And now, tonight's presentation of radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
Tonight, we bring you a story more amazing than any fiction, the dramatized court reports
concerning a man who tried to clear himself of murder, a factual document we call, Once
a Murderer. So now, starring Ben Wright, here is tonight's Suspense play, Once a Murderer.
Well, what'd you give it to him for? I told you, he said he'd lease the place and you'd
give him the keys, I was out of no- It doesn't look like he's moved in yet, anyhow. Thought
you said he'd be here. Ah, it's open. Well, that's hell. We can get our stuff out before
he snigs them. I'll take the ladder. Alright. Er, tools and box are in the corner. You going
to the races tonight? Well, I don't know, mate. You? Oh, not me. I'll lose another father
on those ruddy dogs and the old lady will bash me head in. Oh well, that looks like
the lot. Sure you didn't leave anything else? No. Alright. Hello? What? Behind the counter.
Looks like a shoe. Half a tick. Oh, lousy- Ah! Cool. It's murder, Tom. That's what?
It's a murder. Look, Tom. I know. Look, you say, I'll call the police. Oh, crikey. Oh,
crikey. Look at her poor face. It's horrible. Yeah, yeah, Bert, Bert, you alright? Bert?
I don't know. I don't know. I think I'm going to be- No, you wait outside. You'll feel
better in the air and I'll, I'll get a copper. I won't be long. Bert Shin and I worked for
a firm of signboard fixers. Bert was my foreman and as I told Peggy later that night, I was
surprised the way he turned soft all of a sudden. Funny what the look of a dead body
can do to a chap. Well, I suppose it takes all kinds though. Like the inspector at the
police station asking me questions about finding the body. Funny way he had then looked fat,
sloppy. A cigarette, Mr. Shaw? Yes, I don't mind. Thanks. Thanks. Yeah. Now, I'm sure
you can help us, Mr. Shaw, just answer these few questions if you will. You are 31 years
of age. That's right. Born in England. Yes. And you are a permanent resident of this city.
Yes. Now, sir, you and Mr. Bert Shin discovered the body of the young woman Anna Leeming this
morning in an empty shop at number 75 Bond Road. That's right. You went to the shop in
order to gather a ladder and some tools which you, Mr. Shaw, left yesterday. Right. Mr.
Shin was not present yesterday. He was not. Now, what time did you leave the shop yesterday?
Well, it must have been about half past five. You had removed a two-let sign on the premises.
I had, yes. Will you tell me why you left the ladder and tools after you'd finished?
Well, I didn't have the car and it was late and the wife and I had a date. Ah, yes, I
did. Did you see the deceased at any time yesterday? No. No, not yesterday or any other
time. Mr. Shin, in his evidence, testified that you had given the shop keys to an unidentified
man. Will you tell me about that, please? Well, it's the same thing I told Bert. This
bloke come along and said he had leased a place. Did I know where the keys were? Oh,
this bloke, how was he dressed? Oh, he had, um, pretty sporty. Plus fours. Brown, I think.
Can you describe him? A medium-ite. On the, uh, fat side, if you know what I mean. I,
uh, know what you mean. Go on. Well, that's all. He gave no name? No. Oh, would you mind
using that ashtray, Mr. Shaw? Oh, sorry. Thank you so much. But, um, you gave this man the
set of keys which had been entrusted to you by the owner. Oh, that's all right. He said
he'd leased it. I took his word. I saw him just taking the sign down on order, so. Oh,
of course you thought that he had every right. What then? Well, and, uh, time was getting
on, so I thought I'd leave and come back today for the tools. Did the stranger stay in the
shop after you'd gone? Yes. He said he wanted to look round. He told me not to worry about
my things. He'd lock up when he left. Ah. Then didn't you wonder at the time how you'd
manage to get in this morning if the door was going to be locked and you no longer had
a key? No, he said he'd be there early. Said he'd let me in. Oh. Uh, what did you say
was the color of the man's trousers? Plus fours. Brown. Oh, it's of course how silly
of me to forget. And you'd never seen Anna Leeming before? Never. Ah. Well, you have
been most helpful, Mr. Shaw. We may wish to get in touch with you again, particularly
if, uh, when we find the man who leased the shop. Identification, you know. Yeah. Oh,
well, anything I can do to help, Inspector, you, uh, you just call on me, huh? That's
most kind of you. Good afternoon. I thought that would be the end to it, but it wasn't.
