WEBVTT 00:00.000 --> 00:02.000 Suspense. 00:30.000 --> 00:43.720 This is the Man in Black, here again to introduce Columbia's program, Suspense. Heading our starring 00:43.720 --> 00:48.880 Hollywood cast tonight is Mr. Laird Kriegar, who will be seen shortly in the 20th Century Fox 00:48.880 --> 00:54.960 production of one of the great suspense stories of all time, The Lodger. Tonight, Mr. Kriegar 00:54.960 --> 01:00.880 appears as a cynical gentleman who made an unusual bet with death. With Mr. Kriegar is a 01:00.880 --> 01:05.640 cast of the screen's most distinguished and characteristic players, Miss Helen Vinson, 01:05.640 --> 01:12.320 Mr. Walter Kingsford, Mr. George Koloris, Mr. Harold Huber, and Mr. Ian Wolfe, here to bring 01:12.320 --> 01:18.840 us the suspense play called The Last Letter of Dr. Bronson. And so with the performance of Laird 01:18.840 --> 01:24.580 Kriegar as he writes for us this last letter of Dr. Bronson, and with the performances of In the 01:24.580 --> 01:31.360 Order of their Appearance, Walter Kingsford, Ian Wolfe, Harold Huber, Helen Vinson, and George 01:31.360 --> 01:50.360 Koloris, we again hope to keep you in. Suspense. My dear Dr. Mosher, forgive me if I dash this 01:50.360 --> 01:56.240 letter off rather hurriedly. There are but a very few minutes remaining for me. The few minutes 01:56.240 --> 02:04.240 between now and midnight. You have always protested my fascination with the subject of death. It irked 02:04.240 --> 02:10.320 you to hear me discuss the latest electrocution or hanging. I remember your sarcasm the day you 02:10.320 --> 02:15.480 found me staring down from the top of the Empire State Building, speculating on the thoughts of a 02:15.480 --> 02:21.800 man about to leap from that pinnacle. You alone, Mosher, know how this fascination led to my latest 02:21.800 --> 02:29.320 experiment. I should say, my last experiment. I promised you a complete account of it all. Here 02:29.320 --> 02:34.960 is that account. First of all, let me recall a conversation which we held here in my study a 02:34.960 --> 02:43.400 little over a year ago. There you go again, Bronson. Death and murder. Really, you're 02:43.400 --> 02:49.080 unhealthy. Please answer my question, Mosher. Why do men behave as they do? What keeps them 02:49.080 --> 02:55.200 from breaking loose? Why don't they kill one another as animals do? Why, because they aren't 02:55.200 --> 02:59.640 animals. But my dear Mosher, being neither vegetable nor mineral, they must be animals. 02:59.640 --> 03:05.000 What I mean is... That you do not know the answer. I do. So? I have been studying the 03:05.000 --> 03:10.120 question for some time, and I've concluded that there are five basic checks which serve 03:10.120 --> 03:16.000 to restrain man from murdering his fellow man. Oh, really, Bronson? The obvious corollary is that 03:16.000 --> 03:22.000 murder occurs only when some stronger drive overrides these five basic checks. You make it 03:22.000 --> 03:28.240 sound very simple. It is simple. And what are these five basic checks? Well, I'm not prepared to 03:28.240 --> 03:33.160 reveal the outcome of my studies yet. I must put my theory to the test. That would seem to be a 03:33.160 --> 03:40.960 difficult undertaking. Difficult, yes, but intriguing. I take it you're about to embark upon another of 03:40.960 --> 03:47.080 your experiments. Correct. Bronson, why must you keep on? These studies invariably bring you some 03:47.080 --> 03:53.080 physical or, what is more dangerous, some nervous disaster. And in turn, your handsome bill for 03:53.080 --> 03:57.120 putting me in shape to conduct the next. Sooner or later, you will experiment yourself into a 03:57.120 --> 04:02.160 position beyond my power to aid you. Let it be later, then. Meanwhile, I shall continue to pursue 04:02.160 --> 04:07.440 my sole interest in life. And how do you propose to conduct this, this restraint from murder 04:07.440 --> 04:13.840 experiment? Well, a murder is composed of four elements. The murderer, the motive, the opportunity, 04:13.840 --> 04:19.400 and the victim. My first step will be to select five men, each of whom will be restrained from 04:19.400 --> 04:24.800 murder by the particular check that I'm testing on him. That's no easy task. By no means. It will 04:24.800 --> 04:29.720 require an extensive search. But having found my men, I must then supply each with a motive. 