 Another tale well-calculated to keep you in. Today, the infanticide. The story of a father and his sons. Dramatized by Alan Sloan from a story written by Eliezer Lipsky. Catman live on this floor, friend. Slash down the end of the hall. Thank you. Yes, sir. Mrs. Catman, Wilfred Catman. Yes, sir. Oh, my name's Velie. I spoke to your husband about insurance on the children. Oh, that's my son. Wilfred's my son. My daughter-in-law's gone to work. So's Wilfred. Oh, I see. Well, um... But he told me about it. Wilfred told me about it. Mind to come in? I could sign the papers that he's to sign. Yes, ma'am. Seems a good thing. And she... Oh, yes, ma'am. Sure. Oh, come in. Come in. Don't mind the mess with kids. It's following pick-up, following pick-up. Now, I understand there's Willie and Chauncey. Willie and Chauncey. That's right. Chauncey, he's going on six. And Willie, he's just passed seven. Uh-huh. Having close together, you know? And two easy to take care of as one. Yes, ma'am. Now, if you and your son have agreed on this insurance, you can just sign right down there where the little X is. Mmm-hmm. All righty. Down by the little X, right? That's it. I got the arthritis. You know, I don't write so fast. Yes, ma'am. Three copies, please, there. That seemed funny going shundled fellas like that. Down there. Pain is if they invented the bug powerful enough to carry them off. Healthy little guys, eh? Well, you just look out the window and the big, husky little redhead pushing all the others around. That there's Chauncey. Oh, yeah. I noticed him when I come in the tenement. Takes after his dad, eh? And, uh, which one's Wilfred Junior? Oh, he's sleeping. This muggy weather, the asthma, takes him in the night sometimes, so we let him sleep late. Oh. We all had the asthma. We all outgrew it. Nobody never died of it in the family. Yeah, yeah, Mr. Katman told me about the asthma. It's the humidity these nights bothers him, I guess. Yes, sir, but he's a real fine boy. Not as big as his little brother, but strong and wiry. Long bones come 15, 16, while he'll just shoot right up. Sure, that's the way it is. Now, you have Mr. Katman sign those. I take it Mrs. Katman's at work. Oh, yes, you said that. Yes, she's gone up at 6.30, and you just missed my son. He's off by eight. But you come on in and take a look at Willie. I want you to see just a fine, healthy boy, just the asthma. Oh, no, I don't think so. Now, take it just a minute. He ought to be up and playing in the sunshine anyway. Bad night, Willie sleeps with his daddy and mommy. Their room's got the wind. Lord, don't you wish you could sleep like a child sleeps? Yeah. Willie, rise and shine. Get up, big boy. Come on. Oh, now let him sleep. I know how my kids get one night. Now, come on, Willie. Grandma got to shake your weight. Willie, will for Junior. What's the matter? Something wrong? Boy, Stone Cold. Cold is the clay. What? Willie Boy. Mister, he's dead. Get the police. Police? Let me call the doctor. Maybe he's sick. He's dead. Stone Cold's dead. Poor baby. Get the law, Mr. Don. She done it this time. Do it. He finally got it done. What do you mean? His mother is his own natural mother. Get the... In just a moment, we will return for the second act of... Suspense. And now, here's a message from the watchmakers of Switzerland. Swiss vacation. Holy other hell. Swiss vacation. Win a fabulous vacation for two in beautiful Switzerland. Enter the Swiss vacation contest. It's easy. Nothing to buy. Pick up a free entry blank at a jewelry store or other store that sells quality watches. Then in 25 words or less, complete this statement. A quality watch is the best value be called. There are 1,000 prizes. First prize, a 21-day vacation for two in Switzerland. You'll find a lot of Swiss air both ways. Visit many colorful places. All expenses paid for two people plus $500 extra spending money. Second, third, and fourth prizes. 15-day Swiss vacations for two. Also, four mink stoles. Eight bolecs, movie cameras, and projectors. Twelve Hermes, 10. 160, $100 watches. 812 gala assortments of Tobler Swiss chocolates. Enter the Swiss vacation contest today. Free entry blanks at your jewelry store. Ed, the father's outside. The dead boy's father, Katman. Oh. How's he taking it? I don't think he knows where he is, what he's doing. It was his first born, Ed. Nothing on the mother yet? No, Ed. All right, send him in. Oh, Mr. Katman. Coming, coming. Oh, Mr. Katman, this is Mr. Morgan. I told you about the precinct. Assistant District Attorney. I remember. Yes, sir. Oh, Mr. Morgan will want to ask you a few questions about the boy. Investigation, you see. World for Junior. Really, yes, sir. Oh, Lord. Dear Lord. Take care, Mr. Katman. Please. Can you smoke if you like? Lord, Lord. He come and told me the boy's dead, sir. Yes, that's right. Now, can you pull yourself together for just a few questions? I