 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 Oh, Nick, I'm scared. Take it easy. Have you got your gun? I'm all set I'm not positive but if my hunch is right, it's the murderer we've been looking for Now for the case of the hermit thrush today's exciting adventure starring Lon Clark as Nick Carter Brought to you by a new post war old Dutch cleanser Our story begins outside an imposing edifice which 70 years ago was considered beautiful and luxurious Today with its boarded windows and air of decay. It is ugly and ominous a tall Distinguished-looking man stands on the dark porch of the mansion banging away with the heavy bronze knocker Mr. Kavanaugh Mr. Kavanaugh, do you hear me? Oh police one good Officer you've got to help me get into this house. Are you crazy that's mr. Otis Kavanaugh's house nobody goes in there But officer I haven't locked himself up in there 15 years ago, and he's never come out I know what's more. He don't let nobody in nobody except his housekeeper and his lawyer But I'm Otis Kavanaugh's lawyer Leonard Kelsey you say you're his lawyer Yes, and I've got to get inside this house even if I have to break it while you're not breaking in Mr.. Not as long as I've got anything to say about it, but I'm afraid mr Kavanaugh is met with foul play of some kind What makes you think that I phoned here half an hour ago officer Eleanor drew that's mr Kavanaugh's housekeeper answered the phone so hot she was very excited She said that she and mr. Kavanaugh had been quarreling and she refused to let me speak to him Then when I called back a few minutes later No one answered the phone. Oh That is funny seeing as how mr. Kavanaugh never goes out of the house officer Please miss drew is a woman of violent temper. She hates mr. Kavanaugh Even though she continues to work for him. We've got to get in there. I'll tell you she may have killed him Did you try the door? Of course not. It's always kept locked officer. I am wait Door ain't locked now. Hey, maybe something funny is going on in here. Come on. Let's have a look here. Let me find the light Here it is now we can Good lord, holy smoke. It's It's mr. Oh, and it looks like you've been worrying about the wrong party It's the housekeeper that's met with foul play mr. Kelsey. She's been murdered Mr. Kelsey for what you tell me the identity of the murderer is quite clear his identity Yes, but not his whereabouts in other words. All you want nick to do is to find odis kavanaugh Is that it mr. Kelsey precisely miss both the police are quite capable when it comes to locating missing persons Kelsey especially in a case like this They can't be many places where odis kavanaugh can hide What do you say that miss both? Well, after all he's been cut off from everybody for the last 15 years I remember hearing about him when I was a kid. Yeah, he locked himself up in that old place because of a broken heart, didn't he? Yes, uh, mr. Kavanaugh was jutted by the young woman he intended to marry. He's been a recluse ever since Oh, wasn't he also just beginning a career as a singer? I know the tabloids always refer to him as the hermit thrush That's right. It was on the concert stage build as a high society tenor. Yes, that's right And now he's wanted for murder To you what a wasted career. Yes. Yes, but uh, mr. Carter I think it's tremendously important that Otis be found quickly You do why frankly to prevent more murders? I don't believe Otis Kavanaugh is sane No, no, no man who locks himself in a gloomy mansion and refuses to come out can be in full possession of his faculties And i'm very much afraid that Otis derangement has become permanent and violent And there's real danger if he isn't caught. That's exactly my point, miss proud What do you say mr. Carter? Very well, mr. Kelsey I'll do my level best to find him and I hope it won't be too late So that's the Kavanaugh mansion How long has this house been boarded up this way Kelsey? Why ever since Otis went into seclusion And you and mr. Drew were the only ones to saw him in all those 15 years I'm the only one yes. Oh, there's Sergeant Matheson, Nick. Oh, hi, Maddie. We're allowed the What are you doing here? Why mr. Kelsey here hired me to lend a hand on the Drew killing any objections? A lot of good to do me to object Okay, come on in. Thanks, Maddie for the cordial invitation Oh This is really a dirty old place, isn't it? Yeah, this drew dame may have called herself a housekeeper But brother she never kept house she was Otis private secretary is cook and his nurse as well How she hated him, huh? She hated him yet. She continued to work for him It's rather odd. Well, although Otis was a reckless. He wasn't the miser, mr. Carter. He paid her very well I see Well, where's the body medic in the next room nick. Yeah, come on. I'll show you you sent out an alarm for Kavanaugh Yeah, we got every man on the force on the lookout for him any chance that he's hiding somewhere in the house We searched every inch of the joint from top to bottom. He's not in here. Well Yes, she is Got it right through the heart, didn't she? Yeah horrible Maddie. Yeah, nick You have any reason to believe it wasn't Kavanaugh who killed her nick. There's only one way it adds up now look Kavanaugh don't budge out of the house for 15 years And then when he does blow he leaves a body behind to me. It's open and shut Well, that sounds reasonable, nick