04:29.720 --> 04:36.040 Greed, revenge, jealousy. I see. And your next step must be to give each man an opportunity. 04:36.040 --> 04:40.880 Precisely. An opportunity which precludes all checks but the one being tested. Well, 04:40.880 --> 04:44.560 not knowing what your checks are, I can't help you there. Well, that'll be relatively simple. 04:44.560 --> 04:50.520 And finally, I must supply an intended victim. You'll ask this victim to face five men, 04:50.520 --> 04:55.640 each standing to profit handsomely by murdering him? Correct. His only chance of survival being 04:55.640 --> 05:01.240 the correctness of your theory of checks in all five instances. Yes. And do you imagine you will 05:01.240 --> 05:06.840 discover a man with such utter confidence in your reckoning? There is one such man. Who? Myself. 05:06.840 --> 05:14.080 Bronson, this is folly. No, Mosher. I never hesitate to risk high stakes on a sure thing, 05:14.080 --> 05:18.280 not even my life. Now look here, Bronson. You're a doctor yourself. You told me to speak to you like 05:18.280 --> 05:22.640 a Dutch uncle. Now, as your physician, my advice... I haven't consulted my physician. But you will take 05:22.640 --> 05:27.720 precautions, provide yourself for emergencies. I tell you there's no danger. Oh, well, well, well. 05:27.720 --> 05:35.400 Well, when will you begin your experiment? Well, I suppose in about... Well, why wait? Why don't we 05:35.400 --> 05:42.080 begin right now? Mosher, I invite you to kill me. What? There's a revolver right here in my desk, 05:42.080 --> 05:47.880 and I want you to take this revolver. Oh, you're joking, Bronson. What possible motive could I have 05:47.880 --> 05:54.040 for murdering you? Motive? Why, we're known to be associated rather closely in our work. You'll 05:54.040 --> 05:58.240 come naturally into my entire practice. I'll put that in writing. Why, it's... it's... it's preposterous. 05:58.240 --> 06:03.840 Posterous? Why won't you kill me then, Mosher? Why, there are... there are dozens of reasons. In the first 06:03.840 --> 06:08.640 place, I'd go to Electric Chair for it. Thank you, Dr. Mosher. You've given me an admirable 06:08.640 --> 06:13.880 illustration of the first and most obvious of the five checks in my theory. Man refrains from 06:13.880 --> 06:26.800 murdering his fellow being because he himself will be killed by law. Remember, Mosher? Remember 06:26.800 --> 06:33.800 how it began? That was more than a year ago. Yes, I've spent more than a year in selecting my other 06:33.800 --> 06:40.440 four subjects because the checks I wanted them to prove were not so simple. In selecting my people, 06:40.440 --> 06:45.200 it was necessary that I cultivate the friendship of each so that when the time should come to 06:45.200 --> 06:56.920 confront him with my proposition, I should be certain of how he would act. The first of my four 06:56.920 --> 07:02.720 potential murders was a clerk named Totten. Totten was badly in debt, his wife in the hospital about 07:02.720 --> 07:08.760 to undergo an expensive operation, and he was a deeply religious man. We went to church together 07:08.760 --> 07:13.920 on Sunday evenings at St. Luke's right around the corner from my apartment. One Sunday evening after 07:13.920 --> 07:19.240 the service, I asked him to come to my apartment and we talked