 The mutual broadcasting system presents The Mysterious Traveller, written, produced, and directed by Robert A. Arthur and David Cogan, and starring tonight three of radio's most distinguished actors, Scott Tennyson, Frank Barron, and Agnus Young, and Killer, come home. This is The Mysterious Traveller, inviting you to join me on another journey into the realm of the strange and the terrifying. I hope you will enjoy the trip, and it will thrill you a little and cheer you a little. So settle back, get a good grip on your nerves, and be comfortable, if you can. For tonight, we have a different kind of story. We're traveling into a remote section of the Kentucky Mountains, where the ties of kinship are stronger than the law, to join two escaping conflicts. It's the story I call, Killer Come Home. In a lonely section of the mountains, two men crouch in the brush. Far in the distance, they can hear the siren of the state penitentiary from which they've just escaped that evening. Listen to Whale and Willie. They're sure anxious to get us back here. We're not getting us, Missouri. We're not going back. She'll hope you're right, Harry. That showed Martin, oh, just where we are going. We're heading for Deep Valley. Deep Valley? Where's that? Cross four ridges, and you come to it. It's just about lost, back in the hills. What's that for us? My old home. My mom and my brother, Tom. And he'll hide us out. You sure of that? Blood sticker in the law in these parts. Not that brother Tom and me ever got along good, but he'll hide us out, or else. Or else what, Harry? Or else more... Listen. What is it? You're a car coming up this road. A car? Yeah. Yeah, you're right. I can hear it now, too. That's an old jalopy. Duck down. Let it go by. Nothing of the sort. We're going to stop it. Stop it? You crazy? Every one of these old hillbillies have to have a shotgun beside him. You leave this to me. Okay, Harry. You're calling the cards. Now, uh, I'll talk to him. You slip up from behind. Use a rock. I got one right here. All right, then come on. Stop that car, huh? What do you want? Uh, I'm a deputy sheriff. Uh, there's a prisoner escaped from Stone Mountain. We're, uh, searching all cars. Huh? You have to speak up, mister. I said we're searching all cars for an escaped convict. Escaped convict? I haven't seen him. Now, step aside. My old woman's been stretching me since sundown. Well, that's too bad, Pop. We've got other plans for you. Huh? I didn't catch what you said. See if you can catch this. All right, Missouri. No, no, don't. Ah, good work. That takes care of him. What are we going to do with him now? Take any money he's got and tumble him into the bushes. And then we'll ride the rest of the way to Deep Valley to pay a surprise visit to my old maw. And dear brother Tom. How is she? Well, she's suddenly Tom. That's all it's ailin' her. Anything fretting her? Anything on her mind? She's pining to see Harry, Erick. Yeah? Yeah, my brother. Five years younger. Kind of pet-a-mose. Every year about this time she gets a notion he'll be coming home for a visit. Makes her upset. Well, then that's why she's not eatin' or sleepin'. Would help her a lot if your brother Harry could pay her a visit? Yeah, well, I... I expect that ain't possible. No? Dead? Not exactly. Locked up. Oh. Stone Mountain Penitentiary. Robbery. Been in there four years. Hmm. You more don't know? No, I kept it from her. Afraid it might kill her. Well, I expect you're right, Tom. Shock like that might finish her off. Yeah. See, Harry takin' one off to the city ten years ago. Got in with a gang of some kind, got into trouble with the law. Only time he'd come back here to see Ma was when he had to hide out for a while. Oh, I see. Well, tried to keep her from fretting, Tom. But there is another thing. Yeah, Doc? She shouldn't be stayin' in this cabin and neither should you. She should be down to town where she can get looked after better. Besides, the way the river is undercuttin' the banks, this cabin's gonna topple right into it someday. Yeah. Big Rocky's eatin' this way fast, all right. But Ma won't move. Not in fountain. She sees Harry again. Well, try and persuade her, Tom. All right, I'll try. But ain't much use. If she's a fear, does she move? Harry'll come back here for a visit and not be able to find it. Tom? Tom? Now, I better go on in. All right, Tom. Night. But try to persuade her to move out before this cabin falls in the river. Yeah, I'll try, Doc. Good night. Good night. Tom, boy, where be? I'm comin'. Here I am, Ma. Open the window, son. I've a hankering to hear the big Rocky River rushin' by down there in the gorge. Sure, Ma. The river's loud tonight. Comin' closer, closer. Ain't it, Tom? Yeah, too close. When I was a pup, there's four acres of cornfield, tricks does not dare gorge. Now it's hardly room for the hillotaters. Been tryin' to get us ever since your pa built this cabin. Old River has. Eatin' away toward us year by year. But he's never got us. And he never will. Well, if we don't move, Ma'll now listen. Doc Hawkins is right. He's right. He's right. We