And now, tonight's presentation of Radio's outstanding theater of thrills, Suspense.
Tonight, we bring you the story of three convicts on a road gang in Florida who planned the perfect escape through the Everglades.
We call it Quiet Night. So now, starring Stacy Harris, here is tonight's Suspense play, Quiet Night.
We listened for it every night right after lights out.
And it would be there, passing over us, headed across the Everglades toward Miami.
For a moment, it was like having somebody come and see you on visitor's day.
Only when you're on a road gang, you don't get no visitors.
There were 80 of us in that camp on the edge of the mangrove swamp.
Every night, we'd quiet down and listen to that airplane,
wondering about the people up there, where they'd been, where they were going, and wishing we were going with them.
Then it'd be gone.
But I'd feel good just knowing other people would hear it.
People across the swamp over in Lakeland.
They'd hear it about six minutes after we did.
George, George, up, Shaw, wake up. George.
Oh, mother.
Honestly, George, if you're so all fired sleepy, why don't you take your clothes off and go to bed?
I can't yet. Have them checked to jail.
Seems to me that'll be Burt's job. That's what a deputy's for, isn't it?
Keep the sheriff from running yourself to death?
Burt does his share.
Well, if he wasn't your nephew, he'd starve to death.
Hand me my hat, mother.
George, you know what Doc Lang told you. You gotta start taking it easy.
I will, I will. So long.
George.
Why?
Remember how you used to kiss me whenever you left the house.
Well, we were younger then, mother. People our age, don't they?
Never mind. Go on.
What's eating you, mother?
Oh, I don't know. Maybe it was here in the plane coming over from Havana.
Remember when we took it home from our vacation?
That was nine years ago. They'd have a new plane by now.
We haven't had so much fun since.
We ought to get away for a few days.
Maybe go to St. Petersburg and just sit on a bench as for a spell.
Where will one of these days?
One of these days.
Well, if you're going to jail, hurry up about it so you can get home and get your rest.
It took the plane less than four minutes to cover the 12 miles between the sheriff's farm
and the parking lot next to the county courthouse.
Rousy, stinking mosquitoes.
Want to put the window up?
No, it's too hot.
Bert, we ought to get out of here.
Can't, honey. I'm on duty.
I don't mean to deny. I mean get away from Lakeland for good.
Where are you figuring on going?
Oh, up to Jacksonville over in New Orleans.
Nah, wouldn't work.
Now what makes you talk like that?
You?
Me.
If you didn't settle down.
I wouldn't do what your husband did, but I wouldn't stay around you for two seconds.
Honey, I never loved Harry.
Then you shouldn't have married him.
I had to. I hated my folks. Harry got me away from him.
How old were you?
Almost 17.
Bert, I wrote Harry today.
Oh?
I told him I wanted a divorce so I could marry somebody else.
You will marry me, won't you?
I'd like to see somebody try to stop me.
The night the plane didn't come over was the night that Harry showed Fats and me the letter.
We figured the plane was late, held back by the wind or something, so we waited, listening.
While we waited Harry had me read his letter.
You through, Joe?
Yeah.
What'd you think?
It's tough.
Let me read it, Harry.
Later, Fats.
Listen to this, Joe. He's a wonderful man. I'm sure he'll treat me good.
How do you like that?
It's tough, Harry.
What do you expect, Harry? No woman can wait 10 years.
Why, you fuzzy little...
Quiet, you guys. Listen.
You hear it, Jeffers?
I thought I did. I guess not.
She sure turned out to be an ever-loving wife, didn't she?
Makes me wonder if I did right, killing Red Simmons. Maybe it should have been her.
You could still do it, Harry. We get enough money, we're making a break. Ain't that right, Joe?
Fats, I told you before, don't talk about it.
We'd sure surprise her.
Any of you guys got the makings?
Yeah, yeah. Just don't forget where you got them, huh?
Thanks.
Hey, Harry. You know that picture you got of her, you know, the one where she's wearing shorts?
Yeah.
Well, I was just thinking, you don't want it no more now, why don't you give it to me, huh? OK, Harry?
What would you do with it, Fats?
