 signal gasoline let every traffic signal remind you you do go farther with signal gasoline yes you do go farther with signal the signal oil company and your neighborhood signal dealer bring you another curious story by the whistler tonight escape to danger and I know many things for I walk by night I know many strange tales hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadow yes I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak to Frederick Pontiac an American citizen caught in Germany by the war death came slowly and painfully of starvation and torture in a cellar of a Nazi prison camp but death was not the end for Frederick Pontiac it was the beginning of a new and bizarre chapter for he died only a few days too early and his body was hardly cold before his captors saw the handwriting on the wall put there by Allied shells yes the Nazis ours were numbered and they all knew it and that was when a plan was hatched in the brain of commander Ernst von Muller commandant of the prison a man high on the list of war criminals where is the man that term in the cellar he died last night I think he'll do I must look at him first you will have to hurry the American swine will be here soon they are storming to him now yeah yeah you have the dossier and what's the man's name that term Pontiac Frederick Pontiac yeah I have it Friedrich von here yeah Friedrich von here this one is Friedrich Pontiac see no I mean he was an old man but see commander the bone structure the hair and eyes of course he is very in now he has aged but you will see by the dossier he is put 40 your age and you will see by the photograph and the dossier there striking resemblance to yourself you won't need to change your face a commandant let me see the dossier doctor yeah thank you Friedrich Pontiac born Zurich Switzerland 1905 attended school in Geneva 1911 to 1918 emigrated to America 1918 with his parents and attended school in New York in 1918 to 1924 1926 became United States citizen he went to work in his father's dog store until 1928 when his father died and the business was sold from 1928 to 1932 he did various odd jobs in 1933 he entered Germany spoke German well mm-hmm that's good in English with an accent good the fatherland made use of him and the chemical factory in Berlin where his work was unsatisfactory he drank too much mm-hmm and fits of melancholia this became worse until in 1941 it was of no further use to us and so was sentenced for inefficiency to hard labor here this camp excellent here doctor excellent I think it will work I will have to attend to the fingerprints here coming down it may be rather painful for you I understand her doctor it does not matter from now on I shall be Frederick Pontiac American citizen how many times do you have to see a thing before you remember it here's an interesting test for you whistler fans to check up on your alertness and memory time and again probably right in your own neighborhood you've seen and read the big trademark that identifies signal gasoline dealers who bring you the whistler but test yourself can you remember that trademark well enough to describe it now we'll take a moment you visualize a big black circle sign with yellow letter spelling signal gasoline and in the center of traffic signal reading go reminding you that you do go farther with signal gasoline that yellow and black circle sign is a mighty good sign to keep in mind these days because with gasoline mileage still an important factor in today's driving signal go farther gasoline offers your best way to get most miles per ration coupon so next time you invest one of your gas stamps try signal gasoline proven your own car what more and more wise Western drivers are discovering that you do go farther with signal gasoline and now back to the whistler Patrick Pontiac dead in a Nazi prison is born again and commander Ernst von Muller Nazi war criminal is no more he commands the last desperate defense of the prison just long enough for the mutilation of his fingerprint it's a painful operation but it's worth it von Muller or should I say Pontiac because now when the Americans arrive and find you lying among all your dead companions your mutilated fingers make the picture all the more convincing and in an almost unbelievably short time you're standing on the dock in New York everything's been perfect so far no one suspected they hardly even questioned you back in Germany if you can just get through the customs man Frederick Pontiac yes sir I'm Frederick Pontiac relax there's no need to click your heels here you're in America now back home silly of me forgive me it's been a long time you look very pale what's matter are you frightened see boy I just as agree with me I think it's perhaps see sickness take it easy we all know how much you've been through we want to make things as easy as possible for you thank you why do you want me it's only that your passport has expired you'll have to fill out this form I see you can't your hands are injured very well just answer the questions I'll write them Frederick Pontiac age Frederick Pontiac born 1905 May 16th attended school in Switzerland 1911 to 1918 came to America one of the time first where were you born Zurich 1905 May 16th father's name nationality Franklin Pontiac American mother's name and nationality maiden name there are Smith Swiss what you attend school Geneva and New York the name of the schools and how many years in high school and what grades please what grade I don't remember now you will have to excuse me I have a severe migraine headache all right then you just sign it or just make a mark it'll be all right to sign here yeah thank you take it and best of luck thank you sir thank you well just a minute where's your luggage got to have it inspected to the customs I don't have any just the clothes on my back all right I'll fill out your papers make a cross here where it says to sign yes thank you very much nothing glad to help good luck to you thank you pardon me sir aren't you Frederick Pontiac yes my name is Mitchell Mr. Pontiac how do you do glad to meet you at last yes I'm sorry to have to give you this after all you've been through but can't be helped what is it I can't open it oh well I'm supposed to step over here a moment my hands it's a court order Mr. Pontiac I'm Mrs. Pontiac's lawyer when you deserted her in 1933 she got a divorce you owe $12,000 back alimony to my client like I say I'm sorry about greeting you back home with this but that's my business $12,000 that's impossible for me to pay oh come come Mr. Pontiac don't let's have trouble we've been nice about this we never slapped a lien on your bank like Mrs. Pontiac wrote you we had we want to do things right by you so what do you say we get my car and run over to the bank get that safe deposit box out and you pay off like a gentleman safe deposit box at my bank yes I know your little secret you can't fool me Pontiac I know about the money you have in the state and county bank on 84th Street yes Mr. Pontiac I found out about that oh my wife told her shall we say trade secrets and that a little birdie whispered it to me but you don't have to worry about me no just so long as I get my fee and the money for my client now what do you say we run over to 84th Street right now very well for a minute you thought you were found out but no Mitchell thinks you are Pontiac so you enter the lawyer's long sleek black sedan and settle back in the soft upholstery you want to be happy for this man you have so cunningly changed places with his money in the bank that he kept secret isn't that fortunate why are you so worried as you drive to 84th Street would it be the wife you didn't know about and as you stand in the magnificent opulent interior of the bank manager's office why do you feel the butterflies fluttering in your stomach and a panicky urge to escape good afternoon gentlemen this is mr. Frederick Pontiac mr. Crane how do you do how do you do mr. Pontiac mr. Pontiac has a safe deposit box here been here since 1933 been in Europe since that day had quite an ordeal within the German concentration camp oh dreadful for you mr. Pontiac I read about these places glad you got out all right thank you mr. Crane now that he's back mr. Pontiac would like to open his safe deposit box oh certainly you have the key mr. Pontiac the key oh no it took everything for me well you remember the number yes the number of you haven't forgotten the number have you I'm trying to remember my memories and what it was and of course of course well I can look it up in my file here in the meantime perhaps you'll sign this form yes you see my hands have been injured but I'll do the best I can yes I see well have you some other means of identification you see I wasn't managing here in 33 I suppose I could get Miller over he he was managed here in 33 he'd remember you a remarkable memory that man has never forgets a face nobody could fool him just a formality I you have your passport haven't you mr. Pontiac oh yes yes of course well that's enough isn't it mr. Crane you can check on that yes I think in this case we can make an exception here it is yes well you've aged since this photo was taken haven't you it's an old photo yes well that seems all in order I think you can have your deposit box mr. Pontiac it's number 173 will you step this way please thank you here it is 173 let me know when you finish thank you 150,000 all in thousand dollar bills I suppose I take the 12,000 while you have it handy very well here's one of thousands and the matter of my fee mr. Pontiac how much five grand five grand yeah five thousand dollars I know it's expensive but I'm a good man you know I can keep my mouth shut count it yourself that my hands hurt okay one two three four five and one a lock thank you mr. Pontiac now can I drive you anywhere where are you staying thank you yes any good hotel will do I've had a rather trying day how about a continental plaza nice view of the park swell bar good restaurant yes yes that will do satisfactorily I'm sure that has been a very hard day I'd really good the rest very good look uh mr. Pontiac I'll give you a tip don't stay in town too long it might be unhealthy for you what do you mean unhealthy you haven't forgotten lucky Chandler have you lucky Chandler oh yes yes Chandler yeah lucky Chandler the head hasn't forgotten and as he hears you're in town he'll pay you a visit oh yes yes the head your arrival it was in the papers this evening how do you mean pay me a visit unhealthy for me forget it chump just a hint you know me I can keep my mouth shut I don't want any trouble yes I I see what you don't see do you have a mother you don't know who these men are the hip and lucky Chandler what does Mitchell mean unhealthy you don't know do you but you're too tired to worry though you go to your hotel sweet and fall into a pit for and in the morning yes what is it good morning Mr Pontiac I was calling to let you know your wife is on her way up to your room my wife yes sir Mrs Pontiac is on her way up yes who is it it's me Gloria your ex-wife remember me you can't come in oh Freddy don't be silly I only wanted to say hello and take a look at you get away I order you out I just wanted to say I'm sorry about the Mitchell greeting you with the court order it wasn't my idea out I say get out I don't want to speak with you I don't want to see you get up look Freddy don't push me and stay away from me what's the matter with you are you sick go away I'll be worried about you what is it please yes how are you the cops memory about Chandler's death about Chandler's death but not long enough what do you want from me memory about Chandler's death Pontiac killed him yeah yeah that's it Pontiac was a murder now I'm Pontiac well what are you going to do now von Muller in America murder carries a death penalty and you just escaped from that you were rather clumsy the way you got rid of Pontiac's wife you must be more careful how you deal with the if he must be gotten rid of also he is a very real danger to you von Muller so you work out a plan quickly you go out to the drug store purchase some rat poison and some liquor when you get back you'll make the drink and wait for life it's noon now and you look from the window across Central Park and watch the traffic creeping below and wait you know it won't be long now come in good morning mr. Lehev Pontiac what's the idea of having a blind straw oh you'll excuse it I'm sure I have a severe headache I can imagine oh will you join me in a little drink it's a long time since we met stall at Pontiac I came for my money handed over of course here you are I have it ready for you I won't bother to count it it better be right there's one dollar missing oh I wouldn't take that chance and