But I asked you and Harry to come over tonight because, well, Mary hasn't been feeling well lately. Now, I thought you could cheer her up. We'll try. I'm so sorry. Yes, Mary, look grand when I last saw her. Always does. She's so beautiful with that lovely blonde hair and perfect white skin. Yeah, having a 27th birthday party soon. You'll have to come out. Here. Up the driveway. Come on. I'll turn on the lights. Oh, how lovely. So this is where you keep your bride. Not bad for a barber, huh? Beautiful home. Beautiful wife. Hey, I'll call her. Hey. Oh, Mary. We got company. Hey. Hey. Are you down here? Maybe she's up there. I'll run up and see. Mary. Another deck from the Harry North row here. Harry. Harry up. I hope nothing's the matter. Oh, don't be silly. What could be the matter? Mary. This house seems so, so empty. Oh, Mary's probably out in the backyard feeding those rabbits of hers. Bob was telling us about. Mary. Mary. She's not up there. Oh, maybe she's visiting neighbors. Neighbors? Not a chance. She doesn't know any of them. Hey, where's her flashlight? Flashlight? Here, Terry. You take this flashlight and I'll take this one. I'll fetch outside the house. Stirry? Bob. Bob, do you really think? Please, let's hurry. Mary hasn't been well lately. I'm afraid she may have had a dizzy spell and fallen down somewhere. I'm glad now we decided to stay. Yeah. Harry, you take that flashlight and look out in the front yard. I'll look around outside. All right. Come on, Mildred. I'll try quick. I'll hold the flashlight. You see anything? No. Only those orange blossoms. Anything but those flower beds? No. Oh, Harry! Is anything out in the front yard? No, Bob. Nothing here. I'll look around the level stand. Oh, Harry! Yes? Take a look in the side yard, will ya? All right. Come on, Mildred. Sure is dark out here. Certainly needed this flashlight. What's this? It's a little fish pond with a fountain. A lily pond. Oh, look. It has water lilies in it. They're night blooming. In full bloom, too. See how they're... Harry! What's that? There. They're on the other side of the pool. They hold your flashlight. Hey! Merciful heaven! Oh! Hello! You're never going to hair around that water lily! Oh, Lord! Mary! How did this happen? Oh, my poor little girl! Betty, I'm sorry. I think I'd better call the police. What do you think happened, James? I... I don't know, sir. He's not himself yet, Sheriff. Maybe I can help you. Do you know what happened? Well, not exactly, Sheriff, but... Bob here told us that Mary, his wife, was subject to Disney spells. Well, I figure she fainted and fell into the pond. Yes, I see. We're going out again to look things over. You two stay here with James. Yes, sir. Come on, Jonesy. Right. They're like pretty shallow water for anyone to drown in. Yeah, it sure does. About eight inches deep, I figure. Too bad. Hey, what's this? Turn that flashlight down in the lake. Oh, look at that. Well, our leg is swollen nearly twice the size of the other one. Was she in an accident or something? I don't know. Here comes a doctor who will ask him what he thinks. Oh, Doc! Doc! Here, this way, please. Oh, hello, Sheriff. Is this the patient? Yeah, too late for being a patient, I guess, Doc. Looks like a drowning. Rather unusual in a shallow pool like this, isn't it? Yeah. Say, Doc, look at that left leg. What do you make of it? Hmm. Looks like a bite of some sort. Do you know what kind? Well, that's hard to say. It might be some insect, like, well, like a black widow spider. But I can't say for sure without a chemical analysis. You take charge of the body until the coroner comes. Will you, Doctor? Yes, I will. Come on, Jonesy. Let's go inside again. Right. Feel any better, James? Still too upset, eh? Maybe you can help us, North. No. Has Mrs. James been in an accident recently? I really don't know. I didn't hear about any accident. Hey, what's this? Mind if I read this letter? Hmm, look at this, Jonesy. Here's your answer. Yes, sis. Just a line to let you know I'm pretty sick. My leg is all swollen. Something bit me while watering in the garden. And having lots of bad luck. This is all blue Monday, but my daddy will be home early tonight, and he takes good care of me. Mary. Sitting by something in the garden, eh? So that's it. Yep. Well, you don't need us here now, do you, man? Uh, suppose I take James home with me tonight. He's pretty well shot, and I think a good night's sleep somewhere else would