 The Cavalcade of America, starring Joseph Cotton. Tonight, direct from the stage of the Mosque Theater in Newark, New Jersey, the DuPont Company brings you Witness by Moonlight, starring Joseph Cotton on The Cavalcade of America. Here is Gaine Whitman. Good evening. This Cavalcade performance comes to you for the first time from Newark, New Jersey. In our studio audience in the Mosque Theater in Newark as special guests, are DuPont men and women from eight DuPont plants in northern New Jersey. You've heard us speak of the products of DuPont research and applied chemical science as better things for better living. The things manufactured in these eight plants deserve their description, including as they do plastics, finishes, photographic films, perfume bases, vitamin D compounds, blasting supplies, ceramic colors, and DDT, among many others. It is the men and women of DuPont as represented by the men and women of this audience who express the true significance of the DuPont Company's better things for better living through chemistry. And now, Witness by Moonlight, starring Joseph Cotton as Abraham Lincoln on The Cavalcade of America. What do you think, Billy? They like this new beard? You have doubts, Mr. Lincoln, about how they'll take you as president of the United States? Remember, there's always a place waiting for you here, with a firm of Lincoln and Hercan. What you're saying in fun, Billy, might turn out to be the truth. If I want that job when I come back, I'd better make a strict accounting of what's going on. Hand me that ledger. Oh, you don't have to go over the fees, Mr. Lincoln. You must have so much on your mind. Billy, Billy, we don't want to get carried away by all this. I admit it's not every day a man gets elected president, but we have to be calm about it. You'll have to carry on here, so we might as well set things in order now. Let's see. Well, Mr. Lincoln, there's only one item that's had me curious for a long time. It's in your handwriting. One book, ten cents. That's a sad commentary on our financial condition, if we've got a list every ten-cent book we buy. One book, ten cents. Oh, yes, of course. That's the Armstrong case. I guess I never got more satisfaction out of any case than I did out of that one. You weren't in the office, Billy. The day Aunt Hannah Armstrong came in to tell me about it. Abe, my boy, Duff. They're trying to hang him, Abe. Hanged Duff? Aunt Hannah, what for? They say he murdered a man, Abe, but I know my boy ain't no murderer. Of course he ain't. We've got to do something about it. We'll go down to Beardstown. You come all the way down to Beardstown? Oh, Abe, I knew we could depend on you. It was you who taught me the meaning of friendship when I needed friends most, Aunt Hannah. It's a little enough to do in return. They won't be hanging any innocent boy if I can help it. First thing tomorrow, we're going down to Beardstown. Tomorrow? But Abe, the trial takes place tomorrow. Tomorrow? That doesn't give us any time at all. We'd better start right away. We'll make Beardstown by noon, and I want to talk to your boy first thing. I'm a strong man here to see you. Lawyer, he says. Yeah. What for? They're giving me a lawyer. Trying to hang me. That's what they're trying to do. No lawyer can help me. My name's Abe Lincoln, Duff. You Abe Lincoln? Yeah. But Ma said you was too important for us to call on now for help. You're a big lawyer in Springfield. If you were to measure me from head to toe, I'd be a big lawyer anyplace, Duff. But if you mean important, well, anything important to Hannah Armstrong is important to me, so start telling me, Duff, what happened? Well, I was in Tom Steele's tavern when this man named Metzger come in. He asked if I wanted to have a drink with him. Did you know this Metzger, Duff? Well, I'd seen him here about. And when he offers me a drink, I refuse. So he spills his drink in my face, just like that, for no good reason. Well, I'll rear back. I'll let him have a punch in the nose. Then Tom Steele come between us. That's all I know. I never saw him again, never. Then they come to arrest me a few days later. Metzger had been killed. You didn't see him after the fight. You didn't have any more words with him. No, Mr. Lincoln, I didn't have no words, nothing, so help me. But you did have a fight with him just a few hours before he was killed, and people saw it. That's bad, Duff. Well, please, Mr. Lincoln, I swear I never saw him after that. I swear it. But they're going to hang me. You hear, hang me. Now, just don't you worry, Duff. We'll