 The challenge of the Yukon It's Yukon King swiftness and strongest lead dog of the Northwest Placing the trail for Sergeant Preston of the Northwest mounted police in his relentless pursuit of lawbreakers Gold gold discovered in the Yukon a stampede to the Klondike in the wild race for riches Back to the days of the gold rush with sergeant Preston and his wonder dog Yukon King as they meet the challenge of the Yukon Sergeant Preston entered the Northwest mounted police headquarters in Dawson with a great dog Yukon King at his side Understand the inspector wants to see me. That's right sergeant. He knew you got back in town last night for 40 miles He told me this morning to send for you. He's waiting in his office now. Oh, I'll go right in stay here king Morning inspector, I just received your message. Good morning, Sergeant Preston. Sit down. Thank you Sergeant how soon will you be able to leave for Selkirk within the hour sir good? I've just received a telegraph report. There have been three robberies and a murder down there within the past ten days None of them has been solved and the constable has no clues. I see I want you to get down there at once a Constable Higgins is a good man and clever people must be operating there to pull the wool over his eyes Jack Higgins is a good man sir if he's calling for help. It's mighty unusual. I agree I think you can make the trip on hospice before the snow flies sergeant if you start immediately That's right sir. I'll leave it in the hour and take King with me I'm counting on you to break those cases sergeant I have a feeling that they've all been the work of the same person or persons. I'll do my best, sir I'm sure you will good luck and goodbye sergeant. Bye, sir After making the long and tedious trip from Dawson to Selkirk in record time Sergeant Preston and King arrived at their destination went directly to the constable's office The constable immediately started the discussion of the cases on which he needed help I tell you sergeant. It's a mystery to me the way those jobs have been pulled without leaving any clues I've really done my best So far I've been up against a blank wall. I understand there was a murder. That's right Mrs. Mears has been raising hob with me because the victim was her starboarder Then he was murdered in her roaming house. You mean the Hazel Mears? Yes She was at the opera house with friends the night it happened Victim was Hank Collins an old sourdough who struck it rich and sold out his claim for plenty of cash I remember Hank Friend of his went to see him that night The light in the room was burning and the door was locked Hank didn't answer his knock then what well He stood outside the door in the hall. He heard a shot in Hank's room Some men rushed up from downstairs and they broke in the door Found Hank dead. There was no gun. No clues. What about Hank's cash stolen? What's more the door and the two windows were locked on the inside. I've been stumped. That's enough to stump anybody What about the other robberies before Hank was robbed and murdered there were two other robberies The first took place in the bank at noon Just happened that Mrs. Mears was in the bankers private office at the time and the other ones I Second robbery was at the express office at night. The safe was broken into and a couple of thousand dollars taken Then came Hank's murder. How do you know robbery was the motive for Hank's murder? Well, he was known to have taken a large sum of cash out of the bank that afternoon Tended to ride to Elk landing the next day to buy a trading post there Hank thought he'd like running a store And there were no clues at all. I now I could find sergeant made out complete reports on the robberies and the murder There they are good. I'll read them tonight and King and I'll see what we can turn up in the morning Meantime Hazel Mears looked at the clock on the desk in her upstairs sitting room in the boarding house shield After five o'clock The bank closes at five on the dock. So now I'll take that cash box to Jim Drake's office Getting her hat and coat Hazel took a tin cash box from the desk and left the house a Short time later. She entered the office of the mining company Well, Mrs. Mears. This is a pleasure. How are you mr. Drake? Yes, fine Is there something I may do for you? Thank you You know, I don't know what's the trouble with me lately, but I just don't seem to remember to attend a certain thing It's age creeping up on me. What do you think mr. Drake? Oh, no, no, nothing like that. Mrs. Mears you But you carry your age very well What I meant to say is you You seem quite young Yes, that's what I really meant. I see you to say that mr. Drake a woman likes to receive compliments from Handsome man, and of course, I'm no exception. I I've never been called. Well Handsome before it's nice to hear you say that even if it isn't true Why mr. Drake, of course, it's true Why just the other day I heard one of the women in town refer to you as the handsome and