Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar - The Soderbury, Maine Matter (Reh)

From Hollywood.

It's time now for Edmund O'Brien as Johnny Dollar.

This is Edward Whiteman, mister Dollar. I understand that mister Soderberry's death brought you here.

Yes, thanks for calling back. I tried to locate the Constable Fred Rehman I believe his name is. Yes, I haven't found him, so I thought i'd talk with you. You were riding with mister Soderberry when he was killed. Is that right?

Yes?

I was.

I'll do everything I can to help you, and as a matter of fact, I just left Constable remon.

Oh where is he? I'd like to say him.

He thinks he's found the place from which the shots were fired, the roof of Goodwood's store. I left him there less than five minutes ago. If you'll meet me in front of your hotel, i'll show you.

Thanks, mister Whiteman. I'll be down right away.

Edmund O'Brien in a transcribed Adventure of the Man with the Action Packed Expense account, America's fabulous freelance insurance investigator.

Yours truly, Johnny Dollar expense account submitted by special Investigator Johnny Dalla to Home Office, Britannial Life insurance company, Hartford, Connecticut. The following is an accounting of expenditures during my investigation of the Soderberry main matter expense account out of won forty two dollars and forty five cents airfare, car rental and incidentals between Hartford and Sodaberry. I, for one, had never heard of the town, but I founded a few

The ceremony. Oh, yes, you wouldn't have noticed entering town from the east. You didn't know about the factory.

No, I hadn't heard a new one.

No soda Berry, No, mister Soderberry built it during the first year of World War Two. We won some subcontracts from those shipbuilders and hoped to bring new wealth to the town. The ceremony was arranged this morning because it reopened.

No, i'd hardly.

Could hardly have been.

Called happy even before the tragedy.

Oh, the town was the favor of the factory, definitely, not that we cross over here.

These people are settled in their ways. The factory changed things outside. Men came in to work, married local girls and took them away. The farmers in the section lost the free labor of their sons to wages and had to hire all the men.

I can see how it would upset a place like this. You think somebody could have been incense up over the reowning. Who have killed mister Soderberry. I have no idea.

I thought I should mention the feeling of the town. He and I were in the first of three cars driving to the factory. We were in the rear seat. Suddenly he stiffened. He made this sound that I couldn't describe it. I didn't know what had happened. I don't think I heard the shots.

He slumped forward. It was all over this.

This is Goodwood's store. Where was the car as closely as I can recall, it was directly in front, straight out from here. Of course, the chauffeur stopped so as he realized what had happened. That'd be about up there near the wagon.

There's a limousine here that's pretty close shooting. But the windows up and down, and they were down and open, that is, how do you get up in the roof of the store.

Well, there are stairs in the rear.

Fred a constable, run, yes, who's there?

Ed Whiteman, there's a man here who's been sent up from Kinetic. Have to say, you want to ask you some questions? I have to go back to the office.

All right, what can I do for you?

Why did you pick this roof? Is the place where the shooting was done?

Because mister Sordiberry's hofer was just in front and under the others three or four doors give the side and have stairs to them.

Hmmm, that's good enough. He've been resting a rifle barrel on the forest front. It'd be some pretty fancy shooting.

The been some fair riflemen in the section for a good number of years now. If you know your history, I've been proud of this shooting at some of the matches we've had, but I can't say I'm so proud.

Now you have any idea where to start.

There's been a man in my mind. Ben's suddenly he had a sixteen year old son killed by a band saw when the factory was opened before, and now he's got another young Ben he read sixteen.

Next week, we walked to the Southern Line house, which was only about a quarter of a mile away, and Fred Rehmon gave me the background of the town. The Soderberries had been in control of the town and the surrounding country for more than three generations. Always they had been respected as thrifty, honest people, but never had they been well liked. The death of fifty three year old

Mister Sutherland wouldn't do it.

He wouldn't do such a thing.

Oh, I didn't come to see right help that he did?

Where's your husband? Mister Sutherland could re talk to him?

Who are you?

He's mister Dollar Corton Souderberry ensured his own life, and this man is looking for the one that took it, and he'll.

Goth do better to go some other place for your question.

You like to talk to your husband if you'll tell us where he is? He ain't he?

And young Ben where's he?

He ain't here either?

Where did they go? We wouldn't come here if we didn't have reason to. The constable told me your husband has made friends against Gordon Soderberry because of the death of your other son. You must have known that, so now you must understand why we're here so.

The lens of god fearing man. And he wouldn't take the law into his own hands.

You know that, said Jimmin. He called you his friend.

I'm nobody's friend.

Now, if you're convincing nothing to do with the trouble, why don't you tell us where he.

Is because he told me not to. I keep my husband's word. He said, don't tell anybody.

So I won't.

Well, when did he live.

Last night?

He drove his truck. I know the sound, and if he'd come through town it would have woke me. So he went the other way. I know that rude and where he'd passed through. Well, he don't leave me, no doubt, missus Huthland. I'll have to put the state police after the truck.

You have business what you have to do, not mind. Don't you see you're making it worse by trying to hide the truth.