got to move from here, down to town. All right. We'll move, Tom. But only after Harry comes. If we was to move, he might not find us. He might not know where to look. But, Ma'll... My mind's made up, Tom. Harry's comin' soon. I know he is. Then we'll move. Yeah, but supposin' he don't. Now, last letter he wrote, he's mighty busy. Supposin' he don't come for quite a spell. He'll come. He's on his way now. Now, Ma'll... Don't try to tell me no, son. Somethin' inside me tells me when Harry's comin' to see me. And I never been wrong yet. Right this minute, my boy's on his way home to see his Ma'll. Try the starter again, Missouri. Maybe the motor'll catch now, huh? It ain't no use, Harry. His old tea kettle just done stopped percolatin'. Well, it brought us 50 miles. Deep valley is just over the next ridge. We can hike it. What we're gonna do with this jalopy? Looks like a deep ravine here beside us. We can push her in. And then we head for your Ma'll's cabin. Not by daylight. We don't head any place. It's most sun up now. We'll camp here in the brush till it's good and dark tonight. And then we sneak up to the cabin. I don't like to see a country, Harry. All these hills and valleys this mighty fine country to die in. Well, it's good country for hidein' out from the law in, too. No worry, Missouri. We're gonna make it. And with the help of Brother Tom and Ma'll. Tom. Oh, oh yeah, Ma'll. I guess I was dozing off right here in my chair. Turn down the lamp, son. Smoke in bed. Oh, sure. There. Won't have to clean that lamp, Tim, tomorrow. Well, it's nine o'clock. Past time for you to be in bed. Just a minute, Ma'll, Tom. Foggy out tonight, isn't it? I can smell the fog in the air. Yeah, foggy and dark. Won't be moon up for most nine hours, huh? What was that, Tom? Sounded like a rock slide. I can hear it playing now, Tom. Old river's undercuttin' the cliffs, bein' it. Yeah. Big rocks fall about half a mile up the gorge there. Now listen to me. We got to move. We plumb got to. River might undercut us any time and dump us a hundred feet down there in that gorge. I said we'd move as soon as Harry's come. Yeah, but he might not come in time. No. He's comin' here tonight. Comin' here tonight. Ma'll, what are you sayin'? He can't be comin' here. He is, I tell ya. Glory be my poor Harry's comin' to see his old Ma at last. I can feel his thoughts reachin' out to me through the dark. Findin' me, tellin' me he's on his way. But Ma'll... Don't argue for it, Tom. It's so. Ain't I always told you true, other times Harry came? Yeah, I reckon you did. You always know before he got here. But now this time you're wrong. You just got to be. I've never been wrong yet about Harry's comin', Tom. It's like somethin' callin' out inside of me. It's tellin' me he's comin' closer every minute. Well, if he's comin' you'd best get rested for him now. You can sleep till he gets here. In a minute, son. Maybe this time Harry'll stay. Maybe he won't go off again the way he always has before. Maybe. Restless, Harry was. Restless like the river. Hungry for far places and bright lights. For the city. For city waves and city clothes. City talk. I... I reckon he was. But maybe this time he'll stay. Maybe he's had enough for travelin'. Now we'll see when he gets here. Just time now for you to be gettin' your rest. Here, take my arm off. I'll help you to your room. Listen to that, Harry. There's a bloodhound. All right, Missouri, so it's a bloodhound. Well, I closed in on us. Their guest would come this valley. They got the trolls out of the bloodhounds. Look at first. Yeah, looks that way. We're done for, Harry. It does somehow. It seemed to me you were pinning an awful lot on your brother town. Maybe we won't even reach the cabin. Missouri, I forgot to tell you something. We have reached it. Huh? I have reached it? Yeah. You mean that cabin hold hour we've been watchin' in the last 15 minutes? Yeah, that's my home, Missouri. We're there. Why didn't you tell me? I like surprises. I wanted to make sure there wasn't any strangers inside. We ain't seen nobody but the old lady there and the heavy set fellas sittin' in the kitchen. Long time, yeah. And there they go. Tom's helping her. Probably she's goin' to bed now. All right, Missouri, we can slip in now. Come on along. Here's a path. What's that river here? That's a big rocky. Runs through a gorge back of the cabin. She's fast, but you can float a boat down her. Now we go in. Oh, man, it feels good to be inside. Keep your voice down. Keep your voice down. We take Tom by surprise. What are you doing there? I'm just pouring him coffee here at this pot. Ain't very hot, but, man, it sure tastes good. Well, uh, pour me some. Come on. All right, sure. There you are. Went down good. Oh, 24 hours since we've eaten. Listen, listen. That bloodhound's closer. Quick, wipe that cup. We'll duck into the storage lane too. Oh, why do we have to hide from your brother? We don't, but I hear somebody coming up the path. Come on. All right, then. Quick, let's get ourselves here. This way. Come on. Come on. That's your blind. Expect