Tales of the Texas Rangers 1950 10 15 15 Dead Give Away

the National Broadcasting Company presents Joel McCrae in Tales of the Texas Rangers tonight transcribed from Hollywood another authentic reenactment of a case from the files of the Texas [Applause] Rangers tales of the Texas Rangers starring Joel McCrae as Ranger Jace Pearson Texas more than 260,000 square miles and 50 men who make up the most famous and oldest law enforcement body in North [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Laughter] America now from the files of the Texas Rangers come these stories based on facts only names dates and places are fictitious for obvious reasons the events themselves are a matter of [Music] [Applause] record case for tonight dead giveaway it is 1:30 a.m. December 4th 1945 a single light glows in the living room of a farmhouse 4 miles from the town of Ashton in West Texas inside the house a frantic young woman tries to place a telephone call Operator Operator oh please operator than Kevin operator get me the sheriff quickly is that you Mrs Den yes yes hurry well this is Mary Lou Mrs Denine I'm working nice now is something Mar stop talking and get me the sheriff oh all right oh de sh Sheriff raw speaking Sheriff this is Mrs Denine you've got to come out to my house right away right away I'll take it easy Mrs Denine what seems to be wrong somebody's browling around outside trying to get into the house isn't your husband there no he went to aene on business something woke me up and I thought at first it was the baby and then I heard a noise outside M what is it somebody came in I'll be right there who are you what do you want please [Music] [Music] it took Sheriff Ross less than 15 minutes to get to the Denine Farm but Mrs Denine and a 4-month old baby were dead when he arrived the sheriff call for the assistance of the Texas Rangers ranger jce Pearson was assigned J Pon yeah Sheriff you got here right quick yeah I was over the next County when your call came through well I hope you got a little sleep cuz you won't get much now better come in out of this cold how long ago did it happen about a half hour ago 1:30 Mr Denine called me woke me up at home said somebody was trying to bust in right in here Jas shot right through the chest huh yeah she leave the phone hanging off the hook like that reckon so whoever broke in they broke in just before I hung up nothing's been touched Jas I know I had a time getting past your deputies down the main road phone operators's been buzzing everybody we don't want half the county barging in here messing things up so I blocked them off good where's the baby in there the front bedroom you can look if you want a Jace it's a little more than I can take twice how old only four months Chase little girl where'd he break in side door I'll show you where's the husband abene on business I call the chief of police there he's going to check the hotels and notify now here's the door was wide open that's how I got in to open the front door lock doesn't seem to be broken must have been picked denin keep much money around the house as little or as much as most folks I guess but I don't think any's missing there's Miss Den's purse on the kitchen table killer couldn't have missed that you check it yeah about $40 in it hasn't been touched motive wasn't robbery then Sheriff no there's no sign of any other motive but there's got to be one Jay yeah the toughest motive of all because it's the easiest hidden hate the kind of hate the devil wouldn't [Music] hold we went through the rest of the house but we didn't find anything that would help us until we got outside it's cold tonight Jace ground's frozen hard yeah we find a trace it won't be much keep your flash close to the ground all right why you working back of the house here away from the driveway cuz I think the Keller came in from this direction probably on foot why why you said Mrs Denine told you she woke up when she heard somebody prowling around outside yeah a horse or a car coming up the gravel road around front would have made even more noise woke her up sooner say that's right I heard your car coming from quite a ways off that's why I was standing out in front to meet you when you drove up wait a minute what is it Jay piece of bailing wire bent in the shape of a key well that must about be what he used to get in maybe or maybe that's what somebody wants us to think let's take another look at that door yeah what makes you think the wire was planted there Jason I'll tell you better when we try it in the lock beats me while killer leaves something deliberately that's what makes me think something's wrong this wouldn't have been dropped so close to the house and grab the door and hold it up High I don't want to mess up any prints around the lock you got it now let's see how this wire fits goes in perfect Jace yeah watch when I turn it hey wies just twisting it'll keep on twisting this wire isn't strong enough to turn the tumbler in the lock then how did the killer get in Jace if you ask me Sheriff I think he had a regular [Music] key I put in a call for a fingerprint crew and the sheriff called to have the bodies picked up for autopsy then we went outside and started trailing again we found a few directional traces but they heed it out in the darkness can't see anything at night on this ground Jay try cutting back and forth a little further yeah man we're following was weaving trying to throw us off it just makes it tougher to track he's got to be headed for some place some definite direction we might as well establish which direction yeah guess there's nothing much we can do except this until we have some daylight save us an hour in the morning then we can track on horses without wasting time finding out which way to go by sonup we knew the Killer's general direction