 Good evening. This is crime classics. I am Thomas Highland with another true story of crime Listen, that's a frigate cutting through the Caribbean It's just before dawn and cloudless is the sky The year is 1736 when the stars were younger than they are now and shone more brightly and This particular sky of tropic brilliance was a navigator's dream Land was close and a trade wind Bellied the mainsail and set the good frigate scutting and daylight was just beyond the horizon there at the wheel the helmsman John Richardson and Holding his bottle for him was a small and drunken friend Richard Coyle sank in six minutes and drew sharks The helmsman and his friend got away only to commit other nuisances on the seven seas So tonight my report to you on Coyle and Richardson. Why they hung in a spanking breeze crime classics a Series of true crime stories from the records and newspapers of every land from every time your host each week Mr. Thomas Highland connoisseur of crime student of violence and teller of murders Now once again, Mr. Thomas Highland 1736 the place went good with rum. It was hot There were a lot of mosquitoes and in every nook and cranny there were dark-eyed beauties It was necessary to fortify oneself Beside which Havana was under almost continual attack by parrots and buccaneers Some of whom stayed over because of the rum So the town was people mostly beside the dark-eyed beauties that is by Transient cutthroats deserting sailors runaway slaves uncaught murderers and generally speaking Black-hearted naves all in all a populace dedicated to Saturday night One of the fellows who just had Saturday night and was lying in an alley was a deserting semen named John Richardson That's John for you and here comes dick dick Coyle Little man who robbed drunken sailors here. They come such a big one. Yeah, mate So much of you unconscious Now let's see what you got in your pockets to make a small one like me more comfortable Now here Little scary Going through my pockets were you? Oh, you wanted mate life or just twist your neck Little sparrow think I will twist your head clean off. No, mate No, mate. Listen to me. That's what it's an important thing. I got to tell you mate. Ah I swear and something to give you to mate Hey, no Hey, what ain't you? I'm John Richardson John Richardson. Oh John Big John I'll be a John what weasel and you do it and miss you to keep me from killing you Now why should you be killing me for stealing my pockets dry? Oh, I was leaning close over here to see if you'll be big John Richardson Because I got this for you What this watch? This watch I'm holding up for you See how it spins John See how pretty from a chain pretty gold Pretty and that's yours big John Richardson Take it you weren't looking for me to give me a watch What there comes a sailor John With a sea bag John Whatever who can tell what's in the sea bag jewels maybe or what can be sold for money Could you take it from him John? Give me the watch you said you take that sea bag from the sailor boy, and I'll give it to you You swear I do John. Oh, I do Give me the watch first. Let's see what's in the sea bag Oh, I here's a pretty John a knitted hat Put it on John do I'll help you There how nice you look John A ship was born and all over the Caribbean's people ducked when John Richardson and Dick Coyle came into town However, there were the unwarned the unwary For instance on a night in Port-au-Prince Alaska off a trader You can pluck the earring from his ear John get him. It's the boy John help yourself It looks fine a new ear or on a night in Roanoke Just when the colonists were finally going good in there with the Indians got nothing Doesn't have them before us work the night and then Professionals that they were they were ready for New York and they made out Well, the big city folks hadn't heard about them. So no one was ducking and Just when big John and little dick were raking it in so to speak You guessed it a woman put me down He's a strong one John is Haney Bertha. Oh, yes John hey, would you like to kiss miss Noldy? He'd like to kiss you Johnny kiss her again John kiss her Don't you do it John? Don't you do nothing to me? I'll even be John. I just want to tell him I'm listening at you John. I Like this one Dickey. I Like to marry this one. I'll be blue. I like you too, John My friend would consider it indeed a great honor if you give him your hand in Marion. Oh, I'd love to Finding the marriage of Bertha Nolding and John Richardson They moved into a small cottage and took him one border You know who I'm was so enamored with Bertha the dick couldn't get him to go out nights and do their routine on the ducks So soon their money ran out. Let's go to see again John boy Bertha. Yes, John boy. He wants me to go to