 The national broadcasting company presents Joel McCrae in Tales of the Texas Rangers Tonight transcribed from Hollywood another authentic reenactment of a case from the files of the Texas Rangers Tales of the Texas Rangers starring Joel McCrae as Ranger Jayce Pearson Texas more than 260,000 square miles And 50 men who make up the most famous and oldest law enforcement body in North America The Rangers come these stories based on fact only names dates and places are fictitious for obvious reasons The events themselves are a matter of record case for tonight paid in full It is 745 p.m. August 18th 1941 Nick Hubbard the West Texas farmer is seated at the dinner table with his wife men But Hubbard is not eating Instead his attention is riveted on an advertisement in the newspaper before him Will you stop staring at that thing and eat your supper Nick? I ain't hungry. You've had your nose buried in them new car ads ever since you got the check for the cotton cross That's a lot of good. It's doing you we can't buy one record niff and I didn't have to pay that Mexican for working on shares You could have made the crap yourself if you wasn't so late you want to shut up Do I have to fetch your punch in the mouth? Didn't mean nothing Nick. Now shut your trap and keep it shut $1,000 for my cotton and I got to give half of it to that Mexican eat nothing you can do about it Nick don't you go tell me what I can do Doc took him and his family in did now fed them let them live on a shack on my land Seems to be that's enough for any man to do for me with that soap Morales didn't chop enough cotton. I make you to a night shirt. How can you say that Nick? You got $1,100 out of his crop Even half of that's more than you made before doing the work yourself He knows you got the check Nick can't stall him much longer. It's been three days now, and he's coming back again tonight Reckon that's him now Nick Come on right up on a front porch like you in the place. You're busy with your dishes. I'll handle him Morales what you want? Sanyo Hubbard I come for my money for the cotton. I told you I bring it to you when it come I ain't got it yet. I can't give you what I ain't got. Please Sanyo Oh, I don't like to bother you, but my wife. She's sick. We're going to have another baby Look, I got troubles of my own Morales Sanyo Hubbard, I know you got the money. I asked the cotton buyer He tell me that everybody is paid you checking up on me. You're stinking wet back I am not a wetback. I do not sneak across the border. I'm a good citizen of this country. Good Come on. Tell you what I'll do and it's better than you deserve. Yeah There's $50 we'll call a square and you and your brute and get off my land by morning. No, Sanyo. No You don't give Jose Morales $50. I Want my money, Sanyo all my money you better pick that 50 up Morales cuz that's all you're gonna get Sanyo, you do not give me the money tomorrow. I go to a lawyer in the town lawyer You're gonna take that 50 and sign a paper right now You stay out of this man me and Morales just made a deal Where's that pencil and some paper in the second shelf? I do not sign any paper. Come back here, Morales You ain't going far. He's dead Nick What are you gonna do? I Gotta get him off the place. Help me lift him. I better get him off the place. I can't Nick. I Can't touch him up Happy I said Keep your mouth shut forever from now on keep your mouth shut. Oh Shut it like I shut his The body of Jose Morales was discovered two days later by a field hand It had been dumped in a thicket in rugged country near a path used as a shortcut to town The sheriff was summoned and he in turn asked for the help of a Texas Ranger Ranger Jase Pearson was assigned Good thing you were towing your horse trailer Jase for your rough go on foot That looks like it gets plenty of use though Yeah field hands use it for a shortcut to town when they're walking or mounted yes They figured three miles of this is better than eight miles of highway Bodies just up ahead. I rolled down a ways to meet you and I heard your horse He said something about somebody reporting Morales missing before the body was discovered. That's right His wife came to my office yesterday and said he hadn't been home all night means he might have been killed the night before last Seems that way. Oh here. We are. Oh boy. Oh charkey Right in that ticket Shotgun. Yeah, I got it behind the head and flew his back heavy charge 12 gauge probably He just like it was found. Yeah Wasn't killed here then I killed here. Why not? We're at the head of the body that means he'd have been walking this way through the thicket when he was shot And he'd fall forward on his face toward us. Yeah, that's right All right now look at the ticket behind his feet direction. He would have been coming from where but hasn't been disturbed He couldn't walk through that thicket without breaking some