 From Hollywood, it's time now for John Lund as Johnny Dollar. Niles Hartley, Johnny, Columbia Life. Niles, how are you? I thought you were in Chicago these days. I am. This is long distance. We have one here that's a pimp. Tell me about it. One of our brokers wrote a $50,000 straight life policy on a man named Lane. Mr. Lane up and dropped dead a couple of days ago. Uh-huh. And you'll never guess why. Why? He starved to death. What? Honest. He died of malnutrition. A man could afford to buy that much life insurance, but he couldn't buy himself a hamburger. Interested? Very. Get yourself an airplane, boy. I'll be waiting for you. John Lund in a transcribed adventure of the man with the action-fact expense account. America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator. Here's truly Johnny Dollar. Submitted by special investigator Johnny Dollar to the Columbia Life and Accident Insurance Company messed in building Chicago, Illinois. The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the Chicago fraud matter. Expense account item one, $78.13. Plain fare and incidentals Hartford to Chicago. I had breakfast at the airport, took the limousine into town, found a hotel room, then checked in with Niles Hartley at the claims division. Chicago's blustery climate seemed to agree with him. He was a little bigger than I remembered, a little rottier, but efficient as ever. I wrote a special delivery to the Insurance Commission in Springfield this morning. Explained we were holding up payment pending a routine investigation of the claim. But the faster we move on this, the better off we'll be, Johnny. They're going to ask questions, and we'll have to get ourselves some answers. Have they asked any yet? No, but the beneficiary is Lane's sister. Her name is Lydia Staley. She's called them, and she's called us a couple of times wanting to know what's what. Tough? She could be, I guess. She has money of her own, some influence, and so on. A lot of money? Trust stuff, very comfortably fixed. But she's pretty upset by the whole business. You see, I had to stick my horn in right away and request the coroner to hold the body until we got something done. Oh, so Lane died on the street with no identification on him. By the time they did find out who he was, a routine PM had already been performed to determine cause. The county was going to bury him with $50,000 worth of insurance. Yeah. Now, the first thing that occurred to me when I saw this report was that it might not be Lane at all. Besides the malnutrition, here are these findings. Chronic heart condition. Long history. Pability. Certainly doesn't sound like anybody we didn't sure. Well, Lane took a physical before the policy was issued, didn't he? Yeah, sure. Uh-huh. He's a copy of it. He was 100% OK, then. How could he pass it with all these things wrong with him? Good question, Johnny. I'd like to find the answer. Yeah. What's that doctor's name? Dr. Walter Unger. Suite 1932, Michigan Building. Expense account item two, $3.50. Taxi fare through Chicago's slushy streets to the offices of Dr. Walter Unger, who had been licensed to practice medicine in the state of Illinois in 1946. He was a Northwestern University medical school graduate. Married, had two children, and lived in Glencoe, a North Shore suburb. His income and practice, according to report, were average. Well, good. Drop in tomorrow. Goodbye. I'm sorry, Mr. Duller. You were saying? I'm from the Columbia Life Insurance people, doctor, claims division. I'd like to get some information about a man you examined on July 14th of last year. All right. I hope this won't take long. What is it you want to know? The man's name was Christopher Lane. You happen to remember him? Christopher Lane. No, I can't say that I do, Mr. Duller. What about him? Well, first I'd like to know, is this your signature? Yes. Those are my letter heads. I suppose that's my signature. Aren't you sure? How many people are certain of their signatures? It looks like mine, Mr. Duller. I can't say for sure that it is or isn't. Well, assuming that it is, what about these notes? Are these in your handwriting? Yes, I would say that was also my handwriting. Mr. Duller, I'd appreciate it very much if you'd get on with whatever business you have here. According to this, you gave Mr. Lane a complete physical and pronounced him sound. I did. Anything unusual about that? He died two days ago, doctor. I wish you insurance people would buy some books on heart diseases and read them and know them and not