 Suspense and the producer of radio's outstanding theater of thrills the master of mystery and adventure William and Robeson Mardi Gras from the French meaning Fat Tuesday the day before Lent begins Carnival from the Latin meaning goodbye to meat and Bible from the Greek meaning book Put them together and they spell terror Terror for John Lund as he plays the man who stole the Bible a tale well-calculated to keep you in Suspense mean to steal the Bible that wasn't my intention Why I've never taken as much as a towel or an ashtray out of a hotel room And if I'd known the night of terror it would lead me into I'd never have taken it at all Mardi Gras New Orleans a gay time a lot of laughs if you're in on it But me I was stuck in a stuffy hotel room waiting for a call from the boss And the sound of all those people out in the street having fun got on my nerves Operator Operator. Oh, come on operator This is mr. Cummings room 302 what happened to that bellhop I sent for I said this is mr. Cummings Operator operator a bell hop. I want him to bring me something to read Anything he said half an hour ago. He was on his way up. He has not Operator he's back and forth Wishing the boss would call me so I could get out of that room. I didn't dare leave Even to go down and get a paper He's that kind of a guy expect you to be on tap all the time There was no radio in the room and nothing to read. I went through all the drawers hoping somebody is left behind a magazine or Seed catalog anything and then I found it the Bible the Gideon Bible for years I've seen him in hotel rooms, but I never paid any attention to him But now I opened the book first Samuel chapter 19 I lay down in the bed and started to read not surprised me. I'd forgotten about the bellhop. I Got up to go to the door and I realized that I had the Bible in my hand It's a fine thing when a man feels embarrassed caught reading the Bible, but that's how I felt embarrassed I stuffed it under the pillow and went to the door Well, you sure took your time. Oh I thought it was the bellhop. I'm the house detective. Sorry to disturb you. That's all right. What's the matter? Well, it seems that the woman who had this room before you lost her pocketbook She thinks she left it here. I'm sorry. There's no pocketbook here. Well, I'd better take a look I'd have seen it but it was here but Come on in if you want. Thanks See there's no pocketbook here. Yeah, but she's sure she left it here. I'll have to go through everything There's nothing in there, but my stuff. Do you have to go to matter? Don't you want me to look for it? Oh, no, it isn't that but I've been through all those drawers already You'd be surprised the things people leave behind in hotels. Yeah, yeah, I guess I would be Nobody else has been in here. They know nobody I can't even get a bellhop in here. You've been out of the room No, and look I'm not responsible for anything that was left here. No Of course, you're not Well, I'm sorry to bothered you. That's all right Say tell that bellhop to get up here. Will you? Yeah I'll tell him Good night Yeah, he was a strange guy, but then all how sticks are I Lay down again and went back to reading the Bible Once I got used to the old-fashioned language I found it pretty interesting the story of David anyway a guy being chased by everybody and not knowing who his enemies were Every minute expecting to get killed I was down to the part where David's wife puts a dummy in his bed as a decoy to save his life When I was interrupted again This time I automatically stuck the Bible under the pillow and went to the door Hello, oh Hello, I uh, wonder if you could help me. Well, I I'm having most awful time. I tried and tried it just won't work The room's so stuffy How's that the window in my room it won't open Would you open it for me? Oh, I sure Which room is it right next to yours just around this corner room 300 You know, I have the same trouble on bus as the windows never open it drives me mad You can see how stuffy the room is This window Yes, it did an easy to and so does this one Are you sure you tried you don't think I'd come to your door and ask you to come over here if I didn't need something It's been done But I wouldn't know Now that you're here wouldn't you like to have a drink Be a trouble. I mean no, I don't think I can watch the parade much better here than on your side of the building Oh, no, I can't what's matter? I'm sorry. I have to go. That's my phone. Wait, wait You can have the call transferred here But it's so easy to go all the way back to your room. Hello coming here. Oh, yes, sir I've been waiting for your call Listen, I covered the whole territory down here and things look pretty healthy You see the main difficulty has been I Stared at my briefcase. I'd left it on the dresser now it was on the bed and everything had been pulled out of it Closet door was a jar and the drawers and the bureau were open My Gladstone apparently hadn't been touched but everything else had I Heard the boss talking trends and business conditions But my mind was on a girl who wanted a window open a window that wasn't stuck While somebody searched my room Calmly, I finished my conversation and hung up. There was no reason now for me to stay in the room I gathered up my stuff and I took the Bible from under the pillow funny I'd gotten interested in it. I wanted to go on reading it. So I stuck it in my top coat and walked out of the room I'm on way to the elevator. I got a sudden impulse. I stopped in front of room 300 and knocked Where's the lady nobody in there now lady just checked out. Well, that's impossible I was just here. I know anything about that but she checked out a couple of minutes ago See gotta clean it