 From Hollywood, it's time now for Johnny dollar Don't tell me you're all the Florida weather is finally behaving itself the water and the gulf is warmed up So grab my fishing clothes tackle box couple of rods and reels Huh, what is this a Western? It may be an I had heard something to that effect. Okay, I'm to say nothing of the tourist trade Right that figures but this Pushing around in soggy pastureland. Well, at least a couple hundred thousand of died. Oh, what's your problem? Outside of the high cost of steak. Oh, how much? Well, I knew a lot of them and lost quite a few but the entire herd I sure am The exciting adventures of the man with the action-packed expense account America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator yours truly Johnny dollar Expense accounts submitted by special investigator Johnny dollar to the tri-state life and casualty company Sarasota, Florida office Following is the kind of expenses incurred during my investigation of the eastern western matter Expense account item one ninety four eighty plain for an incidentals Hartford, Connecticut to Sarasota as I expected Earl Porman Met me at the airport. We headed north on route 41 13 miles later at Braytonton We turned east on 64 after grabbing a late lunch. That's item two five seventy five Then still traveling eastward we crossed the Kissimmee River onto a narrow unimproved road into the swamp land And it struck me that what should have been lush green vegetation in this low damp country was brown and lifeless That's what the cold weather did Johnny all that grass that good past your frozen rotted away I wonder the cattle haven't been eating well But didn't I read somewhere they were fed the ruined orange crops? Yes, but that still didn't save a lot of the herds losses have been pretty heavy Huh? Yeah, but as I told you over the phone tremble is the only one I know of who lost all his steers That the one who's made the insurance claim yeah Bart tremble his fence starts at the next turn in the road Have you had many claims Earl? Oh a few a month or so ago small ones not many of these people insure their herds Yeah, that's where trembles place starts you see it I Saw it all right Hundreds of acres of wet brown dead-looking pasture land Carcass is lying there rotting in the sun or what was left of them the buzz it's Five hundred and twenty-five head Johnny, but surely some of them must have survived not according to the claim I received that's why I called you immediately Earl you said the other claims were filed a month or so ago I hoped you'd catch that why did tremble wait so long. That's another reason. I called you. Yeah, I see what you mean Here's his gate. Let's see what he has to say The tremble place was unexpectedly new and tidy looking the main house was a concrete block affair all white with a slab roof Behind it was a barn in the corral The snag of Bale hay was obviously for the horses and hardly big enough to feed a herd of steers a few chickens pecked around here and there The woman who opened the door was about 40 tall and nice looking well made up almost out of place in a cattle ranch Mr. Foreman, how are you and a voice was soft gentle pleasant? How do Mrs. tremble nice to see you mr. Foreman won't you come in I hear you say poor man Betty. Yes, but he has a friend with him Well, I won't catch you mr. Foreman. I'm glad to see you. Howdy. I hope you brought me a nice big insurance check This is Johnny dollar. Mr. Mrs. tremble. He's with our company. Well, how do you do mr. Dollar? Won't you please come in? Thank you dollar Think I've heard of you. Oh sit down. Won't you separate will be ready in a little while and of course you're going to stay Aren't you Johnny dollar? Well now that depends. Of course you will stay. I really should get back to Sarasota tonight my wife Wait a minute. Oh, I know you're the insurance investigator. That's right And what's he doing here poor man? What's there to investigate? You may be trying to say I killed off the herd myself to collect the insurance money said nothing of the sort and what's to investigate? I told you I don't like this and I'm telling you right to your face You shouldn't talk like that. It's the truth Just what do you think you're gonna do around here dollar by please all that depends mr. Trouble does he have to say it's okay poor man before you can pay my claim. Yes, he does Well, believe me if I'd known this was the kind of outfit. I was dealing with paying premiums, too Okay All right poke around as much as you want stay around as long as you like We'll bed you down. We'll feed you. We'll show you what kind of people we are Just don't get in my way. I've got a lot of work to do and don't tell me I'm a crook now Let's be reasonable about this me. I'm being reasonable. You're the one What do you want shorty? Well, you told me to