Diary of Fate 1948-03-16 Joe Mattuck

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Diary of Fate 1948-03-16 – Joe Mattuck

Original Air Date: March 16, 1948
Podcast Date: January 20, 2026
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio

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Episode Overview

This episode features a suspenseful tale from the classic radio series "Diary of Fate." The narrative explores how small, seemingly insignificant choices can radically alter a person's destiny. Through dramatic storytelling and the omnipresent voice of Fate, listeners follow truck driver Joe Matic as impatience and a moment's temptation lead him down a dark and destructive path.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. Setting the Stage: The Premise of Fate

• Fate as Narrator: The episode begins with Fate introducing the story:

  "Fate plays no favorites. It could happen to you." (01:13)

• Joe Matic’s Life: An honest, hardworking truck driver, Joe's life seems stable but is tinged with impatience for better things.

  "You were robust, strong and courageous... but you were impatient. And then I, Fate, intervened at just the wrong moment." (01:24)

• Warning to Listeners: Fate warns listeners that everyday choices can have unimaginable consequences.

2. The Inciting Incident: The Hitchhikers

• Joe picks up a friendly hitchhiker, Bell (who passes as a woman but presents with a male name, possibly for radio code reasons), and later, a mysterious man named Nick Nadella.
• Their conversations reveal Joe’s dissatisfaction and longing for quick fortune:

  "You see, the pay is good... but you don't like being away from the missus so much. And with the amount of cash you sock away each week, it'll be six or seven years before you can get a truck of your own..." (05:42)
  "You plan, you mark time, and then all of a sudden, you're old." – Bell (06:01)

• A traffic light turning red brings Nick Nadella into their lives—a pivotal "chance" created by Fate.

3. The Temptation: Discovery of the Black Bag

• After picking up Nick, his black bag spills open, revealing a fortune in cash.
• The radio at a diner reports a major bank robbery nearby.
• Bell connects the dots:

  "Joe... his bag, Joe. I saw what he's carrying... it's filled with money." (10:38)

• Bell persuades Joe to seek out the bag, highlighting the lure of sudden wealth:

  "Sooner or later, opportunity comes along." (11:20)

• The duo plans to rob Nick, intending to make the act look like an accident.

4. Crime and Consequence

• Joe and Bell set up Nick, but after a confrontation, they find the bag missing and realize Nick may have checked it at the Cedarville bus station.
• Bell and Joe retrieve a baggage claim from Nick’s belongings and go to get the bag, deciding to split the loot 50/50:

  "We gotta decide something. Where are we gonna split this up?" (18:45)
  "Let's go to a hotel and I'll get a room. We'll divide it up there." (18:51)

5. Betrayal and Downfall

• In the hotel room, Bell betrays Joe, locking him out and attempting to abscond with the money.
• Joe confronts Bell on the fire escape; a struggle ensues, and Bell falls to her death:

  "You try to double cross me, will you? I'll show you your cheap little no good chisel..." – Joe (21:12)

• Joe escapes with the money as the police close in.

6. The Final Price: The Money’s Curse

• Joe flees, crashing his car and sustaining severe burns while saving the bag of money.
• He changes his identity to John Warren and thinks he is safe.
• The police find him, pointing out the final cruel twist:

  "Every dollar you spent today was counterfeit." – Police (27:09)

7. Moral of the Tale: Fate’s Closing Reflection

• Fate concludes, reminding listeners that evil choices, enabled by small moments, inevitably lead to ruin:

  "You had given up everything ... for a black bag filled with money. Now... the money you had sacrificed everything for was counterfeit." (27:18) "Because I, Fate, caused a traffic light to change... you chose for evil." (28:35)

• The story ends with Fate’s warning to the audience:

  "Ponder well the moral, you who listen. And remember that there is a page for you in the Diary of Fate." (29:01)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|-------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:13 | Fate | "Fate plays no favorites. It could happen to you." | | 05:42 | Bell | "You don't like being away from the missus so much... it'll be six or seven years before you can get a truck of your own..." | | 06:01 | Bell | "You plan, you mark time, and then all of a sudden, you're old." | | 11:20 | Bell | "Sooner or later, opportunity comes along." | | 21:12 | Joe | "You try to double cross me, will you? I'll show you your cheap little no good chisel..." | | 27:09 | Police | "Every dollar you spent today was counterfeit." | | 27:18 | Fate | "The money you had sacrificed everything for was counterfeit." | | 28:35 | Fate | "Because I, Fate, caused a traffic light to change... you chose for evil." | | 29:01 | Fate | "Ponder well the moral, you who listen. And remember that there is a page for you in the Diary of Fate." |

