Auto Light and its 98,000 dealers bring you Mr. Richard Widmark in tonight's presentation
of Suspense.
Tonight Auto Light presents a true story with only names and places changed.
A classic report on a famous bank robbery and murder in the Old West.
The story is called The Spencer Brothers, our star Mr. Richard Widmark.
Well Harlow, ready?
Yeah, shoot, Hap.
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She'll quickly tell you where to find your nearest dealer who sells Auto Light spark
plugs, both standard and resistor types.
And remember, from bumper to tail light, you're always right with Auto Light.
And now, Auto Light presents transcribed The Spencer Brothers, a true story with only names
and places changed.
Starring Mr. Richard Widmark, hoping once again to keep you in suspense.
All right, Carl.
All right.
John, I'm ready.
We'll go then.
Don't look at the bank.
Look anyplace but there.
Jim, wait.
What's the matter?
It's a good thing I did look at the bank.
See who just came out.
That Simpson man from Cass County.
Yeah, our luck gets no better, does it?
Turn your backs on him.
Let me go the other way.
He's not coming.
He went into the livery next door.
But did he see us?
There's no way to know.
We'll go in now.
Not many of them.
Need only one at the door.
You, John.
All right, Carl, draw.
Listen, you people, if everyone will stand just as you are, there'll be no shooting.
Hurry, Jim.
Open the drawers.
Yes, sir.
All of them.
Put the money in the satchel.
Yes, sir.
Hurry.
Yes, sir.
I am.
I can't.
Come on, give me the keys.
Yes, sir.
Take them.
Sit down.
Don't move.
Don't anybody move.
Stand just as you are.
Don't move, I said.
Don't move.
Stay where you are.
Yes, sir.
And don't stand up.
Yes, sir.
It's all over.
Don't move, anybody.
And don't try to follow us.
We'll kill anyone who does.
You've taken too long.
Put your gun away.
I'll cover while we leave.
No one move.
We're too slow.
Hurry.
We've been here too long.
We're all right.
Put your gun away.
We'll walk to the horses.
Hey, isn't that the Spencer boys from Cass County?
Simpson keep going.
Hold up.
Hey, don't you remember me?
Simpson from your county.
Carl, no.
Carl.
With your gun, you've surely killed us all.
Come on.
Get up there.
Come on.
From this moment on, we're dead men.
Now surely there's no future for us except by miracle.
No excuse for Carl's shooting, except that he's the youngest and that he was frightened.
And a useless killing.
It accomplished nothing.
I'm sorry, Jim.
I couldn't help it.
Nobody else knew us.
When he called out our name, I had to stop him.
It's all right, Carl.
You stopped him.
You stopped us too.
Well, yeah.
They heard our name.
I'm sorry.
I couldn't help it.
Once we were right, we were the wrong ones.
But no more.
No more the soldiers still with honor sharing the Confederate defeat.
No more justifying our motives and actions.
The crutch we used, our persecution by the few hundred of the victors, that's gone now.
Nothing's left except that we're killers and must never stop running and perhaps never
stop killing.
We'll have to hide now.
Then we'll think instead of riding blindly.
We'll think tonight and plan something.
A man can't think without thinking of a future.
We'll think us a future.
Buy us a future if we have to.
This is good.
Loosen the cinches, but don't take the saddles off.
No fire, no smoke.
This will be a dark camp and a quiet one.
You haven't spoken for an hour, John.
What is there to say, Jim?
That we're brothers.
All right, we're brothers.
And the mistake of one is the mistake of all of us.
It seems to be the way it is.
I'm sorry, John.
But wouldn't we have been hunted for the robbery?
If Simpson hadn't been there, no, we wouldn't have.
But he was there.
All I could think was Simpson mustn't be there and I killed him so he wouldn't be.
What do you think we should do, John?
Keep going, I suppose.
Where?
I don't know.
Well, I've been thinking.
All of us agree that killing Simpson was a mistake.
But in the rest of our plan, we were right and justified so we can still stand up among
honest men.
Where are we going to find honest men who'll let us stand with them?
We'll leave Missouri and go west, far west, Colorado territory where the country's just
opening up.
How do we get across all of Kansas to get there?
How do we leave here?
What road do we take?
I'm sure there's no posse waiting to ambush us.
Has the word spread so fast, Jim?
Five hours?
Yes, I think it has.
Traveled faster than we have, no doubt.
But I have a plan.
By it, we'll find new lives in a new country.
We'll talk of it after we rest.
But what is my plan?
