 of the Texas Rangers starring Joel McRae as Ranger Jase Pearson. Another authentic re-enactment of a case transcribed from the files of the Texas Rangers. Places in the following story are fictitious for obvious reasons. The events themselves are a matter of record. How does a radio network go about covering a national political convention? It could be simple. Just place a microphone on the rostrum and listen to the speeches. Well, that's one way, but it wouldn't bring you the real excitement and atmosphere of a convention. It wouldn't bring you anything of the behind-the-scenes plans and deals that are so much a part of the political game. These are the reasons why NBC sent more than 300 expert newsmen and technicians to Chicago to cover the Democratic convention beginning Monday, July 21st. There's an NBC man for every four delegates. With NBC you will interview the delegates, hear the candidates in formal speeches and off-guard moments, and the myriad political technicalities will be made crystal clear by America's greatest newsman. Yes, for complete, careful, concise coverage of the Democratic National Convention, make your headquarters the NBC radio network. You will find that their years of leadership in radio news reporting means continued leadership in the coverage of the Democratic Convention. Now tales of the Texas Rangers. And now from the files of the Texas Rangers, the case called Finger Man. It is just before noon on a sweltering day in August 1943. In the county jail at Dover, Texas, nine men are eating lunch at a table in the runway just outside their cells. Among the prisoners are Leon Dessar and Carl Foley, serving one-year sentences for unlawful possession of firearms. It's hot. Yeah, give me the bread, Foley. Lousy, still in as hot weather. Makes my stomach sick just looking at it. How about the bread? They can feel a heat coming through that tin roof. They got no right putting a tin roof on this place. Hey, you're going to give me a- Will you quit crying? Well, I only wanted- Here! You didn't have to do that, Foley. Heat's bad enough without you crying in my ear. They'll be bringing that horn kid back in the courthouse any minute. If they hear you throwing a fool around, he's slapping the solitary. Well, let them try. Boy, you talk big. Jesse. Hmm? We're going to bust out of here. You crazy? We already done six months. Another six and a letter's out. I ain't spending another day in this hot box. We're busting out. Foley, Foley, look. Just six more months. That ain't long. Then we start knocking over stores again, and they won't be looking for us. You're a chicken, Dessar. I don't know why I ever picked you for a partner in the first place. You know why? You like the way I open safe. Ain't that it, Foley? You're a chicken. Look, I said we're busting out. Okay. How do you figure to do it? All these guys are going to be with us. Otherwise, it won't work. Hey, you guys. Listen. Dessar and me is busting out of here. You with us? How are you going to work it, Foley? Now, listen. Listen. It won't be tough. Deputy will be bringing that horn kid back. We'll hear him when he unlocks the outer door. Minity opens the door into this runway. We jump him and get his keys. That don't sound so easy. Shut up. You guys in? Yeah. All right. All right. Let's keep talking like we always do so, as we don't tip our hands. What are we going to call when we get out? First thing we got to do is get out. If he yells for me, shut up. Time the sheriff gets upstairs. We'll be out. And if we ain't? Sheriff don't want his deputy killed, does he? He's coming. Okay, you guys. Now, get ready. Don't jump till I give the word. Keep talking. You've got to match your head. You've got to like it. All right, all right. Get in there. Foley. I'll bring you some food in a few minutes. No! Don't let him close that door. You can't do this. He's getting away. Come on. Come on. He's going to pull them keys outside. Grab them. Give me them keys. You ain't going to get them. Hold on to him, Texas. No, you don't. Holding the deputy inside their cell block began to riot. Unable to cope with the situation alone, the sheriff requested assistance from all law enforcement officers in the vicinity. Plus to arrive on the scene was Texas Ranger Jase Pearson. As he pulled up in front of the jail, he found the sheriff outside his rifle train on broken bars of a second-story window. Sure. Glad you got