The Big Story: Respected Chemist Dead (EP4922)

Summary

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The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio:

The Big Story - "Respected Chemist Dead" (EP4922)

Aired: March 3, 2026

Host: Adam Graham

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Episode Overview

This episode features "The Big Story," dramatizing a real-life 1929 Cleveland mystery investigated by reporter Ike McEnally. The story centers on the apparent death of Dr. David Wagner, a respected chemist, in a car explosion. As the investigation unfolds, questions arise about Wagner’s fate: did he perish, or did he orchestrate his own disappearance for personal reasons? The radio drama probes not only the mechanics of the case but also the emotional and ethical dilemmas faced by all involved.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Case: Missing, Not Dead

• The story opens with the aftermath of a car explosion near a dam; Dr. David Wagner is presumed dead, though no body is found ([02:31]).
• Initial investigation points to an accident caused by Wagner’s work transporting chemicals. Suspense builds over the lack of a body, with chilling narration:

  "All that water, thousands of tons of it, pouring down like a rain of steel. We'll never find his body now." [02:55]

2. Wagner’s Family in Limbo

• Reporter Ike McEnally interviews Mrs. Wagner, who is left without her husband and with her financial security in limbo:
  • The insurance company refuses to pay out without definitive proof of death, requiring a seven-year wait under company rules ([06:02]).

  "It's a rotten deal. A man works to make sure that his wife and kids will be taken care of. It's not right to let it all go for nothing." — Ike McEnally [06:32]

3. Clues Suggesting Wagner Is Alive

• Evidence emerges that complicates the case: a man cashes traveler’s checks in Philadelphia using Wagner’s name and signature ([07:06]).
• A key encounter with Wagner's insurance broker (Murray) reveals skepticism, highlighting issues of identity and evidence.

4. The Living Corpse Parallel & Motive

• During his investigation, McEnally discovers Wagner’s interest in "The Living Corpse" by Tolstoy—a story of a man faking his death to escape his life ([13:11]).

  Librarian: "It's all about a respectable, well-established man who fakes his own death so he can escape from a wife he no longer cares for." [13:22]

• The connection becomes clear: Wagner may have staged his death to begin anew with Jenny Logan, an art model.

5. The Confrontation & Personal Cost

• McEnally confronts Jenny Logan, revealing he knows about her involvement with Wagner and pressing her to ensure Wagner provides for his family ([15:19–17:12]).

  "You can let him alone. You can tell him to come back where he belongs." — McEnally [16:01]
  "David will take care of his family. I promise." — Jenny Logan [17:20]

6. Evidence and Admission

• A key piece of forensic evidence: a money order paying Wagner’s insurance premium, typed on his personal machine, and signed under an alias ([17:48–18:16]).
• Mrs. Wagner admits she has always suspected her husband was alive ([19:15]).

7. Moral Complexity & Fallout

• Debate ensues about whether it is right for Jenny to leave with Wagner and for McEnally to let her go, weighing compassion against legal and moral obligations ([20:01–20:59]).
• Mrs. Wagner, heartbroken and resigned, declares:

  "Even as David did come back, he'd always been lost to me. Now." — Mrs. Wagner [20:41]

8. The Final Act: Consequences Abroad

• In Vienna, Jenny and Wagner reflect on their choices and their isolation from their former lives ([22:26]).

  "It's like that book you gave me, David. The people in it tried to forget. They tried to build a wall between themselves and the past, but they couldn't." — Jenny Logan [23:27]

• The story ultimately ends in tragedy:

  • Wagner and Jenny commit suicide together in Vienna, choosing death an hour before the insurance policy’s expiration—allowing Wagner’s wife to collect the payout ([26:06]).

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the crushing impact of bureaucracy and loss:

  "Company rules. Forget about people. Remember the rules." — Ike McEnally [06:40]

• On the ethical responsibility of the reporter:

  "I can't stop you from going to him, but I can make you give me your word on that." — McEnally to Jenny Logan [17:12]

• Emotional honesty from the abandoned wife:

  "If she loved David, she would have gotten to him some way." — Mrs. Wagner [20:14]

• Final telegram summing up the tragedy:

  "David Wagner left evidence in his room in Vienna as to his and Jenny's real identity. The double suicide took place an hour before midnight the day the insurance policy was to expire so that Mrs. Wagner could collect the $50,000." — Telegram from Ike McEnally [26:06]

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Host Adam Graham’s Commentary

([29:16–end])

• Complexity and Realism: Adam appreciates the story’s nuance—especially the absence of a clear crime, pressuring the protagonist to act within moral, not legal, constraints.
• Historical Context: The case is based on Dr. Ernest Wattsel’s disappearance in 1929; unlike the drama, the real mistress was Wattsel's private secretary, herself married, and the global flight ended in tragedy.
• Literary Analogy Correction: Adam corrects the episode’s description of Tolstoy’s "Living Corpse," noting that its real plot is heavier and more complicated—serving as a subtle and fitting thematic parallel for the radio drama.

