 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 The tales of the Texas Rangers starring Joel McCrae as Ranger Jayce Pearson Texas more than 260,000 square miles 50 men who make up the most famous and oldest law enforcement party in North America Now from the files of the Texas Rangers come these stories based on facts only names dates and places are fictitious for obvious reasons The events themselves are a matter of record case for tonight Square dance. It is 9 50 p.m. Saturday night October 14th, 1949 There is a square dance in progress at the fun spot a barn-like dance hall on the outskirts of Bancoville in West Texas Mrs. Mort Rogers a rancher's wife is seated in the corner waiting for her husband to return with some soda pop She looks up as a stranger Looks like I found me a pretty little warm How come you ain't dancing now? Reckon I'm a little out of breath from the last one My husband went to fetch me some soda pop. Good. Well, he's fetching it. You and me can dance Not a couple needing that square over there. Come on. No, no, thank you But I I'd rather wait for you. Oh, you're just going away sitting there I'd rather not I ain't the kind of a man who takes no fun answers especially from a pretty gal I told you I don't want to dance with you What's matter And I just happened buying acid for a dance. That's all right and left finger marks all over arm Looks like you asked pretty rough. Ain't no harm done We're gonna get a hard about it Take these pop bottles Now you want to repeat that question Places probably full of friends of yours. I don't know anybody around here I just happening. Why don't you just happen out before you get in trouble? Go ahead beat it. All right Maybe I'll meet you alone Anytime you want to please let him go I'm all right We'll see somebody like that wandering and what people have Thank you Honey, you're shaking Was a little Jackie I'll go fetch it for you. Ain't that cold more. Oh, no, no, just turning blue. All right Would you mind getting it for me? I said I would didn't I any more strangers ask you to dance hit him with that pop bottle Who's here? you What you doing hanging around these cars Well, I'll tell you to get lost better watch your tongue. You ain't surrounded by friends now I figured you follow me out. I didn't follow you out come out to get my wife's jacket And that's for friends missed. I don't need any to hand the likes of you I want you get while it getting good too bad your wife didn't come out to get her own jacket She's kind of cute Shut up right now water I asked her to dance if she hadn't given me the eye Come on get up get up and fight get up run Once more for good measure guess your wife ain't gonna be so particular who she dances with from now on Rogers failed to return to the dance his wife came out to look for him Her screams as she found the body brought dancers streaming from the hall Somebody summoned the sheriff and he in turn called for the help of a Texas Ranger Ranger Jase Pearson was assigned He arrived at the parking lot outside the fun spot shortly after midnight Howdy sheriff. Howdy, Jase. I'm glad you were close by Here's the body Radio was buzzing with calls as I drove in KTXA's organ roadblocks set up on every highway near here for a hundred miles Yeah, I know I phoned in a description of a stranger who was at the dance tonight. I heard it Let's hope they can pick him up. Well, they'd got him sure if I'd had the description earlier But it took almost an hour to get miss Rogers so she could talk. She the dead man's wife Yep, saw the whole thing then no no she was inside when it happened come out and found the body Then why the pickup for the stranger in particular Rodgers have trouble with him just words Nothing anybody saw They tried to force miss Rogers to dance with him the way she tells it Rogers come along so what was going on ordered the fellow out Full thing happened less than two hours ago till it can't be too far away then yeah far enough Yeah, but if the roadblocks don't pick him up We'll know he's either living or hiding within a two-hour ride from here could be a hundred yards away or a hundred miles away Even then he might not be the one over 60 couple of the dance tonight any one of them could have stepped outside I haven't let a car pull out since I got here good. You shake everybody down. Yeah, I didn't find anything on anybody though Deputy has two knives and a gun that were ditched under benches when he started searching knives clean far as I could tell They'll send him through to Austin make sure if there's any blood left on one of them the lab will find it Yeah We're not gonna have to wait for that though not if the killer is still around why this wound on Rogers throat Got the juggler see how the blood spurred it out killer couldn't miss getting some of that blood on his clothes You check for that on the shakedown Just their hands you better line them up again inside Bloods had time to dry killer may have had a chance to try and wash it out But we'll have to check every suspicious looking stain Well, I got the names and addresses of everybody in the place good and use that as a checklist Make sure nobody's taking a run out since you got here deputy's been stationed all around all doors have been locked except This one leading out to the parking lot. I had let folks out