Especially since mr. Kelsey spoke to mr. Drew just a few moments before she died and she and Kavanaugh were having a quarrel You know what they were quarreling about Kelsey. No, she didn't say Hey, why'd you call Kavanaugh? Oh, it was about his monthly annuity check is annuity check Yes, yes, mr. Kavanaugh's father left his money tied up in trust and Otis received an annuity A wife calls her late at night Time meant nothing to mr. Kavanaugh and I'd been working late at my office So I phoned to see whether he'd mind if I stopped by with his check Save me a trip tomorrow morning. Well, couldn't you have mailed it? Oh, no Otis Kavanaugh always insisted that I deliver it to him in person Uh-huh Maddie, did you find the murder weapon? No, not a sign of it, nick. What about fingerprints boys are working on them We'll have a report by morning. Good Well Looks as if the only question is where Kavanaugh could be hiding Well, I might make one guess. We found this in miss drew's pocketbook. Why it's a telegram. Let's see The address to Otis Kavanaugh Says arriving steamship Montevideo monday monday. Well, that's today. We'll go straight to granger's tourist camp on highway 47 must see you signed oliver oliver. Who's oliver kelsey? Why uh, I I don't know mr. Carter I never heard mr. Kavanaugh mention anyone by that name Well, whoever he is what made him think kavanaugh would leave the house even to meet him somewhere I don't know maddie, but there's one place where we might get the answer sure granger's tourist camp right Come on. Let's go Maddie step on it. Look nick. I got her up to 60 now. I want to get there in one piece Okay If you hadn't been so bullheaded about phoning headquarters before we left the kavanaugh place Nick how many times do I have to tell you? I ain't one of you private eyes when I start going places I got to let people know Well, I suppose you're right maddie. Nick. What do you expect to find when you do get to this camp? Oh, it's kavanaugh. I hope maybe we should have brought kelsey along to identify him, huh? You don't mind. I'd rather work without kelsey around why You think he's mixed up in this I didn't say that Ah nick the whole deals as plain as the nose on my face Kavanaugh and the dame had a fight kavanaugh plugged her and then beat it and that's that maybe maddie maybe But then again, there's maddie. Look out. Those headlights coming out from that side What on maddie? He's coming right up in front of us. Yeah, that's that's darn That's if you too With a tire shot out from under him now He tries to control the careening automobile But it's too late hand with nick and patsy huddled together in the backseat The speeding car plunges into the ditch at the side of the road We'll see what happens next in just a minute And now back to the case of the hermit thrush today's adventure with nick carter Brought to you by new post war old dutch clencher As we pick up our story nick patsy and sergeant mathison are just recovering from the shock of having their car Skid off the road at high speed Patsy, huh? Patsy. Are you all right? I think so nick. Well, I need all right Look at this bump on my head. Oh golly Well, thanks heaven whoever was shooting it up wasn't a better shot I don't think those shots were meant to kill us. Huh? We're supposed to delay our arrival at granger's camp. Oh, I certainly succeeded We'll have to wait until morning to get out of this ditch. We can't wait until morning I don't want to take a chance at having a homicidal maniac like cavanaugh running around loose Well, maybe we can hitch a ride out to granger's. That's just that we're going to do many necessary. We'll come and be all right. Come on Are you the proprietor of this tourist camp? That's right. I'm robert granger Well, my name is nick carter. This is sergeant mathison of the homicides squad Yeah, we're looking for a man who may have checked in here sometime yesterday. What was your fellow's name? Oliver Was that his last name? I don't know. You have a register? Yeah, sure Here's his book Here folks, it came in yesterday See anything there? Yes, Niles Oliver Niles And That's the only Oliver here. Where is he nick? In, um, like a cabin 20, uh, 26. 26 is straight on back. Last one to your left. Thanks granger Okay, we shall see what we shall see Mr. Niles, Mr. Niles Oh Those hope nick nobody in there. There ought to be the lights are on. Well, how about looking in the window? I guess we're better Nick, we don't think we're too late. Do you? I hope not We can see into this window nick Have you seen? Holy smoke There's a guy laying on the floor And would you look at his face? Well, that answers your question patty. We are too late That man's dead And uh, you say you're not sure whether this man is oliver niles ranger. No, no, I ain't mr. Cutter You sure can't tell much from his face Not after somebody shot him point blank with a shotgun. Oh, it's awful Yeah, hasn't been dead more than an hour nick. Only there was some sort of identification on him Take a look around will you patsey go through everything see what you can find. Okay, nick. I'll look I don't get it nick. We already know who he is. Do we boy? He was oliver niles, of course It's perfectly clear what happened. Yeah, what? Cavanaugh found out where we were heading and beat us to the punch Took a couple of pot shots at us on the road and came out here and