 Mr. District Attorney, starring David Bryant, Mr. District Attorney, champion of the people, defender of truth, guardian of our fundamental rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. As District Attorney, not only to prosecute to the limit of the law, all persons accused of crimes perpetrated within this county, but to defend with equal vigor the rights and privileges of all its citizens. In a moment we'll bring you another case from the files of Mr. District Attorney. But first the word from our sponsor. Mr. District Attorney. A District Attorney and a criminal have only one thing in common. They both know the value of time. Each hour between the commission of a crime and the discovery of a crime means an hour more of freedom for the criminal. An hour more for the trail to grow cold. And sometimes they are as lengthened into years, as they did in this case. The time is 15 years ago. Doctor wants to see you. He's well, Doctor. What is it? Martha, I want your husband out of this house tonight. I've just been going over my bank statements. Two checks with my name forged on him. What makes you... I know all about him, Martha. Those two years he was away in Oklahoma. He wasn't in the Army. He was in prison. All right, Doc, so I was in prison. Is that any skin off your nose? I've got a good mind to call the police about you. Maybe one lesson wasn't enough. You got me so scared my knees are shaking. I'm sorry for your sake, Martha. You see what he is. I'm calling the police. Uh, Doc, and I'm just going to stand here and hold... Give me those quiet teeth! Look out! Don't send me any place. Because nobody's going to know, not ever. I could write his name good enough to fool a bank. I could do it good enough to fool anybody. Stop following and grab his feet. What are you going to do, Joe? I'm going to take him out someplace and bury him. He was always talking about retiring. Well, now he's written tired. Who's in the parking building? The suburbs stretch out. The vacant lots give way to rows of neat new houses. People buy those pipes. Ditch they were digging for the sewer main. Workmen hit the box while they were at the lake. Oxes like a coffin. Mm-hmm. More like a crate of some kind. Big, funny shape. Almost fell apart when they dug it up. You'll see. It's right behind that pilot pit. Who's that on guard now? Malone, 53rd precinct. This is Pete. Oh, why don't you give him a break? Yeah. Take five, Malone. Get yourself some chow. What's the budget? Long time, right? Yeah, maybe too long, Chief. Chances are we'll never even find out who he was. Unless he'll kill them. If he was. It's a homicide, all right. You get the medical examiners report already? No, but look at this. Yeah. Broken a scalpel blade. You wouldn't have been buried with that. Unless it happened to be in his body. Yeah, not to be confused. With what? The medical examiners said there were two way to break chips in the sky. Might have been made by the scalpel if he was, Dad. The lady was stabbed in the back. Did all the examiner notice? That's all I heard of mentioned. Nothing to help us with the identification. No, down the ward. Yeah, not even a filling. Teeth must have been present. What about the box? It'll be taken into the crime lab. Barely rotted though. Yes. There must have been pretty solid and an expensive crate when it was new. Probably used for shipping a piece of machinery. You can find out what kind of machinery. Might tell us where the crate came from. Maybe. We already know one thing it was used for. A coffin. Yes, but that isn't what it was made for. It comes to pick up wagon now. Whoever buried this, I guess they never expected it to be found, had she? I guess not, Hank. Let's hope we're going to have one more surprise for them. They never expected to be caught. Get in run case. Oh, you're on my neck about that box again. Well, it's been five days, Sam. I know the box was hard to restore, but this morning I think I got something. I'll know for sure in a few minutes. As soon as we get an answer to a teletype I put out, what do you think was in that box originally? That's what I'm hoping to find out. It was a stumper, but from the size, shape, construction, and kind of wood used, everything points to an X-ray machine. X-ray? Yeah. That fit anything? Very strongly. The medical examiner says the murder weapon was a doctor's scalpel found in the box. Let's go into the teletype room and see if they've got anything yet. Where's the information from? Police chiefs in a few cities where X-ray equipment is made, were stenciled on the crate, ink soaked in pretty deep. It showed up under ultraviolet after with an invoice or a shipping number. There's a code letter too. Couldn't quite make it out. Maybe the numbers were enough. A city bearing cocaine scent for fate to Dr. William W. Rowe 949 Willow Drive. That help, Mr. Gardner? It might. Funny. Let's see the rest of that. Yeah. Machine number X4-2L-773. Service and parts department records show ownership transferred to Dr. Arnold Marks Philadelphia. Almost 15 years ago. Looks like this Dr. Rowe is our man chief. Yes, we can find him. We can try the address. Might still be there. I don't think so. A doctor doesn't buy an expensive X-ray machine and sell it in less than three months unless he's making a sudden move. You better get out there though, Hank, and check the neighborhood. I want a complete report in my office tomorrow morning. Is there something else in the papers? No, nothing since that thing last week about them finding the body. Somebody was around a neighborhood all day yesterday asking questions. About Dr. Rowe? Yeah. Who could it be? That's a pretty dumb question, isn't it? Cops, who else could it be? Well, they must have identified the body to you. Oh, how could they? 15 years? They must know something that it wouldn't be coming around. Joe, we better get out of here. That's