 Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape! Escape! Designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure. You are hiding, grouched waist deep in the murky waters of Louisiana by you. While closing in on you, coming toward you through the night is a lusting mob screaming for your life. Listen now, as Escape brings you William Frug's unusual story, the Lou Garoo. Gonna be a hard day today. You shrimp nets filled? Where is Marie? Marie? Where is your daughter, Marie? He's delivering some medicine to Brother Coxie. He'll feel well today. You mean he's drunk. I wish to talk to you about Marie. Yes, Gus? You have heard the village talk? No. I am worried for her. Worryed? Why? Oh, she's been seen again on the levees with the stranger. I didn't know. There is bad talk about the stranger. What do they say? Oh, it is bad talk, Mr. Lagrang. Tell me, Gus. Tell me. They say the stranger has killed Pierre's baby. Pierre? Gus. I know the bios, Monsieur. Strange things happen. But this thing, this thing is... No, no, I don't believe it. It is not what you believe, but what the others believe. Oui. Oui, that is true. I have come to warn you. About my Marie? She is young and pretty and headstrong. I would not like to see her harmed. Now I have warned you, Mr. Lagrang. We cannot protect this stranger. But Marie... Oui, oui. Oui, oui, Gus. I will tell Marie. Gus, come soon. What Gus wants? I do not know. They say it is important to be a pilot. That is the life. Oh, not you, Taco. You smell too much like shrimp. What is wrong with shrimp? Well, pilots smell like hand, Tony. They are big deaf ones. My cousin is a pilot. They go on the boat in New Orleans every month. I've been a New Orleans pilot. They are smart fellows, Willie. They make big money. Yeah. I can tell plenty of women, I bet. Yeah, plenty of everything. To be a pilot. That is the life. Oh, here come Gus. Bonjour. Hello, Gus. Where is the wine? Mosquitos. Here, I have some wine. Orange wine. It is good orange wine. I make it myself. Yeah, you drink this. I'm used to better. Hey, Taco, give it to me. I ain't so particular. I... I just come from Pierre's house. How is little Trapper? Oh, he's angry. Very angry. Well, what's the matter? Ain't he getting enough of his muskrat? His baby is dead. Great. What? Oh, he got eleven more. Oh, I'm sorry for Pierre. He was swamp fever. What? Do not be so sure. What do you mean, Gus? There are other ways for babies to die. What you getting at? Taco. Yes, Gus. You have seen the, um, Stranger? The tall one, the quiet one. We... Hey, I've seen him. Walking down Levitton, your gal, Marie. I warn you. Hey, I have seen him, Gus. Pierre's baby took sick the night the Stranger come. Huh? We, that is right. That was the same night I lose my car. Remember, we all look. I remember well. The car just disappeared. The night the Stranger come. Hey, the night he come. Our animal disappeared. The baby get sick. There was only one way this can happen. Oh, hey, I seen a ghost once in the swamp. The Stranger. He live in the swamp. The animal disappeared. Baby died. What evil creature can do this, Taco, huh? What evil creature? The carol. Where were? Lugau. Hmm? Gus. What will we do? We are in danger. Where we do one thing. We fix him before he fix us. Zev. Hello, Marie. You come to see me, no? Come to buy me some salt. Huh? We have salt. Marie. Marie, we have a customer. Oh, you're here. Oui, papa. It's Zev. Mm-hmm. Come to buy me some salt. Papa. Zev's from Mississippi. It's hot there, too. Ain't it, Zev? I don't mind it, none. You like the bayous, Mr. Zev? I reckon. Bayous got strange ways. Zev's going to be a big farmer someday, papa. He's learning to grow things in the swamps. In the swamps? Here's your salt, Mr. Zev. Good day. Don't you want me to pay you? Just put your money on the counter. Thank you. Zev. Yes, sir? We walk again on the living. Well, I... Can I? I reckon. Marie. Yes, papa? I don't like this. But why, papa? This Zev, he's a stranger here. He don't understand the bayous. Then I'll teach him. There's talk. What kind of talk? Gus. He come to see me. Why don't you like Gus no more? I like Zev. Gus is worried for you. He says the villies don't like Zev. Gus is jealous. Well, there are others. They all say Zev is evil. I don't believe it. Marie. Marie, honey, I know these people. I know the dealer. You got to promise me you won't see this Zev again. My baby is dead. I am sorry, Pierre. And you saw him near your cabin the night the child took sick. Did you not, Pierre? We are some with a girl, Marie, with the daughter of the stockkeeper, I'm