of it down Besides he wouldn't be walking off the path. I see what you mean It must been on the path when he was shot then never gone to carry the body over this way and dumped him into the thicket Have a look at that path around here Blood from his wounds should have left a mark someplace and stain on the ground. Yeah Yeah, nothing here. No sign of blood. No sound the earth being skipped over to hide it now We're not gonna find anything not around here. He'd been dumped when that wound was fresh We'd have found something by now He was brought in here after all the bleeding had stopped because somebody didn't want the body found where he was killed Well, that means we got to find out where it's not gonna be easy. It never is There's one good thing about it. Once we do find the place it isn't gonna be far from the killer or the body wouldn't have been moved There's nothing else for us to see here lab man's flying in from Austin might find something when the medical examiner does an autopsy I'll have to stay here a while may know direct at you here bringing pack animals to take the body into town There's no sense in both of us staying. I'll get started Now you know where Morales lived. Yeah, shack near the cotton fields on the North Rim and Nick Hubbard's farm. Thanks, Sheriff Don't suppose you know if Morales was having trouble with anybody not that I know of Jayce Making his family might know something though. Maybe the Hubbard's I'll see him both meet you in town when I'm finished Okay, Jayce get around charge I got back to my car loaded charcoal in the horse trailer and drove to the Hubbard farm Hubbard wasn't there, but his wife was out back scrubbing clothes She was trembling and kept wetting her lips as she spoke to me and I could see that she'd been crying Yes We we heard about it. Maybe an hour ago somebody called on the party line to tell my husband where's your husband now, Mrs. Hubbard He drove out to the Morales shack to tell Mrs. Morales and see if maybe there wasn't something he Could do for her and the kids Morales work chairs for us, you know, so the sheriff told me I Don't know what what his woman will do now How far is the shack Morales lived in a little over a mile our place goes back quite a ways Landing too good. We got a lot of it. Morales ever come here to your house. I mean Only when he had some business with Nick my husband. When was the last time I Don't got no Ranger Like I said he'd come to see Nick probably be around when he came though. When was the last time you saw him? I can't say for sure. I'm too upset to think There comes Nick now. There's his car coming across the field. Good. Maybe he'll know something I Like to know if Morales was here the night before last Nick will know for sure. He'll tell you Ranger Howdy Saw your car here as I was coming across mighty slick looking here Which my old bus to shave the Ranger wants to know some things about Morales, well, I could figure that from myself man. What else would he want to know about? Yeah, I just left his widow. This thing's hit her kind of hard Sure, feel sorry for her men and kids. I know of course men and me will do anything We can help them. I told her they could stay on the shack men and that we wasn't fixing to charge him no rent No, nothing poor woman Wife can't help how she feels mr. Urban Just a couple of things I want to know When'd you see Morales last your wife couldn't remember? Yeah, you sure are broken up man You ought to remember Morales is here night for last. I wasn't sure the night before last huh? What time what? Just say if we finish supper eight o'clock maybe the same night. He was killed. What you mean He's been dead that long judging by the appearance of the body Yes, we'll know for sure when the medical examiner gets finished with him, but why are you so surprised? Well, I mean he was only found a little while ago He's been missing since the night before last though his wife reported that to the sheriff's office yesterday You knew that didn't you well sure? I knew it But I figured he was off on a tube celebrating with that roll of money. What role of mine money I paid him for working shares on a cotton is that when you paid him when he was here night before last sure Handed him five hundred and fifty dollars That's why I'm surprised men didn't remember him stopping by Why you remember men you was there when I handed him the cash and he made his ex on that receipt. I wrote out Wasn't sure the night so he had five hundred and fifty dollars cash on him Now I can see a reason for us being murdered wait a minute wait a matter what? Something mrs. Morales told me just a while ago when I was over there bought a fieldhand who dropped in the night Morales disappeared He wanted to borrow some money Waited around for him But when he didn't come fella said he'd walk down toward my place here and see if he couldn't meet Morales