1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:10,000 And now, tonight's presentation of radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense. 2 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:21,000 Tonight, the story of a perfect fraud that succeeded only too well. It's called Final Payment. 3 00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:30,000 So now, starring Harry Bartell with Peter Leeds, here is tonight's Suspense play, Final Payment. 4 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:46,000 Silence! Silence in the courtroom! 5 00:00:46,000 --> 00:00:51,000 There's another outbreak such as this, our Lord of the Courtroom, clear. Your Honor. 6 00:00:51,000 --> 00:01:00,000 Yes, Mr. Sheridan. I'd like to request a 30-minute recess. I assure you, Your Honor, we were certainly not prepared for anything like this. 7 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:06,000 I understand, Mr. Sheridan. And in view of the unusual circumstances, I grant your request. 8 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:16,000 This court is recessed and will reconvene in 30 minutes. 9 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:22,000 All right, all right. What's everybody staring at me for? What's wrong? 10 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:27,000 You can't possibly suspect a thing, not a thing. 11 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:34,000 But maybe, was there something we missed? Something we didn't think about? 12 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:43,000 The day it started, Chicago. The day I ran into Sam at the lunch counter. Maybe there was something then. Maybe that's when we made a mistake. 13 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:46,000 Gee, Joe, it sure has been a long time, hasn't it? 14 00:01:46,000 --> 00:01:49,000 Ten years. You know, it doesn't seem that long. 15 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:53,000 Hey, what happened to you after the Italian campaign? One day you were there, the next day gone. 16 00:01:53,000 --> 00:01:56,000 Well, I was shipped back to the States and then out to the Philippines. 17 00:01:56,000 --> 00:01:57,000 Do you see any action? 18 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:59,000 Oh, some. A little. 19 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:03,000 You know, Sam, you haven't changed a bit. Put on a little weight, maybe. 20 00:02:03,000 --> 00:02:06,000 Haven't we all? And some gray hair. 21 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:07,000 Oh, I'm a lot grayer than you. 22 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,000 Well, maybe I haven't got as many worries as you have. 23 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,000 I guess you live right. 24 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:15,000 I guess I do. Oh, you're married, Joe? 25 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,000 Oh, yeah. I got a couple of kids. 26 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:19,000 Oh, that's wonderful. 27 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:24,000 I'm working with a construction gang right now. It isn't what I want, but it'll do. 28 00:02:24,000 --> 00:02:25,000 Temporarily, you mean? 29 00:02:25,000 --> 00:02:26,000 Yeah. 30 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,000 Got to keep the family eating, huh? 31 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:29,000 Sure do. 32 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:32,000 Bet it gets rough sometimes. 33 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,000 Yeah, sometimes. 34 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:37,000 It takes a lot of sweat to keep a family these days. 35 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:39,000 You got a family, Sam? 36 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:42,000 Oh, no, no. But I know the problems. 37 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:44,000 Hey, what are you doing in Chicago? You live here? 38 00:02:44,000 --> 00:02:46,000 No. I'm just passing through. 39 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,000 What kind of work you're doing? 40 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:52,000 Well, Joe, right now let's just say I'm in between jobs. 41 00:02:52,000 --> 00:02:54,000 Actually, Joe, I'm looking for a partner. 42 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:55,000 A partner? 43 00:02:55,000 --> 00:03:00,000 Mm-hmm. A partner to split a profit of $100,000 with me. 44 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:02,000 A hundred? Say, Joe, I'll tell you what. 45 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:04,000 I'm going to be in town for another couple of days. 46 00:03:04,000 --> 00:03:09,000 Look, here's the phone number of the hotel where I'm staying. 47 00:03:09,000 --> 00:03:14,000 You know, it never occurred to me, but you might be interested in hearing about this deal. 48 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:18,000 Sam, I don't have an old spare tennis shoe. I couldn't invest in a business. 