 Welcome Hollywood, it's time now for Johnny dollar the count three to two and the bases are loaded and Ted Williams is at bat I'm a girl Johnny. How'd you know it was me? Oh, just psychic. I guess what's on your mind for it fellow named Henry Samson ever hear of him names for a meteor well It should be he owns about half the newspapers in the south which means he isn't exactly struggling for money, huh? Right in fact, he collected figures especially Confederate money. Well anybody can what yes, sir Johnny He has one of the largest collections of old coins in this country. Oh and a confederate half-dollar. He owns is disappeared bird confederate money Isn't worth his weight in salt. That's where you're all wrong Johnny, huh? This particular half-buck is insured for $20,000 Bob Bailey in the exciting adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigators yours truly Johnny dollar Expense accounts submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to the providential assurance company 393 Dewey Avenue Hartford, Connecticut Following is an account of expenses incurred during my investigation of the confederate carnage matter Expense account item won a dollar and 20 cents taxi from my apartment to bird McGraw's office He was seated behind a haze of cigar smoke reading a magazine Johnny come in come in hey morning bird sit down I was just reading about an old teammate of mine. Oh, who's a Bob feller feller Yeah, he was a pretty fair country pitcher. Of course. He wasn't in my class car. Yeah Many's the time I had to help old Bob out of a spot. Yes, sir. He Bob that boy could get himself into more jams Well, I remember I didn't know you played with the Cleveland Indians bird. Well, I Brasted cigar You Been reading up on baseball Johnny. No, but I remember Bob feller who doesn't in 1940 I saw him pitch a no-hit-no-run game for the Indians. Oh Oh, well now wait a minute you and me. We must be talking about two different fellers. Yes, sir That's so my sure this Bob feller that was my teammate. He played ball for the apalachic old alligators Yes, sir. Good old Bob feller spelled at F a Ller Fowler. Yeah Yeah, yeah now Johnny about this Henry Samson thing his secretary called here just before I talked to you Told me the coin had been stolen. Well now what makes that particular coin worth 20,000 verse like I said, it's Confederate money a silver half dollar and where it was minted or something That's what does it I guess where was it met in New Orleans now during the whole time of the Civil War that meant only turned out Four half dollars. Okay. Well, how should I know I'm only going by what's on Samson's original policy application But you're sure about there being only four of those half dollars. Well, no, I'm not sure you mean you've never checked You insured the thing on Samson say so Johnny Look, we were glad to get his business must have been on our stop buck and Johnny You want to know how come that mint didn't make any more of them you go ask him my plan to What'd you say lived right outside Birmingham place called shade Mountain? Expense account item to one hundred and seven dollars air transportation Hartford to Birmingham, Alabama. I Claimed my luggage and was about to step into a cab when I was approached by a man of about 30 crew cut Brooks Brothers soup Mr. Dollar. Yeah, that's right. My name is Copac Michael Copac. I'm mr. Samson secretary Oh, you're mr. McGraw was good enough to tell me the time of your arrival Are you all ready to go to Zora Zora? According to the Bible it was the village of Samson. Oh, oh, yes Only I'd like to check into a hotel and freshen up a bit first. That is if you don't mind mr. Samson would mind sir But look, I've been instructed me to assign you a room in the guest house I'm sure you will find it more than comfortable mr. Dollar this way Just outside standing in a no parking zone was the Samson limousine a Uniform chauffeur took my bag and about 40 minutes later. We passed through the gates of Zora Samson's private domain Beside the main house. There were two guest houses two swimming pools a private zoo Stock farm turkey ranch and a number of cottages for the servants and maintenance people Inside the main house Copac led me down a long haul lined with statues and oil paintings and other art objects Finally, he stopped and opened a heavy door Henry Samson was seated behind a large desk And standing near him was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen mr. Dollar sir. Thank you Michael I'll call when I need you. Yes Well, Johnny come in come in sir Had a pleasant journey down. I hope Yes, fine. Thanks. Good. Good. Do you like a sample of our southern hospitality mr. Dollar? Well, I uh forgive me my dear Johnny, this is mrs. Samson Delilah mr. Dollar mr. Samson In case my question confused you Johnny, I meant would you like a drink? Uh, no thanks not just let the man catch his breath Delilah Now Johnny Get on my feet I I can't give you more Let's get right down to business This here's a display case that was broke into Mm-hmm, none of your other coins were taken out. No, no whoever did it knew what they wanted They got the most valuable one What about this lock was it tampered with wouldn't have done them no good to tamper with it It's the biggest and strongest as Yale makes Reckon he knew that and that's why he broke the glass Then you think someone familiar with this room and your collection took the card if