Hide the truth. I'm keeping a trust, young men, and if you don't know the worth of a trust, you don't know the worth of anything.

I went back with Constable Remon to his house where he lived alone, in which doubled as an office. He phoned the description and licensed number of Southerland Structors County Superiors, and, with the typical disinterest higher echelon seemed to maintain for lower echelon problems, they told him they wouldn't be able to take delivery of Soderberry's body until the following day.

Yes, come in, Lawrence? Well who what?

Oh? This is mister Dollars in the insurance company.

I see. Please sit down.

Thanks.

I don't believe I quite understand, mister Dollar.

I'm an insurance investigator.

Oh, of course, then would you prefer that we talked in privacy?

I leave that up to you. Miss.

I think mister Taft is stayed out of his sense of duty.

No, I haven't.

But at least this will give you a chance to leave for a bit. Lies, I'll be all.

Right, all be I probably should run home for a while.

All right, And thank you ever so much much. You've been terribly helpful.

Alphony in an hour. Good evening, mister Dollard, and I missed twan No, mister Dollar, when did you arrive about three this afternoon?

Then undoubtedly you know more about this horrible thing than I do.

I'm afraid it's not very much. I've been working with Constable Remon. He wants to narrow it down to one of the local men who is against the factory reopening. But from what I've learned, it refuses to be narrowed very much on that basis.

Yes, I'm afraid you're quite right. My brother was not famous for making friends. I say that at the risk of sounding cold and unemotional. Emotion very seldom helps on my work, which is ferreting out the truth. I think Gordon understood what he was doing. I'm sure he did. He knew that our people detest changed. They simply can't cope with it. Yet yet he forced it on him in nineteen forty two.

You change yourself to be apart from.

Your people in the yes, but only by reason of inheritance. Change was forced upon me too. I was much younger than my brother. I was sent to school in England. But I came back and found it quite easy to forget and settle back into this tiny world.

I suppose the whole town did during the years after the factory clothed.

Of course he did.

There was one particular man, Ben Sutherland. What do you think of it?

I don't know.

I suppose his name is in everyone's mind tonight. The death of his son because of the hated factory had a violent reaction on him. And why not he knew his son hadn't been born to stand in front of the machine that killed him.

What does he say?

He can't be located left town last night. He took young Ben with him.

I hope it isn't he he suffered it, or I could be troubling the general.

Yes, General Scott, he didn't alarm when you arrived, did he?

First? I've heard from him someone.

Else into animal perhaps said that shroudon happens, he's well aagy to center himself.

By the time we got no oil antlet and I found the dog, he was moving silently toward the house, trailing what looked like a fractured front leg. I didn't know what to think. When I told the surviving sister about it, she didn't seem frightened, but I couldn't help wondering whether her loyalty to her people wasn't misplaced, and whether the killer hadn't decided to eliminate all the soda Berries from the town that bore their name. I phoned Castle Rahman as soon as I got back into the house,

No, he's from Benger. He came here when mister Soderberry commenced to open up.

He's not an old friend like Taff and not hardly.

Lawrence Taft was often a good deal back his folks died in the fire. Mister Soderberry took him in, sent him to school in Brunswick. Taft helped him with the factory last time. He made a smart man out of him. But I wouldn't say a happy how come unless folks leave tone and never come back. They're all mixed up when they're twixted between like Taft is, it ain't natural.

That's pretty much what Beth told me.

She and him have been sort of thick conven and well, I'll come across here. We got your direction straight.

Yeah, where was Lawrence Taff this morning?

You mean when the trouble broke out? That's right, we've missed Beth most likely? Why, I guess we can check that then? Weren't thinking he killed mister Soberr.

I don't want anything to slip by.

You don't know us people. We pay what we owe if it takes a whole lot of life. The get that was between them two was thicker than blood. Lawrence Taft would have killed himself before he would have killed mister Sodiberry.

You know them better than I do.

That's the truth. I'll see you in the morning. I hope you sleep well.

The next day things moved along a little more. According to the book, the county men arrived before noon to remove the body for autopsy and ballistics examination, and soon after they left the report. The county men arrived before noon to remove the body for autopsy and ballistics examination, and soon after they left a report in from the state police. Ben Sutherland and his truck had been spotted

Then stop your neck and tongue, go in the house where you suited to be. I've been to your fire when out of mind truckle Yes, I was.

Only worried, and you got that so horrible and the look of your face and your clothes Ben, you've been through one thing or another.

Who might you be? My name is Dollar. I'm an insurance investigator.

He can to help me defend the laws of the state. Ben.

And it's true said that mister Soderberry was shot and killed.

That's true.

When did you hear about mister Saddamon.

Those men that stopped me, they told me, They told me you wanted to talk to me about it.

Fed that's true, and I don't take to it because we were friends.

You left town. I before asked mister Sutomon, where'd you go?

Do I have to answer this stranger's question.

It'll be better if you do.

That night I made up my mind. I well I had to do. I took young Ben away. That's my youngest son. I should have took my oldest boy. I knew I should have, but I listened to the talk about the factory and wages and such things. So I didn't take him, and that factory did and I never got him back.

And you blame Gordon Soderberry for it all these years. No, I blame myself.