49 00:03:18,000 --> 00:03:23,000 Joe, I said I'm looking for a partner to split $100,000 with. 50 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:25,000 I didn't say anything about investing money. 51 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:33,000 If you're interested, give me a call. 52 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:36,000 Maybe it was the night I called Sam at his hotel. 53 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:39,000 I remember I called him right after work. 54 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:45,000 And then I called Mary, told her I'd met a friend and wouldn't be home for dinner. 55 00:03:45,000 --> 00:03:47,000 And there was that bar over on Halsted where we met. 56 00:03:47,000 --> 00:03:51,000 Maybe somebody in there remembered. 57 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:57,000 It's a new twist on an old racket, Joe, a guy who pretends he's hurt, only he isn't. 58 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:00,000 The insurance company's a wise, Sam. You never get away with it. 59 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:04,000 Wait, wait. Now, first I got to know if you're interested, Joe. 60 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:08,000 First I got to know that. Then I'll tell you the twist. 61 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:11,000 Well? 62 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:14,000 Yeah. Yeah, all right. I'm interested. 63 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:17,000 Good. Now, this is the way it works. 64 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:20,000 You and the family move to a small town. 65 00:04:20,000 --> 00:04:24,000 You buy yourself a moderately cheap car. Get a job. 66 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:28,000 You live there a couple of months and you call on the insurance agent of a big company. 67 00:04:28,000 --> 00:04:30,000 You take out a small policy. 68 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:35,000 A couple of months later, you increase this policy to $100,000 liability. 69 00:04:35,000 --> 00:04:40,000 In the meantime, I arrive in the same town, take up residence. 70 00:04:40,000 --> 00:04:45,000 Now we both live there, maybe on the opposite sides of the town. 71 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:46,000 You still with me? 72 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:48,000 Yeah, go ahead. 73 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:53,000 Then one day, a year later, I step off the curb at a certain intersection. 74 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:58,000 You're driving home from work. You hit me. 75 00:04:58,000 --> 00:04:59,000 Hit you? 76 00:04:59,000 --> 00:05:01,000 Yeah. 77 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:07,000 I dodged a lot of tanks in Italy, but somehow I can't dodge the right fender of your car. 78 00:05:07,000 --> 00:05:10,000 I tell you to forget about it. You do. 79 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:17,000 You don't even bother to tell the insurance company about it because I seem like such a nice guy. 80 00:05:17,000 --> 00:05:25,000 Only I'm not a nice guy because a couple of weeks later, I got you in court and I'm suing you for a couple of hundred thousand dollars. 81 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:31,000 You know, Joe, I figure by the time we settle, it'll be an even hundred thousand. 82 00:05:31,000 --> 00:05:33,000 But when the insurance company finds out... 83 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:34,000 It'll be too late. 84 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,000 I don't get it, Sam. They'll fight it. They'll... 85 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:42,000 Oh, sure, sure. They'll have some notice before and they'll come to you and give you a big thing on how they're going to fight this case. 86 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:43,000 That's what I mean. 87 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:48,000 And you, Joe, you're going to cooperate with them 100%. 88 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:52,000 And now the twist. It takes place the day you go under cross... 89 00:05:52,000 --> 00:05:57,000 I don't understand anything about it. I don't understand. But my gosh, you just stood there like this. 90 00:05:57,000 --> 00:05:58,000 Oh, no, I don't... 91 00:05:58,000 --> 00:06:05,000 You go under cross examination. You're going to break down and confess it was your fault. 92 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,000 Confess? But, Sam... 93 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:17,000 Joe, the worst you can get is maybe a charge of criminal negligence, maybe a fine, your driver's license suspended for a year. 94 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:27,000 But it's... it's worth 50 G's, isn't it? It's crazy. So crazy it could come off. 95 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:33,000 Well, Joe, $50,000. 96 00:06:33,000 --> 00:06:34,000 You know, if I thought for one minute... 97 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,000 What can go wrong? 