do all we can because I believe you. Mr. Fullerton, I know that you being prosecuted don't have to tell me much, not anything, if you choose to, but... Well, there's a boy on trial for his life. Perhaps you might bring me up to date in this case. Well, sure thing, Mr. Lincoln. Anything I can do without prejudicing my case. Thank you, sir. First off, how did this Metzger die? Well, here's the doctor's report. Struck by a blunt instrument on the head. Death occurred five days later. A silent who struck the blow, guilty of murder. It's that simple. That's too simple, whereas boy's life is concerned. How do you know Duff Armstrong struck the blow that led to Metzger's death? Well, now, that's the kind of a question that could prejudice my case. All I can tell you is I've got testimony to that effect. But the boy swears he never saw Metzger after a little fracas they had in the tavern. Oh, man, fighting for his life will say anything to save it. Might even go as far as a prosecutor would to get a conviction. I resent that remark, Mr. Lincoln. Look here, Fullerton. If the boy swears he didn't see Metzger at the time, you should find out if your witnesses are telling the truth. You'll have an opportunity to find out if my witnesses are telling the truth tomorrow, at the trial. Did you find out anything, Abe? Can you save my boy? Oh, and Hannah, they got an awful lot of law lined up against one boy. They got witnesses and a sharp prosecutor and a hostile population. Oh, what can you do, Abe? Only one thing I can do, tell them your boy didn't kill Metzger. Yes, but will that be enough? It'll have to be enough, because we don't know any more than that, but I'll do my best. You have my word. Of course you will. You'll do all you can, Abe. Now, if I had the same assurance from the Lord, I'd feel a might better about this case. While the prospective jurors are being examined, proceed, Mr. Prosecutor. Now, tell me, Johnson, would you have any hesitancy in convicting a man to hang if the evidence showed he was guilty? No, sir. For man's guilty, he deserves to hang. Very well. Mr. Lincoln, you may question the prospective juror. Thank you, uh... Johnson? Yes, sir? I'm glad to see you, Buzz. I knew your father pretty well. If you take after him, you are a pretty smart boy. I'd like to have you on my jury. Well, thank you, Mr. Lincoln. You're on my object to this familiarity of Mr. Lincoln with the jurymen. Well, Mr. Fullerton, would you want to disqualify Mr. Johnson? If I disqualified every juryman whose family Mr. Lincoln knows, we'd have no jury at all. Well, we could move for a change of venue to New York City. I know a sight less people there than I do here in the state of Illinois. Order! Order! Well, Mr. Fullerton, do you want to disqualify the jurymen? Well, I... I don't know, Your Honor. All right, Johnson. Take your place in the jury box. Next, jurymen. I've seen the whole thing. I've seen Metzger murder and Duff Armstrong murdering. Mr. Allen, tell us what you saw after Duff Armstrong hit Metzger in the tavern on the night of August 29. Well, later on, the same night, I've seen this here defendant, Duff Armstrong, walking along the road following the... The... You mean deceased, Mr. Allen? Yes, sir, the deceased. Well, Armstrong was following him. Then Metzger turned around and there was some words. Then Armstrong raised his hand and struck Metzger with a heavy object. Metzger fell down. Armstrong seemed scared, frightened, I mean. And he threw something into the bushes and run away. I helped Metzger up and set him on his way home. Then I come back later to see what Duff Armstrong threw away and I found that slingshot. And this is the slingshot you found. Yes, sir. Thank you. Your Honor, I've finished my direct examination. Your witness, Mr. Lincoln. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. Fullerton. Mr. Allen, I... I heard your test-test-bone in. I reckon if I were sitting in the jury box, I'd say to myself, sounds true. It is true. Well, that's fine. Because I wouldn't want to put a noose around any boy's neck with a story that was anything less than the truth. Would you? I told you it was true. Good, good. We're going to get along fine, Mr. Allen. You said you saw the fight between Duff Armstrong and the deceased. Metzger. I sure did. I see. Well, why didn't you stop the fight if you saw it? Well, I was too far away. So far that even if you ran, you couldn't have got there to stop it? That's right. Well, that makes sense, Mr. Allen. Yeah. But it does sort of raise another question. What's