take up valuable time. Look here, this patient was 41 years old. If he had no heart condition when I examined him, obviously he didn't, according to my cardiographic findings, it's entirely reasonable to assume that he could have developed one in a very short time. You people gauge that in your premium. Mr. Lane didn't die of heart trouble, doctor. He died of malnutrition. Malnutrition? That's what the pathologist at the coroner's office says. Here, look for yourself. Well, he should know. Was it possible for you to overlook that condition at the time you examined him? No. No, if he'd been suffering from malnutrition in any degree, I would have discovered it. According to the coroner's report, he'd been ill for a year or better. Can you explain that, Dr. Unger? No, I can't explain that. I wish I could. All I can say is that I did my job. I examined the man, reported my findings. How about this? Angina. I could have missed that, I suppose. But it's unlikely with the degree of aggravation noted here. Did you x-ray, Mr. Lane? Certainly, it's part of the examination. Have you had much experience reading chest x-rays, doctor? Mr. Duller, I know my business. If there'd been any lesions in that man's chest, I would have reported. Doctor, just bear with me, please. Again, the coroner's man said they were all lesions. So I noticed. I can't explain that either. Well, you can understand why we want to be thorough about this. Yes, yes, I do. And I wish I could help you. You keep a file copy of all examinations? Yes, certainly. I'd like to see your file on this one, if I may. Of course. Anything else? Yeah. Another hour of your time. What for? I'd like to have you look at Mr. Lane's body, doctor. I could get an injunction. All right. I'll be finished here at 7 o'clock. 3, $6.50, more cab fare, two-and-from-city morgue. Dr. Unger viewed the mortal remains of Christopher Lane and was unable to state definitely whether he'd ever seen the man. The next day, all of the personnel connected with Dr. Unger's office made a trip to the morgue. None of them recognized the body, either. However, I had better luck with the elevator operator in Lane's apartment building. You ever seen this man before, Miss Shuddy? Yeah. Yes, sir. That's Mr. Lane's apartment 2-3-3-8. You're positive? Oh, yeah, I've seen him every day for almost two years. OK. Want a smoke? I'm going to get out of here. Sure. Max, in this way, I've seen him that way a hundred times. Why? I mean, almost like that, out stoned. Only I guess it's because I knew he was just drunk then, not dead. Oh, I see. Well, he was crazy. Was he? He was carrying on the way he did. It's good to be out here again cold and all. Yeah. I'll take that smoke now, Mr. Dollar. Oh, sure. Thanks. Yeah, he used to get up around 10 every morning. I'd take him downstairs. Look awful, but he was always kind of nice, polite, you know? Uh-huh. He'd go out to the store and come back in a little while with a sack of groceries, find a milk for his cat, and donuts for himself, and booze. Then he'd just lock himself up in his apartment and stay there all day. Drinking? Oh, yeah, fried to the ears by noon. I think it was wine. The janitor and the maid, as well as the doorman and the desk clerk, further verified the fact that Lane had been drinking heavily for better than 18 months prior to his death. No one seemed to know why, not even his sister. She turned out to be a woman of 30 or more, well-tailored, well-groomed, and bad-mannered. I wish you'd take your briefcase and get off of here, Mr. Dollar. I'm sorry you feel that way, Mrs. Staley. Chris drank himself to death. I don't know why. I just know he did it. He's dead. He named me his beneficiary. Why don't you pay me what you owe me? We will, Mrs. Staley, if the circumstances are right. So far, we have a reasonable doubt. And this investigation is for your benefit as much as it is ours. What do you mean by that? When we've satisfied ourselves one way or the other, your claim can be settled. Well, what is it you want to know? I haven't seen my brother in over a year. I can't tell you anything about him. Were you on good terms with him? Of course I was. Left me his insurance money, didn't he? I understand you're a widow, Mrs. Staley. I don't see what's bearing that. Do you have any dependents? No children. That's what you mean? And the insurance money would have gone to you alone? Let me correct you. The money will come to me alone. I don't know what you people think you can do trying to weasel out of this, but I've