The Haunted Mill by The CBS Radio Mystery Theater

Summary

The Horror! (Old Time Radio) – “The Haunted Mill” (CBS Radio Mystery Theater, Episode 737)

Release Date: September 27, 2025
Source Episode Air Date: November 8, 1977
Host: RelicRadio.com

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Episode Overview

This episode presents “The Haunted Mill,” a classic ghost story dramatized by the CBS Radio Mystery Theater. The narrative focuses on Dr. James Patmore, a rational, scientific man, who must reconcile his skepticism with the unexplained supernatural events in the small coastal town of Brinton. The story intertwines themes of lost love, unresolved grudges, and the eerie presence of spirits who cannot rest, ultimately culminating in the chilling revelation of a murder and the indelible mark left by the supernatural on both the living and the dead.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Breakdown

1. Setting the Mood: Science vs. Supernatural

• Introduction of Dr. James Patmore: A newly settled physician in the superstitious town of Brinton. Dr. Patmore is deeply rational and dismissive of ghostly legends.

  • “Doctors by nature are careful, cautious, scientific and have inquiring minds… Meet Dr. James Patmore, a man of reason who could not believe his senses when faced with the truth.” – Dr. James Patmore, [03:42]

• Establishment of Local Belief: The haunted mill is regarded by locals as a place of dread, steeped in supernatural lore, which Dr. Patmore openly questions.

  • “There is no such thing as a house that is haunted.” – Dr. James Patmore, [02:34]

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2. Return of Charlie Royce and the Lost Letters

• Charlie’s Injured Arrival: Charlie Royce, recently returned from sea, arrives at Patmore’s cottage injured after an accident near the mill.

  • “I was riding along up by the haunted mill, and suddenly something seemed to lean down at me out of a tree branch… and that’s all I remember.” – Charlie Royce, [06:59]
  • Patmore tends to his wounds, and a bond is formed.

• Love Lost and Letters Withheld: Charlie and his love, Hannah Bliss, confront painful truths. Their romance was thwarted by their parents intercepting Charlie’s letters.

  • “Charlie, I didn’t get any letters. Not one letter. That’s the truth.” – Hannah Bliss, [09:46]
  • The revelation leads to Hannah’s engagement to Silas Hart, a wealthy but unloved suitor.

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3. The Triangle and Rising Tensions

• Rivalry with Silas Hart: Upon Charlie’s return and rekindled romance with Hannah, Silas feels betrayed and issues threats.
  • “If I can’t marry you, Hannah, nobody else will.” – Silas Hart, as recounted by Hannah, [14:31]
  • Hannah and Charlie plan to reunite, but the community’s web of jealousy and resentment tightens.

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4. First Encounter at the Haunted Mill

[16:09–20:22]

• Patmore’s Supernatural Test: At Charlie’s insistence, Dr. Patmore visits the haunted mill, determined to debunk its supernatural claims. They experience unexplained phenomena:

  • The door bolts itself shut; eerie laughter is heard; a heavy beam nearly kills Patmore.
  • Suddenly, the bolt lifts and they are freed—apparently by unseen forces.
  • “I do hope, Charlie, that this isn’t some practical joke of yours to impress me. I’ll tell you right now, whatever is going on is not the work of any supernatural demons, and nothing will make me believe it is.” – Dr. Patmore, [18:55]

• Charlie’s Acceptance: Charlie feels, for the first time, at peace in the mill, as though he’s been accepted by its spirits.

  • “Do you think that finally I’ve been accepted by the spirits who live here?” – Charlie Royce, [19:47]

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5. Charlie Disappears: Missing Persons and Ghostly Visitors

[20:33–29:18]

• Charlie Goes Missing: Days pass with no word from Charlie. His family and Hannah grow frantic.
• Apparition at Home: Both Dr. Patmore and Charlie’s father witness Charlie appearing at home, glowing green and ethereal, speaking cryptically about not being “ready yet.”
  • “Tell mother that I love her and I always will… I have a long way to go. But I’m not ready yet.” – Charlie Royce’s apparition, [24:02]
  • “Did you notice he had a kind of greenish light all around him?” – Mr. Royce, [25:03]
• Contradictory Testimonies: Hannah confirms she hasn’t seen him for days, deepening the mystery and their dread.

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6. Tensions with Silas & Community Murmurs

[30:19–35:31]

• Suspicion and Suffering: Silas is increasingly despondent; townsfolk speculate. Patmore investigates further—conversations with Ezra Hart (Silas’s brother) reveal that Charlie was last seen heading towards the rectory during a storm.

  • “My guess is that Charlie went back to sea… He had a bandage around his head. Said he was going to see a priest later, but he was still kind of groggy…” – Ezra Hart, [31:39]

• Silas’s Descent: Silas desperately attempts to rekindle a relationship with Hannah, who refuses him, saying, “this time I’m going to [wait for Charlie].”

• Silas ominously tells Hannah: “If it’s Charlie you want, I think you’re going to have to wait a long, long time.” [35:31]

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7. Climax: Return to the Mill & Revelation

[35:59–42:13]

• Apparition & Discovery: Dr. Patmore and Charlie’s father see a spectral vision of Charlie’s battered, glowing corpse. Overcome, their horse refuses to proceed, affirming the supernatural tone.

  • “Good Lord. The body… as if… I can see right through it. It glows that greenish light…” – Mr. Royce & Narrator, [39:04–39:31]

• Final Search: They enter the mill one last time, driven by compulsion. Discovering a suspicious sack, they unearth Charlie’s murdered body.