see again Why the money's run out Why don't you go to see again John boy and they got a berth on the good ship Malta Queen shipping tower out of Boston Picking up sugar out of a van and taking it to Florida and one night just before dawn John was at the wheel and coil was by his side Have another John boy drink Oh Good rum Havana rum is the best and look what you've done And what have I done? Let go the wheel and look at the zigzag you're making Come wheel come to me We I'll have you another John boy Happy you mate. Well, I couldn't see I knew it. No Good in the eye. I good Give me a for instance. Give me one Johnny boy off the bow there The kiss of three sisters rock they call it No, well when I say you're thinking we'll hit it with the boatie now the way we're sailing I do that we won't Sharp eyes me now The frigate sank in six minutes It is interesting to note that the coral rock known as the kiss of three sisters was later changed by semen to sharks feast rock And so it remains today Coil and Richardson however clung to a spar and drifted to shore the sole survivors of their grizzly mistake They were picked up from an eight-hole in Key West by a pirate band with whom they made fast friends as their Personal philosophies were very much akin In six months Richardson and Coil were back in New York Sunburned and broke They made their way immediately to the little cottage where resides John's wife Bertha and what did you bring from me John? I had your name tattooed to me No, what a thing to bring to a wife Dick here had your name tattooed the M2 No, did you do I read across me chest? Mrs. Belfer Richardson Your love the two of you Now I have a surprise for you what be it I've got eight Hundred pounds Of you know my daddy dear died of the jumping blanders. Oh cool man And eight hundred pounds he left did he he did indeed and where's the Poland's me? Darlin mrs. Richardson in the loose brick there Keeping it as a surprise for my wandering Johnny boy Come to me Johnny boy Hey Johnny boy, I missed you do it John a pretty throat John We'll have that money John Done it lad at John boy. Let go Johnny boy. You've done it. She is John the money's here Just like Bertha said what a surprise for a home common boat leaving that very night for Italy The Sorrento dove Captain Lucian Faber master the boy is signed on Three nights at sea a dick coil got the first mate so drunk that all he had to do was lead him by the hand and That's how coils friend Richardson got to be first mate down the Grand Canal Enjoying the sights and the company of Carlotta Faber It was my husband kind to you a question asked because Captain Lucian Faber was her husband and Captain Faber was the master of the vessel that had brought the lads to Venice. I Was kind to them you're pretty well, mr. Coyle now the captain asked jabbing dick coil with his elbow What's the elbow captain and my mate stumbled overboard? I made Richard's in there take his place and when I lost my second in the blow off the Azores Well, I promoted mr. Coyle didn't die Please captain and a fine mate. I'd say mr. Richardson did make I need to be saying through mr. Captain Faber. I'll look it on there sleeping like a babe Big John Richardson Bambino Bambino Colotta you promise not to talk Italian when I come home I've got no way of knowing what you said when I said simply that mr. Richardson was a large baby large Captain yes, how come you come to settle here in Venice captain Colotta her home She doesn't want to leave. I want to take her to Camden, New Jersey to live my home But the dear darling wanted to stay here in Venice But did you say dear darling nothing bring yourself here dear darling and lean against me Come no now you just come here. Oh, no Now you don't have to be bashful about my I will move I will awaken this great Bino who has fallen asleep in such a way that I let's don't wake him captain. He'll just caught her up Let's talk about what we started out to talk about Joining me always wanted to own a ship What are you humming for Colotta dear darling I want to hum that is all Oh Yes, go on. What were you saying join me always wanted a boat ain't saying we've got enough to buy a whole boat Not a whole boat such as yours But how far both how much you're holding me sir 600 pounds can't tell you no partnership for so little seven captain I'm loading cargo tomorrow for Honduras. This is before I get clearing. I'm needing more than seven. Mr Hey, and that's all we've got and that's all I need We'll draw papers in the morning good full part more money and one of us gets further dead The share goes to the other three Johnny boy we We own half a boat Johnny ah half a boat How'd I get here? Oh Try this of all your own ladies The Santa Malta Queen to be run up on the rocks