 Let every go signal remind you that you do go farther with signal gasoline the signal oil program The signal oil company and your neighborhood signal dealer bring you another curious story by the whistler tonight Murder has a signature on the whistler and I know many things for I walk by night I know many strange tales Many secrets hidden in the hearts of men and women who have stepped into the shadows Presently, I'll tell you of nameless terrors of which they dare not speak But first a little boy wants me to ask a favor of you a dime He'd be here himself to ask you but this little fellow was crippled in bed and your dime is to help him get well So someday he may walk again You see he's one of the 19,000 Americans mostly children who were stricken last year by infantile paralysis Few homes can afford the long costly care required by this red disease But thanks to the dimes contributed through last year's March of Dimes campaign sponsored by President Roosevelt More and more victims of infantile paralysis will walk again Today starts the nationwide 1945 drive to replenish this important fund It's your opportunity to do what you can to control this crippling disease Which what for the hand of provenance might have stopped at your home Send your dime or more if you can to President Roosevelt or your local chapter of the March of Dimes Don't put it off. The need is now And now the whistler It was an old house set back in the trees a little way from the lake and it had a miserly look about it You could almost tell that its owner was wealthy and cranky and miserly and happy in her self pity And all the loneliness of her own life She took pleasure in passing on to her only companion her servant Martha Martha do this Martha do that always Martha Yeah me calling you what you're doing in the kitchen breakfast dishes breakfast dishes what breakfast dishes miss brewer Better You haven't made my room yet, and you know very well. That's to be tidied before you touch a thing Another thing. I know very well. You heard me calling. Why didn't you answer me? I didn't hear you one of your moods again, eh? How long was it going to last this time? Never mind take this envelope. I want you to a row across the lake and place these securities in the bank row across Be careful with them. They're worth a great deal of money. I want the bank receipt, too Can you remember that what is three miles across the lake? I'll not have you wasting the motorboat gasoline. You're begging strong and the tip won't hurt so a bit Just a minute Martha. Yes That dress Where did you get it? This? Yes, that One of mine isn't it. It's an old one. I didn't think you'd care. I do care I've told you before that I'll not have you wearing my clothes until I give them to you Out your room and take it off. Never any money to spend on myself, but you're a fool with money You with your cheap perfume and penned jewelry and silly shirt waste Trying to play the lady The good thing I put a stop to I've earned my money here. I've got a right to do what I want with it Martha, I promise to a people I'd look after you. I knew how good you are Your wages are well invested, but I want pretty things while I can enjoy them not when I'm old I you're only 10 years younger than I am you fool. I'm nearly 60 I'll go to your room take off my dress. No Care Martha. I've had enough of this and you've had enough. How about me? I'm sick of being treated like dirt under your feet And I'm sick of working for an old cheat who steals my wages You didn't think I'd dare slap you did you if you only knew how I've wanted to do that How I've dreamed of doing it It was good. It felt good police will know about this you ungrateful woman the police No, and nor anyone else you won't get a chance to tell anyone Not even see anyone you can't keep me here a prisoner a captive in my own house I can't and who would know you have no friends Nobody visits you from one year's end to the mother Even the people in the village stay clear of your nasty tongue Your mistress Mistress, I'll show you who's mistress Broken my glasses. Yes Do you think you can get help now you're half blind without them? It's eight miles by road to the village. You'd be lost in the swamps in ten minutes Yes, I am mistress now I Live long last Martha you've summoned up the courage to do what you wanted to do for so many years You're a little surprised at the success of it how easy it was It's a pleasure to see her cringe before you call you my dear Ask sweetly when she wants something and then there's so much money here enough to buy you all those things you dreamed about Martha So there you are Where have you been marketing? Where do you think you've been so long and cold in this room? So cold I'd have left a fire for me Martha Do be considerate my dear considered When were you ever considered of me? My back used to eight from breakfast to bedtime and a lot you cared. Oh, it's different now, isn't it? Oh Well, wait till I get my things off and I'll make tea you and your back Thank you my dear quite a change has come over the old lady. Haven't there my what a sweet