 The mutual broadcasting system presents The Mysterious Traveller written produced and directed by Robert A. Arthur and David Cogan and starring tonight two of radio's foremost personalities Eric Bressler and Brett Morrison in I Died Last Night This is The Mysterious Traveller inviting you to join me on another journey into the realm of the strange and the terrifying I hope you will enjoy the trip and it will thrill you a little and chill you a little So settle back get a good grip on your nerves and be comfortable if you can or tonight Our journey is one such as no living man ever took before We're going to accompany a gentleman named Gregory Raymond across the very threshold of existence into another world It's a story. I call I died last night My friend Mr. Gregory Raymond who's going to tell you of his strange experience is a man of middle-aged with bushy gray hair and The nervous intensity of one who's concentrated his whole life upon a single absorbing interest As he proceeds with his tail, please overlook the inconsequential fact that he's dead My name is Gregory Raymond and it is perfectly true that all my life. I was concentrated upon a single interest The study of death and what comes after it Even from boyhood that one interest absorbed me I made a thousand efforts to penetrate the baffling veil that separates life from death To affect communication with those on the other side of the dark curtain And in this effort I had no success until I met that man of great wisdom from the east the yogi Krishna Then I knew I'd found the teacher I needed I studied daily for months with Krishna and his other pupils I devoted my entire fortune to the project And we were just on the brink of success When one evening the yogi kept me with him after the others had left My friend Gregory It is necessary that you and I should talk of course, yogi You seem troubled. I am Gregory We have come close to success in our studies here. Have we not closer than I ever dared hope we would If now we could only tear away the last veil of ignorance That separates us from the truth If we could only see through to the other side of the wall of death Patience my friend Death is a subject that has engrossed man's mind for a million years We cannot expect to solve its dark mysteries in a few months No, of course not, but I've spent a lifetime trying and I suppose I'm a little impatient I too have spent a lifetime Just preparing to make the study And now that's a good thing And now that success is in sight it grieves me to say that we must discontinue our studies Discontinue them just when we were getting somewhere Well, no we can't we have no choice, but why why must we stop now when we're so close for the simplest reason in the world We lack the money to continue Oh money Is that the trouble we need trained assistants Scientific instruments many things to aid us all this requires money, and we do not have it Well, how much many thousands a hundred thousand dollars perhaps a hundred thousand It's a lot, but we'll get it. We have to alas my friend. I do not know where listen My brother John is a rich man He's head of the Raymond Foundation which makes grants for all kinds of important studies. Yes, I have heard so I'll ask him for the money for a cause like this. He'll give it to us. I know it It would mean everything to us, but suppose he refuses he won't refuse and if he does I'll get the money from him somehow. I Swear it The next day I hurried to Hollywood where John had his home on top of the cliff that looks out over the beach and the ocean beyond When I reached the house old Charles the gardener told me that John had gone for a walk to his favorite spot a High point on the cliff that looked far out across the ocean. I Hurried there and found him alone Smoking and watching the sunset Swiftly I told him why I'd come and to my amazement He refused my request Gregory my answer is emphatically. No, I'll not put up money for any such crackpot scheme But John you're head of the Raymond Foundation Father left it millions to carry on research in every field of human welfare And you consider this wild notion of yours a field of human welfare. Of course it is Don't you understand? We're on the very verge of solving the greatest mystery of all the mystery of death and what follows it indeed Gregory But it's true We only need a little more time and money time and money and when we've succeeded when we've definitely Established communication with those who have left this sphere of existence Think what that will mean to the world just what will it mean to the world? It'll mean everything Think of the think of the comfort it'll give mankind The peace of mind the tranquility of soul that will result when we know what is to come what our future life is to be like Can't you see that? No, I'm afraid I can't Old-fashioned faith is good enough for me furthermore. There can never be such communication as you're dreaming of it's impossible But it isn't the yogi Krishna has already achieved it your yogi my dear Gregory is a fake I've had him looked up He's nothing but a trickster and a charlatan running a nice little racket to get money out of deluded fools like you That's not true. I tell you it is while I live the Raymond Foundation will never furnish a cent for this Fantastic scheme. No John you can't refuse me. You can't I do Gregory. That's final. I See I'm sorry. You said that John. What do you