Oh, nothing. Just I ain't got no family and I could sort of make like she's kidding folk. You know what I mean, Harry?
I know what you mean.
Well?
No.
No. You guys, you ain't got no feelings.
Here's your tobacco, Joe. Thanks.
That's OK, Jeffers.
Joe, that plane never been late before.
Not since I've been here.
Man, I'm getting nervous. Where you suppose it's at?
Alice Michael Stewart is Miami. John D. Erickson, Atlanta. Paul R. Brown, Miami.
Master, why don't you turn that thing off?
Do they know what went down yet?
One of the CIA men spotted about 30 miles this side of Sabre Light, right in the middle of that cypress swamp.
How you gonna get to it?
Walk. Only way we can.
George!
Now, Master, don't worry. Burt's going with me. We'll have plenty of help.
From where? Who's gonna help?
We're taking four or five trustees from that road gang. They're closer to it than anybody else.
They gonna help you walk, Joe?
No, Master.
You know what Doc Lang said? You aren't to exert yourself.
I'll be all right.
I swear I don't understand why it's your place to go at all.
Master, as long as I'm the sheriff of this county, it's my job.
When'll you be back?
I don't know. It depends on how long it takes us to get in there.
There's Burt with the truck. Bye, hon.
Be careful, George.
I will.
Before we'd finished our grits, we'd heard what had happened to the plane.
By 9.30, we were sitting in the back of the county sheriff's truck,
bumping over an oyster shell road headed west toward the gulf.
The sheriff and his deputy had picked Harry, Jeffers, Fats, and me because we knew the swamps.
And because we were trustees.
After about half an hour, they stopped at the
truck, we piled up.
All right, you men. All right, knock it off.
The sheriff wants to say something.
And now on we walk, and as fast as we can.
When we reach the plane, we'll clear the trees and brush the grass.
We'll get the
A helicopter can get in the carry-out of the body.
And we can go pick it up in that bin.
Hey, Finattle에í?
Do you know who minerals this is?
slot of Google or a
technical
Google
Yes.
News and report.
Can get in to carry out the bodies.
Any question?
Sheriff, how far is that plane from here?
About 10 miles southeast.
Whistle.
Something bothering you, mister?
Mm-hmm, just thinking.
10 miles of swamp can be a long way.
Sheriff, how we go about finding it?
A plane from Lakeland will drop a smoke part on it in about five hours.
It'll burn long enough to guide us in.
Anything else?
What are we gonna clear those trees out with?
There's a crosscut and a hand saw and an axe in the truck.
You wanna say something, bud?
Yeah.
I'm not turning loose this shotgun at no time.
First man even looks like he's thinking about a break,
gets it right in the gut.
All right, grab a saw.
Hey, you, fat boy.
Oh, yes, sir.
You towed the axe.
Where off sum that blubber?
Yes, sir.
Watch out.
Little rough on them, weren't you, Bert?
They are trustees.
Maybe three of them.
I ain't seen their records.
But not Harry Briar.
You know what he did.
Yeah, a lot of men might have done the same thing.
We've never been in that kind of situation.
Well, I'll tell you this.
Road boys can call him a trustee all he wants.
But ain't gonna cut no ice with me.
We started then single file
with the sheriff leading and the deputy behind us.
Like he thought we'd be crazy enough to run.
Even if we did get clean away,
where'd we go without money?
We really moved along until we hit swamp.
Then every step we took, our boots went in up to our ankles.
Didn't our feet free?
Out in front of us again was like walking up a hill.
Joe.
Yeah.
Look at the sheriff.
What about him?
He's gonna drop most any time.
He's sick, Joe.
Gone, Sheriff.
Dropped.
Drop, Sheriff.
Go on, drop, drop, drop.
Right here, Sheriff.
Take a break, you men. Fall out.
Bats.
Harry.
Bring your backs up against this tree.
Sheriff's got the deputy worried.
Look how he's unloosening his collar for him.
Yeah.
Hey, any of you guys hungry yet?
No.
Well, I think I'll eat one of them sandwiches.
Joe.
Hmm?
You been thinking about that plane?
I don't like to think about things like that.
I just hope I can forget them.
