Mystery House.
Okay boys and girls, you all have your parts. Places everybody, except the scene Tom.
Death House Blues.
Tonight's story opens in the Governor's office in the state capital of a distant state.
Governor Burruss is sitting at his desk as the dynamic Terry Rogan, criminal lawyer, speaks.
The Governor doesn't seem to like what he hears and says so.
Great Scott Rogan, you act as if sending this client of yours, this Eddie Banks, to the chair was a personal pleasure to me.
Well I think it is Governor. You feel it's a popular thing to do. You think you'll get votes by letting this kid be killed for a murder he didn't commit.
Oh please now Rogan, I'm not quite that bad. Just because you and I belong to different political parties.
It's politics that keeps you from granting executive clemency Burruss, and you know it. The word has come to you that Eddie Banks is supposed to fry.
Listen Rogan, if you're insinuating that anybody tells me how to run my office.
Well take the stuffing out of your shirt Governor. It's too late for me to be polite. The kid's supposed to go to the chair in an hour.
I've been fair and patient with you Rogan. I've granted two stays of execution. I've examined all the evidence thoroughly. I've...
You've played to the grandstand all through the appeal and you know it. You granted two stays because you knew it would keep the case alive in the papers and keep you in the spotlight.
Now let's not be nasty about this Rogan. That isn't a sporting thing to say and you know it.
Sporting? You can talk about being sporting when a man's life's about to be taken. You're darned right I'm not sporting.
As his lawyer I'll hit with anything I have. If I could put you in that chair in his place I'd do it.
I'm sorry Rogan, honestly I am. I rather liked your client the time I talked to him.
Of course his background isn't conducive to belief in his integrity and I couldn't blame him for lying anyway from his own necks.
He isn't lying Burris. Try to get that through your head will you? Look, the kid hasn't got a dime.
I've been working day and night for the past two weeks trying to break this thing. Why do you think I'm doing it?
A very touching speech Rogan. I think you're doing it because you have political aspirations and you saw a good chance for a tango with me.
You as the champion of the oppressed, a fighter for the underdog.
Oh that's rotten and you know it. Eddie Banks was convicted on circumstantial evidence. He didn't have a...
You like screaming about circumstantial evidence don't you? There's nothing whatsoever wrong with circumstantial evidence.
For some reason there's a popular belief that circumstantial evidence is bad.
When circumstances combine to indicate that a man is a killer, he usually is.
The court comes back. I wish you wouldn't walk in here unannounced like that. After all this is the governor's office.
Oh so it Burris. I knew you and you were running for alderman. I've just been up to the big house.
You saw Eddie Banks Comstock? Yeah, he's taking it big. Got a last hour story for him. The boy's heart is nailed Rogan.
What do you want here Comstock?
I figured there'd be another last minute stay. Maybe.
Then you'll think it wrong. Eddie Banks was tried by a competent jury and I'd be tampering with justice if I...
Oh I'm not. You don't need to make a speech for me Burris. And if you think I'd quote a line like that you're crazy.
Some of our readers might have sensitive stomachs.
Now I see here Comstock you presume on your position as a reporter. What do you want here?
Why I've got a photographer outside. I thought maybe you boys could give me a good pose with Rogan banging his fist on the august desk.
Clash of legal minds. You know.
Now listen. Alan. I don't know. You go straight. I suppose we might as well do with the press. Eh Rogan?
Oh you go straight. Look Burris. I told you this is no cheap political trick with me. I'm arguing for this kid's life.
He didn't kill that dirty rat Bickford and you know it just as well as I do. Well the evidence Rogan.
Somebody framed Eddie. Framed him with phony evidence that doesn't even hold together.
The cry of the man who gets caught from time immemorial. I was framed.
Expecting anything that might make a good human interest I'd like Governor.
Why Eddie Banks street artist supposed to see me at the 1130. Last minute request.
He's waiting outside now but who's the dirty little guy with us?
What? Madeline's out there? Why didn't you say so? I thought you knew. Send her in.
Okay. There's a true blue lue for you that girl. The way she's stuck by Eddie is. Is what?
Well it's proof that Banks is innocent. No girl would be as loyal as that unless she actually believed that he was.
