 Stories and content in Weird Darkness can be disturbing for some listeners and is intended for mature audiences only. Parental discretion is strongly advised. Welcome Weirdos, I'm Darren Marlar and this is Retro Radio Sunday on Weird Darkness. Each week I bring you a show from the golden age of radio, but still in the genre of Weird Darkness. I'll have stories of the macabre and horror, mysteries and crime and even some dark science fiction. If you're new here, welcome to the show and if you're already a member of this Weirdo family, please take a moment and invite someone else to listen and please leave a rating and review in the podcast app you're listening from. Doing those things helps the show to keep growing and while you're listening, be sure to check out WeirdDarkness.com for merchandise, my newsletter to connect with me on social media and more. Coming up, it's an episode from Somebody Knows, a radio show not that many folks are aware even existed as it only produced 8 episodes in the one summer that it ran. You see, in the summer of 1950, CBS had a problem. On Thursday nights, thousands of people were expecting to tune in to the radio sensation that left people on the edge of their seats each week, suspense. As successful as suspense the radio show was, it ran from 1942 through the end of September 1962, a full 20 years. The production still took a well-deserved vacation every summer, something that continues even today on broadcast television when network shows take a break and return each fall. The 1950 summer replacement for radio's suspense was based on the notion that actual crimes could be even more fascinating and thrilling as the fictional ones on suspense. The idea behind the show was that there are no perfect crimes, that someone, somewhere, could have the one missing clue that would help the police apprehend the killer in these often gruesome true cases. To help entice that person to come forward, the producers even offered a reward of $5,000 – an amount equal to well over $56,000 today – to whomever could come forward with the information that would solve the case of the week, creating an ingenious and rather complicated way to anonymously send the information to the show so that it could be sent to law enforcement agents and still maintain the listeners anonymity. Some of the most sensational cases of the time were dramatized in an informative and entertaining manner, at least entertaining enough to keep you glued to your radio until suspense came back in the fall. This episode, if somebody knows, aired August 10, 1950 and it tells the story of how on April 3, 1948 a Boston taxi driver was killed in a crash of his cab. It was no accident and it was worth $5,000 to anybody who could tell CBS who done it. It's the unsolved murder of Samuel I. Paris. Now, bolt your doors, lock your windows, turn off your lights and come with me into the weird darkness. Suspense, which is heard on Thursday nights at this hour, is taking its customary summer holiday. Suspense returns to the air three weeks from now on Thursday, August 31. Ladies and gentlemen, a $5,000 reward will be offered each week on the program immediately following this announcement. You out there, you who think you've committed the perfect crime, the perfect murder, that there are no clues, no witnesses that your identity is unknown. Listen, somebody knows. Yes, you wherever you may be, no matter where you're hiding, somewhere, some time, someone listening to this program is going to bring you to justice. Yes, somebody knows. The Columbia Broadcasting System presents Somebody Knows, a program conceived in the public interest dedicated to aiding the forces of law and order in the solution of this nation's unsolved crime. Ladies and gentlemen, we're going to recreate for you tonight all the known facts in an actual unsolved murder. Somewhere, someone among you's had contact with the killer or killers. Someone whose identity need never be known has seen evidence or possesses information that can lead to the solution of this crime. In the public interest, the Columbia Broadcasting System offers a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer in this unsolved murder. We ask you then to please listen carefully, for you may be the one to win this reward. Somebody Knows, it may be you. And now we open the files on one of this nation's unsolved murders. Atomicide file number HF12342 of the Boston, Massachusetts police department. The unsolved murder of Samuel I. Paris is approximately 3.30 p.m. Saturday, April 3, 1948. At 54 