do him good. That'll be okay, I guess. Well, come on, Bob, and Mildred. We're going out. He's sitting in the back of the car, Bob, and you'll be more comfortable there. Feel any better, Bob? No. You know something, Mary? What? Too bad Mary had to die that way. What do you mean? Oh, it's going to look bad for me. For you? What are you driving at? My third wife drowned the bathtub in Colorado about three years ago. Well, what in the world has that got to do with this? Well, the cops will ask a lot of questions. And that's what's worrying you now? You sure are a queridot. You afraid of being questioned, and your wife's stone dead. Gee. You don't understand, Harry. Well, I guess I don't. Proceed, James. Yes, sir. Here's how we found the body inspector. Faced down in the pool, heaven's shoulders submerged, warped in flower-soaked dress, blue boot-war-soaked slippers, skirt pulled up over knees and legs bare. Oh, Mary loved to watch the golfers play in the pond. Hey, Bob. Come on. Calm down. She must have faded and fallen in the pond. Mr. James, the law of Los Angeles County has no wish to meddle with a husband's grief. We simply want the facts. Yes, sir. Sheriff, to him. Are all you witnesses present? Yes, Inspector. All right. Go ahead, Sheriff. We found this note inspector on the table in the kitchen of the deceased home. Let me have it. Hi, Mr. James. Is this your wife's handwriting? Yes, sir. This letter is addressed to Mrs. R. H. Stewart from Las Vegas, Nevada. Do you know her? Yes, sir. Mrs. Stewart is her sister. Something bitter while watering in the garden. I put a count for the swollen leg. The day is old, blue Monday. My daddy will be home early tonight. Hi, Mr. James. You were at the barbershop all day yesterday? Yes, sir. How long have you been married to the deceased? Three months. And say, Inspector, I've been married five times altogether. Quite a record for a man only 39, huh? Mr. James, we're not interested in this time and how many wives you've had. We're investigating the circumstances of this death. Sure. I thought I'd tell you about the other marriages so you wouldn't think I was holding out on you. I see. I'll say this. Mary was the best of the lot. She was a fine girl. Mr. James, did your wife carry any insurance? Yes. In a way, I'm sorry she did. That kind of puts me on the spot. You see, I'm the beneficiary. We're not accusing you of anything. How much insurance did your wife carry? She had two $5,000 policies that carried double indemnity classes in case of accidental death. Insurance all right. Oh, Dr. Long. Yes, Inspector. Dr. Long, are you the James family physician? I was called in to treat Mrs. James about seven weeks ago. Go on, Dr. Mrs. James wasn't expecting much. Well, is Mrs. James subject to fainting spells? She was quite nervous. I prescribed a mild sedative. Would you say that in view of a state of her health she might have fainted and fallen into the pool? Well, yes, it could have happened. Poor woman. Mother. Mother. Don't cry, Bob. Please, don't cry. Clay James was laid to rest in Los Angeles near the third wife of Robert James, the two brides of the strange barber lay side-by-side in eternal sleep. But the tragic story of Mary was not yet to have its final heart-rending chapter written. For while Robert James once more applied his shears in his barbershop in the office of Burin Fitz, district attorney of Los Angeles County, the shears of fate were also snipping. We're not getting anywhere. Let's get somewhere with this. Oh, Tui, let's hear that coroner's report again. Yes, Mr. Fitz. Coroner's Surgeon's report, Mrs. Mary Bush James came to her death on the night of August 5th, 1935 as a result of drowning, with acute cellulite of left foot and left leg following laceration of great left toe as contributory factor. Verdict, accidental drowning, case automatically closed. All right, Tui. Well, what else have you to suggest, Inspector Souther? And, Mr. Fitz, there's about only one thing left to do. What's that? I've been doing some scouting around. This fellow James is taking a house out on LaSalle Avenue. Who's his next door neighbor? The house next door is vacant. And my idea would be to install a microphone in his house. Rent the house next door and listen in for a while. That's a good idea. Oh, Sergeant, get me Chief Police Davis on the phone. I want the best sound man in the department. Oh, sir, Tui, microphone's working now? Yes, sir, one in the