 The Dennis Day Show returns to the air at this hour of the first week in October. Remember the Dennis Day Show beginning here October 7th. Presenting Joel McRae in Tales of the Texas Rangers. On stage tonight transcribed from Hollywood another in NBC's parade of exciting half-hour presentation. Tales of the Texas Rangers starring Joel McRae as Ranger Pearson. Texas more than 260,000 square miles. And 50 men who make up the most famous and oldest law enforcement body in North America. Now from the files of the Texas Rangers come these stories based on fact. Only names, dates, and places are fictitious for obvious reasons. The events themselves are a matter of record. Tonight's case play for keeps. At five minutes past midnight on December 12th several years ago Sheriff Bob Smith is of Bradshaw County, Texas. Staged a raid on a gambling establishment located on a country road. But there were no patrons in the house. And the sheriff's face grew dark red as he and the local constable failed to find any evidence. There's nothing in the upstairs room either, Sheriff. You're sure of that, huh, Jim? Not even a deck of cards. See, Sheriff, like I told you, I quit the racket. Yet this is the fourth time this year you rousted me out of bed. I know you're operating, Walton. And I'm going to get you for it. You're not going to milk the citizens of this county, not while I'm sheriff. Look, Sheriff, this happens to be my house. Wired and no wired. You finished your business here. How about getting out? I guess we might as well go, Sheriff. No, Jim, we're going to stay a minute. I want to talk to Walton and you. About what? I was sure of this raid tonight, Jim. Dead sure. Just like I've been sure the last three times. Because only you and me ever knew about him. I didn't tell nobody but you, Jim. You, the constable. Sounds like he's accusing you of tipping me off, Don. I know he tipped you, Walton. Better watch what you're saying, Pop. And all that talk about law and order and wanting to uphold him. Let me see your wallet, Jim. Take it out and let me see it. Now, wait a minute, Sheriff. You shut up. Come on, Jim. I want to see if you're carrying the kind of money an honest man gets for being a peace officer. What I carry on me is my own business. Why, you cheap, two-bit snake. Nothing cheap about a few hundred once in a while. Be smart, Sheriff. Get a few for yourself. Why don't you listen to him, Sheriff? He's talking sense. Come on, both of you. I'm taking you. You can't make anything stick. Maybe not. But I'm going to make this county too hot for both of you. I'm going to run you out of it. Take your hands off me, Sheriff. You're under arrest. Grab him, Walton. I just got a... You killed him. No, no. You killed him. You grabbed his gun and killed him. He was after you, Walton. I got a gun on my own. And I'm the constable. Are you setting me up for a frame? Not necessarily, Walton. It's up to you. His body could be moved out of here. What's your play? What do you want? No more chicken mash. Fifty percent of your take. And you can go right on operating. With him dead, you crazy fool. You're forgetting something, Walton. I'm top dog now. An investigator. I'm a cop. I'm top dog now. An investigator in this murder will be my job until a new sheriff is appointed. But I don't think I'm going to be able to solve it. The body of Sheriff Smithers was found the next morning dumped in a ditch by the side of an old wagon road. During the next few days, Constable Jim Dunn conducted a seemingly honest but fruitless investigation, even following the efficient peace officer's routine of making use of the state lab facilities at Austin. But citizens of Bradshaw were not satisfied. Nor was the editor of the Bradshaw Times. Clippings of his editorials were on file with Captain Stinson of the Texas Rangers. And the captain sent for Ranger Jase Pearson. You want to see me, Captain? Yeah, Jase. Sit down. There's no acting sheriff appointed by the court of Bradshaw County here, Jase. I think you better take over. About the killing of Sheriff Smithers, I'd like to. I knew Smithers. See, that's right. You worked with him about five years ago. When he first took office, he cleaned that county up in three months and cleaned it good. It doesn't look like it stayed clean, Jase. Not according to this editorial clipping from the Bradshaw Times. I've read it. It's going to be a tough one, Jase. No clue to the killer and the trail has had a couple of days to cool off. And I better get going before it gets any cooler. You'll hear from me. Jase. Yeah, Captain? I just want to remind you. Whoever did it doesn't hesitate to kill a man wearing a badge. I reached Bradshaw in the early