CBS Radio Mystery Theater

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In this gripping episode of Mystery Theater, we delve into the tragic story of Detective Lieutenant Harry Reinfield, whose son, Jerry, an undercover cop, is murdered. The prime suspect, George Mason, is caught with a smoking pistol in his hand, but his mother, Bessie Mason, insists on his innocence. As Lieutenant Reinfield struggles with his grief, he is drawn into a complex investigation, driven by a mysterious note and his own intuition. The episode explores themes of justice, revenge, and the blurred lines between duty and personal vendetta.

As the plot unfolds, we witness Reinfield's relentless pursuit of the truth, despite the overwhelming evidence against Mason. The narrative takes a dramatic turn when Reinfield discovers a potential case of mistaken identity, leading him to question everything he knows. With the help of Bessie Mason, he uncovers a deeper conspiracy that challenges his beliefs and forces him to confront his own biases. This episode is a thrilling exploration of the human psyche and the lengths one will go to seek justice for a loved one.

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[00:00:00] Unknown:

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[00:00:23] Unknown:

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[00:00:30] Unknown:

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We invite you now to stay tuned for the mystery theater.  

[00:01:23] Unknown:

Come in.   Welcome.   I'm EG Marshall.   I am a parcel of vain striving   by a mere chance held together.   Sometimes,   perhaps in the silence of the night,   when there is a moment for quiet reflection,   pause to ask,   what is this burning package of desire   known as the body?   What is this seething mass of chaotic thought   known as the mind?   Think about it.   Some of the answers you get will   frighten,   amuse,   and astound you. Our mystery drama, The Smoking Pistol,   was written especially for the mystery theater by Sam Dam and stars Howard Da Silva.   It is sponsored in part by Buick Motor Division and Anheuser Busch Incorporated,   brewers of Budweiser.  

I'll be back shortly   with act one.  

[00:02:22] Unknown:

Budweiser presents beer talk.   A lot of people like their beer ice cold, but too cold can be too bad for the flavor of great beer. Take Budweiser.   It's brewed and beechwood aged to taste best at about 40 degrees. Of course, if you're on a picnic and the bud's on ice and nobody brought a thermometer,   go right ahead. It's,   nothing to get hot about.   And I said, George, headquarter, Saint Louis, Missouri.  

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I'm EG Marshall, host of Mystery Theatre. It's Christmas time, and you are Santa   Claus, the spirit of Christmas.   And with your generosity, the reality of Christmas will be brought to thousands of needy children in the w o r listening area. Your contribution means gifts of toys and clothing for each of them under Christmas trees in hundreds of hospitals and institutions.   You light up those little faces on Christmas morning because you have taken the time   now to send your check to the W. O. R. Children's Christmas Fund. The nicest thing about your contribution is that 100%   of it, the entire amount, is used to buy gifts for the children.  

Send your check today to the W. O. R. Children's Christmas Fund,   box seven ten,   Times Square Station, New York   one double o three six. Thank you.  

[00:03:52] Unknown:

In France,   romance is a national passion.   So is Madame Rochas.   Madame Rochas.   Perfume and eau de cologne.   There's never been a more romantic fragrance or a more beautiful interpretation of what it means to be a woman.   But why wait for him to make a gift of it? Discover Madame Mocha's for yourself.  

[00:04:23] Unknown:

Said Chris Castoriate Ipsos,   asked the ancient Roman poet Juvenal.   But who is to guard the guards themselves?   Those who watch over us, those to whom we entrust the right to use the awful power of the state in our name.   As you can see, it's not a new   problem. For the guards themselves are also human, which means they are neither better nor worse   than the best or the worst of us.   This has been a bad day for detective Lieutenant Harry Reinfield. Quite possibly the worst day   he has ever known in his life. Harry, I I don't know what to tell you. I'm so sorry.  

[00:05:06] Unknown:

I saw him, Jim.   I just saw him. I got,   hot coffee here. He was laying there. Let me pour you a cup. He didn't even look dead.   What's he doing in the morgue, I said? Here.  

[00:05:19] Unknown:

Drink this, Harry.   Drink it.  

[00:05:22] Unknown:

What's this 21 year old kid doing? Laying on a slab in the morgue.  

[00:05:27] Unknown:

He don't even look dead.   You,   wanna go home, Harry?  

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But then you look close and  

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there it is. Maybe you should,   come home with me, Harry.   Just a little black hole. Stay with Belle and me tonight, Harry, and  

[00:05:44] Unknown:

get some sleep. And it's my fault.   No, it isn't. He was crazy to be a cop.   Why do you want to be a cop? I asked him. Go to college, I told him. He went to college.   Yeah. The day he graduated, he joined the cops.   What did he need it for?   I gave the department twenty five years. Shouldn't that be enough for one family?  

[00:06:04] Unknown:

He could have made something out of himself. He made something out of himself.   Yeah.  

[00:06:10] Unknown:

Well,   here's how it is right now.   I'm out to get the punk that killed my boy. I know how you feel. If I have to spend the rest of my life, I'll get him.   And, Jim, this is between you and me.   Don't expect me to bring him in. Harry Look at me, Jim.   Harry Reinfield, detective Lieutenant Harry Reinfield,   ace homicide sleuth.   That's what it says in the paper. There's something you, All those cases I solved, we used to sit around and laugh at the stories they wrote about me. Remember?   We know what police work is, don't we, Jim?   Don't we?  



[00:06:47] Unknown:

Sure, Harry.  

[00:06:48] Unknown:

All those cases I solved for the city, for the law, for the taxpayers, for the department,   well, now I'm gonna solve one for me.   I'm gonna crack one, break it wide open.   Nothing nobody's gonna stop me. And when I get my hands on that Harry,   sit down. Don't you give me orders. I'm your superior.  

[00:07:08] Unknown:

I got the right to give you orders. Not today. Sit down.   We got him.   You what?   I said,   we got him.   You you brought him in?   Yeah.  

[00:07:25] Unknown:

Who who is your gun?   Well,  

[00:07:30] Unknown:

he was there on the corner of Collins And Maple. A gun in one hand,   Jerry's wallet in the other,   some   glassine packets of horse scattered on the ground. Go ahead.   Well, what more do you need? What more does the DA have to produce for first degree?   It was a drug bust and the punk had a gun and  

[00:07:50] Unknown:

and Yeah. Yeah. What's the punk's name? Mason.   George Mason.   Has he got a sheet? Oh, some little stuff. Break and entry, an assault. Where is he? Down in the holding pen. I wanna look at him. Harry.   Would that be such a good idea? I wanna see the punk that killed my son. Maybe you shouldn't, Harry. Not now. Not the way you feel now. I said I'm going down to the tank.   On your feet, punk.   What's your name?   You have a name, don't you?   Okay. That doesn't matter.   So you confessed yet?   Let's hear the answer, punk.  

