 It's Hopalong Cassidy! With action and suspense, out of the Old West comes the most famous hero of them all, Hopalong Cassidy, starring William Boyd. The ring of the Silver Spurs heralds the most amazing man ever to ride the prairies of the early West, Hopalong Cassidy. This famous hero thrills his 60 million fans with action and dangerous adventures. In the role of Hopalong Cassidy is the popular star of the motion picture series William Boyd and appearing as that laughable old character, California, is Andy Clyde. Now to our story, the voice of the dead. California Carlson doesn't often get letters, particularly since he withdrew his application from the matrimonial bureau. So the legal-looking envelope that came to the bar 20 address to him was something to get excited about, even before he looked at its exciting contents. Dear Mr. Carlson, I regret to inform you that your cousin, Mr. Thomas Baxter, has passed on. Your presence is required at the Boxo Ranch in the above county, two weeks from date for the reading of the will. The other beneficiaries have been notified. I'm looking forward to serving you in any way possible. Very truly yours, David J. Potter, attorney-of-law, executor. But the two weeks seemed more like two years to California until the night finally arrived when he and Hoppy rode up to the gate of the Boxo. Hoppy wasn't quite as enthusiastic. I just made a weighty decision, California. Yeah, work harder. I must love you like a brother. I don't believe there's another man in the county I'd be out with riding around the middle of the night in this kind of weather. Well, here's the gate. What's that sign read? Hmm, Boxo Ranch visitors, welcome. Tom Baxter, owner. Good old Tom, real hospitable fellow right here. Like to folk-dropped in and friendly like. Hold it. Someone's shooting at us from the ridge up there. Get down. I'm down already, flatten my face. There he is. He's going back over the ridge. He's not arranged for a six-gun? Let me get my winter, sir. No use now. He's gone. Well, I'll be. Yes, so will I. Visitors welcome, huh? Good old cousin Tom. Yeah, you know, Hoppy, maybe you're right about that wheel. The old bar 20 looks better all the time. Why don't we? No. What use I got for money? Oh, come on. Let's moji back home and forget it, huh? Five minutes ago I'd taken you up on a California. But right now you couldn't keep me away from the box over that team of wild horses. Now back to hop along Cassidy and the voice of the dead. It's almost an hour since the mysterious rider fired on Hoppy in California at the gate of the Boxo Ranch. As they mount the rickety steps to the old ranch house, California is more willing than ever to forget his share of the Baxter fortune and go back to the bar 20. Well, listen to that thunder, corn, sharnet, Hoppy, we got no business here. I don't like this place. You better learn to like it, California. For all you know, you might own it. Well, I'll sell it right now for ten cents, and if you try hard, you could work me down to a nickel. Good evening, ma'am. What do you want? How do you do, ma'am? I'm sorry, we don't take in strangers. You got caught out in the storm. It's no fault of mine. No, wait a minute. I'm California Carson. I'm supposed to be here. What about your friend here? I'm Hoppe along Cassidy, ma'am. We'd appreciate it if you could... That will be up to Mr. Potter to decide. This is a ranch house, not a hotel. Well, don't stand there. Come in. Yes, ma'am. It's a sin. That's what it is. Poor Mr. Tom. Hardly cold in his grave, and everybody flocking around to see what they can get. Like a pack of coyotes. Coyotes? No way, don't mean it. Take it easy, California. Where do you want us to put our things, Mrs. Hackett. Miss Matilda Hackett. Your room's at the head of the stairway. You can take your horses out there to the barn. Mr. Potter's in the study. You better see him first. I wash my hands. Boxhole ranch. Visitors welcome. Nice, friendly reception we got, California. First time I've been called a coyote by an old buzzard like that. Come on, we better talk to Mr. Potter, and keep your hand close to your hip. He might be even more hospitable than Miss Hackett. Wait a minute, what's that? Must be Mr. Potter. Sounds like it. Quiet. I want it now. I'm simply trying to be reasonable. I'm through. I'm proving reasonable. I need that money, and there's no reason why I