A half-day ride and a river crossed will put Missouri behind.
But Kansas, almost 500 miles to cross straight away, coursed by roads and trails, with many
people.
My plan is to run, and I know it, blindly, because there's no other way.
Once across Kansas...
Yes, there is hope if we are once across Kansas.
Hold that.
Hold.
Slow down.
Hold.
Men are here.
Four of them, Jim.
What do we do?
We do what's necessary, no more, no less.
Do we fight?
I'll thank you to keep your youth and your fright under control.
We fight only if we're provoked.
I'll talk, if you don't mind.
Good afternoon, friends.
Good afternoon to you.
Where are you bound?
We're bound for Salina.
And I'd like to ask why you're interested.
Where are you from?
We're riding from Dodson.
Missouri?
That's right.
Heard there is a big bank robbery and killing there.
So we heard.
You seen three men along the way?
Could be the Spencer brothers?
We've seen nothing, but we've heard of them.
What have you heard?
That they're not really killers or outlaws.
They killed all right, and they robbed.
What else do you hear?
That they had reason to do what they did.
That they came back from the war to find their family dead and their home burned.
I didn't hear that.
Their father was a wealthy man, you know, and he left the money that they couldn't get
because all the records were burned.
Most of the money, $25,000, I hear, was in the bank at Dodson.
That's what they went after.
What was rightfully theirs.
You know a lot about them.
Where did you get your horse?
I bought him, and that's my business.
You should have stole another.
The brand on his flank marks you as the Spencer brothers.
Now look out, Carl.
John!
Carl.
I'm all right, Jim.
John.
Two cartridges gone is all, and you?
I'm all right.
We better ride out of here.
Get out!
I know how the word will spread.
Four man posse was ambushed and murdered by the Spencer brothers.
More men on the trail after us.
And less than half of Kansas crossed.
Better at Shiloh.
Better at Bull Run.
Run.
Get back to your future, Spencer brothers.
It's fast getting away.
Auto Light is bringing you Mr. Richard Widmark in The Spencer Brothers.
Tonight's presentation in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
Okay Harlow, recess is over.
Then fire away, Hap.
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And now, any advice before school lets out, Professor Wilcox?
Yes, yes.
Friends, have your spark plugs checked by your nearest dealer who sells Auto Light Sparkplugs.
And if replacements are needed, get ignition engineered Auto Light Sparkplugs either standard
or resistor type.
And remember, from bumper to tail light, you're always right with Auto Light.
And now, Auto Light brings back to our Hollywood sound stage, Mr. Richard Widmark in Elliot
Lewis's production of The Spencer Brothers.
A true story, well calculated to keep you in suspense.
Grantville, St. Mary's along the river and half of Kansas is crossed.
At the price of brothers, but more important at the price of horses.
They can't go on.
The next house is settlement.
We have to stop.
There's no choice.
Carl?
Yee-haw Jim.
We'll stop soon.
We have to.
John, how are you?
Not complaining, Jim.
We've covered more of Kansas and most riders would in the past two days.
And nights.
We'll stop soon.
We need fresh horses even more than we need rest.
Where are we going to find people to sell us fresh horses?
find horses we have $25,000 it isn't safe to stop and spend a dollar of it it will
be when we get across Kansas our money will mean more than our names do that
would be nice behind us I heard something I don't know what $25,000 and it isn't
safe to spend a dollar when we get across Kansas our money will mean more
than our names do but to get across Kansas we have to have horses
Jim yeah there's a house ahead
hold it think we should try a gym yeah it's an isolated place why is there lamp
burning so late maybe they're waiting for us we can't ride these horses through
the next day we're north now maybe we aren't the criminals here we are in the
south we might find friends friends hope there is a place where we find friends
you'd like to wait outside Jim and I'll go in I'll go with you
wait why don't you look through the window Jim see if you think it's alright
I'll be back
how does it seem peaceful enough there's an old man there reading a newspaper
we'll go in what do you want well not your rifle pointing at us like it is my
friend man with a head on with reach strangers at night with a rifle what do
you want we've ridden a long way and our horses are tired we wondered if we could
buy fresh mounts from you if you have the money you might we have the money
you want horses are you going so fast we're crossing Kansas going west where
you from Missouri what's the matter with Missouri you ashamed of it no no sir
what part of Missouri from Dodson by any chance yes we're from Dodson any trouble
about that the words come out here that the three Spencer brothers came from
there getting west you wouldn't be them would you eating horse I'm tired of this