[00:08:39] Unknown:

Has he confessed, Jim? You won't say a word.  

[00:08:43] Unknown:

He won't say a word.   Quiet little punk. Right?   So   let's go over what happened again.   There's this young undercover cop,   and he arranges to make a buy from you. Right, punk?   On the corner of Collins And Maple, you meet.   You hand over the junk.   He flashes the badge,   and you pull a gun. Right?   Right, punk?  

[00:09:10] Unknown:

What's the matter?  

[00:09:11] Unknown:

Now answer me. He doesn't have to talk, Harry. And you pull the trigger. You kill the cop. That's what happened, right? Harry, you know the law better than anyone else around here. He doesn't have to say a word. Oh, yes, he does. He does, and I'm gonna make him sing the loudest song you ever heard. Are you crazy? You can't rough this kid up. He's gonna talk, Jim. Lay a finger on him and you destroy the case.   He'll get away with it. The judge will have to throw it out of court. Never gonna get to court. Harry, you're crazy. No, Jim. He killed my son. Put that gun back in the holster. Don't try to make me, Jim. You're a police officer. I'm also a father. That is, I once a father. You took an oath to uphold the law. There's another law. An older law. An eye for an eye. Now, punk, you're gonna die. Harry, confess, punk. Don't go to meet your maker with a lie in your soul.   Don't go with a sin in your heart. Confess now. Confess to me, and I'll forgive you. And I'll send you out of the world clean. You're crazy Harry. Come on punk, confess before I pull the trigger. Jump in, Carter. What? You gotta hold it, Carter. Hold on, William. I'm  

[00:10:15] Unknown:

killing you. You're that butt of the You're holding that good head, Carter. The whole door. You can't stop me. You asked for it, Harry.  

[00:10:24] Unknown:

I'm sorry, Harry.   I'm sorry.   Here, Harry.   Drink this. What what   happened? Well, we had to   subdue you as the saying goes.   Subdue?   Yeah.  

[00:10:48] Unknown:

I've been on the other side of that subdue from time to time. Yeah. Yeah. Well, now you know how the other half lives.   I see. I'm home. Yeah.  

[00:10:58] Unknown:

Carter and I figured it would be best to bring you here.   You would have killed that punk.  

[00:11:03] Unknown:

I would have.  

[00:11:06] Unknown:

Can I give you back your gun?   Yeah.   Harry,   take some time off. You got plenty coming due.   Think about it,  

[00:11:16] Unknown:

I'll think about it. You wanna come over to the house and stay with Bell and me for a while? No, Jim. I'll stay here. You shouldn't be alone.   I know.   But I'm gonna be alone for the rest of my life.   Alright. Alright. I hear you.   Yes?  

[00:11:41] Unknown:

You're Lieutenant Ryan Field?  

[00:11:43] Unknown:

Yes.  

[00:11:45] Unknown:

May I come   in? Well, I It's it's very important.  

[00:11:49] Unknown:

Important?   I'm sorry, ma'am. I I can't consider anything as being important today.   I just buried my son.  

[00:11:57] Unknown:

I know.   I was at the funeral.  

[00:12:01] Unknown:

Well,   well then,   I'm I'm sure you know how I feel. Not now, but I will.  

[00:12:09] Unknown:

Because a few months from now, I'll be coming home  

[00:12:12] Unknown:

from my son's funeral.   I I beg your pardon?  

[00:12:16] Unknown:

My son is gonna die. Everybody says so.   That's because everybody says he killed a cop. Look, ma'am, I My name is   Mason.   Dessie Mason.   Mason? I'm George Mason's mother.   I must talk to you.  

[00:12:36] Unknown:

We don't have anything to say to each other. Please. Mrs. Mason Please. Look, I don't wanna seem impolite or anything like that, but I must ask you to leave. But he didn't do it.   The evidence speaks for itself.  

[00:12:48] Unknown:

I don't care about your evidence. Well, what do you want me to do?   What the city   pays you to  

[00:12:54] Unknown:

do? Find the killer. The killer's been found. My son is innocent. How do you know? Because he told me. Oh. Oh, sure. Yeah. That makes everything different. Your son is a punk.  

[00:13:06] Unknown:

In many ways, yes. I can't deny that. He's already done time? That's a matter of record. Once for break and entry? Yes. And once for assault? Yes. And he was innocent those times too, No. No. So he's not a little angel? No. No. He's far from it.  

[00:13:21] Unknown:

But he's not a murderer. Look, lady. I I just can't stand here and talk to you. You'll have to excuse me. Please.  

[00:13:29] Unknown:

Please let me in. I  

[00:13:34] Unknown:

Thank you. What do you want me to do?  

[00:13:36] Unknown:

I already told you.   Find the killer.   Now, Lieutenant, you had a good boy. I don't.   And it's my fault.   I was busy. I very busy.   His father ran out on me many years ago, and I got a job in personnel. I made something myself.   But I guess I neglected George.  

[00:13:57] Unknown:

Missus Mason, please believe me. I I can't do anything for you, sir. Tell me how we could always find the wrong kind of friends.  

[00:14:04] Unknown:

But, you know, no matter what kind of trouble he got into, one thing he never did, he never lied to me.   And he said, didn't he? Mother,   I didn't kill that cop. I didn't.  

[00:14:17] Unknown:

Look, missus Mason, let me tell you something. I've been experiencing these things.   He has to hold on to you. You'll all he's got, and so he has to deny it. But I believe him. And by denying it to you, he denied it to himself because he doesn't wanna believe he committed murder. I believe him.  

[00:14:34] Unknown:

Yeah. Yeah. Why don't you believe him?  

[00:14:38] Unknown:

Why should I believe him?  

[00:14:40] Unknown:

Because you're the best detective on the fourth.  

[00:14:43] Unknown:

Okay. Look, missus Mason. I can understand how you feel. But what you're asking me to do is What am I asking you to do?  

[00:14:50] Unknown:

The thing you do best, I read the paper. Don't believe what you read. Oh, it isn't true.   What they say, that that Harry Rinefield is an intuitive detective,  

[00:15:01] Unknown:

that he has a feel for how a case should be Well, that's just newspaper talk. Missus Mason, on the basis of information and evidence assembled by the police department,   the district attorney has asked for an indictment. It's over.  

[00:15:14] Unknown:

Have you been fair to me, lieutenant?  

[00:15:17] Unknown:

I don't know what you're talking about. I think you do.  

[00:15:21] Unknown:

Have you been fair to my son?   Of course, he's only a young punk in your eyes, but he is entitled to justice   He'll get it in court But he isn't getting it from you   Now do one thing, lieutenant   Please   Assume   that it wasn't your son who died   Suppose it was just another homicide victim, and and you were the investigating officer   Now, would you be satisfied?  