  "If she actually explained what the book was about, it would come off as heavy handed and it would spoil the ending." — Adam Graham [approx. 31:40]

• Moral Reflection: The story is praised for showing exhaustion and consequences arising from running away from responsibility—a theme resonating with both the original play and real-life case.

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–01:37 – Ads, intro, and setup by Adam Graham
• 02:20–08:03 – Initial investigation and discovery of Dr. Wagner's disappearance
• 08:03–13:22 – McEnally’s investigation deepens; motif of "The Living Corpse" surfaces
• 15:19–20:59 – Confrontations, admissions, and ethical debates
• 22:26–23:46 – Final scene with Wagner and Jenny in Vienna
• 26:06 – Telegram revealing the double suicide and its timing
• 29:16–32:11 – Adam Graham’s commentary, historical context, and reflections

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Conclusion

This episode stands out for exploring the gray areas of law, morality, and emotion in a no-crime case. The drama, paralleling Tolstoy’s “The Living Corpse,” probes motives of escape, the price of selfishness, and the pain visited on families left behind. Adam Graham’s insightful commentary gives added depth to the historical and literary aspects, making this episode compelling for mystery and old radio drama enthusiasts alike.

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Listen and Learn More

• For archives and further episodes, visit greatdetectives.net
• Join the Patreon or send feedback to [e-mail]

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Transcript

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[Ike McEnally]

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[Ike McEnally]

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[ZipRecruiter Announcer]

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[Adam Graham]

Welcome to the Great Detectives of Old Time Radio from Boise, Idaho. This is your host, Adam Graham. In a moment, we're going to bring you this week's episode of the Big Story. But first, if you are enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software and our listener support and appreciation campaign continues. You can become one of our ongoing Patreon supporters for as little as $2 per month. Just go to patreon.greatdetectives.net but now, on March 9, 1948, here is respected Chemists dead.

[Narrator]

The Big Story.

[Ike McEnally]

I was up on the road near the dam when it happened. All of a sudden there was an explosion. And then I saw this car down here burning. Take it slow, Mr. William. I'm trying to write this down on my report. I ran right down here, but the heat drove me back. Then I called your state police quick as I could. Near as I can make out, someone must have gotten out of the car

[Narrator]

and staggered over here to the river.

[Ike McEnally]

But what happened to him? What do you think? Oh, the body. It went over the dam. If he was lucky, he was dead when it happened.

[Narrator]

All that water, thousands of tons of it, pouring down like a rain of steel.

[Ike McEnally]

We'll never find his body now.

[Narrator]

Never. The big story here is America, its sound in its fury, its joy and its sorrow, as faithfully reported by the men and women of the great American newspapers. Cleveland, Ohio. From the pages of the Cleveland News, the authentic story of a reporter who found that death can make a piece of fiction come to life. Tonight, to Ike McEnally of the Cleveland News goes the Palmell Award for the big story. Now, the story as it actually happened. Ike mcinelli's story as he lived it. Cleveland, Ohio.

[Ike McEnally]

Every city seems different, except when you get down real close to it, then you know that they're all alike. A city lives because of its people. And in the stories that you, Ike McInally, write for the Cleveland News, you tell what happens to sob stuff, laugh and heartbreak. The obituaries and the birth notices side by side. And on this cold December day, as you had for an interview with the wife of Dr. David Wagner, the whole picture of the city suddenly narrows down to one small frame. Or. In the window of the Wagner house is a leaf of Christmas. And below the nameplate on the door is a wreath of black.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

What more can I tell you, Mr. McInau?

[Ike McEnally]

Your husband's accident, Mrs. Wagner. They identified his car with a license plate, but the way it exploded, the police can't figure it out.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Dr. Wagner was a chemist.

[Ike McEnally]

I know.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

He was on his way to Philadelphia to demonstrate a new process for purifying water. There were chemicals in his car. In some way, they must have caught fire.

