 suspense and the producer of radio is outstanding theater of thrills the master of mystery and adventure William N. Robeson a murderer is a psychopathic individual he has a screw loose minus some of his marbles no rational sane person deliberately sets out to kill another human being or himself for that matter accepting under one special condition when he gets behind the wheel of an automobile then all the rules of human behavior are rescinded anything can happen and what tragic frequency does the mild-mannered mr. milk toast becomes an angel of death astride his 350 horses he ranges the highways of the nation with the murderous vengeance of a latter-day Genghis Khan he cannot be persuaded he cannot be reasoned with his headlong rush to destruction his own or anyone else that might be in his path is only somewhat deterred by the highway patrolmen who daily risk their lives in the ceaseless struggle against murder on wheels of such elements has constructed the story we're about to hear it is a moral tale but a chilling one listen listen then as Everett Sloan stars in speed trap which begins in exactly one minute how can heroism be acknowledged and symbolized recognition of outstanding heroism takes the form of America's supreme military decoration the Medal of Honor it is awarded to those members of the United States armed forces who distinguished themselves conspicuously by gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty in action involving actual conflict with an enemy for recipients in the army and Air Force the medal is a gold finished bronze star with the head of the ancient goddess Minerva in the center a laurel wreath and green enamel surrounds the five pointed star which is suspended by two links from a bar bearing the inscription Valor and surmounted by an eagle with wings outstretched the ribbon pad directly above is light blue with 13 white stars arranged in the form of a triple chevron the president of the United States is the only government official authorized to present the Medal of Honor the award is made by the commander-in-chief in the name of Congress thus accounting for why this highly esteemed decoration is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the congressional Medal of Honor only a very small number of the many millions of us armed forces personnel past and present have been presented this great symbol of courage to which free men can aspire the Medal of Honor and now speed trap starring Everett Sloan a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense sometimes it takes you years to get to know a guy sometimes on the highway patrol you learn all about a man in ten minutes like the night Craig Hollister checked me out on my new beat and there's a soft shoulder here right I didn't answer him I was too busy sweating the grade the wheel was easy in my hands too easy like it always is on a slick highway my headlights caught the rain and sleet sliding down from the past Hollister wiped the mist off the windshield I thought of loosening my collar but I didn't want to make a bad impression on him I knew he was a good patrol they'd told me at headquarters well good patrolmen go by the book I wiped my hands one at a time and changed my grip on the wheel the curve coming up I don't see why they need us on this road the drive had been nuts to go over 30 people speed anywhere this turns call the corkscrew almost slick in the rain I found four kids here in a station wagon after the last storm I was left brother I'll take this one in second there's another rough curve coming up we've had three fatalities here this winter I don't know if I'm gonna like this beat that isn't bad once you get used to the blood you say you actually catch speeders on this highway yeah that's how I met my wife she was speeding along here that reminds me dispatcher this is 302 to say Joe will you call Debbie and tell her to pick me up at headquarters okay it's awful slick up here tell her to take it easy on the grade well this was pretty good you wanted your wife to meet you you gave the dispatcher a call on the radio that was something they hadn't taught me at the police academy I sure hope she doesn't try to break any records tonight you say you caught her speeding on this stretch yeah she was roaring down the grade with a car full of summer tourists all of them tanked to the eyeballs including your wife well I thought so I wrote it up that way yeah then what happened now the judge thought otherwise Debbie cried and her father had just given the county a new library so the judges added that she never had a drink in her life there wasn't a dry eye in the courthouse and you married her and the best thing I ever did I think you'll say oh today was our anniversary I couldn't even spend it with her you've been up there on the mountain alone all day that's tough and this beats kind of lonely for a woman maybe says she doesn't mind I think she's bored well here's a good spot pull over pull over yeah we'll wait here and follow her down well why well sometimes she still drives this great too fast with us back of her she will take it easy so I pulled over of course I was tired I was trying to get my own wife moved into our cabin but the man said pull over and wait so I pulled over and waited I lit a cigarette in the flare of my match I could see he was squinting up the road this Joker was worried about something he caught me looking and seemed kind of ashamed oh she'll be long a minute sure no hurry but you can't follow her everywhere you know look I'm getting a transfer and Debbie and I'll be out of these mountains in a week it's slick tonight so it's okay with you partner oh sure sure sorry hey what the what's the matter look at those headlights up there I twisted around in my seat half a mile up the grade a pair of headlights stabbed over the clip seemed to hang there Hollister grip my shoulder the light straightened suddenly and got brighter and brighter the guy was practically flying holy smoke Hollister was big he didn't look like he could move very fast but he was nothing but a blur jumping out of the patrol car he was