98 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:40,000 I don't know. I don't know. 99 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:41,000 I got to talk this over with Mary. 100 00:06:41,000 --> 00:06:47,000 Oh, no. No, you don't talk this over with anyone. You understand me? No one. 101 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:53,000 You're the only one besides myself that knows. We can't afford to take a chance, Joe. Not even on your wife. 102 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:56,000 But if I just pick up stakes and take off of some small jerk water town, Mary's going to want to know... 103 00:06:56,000 --> 00:07:04,000 Take up some excuse. It doesn't matter anything. Better climate for the kids. You want to get ahead? 104 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:10,000 Well, what do you say? 105 00:07:10,000 --> 00:07:19,000 All right. Count me in. 106 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:26,000 When I told Mary what I decided to do about the move and all, she raised some questions, but that was the end of it. 107 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:30,000 I took the few dollars we had in the savings account and bought a cheap car. 108 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:40,000 And a week later, we piled our belongings into it and headed for a small town in Indiana. 109 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:45,000 Sam picked this town in Indiana because a big insurance company had a local office there. 110 00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:50,000 I got a job with a machine shop. The pay wasn't high, but it kept us in food and clothes. 111 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:55,000 And there was enough left over to make payments on the insurance policy I'd taken out. 112 00:07:55,000 --> 00:08:02,000 Three months later, I called the insurance agent and told him I wanted to increase my liability policy to $100,000. 113 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:08,000 Was it then? Was there some slip up that night Mr. Hirsch came to the house? Did something happen then? 114 00:08:08,000 --> 00:08:15,000 Well, Mr. Thurston, I think we've got everything. All you do now is just sign right here. 115 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:17,000 Here you are, Mr. Hirsch. 116 00:08:17,000 --> 00:08:19,000 Well, that does it, Joe. You're all set. 117 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,000 Sure makes me feel a lot better. 118 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:27,000 I'm sure it does. Well, I guess I'll be on my way. 119 00:08:27,000 --> 00:08:29,000 I want to thank you very much, Mr. Hirsch. 120 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:31,000 Oh, my pleasure. 121 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:39,000 It wouldn't have been then, there wasn't anything. 122 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:44,000 Then one day on a coffee break at a little cafeteria, I noticed someone out of the corner of my eye. 123 00:08:44,000 --> 00:08:47,000 He sat down on a stool next to me. 124 00:08:47,000 --> 00:08:49,000 Hiya, kid. 125 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,000 Sam. 126 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:55,000 I got in town about a week ago. How's everything going, Joe? 127 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:56,000 Fine. 128 00:08:56,000 --> 00:08:58,000 You're keeping up the payments on the policy? 129 00:08:58,000 --> 00:08:59,000 Yeah. 130 00:08:59,000 --> 00:09:04,000 Good. I'll contact you again right before we're ready to pull it off. 131 00:09:04,000 --> 00:09:14,000 Six months passed, six months of waiting. 132 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:16,000 I got a promotion at the machine shop. 133 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:18,000 Mary seemed real happy. 134 00:09:18,000 --> 00:09:20,000 But every day I waited for some word from Sam. 135 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:23,000 Maybe something had gone wrong. 136 00:09:23,000 --> 00:09:26,000 And then one night I went to a union meeting. 137 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:30,000 I sat and listened to the guys discuss plans for the company's annual picnic. 138 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:34,000 Then we took five for a smoke. 139 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:44,000 Pardon me, mister, you got a light? 140 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,000 Yeah, sure. 141 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,000 Thanks. 142 00:09:54,000 --> 00:09:55,000 The time's ripe, Joe. 143 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:56,000 Are you sure? 144 00:09:56,000 --> 00:09:57,000 I'm sure. 145 00:09:57,000 --> 00:10:00,000 Now listen carefully and get this in your head. 146 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:01,000 Yeah, I'm listening. 147 00:10:01,000 --> 00:10:06,000 Day after tomorrow, 515 at the corner of 3rd Avenue and Wabash Boulevard. 