here cuz some of them got babies sleeping in their cars I understand. Oh, let's get them in right Alright inside again folks everybody inside Joe Charlie Higgins don't let any straggers hang back keep them moving Hey, you better send one of your deputies into town dig up some clothes from the jail or someplace Find any suspicious stains a few of these people might have anything to wear home The sheriff's list checked out a hundred percent nobody to run a couple of cop folks had stains on their shirts and jeans We took their clothes and sent them through the Austin for analysis next morning I got my report a long-distance call from my chief captain stinson Austin lab just finished with the stuff you see I see how about the clothing captain type oh, huh? He's not our boy then medical examiner didn't autopsy on Rogers during the night Rogers blood was a B I think so she gave me the same rundown She gave the sheriff claims. She'll never forget what he looked like I'm sure she would I'm waiting I think I'll have a look through the ranch area around here all we know about the man where after is that he got away We don't know whether he was in a car or on foot or mounted few cow folks did come into the dance on horses Fellow we're looking for might be a new hand just drifted into the territory I got charcoal in my horse trailer sheriff's get in his mouth But keep us busy until you get here unless you have another idea Right bye Kevin Ready sheriff I'll get charcoal out of the trailer. Let's go We rode from ranch to ranch taking shortcuts through the gullies and the royals working through the good grazing as well as the badlands Fighting close to get a good look at cow folks work in the range wherever we spotted them We're on brew bakers land now be able to see the ranch house when we reach the end of these trees How many hands he got on the plate three they've been around for quite a spell unless he took on a new one Brew Baker that seems to me. His name was on the list of folks who were at the dance Yeah, he was there with his wife. Well, then he was asked if he'd noticed the stranger asked everybody that Anybody by that description was working for me and spoke up Well, I thought we might talk to his hands even if they weren't at the dance They might have noticed a stranger around some place possible worth a try Hey, there's who Baker not climbing into this tractor there with the tool shed. Hey Howdy, I had to see your sheriff matter of fact, I've been thinking of filming you Got some information on the Rogers case Well, no something I guess I shouldn't even be bothering you with right now Just wanted to put in a little complaint. What kind of complaint brew Baker? Well, sir just before the dance last night the missus and me did some shopping in town Matter of fact going to the dance was an afterthought just decided to drop in when we was driving home and pass the fun spot Well, sir, like I said, I hate to bother you about it But a couple of things was stolen out of my pick up while we was at the dance new bridal I'd bought in town and a new pair of wire clippers. You sure those things were taken while you were at the dance Well, they couldn't have been taken any place else They were the last things we bought before we went to the dance put them on the shelf behind the cab seat Could be something to this day sure could anybody's feeling things from a car wouldn't be doing it while you and your Deputies were all over the place and we were there till after everybody had cleared out Stuff must have been taken out of brew Baker's pickup before Rogers was killed Say as a matter of fact Rogers might have surprised somebody going through the car. I wouldn't rule out the stranger we're looking for He left the dance hall before Rogers went outside bridal and wire clippers wouldn't be easy to trace I wonder if he might have taken something else. Well, I haven't had any other complaints and people don't always complain Thanks brew Baker. Come on sheriff. Let's get back to town Get up charge come on You planning to check over that dance list again We'll call every name on it see if anything else was taken from that parking lot up charge. Come on In just a moment, we will continue with tales of the Texas Rangers starring Joel McCrae as Ranger Jayce Pearson Three times mean good times on NBC Tonight over most of these NBC stations theater guild on the air will feature Raymond Massey and Shirley Booth in Ethan from Mr.. Massey also starred in the players original production in 1936 while this booth is well known for her dramatic performances on radio on the Broadway stage Remember to hear them on the theater guild on the air presentation of Ethan from tonight We continue now with tales of the Texas Rangers and tonight's case squared ants an authentic story from the files of the Texas Rangers The sheriff and his deputies started a phone check of people who'd been at the dance asking them to list missing articles Meanwhile captain Stinson drove in with the gallery shots of possible suspects We took them over to funeral home to see if Mrs. Rogers could identify the stranger who'd quarreled with her husband Captain showed him to her one by one How about this one mrs. Rogers No Yeah, this is the last one No Yes, that does it. Yes, man. We're after isn't a known criminal not in this state. Anyhow, can