Oh hello Madeline. Hi Rogan. I brought along his character. A little late for new evidence Madeline.
I know. This is Patti Lasker Rogan. Hi. He has some bearing on the case has he?
Sure. Just like a lot of other people have had. If you'd believe him. I'll listen to his story.
Go ahead Patti. The night Bickford was killed I fell in the mob in front of the club mirror door see.
Yeah well what of it? I see a guy I later learned is Eddie Banks coming out with a dame.
This dame who brung me here tonight. That was established in the trial that Eddie had taken Madeline to the club.
There was never any argument about that. And he had a fight with Bickford on the dance floor over Madeline.
Hold still Rogan. This little guy's got some new stuff whether you think it's important or not.
Alright. Go ahead. Banks and his dames. They kind of edge their way into the crowd.
Banks is dressed in super 50 and I bump into him a little hard.
I don't see. When I bump into him my hand brushes against his side and he ain't carrying any gun when he left the club mirror door.
How do you know? I'd stake my professional reputation on it.
Your what? Patti is a professional pickpocket Rogan.
If I got to be blunt about it I was flicking the guy. And there's no rod. That's for sure.
I'm sorry Miss Martin. It is an important testimony for one thing. Not important Governor.
They never found the murder weapon. Bickford was shot and they said it was Eddie who shot him but they never found the gun.
Bickford followed Eddie and me home. He was shot after Eddie dropped me at my apartment.
Eddie wouldn't have had time to pick up a gun anywhere.
This man though. He couldn't possibly know whether or not Eddie Banks had a gun on his person.
No. Have a look at this.
Yeah. What is it?
It's Eddie's wallet. Patti got it in the crowd.
Hmm. Rather neat trick. I'm afraid it won't help us any.
But it shows definitely if they'll believe Patti that Eddie couldn't have killed Bickford.
The testimony of an admitted pickpocket hardly strikes me Miss Martin.
See Miss Martin. It's like I told you. I wouldn't have done any good.
Just got myself into trouble by getting spotted by cops in the courtroom.
I suppose you left the money in this wallet.
A great list that was. Five bucks in it.
But that's not true Patti.
Honest. Five bucks.
When Eddie and I were in the cab going to the club he said to me how would you like to take a look at real dough.
And he pulled out his wallet and showed me five thousand dollars.
Oh look lady. I never got no five thousand.
I believe you Patti. And I'm pretty sure I know who got it.
Who?
Bickford. He was the guy who received the dough for the crooked pollication.
That fight between Eddie and Bickford was a fake.
It gave him a chance to wrestle around just long enough for Eddie to drop the five thousand in Bickford's pocket.
Eddie was paying off.
If such a thing were true it seems questionable.
I mean if there is a political payoff why didn't Eddie Banks say something about it when he had his day in court.
I don't know. But I'm going to find out.
Yes how?
Hello. Warden. This is Madeleine Martin at the governor's office.
It's terribly important for me to talk to Eddie Banks right now.
Oh thank you. I'll have him call me right back. Goodbye.
This is as thick as yours Rogan.
I didn't even know about it. I never heard of this pickpocket before.
My name is Patti Lasker Mr. Rogan. You don't need to keep calling me a pickpocket.
The credibility of Eddie Banks' witnesses have been bad all through this case.
Well what do you expect? Eddie was working for Spike Polto. Spike owns gambling joints all over the country.
Who do you expect Eddie's witnesses to be except the people who know him?
My dear how did an attractive young lady like you ever become acquainted with a person like Banks?
I'm not so high class myself. Eddie's a swell guy and he didn't like the idea of my waiting tables in a gambling joint.
He talked me into getting a job for less money slinging hash in a restaurant.
And he was going to stick on with Polto until we had enough money to get married.
Excuse me.
That's for me. I'll get it.
Hello? Eddie? Darling, you've got to tell me the truth. This is terribly important.
Did you really have a fight with Victor that night or were you paying him off some pay off money for Polto?
What? Five thousand dollars? I knew it. But why? Why didn't you tell me? What? Oh.