I knew what to do and I didn't do it.

Didn't you make public threats against him?

That was a Coward's talk. I talked big in front of my friends. I didn't know what else to do. I didn't kill him.

Fred, where'd you go? The other night?

I heard the talk starting him, young Ben, talking about the factory, what the Widges would buy. He'd be careful, he told me. And if he earned enough Widges, he'd go to school like Lawrence taff crazy like his brother. And I put an axe handle to him and put him in the truck and carried him away. Where mister Sutherland, he's done a farm where he belongs up? No about Brighton. He's done a farm.

He'd be safe. How far away is it more than twenty miles? The times you leave after nine o'clock? He got there before midnight. Then he slept in the tree. I left him with Alex Turner. Then you had time to drive back here before the fact that. Then you had time to drive back here before the factory ceremony started. I went to Brighton. Your face is scratched and cut, your clothes are torn. How did that happen?

I fought for the man?

What man? And why did you fight?

I don't know what man. I don't know who I fought because I was drunk. I went to Brighton to drink, and that's what I did not for nine years was that happening.

You didn't come back here last night and have to find out a dog at the Sodaberry plane. I was in Brighton. If you were, you'll probably be asked to prove that's where I was. And you'd better start remembering who you fought or who you were with. That's all for me possible. We were involved with the prox two hundred and eighty people, most of whom were known to each other by side at least the word Constable Remen had been doing without me had alibied most of them tactically.

Well, they they did something wrong. I am no great shapes of trouble like this.

It's not necessarily that we did something wrong, Constable. Maybe we just didn't do quite enough. One of those two fifty three thousands got away from us.

A men's rifle is no secret here. He's proud of it.

What kind of rifle that Gordon Sodaberry owned. Why the townspeople hated the factory, that's the motive we've given them. But none of them owned the murder weapon, not even poor Ben Sutherland, with a stronger motive than anyone else. Unless he could have bought a rifle with just this in mind and kept it hidden. I don't know. We'll work on that too. But then, now let's look at the people we've neglected. Edward Whiteman can't be involved because

Clear he wouldn't ever kill mister Sogerbnett and the sister.

She seems to belong or to the town than to the family. She didn't approve of what a brother was doing.

I can't hold a thing like that in my mind. We don't kill our kin.

Here. There are some that have Will you do this for me? Will you get the three of them in here and keep them for an hour?

But how would I keep them?

I don't know. Write up a statement for them to sign something about the ballistics reports. You can spend some time over them. Then ask the sister to go into detail about what she's going to do with the factory. I'll try to take less than an hour.

I ain't saying I can do it word for word, but but i'll try. And if you will write that statement, I'll be a blood. I eat so good with a pace.

It took me somewhat less than an hour, and what I found didn't make sense for a while. A rifle well hidden beneath some torn clothes in the closet. The rifle's caliber matched that of the weapon that had killed Gordon Sodaberry. I reached his home soon after his sister did.

Why yes, here, mister dollar, how.

Much do you know? What? How much do you know what lay behind the trouble the other morning?

I beg your pardon.

If you know who killed your brother, you had better clear your skirts. Two people are going to tear up any lies you tell.

Mister Dollar.

If you know, please tell me Lawrence tad Oh, no, no he didn't.

Why do you say that?

You better say that first line?

I know, No he didn't. Why do you say that we.

Pretty much, we pretty much cleared the whole town of the murder. You can't do that without having something left over.

But you're wrong. Lawrence wouldn't kill my brother.

That's what I've been told. But would you react the same way if Edward Whiteman was dead and I told you tap that killed him.

I'm sorry, I don't Lawrence, Lawrence come here?

He didn't true? He isn't true, is it?

I heard what you said, mister dollar. What reason would you have to say anything like that? I just left your house and.

That I found a rifle and some clothing that was torn by the dog last night when you evidently came back to over here. What I said to bet you didn't have any reason to kill Gordon Sodaberry. No, I didn't, but you hated Whiteman. The reason would I the factory? For one, you were important last time that you were left out the other morning. Isn't that right?

Always the factory? What difference did it make to you, Lawrence?

Redmen told me the people, remon told me you people always paid your debts. Maybe that was it. At an outsider came in and forced him out so he couldn't prove himself. Maybe he was afraid white men would force out of your life too. I don't know. Yes, you did try to kill Edward Whiteman. Yes, And Gordon Sodaberry was killed by a mistake.

Yes, No, I didn't mean to. I know I'm weak and I'm mixed up. I don't know where I belong. But I knew he couldn't stay here. White men was taking my place, and I knew people were laughing at me because I failed.

I did try to kill him. I thought it was for you. I didn't know until later later I found out. Later,

Yours Truly Johnny Dollar stars Edmund O'Brien in the title role and is written by Gil Dowd with music by wilbra Hatch. Edmund O'Brien can soon be seen in the Paramount Pictures production Warpath. Featured in tonight's cast were Robert Truth, Howard mcneer, Virginia Gregg, Larry Thorr, Sammy Hill, Herb Butterfield, and David Light. Yours Truly Johnny Dollar was transcribed in