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Important Segments & Timestamps

• 01:13 – Fate’s introduction and warning to listeners
• 05:09-06:13 – Joe and Bell’s conversation about the futility of ordinary struggling and the allure of quicker paths to fortune
• 10:09 – Radio report of the bank robbery; the discovery of Nick's bag full of money
• 13:13-14:09 – The failed murder of Nick and realization that the bag is missing
• 17:22 – Joe calls his wife to cover his tracks; sets up the next phase of the crime
• 19:47-21:49 – The hotel betrayal and Bell’s fatal fall from the fire escape
• 22:30-24:10 – Joe’s frantic flight and disfigurement after a fiery car crash
• 26:16-27:18 – Joe’s capture, the police reveal the money is counterfeit, and Fate delivers the final moral

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Language and Tone

The episode maintains the suspenseful, dramatic style of classic radio dramas, with Fate’s omniscient narration imbuing the story with a sense of inevitability and moral gravity. Dialogue is terse and urgent, especially in moments of crisis, capturing mid-20th-century noir stylings.

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Summary & Takeaway

"Diary of Fate: Joe Mattuck" is a classic morality tale about how one moment’s impatience and the lure of easy money can unleash a cascade of devastating consequences. In the end, all that Joe sacrificed—his integrity, his loved ones, his very identity—was for nothing, as the fortune he risked everything for was fake. The episode uses suspense, betrayal, and twists of fate as both entertainment and cautionary device, warning listeners to consider the consequences of even the smallest choices.

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Transcript

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[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

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[Joe Matic]

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[Narrator / Fate]

The diary of faith.

[Narrator / Faith]

Faith plays no favorites. It could happen to you.

[Narrator / Fate]

Book 63, page 397 in the diary of Fate. Yes, here it is. The name Joe Matic. Occupation, truck driver. An honest endeavor and one which requires strength and endurance. It was work well suited to you, Joe Matic. You were robust, strong and courageous. Life could have been good, but you were impatient. And then I. Fate intervened at just the wrong moment. A traffic light changed and confronted you with an opportunity. A temptation which struck at your weakest point. Yes, because a traffic light changed, your life will be utterly destroyed. Take heed, you who listen. Lest you think me unjust. I am not cruel, not unmindful of mortal rights. But soon it will be time for a further entry under the name Joe Matic. When I have written, I will read from his page in the Diary of Fate. No mortal eye can penetrate the dark curtain of the future. Even as the mind of Joe Mattock could not foretell what the few hours of one night would bring when he yielded to temptation and gave free rein to his impatience, he could not tell where it would end. But he stood on a third floor fire escape and struggled for a precious black bag.

[Joe Matic]

Try to double cross me, will you? I'll show you your cheap no good. No. Joe.

[Josh Whalen]

Stop it.

[Joe Matic]

Give me that bag. I won't. Give it to me. Turn loose of it or I'll break you. Give it to me.

[Narrator / Fate]

Yes. In that instant, Joe Matic your life became a churning maelstrom of horror. And now you know too late that if your choice be for evil, the end is inevitable. For that is all part of a plan. And I, fate, am but the instrument. And the little things, the trifles of life are the tools with which I work. Remember, Joe Mattock, how it all started? You were leaving on your regular run to Morristown, and you'd picked up a hitchhiker, a girl. And you conversed easily with her as you drove through the traffic toward the suburbs and the open highway.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Same. So Tuesday night it was a bus. And I hitched the next morning with a fresh guy from Buffalo. And I knew. That's the story. By the way, I'm Bill Sheldon. What's your name?

[Joe Matic]

Joe. Joe Matic. I'm out of Morristown, and that's as far as I'll be able to take it.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Oh, every little bit helps, Joe. You know, hitchhiking is kind of tough for a girl. Too many Romeos that they figure women spell trouble. You married?

[Joe Matic]

Married and working at it. I got a beautiful wife.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

And your sister. You're easy to look at. How often you live it.

[Joe Matic]

Oh, every third day. That's the only thing I don't like about this job. You see, the pay is good and the work. Well, I'm billed for it, but.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

But you don't like being away from the missus so much. And with the amount of cash you stock away each week, it'll be six or seven years before you can get a truck of your own and have a business going.

[Joe Matic]

Yeah, that's hit on the button. How'd you know?