Jones Avenue in the Dorchester District of Boston, Massachusetts, Samuel I. Paris, a taxi driver, is preparing to leave home to go to work. Okay, honey, okay. You're feeling happy today, aren't you, Sammy? Can you give me a good, for instance, why I shouldn't with you around? I wouldn't even try. Now, look, Sammy, be sure and have a good dinner. Yeah, sure. You work a long shift, and I want you to eat well. All right. And be sure to wear your heavy jacket. You can't tell about these spring nights, and I don't want you catching cold. Okay, honey, okay. You know, I thought we only had three kids, but as far as you're concerned, I guess I'm the fourth. Goodbye, there. Goodbye, Sammy. Take care of yourself. Don't worry. Oh, kiss the kids for me, huh? And, uh, Mrs. Paris, you know something? Better save a couple for me when I get home. Oh, Sammy. Salah, honey. The time is approximately 10.45 p.m. Saturday, April 3, 1948. Cab number 702 of the Independent Taxicab Operators Association, speeding along Quiet Residential Norfolk Avenue in the Roxbury District of Boston, Massachusetts. Suddenly, it swerves toward the curb, smashes into the rear of a parked car and comes to a stop on the sidewalk. At the same moment, in the home of Fred Lutfe, 177 Norfolk Avenue in Roxbury, a game of whist is in progress. The players are Mr. Lutfe, his wife, Jean, his mother, and his sister, Mrs. Barbara Darian of 12 Rutland Street, South End, who is visiting him. Now you should have known better than that. Oh, well, I always say this game is more luck than skill, Barbara. Oh, now, Fred. Oh, he's only jealous, Jean. Maybe someday he... Hey. Now, what was that? Oh, sounds like a couple of women drivers tangling bumpers somewhere. Hmm. Whose deal is it? Oh, mine, I guess. Though I don't mind telling you, young man, that I consider your remarks about women drivers as being highly... What, Barbara? My car is parked out in front. Do you think it's possible that... Maybe I better look out the window. Why, it is my car. It is? Your car, Barbara. Yes, that taxi cab must have hit it. Look, the cab's still on the sidewalk with its lights on. Yes. And the driver is somebody's running away down the street. How do you like that? A hit and run. Hey, look, let's get out there, huh? Now, be careful, Fred, don't get in any trouble. Oh, he's practically ruined the rear end of my car. Shoved it way down the street. Don't worry, Barbara. The cab company will take care of it. Oh. Hey, wait a minute. Yeah, it wasn't the driver who... Look at him, sleeping at the wheel. Must be drunk or something. Now, look, Mac, what was the idea of driving like a lunatic? Don't you know that she... What is it, Fred? What's the... This man, the driver, I think he's... Jenny! Jenny, you better call the police! It is approximately 10.50 p.m. Saturday, April 3rd, 1948. At the dispatcher's desk on the seventh floor of police headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts. Dispatcher, what kind of trouble, ma'am? A cab. What's the address, please? It's a... 177 North Pole. And your name? Miss B. All right, Mrs. Lofty. Thanks for your notifying us. We'll have some men right over there. The dispatcher takes a quick look at the lighted control board in front of him, notes the disposition of cars in the Roxbury district, and picks up his hand microphone set. Calling car 9-0. Calling car 9-0. 9-0. Taxi cab has jumped curb on Norfolk Avenue near Shirley Street. Investigate. 9-0. On our way. W-R-A-S. Within a minute or two, car 9-0 arrives at the scene of the crash. The police officers make a quick check of the driver who is still slumped over the wheel. Then they put in a call for an ambulance. While waiting for it to arrive, they talk with Mr. Lofty and Mrs. Darian. You didn't touch the driver. Did you see that when you first saw him? Yeah, that's right, obviously. Slumped over the wheel just like that. At first we thought he might be drunk or something, and then my wife called you. There's a tab of $1.60 on the meter. It's still running. Must have had a fare. Was anyone else in it, Cam? No. No, there wasn't anyone else in it. Wait a minute. I did see someone running down the street. It was just as I looked out the window. I saw him turn down Shirley Street. Could you identify him? Oh, no. No, I don't think so. What I could tell was that he seemed young. He had dark clothes on. No, I'm sure I could. Do you have the driver's name for the identification card? It's Paris. Samuel I. Paris. 