thing she's getting to be I've been thinking Martha. Oh, she's been thinking no I mean it that lovely dinner's rest of my knee. It's not old not really old at all You can have it. I want you to have it second-hand stuff again a no thanks. I'm not having any Now look here. Let me show you something Well, you bought that in the village That and this and this and this all of them. They're pretty aren't they isn't that stealing Martha? You have no money You must have been in my cash box Stealing you talk about stealing when you've stolen months years of my life This stuff isn't all either. There's lots of other things up in my room Shall I show them to you? No Martha. Why don't you say something? Well, there's nothing to say if those few things will make you happy that I'm glad I Want you to be happy my dear You old hypocrite you don't fool me a bit what you wouldn't get to have the police here now How you miss judge me Is that a letter there? Yes, you have a letter You want me to read it to you, please I'm surprised somebody thinks enough of you to write My dear Aunt Bessie Aunt Bessie. I'm motoring south tomorrow with my wife, Lillian Been so many years since we were last together. I thought I might stop on my way and renew a long neglected acquaintanceship We should arrive sometime Friday evening affectionately Harvey my name you Harvey Why I haven't seen him since he was a small boy. What does he want? You've had the letter Martha. He wants to see his aunt Today is Friday. Well tonight Martha. He'll be here tonight tonight Come my fine lady put on your pretty you must look your hands up as to my nephew, all right It's my money. I haven't really stolen from you. You can't do anything to me Dolan from me, of course you haven't my dear my poor woman. Didn't I tell you I wanted you to be happy? You're not going to do anything about it. That's all unimportant Martha is viewed in contrast to a Greater crime crime. What crime? Kidnapping Martha Held me against my will for the purpose of obtaining money that under the law constitutes kidnapping You've held me in my own home makes not the slightest difference. I didn't hold you. I didn't you know the penalty You're trying to scare me Yes, Martha. No, you can't Your nephew I'll explain to them. Oh my dear. It was inevitable. You know, don't look so unhappy It's an orphan. I have guests my dear Fill the sherry decanters on the sideboard bring out the linens the bluer silver what tonight? I entertain you count. I won't let you too late my dear Imagine my nephew wanting to visit me after all this time Ironical isn't it? 18 years Yes, then he wouldn't know you recognize you wouldn't perhaps not he could scarcely be expected to I suppose, but What are you thinking nothing nothing at all You are listening to the whistler brought to you by your friend the signal oil company Marketers of famous signal gasoline your best buy today Remember to let every go signal remind you you do go farther with signal gasoline Well the situation is a little more serious than Martha ever dreamed it might be isn't it? All Miss Brewer's nephew coming in you Martha threatened with prison or worse Or is there Harvey will be here soon even now he and his wife are driving over the muddy road up to the house Look Harvey is that it through the trees must be the only house. We've seen for miles. There's a light in the window Thank goodness. This is the loneliest most dismal. Yeah, and that wind Looks like rain. At least we beat that. I only hope she lets us in. What do you mean? Why shouldn't she let us in? Oh, I don't know, but she's a nutty old dame. I gather she doesn't think too much of me I used to ride her once in a while when I was younger, but she never once answered a letter Well, then if you haven't even heard from her for 18 years, why should she be the guardian of your money? After all she's my only living relative. I'm hers Okay, here we are. I'll pull in under this tree not too far from the porch. It's starting to rain Okay, Lillian you run for it. I'll bring the bags hurry up. You'll get wet No bell her never mind feel how the house shakes. Oh, you can see that Listen Yeah, somebody's coming. Did you close the windows in the car? Yeah, I did Please knock again hard. I'm cold. I tell you I heard somebody Yes, how do you do? I'm Harvey Brewer. I know come in. Oh, thank you Follow me In here, please Look how the fire has never looked wonderful wonderful. It's heaven Well, I never would get warm again. I suppose I can leave the bags here for the time being that'll be all right Wanted miss. What do you want here? What? Oh, of course Please tell miss Brewer that her nephew and his wife are here and have you Harvey. I miss Brewer You what's the matter? Naturally, I'll stupid of me. I should have known I'm sorry brightly. Sorry. This is a this is my wife Lillian How do you do miss Brewer? Why have you come? Why? Well to see you to pay your visit After all you are my aunt, you know I Must say I'd hardly expected this reception. What did you expect? Really, my dear Aunt Bessie if I may call you Aunt Bessie you may not you're