148 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:07,000 Yeah. 149 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:09,000 I'll be on the southeast corner. 150 00:10:09,000 --> 00:10:13,000 I've clot you the last week. You hit the corner at 515 exactly. 151 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:14,000 Remember that? 152 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:18,000 515, corner of 3rd Avenue and Wabash Boulevard. 153 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:20,000 You'll be on the southeast corner. I got it. 154 00:10:20,000 --> 00:10:21,000 Good. 155 00:10:21,000 --> 00:10:22,000 Now go on home, buddy. 156 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:25,000 The next time I see you, we're gonna have an accident. 157 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:28,000 An accident worth 50,000 bucks. 158 00:10:40,000 --> 00:10:43,000 You are listening to Final Payment, 159 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:56,000 tonight's presentation in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense. 160 00:10:59,000 --> 00:11:03,000 This Sunday night on CBS Radio, Cornell Wild stars as Charlemagne 161 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:08,000 in a radio hall of fame dramatization spotlighting great moments in French history. 162 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:11,000 Edward Arnold is your host, as the radio hall of fame brings to light 163 00:11:11,000 --> 00:11:15,000 stirring events of bygone days with pomp and splendor and high drama. 164 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:19,000 That's Sunday night on most of these same stations. 165 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:24,000 And now we bring back to our Hollywood soundstage, Harry Bartel and Peter Leeds, 166 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:28,000 starring in tonight's production of Final Payment, 167 00:11:28,000 --> 00:11:45,000 a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense. 168 00:11:48,000 --> 00:11:50,000 I've got to think. 169 00:11:50,000 --> 00:11:53,000 I've got to go back over everything to remember if there was a slip. 170 00:11:53,000 --> 00:11:55,000 I've got to remember. 171 00:11:55,000 --> 00:11:57,000 The instructions. 172 00:11:57,000 --> 00:11:59,000 Sam gave me the instructions that night at the union meeting. 173 00:11:59,000 --> 00:12:02,000 I memorized them. I memorized them. I know I did. 174 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:10,000 Thursday was like a nightmare. 175 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:13,000 I could hardly concentrate on what I was doing at work. 176 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:15,000 All day long I was nervous. 177 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:17,000 Then it was five to five. 178 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:19,000 Time to wash up and get moving. 179 00:12:19,000 --> 00:12:22,000 Punched my time card, put it back in the rack, 180 00:12:22,000 --> 00:12:25,000 walked out to my car in a parking lot and started. 181 00:12:25,000 --> 00:12:29,000 I drove east on Wabash Boulevard. 182 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:32,000 My watch said 513. 183 00:12:32,000 --> 00:12:34,000 Traffic was light. 184 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:38,000 Third Avenue was six long blocks away. 185 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,000 My hands were so wet from perspiration, 186 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:45,000 I could hardly grip the steering wheel of the car. 187 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:48,000 I kept in the right-hand lane. 188 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:50,000 Four blocks away. 189 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:52,000 Kept the car going slow. 190 00:12:52,000 --> 00:12:56,000 Then I had to stop for the light at the corner of Fourth Avenue. 191 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:59,000 Looked at my watch again. 192 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:01,000 It was 514. 193 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:07,000 The light changed. 194 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:09,000 I moved ahead. 195 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,000 I was just supposed to keep driving. 196 00:13:15,000 --> 00:13:17,000 And then I saw him. 197 00:13:17,000 --> 00:13:20,000 Standing alone on the curb at the corner of Third. 198 00:13:20,000 --> 00:13:22,000 He stepped off. 199 00:13:28,000 --> 00:13:30,000 I didn't see him. 200 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,000 Is he hurt bad? Is he going to be all right? 201 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:35,000 Somebody please call an ambulance, quick! 202 00:13:37,000 --> 00:13:39,000 Gee, mister, I'm sorry. I'm awful sorry. 203 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:41,000 No, no. 204 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:43,000 Oh, there, there. 205 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:46,000 Hey, hey, I can stand up. 206 00:13:46,000 --> 00:13:48,000 There's no broken bones. 