keen-minded Businessman Jim Drake really Well, I'm glad I make a good impression around town. Oh, you do mr. Drake By the way here. I am forgetting again. I Forgot for a few moments why I came in here to see you. Oh, oh, yes, yes What is it you wanted mrs. Mears? I really hate to bother you, but well This cash box contains a fairly large sum of rent money I meant to get it to the bank before it closed for the day But when I thought of it the bank was already closed. I see I'm sure you'll agree It isn't too safe to have cash lying around in the room One never knows who might find out and try to steal it. Oh, of course. That's very true I brought it in to you hoping you wouldn't mind keeping it overnight in your company say Of course if it does come too much. Oh, not at all mrs. Mears. Not at all I'll be glad to keep it in the safe for you. Oh, thank you so much. Here's the cash box. Yes, I'll put it in the safe right now Safe and sound until you call for it in the morning. Oh, it's such a relief to me Well, thank you again. Mr. Drake. That's all right. I'll come for the cash box tomorrow to take it to the bank Goodbye for now. Goodbye That evening Hazel Mears sat at the desk in her upstairs sitting room She was an earnest conversation with two of her boarders Rocky Lewis a gambler at the cafe and Dirk Miles a tough-looking man who did part-time Carbon to work around town Hazel was saying well boys. We have a good setup and nobody suspects that we're involved in what's happened Yeah, he's always sure have That constable's fusses about everything. He's been running around like a chicken with its head cut off looking for clues After I plug the old sourdough and grabbed his cash the constable went over the room with a fine tooth comb He couldn't figure out how anyone got in there and out again when the window was locked and the door was bolted on the inside Yeah The other three members of our gang take the loot out to their hideout at the trapper shack That keeps us in the clear even if someone did suspect and investigate around here The job for tonight is all set like you planted, Hazel. Where are the boys? They'll meet us behind the mine and office nine. It's almost nine o'clock now Here I wrote down the safe combination on this slip of paper Hero wonder how did you get it easy Rocky? I waited until the bank was closed Then I locked my tin cash box which was stuffed with paper and went into the mine and office I asked Jim Drake to keep it in his safe until the bank opens in the mornings, and it was rent collections I'd guess me a laugh the way you have the important men in town thinking you're so kind of friend Comes in handy Rocky. Mr. Drake said he'd be glad to keep the cash box for me Miley opened the safe to put it in there. I watched close and got the combination. That's all there was to it Well, you're going to meet the others I'll go out to the shack tomorrow to divvy up the take right They're gonna stop the cafe a while after the job's done, of course Yeah, and all of you wear the masks I made for you just in case Now you sure you can get in dirt that back door is thick and the boats on the inside are heavy sure When I built that petition and Drake's office last week I waited till he went to dinner and then I put real short screws and place of the long ones in the iron Band that holds the bolt the least bit of pushing will rip them out and the door will open You being a handyman around town is a big help dirt. Thanks. I'll get going to meet the boys on there Dirk and Rocky left Hazel's house and keeping to the shadows went to the back of the mining company office Well, the other three men of the gang were waiting I'll get your masks on boys Combination the safe for us a job will be simple. Come on All we have to do is give a good shove against the back door of the office. I got it fixed so it'll bust open easy Let's go All right now all together let's shove against the door Doesn't seem to be given to you sure you keep shoving come on Did it a couple of you act as lookouts We've all been the safe and clean it out including Hazel's tin catch box. Come on. You got the paper with a combination on it Yeah, here it is Light a match, huh? All right Now here goes left 21 right 10 Left 30 Was easy now Rocky help me get the stuff out of there. We'll get it away from here to hurry. Come on Get busy looks like we really struck it rich here, too. Yeah Yeah, now close and lock the safe again When Drake comes in tomorrow morning, he sure gonna get a big shock when he opens that safe Yeah Anything sure gonna be puzzled wondering how everything disappeared from the safe and it was locked now. Let's get out of here I mean clear out here fellas set to separate now I'll take the loot out to the shack the rest of you go into the cafe one at a time so as not to attract attention I'm each all there later. Gotcha The following morning Sergeant Preston and King were about to leave the constable's office with the mining company manager Jim Drake hurriedly