 Old Dutch cleanser famous for chasing dirt present Nick Carter famous for chasing crime Every week at this time two great names are joined as Old Dutch cleanser brings you one of the most resourceful and daring characters in all detective fiction Nick Carter master detective Nick this panhandler syndicate must be headed up by someone far more intelligent than big Louis Arkin obviously but who I don't know yet but whoever it is he's made a mistake but what kind of mistake murder now I can track him down and find out who he is but Nick if he's as clever as you say he is he won't be easy to find I'm not gonna find him I'm going to let him find me now the case of the persistent beggars today is exciting Nick Carter adventure brought to you by Old Dutch cleanser our story begins in a hideout in a deserted riverfront warehouse a masked man whose confederates fear and know him only as the boss watches silently as his lieutenant big Louis Arkin opens a large bag of currency and dumps it on the table there it is boss today's hall did everyone of our collectors pay off Louis yeah yeah every panhandler in the organization kicked in five dollars a man like they've been doing every day you told him that my orders are to use no actual violence when they solicit funds from the public oh yeah yeah boys just like you told me no rough stuff precisely Louis no rough stuff however I have no objections if our collectors are shall we say persistent yeah but some people boss well their cheapskates they only come across with a dime or a quarter when our boys put the touch on them and tell the boys it's not enough let it get a dollar bill out of everybody they approach even if they have to scare them to death but boss you don't mean they should get too tough not too tough Louis but tough enough understand oh yeah yeah I get you still boss you ain't doing so bad right now you know a thousand dollars Louis do you by any chance envy my success me oh no boss no I wouldn't want you to be unhappy working for me Louis I'm not boss honest I'm satisfied with my cut after all it's I who organize these poor downtrodden beggars assign them to their territories give them what protection I can sure boy sure and it's a sweet racket I got Louis your choice of words is offensive huh this is not a racket this is a legitimate business all in the name of sweet charity certainly it's no crime for a poor man down on his luck to beg a dollar for food and shelter lady can you let a hungry man have a little something to get a bite to eat well here's the dime the time well yes I give me that dollar bill I gotta have money I'm desperate say well here look Jack can you spare a buck my wife's sick and I gotta buy us some medicine what goes on here you're the third panhandler who's approached me tonight I'm not going to give away anymore Jack I'm a desperate guy I need dough and you better not be a cheapskate about it understand all right here you are a buck ain't enough Jack not enough I got a lot of medicine to buy better make it two oh lady it's all right lady are you gonna hate you well it's so dark in the street now well I didn't think in that door way look lady could just take a hungry guy to a dollar I'm done on my luck safe and starving no way oh yes well so now just a minute I I've got a dollar here my purse I had that you've got a lot more than that in your pocket lady look I'm pretty hungry lady I could use all that dough no no no please it's all the money I've got about handed over no I said handed over come on to me hey what's on your mind plenty Nick you know those panhandlers that have been mushrooming all over town lately yeah I'll say we do well you can't walk two blocks these days about one of them approaching you yeah well the pressure's on down at headquarters newspapers are after it's hot and heavy to clean up the city so is the mayor and every day of the week we get our ears beaten off by the citizens reforming oh yes I've hit it up by John Prentice the big real estate man yeah Prentice Sergeant can't you pick up these beggars on a vagrancy charge sure we can we do pinch a few of them but we can't arrest them all and if you could patch it there isn't much you could do to them on a simple vagrancy charge that's just it Nick the judge can find them or give them a jail sentence but the jail sentence is only a couple of days soon as they're out they go right back again begging on the streets but suppose they're fine big Louis Arkin is right there a night court to pay off the fine what big Louis yeah that's very interesting Maddie why should a big operator like big Louis take such an interest in down and out panhandlers oh I wish I knew look Nick the commissioner asked me to stop in and see whether you would take a hand in this business huh I'd be glad to Maddie this panhandler situation isn't just the nuisance it seems it's much more than that what do you mean Nick I mean everything points to it being an organized racket an organized racket yes first of all there's big Louis always on hand to pay the fine for any beggar that gets arrested huh second these beggars are sprung up all over the city on every side street like the plague and third they seem to use the same methods of