as we walked along. You know, Dr. Bronson, 07:19.240 --> 07:24.360 I was talking about you to my wife the other day before they took her to the hospital. I was saying 07:24.360 --> 07:28.640 what a great comfort it was to be with you these Sunday nights. Now come, Mr. Totten, you embarrass 07:28.640 --> 07:33.280 me. No, I mean it. In the world today, too many people seem to feel that they no longer need their 07:33.280 --> 07:37.880 God. Yes, but their lives are void of the great thing you have in your faith. The church is a great 07:37.880 --> 07:43.640 comfort to me, and I do need something to cling to in times like these. Mr. Totten, you could make 07:43.640 --> 07:49.160 rather good use of $5,000, couldn't you? It isn't like you to make fun of my poverty. No, I'm quite 07:49.160 --> 07:53.120 sincere. You know what even a hundred dollars would mean to me in the present more than ever. 07:53.120 --> 07:57.360 Yes, with your wife's misfortune. Oh, isn't this your apartment we're passing? I want to go in the 07:57.360 --> 08:09.080 sidewalk. We should be unobserved. You'll understand presently. Please come into my study. 08:09.080 --> 08:19.440 Here we are. And now if you'll take this chair opposite my desk. Thank you. Mr. Totten, 08:19.440 --> 08:24.640 you said that even a hundred dollars would be a great help to you. Here in my desk, 08:24.640 --> 08:31.760 I have this package containing $5,000. Well, what could I do for you that would be worth all 08:31.760 --> 08:39.360 that money? Let me explain. My doctor called on me yesterday and he told me, well, to be quite 08:39.360 --> 08:45.960 frank with you, Mr. Totten, he said that I was slowly going mad. Oh, no, that couldn't be. I'm 08:45.960 --> 08:51.360 quite all right at present, but it's only a matter of time and I'd rather not have to face it. I 08:51.360 --> 08:57.040 believe you can understand that. But there must be something you can do knowing in advance. There 08:57.040 --> 09:03.480 is. And I want you to help me. I don't understand. Put on these gloves. Take them. But why? As soon 09:03.480 --> 09:09.440 as you have them on, I shall hand you this paper knife. Notice how very sharp it is. I grip it 09:09.440 --> 09:16.920 firmly, thus, and clearly impress my fingerprints on the handle. Finally, here on the desk, I am 09:16.920 --> 09:21.600 leaving this note explaining that I have committed suicide. Suicide? When the knife is in your hand, 09:21.600 --> 09:28.040 I want you to drive it into my heart. Then you may leave by the same way we came in. You'll be 09:28.040 --> 09:34.400 quite unnoticed. And with the $5,000 in your pocket. You can't mean this. But I do. You see, 09:34.400 --> 09:43.240 I don't have the nerve to. Well, I can't quite make the final move myself. You would greatly 09:43.240 --> 09:49.640 oblige me. And with the $5,000, you will be able to give your wife the treatment she needs. What 09:49.640 --> 09:56.440 do you say? You can't die yet. You're not ready. Would you have me wait until I've gone mad? You 09:56.440 --> 10:00.600 can't take the matter of life and death into your own hands. I am not asking you to pass judgment 10:00.600 --> 10:04.640 upon my actions. Whether I wish to live or die is my own concern and my mind is resolved. Is that 10:04.640 --> 10:09.240 clear? I'm sorry for you. I'm merely asking you to do something for which I will pay you very well. 10:09.240 --> 10:16.080 You will, of course, be killing me. But if you could realize what life would be like for me, 10:16.080 --> 10:21.240 otherwise... I'm very sorry, but I can't oblige you. If it's the law, you fear? No, it's not that. You 10:21.240 --> 10:27.800 seem to have arranged that perfectly. Then what is it? I'm an honest Christian and I thought you 10:27.800 --> 10:32.800 were Dr. Bronson. If you don't understand why I can't do this monster thing, I suggest you look 