54 Jones Avenue, Dorchester. Okay, be sure to give it to him, huh? All right, folks. Stand back, now, will you? Stand back, please. Let the ambulance. The ambulance rushes the cab driver to the Boston City Hospital, where he's examined immediately upon arrival. Then, probably cardiac failure, natural causes. Better remove him to the mark. The body of Samuel I. Paris is then removed to the southern mortuary, an annex of Boston City Hospital. His widow, Mrs. Rachel Paris, and his three children are informed of the tragedy. Then, some 12 hours later, the autopsy is required by law. Is performed by Dr. Richard Ford, associate medical examiner of Suffolk County. Too bad the law makes you waste your time, is way, Dr. Ford. Investigating the causes of death or life is never a waste of time. You'd better learn that before you complete your internship. I know how you feel about that, Dr. Ford. What's to be learned about causes of death and a routine autopsy, like this one, for instance? You never can tell. It's always possible to... There. It's always possible to uncover a murder. Murder? But... Dr. Ford? Yes, it's a small caliber bullet penetrated under the right ear and lodged beneath the left ear after piercing the brain. We'd better notify the superintendent of police. In just a moment, we'll continue with homicide file number HF12342 of the Boston, Massachusetts Police Department. The unsolved murder of Samuel I. Paris. If you love old-time radio, you'll want to visit our friends at ClassicRadioStore.com who provide all the shows for me to wear. At ClassicRadioStore.com, you'll find thousands of episodes available in pristine, digitally remastered sound. Every episode they offer at ClassicRadioStore.com has been transferred from the master recordings and digitally remastered for superior sound quality. That's why the episodes that you hear on Weird Darkness sound so clean. And the shows at ClassicRadioStore.com are all uncut, unedited and are delivered to you as they were originally broadcast, including the classic commercials. You can download great shows that'll chill you and thrill you, such as Suspense, The Whistler, Inner Sanctum, Lights Out, and more. There are mystery and crime shows like Sherlock Holmes, Philip Marlowe, Dragnet, and Sam Spade. They've got a great collection of old-time science fiction radio shows like X-1 or Dimension X. Plus, there is a ton of comedy and westerns there, too, if you want to relive the shows of yesteryear. All the shows are available to instantly digitally download, and the links never expire, so you can order them now and listen to them anytime you'd like. And because you're a listener of Weird Darkness, you can save 20% on any and all radio shows on the website by using the promo code Weird at checkout. Just visit ClassicRadioStore.com, select all the radio show packages you want, then at checkout, use the promo code Weird and save 20% on your whole purchase. That's ClassicRadioStore.com, promo code Weird at checkout. Do you have something around the house that needs fixing, or are you planning to take on a new employee? Contact your local state employment office and ask for a physically handicapped worker. Through your state rehabilitation agency and the Veterans Administration, men and women who have physical impairments have been trained in new and special skills. It's good business to hire physically handicapped workers. They'll do a good job for you. Now back to somebody knows and a true case history of an actual murder. Now, ladies and gentlemen, we'll continue with the rest of the factual information concerning file number HF12342 in the records of the Boston, Massachusetts police department. The unsolved murder of Samuel I. Paris. Remember, $5,000 will be paid for information leading to the arrest and conviction of his killer. With the disclosure that the death of Samuel I. Paris was caused by the firing of a bullet into his head, Superintendent of Police Edward W. Fallon orders an immediate all-out effort to apprehend his killer. A tale of patrolmen makes a house-to-house canvas of the Norfolk Avenue, Shirley Street area, questioning residents seeking clues to the slayer. Thomas Del Tolfo of 164 Norfolk Avenue tells them... When I heard the crash, I looked out of my window. Saw a man get out of the rear of the cab. Only was one a sweater or maybe a short coat. I think he had a gray soft hat. He looked young to me. I thought at first the cabbie had a blow-out and the fare was even. Bus driver James Spillane of 22 Bigson Street, Dorchester tells the police... It was about 10 to 11 Saturday night. That was April 3rd. And I pick up this