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Welcome to 1001 Radio Crime Solvers podcast. This is your host, John Hagedorn. And we want 1001 radio crime solvers to be your favorite place to go to enjoy a great mix of vintage detective shows from the golden age of radio. The scripts were great, the action was hot, and even the old commercials are enjoyable. And now Another episode of 1001 Radio Crime Solvers is ready to go Enjoy.
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Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?
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The ship Shadow knows.
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Now.
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The Carrie Saw company produces itself for every farm and home use bring you the thrilling adventures of the Shadow. The hard and relentless fight of one man against the forces of evil. These dramatizations are designed to demonstrate forcibly to old and young alike that crime does not pay. Today's thrilling adventure will begin in just a moment. Meanwhile, last call on Carrie's exciting magic shadow ring offer. If any of you boys and girls haven't sent for your ring, there's still time. But hurry. This week is your final chance to own this wonderful ring that glows in the dark with a weird mysterious radiance. You can't get the magic Shadow ring in stores, but in a few minutes I'll tell you how you can get one. Thanks to the makers of Carrie sauce. Mom knows all about Carrie's sauce. She knows it's so fine it goes way down into food and brings out delicious hidden flavors. So I'm sure she'll be glad to help you get carries fascinating magic shadow ring. Be sure to keep listening, cuz remember kids, this is positively your last chance. I'll be back soon with the details. But now the Shadow. The Shadow who aids the forces of law and order is in reality Lamont Cranston, wealthy young man about town. Years ago on the Orient, Cranston learned a street strange and mysterious secret. The hypnotic power to cloud men's minds so they cannot see him. Franson's friend and companion, the lovely Margot Lane, is the only person who knows to whom the voice of the invisible shadow belongs. And now for the last drama of the season, we present one of your favorite stories. By popular demand, we retell the weird and wild tale of Spider Boy.
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It was lonely, sitting in my attic room day after day, night after night, spinning and weaving the beautiful cloth I sell. No one ever came to see me. Everyone thought I was strange and different. One night I was sitting there weaving, when suddenly I felt someone, something watching me. I looked up and I saw it there above me. Little black eyes were watching my hands as they flew like lightning back and forth across the loom. It was strange at first, but after a while I was glad she came. Even though we couldn't talk. Because, you see, this thing that had come to keep me company Was a spider. Some nights I just sit and watch her spin fantastic webs of gossamer. In the corners of my little attic room. We had something, and she seemed to understand that we were friends. Wasn't so lonely having her. I still missed someone to talk to. One day, an idea came to me. I'd been out to the little shop where the woman sells my clothes. I came up the stairs. I opened the door of my room. And I saw a little kitten caught in the strong mesh of a spider web. I tore the strands from her quickly, and she ran away. I bent down and I felt the strong threads of the broken web in my hands. Then the thought came to me. Wonderful thought. Perhaps someday my spider could spin a web strong enough to catch a real friend. Just for me.
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Really, Lamont, some of your friends live in the oddest neighborhood.
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That, Margaret, is because some of my friends are the oddest people.
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Present company accepted, I hope.
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No, darling. You qualify simply because you do seem fond of me.
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Honestly. I love your interest in people, Lamont. No matter how poor, how down at the heels.
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They pay me back plenty. With the stories I've heard. You have no idea the secrets that are hidden in some of these old tenements.
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Who was that sweet old man we just visited?
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He's just been acquitted of murdering his wife.
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What?
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When the jury found out she'd been trying to poison him for years.
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Lamont, we're going to find a cab somewhere right now. What was that?
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Look. Someone's running toward us.
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It's a young girl, Lamont. She's crying.
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Crying? The girl's hysterical. Here, look. Tell me what's happened.
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She's so frightened she can't speak.
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Try to tell us where you live.
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Lamont, the girl's been hurled.
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Come on, Margot. We better get her to a hospital. She's been frightened almost out of her mind.
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I didn't mean to hurt the girl or frighten her. I thought maybe she'd be my friend. I promised to show her more of my beautiful cloth. If she'd come up to my room with me. And one day she did. It was wonderful to hear a voice. Friend's voice.
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No, Eric, I couldn't take the cloth. My father would know I'd been here. And he's already told me not to see you again.
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You've seen us on the street, talking together.
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Yes, and he beat me for it.
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Tina, please take the cloth.
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No, I have to go home.
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Oh, don't leave me alone, please.
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There's something over there in the corner.
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Don't be frightened, Tina. That's only my spider.
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I've never seen such a big spider before.
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She's my friend, Tina. She keeps me company.
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Get it away. It's coming closer. Stop it.
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All right.
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No, I've got to get out of here.
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I said it's all right. Tina.
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No.
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Tina.
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Please let me go.
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Stop fighting my tikto. Stop it. I thought.
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I gotta get out of her. I gotta get out of here.
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With a sudden effort, she broke away from me. Before I could stop her, she ran out of the room and down the stairs, sobbing. I was left all alone again.
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How is you, Dr. Gordon?
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I don't know yet, Mr. Cranston.
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I. We can help her.
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It's as bad as that.
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Whatever the girl went through tonight must
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have been pretty terrifying to cause a
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case of shock like this.
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She was so frightened, she couldn't talk
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when we found her.
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We still haven't been able to get her to speak. Any idea who she might be? Doctor, we found this factory pass in her dress pocket. I see it. Yes, it is Dina Lukens, 284. Margot. She lives on that street where we found her.
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Her family, if she has one, should
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be notified at once. I'd like to look into this, Dr. Gordon. May I notify them for you? I'd be obliged if you would, Lamont.
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Why?
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Like to see just what could nearly frighten a person to death. Good evening. Are you Mr. Lucan? Ed Lucans? Yeah, what about it? My name is Lamont Cranston.
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Does Tina Lukens live here?
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Yeah.
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You're her father?
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Yeah.
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What about it?
