 Wait a minute. Have you heard the whistler? No, no, don't come near me. I didn't plan to kill you. No, that was John Hennlitz he waited Waited for a chance to sell his soul to the devil Money is not enough We want you John We want you that was his white mother the former widow Mars Yes, yes, and her simple-minded son Henry Must have Yes present the real mystery series The whistler and the whistler know many things or I walk by night. I know many strange tales Many secrets hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadow I know the nameless terrors of which they dare not speak and So I tell you tonight the strange story of retribution Gaze up this muddy rain splattered road small lonely stone building appears against the light and sweet sky The dismal courthouse of a southern village the village of Marsdenburg Is nearly midnight a trial is in progress John Henry is on trial for his life The state versus him Killed his wife and steps up He killed his wife and her simple-minded son Henry for the 10,000 in cash She kept in her big house on the outskirts of town Open the door there. He's there. John It's a huge silent man of the large bony and Close the door Well, what do you think? Does he look like a murderer? Prosecutors close these arguments Had no current bank account it has been proven that she did have a large sum of money Which he kept on her estate John Hendricks and attempted to steal it was caught in the act And killed them both in order to cover up the theft It was not a trap who killed that old gray-haired lady and her simple son There was only one intruder one thief one murderer and there he sits ladies and gentlemen There he sits in all his guilt a vicious killer a murderer There is only one decision There is only one penalty that can erase from this countryside the stigma of this fetish crime one penalty for this axe murderer John Hendricks and that penalty is death state rest Had to be Yes, it had to be I know And Hendricks stand up. Yes, John stand up based on Hendricks I wish to state that I am not in the card with the findings of this jury However, there's nothing for me to do but send you to the state penitentiary for the remainder of your natural life Where you are now? Recognize that huge sprawling stone struck to the high walls around it state penitentiary How much later? 10 years John Hendricks is in there. He has a number now. It is 10 13 Let's go through the gates Love the steps down the corridor. Here. We are in cell block two night again This has been going on for 10 years for John Hendricks 10 13 and his cellmate bill 10 14 Bill 10 14 is a gangster or robbing was But he's changed during five years. He's been here bill has decided to go straight if he ever gets out But he holds no resentment has become more or less half bill started reading philosophy He's changed but what about John and oh No Not him because he has a plan he has a purpose You close it to the cell door and listen I think you're creating up to make the try with that's a matter of opinion John But it'll be simple. I got everything all set. It's all fix another chance of a slip up all fix Well friend of mine Crooked garden. No, he ain't a guard and then they got a fix of the warden What difference does it make who it is the long as the whole thing is set and fixed and you've got to have some help inside or out I think you're nuts Stir crazy. I'm getting out of this place. I got a reason a good reason I've got something waiting for me outside something I can enjoy something that belongs to me I'm the only one that knows where it is and I'm going out You're in there for a good long time, but then if you don't want to go with me, you can stay in rottler Kendrick's I still think you're nuts. All right, what of it? I got the right to open a and it'll work. Those it does I think you'll find this money didn't away on the old lady this state You killed her and her son together I didn't didn't kill anybody. I say it ain't true. Not a word of it Okay, you can break out you can have the money, but Well, I've done a lot of reading and thinking since I've been here. Yeah, you're gonna. Maybe so But I know this much now I ever do get out I'll do things a lot different Believe me Hendricks. I'll tread the street now. I've done a lot of things that I'm sure sorry for now I can undo them But I won't do them again No, sir. I'll do things you different Not the way I get it before. Ah, you're just that religion, but it won't get you out Maybe not, but I'm resigned. I Got exactly what's coming to me. Believe me Hendricks. So If you break out, they'll have you back one way or another You watch and see. Well, I'm going till you watch and see what can see Another night a lonely country road a car We're in the south that village we passed a few miles back that silent sleeping village was Marsdenburg Yes, Marsdenburg remember that small lonely stone building was the courthouse the courthouse where John Hendricks was tried