I've been thinking about it, Harry.
You know, every night when he used to come over,
I sort of imagined I was on it.
And the stewardess was being nice to me,
bringing me my food and all.
Boy, she was sure pretty.
I mean, at least I thought so.
Shut up, Fett. Stop talking about it, will you?
Joe, that plane was carrying lots of things besides people.
Maybe.
No.
No, maybe.
That was a big plane.
Four motors.
A plane like that carries mail, packages,
sometimes real valuable stuff like money
being shipped from one bank to another.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, Harry.
And what's been holding us up?
Money.
It's no good, Harry.
You crazy? Why not?
How are we going to keep the sheriff or that deputy from seeing us?
They're four of us.
They can't watch all of us at the same time.
Come on, Joe.
It's what we've been waiting for, ain't it?
You tell him it's what we've been waiting for, Harry.
He knows it. I don't need to tell him.
Well, I guess we got nothing to lose.
Okay, Harry, okay.
Knock it off, Mr. Deputy.
You, what's your name?
Joseph McGuire.
What are you doing?
Eight to ten, armed robbery, second offense.
You?
Henry Fats Carver.
Offense?
Oh, sir, it was a misunderstanding.
I know you're innocent.
Yes, sir.
Never mind, never mind.
All right, I know you, Harry.
You.
What's your name?
Paul Jeffers, sir.
Offense?
Burglary, first offense.
You think you can find your way back to the truck?
Why, yes, sir, I think so.
All right, go on over to the sheriff.
He's sick.
You're taking him back, and don't you rush.
Do it easy, here.
Yes, sir.
The rest of us are going on.
Fats, you're gonna lead.
Oh, how I know which way to go, sir.
I got the compass now, I'll tell you.
Joe, you follow Fats.
And Harry, you and me, we'll bring up the rear.
We started again.
There are only four of us now.
Fats, Harry, me, and the deputy.
Three of us against one of him.
We didn't say anything we didn't need to.
But we were waiting.
Waiting for that one moment when he'd take his hands off that shotgun.
Then it came.
Okay, okay, Fats, hold it up.
You men see smoke rising off ahead?
No, not yet.
Hey, Mr. Deputy, can somebody else carry this here, I ask?
No.
Joe.
Yeah, Harry.
Sir, are you sure we're headed in the right direction?
I'm sure.
He's not so sure.
Look at him, Joe.
Yeah, I know.
He's gonna reach in his pocket for that compass.
Fats.
There he goes.
Now, Fats, now!
The gun, Harry, get the gun!
But Harry didn't need the shotgun.
Fats had used the axe.
I picked up the compass and we turned away to the southeast.
Something bothering you, Joe?
Huh?
I don't know.
I was just thinking.
About what's at the plain?
Oh, I was thinking about that deputy.
Don't feel bad about him.
He was itching to use this here shotgun on us.
Yeah, that's right.
I just don't know him.
You suppose he had a family?
Him?
Who'd marry something like him?
Hey, hey, hey, you guys, hey!
What's the matter?
Look at it!
What?
It's smoke.
Blank smoke.
It's the plane!
Come on, come on, it's the plane!
Come on!
You are listening to Quiet Night, tonight's presentation in Radio's Outstanding Theater of Thrills, Suspense.
For a good time tomorrow during the day, don't miss the goings on when it's Arthur Godfrey
time.
Remember, every Monday through Friday, you can join those gifted fund-makers over most
of these same stations.
And now we bring back to our Hollywood Sound stage, Stacey Harris, starring in tonight's
one Quiet Night, a tale well calculated to keep you in suspense.
We were heading for that thin stream of black smoke rising out of the swamp that marked
the position of the fallen plane.
Ahead of us in a straight line about 200 yards long and 50 wide, the tops of the trees have
been neatly sheared off by the wings.
And then we saw it.
Parts of the plane were scattered about in the mud as far as we could see.
The wings had burned, but nothing else.
Cabin was in two sections, with the larger section dead ahead of us.
We climbed up into it.
Joe, you ever been in a plane like this?
Once?
Yeah, when?
When I was trying to get out of the country.