knocked off niles But why am I why what's he up to? I don't know. He probably don't know that himself Didn't you yourself call him a homicidal maniac? Yes. What is it patty? He was in his bed under his pillow. Oh, oh a watch. Let me see Well, well, well something engraved on it, nick. Yes from mv to oc Christmas 1932 oc what that stands for odyscabinal Well, maddie, what's this due to your neat little theory? Brother it knocks it into a cocktail nick this guy ain't oliver niles at all. It's odyscabinal Boy, we finally caught up with him Nick Carter's office patty bowen speaking to miss bowen. This is Leonard kelsey. I've just come from the morgue. Oh, yes, mr kelsey Will you tell mr. Carter that there's no doubt in my mind whatsoever about the man's identity? It is odyscabinal. I see. Well, thanks, mr. kelsey. I'll tell him you Oh, well nick it looks as though you're out of a job Kelsey identify enough. Uh-huh. And since we were hired just to find cavinore. It looks as though we're about to be fired That's the I don't like it don't like it one little bit. What do you mean? Doesn't that up? There's something wrong someplace. I don't see what's wrong. No Tell me again. What happened patty start from scratch. And I think you will see Well, uh Cavinore had a quarrel with elnor drew and killed it Yeah, go on and he let out for the tourist camp planning to lie low there When he found out we were heading for the same place he tried to stop us. But how did he find out where we were going? What? Gee, I don't know and why didn't he kill us when he had the chance? Well, and why didn't I'll shoot cavinore in the face with a shotgun? Do killers usually do that? No, of course not. But no Now patty there are too many holes too many murders and attempted murders for no apparent reason There's something missing Nick Carter's office patsy bowen speaking. It's me patsy. Let me talk to nick. Oh just a second Hi, I'm eddie. I suppose, you know Leonard Kelsey identified the body nick Yeah, yeah, I know well I just thought I'd check with you before I gave the story to the papers. I'm eddie What about the fingerprints? Uh fingerprints Yes, you have a report on the ones your boys found in the cavinore house. Oh those. Yeah Any of them drive with the dead men's no they don't nick none of them No, I don't see why you're getting so hot and bothered about that After all the body's been identified by the man who knew cavinore best look maddie. What's one, huh? How could cavinore live in that place for 15 years and not leave a single fingerprint? Hey, you got something there. I think I have and I don't think we've found odors cavinore Gee nick This Cavinore mansion is even spookier in the daytime than it is at night Well, don't worry. We're only going to be here long enough to take a look through cavinore's private papers To see if we can find out who is oliver niles, maybe maybe Yeah, this looks as though it might have been a study and here What's the matter that window there that crack in the shutter Oh Nick I could have sworn there was a man's eyes looking in at us. Well, there's no one there now Well Maybe this creepy old house is making me see things Forget it. Okay All right, let's have a look in this file cabinet Oh my goodness, nick millions of papers. It'll take us forever to go through all those They're all old too turning yellow and back Oh, here's a scrapbook Nick. Oh, let me look at it Those are reviews the critics comments on cavinore's debut as a concert singer Uh-huh And back here are some society column. Huh? Oh, here's a picture of the whole family on a yacht I wonder which one's odors. Oh, wait a minute. Let's see Reading from left to right. Mrs. Roger Hobart. Mr. Roger Hobart. Mr. And Mrs. James Niles Niles Yes, and the two sons mr. Oliver Niles and mr. Otis kept Otis caranova They're two sons. What what does that mean? Just what it says Mr. And Mrs. James Niles and the two sons Mr. Oliver Niles and mr. Otis cavinore then Oliver Niles and Otis cavinore were half brothers, right Otis cavinore's mother must have been married twice the second time to a man named James Niles. Of course, Nick Look at that picture. Otis and his half brother look very much alike They certainly do What happens, Nick? This means that the man we found at the tourist camp could have been Oliver Niles Yes, could have been that it also explains how Kelsey could have been mistaken. That's he it may explain a lot of things Oh, Nick, we've got to find Otis cavinore if we don't Who could be calling up here? I don't know I'm going to find out I wonder where that phone is. It's over there in the alcove under the stairs. Oh, yes. I see it. I'll get it Hello I warn you to give up your investigation Carter Who is this if you don't you'll meet the same fate my housekeeper met Your housekeeper. Yes mine This is Otis cavinore Hello, hello He's hung up. Oh, Nick And you heard what he said. Yes cavinore must have seen us come in that must have been his face I saw at the window, then he went somewhere in here. Wait, wait, wait. What? Let me think Yes Of course, what is it? Come on. You've got to hurry. Where are we going? They try to find Otis cavinore I think I know where he is Otis cavinore couldn't be down here in the cellar. You just talked to him on the phone That wasn't cavinore. That was How do you know it wasn't that they don't remember how Otis cavinore