passenger at Shirley Street, Massachusetts Avenue. I remember him pretty clear. He's about 19 years old. He's maybe 5'4", he's got blonde hair and he was built kind of thin. He was wearing a gabardine coat. No hat. He got off at the Northampton Elevator Station. It was about 11.05. Police ballastician Edward J. Culkin reports... The bullet that killed Paris was 22 caliber from a short shell, fired from a target pistol or an old or foreign gun. The murder weapon will be easily identifiable once we have it in our possession. Out of the welter of reports finding their way to Superintendent Fallon's desk, a number of pertinent facts come to light. Facts that enable the police to reconstruct the last hour and 45 minutes of Samuel Parris' life. This is their reconstruction of the crime. Please listen carefully. It is 9 p.m. Saturday, August 3rd, 1948. Cab 702 with driver Samuel Parris at the wheel is parked at the stand on Tremont Street in front of the Parker House. A man and a woman enter the cab and give him an address. Okay, sir. Somewhere in the vicinity of North Station his two passengers leave the cab and Samuel Parris heads back in a southwesternly direction. Then at approximately 10 o'clock he parks at the cab stand at Washington and Neeland streets and almost immediately picks up a sailor and a girl as passengers and drives them downtown. Then at 10.15 p.m. he's returning from this trip when he stops for a signal light on Tremont Street at park. Another cab driven by Harry Pitchell of 53 Ellington Street, Dorchester, pulls up along side. Hi, Sammy. Hey, Harry. How goes it? Same as usual. What about you? It could be better. It could be worse. I ain't kicking. Sammy Parris, alright. Don't you ever kick? What's the kick? Got my health. I'm working. They still need cabs and busts and I'm happy. Okay, pal. Won't argue. Yeah, sure thing, Harry. As the lights change, Samuel Parris drives back toward the cab stand at Washington and Neeland streets. He's approximately 10.20 p.m. as he pulls in and stops. Then at about 10.25 p.m. the door of his cab opens and a man gets in. Yeah, sure thing, mister. Samuel Parris drives south on Neeland to Albany Street. Then turns west in the direction of Roxbury. When he finally reaches Hampton Street, he turns again and down onto Norfolk Avenue. Somewhere along the way, he suddenly feels the cold muzzle of a gun pressing against his neck below his right ear. Alright, Hackey. That's a gun, you feel. What is this, Mac? A sticker? What else? Look, I got no dough on me. You should have better sense than to picking a Hackey without... Shut up. What I'm telling you, I got... Shut up. Okay, Mac. Okay. What am I supposed to do now? Just keep driving. I'll tell you what. Just keep driving. Okay, you're the boss. Samuel Parris keeps driving down Norfolk Avenue. He's calm, alert. He slips his wristwatch far up his left sleeve, hoping it might go unnoticed. He tries to figure some way out. Then an idea comes to him. Hey, what do you think you're doing? Maybe I'm in a hurry to get this over with. Slow down. Slow down, you hear I'll blow your lousy brains out. Now slow down! Okay, Mac. Okay! Damn! What are you doing, you white guy? There's now the day following the murder of Samuel I. Parris. A car is speeding down a highway in Dedham, near the Westwood town line. Four youths are inside. The driver is weaving recklessly in and out of traffic. A dozen times, accidents are only narrowly averted. Finally, a pursuing police car forces him over to the curb. All right, step out. Keep your hands up. Come on. Get a move on. All of you, out! Better frisk him. Between hit and run in a stolen car, anything's lovable to show up. Stand still, you. Just keep those hands up. Hey, something did show up. This. Yeah, looks like 22 caliber. It is. Isn't that the caliber that got the cabbie over in Roxbury last night? Yeah. And that's where this car was reported stolen. Got to hunch the boys at Roxbury are going to be pretty happy to see these four punks. The four youths are turned over to the police at the Roxbury division. They're questioned thoroughly. The 22 caliber pistol found on one of them is given to ballistics for checking. And then sometime later, the police issue a statement. Ballistics reports that the 22 caliber pistol is not the one used in the Paris murder. Our questioning has convinced us that these four youths have no connection with that case. The investigation into the murder of Samuel Parris continues unabated as the entire city of Boston is aroused. Voices of anger and protest are raised