
Today's Mystery: A Tulsa, Oklahoma reporter investigates when a man is found murdered outside a small town. Original Radio Broadcast Date: December 14, 1949 Originating in New York Starring Bob Readick as Nolan Bulloch, Abby Lewis, Grant Richards,...
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Julian Edelman
This is Julian Edelman from Games With Names. I want to take a second to talk about something that's personal to me. I've had the privilege of working closely with Robert Kraft for a long time, and one thing I've always respected is how seriously he takes up standing up to hate. As a Jewish athlete, my identity is something I am proud of, but I also know what it feels like to be singled out for it. That's why this new commercial for the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate that aired during the Big Game really hit home. It's about showing up for someone when they're targeted, even if you don't have the perfect words. And sometimes standing next to someone is enough. And you can show support by sharing the Blue Square
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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 I want to encourage you. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software. And I want to highlight a another podcast we do that you might enjoy. Want to encourage you to check out the Amazing World of Radio at amazing great detectives.net we had a spring special and we also had two special episodes for Easter recently posted. You can check those out@amazing.greatdetives.net and when you follow the podcast, you can also catch whatever summer series our Patreon supporters choose@patreon.greatdetives.net but now, from December 14, not 1949, here is three gold coins spelled death.
Narrator
The Big Story.
Narrator/Storyteller
It was Sunday morning along U.S. highway 66, heading west from Tulsa toward Clinton, Oklahoma. Mrs. Rose Penn and her son were driving the Cherokee.
Mrs. Rose Penn
Jim. Jim, stop the car.
Narrator/Storyteller
What's the matter, Ma?
Mrs. Rose Penn
I told you, stop the car. Don't you see it over there on the side of the road? A cart. There's a man sleeping on that cot.
Nick Oliver
That's no business of ours, is it, Ma? The fella's got a Right to sleep.
Mrs. Rose Penn
You get on out of this car and find out why he's sleeping there on the cot beside the road, weather like this. Now, go on. Well, well, what are you standing there for? Is he all right? Is he sleeping?
Nick Oliver
He's sleeping, Ma. He's sleeping. But he ain't never going to wake up.
Narrator/Storyteller
Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Narrator
The story of a reporter who found
Narrator/Storyteller
three golden coins that spelled death.
Narrator
Tulsa, Oklahoma. The story as it actually happened. Reporter Nolan Bullock's story as he lived it.
Narrator/Storyteller
You, Nolan Bullock of the Tulsa Tribune, are a reporter with a flattened nose. And you got it by sticking it consistently into other people's business. Like now, you sit in the fashionable Will Rogers Hotel in Claremore near Tulsa, and take part in a business conference. The business being, since Oklahoma is a dry state, bootlegging. And your job, that of undercover agent for the State Crime Bureau. Your name for today, Nolan Bullock, is Mr. Norton.
Mr. Richie
Mighty good meal they serve here, Mr. Norton.
Nolan Bullock
Mighty good cigar, Mr. Ritchie.
Mr. Richie
Okay, perfect. Thank you kindly.
Nolan Bullock
I have been sitting quiet all through the meal, Mr. Ritchie. Do we talk business now?
Mr. Richie
Yes, sure thing, Mr. Norton. But to tell you the truth, I don't think we can make a deal.
Nolan Bullock
You've had a week to check my credit.
Mr. Richie
No, no, it's not the credit.
Nolan Bullock
Well, what is it then? I've been merchandise three and a half weeks now.
Mr. Richie
Look, I explained to you last time. A change in a corporation as big as mine. That takes time, Mr. Norton. When Mr. Veazey was alive, the man in charge before, Mr. Breeden. I told him, you got to prepare for eventualities like this. But he didn't listen to me. Nobody listens to an accountant.
Nolan Bullock
Look, all I know is that I've got to have 21 cases of stock delivered. So loud?
Mr. Richie
Please, Mr. Norton.
Nolan Bullock
And I need two dozen barrels weekly, regularly. Now, when am I going to get a definite answer? You know there are other firms to deal with.
Mr. Richie
Oh, now, you wouldn't want to do that, Mr. Norton. When Mr. Breedon comes in and takes over, that's the man you want to deal with, and the only one in this state. I worked for Mr. Breton years ago, and I tell you frankly, I'm looking
Nolan Bullock
forward to his return.