tell you boss. Tell me what? The truck has come to pick up them hides and help them load them on the truck. Go ahead Go ahead. You're selling the hides from those animals. I will sure why not? Oh, we could salvage that is Anything wrong with that? Nothing at all. All right You want horses to snoop around help yourself saddles are in the barn, but just stay out of my way Come on shorty. Let's get out with the air is nice I'm sorry But Bart's been so upset over losing all those steers well, of course we can't blame him for that He's been working so hard trying to save some of the hides and sell the carcasses for fertilizers Yes, I know with so many ranchers trying to do the same thing. Why did he wait so long before filing his claim Mrs. Trimble Well because he's been so busy and Because he hoped he could salvage something from the herd I guess because this lapse of time has given the bodies a Chance to decompose what has given the buzzards and other scavengers a chance to remove any evidence that maybe those Steers were deliberately. Oh, no Surely you don't think for a minute that my husband would where can I find the nearest veterinarian? Well, the vet we use is up and kissing me. Okay, but mr. Dollar. You'd you don't You can't possibly think I'll let you know what I think After a good cow doctor has a look at those animals act two of yours truly Johnny dollar in a moment From the halls of Montezuma to the shores of Tripoli is an exciting beginning to a stirring song It is an historic salutation to the efforts of a valiant group of fighting men. Why is their history glorious? What spurred them on? patriotism and desire for excitement are sometimes given for reasons, but these are not the answers The answer is these were men of vision men who understood our country's needs Respect honor and prestige are things that go hand-in-hand with the country's greatness Major Smedley D. Butler recognized this in the year 1915 at that time our diplomatic negotiations with Haiti were disrupted by cocoa bandits Who perilously affected the lives of some United States citizens in Haiti a contingent of Marines under the command of major? Butler was sent in to bring the bandits under control Though they were holed up in Fort Liberté Major Butler found an opening in the wall and led a terrifying charge through the breach that resulted in very dangerous Hand-to-hand combat for himself and his men Amid a furious onslaught of cocoa bandits and a hail of enemy bullets Major Butler succeeded in overcoming the resistance and creating a peaceful atmosphere His grateful country awarded him the Medal of Honor for bravery forceful leadership and action above and beyond the call of duty the second time He was awarded this high honor Major Smedley Butler had a code of conduct born of years of devotion and service to the United States of America And now act two of yours truly Johnny dollar and the Eastern Western matters At dinner that night brick trimble had changed his tune was very apologetic almost too much so and too nice I Didn't mean it mr. Dollar what I said before at least not the way I said it But this whole thing has hit me pretty hard losing over 500 steers Handful of cab I told you Bart when they all went so quickly that night. You should have been suspicious What night mrs. Trimble it was the last big freeze. Yes, I got back here late I'd went up to Lake Wales trying to bake some feed no luck Then it blew up cold by the time I got back here got the hands rounded up How many mr. Trimble there were five of us including shorty Skinner I've seen that shorty somewhere before oh Anyhow when we got to them the cattle were all bunched up at the North fence We thought we'd drive the strong ones back here where they'd have some shelter We could give them the hay we keep for the horses, but they wouldn't move most of them couldn't move And it was dark and freezing wind was cutting across the swamp. So all we could do was come back here and pray Next morning they were dead all of them I've put everything I had into this ranch Every penny I saved for my factory work up north Betty's money from nursing even cashed in my own life insurance policy And now they're gone So if I got a little nasty Well, I guess a man can take only so much been awfully hard for Bart these past three years And just when things were going good your hands bunk out in that building beside the barn, huh? Only shorty skinned out all the stairs. We could the other boys left. I Still owe shorty some wages. I'm going to ask a pretty blunt question. I want an honest answer. No Had you ever thought of giving up calling somewhere else? Sure lots of times for Betty's sake too Even thought of going out to California. I see she has relatives out there all doing fine They've kept after us to go out there and crop farm with them Yeah, maybe I should have