[00:15:47] Unknown:

Mrs. Mason, I have to ask you to leave Alright  

[00:15:50] Unknown:

Alright I'll go   But I've asked the question.   And you have to answer it.  

[00:15:57] Unknown:

I don't have to answer to you. That's true. You don't.  

[00:16:01] Unknown:

But you do have to answer to yourself.  

[00:16:04] Unknown:

He had the gun in his hand. He doesn't deny it. He had my son's wallet. He doesn't deny that either. What's everybody supposed to think then? I don't know what everybody's supposed  

[00:16:15] Unknown:

supposed to think.   I wanna know what Lieutenant Harry Rheinfield   thinks.   What ideas are in his head?   What does he see?   I know my son is innocent.   Won't you prove it, lieutenant?  

[00:16:40] Unknown:

In a recent highly celebrated public proceeding, a definition of guilt was requested.   And it was said that if a murder has been committed   and you see a man near the corpse with a smoking pistol in his hand,   it would be reasonable to assume he's the killer.   The smoking pistol.   That does it.   Or does it?   I'll continue in just a few moments.  

[00:17:23] Unknown:

Here in my hand is a little capsule. It's tiny, yet it contains enough coldness and to help relieve cold symptoms caused by every known virus.   Every known virus.   It's Kontakt,   the same twelve hour contact you can   buy. This year, contact with its tiny time pills will touch more lives, help more cold than any other cold weather, tablet or liquid.   Think about that the next time you're sick. Sneezing, dripping, or clogged up. Then let us help you with real medicine by contact.   It works all day, all night. We're number one in the whole world. Take home history.  

[00:17:58] Unknown:

In your cold, your contact.   Real medicine,   or real cold.  

[00:18:05] Unknown:

There are many differences between skiing a mountain and skiing an Alps. As the Red Baron of Lufthansa German airline,   I'd like to tell you about a few.   In my Austrian Alps, you'll find the world's top ski instructor.   Runs that measure six miles,   4,000 foot vertical drops, ski villages that count the history in sanctuaries and the ski lifts by the dozens,   and the possibility of skiing an entire week without crossing your own tracks once.   Those are some of the differences.   One thing though isn't that different,   the price.  



[00:18:46] Unknown:

The cost of the Red Baron's ski the difference holidays in Austria including airfare are about the same as the cost of an equivalent length stay in a comparable Western American ski resort.   Kitchen lib means less cooking, more time for fun.   So whether for family dinners, parties, or friends dropping in, Polish ham is your answer. Krakus or Atalanta brands.   These are fully cooked right in the can. All gristle and bone have been removed, so you buy only lean tender meat.   Now this is great for your budget too. All you need to do is open the can and slice whatever quantity you need. Of course, you can also heat Polish ham if you prefer, if you want a warm meal.   Krakus and Atalanta   are the only imported hams to have continuously earned both the Parents Magazine seal of commendation   and the Good Housekeeping seal.  

All this and great flavor too. In handy two, three, five, or seven pound tins or sliced in whatever quantity you need. Get crackers or at Atlanta hams at food stores in your neighborhood.   You'll love its convenience. Your family will love its great taste. These have been imported for more than twenty five years by New York Commodities Corporation,   available at all Acme supermarkets.  

[00:20:08] Unknown:

The victim,   a young undercover cop named Jerry Rinefield.   The suspect with a smoking pistol in his hand, young George Mason.   The detective,   the victim's father, Lieutenant   Harry Reinfield.   The case is open and shut.   That is, it should be. But the suspect's mother, Bessie Mason,   believes her son is innocent.   Well,   faith can move mountains,   or so we've been told. Missus Mason, I   I must ask you to leave. Alright.  

[00:20:43] Unknown:

I'll go.   Because I know the kind of man you are, lieutenant.   You swore you wouldn't rest until you found your son's murderer. He's been found.   Are you sure?   Are you sure?  

[00:21:03] Unknown:

What are your plans, Leona?  

[00:21:05] Unknown:

Plans?   I don't know. I   haven't made any.  

[00:21:11] Unknown:

Are you going to?  

[00:21:13] Unknown:

I suppose so.   One day.   Thanks for taking me to dinner, dad.  

[00:21:20] Unknown:

Thanks for calling me dad.  

[00:21:22] Unknown:

I guess   today,   it would have been official.  

[00:21:27] Unknown:

Yeah.   I'm sorry, Leona.  

[00:21:31] Unknown:

A quiet   little wedding.   That's what we wanted.  

[00:21:36] Unknown:

You'd have made a good wife for a cop.  

[00:21:39] Unknown:

Oh, how do you know?   You've known you such a short time.   Whirlwind, courtship, that was Jerry.  

[00:21:47] Unknown:

Love at first sight.   It's the only kind there is.  

[00:21:51] Unknown:

Jerry.   He met me at a party on a Friday night.   He proposed to me on Saturday morning.   I said yes, Saturday afternoon.   Saturday night, he tried to talk me out of it.  

[00:22:04] Unknown:

Why?  

[00:22:05] Unknown:

He suddenly realized, he said, how   dangerous a cop's life can be.   He didn't want me to be a cop's wife,   especially his wife.   Doing undercover work, he'd made a lot of enemies.  

[00:22:20] Unknown:

Yeah. I know.  

[00:22:22] Unknown:

After some pretty good arrests, there were threats made on his life. Yeah. We all get those.   He tried to talk me out of it, but   by then it was too late. I   I was in love with him too.  

[00:22:35] Unknown:

I know how you feel, Leona.   But you're only 22.   Life has to go on.  

[00:22:41] Unknown:

I suppose it does.   Although I wonder why.  

[00:22:46] Unknown:

You think so now? The time will pass.   You'll find another guy.  

[00:22:51] Unknown:

I know.   That's why it's so awful.   That night, he   he was supposed to come over for dinner,   and he said, I'm I'm gonna be late. I I have to meet a fellow all the way across town, corner of Collins And Maple. Collins And Maple. And I said to him,   Jerry, this is confidential.   How can you tell me?   And he gave me that smile of his, and said,   you mean I can't trust you, honey?  

[00:23:21] Unknown:

I used to tell his mother everything too. You're You're not supposed to, you know I was so scared  

[00:23:27] Unknown:

It's such a dreadful neighborhood And he laughed, and said:   If you're out to make a drug bust, you don't usually go to the high rent district   One consolation?   At least they got the killer.  

[00:23:43] Unknown:

Yeah.   We got the killer.   The latest   manpower   allotment   allotment.   Is that one l or two? Two l.   What are you doing here?  