Mr. Richie
Things never were the same in all the years he was away. He's a fine man, Mr. Breton. Strictly business, but the best terms you could get, believe me.
Nolan Bullock
Look, I know about Mr. Breedon. All I am asking you now is when does he get here? When can we make our final arrangements?
Mr. Richie
To tell you the truth, Mr. Norton, he ought to have been here Yesterday he left California. Must have been three days ago, I believe. I'll wire him and find out if there was any change in his plans.
Nolan Bullock
I've got 121 establishments waiting on Mr. Breton. Those customers want beer, they want wine, they want whiskey, and they want it now. They are not interested in any of my business difficulties.
Narrator/Storyteller
And so you, Nolan Bullock, undercover agent and reporter, watch the pleasant accountant leave, and you make your call.
Nolan Bullock
Capital 2000.
Narrator/Storyteller
State Bureau of Criminal Investigation.
Nolan Bullock
Let me hear, Mr. Oliver, please.
Narrator/Storyteller
Yes, this is Nolan Bullock.
Nick Oliver
Oh, I'm sorry. I can't talk to you, Nolan.
Nolan Bullock
Well, I have just left Richie. He expects breeding in a few days.
Nick Oliver
Pete's sake. I can't talk to you. I've got to run.
Nolan Bullock
Where have you got to run?
Nick Oliver
If you must know. Dead man reported out on Route 66. Look, I'm supposed to be out there. I can't sit here talking to you.
Mr. Richie
Murder?
Nick Oliver
Yeah, it looks like it.
Nolan Bullock
Well, you don't have to talk to
Narrator/Storyteller
me on the phone.
Nolan Bullock
I'll meet you there. Where is it?
Nick Oliver
Oh, no. I'm not ready to give anything out on this.
Nolan Bullock
Now, look, Nick, if you don't tell me where to meet you on that killing, I'll get off this breeding case fast.
Nick Oliver
That's blackmail. Call it what you like. Where is it? About two miles outside of Clinton on Route 66. Big gas station that side of the road.
Nolan Bullock
You can't miss it. I won't.
Narrator/Storyteller
And so you, Nolan Bullock, drop the story about the bootleg syndicate and hop on the bigger story. The story of murder. And now you stand with Special Investigator Nick Oliver, Both of you shaking your head at the dead man lying on the cot. Just off Route 66 near Clinton.
Nolan Bullock
No possible way of identification, Nick?
Nick Oliver
Nothing. I'll get Haynes of the Fingerprint Bureau in, see if his prints tell us anything. I don't think even a mother would recognize his face. Hey, where you going?
Nolan Bullock
Looking around.
Nick Oliver
I wish that ambulance would get here.
Nolan Bullock
What are you looking for? Something in the grass, Nick. Hey, what do you know? It's a coin. Here's another one.
Nick Oliver
Let me see.
Nolan Bullock
Those are Mexican coins, right?
Nick Oliver
That's what they are.
Nolan Bullock
Well, what are they doing here?
Narrator/Storyteller
How do I know?
Nick Oliver
Well, we've got something anyhow. It's not much more than nothing, but it's something.
Narrator/Storyteller
Finally. The ambulance. Yes.
Nick Oliver
There. Okay, send him in. Somebody thinks he's got something on the murder, Nolan.
Nolan Bullock
And somebody's got something more than we have, Nick.
Nick Oliver
Reverend Burns.
Narrator
Not reverend, sir. Mr. Burns. You see, Lieutenant, I'm not an Ordained minister? Merely an evangelical preacher who tries to bring a little understanding.
Nick Oliver
Now, Lieutenant, it's not Lieutenant, just mister.
Narrator
I beg your pardon, sir?
Nick Oliver
Like you said, not Lieutenant, just mister, right?
Narrator
Right, sir. Now, last Saturday, sir, I was holding my regular campfire meeting. We hold campfire meetings every Saturday evening. All the way up and down Highway 6 to 6 that night, sir, I was preaching on the 7th.
Nick Oliver
I thought you said you knew something about the murder.
Narrator
I was coming to that directly, sir. It was toward the end of my sermon. The disturbance came from a campfire not too far distant. But you see, sir, the men were shouting. And the wind, you see, was blowing.
Nick Oliver
Please, Mr. Burns.
Narrator
So you see, their voices were waft in my direction. There were three men, sir. And they were having, I must say, a most profane fight. You can imagine the language.