morning. The town was waking up and the Bradshaw Times was turning out its bi-weekly edition. I went in to see the editor, Frank Carlin. So you read my editorials, huh? I'm glad to know somebody's reading. You've got readers all right. People have been clipping them out and mailing them into our headquarters. Yeah, I guess there's always a handful of people to hold on. I wonder what the world would do without them. Everybody was so burned the day of the killing. Then in 48 hours, they'll want to forget it. Well, it's always that way. How about the constable, Jim Dunn? Oh, he's all right, I guess. But he's only been constable for a year. He just doesn't have the experience. It'll take the court a couple more days to decide on a new share. I better knock out a story on your rangers coming in. Might wake the people up again. I'd rather you didn't, Mr. Carlin. I'll be around and they'll know soon enough. Oh, see what you mean. Want me to lay off the editorials for a while? If you don't mind. You know, Sheriff and I are on different sides of the fence politically, but he was an honest man and I liked him. I got a headline back there, all set and gathered in dust. It says, Sheriff's killer caught. Ranger, give me a chance to use it. I found a place to park my horse trailer and put charcoal in a pasture. Then I headed for the constable's office and met constable Jim Dunn. There are all the requests in my investigations, Ranger. You think I haven't done a good job, maybe those will change your mind. I even checked ballistics with the Austin lab. My being here isn't a criticism of you, Mr. Dunn. I'm here because I was sent until a new sheriff is appointed and to give you help. I've done everything possible. I've questioned almost a hundred people. I've checked alibis on more than a dozen possible suspects. It's all there. Yeah, everything's here. Everything except the murderer. And that's the only thing I'm interested in seeing, Mr. Dunn. A little cooperation between us might clean it up. I'm sorry I blew, Ranger. It's been getting under my skin. This murder could have been committed by anybody. Some bum from a hobo jungle, some drunk anybody. We can't arrest anybody. We've got to arrest somebody, somebody definite. Now, exactly where was the body found? Old Wagon Road, bypasses town about two miles north. Is it fit for a car? Yeah, but you've got to go round about to get to it, almost 11 miles. You won't find nothing there, though. I'd like to take a look anyhow. Can't we cut cross-country on horses? Yeah, shorter if you want it. I want to. My horse is in a pasture. I'll meet you at the edge of town in five minutes. The body was found just a little further on. You can see the road now. Not much of a road left. I'm no use for it any more. Sheriff must have had some reason for using it if he came way out here. Yeah, he'll be here. And Sheriff's car was found right over here by the side of the road. Where was he? Lying right beside it, been dead about seven, eight hours when he was found. Who found him? Cowpoke, looking for some strays. It's lucky, otherwise the body might have been here for a few days or even weeks before somebody came across it. Yeah. You get pictures of the position of the car and the body? Of course I did. Anything else? Yeah, any exhibits, cast of footprints, anything like that? No. When I got the call, I brought a bunch of men out with me. I was excited, and I didn't think to stop them from trampling around. You can see why you'd be upset. Well, if there was anything to find, it's a cinch it isn't here now. Whether it would have wiped it out if your men hadn't. You want to go back to town? Yeah. I want to look at the car. Get up. Get up. Get up. How about the exhibits from the Sheriff's body? I sent the bullets and the gun in, your lab checked it. Verified it was the Sheriff's own gun. I'm talking about the clothes he was wearing. You got those, haven't you? Sure I got them. I got all the evidence there was. You should have sent it all in. I want to look at that stuff, too. Well, let's step it up. Come on, Charles. Get up. Everything, old tag. Everything the Sheriff was wearing when he was killed. I see. And this the shirt he was wearing? See the blood and bullet holes, don't you? Yeah. How come your lab didn't find any prints on the gun when I sent it in? Didn't even have the Sheriff's own prints. It was wiped clean. Hmm. Well, this is kind of odd. What? Well, the Sheriff was shot twice and they dug one slug out of him. The other one passed clean through. Yeah, according to the coroner's report, one slug hit his collar bone and that stopped it. Yeah, that's what I mean. The course of the bullets. Both shots fired into