all we have to do, run. We're going to sit tight. They can suspect all they want, but if they want to prove anything, they got a long way to go. Can you look the floor? John, can you look the floor? Joe, no, please. Right, go on. What's with the gun going to do you? Can only get you more trouble, more killings. Listen to me. Can you shut up and listen to me? I'm going to brazen this thing out and so are you. As far as we can. A lot of thinking and planning and work to get us this place and everything we've got. I ain't going to run off and leave it until I have to. But if I do have to, I'm going to make sure I can handle anybody who tries to stand in my way. I'll bring some oil and a cleaning. Would you hear me? Stay come here, baby. You better watch your nerves. Because if you break, if you give me away, I'm going to have to use this. And I may use it on you first. You understand? To chief, the medical examiner estimates the victim has been dead for 15 years. Dr. Ropel states it moved out 15 years ago. He must have been running all right. Sold his house in furnishings to his housekeeper and her husband, eh? Did you see them? Well, I thought you'd want to talk to them yourself. The mail carrier on the road said they used to get medicine for the doctor once in a while, eh? I wish we knew who the victim was. Funny that Dr. Rowe could kill a man and get away so clean. No missing persons report filed about the same time. Somebody who might have been the victim. Yeah, not a thing. Don't you think we ought to put out a wanted bulletin? Not that it's going to do much good. Why not? Thank you at all, chief. The doc was about 60 years old. He isn't dead by now. He'll be 75. Miss Miller. Yes, sir? Take the statistics on Dr. Rowe from this report of Harrington. Have the police put out an all-points bulletin for his arrest. How shall I list the charge? Victim John Doe, identity unknown. They always ask when and where the suspect is last seen. Yes, I know. And this time they're going to love the answer. Last seen in this city 15 years ago. Mr. District Attorney, here's an important message I'd like you to hear. Mr. District Attorney. 15 years between the commission of a murder and the discovery. Chances of identifying the victim seemed almost hopeless. And our chances of apprehending the killer seemed even more hopeless. Dr. Rowe's picture was on the front page of every afternoon newspaper. But even if he weren't dead, a man can change a lot in 15 years. Only two people might be able to tell us where he was. In the entire world, only two people. See? You see what I tell you, Martha? How's that for a hot one? Dr. Sork for questioning about unidentified bodies. I don't know. What? Outside of the castle. Let me see. Come here and look at the house. Oh, I think one looks too well dressed. All right, the D.A. Come in. You answer. Don't get rattled. Where are you going? The incinerator. Ditch the newspaper. Go ahead, come here. Mrs. Franklin? Yes? My name is Garrett. I'm the district attorney. This is Mr. Harrington. How do you do? We understand you. You keep house with Dr. Rowe. Well, may we come in? Yes, yes, sure. This was the doctor's home, wasn't it? Quite yes, a long time ago. My husband and I bought it from him when he gave up his practice. Would you mind telling us exactly when that happened? It'll be 15 years in more time, I think. Oh, that's my husband. He was out back. Joe? Yes? Oh. This gentleman is the district attorney and this is his... All right. Joe Franklin? They want some information about Dr. Rowe. Have you heard from the doctor lately? No, not for a long time. Well, I guess it's, uh, six or seven years since we had a letter. You know, Martha? I haven't heard anything about that. I don't suppose by any chance you've kept any of his old letters. No, I just threw them out. Where was he living the last time you heard from him? It was, um... Tratton, New Jersey, wasn't it, Joe? Yeah, Tratton. Well, do you remember the address? Um, he, uh, he wrote to your father. He was the best. Well, he did, but he got his mail at the general's delivery there. All right, something wrong with his old document. Any kind of trouble, anything? Was the old man dead? Is that what you came to tell us? Well, in which we knew. Have any of you seen this afternoon's newspaper? No, I usually go out and get them right after dinner. I'm going to ask you and your husband to search your memories, Mrs. Franklin. A few months before he went away, Dr. Rowe bought a new X-ray machine. Do you remember that? Well, I... Yeah, yeah, I remember it. He got it just about a week after, uh, after I came back to town. I was away for a while in the oven. Well, I know it's a long time ago. Can you remember what was done with the crate the machine came in? Oh, it was put out in the garage until, uh, whatever night the doc left. He took it with him. The empty crate? No, it wasn't empty. He said he was taking some of his books with him. It was pretty heavy. I helped him load it into the car, station wagon he had. His leaving was rather a sudden decision, wasn't it? Yes, but he was always talking about retiring. I never thought he would, but that night he just decided to go. I see. I'm going to be very honest with you, Mr. Franklin. When you helped to load that crate into the doctor's station wagon, I don't think you were loading medical drugs. I think the crate contained a dead body. A body? What? Did the doctor have any enemies? You know, anybody was having trouble with any visitors? The night he decided to leave? No, not after his regular patients. Yes, it was. What? Remember we heard him arguing with somebody in his office when we were stopping upstairs to go to bed? You know who it was. The door to his office was closed. Must have been an hour or two later he woke us up and said he'd made up his mind to clear out. Whoever was with him was gone