  • “There is neither corn nor chaff in this sack… Do you really want to open the sack?” – Dr. Patmore, [41:19–41:45]
  • “Oh my… Charlie…” – Mr. Royce, [42:02]

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8. Aftermath & Theories

• Coroner’s Verdict: Charlie was murdered by person(s) unknown. The town never fully uncovers the culprit, though clues point at Silas.
• The Mill Collapses: As the spirit’s task is completed, the haunted mill collapses, as if its purpose is fulfilled.
• The Doctor’s Reflection:
  • “The greatest mystery of all was that he should have been selected by some supernatural power to bring this crime to light.” – Dr. Patmore, [43:13]
  • The episode closes pondering whether vengeful spirits truly do linger after violent ends until the truth is revealed.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Skepticism vs. Experience

  “All my adult life, I have taken with a great grain of salt the possibility of anything unnatural happening in our very natural world. …One can always be wrong.”
  – Dr. James Patmore, [38:27]

• Ghostly Appearance

  “Did you notice he had a kind of greenish light all around him?... Like when we fish at night. Phosphorescence, they call it.”
  – Mr. Royce, [25:03]

• Hannah’s Heartbreak

  “Charlie was gone for three years, and I didn’t wait for him. This time I’m going to.”
  – Hannah Bliss, [34:56]

• The Doctor’s Wonder

  “Could they have seen the ghost of Charlie Royce and not his living body? To appear like that and disappear? What human can do that?”
  – Dr. James Patmore, [29:00]

• The Mill’s Final Secret

  “I touched it just now with my foot and… there is neither corn nor chaff in this sack… We have to, Doctor. You know we have to.”
  – Narrator & Mr. Royce, [41:19–41:45]

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Key Timestamps

• Opening setup & characters introduced: [02:00–07:00]
• Charlie's romantic history and complications: [07:00–12:00]
• Patmore and Charlie’s haunted mill experience: [16:09–20:22]
• Charlie's disappearance and apparition: [23:14–25:36]
• Community suspicion and Silas’s decline: [30:19–35:31]
• Vision on the road and discovery at the mill: [39:00–42:13]
• Resolution, reflection, and the supernatural’s purpose: [43:13–45:28]

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Episode Tone & Style

The episode blends classic old-time radio suspense, atmospheric audio cues (eerie laughter, storm, spectral voices), and the measured skepticism and ultimately humility of its protagonist. Dialogue vacillates between regional colloquialism and philosophical questioning, maintaining both immediate drama and a meditative inquiry into the unknown.

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Summary for New Listeners

“The Haunted Mill” delivers more than a simple ghost story; it’s an exploration of how love, secrets, and the longing for justice transcend death. In Brinton, the barrier between the living and the dead grows thin as skepticism is assaulted by the undeniable and grief finds truth in the inexplicable. If you relish supernatural mysteries that test the boundaries of belief, this atmospheric episode is a haunting journey into the heart of old-time radio’s most chilling traditions.

Transcript

[Mr. Royce]

Oh, stories. Real stories. And murders too.

[Hannah Bliss]

Turn out your legs.

[Mr. Royce]

Turn them out. Good evening. Come in, won't you? What's the matter? Surely you're not nervous for that to be calm.

[Dr. James Patmore]

If I tell you a story, we.

[Mr. Royce]

Are meant to call from out of the past.

[Narrator]

Stories strange, weird tales of mystery and terror by radio's masters of the macabre. Stories of the supernatural, the supernova dramatized by fantastic. The mystery, the unknown. We tell you this, Franklin, so if.

[Mr. Royce]

You wish to avoid the excitement catching.

[Narrator]

The magnet play, we urge you our latest theory to turn off your radio.

[Host]

This is the horror. Thanks for joining me. This week we're going to hear from the CBS radio Mystery Theater. This time, the series that debuted in 1974 aired for seven days a week for its first six years, five days a week for its final two years, and it was hosted by EG Marshall for all but its final year, 1399 episodes. We'll hear episode 737 this week. From November 8, 1977, here's the Haunted Mill.

[Narrator]

News Radio 78, WBBM Chicago, the.

[Dr. James Patmore]

CBS Radio Mystery Theater.

[Narrator]

Present.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Come in.

[Narrator]

Welcome.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I'm E. G Marshall. What you see and what you believe.

[Narrator]

Are not always the same.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Take the mysterious cults of mysticism, occultism or spiritualism.

[Narrator]

Some people think such things are what they look like. Others say there is more to it. Some are drawn to it, others repulsed by it.

[Dr. James Patmore]

The tale we're about to unfold concerns a man who thought belief in the unnatural showed a weakness of will. And it tells what happened to make.

[Narrator]

Him change his mind. Charlie, my boy, there is no such thing as a house that is haunted.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I have stood at night below the cliffs on the beach and I've seen all the windows suddenly light up as though a ghost had lit a candle in each room.

[Narrator]

Well, Charlie, maybe someday I'll go have a look at it.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Why not now? You're not afraid, are you?

[Narrator]

Our mystery drama, the Haunted Mill, taken from that classic tale of the unseen world by Richard Donovan, was adapted especially for mystery theater by James Agate, Jr.

[Dr. James Patmore]

And stars Ralph Bell and Russell Horton. It is sponsored in part by Buick motor division. And contact the 12 hour cold capsule.

[Narrator]

I'll be back shortly with act one.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Doctors by nature are careful, cautious, scientific and have inquiring minds. Alexis Carell, the Nobel prize doctor, once said, a few observations and much reasoning leads to error. Many observations and a little reasoning leads to truth. Meet Dr. James Patmore, a man of reason who could not believe his senses when faced with the truth.

[Narrator]

What I am about to relate is so weird and startling, especially for a man trained in science as I am, that I can only let the facts speak for themselves. And have you, who hear my voice reject my tale or accept it. I am a member of the Royal College of Physicians, author of a number of medical books. But it was my decision to take up practice in the small town of Brinton that changed my life and almost everything I believed in. One night, at exactly midnight, there was a knock at my cottage door. Come in, come in. Oh, good Lord, man, you're bleeding. Here, let me help you.

