 New post-war old Dutch cleanser, famous for chasing dirt, presents Nick Carter, famous for chasing crime. Every week at this time, two great names are joined as new post-war old Dutch cleanser brings you one of the most resourceful and daring characters in all detective fiction. Nick Carter, master detective. But Nick, there's no way of telling which boy did it. They were all shooting at once. That's the point, Patsy. They were all in on it. And legally, they're all guilty. Oh no, Nick, not Bubs. Maybe the others, but... Patsy, I'm afraid the law won't make any distinction in his case. You mean that if one of the others fired that shot and Bubs didn't even know it, he's guilty? Yes. Technically, he's guilty of murder at the age of 12. Now, the case of the littlest gangster. Today's adventure starring Lon Clark as Nick Carter, brought to you by new post-war old Dutch cleanser. A flashy, cream-colored convertible is parked along a dark street in the poorer section of the city, with two small figures crouched in the front seat, talking in whispers. Bubs, will you quit chewing that bubble gum in my ear and hand me that piece of wire? Okay, Tim, but... do you think we ought to? I will be driving this hack away in a minute. You seem to be wired past the ignition in a car before this. Yeah. But only shows we could go for a ride. We never stole one before. We got to start sometime. But supposing they can't... Okay, punk, come out of there. I wasn't doing nothing, mister. Trying to hide my car, huh? Why, I ought to... Oh, you leave him go! Turn him loose, you big... Who do you think you're kicking your little squirt? Oh, Graham Bubs! I'll learn you to fool with Moxie Reed. Gee, you ain't Moxie Reed. So you're hurting me, huh? You let him go. Quit kicking at him, Bubs. This is Moxie Reed. He's big-time stuff. Yeah. Yeah, I guess you do know about me. Honest, Moxie. We'd have never touched this crate if we'd known it was yours. Okay, okay. So don't let it happen again. You... you ain't calling the cops? Me and the cops ain't very friendly. But you two better grow up before you try lifting another car. But, Moxie, we gotta pull something big. Yeah, how come? Well, we got a gang, see? The East Side Scorpions. And we made a club room in an old empty house on Porter Street. And the plate's caught on fire from a cigarette or something. And it burns. It's just an old dump. But old lady Taltman, the lady across the street, she owns the joint, see? And she says if we don't pay $200 for the damage, she's gonna have us all put in reform school. How'd she know it was your gang that started the fire? Oh, old Mr. Riley's seen us coming out of the joint. He lives across the street, too, right next door to her. And he squealed on us. Who'd you say squealed? Oh, man, Riley. He used to be a cop till he got too old. Is that so? Yeah. Now all he does is sit out on his front steps every night and spy on people. So you're gonna let a dame shake it out for two centuries, eh? There ain't no way to stop her, Moxie. That's why we figured on swiping a car to get the dough. If it was my gang, I'd throw a scare into her so she wouldn't dare go to the cops. What would you do, Moxie? I'd get me a ride, that's what. I'd make sure the other guys in my gang had them, too. A gun? Scares you, eh? No, don't scare us. We've been wanting a heater for a long time. Ain't we, bubs? Yeah, sure, Kim. Look, if you kids really want to know how to handle this old dame, book me up in Mike Rapper's pool room some day after you get yourself some guns. The reason I came to see you, Mr. Cotters, my bubs isn't really a bad boy. You know that. Of course, Mrs. Harris. No boy is naturally bad. I remember when bubs used to belong to the downtown boys. He was about ten years old then and the bubblegum champion of the blog. Well, that's why they started calling him bubs, isn't it? Uh-huh, he was an awfully cute youngster. He still is, Miss Pawn. But there isn't any boy's club where we live now. So, well, he's got himself mixed up with this gang. A gang? He's only a gang. A gang? He's only about twelve, isn't he? Yeah, but the others are all older. If something doesn't happen, bubs will turn out to be just as bad as the rest of us. Oh, maybe you're exaggerating, Mrs. Harris. They surely didn't start that fire on purpose. Oh, no. Well, we live before bubs wouldn't have dreamed of breaking into an empty building. And already they got another place for the gang to meet, deserted warehouse over by the waterfront somewhere. Hmm. Not having any place where they're allowed to meet and to play that starts a lot of boys breaking the law. Oh, it's that Tim Newton that's the worst. Some thinks he's got to be just as tough as Tim is. And that boy's bad all the way through. How old is Tim? Oh, fifteen. He can be a confirmed criminal