10:32.800 --> 10:51.880 up the Sixth Commandment. Good night. So Moshe, my second point was proved. Man refrains from 10:51.880 --> 11:00.840 killing because it is against his religious principles. The hands of the clock now read 11:00.840 --> 11:06.800 fifteen minutes to midnight, one quarter of an hour in which to complete this report. My third 11:06.800 --> 11:11.760 proposition called for an entirely different sort of man, in fact the very reverse of Tartan, 11:11.760 --> 11:19.320 a man who believed neither in heaven nor hell and also a man of little intelligence. It required 11:19.320 --> 11:26.360 careful search. For a number of nights I frequented the rougher districts of the city. At first I had 11:26.360 --> 11:32.360 no luck. Then one night I came upon my man very unexpectedly. I was walking along one of the darker 11:32.360 --> 11:42.240 streets. There was no one in view. He was slumped down beside an ash can. He'd been shot in the chest 11:42.240 --> 11:46.360 and left down severing an artery. He was bleeding profusely. I tore off his shirt and made a tourniquet 11:46.360 --> 11:52.220 for his arm. Oddly no one came into the alley to investigate. Never mind me. Get away. Was this a 11:52.220 --> 11:56.760 gang shooting? What do you think? I think you're going to the hospital. No, I'll blab to the cops. Come on, 11:56.760 --> 12:01.160 I'll help you to your feet. I ain't going. You'll die a man if you're not treated quickly. I ain't 12:01.160 --> 12:13.840 going. I tell you, no cops gonna, no cops, they ain't gonna, gonna. His name was Matt Doyle. I visited 12:13.840 --> 12:18.920 Doyle in the hospital almost every day. Several months later I decided to put him to the test. 12:18.920 --> 12:28.400 I found Doyle in one of his hangouts and brought him to my apartment. I find it very pleasant. 12:28.400 --> 12:37.240 Have a cigarette? Thanks. Doyle, how many men have you killed? That's all right, Doyle, I understand. 12:37.240 --> 12:42.280 Now suppose we get down to business. Yeah, I've been wondering what you want me for. I want you 12:42.280 --> 12:47.520 to do something for me and I'm going to give you $5,000 to do it. Will you do what I ask you? 12:47.520 --> 12:52.960 For five grand? Spell it. I want you to put on these gloves so there won't be any fingerprints. 12:52.960 --> 12:57.520 Then I'm going to hand you this knife and you're going to kill me with it. Huh? I've arranged 12:57.520 --> 13:03.080 everything so it will appear to be suicide. You nuts? Not yet, but I will be before very long. 13:03.080 --> 13:09.840 That's why I want to die. All you have to do is stab me and slip out with this $5,000. Is this on 13:09.840 --> 13:14.520 the level? Absolutely. This water dough is mine if I kill you? That's right. And nobody will know 13:14.520 --> 13:21.040 I've done it? No one. These gloves is kind of big for me. That's all right, they'll do. Yeah. 13:21.040 --> 13:29.200 Yeah. Want me to put on the other one? It's safer. Yeah, I guess it is. Gee. What is it? I was just 13:29.200 --> 13:37.760 thinking five grand. Ah, the boss is going to pay me more next. I mean, I never got... I'll skip it. 13:37.760 --> 13:44.920 I want you to understand exactly what you're doing, Doyle. Without any justifiable cause, 13:44.920 --> 13:52.080 merely for the sake of money, you are going to murder me. You understand that? Yeah. You've 13:52.080 --> 13:56.600 been hired to do this before? Yeah. I suppose I don't know who to talk about it and how the joke... 13:56.600 --> 14:02.320 But you've never killed a friend, have you? Yeah, I have. Anyway, there was my pals till they got in 14:02.320 --> 14:06.760 the boss's way, but when the boss says slip it to a mat, then it was just another job to me. 14:06.760 --> 14:11.640 But there's a little difference in this case, Doyle. I saved your life. Yeah. 14:11.640 --> 14:21.320 I don't know. What? I don't know. Nope, I can't do it. But I thought you said that you... Yeah, 14:21.320 --> 14:26.680 take these gloves. A trade of the law. No. What's the matter then? Is it because I'm your friend? 