up after right now I'm gonna be glad when this Mardi Gras over everybody go crazy Hotel go crazy people check in check out steal everything that ain't tied down Steve I said steal That's very fast. How old so how would be surprised that take the beds next the Bible in my pocket suddenly felt like a Pound of uranium I Wondered if the cleaning woman could read the guilt on my face But she put her waistbasket down in the hall and went back in to clean the room For a second. I considered taking the Bible back to room 302 Maybe I would have if it hadn't been for the discarded book jacket and the waistbasket It was gaudy red and yellow. I grabbed it up put it around the Bible the title read You will die tonight Oh You check it out, mr. Cummins, let me see you in room 302 What's the matter? I've had so much trouble over that room I was supposed to hold it for a lady, but you can't keep room vacant or Mardi Gras I gave her the room next year, but she kicked like crazy the manager next to me Yes room number 300. She just checked out a few minutes ago. I don't know what this is all about But there's something peculiar going on in room 302 I didn't mind the house detective coming in to look for the purse But I didn't like having my stuff searched while I was out of the room sure. Yeah, I said searched You say the house detective did this he said the woman who had the room before me left her purse Oh, but that's impossible. What do you mean a man had the room ahead of you? Oh, yeah, I'm positive of it Just a minute. I got to register right here. Oh Oh, yeah, yeah a man I'm mr. Gregory now the house detective in on duty today, but when he comes in on our duty Well, I'm what was he doing in my room today? Of course today tonight a tall guy with black hair Some mistake mr. Cummins our house detective mr. St. Clair is short and bald and he had been in hotel all day He's home sick Well, it had all the makings of an interesting little intrigue But I left the mystery of room 302 with the room clerk and went to the cigar stand It was eight o'clock my train wouldn't leave until midnight Yes, sir. Well, it'd be cigarettes or seagars cigars three crumbs. I know I'll make it six They're always like to sell seagars men don't smoke seagars like they used to Cigarettes that's a fashion today Somebody's having a good time Carnival say I wonder where I could check my bag and briefcase for a little while Yeah, I thought I would mill around a little bit. I Got a couple hours to kill. Well, I'd be glad to keep it for you. I'm on duty. It'll midnight. Oh, would you say that's mighty nice of you Well, mind it's all money grow something to see you shouldn't miss it But you'll have more fun if you rent a costume Hotel's got them for rent. No, no, thanks. I'll go as I am He stuck my stuff under his counter and I elbowed my way across the crowded lobby to the street door To the glass My eyes met the eyes of another man the tall man with black hair the man who had said he was the house detective I swung the hotel door open. I had a few questions A big hand clapped me on the shoulder and a voice boomed in my ear The mask Don't try to evade me sir. I've come to collect you with my nice shiny pitchfork and when the devil come for you Your time is up All I could see in the mask was a pair of eyes. They were green eyes And they were laughing the devil threw his arm around my shoulder and urged me along the street I walked a little I hadn't had anything to drink the whole thing seemed kind of silly But before I knew what happened a clown grabbed my other arm The devil and the clown were propelling me down the street to a park car Hey, let me out of here look where you're going all right Let's have it What the Bible the Bible you took out of room 302 the Bible? Say You're not drunk always time on him frisk him look. I don't know who you are. He hasn't got it on him What'd you do with it? Where is it? I told you I haven't got it. Oh That's to let you know we're not playing Now let's take it again, huh? Where's the Bible? I tell you I haven't got it. I had it, but I but I guess I lost lost it Where'd you lose it? I I don't know Why don't you don't do that sinner it's just as easy for me to pull this trigger is to look at you But I'm telling you the truth. I haven't got it. All right. You haven't got it But you tell me where it is you understand if I have to kill you to find out What are you stopping for crowd? I can't get through come on. Let's get to move and get out of here Open the back door of the car and started climbing over Nothing would stop them from weaving through they thought it was fun pushing and shoving each other One of them fell and sprawled across the devil's lap and they began to pile up and suddenly I knew that this was escape I climbed out of the car. I ran blindly away from them. I saw a cab in an intersection. I ran out open the door And there he was in the back seat the phony house detective Slammed the cab door and bolted across the street. There was a policeman on the corner directing traffic I ran up to him. Hey, where do you think you're going? They're trying to kill me. You've got to help me kill you Who's trying to kill the devil? He's after me the devil. Yes, and the clown too. They're Mickey Mouse I mean it. I'm serious. You're drunker than you look. I haven't had a drink. I tell you they're trying to kill me And why would they be doing that because they want the Bible? The Bible yes, you see I stole the Bible and Here they come now who the devil in the clown across the street look you've got to get me out of it You gotta stop them. They'll kill me sure now. Take it easy What are you trying to do guessing trouble Don't listen to this young fella claims you're