[Ike McEnally]

Bump in the road, broken bottle in his luggage. Any one of a dozen things could have done it.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

He was good. He was kind. I love him so much. It's as if he's still with me.

[Ike McEnally]

I'm very glad.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

He's always promising the children that we all go away on a long. You had so little time to spend,

[Ike McEnally]

I. I should mind my own business. But why don't you go away with the children? There's the insurance.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

No, there isn't.

[Ike McEnally]

You mean the doctor didn't carry a policy?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

He carried one. All for $50,000.

[Ike McEnally]

But you just said.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

It's this way, Mr. McInally. The insurance company claims it has no proof of death. Our broker, Mr. Murray, has been arguing with him that it's no use.

[Ike McEnally]

I don't get it. They found the car, but they didn't find my husband. When under company rules, you have to wait seven years before being paid.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

My husband's just missing.

[Ike McEnally]

It's a rotten deal. A man works to make sure that his wife and kids will be taken care of. It's not right to let it all go for nothing.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Excuse me.

[Ike McEnally]

Of course. Company rules. Forget about people. Remember the rules.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Hello.

[Ike McEnally]

Is Ike McNally there, please. This is his office.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Just a moment, please.

[Narrator]

It's for you.

[Ike McEnally]

Thank you. Guy sensitive. It's like it.

[Narrator]

Hello?

[Ike McEnally]

What's the matter with you, huh? Oh, hell, grab an aspirin. Just pick something off the AP wire. Seems a guy went into a Philadelphia bank and cashed five grand worth of travelers checks.

[Narrator]

No.

[Ike McEnally]

Tell that dame you're interviewing that she may not be a widow after all. The guy who cashed the checks identified himself as Dr. David Wagner. Look, Murray, if anyone knows Wagner's business, it's you. You handle his insurance and his traveler's check. Well, didn't Wagner sign these checks? I'll admit it looks like his signature, McInally, but I don't see how it could be. Why not? The clerk who gave him the money identified him perfectly. He could be wrong. Five people can look at one man and each will give a different description of it. But they all couldn't forget a signature like this. No, the prisons are full of men who could write your signature blindfold. You know, Wagner signed these checks. Murray, why don't you admit it? Look, McInally, you're not just asking me to verify a signature. You want me to say that David Wagner's alive.

[Narrator]

Doesn't this prove it?

[Ike McEnally]

McInally, will you listen to me for a minute? I want to see David Wagner alive as much as anyone else. But to go on such flimsy evidence is a check that could have been forged to raise a woman's hopes that her husband is alive. Be reasonable, Murray. I don't know what Wagner's up to, but since he's on a disappearing actor sometime. Well, I don't see it. I don't see it at all. What reason could he have for making believe he was dead? I don't know. That's what I have to find out. Where do you begin? Where do you find the reason for a respected, successful man suddenly vanishing without a trace? Somewhere in this man's life there must be an answer. Perhaps obscure and hidden. But you know it has to be there. You ask the woman who's closest to him. If anyone holds the key, it must be his wife.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

No. No, there's nothing. You're all wrong, Mr. McInally. It isn't so.

[Ike McEnally]

But, Mrs. White, if he were alive,

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

he'd be with me. He'd come back to his home and his children.

[Ike McEnally]

But he is alone. And he hasn't come back.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

David. Of course it has to be that. David would never stay away. He's sick.

[Ike McEnally]

He has to be sometimes. Mrs. Wagner. Things get so real that you can't believe. They swell up big right in front of your eyes. But you don't see them because you don't know.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

No, he wouldn't. He wouldn't.

[Ike McEnally]

Try to understand. I say. Your husband's alarm. Why he hasn't come home, I don't know. But you've got to help us find it. The wind from the lake whips sharply against the window and the cold comes into the room. You want to run outside and get away, but you can't. You have to sit there and watch as part of a woman's life slips away.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

I've tried to think of a reason, but there doesn't seem to be any. Except.

[Ike McEnally]

Yes?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Except for something I might have done.

[Ike McEnally]

I don't think so. Tell me, Mrs. Wagner, was your husband in debt? Perhaps trouble of some kind?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

I don't think he could find time for trouble.

[Ike McEnally]

How do you mean?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

He seemed to be busy every minute. This is his work. His athletic club. His paintings. Flaming.

[Ike McEnally]

Yes. This portrait on the wall, I've been looking at it.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

That's one of Davis, isn't it?