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Your daughter's very ill, Mr. Lucan.
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She's in the hospital. We took her there.
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What's the idea? You two sticking your noses in my business?
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Don't you want to see her?
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What's all this to you?
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She's either been hurt or beaten and frightened nearly to death. Maybe she needed a beaten.
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Now get out.
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Just a minute. Get out.
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Well, that was a quick brush off.
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Pleasant character.
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He's obviously beaten it before.
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Margot, I don't think Ed Lukens is responsible for Tina's present condition.
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Didn't you see that piece of whip caught in his pocket?
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Yes, I did. Maybe he does beat her. But it wasn't the beating. It was the fright that caused Tina shock. Margot, we're going to find who or what caused that. If we have to search every house in this block.
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Maud, that's a hopeless task.
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The only way.
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But we don't even know what we're looking for.
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Only what Dr. Gordon said. Margot. Someone or something could nearly frighten a person to death.
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It was lonelier than ever now. After Tina had gone, I put my loom by the window so I could watch the people down below. They all hurried by. And then I saw another girl. Sometimes she was with a man, but sometimes she was by herself. She kept stopping in front of houses, looking in each house one by one, all along the block. Maybe if I could see her and talk to her, she'd come up here tomorrow. She should visit the empty warehouse across the street. I could talk to her then. Could make her understand that I wanted her to be my friend. I waited for hours in the empty room upstairs in the old warehouse. Then I saw her coming in. But the man was withered. I mustn't let him see me. He might not understand. I hid behind some packing boxes in the corner when I heard them coming up the stairs.
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I climbed enough of these stairs the past few days to know my way around. Mr. Branson. There's no one in here.
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You can't tell. It's a good place to hide, right?
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And they were looking for someone.
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Nothing but an empty old storeroom.
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Her voice seemed kind and sleepy.
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In the old storeroom. No one around. This would be the ideal place for some to drag Tina Brighton and beat her.
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Tina. He was after me. I'd walked into a trap.
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I still think it's his father who practically admitted he beat the girl.
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She was on my side already. She was my friend.
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Finish looking around.
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Seems so silly, Lamont. So much wasted after the two of us going through all of these houses.
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All that wasted effort. Margaret. Perhaps it meant saving someone else from what happened to that girl.
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Yes. He was my enemy.
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Well, there's nothing frightening in here.
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I guess not.
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They were leaving.
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Wait.
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No. It stopped again.
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But have a look behind those old packing cases.
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He was coming toward me.
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Lamar. Come on.
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Wait. I'm gonna have a look.
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He's going to find me. I fell in my pocket. Quickly. There it was. The sharp blades of my cutting shears.
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Take just a minute, Margaret.
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Let him come. I was ready for him. Now.
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Now let's see what's behind these packing cases.
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Heavy. I held the scissors tight like the
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best thing to do is knock them all over.
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You do, you'll find these cutting shears right in here.
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Hum. What happened?
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It's nothing. Nothing at all. Margo. I just scratched my hand on the nail.
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I was still safe. He hadn't seen me.
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You're coming home with me now. I'm going to take care of that hand.
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All right, darling.
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You win.
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I was safe. You're really leaving now?
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We'll pick up again tomorrow where we've left off.
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Tomorrow? Tomorrow. Maybe if I was careful, I'd have another chance to see it tomorrow. It was dusk the next evening before I finally saw her alone on the street below. I leaned out of the window, dropped a lovely shawl I'd been weaving. I watched it as it wafted slowly downward and dropped at her feet. I jumped back so she wouldn't see me as she looked up and saw my window open. When I looked out again, she's gone. My heart beat wildly when I heard her footsteps on my stairs. My friend, my friend. We'd laughed and we'd talk. I wouldn't be lonely anymore. She was near the top landing now. I ran to the door, opened it in a crack and looked up. Yeah, there she was, coming to my door.
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Margo.
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His voice, my enemy.
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Margot, are you up there?
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He had seen her and followed her in.
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Yes, Ramon. Up here in the top landing.
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Thought we'd agreed to stick together from now on while we're searching.
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I wasn't searching, Lamont. Someone dropped his shawl, and I was just returning it.
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I'll come along with you. Can't tell what you might find.
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I saw him take her arm and come to my door. Mustn't find me here. I ran into a corner and hid when I heard them knock on my door.
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Door open, Lamar. But it doesn't look as if anyone's home.
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Well, come on in. We can leave the shore anyway.
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My, what a dark, stuffy little room.
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You're sure the shore came from here?
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Yes, Lamar. Look. Someone must have woven it here. There's a loom and yarn and thread scattered everywhere. Oh, Lamont.
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What is it?
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Nothing, I guess. I. I just ran into a spider web.
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So did I. The place is full of them. Just hand me that broom.
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Do you think you should tweet them down, Lamont?
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I should rather have them in your hair.
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Lamont, stop.
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What now?
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Something over there in the corner.
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What in the world?
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It's crawling towards you, Lamont. Looks like a spider.
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That size?
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It's after you. You tore down the web.
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Get behind me, Margot.
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Quickly.
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It's coming towards us.
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It is a spider.
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The Marco.
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We'll return to the shadow in just a minute. Well, kids, this is it the final announcement of that exciting offer from Vegas of Carrie's thoughts. Carrie's wonderful magic shadow ring. Listen. You've never seen a ring like it. No ordinary ring could do what the magic shadow ring does. It sinks in the living light as greedily as the jungle orchid eats live meat. Then you wear the ring in a dark room and wow. It glows with a weird, spooky radiance. Think of the fun you can have. Amazing everybody. And giving secret signals with your mysterious magic shadow ring. It's too good to miss, so you'd better hurry. Here's all you do. Tell mom you need the white Stone star from the top of a round package of Kerry Salt. Plain or iodized. Mail that white star and five cents. Just pinnacle to Carry Salt, Hutchinson, Kansas. Or you can mail the sales slip from any Carry Salt product and 5 cents. Don't forget to print your name and address plainly. Your magic shadow ring will come both paid. Act quickly before these thrilling rings are all gone. Remember, send 5 cents and either that carry's off White star or the sales slip from any carry product address carries C A R E Y S. Carrie Salt, Hutchison, Kansas. And now back to the Shadow. Lamont Cranston and Margo Lane find themselves trapped in the small attic room of an old tenement. A terrifying black creature is crawling out the corner.
