Podcast Summary: Do You Believe In Ghosts Ep#009 – 1931 Abraham Lincoln

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Host: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode Release Date: October 24, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of Do You Believe In Ghosts revisits a dramatic radio play from 1931, blending moral quandary, history, and the possibility of supernatural intervention. Set against a stormy night, a state governor faces the emotional toll of denying clemency to a condemned young man—until a mysterious, spectral visitor leads him to reconsider. The tale draws inspiration from stories of Abraham Lincoln's legendary mercy, inviting listeners to reflect on justice, compassion, and what it means to be haunted—by guilt, by history, or perhaps by ghosts.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Breakdown

1. The Governor’s Dilemma (00:21–03:10)

• The episode opens with the Governor, troubled over his decision to let a young man be executed for murder.
• His secretary, Dabney, relays that the boy’s mother is waiting outside, desperately hoping for a reprieve.
• Despite his sorrow and fatigue, the Governor insists the law must take its course:
  • Quote [02:11]:
    “The boy must hang. … The evidence was conclusive. He went to the house to elope with the girl… the boy shot him. That's murder, Dabney, and the law must take its course.”

2. A Haunting Visitor Arrives (03:12–06:45)

• Alone and wearied, the Governor is visited by a mysterious stranger, deep in the shadows.
• The stranger challenges the Governor, recalling a tale from the past where a president (hinted to be Lincoln) pardoned a boy sentenced to die for sleeping on sentry duty.
  • Quote [05:12], Stranger:
    “Once there was a boy who went to sleep on sentry post in the face of the enemy. Military law said he must die… the President knew right well he shouldn't oppose his Secretary of War... but he figured it this way: That boy dead was no good to anybody alive… So this puddin-headed old president told the mother she could have her boy back. Which was wrong accordin’ to society, but awful right accordin’ to that mother’s lights.”

3. Questioning Guilt and Rethinking Justice (06:46–09:00)

• The stranger proposes an alternate version of the crime—what if the girl, not the boy, had shot her abusive father? What if the boy is innocent, taking the blame out of love?
• The Governor’s conscience and memory stir; he recalls evidence that supports this alternative, including the girl's fingerprints on the gun and her emotional state at trial.
• The visitor disappears, his face now revealed as that of Abraham Lincoln.

4. The Climax: A Last-Minute Reprieve (09:01–10:30)

• Galvanized by new doubt and empathy, the Governor orders Dabney to contact the warden and grant an executive reprieve to the condemned youth.
• The mother, overwhelmed with joy and relief, thanks the Governor, who humbly credits his spectral advisor.
  • Quote [10:17]:
    “Oh, no, madam. I didn't give you back your boy. A man much wiser, much kinder than I saved your boy for you tonight. As surely as he saved another mother's son who went to sleep on sentry post.”
  • When the mother asks who he means, the Governor replies simply:
    • Quote [10:29]:
      “Abraham Lincoln. … Oh, no, madam. No, not dead. He belongs to the ages. Do you believe in ghosts? Do you?”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Governor’s burden:
  “It's a terrible thing to hold a man's life in your hands, Dabney.” (01:33)

• On justice vs. compassion:
  “But that gray haired woman praying outside that door—she dies, but goes on living.” (08:31)

• Abraham Lincoln’s wisdom (the stranger):
  “Secretaries are to be heard, but not heeded when you want to see a man, Governor.” (04:13, Stranger)

Important Timestamps

• 00:21 – Governor’s moral struggle begins
• 03:12 – Mysterious visitor arrives
• 05:12 – Lincoln’s story of mercy is cited
• 08:00 – Alternative version of the crime is explored
• 09:30 – Governor decides to grant reprieve
• 10:17 – Governor credits Lincoln with the true act of mercy

Tone, Style & Takeaways

The episode is deeply atmospheric, blending suspense with melancholy and hope. The Governor’s internal conflict is rendered with gravity and empathy. The visitor—eventually revealed as Abraham Lincoln—offers gentle wisdom with a folksy cadence, inviting both character and listener to consider the higher calling of mercy over blind justice.

The final question, “Do you believe in ghosts?”, lingers—inviting reflection not just on the supernatural, but on the enduring presence of conscience and history in our most difficult decisions.