you want to know the truth He suspects me Delilah Mr. Samson Did anything unusual happen that evening if you have any visitors none Delilah and I ate our supper Worked for a couple hours same as always Then we played casino till 10 30 we always play casino until 10 30 just The only thing that relaxes my husband I see there Were only four people beside myself in the house Mr. Samson Mary her maid digger my man servant And michael my secretary. Good old michael the trusty troubleshooter Mr. Samson according to your policy application only four of those confederate half dollars were ever made Is that right? Yes, it is confederate states didn't have any silver bullion to make more dirty Yankee blockade Uh, could you give me a description of the coin sir? Sure Originally it was a regular union 1861 piece At the norland's mint they ground off the rebirth side and And stamped on the shield of the glorious confederacy And the words confederate states america May the south rise again Now that's not funny. Delilah. I think it is Don't you johnny? Well, I'm just you just give me your answer later right now. I'm gonna have another drink you ready Not your thanks. Yeah, you don't know what you're missing You have to forgive my wife johnny She isn't herself this evening. I haven't been myself in several years not since I married you shut up woman michael michael Yes, sir. Mrs. Sampson is tired Very tired She wants you to Take her to a room. Yes, sir Well Do you have supper johnny? I'll have your supper. It's ain't up to you. Don't do me any favors fight man Get it out of here michael get it out before I Do Sorry Sometimes it's all right, sir. I understand Do you Yeah, good good me Now the influence better now about the coin President jefferson davis gave it to my great-brain pappy For his service to the cause. Are you sure of its value? Sure. It's worth 20,000 My shoot boy My grand pappy turned down 10,000 foot back in 1879 Way things are now You got to be worth four times that Well, what's the matter? Don't you believe me? Why don't you say that? Well Then what are you looking at me so suspicious? Well, mr. Sampson, I have a hunch you're holding out on me johnny You're getting paid money to find the person that took it now you earn your pay. I'll try to only I'd appreciate some help I'll give you help Fact already has like how like the gates to zora I've kept them locked ever since it happened And until you find that coin Nobody leaves here Those gates stay closed A few moments later copec returned and escorted me across the magnolia scented grounds of my rooms One of the luxurious guest cottages. I unpacked took a shower then called berth McGraw and hartford Well, how's it going johnny? It is not oh come on now boy. Sorry burt, but it looks like a real toughy You don't want me to send in a pinch hitter. Do you nope? But how about getting the dust off your pants and doing some legwork? All right What kind of work find out for sure how many of those 1861 half dollars were ever made and what their value is today Wait a minute. What'd you say John? Not you burt somebody at the door you check on that coin got it like the Yankees have the pennant. Good luck, boy Okay, I'm coming Yeah, mr. Dar Yeah, that's right. I'm Mary williams miss samsons may and I'm digger everybody just called me old digger He's mr. Samson's man. We we snuck off and come over here to see you Oh, well come in please. Thank you, sir. Oh, yes. Yes. Thank you. Thank you Sure hope nobody saw us come in here Well, uh, what's this all about very mr. Darla being an insurance investigator You work for company instead of the police. Is that it? Yes, the company I'm working for now is in the heart of Connecticut way up north. Oh, that's good Mr. Darla digger here. He's just scared to death scared of what if you'd be here a while you know God, you sure would well, can't you tell me mr. Samson's got a big place here He needs lots of folks to keep it up for him and and he gets them cheap from the prisons What yes, sir somebody finds out who's going out on parole the next thing a man knows instead of being all the way free He's here working for mr. Samson. Yes, and and if and he don't like it, mr. Samson has him sent back Oh, come on now. Look, this is 1957 things like that just don't happen anymore Tell them digger. Well, mr. Darla sir I don't want to go back to that place. No, sir. I don't ever want to go back. Oh, it's all right digger Mr. Darla, we wouldn't have bothered you at all except that we digger me that is We want to get married. That's right. Yes, but if he sent back to prison Well, well, he's already spent 15 years there and you're afraid that mr. Samson is going to send him back Yes, mr. Samson or somebody else around here But why? Well, come on one of you say something. Well I I ain't gonna tell you nobody else mr. Darla. No, sir I won't tell no matter what they do to me. I won't tell unless you give me your word Unless you promise me promise you what that you won't let mr. Samson and nobody send me back You give me your word on the bible. I'll tell Yes Well, come on. Tell me what Well, sir I missed a dollar Digger knows who took that half dollar piece Act two of yours truly johnny dollar in a moment The american writer christopher morally once wrote When you sell a man a book You don't sell him just 12 ounces of paper ink and glue You sell him a whole new way of life unquote Now that goes double when you give not