The owner of the shop said he hadn't leased the place at all. He decided to take it over
for himself. Well, that left me with my story. The man in plus fours had no way to prove
it. Well, they gave Peg and me a hard time. Police, newspaper reporters, neighbors, everybody.
It kept on like that for over a month. And then one day I, I got a call from the police
to go down to the station. Oh, it's so good of you to come, Mr. Shaw. We've, uh, found
a man who seems to answer the description you gave. Well, it's about time. Things have
been pretty nasty, you know. I lost my job. I've got a wife and kid to think about. Well,
then your identification of this man will clear up any doubts concerning you, won't
they, Mr. Shaw? Has he confessed? Unfortunately, no. He denies everything. Well, I expect you
won't have much trouble after I identify him, will you? No, I expect not. Uh, bring in the
suspect, please. Mind if I smoke? Oh, no, not at all. Sure. Match? No, I've got one,
thanks. Ah. All right, Mr. Shaw. I want you to have a good look at this man and tell me
if you've ever seen him before. Hello. Well, don't say hello to me. I've never seen you
before in my life. That will do, Mr. Cottle. Well, is, uh, is this the man? Yes. You're
absolutely certain? I think so. Clothes look about the same. Would you ask him to say something
again? Oh, Mr. Cottle, I already will say something I will. You haven't got any right
to warn me in here. I guess what I was... That's enough. You're not on trial. Well,
I've got my right, I have. Not fair. I think so, Inspector. That's the way he sounded when
he asked for the keys. You'd be willing to swear to it on oath? Yes, I, I think so. Yes,
that's the man, all right. But he wasn't. He'd been out of town during the week the girl
was killed and he proved it. So it was an unsolved murder. And that's the way it stayed for two
years. Oh, the papers forgot about me, the dead girl. Now, people who read the papers
forget. But the police don't. And whenever I went looking for a job, there was always
somebody who remembered the name Thomas Shaw. Was that you, Tommy? Yes. Any luck? No. Part-time
work, there's not enough in it to keep a fly alive. Oh. How's the kid? Asleep. You been
drinking? Oh, a couple of beers at the corner. Well, come on, dinner's been on for an hour.
Fish? No, filet mignon with caviar. What do you think? Oh, no, look, there's no need
to get funny. It's not my fortune, though. I suppose so. Tommy, what are we going to
do ever since that girl? Oh, Tom. Oh, no, love, I know. That old cat next door was talking
to the postman I heard her. She said it was a wonder they let a murderer walk about loose.
Oh, she did, did she? Well, the next time you see her, you give her a smack in the eye
for me, or perhaps I'll do it for myself. Oh, what's the use? Now, come on, kid. Things
will get better. You'll see, ducks. I couldn't get better, though, not until I did something
about it. I made up my mind what to do a week later. I had to make it right, and there was
only one way. I'd made arrangements for the wife and kids, so I knew they'd be all right,
and then I called the police inspector. Chief Inspector Osborne here. Hello, Inspector,
this is Tom Shaw. Remember me? Two years ago? Oh, I remember, Mr. Shaw. Well, I just called
because I want to make a confession. A confession? Mr. Shaw, where are you? Oh, don't worry,
I'm not going to run away. I'll do myself in. What is it you wish to confess, Mr. Shaw?
I want to confess the murder of Anna Leeming. You are listening to Once a Murderer, tonight's
presentation in radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
This week, an annual hunt for unknown and unknowing diabetics is underway. Diabetes
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This week, hundreds of communities are providing free tests to determine the presence of diabetes.