on the way She mentioned the fieldhand's name Can't remember a shorty. I think shorty something anybody show up here that night looking for Morales No, not while he was here not after he left Wasn't nobody was in it. No must have met Morales away from here then ranger Hmm, maybe the man you're after sure looks mighty possible Hubbard I'm gonna see mrs. Morales and find out who that man was you want to point out the way you better not ranger I'll ride out with you fine. Let's go Goodbye, mrs. Hubbard. Bye man back later. Bye Sure is a school car you got here ranger. Yeah, I won't get me a new car soon Sure do home. Don't you yeah am I heading right there? Oh, yeah Yeah, just straight across the field and follow that fence line Sure is a shame about Morales But I I reckon you ain't gonna have much work once this woman tells you who that fella was the shorty Looks like you had a motive all right sounds like the killer to me. I hope you get him ranger Morales is a mighty fine Mexican mighty fine. He'd see anybody get away with killing him And this is a fine car Listen to repair In just a moment we will continue with tales of the Texas Rangers starring Joel McCrae as ranger Jase Pearson But first here is an important announcement Next Sunday over most of these same NBC stations you will hear tales of the Texas Rangers at a new and earlier time Yes beginning next Sunday listen one hour and a half earlier for this program This new earlier time will bring you tales of the Texas Rangers Immediately following the Phil Harris Alice facial and right before theater guild on the air Remember next Sunday tune in one hour and a half earlier for tales of the Texas Rangers We continue now with tales of the Texas Rangers starring Joel McCrae and tonight's case paid in full an Authentic story from the files of the Texas Rangers The Morales shack was threadbare, but scrubbed clean like the two wide-eyed kids who clung to their mother's skirts There was heartbreak in her eyes. She kept it smothered for the sake of her children till she sent them outside so we could talk Go go play in the back Our dog I Try not to cry when they are near me. Take it easy. Mrs. Morales easy What is easy life is hard for me for them? Now they have no father to help now. Now everything's gonna be all right I told you you can stay on here rent free and everything. We didn't want to stay here We were going to move away and get a little place of our own for the new baby That's going to come as soon as you careful say his money Why do you make him wait so long? Well, I for three days every day he asked you for his share and you keep saying you don't need the check yet But you did what is this hubbard? Well, it's just a little misunderstanding ranger I can explain it. I I didn't want to give Jose the money what to give it to Mrs. Morales here I asked him to bring her down to the house and collect it. Why why for her sake and the sake of the kids You know how some sharecroppers I might have taken all that dough and blown it in on it the gila bin Oh, she would not spend our money that way He was a good husband. Well, I got no way being sure of that I was just trying to look out for you and your youngsters. Is that a crime? No, but while you were being so Considerate you could have driven out here with the money instead of expecting this woman to walk to your place to get it Mrs. Morales Mr.. Hubbard says you told him about somebody coming here to borrow money from your husband the night He didn't come home see a man who worked with us a someplace once before two years ago. They call him surey Shorty Davis you tell him your husband had gone down to Hubbard's place Then he said he would not wait anymore. He would walk down and try to meet Jose then He went away That's all you see. It's just like I told you ranger probably met Jose Talked to me to go into town when he found out he had the money then he murdered him when he got him off In that shortcut trail my poor Don't you worry they'll get that shorty fella. We haven't got him yet Hubbard a couple of things don't fit Mrs. Morales did shorty Davis have a shotgun with him when he came by No, probably had the whole thing planned in advance ranger had the gun stashed away on the shortcut doesn't add up Why not because Morales wasn't killed on the shortcut. He was killed someplace else and taken out there How do you know that because there'd be certain signs at the scene of the murder that warned around where the body was found You mean like blood on the ground things like that. Yeah, things like that So shorty you must have killed him someplace else somebody did We'll pick shorty up and see what he's got to say. Goodbye miss Morales Come on, I'll drive you home When I got back to sheriff's office it was late afternoon and the medical examiner and our lab man had finished the sheriff had a complete report Oh Anything special