the left side just above the kidney. But the one that came through came out the right side of his shirt collar here. Right through his neck. What about it? It's a funny course for a bullet to take unless the man who fired the gun was lying down and fired up at the Sheriff. Yeah. Yeah, that's what I figured, too. They must have had a fight for the gun. He got it, but the Sheriff knocked him down and... No, no, that isn't the way it happened. How do you know? Because the Sheriff wouldn't have turned his back on a man who'd just taken his gun. Besides, these powder burns show the gun was being held right against the shirt when it was fired. What do you think happened then? The Sheriff must have been in some position where he was bent over forward, which he wouldn't be unless somebody was holding him in that position. Here, stand in front of me for a minute. Now, you're back toward me. What are you going to do? Slip one hand under your arms and then up behind your head and a half Nelson and twist your other arm behind you on an arm lock and bend you over forward like this. The Sheriff was held like I'm holding you now. The bullets were pumped into him. See what I mean? That's just a guess. It's a guess I'm going to back up. And if the Sheriff was held in a half Nelson and an arm lock, it tells us something else. That there were two men in on the murder unless a killer had three hands and used the third one to fire the gun. That's a pretty smart figure, Ranger. Only because it's the kind of figure I've been doing for a long time. Are these the photos that were taken at the scene? Yeah, the Sheriff's body and the car. The car, the body moved any before these were taken? Nope. The car was right there with the Sheriff flat on his face beside it. And less than two feet away from it. His right side toward the car. Yeah. The bullet that passed through the Sheriff came out on his right side. That means it should have hit the car. But there's no mark. I don't see that. That helps us any. It helps plenty, Don. It tells us the Sheriff wasn't killed out there. He was killed someplace else and brought out there. You are listening to Tales of the Texas Rangers starring Joel McCray as Ranger Jase Pearson. Now we continue with tonight's case, The Day for Keeps, an authentic story from the files of the Texas Rangers. I knew the Sheriff Smithers had been killed by two men and that his body had been moved after the killing, but it wasn't nearly enough. It was evening before I figured out my next move, a move I didn't like to make. Evening, ma'am. Remember me? Why, it's Jase Pearson, isn't it? Yes, ma'am. Oh, come in, Jase. Come in. I... I suppose you know about Bob. Yes, ma'am. And that's why I'm down here. I came by to pay my respects. Funny thing. First time Bob brought you through that door, I never reckoned you might be back someday looking for a man who killed him. I wish it could have been for another reason, ma'am. But Bob kept things working so well here. Seldom was any reason for a ranger to come visit in Bradshaw County. I know how you fellas keep working along. Can I offer you a bite to eat, please, Jase? Well, that'd be real fine, Miss Smithers. I knew it might help her and me if she could keep a little busy with her hands doing woman things in the kitchen. And I tried to eat, but kept remembering the man who'd sat across the same table from me five years before. Big, honest, stubborn and unafraid. It was mighty nice of you to stop by, Jase. Bob would have been happy to see us sitting here again. He always said a man with a good appetite was right with the world. Ma'am, I guess Jim Dunn has already asked you, but do you have any ideas about who might have killed Bob? Oh, no. Everything went so well for a few years. All I know is the last year so Bob was upset about gambling. He after anybody in particular? A man named Walton, Lou Walton, has a big house on the south road out of town. Bob always said it was a gambling house, but he could never catch Walton. You mean he raided the place? A couple of times. Last time was the night he was killed. Dunn didn't tell me about that. Bob was killed after he left there. Waltons, I mean. Dunn said they didn't find anything, so Bob started back the town, but he never got home. Mrs. Smithers, I have to ask a favor. A favor I don't like to ask. I want to help, Jase, every way I can. I want your permission to have Bob's body for further examination. Is it necessary? I'm not satisfied with the examination that was made here. All right, Jase. I'd like to have a more thorough examination made for headquarters. I'm sending them the clothes Bob was wearing for lab check, and I don't want anybody to know about it for