terrorizing citizens hey you got something there Nick if we can only get some kind of a break maybe I'll get it Nick Nick Carter's office Patsy Bowen speaking yes he is it's for you sergeant headquarters oh oh thanks for the sergeant Matheson speaking yes a rock what where what did she say okay oh rock I'll get right on it what is it maddie it looks like the break I was just talking about yeah it's not just vagrancy anymore Nick this time it's cold-blooded murder murder yep a woman was blackjacked and robbed by one of these panhandlers on a deserted street she died on the way to the hospital but before that she was conscious for just a minute and she talked yes she identified her murder as Foxy Farrell Foxy Farrell right wasn't he one of big Louis Arkin's thugs in the old days yes wonder what he's doing panhandling well I don't know but I'm going to send out a pickup call for him right away and while you're about it maddie yeah pick up big Louis I'd like to ask him a few questions now look Louis there's a homicide rap that goes with this you better come clean now for the last time where's Farrell hiding out now sergeant you're looking for Foxy not me why don't you find Louis you're up to your neck in this and we know it then prove it sergeant were you there wait a minute wait a minute maddie no use getting upset Louis in this will you find out sooner or later Louis why have you been paying the fines of these panhandlers when they come into court well Carter I'm a sentimental kind of guy and a lot of these drifters used to be old friends of mine now if you two coppers haven't got any more questions I got a date nothing doing you you're staying right here until we're ready to let you go on suspicion sergeant wait don't try to pull that phony charge on me I got a lawyer who busted apart in five minutes and you know it now you better let them go mad we can always pick them up later if we need it all right come in I oh it's you mr. Prentice yes sergeant and Nick this is mr. Prentice head of the citizens reform league yes I've met mr. Prentice and I think you know big Louis arkin yes very well don't I love you yeah and I'm not forgetting you Prentice you sent me up the river for two years in one of these days one of these days we're going to clean such scum as you out of this town you reformers give me a pain I remember this Prentice this town ain't big enough to hold you and me both huh what's big Louis doing here sergeant we've been trying to nail him down on this panhandler killing I see oh and speaking of that sergeant when are we going to get some action it's getting so a decent citizen can't walk the streets anymore and now now it's come to murder I'm sure we'll find the killer mr. Prentice well I hope so mr. Carter I'm glad to see that you've taken an interest in this case and ask for the police sergeant Madison we demand that every resource of the department be thrown into solving this case yeah sure sure we're doing everything we can I'll see that you do our league has considerable influence at city hall and if necessary we'll shake up the whole police department good day Nick he's out for blood no mistake yeah look Matty what there's only one thing to do yeah get on the inside of this panhandling setup try to find out who runs it I'm convinced that big Louis runs it I'm not take a bigger brain than Louis to organize and run a record like this now maybe have you got any idea how you're gonna get on the inside what do you think big Louis said you wanted to see me sit down yeah yeah thanks uh what's it all about foxy you shouldn't have killed that woman oh no listen boss you knew my orders no violence yeah yeah yeah but but boss when I hit her up for the touch she started to put up a fight till you can hear a yell for the cops a mile away her purse was gone foxy and you took it oh boss I run a legitimate business foxy the collection of money for the poor and downtrodden not robbery and murder you know the rules of my syndicate yeah but I boss boss what are you gonna do to use the underworld expression foxy you're hot the police are after you and worse than that Nick Carter has been brought into the case but boss foxy I have no use for bundlers in my syndicate I'm going to have to dispense with your services now now for boss let me get out of town I don't know who you are you're always wearing that mask let me get out it's a pity foxy you'll let you greed overcome your good judgment Owen miss Bowen why do you know my name I seen you around with Nick Carter look miss Bowen my name Davis Snuffy Davis I ain't had a thing to eat since two days ago could you spare a buck or two for a poor hungry boy no I'm sorry and now look lady I'm down on my luck and I need some dough take your hand off my arm oh no not till you come across your hands off me please hey that's not so long alias snuffy Davis oh the heavens say you gave me the scare of my life well what on earth are you doing in those dirty ragged old clothes I never suspected good if you didn't no one else will look as if I passed the acid test with flying colors well Nick what on earth are you up to going to do a little panhandling on my own Patsy but why I have an idea that instead of my having to