[Ike McEnally]

Goot very.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

The Willard Art Museum once held an exhibition of just his work.

[Ike McEnally]

The way he caught the face of this girl. Almost lifelike. It seems to me I might know her. Do you know her name, Mrs. Wagner?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

No, I don't know. She posed for my husband a few times before.

[Ike McEnally]

It's Steve.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

I'm sorry to cause you so much trouble, Mr. McEnally.

[Ike McEnally]

I guess it's the other way around. It's become just a little more than a story to me. I'm in this all away. Let's finish.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Who are you?

[Ike McEnally]

Ike McInally. I'm with the Cleveland News.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Oh, you're taking a poll or something?

[Ike McEnally]

Sure. Can I come in?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Okay.

[Ike McEnally]

Well, Ms. Jenny Logan.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

You press the right button.

[Ike McEnally]

I need some help, Jenny. I. I'm doing a little research on a guy named David Wagner. The art agency gave you a name.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

What kind of research? I just modeled for him a few times.

[Ike McEnally]

Well, you heard about his accident. That's it.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Yeah. Real luck.

[Ike McEnally]

Rough on his wife, too, the kid.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Well, what do you do? That's the way things go.

[Ike McEnally]

Uh, not always. This may come as a shock. Jenny. David Wagner is still alive.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

You're crazy. The paper I ready was drawn, but

[Ike McEnally]

they never found the body.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

They couldn't. All that water going over the dam. You know all the details, don't you? Words for the guy. I'm pretty happy and interested in what happened.

[Ike McEnally]

Better get that Jenny, it'll boil over on the floor in a second.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

It's funny you're coming to me like this. How could I know about Sasha Wagons?

[Narrator]

Well, you know how it is.

[Ike McEnally]

I just have to check up on everyone. By the way, you seem to be kind of hipped on mysteries yourself.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

What do you mean?

[Ike McEnally]

What a book you've got here. Living Corpse.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Don't you open that book. Why don't you mind your own business? I didn't ask you to come up here and go snooping around. Now get out of here before I call the super. You hear me? Get out.

[Ike McEnally]

Get out. Oh, miss, could you help me, please?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

We try to keep the library as quiet as possible.

[Ike McEnally]

Sorry.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Now what is it?

[Ike McEnally]

You wanted a book.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Naturally. But which one?

[Ike McEnally]

It's just a cheap little detective thriller. I see.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

It's name three.

[Ike McEnally]

The Living Corpse.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

The Living Court.

[Ike McEnally]

It's just for a Friend.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

That's a great classic, sir. Written by Leo Tolstoy.

[Ike McEnally]

It is?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Of course, it's a wonderful story. Don't you know it?

[Ike McEnally]

I'm afraid not.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Well, it's all about a respectable, well established man who fakes his own death so that he can escape from a wife he no longer cares for. Then by taking on a new name, he goes away with his sweetheart to begin a new life. It's a beautiful story. But sir. Don't you want the book? Then the door. Quietly.

[Ike McEnally]

Gas mask.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

One way ticket to New York, please. And hurry.

[Ike McEnally]

Going someplace, Jenny?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Foreign.

[Narrator]

We'll be back in just a moment with tonight's big story. This is Cy Harris returning it to your narrator and the big stuff story

[Ike McEnally]

of Ike McInally as he lived it and wrote it. You, Ike McInally of the Cleveland News, should now find yourself in the middle of the strangest story you've ever covered. You know that Dr. David Wagner had made it appear that he'd been killed. And for a while their idea doesn't make sense. Wagner was living a secure, respected life. Married and with two kids. Why should he want to disappear? But then you hit upon an answer. A famous book with a plot that gives you the reason. Going someplace, Jenny?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

It's American habit.

[Ike McEnally]

You were in awful hurry, Jenny. The boys at the cab stand remembered you.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Well, you could have brought me a box of candy. After all, I'm going on my vacation.

[Ike McEnally]

Let's go in the waiting room. It's not so noisy.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Okay. I can give you a minute.

[Ike McEnally]

That's right.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Well, what's on your mind?

[Ike McEnally]

That book, Jenny. A Living Corpse by Tolstoy. David Wagner gave it to you. No, he gave it to you. And now you're leaving to meet him.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

You're crazy. I haven't seen him in months.

[Ike McEnally]

You're lying. Wagner's in love with him.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Why don't you let me alone?

[Ike McEnally]

How can I? It isn't just between you and Wagner. He's got a wife and kids, remember?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

What can I do about it?