now. All right. You're going to get him, aren't you, Jase? I'm going to try awful hard, ma'am. Howdy, ranger. I've been waiting for you, but maybe you might have turned in for the night. I'm going to in a few minutes. I just came back to pick up the clothing exhibits. Well, I locked them away again. I'll dig them out. I want to send them on to Camp Mayberry for lab tests. Well, all right. I'll give you a receipt for them. Okay. Dunn. Yeah? In those reports of yours, I didn't see any mention of a man named Lou Walton. Why should they be? I understand that Walton's a gambler and that you helped Smithers raid his place. The night Smithers was killed. Now, here are the exhibits. You're thinking way out of line on Walton. His alibi's airtight. According to who? According to me. I was with him all night after Smithers left the place. You didn't come back to town with a sheriff? No. I stayed at Walton's. Why? The sheriff figured if I hung around, somebody might show up or call up looking for a game and not be able to get him some evidence in. Is there anything else you want to know? No. I guess that lets Walton out. I'll take these things. Sure. Go ahead. See you tomorrow, Dunn. Oak Hill, 243. Walton, Dunn. Now get those people out and shut down. Oh, why? What's wrong? That range is too smart. I'm not good for myself and I guess I made him look too good. How much does he know? All he's going to know. You just close down and stand pat until he wears himself out. The sheriff's body was dug up in the examiner's report sent on to Austin. Headquarters also had the exhibits I'd gotten from Dunn. My late afternoon to the next day, Captain Stinson telephoned me long distance. Got a complete report from the lab, Jase. Go ahead, Captain. You were right about the position of the body when the shots were fired. Odupse report shows the organs were pierced in a manner that would be possible only if the sheriff were bent over forward. Good. Anything else? Yeah. That shirt you set up. Lab thinks Smithers was killed indoors. Why? Some lint stuck to the blood and held when it dried. Analysis indicates it comes from a fabric used in expensive carpeting, vile in color. Thanks, Captain. And maybe enough to wind this up. Then you're convinced that Walton was running a gambling joint, Mr. Collins. Was and is. I'd swear to her. But nobody's been able to prove it. You know how suckers are. They lose their shares and keep their mouths shut. I think they're in on a smart thing and they help the racketeers to cover up. Then Walton must have been tipped off but he was being raided part of the racket. They pay off and get tipped off. You ever been in Walton's house? No. You know anybody who has been there? Well, it's no secret. The newspaper man Gamble moans good for him. My line of type man plays horses, I know. Pete. Pete, there in a minute. Howdy, Ranger. Howdy. Pete, you ever been in Lou Walton's place? Come on, I don't stall teller, Ranger. It's important. Well, yeah, I've been there once or twice. I only want to know one thing. You notice any carpeting in the house? Carpeting? Oh, sure. The house is like a palace. Wall-to-wall carpet all over the place. What color? Well, it's kind of a purple, I'd say. How about saying violet? Yeah, yeah, I guess that's what it's called. You've got something, Ranger? Yeah. I'm going to wake up the nearest judge and get a search warrant for Walton. You better brush the dust off that headline you told me about. I think you're going to get a chance to use it. I was wondering when you get around to me, Ranger. Seems like everybody who wears a badge just loves to poke his nose into my life. I wouldn't worry about your nose, Walton. If you want to be smart, watch out for your mouth. Well, I didn't mean anything, Ranger. Just that a man ought to well ought to have a little privacy. And you love the death cells at Huntsville. They're real private. Well, I always cooperated. The constable, Jim Dunn, he'll tell you that. I bet he would. Nice carpeting you got here. I like the color. Yeah. Yeah, let me get you a drink or something, Ranger. All good stuff. I don't have anything but the best. You know the old saying, the best is not too good. Walton. It's been a strong cleaning fluid used on a piece of this rug. One spot faded just a little. Well, I spilled some wine. I had a party one night. The night the sheriff's smithers was here last? No, no, before that. Oh, oh, that's right. I forgot. Nobody was here the night smithers came. No, no, nobody. The constable, he stayed. He stayed most of the night after the sheriff left. Yeah, so he told me. Let me show you the rest of the house. Upstairs. No, thanks. I just want to look at the walls in