 Lipton tea and Lipton soups present Inner Sanctum Mysteries. Good evening, friends of the Inner Sanctum. This is your host, opening the squeaking door for another session of the AGGMS. The Association of Ghouls, Ghosts and Midnight Spirits. Oh, may I see your membership card as you enter please? Oh, dear. Oh, no, no. It's not a printed card. All you have to do is show me your wrist. If there's any blood pulsing in your arteries, then you don't belong here tonight. Better come back and try some other time, after you've passed your mortuary test. Well, Mr. Host, I'm afraid I don't qualify as a member of your AGGMS, the Association of Ghouls or whatever it is. But I am a charter member of the ILLB Society. The ILLB? What's that, Mary? It's a new one on me. Why, those initials stand for I like Lipton's best. To join this club, all you have to do is see that the tea in your teapot is always Lipton's. The club password isn't a word at all. It's that familiar sound of appreciation. For really, Lipton's tea is delicious, as zestful and spirited as can be. And the reason? Very simple. It's Lipton's brisk flavor. Brisk, you know, is the tea expert's own word for the lively, full-bodied flavor of Lipton's tea. That brisk flavor has made a lot of friends for more folks buy and enjoy Lipton's than any other tea in the world. So try a cup of Lipton's tea yourself. I know you'll say, as so many others do, I like Lipton's best. And now for tonight's inner sanctum mystery. It's an original radio play by Emil Tepperman called Make Ready My Grave. And stars two radio favorites, John Banks and Richard Widmer. It's about a boy and a girl who'd just been married. A piece of colored string, an open grave and a hangman's nose. That train is a southeast limited. See it? Long, sleek and powerful. Clicking off the miles and the humming raves. A masterpiece of 20th century mechanical perfection. Nothing about it to suggest lurking hate or fear or superstition or death. But let's take a look into compartment A, car 17. John and Betty Loomis, just married, are going for their honeymoon to John's ancestral estate. John, I'm so happy. How soon do we get to Loomisville? In about an hour, Betty. Just think, I'm married into one of the oldest families in the state. I hope you'll be very happy, darling. Oh, I will, I will. You do love me, don't you, John? Of course I do, baby. I'll always love you. Always. No matter what happens. What do you mean, no matter what happens? What could happen? John, something's bothering you. No, no, it's nothing at all. You're hiding something. It's something you haven't told me. It's nothing, Betty. It's nothing to worry about. You don't want to tell me? No, not now. Maybe later. Why are you playing that piece of yellow string? What? You've been playing with it ever since we came onto the train. Hmm. Gosh, I never noticed. I watched you. You've been tying a knot in it. A knot? Good Lord. I must have tied it without knowing what I was doing. You've tied it into a noose. A hangman's noose. But I don't know how I came to make it or where I picked it up. Well, it's only a piece of string. Yes, it's only a piece of string. Betty. What is it, John? Take this. A gun? Take it. But why? If I should ever try to... If I should ever try to strangle you, please listen to me. If I should ever try to strangle you, promise me to use that gun on me. What are you talking about? This is where we get it. John, what's this all about? That piece of yellow string and now this gun? Put it away, Betty, and remember what I said. Don't ever forget it. Why is it so dark here? This is just a way station. The train only stopped here to let us off. Otherwise, it goes right through. Oh. I thought Loomisville was a big town. Well, it used to be a hundred years ago, but now there's only the Loomis estate. Are we far from the estate? About two miles. Old Herman Galt should be here to pick us up in the station wagon. Herman Galt? He's the handyman. There's been a Galt working for the Loomis family for the last hundred and fifty years. John, I don't like it here. Dark and that wind. The devil can Galt be. I wrote them what train we were taking. I'm right, Mr. John. Oh, Galt, you frightened my wife. I'm sorry, ma'am, if I scared you. Well, that's all right. It was just the way you spoke so suddenly out of the darkness. If you'll follow me, I've got the station wagon. John, he doesn't like me. Galt? No, that's just his way. He's very devoted to the family. When do you get to know him? I don't think I care too. John, he's driving too fast. It's so dark. Don't worry, Betty. Galt knows this road like the back of his hand. We'll be there in a few minutes. I'm frightened. Darling, please, tell me why you gave me the gun. No, I can't tell you now, Betty. Maybe after you meet Uncle Ephraim. John, what's that in your hand? What? Another