[00:24:08] Unknown:

My son goes on trial tomorrow. Look, missus Mason. I tried to get you at home, but you're never there.  

[00:24:14] Unknown:

Missus Mason, I've already told you. There's nothing I can do. I know what you told me.  

[00:24:19] Unknown:

I've come here to ask you a few questions. I'm busy. And besides, there's no What questions you should have asked yourself?   Now who was your son supposed to meet? We know that. A drug pusher. Right. Not anyone of great importance. Just a pusher. Your son. Let's say it was my son.   Why would my son kill him?  

[00:24:39] Unknown:

Because,   a, your son spotted him as a cop.   Or b,   after my son identified himself,   your son decided to shoot it out. You're forgetting  

[00:24:50] Unknown:

c. Your son's gun was still in his holster. Your son felt safe.   Why?   Because he knew he was gonna pick up a small potato.  

[00:24:59] Unknown:

That describes your son, doesn't it? But small potatoes don't kill cops.  

[00:25:04] Unknown:

Why?   You know perfectly well, if my son was pushing drugs, he'd be part of an organization.   You know they protect their own.   You know that he would get a suspended sentence, maybe a few months in jail. That's how it usually works out. Why kill?  

[00:25:20] Unknown:

Reasonable, logical,   but your son just lost his head. My son didn't do it.  

[00:25:26] Unknown:

And your son wasn't there merely to catch a small time pusher. He was being set up.  

[00:25:32] Unknown:

By who?  

[00:25:34] Unknown:

Am I a law officer?   Do I have the resources of the police department behind me?  

[00:25:40] Unknown:

Why would my son be set up?  

[00:25:42] Unknown:

Well, maybe he was too good a cop.  

[00:25:45] Unknown:

Maybe somebody didn't like him. If your son didn't do it, why was he there with a gun in his hand?  

[00:25:51] Unknown:

Why don't you ask him? The other officers in the case have asked him. Then why didn't they listen to his answer? Really listen. Mrs. Mason. You know I'm right. What do you want from me? No. Why are you angry?  

[00:26:04] Unknown:

I'm just a mother and not a very good one.   Now all I know is my son tells me he's innocent,   and I wanna believe it.   I wanna believe it. Now look. Now look. It's alright.   I'm sorry I bothered you.   Please excuse me.  

[00:26:28] Unknown:

Okay, Pete.   I'll bang on the door when I want to see you. No, God. Don't leave him in the cell with me. He'll kill me. Shut up. See you later, Pete. Don't go. He'll kill me. I said shut up.  

[00:26:41] Unknown:

Well,   what do you want?  

[00:26:44] Unknown:

The truth, punk. I   I got a name. It's George.   George Mason. To me, you're still a punk. You you can't kill me. I'm not gonna kill you.  

[00:26:55] Unknown:

What do you want from me? What are you doing here?  

[00:26:58] Unknown:

Your mother wanted me to talk to you. My  

[00:27:01] Unknown:

my mother?  

[00:27:03] Unknown:

You mean my old lady asked you to come here?  

[00:27:05] Unknown:

I'm doing this for her sake. Yeah.   Yeah. Bessie's still a good looking dame, ain't she? I'm gonna let that pass, but don't press your luck.  

[00:27:15] Unknown:

Yeah. She's cut up about me. Well,   it's the only time.   What do you mean it's the only time? She never knows I'm alive except when I'm in jail.   Is that so? Yeah.   She's a very busy thing, you know.  

[00:27:29] Unknown:

Works a big important job, runs with big important guys. Look, I'm not here to talk about her. I wanna talk about you.  

[00:27:38] Unknown:

She always gets guys that do things for her. I I I don't care what it is, you know, even something like this.   Well, look.  

[00:27:45] Unknown:

You're here.   What happened that night? You wouldn't believe I would. Well, tell it to me then. I already told it a hundred times. Make it a hundred and one. Let's start with what we've got. You were on Collins And Maple,  

[00:27:58] Unknown:

Yeah. You know, Collins And Maple. It's a it's a place for   all kinds of,   you know, weird characters. And you were looking for some loose change. Yeah? I'm coming down Maple. And just as I get to Collins,   I hear voices.  

[00:28:12] Unknown:

Voices?  

[00:28:13] Unknown:

Saying what? I don't know. Just voices. I I can't make out the words.   Anyhow, I I hear a shot, and I I hear steps running off, and I I hear somebody moaning. So I I go around the corner, and it's dark. I I see someone laying on the ground.   I I I bend down. He's dead.   How'd you know he was dead? You can tell when somebody's dead.   So I figured,   why does he need his wallet? Where he's going, he don't need nothing. So I   reached inside his jacket, and there it is. So now now I hear footsteps coming around Maple. See? And I get scared.   There's this pistol laying on the ground. So like a chump, I I pick it up. Maybe I need it, you know? And the next thing I know, there are these two guys pointing guns at me, and then they yell, please, police officers.  

And   that's a story.  

[00:29:04] Unknown:

Yeah.   Some story.   I told you you wouldn't believe it.   Go back to the voices now.  

[00:29:12] Unknown:

Yeah. I'm not even sure they were voices. But what were they then?   Well, you're walking down the street minding your own business.   You hear, like, a a of,   you know, maybe people talking.   Who pays attention?  

[00:29:26] Unknown:

And then bang, the shot. You say you heard footsteps   running off. Did you see anybody?  

[00:29:33] Unknown:

By the time I turned a corner, whoever it was got away.  

[00:29:37] Unknown:

What did the footsteps sound like?   For crying out loud, what do footsteps sound like? Were they heavy footsteps? Well Did it sound like it was a big guy? Heavy step?  

[00:29:48] Unknown:

Oh,   I see what you mean.  

[00:29:51] Unknown:

No. No. They wasn't heavy. They   they were light.  

[00:29:56] Unknown:

Light? Yeah. Yeah. You could almost picture a guy to you know, by the sound of the foot.  

[00:30:02] Unknown:

Yeah. Yeah. I see what you mean. Yeah.  

[00:30:04] Unknown:

Okay.   Get over it. How do you picture this guy? Well,  

[00:30:09] Unknown:

no. No. Wait a second.   Wait a second.   I don't picture him as a guy at all.   It was a dame.  

[00:30:17] Unknown:

A dame?  

[00:30:18] Unknown:

Yeah. You ever listen when a a dame is is running down a sidewalk? A dame with heels, you know? It makes a sound like, rap tap tap. Click click click, you know? A Dame, Yeah. Why didn't you say this before?   Nobody ever asked me before. Who believe me? You?   Do you believe me? Or you just try to score some points with the old lady? I think it's time I got out of here.   Harry, we were all through this. We went over it with his partners, Carter and Fordyce.   He said to them, I'm making a contact at Collins and Maple, nine o'clock.'   They were there to back him up. They had to keep out of sight.  