already spoken with my attorneys. And they've advised me to sue for an immediate settlement. Are they aware of the facts of this matter? They certainly are. And they still advise you to bring suit? They certainly did. Well, perhaps I can save you some fees and then some time. Who are your lawyers, Mrs. Staley? Never mind. You'll find out soon enough. All right, I'll tell you what I'd tell them. You can pass it on. Your brother could have died quietly in his bed one night, and any doctor would have pronounced him a heart failure, and your claim would have been good. But he made the mistake of dropping dead on a public street, and the police took over. And before he was properly identified, an autopsy had been performed. Yes, and I'm going to sue the city. And from that autopsy, we know your brother couldn't possibly have passed an insurance examination. But he did pass it, Mr. Dollar. He came to me the day after he'd taken the exam and told me I was his beneficiary. You said you hadn't seen him for over a year. He took the exam last summer. All right, I saw him that one time. He might have come to you, but he didn't come to you about passing that exam. Now listen here. Your brother never took that exam. What? Someone went up to the doctor's office and took it for him. Mrs. Staley, we aren't fools. Now we're going to find out who that someone was and how it was done. We're used to all sorts of tricks in this business and all sorts of bluffing, too. You can sue us for settlement. You can sue us all over the place. With what we have right now, we just love to meet you in a court. I'm talking facts to you, Mrs. Staley. And I wish you'd talk to me. Get out of here. Get out of here, you cheap snooper, before I call a policeman and have you thrown out. Turn to yours truly, Johnny Dollar, in just a moment. Out of the jungles and into your homes comes Tarzan, every Saturday night on CBS Radio. Yes, in the comfort of your own radio side, you can enjoy the fascinating experiences of the man whose friends are jungle beasts, whose power and cunning have been developed to an astonishing degree by dangerous environment. Tomorrow night, on most of these same stations, don't miss Tarzan on CBS Radio. Now with our star, John Lund, we bring you the second act of yours truly, Johnny Dollar. And the dead man who should never have been insured. The doctor who examined him and passed him couldn't explain why. His sister, the beneficiary, explained even less. I left her under the surveillance of a leg man provided by Niles Hartley and decided to talk with the insurance broker who'd written up the policy. His name was Rutherford. And he looked insurance from the top of his iron gray hair to the tips of his highly polished brown shoes. What was your, Mr. Dollar? Mr. Rutherford? Yeah, come in, come in. I was surprised when you called me. We're trying to wrap this thing up, Mr. Rutherford. I understand. I'll tell you, I've been writing insurance for 17 years, Mr. Dollar, and this is the first time anything like this has ever occurred to me. So now, I believe you, Mr. Rutherford, and your record. You've looked into me? Well, do you know we have to on a thing like this? Just a matter of routine checking? Yeah. I'm here to find out all I can about the circumstances under which you sold the policy to Mr. Lane. He was a bachelor. He lived in a fairly nice apartment on the Gold Coast. No dependents. I'd like to know what made him a prospect. Well, actually, it's more of a personal thing, I suppose. Mrs. Rutherford and I were interested in buying a home and we'll met a couple of years ago. That was one we liked on Sheridan Road. The agent happened to be this man, Lane. That's how we became acquainted. Oh, Lane was in the real estate business on and off. Actually, he didn't really have to work for a living at all. He had a fairly comfortable income from trust set up by his father. Did he do very well in real estate? Well, I don't really think so. I don't think he worked hard at it. You met him when you were out to buy a house. Did you buy it? No. My wife died suddenly and I had no need to buy a house. But he bought insurance from you. Yes, eventually. You say this was a couple of years ago. Did you try to sell him right away? Oh, I don't recall. I called him now and then, had him over for dinner. I was surprised, frankly, when he decided to buy. Uh-huh. What kind of a man was he? What do you mean? Well, your opinion, Mr. Rutherford. Mr. Client? Mr. Rutherford, I treated him the same as any other