[Mr. Royce]

Richer?

[Dr. James Patmore]

I don't know what happened. I saw your light, just managed to crawl here. You're the doctor, aren't you?

[Narrator]

Don't talk. Yes, yes, yes, I'm the doctor.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Here.

[Narrator]

Now press this against your forehead. Just a second. Now, I want to move this kerosene lamp for the toast at sea. Aha. That doesn't look too bad. You were fortunate, young man.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I'm. I'm Charles Royce. We haven't met.

[Narrator]

Oh, just swapping the cut. Hang it out. You've got some wood in there. What did you do, run into a tree? Oh, I'm Dr. Patmoren.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Oh, you're not a native, so I should say welcome. When I left Brenton three years ago, we didn't have a doctor for 50 miles. I been away at sea all that time. Doctor.

[Narrator]

Yes. That looks cleaner. Well, I've only taken up practice here last year. Charles Royce?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Yes, sir.

[Narrator]

Are you the. Is that your father and mother? On Gorse Hill Farm, about two miles south of town. Oh, you know. Oh, yes, very well. I've been treating your father's lumbago and your mother's arthritis. Yes, indeed. They told me about their wild son. And I expect that you are here.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Not as wild as they like to make out. It's just their way of explaining why I was shipped off to sea. Well, not that I'm sorry. I liked it.

[Narrator]

Well, there we are. I'll try to keep that bandage around your head.

[Mr. Royce]

Would you like some tea?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Oh, I certainly would. You don't mind if I shed my boots and my jacket? They are soaked.

[Narrator]

Put them over by the fire.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Thank you, I will. It was really amazing what happened to me. I was on my horse.

[Narrator]

I know that.

[Dr. James Patmore]

It's. It's the mystery of the whole thing. I really don't know.

[Narrator]

Here we are. Drink this while it's hot, eh?

[Dr. James Patmore]

I was on my way to see Hannah. Oh, that's the girl I was hoping to marry. And I used to see a lot of her before? Well, I was riding along up by the haunted mill, and suddenly something seemed to lean down at me out of a tree branch over my head. And that's all I remember. Was knocked right off my horse onto the ground. And when I came to, my horse had bolted. There was this blood streaming down over my eyes. Somehow I saw your cottage, the light, and managed to get here. That's all I remember now.

[Narrator]

You didn't see anything when it happened?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Stars. That's about all. Oh, boy. This tea hits the spot.

[Narrator]

Is there someone in town who doesn't like you?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Yes, I guess there is.

[Narrator]

You think this person would have.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I think he could have ambushed me in the dark, yes. But frankly, I don't think he has enough guts. It's like this Dr. Pat Morgan.

[Narrator]

Why don't you call me Jim? My Cord Utrana, if I may.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Oh, glad to. Well, three years ago, I wanted to marry Hannah Bliss. And I still want to marry her. But three years ago, I was 17, and I listened to my father and mother, and they said, you're too young. You wait. So I went to see. Actually, my father arranged that. I was sent, and I got back last week. Three years almost to the day. My folks were glad to have me back, but all I really cared about was that they said, all right. You still want to marry Hannah? And I said, yes. And they said, that's too bad. She's met up with Silas Hart and she's gonna marry him. Doctor, I didn't even unpack my bag. I went right out the door to see her.

[Hannah Bliss]

Charlie. It's not you. You're here.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Hello, Hannah. You didn't change much.

[Hannah Bliss]

You have Charlie. You look taller and stronger. I almost wouldn't know you.

[Dr. James Patmore]

You got prettier.

[Hannah Bliss]

I'm. I can't believe it's you.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Three years. Hannah was only a boy then. Is it. Is it true about you and Silas?

[Hannah Bliss]

Who told you?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Mom and dad. Practically the moment I walked in the door. You. You're gonna marry him?

[Hannah Bliss]

Yes.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I don't understand. I went away believing you would wait. You told me you would.

[Hannah Bliss]

Three years is a long time.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I would have waited ten years for you.

[Hannah Bliss]

How would I know when you'd come back, Charlie? If you'd come back?

[Dr. James Patmore]

What are you talking about?

[Mr. Royce]

I. I wrote you from every single port we hit.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I told you my plans.

[Hannah Bliss]

What? Charlie, I didn't get any letters. Oh, no, not one letter. That's the truth.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Not what.

[Hannah Bliss]

So I, I. I gave up on you.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Why would they do that?

[Hannah Bliss]

What are you saying?

[Dr. James Patmore]

You Know what I'm saying? Your folks were just as much against our marrying as my folks. They took my letters. They must have. Charlie, for three years, not a day passed, but I was thinking of you, about the life we'd have together. And all along, I. I thought you felt the same way.

[Hannah Bliss]

Did I know?

[Mr. Royce]

I did.

[Hannah Bliss]

But what can.

[Mr. Royce]

What can I do?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Do? About Silas.

[Hannah Bliss]

We've posted the bands. We're getting married in three weeks.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Hannah, do you love him?

[Hannah Bliss]

I thought so. Charlie, listen.

[Mr. Royce]

That was before.

[Hannah Bliss]

That was when I thought I'd never see you again.

[Dr. James Patmore]

And now that you see me again.

[Hannah Bliss]

I don't want you to go away.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I don't want to go away either, Hannah.

[Hannah Bliss]

But what will we do?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Never mind. It'll work out. Like the old saying goes, love will find a way.

[Narrator]

And did love find a way, Charles?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Well, I guess it did, doctor. I mean, Jim, Ann and I have been seeing each other every day, every evening, that is, for the whole week. And tonight she was going to tell Silas she couldn't go through with the wedding.

[Narrator]

So now Silas knows?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Well, I think so. If he showed up there, he was supposed to see her at 8. I was on my way over about 10 to find out what happened. And that's when I got hit by whatever it was. Yeah, that's right. It was just as I was passing the haunted mill.