in the city council and veterans organizations. The cab drivers of Boston have their own way of showing their feelings about this case. Thanks for the tip, Mr. It's going to the widow and kids of Sammy Parris. The search for the slim blonde youth seen boarding the bus at Massachusetts and Shirley goes on unrelentingly. In his identification now seems to lie the one possible hope for the solution of the killing. It is now April 7th, 1948 in police station nine in Roxbury the desk sergeant is checking reports from several patrolmen out in the field when the door opens. Then steps approach the desk and halt. I'd like to talk to someone please. Sure. What's the... Standing before the desk is a young man about 19 years of age. He's about five foot eight. Thin. He has blonde hair. I... I'm the man who got on that bus at Massachusetts and Shirley I understand you're looking for me. The man is interviewed question thoroughly. His statements checked and rechecked. The result... We are satisfied that this man has no connection with the death of Samuel Parris. Then five months later what seems to be the first major break in the case suddenly occurs. It's 2 a.m. on the morning of September 12th, 1948 a cab driven by Joseph Murad of 29 Upton Street, South End is driving through Andrews Square. Hey cab! Taxi! Hey taxi! C and 6th Street, South Boston. Then as the cab approaches the destination Murad suddenly feels something cold and hard pressed against his neck. Okay cabby this is a stick up. The man orders Murad to throw his money on the floor and the driver does so. Then he's ordered to stop the cab. He's forced out and the man drives the cab away. 20 minutes later, cab driver Isidore Klein of 122 Howland Street in Roxbury picks up a man on Washington Street near Bennett. The same procedure is followed as with Joseph Murad. Klein is forced to throw his money on the floor. He's ordered out of his cab and the man drives off in it. Meanwhile a special service squad containing Sergeant Thomas O'Keefe, Detective Frank Mulvey and John Preston has been alerted to the Murad hold up. They're cruising on Dorchester Avenue near Columbia when... Look there's a cab being hailed up ahead there. Yeah I see it. Man getting in along. Think of better talk to him. Alright mister you better get out and keep your hands up. I think they want to talk to you at headquarters. The suspect is identified at police headquarters by drivers Murad and Klein. He's questioned exhaustively by special officers Leo Devlin and Arthur O'Shea who've been working on the Paris case. Then this statement is issued. We are satisfied that this man has no connection with the death of Samuel Paris. It is now September 20th, 1948. Judge Samuel Eisenstadt of the Roxbury Court makes a report on the inquest into the death of Samuel I. Paris. An inquest that's been held open since April 3rd. The deceased was a man of excellent reputation. Good father and a good husband who had no known enemies. There was no motive for anyone to wish to take his life unless the motive for robbery. I advocate that the case be held open in the event that the assailant should be apprehended. Despite the fact that this court is unable to recommend prosecution or the issuance of complaints against this unknown person. Unknown person? No. The killer of Samuel I. Paris is not unknown. Somewhere in whatever town or city this man is hiding someone, if you have seen him today has spoken to him, eaten lunch and dinner with him. Knows the location of the gun that he fired on that night two and a half years ago. No, the cold blooded brutal killer who took the life of Samuel I. Paris is not unknown. Somebody knows. Now listen carefully please. Listen all of you, wherever you may be. We're going to give you a recapitulation of pertinent facts in the unsolved murder of Samuel I. Paris. Better make a note of them. And remember, by following the instructions we shall give you in a moment, you may be the one to earn a $5,000 reward. Now here are the actual facts in the case. Samuel I. Paris, 39 years of age, a cab driver, was shot to death in his cab in the vicinity of 177 Norfolk Avenue in the Roxbury district of Boston, Massachusetts. The time approximately 10.45 p.m. Saturday, April 3, 1948. The murder weapon was .22 caliber. It is believed to be either a target pistol or an old or foreign gun. A young man's light build wearing either a sweater or a short coat and a soft gray hat was witnessed running from the scene of the crime. This man is definitely wanted by the police as a suspect in the