piece of string. A red one this time. Well, I must have picked it up in here off the seat. You've knotted it into another hangman's noose. Galt. Yes, Mr. John? This piece of red string. Did you put it here? No, sir. Then how did it get here? You ought to know. Yes. Yes, I ought to know. Galt, why are you stopping here? We're home, ma'am. This is the entrance to the Loomis estate. I've got to get out and open the gate. I'll be right back. Betty, I've got to get out too. I've got to see for myself. You stay here, Betty. Stay right where you are. Wait a minute. I'm coming too. Get back in the car. You shouldn't go with him. Take care of her, Galt. I won't be long. Galt, where's he going? That is the Loomis family cemetery. Cemetery? What does he want to see in there in the middle of the night? You tell yourself, ma'am. No, I'm going to find out right now. Better not, ma'am. Better come back. John, wait for me. I'm going with you. I'm your wife now. I have a right to know what this is all about. I'm going with you. All right, that's the way you feel about it. But hold on to that gun I gave you. Keep it in your hand all the time. John, why? Why? You find out soon enough. This is the gate of the family cemetery. All the Loomis' and their wives are buried here. It's a shadowy... white tombstones look like ghosts. Oh, my hand, John. Just hold on to that gun. John, whose grave is this with the high tombstone? My great-grandfather's. Stuart Loomis. He founded the Loomis' estate. This is my grandfather's grave. His wife. This is my father. My mother. And... And that's all? That should be all. What do you mean? Come over here. This is what I came to see. This is what I've been afraid of. John, it's an open grave. Freshly dug. Yes, Betty. It was just dug tonight. But who is it for? Betty, darling, I... I'm afraid it's for you. What's poor Betty letting herself in for? With a fresh grave waiting for her on a honeymoon. And a husband who ties little strings into Hangman's nooses. But you know, come to think of it, Betty's a lucky girl at that. How many girls who get married nowadays can count on finding a nice snug place already for them to lie down in and rest... in peace? Gracious, Mr. Host. Betty doesn't seem like a lucky bride to me. Well, most brides have things much easier, because there's so many things today to help them make their marriages success. For example? For example, Lipton Tea. With Lipton Tea on the pantry shelf, a young bride today has a much better chance of making her home a happy one. Just the other day, I was talking to a friend who just got married. As we sat there in her kitchen, sipping our Lipton Tea, me occupying the only chair, she perched on the kitchen stool. She said, You know, Mary, it was silly of me to worry about being able to cook the things Jack liked. It's not nearly as difficult as I imagined. Take this Lipton Tea here. It answers the whole beverage problem as far as Jack is concerned. He's happy as long as he has Lipton's morning, noon, and night. Well, I told her I could understand that, because most husbands I know about are partial to Lipton Tea. And it's because of the extra satisfaction that's in Lipton's wonderful brisk flavor. Satisfaction, did I say? Mmm, you just try Lipton Tea and see if that isn't an understatement. Try Lipton's tomorrow. Now let's hurry back to our date in a graveyard. Remember? With poor Betty, whose husband has just told her he's afraid the freshly dug grave is for her. John, what do you mean? Who dug this grave for me? Who? If I told you, you'd think I was crazy. No, you've got to tell me. If I'm in danger, I have a right to know. Was it God, your uncle Everard? No, at least I don't think so. His wife, Christine. Betty, do you believe that a ghost could dig a grave? Do you mean I'm in danger from a ghost? Who told you you'd think I was crazy? John, why are you looking at me like that? I don't know. Betty, have you got that gun with you? No, I left it in the car. What would a gun be against a ghost? There's a station wagon still waiting at the gate, but I don't see Galt. Maybe he went up to the house. Galt, where are you? Hello there, John. What's up? Uncle Everard. What happened to Galt? He came up to the house. Said you'd gone into the cemetery. So I thought I'd better come down. Oh. Is...is it there? Yes, it's there. A freshly dug grave. Uncle Everard, this is my wife, Betty. Who are you, Betty? Hello. You saw the grave, too, Betty? Yes, and... John says he thinks it's for me. I'm afraid I don't understand all this. You haven't told her anything yet, John? Well, just a little. I couldn't bring myself to. I think it's time you did. Or tea, Betty? Thank you, Uncle Everard. I will have a little more. You, John? No thanks. Too bad Kristina's here. She's upstairs in our room. But I hope she'll be better by tomorrow. You can see her then. Maybe. What do you mean? That grave out there. Maybe it'll be filled tomorrow. John, don't you think it's time you kept your promise to tell me what this is all about? You tell her, Uncle Everard. Well, Betty, there's a ghost in the Loomis family. I'd say it in a nutshell. Oh, I see. And it was a ghost who dug that grave. I know it sounds mad. But after 150 years, we Loomis have come to the conviction that it can't be anything but a ghost. 