Oh. No, I'm afraid I don't understand. Oh. Well, there's no time to discuss it dear. I'll call you later. Goodbye.
Well?
Eddie says he gave Victor five thousand dollars and the fight was all a foe.
The fight was supposed to be over you, wasn't it, Ms. Martin?
I don't know what it was supposed to be over. The prosecuting attorney said Eddie was jealous of me, but that wasn't so.
That scuffle was Eddie's way of flicking Victor the five thousand dollars pay off right out in public.
The place for that to have come out was at the trial. Why didn't you talk about it there?
He says Rogan told him not to mention it.
What? You mean to say that Rogan would deliberately perjure a client? You admit that you told him not to mention it, Rogan?
I didn't ask him about it in court. Neither did the prosecuting attorney.
The prosecuting attorney had no knowledge of what happened. He couldn't ask.
But you deliberately withheld evidence.
No, don't look so pious. You can't deliberately run evidence into a case that makes your client look bad.
Look bad?
If I'd have asked Eddie Banks about that pay off in court, he'd have been in the electric chair by now.
Are you insinuating that our courts aren't honest?
I'm insinuating that Bickford was playing with the party in power.
We've started talking about pay off money. They'd have framed us with everything in the books.
Besides, the pay off just gave another motive they could throw against Eddie Banks.
But that's not so. What motive?
Well, you had testified that Eddie was trying to get enough money to marry you.
He knew that Bickford had $5,000 on him. He knew it because he'd given it to him.
But so must a lot of other people, bad people.
Poldo gave Eddie the money to give to Bickford. Poldo could have told some of his hoodlums about it.
Look, Madeline, I appreciate that you're desperate. So am I.
But the story about the pay off money doesn't help a bit. Now really it doesn't.
I think the governor will agree with me that it's better left out of the picture.
How about that, governor?
If you're insinuating that any bribe money gets to me, I resent it, Rogan.
And the Bar Association's going to hear about your counseling of defendants to perjure himself.
I did no such thing. I merely advised him not to, well, not to talk about things that would get him into trouble.
Watch yourself. What are you...
Pardon me, mister. Sorry I bumped you. There you are, lady. Is this what you wanted?
What? You stole my wallet right out of my pocket.
Yeah.
Well, give it to me. You have no right to...
Maybe I'm beginning to see a few things, Rogan. This is kind of interesting.
What is it?
Poto's private phone number. By any chance are you working for Poto too, Rogan? You and Eddie both?
That'd make everything that's happened kind of interesting, wouldn't it?
Come, sir. You back again? I do wish you'd knocked before...
I don't have to knock when I have news like this, fellow. It'll knock you right off of your seat.
And, uh, I guess you might as well call the big house and tell them to get Eddie Banks off the electric chair.
You know, they're due to turn it on in 25 minutes.
What is this big news you're talking about, gunshot?
They just found Spike Poto with a knife through his heart.
What?
Yeah. And a note on his chest that said,
This is for Eddie Banks. A right guy who got a wrong rap.
Is Eddie Banks guilty of Bickford's murder? And who killed Spike Poto, the gambling king?
We'll find out in the second act of tonight's story.
Meanwhile, here's a brief message from our sponsor.
And now, Act Two of Death House Blues.
The Phoenix field is open. And the clock says 20 minutes till midnight.
Ted Comstock's reporter is questioning Rogan, the lawyer for Eddie Banks.
So, uh, it was because you were looking out for Eddie Banks that you didn't bring the payoff money into the trial, huh?
And Madeline finds you were working for Spike Poto. Ha ha. That's very funny.
I don't like the way you say that, Comstock. Sure, Poto hired me to defend Eddie Banks.
Eddie was one of his boys. You've been spouting about how Eddie didn't have a dime.
And that this was a labor of love, as far as you were concerned.
Why, you practically had me in tears.
Look, what difference does it make whether I get paid or not?
Important thing is to get the kid off. Now, he didn't kill Bickford.
It looks as things now, one of Poto's boys did it, and Poto picked Eddie for the fall guy.
I like your methods of operation less and less, Rogan.
I, uh, well, I was listening to you with some little favor.
But now, you're just against the lawyer.