what if we were stop what if you were with a five thousand dollar reward on
them Spencer's head I'm a mind to hold you here till I find out who you are get
back I don't think we will
yeah the lamp the lamp where are you Carl
how bad Carl where you hit Carl I don't think it's bad I'm sure I can keep up
with you get him outside we've got to move him outside come on Carl come on
can you walk I can walk and ride where's your gun Carl
come on I'm all right it's colder out here put him down John you won't leave me
you know we won't call I'll keep when I rest a little while
when I rest I'm sorry yeah all my fault when I rest he's gonna die Jim look the
lamps at the house ablaze the flames from the house will draw everyone within
miles we got to go John and leave him the stables over there we'll have time
to saddle some fresh horses if we hurry
I know how the word will spread a house burned down and an old man murdered and
cremated by the Spencer brothers one of the Spencer's killed two left two
Spencer brothers heading west on stolen horses and who knows these horses a
hundred men the markings on the Pinto John rides the head of my Rome who knows
the road we take how many afters with six dead men left behind and five
thousand dollars on our heads no one ever told us Kansas was so wide to cross
pull up John the trees up ahead they must mean a river on this road a ferry
and we afford a ferry Jim no the trees look less thick to the south we'll head
off that way look for a crossing it's a smoky hill river John it means we're
getting close to the border we're close to a lot of things Jim and you know that
the end or the beginning the border is what I keep thinking of
they could know the road we take they could know what we decided on and guard
the crossing south and north but we don't know and we have to go have to
cross the smoky hill the borders beyond
good cover on the other side John willow thickets and Elm the bottom here looks
better than we've passed we'll try then keep an eye out
Jim sunlight on metal upstream come on faster than I go
we got it
I'm not a murderer.
He's still alive.
I told him to get up. He's going up the hill.
I have to go. I have to run.
I have to get up.
We're not killing. It was a mistake.
We went after what was rightfully ours.
Come on, run, Spencer Brothers.
After your future, it's fast getting away.
Who is it? What's the matter?
What's the matter?
Where's the board?
Just across the field there.
Help me. Help me get there.
No, I can't.
I'll pay you.
No, my money's gone.
My horse.
I saw a horse running that way towards the board.
Help me. Help me find him.
I can't.
There he is. This way. We got him in the open.
Help me, please. Girl, help me.
Get away. Get away from me.
Open up, boys. Open up. We got him.
Run. Run. Run.
Keep style. You got it.
Spencer, your closet's getting.
Carl. John. John, what? What?
Dirty rotten murder and wretch.
We showed him how Kansas takes care of the likes of him.
Suspense.
Presented by Auto Light. Tonight's star, Mr. Richard Widmark.
This is Harlow Wilcox speaking for Auto Light,
world's largest independent manufacturer of automotive electrical equipment.
Auto Light is proud to serve the greatest names in the industry.
That's why during the early months of 1953, as we did last year,
the Auto Light family will join in saluting the leading car manufacturers
who install Auto Light products as original equipment.
Our Auto Light family is a worldwide family and numbers among its members
some 30,000 men and women in Auto Light plants in the United States, Canada,
and many foreign countries, and the 18,000 people who have invested
a portion of their savings in Auto Light, as well as thousands of Auto Light
distributors and dealers and the many leading manufacturers who use
Auto Light products as original equipment.
Our Auto Light family will salute the Packard Motor Car Company
on the next Auto Light Suspense television program.
If you live in a television area, check the day and time of suspense
so that you'll be sure to see this program.
Next week, following a popular trend, Auto Light anticipates the strange
disappearance of experimental rocket ship Y-272B, the time, the year 2053,
the place, the planet Mars, the star, Mr. Jack Benny.
The story is called Plan X. That's next week on Suspense.
Suspense is transcribed and directed by Elliot Lewis,
with music composed by Lucian Morrowick and conducted by Lut Bluskin.
The Spencer Brothers was adapted for Suspense by Gil Dowd.
In tonight's story, Joseph Kearns was heard as John Spencer
and Sam Edwards as Carl Spencer.
Featured in the cast were William Conrad, John Danaer, Sammy Hill, and Parley Bear.
Richard Wittmark is soon to be seen in the 20th Century Fox Technicolor production,
Destination Gobi.
And remember next week, Mr. Jack Benny in Plan X.
This is National YMCA Week. All over America, the Young Men's Christian Association
serves boys and girls, men and women of all races and creeds.
Volunteer leaders are urgently needed.
Why not pay a visit to the YMCA in your community?
Perhaps you can be of service.
This is the CBS Radio Network.