around the hood and swinging a flashlight in circles before I could even turn on my red light crazy headlights seemed to reach out at you okay Hollister yeah well let's take how I thought you had it close but no cigar he must be plastered you get his tag the lights blinded me I could just see it was a black sports car that's all look like a jag a jag yeah aren't you gonna call a dispatcher no no happy ought to be parked near halfway house a jag hello 2429 this is 3022 it was a jag all right and I caught a flash of the driver it was a woman driving young blonde with a crazy grin on her face I felt sick I'd pick up the pieces after a few wrecks down in the valley it's bad enough when it's a man but a young girl too too pappy we're after a possible 502 three miles north of halfway house he just about ran me down I'll be careful huh her not him like this curve tight aren't what you say that driver it's a woman I think so after this curve you can cut loose for about 800 yards then try to get me close enough to spotlight her license hang on partner holy smoke can you get the number plates covered with mud you must have dragged a wheel on the shoulder maybe on the next stretch I can try again we don't need the number what do you mean you saw the car a black jag you said yeah a girl driving you said yeah why that's gonna be Debbie's car gotta be my wife in a moment we continue with the second act suspense another visit with Joe and Daphne foresight Joe Joe Joe's tap reading that paper and talk to me I'm listening go ahead well I was talking to Mrs. Snyder today you know she's the one whose boy had 31% less cavities uh-huh well she thinks that we should buy bigger savings bonds uh-huh she says that when people can afford it it makes more sense oh she says there are a lot of different denominations they start at $25 but then there were a 50 a hundred two hundred and even $500 bonds is that so and then with the ones we've already bought through the payroll savings plan we'd have quite a nest egg uh-huh are you listening to me uh-huh did you know that the total accumulated compounded semiannual interest of the series e savings bond will amount to 93 in the third percent of the original purchasing price uh-huh I thought so Joe what did I say you said that United States savings bonds are a safe easy way of investing I did that they help guide our country's freedom and they're the best investment in America's future I said something else too oh yeah you said that the total accumulated compounded semiannual interest of the series e savings bond will amount to 93 and one third percent of the original purchase price well now how did you do that husband's trade secret and now starring Everett Sloan act 2 of speed trap I stare at the guy beside me in the patrol car then whip my eyes back to the slick mountain road so you think that's your wife that's got to be oh look there are probably a hundred jags on the highway tonight why does this have to be your wife you wouldn't know and I haven't got time to tell you well why would she try to run you down she doesn't know what she's doing or what do you mean she's fried she wanted me to take her out tonight but I had to show you the road so we had a fight with the sat around and got plastered I guess she's gonna roll that thing and that'll be it are you sure it's sure I can see it coming alone in that house every day that's why I put in for the transfer but now it'll be too late all right we've got to catch it try to get her before Myers curve well I'm doing my best but these sports cars that jags like it was glued to the road it isn't good to roll it'll roll just like the rest of middle roll you want me to try to take her again no not here are not here if she speeds up anymore she hadn't got a prayer on Myers curve just hang back and don't press her then he did something that wasn't in the books he reached over and cut our grower and he flicked off the red light I started to turn it back on felt his hand on my wrist I'll leave it off maybe we're scaring her hard if she doesn't slow down she'll never make it then she started her turn on Myers curve and it was easy to see she wouldn't make it it's the roughest turn on the grade and a hundred foot dropped to the riverbed below the tail lights hesitated for a second like they were making up their minds whether to run into the hail or over the side the car slid sideways rear toward the river she was going over backwards baby please I took my foot off the gas out of the tail of my eye I saw Hollister cover his face and then I was fighting to stay on the road myself suddenly the miracle happened she'd made it she'd made it now we had to do it nice going art nice going 2429 this is 3022 we're a mile north still unable to catch the 502 she's doing about 75 now suggest you start up and we'll try to box her but be careful of her this is 2429 did you say her yeah it's a woman she's going down now she's swinging left she's wild pappy be careful she's swinging right pappy let her by let her back let her by how are you gonna make an old-time patrolman let it drunk pass him on the road no pappy tried to fight it he tried to ease her onto the shoulder for a second I thought he had her but the convertible lurched back the two sets of tail lights got closer and then pappy was off the road over the shoulder bouncing and rolling down the embankment I eased my foot off the accelerator praying that it wasn't as bad as it looked what are you doing I'm going back for pappy what about her call a dispatcher they'll stop her if she doesn't go off the road first stay on her tail what are you off your rocker they'll stop my wife and I don't want to kill not stay on her tail but what about happy stay with her I'm still running this week yeah but pat your job this is 302 to a mile south of halfway house that 502 just ran pappy off the road and send an ambulance we're staying on her tail this isn't Joe this is sergeant capon I'm setting up a road block outside a headquarters she won't get through it go back and help pappy well what kind of a road block that works you aren't shooting at a woman if