Test yourself or be tested. It's simple, painless, and sure. And now we bring back to our Hollywood
soundstage Ben Wright, starring in tonight's production Once a Murderer, a tale well calculated
to keep you in suspense. That was in July, my confession. They didn't
bring me to trial until September. You'd think that a man who'd made a confession would make
it easy for him to get it over with. While it was raining cats and dogs the day they
brought me up to the dock in criminal court, the judge was a nasty old devil, Sir William
File, and he looked it. Clerk, read the charge. Members of the jury,
the prisoner at the bar, Thomas Shaw, is charged with the murder of Anna Leeming. And it is
your charge. Oh, that jury, silly looking bunch. I'd been
on juries. I know what they were like. Somebody rather always grumbling. I wanted to go home
to baby or back to work. Call a man guilty so as I can be home in time to go to the movies.
I know I did it myself once. Of course, it wasn't a murder trial.
I'll leave it with your case, Mr. Beckett. Now, Mr. Shaw, I have here a detailed statement
describing how you inveigled the young woman into the shop that evening two years ago,
strangled her and then made off with the money in her purse.
Will you show the evidence to the prisoner, Mr. Beckett?
So he may see it for himself. Certainly, my Lord. I call to your attention,
Mr. Shaw, an excerpt from your confession here. Yes.
Would you be good enough to read it aloud, please?
All right. I lost my temper and put my hands around her throat. She seemed to faint away
and fell back out of my hands on the floor. She didn't scream or speak. I knew that something
was seriously wrong when she fell back and lost control of myself and cannot remember
exactly what happened afterwards. Yes, thank you. That'll be enough, I think.
And that is your confession, Mr. Shaw. Now, I wrote it, yes.
Now, that will be all. No more questions, my Lord.
Any questions, Mr. Sheckshaw? If you please, my Lord.
Mr. Shaw, will you tell us a story you first told the police concerning the men in plus
fours to whom you gave the keys of the shop? Yes. This fellow in plus fours came up and
said he'd leased the shop and to give him the keys.
You had never seen him before? No, I took his word.
You then left the premises and this man within the confines of the shop.
That's right. Did you see the girl and her leaving at all
that night? No.
Did you know her personally or had you ever seen her?
No. I put it to you plainly. Did you kill that
girl? I did not.
Why did you make that onto statement, the confession?
Because I hadn't got a chance to prove I was innocent. I wanted the whole thing cleared
up properly. I wanted to be arrested and put on trial so
I could be proved innocent by law. Them people let me and my wife and kid alone.
A peculiar way of proving your innocence to say that you are guilty of murder, sir?
It was the only way, my lord. That will be all.
Not by a long shot it wasn't. Mr. Edward Beckett was at my throat for another
hour. He made me dizzy with his questions. But when he was done, the judge leaned across
and looked over his specs at him. Mr. Beckett, do you think it possible to
convict from the evidence? I do not think so, my lord.
I do not think so. Members of the jury, I have indicated to
you through this trial the matters to which you should apply your minds.
There is no evidence against the prisoner except for his own statement.
It's quite obvious he's a liar, but you can't find a man guilty of murder simply because
he's a liar. I therefore direct you to find a verdict of
not guilty. Things were a little better after that.
I got a job or two, the usual. It kept enough in the earth for the kid, Peg,
then a pint now and again for me. But I was fed up.
Men like me want money. Lots of money. What's the use of grubbing about all your
life trying to save sixpence here, sixpence there?
Now I had to get hold of something worthwhile. I found it when I met Harriet Vaughan.
She was a widow who owned a flat near the motor works.
Middle-aged, but still pretty good-looking. We took to each other like a couple of lovebirds.
Of course, I had to keep it dark from Peg, but that wasn't hard.
I'd done it before. What time is it?
About eleven. Yeah, especially for you.