sell a book But the gift of 550 books to little children increases the legacy 10 fold near the end of 1960 The employees of the chase manhattan bank started a people to people program with such a gift to school children of a town in Tanganyika that's on the southeast coast of africa I'll give you an idea how the books were received by the children Let me first quote from francis bacon. He's an english writer of a few centuries back he said Some books are to be tasted Others to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested In the past children in tanganyika may have done a little tasting and chewing and a little Swallowing and digesting That there's one certain thing They wound up devouring the books they received from the united states And they did so much of it that they the ones in high school anyway Were able to reach the level of english children their age and pass the exams at the same time That takes a lot of book learning as they say Now the gift of these books from the united states of america may have seemed a small thing to the senders But the boys in tanganyika who received them know that they've opened a whole new way of life They've greatly increased understanding in the classroom of freedom The right of all men everywhere and now act two of yours truly johnny dollard and the confederate coinage matters I wanted to help digger the samson servant who claimed to have information concerning the missing confederate half dollar But i couldn't promise him anything without first knowing more about the part he had played if any in the theft of the coin I did promise to think over his offer and let him know if i was interested by the next afternoon Anyway at eight that evening i joined mr. samson and kopeck for dinner in the large dining room After we finished our coffee samson rolls and excused himself Ah When you're ready, we got work to do mike. Yes, sir. See you in the morning johnny Well, how is the investigation coming mr. dollard? Have you found any valuable clues? Nope another thing Oh, that's too bad, but you you haven't given up kopeck. I haven't started Uh Well, would you care for something else? If not, no, no i'm fine then shall we yeah sure Say uh, tell me something kopeck Anything I can what about the servants who are in the house the night of the theft Digger and mary. Yeah What do you know about them everything that there is to know I have a file containing the record on every one of mr. Samson's employees If you like, I shall have the information on these two sent to your rooms. I'd appreciate it now If you will excuse me mr. Samson is waiting in the den Uh, you can find your way back to the guest house. Hmm. Sure. Good night. Good night, mr. Dollard Hmm. Oh delilah Where are you? No, don't come on Johnny do you like to ride? Well, sure only it's been a long time since I've had a chance to and uh, I didn't bring any riding clothes That doesn't matter Meet me at the tables before breakfast You will won't you john What do you think? I went back to the guest house and about half an hour later kopeck delivered the files on mary. Williams and digger Everything digger had told me was true. He had spent 15 years in prison on a manslaughter charge So early the next morning I crossed the green lawns of zora and met delilah at the stables And a few minutes later. We were riding our horses away from the main house Where should we ride johnny? You want the cook's tour? Oh, I don't know. What's it include? Oh, the taking phone There in zoo Or would you rather go down to the river? Hey, you know, it's a funny thing delilah. What is? I've never seen a river You fool come on. All right. Come on boy. Come on Finally when we reached the river we dismounted and she just stood there for a long moment looking down into the water well I guess I'm just reaching for something. I can't have yet Do you understand? Why did you marry him delilah? He's money Only I was fooled I made a fool of How do you mean? Well, he's a collector general coins and paintings and people Well, hadn't you noticed I'm just another one of his possessions with all the rags and privileges of a statue And you know why sampson married me Because my parents named me delilah Oh, why don't you leave it? I'd need money a lot of it And I thought I was gonna get some Now But now Maybe I'll get another chance When I did Johnny Johnny you keep in touch We rode on back had breakfast and I returned to my rooms in the guest cottage Around 11 o'clock. I picked up the phone and called bird McGraw again Johnny about time you called. Yeah, what'd you find out bird enough to know that I'm in trouble and you got to get me out of it Trouble what kind of trouble that confederate half dollar. Do you know what it's worth five thousand But you insured it for 20. I know it but look johnny. It wasn't all my fault. I mean, well, how did samson know about the dies What dies the dies a man named scott made 500 of those half dollars from back in 1879 that's what lowered the price of the original half dollar You mean there are 500 of those half dollars in existence instead of four 500 and four the four original ones made in 1861 the rest were made later Well, looks like you're out 20 grand bird. Oh, don't say that unless yeah, unless you're willing to let me try something down here Anything johnny boy anything even if it costs five grand But you know what'll happen to me if the company has to take a loss of 20 000 for