murder of Samuel I. Paris. Ladies and gentlemen, if any of you possesses information that may have a bearing on the unsolved murder of Samuel I. Paris, and please don't send guesses or hunches but only actual, authentic information, follow these instructions so that your name and identity need never be made known unless you wish. Now listen carefully. Write your information on a plain sheet of paper. Do not sign your name. Instead, sign it with six numbers. Any arrangement of any six numbers. And then tear off a blank corner of that paper with a ragged edge. Write the same six numbers on that corner and keep it. Mail the rest of the paper with the information to somebody knows Hollywood, California. You need tell no one what you've done. Mail your letter to somebody knows Hollywood, California. And if the information you've supplied leads to the arrest and conviction of the killer of Samuel I. Paris, will announce your signature number on this program. Then if you don't want your name to be known, go to your lawyer or doctor, your priest, minister, or rabbi, and have him present the torn corner of the paper to any CBS station. In this way, you do not need to appear in person. If the torn corner matches the original paper containing the information, the $5,000 reward will be yours. Remember, you, wherever you are, you whose name need never be known, may win a reward of $5,000. Next week at the same time, we'll present another true case history of unsolved murder. It's homicide file number 3867 from the records of the Detroit Michigan Police Department. The unsolved murder of Mrs. Jean Long. You out there, you who have murdered in cold blood and think you've gotten away with it. Listen, you cannot escape. There is no perfect crime. Remember, you are not unknown. Somebody knows. Tonight's case was written by Sidney Marshall from information in the files of the Boston, Massachusetts Police Department. Research was by Maurice Zim. Music was composed and played by Milton Charles. Somebody knows is a James L. Safier production in association with CBS by arrangement with the Chicago Sun Times and is based on a copyright owned by W. L. Finstead. It was narrated and directed by Jack Johnstone. In order to be eligible for the reward, letters containing actual authentic information leading to the arrest and conviction of the killer or killers of Samuel I. Parris must be addressed to somebody knows Hollywood, California and must be postmarked not later than midnight, August 30, 1950. Arrest of the guilty person or persons must occur within 90 days of that date and conviction must be within one year of tonight's broadcast. If more than one person gives the information leading to conviction, our judges will divide the $5,000 reward among them in proportion to the importance the judges attached to the facts imply and in this, the decision of our judges will be final. Until next Thursday at the same time, this is Don Baker saying good night. And remember, somebody knows. When Casey, CBS crime photographer, goes on the trail of a Wagnerian theme in The Love Death Tonight, you're invited to listen in. In fact, stay tuned for it right now. For Casey, crime photographer follows immediately on most of these same CBS stations. This is CBS where you find Arthur Godfrey's daytime program every Monday through Friday on the Columbia Broadcasting System. Thanks for listening to this week's Retro Radio episode of Weird Darkness. If you like the show, please share it with someone you know who loves old time radio and leave a rating and review in the podcast app you listen from to help spread the word about Weird Darkness and Retro Radio Sunday. And a huge thanks to our friends at ClassicRadioStore.com for generously providing the old time radio shows that you hear on Weird Darkness Retro Radio Sunday. Remember, you can save 20% on all of the ClassicRadioStore.com shows by using the promo code Weird at checkout. The rest of the week, I narrate new stories of the paranormal or strange stories, true crime, monsters and mysteries. So be sure to subscribe to the podcast if you haven't already done so. I upload episodes 7 days a week. You can email me anytime and find all of my social media links at WeirdDarkness.com. Also on the website, you can listen to free audiobooks that I've narrated. Shop the Weird Darkness store. Sign up for the newsletter to win monthly prizes and more. Weird Darkness is a production and trademark of Marlar House Productions. Copyright Weird Darkness. I'm Darren Marlar. Thanks for joining me in the Weird Darkness.