look for the men who are running this panhandler's racket they're going to look for me and I'll back to the case of the persistent beggars today's Nick Carter adventure brought to you by old Dutch cleanser it is afternoon now and as we rejoin Nick now Snuffy Davis he is panhandling his way up the busy city street suddenly he finds a hand on his shoulder he turns around to see a tough-looking vagrant with hard blue eyes uh you're motion out of your territory ain't you Jack what you're talking about it's a free country in it I can work any place I wanna and at this time you can what's your name Jack hey look you you just work your side of the street now work mine oh wise guy huh come on spill it before I wipe up the sidewalk with you what's your name okay okay don't get sure my name is Snuffy Davis Snuffy Davis huh that's right I just blew into town from Union City I was just mooching a buck or two when you came along you can't work this time unless you belong to the syndicate what syndicate we gotta set up here everything's organized you gotta belong and pay off or else and what do you mean pay off who's running this racket kind of knows he ain't you pal no no but we don't want to work how do I join this uh if you're syndicate that's better now you're showing sense you know what a boulevard tavern is yeah go in there and ask to see big Louie Arkin big Louie Arkin yeah just tell him Eddie sent you you big Louie Arkin that's right bomb what do you want my name is Snuffy Davis Eddie sent me I see what do you want I want to work the street but Eddie says I gotta belong to the syndicate that's right cost you five bucks a day every day five bucks a day hey that's a lot of dough look bomb you can take it or leave it ain't much choice is there all right I'll take it okay first you'll have to talk to the boss the boss what I thought that you run this racket you asked too many questions Snuffy keep your trap shut and come with me your name's Snuffy Davis yeah yeah sure sure that's right I thought you'd like to look them over first boss quite right Louie snuffy you say you're from union city yeah yeah sure that's right where's the lyceum theater in union city the lyceum theater yes where is it why it's uh it's on Grand Avenue and the public library on state street then you have been there oh sure sure don't you never mind you think he's all right Louie yeah sure boss I give him a good going over he'll do he knows the rules too snuffy the important thing is no violence I conduct a legitimate business and I don't want any trouble with the police you understand oh yeah yeah sure sure I get you I get Louie here will collect my commission every night and one more thing snuffy yeah if you ever breathe a word about coming to this warehouse or about this syndicate your life won't be worth a panhandlers dime you understand oh sure sure sure I get you I get you all right Louie give him a territory and put on the work I just dropped by to see whether mr. Carter has made any progress in breaking up this vicious gang of panhandlers well he's working on it now mr. prentice and knowing mr. Carter as I do excuse me Nick Carter's office patsy bone speaking patsy this is Nick oh I'm calling from a drug store phone booth at river and forth river and forth yes now listen closely fancy I met the big shot who runs this whole panhandler syndicate a half hour ago had a deserted warehouse on the river had a deserted warehouse nick who is he I don't know yet wore a mask a mask yes covers his whole face I met him through big Louie arkin who turns out to be his right hand man uh-huh so there is someone higher than big Louie there is now listen closely patsy right I picked up a clue to the boss's identity and I need your help uh-huh he parked his car in a dirt driveway next to the warehouse I didn't see the car but I went back later and check the tire tracks oh what was the tire pattern there was nothing in the tire pattern four new tires of a common make but the width of the car the distance between the right and left wheel tracks give me a tip off the width of the car yes the boss whoever he is isn't driving an american car because the distance between his wheels isn't standard in short patsy he's driving some foreign car now listen closely yes I measure the distance between the wheels it's five feet two inches check the automobile association and find out what foreign make car measures that wheel distance you got it right check automobile association and find out what foreign car measures two five feet two inches in width between wheels that's right five feet two inches when you find the make of the car call the bureau of motor vehicles and check who owns the car of that make it can't be very common after you find out call me back right here all right nick I'll get to the bureau of motor vehicles right away oh what's the number where you are Virginia nine oh five six eight right now wait for your call right nick I'll hurry bye and Mr. Prentice I'm sorry I kept you waiting that's quite all right I'll be running along now I have a great deal to do in a short time good day nick I've got news yeah the car measuring a width of five feet two inches is an english arrow there are only four