[Ike McEnally]

You can let him alone. You can tell him to come back where he belongs.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

You don't know what you're asking. There are some things you can't stop. Jump in front of a train and see if you'll even slow it down. This is the same way. David, me, you and his wife. None of us can do anything about it.

[Ike McEnally]

And you are in love with him.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

You know, this isn't a thing I want to lie about. It's something too good for that.

[Ike McEnally]

Let me give you a draw. Taking a man away from his home, leaving a wife and children without a dime. You can't call that good.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

David left me his insurance. 50,000 of us.

[Ike McEnally]

But the company won't pay off.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

We've got a right to our lives to do what we want.

[Ike McEnally]

If you don't hurt anyone by doing

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

it, you can't stop us. We're not breaking any law.

[Ike McEnally]

I admit that. But I can't spread your pictures over every front page in the country. They'll be known everywhere. They'll never get a minute's rest. Right.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

All right.

[Ike McEnally]

What do you want me to do? Promise me that wherever you and Wagner go, you'll let us know where you are, the names you're using. We will.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

We will.

[Ike McEnally]

I want your promise that Wagner will always provide for his family. I can't stop you from going to him, but I can make you give me your word on that.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

David will take care of his family. I promise.

[Ike McEnally]

I'm sorry to bust in on you like this, Mrs. Wagner, but it's important.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

You sounded so excited on the phone.

[Ike McEnally]

I should have. Now, here, look at this.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

What is it?

[Ike McEnally]

A money order paying the premium due on your husband's insurance.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

I don't understand.

[Ike McEnally]

Who's this Charles Arnold who signed the money order?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

I haven't the faintest idea.

[Ike McEnally]

There's something funny about this.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Wait a second.

[Ike McEnally]

What's the matter?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

It's Tyson. And the money order.

[Ike McEnally]

Do you recognize it?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

The letter Y? See the place where the line breaks off and the V, how the side of it thins out?

[Ike McEnally]

I see it.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

This was typed on my husband's machine. I know. It's a Portable he took away with him.

[Ike McEnally]

And this clue makes the signature on the Travelers check mean something. Now, I'm convinced that McInalley's right. Your husband is alive. And with this, we're going to find him. My apologies, Ike. Here's some evidence to prove you were right. Thanks, Murray. You sure this type checks with your husband's machine, Mrs. Wagner? Of course it does.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

I'm certain, Mr. McEn.

[Ike McEnally]

Well, what do you make of it? I think David Wagner's still alive. Naturally he is. But where? I hate to disappoint you, Murray, but I don't know. Look, the money order was sent from New York, cracking from there. What's the matter with you? Don't you want to find him? I don't think. McAnalli, you're out of your mind.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

All right, Mr. Murray. I'm sure Mr. McInally knows what he's doing.

[Ike McEnally]

Mrs. Wagner, I think you've known all along that I was right. That your husband was alive.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Yes, I've known.

[Ike McEnally]

I found out why he went away, and I want you to know that, too.

[Narrator]

Have you been holding out on us?

[Ike McEnally]

You're just a bystander, Marina. Keep quiet. All right, go ahead. I wouldn't tell you, Mrs. Wagner. I didn't think you'd understand and accept it.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

I'll try. Where is David, Mr. Macanal?

[Ike McEnally]

A place I don't know. It's not important now. The real thing is why he went away. I think he was crazy for doing it.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

You haven't told me why your husband

[Ike McEnally]

went away, Mrs. Wagner. Because he fell in love with another woman. Did you have to tell her that? She wants to live with the truth.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

It would be easier not to.

[Ike McEnally]

You wanted me to tell you, didn't you?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Yes, I guess I did.

[Ike McEnally]

All right.

[Narrator]

Who's the girl?

[Ike McEnally]

Who is she? Jenny Logan. The one who modeled for that painting there on the wall. Where is she? With him.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

He told you all this, Mr. McEnally?

[Ike McEnally]

The girl, rather. She confirmed what I guess. And you let her go to her. No one could have stopped her.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

If she loved David, she would have gotten to him some way.

[Ike McEnally]

Yes, but she was the only trace to your husband. Macanalli. You deliberately let her go. You threw away our only chance of finding her. Murray, listen.

[Narrator]

No, you listen.