mean? I? See that there's only one thing that I can do What what what the devil are you getting at this project must not be allowed to fail? It means so much that the life of one man is a small price to pay for that success What nonsense the hell are you talking when you're dead? I shall become the head of the Raymond Foundation good Gregory get away from me take take your hands off me John You wouldn't listen to reason so I have no alternative You're pushing me through the cliff Gregory leave me John I don't want to do this, but our studies cannot be allowed to fail Gregory come to your senses. You're out of your mind. You'll see John in just a moment. You'll know that I'm right Bar below me John lay still I Felt a vast pity for him, but I had done the only thing possible And I was sure that John wherever he might be then agreed with me I Returned to the house broke the sad news that John had had an unfortunate accident and Wired for John's son and daughter Jack and Susan who were at college to fly home at once The next evening Jack and Susan arrived pale and upset I took them into the library to explain the whole sad occurrence to them Uncle Gregory you say that father had a dizzy spell and fell over the cliff before you could catch him Yes, Jack. It happened so fast. I could do nothing But father never got dizzy his health was perfect He was smoking a cigar Susan he complained that he felt a little unwell and a moment later He staggered and was gone. I feel terribly about this believe me. You don't look very upset uncle Gregory Oh, but I am Jack But I know that wherever your father is now. He's happier by far than any of us Are you sure that's the reason you're so cheerful uncle Gregory? What do you mean by that? She means the gardener tells a very different story The gardener what's the gardener got to do with it? He saw you and father talking at the top of the cliff. He says you were arguing arguing Well, that's nonsense. I was just explaining to John my scheme for Scientifically attacking the problem of communication with the next world uncle Gregory the gardener says he doesn't think father fell Then what does he think? He thinks he saw you Push father off the cliff That is utter nonsense. He saw me try to grab John as he was falling. That's all I wish I could believe that But I can't jet you must Uncle Gregory couldn't have pushed father just isn't possible. Of course not Susan and I'm glad that you at least realize I'm not so sure he seems awfully pleased about being head of the Raymond Foundation now Now listen to me both of you The coroner says that your father died accidentally and that ends matters not for me It doesn't and just what do you think you're going to do Jack? I don't know yet But I'm going to dad's lawyers and have you declared incompetent to handle the Raymond Foundation I warn you I'll brook no interference I am head of the foundation and from now on it will be run as I say not if I can help it and the first thing I'm going to do is pour all the resources of the foundation into an Institute for the study of death Gregory you can't mean that the Foundation scientists are on the verge of a cure for cancer for tuberculosis You can't stop their work now. I can and I will Now I'm certain you killed that you killed him to get control of the foundation for your crazy schemes You get out get out both of you Swung at me lost his balance. I couldn't catch him He's lying so still He hit his head on on the fireplace as he felt It's bleeding Jack is he all right? Just a minute and I'll see Jack bent over me. I had lost my temper and been trying to hit him had fallen And now I lay on the floor a great pain throbbing in my head in a strange darkness creeping up all around me As Jack and Susan leaned over me the darkness closed in and I felt myself drifting away into an unknown land and Just before the darkness became complete. I could hear their words Jack how is he? He doesn't seem to be breathing. Is he is he dead? Yes, Susan All his life uncle Gregory has been trying to learn what happens when you die Well now at last He's going to find out In vast dark nothingness I do not know But at long last consciousness began to return to me First I realized that the sweet ploughing scent of flowers was heavy in my nostrils Then I open my eyes I lay on a couch at one end of a great dim room with windows of stained glass like a church and Then at the other end of the room I saw three coffins One of the coffins was banked with flowers and candles burned at either end of it Dazed and bewildered I got to my feet and walked slowly toward them. I Reached the side of the one covered with flowers and stared through the small glass plate at the man inside and Then I knew The body in the coffin was mine Oh, you mustn't be so upset. Mr. Most of us feel pretty startled at first Joshua and I were upset just as you are, but this will pass soon. I Were about and saw two dim figures coming toward me from the shadows They were smiling and I knew that they were trying to be helpful Who who are you? I'm Joshua Brown. This is my wife Nellie Our bodies are in the other two coffins your bodies. I don't understand Of course, you're still confused. That's only natural. Look through the glass in this coffin. That's my body There you see Yes, it it looks just like you. Yes, of course. It is me the earthly me Well, then we're we're really dead all three of us Of course you died