14:26.680 --> 14:30.760 That's more than that. I can't bump you off, even if you want it. It would be an act of true 14:30.760 --> 14:34.160 friendship. I ain't so sure. When a cat has fits, you put it out of its misery, don't you? That's 14:34.160 --> 14:40.400 what I want. Oblivion. Sorry, Doc, I ain't the guy. It's like you said. You saved my life, 14:40.400 --> 14:48.480 so that's that. I'm sorry. I wish you could help me. Me too, but not that. Now, if you got some 14:48.480 --> 14:53.640 other punk you want to care of... There's no one. Thanks, just the same. Oh, don't mention it. 14:53.640 --> 15:06.000 There was my third proposition. Man will not kill fellow man if a sufficient degree of gratitude 15:06.000 --> 15:10.600 has been invoked. Even a professional killer and one of the lowest examples of human life, 15:10.600 --> 15:14.200 such as Doyle, could not bring himself to murder his benefactor. 15:14.200 --> 15:26.920 My next subject was altogether different in temperament. With Judith Ainsley, 15:26.920 --> 15:31.880 I used a special technique. I first encountered Judith Ainsley when I operated on Barrett Sheffield, 15:31.880 --> 15:36.400 the actor. You will recall that Sheffield was brought to the hospital with a lung abscess. 15:36.400 --> 15:41.360 As I prepared to do the rib resection, I noticed that the nurse standing beside me was greatly 15:41.360 --> 15:52.240 agitated. Thank you. Do you think this is advisable? What? This is more pronounced. 15:52.240 --> 16:00.680 Miss Ainsley, another hemostat, please. Do you think you really should sign on it? 16:00.680 --> 16:13.400 Miss Ainsley. I'm sorry, Doctor. What if you... Doctor, Doctor. Quickly, quickly, caffeine. Quickly. 16:13.400 --> 16:27.920 Stethoscope. Here it is. That's that. Yes, that's that. Miss Ainsley, what's the matter with you? 16:27.920 --> 16:32.240 You've been acting strangely all through this operation. You killed him. You killed him. You 16:32.240 --> 16:34.760 shouldn't have gone ahead. You know that. I warned you. I shall see to it, Miss Ainsley, 16:34.760 --> 16:40.240 that you are never assigned to one of my cases again. What's the matter with you anyway? Have 16:40.240 --> 16:45.400 you never seen a pulmonary before? Or does it upset you to see a handsome actor like Barrett Sheffield 16:45.400 --> 17:05.400 die? Yes, he did. Oh? Yes. We were going to be married next week. If I ever saw hate, cold, 17:05.400 --> 17:10.920 undying hate, it was in that girl's eyes as she turned and left the operating room that day. I 17:10.920 --> 17:22.680 had made the most implacable enemy of my life. As I come to my third check, dear Mosher, it 17:22.680 --> 17:29.600 suddenly occurred to me that Judith Ainsley was the perfect subject. One day at the hospital, 17:29.600 --> 17:33.480 I inquired about Miss Ainsley and learned that she had done four years of medical and was now 17:33.480 --> 17:38.580 interning at Cedars of Lebanon in hope of picking up a resident fellowship. I went down to the 17:38.580 --> 17:43.480 hospital and sat in the doctor's lounge waiting for her. Presently, she came in with another 17:43.480 --> 17:49.680 intern. I stood up. She turned and looked at me. I saw again in her eyes that inexorable hate. She 17:49.680 --> 17:55.000 had never forgiven me for what she felt was my negligence in the death of the man she loved. I 17:55.000 --> 18:00.840 walked toward her. Excuse me, please. I see you remember me, Miss Ainsley. Yes. Will you excuse 18:00.840 --> 18:04.720 me, please? Miss Ainsley, you may not believe this, but I've come here especially to talk to 18:04.720 --> 18:13.200 you today. To talk to me, Dr. Branson? Yes. Come along with me, please. In this treatment room, 18:13.200 --> 18:17.600 please. We can talk privately. Dr. Branson, I don't think there could be anything you and I can say 18:17.600 --> 18:22.800 to each other. Well now, Miss Ainsley, that all depends. That all depends. Sit down, Mosher. 