[Ike McEnally]

You've been going around crying how sorry you were for Mrs. Wagner and how rotten the company was not to pay off the insurance. I'm trying to help. Oh, sure you are. That's why you turned this girl loose, to break up a family. Macanali, you're a fake. You just want a story. You don't give a second thought to this family.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Stop it. Stop it. What's the sense of any of you? Even as David did come back, he'd always been lost to me. Now.

[Ike McEnally]

It's three miles back to the office and you walk every step of it. You think of Jenny Logan and the promise she'd made. There should have been some word by now she'd had plenty of time. But like David Wagner, she too had disappeared. And as the weeks and months go by, it's hard to forget that it was you who let her go. McAnally, this is Murray. I've got some news for you. What's up? I just thought you'd like to know that David Wagner's insurance policy expires tonight at 12 o'. Clock. Accordingly, premium hasn't been paid. Nothing's come in since the last money I showed you. Now you tell me. Why didn't you let me know sooner? I could have raised the money. Mrs. Wagner told me not to. It's her problem, she said. And just between us, McAnally, I don't think she cares any. Who can blame us? But that policy is her one protection. You can't cancel it.

[Narrator]

No.

[Ike McEnally]

But the company can. Sorry. Maybe now you know what a mess you've made of things.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Why the champagne, David?

[Ike McEnally]

We're celebrating Genesis. Our last day in Vienna.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

And now. Now where do we run to?

[Ike McEnally]

Another city. Budapest, that.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

What name shall we use there?

[Ike McEnally]

Cheer up, Jenny. If you like, we'll keep the ones we have. Now. You're the truth. To Anna and George.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

I don't mean to complain, dear. It's been wonderful, all of it. I've seen all the places I used to read about. And the clothes were just as beautiful as you said they were.

[Ike McEnally]

I saw you packing this morning. Why?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

I'm sending you to my kid sister. She'll be crazy about me.

[Ike McEnally]

Dear little Jenny. Still thinking about home and dear.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Have you forgotten it?

[Ike McEnally]

No. I remember.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

It's like that book you gave me, David. The people in it tried to forget. They tried to build a wall between themselves and the past, but they couldn't.

[Ike McEnally]

Everything ended.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

I know, David.

[Ike McEnally]

But our lives back home have also ended.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

I keep thinking about what that reporter said to me. We've got a right to our own lives to do what we want. As long as you don't hurt anybody. They do.

[Ike McEnally]

You keep your promise. I'm taking care of everything.

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

I was never woman.

[Ike McEnally]

And thus, what shall I do about you?

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

Decide, David. I'm not Afraid

[Ike McEnally]

then we'll always be together. Oh, look out of the window, Jim. The beautiful world isn't and but for

[Mrs. Wagner / Jenny Logan]

you, I'd never have seen it.

[Ike McEnally]

I love you very much. We did together. Always. The news comes back and you've got the story of a girl who believed in paying off on a bargain. The words you write come slow and hard. This is a story that touches the lives of everyone around it. On a warm spring day in Vienna, it ended for Jenny Logan and David Wagner. But for you and the others, it'll always live in memory.

[Narrator]

In just a moment, we'll read you a Telegram for Mike McAnally of the Cleveland News with the final outcome of tonight's Big story. Now we read you that Telegram from Mike McElli of the Cleveland News.

[Ike McEnally]

Subsequent investigation in tonight's Big Story revealed fact that David Wagner left evidence in his room in Vienna as to his and Jenny's real identity. The double suicide took place an hour before midnight the day the insurance policy was to expire so that Mrs. Wagner could collect the $50,000. My sincere appreciation for tonight's Pall Mall award.

[Narrator]

Thank you, Mr. McAnally. The makers of Pall Mall are proud to have named you the winner of the Pall Mall five hundred Dollar award for notable service in the field of journalism. Listen again next week, same time, same station, when Pell Mell will present another big story.

[Ike McEnally]

A big story from the front pages of the Seattle Times byline, Don Magnuson. A big story about a reporter who made a winner out of a three time loser.

[Narrator]

The big story is produced by Bernard J. Proctor with music by Vladimir Zielinski. Tonight's program was written by Alvin Boritz. Your narrator was Bob Sloan and Sydney Smith played the part of Ike McNelly. In order to protect the names of people actually involved in tonight's authentic big story. The names of all characters in the dramatization were changed with the exception of the reporter, Mr. McEnally. Saturday, March 12 marks the 37th birthday of the Girl Scouts in the United States. This is Girl Scout week.

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[Ike McEnally]

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[Ike McEnally]

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[Ike McEnally]

Just a little bit of electrician humor.