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Look out. Go
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it. We're safe now. Margo.
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It's horrible.
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Thought I'd better bring this gun along, just in case. If I dreamed, I'd have to use it to kill a spider.
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He killed my friend. While I was hiding there in the corner, helpless.
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They killed the only friend they ever
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had in the world.
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They killed her.
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I bent over and touched her. And then it happened. It was almost like a miracle. I could spin like my spiders. Then I get threads of silk as strong as steel. I had learned the spider's secret. This was her way of granting me the power for revenge. And then I knew I must find the girl again. Spin a strong web to catch her and then kill her and avenge my spider's death.
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Why come back here to the hospital, Lamont? What are you going to say to Tina?
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I can just convince her I've killed that spider. Margaret.
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That she's safe may mean the difference
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between life and death for her.
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This is her room here.
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Hello, Tina. Ken, it's your friends.
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We've come back to talk to you.
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Tina, please listen to me. You don't have to be afraid anymore.
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It's gone. Spider is dead. Spider is
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dead.
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Isn't that what frightened you? Spiders, man.
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Martha
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must have been a person after all.
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Margot,
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I think we'd better go.
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Ma.
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Her father, Lamont, he must have used that spider somehow to frighten her.
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Dr. Gordon told us he'd never been here to the hospital to see her.
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Maybe you're right.
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Margot, let's go to him now.
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No, Margot, meet me outside of Ed Lucan's house. I'm going to visit him alone this time.
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Why can't I come?
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Because this time, Margot, I'm seeing Tina's
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father as the Shadow. Lucans. Hey, Lucans, can you hear my voice?
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What's that? Who's that?
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I am the Shadow.
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Where are you? I can't see anybody.
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Everywhere and nowhere in your room, your mind, your conscience. What do you know of the spider? Spider? What spider? Spider that frightened Tina.
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I don't know anything about it, I swear.
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Why haven't you gone to the hospital
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to visit your daughter?
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I was afraid to go. I was afraid they'd think I did it this time. You did beat the girl. I won't never do it again, I promise. I only did it when I seen you with that boy. What boy?
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Some queer kid she talks to on the street.
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I didn't want him to get serious.
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I gotta keep my girl with me.
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She's got her old father to support. Tina said Spider man, this boy, he's old enough to marry Tina. Not a boy, but a man. Yeah, I guess he's old enough. But he's not the one for Tina. Did Tina ever call him the Spider
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man in front of you?
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Spider Man?
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That's good. Watch good atlukins. Tell me, why do you laugh, Spider Man?
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He weaves for rhythm. Weaves threads like a spider. That's where they've heard.
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There is.
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There could be a connection there.
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A real spider and a boy.
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Lucan, go now and visit your daughter. Okay, okay. While the shadow discovers what real really frightened Tina.
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The trap was set. All my clever plans were laid. Tonight I would have my revenge. I'd get the girl in my room and kill her. I stood by my window watching. And then I saw her. Alone under the street light in front of Tina's house. She walked back and forth, nervously glancing at her watch, passing a little shop I'd left my cloth for. And then. Yes, she did. She stopped. She noticed it in the window. I was right. She couldn't resist. It's our turn.
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And enter the store.
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Good evening. Good evening, ma'. Am. What is it? What can I do for you? Oh, well, I noticed that piece of cloth you have in the window. I just couldn't resist coming in and seeing it closer. Yes, yes, it is beautiful, isn't it? Here, take it in your hands. Feel the texture. So soft, isn't it? Unbelievably soft. And so. Look. Strong as steel. That strange shining thread running through it. I've never seen anything like it before. Beautiful, isn't it? Beautiful. I used to weave two beautiful patterns before my husband died. That's why I always wear black. I'm a widow, you see. Yes, I used to weave too. See my fingers? See how nimble they are? Yes, I see. Yes, I wear black now. My husband died. He left me the money for this little shop. Thank you for letting me see the cloth. Do you want to see more? I have some more here. Some I won't. No, no. I have some more too long as it is. Beautiful cloth. Really beautiful accent. No, no, thank you. I'm just waiting for someone outside. Oh, that horrible little old woman. I wonder what's keeping Lamont. He should have seen Tina's father by now. What's this on the pavement? A long strand of that beautiful silken thread. Like that in the cloth. There's no end in sight. Why, it's leading right on down the street. I shouldn't be doing this. Lamont will be here in a minute. Such a long term. It's so beautiful. It leads right into this house. And right following my strand of thread
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right to my door. I stood in my window watching her, concentrating, saying over and over, Come up, come up. You must follow the thread to my room. At 1, I heard the front door slam. I heard her footsteps on the stairs. And this time the man was not with her. Nothing would save her now. She was at my door. I opened it.
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Oh, I didn't mean to intrude.
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Come in. Oh, the room looks familiar, doesn't it?
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Why, yes.
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Come in and see.
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I have been here before.
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The day you brushed down all my spider webs.
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Yes.
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The spider webs say you killed the spider. My only friend.
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How did you know?
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I know more than you think.
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Don't close that door.
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You came here when you were not wanted. That day. Now you'll find out some things you won't want to know.
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You're a mess.
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Look. See the new webs in the corners? See those webs I have spun since you killed my spider.
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You are insane. Completely insane.
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When my spider friend died, she left her secret with me.
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Let me go.
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Watch me cry. Well, say what it feels like bread as I spin it. Let Me go see when it's been a web to hold you, pull you tight.