trying to kill him to me Oh, not me, but if he doesn't get to the party pretty soon, his wife are gonna kill him I haven't got a wife there isn't any party. They're lying. I'll be good boys move on I got to keep this traffic moving. All right. Come on. You hide with the police for his head The officer beat it now go on with it. I demand to be arrested I'm a what? The one for Mardi Gras run you in and you want to rest me, huh? Okay, remember I didn't want to do this Yankee trick strike on an officer. All right young fella that doesn't you're under arrest Just a moment. We will return to tonight's story of Suspense any young man Orson Bean and Myron McCormick of Broadway fame and the internationally popular singer Catarina Valente will all be with you this evening when you hear the Mitch Miller show For star-studded variety entertainment at its sparkling best join us every Sunday night when the Mitch Miller show is on the air over Most of these same stations and now We continue with John Lund and the man who stole the Bible A tale well calculated to keep you in Suspense I sat in the drunk tank in the New Orleans jail and tried to figure it out Who were the devil in the clown and the phony house detective? Why was the Bible so important that they would even kill me to get it? My bags were back at the cigar counter in the hotel My train was scheduled to leave at midnight How was I going to get out of New Orleans? Already it was 10 o'clock As long as I stayed in jail, I'd be safe But that didn't last long I Hadn't been there a half hour when a cop came for me and took me to the desk sergeant Here's your personal belonging coming You're at least you can go But try to behave yourself. We're pretty busy tonight released You know you're a lucky guy Cope ever decided not to press charges against you You know what you could get for striking the officer, but aren't you gonna hold me your fines been paid now go and get out of here Keep out of trouble with but I am in trouble. That's what I tried to tell the cop, but he wouldn't listen to me I had to hit him my fine Somebody paid my fine. Yeah, it's been paid, but who who paid it I don't know who it was. He didn't give me a name. He just paid it Was it a man in a devil's costume? Or or a clown now look, what did he look like? How do I know what he looked like? He was ordinary-looking guy tall big black hair The house detector the who they'll kill me. I tell you they'll kill me I hadn't heard her come into the station she moves so quietly She was a nun and she was talking excitedly in French. I wasn't paying much attention to her I was thinking instead of my own problem The house detective had paid my fine. He wanted me out of jail He wanted me loose on the street. Why and the devil and the clown were they with him? Were all of them waiting outside that door for me, please sister I wish I could help you, but I can't understand a word you're saying Monsieur les gens dans la rue mais pêche de trouver mon chemin il ne me prend pour un célébrant English, can you can you speak English sister? I think she's trying to say the people on the streets think she's wearing a masquerade costume Loose you mean lost. Oh, yes, you lost. I am expect at convent The view of carry the view of carry that that's the French quarter. Exactly. We I thought I for taxicab the crowd Oh, you see push me around voudrais vous envoyer un gendarme pour my sister What the gendarme she wants you to send a policeman to help her get to the convent Oh yes, sir. Oh Well, I'm sorry sister. I'd be glad to but I don't have anybody in right now If you don't mind sticking around here for a while, I'll be very The sergeant says he's sorry if you wait, there's no one available right now to help you Wait a minute the nun stood there frightened and bewildered out of place in the police station For me it was a miraculous break. I sure I could walk out of that police station with her And if they were waiting outside waiting to get me why I could walk right by them They wouldn't dare touch me as long as I was with a nun. I could take her to the convent and once there I'd be safe. Just with this really. I'm just gonna take a fail. I'll take the sister to the convent sergeant It's okay with me if it's okay with her Merci mille fois As she walked out of the police station I took her arm to help her yes, but also to steady my own fear Any minute I expected to see one or all of them the devil the clown the house detective But they weren't in sight There were people milling about on the street, but but not the three I feared Strangely not finding them there frightened me more than ever I Found a cab and gave the driver the address of the convent The nun and I didn't try to talk I realized this whole thing was difficult for and I didn't feel like talking too much It happened to me for one night The cab pulled up in front of an ancient building in the French Quarter crumbling cement brought iron work We got out and I walked with it to the big front door the nun raised her hand to the knocker And I knew I'd been had fingernails Red polished fingernails You're not a nun. Hey, where you been hurry boys. Why come on you'll get inside It was the devil and the clown they yanked me into the house And the girl I stared at her back in the police station I hadn't really looked at her face her black robes had spelled freedom to me That's as far as I thought but now I knew I'd seen her before Only before she'd worn a green dress And a scarlet mouth to match your fingernails and her hair has been blonde and long and she wanted a window open a Window that wasn't stuck You've given us a lot of trouble. I'm sorry. I don't know we've been very patient Now we won the Bible. I told you before