guess so. What is it? Your mother told the insurance man your wife had finally done it the way she put it. My wife? Yes. Had your wife ever tried to do the boy harm in any way? No, sir. Then what was your mother referring to? Well, there was that time. What time? She lost him. How's that? She took him out and came home without him. Asked where Willie was and she said she left him with her folks. Could I have one of them cigarettes now? Sure. She left Willie with her family, you say? That's right. One night, two nights. And I got to missing the little cuss and I called on her folks to bring him back home. And he wasn't there. They never had him. Where was he? She often left him on a doorstep with some folks in the neighborhood. Who found him? After two, three days, they took him to the police. And when was this? Last week. Now, wait a minute. How old was Willie, eight? Eight, yes, sir. Hey, yes, sir. Oh, Lord, he's just dying. He's gonna be dying. Left him in the neighborhood and he couldn't find his own way home, an eight-year-old? Told him to stay put. Your wife told him? Yes, sir. But the police returned him. Now, who notified them? I guess I did. When was this, last week? Around then. A little longer, I guess. Around this time last year, seems like. Mr. Katman, do you know where you are? Police. What month is this? Summertime. Detective Russell, may I see you for a minute? Yes, Mr. Marvin. Call the 25th. Find out if they've got a missing person complaint on the boy or an aided car on his recovery. Okay, sure. Now, Mr. Katman... I didn't rightly get your name, Mr. Morgan, let me ask... Could I rest up a bit? You want me to hold off on the questions for a while? Yes, sir. Is it all right if I pray in here? Well, I... Yeah, of course. I am called upon, Lord, not once yet. To not a little fellow, not be dead. I'd like to call upon the Lord. To not at all, not be... Mr. Katman, get hold of yourself. It's very important. Excuse me. Morgan. And on the wife losing the boy, they remembered it down the precinct. I talked to the detective who investigated it. Did it happen? Not exactly the way he told it. She left it with friends all right, but it was on the kind of a fight they had had. The man and the wife. Right. Running the way the wife was afraid he'd harm the boy. By the way, the 25th is everybody I'm looking for. What was the fight about? The boy's father. What? What were they fighting about? That's what the fight was about. Running fights as the boy was born. Who was the father? Mr. Katman, let's get back to Willie. He wasn't your child, you said. No, sir. I was in the army. It couldn't have. But it was like he was. Was what? My own. Did you like him? No, that's the first. But when you put out your finger in this little thing, like a hand on a little mama doll with them deep creases to the wrist, you know, when it grabs hold like it was all there was in the world hanging on her for safety and trust. Yeah, yeah, come on. You can't help loving it. There isn't a man that wouldn't. No matter whose. You love Willie as a baby. And a boy too. Do you learn? Can I see him? I never got to see him. Later. Did he ever know you weren't his daddy? Not unless he heard us arguing over it, you know. How did he feel about you? Same way. Love me. I wouldn't trust nobody else. How do you know that? Like with the needles. It was the asthma. He had to have the needle. Injection. His shots. Yes. And he wouldn't let the doctor. Unless I held him. Only me. He said, I know it won't hurt. Because my daddy wouldn't let you. He wouldn't let you what? Hurt him. I wouldn't let... Morgan. Is this Sergeant Bowell on 25th? Yes, Sergeant. That toilet was stopped up, so we took a snake to it. What did you find? A moment. We will return for the third act of... Suspense. Hola amigo. You want to know about stereo photographs? Listen to my last bullfight on ordinary stereo. Olé. But now, Colombia stereo one. Is a corrida de toros. Real life like magnífica. There is such a big difference in stereo photographs. With most, all you get is a couple of speakers shooting in different directions. But with Colombia... Ah, hombre, you get fantastic stereo projection. What it does is to send circles of sound sweeping through every inch of a room. You are surrounded with live sound. Live feeling, live passion. Olé, olé. How they cheered me. Ask your Colombia phonograph dealer to demonstrate stereo one by Colombia. Prices start as low as $39.95 for portables, $129.95 for consoles. El picador, who let them pull out? He'd have these asthmatic attacks at night, you'd say. And he'd wheeze and he'd go for breath and he couldn't catch it. And he'd cry out, Daddy, I can't breathe. And we'd take him into our bed. We had the one at home. Then he'd sleep. After a bit, he'd make this... That kind of noise. Drive you crazy. What could you do? Wake him up. Willie, I'd say. Willie is