sure. He was with Marie. I never mind that. You saw the stranger, Pierre, huh? We were there. What have I told you? Gus is right. Maybe we are asked, Marie. No, she is a child. She does not know about these things. Yeah, but seems how you and her... You shut up. Marie. Marie is nothing to me. It is the stranger we must think of. The Gus is right. Stranger. He's killed my baby. We waste no more time talking, Tom. We get the others. Is that you, Zeb? Yeah. I can't see like you used to. Getting dark out. Yeah. It's me, Brother Coxie. Aren't you going to ask me in? Yeah, come on in. That's a cozy place you got here. Thank you. Got any liquor? Reckon not. Lucky I brought some. Want a pool? No, thank you. Excuse me, then. I come to talk to you, Zeb. Yeah? It's trouble, Zeb. Bad trouble. Been brewing a long time. Why are you telling me? Brother Coxie is your friend. I come to warn you, son. I don't need no warning. Then you hear it? Reckon I did. What you going to do? Ain't going to do nothing. Zeb, this ain't no ordinary trouble. Crops is bad. Ain't been no rain. The people are stirred up. This is my land. I aim to stay on it. He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it. That's from the Bible, Old Testament. Proverbs. Don't care what the Bible says. This is my cabin. Zeb, they don't want your cabin. Then what do they want? Son, you listen to Brother Coxie. I come here 47 years ago. I come to do good and preach the word of the Lord. And I come with nothing but the shirt on my back and the good book in my hand. I can't read no book. There's good people here. But they got their ways. What kind of ways? They got their notions. Zeb, you ever hear of the Fou Follet? Ain't never. Ain't nothing but swamp gas. Little pockets of gas that's exploding the swamps. Folks down here figure that there's evil spirits. When they see them, they just naturally got to start running. I've seen them. And it's the same way with spirits. Ghosts. Zombies. I've never seen them. Folks in the bayous have. What's that got to do with me? You ever hear of Teller with Lou Giroux? No. He's a spirit that can change himself into an animal. What kind of animal? Any kind. Feels like horse, dog, cow, anything. Is this such a thing? Old chair say this. Lou Giroux kills people. Hope I don't ever see one. Maybe you will. Maybe you won't. You got to believe in him first. I don't know. But you was one of them. Me? Just Fou. That's why you got to leave this place. You talk crazy, Brother Coxie. You drunk? Maybe. You better get it. Deb, folks is saying that you're a Lou Giroux. Brother Coxie, you better get it. Deb, listen to me. I ain't much for books. I'm just a farmer. I come here for a place of my own. I don't like crazy talks. Sunday's like crazy. Get it. Why does the gate and broad is the way that leads us to destruction? That's book talk again. Matthew said. Forget it. Just this once, Sam. Just this once, listen to me. You're in terrible trouble. I can take care of myself. And I ain't moving off my land. Now you get it. We will return to Escape and tonight's story, the Lou Giroux, in just a moment. Tomorrow night, don't miss William Holden as a hero beneath the seas in Lux Radio Theatre's stirring adaptation of the screenplay Submarine Command. And now, back to Escape. Get close in the stall. Never mind, sir. Come at once. Where? The orange-becking shed. There is big meeting tonight. What meeting? The village. All village. You must come. Why? The stranger. We get the stranger. He has killed Pierre's baby. We must save the village. Ah, go on without me. It is better you come. Hmm? Yeah. Maybe it is better I come. Papa, what is it? What talk of say? Not for you. It's about Zeb. Yeah, Zeb. The village is against him? Yeah. What's it done to them? Well, he's a stranger. They're afraid of him. There's more. Papa, tell me. Well, they... They all say he killed Pierre's baby. Papa. I don't believe him. Papa, you will help him. I'm only one boy. Then you must go at once. We... I'll try. Papa. Yes? Do you believe Zeb... the evil? I don't know. He's not, Papa. I swear. You love Zeb? We... I love him. Then I trust what you say. Stop him. You must stop him. Yeah, I'll go. Now there's danger here, Marie. You stay inside. Lock the doors and windows. I'll go to Zeb. No, no, Marie. You must not go there. I'll go to Zeb. Marie. Marie. Come back. There must be justice. Bill and Lou get rule. That's justice. Now, stop. Stop. We... We hear all the evidence. That's right. Is there any other who wishes to speak? I wish to speak, Mr. August. Mr. Legrand. I speak. I have lived