in the whole state and only one in the city and that's owned by John Prentice what Prentice of the citizens reform league right you don't suppose he could oh hold on a minute nick someone's coming in oh it's sergeant Matheson hi sergeant hi patsy patsy look yeah Prentice may be in this and we've got to check the other three people who own aero cars before we can make sure yeah wait a minute what what is it nick two mugs came into the drug store just now they're watching me oh nick I recognize one of them hand handler named Eddie nick then Prentice is the boss what he was in the office when you called me and overheard our conversation right and he went out and phoned his men to pick me up oh nick what are the thugs doing now they're moving this way toward the phone booth and they've got guns oh quick patsy put Mary on the phone nick is in a real spot trapped in a phone booth with two of Prentice's men coming to pick him up we'll be back to see what happens in just a moment and now for the conclusion of the case of the persistent beggars today is nick Carter adventure brought to you by old Dutch cleanser as we pick up our story two of Prentice's thugs are headed toward the phone booth to get nick as Matty's voice comes over the wire yeah nick what is it matty I've got to talk fast two mugs have me trapped in a drug store phone booth at river and forth I'll have every prowl car in the neighborhood down there in five minutes nick five minutes maybe too late they're here now listen matty if you missed me here try that big deserted warehouse next to the fur exchange drop that phone Carter another word and I'll blow your brains out yeah we're going for a little ride wise guy the boss wants to see you well Carter it looks as though you've outsmarted yourself and the contrary Prentice you've outsmarted yourself your racket has ended my dear Carter my work may be ended but so is yours wait a minute Carter you say the boss here is Prentice that's right Louis Prentice head of the citizens reform league the man who sent you up the river why you double cross don't make a move Louis the same goes for you Carter as you see I've got a gun take off that mask why not Louis there you are so yeah Prentice that citizens reform stuff was just a exactly Louis I'm about to retire with my earnings naturally I intend that both of you will retire also and permanently you'll have to work fast Prentice if you expect to carry out your plan Mr. Carter you want to rate me I have plenty of time first a bullet into each of you then through this window and what's that the police Prentice police okay Prentice but I warned you Louis thanks for the opening Prentice smash the light will you Carter that won't help you miss me how to hit what you can't see isn't it fast this most effective way I'm all right turn on your flash yeah hey what's Prentice doing here Prentice I he's the big boss of this whole panhandling racket what and the other one with the bullet wound you already know big Louis Arkin I'll say I know him he looks in bad shape Mary you better get what you can out of him what he can still talk Nick I just spoke to Sergeant Matheson over the phone oh yeah big Louis gave him the whole story before he died all about the killing of Foxy Farrell everything you know Patsy it's funny how Prentice masqueraded as a respectable citizen for so long why big Louis whom Prentice sent up the river never knew who his boss in this racket was well anyway Nick the sergeant tells me this panhandling racket is definitely finished oh speaking of panhandling Patsy I've got something on my conscience on your conscience yes seven dollars and 25 cents it's the money I'm mooched while I was snuffy Davis remember hey what'll I do with it well uh why not give it to your boys club Nick ah Patsy you would think of a nice thing like that that way the money will really go to help those who need it and that's what it was given to me for Nick is old Dutch cleanser bringing us an exciting adventure next week I should say they are Bob how about it Patsy oh you can say that again what's it all about well all of a sudden there are series of accidents way up in the skyscrapers of the city yes men fall to their deaths and a mysterious killer roams the buildings not to mention a pale on the wrong side of a windowsill in an empty office and a bad dream that Patsy had oh but you haven't heard the best part of it Bob if you knew what Nick did to catch the killer whoa that's enough for now uh what do you call this story Nick I call it the case of the careless employees Nick Carter master detective is presented each week at this time and over these same stations by the Cuddehy packing company makers of old Dutch cleanser Nick Carter master detective produced and directed by joc Mcgregor is copyrighted by street and smith publications incorporated Lawn Clark is starred as Nick with Charlotte Manson featured as Patsy Matty is played by Ed Latimer today's script was written by Max Ehrlich original music is played by George Wright this program is fictional and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental this is Bob Martin saying when minutes count use all Dutch cleanser this is the mutual broadcasting system