A lawyer who covers up evidence not to defend his client, but to defend the man who's paying the bill.
What you think of me doesn't make much difference, Burr.
As long as the kid gets to live, and you better start making up your mind fast, because there's only about 15 minutes left.
You'll kill him, Eddie. Rogan's been working for Poto, not for Eddie.
He's been letting Eddie take the rap.
That phrase, take the rap, Miss Martin.
Was there something like that in the note that Comstock says the police found on Poto's body?
What do you mean?
You came up here only a short time ago, and you had a criminal with you.
Me? I never hurt anybody in my life.
I'm wondering if you might not have visited Poto before you came here.
Are you trying to say that I killed Poto?
Somebody killed him.
As soon as this execution is over, I'm going to ask the police to check your movements this evening prior to your coming here.
Governor, why should I kill Poto?
You fancied this gangster Poto was responsible for your sweetheart seeing the dead house.
You thought perhaps that his murder, together with the note, would throw suspicion on somebody else,
would make it look like somebody knew that Eddie Banks was innocent.
That wrong rap phrase.
It's not too difficult to pick up the draft.
Oh, for heaven's sake, Governor, it's just 12 minutes until they'll trap Eddie into the electric chair.
There's plenty of time to talk about Poto's murder later.
I'm talking about it right now because I think it applies to the case under discussion.
My guess is that Poto's murder was a daring effort on somebody's part to confuse and distract me.
Do you think I killed somebody just to get you mixed up?
I don't want you mixed up.
I want you to have one thing clear that Eddie didn't murder Bixby.
But the note on Poto's chest.
For heaven's sake, Poto, can't you forget the note?
In 11 minutes, the man I love is going to the electric chair.
He's a nice kid.
Even if he was working for Chris, he enjoyed life.
He loved each other.
I'm sorry for you, my dear, but I can't let my personal TV's allow me to tend to a man
who should pay for his crimes.
I've always felt there was a place for sentiment in law enforcement,
but it isn't right or just to let any man get away with murder.
Eddie didn't murder anyone, you fool.
Can't you see what's happened?
Maybe you better go outside, Madeline.
You're getting hysterical.
I'm going to have to work fast to get Eddie off now.
You'll get him off? You never wanted to get him off.
You never tried to get him off.
Take her outside, Comstock.
Well, yes, she's cracking that door.
I guess you'd better, Comstock, at that.
Pardon me, Jinks.
I come here with the little lady, and she ain't leaving until she's done good and ready.
You have the ambassador to pull a gun in my office?
Kind of funny, ain't it?
Me, who always died away from force.
Who got into the dip racket because it didn't have no violence.
Me, holding a gun. I'm the governor of the state.
Well, I'll have you thrown in the jay for this.
Okay, keep yourself.
I've been in jail before, but the little lady's going to stay here as long as she likes.
Thanks, Peggy.
Now, I want you to listen to me, Governor.
Rogan showed Eddie Banks out.
He put on a great show trying to help him, and all the time he just kind of hurt him.
Rogan wants Eddie to go to the chair.
Total pay him to do what, then?
The one really important point of evidence that could have helped Eddie, Rogan held out.
He's given Eddie wrong advice right from the start.
I'm leaving, Barrett.
It's five minutes at 12, and this thing looks like a hot story to me.
Boy, I can just see it.
Gun crazy pickpocket holds Governor at bay while killer fries.
Barrett, don't talk like that.
You ain't leaving, bud. Not yet.
If I had an opportunity to kill Poe, so did Rogan, before I came up to your office tonight.
Oh, you're out of your head, and you're wasting time that I could be spending in pleading Eddie's case.
There's only three minutes to go.
Governor, you've just got to see it.
Rogan's been tied up to Poe, so he deliberately put Eddie where he is.
Why, looking for Poe, Rogan could have even been the one who killed Bickford.
Governor, there's only two and a half minutes.
For the love of heaven, I'm going to grab and call the warden right now.
I'll dial the number.
He's got to do it. He's got to.
If you just hold off a few minutes, I think to you that it's Rogan who should be there and not Eddie.
Put that phone down, Miss Martin.
I'll make my own telephone call if there's any help from you.