had been West Sheriff got his horse from town I unloaded charcoal from the trailer and we rode he kept heading west all right but there's nothing out this way from Miles once he got into those Hills up ahead any kind of a Road between here in the Hills yeah Old Wagon Road just beyond the scrub on the rise we're coming to does it connect with the state road it does but nobody uses it maybe somebody did is it in good enough condition for a car to run through reckon it is you figure you had a car waiting for him had to have a car or a horse staked out someplace come on let's make right for the road hey won Road lead to any other Farm in the area usly the old Mullen place that's burned out nobody living there anymore huh no old folks dead Young Ted Mullen moved away a couple of years ago oh here's the road hold on oh charcoal headed pretty straight last tracks we saw must have reached the road right near here yeah we'll find some Mark if he crossed it and kept going he didn't keep going huh look tire track had a car staked out all right turned the car around here to head back for the highway could have been somebody else waiting in the car for him maybe but I don't think so yeah look at the heel marks walked around to the driver's side of the car to get in yeah there's something else here too dropped this cigarette butt and stepped on it yeah sure didn't smoke much of it didn't even burn down to the brand Mark at least we know what brand he smokes about all we do know Jace won't be anything to follow at the main road he sure won't leave a trail there no Mount up let's get back to the [Music] house we rode back to denin as we came to the farm we saw a couple of cars that hadn't been there when we left looks like company Sheriff car next to mine belongs to our lab the others must be the coroners oh Corner ought have been and gone by now no no that isn't the Corner's carj blue sedan that belongs to Walter Denine the husband yeah must have got back from abene yeah it's Denine all right there he is sitting on the side porch Walter Denine sat with his face buried in his hands until we dismounted and walked up to him the lab crew was in the house looking for Lent Prince howdy Walder oh howdy sure wal I can't tell you don't say anything please ask me anything you like but I don't want anybody else telling me how sorry they are better let me talk to him Sheriff sure J Mr Denine it would help us a lot to know one thing you or your family have any enemies enemies could there be an enemy as bad as this we know the house wasn't robbed have you ever had any trouble with anybody no matter how small it seemed Now's the Time to remember there was anybody I wouldn't tell you I'd take care of it myself that's no way to be waler don't go telling me how to act Sheriff you didn't come home to your house 10 minutes ago you didn't find your wife and kid the way I found mine Mr Denine why don't you try to get a little rest we'll talk to you later yeah okay anything I can do Walter just holler yeah you've been able to think of anybody who might have had it in for him not a soul Jas unless it was Ted Mullen you the one you told me about family that was burned out yeah but Jace that was 5 years ago sometimes hate doesn't die with age what happened well old folks just got to brooding and died off after their house burn Young Ted blamed Walder why windmill at the Mullen place was busted they tried to borrow from Walder to get it fixed but he turned him down Ted said of the mill had been working it would have pumped enough water for him to put the fire on young mullon the kind to hold a grudge well after 5 years Jace and he moved out a long time ago where who knows come on I'll call my headquarters By Radio maybe they can get a line on mull all right if they find out where he is won't do any harm to check on where he was last night won't hurt any but I can't believe that a man after I hold it sherff well that's only Walter's car Jace what are you looking at design of the tire tread look at him oh that may be that's the same design we saw in the dirt road where the killer picked up a car to make his getaway but Jace that was hard ground could barely see the tread and tires like that are standard on lots of cars yeah I know just the same I want to look this car over left his ignition keys in you going to start it no just want to take a look at the dash he said he got back from abene 10 minutes ago didn't he that's what he said take a look at that temperature gauge let me see register's cold yeah only it should be pretty warm if he finished a drive a couple hundred miles just 10 minutes ago could have dropped back J not in 10 minutes Sheriff it's a cold morning but not that cold well I want to talk to Denine again he you see something else I sure do look at this on the frame of the door service station lubrication sticker yeah dated December 2nd day before yesterday 18,41 12 mil the mileage on the dash shows he's driven less than 200 miles since then he couldn't have been an avalene well wait a minute Jace I admit that looks funny but the man we were chasing he grounded out a cigarette remember what about him I've known Walter since he was a boy Jace he don't smoke sherff sherff oh Mary L Simmons's phone operator who let you in Mary L I told the deputy I put Mrs Ten's call through to you last night he thought you might want to talk to me ain't it just awful you talk to I I was still on the line after you hung up Sheriff I heard it all the shots and everything you hear any voice beside Mrs Denine no no I just heard her say who are you what do you want and then the shots that was all you sure she said who are you oh cross my heart I heard it as [Music] plain guess you don't want to talk to Walder now do you Jace no I guess not you are listening to tales of the Texas Rangers