[Mr. Royce]

I wonder.

[Narrator]

What is it? You wonder what?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Maybe because I was so near the haunted mill. Maybe that had something to do with it.

[Narrator]

How could it?

[Dr. James Patmore]

You're new in town. Jim, that mill. Everyone here, we all know that place is haunted.

[Narrator]

Charlie, you were knocked down by something solid, something made of wood. Not by a ghost.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Shouldn't have taken that mill road.

[Narrator]

Oh, come now. Come. There's no such thing as a house that is haunted.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Have you ever been there, Dr. Oddly?

[Narrator]

I wouldn't waste my time.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I don't know. Sometimes I've seen. Well, not lately, but when I was a boy.

[Narrator]

What have you seen?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Oh, I have stood at night on the beach below the cliffs and I have seen the windows suddenly all light up like a. Like a ghost had lit a candle in each room.

[Narrator]

All right. Well, maybe someday I'll have a look at it.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Why not now? Now?

[Narrator]

It's past midnight.

[Dr. James Patmore]

You're not afraid, are you?

[Narrator]

What are you talking about?

[Dr. James Patmore]

I've talked to people like you before. Now, maybe I haven't had the education, but I like to find out and see things for myself. You don't want to see for yourself. You get your learning from books.

[Narrator]

All right, all Right, I'll go. But does it have to be right now, this minute, in the dead of night?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Yes. I want to take you right now, Jim. Now, when it's dark. Now when there's been a storm. Now when all the elements have been riled up. And I think maybe there's some learning you have in store.

[Hannah Bliss]

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick.

[Mr. Royce]

Morning, Hannah. You're up early. Feeding the chickens.

[Hannah Bliss]

Charlie. Where were you last night? I waited. Your head. What's happened to you?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Don't worry. It's a big bandage over a small cut.

[Hannah Bliss]

Oh, you had me so worried. Silas left at 9:00'. Clock and I waited and waited. And there was that terrible storm. And you never came?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Not from choice, darling. I was riding by the haunted mill and something attacked me. I was on my way over to see you.

[Hannah Bliss]

What do you mean something attacked you?

[Mr. Royce]

Knocked me right off my horse.

[Dr. James Patmore]

This is Dr. Pat Meursault. He has two.

[Mr. Royce]

I borrowed it till he could round.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Up mine and bolted and ran away.

[Hannah Bliss]

Are you all right?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Well, of course I am. It's just a big bruise.

[Hannah Bliss]

Charlie, It's Silas.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Oh, that's what I came to find out. How did he take it? What did you tell him?

[Hannah Bliss]

He was so fierce. I told him it was all a mistake. That I'd become engaged to him because I thought you were never coming back. He was like a hunted animal backing away. I said that you and I were going to get married. And he cursed you and said how he wished you'd never come back. How he wished your ship had been sunk at sea. I made him stop. I couldn't listen anymore.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Don't worry. Silas won't do anything.

[Hannah Bliss]

It's not me I'm worried about. His eyes went so funny. And I remember when he said goodbye, he said, if I can't marry you, Hannah, nobody else will.

[Dr. James Patmore]

An idle threat by a rejected suitor.

[Narrator]

A strange little town, Brinton by the sea.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Strange inhabitants. The town and the town's people are.

[Narrator]

Almost as though they hadn't been touched.

[Dr. James Patmore]

By the 20th century. And it is here that a modern doctor, James Patton, has come to practice. How could he fit into a community that appeared to be in the grip of fear, fate and fantasy?

[Narrator]

We shall learn more when I return shortly with Act 2. For centuries, astrologists, psychics and numerologists and.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Others have tried to probe into the unexplainable mysteries. This is what Dr. Jim Patmore is faced with. Reconciling scientific fact with forbidden knowledge.

[Narrator]

That dead of night visit to the.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Haunted mill with Charlie Royce Turned out to be impossible for him to forget or dismiss.

[Narrator]

The haunted mill was forlorn and mournful looking, and in the clearing, skies and moonlight singularly weird. But I could see it for what it was, and I knew it was merely a disused abandoned building. What I did not know was that this would be the last time I would see Charlie Royce alive.

[Dr. James Patmore]

How about we go inside?

[Narrator]

I'm just standing here waiting for the windows to light up.

[Dr. James Patmore]

You are a disbelieving, stubborn man, aren't you? Now, come on. I'll push open this wooden bolt that fastens the door.

[Narrator]

What's that?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Bats. They nest here.

[Mr. Royce]

Well, how do you like it, homey?

[Narrator]

Doesn't frighten me.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Shine your lantern higher, Jim. Did you ever see such large spiders making webs?

[Narrator]

What else could you expect in an abandoned building? All right, Charlie, where's your ghost? I'm here. I'm waiting for some manifestation.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Just settle down. Wait and see. Look up there.

[Narrator]

All I can see is flying bats.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I mean, the roof has fallen in. I can see the moon.

[Narrator]

Charlie, I have seen roofs fallen in before. What I came here for are your apparitions if there is nothing to see but bats and spiders. What was that?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Something close the front door. It's stuck.

[Mr. Royce]

I can't get it open.

[Narrator]

Let me bring the lantern over.

[Dr. James Patmore]

You see, there's no knob on this side. Jim, hold a little lower. I want to take a look through the crack between the jamb and the door. Jim, the bolt is closed. The wooden bolt has been drawn across the door, Locking us in here. See for yourself.

[Narrator]

Oh, great heavens, you're right. It's been bolted shut. Someone's playing games with us or something. Oh, this is ridiculous. All right, whoever is out there, open up this door.

[Mr. Royce]

Open it up.

[Narrator]

I say it once.

[Dr. James Patmore]

What is that? Somebody isn't a person. Jim, I've heard that crazy laughter since the first time I came up here when I was 10.