here, Jase. Don't know how much longer I could have managed alone. We'll have some more help in 10 or 15 minutes. A couple of highway patrol units are on the way. You can see where they busted out through the bars in that window. Must have tore up one of the bunks to do it. Uh-huh. That rope they've let down looks like it was made out of mattress tickets. Went up and started down just before you got here. Jumped back when I bounced the bullet off the side of the building. Just a matter of time before they try to use your deputy as a shield for a getaway. Yeah, and that's what worries me. If it hadn't been for Joe being up there, I'd have gone in. Yeah, it's just while you didn't try it alone. Anybody covering the side windows? Well, I deputized a few townspeople. Don't know how much good they'll be in a pinch. You tried to talk to the prisoners yet? Yeah, but I can't get any sense out of them. Mind if I try? I wish you would. Hey, you men up there. I can't talk to all of you. Pick one to speak for you. There, you see, that's all I could get. I sure hope they haven't done anything to Joe. And listen, go back to your cells. All of you. What have you got to say? I wouldn't try it if I were you. You'll never make it. We'll take that chance. That's holy, Jayce. Him and his partner just are real bad apples. Yeah. Jayce, I hate to say it, but if we want to save Joe, I reckon we ought to do what they tell us. That's something we won't do no matter what happens. How do we know he's all right? If you want to hear him tell us and take the gag out of his mouth. We want to hear him talk before we do anything else. I reckon he feels pretty bad about letting himself get tricked the way he did. Yeah. That guy's ready to talk now. Speak to him, Sheriff. You all right, Joe? That's not Joe. You're positive. I've known Joe for 15 years. I could tell his voice anyplace. I'm afraid they've already done something to him. They're one of the townspeople to take over here, Sheriff. We're going up there. Ted? Take over here, will you? Plug the first one, chose his head outside those bars. All right, Jayce, I'm ready. Who else is up there beside Poli and Deser? Most of them are pretty tough boys. Five of them, we can try a firm robbery. Deser and Poli are serving a term for carrying guns. Yeah, I heard that was all you could get on them. Don't seem like anybody's been too successful. I know. We got a list of 61 knob-knocking jobs we think Deser and Poli pulled, but so far, we've only been able to pin one offense on them. Yeah, and that was eight years ago, wasn't it? It's three years at Huntsville then. You got your set of keys with your sheriff? Mine and Joe's. They must have rushed him before he could get out, but he did manage to throw the keys through the bars. You didn't talk to him before you came outside? No, as soon as I got close to the cell block and started yelling, they'd kill Joe. How many closer? Hey, Poli, the sheriff's coming. He's got the Ranger will. Okay. Thought we'd told you to try nothing funny, Ranger. Where's the deputy? He's in here. You better keep away if you don't want something to happen to him. Jayce, Jayce, there's just a chance Joe might still be alive if we go in there. Poli, I'll give you 10 seconds to bring the deputy out here where we can see him. Otherwise, we're coming in. Keep out of here, Ranger. I'm warning you. You're back from this door, all of you. Open it up, Sheriff. You sure have made a record of this place. Yeah. Now get back into your cells. Come on, move. Now be careful, Jayce. I said get back into those cells and don't get any funny ideas, Deser. Watch the gun. I wasn't going to try that. Now, honest, Ranger. Now, all of you get moving. Keep moving. You, Poli, pick up your feet. Get in your cells, all of you. All right, Sheriff. Lock him up. Okay, Jayce. All right, keep back there, Shikoni. Pretty tough, ain't you, Ranger? I bet you wouldn't try coming up here without them guns. Where's the deputy? Why don't you look for him? We've had just about enough smart talk out of you, Poli. You ain't even big gun of hearing for me. Well, that does it, Jayce. Yeah. Now, we've got to find out what's over here, Sheriff. What? Between the bench and the table. It's Joe. Hey, we better get a doctor. No, you, Sheriff. He's dead. The deputy had been stabbed to death. After a short search, we found the murder weapon, a bloodstained fork. While we waited for