entered Well, Jim Drake, how are you? I'm fine sergeant fine. I'm glad to find you here very good something wrong Someone broke into the mining office during the night and robbed the safe. They blow the same. No, no, that's what I can't understand I Noticed the back door had been forced open a safe was closed and locked But when I opened it it was cleaned out There was about the five thousand dollars in paper bills stolen along with the tin cash box I was keeping for hazel nears. I see Who else has a safe combination for the owner of the company, but he's in Dawson City We'll go over with you and investigate. Maybe King can pick up a trail sergeant. Well, I'm hoping constable. Let's go come along King Oh At the mining office the two Mouties looked around carefully Then they stepped outside the back door and scrutinized the ground Finally sergeant Preston spoke to mr. Drake. Many people use this back door, Jane Yes, sergeant the men who work in the mine use it when they have occasion to come to the office. I see I Noticed all the footprints, but there's no way of knowing which would be those of the crooks This is the way it's been with the other job sergeant either by accident or otherwise the possible clues seem to be covered Wonder if this could be the work of the same persons who pulled those other jobs You mean you think the same crooks are responsible for the other two robberies and the murder? I have no definite reason for thinking so Jack But the fact that they leave no clues and operate so cleverly gives the same pattern to all of them Let's go back inside. All right You spoke of a tin cash box you were keeping for hazel nears mr. Drake. Yes, that's right She was too late to get it to the bank so she came here and asked me to put it my safe He said it contained rent money does she know about the robbery it cool not yet. We'll stop by and tell her I want to find out just how much was in that box. Come on. Jack. We'll go with a hazel's place now All right, let's go king a Short time later the two Mounties knocked on the door of hazel's boarding house Sergeant Preston in the constable. I didn't know you were in town sergeant. I arrived last night hazel The constable and I brought you some bad news Do come on inside. Thanks. You come in to king Go right into the park. Oh Now what's the bad news you brought sergeant the mining company's safe was robbed during the night great day another robbery Did they lose much enough? How much did you lose? What do you mean? Didn't you leave the cash box yesterday to be put into that safe? Yes So that's what you meant when you were saying you brought bad news. That's right. How much was in the cash box? Oh a couple of hundred. I reckon the loss won't break me Did you find any clues that might lead to the clocks? No, not yet too bad That gang must be smart to cover up like they do gang hazel. Well, whoever it is Oh, I'd like to look over the room where Hank Collins was murdered if you don't mind Sure, I'll take you up there. Come on. Come with us king. It's right up these spares Nobody rent that room since it happened. I reckon you heard about how it was locked up from the inside. I told the sergeant about that This is the room sergeant Sergeant Preston examined the room closely While hazel and the constable stood watching he checked the window latch and the bolt on the door He opened the door in a side wall and found an empty closet and then as he was about to turn away He heard a low muffled cough Preston watched sharply as the great dog Yukon King Sniffed along the base of the wooden partition that formed the back wall of the closet Preston turned and spoke. Come on, King. There's nothing in the closet to help us Mystery how anybody got in and out of here leaving both windows locked and the door bolted I had the bolt on the door thick since they had a break into the room Oh, I bet he's having a good laugh about how he fooled everybody. Oh the killer, of course Oh, I see this is a corner room I'd like to see the room next to this one the room beyond that closet Sure. Sure. Come on. Mr. Miles isn't in but I have a master key so as we can get in He doesn't seem to work so well, but I'll get a minute those miles Newcomer here and sell Kirk Sergeant been here about three months the carpenter and locksmith general handyman around town A door over there opens into a closet doesn't it yes must back up to the closet and Hank Collins around that's right I'll look inside He has a few clothes hanging on the hooks in there. So I see I Should think it would be handier to have hooks in the back wall of the closet instead of off to each side Any reason why hooks weren't put there? No sergeant just happened that way I noticed the other side of this petition was clear of hooks to You sure notice everything sergeant part of my business. I Seem solid enough. Oh, it's solid. All right Hey sergeant come on down and I'll fix some coffee if you'd like We've seen enough here, but don't bother with coffee. Thanks. We haven't