can't get in advance. My father let me a share of his estate, and I want it now. Why can't you wait until the will is read? That's none of your business, Potter. I think I know why, Ralph. You've been gambling in town. All right. So I have. And I've got to pay Ogdenoff tonight. Well, you can't pay him off. That's all there is to it. All right. Call me when cousin Phineas gets here. I don't want to be late for that reading. Well, I'm a cousin in California, Carson. This year's hop-long cash. How do you do? Hello. I'm afraid I must apologize for Ralph, gentlemen. He's not like his father. I'm David Potter. How do you do? We just got in, Mr. Potter. I wonder if you've got an extra place for me. Of course. There's a double bed in the room upstairs. You're perfectly welcome to it. Thanks. According to Mr. Baxter's instructions, the world's to be read tonight. We'll proceed with the reading when all the beneficiaries are here. When you reckon that'll be, Mr. Potter? Well, they've all arrived except cousin Phineas fifths. He ought to be here any minute. Then we'll get together in the library. Good. Shall we take our stuff upstairs, California? You go ahead, Hoppy. I reckon I'll go out for the barn and look after the horses. At a time like this, I'll just feel like I ought to be in the good side of my horse. There you are, boy. Feel a mite better without the heavy pack, huh? Now, hang the pack saddle up and... You can't do that. Uh-uh. Who are you? Josh Colder. Uh, oh. I can't do what? What you doing? Can't hang no tack on the walls? And if you've got the sense of a barn-born doggie, you'll heister saddle back onto your horse and git. Both you and that gun-toting cowboy you rode up with. Yes, ma'am. Yes, Miss Ruth? I think Miss Hattet needs you at the house. Yes, Miss Ruth. Uh, remember what I said. Hop. Hop? Why, uh... Don't mind Joshua, Mr. Carlson. He's been acting that way ever since my father died. Well, maybe so. Uh, you would be Ruth Baxter then, huh? I might be glad to know you, ma'am. I'm afraid I'll have to apologize for all of us. There's something very strange going on here, Mr. Carlson. Oh, I don't know, Miss Ruth. I don't notice nothing out of the ordinary. That is, nothing except a rider that tries to kill us at the ranch gate. A housekeeper who just about fights our heads off at the front door. Your brother Ralph spitting in our faces up in the house and now this old horn told the family... I know. I'm glad you and Mr. Cafferty are here. I think we're going to need you. California. Yeah, Hoppy. Doesn't finish the ride. We're meeting in the library for the reading of the will in five minutes. All right, everyone. All right. Now that we're here, I'll read the will. All right, I'm glad to hear that. It's very simple, right to the point. I, Thomas Baxter, being of sound mind and not acting under duress, you hereby declare this to be my last will and testament. My property and all my holding shall be equally divided between my daughter Ruth Baxter, my son Ralph Baxter, California Carlson, Matilda Hackett, Joshua Coulter, and Phineas Fett. Will the proviso that should any of these people die, his or her share shall be divided among the remaining legacies? What? Why? Why that's other insanity, Mr. Potter? What's wrong with it, cousin Phineas? Why it's not like cousin Thomas at all. Why it's an instrument of the devil, a temptation to work. I think I know what you mean, cousin Phineas. I'm afraid I don't, Mr. Cassidy. Well, as it stands now, six people divide the estate equally. If one dies, the rest get his share. It might be a temptation for someone to whittle down the number of beneficiaries. That's just what I mean. Oh, I know it sounds pretty brutal, but we might as well face the fact. Uh, Mr. Potter, uh, seeing as we all live a spell longer, what do we get? Not much, I'm afraid. The land's practically worthless, and there's a big bank loan to be paid off. However, I could manage to raise something for the beneficiaries if they'd all agree to sell. All right, let's find out what they'll do. Good idea. Please answer as I call your name. Well, I, for one, feel the decision. Now, Matilda Hackett. Right. Yes. If you think it's best, Mr. Potter. Ralph Baxter. There's nothing else to do. I'll sell. Ruth Baxter. I won't sell. Any particular reason? That's all right, all right. It's up to you, my dear. Uh, Joshua Colford. Speak up, Josh. I'll