Nolan Bullock
And that's all, sir.
Narrator
I knew something dreadful was going to happen. And I thought for a moment I would intervene. But then I thought better of it and I didn't. And that's all that happened.
Nolan Bullock
Did you see any of them? Their faces?
Narrator
It was rather a dark night, if it's of any value. Though I don't see how it possibly can be. They had a station wagon parked next to the fire. And I think one of the men, amidst the profanity, called the other Ace.
Nick Oliver
Thank you very much, Mr. Burns.
Narrator
Not at all, sir. I shall be holding a meeting on Saturday as usual. Just two miles out of Tulsa on Route 66. If you should want me.
Nick Oliver
Thank you. Mind closing the door?
Nolan Bullock
That's a great help. Somebody name of Ace. And there was a station wagon, maybe.
Nick Oliver
Don't forget.
Nolan Bullock
It was a dark night, but the wind was blowing.
Narrator/Storyteller
A week goes by. A week of feverish activity. By Nick Oliver on the murder story. And by you, Nolan Bullock, on the murder case. And on the bootleg syndicate. And when you add it all up, it's less than the faint sound of the name Ace on the night air. You keep spending time at headquarters waiting,
Nick Oliver
hoping, and mostly dozing.
Narrator/Storyteller
And then a routine message comes through on the police teletype.
Nick Oliver
Request. Owner, Oklahoma license 71391. Truck stranded here. Answer soonest. Police chief, Indio, California.
Narrator/Storyteller
And Nick Oliver put through the routine request in the routine way.
Nick Oliver
License 71391.
Narrator/Storyteller
Hey, Nolan, wake up.
Mrs. Rose Penn
Huh?
Nick Oliver
What? What's the matter? Wake up.
Nolan Bullock
What did you say?
Nick Oliver
Guess whose truck is stranded out in California.
Nolan Bullock
What are you talking about?
Nick Oliver
That request we got from Indio.
Nolan Bullock
Oh, yeah, sure. What about it?
Nick Oliver
The owner of that car in California was named Thomas Breeden.
Nolan Bullock
Breeden well, that's my man. Get California on the phone.
Nick Oliver
Vinnie, you put me through to the police chief in Indio. Who'd you think I was calling, Nolan? My bootlegger. Yes, that's right, Chief. Fella's name was Thomas Breeden. And we're interested in him too. Tell me everything you've got. Oh, you jailed him?
Nolan Bullock
That's why he didn't meet me in the coup in California. Uh huh.
Nick Oliver
El Paso, huh? What do you know?
Nolan Bullock
What about El Paso? Hey, Nick, what about El Paso?
Nick Oliver
You check with the FBI, huh? Fine, fine.
Nolan Bullock
What is this FBI? El Paso, Nick.
Nick Oliver
Chief, you've been very helpful. Is there any time you're in Tulsa? Yes, Chief, I'll do that. Say, how's the weather out there, Nick? 92 degrees, huh? Well, you don't say. We got blizzard weather here. It's so long, Chief.
Nolan Bullock
Well, you want me to strangle you?
Nick Oliver
It seems your friend Tom Breeden was picked up about a week ago by the police chief in Indio. He was driving a truck, went through a red light and hit somebody. Wasn't serious. They put him in the coup for five days. Took his prints and all that. Chief said he acted like a man going to be sentenced to the chair. Nervous. So he checked on him in Washington?
Narrator/Storyteller
Oh, I don't know.
Nick Oliver
There was some delay, I guess, on the chief's end in checking the prince with Washington. And he didn't get the answer on Breeding until after he was let out.
Narrator
Look, Nick, get to the point.
Nolan Bullock
Okay.
Nick Oliver
When the report came through, it seems Breeding is wanted by the federal authorities at El Paso for entering the country illegally with close to $17,000 in Mexican coins.
Nolan Bullock
Mexican coins?
Nick Oliver
That's what the man said when he last left California. He was seen driving in a station wagon with two men, one named Bronson, one named Stiles. The first name of the fellow called Stiles was Ace.
Nolan Bullock
What about Breedon?
Nick Oliver
Well, you see, Nolan, the reason you never met Breeden is because his prints are the same as those of the man we saw on the cut off US 66.
Narrator/Storyteller
Awful.
Nick Oliver
Dead.