[Narrator]

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[Ike McEnally]

Get a commercial auto insurance quote [e-mail] and see how much you could save. It feels good to Geico.

[Adam Graham]

Welcome back. Sydney Smith is another one of those actors who worked in a great detective series, starring as Ellery Queen for quite a while. In addition to Mr. Smith, the cast included Amber, Agnes Young, Lyle Sudrow and Ted Osborne. I will say first off that I really don't like this title because obviously the chemist was not dead and there has to be something more appropriate. But it's one of those cases. It's the second straight day I'm using a title I'm not crossing crazy about. The issue with the Larry Simons case yesterday was minor in that the spelling really is Simmons that are on the files, but there are too many M's. If you listen to any appropriate spelling of Simons, this is a little more egregious. But again, I'm not trying to compound confusion out there in the larger Old Time radio collecting community by adding alternate titles. But beyond that, I thought this was a really solid episode. Most of the time it is pretty straightforward on this series to just solve whatever the case is. But this one portrayed some of the complexities that can enter into this, particularly when you're dealing with a case where, as he said, there's no crime, so you can't make these people do anything. And so all McNally could do was bring some pressure on, which is what he did. And I really thought it was a great scene where they confronted him and he told the wife about the affair. And it's just such a great conflict, you know where she wants to know, but she doesn't. And I think it's very realistically written, particularly within the guidance of the times. And I think it's a bit more of a complex case from both a moral and emotional perspective. Now, in terms of the story itself, it's pretty close to what actually happened in the court facts. The time frame is a big difference. The actual disappearance happened in late 1929, which would be important. Now, by this point, McEnally had actually moved on to the New York Daily News, but back in 1929, he had been on the Cleveland News and wrote about this disappearance of Dr. Ernest Wattsel. One minor difference was that the lover was Wattsel's private secretary, but she also did modeling, and she also disappeared. And she was married. And her husband actually sued Wattsel for loss of affection, even though he could theoretically be dead. Now, doing this in 1929 probably assured the result of the suicide because essentially they ran on, like, a worldwide trek. They went to New York and got married, obviously not legally. And then they fled to Canada. They nearly got caught. They went to Tokyo and then to India, couldn't find work. And then they went to Europe. And again, we're quoting from the stories behind the big story here, Dr. Joe Webb. And so they got fake passports and ended up in Austria, and the money that he'd been carrying with him began to run out. And so then you had this murder suicide. And it was done on the day that the next premium was due. Now, there's no information here in Dr. Joe Webb's analysis that it was done, as Macanala said in the episode an hour before midnight. That sounds really dramatic, but it raises some key questions, because an hour before midnight, Vienna time is not an hour before midnight, Cleveland time, you know, Eastern, I believe, or New York time, depending on, I guess, on where the insurance policy was at. So as dramatic as the whole last hour was, I don't think that's justified at all. Now, the biggest inaccuracy, though, did not actually come from the news reporting or from the narration of the story. It came from our librarian. Now, if you'll recall, Ike thought that the Living Corpse was some sort of, like, pulp novel, but it was actually by Leo Tolstoy, and it was a play, and she didn't correct him on what it was, but here's how she described the play. Well, it's all about a respectable, well established man who fakes his own death so that he can escape from a wife he no longer cares for. Then by taking on a New name. He goes away with his sweetheart to begin a new life. It's a beautiful story. I don't want to be a poser. I am not some expert on Leo Tolstoy, but as someone who has been educated at all, I think I had some in high school and had something I had to read with him from him in college. I mean, that sounds like a Harlequin romance novel. And so I looked it up and no, that is not the plot of the play the Living Corpse at all. But I do understand why it was referenced because the story does parallel both what happened in this episode as well as the real life incident. The man runs away not primarily to be with the sweetheart, but because he can't deal with responsibility, he runs away from it. And the relationship with the woman he fallen for pretty much falls apart. And he runs away from that too when her family doesn't approve of him. But his lack of responsibility isn't something that only has effects on him. As it turns out, his wife actually believes he died. And then she marries again. But then somebody finds evidence that he's still alive and she gets charged with bigamy and the play ends with him committing suicide and his re emergence and committing suicide ends up clearing her of the crime and allowing her to avoid being sent to Siberia. And the events of that story really do parallel here. And you can kind of feel that when you get into the final scene there is this sense in the way the actors play. It portrays this exhaustion with the continual running away. So the Living Corpse is a great analogy for this story and I think an inspiration for how the writer approached it. The lines given to the librarian are way off the mark. Part of the