not wanted here Sorry, I I only thought that after all these years, I'm quite satisfied not to have any visitors I want to be alone. Surely you don't mean that you'd turn us out on a night like this after we've come all this way I didn't ask you to come but now you're asking us to leave Is that it? As long as we understand each other now, we might as well settle our business. Oh Lillian business. What business go on tell her Harvey Well It's about my money. I wanted Aunt Bessie money You came here for money. I Well, I didn't think it'd be necessary to have to come to the point so so abruptly, but yes I need money. I must have money. No, I I can't give you any after all Aunt Bessie It's my money, you know, you're simply holding it in trust for me I know it's not due for another year, but the fact of the matter is I'm broken. I need it now What's that got to do with me can't make any possible difference to you Whether you pay it now or a year from now and it makes a great deal of difference to me. How much is it? How much you know very well how much it is miss Brewer? 10,000 I am I can't remember everything I'm not well at all You've got me all upset coming here. Oh I'm sorry Aunt Bessie. We didn't want to disturb you Look just write a check and we'll be gone a check. Yes. I can't write you a check I I haven't got that much money in the bank No, and I won't have either for a week a couple of weeks for two weeks. We can wait Harvey wait here You can't wait here. We're broke Aunt Bessie. Look. We're really broke We've no other place to go not even enough gas to get there if we did Tonight then tonight as long as you can stay. Do you hear I'll give you some cash tomorrow, and then you've got to go I can write you a check Securities any good to you security's your securities. Yes. Yes, of course. They are you really mean this Aunt Bessie wait Might be enough here Enough well, I should say there is yes, of course here take these two They're marked $5,000 each their bank stock really and this is awfully good of you I can't begin to tell you how grateful I am they'll have to be endorsed made over to you You know naturally do you mind Aunt Bessie? Look here's a pen and off of course just sign your name best brewer on the back If you didn't know There you both leave early in the morning Gladly believe me gladly and that's the last cent you get you ever come here again Ask me for more. I'll well. I'll just inherit you. Yes. That's what I'll do now. I'll show you to your room Things have taken quite a turn all Harvey wanted was money Best brewers signed over $10,000 worth of bond to him or did she and what about Martha? But then Harvey doesn't know anything about Martha and Martha doesn't really know much about Harvey and Billy and Not enough. I'm afraid No She's very rich, isn't she? A million anyway, maybe more Harvey Did you know before tonight that you were in her will? No She made that threat about cutting me off You might get it all There's no other Million or more Lay that pipe down little your old girl's good for another 20 years. I won't go to sleep $10,000 won't keep us forever. No We'll be broke again soon But we'll have one swell time getting that way But I don't like to be broke Harvey You know that now wait a minute Are you are you threatening to leave me again? I'm only warning you harv You know how I feel. That's why we came down here. Is money all you ever think of Married me with your eyes open Harvey. I've warned you then I had enough of my inheritance to keep any ordinary couple happy for a lifetime How we went through it all I don't know I Told you I was expensive I Don't plan to change I'll stay with you as I promised as long as we can live like human beings like millionaires you mean You might be a millionaire. You had her money, but William What can I do? Don't you know you're a spoiled brat Lil I often wonder why I love you But there's nothing nothing I wouldn't do for you You believe that don't you? There's nobody in the house, but the three of us. I know Just you and I and the old lady upstairs All right, all right, what about it? Nobody knows we came here tonight Nobody knows Lil Lil you know you always get your way with me She always gets her way with your dozen she Harvey and so you didn't get much sleep that night Did you it was too much to do and you had to get away too early in the dark rain or no rain? Back in the city you think it over and try to figure if you've forgotten anything And you wait for the news Uh-huh Well It's in the paper already Under floating in the lake. They're not sure whether it's suicide or just what it is No picture not important enough for the city newspapers too far away to rate the front page Well, what do you think? We're all right. There's not a thing to connect us Not a wrinkle left in the bed not a fingerprint. I didn't wipe off. We're all right. I Found that letter that we wrote to her. We just simply weren't there Friday Lil. Well That's that What about the securities? No, nothing doing. I tried again, but the banks won't touch them without her lawyers endorsement But it'll be a year or