at that age. Yeah, he almost is. Now, bubs is another hero he keeps talking about. A gangster named Moxie Reed. Moxie Reed? That is bad. What am I going to do, Mr. Carter? If somebody don't raise two hundred dollars to pay for the damage to that house, Mr. Tubman's going to have them all arrested. I'll talk to her, Mrs. Harris. And don't you worry. We'll get Bob straightened out. Only glad you came to me before he got into any real trouble. How's that for a break, Mike? You're so uptight. Oh, yeah? Well, watch me put that one ball in the corner pocket. Hey, Moxie. Hi, it's him. Hiya, bubs. What's on your mind? Hi, Mr. Reed. Hey, we got them guns. Easy, kids. We use the back room, Mike. Yeah, sure. Go right ahead. This way, kids. You guys work fast. I'll say that. We had to. Oh, Lady Telman only gave us a week to raise the dough. One inside. Sit down. Moxie, you said you'd tell us what to do next. I was just kidding. Forget it. But you promised. So what? Maybe you'd louse up the deal and squawk to the cops that I told you what to do. We ain't no squealers. No. We didn't even tell the rest of the gang. They all think it's Tim's idea. We got the guns. Six of them. Yeah. We put it into a shooting gallery after they closed up last night. What are they? Twenty-two rifles? Yeah. And we only done it because you said you'd tell us what to do next. Well, it was me. Yeah? I'd pick me up a car along about eight o'clock tonight and drive by that old name's house with a few of my gang. And shooter? No, no. I'd throw enough lead through her front window so she'd be scared to ever open her trap about me again. Sure, sure. I get it. But Tim, what if she gets hurt? Quit beeping, will you? Nobody's going to get hurt. But maybe she will. We'll do it, Moxie. Just like you said. And we'll do it tonight. Mrs. Tellman, if you'll give the boys enough time to earn the money to pay for the damage to your building, I'll personally guarantee that you get every cent. And if you had them sent away to reform school, you wouldn't be able to collect anything. It is not their money only, Mr. Copper. But someone has got to do something to break up these kid gangs. They're terrible. I'm trying to do something. Think I can get a boys club started in this neighborhood? No, believe me, it will do no good, Mr. Copper. These kids is mean. They smash windows. They steal automobiles. Mrs. Tellman, please, hold off a few weeks before having them arrested. It's the only way you can be sure of getting your money. Yes, Mrs. Tellman, please do that. Eh, all right. But if they step out of line just one more time, I send every last one of those kids to the reform school. Now wait till I twist these wires together and we'll see if she starts. Tim, maybe if we went to Old Lady Tellman and he... Shut up. I'm going to try it now. She works. Where are we going to pick up the other guys? At the warehouse. Are the guns there, too? Yeah. And enough bullets to give Old Lady Tellman the scare of her life. Good night, Mrs. Tellman. Good night, Mr. Copper. Good night, Mrs. Boyd. Good night. All right, fine. Well, I think we've put in a good day's work, Nick. I do, too. But I still want to talk to Bub. It's almost eight o'clock. He ought to be home by now. All right, let's go by there and see. Nick, look at that car racing up the street. Isn't that Bub's leaning out the front window? Yeah, that's Bub's all right. Hey, he's got a rifle. Look out. Good grief. Come on, Patsy. They were sure to get Mrs. Tellman's house. Mrs. Tellman. Mrs. Tellman. Mrs. Nick Carter, are you all right? Mrs. Tellman. I am calling. I thought they tried to keep me. Look at my windows. Look at the holes in my front door. I'm thankful that none of the bullets hit you. I was afraid that maybe... Yes, what's the matter? If she's all right, you better come down here quick. Why? There's a man on the steps next door. He must have been hit by a stray bullet. I... I think he's dead. Only a few steps beyond the bullet-riddle front door of Mrs. Tellman's home lies the body of the man who had informed on the juvenile gang, ex-Police Officer Riley. We'll see what happens in just a minute. To the case of the littlest gangster, today's adventure with Nick Carter brought to you by new post-war old Dutch cleanser. Nick is examining the body of James Riley, lying dead on the steps of his home, following a hail of bullets intended to frighten his neighbor, Mrs. Tellman. All right, keep back, everybody, please. The police will be here in a minute. Oh, Mr. Riley, such a nice man. Those murderous, those hoodlums. Did you see that, Mr. Carter? Do you know who it was? I'm afraid it was the boys who said fire to your building, Mrs. Tellman. We recognized one of them just before the shooting. Those little devils. I said they were no good. They should get the