They saw him go around the corner, then they heard the shot.   When they got to him,   he was on the ground. And the punk, this   George Mason, was standing there with the gun in his hand. And they didn't see anybody else? Didn't hear anybody else? You wanna ask him again, he'll get the same answer.  

[00:31:23] Unknown:

The punk says he heard someone running away. Oh, sure.  

[00:31:27] Unknown:

What's the matter with you, Harry? It's your way of reacting to your son's deaths. Suddenly, this   this  

[00:31:35] Unknown:

concern for the killer. Who says he's the killer?  

[00:31:38] Unknown:

Harry, you're talking to me.   He was standing there with the smoking pistol.   And we're satisfied he did it. So is the DA.   In a matter of weeks,   so will nine judges and a jury. Yeah. Well, maybe I'm not satisfied.   It can be a problem if your attitude becomes known, Harry.   Well, once he's acquitted,   that's the ball game. I'm not sure of anything anymore. Ever since Ruth died,   your son has been your   whole life.   I know that.   And now,   suddenly, he's gone. And   you've got nothing and nobody.  

[00:32:18] Unknown:

Well, that has nothing to do with it. This missus Mason is a very good looking woman. And that has nothing to do with it. You sure about that? You're lonely, Harry. She means nothing at all to me. Nothing.   I got a I got a hunch about this case. Harry,  

[00:32:34] Unknown:

the two of them, the punk and his mother,   They could be working this together, playing you for a sucker! Yeah, maybe. Will you admit it's possible? Oh, everything's possible. Everything's possible. Alright.   Alright.   What are you going to do?   I'm gonna nail it down.  

[00:32:52] Unknown:

How? I don't know yet.   I've got a hunch.   And as far as it goes, it's crazy.   But I'm gonna run it down.   All the way down.  

[00:33:06] Unknown:

Down.   As it stands right now, the district attorney   has a good enough case to get a verdict of murder in the first degree   against George Mason   for the murder of officer Jerry Rinefield.   He had the smoking pistol in his hand.   Why shouldn't Lieutenant Harry Rinefield be satisfied with that and let the law take its course?   Why?   I'm sure we'll find out in act three.  

[00:33:33] Unknown:

Ever taken a close look at a glass of Budweiser?   The Budweiser brewmasters have. In fact, they've been looking closely at Beechwood aged Budweiser since it was first brewed back in 1876.   And you know something?   After one hundred years of looking, they still think the only thing more beautiful than a glass of Budweiser   is the taste of Budweiser,   a taste that speaks for itself, loud and clear.  

[00:33:57] Unknown:

And Hydro Push, headquarters, Saint Louis, Missouri. The 1977   Buick Regal. It comes with Buick's terrific v six engine. It carries six people and lots of Buick comfort. It's lean. It's maneuverable in city traffic. It's the most luxurious midsize car Buick builds.   Yeah. This new Regal is pretty much everything a car should be,   except for one thing. It isn't yours yet, but it can be. Just see a Buick dealer for a test drive soon.  

[00:34:34] Unknown:

And now they're all spins and now they're showing. Another way just to let you know.   Come into the new dry dock at 80 Fifth Street in Lexington Avenue and open a savings account anytime before January 12. There are favors for everyone and valuable gifts for new depositors.   All deposits for gifts must remain fourteen months. Don't forget before January 12.  

[00:35:26] Unknown:

In White Plains and Katona too, dry dock saving FANG member FDIC.  

[00:35:31] Unknown:

Here's something to cheer about. It's the great value you get at Cheers Steakhouse.   Right now, Cheers is featuring a plank sliced steak dinner that's almost unbelievable.   For $7.50, you get French onion soup, unlimited quantities of Cheers famous salad with delicious house dressing, the highest quality plank sliced steak served with duchess potatoes,   garden fresh vegetables, grilled tomato, and crispy onion rings. For dessert, make your own ice cream sundae or experience Cheers homemade cheesecake.   Linger over and after dinner cordial in a delicious Swiss chocolate cup. Complimentary champagne too. You get all this at Cheers for only $7.50 per person, served for two or more. Other entrees reasonably priced. Cheers steakhouse has a twenty year reputation for superb food and gracious service.  

Parking is free after 5PM, and now Cheers is open Saturday from five to 11PM.   Cheers Steakhouse, one twenty West forty first Street. Reservations, call 244-8810.  

[00:36:39] Unknown:

The world, according to according to Lieutenant Harry Reinfield,   is a place of feelings   and hunches.   Yes, people do pay lip service to something known as facts,   but there's nothing factual   about the truly important things in our lives. Do we consider facts when we love? Do we look for facts when we love? Do we look for facts when we   Do we consider facts when we love?   Do we look for facts   when we hate?   Do we require facts to support what we believe?   And what is a fact, anyhow?   Do any two people look at the same so called fact in exactly the same way?   You,   busy, Harry?  

Yeah.   Doing what?  

[00:37:20] Unknown:

Looking through this file.   Which file is that?   The threat file.  

[00:37:26] Unknown:

What for?  

[00:37:28] Unknown:

These are all the letters we get threatening to kill cops. Harry, this is stuff written my nuts.  

[00:37:33] Unknown:

Who else commits murder? Harry,   this thing is so obvious.   George Mason has to be the killer.   What are you doing to yourself? This is how I work. Is this the theory we're going on now? Some nut sends a letter threatening to kill a cop,  

[00:37:51] Unknown:

Then he sets Jerry up? We're just following a certain line of inquiry and seeing where it leads us. Oh, yeah.  

[00:37:58] Unknown:

Well,   let me know when you get there.  

[00:38:02] Unknown:

Look at this.   A plain piece of white paper, neat, clean, and tight.   Very good typing.   Fresh black ribbon.   So what?   Your average nut letter is typed badly on an old machine with hardly any black at all on the ribbon.   You still haven't told me what this proved.   The strike on each letter is even.   And this was done by a typist.  

[00:38:26] Unknown:

Okay,   not so know how to type, so what? But listen to this.  

[00:38:30] Unknown:

I intend to get even with you for what you did to someone   I love more than anyone else in the world.   What was done to him will be done to you.   And?   That's it. That's all of it. And somebody wrote that kind of note to Jerry? No.   It's addressed to me.   To you?   See.   Lieutenant Harry Rheinfield.  

[00:38:57] Unknown:

Okay.   For the sake of argument,   somebody's out to get you.   So they call to set up a trap, but the call goes to the wrong Reinfield,   to your son Jerry instead.  

[00:39:09] Unknown:

So it's mistaken identity. If I could only find the machine on which this was typed. Oh, sure.  