bedroom and one in the living room. Okay, here comes a void, sir. Don't expect. Son of Don. Rotten face is tough. Customers give me a pain. Ever since your last job, you've been some players very much. If you don't like what I say, you know what you can do. I wish I could. Hey, what's the idea? Why don't you find me a social woman? Please be quiet, Bob. I like your servant. If you want your social woman, why don't you take care of yourself? Shut up. Don't ever yell at me that way. You're lying to a fellow, Bob. Don't forget it. Now, it's given up for you when you didn't know where your next meal was coming from, wasn't it? I'll take you back so you don't think you ought to go for me. What she means, quiet. Stop! Don't make it that way! Stop! Don't go that way! Please be quiet. How do I get the whole neighborhood? Please. I'm going over there and break that guy's height down. Stop crying. I get the height, yeah? You and the whole folks on the map. Please bother me while you're taking it out on me. Bother me, huh? Don't bother me for long. Make it any time to get more dope than me. I don't get him. Only better than I got much. Did you hear that? I knew it, Tux. I thought we were pretty good, you know, at the barbershop. Yeah? I wonder if you come in to see me. I only wish you had. Am I going to fix this until it's done at long ago? I want to know one thing, was that... isn't that girl a manicurist in James' barbershop? You're right, Captain. I thought I heard her voice down for a minute. She testified for him at the corner of the inflight. Remember? Yes. So where does this guy hope for in the picture? He has something on James. He owns a green duet, that's all we know, but that's plenty. Come on, let's go. Right. Without parallel in the police history of Los Angeles was on. Armed with a complete list of all cars registered in the name of hope, the law grim and quiet checked them one by one. On the morning of May 2nd, inspectors Southern Tui acting on a tip drove up to a lunch room in Hermosa Beach where Charlie Hope was employed and placed him under arrest for the murder of Mary James. While he was being drilled at headquarters, the two officers resumed their vigil at the recording instruments in the house next door to the one occupied by Bob James. James is the latter than usual tonight. I wonder if he knows that Hope is picked up today. No, the DA's office has him under cover. But Hope didn't crack yet, Captain. Don't worry Tui. With William's billing him, it won't be long now. We take James tonight, eh? You heard the chief's orders? We've got to get him red-handed. Listen. Better come now. Good afternoon, Sunday. I'm tired. Me too. How's your hurry? You like me anymore? How could I? Well, why should you, James? Come on, come on. No, please, please. I don't want tomatoes, anyway. No, no! Come back, girl. Hey, Tui. She's run away from him. She should have done that alone time ago. Open that door. I'll break it down. You hear me? Open that door. Okay, sir. I'll find another one. You're not that speaker. Let's pull our raid. Okay. Do you have the pass key? Yeah, here it is. Let's go over. I'll open the door. Do welcome pass. Careful. James, we have a gun. James, we've got headquarters. You're under arrest. What for? You'll find out. You can't get me out of here. I ain't another. We can't hang. Well, how about this? I'll put it to him. He'll come all right. You too, sir. Oh, why did I ever get in this mess? I knew something like this would happen. Charles H. Hope. Take the witness chair again, please. Charles Hope. I hand you the sign paper. Can you identify it? Yes, sir. I can. Tell the court what it is. My confession. You admit you wrote it? Yes, sir. I do. And you signed it? I did. Of your own free will? Yes, sir. You weren't forced to sign it? No, sir. Will you please read it to the jury? I, Charles H. Hope, with a purpose of... Oh, just a minute. Just a minute. You may start with the next paragraph, please. Yes, sir. About a year ago, I was broke. Went to Robert James' barber shop in Los Angeles to see if I could get a free haircut. Bob, give me a free ride in the barber chair. Maybe I can help you someday. Maybe, perhaps, Bob James. Say, maybe you're the man I'm looking for. You'd like to make a hundred dollars? Boy, I jump at that, yes. How do I earn this hundred bucks? Yes, huh? A friend of mine says I'll pay a hundred dollars for some good-life rattlesnakes. Rattlesnakes? Yeah, rattlesnakes. You're