I can I go back to my husband now? I won't be near him until they have Sure, ma'am. Go ahead. I might as well get back to Sheriff's office. Yeah, doesn't ride like that And a nice future the killer left her We got to get him. I'll stay on until I There's a sheriff now Looks like we've hit something on that phone check case deputy just got a call from perney Richards Not the old man, but perney juniors something missing from his car. Yeah, ladies Hamilton wrist watch Bernie bought it for his gal's birthday left it in the glove compartment of the car was picked into surprise or with it today That's gonna help this plenty new purchase like that the jeweler will have a record of the serial number on the watch Killer might try to sell it or pawn at some place. He might just give it to some gal I don't think so man. We're after doesn't sound like he'd have a gal of his own. Come on. Let's get a rundown on that watch We got the serial number and put out a bulletin to jewelers and pawn shops all the logical places where a man might dispose of a watch Because it was Sunday, we had a break the bulletins will be on file before the killer had a chance to unload Meanwhile captain stinson was in phone contact with Austin digging up another angle No, not necessarily might mean anything, but it can't hurt us. I'll call you later if I need anything else Right. Goodbye I have anything little I asked him to check open files Unsolved cases of pity theft especially things taken from cars in dance hall parking lot Plenty of cases like that. The same man wouldn't be responsible for all of them. No, but a couple of cases follow a pattern Jay's I've written down now look here Portable radio stolen from a car week before last outside of Elderton Roadhouse there was having a square dance and here's a constable's report Same night same place Man answering the description of our stranger got in a beef He pulled a knife on a fella didn't get a chance to use it though and ran before the law could get there. Hey, that's good Now here's another one Also a square dance south of here at Paz crossing happened a month ago Manager at the dance hall ordered some fellow out for bothering a woman again the same description Fella went outside and threw a rock through a window and got away Cars had been looted. That's our boy. All right. Yeah, but we still don't know who he is Something we do know though Look at this County man He's been here in Vancouver west of here in Elderton and south of here at Paz crossing all within a month Means he must be living in this area or hanging around at some place Draw a circle around the three spots. He's been seen at gives us a radius of about 40 miles in any direction And that fits because he wasn't picked up in the roadblocks He's been a stranger in all three places, and they're the only towns around here Most of the area in the middle of your circle is hill country in badlands and not many ranchers He might be working on now But there's a lot of prospecting going on in those badlands captain big new kick not gold or silver anymore uranium Not many people would see your prospector Now unless he had a habit of wandering into some town on a Saturday night with a yin for square dancing All right, Jays. I'll buy it. What's your move up the sheriff, and I might do a little prospecting too uranium no a man with a knife Sheriff put in with me next morning. We loaded his horse into my trailer with charcoal and headed into the badlands The old settlement's up ahead. We can leave the car at red Miller's store I thought the settlement was deserted well It was for a few years that Miller opened up again because of this prospecting thing Reckon they give them enough trade to keep going It's either they buy from him or take a car trip every time they have to lay in supplies. I never thought of that Miller may have seen our man possible Coming into the settlement now Ghost town Where's the store long goby building just ahead a lot of cars parked under a shed just behind it I see it. Well, I hope he's got some soft drinks and a way of keeping them cold This son's a scorcher. Well, I'll be able to wet your whistle in a minute Here we are Hardly think Miller could make a living here. Well, there's just him and his old lady Reckon they don't need much to get by It's like we'll be his only customers Hello Anybody here? Howdy miss Miller. This here is Ranger J. Pierce. Oh, man Where's the red miss Miller? Oh now? He's just plain gonna die cuz he missed you chariot, but he drove up there and didn't see the dock She's back again. Oh, that's too bad. Well, he'll be back for supper if you can stay we might have to Depends on whether or not you can help us Somebody here can help us. All right What is it Jayce take a look in this showcase? Well I'd called his attention to something that stood out like a sore thumb The store was run down and shelves barely stocked with necessities But there before our eyes in the 30 showcase with cracks running through the glass was a brand new Hamilton wristwatch web is stuck in some mighty fancy merchandise. Any miss Miller? Oh You mean that watch Do you want to buy it all we want to know is where you got it? Well, they've took him train from a fellow who run a bill here. What's his name? Why carp's his last name don't know his first one That's there that