[00:39:15] Unknown:

There are only a million typewriters in the city.  

[00:39:22] Unknown:

Look, Lieutenant. I told you. I couldn't make out what them voices were saying.  

[00:39:27] Unknown:

Now just relax.   You're not giving me any help.   The voices now,   they were low. I I can hardly hear them. Well, what did you hear? Now just be quiet. Don't say a word. No. You're walking down the street at night.   It's dark.   Deserted.   You approach the corner.   You're aware of voices. I I I told you, I Be quiet.   Why do you say you heard voices?   Because   Come on. Tell me.   Because   Why do you say voices? Why not noise from a truck? Or why did a dog barkin'?  

[00:40:07] Unknown:

Because   because they were   human voices. I'm I mean, people,   they were saying words.  

[00:40:15] Unknown:

What words?   I don't remember. There's there's no way I can remember. Don't quit on me now. I wasn't paying attention. Well, maybe you don't remember the words. Can you remember how they were said?  

[00:40:25] Unknown:

How  

[00:40:27] Unknown:

they were said? Yeah. Did it did it sound angry? Like an argument.   An argument?   Yeah.   Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think so.   Why?  

[00:40:37] Unknown:

It sounded like a fight.   Yeah, yeah,   one word I can remember. One word.   Crazy.   Crazy? Yeah, that was the word. No, the two words.   You're crazy.  

[00:40:49] Unknown:

A and then the shot,  

[00:40:51] Unknown:

and and the Dane ran away. I I mean, I heard what had to be at Dane's footsteps running away. You heard him say, you're crazy, right? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Now that I concentrate, that's that's what I heard. But don't don't ask me to remember anything else.   That that was all I heard.  

[00:41:07] Unknown:

It's enough.   The question is,   what did I ever do to anybody that would make some dame wanna kill me? Harry,   where are you getting all this from? The note the note was written by a woman. How do you know? We agree it was done by a professional typist. Well, there are plenty of men who are professional typists. Yeah. Yeah. But George Mason said he heard a woman's footsteps.   If I were in the spot George Mason's in, I'd say anything. Oh, work with me on this, will you? What'll I ever do to anyone that would make some dame wanna kill me? Now this note was received on April,   which means   that whatever it was, it happened before that date.  

Now what did I do? It beats me.   You were the one who said it could have been mistaken identity. Someone's out to get me.   They called me to set me up, except they get Jerry by mistake.   So this dame meets Jerry and says,   Lieutenant Reinfield,   I'm gonna kill you, or something like that. And she has a gun and Jerry says,   you're crazy.   That's for George Mason Hurd. The question is,   whose husband or whose boyfriend did I kill? You didn't kill anybody, Harry. Yeah. I know that. In all the years on the force, I never   had a fire or a single shot. But whose husband or boyfriend did I send up for life, or  

[00:42:29] Unknown:

who died on account of me? You better forget that letter and the file and let justice take its course.   Lieutenant.   Oh.  

[00:42:45] Unknown:

Oh.   Hello, missus Mason.  

[00:42:49] Unknown:

I've just come from the courtroom.  

[00:42:52] Unknown:

The jury will find him guilty. Missus Mason, I've I've done what I could. Have you?  

[00:42:58] Unknown:

What more do you want?  

[00:43:00] Unknown:

I don't want my son to pay for a crime he didn't commit. I'm gonna tell you something, missus Mason. You can take this any way you like.   Like. I didn't have to do anything at all. It wasn't my case. You understand?   You talked me into trying to open up something that was already closed as far as the department is concerned. I thought you were proceeding out of a sense of duty. Oh, that's just conversation.   Look.   I went as far as I could, and it wasn't easy.  

[00:43:26] Unknown:

What I'm doing could be prejudicing the state's case against your son. Well, our lawyer doesn't seem to be getting much mileage out of that.  

[00:43:33] Unknown:

I don't know why I'm doing this.  

[00:43:37] Unknown:

Am I doing this because you're an attractive woman? We're very much alike in certain ways. We go by intuition.   I follow mine all the way.   And usually, you go all the way with yours.   Except this time.  

[00:43:51] Unknown:

I don't know what you're talking about. Now, don't fence with me.  

[00:43:55] Unknown:

Are you protecting somebody?   Who? You tell me.   Now, there's one last question.   What would you do as a matter of a routine in an ordinary case that you haven't done here? Nothing.  

[00:44:09] Unknown:

I've done absolutely everything. I I'm  

[00:44:13] Unknown:

Yes?  

[00:44:13] Unknown:

What? Well, but it's not important here. What? What? What? What's not important? Well, going on the theory that your son is innocent,   who knew my son would be on that street corner?  

[00:44:24] Unknown:

Well?  

[00:44:26] Unknown:

Nobody.   Nobody?  

[00:44:27] Unknown:

Well, there's two partners. I eliminate them. And nobody else. There was nobody else.  

[00:44:33] Unknown:

Yes?  

[00:44:35] Unknown:

There was somebody else.   Who?   Oh, that's impossible.   It it's impossible.  

[00:44:42] Unknown:

Is it impossible?   Or do you want it to be impossible?  

[00:44:46] Unknown:

Missus Mason,   I need your help. Here here, read this note.  

[00:44:52] Unknown:

I intend to get even with you for what you did to someone I love more than anyone else in this world.   What was done to him   will be done to you.  

[00:45:05] Unknown:

Now why do I believe that Jerry was killed by mistake?   Maybe that was how the killer wanted to get back at me.   Who's the killer?   The one who typed this note.   Now if the person   who knew where Jerry was going to be that night also had the machine on which this was typed,   I've broken the case.   Are you still willing to help?  

[00:45:33] Unknown:

Yes?   I'm   sorry to ring your bell this late   I just moved into the building   Do you have a typewriter?   Yes. Why?   Well, miss,   Oh, I see your name is Lewis. Oh, Leona Lewis. Miss Lewis.   My name is Smith,   missus Smith.   I have to fill in this lease form and drop it off at the landlord's office first thing in the morning,   And my typewriter broke down   I know it's an imposition Oh, it's alright Come on in   see, I have an electric and and when something goes wrong Oh, there it is on the table you don't have to take it out of the cage Oh, thank you   Oh, I see you're packed.  

Are you moving?   Yes.   Going back home.   Home?   The Midwest.   There's nothing here for me anymore.   Oh, this is a very good machine.   I keep it that way.   Learned it from my father.   He was a first class machinist.   Was?   Yes.   He died. Oh. Oh, I'm sorry to hear that.   Was he ill?   He had a sickness that no cure for.   Have   have we met before? I don't think so.   You look familiar.   What was,   what   was the sickness?   A broken heart?   You see, my brother had been sent to prison.   Oh, that's awful.   And my brother died there in an accident.   Oh.   I I wish I knew why you look so familiar. I   no. I've seen you somewhere.  