[Narrator]

Oh, nonsense. That's just a wind. All right, you out there, open this door now.

[Mr. Royce]

Open it.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Jim, the door will open in its own time, believe me. Just. Just wait Here. Take your lantern back and have a good look around.

[Narrator]

I do hope, Charlie, that this isn't some practical joke of yours to impress me. I'll tell you right now, whatever is going on is not the work of any supernatural demons, and nothing will make me believe it is.

[Mr. Royce]

Jim. Jim, look out. Get out of the way.

[Narrator]

Oh. Oh, that was a close call.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Oh, it's a miracle. You weren't crushed. It just missed you by a hair.

[Narrator]

All right, I. I've had enough. I think it's time to go. You hear that?

[Dr. James Patmore]

The bolt outside is opening itself.

[Narrator]

Oh, stop.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Stop now. Do you see anyone out there? It opened of its own accord.

[Mr. Royce]

What did I tell you?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Those that haunt the mill are letting us go now.

[Narrator]

Well, you can believe that if you want to, Jim.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I'll tell you something. Something else that's strange. At least to me. This is the very first time I've been in the mill when I wasn't deathly afraid. Everything that's happened tonight, I. I can almost foresee it. It didn't frighten me. Do you think that finally I've been accepted by the spirits who live here?

[Narrator]

Spirits? Frankly, Charlie, I don't know what to make of it, and I'm not going to pretend I do. But I can tell you this. I am sure there are physical reasons for everything that has happened here tonight.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Physical, not metaphysical.

[Narrator]

A few days went by and I heard no more from Charlie Royce. I was a little concerned over his head injury. So one night after office hours, I went over to Gorse Hill Farm. It was about 9:00 o'clock after dinner.

[Mr. Royce]

Oh, glad you stopped by, Doctor.

[Narrator]

Mr. Ross. Good evening.

[Mr. Royce]

I was going to come see you on my back.

[Narrator]

How is that? The muscle tenderness?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Yeah.

[Narrator]

On the whole, you've improved a great deal since last year, you know.

[Mr. Royce]

I have, I have.

[Narrator]

Still, I'll prescribe some new exercises for you to do.

[Mr. Royce]

How's your son?

[Narrator]

Charlie and Mrs. Royce?

[Mr. Royce]

We haven't seen Charlie since the night before last. Or was it the night before that? I don't know what that boy is up to.

[Narrator]

I really came by to see how that cut was mending.

[Mr. Royce]

I'll tell you this. His mother's taken it pretty hard. He's away three years back one day, and then out every day with that girl. I'll bet she knows where he is.

[Narrator]

You haven't seen him? He hasn't been here for two nights.

[Mr. Royce]

Three. And his mother's crying her eyes out. You know what I think? Of course, I haven't been over to Hannah's folks to ask them, but I think those two youngins ran away. I haven't mentioned that to Mrs. Royce.

[Dr. James Patmore]

But that's what I think.

[Narrator]

But why would Charlie do a thing like that?

[Mr. Royce]

Lots of reasons. Maybe Mr. And Mrs. Bliss weren't so all fired happy about Charlie showing up. They were kind of keen on him marrying Silas. You know, the hearts have got more money than the rest of the Town put together his brother Ezra as the.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Burton Inn, born in Axminster, who runs.

[Mr. Royce]

A fleet of fishing boats. Silas, mother and father. Let's say they own half the town. He'd be a darn good catch.

[Narrator]

What sort of work does Silas do?

[Mr. Royce]

He does nothing he doesn't have to. If you were going to come into property stretching from the sea coast clear over to the mill and back, you wouldn't have to work.

[Narrator]

Well, I'm sorry Charlie is not here. I'd better start for home or I'll get blown off the road. You tell Charlie I stopped by and I'll be seeing you, Mr. Royce, with those exercises for your back. Now don't worry about Charlie. He'll be back. Goodbye now.

[Mr. Royce]

Doctor, will you close that front door? He's blowing out every candle in the room. Either go out and close the door or come back in.

[Narrator]

I. I can't fudge this door.

[Dr. James Patmore]

It won't move.

[Mr. Royce]

It's stuck open. Doctor. Doctor, I can't see a darn thing in the dark. Doctor, are you still there?

[Narrator]

I'm still here, Mr. Isaac. Can you strike a match?

[Mr. Royce]

A match? Say, what happened to the fire? There was a fire in that fireplace. Why didn't you close that door?

[Narrator]

I couldn't, Mr. Ross. I pushed it with all my might. It wouldn't give. Here, maybe I've got a match.

[Mr. Royce]

What's that, Doctor?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Isn't there someone standing at the door?

[Narrator]

There is someone.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Charlie.

[Mr. Royce]

Charlie, is that you?

[Narrator]

Charlie? It is you. You've still got that bandage on. Here, let me have a look.

[Mr. Royce]

I'm not ready yet. Not yet. Not yet. Where have you been, boy? Your mother's been frantic.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Tell mother that I love her and I always will.

[Mr. Royce]

Come on over to the fire. We were just going to light it. All the candles went out. Come on, sit down, boy.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I have a long way to go.

[Mr. Royce]

But I'm not ready yet. You're going away again, Charlie. I can't see you. Charlie.

[Narrator]

I think he's gone, Mr. Royce.

[Mr. Royce]

What do you mean he's gone? He was just here. We were talking to him.

[Narrator]

Charlie, where is that boy?

[Mr. Royce]

I didn't see him go out the door, did you?

[Narrator]

No. Ah, here. I found some matches. I light this candle.

[Dr. James Patmore]

You're right. He isn't here anymore. I could see him, you know, because.

[Mr. Royce]

Did you notice he had a kind of greenish light all around him?

[Narrator]

Yes, I noticed that.

[Mr. Royce]

Like when we fish at night. Phosphorescence, they call it.