starring Joel McCrae as Ranger Jace Pearson and now we continue with tonight's case dead giveaway an authentic story from the files of the Texas Rangers I didn't want to question Walter Denine until I'd had a chance to check on his movements the sheriff and I drove into town and called the abalene police the answer didn't fit don't think there's any doubt about who he was Ranger okay thanks thanks very much well guess that does it Sheriff the was an abene huh uh-huh checked into the Harris Hotel yesterday about noon checked out again at 2:10 this morning right after the police notified him of the murder police could have spoken anybody on the phone they didn't tell him by phone police Sergeant went up and told him direct description of Walter tallies too and but there's something that doesn't tally though mileage on that car could be something wrong with the speedometer cable happen in my car few weeks back maybe and I'll be back sometime tomorrow where you going Jace [Music] abene as soon as I hit the highway I put in a short wave call to headquarters station ktxa Unit 10 to ktxa ktxa go ahead Unit 10 this unit and route to abalene request abalene police secure names of all contacts made by subject Walter Denine registered Harris Hotel there yesterday we'll do Unit 10 Unit 10 sent piece of wire back to lab for examination any report yet not yet wire and fingerprints both under study we'll give you a call 104 Unit 10 clear EXA Austin when I reached ellene I got a complete rundown on Walter Den's activities it was too complete like he was making sure his time in the city would be accounted for one of the people who'd seen him was his attorney well yes yes Ranger Mr Denine spent several hours with me yesterday afternoon we had dinner together last night went to the theater what'd he come to see you about well some Investments he's been doing a little speculating cotton good or bad well it's client business and I don't think I have the to discuss it I can find out by checking with the exchange I'm just asking you to save time all right his losses have been rather heavy more than he could afford much more he carry much Insurance on his wife and child a normal amount nothing large all right thanks one more thing are you sure Denine doesn't benefit financially by his wife's death oh Ranger he couldn't have gotten back dash him by 1:30 last night after we'd been out that isn't what I asked well Mrs Denine had a good bit of money in her own right case of her death though she had it tied up in trust for the child but the child is dead too what happens now well that case the entire state will probably go to Mr Denine [Music] I made one more stop before I headed back to Ashton I paid a visit to the garage the hotel Harris I keep the location of All Guest cars on this index rack so we'll know which stores they're in when they want them was waler Den's car in here yesterday Denine that's um d n isn't it uhhuh no there's no record of it was he a guest at the hotel yes is there any parking lot around here he might have used not convenient to the hotel and parking is free here for guests so I don't think he'd use a lot neither do I [Music] thanks before I left abene I called my headquarters they had a report no strange prints have been found in Den's house the wire key looked like a plant I hung up and made another call to sheriff Ross I'm beginning to wonder about water myself Jas why he's been kind of curious about where you are I told him you went to aene just to see if he to draw him out good how'd he react kind of nervous then he said something about flying up to abalene and back of course he never did say he drove it no but he gave the impression that he drove even so he was there when the killer took place yeah but the killer had the use of Den's car can you get your hands on the car it's over in back of the funeral parlor right now that's where Denine said he was gone just a few minutes ago when he stopped by to ask about you well grab that car and check it for fingerprints I'll be there as fast as I can [Music] roll oh howy J car all worked over Sheriff yeah ought to have reports on the print soon send them to Austin find any strangers quite a few of one set that weren't denin if they belong to a professional killer there's a good chance he'll have a record where's theine my deputies are out looking for him why I thought he was at the funeral parl so' I until I wented to look for him after we finished on the car Undertaker said he'd left more than an hour ago by the front door must the spotted you working over the car come on let's find him [Applause] [Music] yeah not at the house not any place in town where could he be if he hasn't run out trying to cover up for a couple of mistakes he won't run not yet what why cuz his Alibi is airtight we can shake it but unless we find the killer he hired we can't shake it enough he took a big gamble and he's got too much at stake to run off his wife's money how'd you know about that just thinking back little late folks knew Mrs thein's family left her well off Walder married her not long after they passed on a lot of people thought the money had something to do with it I wish you'd remember that sooner well Jace they seem close and then there's the baby baby it was just something extra that got into Nan's way oh never gotten any of the money of ktxa to Unit 10 maybe a report on the prince Unit 10 go ahead ktxa have report on Prince lifted from car at Ashton Texas one said identified as belonging to Joe cofton Joe cofton any line on his whereabouts finished serving parole 4 months ago last address known the parole office was Shaq located Western Slope of casket Mountain 104 Unit 10 clearx Austin cofton must be the killer then Jace I'll bet on it how far to casket Mountain about 20 mi and turn South another