18:22.800 --> 18:31.800 Miss Ainsley... Dr. Ainsley, if you please. Oh, yes, of course. Doctor, I have a little proposition 18:31.800 --> 18:38.840 to make to you. First of all, there are two facts I'd like to be sure of. A, you are unable to set 18:38.840 --> 18:42.560 up your own practice because you don't have the money to get started. Is that right? I don't see 18:42.560 --> 18:49.680 what business that is of yours. That happens to be true. Fine. Fact B, you still hate me and feel a 18:49.680 --> 18:54.560 strong desire to be revenged for the wrong which you consider I have done you. Yes, I'm afraid that's 18:54.560 --> 19:01.560 true, Dr. Branson. Good. Good? Yes. You see, I want to pay someone to murder me, and I think you'd 19:01.560 --> 19:06.640 enjoy it more than anyone, and you need the money, too. Dr. Branson, I'm very busy. There's a patient 19:06.640 --> 19:14.760 in 302. Will you... Wait a moment, Dr. Ainsley. I'm perfectly serious. Absolutely serious. You want 19:14.760 --> 19:24.200 to die? Yes. You see, I'm going mad. I can't face it. I wish to end my life immediately. You're 19:24.200 --> 19:30.800 smiling. Good. You're interested, then. You going mental, Dr. Parisus? Yes. Hopeless. I've been to 19:30.800 --> 19:36.200 five or six men about it. Are you far gone? Hallucinations? Delusions of grandeur? Yes, 19:36.200 --> 19:41.400 advanced ages. Agony. There must be quite a temptation to get it over with. I wonder what 19:41.400 --> 19:45.520 I would do if it happened to me. I want you to understand, Doctor, that I'm not asking you to 19:45.520 --> 19:52.600 perform a crude murder. This would look like a simple error, unavoidable. There would not be the 19:52.600 --> 19:57.600 slightest aspect of homicidal intent. Really? That's most interesting, Doctor. Go on. My heart. 19:57.600 --> 20:03.760 I've had considerable damage. Coronary occlusion. Had to spend some six weeks on my back. Just got 20:03.760 --> 20:09.280 up last week. Naturally, I was given digitalis. I see, Doctor. You've been heavily digitalised, 20:09.280 --> 20:12.960 and if someone were to give you an injection of calcium gluconate, you would have an immediate 20:12.960 --> 20:20.280 heart block dead within a few minutes. Exactly. I must compliment you, Dr. Ainsley. You've learned 20:20.280 --> 20:26.080 a great deal. What a pity you can't have your own practice. And that, of course, reminds me. 20:26.080 --> 20:32.280 Ah, another inducement. Of course. I plan to pay you the sum of $5,000 for your professional 20:32.280 --> 20:38.140 services in this matter. And I think unless times have changed greatly since I've been in 20:38.140 --> 20:42.840 practice myself, you ought to be able to set up handsomely with that. My own practice. You'd 20:42.840 --> 20:47.640 better be careful, Doctor. You may tempt me a little bit too far. I thought you'd find it 20:47.640 --> 20:53.800 an attractive proposition. It would be only an error. I will say that I'm feeling badly again, 20:53.800 --> 20:59.200 a recurrence of my pericardial pains. I'll go back to bed and ask that you be assigned to my case. 20:59.200 --> 21:04.160 The rest is simple. No one would ever expect you to know that I had been digitalised. Still, 21:04.160 --> 21:08.360 if I were on my toes, I would naturally go over your case history before giving medication of any 21:08.360 --> 21:16.040 kind. Well, yes, I suppose that's true. Professional people might think you had been a little lax, 21:16.040 --> 21:20.840 might not have the highest regard for a new doctor who launched her career with such an 21:20.840 --> 21:27.880 unprofessional incident. Just a slight stain on your reputation for just a short while. 