[Dr. James Patmore]

He didn't pass me to go upstairs.

[Mr. Royce]

We didn't see the Front door open. Maybe he got out somehow and he's standing outside. I'll have a look. Charlie. Charlie. Hannah. What are you doing here? Come inside, Hannah.

[Narrator]

Did.

[Mr. Royce]

Did you see Charlie out there?

[Hannah Bliss]

No, I. I didn't. Mr. Royce. It's Charlie that I've come here about.

[Mr. Royce]

Here.

[Narrator]

Take off your wet things, dear.

[Hannah Bliss]

I can't stay. I promised Mother I'd be back as soon as I could.

[Mr. Royce]

Oh, Dr. Patmore, this is Hannah Bliss.

[Narrator]

How do you do?

[Mr. Royce]

What is it, Hannah? What about Charlie? Did you two decide to come back?

[Hannah Bliss]

I don't know what you're talking about, Mr. Royce. Charlie and I didn't go anywhere. Is he here? Can I talk to him, please?

[Mr. Royce]

Charlie's not here.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I mean.

[Mr. Royce]

I mean, I thought he was just now. It's so hard to explain.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I thought he was with you.

[Narrator]

Ah, Hannah, these past few days, you mean to say that you have not seen Charlene?

[Hannah Bliss]

No, not for three days.

[Mr. Royce]

What's the matter?

[Hannah Bliss]

What do you mean? He was here just now. Why won't he come to see me? What have I done?

[Narrator]

Are you saying that you haven't seen.

[Mr. Royce]

Him for three days?

[Hannah Bliss]

I haven't, no. The last time was the morning after I told Silas we couldn't get married. Charlie had an accident. His head. That afternoon we were going to the church. Changed the old bands and asked the priest to post new ones. I've been waiting and waiting and nearly going crazy. And then I thought maybe he decided he didn't want to marry me after all. So I put my pride in my pocket and came over here to find out. But you say he's not here. When will he be back?

[Narrator]

We don't know, Hannah. It's all right. I'm sure it's just a misunderstanding. He'll show up.

[Hannah Bliss]

Do you think he's all right?

[Narrator]

Oh, of course he is.

[Mr. Royce]

Now you trot back home, dear, before more parents get worried about their children.

[Dr. James Patmore]

All right?

[Hannah Bliss]

Yes, sir, I will. And thank you, Dr. Patmore. And you, Mr. Royce. I'm sorry if I caused any trouble. I didn't, do I? I'll make Charlie a really good wife. I promise I will.

[Mr. Royce]

Oh, of course you will. Now go on home.

[Hannah Bliss]

Good night, Mr. Royce. Good night, Dr. Patmore.

[Narrator]

Good night.

[Mr. Royce]

Hannah. Hasn't seen my boy in all these days either. But we saw him, Doctor, didn't we?

[Narrator]

I mean.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I'm not going crazy.

[Narrator]

We saw him and we heard him. One possibility, a blow like he'd received could have caused temporary amnesia. Charlie may be wandering around not knowing who he is or where he is.

[Mr. Royce]

Well, if that's really him we saw. What did he mean, he wasn't ready yet? Oh, Lord, what am I going to tell his mother?

[Narrator]

That you saw him and he's all right and he'll be back.

[Mr. Royce]

Do you honestly believe that, Doctor?

[Dr. James Patmore]

It. It just isn't ordinary, what happened.

[Mr. Royce]

Do you know what I think, Doctor?

[Narrator]

No.

[Mr. Royce]

I think Charlie is dead. And that wasn't Charlie who came here. It was his spirit.

[Narrator]

Oh, now, nonsense. You can't believe that.

[Mr. Royce]

Why, aside we. I feel it. My bones. I know it. Maybe we'll find Charlie somewhere. His body. But we'll never find him alive.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Could they have seen the ghost of Charlie Royce and not his living body? To appear like that and disappear? What human can do that? Or were both the doctor and the.

[Narrator]

Boy'S father hypnotized somehow?

[Dr. James Patmore]

But why was Charlie's father so positive he would never again see his son alive? If there are answers to these mysterious happenings, let's hope we find them when I return shortly. With Act 3. The world of James Patmore, M.D. was being shaken. The science of cause and effect seemed.

[Narrator]

No explanation of the mysterious occurrences in the little town of Brinton by the sea. And if scientific deduction failed, Dr. Patmore.

[Dr. James Patmore]

His destiny was somewhat less than controllable. That concerned him deeply. He knew he could not let himself be frightened or feel fated. He had to find out.

[Narrator]

I had to find out. Where had Charlie Royce gone? Was he alive or dead, hiding or killed? Days passed and still no sign of him. He had simply vanished. Some suspected Charlie's rival, Silas, who said nothing and said he knew nothing. One day, Silas, brother Ezra Hart, who ran the Brinton Inn, asked me to come see his wife who was ill. I examined her and then joined him downstairs where he was working at the bar.

[Mr. Royce]

How is she, Doug? It's a touch of flu.

[Narrator]

Ezra's nothing more. A lot of it going round.

[Mr. Royce]

How long I should be laid up?

[Narrator]

Hard to say. Two weeks about now. You keep her warm and quiet.

[Mr. Royce]

Two weeks? What am I going to do about the inn? You can't get any help these days.

[Narrator]

Oh, surely there's someone you can call on to help you out. What about your brother, Silas?

[Mr. Royce]

You must be joking, Doctor. Silas. The worst thing my father ever did was to leave him money. He hadn't lifted a finger to do an honesty's work since he was 15. He's not ambitious like Charlie Royce was.

[Narrator]

Was?

[Mr. Royce]

I mean, he is, for all I know. I just haven't seen him lately.

[Narrator]

Did Charlie Royce come to the Inn Ezra.

[Mr. Royce]

The chief police asked me the same question once.