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Stop.
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You die. If you kill my spider. Up and down and around and around. You're going to die. You're going to die. You're going to have a. Who opened the door? Who's that?
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The shadow, Spider boy.
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I don't see anyone. Where are you?
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You'll never find me, spider boy. You can't spin your web around thin air.
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Help. Please help.
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Ms. Lane.
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There you are.
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You've torn my web.
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From the girl.
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The web has fallen to the floor.
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You see, Spider boy, you have no magic.
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I have.
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The spider left me a secret. I can spin.
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You cannot spin. You're caught, spider boy. Caught in your own web of insanity.
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No.
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No.
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He'll never get me. I'll escape. I can leave like my spider. Let myself down out of the window. I can spin strong steel fibers and let myself down. Don't go out that window. I'll show the whole world the secret. Despite or left me.
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Stop it.
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Mon Duke. There he is.
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Here's where he's held.
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Underneath the window.
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He's dead.
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Look, Lamont. Look what he's holding between. He really believed. In his own twisted mind, he'd learned spider success.
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Yes, Margo.
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He really believed he could spin.
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Thought he could let himself down from
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the window by nothing but a flimsy
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strand of ordinary weaving yarn.
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Ladies, it's home canning time again and all. What marvelous taste, pleasing vegetables and pickles you'll have next winter. If you put them up now with Cary's Pickling and Canning Salt. Yes, and all vegetables taste better. Keep better if you use Cary's Pickling and Canning Salt. You see, this salt is made especially to help you do a better, easier canning job. Here's a tip for best results. You shouldn't use table salt. Instead, save money and get far better results by using the salt that's specially made for pickling and canning. Cary's Pickling and Canning Salt. It's super pure, the right grade of sauce for all pickling and canning. And it's inexpensive too. So before you can or pickle, ask your Kerry dealer for a bag of Cary's Pickling and Canning Sauce. And here's extra help for you. Send today for Carrie's new booklet, Favorite Recipes for Salting and Pickling Vegetables. It's free. Just send the postcard to Carries. C A R E Y S Carry Salt. Hutcheson, Kansas. You get your copy of Cary's Favorite Recipes for Salting and Pickling Vegetables by return Mail. Write for it now and get Carrie Salt at your grocer's tomorrow. For every salt used, Terry's carries the flavor. This story is copyrighted by street and Smith Publications Incorporated. The characters, names, places and plot are fictitious. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Again next season, the Shadow will demonstrate that the weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay.
C
The Shadow knows.
B
Each week during the year, the Carry Saw Company has been pleased to bring you this great and thrilling adventures of the Shadow in his daring battle against the forces of evil. This concludes the current Shadow series. Meanwhile, boys and girls, be sure to send for your magic Shadow ring mail, $0.05 in coin and either a Cary Table Saw White Star or the sales slip from any other Carry Salt product. Address, Carry Salt, Hutchison, Kansas. Be sure and tune in next week at this same time for Under Arrest, which may be heard over most of these same mutual stations. Dick Willard speaking. This is a Mutual broadcasting system.
G
Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows.
H
Once again, your neighborhood Blue Coal dealer brings you the thrilling adventures of the Shadows. The hard and relentless fight of one man against the forces of evil. These dramatizations are designed to demonstrate forcefully to old and young alike that crime does not pay. It's blue coal for finest heating service. It's blue coal for finest modern equipment. It's blue coal for the best home heat money can buy. Today, as never before, you want to get the most value for your money. Heat your home with blue coal. It's America's finest hard coal. Because blue coal is the cleanest, highest quality anthracite you can buy, you get more heat from each dollar's worth of fuel. Tomorrow, telephone the nearest blue coal dealer. And this year, save money with blue coal, America's finest home fuel. The Shadow, who aids the forces of law and order is in reality Lamont Cranston, wealthy young man about town. Years ago, in the orientation, Cranston learned a strange and mysterious secret. The hypnotic power to cloud men's minds so they cannot see him. Cranston's friend and companion, the lovely Margo Lane, is the only person who knows to whom the voice of the invisible shadow belongs. Today's drama, the phantom of the lighthouse. In a small, bleak room in the base of a lonely lighthouse, two men and a woman sit huddled about a table. An elderly lighthouse keeper, his wife and their young assistant. A single lamp illuminates their strained, uneasy faces. The woman reads from an old diary.
F
I have killed scores of men during my life and after my death, I will continue to kill. For I, Captain Josiah Blake, am the master of this lighthouse. If any man is presumptuous enough to try to take over after me, I will have his blood. I will rise from my grave.
C
That's enough, Lila.
H
Don't read any more of that.
C
Go on, Lila.
F
Keep on reading.
C
That's crazy talk. How can a man who's been dead 150 years come back from his grave?
D
He came back for the other, didn't he, Bert? The keeper here before me.
F
He strangled him and threw him down from the tower. That was an accident, wasn't it, Bert? He'll kill me just like he killed him after he's driven me crazy. First. Duncan.
D
It's true, Lila.
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True.
D
Every night up there on the tower, I hear his cutlass rattling. And his voice keeps whispering in the wind over and over.
F
I'll get you yet. I'll get you yet.
C
Stop that kind of talk, Duncan.
F
What was that?
G
It was just the door.
C
The draft blew it up.
F
He's coming in. He heard us talking about him. Turn out the light. I'll smash it out.
C
He can't see us now.
F
What is it, Lla? I felt hands, ice cold hands on my throat.
C
Quit it, you two, will you? Now quit it before you drive all of us crazy.
D
Stand by with that, Painted Jim. We'll be pulling into the Lysos stock in a minute. Yeah.
C
Place gives me the creeps, Mr. Strong.
F
Especially at this time of night.
D
Fred was over in the mainland this afternoon. Said old Duncan had another of his bells. Got to carry on alone. Asked me if we'd take the supplies inside when we landed.