Not too weak, not too strong. Thanks.
Now I've got to go. Too many late nights for me.
Peg's going to start wondering what kind of job I'm doing.
You're not going? Oh, now you're not going again?
Yeah, I'm afraid so. By the way, could you spare a fiver?
You see, there's a dog running to Morrie. No. No. I'm sick and tired of this.
For the past month, it's been the same thing. Spend a couple of hours here and off you go.
I'm not giving you any more money either. Oh, come on. Now I've told you, Peg's been...
I don't believe you. It's probably another woman.
Another woman? What do you take me for? Look, just a fiver tonight and I promise to
Morrie I... I haven't got any money in the hours.
I've got to have it, sweetheart. It's an emergency. You don't think I like asking you, do you?
No more. All right, well make it two quid.
No. You're going to get nasty.
No more money. Oh, I'm onto your game. It's not me. It's me money. That's all.
Well, you've seen the last of both of us. All right. For old times sake, a few quid,
a farewell present, eh? Present? You? Don't make me laugh.
I'll have to take it myself then. Don't you dare. I'll have the law on you.
Keep away from my bag. Now you take it easy, aren't you? There's
no need to get all excited. You give that to me.
You clear out of here now. Shut your mouth.
I'll have the law on you, I will. Yes, you do. You tell them what a naughty boy
I've been. You tell them all about yourself too, eh?
That'll look nice in the papers. I don't care. You can't make a fool of me.
I'm calling the police. You come back here.
Take your hand off of me. Hurry. I don't want to hurt you, but I'm going to
have to unless you... I warned you. Now it's your own fault.
All that row about a fiver. They were spread all over the papers next day.
Nobody seemed to know anything about it. The murderer hadn't left a clue.
They suspected a robbery motive, but that's as far as they were going.
I was pretty lucky myself. I took the five pounds, tripled them at the dog races.
I thought I'd give the kid a peg of presents, so I bought a train for him and a new dress
for her. It was a treat to see the tears in her eyes
when I gave it to her. Pure silk.
Tommy. Tommy.
Now, go on. Take it easy. Go on and try it on.
I'm going to set up the kid's train. It'll be ready when he wakes up in the morning.
Tommy. Put it on, eh?
All right. You know something? I always wanted a set like this.
I think I'll have as much fun as a kid working it.
Of course, it's only clockwork, but it's a starter.
Oh, you wait till you see the engine. Peg?
Hey, what's all this? Why you ever put it on? Don't you like it?
Listen, if the colour's no good, you can change it. There's no reason to cry.
Ducks, come on. Now, try it on. See if the size is right.
I like the colour. I thought you would. Hey.
Don't you touch me. Don't. What's the matter? What did I do?
Where did you get the money for those things? What do you mean, where did I get the money?
Tell me. Or shall I tell you? Now you're upset. I'll tell you what.
I know about you. That woman who was murdered.
Loop it on the dress and we'll go out. I know you've been seeing someone.
And I followed you to her flat last night. I saw you go in. She was dead after that.
That's where you got the money, isn't it? You told anyone?
No. You wouldn't lie to me, would you, Peg?
I haven't, I haven't. Not because of you, but the kid.
You did it, didn't you? Well, didn't you? Now you listen to me.
You don't know anything about anything. Understand that?
You didn't see anything, did you? I'm afraid of you.
That's two you've killed. You kill me next. Don't be silly.
I should have told the police. I'll be next. Or the kid.
What I did or what I didn't do is none of your business.
You attend your arse work. I'll take care of it.
Well, I'm going out for a while and don't you talk to anybody about anything, mind?
Don't you forget what I say. Not a word.
There was nothing else to do. Peg was right. There was the kid and there was her.
I didn't want to hurt her and I knew sooner or later she'd say something she had to.
Well, a man's got to protect his family, so I went to the police.
I confessed to the murder of Harriet Vaughan.
It was the same court, the same judge. And I had another shock when I saw the prosecutor.