and convicted We're on the outskirts now on a lonely road. A young man is driving the old car and there's a girl beside Motor trouble. Well, they're just ahead of life. Yes, it's a little cross-road store There's a light, but I don't see anybody. Oh, it's closed. We'd better drive on I guess you're right We're having motor trouble How are you doing there driving around on night like this on our way with Mr. Is there an in or something around here where we can stay for the night and in This is the place about there eight miles up the road You'll probably put you up. Yeah, there's a sign on the left hand side the road can't miss it This road's pretty bad minute range. Have to be careful or you'll find yourself walking. Thanks. We'll try Good night. Good luck. You need the luck Precinct now Muddy road sparkles in the flashes of lightning Tall dark trees sway back and forth in the fury of the storm like moaning lost souls The little car lurches and bounces in its fight to keep center of the highway Two miles three miles four maybe five and look There it is straight ahead on the right side of the road a blue light Ah, yeah, that's it wait joy The old man's day on the right side or the left side of the road George, what's wrong? I don't know Distributor must have gotten wet. Look George. What have you likely thought it's gone. Where is it? Oh I'd better turn in here this motor won't last much longer. I can't see a thing. Can you? It's definitely There must be a house back in there There it is. Look, there's a driveway 20 feet ahead. Oh, yeah This motor's about to conk out. We've got to drive in and see what we can find Yes, drive in George You will find something That's right Through the gate make the curve. All right. There goes a motor a little more No, oh, we just made it thank heaven. Yes, that's right Always thank heaven at the time like this All right, get out and go up on the park. Let me help you What do we do with the bag? We'll leave them here in the car till we find out if there's anyone here This place looks completely deserted. I don't think anyone lives here. I don't either Let's go to the whistler We pause momentarily for station identification. This is the Columbia broadcasting system. Let's don't knock. I Don't like this place Let's go on how about that motor? How did we go? I'll knock that's right Not George Not go ahead Louder have seen that car any longer Can we come? Now you're on your own Well, I you see our car Yes, I And we can't go any farther and it's such a terrible night out that we thought we could stop here for the evening Stop here. Why? Yes. We we saw your life and life What life why? Why the little neon out in front there is no light Have you a room? Yes There is a room well Could we come in? I mean it's awfully wet out here. You'll make them in If you wish Thank you. No, it's quite a relief We were afraid you'd close up with the night especially when all the lights were on are the lights out. Yes, you see Of course the lights are out. Oh I didn't know You do take tour Do we? Oh, yes, that's what they told us Who told you? Well the man, the old man at the little store back at the crossroads Little store? Yes, at the crossroads about five miles back You know where the crossroads is don't you? There is no store at the crossroads There isn't? No Look madam, would you mind turning on the lights? I Can't see a thing. We have no lights here. No lights? I'll give me a flashlight She means there's no electricity. No There is no light here. Throw the flash around. There must be a lamp. No Don't make a light We see well in the dark. We? Who's we? Someone else in the house? My son. Oh, he's going to bed. No He's standing beside you. Beside who? You Yes, ma'am. Oh, gee, give me that flashlight. God, have you got it? Oh, yeah, how long have you been standing there, bub? Didn't you came in? Well, I didn't see you You make a noise like a spook. Who are you? What is your name? George Kimball. This is my wife, children We're on our way west with Travellers. Travellers? So who are we? What? Quiet, son. Quiet. No, let him talk. He's quiet enough How long have you both been living here? We live here all our lives How about closing the door? Is the door open? Why, of course it's open. What? George! Now, take it easy, Joan. Don't get excited. Look, ma'am, there's a candle on that table over there with the fireplace. Is there? Yes, and if you don't mind, I'm going to light it. Please don't Oh, wait a minute. If you want us to stay here, we insist that we have some light. You want us to stay here, don't you? Do we? Do we, son? Yes, mother. What are you looking at me for? Yes, mother. Without light? Yes, mother. George, let's go. I don't want to stay here tonight. This place doesn't look good to me. There have been no good here for many years. You want to mean, George? I don't get it. You don't seem to want us yet. Your son must. How do you make any money that way? We don't make money. You