 the blue beetle weeping down from the underworld to smash ganglin come the friend of the unfortunate enemy of criminals mysterious all-powerful character a problem to the police but a crusader for law in reality Dan Garrett a rookie patrolman loved by everyone but suspected by none of being the blue beetle as the blue beetle he hides behind a strange mask and a suit of intelligible blue-chain armor flexible as silk but stronger than steel today's episode of the blue beetle is entitled smashing the arson ring numerous fires of suspicious nature have stirred the civil authorities to a point where a concerted drive is underway to discover who and what is back of this unprecedented wave of mysterious conflagration as the city's fire inspection department become obsolete is the increase of destructive fires and abandoned factories and old law tenements due to coincidence or is an organized campaign of wholesale arson being engineered by a mastermind as our story opens for troman Dan Garrett who in secret is really the blue beetle discusses the situation with his friend and confident dr. Fran the chemist and Danny do you really believe that there's a ring of professional arsonist who are setting these fires I'm positive you know we've had a long dry spell there's such a thing as spontaneous combustion I know that then on what do you base your suspicions the fact that in each case the burned building had been vacant for a long time or had been operating on a losing basis and was heavily insured but those old tenements on River Street but surely the owners would be taking a terrible risk of discovery if they set them on fire not if I hired professional arsonists they're pretty clever you know yes but look at the property loss and in some cases loss of life the property losses in each case I found are all covered by fire insurance a loss of life such as in that last tenement fires another thing that's equivalent to wholesale murder you're right Danny and if someone deliberately set those fires that person should pay the extreme penalty they will if I can get the evidence I need to convict them what do you intend doing I'm asking the chief to put me on special duty to investigate these mysterious fires with officer mannequin yes if Mike wants to work on them with me he will all right he likes excitement as much as you do I know I can't stand in activity as long as there are criminals to run down I'll only be happy when I'm on their trail and I do hope you'll always be as successful in the future as you have been in the past now there go the fire engines that's my exit to the long duck from now on Dan Garrett's a smoke here man go by the new apartment house like on this job yeah he's a smart guy these houses aren't worth a part of the blow them up look there's a girl up there that's our window she's going to jump you'll be killed if you don't jump look there's a cop warning her not to jump yeah now he's going right into the building yeah and there's another cop going right after him but they'll be burned to a crisp in that inferno boy look at the flames pouring out of that window underneath yeah that's my curtains for them babies but yes look the firemen just got a hose up that ladder they're pouring a stream of water into the windows too late open that's the end of the cops and the girl yeah gee what a crash look look up there on the roof yeah it's the two cops and the girl what do you know about that they went up and down just in time to finding a ladder over to them from the hook and ladder truck yeah but it will reach it's too short why don't they jump across to the next room it's too far funny foot gap it never makes a fireman could stretch a net so they can't get near enough to the building that fire is too hot see it for out of those lower windows I guess no no no look yeah one cop's hanging to the edge of the roof by his hands now the other ones going over what what are they going to do the second cop's hanging from the first cop's feet look he can almost reach the ladder up there's a fireman going up the ladder see the girls climbing down over the two cops hang in there look out gee she almost lost hold the fireman's got a she's yeah but it looks like she fainted well how long two cops gonna get down I don't know they're still hanging up there I'm not backing the hook and ladder truck a bit now now the end of the ladder is right under him like him there he goes he dropped now there's only the cop hanging to the roof he can't make it though who is he looks like the patrolman Dan Garrett the other cop was mannequin as well and I've got it all right yeah but how's he gonna get out of this gym look the fire is licking up to him now he's trying to climb back onto the roof very close he made it how is he gonna get down from there that's me boy I would like to be in his place three he's disappeared and there he is have a long boom what's he gonna do pull wall across to the other roof I hope he makes it there he goes boy he ought to get a medal for this day I understand you distinguished yourself at the fire today I almost extinguished myself it's all I could do to hold on when mannequin and the girl were both hanging on to me he's no lightweight I'm proud of you my boy that took nerve got to have nerve to make good on the police force I know but you covered yourself with glory the important