that? You say you saw the fight, but you couldn't stop it because you were too far away. Uh-huh. Yeah. Then if you were too far away, how could you be so sure that the man who killed Metzger was Duff Armstrong? Because it was bright moonlight out. I've seen him. And it was that man sitting right here, Duff Armstrong. And neither you nor nobody else can make me say otherwise. Well, Mr. Lincoln, you've had an opportunity to find out that my witness is telling the truth, and I hope you're convinced. Because that's the testimony that's going to put the news around Duff Armstrong's neck. Court will retest for one hour. You might as well say what you were thinking. You're disappointed in me. I know that. Oh, well, I reckon I don't know about law and such things. Well, I made a mistake with Allen, but somehow I thought I might find an opening in Allen's story. He only kept saying he's seen my Duff hit that man, Metzger. He's seen him cause for his bright moonlight. Hannah, Allen's story sounds too well-rehearsed. He'd never used a word like deceased unless he'd been coached and well-coached, too. But he's talking my boy right into a noose. What are you going to do? I'm going to take a walk until the recess is over. Sometimes you get an idea that way. I might even do some thinking about moonlight. Uh-oh. Are you Abe Lincoln? That's an accusation. I'll have to plead guilty, too, for the rest of my life. Who are you? Nelson Watkins is my name, sir. Maybe I can help you. About Duff Armstrong's case? Yes, about the slingshot. Slingshot? Yes. What do you know about it, Mr. Watkins? Well, I only seen the slingshot from where I was sitting in the courtroom. But it sure is like one I throwed away. You throw it away? Why? Well, I was to a prayer meeting that night and they was talking about, thou shalt not kill. I figure birds and animals is God's creatures, too. I've got no reason to kill them. So I threw the slingshot away. Besides, it was kind of heavy, too. Well, Mr. Watkins, though, what's that got to do with Duff Armstrong? See, if it is my sling, then Duff Armstrong couldn't have used it. How do you know? Because I didn't throw it away till after Metzger was hit. You're sure it's the same slingshot? Can't be certain, sure. But if you can use my information and offer him my service. Come on, Mr. Watkins. We're going over your story again. You are listening to Joseph Cotton as Abraham Lincoln in Witness by Moonlight on The Cavalcade of America, sponsored by the DuPont Company. Maker of better things for better living through chemistry. The court reconvenes in Beardstown, Illinois, and Abe Lincoln, seeking to free an innocent boy from the noose, places on the stand the only friendly witness he has been able to find, Nelson Watkins. Would you repeat that, Mr. Watkins? Oh, yes, Mr. Lincoln. That first slingshot laying on the table was mine. And when did you throw it away? The night Metzger got the blow to kill him. But I threw it away after midnight. So, Duff Armstrong couldn't hit Metzger with it around 11 o'clock, like Alan said. You're a witness, Mr. Fullerton. Thank you. Now, tell me, Watkins. You say this slingshot marked exhibit A was yours? Yes, it was mine. Well, now did you ever see any other slingshot that looked like this? Not exactly. What do you mean, not exactly? Isn't the fact that all slingshots are made about the same way? Why is this slingshot so different? Well, I don't know, except this looks like the one I made. I see. First, you said it was the same one. Now you're beginning to say it looks like the same one. In another few minutes, you might tell us that it's not the one you made at all. You've discredited yourself to my satisfaction, Mr. Watkins. That'll be all. Now, just a minute. Your Honor, I've always wanted to know how to make a handsome slingshot, and if you don't mind, I'd like to find out now tell me, Mr. Watkins, just how did you make your slingshot? Well, through Mr. Linging, first off, a proper weight is the secret of a good slingshot. Yeah. So to give it the right weight, I took an eggshell, put it in the ground. I see. Into the eggshell, I poured some hot lead. When the lead cooled, I poured some zinc on top of it. Then I let the zinc cool. But I found out that lead and zinc don't stick together once they're cooled. Oh. Well, what did you do then? Well, I had to find a way to keep the two parts together. So I covered them both with a piece of cast skin. I cut them an old boot, and sewed it around both pieces of metal with some squirrel skin string. And this is the same