21:27.880 --> 21:33.360 You're very clever, Doctor. You knew that would do it, didn't you? I want to thank you. You've 21:33.360 --> 21:37.720 done me a great service. You mean you'll do it? You've reminded me that nothing, no money, 21:37.720 --> 21:42.880 revenge, nothing can be worth the slightest suspicion in a doctor's career. I've worked too 21:42.880 --> 21:49.240 hard. I've waited too long for my practice. When I get it, it won't be soiled by any single act 21:49.240 --> 21:55.240 of carelessness. They'll never say that I lost any patient because of an error in judgment. You see, 21:55.240 --> 22:10.680 I once knew a doctor who did. There, Moshe, is my fourth check. Man, or in this case, 22:10.680 --> 22:20.960 woman, refrains from killing because of the fear of loss of reputation. Now I come to the testing 22:20.960 --> 22:26.160 of my fifth subject, a man who would not murder because he couldn't bear the sight of blood, 22:26.160 --> 22:32.200 much less the responsibility for shedding it. La Derne was my man, and I found him shortly after 22:32.200 --> 22:38.640 my search began. On that day, I saw him turn a ghastly white as a fast-moving car almost ran 22:38.640 --> 22:43.480 over a small dog which ran into the street. It wasn't a particularly frightening sight, 22:43.480 --> 22:49.680 but La Derne clutched at his throat and fell in a dead fate. I, of course, made it my business 22:49.680 --> 22:56.880 to become acquainted with him. I hadn't seen him for more than four months until tonight. He's 22:56.880 --> 23:09.320 changed, I noticed, as he took his place at my desk. He's thinner. His dark eyes seem blacker than ever. La Derne, 23:09.320 --> 23:15.160 I want you to do me a favor. It's a little peculiar, but I'm perfectly sincere about it. 23:15.160 --> 23:22.840 Well, circumstances require that my life be ended, but I can't quite reach the point to kill myself. 23:22.840 --> 23:30.040 I've arranged everything necessary to give the appearance of suicide. Here is the farewell note 23:30.040 --> 23:34.840 which I have written. I see. And here is the knife with which, apparently, I shall have killed 23:34.840 --> 23:42.640 myself. Notice I am carefully putting my fingerprints on it. Yes. Here are the gloves for you to wear. 23:42.640 --> 23:51.280 And here is $5,000 for you if you will drive this knife into my heart. What do you say? You've 23:51.280 --> 23:59.320 arranged everything? Everything. No one knows I'm here? No one. And you want me to kill you? I... 23:59.320 --> 24:07.200 Yes. Of course, it will be a bit messy. When a person is stabbed, his blood usually 24:07.200 --> 24:14.200 splurts out. But if you keep to one side, I don't think much will get on you. Why do you want to die? 24:14.200 --> 24:22.640 My doctor says that I'm going insane and that I haven't got much longer. That's strange. About 24:22.640 --> 24:28.600 going mad? About him saying that you're going mad. Oh, yes. It was a shock. No, I don't mean that. 24:28.600 --> 24:34.520 What do you mean? That's the same thing they told me. Oh, that's strange. They what? They told me 24:34.520 --> 24:40.920 over a year ago that I was going mad. I only laughed at them. Over a year? Well, do you... 24:40.920 --> 24:47.080 have you noticed any change? Not much. At least no change for the worse. That's good. In fact, 24:47.080 --> 24:50.800 I'm really much better. I've been having fewer and fewer of those sick spells. You remember how I was 24:50.800 --> 24:55.640 the day that dog was almost run over? You've gotten over those sick spells? I haven't had one 24:55.640 --> 25:05.320 in three months. Then there isn't any check. Check? What check? Nothing. Oh. Well, this is going to be 25:05.320 --> 25:10.920 a pretty messy business. We might as well get it over with. Nice gloves you've got here. Nice and 25:10.920 --> 25:16.040 smooth on my hand. Then you're going through with it? Yes. Can't let you down. Oh, never mind the 25:16.040 --> 25:23.280 knife. I've got my gun right here. Look. 38. Beauty, isn't it? Yes. Then if you'll give me back the 25:23.280 --> 25:27.280 knife... No, no, no. I'll keep it for you. Yeah, I've used this gun a lot in the past three months. 