thing is I got some valuable information from home the girl I rescued Elsie Williams yes I talked to her at the drug store where the fireman took her when she fainted she worked for Gordon sort of a secretary and rent collector is that how she came to be in that building when the fire started yes she was collecting rents she told me she saw one armed man leave the seller entrance in a hurry as she entered the building watch suspicious about that we might have been a friend of the janitor miss Williams told me that she'd seen him in a huddle with her employer early this morning before the fire but that still doesn't prove anything wait as he left she heard him say to Gordon don't worry your troubles will soon be over we won't miss as Gordon been having trouble of some sort as financial troubles been losing money on his houses he also has a loft building that's been empty for months that certainly looks suspicious yes and I figure my trail begins with Mr. Gordon what are you going to do call upon Mr. Gordon and make him talk yes yes I want to see one I'm busy it's very important to you oh well I'll see him the trolman down there is to go oh come in officer oh it's on your mind very busy this afternoon fire this morning and everything very upsetting every financial loss to you or to the insurance company what's that I asked you to whom the fire was a heavy financial loss to you or the insurance company I look here just because you wear that uniform don't think that you can be in person into the taxpayers I'll report you to a minute Mr. Gordon I'm here on official business your buildings were heavily insured you stand to gain rather than lose by this fire today the fire chief reports evidence of incendiarism what do you mean how can report such a thing I'll have this I'll look Mr. Gordon I'm here to help you if I can you tell me who the ring leaders are in this arson racket I'll do what I can to get you off lightly when your case comes up in court court who said anything about court I did going to be arrested shortly on suspicion of being party to a conspiracy to defraud the fire insurance company oh no you can't do that now why don't you break down give me the information I'm after what do you want to know who was the one armed man who was seen to leave the building just before the fire one arm man why I don't know anyone who had a confidential talk with you earlier this morning my secretary and bring your secretary into this after all she almost lost her life today collecting rents for you all right I'll tell you his name is Joe Durando it's called Stumpy he works for the modern wrecking and construction company they wreck buildings and construct buildings that you're coming and going quite a profitable business I'd say I listen I didn't want to do this thing they threatened to undermine my tenement so they'd collapse I didn't hire them to burn them down the building's collapsed I'd get no insurance at all but it'd be a total loss so that's their racket what did they get out of it thousand dollars down and 20% of the insurance not bad and I suppose they get the job of rebuilding as that's part of the contract who's the head of the company I don't know Stumpy always spoke of his boss as the skipper Stumpy must have been in a navy at one time I don't know that what does the gang use that makes the fires spread so quickly gasoline no not that you go down with me to the DA and tell him what you've just told me now look here officer my life isn't worth a dime right now for talking with you don't worry the DA will have you guard a day and night what was that for me that sounded like my secretary's voice come on let's see who it is not here look look those men they're carrying all your life hey look out look out hey chopper that'll fix you for sticking your nose you know what don't concern you come on Gordon take a walk with me come on I've got this gun in your back so don't open your trap you and me is going for a little ride the skipper wants to see you later that evening I up in one of the city skyscrapers Stumpy is reporting to his skipper you see it was like this skipper I seen a cop ago in a Gordon's office and I figured maybe Gordon's secretary is filled with beans to Garrett after he rescued her so I called some of the boys then when the cop stayed in with Gordon so long well I figured the heat was being turned on so I decided to pick up Gordon as well as a girl you took a terrible risk by kidnapping them in broad daylight well what else could I do skipper the heat was on where are they now I got them tied up in one of your barges down at the under river street you bring them out to my yard about midnight we'll see how much they've spilled to the police okay skipper and keep away from waterfront saloons if you get drunk tonight you're all through sure sure skipper you can trust me I won't take not even one drink you better not if you know what's good for you I've got a couple of jobs for you tomorrow and I want you sober and you can trust me skipper I know where my bread and brother comes from all right remember that if you want to be able to continue eating bread and butter what will happen to Elsie Williams and the brave little secretary will Gordon be bumped off for talking and then Garrett recover from the blow on the head in time to catch the thugs or will he lose the trail completely