five after that well we'll need horses if he's far up you should have brought your horse Along the trailer with charcoal I can borrow one crofton's going to be tough to take you sound like you know him I wrote the ticket for his last trip to Huntsville 6 years ago that was murder too but he chopped out with a manslaughter please better not take any chances Jason he start shooting we'll have to toss it back dead center no we got to take him alive he'll talk to keep from burning once we get him yeah yeah I see if Walter Denine paid him to do the job he's the only one can break Den's Alibi that's right so no matter what happens we got to take him [Music] [Applause] alive crofton's cabin was was up all right way up the sheriff borrowed a horse from the man who directed us quite a climb Jay I'm not so bad following this wash though suppose he isn't there I got to hunch he will be I don't think Denine had enough money to pay for this killing he was almost broke you mean he planned to pay off out of his wife's money when he got it yeah wonder how waler arranged for him to get the car that night not much to arrange left it near the airport with the keys in it copton brought it back and left it in the same spot probably left the house key for him too and a glove compartment maybe yeah with the airport 40 mi from Ashton nobody recognized the car or a strange driver come in at night use an abandoned Ro look hey another horse left tracks in here too yeah and they're fresh boy it must be Cron's Horse no rider was taking the roughway just cut into the wash here to find a better Trail cofton lives up here he'd know the best trail who else would be coming up here Denine to shut him up come on not too fast Jason we'll spill we got to risk it too slow we'll be too [Music] late we reached the shack and crept up on it there was no horse around and no sign of life tried to draw fire by showing ourselves but none came we had to go in all right hold your gun ready sheriff and don't come in till I call you right Jason all right Sheriff come in nobody here huh oh wait a oh that Crawford yeah that's him Denine got here first face this fell looks like he shot himself guns in his own hand and what's his paper beside him let see Jas he did kill himself this note says so confesses the murders too sure does but Walter Denine wrote that and that note's going to hang him how do you know you ever seen denin writing no but I've seen crofton's before he signed his name with an X prison records show he's illiterate never could read or write come on Sheriff going to put out a pickup for Denine we pick him up ourselves he can't be far off but if he headed back down the wash we'd have passed him on our way up he must be going across the top of the mountain to go down the other side come [Music] on we raed our horses as fast as they could move we spotted a rider ahead of us as he topped the slope he heard us because he looked back then whipped his Mount and disappeared he knows we're on him got about 3 00 yard we'll get them keep pounding leather yeah we're coming to the top now keep low on the saddle watch out for an ambush there he is don't go down too fast Sheriff your horse will tumble in the downgrade the KN was pressing too hard J he fell look yeah he scrambled behind the Rocks whoa oh charcoal Hit the Dirt let out go go on Char come on he's down under that rock Shelf perfect cover not too perfect bullets a Ricochet back from that ledge behind him see that dent in the ledge yeah draw your gun and we'll empty it on him hit right below the dent hi all right let's hope for a billiard shot start firing I'm hit stop it I'm bleeding throw your gun out Denine don't shoot anymore here here it is okay shff let's take him I'm a hit and I was sorry for you w up until a few hours ago you got to get me to a doctor you're not hurt badly we'll get you to it doctor all I want to know is how you met cofton come on Walder talk up I I I saw his picture in the paper when he got out of jail I I made a deal with him couple of months ago yeah a deal to wipe out your own wife and kid must be great to be as Brave as you are get up Denine you got a long way to [Music] [Applause] go Walter confessed and made a plea for clemency it was not granted and on the 11th day of October 1947 he died in the electric chair at [Music] Huntsville and now here again is the star of our show Joel McCrae with another interesting antidote about the Texas Rangers when the Allies invaded Normandy in World War II they got an idea as to how far the fame of the Texas Rangers had spread both surrendering Nazis and liberated free French said they knew the war was as good as over because the Texas Rangers had landed of course it was the heroic American Ranger troops who made The Landings but nothing could convince the Nazi war prisoners that these were not the terrible Texans they had heard about in many American legends good night folks see you same time next week next week Joel McCrae and another authentic reenactment of a case from the files of the Texas [Music] Rangers Joel McCrae is currently seen starring in the Universal International Technicolor production saddle Trent tonight's cast included Tony Barrett Loren Tuttle Mike Barrett Hal March and Paul freeze this story was transcribed and adapted by Joel merot and the program is produced and directed by Stacy ke this is Hal Gibney [Music] speaking three Chimes mean good times on NBC Monday means music fine music on NBC listen tomorrow for these great musical programs the NBC Symphony and the band of America be to listen Monday as milon katum conducts the NBC Symphony Orchestra in a full hour concert of the finest music on the air and listen to for Paul lval conducting the band of America every Monday on NBC Bill Harris reminding you that next it's theater Guild on NBC