F
Go inside the lighthouse.
D
I promised Bert we would. It's a favor. Make pass, Jimmy.
F
Yeah, okay, Mr. Strong. Okay, all set.
D
Good. Let's get busy. Here's a parcel. Bert wants to live it up to the light. Our star. How careful with it. Full of glass parts. Yeah, but me, I don't know the provisions in carried in basement while you're gone.
F
You couldn't come up with me, could you, Mr. Strong?
D
You don't believe that y about old Desire Blake's ghost haunting the place, Jim. Well, now, forget it. Up to it now.
A
Yeah, sure.
D
Okay. Remember, old Duncan is sick in his room and his wife is taking care of him. Don't make any more noise than you have to. Going up to the town.
F
Oh, boy.
C
What a climb that's over.
F
What a place.
D
God, I'm getting out of here so fast, mate. What?
F
Captain Josiah Blake.
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You've come up to My tower. Without orders? I know how to deal with mutiny.
D
Oh, please.
C
Please be back.
D
Weren't it?
G
It'll be shorter going down.
F
No. Let go me.
D
Let go me. Please. Through the tower door, out on the catwalk.
E
No.
D
No.
F
No.
G
Any way you look at it, it's still a fantastic story, Mr. Strong.
D
I'm not asking you to believe the story, Mr. Cranston. I didn't want to bring out here to the lighthouse in the first place.
G
Yes, I know.
F
You're really convinced that a homicidal ghost is wandering around the lighthouse, Mr. Strong?
D
What else can I believe, Ms. Vane? Jim Fulton never done harm to anybody in his life. There's no human reason for murdering him.
G
Might have fallen from the tower. Totally known. The man in the cloak and the three cornered hat you saw peering over the catwalk in the moonlight. But don't forget, Mr. Strong, you were hundreds of feet below. You could have been mistaken.
D
But I couldn't have been mistaken about this.
F
An old fashioned brass button.
D
It was clutched in Jimmy's hand when I reached him. Horrible to think of. Must have torn off Captain Josiah Blake's clothes during his death struggle.
F
Captain Josiah Blake? Wasn't he an old pirate?
G
Yes, Margot. As notorious as Morgan a kid. Or any of them, as I remember the story. He grew too bloody for even his own crew. They finally marooned him.
D
Right, Mr. Cranston. Right over there on Lighthouse Island.
F
What happened to him, finally?
D
Well, they finally caught up with him. And he was killed rather there in Lighthouse Island.
F
And his ghost is supposed to have haunted the island ever since.
G
Well, I hope we at least get a glimpse of this extraordinary character.
F
So do I. Would be the one touch to make our vacation on the rocky coast of Maine perfect. Besides, I've always wanted to see him.
D
Better to see one, Ms. Lane, than to be knocked into one.
F
We don't want you here pestering us with your questions, Mr. Cranston. Can't you understand that?
G
I'm afraid I've got more than your feelings to consider, Mrs. Mills. I'm looking for the murderer of Jim Fulton.
F
That's rich. That's rich. This man wants to arrest Captain Josiah Blake. Duncan, control yourself.
G
You don't seem to share your husband's ghostly convictions, Mrs. Mills.
F
That's none of your business.
G
Where were you at the time of Jimmy's death?
F
In here with Duncan. He was having one of his spells and I didn't leave the room all night.
E
Hmm.
G
What about you, Bert?
C
I was down in the basement oiling the generator when it happened. I don't know nothing. Nothing.
G
I see. Mr. Strong, I noticed an emergency ladder on the outside wall of the lighthouse. Wouldn't it have been possible, while you were carrying supplies into the storeroom, for someone to have passed you and run up that ladder?
D
I don't see how. I wasn't in the store room more than a couple of minutes.
F
Of course, if it was a ghost, it might have slipped right past you. It stinks dangerous to talk with disrespect.
C
He may be listening.
F
He. Hold your side, Duncan. Stop talking like that.
G
Why, Mrs. Mills? You afraid he'll reveal something?
F
I've got nothing to hide.
G
Maybe he has. I notice a button is missing from his coat.
F
Good heavens. A brass button like the one in Jim's hand.
C
Don't say anything, Duncan. They're trying to trap you.
D
I know.
C
I know exactly what they're after.
G
What is that, Mr. Mills?
C
Blackmail.
D
Somehow you found out my secret. But I'll never give it away.
F
What was that?
G
It's just a storm, Margot. Good Lord.
D
My launch be swamped out there in the COVID unless I put up tarpaulins. Duncan, Burt, lend a hand.
H
We've got a run for it.
C
Okay, Mr. Strobe.
G
We'll give you a hand, too.
F
No, wait, Mr. Cranston, I. I've got something to tell you. I lied about my husband. He wasn't with me all the time.
C
Had.
G
Why are you confessing this now, Mrs. Mills?
F
Because I want you to take him back to the mainland with you. He's sick. He needs attention. You mean his obsession with Captain Josiah Blake? Yes, ma'. Am. I thought he was just a little touched by the loneliness out there. But murder is a different matter then you think. I don't know, Ms. Lane. I don't know anything for certain. But Duncan wasn't with me when Jim Fulton died. He slipped out of the room when I was fixing his supper. Afterwards, his face was square, scratched as if it had been torn by fingernails.
G
I see.
F
Horrible to think about it. My own husband. There, there, Mrs. Mills. We understand. You'll take him back with you. Promise me that.
G
We'll see, Mrs. Mills.
F
Please. Please, Mr. Cranston. I'm really frightened now. I don't know who he'll pick to murder you. Oh, these awful winding stairs. I keep seeing ghostly shapes dancing along the walls there.
G
Shadows. Margo being with me. You shouldn't mind that.
F
I prefer to have you solid at this moment. What are we going to do up the tower?
G
Oh, just look over the scene of the crime, so to speak.