207 00:13:48,000 --> 00:13:51,000 I guess I'm okay, fella. Just shook up a bit. 208 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:52,000 Don't worry about it. 209 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:53,000 Yeah, sure, but you ought to see it. 210 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:56,000 Now, look, look. I'm okay. 211 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:58,000 See? 212 00:14:06,000 --> 00:14:08,000 The cop came. He took our names. 213 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:10,000 No one had actually seen the accident, 214 00:14:10,000 --> 00:14:12,000 so there were no witnesses. 215 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:15,000 We both told the cop that we didn't know who was wrong. 216 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:16,000 Then the ambulance arrived, 217 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:18,000 and they took Sam down to the emergency hospital 218 00:14:18,000 --> 00:14:20,000 for a general checkup. 219 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,000 He said he had a headache. 220 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:23,000 He made it look good and sound good. 221 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,000 My car hadn't even touched his head. 222 00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:28,000 When I got home, I told Mary about the accident. 223 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,000 Accident? Where, Joe? 224 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:33,000 Down the corner of Third Avenue and Wabash Boulevard. 225 00:14:33,000 --> 00:14:34,000 What happened? 226 00:14:34,000 --> 00:14:36,000 Some guy stepped off the curb 227 00:14:36,000 --> 00:14:37,000 and didn't bother to look where he was going. 228 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:39,000 He stepped right in front of the car. 229 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:40,000 Oh, Joe. 230 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:42,000 Now, don't worry, honey. 231 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:43,000 I guess I'm lucky. 232 00:14:43,000 --> 00:14:45,000 Guy wouldn't even hurt. 233 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:47,000 Shook up a bit. That's about all. 234 00:14:47,000 --> 00:14:49,000 But, Joe, you never can tell. 235 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:51,000 Did you get his name and address? 236 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:52,000 Look, look, honey. 237 00:14:52,000 --> 00:14:54,000 I said never mind about it. 238 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:56,000 It's all taken care of. 239 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:58,000 The police were there. There's nothing to worry about. 240 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,000 But I do worry about it, Joe. 241 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:03,000 Did you get in touch with the insurance company? 242 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,000 Insurance company? 243 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:07,000 What for? I didn't even scratch a paint on the car. 244 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:08,000 Oh, that isn't what I meant. 245 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,000 I mean about if he should suddenly find something wrong, 246 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:12,000 and then he'd sue yours. 247 00:15:12,000 --> 00:15:13,000 Oh, don't be silly, honey. 248 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:15,000 I told you he was a real nice guy. He told me to forget it. 249 00:15:15,000 --> 00:15:18,000 Well, you never can tell about these things. 250 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:19,000 What are you doing? 251 00:15:19,000 --> 00:15:22,000 I'm gonna call the man from the insurance company. 252 00:15:22,000 --> 00:15:25,000 I said to forget it. Do you hear me? 253 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:29,000 Why, Joe, I don't understand. 254 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,000 I'm sorry, honey. It's just... 255 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:35,000 Look, the guy was a nice guy. 256 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:36,000 He knows it was his fault. 257 00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:39,000 He's not gonna cause me any trouble. 258 00:15:39,000 --> 00:15:42,000 What about dinner? 259 00:15:42,000 --> 00:15:44,000 Let's have dinner, huh? I'm hungry. 260 00:15:44,000 --> 00:15:46,000 All right, Joe. 261 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:49,000 We'll forget it if you say so. 262 00:15:54,000 --> 00:15:57,000 A week later, the insurance company got served with the papers. 263 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,000 Sam filed a suit against me for $200,000. 264 00:16:00,000 --> 00:16:03,000 Naturally, as soon as the insurance company received the papers, 265 00:16:03,000 --> 00:16:05,000 they called me on the telephone. 