was billed as a concert singer Yes as a high society tenor Well, is it likely that a man who had sung tenor could speak in a deep bass voice like the one we heard on the phone Of course not But that still doesn't prove that cavinore is down here. Maybe it doesn't prove it that way But we're going to keep on looking. I have a feeling that we're going What's that the door the head of the cellars there Someone's coming down. Yeah I'm scared. Take it easy Have you got your gun? I'm all set Nick, I'm not positive Patsy If my hunch is right It's the murderer we've been looking for Nick and Patsy wait tensely in the basement of the old cavinore mansion while someone descends the cellar stairs Whether or not it's the killer and who he is we'll find out in just a minute Now for the conclusion of the case of the hermit crush today's adventure with nick carter Brought to you by new post war old dutch cleanser Huddled closely together in the basement of the old cavinore mansion Nick and Patsy wait as someone slowly descends the stairs Aren't you gonna let him know we're here? I think he already knows it Hello there Why is not Otis cavinore at all? It's mr. Kelsey. Yes Come on in Kelsey Mr. Carter and miss bowen too What in the world are you doing down here? We've been looking for Otis cavinore in the cellar I'm afraid you'll never find him here. You're mistaken Kelsey You mean you found his grave So he is buried down here. Yes, Nick. Look out. He's got a gun. My hunch was right. Hey Kelsey You and Eleanor drew buried cavinore down here 15 years ago. Knowing that won't do you any good now Nick please he's got his covers and i'm going to kill you both I can't afford to have my secret known. That's why you killed miss drew and oliver niles You figure everything out, don't you? All right, I did kill them Doesn't matter that you two know now because neither one of you will live to testify against me I'm not so sure of that. Kelsey Okay, sergeant madison. You can come out now. Here's your killer. Sergeant madison. Okay, Kelsey That's a good gun. Okay, Nick Gosh, he's out cold. Well, that's the same pick it up He sure fell for an old gag looking around when you call sergeant madison Who isn't within five miles of this place or they do it nearly every time Now our next job is to get our murderous little friend here down to headquarters and have him booked for murder Well, nick, you were right. I got a complete confession from lennard. Kelsey. Good Just as you figure nick the whole story was a phony odors cavinore never locked himself up in that house 15 years ago He died 15 years ago. He did. Yeah, apparently it was a natural death passing But kelsie who was the executor of the cavinore state saw a chance to keep on collecting cavinore's large monthly annuity That's right. But uh, where did elinor drue come in? Well, Kelsey apparently needed her help first to bury cavinore on the cellar after he died And second to maintain the fiction that odors was alive all those years Well, I still don't see why he killed elinor drue. All right, I'll get back to that in just a minute You see oliver neils had been living in south america for 20 years Yeah So he like everybody else thought cavinore was alive But then when he returned to this country, kelsey's game was threatened. He had to kill neils Yeah, but the drue dame wouldn't go for that. That's right She probably figured that fraud was one thing murder another so they quarreled and kelsey killed her And he saw a perfect out for himself by claiming cavinore killed her All he had to do was murder neils and identify neils body as cavinore On that way the case would be closed. He thought the reason he came to me was to be sure neils body would be found Yeah, but that telegram in the drue woman's purse. Didn't he know that would be found? That's where he slipped up. Oh, you probably thought she destroyed it Yeah, and kelsey was the only one who could have known we were headed for the tourist camp, wasn't he? That's right And then there was that watch it was the only identification in the cabin sure kelsey planted it there And that's what made me ask myself why somebody wanted me to think that odis cavinore was dead But what about that phone call nick? Why did kelsey call you because if he succeeded in killing me he wanted you to testify that i'd been threatened by cavinore Oh Nick i'll never forgive you for one thing Why what's that bad day for not telling me that odis was dead and for not pointing out his grave in the cellar I didn't find his grave And that was all a bluff sure Well, I thought I was right, but I didn't know I had to get kelsey to tip his hand Of course, i'm sure cavinore's grave is down there now. Yeah, it is nick We found it. Ah good for you maddie But patsy don't ever accuse me of holding out on you again After all you wouldn't be able to stand me if I were the kind of guy knows everything all the time Nick carter master detective produced and directed by joc mcgregor is copyrighted by street and smith publications incorporated Charlotte manson is featured as patsy today's script was written by ken pettus and lou scofield Original music is played by henry silvern This program is fictional and any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental This is bob martin saying when minutes count use new post for old etch cleanser This is the mutual broadcasting system