F
But after what Mrs. Mills told us, there's not much doubt but that the old man must have murdered Jim Fulton. Obviously he's mad as a half.
G
I wonder. Just before the thunderstorm broke, he completely changed his tone.
F
You mean when he accused you of blackmailing about some secret?
G
Yes. Suddenly sounded as shrewd as an old miser.
F
I'm sure you're reading things into it, darling.
G
Maybe. On the other hand.
F
Yes. Someone's following you.
G
Sounds like it.
F
Can you see him?
C
No.
G
He's leaving against the wall.
F
He's throwing them chest.
G
Darling, get this firmly into your mind. There's no such thing as a ghost. His ever coming is made of flesh and blood. And we're ready for him.
C
Good Lord.
F
Oh, Lamar.
G
Come on. We'll find out what's happened. Watches Margot. There may be some trick.
F
That mad old man is at it again.
G
Careful.
C
Oh, steady.
F
Though the floor is streaked with blood. Lamont. It's the lighthouse keeper.
G
Old fashioned cutlass clear through his back.
F
Oh, how awful.
G
Mr. Mills. To Mills, it's Lamont Cranston.
D
They'll never get the secret from me. I'll carry it to my grave.
F
Lamont, what you talking about?
D
The money is mine. They'll never find where it's hidden.
G
Money sinking fast, Margo. Mr. Mills, you haven't much strength left. Tell us who stabbed you.
D
Josiah Blake, sire. Blake?
G
But that's impossible.
D
I tell you. I saw him. He came up behind me on stairs. He's had that patch over his eyes. He had the cutlass ready.
G
Josiah Blake is dead. He's been dead for 150 years.
B
You must believe me.
D
Mr. Cranston. I swear to you on the word of a dying man. Josiah Blake drove in the field. But he'll kill. Keep on killing till all of you are dead.
G
Mr. Mills. Yes, Margot.
C
Dead.
G
Convinced to the end that he was murdered by a ghost.
H
We'll return to the shadow in just a moment. Now, let me tell you about the greatest labor saving device you can possibly put in your home. It's the new Blue Coal Temp Master. The amazing heat regulator that automatically opens and closes the dampers of your furnace. I say it's the greatest labor saver you can have. Because while vacuum cleaners are great, washing machines and electric mixers are fine. Only your Blue Cold Temp Master is on the job all the time. 24 hours a day. The Temp Master keeps your home always at a constant, even healthful temperature. Without any necessity of running up and down stairs to adjust furnace controls. Call your blue coal dealer and Ask for a free demonstration of the Blue Coal Temp Master. You'll be truly amazed at the marvelous convenience a Temp Master will bring your home. And delighted to discover how inexpensively a Temp Master can be installed. What's more, in addition to the carefree heating comfort that a Temp Master brings you, you'll find that it actually saves fuel. A lot of fuel. Each Temp Master is unconditionally guaranteed for five years. Only Blue Coal dealers have the new Temp Master. So call the nearest Blue Coal dealer tomorrow and arrange for a demonstration. He's listed in the classified section of your telephone directory.
B
And now back to the Shadow.
H
There have been two deaths in a haunted lighthouse. A young man hurled from the top of the tower. And now the old keeper stabbed through the heart with a cutlass a few minutes later.
D
Now.
H
And Margot and Lamont stand by the body trying to put together the pieces of the ghostly riddle.
G
Well, at least we know now that old Duncan Mills had a secret he was trying to protect. Margo.
F
Yes. And that it was concerned with money.
G
Right. Solid motive for murder.
F
But if it's as simple as that, why all the elaborate masquerade about Captain Josiah Blake? And why was Jim Fulton killed?
G
I'm willing to bet he had some kind of damaging information. He had to die so that he would never talk.
C
How awful.
F
Whom do you suspect, Lamont?
G
I can't tell you, darling. I think I'll tackle the woman first. Lila, we've already caught her in one lie. She did her best to convince us that her husband killed Jim Fulton. We know now that was impossible.
F
You think she'll talk, Lamar?
G
Not to Cranston perhaps, but she may to the Shadow.
F
What's wrong with me? Why am I shivering like this? I'm not afraid of the storm. I never have been before. There's something wrong. It's as if someone or something was in this room. But I can't see anyone. Who's there?
G
Don't be nervous, Mrs. Mills.
F
Who are you?
G
Can't you guess?
F
Duncan?
G
No, Mrs. Mills. He's dead. I'm very much alive.
F
Duncan Dead?
G
Yes, a few minutes ago. Stabbed through the back with an old fashioned cutlass.
F
Oh, then you must be Captain Josiah.
G
Guess again, Mrs. Mills. I'm not a ghost. I haven't got a cutlass or a patch over my eye and a long black cloak.
F
Stop torturing me. Tell me who you are.
G
Only a shadow.
F
What do you want?
G
The truth this time. No more the lies you told, Branston. Who killed Jim Fulton? Your husband?
F
I Don't know.
G
I warned you, Mrs. Mills.
F
I don't know, Shadow. I swear it to him.
G
Yet you wanted your husband out of the way. You asked Cranston to take him back to the mainland. Why was that?
F
I'd fallen in love with somebody else.
G
With Bert?
F
Yes.
G
So you tried to drive your husband mad, have him shut up in a lunatic asylum so that you and Bert.
F
Duncan was an old man, eccentric. He never cared for me.
G
You thought that together you and Bert could find the money.
F
The money?
G
Shadow knows all about that, too, Mrs. Mills. Where is it hidden?
F
I don't know.
G
You're lying.
F
Duncan never would tell us. All we knew was that there was a map somewhere. Jim Fulton once saw it.
G
That's why Bert murdered him.
F
No.
H
Why?
G
He killed your husband, too, to get possession of the map.
F
You're wrong, Shadow.
