 It's a case for Nick Carter, Master Detective. Yes, it's a case for that most famous of all man hunters. The detective whose ability at solving crime is unequaled in the history of detective fiction, Nick Carter, Master Detective. ["MARTER DETECTIVE"] Beginning the curious adventure called Murder by Magic, or Nick Carter and the mystery of the vanishing corpse. Having successfully solved the case of the missing baby, Nick with his two assistants, Patsy and Scubby, have come to Greensboro for a short but well-earned vacation. Well, Greensboro hasn't changed. And neither has his hotel lobby. It looks exactly the same as it did last summer. I only hope we have half as nice a vacation this time. Last summer was one. Yeah, it certainly was. Oh, Scubby, it's too bad you weren't with us. Well, you know, I'm Carter. Well, hello, Joe. I'm glad to see you. How are you, Joe? This is a surprise. Well, you folks come up pretty early in the season for a vacation, didn't you? Yeah, we felt we needed one. Oh, Joe, I want you to meet my assistant, Scubby Wilson. Scubby, this is Joe Hill, Greensboro's deputy sheriff. Well, hello, Joe. I'm mighty pleased to meet you. How long do you intend to stay with us, Nick? Oh, about a week, I hope. Well, Nick, I think I've left my purse in the car. Well, excuse me, I'll be back again. Sure. Say, Nick, I was just reading in the papers the way you busted up that baby-selling racket. What about telling me about it? Oh, no, no, nothing doing, Joe. I want to forget business for a few days. I came to Greensboro because it's the most peaceful village in the state. Oh, you have some excitement now, then? In this town? Yep. Well, this past week, there's been quite a bit of excitement here. What happened? Well, the main subject of conversation right now is the great Carlos. The great Carlos? Not the famous magician. Yes, sir. He came to Greensboro a week ago. Well, a famous magician sure must be slipping if he has to play spots like this. Yeah. Well, what would you say if I told you he's settling down here? Yeah, in Greensboro? Yes, sir. One day last week, he drove up to the town hall and one of the best-looking cars I ever saw. And you should have seen him. And his long-flowing cape, top hat, and cane when he came into Nelson's office. You remember Nelson, Nick? Yes, Nelson's a village judge, isn't he? Yeah, judge, justice of peace, and village treasurer, too. Oh, yes. Well, like I was saying, Carlos comes into Nelson's office and says he heard that the Drake mansion was for sale. The Drake mansion? Mm-hmm. Isn't that the place the village owns and tried to unload on me last summer? Yeah, that's right. Well, Nelson almost fell over when Carlos asked him the price of the place. And then right before our eyes, Carlos takes out his wallet and counts out $20,000, $1,000 bills. Mm-hmm. 20, $1,000 bills. Yes, sir. You could have knocked us over with a feather. Well, that was the first time I'd ever seen a $1,000 bill. Now I know what you mean when you said there was quite a bit of a psych in the village. Imagine his carrying that much money around. Let me tell you, Nelson didn't waste any time having the sheriff take the money at the bank. So the great Carlos is now a resident of Greensboro. Yeah. But that ain't all. Nick, you should have seen what I just saw. That is, if I really saw it. What are you talking about, Patsy? Well, I was getting my purse out of the car. I saw a man coming toward the hotel. He was wearing a black cape, a top hat, and a cane. Well, that was Carlos, the magician. Oh, but that isn't all. Following him like a dog was a half-grown black panther. A black panther? Yes, and this man in the panther entered the lounge of this hotel. Oh, Nick, you don't think I'm seeing things, do you? You ain't, Patsy. The panther is Carlos' pet. A panther for a pet? Yeah, it's got half the town scared to death. I should imagine so. Well, sounds like a sight worth seeing. Why don't you see if we drop into the lounge and take a look at Carlos and his panthers? Sure, that's something I don't want to miss. All right, if you folks water. The lounge is this way. OK. Nick, isn't it rather dangerous having a panther loose like that? Yes, Patsy, it might be. I can tell you right now it's going to cause trouble. By only yesterday, the sheriff and Carlos had a run-in about it. Well, here we are. And now, gentlemen, I shall perform a trick for you that no other man in the world but Houdini could perform. Nick, there's the panther lying at his feet. That's a beautiful specimen. It is too much for one of 200 pounds. You will note, gentlemen, that I have taken this man's watch, though he's not aware of it as yet. And now I place the watch, a