Narrator/Storyteller
What started out for you, Nolan Bullock, reporter for the Tulsa Tribune as an undercover job as a bootlegger is now a murder story involving the FBI. Two indistinct figures named Acquisition Styles and Somebody Bronson. And $17,000 in Mexican coins. You and Nick Oliver know you aren't much nearer a solution than you are the time you stood and looked at the battered head of Thomas Breeden. And so you decide to go back to the Will Rogers Hotel in Claremore. Maybe the contact man of the syndicate. The accountant knows something.
Nolan Bullock
Look, Mr. Richie, you said in a few days I'd get an answer.
Mr. Richie
Yes, I know, I know. But something has happened to Mr. Breton. Could you use a good man in your organization? I'm a fine accountant. I'm honest and I am accurate. I was with Mr. Breton for 13 years. I tell you, I know the bootleg business.
Nolan Bullock
I'd like to help you, Mr. Ritchie, and maybe I can if you put me in touch with whoever is taking
Mr. Richie
over now that Mr.
Nolan Bullock
Breeding is. I beg you have to.
Mr. Richie
As soon as I know anything. And you can use a good man in your organization.
Nolan Bullock
Well, we'll see. Right now I'd better pay the check and get going.
Mr. Richie
Yes, well, I'll run on ahead and see what I can find out for you.
Nolan Bullock
You've no idea how upset I am. Is this where I pay the check?
Mrs. Rose Penn
That's right. Just a moment. I'm sorry I nearly gave you that phony coin. I've been meaning to put the side.
Narrator
Wait a minute.
Narrator/Storyteller
Wait a minute.
Nolan Bullock
Let me see that. Lady, That's a Mexican coin. Where did you get it?
Mrs. Rose Penn
Someone's been passing them. The girl at the cigar counter got one and I got this.
Nolan Bullock
When was this?
Mrs. Rose Penn
This morning sometime.
Nolan Bullock
Who gave it to you?
Mrs. Rose Penn
I didn't really notice. Some man, by the time I saw it wasn't a real coin, had already gone out. Ran out to the front steps and I saw him drive off. He and another man was with him.
Nolan Bullock
Did you happen to know what they drove off in?
Mrs. Rose Penn
No, just a car.
Nolan Bullock
Was it a station wagon?
Mrs. Rose Penn
You mean one of those? Say, now that you mention it, it's just what it was. You know, I have to make that up out of my own pocket.
Nolan Bullock
No, you don't, sister. Here's a dollar to take its place. Let me have that little Mexican phony. Nick, guess what happened.
Narrator/Storyteller
Come on.
Nick Oliver
If you've got something, give.
Nolan Bullock
Remember that Mexican who showed up? Those three Mexicans?
Nick Oliver
The blondes? Mm.
Nolan Bullock
The golden blondes. Well, I found a friend of theirs at the Cashiers and the restaurant in the Will Rogers Hotel.
Nick Oliver
Meet you there in an hour. Make it half an hour.
Nolan Bullock
907 is my room, Nick. 907.
Mr. Richie
Hello, Mr. Norton? This is Mr. Richie. I've got something you'll find very exciting. You can meet the new boss.
Narrator/Storyteller
How?
Mr. Richie
You know the road off U.S. 66?
Nolan Bullock
Yes.
Mr. Richie
Well, go past the gas station at Ember Street. It's a little dirt road. A little left off 66. A left turn. You can't miss it. It runs down third through the Verdigris Valley. There's a big white house, green shutters. That's two and a half miles down the road.
Narrator/Storyteller
All right.
Nolan Bullock
Thanks, Ricky.
Mr. Richie
Now, please don't say I told you to go there, Mr. Norton. The boss might not like it. His name is Bronson.
Nolan Bullock
Okay, Rich, and I won't forget. When I get a set up, I'll find a place in it for you.
Mr. Richie
Oh, thank you, Mr. Norton. Thank you very much.
Narrator/Storyteller
Now what to do? Nick Oliver is on his way be reached. And you know how to find a new boss. It takes only a moment to make up your mind. You turn left at the gas station off 66. Take the road toward Verdigris Valley. You keep her in second as you go down the incline. And the road is wide enough now for just one car. Now, coming at you is another dusty car. And there isn't room for both of you to pass. You stop and then you see a station wagon.
Nick Oliver
Not much room, huh? That's right, Bud.