legal chair. But Mrs. Tellman. Murderous. But they could not kill me. They should pour me the right. Oh, I don't believe they did that on purpose. I know they did. They was mad at him, then they was at me. He's the one who told me they stopped the fire. Is that so? I didn't know that. It must have been an accident. They were shooting at the front of your house and one bullet went astray. No, Patsy, I don't think it was accidental. Oh, but me? The bullet that killed him struck the center of his forehead and came out just behind the right ear. Riley was sitting at the top of this flight of stairs. Well, what difference does that make? The difference between an accident and murder. Oh, but even if you're right, how can you ever find out which of the boys did it? They were all shooting at once. That's just the trouble, Patsy. When one of a group commits murder while they're all engaged in a crime, they're all equally guilty. Oh, no, Nick. You don't mean Bob's. Not that baby. Oh, thank goodness. The cops are gone. Come on, Patsy. Help me look for that bullet. It's the only chance we have to prove exactly who killed Mr. Riley. Right in the corner pocket like I said. Okay, okay. So now I owe you four bucks. Moxie, you gotta help me out, Moxie. The cops seen it tonight. Shut up, you kids. Come on in the back room. Now, what do you mean the cops seen you? When we was ditching the car, we let the other guys out first. And then just as we... What'd you do with the guns? They guessed the cops got him. We left him in the car. Are you idiots? Jim said we gotta run away or they'll get it, sure. Yeah, but we'd ask them to make a break for a few days. If you'll hop, what are you coming to me for? I got no place to put you. We already got a place. We can hide out in our club room at the old warehouse. You'll take us there in your car, won't you, Moxie? If we go out on the street, they'll get it, sure. You're gonna run away in a few days, huh? Yeah. Well, maybe that ain't a bad idea. Will you take us to the warehouse, Moxie? Will you? Okay, kids. I'll do it. Gee, you're a real pal, Moxie. You're swell. Yeah, Ballistics is making their tests now, Nick. Well, what test is that, Sergeant? They're checking the kids' rifles against the bullet that killed Riley to see which one fired that particular shot. How will that help? Well, you see, Pastor, everyone with rifles is covered with fingerprints. Uh-huh. And when we know which gun killed Riley, we'll know which kid did it. No sign of Tim and Bubsy, huh? No, Nick, but we rounded up the other four that was in the car, and we'll have them two before long. I still say it was an accident, a stray bullet. Look, Pats, you don't make no difference. They were committing a crime when it happened, so that makes it murder. Manny, I don't go along with that stray bullet theory. Well, you're probably right, Nick. And if Riley was killed deliberately, I'll bet Tim Newton was the one that did it. Well, why Tim, Sergeant? I've been told he was plenty sore at Riley for telling the old lady the boy started that fire in the building of hers across the street. Well, I'm not surprised at that. Another reason I think Tim did it is because the other boys all said that shooting up Mrs. Tillman's home was his idea. I wonder if it was, Manny. You think the kids are lying? No. But Bob's mother said he and Tim had been hanging around Moxie Reed lately. Hey! Maybe you got something there, Nick. Moxie's just the kind of a guy to put ideas like that in the kid's mind. Say, who is this Moxie Reed, anyway? Patsy, a few years ago, he wasn't much different from Tim Newton. But he's developed into a first-class rat, a cheap gangster. Now, wait a minute. I wouldn't say cheap, Nick. He's getting plenty of dough from somewhere, or he wouldn't be able to run around that big cream-colored convertible he's got. But you can't get anything on him, huh? No. No, not lately. You know, about seven years ago, we tagged him for a stick-up. Over on the... Hey. That's funny. Well, talk about coincidences. Well, what's funny, Sergeant? The guy that hung that rat on Moxie was Riley, the man who was killed. What? Yeah, he used to be a cop before he retired. Is a Riley was the one who arrested Moxie Reed? Sure. It was his testimony that sent Moxie up. That's what I've been looking for, Maddie. Somebody who had reason to hate Riley. Somebody beside the kids. Hey, that's an idea, Nick. Moxie might have got the kids to shoot up Mrs. Tellman's home and got one of them to bump off Riley by telling him it would look like an accident and nobody could ever prove which one did it. Yeah, I could have been that way, Maddie, but... Yeah. Oh, wait a minute. Homicide, Sergeant Matherson speaking. Oh, yeah? Yeah, what did you find out? Is it the report from Ballistics? Uh-huh. Hey, yeah, go