Oh.   Finished.   Thank you very much, miss Lewis. When my brother died, it killed my father.   The grief was too much to bear. Well, I understand. But,   those things can't be helped.   Oh, don't say that.   I was able to help it.   Really?   Yes. Very much.   Please.   Now I know where I've seen you before.   Your name isn't Smith.   It's Mason.   Your picture isn't a nice saver.   Your son is on trial for the murder of that clown. Don't say that, cop. He was your fiancee   So that's why you wanted a sample for my typewriter Yes   And I've got it Well you won't keep it I don't see how you could can can take it from me I can   Just don't make me use this Now   shooting   shooting won't won't help you. It'll help me? No. No. No. You can't. You can't kill me. I don't have to.  

You see, first, you will place that paper you typed on the table.   That's it.   And   now, you will walk into the next closet. It's not gonna help. It's we know that you killed Jerry Reinfield. Who knows? You?   What can you prove?   I'll destroy the paper. I'll lose the typewriter where no one can ever find it.   And it all comes down to your word against mine. Why? Why did you kill him? The idea was to kill him so his father would know how it was with my father. But he must have been a nice boy. Yes.   That's why I had to kill him quickly I was   I was starting to fall in love with him Okay   Now get into that closet Oh, open the door   And shut it   And now,   get out of here.  

Just litter the gun   and the tie presser.  

[00:49:14] Unknown:

Hello,   Leona.  

[00:49:24] Unknown:

Hello, Leona, says Lieutenant Harry Reinfield.   Of course, goodbye, Leona might be more appropriate.   I can inform you that Leona Lewis was found mentally disturbed   and is serving an indeterminate   sentence.  

[00:49:39] Unknown:

I shall return shortly. I guess I'm lucky.   My family's always been healthy.  

[00:49:44] Unknown:

Oh, a touch of constipation now and then. But we've got Ex Lax for that. When you need a laxative, shouldn't your first choice be the one more families buy than any other? That's today's Ex Lax.   Families like the chocolatey taste. You'll like the way X Lax works gently overnight for relief in the morning.   Next time, make gentle chocolateed X Lax your first choice for occasional use only as directed. We've always been healthy, and X Lax is part of that.  

[00:50:42] Unknown:

To save you time during this busy holiday season, ShopRite is featuring quick, easy, and satisfying meals. Fresh lean ground chuck, good so many ways, just 79   a pound. ShopRite hamburger rolls, 10 ounce packages, three for a dollar. ShopRite king-size beef franks, another year round favorite, 89¢   for a one pound package. ShopRite mixers, 28 ounce bottles, five for 99¢.   And for all your holiday needs, toys, trimmings, and wrappings to Shop ShopRite, the holiday place.  

[00:51:13] Unknown:

In Italy, we celebrate many traditional holidays and feasts. There is Capodano   to bring in the New Year, Festo di San Giuseppe in honour of Saint Joseph,   and Carnevale,   what you call Mardi Gras.   And then there is my favourite Italian tradition,   Corvo.   Corvo is not a holiday.   Corvo is a wine,   and it has been an Italian tradition since 1824.   That is when the Duke of Salamarluto   began producing Corvo on his estate near Palermo.   Today, Corvo red and Corvo white wines are enjoyed up and down the entire Italian peninsula.   And now, Corvo wines are available in America too in fine Italian restaurants.  

So the next time you go out for an Italian dinner, enjoy it in traditional Italian style with Corvo.   Ask for Corvo at the store where you buy wine too.   Corvo,   the wine that's been in Italian tradition since 1824,   imported by Paterno Imports, Chicago, Illinois.  

[00:52:23] Unknown:

Well, now you talk about facts.   And yet wasn't it supreme court justice Oliver Wendell Holmes himself who said,   the decision will depend on a judgment or intuition   more subtle   than any articulate   major premise.   Yes. It was. And so what you should do is follow your own subtle intuition   and attend us here on this spot on your dial.   Our cast included Howard Da Silva and Petoniak, Rosemary Rice, and Bob Caliban.   The entire production was under the direction of Hyman Brown. Radio Mystery Theatre was sponsored in part by Contact,   the twelve hour cold capsule.  

This is E. G. Marshall inviting you to return to our Mystery Theatre   for another adventure in the macabre.   Until next time,   pleasant   stream.  

[00:53:22] Unknown:

Tonight's WOR Mystery Theater was also brought to you in part by ShopRite Supermarkets, where you get a lot more for a little less. Preceding program is furnished by CBS radio.   This is WOR New York, an RKO general station. It's 08:00. Here's John Wingate with the news.  

[00:53:40] Unknown:

For New York City bus and subway service cutbacks.   Telephone company, nixed on rate increase.   Carter names two.   It's 30 degrees. That's minus one Celsius in clear Mid Manhattan.   What about your outlook? Clear and breezy, but not so cold as last night.   Low in the upper twenties.   Hi.   John Wingate with the 08:00 report from WOR News.   This includes the nightly column, The Financial Review.   The New York Transit Authority has announced a planned series of bus and subway service cutbacks beginning January 1.   The TA will try to trim $30,000,000   in expenses over the next eighteen months.  

The savings are required by the Emergency Financial Control Board to balance the budget.   The TA will lay off 181   former city and housing authority policemen   who have been working as change booth clerks.   Subway service reductions will include elimination of the IRT Bowling Green South Ferry Shuttle in Manhattan,   the BMT Franklin Avenue Shuttle in Brooklyn,   and independent double a service in Manhattan.   Services will be trimmed during late night hours on the double g,   n, and b trains.   Instead of operating 10 car trains during nonrush hours,   train lengths will be reduced during off periods to four, six, or eight cars to save money on power and car maintenance.  

There will also be increased headways between buses   ranging from an extra five to twenty minutes during non rush hours on most routes in the five boroughs.   The State Public Service Commission has thrown out New York Telephone Company's request for a $393,000,000   rate hike,   telling the phone company to back up its figures better.   The commission ruled that documents filed by the phone company last month did not contain enough information to judge the case properly. The phone company had filed a pile of documents one foot thick.   The PSC ordered the phone company either to cancel its request for a rate increase   or to agree to postpone further action until it supplies   additional information.  

Yet another investigation underway   involving the flu vaccination program.  

[00:55:47] Unknown:

WR's Ed Nash has that story. Several states, including New Jersey, have started an investigation to determine if swine flu shots   can cause Guillain Barre syndrome.   This syndrome affects the nervous system.   It can cause partial   but temporary   paralysis.   Six cases were found in New Jersey last month,   and four of these involved patients who had received   flu immunization.   About twenty five cases in various states   are under investigation by health departments   and the Federal Disease Control Center.   The New Jersey Health Department   has notified all doctors in the state that the investigation is underway.  