G
We'll soon find out about that. We'll find out something else, too. What if you've lied to me, Mrs. Burn Mills. Or if you have, remember, the Shadow will be back.
D
Look, Bert, why don't you tell Cranston the whole story?
C
Story? What story?
D
I know what's going on here. I know what you're up to.
C
I don't know what you're talking about.
F
You and Lila.
D
It was a pretty little plot you worked out. Drive the old man crazy. Find out where he hid the money,
C
and then you don't know nothing about it. Nothing.
D
Think I'm blind? I've been coming out of the lighthouse for years now. I saw the two of you work. So did Jim.
C
Now listen.
D
That's why you killed him. He saw something he shouldn't have had, didn't he?
C
You're crazy. He couldn't have seen the map.
G
Lila has that.
C
Now listen, Strong.
D
You better tell Cranston, Bert. Better tell him the old story.
C
I'm not telling nobody anything.
D
All right, then I'll set him for you.
C
You open your trap to Cranston.
F
Let go, you crazy. Forward.
C
Warning you, Mr. Strong, I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll get this straight. I want that money, see? I'll kill anybody that gets in my way. You or Lyler or nobody else is going to stop me from getting that money.
F
Congratulations, Lamont. For the last half hour, you've been at your most exasperating best.
G
How's that, darling?
F
Walking me around this desolate little island in the middle of the night without a word of explanation.
G
I think that's what we're looking for. Right ahead on the beach.
F
What is it?
G
Skeleton of an old ship. I spotted it from the tower window.
F
But darling, why your sudden interest in Rex when there's still a murderer?
G
I think this will help narrow down the chase. We can find out its name. I use my flash.
F
There it is on that plank. The marina.
G
Marina. Just as I hope.
E
Come on.
F
You don't mean this was the old ship on which Captain Josiah built?
G
No, no, no, no. As I remember the story, the marina was wrecked only a few years ago. Well, at least now I know what the shooting's all about.
F
I'm glad you do.
G
You'll learn, darling. Till we paid a little call on our young friend. Careful darling. We're throw us straight ahead.
F
We've had plenty of time to get ready for it. What's that?
G
Seems to come from behind the door.
F
Sounds like something swinging back and forth.
G
Better get in there fast.
F
Is it locked?
G
No, something seems to be holding it there. It's open enough to squeeze through. I'll go first. Watch it.
F
Oh. Floor seems all dug up.
G
Yes.
F
It's so dark in here.
G
What is it, Ellen?
F
Something swung against my face.
B
Mona.
F
I felt something.
G
Wait a minute. I found the light. She's been hanged. There's why that hole dug in the floor.
D
Yes.
G
That's where the money was hidden. The $20,000 Duncan Mills stole from the marina.
E
What?
G
The old man had hid the cashier. And then when his mind began to go, he made a map of the hiding place.
F
And Lila must have found the map.
G
Exactly. Someone else caught up with her and killed her for that precious piece of paper.
F
Bert.
G
Looks like it. It's probably high tailed it. Now for the launch to get away from the island.
F
We've got to stop him, Lamar.
G
No, not you darling. Here, take my gun. Climb to the tower. You'll be safe up there. I'll be with you as soon as the shadow has captured this so called phantom of the lighthouse.
F
Oh, thank heavens that climb is over.
E
Room.
F
It's all shadows and twisted shapes, give me the creeps. That door must lead to the catwalk. Where Jim. Oh no, no. I mustn't think of things like that.
E
Oh, my arm.
G
My apologies for hurting you ma'.
F
Am.
G
But I had to get possession of
H
that wicked looking pistol.
F
Who are you?
G
Captain Josiah Blake, your service.
F
What do you want with me?
G
The prophecy must be fulfilled. The prophecy I wrote so many years ago in my diary.
F
What?
G
I am the master of this lighthouse.
D
I warned people that they must not come here.
G
They would not permit it or they
D
disobeyed me, paid with their lives.
G
You mean already since the sun rose?
D
I've killed the old man and his wife. And the captain of that supply, Mr. Strong too. Now there only remains you and that interbearing Cranston.
F
Aren't you forgetting someone else? Captain Josiah Blake.
G
Who do you mean?
F
Bert? Or perhaps you've only forgotten him because Bert happens to be masquerading here in front of me.
D
Enough of that.
F
I notice you're keeping well in the shadows, hiding behind that cloak.
G
We'll see if you still joke when
D
you're flying through space.
C
Come.
D
The girl out in the catwalk as Jim went.
E
No.
A
No.
F
Let go.
D
Teach it to bite. You'll be easier to deal with. How you go, Jo. What was that?
G
Someone's coming up the stairs. I'm coming for you, Josiah Blake.
D
I don't hear footsteps. Who are you?
G
The shadow, Josiah. You'll never get up those stairs.
D
If you're a man with a body.
G
How will you stop me?
B
Like this.
G
I'm still coming, Josiah.
D
You've been lucky. But this time
G
your revolver's empty, Josiah. And I'm still coming.
D
First stop. You with my cutlet. Here.
C
Behind you. I'll get to you.
D
I'll get.
G
No use, sire. Your game's played out. It's the end of the Phantom of the Lighthouse. Margo. Margot, darling.
F
Oh, Lamont. Where am I?
G
You're all right now, darling. I got to Josiah before he could push you off.
F
Oh, is that him on the floor?
G
Yes. Tripped on the stairs, knocked himself out trying to get away from the shadow.
F
I must hand it to him. Disguiseless, perfect. I never suspected Bird of having so much theatrical talent.
G
Joseph. Wrong, darling. Here, look at him without the eye patch and hat.
D
There.
F
Mr. Strong.
G
Right. He's played a ghost for the last time. Rather the last time before he hung for murder.
F
Oh, it feels good to get back on the solid mainland once more.
G
Yes, very good.
F
When did you find out it was Strong, Lamar?
G
Only after I reached the dock and found Bert struggling desperately to start the engine of the launch.