time and thanks for showing us the rooms As they walked along the street after leaving the boarding house Preston was saying jack I think we're going to solve that murder along with the robberies, but we'll have to move carefully Makes you think you can solve it. I was beginning to think it was a perfect crime too perfect, Jack If one of the windows had been on last it had been more fun, but people can't walk through wall sergeant That depends on the wall I'm convinced Hazel knows a great deal about what's happened. Why do you say that? She seemed to forget about that cash box for one thing and then said there were only a couple of hundred dollars in it She's had that much in the house before Why should she want to put it in a safe place like the safe in the mining office? He come to think of it. She did act sort of indifferent. Yes, she lied about the rumor miles being out I heard a man cough on the other side of that petition. You must have been listening there, but the room was empty. I know Hazel stalled as she unlocked the door Frankly, I suspect someone was in that room and she stalled long enough to give him a chance to go into the other room But how could he I looked at two closets over closely Jack I'm almost sure the petition between them opens It's the only possible way anyone could have gone in Collins room while the doors and windows were locked on the inside Well, then we'd better pick up Hazel and that man miles for questioning. No, not that But I do think Hazel knows too much I want to get everyone involved Jack and we'll have to be sure if we tip them off They were suspicious it would spoil things. I'll head to the office and make some plans After the two Mounties left the house Dirk Miles was talking to Hazel I don't like the way that big Mountie this sergeant was asking questions and snooping Hazel You have reason not to like a jerk. I'm sure he suspects something by the way. He was looking into those closets What are we gonna do? There's only one thing to do Remember you've got a murder rap hanging over your head. Yeah, I know that then you've got to finish off Sergeant Preston. Hey are you local? He's always got that dog with him if I tried to ambush him He's liable to turn the tables and give me the bullet leave it to me Dirk Six months ago Preston was in town with a couple other Mounties The constable couldn't put him up so Preston and one of the others stayed here at my place What's that got to do with me? Just this I'll get Preston to move into Hank Collins room tonight His dog will stay down in the kitchen where he stayed last time Then while the Mounties asleep you go in and knife him Beat it out to the shack and stay there while the constable sweats over another mystery murder Well, I'll go hunt up Preston and persuade him to take that room Later sergeant Preston and the constable were discussing the situation Jack my idea is to keep a constant watch on Hazel and Dirk Miles Also, I'd like a chance to get into Hank's room without Hazel's knowledge so I can test my theory about those closet I'll point out miles to you as soon as I get the chance I don't know how you can work it to Sergeant after you left I got to thinking oh about what you enjoyed staying at my place once remember It was that time when you and another Mountie needed a room Yes, I remember well I like to keep my house filled and and I need the income from that room Hank Collins had It's one of my best It'd be a great favor to me if you'd stay in it while you're in town rent-free Just to show folks. There's nothing to worry about but Sergeant Preston has a bunk over at my cabin There's no reason for frankly Jack the accommodations at the boarding house are much better than you provide If you don't mind, I think I'll do as Hazel suggests after all it will help her rent the room later Nor right Sergeant just as you say fine fine you bring King along And he'll have that nice place in the kitchen he had before Sergeant all right. I'll move in after supper tonight Hazel I'll look forward to a good night's rest and a fine-sourced bed And I think King likes sleeping in your kitchen then do boy Well, I'll have the room ready for you then now I have to do a little shop and You tonight so no, bye Holy smoke Sergeant you might end up a corpse if you sleep in that room tonight. Don't worry Jack This is the break we've been looking for now listen after I move in the boarding house This is what I want you to do that night Sergeant Preston went to the boarding house Seeing that King was comfortable in the kitchen the Sergeant went to his room and locked the door After making certain preparations he put out the light the shutters were closed and the room was in complete darkness About an hour later Dirk Myles waiting in the closet of his room heard muffled snores Now he's asleep Now's my chance Dirk reached out and grasped a small handle screwed to the back partition near one corner and Hidden by his coat which hung from one of the side hooks He tugged a moment