Narrator
Looks like one of us is gonna have to back up.
Nolan Bullock
Say, is your name Ace?
Narrator
Which is it gonna be, Mac, you or us? Who backs up?
Nolan Bullock
Well, I was supposed to meet a fellow.
Nick Oliver
I think it better be you, bud. And we're in a hurry,
Narrator/Storyteller
so you back her up. Trying to get a look at the license plates at the man in the car. There's too much dust on the road. And then finally, when you reach a point where you can back up off the road and let them pass, something inside tells you, bullock, old fellow, you
Nolan Bullock
better keep your head down as they go by.
Narrator/Storyteller
You duck and wait for it. But it doesn't come. There's no shot. And then you see them hitting 40, 50, pulling away from you before you can swing your car back on the road and follow them. And it takes you an hour and a half, it seems, to reach the next gas station just a quarter of a mile away before you can call Nick Oliver.
Nolan Bullock
Nick? Well, I saw them. At least I think I saw them. I mean, Stiles and Bronson in a station wagon out on a dirt road off 66. No, no, no, I checked that. There's a little gas station. That's where I'm calling from. No station wagon came out from the canyon. It must have turned off one of the side roads. There aren't many of them, I'm sure. Yes, four or five men to do the job. All right, I'll wait here.
Mr. Richie
Shut it off, Nick.
Nick Oliver
Over there.
Nolan Bullock
You see it? That's the wagon.
Nick Oliver
Very convenient. Nice place for a headquarters. The House in the Valley. And the car.
Nolan Bullock
Only let's go slow. Sure this is the wagon? Sure I'm sure. Let's see what's in it. Put your light over here. What have you got? There's a gash in the back seat. It's a big bowl. You see it?
Nick Oliver
Yes, I see it.
Nolan Bullock
Mexican blondes. Quite a bunch of them.
Nick Oliver
Very nice.
Nolan Bullock
Look at this. What do you think this is here? Right here. Is it rust?
Nick Oliver
My guess is blood.
Nolan Bullock
And this is a wrench. Might be what they did it with.
Nick Oliver
It's heavy enough and it's got the same kind of rust on it.
Nolan Bullock
Well, let's take them.
Danny
Not so fast, Nolan.
Nick Oliver
Suppose they say they never met your friend Breeden.
Nolan Bullock
Know nothing about him. We need proof. Just what do you have in mind?
Nick Oliver
You know those guys pretty well. Know their business lingo, the way they operate. Can't you think of some way of going in there doing a little fast talking?
Nolan Bullock
Well, if I do, it's not a bad story. No, not bad at all. Good luck. Good evening, Mr. Stiles. It is Mr. Stiles.
Narrator/Storyteller
Who are you?
Nolan Bullock
Where is Bronson? Downstairs. Who are you? Well, my name is Norton. Didn't you hear about me? I was supposed to make arrangements with Mr. Breeden from the delivery of 21 cases of stock a week and a half.
Nick Oliver
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Nolan Bullock
Little Richie told me about you.
Narrator
Hey, ain't you the fella?
Nick Oliver
Yeah.
Nolan Bullock
We met you on the road. Vertigree Valley. I was sorry about that. We had to change our headquarters. How'd you find us? Look, I've got a lot of money invested in my business. Little tracking down if somebody never bothered me. Okay, Sit down. What do you get for a case of domestic stock?
Narrator
Run you about $170.
Nolan Bullock
I'll take 12 cases a week. Give you $20 a case. All right. Who are you kidding? $20? No, no, I'm quite serious. You see, I happen to know that I can get it at $20 a case.
Narrator
Go on, pedal your papers somewhere else. The price is $170.
Nolan Bullock
See, I happen to know that you and Bronson and my friend Breeden were driving in from California. I happen to know that you got into a fight with him. And I happen to know that you stole $17,000 in coins from him. And there are stains in the car, right out in the back. And a wrench with stains on it, and I don't think there are stains. Now, take it easy, will you? Look, we can do business. Say, I've got another idea. Why does it have to Be Norton and Stiles and Bronson. Why can't it just be Norton and Stiles? What do you mean, just you and me? Come on, now, who did it? The breeding?
Mr. Richie
I mean, was it you?
Nolan Bullock
Or maybe your friend downstairs?
Narrator/Storyteller
You know what?