you know why I'm here, Tom. No, I can't say I do, Sheriff. What's happened? You mean you ain't here? Here's what? We got no radio box here, no telephone either. How'd I hear anything? Well, maybe somebody stopped by to tell you. Tell me what? Where's your brother, Harry? Harry? He escaped yesterday from Stone Mountain. Escaped from the penitentiary? Him and another fellow named Missouri. I figured he might head for home. That's why I've been here in Bloodhound. I got men both up and down the trail, in case he tries for here. I got the cabin watch from down below too. Just wanted to tell you. He wouldn't come here, Sheriff. Harry ain't no fool. You might figure you'd help him. Was I an escaped killer? No, I was a folk to get help. Killer? Well, Harry's no killer. He went to penitentiary for robber. He's a killer now. Him and this Missouri, they stopped a car yesterday. Stole it. Bashed in the driver's head. Murdered? Harry done murdered? Don't know what else you'd call it. You found a car over in the next valley. So we figure Harry can't be too far away. Maybe that's why Moe said... Yeah? I'm not feeling that they're a driver. Now that you know, you figure on to help with him if he gets here? I... I guess not, Sheriff. For anything else, I won't say. I don't know. But killing... Oh, sir, I don't hold with killing. If he shows up, I'll keep him for you, Sheriff. I reckon I can get back outside. Have a cup of coffee before you go, or got some here. Next time, maybe later. Gotta go now. I'll be stopping in again later. Bloodhound. For Harry. Harry out there in the dark. Bloodhound on his trail. Moe mustn't know. She mustn't never know. Coffee. Yeah, I guess I'll have a cup myself. Same? Funny. I said you can come out of the lean too now. You might as well come out, Harry. I know you're there. We'll come out. Done here, and she's loaded. The empty coffee pot, give us away, huh? That's right. I know that I hadn't emptied it. Then it come to me somebody must have slipped inside while I was in there with Moe. Well, uh... I was coming out anyway, and just didn't want the sheriff to see me. Yeah. Your friend can come out too now. Go on out, Missouri. Tom knows you're here. All right, Harry. What kind of greeting is this? A loaded gun pointed at our noses. You said you could count on your brother. Sure, I can count on him. Can I, Tom? Expect you heard what I told the sheriff. That still stands. He's trying to stand. Oh, no, he isn't. You're staying right where you are, Harry. The sheriff gets back. Without saying hello to my dear old mother, she'll be disappointed. She's sleeping. Sound. You'll never know you're here. Uh, I have an idea that she'll wake up. Why should she wake up? We're quiet. But we're not going to be quiet, brother Tom. When the sheriff comes back, we're going to make a real loud racket. But then she'll hear you. She'll know you're here. She'll know everything. Harry, that killer. I wouldn't know about that. But I'm sure going to yell. Oh, no, no, you couldn't. You'd be killing your own mall man. Nobody could be that low. I tell you, she'll learn everything. Unless you let me in Missouri get out that window. Prison has changed, you Harry. You are a killer now. All right. So it's changed me. No matter what happens. Now, uh, you're going to let us, uh, go out that window or not. That window. That's what I said. The door's being watched. We heard the sheriff say something. Maybe they're watching the back too, Harry. No, no, not a chance. It's only about 100 feet to the cliffs above the river. But there's a path down to the water and a boat anchor down there. Once we get to that boat, we can drift right out of this state. Tom, is that boat still there? Yeah. Boat's still there. Tied up further down, though. We'll find it. Well, how about it? Going to let us get out that window the way I used to go when Pop was on the rampage after me? Or do you want me to wake up more so I can tell her goodbye before the sheriff drags us off to be hanged? All right. No. No, I can't let you do it. Law's a law. Sheriff's coming up a path now. You two just stand still. Tom, I'm warning you. Be quiet. Come on in, Sheriff. Come in quick. What is it, Tom? You sound good. Well, I'll be. It's Harry and the other guy. Yeah, it's him. He was hiding out. Put away your pistol. I got him a rifle trained on him. Yeah, let me get these handcuffs unlocked. I'll cuff him together and call my men. We'll take him away. This is the kind of help your brother's given us. And you talk so big, Harry. Shut up, Missouri. We ain't taken yet. Sheriff. Just one thing. Yeah, Tom? My mom's never to know. You hear? She must never know about Harry. He'd hit a killer to learn he's a jailbird and a murderer. Yeah, I reckon it would. All right. I've passed my promise on it. But I haven't made any promise. Or more. Harry. More. Harry, you can't. You can't kill your own mom. Well, I'm not leaving without saying goodbye to her. That's all. Just goodbye. More. More. Where are you? Hey. She's here. It's me all right, Moore. I've come to see you. I know you were