and then the wooden partition slid back Slowly Dirk entered the other closet and opened the door into Preston's room Moving slowly in the darkness toward the bed Dirk could barely make out the outline of a figure under the covers He paused a moment Then he raised his arm high and the steel blade of a knife plunged downward and thud it into the covers Dirk waited. He heard a low groan and then complete silence Quickly he entered the closet and closed the sliding partition behind him A moment later the figure of Sergeant Preston arose from behind the bed He struck a match and stood looking down at the vicious knife sticking into the roll of blankets under the bed covers I was right about the petition on those closets Now I'll get to the door and be ready to follow him when he leaves the other room Sergeant Preston waited just inside the door to Colin's room until he was sure the killer was on the way downstairs Then he quietly opened the door and moving quickly peered over the baluster at the fleeing figure He recognized Miles and the description the constable had given him a moment later He heard the front door close now I'll get King so we can follow that man The constable who was waiting near the wood shed behind the house saw Miles come out and ride away The moment later he saw Sergeant Preston running taught him with King happened just as I thought it would Jack I followed that man downstairs and watched him right away just now was Dirk miles I was sure that where the horses behind the shed a logical thing will be for him to report my death to the gang We'll follow him. Let's go. Come on King Easy like he's Miles is far enough away now, so it's safe to follow. Let's go. Come on King Later that night Dirk reached the trapper shack. Oh, oh Rocky and the other three were waiting as Dirk entered. How do you think? That Mounties and Hank Collins room with a knife stuck in the body is locked in that room And I fix a petition from on my side so they won't slide anymore That's in case Preston mentioned something to the constable about being suspicious. Yeah, that was smart Hayes is gonna ride out here later soon. She gets rid of mr. Drake He came over to talk about the robbery with her fools I'd pop if he got side of that tin cash box setting there What's the idea he must have trailed Dirk out here I did he's wanted for murder the rest of you're involved Holy smoke, they must have found Preston already not taken me. He hasn't got no proof of anything We'll get the proof. Don't worry. I said you're not taking me Someone's with him that shot came through the window Preston Dirk you said you got If you weren't wanted I'd ring your neck Yes, the rest of the loot got the guns jack Hazel came to the party too I don't know how you got here sergeant, but I don't believe in ghosts. So Dirk must have slipped up But this time you will be a corpse along with the constable Drop your gun I'm king on fella Hazel dropped a gun jack. I think we have them all under control. I'll get the other guns There's plenty on all of you Including Hank Collins murder at sliding partition was clever But it was the only possible way anyone could manage to get out of that locked room That must be the tin cash box. She left at the mining office to put into the safe. Yes I'd say she asked Drake to take care of it so she could watch and get the combination Smart aren't you? You're not? We're arresting all of you in the name of the crown for robbery and murder Dirk Myers did the killing you can't bring that charge against me. She planned everything including my death That's right You see constable they can't wait to put the noose around each other's necks We'll take the stolen loot and get these crooks back to town hazel mirrors gang is finished and this case is closed In our next adventure The sergeant could hear the indian drums as he stopped his team in front of the trading post The factor greeted him with a question sergeant. What did the chief son do that made you kill him? I don't know what you're talking about the chief son wasn't killed The indians say you kill him. You want a man in a white coat? That was dr. Warren the boy had appendicitis the doctor operated but it was too late to save him natural death Of course, we'll never be able to convince the indians of that. I warn you keep away from their village But the sergeant must go to the indian village for a desperate outlaw is hiding there And not only the criminals guns, but the rifles of the whole tribe will be turned against him Don't miss this next exciting adventure These radio dramas a feature of the challenge of the uconn incorporated are created by george w trendle produced by trendle Campbell enterprises Directed by fred flower day and supervised by charles d. Livingston The part of sergeant preston is played by paul Sutton The challenge of the uconn is brought to you every saturday and sunday This is j michael wishing you goodbye and good luck until our next adventure This is the mutual broadcasting system