John. This is our own ship John me boy That's thinking you're doing when you say it's a shame only half the ship belongs to us And such a shame to I say why do you say that? What could be in that thinking brain eels? You said it was a shame only half the ship. You said it so it must be a shame Shall I tell you why John boy? Because half a ship is half a cargo and half a profit And the whole ship will have listened John boy. We contracted with a captain one partner dies He shared goes to the other Hey He's in his cabin John boy. It is hammock peaceful and Let's have him an accident John boy Hey now Hey, I pre-boult Mr. Richardson mr. The captain's calling to us. Oh, it's a good day for us John boy You know who is a nice lady? Uh-huh the captain's wife She's a widow you can marry wear Yeah, what can I do for you, mr. A steward you be holding the blunder bus under lock and key And so well, let's have it like let's have it only the captain asks for the blunder bus and gets it mr The first mate here wants it. I want it only the captain wants it and gets it John boy All right on this blunder bus come along John It's a beautiful way to die Johnny boy Sleeping in a hammock with softy dreams put the muzzle to him John and send him on Well do it The key do it. I can't Fraggers start what is happening her Strangle him John boy throw the gun aside and strangle it Strangle them run put the gun aside Strangle them. Oh, what what do you want me to do? Picture first a frigate under full sail on the Honduras run see scowl rigging of ship now on rigging captain of ship Fresh from a noonday snooze and hammock who from force of habit had time only to grab his plume captain's hat scared below him on deck Dickey coil and John Richardson Dickey threatening the captain's life and John fingering the trigger of a blunder bus which had a pretty good range and Now gathering toward the scene of this nautical picture the crew muttering pointing and wide-eyed Now the picture moves as the captain holds on with one hand and just circulates with the other Listen to me I'm your captain and you who have sailed with me before No, oh, how well you know that I have a few of you has it in him to stand by and watch his Captain Paris Which of you does not remember the storms? I've sailed you through the still seas and the torrents And which of you could not come to me in times of stress Needing advices or medicine and I would give it to you Man, I ought to go to men Who wish to murder me and throw me into iron when I get back on deck Just to a ship where fair play had been practiced only shifted their feet and Listened just as attentively to what Dickey coil had to say and Dickey coil said it Oh man, I'll divide with all of you what monies that are in the captain's chest the trigger John boy Fixed or John about around John boy and let's go back to Venice. Say it. Oh, yes You can your husband's dead mom. You tell me this foot caught my heart mom and over I went in a stormy was Men beg him to stay below. They loved him. So but not him brave fool that he was Well, you say it there came here a steward to my husband from whom you rested the blunder But he would not give you he has told me the story. How you shot John boy. We'd better run. We best leave here John boy From a Venetian chronicle of the time Richardson and coil were apprehended by the local police on the Ponti vacchio where they were splitting a goat's skin of wine When taken in custody, they were dressed as gondoliers In prison Richard coil convinced his jailer that a terrible mistake had been made that he and his friend were indeed Servants to the king of Naples They were released don't feel too badly good mine mistakes will happen Come on, John. The king must be worried. Come come only to be apprehended again when they paused over another skin of wine And they were tried and found guilty of murder and mutiny and one day They were letting chains to a ship of the Navy which was about to sail The order of execution had it that Richard coil was to die first, but there was a conference You want to go first? Don't you John boy? Well, I Want to go first so the order was reversed And as the ship sailed to sea they were hanged from a yard on and past the breakwater. They were cut down John Richardson hit the water first Reports and newspaper accounts by Morton Fine and David Friedkin The music was composed by Bernard Herman and conducted by Lud Glaskin and the program is produced and directed by Elliott Lewis Thomas Highland is portrayed on radio by Lou Merrill in tonight's story Water Tetley was hurt as coil and Clayton Post is Richardson Featured in the cast where Georgia Ellis her Butterfield Gladys Holland and Charles Colbert Gil Warren speaking I'm forces radio and television service