but we stayed didn't we dear? Yes, I wouldn't give up Even Betty reconciled herself to sticking it out Only we'd known that this was gonna happen We talked on for a couple of hours but got nowhere and finally Earl and I plunked into our beds in the guest room Mine was beside the open window Now when Earl poor man sleeps, he's dead to the world, but he snores mightly So after throwing a couple of shoes at him, I gave up and managed to drop off with a pillow wrapped around my head That was a mistake and almost deadly mistake Johnny Johnny Johnny wake up wake up Johnny Johnny you hear me Johnny. Oh, well wake up. Oh Stand up. I'll help you breathe deeply. Can't you smell it? Yeah, what are you talking deep breath deep breath? What is it? Chloroform yeah, yeah on your pillow. Oh, yeah, I threw it out the window your pillow. It was saturated with chloroform Give me give me a hand Earl. I'm dizzy Somebody came in that window pillow was over your head. You you see her. No, no, but Johnny Yeah By the window Now breathe deeply. Yeah, I Rolled out a bed in my sleep that narrow bed or I'd never have awakened. I heard the door slam Then I smelled it but who Johnny I knew I'd seen that shorty skinner somewhere Yeah, it was on a road gang over near Sarasota a prison gang sure I was driving my brand new cat as I passed him and the rest of that glowering bunch He let fly with a handful of mud if you ask me He's the one who came in here and tried to chloroform, but why that's what I'm gonna find out right now No, wait, I'll be feeling okay in a minute. Let me handle it By the time I was able to navigate and get dressed Mrs. Trimble called us for breakfast To say the trembles were upset over what had happened to me would be an understatement Breakfast waited while we all went out to the bunkhouse Shorty was gone Took what little he owned with him too as either of you any idea why he'd attacked me good heavens No, but I never did really trust that man. He was such a sneaky looking Like a little rat yet. He was the only one who stayed when I couldn't keep their wages up to date Where would he ever get hold of chloroform? That's the part? I don't understand From the locker dear back in the barn, huh? You know the stuff we got to put that old sick mare out of the way Oh, yes, of course I think why shorty did this is pretty obvious Johnny. Yeah, he was afraid you'd find out what and who killed off this hurt All right, look everybody the note on top of this bunk. Hey, let me see it What's it say Johnny? I'm tired. I'm tired Working for no pay. I will leave you know where to send my pay when you collect On that their insurance shorty shorty Shorty skinner crazy fool Wanted his money He knew I had none but I could collect plenty on the insurance if he poisoned my herd. Oh, was it poison tremble? Well, you didn't seem to think so before but now that you have somebody to pin it on no Now you seem pretty sure of it to dollar. No Johnny. It must have been shorty Maybe maybe not when the vet arrives if he decides the herd was poisoned Okay, we'll take it from there Three of yours truly Johnny dollar in a moment our flag now numbers 50 stars and behind each star There stands yet another flag representing one of the 50 states Wyoming state flag pays homage to the monarch of the Great Plains the bison or buffalo as we call him Set over the bison is the great seal of Wyoming almost as a brand The red and the flag's border represents the Indians who knew and loved the country long before white settlers arrived It also represents the red blood of the pioneers who gave their lives in reclaiming the soil The red white and blue border of the flag indicates Wyoming's oneness with the Union Wyoming state flag the flag of the 44th state to enter the Union was adopted on January 31st 1917 and now act three of yours truly Johnny dollar and the eastern western matter Veterinarian arrived from Kissimmee. He Bart Trimble Earl poorman and I rode out on horseback to inspect the dead cattle as I had anticipated the vet made it plain that the bodies were too far decomposed for him to tell anything Until that is he noticed a pale purplish line around the inside edge of a watering trough at a far corner of the fence Whoever used it didn't realize it'll leave this telltale ring around a trough used what doctor? Now, let me scrape off a little make sure You think it's a poison doc if I can taste it without getting enough to hurt me Well, yeah, no doubt about it. No, I think that's what killed the herd and beyond the shadow of the dial That's not a very well-known poison doctor. I know she was almost entirely in Laboratory experimentation, I remember it well from the college days, but out here who did this to me who did it? You don't know shorty who else mr. Dollar. Look, I'm going back to the ranch house to a telephone. I'll see you when