And this show of hysteria isn't helping the case at all.
I have to consider facts, not the emotional outburst.
You have to consider yourself too, don't you?
You're going to have to live with yourself after Eddie Banks is dead.
After I proved that Rogan framed him into the elected chair for a rotten crooked cancer.
And you're going to be guiltier of murder than Eddie ever was.
How do you try to feel when you discover you've killed an innocent man?
I'm sorry, my dear. It's nice to have you on the show.
One minute, only one minute, Eddie will be fat enough to not do something.
Don't sit there like a bird.
He's a human being and it's a human life you're playing with.
You're not changing your mind, Governor?
If you laid this thing close, Rogan, it slipped back to you.
Oh, what difference does it make how it left?
Listen, Rogan, you were at the club mid-a-door the night of the murders.
You saw the fight when Eddie set the money in the victim's pocket.
You'd have been the one person there who realized what was happening. You...
Wait. You say he was at the club mid-a-door?
Hasn't anything been said about that before?
There was. I mentioned that to Rogan right at the start.
He said neither Eddie nor I should ever say anything about it
or folks on the jury would think Eddie had a lawyer
planted in the club to establish an alibi of himself.
Oh, you grab that boy, grab it, only ten seconds, and you might make it.
I'm afraid it's too late, Miss Martin. I couldn't possibly get through in time.
I'm afraid you'll be out there, Fred, and don't let this sick part of you
down in the building while I'm going to attend to him.
Okay, Governor.
You know, I am so sure...
I didn't ask you to be sure of anything, Constance.
Get them out of here.
I want to talk to Rogan.
I'll tell him.
Don't tell him that! You're a murderer!
Well, in the name of the state,
I'm going to have to put you under arrest, Rogan.
Yeah? On that perjury business?
No.
You killed Bigford.
You don't say.
You killed him for $5,000, I suppose, and Poto finally tumbled at what had happened
when he saw how you handled Eddie's bank defense.
So you had to kill him too.
You left that note about Eddie Banks to throw anybody off the fence.
You have a good imagination, Governor.
I don't think I have, Rogan. I'm quite unimaginative, as you know.
So unimaginative that I'm going to have a handwriting test
to compare that note with your handwriting.
I'm going to have fingerprints expressed.
Look for your fingerprints.
They're the first denotes they found in Poto's heart.
And I imagine I'll find some very interesting things.
Yes, I imagine you will, Governor.
It's too bad you won't be able to do anything about them, isn't it?
Yes, what do you mean?
You try to do anything to me for killing Poto and I'll ruin your whole career.
You haven't touched this object, Governor.
But you're going to see a great light.
You don't dare touch me on Poto's murder because the minute you do,
I confess Bickford's murder.
So you really did kill Bickford.
Sure, I killed him. And that's why you can't touch me for killing Poto.
Just how do you figure that one?
The minute I confess I killed Bickford, you're so washed up in politics you're a bum.
Yes?
Sure. The girl gave you all the dope straight.
And you let an innocent man go to the elected chair.
How does that make you look to the public, Governor?
You not only look like a sap, but a vicious sap, a dangerous one.
You can't touch me without smacking your whole career.
You've been very smart about this, have you?
Or maybe sharp is the word.
You played every angle, didn't you?
I always play every angle, Governor.
There's only one little thing we overlook.
What?
This.
What?
I don't get it. You wouldn't have the nerve.
And putting you under arrest for the murders of Bickford and Poto.
Just a minute.
Hello. Warden?
Cancel everything.
You can turn any banks loose now.
Thank you.
Huh? I don't get it.
He was to be elected to that one minute past midnight.
I know.
Well, it's eight minutes past now.
Eight minutes past midnight by my clock, Logan.
That's?
I set my clock fifteen minutes ahead tonight, Logan.
Fifteen minutes past.
I had my doubts about the boy's guilt even in spite of your bad pleading that is so factual.
You could.
Yes, you could.
Yes, that's the case.
You know, going to be fun letting that reporter, Comstock, know about this.
He said I was stuffy.
I don't think I'm stuffy at all.
Do you, Logan?
Yes, I do.
I don't think I'm stuffy.