the justice of the peace to authorize removal of the body, I took the fork downstairs and checked it for fingerprints. It had been wiped clean. And I went back to the runway in front of the cells. Any luck, Jayce? No. Have you talked to him? Not yet. I've been waiting for you. All right, man. One of you killed the deputy. Now, I want to know who it was. Don't you wish you knew, copper? Shut up, Poli. Are you ready to talk? How about you? I don't know nothing, Ranger. You, Poli? You're wasting your time. Nobody's going to tell you nothing. Yes, sir? Me? I didn't do it. Who did? I didn't see nothing. Maybe the deputy fell. Maybe it was an accident. You keep your mouth shut, Poli. Okay. Then every one of you is going to be booked for murder. Give you one last chance. We'll talk to you individually. Maybe one of you will change your mind. He's trying to make stupidions out of us. We're going to let him do that, aren't we, boys? Well, it's up to you. Unless somebody talks, all of you take the rap. All right, Poli. You're first. Don't worry, boys. You're going to get nothing out of me. And he won't get nothing out of the rest of you, will he? Take him downstairs, Sheriff. Come on, Poli. I'm getting tired, Ranger. When are you going to take me back up to myself? When I'm through talking to you. Who killed the deputy? It takes a long time for you to catch on to something, don't it? I got nothing to say. Did you see him killed? How do I know? Things happen pretty fast up there. Reckoning gotten somebody's way. Whose idea was it to break out of jail? We all got the idea at the same time. It's hot up there. I can't expect men to stay in a place like that when there's a chance of getting out. I got Dessar out here, Jason, whenever you're ready. You can bring him in now, Sheriff. Come on, Dessar. Don't push me, Sheriff. Come on. You didn't tell me nothing, did you, Poli? You think I'm nuts? That's enough, talk. Come on, Poli. Let's go back upstairs. See you keep your mouth shut, Dessar. I told you to pipe down. Sit down, Dessar. Yeah, thanks, Ranger. But I got nothing to say. Nothing at all. Sheriff tells me you served six months of your term. Yeah, six months. Only six more to go, then you could have been out. It wasn't my idea to bust out of here, Range Honest. Whose idea was it? Well, even if I didn't deserve getting put in here, I wasn't even thinking of busting out. Who planned the break? I don't know. Seems like the deputy opened a block door and things started happening. I don't know whose idea it was. Did you see the deputy get killed? No, not me. When all the fighting started, I run back into my cell. I don't like fighting. Ranger, you gotta believe me. I turned over a new leaf. I'm going straight. And shame you won't have a chance to prove it. Why not? You heard what I said upstairs. If we don't find out who killed the deputy, you all take the rap. What happens if maybe somebody talks? Then only the guilty person goes on trial for murder. I ain't saying I seen anything, Ranger. But suppose I did. And suppose I told you what I seen. You think maybe I wouldn't have to serve my other six months? That's something that's not up to me. Oh, it ain't fair to send a guy like me up with the rest of them. I didn't have nothing to do with them. What do you know about it, Deser? A man wants to tell what he's seen and follows upstairs and kill him. Would they have to know? Sooner or later, you'd have to testify at the trial. Oh, I forgot to be a trial. What do you know, Deser? I don't want to take no murder, Ranger. I'm going straight. I just want to get out. Chances are you never will if you don't tell what you know. Yeah. Well, suppose I wasn't in my cell when a deputy got stabbed. I didn't think you were. Suppose I was to talk to them, follow upstairs and kill me. Sheriff could arrange a separate cell for you. You sure about that, Ranger? Uh-huh. And none of them couldn't get near me? That's right. Who was it, Deser? Now, you got to protect me, Ranger. You got her. We'll see it just safe. Who killed the deputy? The guy I used to work with. Carl Foley. In just a moment, we will continue with tales of the Texas Rangers starring Joel McCray as Ranger Jase Pearson. Only a mad man or a fool would intentionally set fire to one of our forests or woodlands. Yet 90% of our forest fires are started by people. Most of these man-caused fires are due to plain carelessness. A campfire left