The department is seeking information on all cases that were diagnosed   during the past two months   or any that may occur during the next three months   whether or not the patient had been immunized.   This is Ed Nash, WOR News.  

[00:56:48] Unknown:

Convicted killer Gary Gilmore ordered his attorneys today not to fight his execution.   They, in turn, asked Utah's fourth district court   to dismiss a petition which sought to have Gilmore's death sentence tossed out on the grounds it was not imposed quickly enough.   At the same time, Gilmore's mother asked the US Supreme Court   to reconsider its decision yesterday,   which lifts the say of execution   for Gilmore.   W. O. R. 07:10 news time is coming up on four minutes past 08:00.   Have you heard, I wonder, about the wonderful new life at the Cupola,   a very attractive senior citizens facility in Paramus, New Jersey? At the Cupola,   all living suites are private, each kitchenette   equipped and available either furnished or unfurnished   to suit your particular taste. There are gift barber and beauty shops, card and game rooms,   libraries, a theater,   maid service seven days a week, many planned activities, three superb daily meals from a diversified venue,   a fully staffed infirmary,   and convenient shopping in the Paramus Ridgewood area. The Maloney family, owners and managers, invite you to visit the cupola, talk to the people who are living there. And I think you'll agree, this is the ultimate in senior citizen living. The cupola is at West 100 Ridgewood Avenue in Paramus,   Fifteen Minutes from the George Washington Bridge.  

Call (201)   444-8200,   or write to me for a full color brochure.   The cupola.   Make the next years the very best years of your life.   President-elect Carter has added two more names to his cabinet list, announcing the appointment of businessman economist Michael Blumenthal   as treasury secretary   and congressman Brock Adams of Washington state as transportation boss. Carter said both men had intense and complete knowledge of their areas.   Carter told an Atlanta news conference that the economy is in worse shape than he anticipated three or six months ago.   He said he will confer with his economic advisers on plans to stimulate the economy,   but added that he leans to job opportunities.  

At his afternoon news conference, Carter revealed that former IBM vice president Jane Pfeiffer   has asked not to be considered for a cabinet post.   There had been widespread speculation that Mrs. Pfeiffer would be named commerce secretary.   President Ford told leaders of Congress today he might approve a pay raise for high ranking Federal officials and members of Congress. The raise, perhaps as high as 40%,   would go to the top 2,500 people in government. Mr. Ford said he would not   like the raise, coupled with a new code of ethics on the disclosure of outside income.   Pentagon sources report that a select commission headed by foreman astronaut Frank Baumann   has heard the speedy readmission of cadets who left West Point in the recent cheating scandal.  

Stock market story to come. W. Ora seven ten news time, six minutes past   eight o'clock. She's promised to reimburse the emergency fund as soon as the lottery begins.   Bing Crosby   will sing White Christmas   on the steps of City Hall tomorrow   as Mayor Beame lights the city's official Christmas tree.   Crosby's wife, Catherine,   will also take part in the public ceremony   tomorrow afternoon at 04:30.   An inmate sentenced to a cleanup detail at a Brooklyn criminal court   mopped his way to freedom this morning.   The man, 28 year old Oliver Wendell Stevens,   mopped his way down the hall to an open courtroom,   mingled with the crowd, and then made his escape.  

Stevens had only a month and a half to go on his six month sentence for petty larceny   and bail jumping.   One prison spokesman said he may just have wanted to go home for the holidays.   A state supreme court jury in Albany has been has begun deliberations   in the corruption and larceny trial of assemblyman Alan Hochberg,   chairman of the assembly ethics committee.   Earlier today, the jury received a two hour charge from judge William Kringle.   Hochberg is accused of trying to buy off a primary challenge in his Bronx assembly district   by offering a job and political support to his potential opponent.  

The Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade announced today that it will seek a 13% fair increase for New York City taxi rides.   Spokesman for the organization of 54 taxi fleets   said it will ask that the initial charge for a cab ride be raised from the present 65 to 75¢   and the subsequent charge be 10¢ for each one seventh of a mile instead of the percent 10¢ for one sixth of a mile.   Spokesman said the hikes would raise the cost of the average 2.4 mile cab ride from the present $2.30   to $2.60.   The fare increase requests follow a tentative agreement   between the cab owners   and   the taxi drivers.  

We'll have   moderating weather to come,   and, of course,   the night's headlines.   WOR 07:10 News Time,   twelve minutes   past 8PM.  

[01:01:53] Unknown:

My name is Rodet Charbeau. And here in France, my vintage Charbeau champagne is so highly regarded. It costs about as much as Piper, Moet, or Mann.   But prices change when champagne leaves France.   For the piper, moet, or man to get to America,   they go through large importers who mark up the price substantially,   then to distributors   who add at least another 20%,   and finally to your store.   But Charbon is shipped directly from my vineyard to my exporter director, Monsieur Portier, in New York. He then distributes them to fine wine shops where Charbon vintage champagne   is sold for only $8.99,   about $5 less a bottle than by Permouet or Mann.  

Try Charbeau   and pay only for fine champagne,   not for its journey across the Atlantic.  

[01:02:45] Unknown:

Charbeau, the imported champagne without the importer's profit. Imported by Patrizio Portier, New York, New York.  

[01:02:53] Unknown:

Now the weather watch update for New York City and vicinity.   Clear and breezy, but not so cold as last night.   Low in the upper twenties.   Partly sunny with moderating temperatures tomorrow.   Highs from 45 to 50.   Becoming cloudy tomorrow night with a chance of rain late at night or Thursday.   Low tomorrow night, 35 to 40, and the high Thursday, 40 to 45.   The chance of rain is 10% tonight and tomorrow,   increasing to 40% by late tomorrow night.   Winds southwest at 10 to 20 miles an hour with some higher gusts tonight.   In Mid Manhattan,   it's clear,   30 degrees Fahrenheit   minus one Celsius.  

Humidity,   47%.   Wind is southwest at 12 gusting to 13 miles an hour. We've still got those winds.   Barometer, 30.25,   and it is falling.   The top stories of the hour.   New York City Transit Authority announces its planned series of bus and subway service cutbacks   starting January 1.   Authority says it must trim fat from budget.   President-elect   Carter names businessman economist   Michael   Blumenthal as treasury boss   and congressman Brock Adams from Washington state to head transportation.   That's the 08:00 news. John Wingate reporting.   Next news on this station,   always.  

The moment it happens, we get there.   Next scheduled   news, I'll be back at 09:00 tonight.  

[01:04:30] Unknown:

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[01:04:56] Unknown:

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