sell. California Carlson. Well, Mr. Potter, I give this a lot of thought. Tonight, I won't sell. I said, uh, uh, that's right. Yeah. No change in selling. Oh, no change at all. Well, that makes three, four selling, and two against. Looks like it's up to you, cousin Phineas. Oh, close that window. Look out for that lamp that's going over. There goes the lamp. All right, let it go. Take it easy. Easy. Oh, honey. Sounds like a shot. Hurry up with that lamp. Hurry, hurry. There we are. Hold the lamp steady now. There. I'm sure I heard a shot. I was probably a shutter banging. Let's get on with the boat. Very well. Cousin Phineas is up to you. Cousin Phineas. What's wrong, Mr. Potter? Phineas. He's, he's dead. Then there was a shot. It came through the window. Let's go out and take a look. Come on, everyone. Root. Look out. I told you, Hoppy, we should have turned back at the gate there. Take it easy. You aren't dead yet. Nothing out here. Of course there isn't. You expect the killer to hang around and wait for us? It came through the window here. I'm, I'm sure of it. All right. Now I'm not sure of anything. What do you mean? Now let's see. It could have come through the window. Phineas was sitting right in that chair there. And, wait a minute. What's wrong, Hoppy? Take a look through the window here, Mr. Potter. Huh? What's the matter, Mr. Cassidy? In there by the table. Good Lord, the body. Phineas, his body's gone. Now back to Hop along Cassidy and the voice of the dead. There is tension and fear in the Boxo Ranch House now as the five remaining heirs to the estate of Tom Baxter retire for the night. California is less willing than ever to claim his share of the estate now as he and Hoppy talk to Ruth Baxter in their room. So you think there was something strange about your father's death, Mr. Ruth? I know there was, Mr. Cassidy. I think my father was murdered. Murdered? But he died right there in that bed. Because someone poisoned him slowly over a long period of time. I think he knew it too toward the end. But why would anyone kill him? They wanted the ranch. Yeah, according to Mr. Potter, it's practically worthless. Well, that's what Mr. Potter says. I don't believe it. I tried to get an accounting of income and expenses but Mr. Potter says there isn't any such thing. My father was a businessman, Mr. Cassidy. He wouldn't run his ranch without a set of books. Hmm. But your father never said anything? Oh, no. He couldn't talk near the end. Just laying his bed here reading that book of Channing's essays on the tableware. You see, he was partly paralyzed. It affected his speech. Poisoned, huh? I wonder if... It's that Matilda Hackett Critter, Hoppy. She's the cook, ain't she? And poisoning folks is probably a hobby. I think it goes farther than that, California. You say this is the book your father always read, Mr. Ruth? Yeah. Channing was a favorite of his. Looks pretty well thumbed over, especially this section here. Hmm. Look at that. What is it, Hoppy? It's like Mr. Baxter underline a passage here. All wavery as if you'd hardly hold a pencil. That's strange. What does it say? Thank heaven for books. They are the voices of the distant and the dead. Books. The voices of the dead? I wonder if he was trying to tell us something. Hoppy. Someone was listening to that door there. No one there now. I guess whoever was listening found out what he wanted to know. California. Wake up. Hoppy, what in their nation are... Shh, listen. What's there? Something moving behind the walls. Mice, maybe? Well, if it's mice, they sure have big feet. Get your britches on. Ain't never hit them off. Not in this house. Light the lamp. Yeah, coming up. Concerned it went out. Shucks went out again. What's the matter? I keep scratching matches and they keep blowing out. There's a powerful draft coming from somewhere. Well, that's funny. The window's shut, so is the door. Try another one. You see what I mean? Yeah, the draft's coming right straight out of the wall. From under this picture of old Tom Baxter here. Now what you up to? It is hollow. There's a passageway behind this wall here. And I'll bet this panel under the picture is the door. Well, door gone. What did old Tom Baxter be doing with a contraption like that? The box always built during the Indian trouble. Probably protection for the women folk. There ought to be a catch here somewhere. What's