don't? You mean you haven't had any guests lately? No, not for many years. Well, you can't expect any new act like this. But we do expect a guest. Don't we, son? Yes, mother. Well, he certainly has a surprise coming. Yes, he has. How many rooms have you? There are many rooms, but only one. Only one? That doesn't make sense. What do you mean? Only one for guests. You mean only one equipped? Yes. And if you've got a reserve for this guest, you expect? What are we going to do? There is an in-father along the road. They have rules. They will take care of you. It will be best for us. Our distributor got wet, so our car won't run. Where is your car? Right there at the foot of the steps. I see no car. You don't? Why, it's standing right... George. George, where is it? It's gone. Holy smoke, it is gone. Where? How? Why didn't you hear a sound? It must have rolled ahead. Throw your light around. Not a sign of it. Same. That goes on here. Son, yes, mother, you moved the car. Yes, mother. I understand, son. I understand. Wait a minute. Your son moved it? How could he? The motor won't even run. And even if it would, we didn't hear a sound. No sound. How did you move it? I... Here we are in a place where they don't want us in the way of leading. Well, you've got us on your hands now. You'll have to make the best of it. No, George, no. We'll leave. Nonsense. This is all silly. Come on. Let's have some light and cut out the monkey business. Wait. Son, what have we decided? Yes, mother. We decided yes. Very well. If you wish. If you wish, you may stay. Stay until... Until when? All night. Yes, mother. If you wish. That's better. That's more like it. Now I'll let this candle look at the dust in the cobwebs. This piece looks deserted, like an old cellar. Well, how about the room? Do we get it or are the guests you're expecting? There is another room that we'll do, perhaps. Good to see you. Yes. And, by the way, how much do you charge? We charge nothing. You charge nothing? Nothing. Sounds silly, but it's a break for us. We're running short anyway. Well, let's see the room. Very well. It is upstairs. Uh, after you, madam. No. You go first. Come on, Joe. Bring that up the candle. Come, son. Follow me. Yes, well, there you go. I've never thought so much dust. Well, they must like it. You know. Nice clean dust. That room at the head of the stairs. Why? This room was well furnished. Is this the room reserved for your expected guest? No. But you said you had only one room furnished. Who sleeps here? I stay here now. I see. Or do I? It's a nice soft bed. It was always comfortable. We'll leave you now. Come, son. We must leave them alone now. Yes, mother. Leave them alone. Good night. Good night. You will lock your door. Oh, oh, yes, yes. We'll lock it. Goodbye. Sonny, did she say good night or goodbye? I don't know. I thought she said... She did say goodbye. Golly, what a scurry outfit. I wish we hadn't had car trouble. That's what we get for trying to drive in the storm. How much money have we made? Not much. Just enough to get Los Angeles the way I figure. Once I get there, I know there'll be a job for me. We'll make it. Don't worry. You'll see me in a nice job in Hollywood. I'm not worried about seeing you in Hollywood. No? No. I'm just worried about seeing you in the morning. It's the same night, but later, it's midnight. Another car on the same road. You know who it is. It's John Hendricks. You know where he's going. He turns in at our deserted mansion, up the driveway, and stops. He steps out. He slips up the steps, opens the door, and throws his flash about the dusty room. Cobwebs glisten in the wind. A few moments and the light comes pressed on the fireplace. He steps quickly through the mantle. A small hammer and chisel from his pocket sets to work, removing a brick. Ah, now he's finished. The brick is loose. He reaches in and withdraws a heavy yellow envelope. He starts to put it in his pocket, but suddenly freezes in his tracks. He can't move. He turns icy cold. Turn around, Hendricks. Turn around. Look. At the foot of the stairs, across the room, stands a woman holding a candle. And beside her, a grinning youth holding an axe. Turn around, Hendricks. Look at their heads covered with blood. Turn around. John Hendricks' murderers. John Hendricks, please. No, no. We've come for you, John, the same way you came for us. We've been waiting for you, John. We knew you'd come back for the money we've been waiting. We've come to take you, John. No, no, please don't come near me. Please. You must suffer, John, as we have suffered. I have suffered. I have suffered. Not enough, John, not enough. I didn't mean to do it. I didn't plan to give you. I went mad, lost my head. No, no, don't come near me. You can have the money. You can have it. Then give it to us, John. Give us the money. You won't need it now. Come, son, we must have the money, and we must take John. Come, son, come. No, no. There. There's the money on the floor. Money