 From Hollywood it's time now for Johnny dollar What you're John Wesley Cosgrave, aren't you? That's right. Well, my name is Johnny dollar. I'm an insurance investigator Oh, of course, I've been expecting a call from you or at least from somebody like you. What's that supposed to mean? I expect you're interested in why I've ensured the life of a bowery bum for fifty thousand dollars. You bet I am I want to see you why not any time Tonight and every weekday night Bob Bailey in the transcribed adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator. Yes, truly Johnny dollar Expense account submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar location New York, New York to the lakeside life and casualty company Following as an accounting of expenditures incurred during my investigation of the indestructible Mike matter Expense account item 9 10 cents the phone called a John Wesley Cosgrave from my dingy little hotel on the lower east side Item 10 270 taxi uptown to see Sergeant Randy singer detected division 18th precinct You get back to that glad hand rescue mission in time after all when the lamb boys discovered that so-called whiskey was almost pure wood By the time I got there Randy the poor old crude had drunk nearly half the bottle. Oh, it's too bad Well, I better arrange for him to be hauled down to the morgue. Uh-huh. Oh Mike still alive and happy You don't know the half of it a week or so ago somebody stabbed him with an ice pick just below the heart result He said the scar itched a little bit Two days ago somebody drove a couple of 38 slugs through him He said it gave him a slight twitch in his side for a few hours Johnny come on Now he goes and drinks nearly half a bottle of wood alcohol Result a bit of a headache indestructible Mike indestructible Mike Or is he now locked up in my room at the breakley hotel with orders to eat the groceries I picked up for him and to let nobody in good good, but whoever is trying to get him isn't gonna give up Hey, did you dig up anything on the beneficiary of his $50,000 life policy Cosgrave only enough to scare you to death Listen to this John Wesley Cosgrave formerly known as John W. Gordon John duchy Gordon What alias skippy Grant alias duchy Smith wait a minute 18 arrests was only one conviction back in 1938 for possession in our cottage Randy ever hear a murder incorporated sure but apparently they had a Subsidiary apparently your friend Gordon or Cosgrave or whatever you like to call him was one of the big shots in it But outside of the narcotics bit the department was never able to really pin anything on him But this guy's addresses here. Let me see 621 East 49th Street. Yeah, that's not only a respectable neighborhood But pretty plush that's right. Well, how recent is his record? What's he doing now last pick up was a 1944 numbers game and bookmaking charges dropped for lack of evidence then apart from the record Is he still in the rackets? He is nobody can prove it like any old days He masterminded and let somebody else do the dirty work. So let's do here is a quote retired Unquote while my money says he's still in business Well, if you can prove it the department and the DA's office will love you dearly, but I don't think you will Every time we dragged in a stoolie who could give us what we wanted something happened to him like what jump bail Well, you should have known better than to let him have bail one of them poisoned in his cell in the tombs one Breakout his body was found in the East River even one suicide like to bet I can't tie him in with these attempts on Mike Flynn's life. Well, no, that's something else again Maybe it's something we should know no hands off and I mean I like the old guy and anybody who tries to hurt him has to answer to me and somebody's tried Expense account item 11165 care fair to the smart water and apartment building at 621 East 49th Where the dormant announced that mr. J. Wesley Cosgrave was expecting me and to take the elevator to apartment 11B Come in mr. Dollar The apartment was expensively, but tastefully furnished with overall carpeting that fell an inch and a half thick several original oils by famous contemporary artists hung on the walls, but it was the man himself who really seemed out of character with The rundown Randy had given me he was six one or two built like a man who spends his odd hours in the gym Quick gray eyes his hair slightly grayed the temples and his tailor was a master. Do you like it mr. Dollar? What that is a genuine Picasso you're looking at and I consider myself very fortunate to possess this original by Salvatore Dali Oh, and I'm sure you'll appreciate the excellent view of the city from these corner windows Yeah, I must have the best mr. Dollar only the best. Oh sit down, please. May I pour you a drink? No No, thanks. I suppose you're wondering why I decided to buy old Michael Flynn the life insurance policy of which He's so proud. I am. Well, it's really very easy to explain You see I was born and brought up in the Lower East side mr. Dollar and deplorably poor circumstances my early life was a never-ending struggle for survival and for whatever questionable sort of education I could glean from those about me many of them criminals who are my only Companions, that's all very touching mr. Cosgrove and I'm afraid I did little to lift myself out of the gutter Until one winter night Hungry and broke I wandered into the helping hand rescue mission. Yeah, I understand you still go around there now on that Oh, yes, I do in the hope that somehow I can help the poor Unfortunates there the way the mission and daddy bill helped me Repay some of the debt I feel I owe is that the only reason what do you mean? Is that the only reason you've given? Jobs to some of those poor unfortunate from time to time, haven't you? Yes. Yes. I have what kind of jobs what business? That's hardly a concern of yours mr. Dollar I contributed much to the mission. I've tried to make life easier for some of the deserving Habituaries of the mission. Yeah, why it's the least I can do after so much was