Nolan Bullock
We've come to a deal. Cutting something three ways is less than cutting something in two. Yeah, that's just how it happened. He did it. Bronson. I didn't want to kill him. I just wanted to make a deal. But that Bronson, he's got a temper like a wild man. You mean it? You and me? Why not? The cops are looking for a fall guy. You testify, I testify. And it's Norton and Stiles. I should have met you before Norton and Styles.
Narrator
Now, ain't that pretty? And the cops need a fall guy. Now, wait a second, Bronson.
Nick Oliver
I was just.
Narrator
Yeah. Maybe instead. Instead of a fall guy, the cops will get a corpse. Maybe two corpses.
Nolan Bullock
Mr. Bronson. Yeah, that's right.
Narrator
Mr. Bronson. Who do you think you are, coming in here making deals?
Nolan Bullock
Just a guy anxious like you are to make a buck.
Narrator
Now, look, you shut up. Two red cents, I'd knock you right through the floor where you're standing, Norton and styles.
Nolan Bullock
Now, look, Mr. Bronson, you can't do business that way. It can't be done.
Nick Oliver
Corpses.
Nolan Bullock
Two corpses, knocking people through the floor. All I want is the best possible deal I can get.
Narrator
Why did you dig this thing up from me? You think you can talk your way out of this? I heard what you said. It was standing behind the door. Now, I don't know who you think you are or what makes you so cocky.
Nolan Bullock
What makes me so cocky, as you put it, is what's out in the back.
Narrator
What's supposed to be out in the
Nolan Bullock
back in the car? 17,000 in Mexican coins like the ones found near breeding. Stains on the floor of the car. And a wrench out there. Stains on that, too.
Narrator
Nobody saw? No. $17,000. There's no stains, no wrench. All I see is a wise guy who takes talks too much for my money. I smell cop.
Nolan Bullock
Amateur cop.
Narrator
Now turn around.
Nolan Bullock
Bronson, I think maybe we ought to make a deal.
Narrator
You already done enough thinking. Maybe you ought to turn around, too. I said turn around. All right, all right.
Mr. Richie
I was only.
Nick Oliver
He was only looking for me. Let's stand where we are. Right where we are.
Nolan Bullock
Hello, Nick.
Nick Oliver
Oh, I knew it.
Narrator
Maybe we ought to make a deal. Bronson, shut up.
Nick Oliver
That's right, both of you.
Narrator/Storyteller
Now, let's go.
Nick Oliver
Oh, Nolan give you a tip?
Nolan Bullock
Sure.
Nick Oliver
Don't try to move into bootlegging. Not in your line, not your style. You stick with the papers.
Nolan Bullock
Thanks, Nick. Don't think I won't.
Narrator
Now, we read you that telegram from
Nolan Bullock
Nolan Bullock of the Tulsa, Oklahoma Tribune. Both men in tonight's big story pleaded guilty to second degree manslaughter, admitted killing Breeden after he attacked them. Both were sentenced to 10 years of hard labor at the State Penitentiary MacAlister, Oklahoma.
Narrator
And so ends another big story. 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 newspaper reporter.
Mr. Richie
Sam.
Narrator
This is the United States Armed Forces Radio Service, the voice of information and education.
Narrator/Storyteller
Foreign.
Julian Edelman
This is Julian Edelman from Games with Names. I want to take a second to talk about something that's personal to me. I've had the privilege of working closely with Robert Kraft for a long time. And one thing I've always respected is how seriously he takes up standing up to hate. As a Jewish athlete, my identity is something I am proud of. But I also know what it feels like to be singled out for it. That's why this new commercial for the Blue Square Alliance Against Hate that aired during the big game really hit home. It's about showing up for someone when they're targeted, even if you don't have the perfect words. And sometimes standing next to someone is enough and you can show support by sharing the Blue Square.