I knew him and I could tell by the way he smiled that he knew me.
It was Beckett, the same one who'd been down my throat last time.
Oh, he wasn't supposed to say anything about the other child, but he had a funny smile as he came up to me.
Mr. Shaw, odd coincidence meeting you again.
Now, you stated in your confession that you murdered Mrs. Vaughan because you did not have the fortitude to take your own life.
As far as I can remember, that's what I said, yes.
And that by committing murder you would, in that act, forfeit your life thereby accomplishing your aim of suicide.
Yes.
Would you mind explaining to us your reason for contemplating the taking of your own life?
I said I'd quarreled with her. She was finished with me.
I knew I couldn't go on living without her. And I didn't have the nerve to kill myself.
Will the prisoner speak up?
I'm sorry. I said I didn't have the nerve to kill myself.
And that is what you stated in your confession?
Yes.
No more questions, my lord.
Mr. Lyons.
Thank you, my lord.
Now, Mr. Shaw, you have admitted to the writing of the confession.
I have.
Is it true?
Oh, but one thing. I did have a quarrel with her, but I didn't kill her.
Explain to the court, if you will.
I went back to the house to apologize, and when I got there another man was just coming out of her flat.
I went in and I found her lying dead.
And you knew then that the police suspicions would be upon you because there was no proof of the other man being there?
That's right.
I put it to you, Mr. Shaw. Did you kill that woman?
No, I did not.
Why then did you confess to the police?
Oh, because they wouldn't have believed me, and I wanted to have myself cleared by trial.
Thank you.
No further questions, my lord.
I have a question, my lord.
I understand, Mr. Shaw, that you repudiate your confession. Is that so?
That's right. It's all true about the quarrel, but I didn't kill her.
Yet, Mr. Shaw, you've painted an excellent picture of her death in your confession. Every detail, I might add.
I didn't kill her.
If you wanted to confess to a murder you had not committed, what could have been more convincing at the time than to put your head out of the window and call the police?
Well, I hadn't exactly decided to confess to killing her then.
However, your description of the murder is graphic to the extreme. How do you account for that?
Well, I could tell by looking at it what had happened. It was just good guesswork, that's all.
Were your fingerprints guesswork? On the glass of whiskey, on the knob of the door, on her handbag?
Did you know, Mr. Shaw, that following your confession, your wife came to us of her own volition and substantiated your movements on the night in question?
No. I didn't know.
No. I didn't think that you did.
I'm satisfied, my lord. No further questions.
Members of the jury, are you agreed upon your verdict?
We are.
Do you find the prisoner Thomas Shaw guilty or not guilty of bad app?
Guilty, my lord.
I didn't really think it would work, but there hadn't been any harm in trying.
It's the funny thing about a sure bet. If it works once, don't try it twice.
Oh well.
Thomas Shaw, the sentence is the sentence laid down by law.
I haven't been a good father or husband, I suppose. How many of us are?
But what I get from these memoirs is for Peg and a kid.
The only thing is, I'm sorry, I can't be around to spend some of it.
Suspense, in which Ben Wright starred in tonight's presentation of Once a Murderer.
Be sure to listen next week to radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
Suspense is produced and directed by Anthony Ellis, who also wrote tonight's script.
The music was composed by Lucian Morwick and conducted by Wilbur Hatch.
Featured in the cast were Betty Hofford, Paula Winslow, Richard Peel, Joseph Kearns, Charlie Lung, Ramsey Hill, John Doddsworth, Herb Butterfield, and Byron Cain.
Know the way to follow the best of the music when you dance, while you'll follow the dramatic highlights on CBS radio's Monday through Friday daytime drama, The Guiding Light, just as closely.
Listen to the inspiring stories of people like yourselves, your friends, your neighbors, tomorrow and every weekday on most of these stations.
Listen while you work. Dr. Malone is here on the CBS Radio Network.
The Guiding Light