done for me In the case of Mike why his greatest desire in life was to be the proud owner of life insurance Why I don't know I do Because you sold him on it. That's a lie. That's a dirty visit Then why make him name you as beneficiary instead of the mission of some of the deserving cause? And that mr. Dollar was his own idea and since it made him happy. I didn't protest I suppose the real reason for this particular desire was this feeling that it might give him dignity Yeah, yeah, yeah now tell me something where does all your money come from dutchie Dutch Who told you that nobody calls me dutchie no more not knew you nobody else and days are over. I'm respectable even educated I wonder look at my record. I haven't been on the blotter since 44 and that was a bum Mr. Dollar, I make no pretensions about not having a past during prohibition and later I made millions yes millions and roam running in the policy racket as a betting commission about narcotics Oh, it was hardly a caper in this town. I didn't have a finger into and I was smart I pocketed the profits not my boys. That's why I can afford to be retired and live decent And I'm gonna keep on living this way You were lucky some of those boys that mobby yours didn't ran on you Yeah, but thanks to a couple of convenient rubouts that I had nothing to do with you understand I managed to stay clean with the law and now you're as pure as the driven snow Dollar if this was the old days you wouldn't even live long enough to regret what you're implicating you think Which makes me dead sure I'm thinking right. I don't know how much money you've got sucked away from those old days I don't care but once you've just admitted to you dollar not to any judge your DA right and I'll never believe that a clever Mind like yours smart enough to keep you out of the pen. Oh flattery won't get you I refuse to believe you could turn down a chance to make a crooked buck I don't know what kind of job you sent out those poor suckers from the mission on But the fact they never came back makes that look pretty bad You can't along came Mike Flynn poor old alcoholic Mike where the talk of insurance came from I don't know But it was too good to pass up Ensure his life for fifty thousand bucks have him name you as beneficiary give him a few dollars so he could spend his last days And a happy alcoholic haze Then rub him out and collect the 50 G listen dollar if Mike It's knocked off neither you nor anybody else is gonna be able to tab me with it and one other thing Yeah, what's that as a friendly piece of advice if I was you I wouldn't even try is that a threat? Oh Mr. Dollar You've made a miserable host of me Come let me pour you a drink the finest 25 year old scotch and We can talk of pleasant things For some reason or other I did have the drink with him But he knew what was in the back of my mind and I'm afraid I knew I was in the back of his something along the same line as a couple of convenient robots Once it twice his veneer of education slipped, but all in all he made a fair conversationalist Finally I left and all the way down to the street. I kept wanting to look back to see if I was being followed Somehow somewhere there was a way to get this cause grave But I could see what have to be through someone else someone working for him and Whoever that might be could very well be out to get me first or Mike Item 12295 taxi back to the breakaway hotel where I hope the old boy was still locked up on my room He was I was beginning to wonder what had happened to you. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. What was the matter with that food? I left with you. You're hardly touched. I had enough. I had it was kind of dry Kind of dry. There's a container of coffee there. Yes, but coffee just doesn't seem to quench my thirst We should let me bring the rest of that bottle along that one alcohol Anymore of that would have killed you. Yeah, I did have a kick that didn't I don't know how you live through it Well, look now I want some lunch Mike. I'm gonna take you along with me Oh, that'll be for could I have maybe a little drink too? Oh sure you can have one. Oh, that's nice good Of course the size of the drinks they serve nowadays. Oh just one now. Come on. Oh, that's fine one Yeah, oh, there's a lovely saloon just around the corner, you know, even sandwiches for those that one of my understanding These stairs maybe we could just bring a bottle back with us to your room if we are going to come back Sweet funny also, I loved him And I knew that without me he'd be a dead one so fast So far the attempts on his life have been made by presence unknown unless the mission Daddy Bill Could Daddy Bill be somehow tied in with Cosgraves operations. I wanted I Paid the check that's item 13 to 85 and we started walking to the glad hand rescue mission along some of the back streets I want a time to think it out if I could think over the incessant pleasant I'm really enjoying life now that I have money now and then I sometimes I get on the subway And I just ride all over town all day long. Yeah. Yeah, you told me why don't you try that sometimes? Johnny, what's really want to see there's a bar there on the corner. Why don't we just oh no Let's pass them. John. Why do you feel that you have to look after me this way? You know darn well why I hey watch the curve why I'm looking after you because somebody's up Mike Mike listen to me. Hey, can you hear me Mike? Hey, mister get a cop an ambulance for him or what's left of him? Yes, hurry Oh, what's the matter with you? Use your eyes, buddy. It's too late Oh, here's our star to tell you about tomorrow's intriguing episode of this week's story tomorrow Somebody's gonna have to pay for what's happening here. Yes, that's a promise From yours truly Johnny dollar Yours truly Johnny dollar starring Bob Bailey is transcribed in Hollywood It is produced and directed by jack gemstone who also wrote tonight's story Be sure to join us tomorrow night same time and station for the next exciting episode of yours truly Johnny dollar Roy Rowan speaking