smoldering. A lighted match thrown from a car window. A cigarette not extinguished. In less troubled times, the waste due to forest fires would be tragic. In these dangerous times, it can be disastrous. Forest fires destroy natural resources we need to keep our country strong. They impede the production and transportation of critical defense supplies, interfere with military training and may destroy military installations. Join in the fight against carelessness. Crush out cigarettes, cigar, and pipe ashes. Break matches in two after using. Drown all campfires, then stir and drown again. Find out the law before using a fire. One moment of carelessness can destroy national beauty and wealth that can never be replaced. Forest fires are a shameful waste because they can be prevented. Remember, only you can prevent forest fires. Now back to the tales of the Texas Rangers. We continue now with tales of the Texas Rangers and our authentic story, Finger Man. We call in two townspeople as witnesses and took Leon Dessar's statement naming Foley as the killer. We knew Dessar's word alone wouldn't be enough for a conviction. He began questioning the other prisoners. No one would admit he'd seen anything. The last one to be brought in was a boy in his early 20s. This is Johnny Horn, Jase. He was the one Joe was bringing back from the courthouse when the break started. Sit down, Johnny. Yes. Did you lose something? No, sir. I was just looking for a cigarette. Must have left him in his cell. I reckon I got a pack somewhere in his drawer. Yeah. Here, take one, Johnny. Oh, thanks. Got a match? Yeah, yeah. I guess you know why you're down here. I didn't kill the deputy. I swear I didn't. We know you didn't. Johnny's up for two months, Jase, first thing. I didn't mean to take those tires, Sheriff. It was what with just Elaine and the kid hadn't been out for a ride for so long. I didn't have the money. Oh, what's the use? I did wrong. I got what I deserved. We're not talking about what you did before, Johnny. What we want to find out is who killed the deputy and we think you can help us. No, sir. I don't believe I can. You're not being fair to yourself, son, nor to your wife and little boy. There's no reason why you should have to go up on a murder charge. I'm not going to talk, Sheriff. That's all there is to it. Why don't you want to talk? Ranger, don't ask me any more questions, please. You're afraid something would happen to you if you told us who the killer is, aren't you? Sure, I'm afraid. Only Sheriff took me out of this cell just now. I could feel him staring at me, all of them. I knew what they were thinking. I know what they'll do to me if I open my mouth. I can promise you, Johnny, nothing's gonna happen to you. Oh, that's easy for you to say, but I know those men have been listening to them talk. They'd kill me. They'd never have to see you again, Johnny. I'm scared, Ranger. I'm scared. What would you say if I told you one of the other men has already talked? I'd say you were trying some kind of trick. Oh, no, Johnny. One of them has talked, Johnny. Which one? I'm afraid we can't tell you that. We have a statement right here. Well, then why do you want me to talk? You've got what you need. One witness wouldn't clinch our case. We need at least two. Well, then you better find somebody else. Listen to this, Johnny. When the deputy came in with horn, we run at him and kept him from closing the block door. He buss away from us and run to the outside door. Is that the way it happened? Yeah. I'll read a little further. Foley and some of the others run after the deputy and caught him at the outer door, but he threw his keys through the bars and we couldn't get out. Then he started hollering for the sheriff. Foley tried to shut him up, but he kept hollering. Then Foley stuck the fork in his back two or three times. We've seen he was dead. Does that sound like we're using a trick on you, Johnny? No, sir. Is that statement right? Ranger. Was it Foley? Yeah. Foley killed him. Take care, Johnny Sheriff. We're booking Foley for murder. Two months later, Carl Foley was brought to trial for murder. On the testimony of Dessar and Johnny Horn, he was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment. Charges of riot and attempted prison break were brought against all the other prisoners except Dessar and Horn. Dessar requested that he be released immediately from jail because he'd turned state's witness. The court denied his request and it was not until February that Dessar was discharged from the county jail. On a rainy night, three weeks later, I was returning from a case. About two a.m. I received a radio call. Unit 10 to KTXA. Go ahead, KTXA. Unit 10 three miles south of White Bluff. It's been tied up in stored address just mentioned. Sheriff has been notified and is en route to White Bluff. 