last night. You you slipped and fell and hit your head Yes, yes, I remember now. It's taken you until now to Want to become aware of things to get over the shock, but where am I? This is the mortuary chapel of the cemetery. They'll be coming for you soon to prepare to bury you to bury me No, oh you mustn't be upset just to bury the mortal you the empty shell You've left behind yes Nellie and I were killed two nights ago in an auto accident But we won't be buried until tomorrow When our son gets here But I I never dreamed that it would be like this Why I can still see and hear I Still breathe my heart still beats not really You're used to those things so they let you think there hasn't been much change until you get over your first shock They're very thoughtful They who you mean the ones in charge or you'll know more about them soon Mr. Benedict will be coming for us and I expect he'll take you along too. Who's mr. Benedict? He's our guide. He stopped last night to tell us not to worry and to wait for him He'll take us on to the next place Someone's coming. We must step back here out of the way We Step back a few paces so the door opened Four men entered pushing a carriage on rubber-tired wheels Behind them came Jack and Susan dressed in morning. They advanced toward the coffin the coffin that held my mortal body All right men take it easy now. That's it All lift together They lifted and placed the coffin on the wheel carriage that they brought And a sudden panic struck me a sudden fear that made me cry out Jack Susan. No, you mustn't you can't bury me. I'm not dead. I can't be Oh, please you mustn't give away. It's perfectly natural really it is no let go of me I've got to make them understand that I'm not really dead. Let go of me Jack Susan please please you mustn't distress yourself. You see they can't hear you It was true None of them so much as turned The four men wheeled my coffin out Jack and Susan followed and the door closed. I Was alone again with the Browns They didn't hear me they didn't pay any attention to me It was impossible for them to hear you we cannot communicate with the living nor they with us But it must be possible. I'm sorry, but rarely it isn't Mr. Benedict said so but all my life I've worked to establish such communication and now I have so much to tell the world The people that I've worked with Yogi Krishna. I I must tell them all this. I Must reach them somehow if it is possible. Mr. Benedict will tell you I'm sure no, no, please The only thing we can do is be quiet and wait for him Stunned I sank into a chair There was no doubt about it. I had died last night and this was what came after But I knew the Browns were wrong. There was some way to reach the one that I left behind I knew the Yogi had proved it to me And so I waited for mr. Benedict. I don't know how long it was But suddenly a strange musical note sang in my ears A shaft of white light shone directly down into the center of the room and Then it stood a tall figure hidden in a flowing robe The light winked out and the figure strode towards us Are you ready mr. And mrs. Brown? Yes, mr. Benedict or mr. Raymond? This is mr. Benedict. He's come for us now. Yes, it is time We must go But I can't go yet I've got to tell people the the people that I've worked with We've worked so hard to find out the truth and now may not be Now mr. And mrs. Brown. It is time sure mr. Benedict. We're ready, but mr. Raymond is coming with us, isn't he? He is not coming not coming but Why mr. Benedict is doomed to remain here on earth for all eternity What do you mean? What are you saying? This is your punishment To remain forever a spirit that moves unseen and unheard among men But why is he being punished mr. Benedict? He knows That is sufficient Now come we must go no wait you've got to take me with you But they didn't wait They took a step two steps and were gone Where they vanished heavy curtains rustle against the wall. I rushed over to them and flung them back There was no wall. I could see straight out into a peaceful cemetery and across the green grass Mr. Benedict and the Browns were walking away. I hurried after them and something stopped me an Invisible barrier across my path cold unyielding like glass I beat against the invisible barrier with my hands. I cried out and no one heard no one noticed and at last exhausted I ceased Jack and Susan was slowly walking toward me They came down a little path and stopped about five feet from me that they did not see me And they were talking about me Well, it's all over Susan uncle Greg and father are both gone. We've got to face the fact. I know Jack Do you think uncle really did kill father? I don't want to believe it. Oh, I guess we'll never know But if he did He's been punished for it. Perhaps this punishment is worse than we can ever guess Do you suppose that now wherever he is? He's he's trying to tell the world what he knows probably Susan But if only Gregory hadn't become such a fanatic on the subject none of this would ever have happened They started to move away and again I cried out to them Jack Susan listen to me. You've got to hear me. You've got to But they didn't turn They didn't hear They couldn't They were alive And I was dead At last despairing I turned and there was mr. Benedict again watching me his deep-set eyes expressions Gregory Raymond Do you believe at last are you convinced now that there can be no communication? No, no, there