that? Sounds like someone's down the library. Take a look out the window here. There's a light down there. Yeah, from the library. I wonder what it is. I'm too curious. Come on, we can climb down the fellish here onto the porch. I'd like to take a peek through that library window. Easy now. Can you see? Not yet. Take a look. Well, I'll be... It's Ralph. Yeah. What's he doing at the day? He's looking over a set of books. Miss Ruth was right. The old man did keep records on the ranch here. Look, he's walking over to the fireplace. He's gonna burn him. Hold it. You ain't gonna let him. Wait, I said. Yeah, that's what I thought. He's putting them away. Those stones under the hearth are loose. The old man kept these books hidden underneath. What you gonna do, hobby? Wait here till he's gone. Then I have a look at those ledgers. Well, Mr. Potter. Oh, brother, late, aren't you, Ralph? I might say the same of you. And I hate to be overly curious, Potter, but I'd like to know what you're doing in my room. I want to talk to you. Oh? Yes, I have certain suspicions about what's going on here, and I think it's fair that I face them out with you before I take them elsewhere. Go on, Potter. I'm interested. Where did you go just now? To the library. Why? I couldn't sleep. I thought some reading would relax me. Any more questions? You better ask them now, because when you're finished, I've got a few myself. One more question. Why did you kill Cousin Phineas? Oh, that's very strange. That's the first question I was going to ask you. Drop it, Ralph. I think I know why you went down to the library. Go on. Phineas was shot from inside the room. I found this on the floor. A revolver cartridge case. It was under your chair. Well, you're changing your tactics a little, aren't you? Now it's a frame. You're trying to hang that killing on me. Well, you won't get very far, I'm afraid. I told you I'm trying to be fair with you, Ralph. There's an old saying, Potter. Thank heaven for books. They are the voices of the distant and the dead. Mean anything to you? Where did you hear that? Oh, yeah. Just happened to overhear it tonight, and it gave me an idea. I looked up my father's ranch accounts down in the library. Accounts? How did... Never mind how I found them. And they told me a lot. Number one, there are 1,500 head of cattle missing. Run off somewhere waiting for the beneficiaries to sell out. Number two, there's oil on the property. Five Eastern outfits are angling to buy it right now. And number three, you're the crook who killed my father and who's trying to hoodwink us into selling. That's a pretty serious charge, Ralph. I'm glad you're laying it on the line because the one thing I want to do is get you up in court to repeat it. Don't worry, I will. You know there's another old saying, Ralph. The best defense is a first-class attack. You've heard that one too, haven't you? Get out of my room. I advise you to be around in the morning when the sheriff gets here. Good night, Ralph. Going someplace with the father? Oh, Cassidy. Hey, put traffic around this house for a scene in the morning. I've been talking to Ralph. I'm very tired. Do you mind if I... I'll only be a minute. What about Ralph? I knew he was a disgrace to his father, Cassidy, but until now I couldn't believe he was a murderer. Are you sure? Absolutely. I'd rather not say any more until the sheriff gets here in the morning, so if you don't mind... What was that? It came from Ralph's room. The door's locked. Stand back. Well, Potter, do you still think Ralph's a murderer? Good Lord, he's dead. Yeah, shot while he was sitting in this chair here. But the room was locked. Doors and windows, both. How could anyone get in here? I've got a pretty good idea of how, California. Come on out in the hall. Stay right there, Potter. I'll do no such thing. Did you hear what I said? Well, all right, Cassidy, if you think so. What is it, Poppy? That secret passageway runs right through the wall opposite the chair. Stay flat against it, and you'll be safe. Now, listen. I want you to put Potter in the other chair. Keep him there, you understand? Then start asking him questions. You know what to say. Yeah, but what are you gonna... Wait a minute. Oh, Miss Ruth. Mr. Cassidy, I heard the shot. It's your brother. Ralph? What's happened? I have no time to explain now. I need your help. Do what I told you, California, and