10-4, Unit 10 will proceed to scene at once. Okay now. I just about give up hope anybody was coming. Let me get this rope off here. Yeah. Where's the person who put in the call? I did it myself. The guy got in my mouth and I rolled over to the phone and nudged the receiver off the hook with my head. There we are. Yeah. Much obliged, Ranger. Now if you just help me get up. You look like you taking a pretty bad bump on the head. Want me to get you a doctor? I'll be all right. Just a little stiff from being tied up. You'd better sit down over here a while. Yeah, I believe I will. Where's the safe? Over in that corner. You got it all right. Knob's knocked off. I was afraid of that. He conked me on the head. When I woke up, I was tied up and gagged. Did you get a look at the man? Not at first. He come up behind me. He jabbed a gun in my back and grabbed my left, you sheriff. Saw the Ranger car outside but it didn't know it was you. I just got here a few minutes ago. Well, you look like you've had a little going over, Harry. I'll be all right. Did you see the fella who did it? You were just talking about that. You said you didn't see his face at first. No sir, not till I took my keys and started opening the door to this place. Then I got a good look at him over my shoulder. Little fella it was. I was kind of surprised he had so much strength. Did you notice if he blinked his eyes every now and then? Yeah. How'd you know, Ranger? I got an idea. It could be an old friend of ours. You mean Leon Deser? Uh huh. The way he blinks his eyes, jumping the watchman from behind, couldn't be anybody else. All that talk about going straight. Shoulda known he didn't mean a word of it. Sounds like he's not doing so well without his partner Foley. This is the first time anybody actually got a look at him on a job. Where were you when he first jumped you in front of this store? No, I was three or four doors up. I seen that car parked in front of the feet store. Only car in the streets, so I went to take a look. I was shining my light on him and I fell a gun in my back. Must've been hiding in one of the doorways. Was the car light colored sedan? Yeah, I believe it was. The car's still outside. I saw it when I pulled up. So did I. Maybe Deser's still around one of the stores. Let's have a look, Sheriff. You want me to give you a hand, Ranger? Oh, thanks. You better just sit here and rest a while. Say, if that's the car he used, he might have just left it and taken off after the robbery. Doubt if he'd do that on a night like this. Sure is rotten weather. The car's still empty. I would check the other stores on this street. Deser's been known to hit three or four at the time. Say, Jayce, that drugstore across the street, the door's open. Yeah. Watch yourself walking in. I don't see the light switch. Maybe he's out. Never mind the lights. Back door's open. Come on. There's no doubt about his going out this way. You can see his muddy tracks, plain as anything. Right out into the alley. Just a second, Sheriff. What? He went up here to the right. There's not a thing up here but a garage. And the field beyond it. Yeah, he could have taken off across the field with those hills. If he did, we'll have a rough time finding him out there on a night like this. Hold it, Sheriff. What? Track stop here. Pretty close to the garage. Reckon we'd better check inside. Yeah. Not a sign of him. This dirt floor makes it hard to tell if he was in here at all. What do you want to do now, Jayce? Put out an APB? Yeah, and I'll take my horse and Deser. I'm down the ladder, Deser. Are you gonna put me in a pen, you wanker? Can't think of a better place. Get moving. Beyond Deser was brought to trial in the district court at Dover, Texas. Under terms of the habitual criminal act, he was sentenced to life imprisonment at Huntsville. The sheriff requested that I assist him in delivering Deser to the penitentiary. It was about 11 o'clock on a warm morning in May when we approached the Huntsville wall. Well, just