ahead, Malloy. It...it wasn't. But...but it had to be. Oh, you...you sure you didn't make no mistake? I know, but... Okay, okay. Yeah. Yeah, thanks. What's the matter, Maddie? You know what, Nick? None of them six guns we found in the kids' car killed Riley. Good. But what do you mean good? It only proves that one of those kids knew he was gonna kill Riley. That's why he took the gun away and hit it so we couldn't identify it. You may change your mind after we talk to Tim and Bubbs. What? Well, we ought to pick him up before long. You want me to give you a ring when we find him? No, no, I don't want to sit around and wait. I don't want to look for myself, okay? In the meantime, I suggest you have some of your boys bring in Moxie Reid. Our club room's right at the top of these stairs, Moxie. You sure nobody will come looking around in here? This old warehouse ain't been used for years. They condemned it or something. Where's the room your kids are gonna hide out in? It's this door. We got a padlock on it. So if anybody ever did come in here, they wouldn't swipe any of our stuff. You got the key, Tim? Sure, I got it right here. Moxie, you've been a great guy. And we ain't ever gonna forget it. Yeah, it was just like you belong to our gang. Sure. Even coming down there to help us out. Down where? To Old Lady Tillman's house. What are you talking about? And you wasn't even gonna tell us. We wouldn't have known what a swell pad you are if Bubbs hadn't have looked up and seen you. It was swalls seeing you standing in that window across the street pumping lead into the Old Lady's front door just like we was. Well, you saw me there, did you? Yeah. We didn't tell the other guys. That's good. I'll get that room. Come on, Bubbs. Tim, I... I think I changed my mind. Huh? If I was to run away while I did just about kill my mom, I'd rather go to the reform school. Are you nuts? Get inside there. I can't. I'm going back home. You're going in that room now. Hey, what's the idea of hitting a little kid like that? I don't feel too stupid getting in there. Mom, she don't like the door... It's been nice knowing you. We've been driving along the waterfront for almost an hour. Isn't it time to give up and go home? Yeah, I guess so, Patsy. But Bubbs' mother said the boys had a club room and some deserted warehouse in this district. Seemed a logical place for them to hide out. Yeah, but it's so dark down here now, you can't even tell which ones are deserted. I was hoping we'd find them on the street. This is where they came, though. It looks as though they got here first. We can come back again in the morning. Hey, Patsy, look at that car up ahead. Why, it's a big cream color convertible, like the one Sergeant Matherson said Moxie redoned. If I'm not mistaken, that's Moxie getting ready to drive off. Are you sure? No, but I'm going to cut in ahead of him and find out. Stay right where you are, Moxie. Thought I recognized you. What do you want her to give me a medal? No, just want to have a little talk with you. If you don't mind. Locke's in here for Tim. I want to go home. Ah, quit blubbering, will you? Go on, chew your bubble gum. I lost it someplace. Okay, so quit crying anyway. I ain't going to let nothing happen to you. There'll be plenty of people working around this neighborhood in the morning. If we yell out enough, somebody will come and let us out. I want to get out now. Well, you can't. We could get our lungs out and nobody'd hear us, so shut up. Tim. Tim, Tim, do you smell something? Huh? Hey, I think I do. It smells like smoke. He did smoke. Yeah, and it's stronger over here by the door. Holy cow, the building must be on fire. What are we going to do? We've got to get out. We can't. The door's locked. Help! Let us out, somebody. Get us out of here. We'll be burned out. Hoping against hope that someone will hear them, the two boys pound helplessly against the heavy locked door. We'll see what happens in just a minute. Now for the conclusion of the case of the littlest gangster. Today's adventure with Nick Carter brought to you by new post-war old Dutch cleanser. Unaware that Tim and Bubbs are locked in a burning warehouse in the deserted waterfront district, Patsy listens as Nick questions Moxie Reed. I want to know where those two kids are, Reed. I don't know what kids are talking about. Oh, yes, you do. Tim Newton and Bubbs Harris. I ain't seen them in two or three days. Hey, just a minute, Moxie. You chew gum? No, and I don't go for all they suckers either. Well, there's a wad of chewing gum stuck to your trouser's leg. And from the color, I'd say it was bubble gum. Does that mean something, Nick? Bubbs Harris got his nickname because he's always chewing bubble gum. I'll bet this was some of his. See, it hasn't even begun to dry out yet. Oh, lots of kids chew bubble