I don't have it. You had it. I had it. Yes, I had it I took it. I don't know why I took it, but I lost it. Who sent you to get it? I'll handle him All right, who you working for Poloni? Look there's some mistake. I'm a salesman. I sell washing machines You're lying. Look Look, I tell you that where's the stuff as Polona got it. What stuff? I don't know any Poloni What are you slapping me around for I won't get you any place. I'll warn it Let me talk to him. Look if you're covering up for Poloni Who's Who's Poloni? I don't know any Poloni. Poloni wouldn't take a beating for you But I tell you I don't every pain you will pay him or repay him and nothing You'll hand over that Bible or tell us where the junk is stashed or shall I help with me? I'll kill him dope So that's what it is Dope. Yeah, mr. Innocent That's what it is dope heroin a cocaine a hundred grand to work. Oh, stop it. You kill him. We'll never find it Listen to me. What's your name? Cummings you work for Poloni Cummings Nobody but Poloni knows about that Bible. You came to hijack this stuff. I tell you I don't know Poloni stop lying Poloni knew our carrier was hot that he had to drop the stuff somewhere in New Orleans. You're wasting your time, baby I'll make him talk. Oh You're gonna talk. I don't you want the butt of this gun right across your face. Look look you've got to believe me I'm here with a gun. I tried to keep my eyes open to hang out a consciousness Across the room. I saw the door open and in it stood a man with another gun a big man with black hair The phony house detective Was his name Poloni? Didn't know how long I was out When I came to I was lying on a bed My head was throbbing My cheeks my nose every bone in my face seemed on fire There was a cold cloth on my eyes I Tried to think Why did I hurt so? Oh Oh, yes The Bible they wanted the Bible But I didn't have it It was a good thing too if I had it they'd kill me And I and I smelled something a strong cigar It burned the inside of my nose. I rolled over to get away from it opened my eyes The devil and the clown were gone and so was the girl I was alone With the phony house detective. All right, let's not waste any more time What did you do with the Bible? Where the others they've been taken care of you took the Bible that belongs in this room now. What did you do with it? this room oh Yeah Room 302 you had no right to touch that Bible now think what did you do with it? Where is it? Look look I told them I must have lost it. I I don't know I'll get it. Yeah The gentleman who left his suitcases with me mr. Cummins suitcases Good who are you? I run the seagull stand in the lobby. I saw you bring mr. Cummins in If you don't mind my say him so quiet tight. Yeah, I'm going off duty in a little while I thought he'd need his things see he checked him with me. Thanks. Oh Most God here's his book too. Oh, no, don't leave the book. You forgot it on the counter I don't want the book you can have it out. Take the book. No. No, don't give it to him. Thanks for your trouble Don't mention it. Hope it feels better tomorrow Well at last The Bible you will die tonight. Look Poloni. I didn't know I swear. I just took it alone. Yeah, I'm not Poloni You know, that's a pretty clever stunt covering the Bible with a who done a jacket Third book second chapter Genesis Exodus Leviticus chapter one for you. Yeah, yeah Here's the address of the warehouse where the stuff is right. I don't understand if you're not Poloni Well, who are you John Stang United States Treasury Department of Cartex Division a tea man But I thought you made my job very difficult tonight, mr. Cummins We traced the narcotics carrier all the way from Hong Kong to New Orleans the room 302 But when we arrested him he was clean. He didn't have the evidence Room 302 was the link the girl Frenchy was to take this room and I would have followed it where the evidence was stashed It was as simple as that but you stepped in and threw us all off Why didn't you tell me you were a government man when you came in tonight to look for the pocketbook? How did I know that you weren't a new member of the mob now take my advice mr. Cummins quit stealing things out of hotels Look, I never stole a thing in my life before. This is the first time there's one thing. I can't figure out Why did you steal a Bible? Well, you're not gonna believe this but Honestly, I just wanted to finish the story Unstarred as the man who stole the Bible by John Bagney and Gwen Bagney Gilgud listen Listen again next week when radio's outstanding theater of thrills brings you The rim of terror starring miss Barbara Whiting A tale well calculated to keep you in Suspense Produced and directed in Hollywood by William and Robeson Included in the cast of the man who stole the Bible were June Foray, Joe DeSantis, Jane Avello, Joe Kearns, Larry Thor, Harry Bartel and Jack Moyles The original musical score was composed and conducted by Leith Stevens Sound patterns by Tom Hanley and Bill James Even a cynic will have to admit that however bumbling a man may be he has struggled valiantly to better his world Our faults notwithstanding our civilization is a vast improvement over primitive social arrangements And perhaps most impressive of all of man's labors has been his consistent effort to protect the principles of justice As he has come to understand them over the years How justice is served may vary from place to place in time to time But always it is a thrilling demonstration of man's love of fair play For examples of modern day efforts on behalf of justice Be sure to hear indictment over most of these same stations today It's yours for the listening right after the news which follows immediately on most of these same stations