a couple more minutes and we'll be there. Yeah. You sure they gotta keep me here at the main wall, Ranger? That's what we were told. That's good. You sure changed your tune. A week ago you squealed like a stuck hog every time anybody mentioned the pen. That was last week. What's happened since then? I've found out a few things. Like what? Like Foley ain't at the main wall. They got him over at the retrieve farm. Makes you so sure of that. You cops think you can keep me from finding things out. I got ways of knowing. You have, huh? Sure. And as long as Foley ain't where I am gonna be, I ain't got nothing to worry about. Come on, Deser. Okay. Sheriff, you want to take our guns over the guard tower? I'll start ahead with Deser. Sure, Jase. Well, sounds like Deser's already got a welcoming committee. Up there, looking out through the bar. I've got lots of friends here. I'd be glad to see me. Let's go, Deser. You know, Ranger, you're just pretty lucky catching me like you did. But I have feeling too bad about it. I wouldn't be surprised if I was a trustee inside of you. I wouldn't bet on it. And you'd be missing a sure thing. You just watch. This way, Deser. You're telling me you go right around the corner here to the left past the commissary. I know the way. I'm gonna be working on that commissary one of these days. I can't treat a smart guy like me like some ordinary car, you know. You've got it all figured out, haven't you? I always figure everything. I'd like to see... What's the matter? That guy buying a pack of cigarettes in there. That's fully, ain't it? I believe it is. He lied to me. He ain't it retrieved. He's right here. Come on, Deser. So I ain't gone. He will kill me. You won't get through those bars. Come on. You have to go to the wardens over here. Ranger, he sees me. He sees me, Ranger. Look. Well, if it ain't Deser, I heard you was coming down. Couldn't wait till I seen you. No, no. Keep moving, Deser. No, no. Take me out of here. Take me out. I got big plans for you, Deser. He's gonna kill me. You won't be anywhere near him. They're gonna isolate you and another wing. Yeah. Well, it ain't gonna help. You'll be safe enough. Yeah. But he'll be in this building. Figure out how he can get me. He'll be trying to get me all the time I'm here. If you'd have meant what you said about going straight, you wouldn't be here at all. Come on. In just a moment, we will tell you the results of the case you have just heard. The 1952 Republican National Convention has adjourned for the final time. The selection of their candidates for president and vice president is completed. But the political story is only half over. Monday, July 21st, the Democratic Party will begin its national convention in Chicago's amphitheater. And as during the past week, NBC will be on hand in Chicago beginning next Monday to bring you a minute-by-minute account of convention activities. NBC's 300 correspondents, commentators, and technicians mean that there will be one NBC man for every four delegates. Again, representing NBC will be such famous names as H. V. Coulton-Born, Ben Grower, Earl Godwin, W. W. Chaplin, and a dozen more. Again, next week, NBC will broadcast more political headlines, more incisive campaign commentary, more human interest stories, more behind-the-scenes features than any other network. For complete, careful, round-the-clock news coverage, attend the Democratic Convention on NBC. Now the conclusion of Tales of the Texas Rangers. And now here are the results of the case you have just heard. Leon Bessa was confined in an isolated wing of Huntsville Penitentiary. Throughout the years, he has been carefully guarded. As an additional precautionary measure, Carl Foley was transferred to the Retrieve Unit of the Penitentiary System. Sweet Joel McCray and another authentic reenactment of a case from the files of the Texas Rangers. It's currently seen in San Francisco's story, a Warner Brothers release. The cast included Tony Barrett, Hi-Avaback, Bob Sweeney, Paul Freese, Farley Bear, and Bert Holland. Technical advisor was Captain M.T. Lone Wolf Gonzalez of the Texas Rangers. This story was transcribed and adapted by Charles E. Israel and the program was produced and directed by Stacey Keach. Tales of the Texas Rangers is heard overseas through the worldwide facilities of the Armed Forces Radio Service. Al, give me speaking. Wednesday is here the best of Groucho on NBC.