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

You're not the first truck driver I've hitched with. An old story, Joe. It's a sad one.

[Joe Matic]

What do you mean?

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Doesn't work? Believe me, Joe, I've been around. You get no place that way. You plan, you mark time, and then all of a sudden, you're old.

[Joe Matic]

Oh, what's your answer?

[Narrator / Faith]

Well, you've got life figured out.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

I have to keep my eyes open. Wide open, Joe. And sooner or later, an opportunity comes along. And then, brother, I move and I move fast. Hey, what's that traffic signal for counter hit?

[Joe Matic]

No, that's us 12 out of Carsburg. Busy road. Maybe we'll make the light.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

No. Turn red, we lose. Joe.

[Narrator / Fate]

Yes, Joe Maddock, A little thing happened. I fate moved my hand and at just that instant, the traffic light turned red and you stopped. But before you started again, a man approached carrying a coat and a black overnight bag. He asked you for A ride. Bell didn't mind being crowded, and you gave the stranger a lift. Ten minutes later, as the truck rolled along the even highway, he was fast asleep.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Oh, great conversationalist you picked up. He's sound asleep.

[Joe Matic]

Well, in that case, you'll have to talk for two. Tell me, Bill, what do you think? Don't look out that car.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Crazy drunk.

[Joe Matic]

What happened?

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

That was too close.

[Joe Matic]

Huh? A pint of whiskey and some guys figure they're supposed to straddle a white line here.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Mister, you dropped your bag.

[Joe Matic]

Give me that. Hey, easy, brother. She was doing you a favor.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

It opened. Sure you didn't lose anything?

[Narrator / Fate]

Oh, no.

[Nick Nodella]

I didn't lose anything.

[Narrator / Fate]

Sorry I got rough with you, lady.

[Joe Matic]

It's all right.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Forget it.

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[Joe Matic]

There's a chow wagon at Cedarville around this next curve. Bell shake. Sleeping Beauty. Maybe you want some coffee.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Coffee's a good idea. Hey, Beauty, wake up.

[Joe Matic]

Huh? What's wrong? Nothing. We're just gonna stop for some javelin. Say, what's your name, fella?

[Nick Nodella]

My name Nick. My name is Nick.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Nick what?

[Nick Nodella]

Nick Nodella. Well, here we are.

[Joe Matic]

Chuck's Chuck Wagon. The best coffee and the worst food between here and the coast. You can leave your bag and coat in a cab, Nick. They'll be safe.

[Nick Nodella]

Thanks, but I'll take this stuff with me.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Hey, this is quite a little town.

[Joe Matic]

Yeah, Cedarville's all right. Kind of quiet, though. Come on, I'm hungry. Let's go, Nick.

[Narrator / Faith]

According to CR Matthew Chairman, the university.

[Narrator / Fate]

Will enlarge on the program.

[Joe Matic]

You know, I might have a steak to go with that cup of coffee. What about you, Bill? I'll buy if you're broke. Thanks.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

I'll pay my own way. Now, there's a table, Joe, on the corner.

[Narrator / Faith]

Carsberg.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

The radio. Listen.

[Narrator / Faith]

National bank was robbed of more than $100,000. Three men, armed and wearing handkerchiefs over their faces, entered the bank shortly before closing time this afternoon. They overpowered the bank guard at one teller and got away in a waiting car. No description was gotten of the men, and the police believe that they split up before leaving Carsberg.

[Joe Matic]

Joe. Come here, Joe.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Where's Nick?

[Joe Matic]

Nick? Outside, I guess. Why? What's the matter?

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

His bag, Joe. I saw what he's carrying. When it drops and it opened, Joe, it's filled with money. What money, Joe? You understand? It's full of money.

[Narrator / Fate]

For a moment, Joe Matic, you were stunned. Then slowly, the full implication of Bell's words struck you. You quickly followed her out of the restaurant, but Nick was nowhere in sight. Then you thought of the bus station when you ran across the street and searched a small building.

[Joe Matic]

He's not on station, Bell. We better call the police.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Don't be a fool, Joe. Mick Modela has a hundred grand, or a good part of it in that little black bag. We're going to get it shelled, you and me. I told you that. Sooner or later, opportunity comes along.

[Joe Matic]

Quiet.

[Narrator / Fate]

Bell.

[Joe Matic]

There he is, over in the shadow of the truck. You sold me on it.

[Narrator / Fate]

Bell, we're partners.