gum. I might have picked it up any place. And when we find you up here, the neighborhood where we expected to find Bubbs and Tim, I think that gum means a whole lot. Nick, look, across the street, those windows. The warehouse is on fire, Patsy. Yeah. You better turn an alarm. There's a box right in front of the warehouse. Right, Nick. I'll get it. Look, Carter, I got a date. I've got it. What's your hurry? I'm getting out of here. I mean, I got to go up in a... You wouldn't know anything about that fire, would you? No. Watch yourself. I'm going to start... You're not going anywhere, Moxie. You're staying here till I find out what's making you so jittery all of a sudden. Why, you, uh... No, you want to play, do you? Well, how do you like that? Not cool. What's the small heart in that I thought? Nick! Oh, Nick! Yes, what is it, Patsy? Just as I turned the alarm, Nick, I thought I heard someone in the building. Listen. I'll bet that's the boys. Oh, you've got to save them, Nick. Here, take my handcuffs. Yeah. Fasten Moxie to the steering wheel of the car. Uh-huh. I'm going after those boys before they burn to death. Bubs! Where are you? Splocked! Can you open it? Oh, I'd stand out of the way. I'm going to try to break it down. Nobody coming. Never mind, never mind. Where's Bubs? Over there on the floor. He passed out from the smoke. Okay, I'll carry him. Come on. Nick, look! The flames are coming up the stairs. We can't get out that way. Is there another way out of here, Tim? There's some windows at the back. Maybe we can jump. Quick! Show me the way. I'll follow with Bubs. There's no time to lose. How's your ankle, Nick? Oh, you can stop worrying, Pat. It's all right. Well, I guess you were lucky at that to get off with only a sprained ankle after jumping out of a second-story window. Well, one for that pile of trash I landed on it might have been worse. Yeah. And if Bubs hadn't come too before we jumped, it would have been very much worse. I'm glad neither of the kids was hurt. Do you know yet what's going to happen to them? Well, I think I'll be able to get them a suspended sentence. Depending on their future good behavior, of course. Well, now that the boys' club is a certainty, their behavior shouldn't be any problem. Well, I think they've learned their lesson. It's a sense they'll never admire gangsters again after the way Moxie treated them. Uh-huh. You know, you never did tell me how you figured out that Moxie killed Mr. Riley. I didn't know it was Moxie. But I was pretty sure Riley hadn't been shot by one of the boys in that car. Why? Because anyone shooting from a car wouldn't have had the gun five feet above street level. And Riley was sitting on the top step, his head at least eight feet above street level. Well... The bullet went into the center of his forehead and came out behind us right here, traveling a downward course. I see. If it had been fired from the car, the bullet would have traveled upward. Right. That's why I thought the bullet might have come from the second or third story of that empty building across the street. It did, too. That's where Bob saw Moxie. Yes, but the boys thought he was helping them frighten Mrs. Tillman. They didn't even know Riley had been shot until I told them. So that's why Moxie tried to kill the boys by setting that warehouse on fire, because he knew they'd seen him. Yeah. See, Moxie had hated Riley ever since Riley sent him up to the penitentiary for that stick up seven years ago. Yeah. And when the boys told him of their trouble with a woman who lived next door, and also that Riley sat on the front steps of his house every night, well, it looked like a perfect setup for murder. Well, I still don't see how you could ever have proved it, though, if Moxie hadn't confessed. We were lucky to get the proof first. And he confessed later. Hmm. It wasn't hard once we knew what to look for. We found the dealer from whom Moxie bought a .22 rifle exactly like the one he knew the boys were going to use. And later we found the gun itself. So it wasn't such a perfect setup after all. Well, not for murder, but as far as Moxie was concerned, it turned out to be a perfect setup for the electric chair. Nick Carter, master detective, is presented each week at this time by the Cuddehy packing company. It is produced and directed by Jock McGregor and is copyrighted by Street and Smith Publications Incorporated. Charlotte Manson is featured as Patsy. Ed Latimer plays Matty. Today's script was written by Jim Parsons. Original music is played by Henry Silverne. This program is fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental. This is Michael Fitzmorris saying, when minutes count, use new post-war old Dutch cleanser. This is the network for the Indianapolis Speedway race tomorrow. The Mutual Broadcasting System.