duplicate of which I couldn't possibly have, on this table. And then I smash it. Thus, hey, you broke my watch. Patience, my friend. Patience. I now take this handkerchief, which, as you can see, is nothing more than a handkerchief. And I cover the remains of the watch with it. Thus. He can't really get that watch together again, can he? He's one of the world's greatest magicians, Patsy, and it is true. And having covered the remains of the watch with this handkerchief, I now remove it with one quick motion. Pesto. Hey, my watch, it's gone. Ah, yes it is, but only for a moment, sir. Now, if you will be so good as to look in the pocket of the man standing next to you, I think you will find your watch. You mean it's in Fred's pocket? Yes, you'll find it in his left full pocket, I believe. Hey, hey, let me look, Fred. Sure, sure. See, this my watch, and it's working OK. Hey, what are you talking about? Hey, come on, the world will do that. Patsy, that's one trick, even I can't explain. And now, gentlemen, if I may have your full attention, I shall demonstrate a trick that was performed before the crown heads of Europe. Uh-oh, trouble. Here comes the sheriff. Now, if one of you gentlemen will be good enough to volunteer his service. Ask him a moment, Carlos. Remember what I told you yesterday? Gentlemen, your worthy sheriff would have a word with me. Forgive this little interruption. I warned you yesterday about that panther. You've got to keep in cage. My dear sheriff, my panther Ebony has roamed freely wherever I've traveled, even in the courts of Europe. Pats, don't make no difference. He ain't roamin' free in Greensboro. Why, you country bumpkin, in intelligence and behavior, this beautiful animal is by far your superior. Now, just a minute. I don't want no trouble to you, Carlos. But I'm warning you, I'll shoot that panther on sight if he ain't caged. Did you hear that, Ebony? Yes. This oath will kill you on sight unless I put you in a cage. Just listen to him, Sheriff. You can see that he doesn't like the idea. What I said goes, Carlos. Then don't forget it. I'm afraid, Ebony, that the sheriff doesn't understand that you dislike being caged. Yes, you'll have to explain to him in your own way. Well, Nick, look at the way his cares lies you back and forth. Yes, I don't like this. Carlos, you better control that panther. My dear sheriff, Ebony knows exactly what he's doing. If he comes any closer, I'll shoot him. Keep away, I tell you. Sheriff, he's going to spring. Lay out. Oh, Ebony, why, you've killed him. It was him or me, Carlos. I told you I'd shoot him. You fool. That animal was worth five of you. I'll teach you to kill my pet. Sheriff, look out for his pain. Hey, that's for you. Hey, take him. Hey, take him. Wait a minute. Let go of my wrist. Drop that cane, Carlos. Drop it or I'll break your wrist. Sheriff, Sheriff, are you all right? Yeah. Yeah, Joe. Carlos, you're under arrest. What? Under arrest? For what may I inquire? For assault and battery. Why, this is ridiculous. Do you think that I, Carlos, Are you coming along peace with a jail or do I have to use force? You fool. The jail hasn't been built. It can hold the great Carlos against his will. You'll be wasting your time trying to keep me in prison. All right, that's enough talk, Carlos. Thanks for taking the cane away from him, Nick. That's quite all right, sir. Well, just a moment. You look familiar. Aren't you Nick Carter? Yes, I am. Well, I've heard quite a bit about you, Mr. Carter. Not only the detective, but as a fellow magician. Thanks, not at all. Now, I will overlook your having disarmed me this time. But please, don't interfere again. Or you may regret doing so. Thanks. I'll remember that. All right, come along, Carlos. I'm going to lock you up in one jail that you won't ever be able to escape from. Well, Sheriff, it looks as though the whole village has turned out this morning for Carlos' trial. Yeah, Nick. Well, better get the prisoner, Joe. Judge Nelson will be coming in any minute now. OK, Sheriff. See you later, Nick. Yes, Sheriff. Do you take a look at Carlos this morning, Joe? Yep, a little after dawn. I offered to get him some breakfast, but he said he was going out for it. He was going out for it? Yeah, he's some magician if he can do that. Oh, I'll be glad when we've seen the last of Carlos. There's something about that man I don't like. You want me to put the handcuffs on him, sure? No, that won't be necessary, Joe. Not for the two of us to... Joe. Yeah? Where is he? What? He's gone. Well, he must be here. He was in that cell just a couple of hours ago. But he's gone now and the cell door is still locked. Well, how could he have got now? Oh, I don't know. Come