[Joe Matic]

Come on. Hey, Nick, you gonna have coffee?

[Nick Nodella]

No, no, I changed my mind.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

No, you didn't miss a thing, Nick. Strictly mud.

[Nick Nodella]

Hey, Joe, any objection to my sleeping in the back for a while? I'm beat.

[Joe Matic]

Dead tired. Oh, suit yourself. That gives us more room up in front. Here. I'll open it up.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Got your coat and stuff, Nick?

[Joe Matic]

Not.

[Nick Nodella]

Yeah. How far you going, Joe?

[Joe Matic]

Morristown. I'll wake you up when we get there.

[Narrator / Fate]

Okay, thanks.

[Joe Matic]

Let's get rolling, Bill.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

I'm all for it now that we've got our pigeon cooped up. I tell you, Joe, it's simple. As soon as you get to a crossroad, kind of an open spot where we can see cars coming in either direction, you take motor trouble. Then get Nick out of the back to help you.

[Joe Matic]

Will we go for that?

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Oh, sure. He's anxious to get out of here.

[Joe Matic]

Give him a spot.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Screwdriver to hold or Something while you turn the motor over. Then when he gets around in front, just flip the truck into gear.

[Joe Matic]

And Nick Nadella is a hit and run case. Yeah, it'll work, all right. We gotta remember to throw his coat out, too.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

The coat, yes, but not the little black bag.

[Joe Matic]

No, Belle, we'll keep the little black b.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

All right, Joe. No cars in sight. Right.

[Joe Matic]

I can't figure the trouble, Belle. I'll get Nick to give me a hand. Hey, Nick. Nick, wake up. Huh?

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

We Morse down already?

[Joe Matic]

No, it's motor trouble. I need your help.

[Nick Nodella]

I. I don't know anything about motors.

[Joe Matic]

You don't have to. Just hold a screwdriver where I show you.

[Nick Nodella]

Okay, let's get it over with.

[Joe Matic]

Here, hold the flashlight. Bill, you. Nick, touch the screwdriver. Here. All right. No, no. You got to get it in closer. Get around front. Oh, yeah. Yeah, that's it. Now I'm going to race the motor. Don't worry. If there's a spark, it can't hurt you.

[Nick Nodella]

It's all right, Joe. I don't scare easy.

[Joe Matic]

Good. Now we're all. Okay.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

We gotta move fast now.

[Joe Matic]

Belle, get the bag. Joe. Joe, the bag is gone.

[Narrator / Fate]

Yes, Joe. The bag was gone. And a man was dead because of a little thing. A red traffic signal. You had committed murder. Soon, Joe Matic, I will write another entry under your name in the Diary of Fate. Yes, Joe. In the dark of night on a lonely highway, a man lay dead. Killed by you for a black bag full of money. And now that money was gone.

[Joe Matic]

What are you talking about? That bag's gotta be there. Come and look.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

It's not here, I said.

[Josh Whalen]

You.

[Joe Matic]

Well, then where is it? He had it when he got in back here, didn't he? I thought so.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

He was holding a coat over his hands. I figured the satchel was under the coat.

[Joe Matic]

Those doors weren't open until we stopped right here. They can't be open from the inside. What did he do with it? How'd he get rid of it?

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Now, wait a minute. Let me think.

[Joe Matic]

Listen, we can't hang around here forever. We gotta get going. Anybody sees him under there while we're.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Through, I know it. Keep your shirt on. Look, something was funny about him walking across the street back there in Cedarville. And then showing up at the truck again.

[Joe Matic]

Bill, come on. We gotta get out of here. Yeah. Wait.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

I've got it. I'll bet anything I'm right.

[Joe Matic]

Come on.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Help me.

[Joe Matic]

What? What are you gonna do? We gotta search his pocket. Search him? What for?

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Maybe he's got a baggage check on him. He could have checked that satchel in the bus station at Cedarville.

[Joe Matic]

Yeah, you're right.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

There's nothing here. Pull this curtain.

[Joe Matic]

Joe. Here it is. Look. Come on.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

I'm pretty smart on it. Checking that bag.

[Joe Matic]

Nobody coming. I hope we get out of sight before they find us.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Stop worrying. We catch this inward set. Now look, Got any idea how we're going to get back to Cedarville?

[Joe Matic]

Yeah, that's easy. We'll pick up my car at home and drive back. But I gotta get this load delivered first.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

What about your wife?