not afraid of them, are you? For that money, I ain't afraid enough. Huh? Here's the money. Give me two of the kind of snakes I want and keep the rest of the bill. Come on, we'll take my car. Come on. Hey, Snake Joe. Yeah, Snake Joe, that's me. Got any good diamond-back rattlesnakes? What, I got the meanest diamond-back around here. Now, look here, mister. I think I've got a lot of venom in them. Venom. Say, that's what Snake Joe is known for. They have what you call hot snakes. Full of venom. You hear them rattling down in the pit? Yeah, I hear them. How about them two big rattlesnakes over there in the corner of the pit? How much were they, Venom? I'll tell them rattlesnakes to you for a 7 cents a pound. Oh, you sell them by the pound, eh? I'm sure that Tony made his own rattlesnake. Okay. I'll take them two big ones. Huh? There's my stick and the nuisance here. Oh, here they are. Come on, Lightning. Come on, there, pork tongue. Yeah, I tell you, I brought them two diamond-backs as the meanest killers in the state of California. And they're wicked. Yeah, I brought this box with a glass top for them in here. Hey, pork tongue's meaner than lightning. Yeah, they're plenty hot. Now, let's see. You take off the lid of the box. That's 10 and a half pounds of rattlesnake. That's $7.35. Change out to 10. Oh, here you are. I've come again sometime. Okay. I got the snake's bun. Fine. You sit back there with them. Are they hot ones? Yeah, I'm hot. Diamond-backs and plenty hot. There's no third party in this. I want to collect some insurance. You're the only one in it with me. I don't get it. Huh? You'll soon find out. My wife, she's the one. I don't want to be mixed up in this kind of business. You'd like to get some real dough, wouldn't you? Yeah. I can use it. I thought so. Bringing that box of snakes? Yeah. Over there behind the door. Daddy, have you? Yeah, Mary. I'll be in, son. You're too thick. Boy, I can't figure you out. You're too dumb. Come on, let's have a drink. Hey, where you going with that rope? Wait a minute. I'll see. I'll come and heat your tape. Hey, what are you doing with that? Shut up. It's going to be done right. You'll see. So glad you're home. I don't feel well, dear. Please call the doctor. You won't need a doctor when I'm through with you. Bob, what do you mean? Please, Bob. Don't you understand? I don't feel very well. Yeah. I'm so sorry, Mary. Come here. Come on. All right. What do you want, Bob? I hear. Take this pen and write what I tell you. Well, what do you want me to write? Bob, dear, what? Come over here. You look so strange. Never mind. Just write. Like this. There's this. Just a line to let you know I'm pretty sick. My leg is all swollen. But, Bob, what do you mean? My leg isn't swollen? I should write. My leg is all swollen. Something... I'm, uh, having lots of bad luck. This is old Blue Monday. But, uh, but my daddy will be home early tonight. And he takes good care of me. Sign it, Mary. Now, put your down-and-sisters name and address on this envelope. Bob, why did you make me write this, this is? Turn around and don't talk so much. What are you doing with that adhesive tape, Bob? Bob, I'm sorry. Shut up. Bob, what are you trying to do to make my mom? Keep over her eyes, too. Yeah. Give me that rope. Give it to me. I'm gonna tie it to the kitchen table. Hurry up. I had it in. She can't see. Shut up. Why was that thing? Yeah. There you are. Get him, get him. What do you stand for? All right. All right, I'll get him. Put him down. Put the box down. Here, by her foot. Take the lid off the box. Take it off, I tell you. Take it off. She's barefooted. Oh, don't put her foot in there. Don't. Don't snake her. Put her in the hiding place. I can take the snakes back and give them the snake, Joe. Couldn't stand it in there. Is she dead yet? I think she's dead yet. She's been dead since four o'clock. To make double cheer, I drown in the bathtub. She's finished now, all right? Come in and help me carry on. No, I can't. Come on. Come on. You take her feet. I'll carry her head. After that, he cleaned up the bathroom, and he drove me home. That's a lie! That's a lie! You did it! James, jury having found you guilty of murder in the first degree, I hereby sentence you to be executed according to the law of the state of California. At San Quentin prison, at the time prescribed, you are to be hanged by the neck until you are dead. And justice triumph in the name...