watching stolen music. We can tell you that in a minute Get it out of the case share, right You remember the serial number I got it written down in my book prior the back cover off You know fingernails won't do it. I'll have to find something When this carp bring the watch in man yesterday Sunday revs all this trust in people Carpo diem more than $20 instead of cash you give rev the watch and power wire clippers wire clippers You hear that sheriff sure it is. I'll have this watch case open in a minute Oh, I told red not to trust nobody reckoned carp wouldn't even trade here if they had cash Couldn't give rev no money. Oh, no, but when it come back yesterday have new bridle for his horse Reckon he had to pay cash for that someplace. You reckon and wrong Mrs. Miller You got that bridle the same way you got the watch and wire clippers Here's the number chase eight four two seven nine nine one That's it, all right Pops our boy. Where is he wise up and here's the wrecking and set it up and row it off after he brought our car back yesterday He had your car all set of the night sheriff He'll lend anything to anybody. That's why we ain't got nothing ourselves Carp never even paid him for the gas Then have the nerve to borrow his shirt and jeans while you use my tub to scrub out his old clothes and what a scar says It is need to guess is what he was scrubbing for sheriff. You can say that again. Come on sheriff. Let's get the horses and move Thanks, ma'am, but that's something we already know It was rough goings with the badlands and the territory we had to cover was big We met prospectors here and there but not caught The end of our second day the trail led to rocky ground thinning out in spots and disappearing in others We kept going until a sun dipped under the rim and darkness came fast Oh, I can't see anything Jayce. The tracks were heavier. We could keep going but the ground's too hard Can't pick up marks like that the flashlight. I know Better find a campsite rustle some grub You can do the eat no, I want is a place to rest my bones. We're fine a spot when we get on level ground up chart Sheriff yeah Like somebody solved our camp problem for us over there at the right Sparks fire behind those rocks circle around Carp maybe could be the cinch at somebody. Let's ride for it up boy See the pattern now Jayce Man getting up. You can't see us yet Here's his coming looks like a big fella. Carp is big. This is Roger said about six three His horses there Jayce. He's moving over toward it be able to see us in a minute Drip the way for me to leave a little distance between all right, you know That's good Seems to be waiting. Don't go all the way in mounted pull up and we'll walk to them All right, keep the same distance We're looking for somebody Tell you in a minute Your eyes open sheriff Fellow named car is that you? It's kind of a personal matter unless you're car I don't like getting mounted and riding away from a fire Makes my back too good a target You've got good eyes and I'm sure of car so don't try anything funny put that rifle down and let's have a talk What do you want? What do you want to see me about? Want to invite you to a square dance? Jason can't see you can't see us either must be close behind that fire Shoot into it chip sparks up that heavy log that's burning might be able to shower him with a big hot foot Let's go There's his gun on the ground gun stock split that's what I hit not him shock knock him out I Get the same he's out cold While he's laying here. I might just as well get these Thank you, Jason He almost planted that in my ribs. Yeah, it's something he won't try again Come on carp get up Saviors story for the jury car Maybe you can tell them how to be a big hit a square dance Come on get more Randolph carp was tried and convicted for the murder of rancher mort Rogers The final piece of evidence against carp was a bloody fingerprint on the steering column of the car He had borrowed from storekeeper red Miller It was carps right thumbprint and the blood specimen matched the type of the slain man Carp was sentenced to Huntsville Penitentiary for a term of 99 years And now here again is the start of our show Joel McCrae a famous Texas ranger was once asked what he considered the most important quality in a ranger Well, he pondered I Like in a good ranger to that broad brimmed hat of mine hanging over there on that old steer horn It's made of some sort of fabric that holds up Takes the toughest handling I've ever seen Must be in the character of the material I guess because as old as that hat is it's never showed a sign of going to pieces I never did like hats or men. It'll come unglued Good night folks. See you next week Next week Joel McCrae and another authentic reenactment of a case from the files of The Texas Rangers Joel McCrae is currently seen starring in the MGM production stars in my crown Tonight's cast included Tony Barrett, Lou Krugman, Betty Moran, Harley Bear, Byron Kane, Joe Porte and Jeanette Nolan This story was transcribed and adapted by Joel Murkock and the program was produced and directed by Stacey Keith Hal Gibney speaking Enjoy the very best, dimedial Make sure that you dial it right Like you want to hear field bakers every Sunday night the $64 question every Sunday night Raymond Massey and Shirley Booth and theater guild next on NBC