you better keep your gun handy. I don't think Potter will like sitting in that chair after you start asking those questions. See here, Carlson, I refuse... Easy now, Mr. Potter. Just lean back in your chair there and relax. Will you put down that gun? Nope. Now let's get back to the story, Mr. Potter. Poppy and I have seen in the books that someone struck oil up in Boulder Canyon and ranched property. Right? Right. Then someone figures how handy it would be if old Tom Baxter was to up and die. Right? Will you shut up? Nope. So someone sees with it that old Tom dies of a mysterious stomach ailment, runs off his stock, and tries to bluff the airs into selling out. Please, Carlson, not here, I tell you. Nope. Not unless you want to tell me who your partner is, Mr. Potter. I can't talk here. Where's Cassidy? Are you busy right now? Checking on something else. Shall we start back at the beginning again, Mr. Potter? I'm sure the door to the passageway is here under the picture. You say you can't remember? I don't know anything about it, Mr. Cassidy. Well, it beats me how you could grow up in this house and not know about it. We weren't allowed in here as children. Why? Father had a strange feeling about that picture. We were never allowed to touch it. Wait. That's it, the picture. What do you mean? Let's see now. Spring is obviously underneath. I can't move it. Look. There she goes. A sliding panel. Why, I never would have been here. Shh. Think he's in there? Yeah. Trying to decide whether or not to kill Potter before California makes him talk. Maybe you better stay here. Not on your life. I'm going with you. Now back to Hop along Cassidy and the voice of the dead. The answer to the mysterious murders at the box-hole ranch house isn't far off now as California holds David Potter at gunpoint in the room where Ralph Baxter was killed. Knowing that behind the wall it is back, the killer is ready to fire if Potter starts to talk. Meanwhile, Hoppy and Ruth work their way down the secret passageway toward the murderer's hiding place. Hold it. Can you see anything? Listen. I'm getting tired of waiting, Potter. When you reckon you're gonna come, will you pop away? Will you be reasonable, Potter? No. It's right around this corner. Stay right here. All right. Good luck, Hoppy. Thanks. I didn't know reason would move. You conniving with someone to grab off this ranch. You wasn't exactly reasonable about who opened his picture Ralph Baxter there, was it? Please, Potter, can you tell me about that? And maybe he don't, I will. I've seen him in the morning and sometimes I don't think since when I miss my sleep. Now you're gonna talk or no? All right. All right. I'll talk, Carlton. Put down that gun. I said put it down. That's all right, Miss Ruth. Hoppy, you all right? Yeah. Take Potter back to our room and tell him his partner just retired from business. Hoppy. There you are, mister. Turn him over, California. Right, Hoppy. There you go. Cousin Phineas. Shuffer and snakes. Oh, I thought you... Yeah, so did I. I was quite an act you pulled down the library, Potter. It was his idea. He wanted to play it safe. So you fired into the floor and hustled us all out on the porch while the body disappeared, huh? That's right. Oh, please, Cassidy, I can't talk now. I don't blame you. Better save your breath for the story you're gonna tell the sheriff when he gets here. Ruth. Yes. Better get everybody in here. Better get everybody in here. I want to tell him that I can rest easy now. I think we've lost our last beneficiary. Uh, excuse me, Hoppy. Huh? He just lost one more. Me. Oh, wait a minute, California. You know you're entitled... Nope, not me. I learned a good lesson here at the Box Hole, Hoppy. It's better to be a live cow poke than a dead millionaire. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. It was really turn about California leading Hoppy into trouble. Now he can't do so much complaining that next time Hoppy stumbles on to some happening that needs close watching and a ready gun. These partners will be riding out again soon into a threatening episode with an ambushed stagecoach. Up along Cassidy, starring William Boyd is transcribed and produced in the west by Walter White Jr. The voice of the dead was adapted for radio by Harold Swanton. All stories are based upon the characters created by Clarence E. Mulford. This is a Commodore production.