[Joe Matic]

Well, we'll go to the house and get the car first. Then I'll call Molly from downtown and tell her I've gotta go right back on some kind of a job for the company. She'll take it all right.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Okay, Joe. Sounds good. By tomorrow morning you can go your way and I'll go mine. But the roads won't be nearly so rough. Right, Joe?

[Joe Matic]

Right, Belle.

[Narrator / Fate]

As the heavy truck. As the truck roared toward Morristown, Joe, you did not feel like talking. It was one o' clock in the morning when you backed the truck against the loading platform of the Morristown freight house. And a half hour later, Belle waited in your car while you called your wife from the all night drugstore.

[Joe Matic]

Molly, this is Joe. Honey, I've got to go back to Cedarville. Yeah, right away. Well, one of the trucks had a breakdown and. Huh? Oh, yeah. I'll be back tomorrow. I was gonna leave a note for you, but I forgot. Yeah, okay, honey. Yeah, bye. Bye, baby.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

You sure a good driver, Joe. We really made time.

[Joe Matic]

Yeah, it's only 20 minutes after 3. I think I'll park along here. We can walk over to the bus depot. Unless you want to wait in the car.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

I'll go along. As a matter of fact, Joe, if there are any questions, I might be able to get it easier than you. I could say I'm his wife or something.

[Joe Matic]

Yeah, I guess you're right. Oh, you go ahead and get her. I'll wait outside.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Okay, Joe. Be right back.

[Joe Matic]

Come on, Belle, get in the car. Hurry up.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Okay, Jello, this is it.

[Joe Matic]

I got it. Well, come on, open it up. Let's see.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

All right, just a second. Joe.

[Joe Matic]

Look, look. Holy smoke. It's full bundles of bills.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

They're all tens and twitties, Joe. It's a fortune.

[Joe Matic]

Yeah. Oh, here, let me see.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Wait a minute. We gotta decide something. Where are we going to split this up?

[Joe Matic]

Oh, we could drive out some places.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Somebody might see us. We Got to be careful. Now, look, let's go to a hotel and I'll get a room. We'll divide it up there. Got to be right, Joe. 50.

[Narrator / Fate]

At the hotel. Bell registered and was given a room on the third floor. And then I. Fate again intervened and another little thing happened. You, Joe, stopped to light a cigarette and you missed the elevator. When it came down again, it carried a friend of yours, a truck driver who was staying overnight at the hotel. It was impossible to avoid him. But you cut the conversation short and a few minutes later you followed Bell down the hall to room 314.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

3:12. 3:14. Here it is, Joe. Come on in, Joe. Flip the chain on the door.

[Joe Matic]

Okay.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Who is the guy downstairs?

[Joe Matic]

Oh, just another truck driver. Sure bum luck running into him. Here.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Stop worrying, will you? In 10 minutes you'll be on your way home a very rich man.

[Joe Matic]

Yeah. Well, let's get started. Put the stuff on the table and we'll divide it up.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

All right. Just a second. I want to open this window a little stuffy. Ah, there. Now let's get it all out of the bag and lay it on the table. Then we can count it.

[Joe Matic]

Yeah. Aw, gee, Bill, look at it. There must be a hundred thousand bucks here at least. Boy, the. Those guys downstairs would go nuts if they saw this. Joey, what's the matter? Quiet.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Did you hear that? I didn't hear anything. Outside the door. There's somebody out there. I heard them. What? We hear a ditcher stuff back in the bank.

[Joe Matic]

I'll take a look.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Wait a minute.

[Joe Matic]

There. Okay, There's nobody out here.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Look again. Take a good look.

[Joe Matic]

Okay, but I. Hey, what the. Get out. What the devil. Belle. Belle. Let me in. What are you doing?

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Beat it, sucker. You want the cops up here?

[Joe Matic]

Belle. Open this door. Belle. I'll bust it open. Belle. All right then, Bell. The money. So that's it for a fire escape. Come back here. You try to double cross me, will you? I'll show you your cheap little no good chisel. No. Stop it. Stop it. Give me that bag. I won't. Give it to me. Turn loose of it or I'll break you off. Don't, please. Look out. I'm slipping. Turn loose of it. Give it to me. Go inside.

[Narrator / Fate]

For a horrified insane since you stared down at Bell's crumpled form lying dead in the alley three stories below. Then as the crowd began to gather, you clutched the black satchel and quickly climbed to the roof of the hotel. As you jumped to the adjoining roof, you heard your friend in the Crowd calling your name. You ran down a fire escape and dashed to your car. Seconds later, your tires screeching. You turn south, away from Morristown. Behind you, a police siren wails. No.