in the bayou as many years. This is my home. I've seen things I can't explain. Strange little lights and the swamps, the animals who disappear without trace, the men who suddenly die without reason. These things I can't explain. When I've seen a stranger who calls himself Zeb, when I say to myself, is this man evil? Or do I fear this man because he's a stranger? The answer's yes. The answer's yes. Because yes, I fear this man because I don't know him. And that's the only reason. Enough. Enough, enough. We have heard, Mr. Legrand, there will be swamp justice. No, we do not kill. We tie the Lou Garou to the stake and let the mosquitoes and the tapanos be the executioners. Just this for the Lou Garou. Don't not overpull the wine when it is red. When it gives us this color in the cup, at the last it brightens like a serpent and stings like an adder. Robert, 23. You're drunk, Father Cox. Drunker, the alligator, and oyster vent. You better leave. Drunker and the drum fishing is frimp. You better go home. Ain't you ever going to get some sense, boy? Home is where the bottle is. The bottle's empty. So it is, so it is. 47 years in the bayou's and the bottle is always empty. You try, son. You try your all mightiest and they just don't listen. You try and you pray that the wrath of God will show them and they just don't listen. Well, well, well, they're here. The company's here, Zeb. They can come. And open that door, boy, and you sign your death warrant. I can take care of myself. Zeb? Zeb? What are you doing here? Zeb, where's Go-Want? I'm staying. Zeb, they're coming to kill you. I got a gun. The whole village, Zeb. In the moment you do counselors, there's safety. You shut up. Zeb, God is bringing the village to kill you. They say you're a Lou Garou. I don't know no Lou Garou. No, it's not true. Maybe it is. You better get. I'll not leave without you. Maybe I'm what they say I am. I don't know. You're not, Zeb. It's God. He's made him this way. He's made him angry. You better get. I may hurt you like I hurt the others. Brother, help me. Love is the strongest death of jealousy. Zeb, I beg you. I plead with you. Leave before you kill. Leave for my sake. What? For your sake? For me, Zeb. Zeb. Zeb. Zeb. There ain't no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake. Timothy 3. Yes. Captain. All right. All right. I'll go. Quickly. Into the swamp. You'll not see us in the darkness. If the blind, the blind bold fall into the ditch. Matthew 14. I'll come with you. I'll leave the way. I'll come with you. We'll wait for Brother Cox. We can't wait, Zeb. Brother Cox. We'll go. We'll go. When I think I'll nap you. Zeb. We can't wait. All right. Follow me. Zeb. I'm with you, Zeb. I know you. Zeb. Please. Maybe they're right. They're not right, Zeb. We're gaining. Maybe I ought to give up, huh? I can't find Miss Swan, Zeb. Hurry. Marie. There's no matter. You go out with me. You cut your legs. Go without me, Zeb. It's your life. There's no use running now. I'm a match. What? A match? Quickly. Here to me. It's our only chance. Here. Come in, Zeb. I'm ready for it. You do not make food. No. I ain't no look-a-roo. No, no, no. I ain't no look-a-roo. No, no, no. You're not, you're not hurt. Papa. Gus. He's dead. I killed him. He came with a knife. He tried to kill them. I see. The others. They gone? We? They've gone? Will they come looking for us? No. They fear the evil swamp spirit. Kim will go back now, Papa. Yes. Gus was the evil spirit. And the Lou Garou is dead. Under the direction of Norman McDonnell, Escape has brought you the Lou Garou by William Froog, starring Bill Conrad, with John Boehner, Georgia Ellis, and Forrest Lewis. Featured in the cast were Tom Telly, Lou Krugman, Jack Krushen, and Don Diamond. Editorial supervision is by John Messon, and the special music for Escape is composed and conducted by Leith Stevens. Next week. You are standing alone and trembling in an ancient cathedral while outside somewhere in the night is the stranger who's been stalking you, seeking out your life. So listen next week, when Escape brings you Kathleen Heights, strange tale of adventure, transport to terror. Agnes Morehead, the first lady of suspense, makes her 19th starring appearance tomorrow night on CBS Radio Suspense. Don't miss Agnes Morehead in Death and Miss Turner tomorrow night over most of these same CBS radio stations. Stay tuned now for Robert Trout and the news, which follows immediately over most of these same stations. Roy Rowan speaking, and remember, you're invited to Art Linkletters' House Party every weekday on the CBS Radio Network.