You know where they'd keep mail and stuff like that?
I think so.
I think it'll be up front, about where the pilot sits.
Well, maybe in here somewhere, huh?
Yeah, I think so.
Let's take a look.
Watch your head, Joe.
All right.
Boy, I haven't seen anything this bad since the Navy.
You in the Navy?
For a year.
Just for a year.
Well, it wouldn't take me.
I got a bad knee.
I tried to get in, but on account of this bad knee of mine, it just didn't work.
Here it is, Harry.
Come on, let's get it out of here.
Okay.
Come on, Fats.
Grab ahold of one of these here bags.
Boy, this thing's...
Listen.
It's a helicopter.
Come on.
What about this mail bag?
Get it later.
Come on.
Now, grab the axe, Fats.
Hurry over here.
All right.
Now, Fats, get busy chopping on that tree.
Go on.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Come on.
Get on that tree.
Go on.
All right.
Come on, Harry.
Where is it?
Can you see him?
No, not yet.
The tree's too thick.
He's gonna have to get right over us.
Here he comes.
Act natural.
Cut out the chop, Fats, and smile.
Wave to him.
That's it.
Now, give me a big smile.
Smile.
Hi.
Hi-ya, hi-ya.
Hi-ya.
That's it.
He's got some big eyes.
Well, now he's got a big head.
Yeah.
Now, Fats, come on.
Come on.
He's got a big head.
He's got a big head.
You think he's looking for that deputy?
I hope not.
What are we so worried about?
He can't land.
No, but he can use that radio, Hedge.
If anything's wrong, they'll come after us
before we get a chance to get out of the swamp.
Here he comes again.
Well, he's planning on us making a clearing
so he can land. He's got a long way to go.
How much out of that mail bag, Joe?
Four hundred and eighty-two.
Not bad.
Well, why don't we look in that other part?
Maybe we'll find some more stuff.
In a minute, Fats.
Altogether we can get a good deal.
That'll get us to Cuba. From there we can work our way down to South America.
When do you think we'll get there, Harry?
Couple of weeks, Fats.
We can rent a boat in Lakeland. A friend of mine's got one.
Now, let's provide him we get across to Lakeland tonight.
Yeah.
How far is Lakeland from here?
Fifteen, twenty miles.
I'm tired. How come we gotta make it all in one night?
Because that helicopter will be back in the morning.
When there's no place for him to land, he's gonna be gone.
He's gonna be gone.
He's gonna be gone.
He's gonna be gone.
Yeah, he's gonna be gone.
He's gonna be gone.
We better leave in about an hour.
Hey, we got any more of them Sanches left?
No, nothing.
So hungry Fats wants to take a look in the galley.
The what?
The galley, over there.
The tail section. The stewardess usually keeps the food back in there.
I'll go take a look.
Cigarette, Joe?
No.
Tailor made.
Okay.
Oh, here. Let me give you your share.
Keep it.
What?
Keep it, I said. I don't want it.
What's the matter with you?
I don't know.
I'm getting fed up with everything.
Us, this place, Fats, you, everything.
You'll feel better when we get on that boat to Cuba.
Hey, you guys.
Now what?
Come here, quick.
What is it?
A young kid.
Look out, Harry. Let me see.
This kid's alive.
You crazy. How could he be?
I don't know, but look at him.
Nah, he's probably so messed up inside,
he won't live long.
You can't tell.
Kids like this are strong. They take a lot, bounce back hard.
What do you reckon we should do about him?
Nothing.
Just walk away from him, will you?
Just forget he's here?
Who? You or the doctor? Am I?
You don't look like he's hurt so bad he ain't bleeding.
If we're gonna get to Lakeland before morning,
we can't fool around with him.
Fats, take this rag outside, dip it in some water, will you?
So you put a cloth on his head.
What are you, Joe, some kind of healer?
Go on, Fats, do it, huh?
Come on, Harry, help me straighten him out.
Come on.
Hand me that blanket behind you.
Okay.
Yo.
I'm not leaving this kid, Harry.
What?
I told you how I felt about things before.
I'm fed up.
I would have gone, but not...
Well, I can't now.
But, Joe, you're the one that's been talking escape.