this room. Sure, pretty. You know at Huntsville, they don't have pretty walls like these. Just cold concrete and steel bars. What do you keep talking about, Huntsville? I'll tell you as soon as I stand up on this chair and rip off this new piece of wallpaper. Don't. They have no right to. Just looking for this small bullet hole, papered over. Of course you know that one bullet went right through the sheriff. The hole was repaped because a heavy picture fell. The nail made the hole. Thirty-eight caliber nail? I didn't. Gonna have this rug ripped up and sent to my lab, Walton. No cleaning fluid made will wipe out all of a blood trace. Even a drop is enough to hang you. I didn't do it, I tell you. Done shot him. It was done. Done shot him. Hold your wrists out. You'll never get those on me. You bet wrong this time, gambler. Now get up. I'm taking you in. I took him through town to the county jail and I walked over to the constable's office, but Dunn wasn't there. I had to find him quick before he knew I had walked. I headed back for the jail and so I turned into the street. I saw something move in the shadows. There was another car, not far from mine, the constable's car, and Dunn was getting into it. Dunn, wait a minute! Get out of the way, people! Quick! I punctured my tires. Unit 10 to KTXA. Unit 10 to KTXA. KTXA to Unit 10. Go ahead, Unit 10. Unit 10 convinced constable Jim Dunn his subject sought in killing of Sheriff Smithers, Bradshaw County, attempting getaway headed north on State Highway 19 from Bradshaw, alert Highway Patrol and all units for complete roadblock of area, order no further radio communication. Subject in constable's marked car, equipped with shortwave receiver. We'll do Unit 10. Unit 10's car out of commission will attempt to commandeer another car for pursuit. Unit 10, 10-4. KTXA, Austin. Get out of the way, please! Come on, charcoal! Let's hope Dunn heard that call. I had to gamble. The last part of my call had been a plant, a plant I wanted Dunn to hear. He'd know he couldn't get more than 15 or 20 miles before he was blocked unless he took some back road, and I'd seen him take a north turn out of town toward the wagon road he'd dumped the Sheriff's body on. It was 11 miles for him by car, two miles cross country for me. I raked charcoal all the way, reached the road and rope dragged a couple of dead logs across it. We finished just in time. I heard the whine of a car coming over the rise in the rough road as the first glimmer of the headlight stabbed the darkness. I had charcoal back in the trees and dropped in the brush to weave. Is the end of the road, Dunn? Don't try backing up! Now you haven't gotten any tires. I'm giving you a chance to surrender, Dunn. You get your chances, Ranger! I'm going around the car to get you. You want to shoot it out? Let's go. Wait a minute. Go, Ranger. You don't shoot? Neither were smithers when you lifted this gun and killed him with it. Good thing for Texas all constables aren't like you. Come on. Walton's waiting for you at the jail. Looks like you'll be partners again at Huntsville. The following week, the headlines of the Bradshaw Times read Sheriff Killer's Court Though Jim Dunn protested his innocence, Lou Walton's confession and evidence submitted by the Rangers is the court of Dunn's guilt. Both were sentenced to life imprisonment at Huntsville. This is Joel McCrae. In the 125 years since their organization was founded, the Texas Rangers have written many new pages into the history of law enforcement. With only a handful of men in a vast territory, they have never failed to live up to their slogan, first to advance, never retreat. That is the creed a Ranger follows. And they have a belief that was impressed on me by one of their officers. A belief that often brings them victory over tremendous odds. In the words of the Texas Rangers, a man who is wrong can't stand up to a man who is right and keep on coming. Next week, we'll bring you another exciting case taken from the files of the Texas Rangers. Hope you'll be listening. Good night. Next week, Joel McCrae and another authentic reenactment of a case taken from the files of the Texas Rangers. Joel McCrae is currently seen starring in the MGM production, Stars in My Crown. This story was transcribed and adapted by Joel Murkott, and the program is produced and directed by Stacey Keech. This is Hal Gibney speaking. Three times mean good times on NBC. In just five weeks, Dennis Day and Judy Konova bring back their two delightful programs in an hour of fun for all on Saturday nights. This weekend, 400 Americans have a holiday date with death. Stay off the list. Be careful. This is NBC, the national broadcasting company.