150 years? You mean... John's great-grandfather, Stuart Loomis, settled this strip of sea coast under a pattern from the colonial governor. There's this picture over the fireplace. Wait. He doesn't look much like you, John. Stuart Loomis was a hard man. There was a French privateer in this wall who's made a lot of trouble in those days. Gaston Le Roux, who sailed the seas with his wife Antoinette. But what does a French pirate and his wife do with that grave? Stuart Loomis captured Le Roux and his wife and done that the authority conferred upon her by the governor had the power to hang them. You mean the woman, too? Yes. He hanged them both. On a jibbit where our family cemetery now stands. Oh, how terrible. Before he died, Gaston Le Roux laid a curse on the Loomis family. He swore that just as his wife was hanged, so would all the Loomis women die. He swore that he would come back and dig a grave for the wife of a Loomis in every generation and furnish the noose by which a Loomis would spangle his own wife. But that's incredible. Short while afterward, a fresh grave was found beside the jibbit where Le Roux had been hanged. That night, Stuart Loomis' wife, John's great-grandmother, was found hanging by the neck from the eaves of this very house. And Stuart Loomis? I told you Stuart Loomis was a hard man and had made many enemies. There were many who hated him deeply and bitterly. He was arrested and tried for the murder of his wife. Convicted and executed. Now you know the secret of the Loomis family. But John, that still doesn't prove as a ghost. No, that one incident doesn't prove it. But it happened again when the next Loomis married, John's grandfather, and to the next Loomis, John's father. Sometimes a year after he married, sometimes five years. But the curse never fails. It's happened in every generation. Yes. And now John Loomis has brought a new wife home. There's a freshly dug grave waiting in the family cemetery. Then I'm next. I don't know, Betty. Maybe that grave isn't for you. What? Maybe it's for Christine. My wife. This is all ridiculous. A ghost couldn't make a grave make John strangle me to death. Uncle Everard, you can't believe such a legend. It can't be true. Maybe not, my dear. But the graves of the strangled Loomis women are out there to prove it. This is your room, Betty. Good night, Uncle Everard. Good night, John. This is such a big room. It's so gloomy. The whole house is like that. It lies gloomy and sullen under the Loomis curse. Oh, Betty, I love you so much. We'll beat the curse together. Let me go, darling. I want to change my clothes and wash. There's the bathroom over there. I'll only be a minute. All right, darling. Oh, it's a lovely bathroom. Betty, what is it? John, quick. What? Look, hanging from the shower bar. What? A hangman snooze. It's a real one this time. A rope. Ready to hang someone. Who put it there? It's the Loomis curse. We can't get away from it. No ghost could have hung that rope there. Let's call Uncle Everard. Have you got the gun with you? No, it's in my handbag. Get it, I say. All right, John. Here. Here, I've got it. All right, now keep it with you all the time. Don't be afraid to use it on me if necessary. All right, let's get your uncle. This is his room. I wonder if I ought to wake him. It might upset Aunt Christine. We've got to wake him. Better knock harder. It wasn't locked. Call him. Uncle Everard. Uncle Everard, it doesn't answer. It has a light in the room. Push the door further open. All right. Well, there's nobody in the room. The bed's empty. Uncle Everard. Aunt Christine. Maybe in the bathroom. The door is open. Betty. She's hanging by the neck. It's the same kind of a noose as in our bathroom. Uncle Everard hangers. It's the Loomis curse catching up with us. Well, Gal, any trace of Uncle Everard? I searched the whole house basement to attic, not a sign of him. He must have gone out come along. But it's ringing. We've got to find him, Betty. Come on. So, Dark, I'll hear how we ever find you. I have a flashlight, ma'am. You look. What? Fresh footprints in the slush. They must be Uncle Everard's. They lead down toward the cemetery. Come along, Gal. Mr. John, you conceive for yourself the footprints lead right to this new grave. But why did he come here? There's the answer, Betty. A cross at the head of the empty grave. Throw your flashlight on it, Gal. There's something written on