challenge may be that you're wanting to tell a dramatic story and if she actually explained what the book was about, it would come off as heavy handed and it would spoil the ending. I guess if you want an in universe explanation, maybe she's one of those bad librarians who wants to pretend she's read all the books, but she's read whatever they had for CliffNotes in 1929 or just saw the play and is confusing it with another one. But she spoke with authority. But then again, so many people who are wrong do listener comments and feedback now and we go over to YouTube where we have a comment regarding the episode Blonde Date with Murder. Thanks so much for your commentary. It adds to the enjoyment that these provide. Well, thanks so much. And I try to add value for each podcast that I do. I do think that the big story is probably the One where the commentary is the most helpful because there are so many sort of real life things to look into and investigate and talk about. So I definitely enjoy doing these particular episodes. Jeff, comments regarding the same episode on Patreon might be me, but why is the reporter going into two homes where there have likely been shootings and deaths? Totally compromises the crime scene. Also, the child portion of this story as dramatized feels cartoonish and unbelievable, made worse by some of the inappropriate clothes carnival like music. The whole episode feels off to me. The music part is interesting and I'm not, and I'm not entirely sure with the music used whether the stuff that people have identified as circus music was something that was original to the program. I wouldn't think so because I've not had any complaints about the music on the Big Story being off. And there's no reason it should be. Just in this particular episode. I'm suspecting that this was added into the AFRS recordings because there were rules about including advertisements. So they were including the music to kind of transition apart where there was advertisements or commercial sponsors. That's my best guess. The other question that I could or well, I can't address, but I want to address it by saying I can't address it is the whole question of what was this reporter doing? And there are a couple of potential answers. There is the radio production angle, where him going into these houses before running into the the killer is just simplified storytelling. You've got only so much time. You've already got the entire cast doubling up. You can't really introduce a policeman on the scene without complicating your story. The other possibility is that keeping in mind when this occurred, the reporter actually could have entered the crime scene. Police were not nearly as stringent in some places, particularly in this area, which I believe was a suburb of Pittsburgh or on the outskirts of it. And you also had the fact that journalism was a bit of a Wild west situation and there were a lot of reporters who were willing to do things they shouldn't in order to get a story. A reporter could stand outside a place where a murder had occurred and know that ideally he should probably call the police. In terms of civic duty. Yeah. In terms of whatever understanding they had about preserving a crime scene. I've talked to people involved in crime scene investigation who insist that average patrolmen in the 21st century sometimes aren't great at preserving a crime scene or understanding what needs to be done there. So the reporter could have gone in for whatever reason, or it could be something where the radio writers decided to take a shortcut and unfortunately I don't have that level of detail to say for sure, but I do appreciate the comments so much. Well, now it is time to thank our Patreon supporter of the day and I want to go ahead and thank Odell patreon supporter since April 2021, currently supporting the podcast at the shamus level of $4 or more per month. Thanks so much for your support Idyll and that will do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software and be sure to rate and review the podcast podcast wherever you download us from. We will be back next Tuesday with another episode of the Big Story. Next Monday we begin our second run through the Saint, but join us back here tomorrow for Broadway's My Beat.

[Ike McEnally]

Winger Last Wrists Last week my wife made me buy tickets to her play. All I could get was sometime next June. She was sold out that far. Last rest. You got here fast. Beautiful, Danny. So I never thought I'd stand so close to her. I said you. Yeah, yeah. How I got here, it was phoned in, Danny. Anonymous call said Lily Nelson was in trouble. Anonymous we got a tracer on it, Danny. By the time you get back to headquarters, maybe you found her like this? Yeah, door was open. I walked under all these crystal chandeliers, past all the mirrors. Found her lying in front of this one dressed like that. That material, it's like a veil, Danny. No one with her? I look through the house. No one. What's she leaving? Note anything? Nothing, Danny. Just the razor blade by her side. That's all. Lily Nelson. You gotta go to ticket scalpers, beg them to sell you a ticket overpriced just so you can watch her. Why should she kill herself? For what?

[Adam Graham]

I hope you'll be with us then. In the meantime, send your comments to Box 13@Great Detectives.net follow us on Twitter at Radio Detectives and check us out on Instagram. Instagram.com Great detectives from Boise, Idaho, this is your host Adam Graham signing off.

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[Ike McEnally]

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[Ike McEnally]

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[Adam Graham]

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[Ike McEnally]

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