you get back I Called the state police to get out on all points on shorty skin air Then I started on the police in the neighboring towns the second call to headquarters at Lake Wales got me unexpected results Oh, what are you holding him on I certainly do thanks very much This hadn't got back from the past yet. Mrs. Trimble was in the kitchen making lunch Quietly as possible. I sneaked into their bedroom Carefully hidden in the desk. I found a lot of letters from the relatives in California Letters urging that they give up the ranch do something anything to get the money out of it and move to California Those letters were addressed to only one of the trimbles They were addressed to and then I saw it neatly framed on the wall of diploma a diploma from the famous Lippin wall school of Mrs. Trimble, I found out that shorty skinner has served time At least to the extent of working on a road gang. What for I don't know Then he is a criminal then there's no question about who poisoned the herd Oh, you know about the vets findings that they were poison. Well, no, no, but I thought it was understood a lot of things Have been understood wrong things Did shorty give you a home address when he came to work here? Yes. Yes, he did. Do you think he'd go there after like to see it, please? It's here in this top drawer Yes here That's not his writing. No, that's mine. You see shorty can't write. Oh, so he couldn't have written this note You found in this bunk But who but look at it doesn't that curly cue on the letter T look like the one here when you wrote his address and How about this capital I? Heavens mr. Dollar friends who wanted you to go to California and you wanted to go Oh, but as Bart told us you reconciled yourself to staying here apparently I did I did stay here Even though I wasn't happy in the big freeze gave you a chance to kill off the herd collect a lot of insurance money and get away with it You thought the method a little known poison You'd learned about back in the Lippin wall school of nursing. No, but you hadn't expected me here to investigate So you had to get rid of me how as a nurse you know all about chlorophyll look mr. Dollar natural with me sleeping with my head in the pillow and you knew that Earl was a sound sleeper He's been here before and who'd get blamed shorty because he'd left Only shorty had left long before that what he was picked up in Lake Wales at 9 30 last night. What? Well, then no listen you kill the herd you tried to kill me. Is that true Betty? Tell me is it? Yes Yes, it's true You know how I hated this place. It's horrible miserable cattle ranch This living outness God for taking wilderness. Well, you wouldn't do anything about it. So I did $3.50 to a lawyer at the county seat who took my deposition. It'll be used in the trial at Betty Trimble as for Bart Trimble Well, I'm sorry Expense account total including transportation back to Hartford two hundred seven dollars even yours truly Johnny dollar our star will return in just a moment It doesn't take a war to make a hero nor does it take a situation filled with an onslaught of deadly enemy gunfire Bombs and mortars it takes a man to make a hero and the man's qualities of greatness are based on his code of conduct It serves him in peace as well as war In August 1916 when the United States was still at peace with the rest of the world Part of our fleet was anchored off Santo Domingo City The USS Memphis was in danger of total destruction from a hurricane Only the efficient operation of the engines and boilers could get her out of the critical area Lieutenant Claude a Jones was senior engineering officer aboard in rapid succession boilers and steam pipes began bursting about him Scalding him with clouds of steam Thousands of tons of water came down on him in complete darkness Lieutenant Jones nobly remained at his post as long as the engines would turn over His supreme unselfish heroism inspired the men with him when the boilers exploded Jones with two men rushed into the firerooms and rescued the men trapped there In the face of death by drowning burning or suffocation from the scalding steam Lieutenant Claude Jones performed a heroic feat because he felt was his duty to do what he did He earned the Medal of Honor because he had a code of conduct that served him well Now here is our star to tell you about next week's story next week one honest woman two honest men Yet a hundred thousand dollars was gone fact Join us. Won't you yours truly? Johnny dollar It's in Hollywood and is produced and directed by Jack Johnstone who also wrote today's story Heard in our cast were Virginia dreg big parent Jack Moils Marvin Miller and Herb Vigrant Be sure to join us next week same time and station for another exciting story of yours truly Johnny dollar This is the United States Armed Forces radio and television service