something worth only five Johnny, please go ahead. Thanks pal. I'll call you later As soon as I could I sent word to digger and mary the two servants asking them to come to the guest house It was almost three o'clock before they arrived Miss doll had you decided on what you're going to do? Yes, mary. I have digger uh Yeah, sir I can't promise that you won't be sent back to present Well, then I ain't gonna tell you nothing now. Wait wait. Let me finish But I can promise that I'll do everything possible to help you Well, sir I have to ask miss mary You know, she's the one talking to come to you in the first place. I did it. Soon. She told me what he'd done I didn't know about it till afterward miss doll. All right Just what did he do mary? Well, it wasn't his fault. He just had to break into that case and and take that half dollar Yeah, sir. That's right. I had to Why because she said that she'd tell mr. Sampson something real bad about me Something that had caused him to send me back to prison She Mrs. Sampson Yes That's the truth miss doll. I swear it I All right digger. Come on What happened after you took the coin? Well, sir That all went like she said it would I got hold of a half dollar and Ran on down to the river late that night. I was on my way back to where I supposed to meet miss sampson give it to her Well, sir, and I tripped over something and the dog gone if I didn't lose. Oh, wait a minute. Come on now digger You don't expect me to believe that but it's a truth. Yes, sir I had it in my hand and when I fell it flew out and you can't find it. No, sir. No, sir And I looked and looked There's a good reason why he can't find it. Mr. Dahl. Oh, yes And you come with us. We'll show you They showed me and I had to agree there was a good reason I told copec. I wanted to see mr. Sampson While I was waiting for him delilah came down the stairs from her room Yeah, I told digger take your suitcase out of the car. You aren't leaving I will be in a few minutes. Well, I Don't have you found the coin No, not quite But I know where it is And I know how it got there You do Why did you do it delilah? Why did you make him do it? You ought to know by now, johnny I did it for the same reason. I've done everything else in my life for money I thought I could use the money to get away from here What do you do now? I don't know. It's up to him You do have to tell him, don't you? Yes, delilah I'm afraid I do there's no other way I mean, well Couldn't you say one of the same? No delilah. Don't you say it either? Okay, john Be around Sure See you around Come in johnny Come in honey Here you have news for me Well boy start in tell me I told him as simply as I could When it was over he got to his feet and stared out the window for several minutes When he turned back he ordered copac to find digger and take him to the place where the coin had been lost A few minutes later we joined him there I can't believe it This where you lost the half dollar digger On the turkey farm? Yes, mr. Sampson sir Here uh, right over there Why didn't you get in there and find it? Well, I told mr. Dollar how come I couldn't sir? Will dollar? He couldn't find it because when he dropped the coin one of those turkeys swallowed it Dollar What do you mean one of those turkeys swallowed it? Well, sir, just when I said turkeys will eat anything that glissons or shines that's dropped near them And since digger was cutting across this field when he dropped the coin, but Boy Do you realize There are two thousand turkeys in there And any one of them could have my half dollar The half dollar jamperson davis President of the glorious confederacy gave my grandpeppy Any one of them could have it stuck in his skinny red neck. Yes, sir. It's certainly caught Well, good good Now you just tell me How do you propose to get me my half dollar back? You can't do it You'll have to give me my insurance money. Yes, we know that's why we're willing to buy the turkeys from you What? Yes, sir I'll give you five thousand dollars for the turkeys and guarantee to return the coin within 90 days providing Go on providing you allow mary williams and digger to leave here and be responsible for the recovery of the coin You mean you're gonna let them tin the turkeys? I'm gonna give them the turkey. What? You're a good man digger you measure you push up Well, darling You sly fox You're gone You're gone boy You just got yourself two thousand turkeys A couple of weeks after I left Birmingham I received a letter from mr. And mrs. Digger Telling me that they'd found the coin and the crawl of the bird they'd killed for their first sunday dinner together Which proves once again miracles do happen Expense account total including transportation back to hartford four hundred and five dollars and ten cents yours truly Johnny dollar Now here's our star to tell you about next week's story next week the story of a tragedy that befell a sweet old widow And the very surprising results Join us won't you yours truly johnny dollar Yours truly johnny dollar starring bob bailey originates in hollywood written by charles b smith It is produced and directed by jack johnstone Herdyn our cast were virginia greg elinor oddley herb ellis herb bygren Horace lewis and vik perron Be sure to join us next week same time and station for another exciting story of yours truly johnny dollar This is dan coverley speaking This is the united states armed forces radio and television service