[Narrator]

About time they started asking questions.

[Mr. Royce]

My guess is that Charlie went back to sea. Anyway, I told him Charlie was here the day after the big storm. He had a bandage around his head. Said he was going to see a priest later. But he was still kind of groggy from falling off his horse the night before. About six it was. He sat right where you are, Doctor. Right there. Drank a pint of ale and started to get dark fast. Real black. Outside, another big storm blowing in off the sea. I turned around and suddenly it was gone.

[Narrator]

Was he walking or riding, Ezra?

[Mr. Royce]

He was walking. His horse had bolted the night before and he still hadn't found it. I said to the police chief, you have to cross the common to get to the rectory. There are several pools and treacherous hollows on the common. You ought to search there.

[Narrator]

So I suppose they're looking there, eh?

[Mr. Royce]

Well, I wouldn't be surprised. How much do I owe you for visiting Mrs. Hart?

[Narrator]

Oh, I'll send you bill, Ezra. Don't worry.

[Mr. Royce]

Oh, Charlie will turn up, I'm sure, like a bad penny.

[Narrator]

You know, I can understand you saying that. After all, Silas is your brother.

[Mr. Royce]

Well, even if he weren't, it was wrong of Charlie to come back and turn that girl's head. That wasn't right. No, sir. Charlie knew Hannah was spoken for. Why, even the bands had been posted. Them running around made Silas the joke of the town. You'll find lots of folks here, but not too all fired sorry that Charlie's gone.

[Narrator]

Charlie's disappearance lengthened into weeks, then months. Everyone for miles around had some theory. Finally, the police gave up their search. No one seemed to care anymore. Except his father and Hannah Bliss. Winter was upon us. Roads almost impassable. But I had one patient I always managed to see. Sick from disappointment and anxiety. A rather difficult illness to cure.

[Hannah Bliss]

The fourth time this week. Doctor, you're spoiling me.

[Narrator]

Oh, I had to pass this way anyway.

[Hannah Bliss]

Hannah, I had a visitor this morning. Someone I hadn't seen in a long time. Do you remember Silas Hart?

[Narrator]

Oh, yes, I certainly do. Where was your mother?

[Hannah Bliss]

She was out at the market and Silas walked in the door.

[Narrator]

I hope he didn't upset you.

[Hannah Bliss]

I'm afraid he did. I've never seen him looking like that. Rings around his eyes, as if he hadn't slept for weeks. He said, I've kept from seeing you as long as I could.

[Dr. James Patmore]

I know you aren't well.

[Narrator]

What did he want? Hannah?

[Hannah Bliss]

He said, charlie's been gone a long time. Now, what about us? And I said, charlie was gone for three years, and I didn't wait for him. This time I'm going to.

[Narrator]

And how long did he stay?

[Hannah Bliss]

About an hour. He said, couldn't we try to make it like it was before Charlie came back? And I said to him, no, Silas, we're going to wait for him. And then he got up and went to the door and said, well, that may be, Hannah, but if it's Charlie you want, I think you're going to have to wait a long.

[Narrator]

Long. I calmed Hannah down. It was the uncertainty as much as the anxiety that made her ill. If only she could know what had happened to her fiance. I felt that she could recover, even if the news was the worst. On the way home, late as it was, I could see the old mill for some reason. I took the cliff road, the sea churning below me.

[Mr. Royce]

Doctor. Dr. Patmore. Hello, Ezra. Doctor. What are you doing out there? Doctor, quick, come and help me.

[Narrator]

What's the matter?

[Mr. Royce]

Can you climb down these rocks to the beach with me? There's trouble.

[Narrator]

What is it?

[Mr. Royce]

It's Silas. He came to the inn an hour ago and he handed me the keys to his house. And he said, here, I won't be needing these anymore. Then he walked out. I ran out and asked people, and I said, try the cliff road. When I got here, Silas was standing out there. One of them rocks. I called to him. He didn't hear me, said, I saw you coming, Doctor, so I ran up to the road to get you.

[Narrator]

I don't see him. I don't see anybody.

[Mr. Royce]

Silas. Silas, where are you? Silence. The silence. It's that girl. I know it is. Silence. Go back. There's nobody out there, Ezra.

[Narrator]

Not a soul. The sea. The rock. Sea.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Gulf.

[Narrator]

Now, come along. There's nothing we can do here. I bet when you went up the road to get me, Silas went on home. Come on, now.

[Mr. Royce]

Stupid fool. Oh, for a girl to do that.

[Narrator]

Now, why are you so convinced that he's taken his life? There was something very wrong. But I could not believe, as did Ezra, that it was Hannah's doing. If Silas had drowned himself, only a very guilty conscience could have done driven him to it. We climbed back up to the cliff road, and as I mounted my horse, it suddenly reared and almost threw me. For up on a hill stood the old mill, every single window ablaze with light. It was there, I felt that the key to unlock this mystery lay. The only one person I could trust was Charlie Royce's father, John. So I went to See him and persuaded him to hitch up his cart with his favorite horse, Princess. And accompany me to the haunted mill.

[Mr. Royce]

I thought you said it was all superstition, Doctor. You didn't believe in all that.

[Narrator]

Mr. Royce, if your journey should result in nothing, will you keep the matter a secret?

[Mr. Royce]

Certainly.

[Narrator]

But why? All my adult life, I have taken with a great grain of salt the possibility of anything unnatural happening in our very natural world.

[Mr. Royce]

Well, then why are you going to. The middle?

[Narrator]

One can always be wrong, Princess.

[Mr. Royce]

What's gotten into you?

[Narrator]

He absolutely refuses to go on.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Stop it.

[Mr. Royce]

Go on.

[Narrator]

There.

[Mr. Royce]

Come on.

[Narrator]

Come on. Wait, wait, wait.

[Mr. Royce]

I see what it is.