[Joe Matic]

I did. I killed her. I can't go home now. I gotta drive and drive fast. They recognize me. 150 miles.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

Sign of the cops.

[Joe Matic]

Anything stop here for coffee. Better take the bag along.

[Narrator / Fate]

Latest reports of shocking murder in Cedarville last night. Where an unidentified woman was hurled three stories to her death from a hotel fire escape by a truck driver named Joe Mack. When last seen, he was driving south on Highway 43 in a blue 1942 automobile, convertible, license number 3, 8, 4, 9.

[Joe Matic]

I'm getting tired.

[Nick Nodella]

Driving all night, all day.

[Joe Matic]

Gotta stop and rest. Soon maybe they won't gnarly in this town. Maybe I can get some sleep. Cops spotted me again. Gotta go fast. I'll shake them.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

I'll turn.

[Joe Matic]

Oh, too fast. I'm skinny. Come on. I'm not gonna make it. Fire. I'm on fire. Gotta get out.

[Bell / Bill Sheldon]

No, not the bag.

[Joe Matic]

The bag of money. Then I got. I gotta get out. Get out and run.

[Narrator / Fate]

Yes, Joe. Your car crashed and burst into flames. But you got out. And you got the bag of money out too. But only at the expense of bad burns on your face and hands. You ran into the railroad yards and boarded a freight train. Finally, days later and hundreds of miles away, you changed your name, bought new clothes and had your burns treated. You were scarred and disfigured from the fire. Now no one could recognize you. And you had more than $100,000 in cash to start your new life. Take heed, you who listen, lest you think fate is a conspirator in evil. In a few moments, I will write the final entry in the record of Joe Matic. When I have written, I will read from the diary of fate. Yes, Joe Maddock. He would given up everything. Your wife, your name, your honor, and even your handsome face for a black bag filled with money. Now you were John Warren, a man with a scarred face and a fortune. Yes. Your new life was going to be quite enjoyable. You decided. And you sat in your new apartment after a day of lavish spending.

[Joe Matic]

Good evening.

[Nick Nodella]

Are you Mr. John Warren?

[Joe Matic]

That's right. Ah.

[Nick Nodella]

Mind if we come in?

[Joe Matic]

Certainly. What's on your mind?

[Nick Nodella]

Well, we got something to talk over with you. Now, Mr. Warren, what's your real name?

[Joe Matic]

Real name? What do you mean? Who are you?

[Nick Nodella]

We're the police. You birds always work under an alias. What's your real name?

[Joe Matic]

Why, I I don't know what you're talking about.

[Nick Nodella]

Well, doesn't make any difference. We'll take your fingerprints when we get down to headquarters. And then we'll find out who you really are. You spent quite a tidy piece of change today, didn't you?

[Joe Matic]

Yes. What's wrong with that? It's my money.

[Nick Nodella]

I'll say it's your money. We traced it all back here to you.

[Joe Matic]

Hey, what's this all about anyway?

[Nick Nodella]

I'm glad you admitted it was your money, Mr. Warren. You see, every dollar you spent today was counterfeit.

[Narrator / Fate]

Yes, Joe. The money you had sacrificed everything for was counterfeit. If you had taken time to read a newspaper, you would have known that the bandits who robbed the Carsberg bank were captured and the money recovered. You would also have known that a notorious counterfeiter was found dead on the highway near Cedarville. But you didn't. And so the bag of money that you thought would bring a rich new life brought only disgrace and death. And now it is time to. Another entry has been duly noted on the pages of Eternity and justice has been served. In the case of Joe Mattock, as in the cases of all mortals, it was the little things which determined the ultimate outcome. Because I fate caused a traffic light to change at the right moment, Joe Matic was faced with the decision and he chose for evil. And because he stopped to light a cigarette and missed an elevator, he was recognized by a fellow truck driver. The result of an evil choice was certain, brought about by the little unnoticed things which are my instincts, instruments. Ponder well the moral you who listen. And remember that there is a page.

[Narrator / Faith]

For you in the Diary of Faith. The cast included Frank Albertson, Gloria Blondell, Herbert Lytton, Jerry Hausner, Ray Erlenborn, Ivan Ditmars and Hal Sawyer. This is a Larry Finley transcription brought to you from Hollywood.

[Joe Matic]

Sam. Ram.

[Josh Whalen]

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