25:27.280 --> 25:34.520 I've bumped off about 50 dogs. You've done what? It's very interesting. I do it after midnight. 25:34.520 --> 25:40.200 It's fun watching the dogs. You have to know just where to hit them. It kills them instantly. But 25:40.200 --> 25:45.640 the noise in here, aren't you afraid that somebody will hear? Silence? No. I don't like to wake people 25:45.640 --> 25:49.840 up when I kill their mutts. But they'll find the bullet. They'll trace to your gun. They're sure to 25:49.840 --> 25:54.000 get you. In a suicide, the weapon stays right beside the body where it falls. Suicide? Who says 25:54.000 --> 25:58.400 this is suicide? It's murder. I'm going to murder you. That's what you asked me to do. Look here, 25:58.400 --> 26:05.840 Le Dern. This has gone far enough. I was only joking. I don't want you to kill me. 5,000, 26:05.840 --> 26:09.720 eh? All here. Listen to me. I was only joking. You ready? Le Dern. Shall I shoot now? No, wait. 26:09.720 --> 26:15.320 You want it through the heart or brain? Can't you wait just a little while? Wait? What for? Well, 26:15.320 --> 26:23.240 I've been conducting a little experiment. I'd like to write an account of it before I go. 26:23.240 --> 26:31.280 Oh, what sort of an experiment? I don't think you'd understand. Oh, okay. I'll wait till midnight. 26:31.280 --> 26:36.800 Then I've got to go. There's a German police dog I've been wanting to get. Big, ugly, brute. 26:36.800 --> 26:47.000 It'll be fun. Yes. I'll wait. Thank you. The clock says 10 minutes past 11. Yes. You've got 50 26:47.000 --> 27:03.400 minutes. I'll wait by the window. So Mosher, my experiment has ended. As you predicted, 27:03.400 --> 27:12.280 I have finally placed myself in a position beyond your power to aid. Strange, isn't it? 27:12.280 --> 27:17.760 But the one thing I didn't count on was the choosing of a subject who would not respond 27:17.760 --> 27:25.080 to my checks, who in fact had no checks at all, for insanity knows no restraint. Oh, 27:25.080 --> 27:35.080 yes, Le Dern, I'm hurrying. He is still at the window and he is sure to shoot me. There 27:35.080 --> 27:44.560 is nothing I can do to say or stop him. I know that. I'm beginning to understand exactly what 27:44.560 --> 27:56.560 is going on in his twisted mind. I wonder why. Now I shall sign my name for the last time and lay 27:56.560 --> 28:07.360 down my pen. Then I shall look up and say, all right, Le Dern. All right, Le Dern. 28:26.560 --> 28:44.000 And so closes the last letter of Dr. Bronson, tonight's tale of suspense. In our Hollywood 28:44.000 --> 28:49.760 cast tonight, Laird Gregar played Dr. Bronson, Walter Kingsford played Dr. Mosher, Ian Wolfe 28:49.760 --> 28:55.360 was Mr. Totten, Harold Huber played Doyle, Helen Vinson was Nurse Ainsley, and George 28:55.360 --> 29:00.640 Colores played Le Dern. This is your narrator, the man in black, who conveys to you Columbia's 29:00.640 --> 29:06.280 invitation to spend this half hour in suspense with us again next week when Robert Young 29:06.280 --> 29:12.960 will star in an adaptation of a story by James Thurber called A Friend to Alexander. The 29:12.960 --> 29:17.200 producer of these broadcasts is William Spear, who with Robert Louis Cheon, guest director, 29:17.200 --> 29:21.600 Richard Paulette, craic author, Lud Gluskin and Lucien Marowick, conductor and composer, 29:21.600 --> 29:27.680 collaborated on tonight's suspense. This is the Columbia Broadcasting System.