here's a brandy and soda come let's drink to the future and let bygones be by I wouldn't drink with you all I want from you is what I have come and nothing else goodbye mr. double-cross Pontiac but wait wait please your slipping earns things aren't going exactly right are they you had him right in your net and then he walked out with the bait and now what Pontiac double-crossed him maybe now he'll double-cross Pontiac you didn't go to the police before because he wanted the money but now he may be on his way there now you've got to do something quick earns fun mother hurry look in the phone book then call my name is Pontiac Frederick Pontiac I want to sit on the plane to Argentina as soon as possible I have to get there at once it's very urgent yes a visa no get me one well Mexico do I need a visa for Mexico of course I'm a citizen well we can arrange that it's run out they are sending me a new one how long will it be before they send it to me can I go without and they send it on to me but you fidget nervously through it then sadly everything's all right again they've reserved you a place on the Mexico plane you'll have plenty of time to make it to the airport and still the police haven't arrived you hurry downstairs step up to pay your bill here Miss I telephone you have my bill ready yes Mr. Pontiac twenty seven fifty five you keep the change miss oh thank you Mr. Pontiac those two men by the door they're detectives they were just asking about you the techs it's asking about me as my taxi here yet no sir good evening sir the hip has told the police yes he's told them about Pontiac but they won't stop you now you've come too far to be caught you only have to lose those detectives and then Mexico City you'll be free able to start all over again without Pontiac stupid involvement should be hard there must be a way you can't stay here to die for Pontiac's crime hurry Ernst hurry these men are worse than your Gestapo aren't they you try everything you can think of taking a taxi switching doubling back ducking into a movie theater and out of back entrance but they're still there you go down into the subway try to lose them in the crowd they're still following you you can't get rid of them and suddenly the panic begins to grow it's almost time for the plane to leave you've got to get to the airport maybe you can lose them there maybe yes yes that's my name all right sir your reservation is in order now if you leave your bag here we'll check it I'll just carry it with me oh I'm afraid we'll have to wait anyway you may as well leave it here there'll be a short wait before you can board the plane wait yes sir we'll call you when it's ready but you don't want to wait do you were there are those two men over there you have to get on the plane and get away but you know down in your heart that you never will they're just waiting for that as you step up to board the plane they'll arrest you and you know that you're trapped Ernst walk down to the washroom trying to think of something to do but you can't you know you're trapped you escape from Germany in trial as a war criminal and now you're going to have to stand trial as a murderer might have been a lot easier the other way you know what they do to murderers here you might have escaped that over there yes that's it of course and so would you look up into the mirror and see the two men enter the washroom you know finally what to do look you you may not following me yeah what about it and I know why but you're wrong you'll never hang me for that murder murder what's he talking about no no you don't trick me that way you know what I'm talking about but you will never convict me of a murder because you're after the wrong man I am not Frederick Pontiac no no no you must believe me I'm not Frederick Pontiac then who are you I'm Ernst von Miller commander Ernst von Miller of the German Navy I escaped from Germany as Frederick Pontiac but Frederick Pontiac is dead you don't believe me but you must take me to the military authorities the federal police but not not for murder I'm only an escaped prisoner of war I can prove it I'm sure yeah okay brother you just might be telling the truth maybe you'd better come along with us whistler will return in just a moment with a strange ending of tonight's story meantime if your car is beginning to look and feel its age did you know the down at your neighborhood signal station there's a veritable fountain of youthful ideas a line of products for bringing back your cars sparkle and pep for instance whiz motor rhythm actually dissolves carbon binder 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German prison camps you wonder if perhaps you didn't make the wrong choice you might have been even more sure of it if you could have heard a certain telephone conversation the day you were captured Miss Reagan Mrs. Point Act this is Reagan all the private detective I heard yes I've got plenty to report Mrs. Reagan we tailed your husband like you asked us to you were right oh yes and there was something screwy about him he wasn't your husband at all what we tell them to the airport you were just about to leave from Mexico I'll never know why it didn't and would have been the end of our case just before the plane was to leave he surrendered himself to us German Navy officer escaped and masquerading as your husband yes he said Mr. Point Act died in his prison camp yeah another thing I'll never be able to figure out was he kept talking about a murder said we wouldn't pin a murder rap on him because he wasn't Pontiac you know what he was talking about I have no idea I haven't either I thought the only thing Pontiac was mixed up in was that racetrack scandal back in 1933 when Lehip went to prison for poisoning a horse the odd zone Derby favorite Lucky Chandler will bring you another strange tale the whistler is broadcast for your entertainment by the marketers of signal gasoline and motor oil and fine quality automotive accessories and by your neighborhood signal dealer this program directed by George W. Allen with tonight's story by James Sussex music by Wilbur hatch is transmitted to our troops overseas by the armed forces radio service this is Marvin Miller speaking and suggesting that you let every traffic signal remind you that you do go farther with signal gasoline yes you do go farther with signal this is CBS the Columbia broadcasting system