then. Yeah. Oh, incidentally, what happened to all the doctor's equipment? Couldn't have taken it all with him. Oh, I shipped it off to some other doctor he sold it to. When? Not long after he left. He said he'd be selling the stuff. Then he sent me a letter telling me where to send it. I don't remember the name of the other doctor. That's all right. We just... Come on, Hank. Right. Goodbye, folks. What do you think, chief? I want you to catch the first plane out of Philadelphia and see the doctor of Ward Rose's equipment. I also want to check on the sale of the house to the Franklin's. The sale of the station wagon. Everything the doctor disclosed. I think they told us everything they know. I don't know. I'm going to try and find out. He's on his way in now. And there's Mrs. Cibble waiting to see you. She's in her office. Did you say what she wants? It's about the doctor Rose's case. She used to work for him before the Franklin. I'll see her right away. Oh, there's a few other things, Mr. Garrett. These records you wanted from the motor vehicle bureau and the county recording office. They cover the sale of Dr. Rose's house and car? Yes, sir. All right, take these papers out of the lab. Give them to Sam Jacobs. Tell him I want to comparison the signatures on these documents with any signatures of Dr. O'Role made before the doctor's disappearance. Probably be able to get them from the state medical license application. Yes, sir. I'm certain that I'm surprised at you. The man of your intelligence charges for Dr. Rose's murder. The doctor helped folks into the world, not out of it. Even similar patients he dealt with turned against him and gave him a tongue-latch and asked him to retire. What made him do that, Mr. Kibble? He sent some bills for the building, that's why. But he never could understand why he sent them to build anybody before that. Not in the whole twenty years I was with him. I see. These bills the doctor sent after he retired. You know where they came from? From the General's district. In Trenton, New Jersey. No, but I have a good problem. Twenty years. He never looked for me after he run off. Just the same thing, man. He never killed anybody, neither. You just made me believe that, Mrs. Kibble. Because a man's character doesn't change overnight. Dr. O'Role didn't send out any bills for twenty years. I doubt if he sent any from Trenton. Patience got more, right? Yes, but I don't think they came from Dr. O'Role. Well, thank you very much for coming in, Mrs. Kibble. Thank you very much. Excuse me, Chief. Goodbye, Mrs. Kibble. Get the house for Dr. O'Role before the frankings. What did you find out from the doctor in Philadelphia? Well, just that he bought Rose Equipment from an ad in a medical journal. The most important thing is this. Did he see O'Role personally? No. The whole transaction was handled by mail. Rose address was General Delivery Trenton. Harry, didn't we've been looking for a man nobody has seen in fifteen years? Yeah. What have you found? We've been ignoring one possibility, though. Suppose Dr. O'Role isn't the killer. Suppose he's the dead man. What? How about this stuffed duck soul? And his letters to the frankings. Sam's running a lab check on the doctor's signatures right now. While I'm waiting for it, you'd better get to the teletype, won't you? Trick Joe Franklin's army record, if any. And ask for a rundown for a possible criminal record in this or other states. Meet me in the lab when you get the answers. Right, Chief. The signature on top is a blow-up of Dr. O'Role's signature in a letter he sent to the AMA six months before he disappeared. Bottom signature is the one closing the sale of his house after he disappeared. What do you think? It looked the same to me. Bottom signature is an excellent forgery. Quite a bit heavier in the flourish under the key. Yes, I can. I got a rundown on platinum from Washington. He was ever in the Army. They don't know about it. He's done time in the Oklahoma State Pen, though. On what charge? Just what you were looking for, Chief. Fortune. Use your phone, Sam. Help yourself, Mr. Garrett. Armistead, this is Garrett. Better get a squad car ready on the roll case. Harrington and I will meet him downstairs in two minutes. Let's go, Harrington, right? Mr. Harrington, isn't it? Is your husband home? Well, he's busy right now fixing something down in the basement. Would you call him upstairs, please? I called your husband, huh? Don't try to warn him and save a lot of trouble. Edmund around the back, too. You know about Dr. Rowland? We do. Would you call him? Don't, I didn't. Please, don't hurt him! He's hurt us, Harrington. Right in the basement, just went out. Well, I'll get that woman quickly. The rest of you, close in around the house. Right now, Ben. Chief, yes, Harrington. I'm right here in the basement staircase. I'll get down here. Oh, there we are. Wait for him to come up. I'm left coming up. Yes, you are. All right, Covex. Put a tear gas shelf through that window. Watch it, Harrington. That'll drive him up. I'm watching. He came up shooting at how to fire. Radio for Dr. Covex. All the doctor can do for him is... ...sign a death certificate. Actually, though, he signed his own death certificate. The first time he forged Dr. Row's signature. I hope you enjoyed this case from the files of Mr. District Attorney. I'll be back in just a moment after this message from our... You have just heard. ...time covered by this case proves again that there is no such thing as a perfect crime, and that no criminal can ever sleep peacefully. Joe Franklin died resisting arrest. His wife, Martha, entered the plea of guilty to a charge of manslaughter, and is now serving sentence. This is David Bryan inviting you to join us when we present our next case based on the facts of crime from the file of Mr. District Attorney. Mr. District Attorney was originated by Phillip H. Law.