F
But didn't that make him seem guilty?
G
Yes, except that he didn't have the money with him. Then I knew it must be Strong.
F
Well, why did Strong go up to the lighthouse tower after he had that bundle of cash in his hands? Why didn't he make for the lawn?
G
That's what he intended. We walked in on him down in that room too soon all he could do was slip up to the tower.
F
Well, then all the time I was climbing up, he was there, hiding.
G
Yes, Margot disguised as Captain Josiah Blake.
F
I suppose the old pirate has always been a kind of hero of storm.
G
Well, if so, he's going to end in the same way. Because in actual fact, Josiah Blake was finally captured in the lighthouse and hung on the gallows.
H
Now let me present Blue Coal's distinguished heating authority, John Barclay.
D
Thank you, Andre Barouche, and good evening, friends. Summer is still lingering, but the calendar says fall is fast approaching. And one of these days it's going
B
to get cold quickly.
D
Now is the time to get your furnace cleaned up, repaired and put into first class condition. And your Blue Coal dealer is the man to do the job for you. Blue Coal dealers have special equipment and train men to do a thorough cleaning job that's quick, dust, free and inexpensive. They'll make any necessary minor repairs as well. Actual records prove that a clean, efficient product furnace will sometimes burn 20% less fuel. Get in touch with your Blue Coal dealer before cold weather comes. Better call him first thing tomorrow. I thank you.
H
This story is copyrighted by street and Smith Publications Incorporated. The characters, names, places and plot are fictitious. Any similarity to persons living or dead is purely coincidental. Again next week, the Shadow will demonstrate
G
that the weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay.
B
The Shadow.
C
Oh, no.
H
Next week, same time, same station. Your friendly Blue Coal dealer brings you another strange and thrilling adventure in the Shadow's daring battle against the forces of evil. The Shadow is presented by the DLNW Coal Company, distributors of Blue Coal. Lamont Cranston is played by Brett Morrison, Margo by Grace Matthews. Your announcer is Andre Barouche. Remember, it's Blue Coal. For finest heating service, it's Blue Coal for finest modern equipment, It's Blue Coal for the best home heat money can buy.
D
This is the mutual broadcasting system.
A
That wraps it up for Tonight's show at 1001 Radio Crime Solvers. We really enjoy good reviews, so when you have a chance, say something nice about our selection of shows. Or maybe suggest some to us. Thanks for joining us. See you next time.
C
Sam.
B
Sa.
Episode: SPIDER BOY and THE PHANTOM OF THE LIGHTHOUSE – THE SHADOW
Host: John Hagedorn
Date: July 24, 2026
This episode of 1001 Radio Crime Solvers presents two classic radio dramas featuring "The Shadow" – “Spider Boy” and “The Phantom of the Lighthouse.” Both detective tales are drawn from the golden age of radio, where The Shadow, aka Lamont Cranston, uses his mysterious powers to battle the forces of evil. The stories blend intrigue, psychological suspense, and a touch of the supernatural, providing listeners a glimpse into creative storytelling methods before the television era.
"Spider Boy" revolves around a reclusive weaver who forms an unusual attachment to a spider in his attic room. As his loneliness worsens, his fixations become sinister, leading him to use his talents for both friendship and revenge. Lamont Cranston and his companion Margot Lane are drawn into the case after a traumatized girl is hospitalized, and clues point to a chilling mystery lurking in the neighborhood’s tenements.
Character and Motivation:
Building Suspense (04:48–06:06):
Narrative Technique:
"It was lonely, sitting in my attic room... No one ever came to see me. Everyone thought I was strange..." – Spider Boy (02:49)
Climax and Confrontation (13:11–26:35):
On Loneliness (02:49):
"Perhaps someday my spider could spin a web strong enough to catch a real friend... just for me." – Spider Boy
Lamont’s Ethics (05:05):
"They pay me back plenty with the stories I've heard. You have no idea the secrets that are hidden in some of these old tenements." – Lamont Cranston
Margot’s Peril (26:05):
"You're caught, Spider Boy. Caught in your own web of insanity." – The Shadow (Lamont Cranston)
Chilling Finale (26:58–27:01):
Set in a lonely lighthouse, this story spins a web of suspicion, greed, and fear, rooted in a centuries-old legend of a murderous pirate, Captain Josiah Blake. When a series of deaths occur among the lighthouse's keepers and visitors, rumors swirl of supernatural vengeance. Lamont Cranston and Margot Lane investigate, unraveling both ghostly terror and human motives.
Setting the Atmosphere (32:36–34:20):
Suspects and Red Herrings (36:37–39:38):
Rationality vs. Superstition (41:19–43:42):
Exposure and Unmasking (47:18–56:17):
The Haunting Diary (32:36):
"I have killed scores of men during my life, and after my death, I will continue to kill. For I, Captain Josiah Blake, am the master of this lighthouse." – Lila reading diary
Lamont’s Reasoning (41:19):
"Darling, get this firmly into your mind. There's no such thing as a ghost. Whoever's coming is made of flesh and blood. And we're ready for him." – Lamont Cranston
Unraveling the Motive (46:19):
"Well, at least we know now that old Duncan Mills had a secret he was trying to protect... a solid motive for murder." – Lamont Cranston
Climactic Confrontation (56:01):
"Your revolver's empty, Josiah. And I'm still coming." – The Shadow
Resolution (57:01–58:05):
"I must hand it to him. Disguise was perfect. I never suspected Bert [Strong] of having so much theatrical talent." – Margot Lane (56:49)
The episode concludes with an affirmation of the Shadow’s ethos:
“Again next week, the Shadow will demonstrate that the weed of crime bears bitter fruit. Crime does not pay.” (59:47)
Both stories are prime examples of Golden Age radio's unique ability to blend atmospheric horror, keen detection, and moral clarity, making this episode a treat for lovers of vintage audio drama.