in this lab report a few things. Yeah, let me show you here Shot followed a downward path indicating that the gun was fired from above and behind a victim Pattern of shot spread a number of pellets striking target from normal number of pellets in regulation 12 gauge shell Further indicates the shot came from approximately 20 yards behind victim with a gun muzzle at high level It's pretty interesting isn't it Jace plenty interesting means that Morales must have been shot by somebody who was standing on something above the ground level Or maybe somebody mounted. That's the way it shapes up You know anything about a field hand named shorty Davis. Yeah, I've been around here for quite some time You know where to find him it doesn't leave any place regularly just grubs around Good hurt me next in before the cotton season and never had a chance put any money by I reckon he's mighty hard out What do you want him? Tell you why we're looking. Let's find him We combed the town until midnight, but there was no sign of shorty Davis I called my headquarters and with the sheriff supplying a description put out a statewide pickup Was just after dawn when it paid off shorty Davis was picked up by the highway patrol less than 50 miles away They brought him back to us All right shorty sit down over there Mr. Chef before those men bring me back here I ain't done nothing if you haven't you'll be taken back to where you were picked up Meanwhile, where were you going just heading for El Paso to see my folks mr. Ranger kind of sudden decision shorty You've been hanging around here for months. I couldn't go before sir I was waiting to get me some money. Yeah, you mean you've got money now. Why yes, sir Where'd you get it shorty? Well from my accident you remember the accident I had sir Well, when mr. Hawks and Wilson hit me with his automobile where the lawyer man mr. Corby he got me some sediment money for getting hit is that the truth shorty won't take long to find out if it isn't I wouldn't lie to your toss you could ask mr. Hawks and Wilson. You better call him and check sheriff. I sure will Mr. Ranger, where did the sheriff think I got the money you'll find out later shorty how much have you got Well, I had a hundred dollars just been a couple for eating yesterday When'd you leave town yesterday morning a time early right after the bank open and mr. Hawks got me the money then you didn't know that Jose Morales was found dead yesterday morning Murdered was murdered the night you stopped by his shack to see him I never did see him that night, but you did stop by the shack. Yes, sir, but he wasn't home. His wife tell you that, sir His story about the money is okay, Jason Sir, I ain't telling you no stories. I'm telling you the truth. Just keep on telling go ahead Jason I've been listening with one of your Mrs. Morales told you where her husband was didn't she she said he would have her but farmed that's all And didn't you leave the shack saying you'd go down to the farm and meet him? Yes, sir I wanted to get the lender some money from Jose. He knew me We worked together once He loaned me before now all this paid him back We ain't asking about your credit rating shorter What do you want to know is what happened after you met Morales? I never did meet him. Was nobody at mr. Hubbard's place the Hubbard's weren't there No, sir. I knocked hard on the back door and there wasn't nobody there at all Now you'll be mighty sure what you're saying shorty I am sure mr. Chef that old house was just plain empty. Jose wasn't there I thought maybe he'd come back or maybe he hadn't been there yet So I went over in the field and sat me down on a stump and waited Then mr. Hubbard and his wife they drove up real slow Had a couple of horses hitched to the back of the car horses. Yes, sir What kind of story are you trying to invent? I ain't inventing nothing mr. Chef. That's gospel Didn't know how but seeing no sir. Like I said, I was in the field Sitting by a stump. Well, didn't you let him know you were there? No, sir It was Morales. I come to meet and he wasn't with him I didn't want mr. Hubbard raising the first with me and asking me what I was doing around his property at night No, sir. That man he mean James Hubbard wouldn't be towing horses around at night without a reason The reason I can think of is for packing something to a place he couldn't get to in his car You mean like packing Morales buddy up that shortcut trail? That's right But why to kill him because Hubbard was lying about paying Morales his share in that cotton crop He acted mighty funny when it came out. He'd stalled about paying Shorty, yes I want you to repeat your story and we'll type it. Yes. Take your statement statement Yes, after that sheriff we're going out and have a good look at hubbard's farm and darn good. Look, I'm Excuse me a minute Speaking Sheriff, what's the matter? That was