is not enough, John. Money is not enough. Yes, son, go ahead. We must have John Hendrick's thief murderer. Yes, mother. Yes, mother. Yes, mother. No, no, no. I'll shoot. I'll shoot. Bullets won't stop us. I heard a scream. Downstairs. What did I? A chop. I'll open the door. It must have been downstairs. I don't see a thing. Here's your flashlight. Great Scott. Look. A man down there on the floor. Come on. It's been fired. I don't see a mark on him. Let's get out of here. I'll say, come on. How you doing? Time for your... Cops. What's going on here? Hand over that gun. Thanks. What are you doing here? We're... We're stopping here. That is... We're just leaving. I can see that. Know this man on the floor? No, I'm... Yes, yes. Joan, what's the matter with you? No, no, we don't... Take a look at Frank. Yes, sir. What are you two doing here? We're guests. Yes, we're both guests. Guests? Who's guests? I guess. Lodgers. Tourists. Guests of the old lady. What old lady? The old lady that lives here. The old lady and her son. You're going to have to cook up a better one than that. What do you mean? Drive here? Where's your car? The son took it. Son, old lady, what are you talking about? They live here. They said they owned this place. We had more to trouble and they put us up at the night. What about him, Frank? Well, he isn't dead. Breathing. Looks like he had a stroke or something. Is him all right? John Hendricks. Take a look around. See if there's anyone else here. Yes, sir. What's your name? This is my wife. We're on our way to California. Do you know who this man is? Certainly. We've been on his trail. He's an escaped convict. Miss your gun? No, sir. Did he shoot at you? No, sir. You shoot at him? This gun's been fired and we heard shots as we turned in the driveway. On the side of anyone, sir? Nothing but dust and cobwebs. Look, Campbell. You said there was an old lady and her son here. Sure. They were here all evening. They're not here now. Well, they let us in and showed us to our room. They certainly were here. What did the old lady look like? Well, she had gray hair. She wore a house dress and an apron. What did the boy look like? He was a big kid, about 20. He had a round rosy face and I think... Well, in fact, I know he was kind of simple-minded. He had a strange laugh. He had red hair. Well, I'll be done. What do you think of that, Frank? Golly. Isn't he the creep? Why so? You know who you've just described? No? The old lady and her son who used to live here. Used to live here? Yeah. They were murdered here. 10 years ago. What? Murder, sure. This man on the floor was her husband. The boy's stepfather. He was tried for killing them with an axe and stealing her money and bonds. He got off at second degree because of lack of evidence. He escaped a week ago and headed this way. We've been on his trail ever since he entered this county. So you see, Kimball, if there was anybody else here tonight, it must have been a figment of your imagination. This house has been deserted for 10 years. Oh. Oh, Jordan. Good Lord. Look, Sergeant, on this envelope, on the back doorstep. It's the money. Well, what do you know? The money and the bonds. Old Martha Hendricks money. That's why Hendricks came here. But where did they go? The old lady. No place. Because they weren't here, Kimball. Well, better get them out of here and back to headquarters. Oh, wait a minute. Don't leave us. We won't. You're coming along too. Why? We need you for a day or two. All right. Let's get going, Frank. Come on. But where did they go? We saw them. I know they were here. Well, you certainly described them to a T, but don't worry too much about it. You know, things like this can drive you nuts. You know what I mean? Things like this, well, things like this sometimes just, just happen. You know what I mean? No. Well, oh, come on. Let's go before I get the heebie-jeebies. What did he say? Things like this just sometimes happen. Just happen? Well, sometimes they do and can't be explained. But not this time. Oh, no, not this time. This can be explained. Remember John Hendrick's cellmate, Bill? Bill number 1014? He can explain. He knows all about it because he planned it. Bill wanted the money. He'd learned all the dope from Hendrick. He sent his pals the phony spooks made up like the old lady and her son to grab the money when Hendrick's recovered it. Too bad they dropped it in their hurry to get away. Bill didn't want to hurt John. He wanted to scare him out of it. Remember? Bill 1014 had chained. He said he'd never do things the way he'd done them before. And he didn't. He didn't meant what he said. Good night. If this came upon you unaware and you listened, we've served our purpose. The whistler with original music composed and conducted by Wilbur Hatch is written and directed by J. Donald Wilson and originates from Columbia Square in Hollywood. Next week, same time, the whistler returns. This is the Columbia Broadcasting System.