she tries to run this block we'll shoot out and now you get back to pappy Sarge like girl don't you worry about the girl I'll take care of it get back to pappy but that's Debbie Sarge that's my wife off the road and you said she almost hit you there's trucks and cars coming up the great she'll hit one of them we don't stop her so we'll stop her if we have to blast her off the road in just a moment we continue with the third act of suspense we have together ample capacity in freedom to defend freedom this is NATO the North Atlantic Treaty Organization very simply NATO is an organization of free countries which have learned to live together and to work together in the firm conviction that their fundamental unity and combined strength are indispensable to their individual security and the peace of the world the United States of America is a part of NATO you should be aware of and alert to the objectives and programs of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and now starring Everett Sloane act three of speed trap I felt sorry for the man beside me I knew what was happening outside headquarters a couple of patrol cars rolling into position spotlights pointed up the grade guys drawing automatic rifles and maybe shotguns players set out further up the hill a reception committee for Craig Hollister's wife not what he planned when he asked to the meeting headquarters but there was nothing I could do I slowed down carefully keep going you heard the sergeant happy might be bleeding to death he's only a quarter of a mile from halfway house they can do as much for him as we can now you stay on her tail great I can't they'll suspend me don't make me pull my gun on you I watch this next curve but what can we do we can't stop her if she tries to run the barricade they'll blow her apart if she hang on she doesn't slow down she won't even get to the barricade turn off your lights turn off my lights that's right but she doesn't see us she slows down a little well how am I gonna see use her lights her lights fine great but what if there was something coming up the grade I wondered if Hollister had gone nuts he was peering ahead he seemed to have got hold of himself I didn't really think he'd pull a gun on me but suddenly I knew I'd go along with whatever he was trying to do I flicked off the lights it seemed to help the car ahead lost some of its crazy fear now you're gaining okay use this stretch here oh Debbie baby watch out watch out we're gaining but if she makes this turn she's only got a mile to the barricade is that a car coming that's a truck Debbie Debbie please get over get over she won't make it she would watch out who gets your lights on okay now catch her hey you're gonna shoot her yourself I hope not I hope not but you have to get closer I'll never do it from here closer the man said I was already pushing 80 and the range was still too far unless he was aiming for a lucky hit or an unlucky one you gotta catch up on that stretch in front of headquarters right he was going to shoot out a tire it would have to be there the only level shoulder on the grade but that was where the barricade was well we just have to get her this side of it Hollister rolled down the window and I felt a spray of rain on my face and suddenly I saw the barricade spotlights I can't wait any longer the range was just too great it had to be her left rear tire if she went off the other way she'd be killed but she was just too far away suddenly not really wanting to I jammed down the accelerator the rear end swayed and lurched my hands were sweaty with fear and that did it the convertible began to turn hesitated and headed for the shoulder it leaped when it hit the dirt I skidded all the way through the roadblock the guys from the barricade beat us back to the crash but it was just as well because without help I'd never have been able to keep Hollister from the ruin convertible will you let me let it out will you let me off sir wait till we get her out the doc's coming now but I killed her I killed her now we don't know you here's the ambulance doc doc she's right down there and how's Pappy broke her leg oh that's the car that ran him up the road yeah that's it a patrolman and an ambulance driver set a litter by the ambulance two other guys had Craig in their patrol car trying to calm him down the girl was hurt hurt bad but she was alive I started back to the patrol car and stepped back to let a convertible pull off onto the shoulder a girl got out a pretty girl and I thought of the kid by the ambulance who would never be pretty again then I felt the sergeant's hand on my arm he was staring at her this is Hollister yes sergeant what happened where's Craig well we thought he thought oh the poor thing she's just a kid yeah but she figured she was old enough to get fried to the gills and make that grade on her any night your husband saved her life how well he and Art here almost broke the next catching her I'd have blasted at the pieces where's Craig is he all right Debbie what's the matter darling Oh Debbie it wasn't you I thought no no no Debbie you ought to know I want you to Debbie I thought the girl was you me why me there was the same kind of a car and the speed oh I see and it could have been me couldn't it a long time ago maybe a long time ago his arm was around her when they walked away and Craig Hollister had a kind of thoughtful look in his eye I turn back to the sergeant oh are you okay kid oh sure sure say sergeant yeah about us not going back for Papi I was driving you know yeah yeah I know well I guess I should it you learn anything tonight yeah I learned a lot and sergeant you know what what I think Hollister did too suspense in which Everett Sloan starred in William and Robeson's production of speed trap by Hank Cyril's supporting mr. Sloan in speed trap were Ellen Morgan William Conrad Jack Krushen and Lawrence Dobbin listen listen again next week when we return with another tale well calculated to keep you in suspense suspense has been brought to you through the worldwide facilities of the United States Armed Forces radio and television service