more before they settle her estate What are we gonna live on in the meantime? Certainly her lawyer will verify her signature I don't like it Lil. All we have to remember is that we weren't there Friday. It was a month earlier when she paid you off You'll never know. How could he know? I tell you we're all right Yes, everything's all right Harvey. Stop worrying. Just run down to your aunt's lawyer's office and get his endorsement for the money Then wait and see what happened. Who knows what good luck may come My condolences on your aunt's passing Mr. Brewer Great shock to me. Yes, I imagine you knew her better than I did perhaps She wasn't a very friendly woman, but she was a remarkable one And now you said you had some business with me. Yes You see about a month before my aunt's death. I I happen to stop down there to see her Oh, and she gave me these bank securities $10,000 worth the money. She was holding in trust for me I know it wasn't due yet, but she said she wanted me to have it anyway and Now the banks tell me that your endorsement is needed in order to cash them. Yes That's an old routine arrangement. I had with her You just let me see them. Oh, yes, of course right here. Thank you See Mr. Brewer you got these securities from your aunt. Yes, I just told you I'd quite and This is her signature. That's right as you can see you were in your aunt's presence when this endorsement was made You saw her sign her name. Yes, of course. We both did See it may mean nothing at all. I hope for your sake it doesn't But this is something I think the police should know about you mean they had the securities. Yes, and the signature See mr. Brewer foul play is suspected in your aunt's death The only clue the police have so far is a set of tire tracks found in the mud outside the house Evidently made the night. She died, but uh, I I don't understand. No You wouldn't I'm sure But you see mr. Brewer this couldn't possibly be your aunt's signature Because in spite of her intelligence and wealth Your aunt never went to school She never learned to write Even her own name The whistler will return in just a moment with a strange ending to tonight's story Meantime here's a gas-stretching tip nine out of ten drivers don't know about Actual tests prove that by keeping your motor in better condition Signal four-star motor oil not only assures longer motor life, but also helps gasoline go farther You see solvent refining the latest most costly process known to oil engineers give signal four-star motor oil Seven-way protection It's pure paraffin base is the finest lubricant money can buy its triple-strength film clings to running parts and stands up longer In coldest winter it flows freely yet retains its body when your motor is hot Because of solvent refining signal four-star motor oil forms less carbon keeps your motor cleaner smoother getting maximum power from every ration drop of gasoline So you profit in two ways in longer motor life and longer gasoline mileage when your cars protected by signal four-star motor oil If it's been a thousand miles or two months since your last oil drain It's time for a change to solvent-free find signal four-star motor oil See your friendly signal gasoline dealer your neighborhood headquarters for signal products and fine quality automotive accessories And now back to the whistler So Harvey had nothing to worry about nothing but the electric chair and Lillian who had to have money to live like a human being will spend the rest of her life behind bars Yes, the tire tracks convicted them of course That was one clue they overlooked and it was enough to prove that they were there that rainy night If only you hadn't tried to cash those securities Harvey the securities that first pointed suspicion at you Now they'll hang you for the wrong murder Harvey They'll hang you for your hands murder when actually you killed Martha the housekeeper and dumped her body in the lake Yes, but they haven't found her body yet, Harvey Martha was the one who killed Aunt Bessie and threw her body in the lake But you'll never be able to prove that now maybe if Martha had lived you could have gotten out of it somehow But not now it was also unnecessary to When you killed Martha Your aunt was already dead and by the terms of her will you had already inherited all of her money over a million dollars Too bad Harvey too bad Next Monday at 9 o'clock the signal oil program will bring you another strange tale by the whistler The signal oil program is broadcast for your entertainment by the signal oil company Marketers of signals famous go farther gasoline and motor oil and by your neighborhood signal oil dealer Who is at your service daily to keep your car running for the duration? The signal oil program produced by George W. Allen with story by Lewis Estee music by Wilbur Hatch is transmitted to our troops overseas by the armed forces radio service Bob Anderson speaking for your friend the signal oil company and suggesting once again That you let every go signal remind you that you do go farther with signal gasoline This is CBS the Columbia Broadcasting System