266 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:07,000 They were upset. Real upset. 267 00:16:07,000 --> 00:16:10,000 I just wish you'd called us when it happened, Mr. Thurston. 268 00:16:10,000 --> 00:16:12,000 You made a big mistake by not calling us. 269 00:16:12,000 --> 00:16:15,000 Yeah, I know, Mr. Hirsch. I guess I ought to have my head examined. 270 00:16:15,000 --> 00:16:17,000 My wife told me to call. I guess I should have. 271 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,000 But you see, when it happened, he seemed like such a nice guy. 272 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:22,000 He told me not to worry about it. 273 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:24,000 Even when the ambulance carried him away, he told me to forget it. 274 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:27,000 Well, sure. That's an old trick. A lot of them pull it. 275 00:16:28,000 --> 00:16:30,000 What do you mean, an old trick? 276 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:33,000 Well, a lot of people try to beat the insurance companies that way. 277 00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,000 You'd be surprised. 278 00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:37,000 Well, what's going to happen? 279 00:16:37,000 --> 00:16:39,000 Well, I think we got a good case. 280 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:42,000 We've got no witnesses, but then neither has he. 281 00:16:42,000 --> 00:16:45,000 The police report gives a pretty comprehensive picture of the thing, 282 00:16:45,000 --> 00:16:47,000 the way it was reported. 283 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:50,000 So, in the final analysis, it's your word against his. 284 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:53,000 Yeah, I see. Well, that's good, isn't it? 285 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:57,000 Well, it means we've got at least a 50-50 chance. Maybe better. 286 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:59,000 You see, when they got him to the hospital, 287 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,000 he put up a big fuss about being examined. 288 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,000 Why? 289 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:07,000 Unless he'd already figured cashing in on this thing. 290 00:17:07,000 --> 00:17:10,000 Things like that make me suspicious, Mr. Thurston. 291 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:12,000 Very suspicious. 292 00:17:18,000 --> 00:17:22,000 The lawyers got together and agreed on an early date for the trial. 293 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:25,000 The attorney for the insurance company, a Mr. Sheridan, 294 00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:30,000 met with me a number of times and made me go over and over the details of the accident. 295 00:17:30,000 --> 00:17:33,000 And then the day the case arrived, 296 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,000 according to Sam, I was supposed to break down and confess it was my fault 297 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:39,000 while I was being cross-examined. 298 00:17:39,000 --> 00:17:41,000 And Sam didn't show up in court. 299 00:17:41,000 --> 00:17:43,000 His attorney said he'd been indisposed, 300 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:47,000 but he would deliver the brief without his client's presence. 301 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:52,000 That kind of upset me. I depended on Sam to be there to give me reassurance. 302 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:56,000 All right, Mr. Thurston, now in your own words, 303 00:17:56,000 --> 00:17:59,000 tell the court what happened on that day. 304 00:17:59,000 --> 00:18:01,000 Well, I... 305 00:18:01,000 --> 00:18:03,000 Go ahead, take your time. 306 00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:07,000 Well, I was driving home from work. 307 00:18:07,000 --> 00:18:10,000 I was going maybe 30 miles an hour, 308 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:13,000 maybe a couple of miles one way or the other. 309 00:18:13,000 --> 00:18:15,000 I... 310 00:18:15,000 --> 00:18:16,000 You were driving home? 311 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:19,000 Yes, sir, and I was in the right-hand lane, 312 00:18:19,000 --> 00:18:22,000 and this fella, Mr. Monroe, 313 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:26,000 he stepped off the curb and right into the path of my car. 314 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,000 He stepped into the path of your car? 315 00:18:28,000 --> 00:18:30,000 Yes, sir, that's right. I guess he wasn't looking. 316 00:18:30,000 --> 00:18:32,000 Is that all? 317 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:34,000 Yes, sir, that's all. 318 00:18:34,000 --> 00:18:35,000 Your witness? 319 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:37,000 Any cross-examination, Mr. Green? 320 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:38,000 Yes, sir. 321 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:40,000 Proceed. 