must be yogi Krishna proved it to me He was a trickster seeking money from you the most heartless kind of trickster praying on your hope I don't believe it. You must resign yourself to the truth We're not unkind We do not wish you to be tormented unnecessarily Come with me. I Shall show you he took me by the hand and led me across the room The door opened silently before we reached it and shut behind us as we passed through We went down a corridor and came to a small room where a girl sat at the desk typing We entered and she did not look up She is typing the necessary documents concerning your burial tomorrow Gregory Raymond Do you wish to speak to her? Yes. Yes, I do young lady listen to me I'm Gregory Raymond here standing beside you She does not hear you you don't have to answer me just Just stop typing Anything to show that you know that I'm speaking to you You see Now come we shall try further. We continue down the hallway And we came to another room in this one a man sat We paused in the doorway and watched him. He was telephoning Hello, vichy editor. This is the Stonefield Chapel calling Will you run an announcement, please saying that services for the late Gregory Raymond will be held Thursday at 4 o'clock That is correct from the chapel. Well only the family will be present. Thank you You may try to speak to him if you wish My friend, can you hear me? Please just look around Hello evening that you're the obituary editor, please please you must hear me you must I have to let the world know all that I've learned. Well, I'll be sure editor. This is the Stonefield Chapel calling. Will you take down an announcement, please? Oh All right. Yes, I went He cannot hear But perhaps someone else me We will try again if you wish. Oh, yes. Yes, I do someone somewhere will be able to hear me We went on down the corridor and another door open before us we stepped through on the green lawn Mr.. Benedict led me across it through a little gate and into a small cemetery that lay hushed in the shade of great trees There are two men were digging We paused beside them Do you know what they're digging Gregory Raymond? Yes, a grave your grave Where your earthly body shall rest while you roam the world unsee Unheard or no or no speak to them See if they can hear you I will You two men listen to me. I'm Gregory Raymond. Do you hear? They do not hear You've got to listen to me. Just give me some sign that you hear something just stop digging for a minute anything You see They do not pause Thus it must be always Your punishment is to remain here on this earthly plane Lonely soul without hope. Oh, no. Oh, no, I couldn't bear that take me with you I don't care what happens to me, but don't leave me here like this. I'm sorry It cannot be otherwise, but what have I done? What am I being punished for? You know I Do not need to tell you you mean Because I killed my brother That is for you to say not for me to judge I did I did kill him I pushed him off the cliff when he refused the money that I asked for are you confessing to his murder Gregory Raymond? Yes, yes, I am I killed him. It was an impulse. I didn't plan to do it But I'm sorry now Punish me anywhere you want only don't leave me here like this very well Gregory Raymond You shall be punished an earthly punishment according to the laws of men. What do you mean? You too you can stop digging now You know Gregory Raymond confessed to the murder of his brother Well, I'm all right lieutenant Benedict. We sure glad it's all but his pickaxes are giving us blisters They they hurt us. Yes, mr. Raymond Now you're under arrest for murder under arrest, but that is impossible. I'm afraid it is You see I'm lieutenant Benedict of the homicide squad You're not dead. You're very much alive. No, I can't be you're lying. I'm afraid we played a little trick on you not here in Hollywood. We have some very good actors and Well, you see your nephew arrange the whole thing with actors wax figures and coffins and weird atmosphere to see if we couldn't get a Confession out of you. No, I don't believe you he figured you had such a one-track mind on my subject of death When you knocked yourself unconscious he decided to try and convince you you'd killed yourself. No looks as though he succeeded better than we'd hoped Now will you come quietly mr. Raymond? You can't arrest me You can't arrest a dead man And I'm dead. I know I am I Died last night Oh You want to know whether Gregory really was dead or not? Well, it became a matter of some dispute the doctor said he was alive and he insisted he was dead They argued back and forth and neither side could convince the other You know how it is when neither side will give in to this day. Nobody has convinced Gregory that he's really alive It's probably the strangest punishment a man ever suffered which brings me to my story for next week SOS It's about three men who find themselves in the most dreadful predicament any man has it You have to get off here. I'm sorry I'm sure we meet again. I take the same train every week at the same time You have just heard the mysterious traveler played by Maurice Tarpland others in our cast for Brett Morrison Eric Gressler Brina Raven and Jack Curtis all characters in this story were fictitious and any resemblance to the names of actual persons was purely Coincidental original music played by Milton K. Grayson and love speaking. This is the mutual broadcasting system