on, we better get back to the courtroom and tell Judge Nelson. Oh, this is going to make us look like the biggest fools in the village. Oh, gosh, Sheriff, it wasn't our fault. I'd like to know how we're going to explain it. Say, Sheriff, you think that guy really can break out of jails, him being a magician and all? Oh, gosh, Joe, I don't know what to believe. Hey, Judge! Judge! The prisoners escaped! I'll enter the... You say the prisoners escaped? Yes, sir. How did that happen? Oh, I can't figure it out, Judge. We searched Carlos before we locked him in the cell last night. Now he's gone. We couldn't have just walked out of there. Who had the keys to the jail? I've had them only every minute since we'd locked Carlos up and there ain't any duplicate. Look, how could he have gotten out? Oh, maybe a great magician like Carlos can break out of jail. What do you think, Nick? Oh, I doubt it, Skelly. It'd be quite a feat for anyone to... Good morning, gentlemen. I understand you're looking for me. Nick, it's Carlos. First, he escapes, then he comes back. Silence in the courtroom. Is the prisoner aware that he can be severely punished for escaping from his cell? But, Your Honor, I did so with the deputy sheriff's permission. What? That's a lie, Judge. It's the truth, Your Honor. Early this morning, when the deputy came to my cell to see if I wanted my breakfast, I told him I was going to have my breakfast outside. He laughed and said that if I could get out of my cell, it was all right with him. And how may I inquire did you manage to get out? I'm sorry, Your Honor, but that is the professional secret. The fact remains, Judge, the prisoner did escape from his cell. I demand to know how he did it. It can hardly be called escape, Your Honor, as I've returned of my own free will. Now, we'll pass over that for the moment and proceed with the charge against you. The charge is a salt and battery. How do you plead? Well, it is true, Your Honor, that I struck the sheriff, but it was entirely justified. He killed a pet of mine, which was worth five like himself. I'm afraid that hasn't any bearing on the charge. How to plead, guilty or not guilty? Um, guilty, Your Honor. Due to the fact that the prisoner has pleaded guilty and has saved the village the expensive trial, the court is inclined to be lenient with him. However, the prisoners escaped. Can't be overlooked. The verdict of the court is a $600 fine or 60 days in jail. $600? Why, that's robbery. Under the law, I could sentence you to as much as three years in the state penitentiary. Why, you country lout, do you know who I am? I am the great Carlos. The laws of ordinary men don't concern me. I am afraid in this case they do. Do you have your choice of paying the fine or going to prison? Well, I'll pay my fine, but mark my words. You will regret this day as long as you live. Here, here's your money, and with it is the curse of Carlos. Look, I've never seen anyone so furious. Sheriff, he's coming over this way. Yeah, don't start anything, Joe. Well, Sheriff, this seems to have been your day, but I'm afraid your triumph will be short-lived. Bear, what do you mean by that? I mean that within 24 hours, you will be dead. Dead? Yes, Sheriff. Oh, gosh, Nick, oh, I'm sure glad you're here. Mr. Carter's presence won't save the sheriff, and I warn you, Mr. Carter, don't interfere in that which doesn't concern you. It might be fatal. The sheriff will die within 24 hours. Nothing can prevent it. Well, it seems as though Nick is running to an adversary who's no ordinary man. The great Carlos has predicted that the sheriff will die in 24 hours and has warned Nick enough to interfere. We know Nick will not heed the warning, but will he be able to prevent Carlos from carrying out his threat? Listen, Monday. The strange adventures of Nick Carter, Master Detective, features Lon Clark as Nick Carter. Patsy is played by Helen Chote. The stories are written by Bob Arthur and David Cogan, and original music is played by Lou White. The entire production is under the direction of Jock McGregor. Monday night at the same time, listen to the further adventures of Nick Carter in the case entitled, Murder by Magic for Nick Carter and the mystery of the vanishing corpse. The adventures of Nick's adopted son, Chick Carter, Boy Detective, are broadcast over most of these stations Monday through Fridays at 5.30 p.m. eastern wartime. Nick's own show, The Return of Nick Carter, a copyrighted feature of Street and Smith Publications Incorporated, is presented by the Mutual Broadcasting System and is broadcast from our New York studios over most of these stations every evening Monday through Friday at 4.30 p.m. eastern wartime. This is Mutual.