Adam Graham
Welcome back. Well, since we didn't get any discussion of the cast at all, let's go ahead and do that. First Nolan was played by Bob Redick and then also in the cast were Abby Lewis, Grant Richards, Mandel Kramer and Bill Smith. So we get two future Johnny Dollars for the price of one. Now, I think most criminal relationships are somewhat toxic, but I don't think anything quite beats the dynamic when the smart one and the hothead are the same person is what we saw here. I mean, that other guy was still trying to make a deal even as the police were breaking in. Now, in terms of the facts of the case, the story behind the big story or stories behind the big story states that this were about a mysterious slaying of a man near Clinton. That's what the basis of the story, Clinton, Oklahoma. They occurred in 1947. And a summary is to be available soon. But no real details on the real life, who's and what's, even though Dr. Joe Webb says the story has been found. And in this case I'm a little bit curious about whether the whole detail about Nolan actually being a government agent was invented because it sounds like the type of stuff you hear in fiction because it would be exceedingly rare for a reporter to actually directly work for the police department. But then again, there's not a whole lot of history on Oklahoma police practices that's readily available on the Internet. Now one thing they did find is that he actually walked with a limp as a result of getting beaten up while posing as a college student trying to obtain the story. And so while I can't get into details about the case, it is safe to say that Nolan Bullock was the type of man who was not afraid to take very serious risk in order to get a story. Well, listen our comments and feedback. And we have a comment on the post. Poison pen murders from Jeffrey, who writes pretty lax laws then how can a non policeman confiscate a pistol from a person's room? Well, legally you wouldn't think they would be able to. And generally when it comes to these sort of details from the Big Story, it comes down to one of two things. Number one, there were a lot of wild days of reporters doing things that they would not do and would not get away with today because of laxer enforcement and print journalism as this sort of frontier. And other details were just invented by the Big story writers. And unfortunately I can't say which with that particular incident. Well, now it is time to thank our Patreon Supporter of the Day. Thank you to Todd, patreon, Supporter since January 2022, currently supporting the PO at the Psalmist level of $4 or more per month. Thanks so much for your support Todd. And that will do it for today. If you're enjoying the podcast, please follow us using your favorite podcast software. And if you're enjoying the podcast on YouTube, be sure to like the video, subscribe to the channel and mark the notification bell. All those great things that help YouTube channels to grow. We will be back next Tuesday with another episode of the Big Story. But join us back here tomorrow for
Nick Oliver
Broadway's My Beat where alcohol poisoning.
Danny
Danny, they're a shift here from the emergency hospital for identification.
Narrator
You know who they are?
Danny
Yeah. This one. Joey Macklin, Bowery pickpocket, bum, panhandler, rummy.
Narrator
This one, you know him?
Danny
No. He's the reason why I called you down here. Notice anything? Danny looks pretty well fed. Fingernails looked like they'd been manicured not too long ago.
Nolan Bullock
Uh huh.
Danny
Couple other things. This. Found this crumpled mask in his pocket. Take a look at his clothes. Really raggy huh? Underneath, he's wearing silk underwear. You taking prints? Last night, soon as they came in. Code numbers sent to Washington right away. You say the emergency hospital sent him over?
Narrator/Storyteller
Yeah.
Danny
They staggered in there practically blind from the bamboos, screaming. We couldn't help them, Danny. They were too far gone.
Narrator
They had the liquor on them.
Danny
No, there's liable to be a lot more of it someplace. Mugavan methyl alcohol and peach juice and beating oil. How could I seen them brought in after they've strained paint through a piece of bread? I've seen him. Yeah, you're right about this one Mugman. He looks too patently a bum. That's why he looks out of place.
Adam Graham
I hope you'll be with us then. In the meantime, do send your comments to box13greatdetectives.net follow us on Twitter @radio detectives and check us out on Instagram. Instagram.com Great detectives from Boise, Idaho, this is your host, Adam Graham, signing off.
Ryan Seacrest
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Julian Edelman
Com.
The Great Detectives of Old Time Radio | EP4947
The Big Story: Three Gold Coins Spell Death
Release Date: April 7, 2026
Host: Adam Graham
This episode features an authentic radio dramatization from The Big Story, originally aired December 14, 1949: "Three Gold Coins Spell Death." The main narrative follows Tulsa Tribune reporter Nolan Bullock as he becomes embroiled in an undercover bootlegging operation that quickly pivots to solving a murder mystery involving three Mexican gold coins. After the drama, host Adam Graham provides cast details, historical notes, and insightful commentary about the story’s real-life basis and journalistic practices of the era.
[02:44–03:53]
[04:06–07:20]
[07:41–10:22]
[10:42–13:58]
[14:47–16:21]
[16:46–24:14]
[24:15–25:25]
Cast & Production Notes
Reflections on the Case and Journalism Then vs. Now