slingshot I hold in my hand. Yes, sir. Watkins, do you have a knife? Knife? What for? Watkins, desperate chances are for desperate men. Let me have your knife. Oh, sure. All right. Thanks. Your Honor, may I be permitted to take apart the slang-marked exhibit A? And destroy the people's evidence? I object. Perhaps Mr. Fullerton should have thought of that before. It's his evidence. He entered it as an exhibit for the people. I claim that gives me the right to examine it as closely as I can examine a hostile witness. For this mute piece of evidence is a hostile witness against my client. Go ahead, Mr. Lincoln. Thank you, Your Honor. Now, here, I cut this piece of cast skin covering, and there. Your Honor, you see there are two pieces of metal under the cast skin covering, and one is lead and the other is zinc. And they do not stick together. Everything just as Watkins described it to us. Your Honor, this has been the most theatrical performance on the part of Mr. Lincoln. But now I would like to ask a few questions myself. Now then, Mr. Watkins, you said you made this sling. You told us how. And it seems that it was indeed yours. But can you tell us how you know you threw it away after Mr. Metzger was assaulted by Duff Armstrong? Well, like I said, if Alan saw what he says he saw at 11 o'clock, then Duff couldn't hit Metzger with this thing shot because I didn't throw it away till after midnight. Well, now how do you know it was after midnight? Well, I'd been to a revival meeting. I got out on 11, and while walking home, I threw the sling away. But how do you know it was after midnight? Well, I don't know for sure. I just figured I'd been walking for quite a while. You don't know for sure? You just figured? We don't want guesses, Watkins. We want facts. Facts, Mr. Fullerton? Facts. Well, I got a fact or two I'd like to squeeze in your edge ways. Mr. Alan! I'll recall you to the stand, please. Put it right down, Mr. Alan. Now, tell me, the night you saw Duff Armstrong strike Metzger with this sling shot, you recognized him from quite a distance. It's what you said before, Alan. Yes, sir. And if you were a distance of, well, say, 150 feet, how did you manage to see him so well? I told you it was bright moonlight. How bright? What do you mean? Just bright, maybe middling bright, or very bright, or just kind of dull bright. Bright. I see. What was the position of the moon at that time? Oh, kind of like about there. I'm afraid I don't get it from your pointing, Mr. Alan, compared to the position of the sun in the day. What would you say? I'd say the moon was about the position of the sun at, oh, 10 o'clock. I see. Aunt Hannah, see that almanac on the table? Yes, Abe. You can throw it away. Throw away this almanac, Abe? What for? Mr. Alan here has just made a liar out of it. Your honor, this procedure is most unorthodox. Mr. Fullerton, this is going to be a heavy blow to all the farmers of Illinois. For years now, most of the men sitting in the jury box probably everyone in this courtroom has put great store in the almanac. We found it to be a true record of the weather, the time of the rising and setting of the sun and the moon and many other facts. But now, Mr. Alan tells us that this almanac is a liar. So there's only one thing to do, throw the book away or else, read into the evidence what it says about the moon on the night of August 29th last. Let me have that almanac, Aunt Hannah. Here you are, Abe. Thank you. Now, may I read from the day marked August 29th, phase of the moon, first quarter, time of setting of the moon, 1205. And if that's true, the moon was out of sight by 11 o'clock and there couldn't have been enough moonlight for you, Alan, to tell it 150 feet whether the man who assaulted Metzger was Duff Armstrong or anyone else. There are some facts that are vital in this case and have been proved, the fling shot, the time of the setting of the moon. But there are also some facts that are vital to this case that are not listed in almanacs and cannot be recited by witnesses. I know those facts and I'm going to tell them to you now. This boy on trial for his life was raised by a mother whom I consider in part my mother too. When I needed kindness and love, she gave both to me. I've lived in her house. I know she raised her sons and I know that no boy she raised could be a murderer. On that gentleman of the jury, I give you my solemn word. As the jury reached a verdict in the case of the people of the state of Illinois against Duff Armstrong... We have, Your Honor. What is that verdict? We, the