it. It says Christine Loomis. Betty, what is it? Look. Over there. Another grave. He's dug another one. There's a cross on this one. Does it say anything? Yes. Yes, it does. It says Betty Loomis. John, sit close to me. That portrait of Stuart Loomis over the fireplace looks so real. It frightens me. Everybody, whatever happens, hold on to that gun. And don't be afraid to use it tonight. Where is Gal? He ought to be here soon. He went to look for some weapons. Here I am. What, John? God, you always frighten me coming in so quietly. I'm sorry, ma'am. Here, Mr. John. These ought to be pretty good weapons. Size? Yes, I had them sharpened only the other day. They could slice a man's head off in one stroke. Take one, Mr. John. Thanks. But I'd hate to use it on Uncle Everard. If he shows up tonight, you'd better use it. Maybe he's come back into the house through the back way. I'll go through the house again if you'd like. This time I'll start with the attic. Be careful, Gal. I will, Mr. John. John, I don't like him. God? And I don't think he likes me either. It's not true. Barling, what's that? Must be Gal in the attic. Help, Mr. Gal! You must have met Uncle Everard hiding up there. Stay right here, Betty. And hold on to that gun. John, be careful. Don't worry, just stay careful. John, come back. I'm frightened. I'm afraid to be alone. Nothing to be afraid of. I have this gun. And if anybody comes... The lights. Lights went out. Who's there? Don't come any closer. I have a gun and I'll shoot. I can't see you, but I'll shoot at the sound. John, I'm here! Oh, my neck. Let go. I'll shoot. It's not loaded. I took the bullets out when you left it in the car. Galt? Yes, ma'am, it's Galt. Mr. John is busy up there in the attic with the body of Mr. Everard. I killed him, too. And when Mr. John comes downstairs, he'll find you. And I'll cut him down in the dark with my scythe. Why? Why? There were others besides the pirate LaRue who hated Stuart Loomis. He was my own great-grandfather. He was in the service of Stuart Loomis and he hated him. When LaRue laid the curse on the Loomis, his great-grandfather decided to make it come true. It was he who strangled the wife of Stuart Loomis and threw the ears of Galt's from father to son and handed down their hate. You... You're mad. Maybe. I'll tighten the loose. Where are you? Why is it dark in here? John, look out, it's all he has to find. And so will I. John! John! We've finished forever with the Loomis curse. Well, that was a pretty rough honeymoon for Betty. But you know, there's a lesson in her story for forgetful wives. Yes, if you keep tying little colored strings to your fingers to remind your things and you still can't remember them, why not try a rope neatly tied around your neck? It's sure to help you forget. Oh, dear Mr. Host, there you go telling our listeners how to forget things when I've got something for them to remember. Oh, I didn't realize that, Mary. What is it you want them to remember? It's Lipton tea, folks. And you don't need any string tied on your finger or any such reminder. To make sure you get it when you visit your grocers tomorrow, just remember that Lipton's is the tea with the wonderful brisk flavor, the fine quality tea that gives you all the goodness nature meant to have. I wish you'd try a cup of Lipton soon because it's so delicious. Just ask your grocer for Lipton's. Remember, Lipton's is the tea with brisk flavor. And so our evening's over with the usual quota of corpses to qualify for the ghoul school. We're working on a special matriculation for bachelor ghouls. Oh, in the case you didn't know, a bachelor ghoul is one who believes that two can die as cheaply as one. Oh, by the way, this month's Innocentum Mystery Novel is I Hate Blonds by Wolf Kaufman. And next week, the makers of Lipton tea and Lipton soups will bring you another Innocentum story directed by Hyman Brown and called Dead Man's Turn. It's a little night course in murder, that's all. They should have your choice of majoring in choking, shooting, drowning, but why don't you just listen into Innocentum next week and you'll get all the inside told. Oh yes, next week part of the country goes on daylight saving time. If your area remains on standard time, tune in to Innocentum one hour earlier. Until then, good night. Pleasant dream? Want a delicious dinner treat in a hurry? Then Lipton's noodle soup mix is the thing for you. In just a few quick minutes you have a grand tasting chickenly soup ready to serve. Lipton's noodle soup is full of tender golden noodles and seasoned to perfection and it's economical too, costs less and makes lots more than ordinary canned soups. Just ask your grocer for Lipton's noodle soup mix, your family will love it. And don't forget to tune in next week for another Innocentum Mystery. This is CBS, the Columbia Broadcasting System. .