coming, son. Come in here. Bring me out to the light where your mom can look at you. I'll be right in as soon as I've said hello to Tom. Well, Tom, now she knows I'm here. I can't go without a little visit with her. You can. You will. Come on now. Put out your hands. How about it, Tom? Want me to tell Moore I can't stay because I've got a date with the sheriff? Harry, son, what's keeping you? Your mom is hungry to see you. Come bring me out to the light. I said put out your hands, Harry. I'm not taking any nonsense. No, Sheriff. Wait. Tom, I know you don't want to upset them all, but these two are killers. Sorry, gentlemen. Calm down. I got it. Quiet. Don't get in my way. Hold his hands. Quiet. I'll tell you a little more. Tom, I'll shoot you. I'll pick them up. I'll have my pistol in a minute. Better not, Tom. Better not. No matter who you hit, it will sure upset Moore. Tom, shoot. Shoot them. Break them up. Tom, Tom. What's keeping Harry? Think fast, Tom. Another second somebody will get shot. But pass me your promise to let us both go safe out that window and nobody will be hurt. All right, Harry, you got my promise. Tom! Harry, put up your hand. I got your cover now. Tom, you can't do this. It's already done. Put up your hand. You'll regret this, Tom. You'll regret it sad and heavy. Take his gun, Harry. I got it. Now both of you step aside. That's it. Sheriff, I got to do this. I got to do a certain against the law now. The law, don't forget that. Tom, Tom, where's Harry? Where's my boy Harry? He's coming directly, Ma. Sheriff, I got to tie you up in the lean-to. Now, Harry, you can't go from here till you've talked to Ma, Sam. You got to leave her with an easy mind. Now go and bring her out here. So that's where you've been, Harry. Out in California, raising the orange. Yeah, ma, oranges. A whole thousand acres of orange trees with the hills on one side and the sea on the other. And the orange blossoms filling the air with perfume like when the gates of heaven are open. Must be pretty. I should like to see it, Harry. You're going too, Ma. I'm going to send for you to come live with me there, Ma. Soon, Harry. You'll send for me soon. Just a week or two, Ma. And then you'll be able to sit out on your own porch and, well, pick oranges right off the tree. Not much longer. We've got to wait. I'm half an hour already. Ma's almost asleep. You go soon, she dozes off. Tell me more about it, Harry. More about California. Oh, it's a grand place, Ma. It's got mountains standing tall like the Gloria God. And then there's the ocean, the Pacific. I've never seen an ocean. This is the biggest ocean there is, Ma. And the bluest. And the sand on the beach is the whitest. And the waves come in. Big blue waves that have traveled all the way from China. And they bring a breeze with them that smells of tea and spice and ginger and cinnamon. And all you have to do, Ma, is sit there in the sunshine and soak up strength and watch the ocean on one side and the mountains on the other. With the birds singing and the flowers blossoming. All right, Tom. I've done what you said. I've talked her to sleep. All right. You can go on now. It's about time, too. I've been hearing them bloodhounds all the last half hour. Don't you worry about them. We're going to float right past them, down the river, 50 miles before morning. You better be getting to almost the moon. Here's the sheriff's flashlight. You've got to keep the sheriff here until we're safe past South Fork, understand? I'm here. You're beyond kitsch. And let's get the window open, huh? Yeah, she's up. All right, Missouri, you first. Just ease through and drop, huh? It's only about six feet. Anything you say, Harry. Harry, don't do it. Stay both of you and take your trial. I'll get you the best lawyer in the state. Oh, what a preacher you don't make. Go on, Missouri. Push yourself up. Show off a dog, huh, Jack? Can't see a thing. Hell, that's what we want. Now, go on. Drop. All right. I'm going. That's my turn. Come on, Brother Tom. I'll see ya. In California. They're gone. They're gone. I'm afraid I can set you loose now. Let me get it to them knots. You let them escape, Tom. That's going to go bad for you. Done what I had to do. All right, you're free. I reckon they'll be on catching. Tom, you're not delaying me anymore. I don't aim to. But look at that wind. I'm going down at the ground. Shine my light, Tom. Great David Crockett. Tom, I had to do it here. There weren't no other way. I couldn't let them escape, but I couldn't let them kill my Ma, either. So that's it. The river's undercut right up to the foundations of the house. No ground at all outside the window. Just a straight drop. 100 feet to the rocks. You have just heard the mysterious thunder. For the title role played by Maurice Franklin. Others in the cast were Scott Tennyson, Frank Barron, Agnes Young, and Bill Smith. All characters in the story were fictitious and any resemblance to actual characters was purely coincidental. Original music played by Al Finnelli. Grace and Enlo speaking, this is the mutual broadcasting system.