322 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:47,000 Now, Mr. Thurston, I have a few questions I'd like to ask you. 323 00:18:47,000 --> 00:18:48,000 Yes, sir. 324 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:51,000 Try to answer these questions as honestly as you can. 325 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:53,000 I object, Your Honor. That is not... 326 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:55,000 Objection sustained. 327 00:18:55,000 --> 00:18:58,000 Now, according to your earlier testimony, Mr. Thurston, 328 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:01,000 you were going east on Wabash, is that right? 329 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:02,000 Yes, sir. 330 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:05,000 Mr. Thurston, do you know if there is a stop signal 331 00:19:05,000 --> 00:19:07,000 at the corner of 3rd Avenue and Wabash Boulevard, 332 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:10,000 the intersection where the accident occurred? 333 00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:12,000 Yes, sir, I think there is. 334 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:14,000 There is? 335 00:19:14,000 --> 00:19:17,000 Mr. Thurston, do you remember if the light was green or red 336 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:19,000 as you approached the corner? 337 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:21,000 I think it was green. 338 00:19:21,000 --> 00:19:22,000 I see. 339 00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:24,000 Now, according to your testimony, 340 00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:26,000 you said you saw Mr. Monroe step off the... 341 00:19:26,000 --> 00:19:28,000 No, no, no, excuse me. 342 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:32,000 I didn't see him. I mean, I kind of saw him and yet... 343 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:35,000 Mr. Thurston, you either saw him or you didn't. 344 00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,000 Now, which is it? 345 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,000 Or perhaps you can explain to the court 346 00:19:39,000 --> 00:19:41,000 how you can kind of see a person step off. 347 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:42,000 Well, what I meant to say... 348 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:44,000 Either you saw him or you didn't. 349 00:19:44,000 --> 00:19:46,000 Which is it, Mr. Thurston? 350 00:19:46,000 --> 00:19:47,000 Well, I... 351 00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:50,000 May I remind you that you are under solemn oath 352 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:52,000 to tell the truth? 353 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:55,000 Is it possible you didn't see him and the light had turned red, 354 00:19:55,000 --> 00:19:57,000 is that the way it was, yes or no? 355 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:00,000 No. 356 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:02,000 No, I didn't see him. 357 00:20:02,000 --> 00:20:04,000 What did you say, Mr. Thurston? 358 00:20:04,000 --> 00:20:06,000 I didn't say him. I said I didn't say him. 359 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:08,000 Why didn't you see him, Mr. Thurston? 360 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:10,000 Where were your eyes when they should have been watching the street 361 00:20:10,000 --> 00:20:12,000 in front of you while you were driving? 362 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:14,000 Where were your eyes, Mr. Thurston? 363 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:15,000 I don't know. 364 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:17,000 Yes, you do. You know very well where they were. 365 00:20:17,000 --> 00:20:19,000 Now, tell us. 366 00:20:19,000 --> 00:20:21,000 On the light? On the traffic in front of you? 367 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,000 They couldn't have been on the light. 368 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:26,000 You told us yourself you didn't know whether the light was green or red. 369 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:28,000 You said you didn't see the plaintiff. 370 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:30,000 Well, then, where were your eyes? 371 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:31,000 Somewhere else, I guess. 372 00:20:31,000 --> 00:20:34,000 Where, Mr. Thurston? You tell us where. 373 00:20:36,000 --> 00:20:38,000 I buy a paper every night. 374 00:20:38,000 --> 00:20:40,000 It was on the seat next to me. 375 00:20:40,000 --> 00:20:43,000 Maybe for just a second I took my eyes off the road 376 00:20:43,000 --> 00:20:44,000 and looked down at the paper. 377 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:46,000 You took your eyes off the road to look down at the newspaper 378 00:20:46,000 --> 00:20:47,000 on the seat beside you. 379 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:50,000 And it was during that time that the light changed to red. 380 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:52,000 The plaintiff stepped off the curb and you hit him. 381 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:55,000 Isn't that right, Mr. Thurston? Isn't that the way it was? 382 00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:57,000 Yes, that's what happened. 