jury, find Duff Armstrong, not guilty. Yes, Billy. That's how that entry got in the ledger. One book, ten cents. Maybe it ought to read one life. Ten cents. I'll just mark it that repaid. You can't understand. I'd be a little touchy about debts and repaying them. Billy, I reckon I'll be making it hard for all the historians to explain how a man who once was a bankrupt failure came to be president of the United States. Children ought to be brought up on more romantic stories than that. You'll be doing great things in Washington, Mr. Lincoln. I'd rather be back here practicing wall, Billy. Have a fine life. I'll envy you. Matter of fact, Billy, that sign hanging downstairs, Lincoln and Herndon let it hang there on the stairs. For one day, one day when I'm through with being president, I'll come back here and take up my work as a lawyer again. We'll be partners, if you want to. It'll be something to look forward to during the difficult days ahead. And now, here's Gaines Whitman speaking for DuPont. As you know, the DuPont company makes better things for better living through chemistry. Eight of the plants manufacturing these better things by applied chemical science are located in northern New Jersey, neighboring state of Delaware, where the DuPont company has its home office. Within a few miles of Newark, New Jersey, from which this cavalcade program has come to you, are the Arlington plant manufacturing DuPont plastics. Two plants at Parlain turning out finishes and photographic films. A plant at New Brunswick making perfume bases and vitamin D compounds. Another at Pompton Lakes manufacturing blasting supplies. One at Perth Amboy providing formaldehyde for the plastics industry. And the Griseli plant, which makes, among other things, DDT and AM8 weed killer. The plant here in the city of Newark manufactures pigments. Some of those beautiful colors on the new automobiles are made with pigments developed at this Newark plant of the DuPont company. Here are eight chemical manufacturing plants. Some of them provide jobs for more than 2,000 employees. Others are quite small. Altogether, they're only a small part of the American chemical industry. There are hundreds of chemical plants of all kinds in the United States operated by many chemical companies. These eight, however, located a few miles apart in one state, do have one thing in common. A human bond which links them together. The men and women of DuPont and the know-how they have gained through familiarity with DuPont's careful, painstaking operating procedures. Without these men and women, the plants would produce nothing. With them, harmoniously working together, they produce plastics, pigments, finishes, films, vitamins, lasting supplies, ceramic colors, and a marvelous insecticide, DDT. This is typical of chemistry. Applied chemical science offers one of the most successful, effective ways of making things to be found anywhere in the realm of modern technology. These things, and many, many others like them, are the products we speak of with such pride as our DuPont, better things for better living, through chemistry. Most people won't go to hear a political speech when they can go to a circus. And John Kenna found the circus in every town he visited. No one wanted to listen to his reasons why Charleston should be chosen the capital of West Virginia. In fact, Kenna's campaign seemed lost until he met Lolo the Clown. Be sure to listen next week to, under the big top, broadcast direct from the locale of the story, Charleston, West Virginia, starring Robert Young as John Kenna, and featuring Roy Atwell as Lolo the Clown on the Cablecade of America. The music for tonight's DuPont Cablecade was composed by Arden Cornwell and directed by Donald Bryan. Our Cablecade was written by Henry Denker and was based on a story in the Lincoln Reader, published by the Rutgers University Press. Joseph Cotton appeared through the courtesy of David O. Selznick, and can currently be seen as one of the eight stars in David O. Selznick's technicolor production, Dual in the Sun. In the cast with Joseph Cotton were Ted Osburn as Watkins, Earl George as Fullerton, Robert Dryden as Allen, Irene Hubbard as Aunt Hannah, House Jamison as the judge, Lawson Serbius Duff, Bob Hague as Billy, and George Petri as Johnson. This is Bill Hamilton inviting you to listen next week to Robert Young and Roy Atwell in Under the Big Top on the Cablecade of America, brought to you by the DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware. This is NBC, the national broadcasting company.