client. How did he look? Hmm? Oh, pale, thin, healthy, emaciated. What? He looked fine to me. I, uh, noticed you arranged for the examination. Yes. How well do you know Dr. Unger? Just slightly. You know, the physician is supposed to be an impartial third party. And when a client has to be examined by a physician, I send him to Dr. Unger, that's all. I get a Christmas card for him every year. Uh-huh. I see. You, uh, say you had Lane over for dinner a few times. Yes, when my wife was alive. Did he drink much on those occasions? I don't recall. Why? His malnutrition resulted from an alcoholic condition. All drinking, no eating. Lane, an alcoholic? He sure was. Had been for years. Can I use your phone? Yeah, help yourself. Johnny Dollar, now. Oh, glad you called, Johnny. I'm trying to reach you. What's up? Mrs. Staley's fighting back. Huh? Her lawyers served notice on us an hour ago. Well, nothing to worry about there. Just a bluff. Oh, but this wasn't. She made the coroner release her brother's body. Took it to a crematorium. Exhibit A is a pile of ashes by now. Oh, I can try something here. We'll try it. Right. Mr. Rutherford. All finished? Yeah. Mr. Rutherford, I'm afraid you're in a little trouble. Well, what are you? You couldn't have written that policy or known Christopher Lane without being aware of his drinking habits. Now, see here, darling. I've been an insurance broker for a good long time, and no one has ever questioned my integrity. And I think that's what you were banking on, your reputation. I'm sorry for you, Mr. Rutherford, but there had to be a collusion here. And you're the logical party. You arranged for someone to take Lane's examination. You were going to split with the police minutes that took me to get my breath inside of me and my feet under me. He was well away and out of sight. I used his telephone a second time. I told Niles hardly what had happened and then made a beeline for Lydia Staley's place. What do you want? I'm here to tell you about all the trouble you're in, Mrs. Staley, Rutherford's given it away. Given what are you talking about? About an insurance policy that was written up and issued in your brother's name under fraudulent circumstances. You're the one who stood to gain most, but you had to have help to pull it off. Rutherford helped you. I don't know anybody named Rutherford. Now look here. Oh, you know, you look here. Rutherford just slugged me and beat it, but he isn't going to run far, principally because he doesn't know how to run. He'll cool off and he'll begin thinking about all this business in a new light. A few minutes ago, it dawned on him what he'd done. He'd kicked his whole lifetime right out the window. He's been found out. He's lost all around, and he's going to be mad. And you're the one he's going to be mad at. I told you, I don't know anybody named Rutherford. Well, then I'll tell you. He'll probably want to kill you. Oh. Do we talk now? I don't see why. I've done nothing wrong. Who took that physical for your brother? He took it himself. You got your brother drunk enough to sign the insurance papers, didn't you? I had nothing to do with them. OK, Mrs. Staley. We'll get it all from Rutherford. Miss, why don't you do that? In the meantime, I hope you sleep well, knowing what you've done. I've done nothing. And you will never prove any of these things you've been saying. Never. And for two days, it looked as if she might have been right. There was no way to involve Mrs. Staley without a statement from Rutherford. In the name of the company, Niles hardly filed charges on attempted collusion against him, and the warrant was issued. The Chicago police were unable to find him anywhere. His apartment was watched 24 hours a day, as well as Mrs. Staley's residence. The case was stalemated. We couldn't locate Rutherford, but he found us. Johnny Dollar. This is Earl Rutherford. Where are you? Never mind. Officer. Just Niles and me. You won't get far. There's a warrant out for you. I can get away all right. Rutherford, Columbia doesn't want to prosecute you on these charges. The notoriety would be bad for them. If you'd make a statement, sign it, I think I could talk him into dropping the whole matter. Come on over. Mr. Drummond. 