383 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:58,000 I didn't see him. I didn't mean it. 384 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:01,000 I can't hear you, Mr. Thurston. Speak up. 385 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:03,000 I didn't see him. I didn't mean it. 386 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:05,000 That's what happened. It was my fault, but I couldn't help it. 387 00:21:05,000 --> 00:21:07,000 I swear I couldn't. 388 00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:19,000 Nothing. 389 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:21,000 There wasn't a slip in the whole setup. 390 00:21:21,000 --> 00:21:23,000 It was perfect. I know it was. 391 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:27,000 Now the recess is over. 392 00:21:27,000 --> 00:21:30,000 Everybody is against me. I can feel it. 393 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:32,000 Even Mary. 394 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:35,000 But she'll understand. I know she'll understand. 395 00:21:37,000 --> 00:21:41,000 Your Honor, I am sure you realize that under the circumstances 396 00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:44,000 of what has just happened, the defense would like to request 397 00:21:44,000 --> 00:21:46,000 to stay on the verdict at this time. 398 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:49,000 We would like to probe a little more thoroughly 399 00:21:49,000 --> 00:21:53,000 into what to us appears to be a definite reversal of opinion 400 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,000 on the part of the defendant. Something... 401 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:57,000 Your Honor, if I may interrupt. 402 00:21:57,000 --> 00:21:59,000 Mr. Green? 403 00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:01,000 Your Honor, his request may not be necessary 404 00:22:01,000 --> 00:22:03,000 in view of some news I've just received. 405 00:22:03,000 --> 00:22:06,000 Whoa, this is highly irregular. 406 00:22:06,000 --> 00:22:10,000 My client's absence in this courtroom has been most conspicuous. 407 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:12,000 I can now tell you the reason. 408 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:15,000 This morning he was rushed to the Veterans Hospital. 409 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:18,000 I have received some news from the hospital. 410 00:22:18,000 --> 00:22:21,000 He suffered a severe brain concussion when he fell. 411 00:22:21,000 --> 00:22:24,000 His head struck the pavement. 412 00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:28,000 Your Honor, my client died an hour ago. 413 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:32,000 No. No, Sam didn't die. It's a trick. 414 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:34,000 You're lying. He couldn't have died. 415 00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:36,000 I didn't hit him that hard. 416 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:37,000 You're lying to try to trick me. 417 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:39,000 Now that isn't the way you had it planned. 418 00:22:39,000 --> 00:22:41,000 He wasn't hurt. He said he wasn't. 419 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:58,000 This isn't the way it was going to be! 420 00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:01,000 I'm waiting for another trial. 421 00:23:01,000 --> 00:23:03,000 My trial. 422 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:07,000 A manslaughter. 423 00:23:07,000 --> 00:23:10,000 I shouldn't be here. 424 00:23:10,000 --> 00:23:14,000 This isn't the way it was going to be. 425 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:39,000 Sam didn't tell me he had a steel plate in his head. 426 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:41,000 Suspense. 427 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:48,000 In which Harry Bartel and Peter Leeds starred in Dick Pedicini and Phil Cole's Final Payment. 428 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:54,000 Next week, the story of a man who insisted upon finishing the murder he had never committed. 429 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:58,000 We call it the case history of a murderer. 430 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:11,000 Next week on Suspense. 431 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,000 Suspense is produced and directed by Anthony Ellis. 432 00:24:14,000 --> 00:24:18,000 The music was composed by Lucian Morrowick and conducted by Wilbur Hatch. 433 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:28,000 Featured in the cast were Vivi Janis, Barney Phillips, Victor Rodman, John Lark, and Byron Cain. 434 00:24:28,000 --> 00:24:57,000 America listens most to the CBS radio network. 435 00:24:58,000 --> 00:24:59,000 Next week on Suspense.