Dr. Barker Mrs. Morales come into the funeral parlor to See her husband. She fainted. Well Jay's She lost her baby We headed for hubbard's farm But we parked off the road about a half mile away and cut across the fields on foot Hoping we could check around outside the house without being spotted We were in the covers and trees and we saw mrs. Hubbard come from the back of the house carrying a wash tub What the devil's she doing with that wash tub? Jay's? I don't know. Don't let her see you Hey, she's dumping it by the brush. Yeah, why didn't she dump it in back? Maybe so woman carry a laundry tub around to the front of the house to dump it But she was growing something a lot more than one tub full has been dumped in that spot Look at that ground. It's soaked. Come on Go in and see us. I want to find out what she's doing. Hubbard isn't around the garage shed is open and the car isn't there Just a minute mrs. Hubbard. Oh, it's you And the sheriff It's a funny place you picked to empty a laundry tub, man. Well, I The ground seemed kind of dry. It's dry all around here except for this one spot by the brush Quite a lot of water has been dumped here much more than you had in that tub Take a look around sheriff What are you looking for? Maybe a couple of blood stains dried into the ground If there was anything here, jayce, we're too late now. I'm not an inch thick to the base of this brush. Yeah, I know Yeah, there's one thing that's still here Take a look sheriff. What is it? Leaves on this brush holes ripped through some of the leaves just the way they'd be if a shotgun charge came through Some bugs bugs never made these holes, ma'am Sheriff look at the porch of the house A far wage you said was Well, maybe 18 20 yards put me Hey The lab report said the shot was fired from approximately 20 yards with a muzzle level above the victim and that porch is the only Elevated spot it could have come from Hubbard must have fired from there That ain't so nick didn't kill morales. He didn't he did and you know it When I asked you when you'd seen morales last you kept stalling your answer until your husband came He's committed two murders if the truth is known men because mrs. Morales just lost the baby She was carried. Oh, no. No Nick is your husband man, but lion for somebody like him ain't right before earth or heaven and you know it I told him not to do it. I begged him to pay morales, but he was greedy greedy He took a shotgun and where is the gun ma'am in the house? I'll show you I can't go on with this no more All last night he was dumping water out there by the brush where morales fell Something you said yesterday about blood stain scared him Scared me too. That's why I brought the laundry water out there. I couldn't stop thinking about it There's the gun there in the corner Maybe I ain't a fit why Maybe I shouldn't have told you but I feel better about it now. I feel better Some night maybe I'll sleep again if I live to be old enough Where's your husband now mrs. Hubbard? I don't know Left this morning before sun up to drive to center city City'd be back before noon. I guess we'll just sit and wait then if you don't mind. Wait a minute sheriff Car coming up the drive now Take a look out through those curtains That ain't nicks car That that one's brand spanking new that's nick in it though So that's what he went to send the city for she's right sheriff that man really loves new cars Yeah, stand back from the window Let him come in come give your eyes a treat Howdy, Hubbard. Yeah, how do you share? Ranger in Why are you looking at me like that? I told him nick. I told him everything I told him how you cheated morales. Are you shot him in the back? Oh, you don't I'll try that again I'll get up Mrs. Morales lost her baby nick. Ain't you proud of that? Well, you was buying your new car. She was losing that baby. Don't say anymore. Please man You've got a new car, didn't you nick? You know where you're gonna drive in it. Don't you nick? You're nowhere Take care of her sheriff. I'll take him. All right, jeez Come on nick. Let's go At his trial nick Hubbard broke down and confessed to the murder of jose morales He was sentenced to huntsville penitentiary for the rest of his life Next week Joel mccray and another authentic reenactment of a case from the files of the texas rangers Joel mccray is currently seen starring in the universal international technicolor production frenchy Tonight's cast included tony barrett virginia greg whitfield connor ed begley and jester herston This story was transcribed and adapted by joel mercott and the program was produced and directed by stacy keith Hal gibney speaking Three times mean good times on nbc Remember next sunday over most of these same nbc stations listen one hour and a half earlier for tales of the texas rangers Enjoy the very best in radio. 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