You stood by while we killed the deputy.
Now all of a sudden you get religion.
Why?
This kid, that's why.
This kid dies, he'd be just the same as if he were
a shotgun right in his face and pulled a trigger.
Now how do you figure that?
Because if that helicopter had a place to land, he'd be in a hospital by now, that's all.
Hey, guys.
The sun's starting to go down.
Give me that rag.
Hey, maybe I can help, Joe, let me see his eyes.
Get out of here, will you?
Now go on, both of you, get out!
I'll give you
half an hour.
Then you're coming with us.
And, Joe?
What is it?
Don't you worry about it.
That kid will be dead by then.
But the kid didn't die.
And in a few minutes his breathing came easier,
like he knew he wasn't alone anymore.
I looked through his clothes
for some kind of identification, but there wasn't any.
Not even his flight ticket stub or baggage check.
He'd been traveling with somebody.
His father, or mother,
or both.
But he would live.
Yeah.
Yeah, I'd get him to a hospital in time.
And someday,
someday he'd know
what I'd done for him.
It was a nice dream,
and then the half hour was up.
Joe?
I'm over here, Harry.
You noticed the sky?
It's clouding up. Yeah, I noticed it's gonna rain.
We're leaving, Joe.
Go ahead.
You're coming with us.
We can't let you stay, Joe.
They'll be here in the morning.
You'll tell them where we've gone.
You know me better than that, Harry.
Sure. Not even if they promise you a pardon.
I'm not going with you, Harry.
I'm going with Fats. Can you...
Where's Fats?
Where is he, Harry?
Fats?
Fats!
He's doing it for you, Joe.
For you!
Fats.
What did you do to the kid?
Now, Joe, Joe,
I didn't do nothing to him.
Harry told me to, but I didn't.
No, don't hit me, Joe. Please don't.
That's enough, Joe. Cut it out.
You put him up to killing the kid, huh, Harry?
It's for your own good, Joe.
For all our good.
We gotta stick together.
No. Not now. Not after this.
You got a choice?
I think so. Against this shotgun.
It's clouding up outside, Harry.
You can't make Lakeland without stars
or without a compass.
Huh?
Where's it at? What'd you do with it?
Uh-uh.
No soap, Harry.
You want that compass?
You give me the shotgun.
You hit it while you were outside just now.
That's right, Harry.
Tie him up, Harry.
We can make him tell us where it is.
You wanna try, fat boy? You go ahead.
Well, go on. You got all night.
No.
You know we haven't.
Okay, Joe.
You win.
Oh, Harry!
All right, Harry.
Break the shotgun.
Come on.
Give me the barrels and
I'll go get you the compass.
They left a few minutes later.
I didn't bother to wish them luck
because I knew it wouldn't do any good.
I put another blanket over the boy
and went outside.
It was just beginning to rain
when I picked up the axe
and started chopping away at one of the giant cypress trees.
It might take all night,
but tomorrow
that helicopter had a place to land.
And I heard it
like a ghost coming in from the gulf
heading across the Everglades toward Miami.
People in Lakeland had heard about six minutes.
Other people, too, clear across the state.
And it was gone.
For a moment it was a real quiet night.
Only for a moment.
I'm sorry.
Suspense.
In which Stacey Harris
starred in tonight's presentation of Quiet Night.
We'll listen again next week
when we bring you another presentation
of radio's outstanding theatre of thrills,
Suspense.
Suspense is produced and directed in Hollywood
by Anthony Ellis.
Tonight's script was written by Charles B. Smith.
The music was composed by Lucian Morrowek
and conducted by Wilbur Hatch.
Featured in the cast were Helen Klebe,
Herb Butterfield, Charlotte Lawrence,
Tony Barrett, William Forrester,
Joseph Kearns, Joe DuVall, and George Walsh.
For dramatic excitement,
don't miss the next explosive episode
of the FBI in Peace and War
tomorrow night over most of these same stations.
Stay tuned for five minutes of CBS News
to be followed on most of these stations
by The Jack Carson Show.
The Radio Workshop presents the new
and unusual Friday Nights on the CBS Radio Network.