[Narrator]

Up in the road ahead. You see it, Mr. Royce?

[Mr. Royce]

Good Lord.

[Narrator]

The body.

[Mr. Royce]

A corpse.

[Narrator]

As if. I can see right through it.

[Mr. Royce]

It's got blood streaming out of its head.

[Narrator]

Lying there like that. Mr. Royce. Mr. Royce. Were neither of us imagining this, are we?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Is it really there?

[Mr. Royce]

I. I think it's Charlie. It glows that. That greenish light. The same way Charlie was when he.

[Narrator]

Came to see us. It's gone.

[Mr. Royce]

But I'm afraid Princess won't move a step.

[Narrator]

All right. Tether mayor. Mr. Royce, the Miller's hardly half a mile away. We'll each take a lantern.

[Dr. James Patmore]

You mean walk it?

[Mr. Royce]

Yes.

[Narrator]

Yes.

[Mr. Royce]

That door is booted shut.

[Narrator]

All I have to do is pull the wooden bolt back and the door will open.

[Mr. Royce]

How did you know it could be opened?

[Narrator]

I've been here before with Charlie. Now, don't be frightened. The bats won't harm you.

[Mr. Royce]

What's that?

[Narrator]

It's only this old mill laughing at us.

[Mr. Royce]

Where do those steps lead?

[Dr. James Patmore]

I've got to go up there.

[Narrator]

I have the same feeling, Mr. Royce, as if.

[Mr. Royce]

As if we were drawn up there.

[Dr. James Patmore]

We have to go.

[Narrator]

All right. One step at a time. I'll go first. Hold your lantern high. You see, there's a closed trap door at the top there.

[Mr. Royce]

I can't explain it, but I can't wait to get up these steps.

[Narrator]

John Royce was one step right behind me. I reached the top and slowly pushed open a trap door. As I did, I am absolutely certain that I heard a sigh.

[Mr. Royce]

They must have kept the grain for thrashing up here.

[Narrator]

There's still a sack of it over there in the corner. Yes.

[Mr. Royce]

Let's have a look.

[Narrator]

Oh, no.

[Mr. Royce]

What is it?

[Narrator]

I touched it just now with my foot and. Mr. Royce, there is neither corn nor chaff in this sack.

[Mr. Royce]

It's tied up at the top of the cord.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Here.

[Mr. Royce]

I have a knife.

[Narrator]

Done. Do you really want to open the sack?

[Mr. Royce]

We have to, Doctor. You know we have to.

[Narrator]

All right, then. Let me cut the cord. Oh.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Oh.

[Narrator]

Good Lord. Mr. Royce. Don't look. Don't look.

[Mr. Royce]

Oh, my. Charlie.

[Hannah Bliss]

Yes, it.

[Narrator]

What was left of Charlie Royce murdered. A bullet hole in his skull, his throat cut. The coroner's verdict was murder by person or persons unknown. Whoever hid Johnny's body in the old mill knew that no one in his town would look there. I may have been wrong to doubt the spirit of that poor boy trying to tell us where to find his body. But was I wrong about Silas? Was it not guilt that impelled Silas to seek his own watery death? Who else had the motive? The very next day, the old mill collapsed into a pile of wood. It had given up its last ghost to Dr. Jim Patmore.

[Dr. James Patmore]

The greatest mystery of all was that he should have been selected by some supernatural power to bring this crime to light. I shall return shortly. Those who make a study of the occult believe that anyone who has suffered a violent death cannot rest until that.

[Narrator]

Death has been avenged.

[Dr. James Patmore]

That the spirit will keep reliving its final agony like a phonograph needle stuck in the last groove of a record. We trust fate will be kinder to you and that you may never meet.

[Narrator]

Up with a homeless, tortured, wandering spirit. Our cast included Ralph Bell, Russell Horton, Patricia Elliott and Court Benson.

[Dr. James Patmore]

The entire production was under the direction of Hyman Brown. And now a preview of our new next tale.

[Hannah Bliss]

Read what Carol said.

[Mr. Royce]

Friend of mothers would want.

[Dr. James Patmore]

You know.

[Mr. Royce]

That she died on the second of the month and was buried privately.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Two days later, I am married. And. Wait a minute.

[Mr. Royce]

Min Wilkins died on the second of.

[Dr. James Patmore]

The month and this is the 15th.

[Mr. Royce]

And you say she visited you three days ago?

[Hannah Bliss]

She did.

[Mr. Royce]

She did.

[Hannah Bliss]

She sat right here in this living room and she remembered liking it and talked about bequests. Oh, Will.

[Mr. Royce]

Now, now, now, take it easy. Catch your breath.

[Hannah Bliss]

You don't believe me?

[Dr. James Patmore]

Well, how can I?

[Hannah Bliss]

But, Will, it's true.

[Mr. Royce]

It can't be true, Laura. The woman was dead and buried three weeks ago. She couldn't have called on you. Just three days ago she did.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Radio Mystery Theater was sponsored in part.

[Narrator]

By contact, the 12 hour cold capsule.

[Dr. James Patmore]

And Buick motor division. Mrs. EG Marshall inviting you to return to our Mystery Theater for another adventure in the macabre.

[Narrator]

Until next time.

[Dr. James Patmore]

Pleasant dream.

[Hannah Bliss]

S.A.

[Host]

There'S more from the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, the Horror and all of the Relic Radio podcasts waiting for you@ Relicradio.com. you'll find our shoutcast stream there as well, with even more Old Time Radio and our Donate button. If you'd like to help support this and all of the shows, your support makes this show possible. If you'd like to help out, visit donate. Relicradio.com or click on one of those support links in the show notes. Thanks to those who have thanks for joining me this week. I'll be back tomorrow with Strange Tales and next Saturday with an episode from the Price of Fear. On our next episode of the Horror.