snorkeling again. Sleep quiet, boy, I'd say. Sleep quiet. Man's got to get his rest. What would he say? Mostly nothing. I'd go back to sleep. But sometimes just... Daddy... Mmm. Like that. Go on snorkeling. All right, now this morning you said he had it pretty severely, the asthma. Yes, sir. She gave him a bath. Yes. And why did she do that? They said it, they clinic lukewarm baths when it got too much room. Calm him down. Relieve the worrying, the fear. The fear of choking to death? That's how it is with the asthma, sir. Calm him down in the bath. So she gave him one and she got up for work. This was what time did you say? Six o'clock. Morgan. Ed, I got two things. One, the medical examiner's report. Strangled? No, no, no. The next time must have been used to tie his wrists. They were the marks. Cause of death? What else? The life of the bed and making odd noises. So, Daddy, that's Katman. Katman said, come on, Willie. Just a moment. We will return for the concluding act of... Suspense. Meet star Stuart Irwin. Nothing's worse for an actor than a nasty cold. To feel better quickly, I take wonderful four-way cold tablets. The fast way to relieve cold distress. Right. Tests of all the leading cold tablets proved four-way fastest acting. Four-way starts in minutes to relieve muscular pains, headache, reduced fever, calm upset stomach, also overcomes irregularity. Take my advice. For your next cold, take four-way cold tablets. The fast way to relieve those cold miseries. Four-way only twenty-nine cents. Our program will continue in a moment, after a word about another fine product of Grove Laboratories. Does dandruff dull your hair, leave scalp itchy? 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He was taking bad with the azimuth and getting frightened of the breath, and it's so hard to catch, you know? What did he say? He said, all right. He lifted up his arms, those to be carried to the tub. I shut the bathroom door with my elbow. I was carrying Willie's, you see, the tie. Well, I tied his hands. What did he say then? Asked me what for, and I said to play cops and robbers. It was really so there'd be no splashy. And then? I gave him a bath. Did you tell me what did you do then? I looked at him with his hair all brown and long. Let's stick up your red like mine and Chauncey's. That's my real son Chauncey. He's going on six, you know? Yes. You thought of Chauncey? Chauncey, yeah. And I wished I loved my Chauncey like I loved her, Willie. I mean, Willie is my own boy, you know? Did you know that? And that was Willie. And it wasn't mine. And I was caring for him and doing for him. I was always doing for him and fretting for him and loving him because he was weak, I guess. He'd have to know someday his daddy wasn't his and I loved him so. All mother naked, like a little frog in there and loved me back, trusting me. And I knew I didn't love my own child. That's Chauncey, sir. He didn't at all, not have, no less, so much as Willie. And it all came to this. It was her son stealing all my love from my own son. It came right down to that. I saw it just as clear as clear. So I told him, duck under, I wash your hair and never let him up, I guess. It was Willie coming between you and your own son that, in what way did Willie come between you? Would you tell us? Only in my mind. I only wanted to love Chauncey. It was only in my mind Willie came in the way. But you loved Willie. Oh, yes, sir, I do. Like it was my own, all my own. And you know, I was thinking about what you said. What was that, Mr. Kettler? This is no place for me to see my boy. I don't want you to bring him here or over to the jail. When I get out, I'll see him in the proper way. I sure love to take him where those big yellow pads he's crippling on. He just loves to draw airplanes and things, you know. I'll see him when I get out. I'll see about bringing Chauncey around to see it, Mr. Kettler. And you can have a pad for him. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. So you keep getting mixed up. Chauncey's rough and tough, he's like me. He could take care of himself. It's Willie I want to see, that Willie boy. Will Petunia, his name died to me. But he isn't mine. Did I tell you that? He loves me. He trusts me. I'd like to bring him home. Surprises! Ed, haven't you got enough, can't you? Yeah, yeah, sure. Mr. Catman, go with the man. I thank you kindly. You've all been the most kind. Charged. Infanticide. What'll happen? He did it. Would you find him guilty? Suspense. You've been listening to Infanticide. Commitized for suspense by Alan Sloan from a story written by Eliezer Lipsky. Heard in tonight's story where Santos Ortega is Mr. Catman with Nat Polan, Ralph Bell, Ruth McDevitt, Frank Butler, and Danny Ako. Listen again next week when we return with The Crisis of Dirt Diamond by Sam Locke. Another tale well calculated to keep you in suspense on CBS Radio.