15 minutes? I'll be there. Right. When I pulled up in a cab 12 minutes later, he was waiting for me at the curb in front of the Drummond. He was still wearing the same clothes he'd had on in his apartment. He needed a shave, and judging from the circles under his eyes, he hadn't slept much. He was pale and shaken. Expensive count item four, 51 cents. Coffee and donuts for both of us. Met Lydia right after Miriam and my wife died. My children are both grown and married and have lives of their own. I guess I was very lonely. Sure. I became interested in Lydia, and we had a great many things in common. Seemed like the thing to do. I asked her to marry me. Nothing wrong with that? You don't understand. She laughed at me. No, I don't understand. I guess I'm not an exciting man, a witty one, or she made me feel as though all my life had been hopeless, a waste. I'd missed a great deal. I asked her, Mr. Dollar, what is it? What do you want out of life? Is that when she brought up the proposition? I guess that's what gave her the idea. A trust-spayer 500 a month for a life, and my commission's gone to that. We could have lived very comfortably on 1,000, but Lydia talked of traveling, of Europe, of clothes. I don't know, things her family had had once. She wanted $50,000 in cash instead of money just trickling in every month, huh? I suppose so. I didn't understand her motive at first, but go on. Well, she told me about her brother Christopher. He was a drunk. Her doctors in New York gave him two years. I paid a man $100 to go to Dr. Unger's office and take the physical. What's the man's name? I wouldn't tell you that, Mr. Dollar. He's not involved in anything, and I don't want to get him into any trouble. After Lane was insured, you were going to wait for him to die? That was a general idea. Once I'd done it, it was too late to turn back. I mean, I wanted to at times with a cancellation on a policy that size would have been hard to explain. You're leaving something out. She had you, didn't she? Hm? You were the goat. Legally, she was clear, right? Yes. She still is, isn't she? Unless you write all this down, we can hold it over her head to prove collusion. You speak to Niles? He'll go along. The charges will be dropped if you'll make a statement. OK. Enclosed find notarized statement of Earl Rutherford explaining his part in the attempted collusion regarding policy 678JN23L. True to his word, Niles hardly dropped charges against Rutherford upon receipt of the enclosed. Rutherford settled his affairs and left Chicago the following day. When Mrs. Staley was shown a carbon of the enclosed statement, she instructed her attorneys to withdraw suit. The night I was to leave town, I called at her apartment to have her sign a release of all claims. Which way did he go? Help me. Did what I could. I'll startle Tennant's phone for an ambulance and the police. After that, I began looking around. I found a dark stain on the windowsill leading out onto the fire escape and on the floor a bloodstained letter opener. There was no gun anywhere in sight. I decided that if I'd been stabbed with a letter opener it'd be easier to try three flights up to the roof than 14 down to the alley. I was right. Earl Rutherford was hanging over the top ledge of the building, firing down at me. I ducked into a window frame, one flight away from him. Get away from me, darling! You know I was Earl Rutherford. You missed by a mile. You'll have to come down. It's the end of the line for you. Don't do anything for me! I'm coming up after you. You didn't have to. I couldn't. Getting to run away with someone else when she got the insurance money to me all along. To the receiving hospital, Mrs. Staley was dead when I got back to the apartment. Expense account item five, $53. Hotel and food while in Chicago. Item six, same as item one. Fair back to Hartford. Expense account total, $219.77. Here is truly Johnny Dollar. Truly Johnny Dollar stars John Lund in the title role and was written by E. Jack Newman with music by Eddie Dunstetter. John Lund can currently be seen in the Universal International Picture just across the street. Featured in tonight's cast were Jack Moyles, Edgar Berrier, Peggy Weber, Mary Lansing, and John McIntyre. Yours truly, Johnny Dollars. Transcribed in Hollywood by Jaime Delvalle. This is Dan Cumberley inviting you to join us next week at this time when John Lund returns as... Yours truly, Johnny Dollar. Your thrills to be real. Your adventures to be true to life. Gangbusters is the show for you. Every Saturday night, most of these same CBS radio stations bring you gangbusters full of action, bravery, and realistic excitement. Listen for new thrills on gangbusters straight out of life every Saturday night on CBS Radio. Number five, Million Radio Z. And listen most to the CBS Radio Network.