Presenting the transcription feature, Superman! Open the sky! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's Superman! Yes, it's Superman! Strange visitor from the planet Krypton, who came to Earth with powers and abilities far beyond those of mortal men. Superman, who can leap tall buildings at a single bound, race a speeding bullet to its target, then steal in his bare hands, and who, disguised as Clark Kent, mild-mannered reporter for a great metropolitan newspaper, fights a never-ending battle for truth and justice. And now to our story. Having repaired the damage inflicted on his voice machine, Dr. Roebling, in the presence of Clark Kent, tries out the instrument. By accident, he tunes in to what is evidently a meeting of racketeers, a meeting at which a man is chosen by lot to commit a murder. Amazed at what the voice machine has revealed, Kent and Dr. Roebling climb the basement steps to the first floor of the house, just as a police squad car pulls into the driveway. Kent opens the front door, only to be faced by two officers with drawn guns, who, when they learn his name, place him under arrest. An hour later, Editor Perry White, having heard what happened to his star Daily Planet reporter, storms into the office of District Attorney Warren, foaming at the mouth. Listen! I tend to know what this is all about. If you're not dealing with any two-penny shares to Warren, I'll splash this across the front page of the planet and have you run out of office! Now, take it easy, Mr. White. You're not young anymore. Excitement isn't healthy. Well, who's not young? Don't you look at my gray hair. I didn't get him from age. I got him from aggravation. Yes, aggravation. Every time one of you adult-pated public officials pulls a boner like this, I get more gray hair. Now, where's Clark Kent? I demand his immediate release. I told you. I've already sent for it. Then why in the name of heaven did you arrest him in the first place? What's he done? I'm not certain he's done anything, Mr. White. He was apprehended for questioning. I'm apprehended for questioning. With Metropolis overrun with gangsters, racketeers, petty chislers, and gamblers, you've got nothing else to do but apprehend a newspaper man for questioning. I think you're going a little too far, Mr. White. I'll go as far as I'd like and further. You can't break me. You can't... Hello, Chief. What? Glad to meet you here. Well, that'll be all, my friend. Close it up and wait outside. Yes, sir? Kent, what's the meaning of this? Why did you pack this from me? Now, just a moment, Mr. White. I'll ask the question. Sit down, Kent. Thank you. Now, I'll make this as brief as possible since I realize Mr. White is a busy man. You're darn tootin' I am. Kent, early last night you visited a woman at the city hospital. A woman we believe to be Catherine Robles. Yes, and I was with her. Her husband shot her in the back. Please, Mr. White. Let me hand her. Is that true, Kent? Yes, quite true. According to the hospital report, the woman had been calling your name and you were summoned to identify her. You did? You engaged her in conversation, then you left the hospital in a great hurry. Is that true? Of course it is, and we can explain it. For the last time, Mr. White, I must ask you to stop interrupting. Oh, go peddle peanuts. The information you have, Mr. Warren, is completely authentic. I did identify Mrs. Robles. I did engage her in conversation, and I did leave the hospital in a great hurry. Why? I am not prepared to say. Kent, are you crazy? You know very well why we left the hospital. You know that... Instead, I'm not prepared to state my reasons, do I? Then I'll state it for you. Just a minute. Now, don't just a minute me, Kent. We left the hospital because the girl told us her husband, Jack Roebling, was breaking into his uncle's house to destroy a machine worth ten million dollars. And he was the one who shot the girl. Her own husband. Is that so, Kent? I, uh, I'm not prepared to say. Are you out of your mind? What's come over you? The Homicide Division has questioned this man you mentioned, this Jack Roebling. He denies having shot his wife. As a matter of fact, Kent, he says you did it. What? Please lower your voice, Mr. White. Lower my voice? You sit there and tell me to lower my voice when you have the unadulterated gall, the amazing nerve, the... The one, the one you'll cross to accuse this man of murder? Well, I'm sure Kent can speak for himself. No, go ahead. Go ahead now, Kent. Now, tell him. Tell him. Tell this high and mighty nincomboot just where he gets off. Tell him how Jack Roebling tried to steal the rights of his uncle's voice machine and then out of revenge smashed it in the bits. Now, go ahead, Kent. Tell him. I'm not prepared to make any statement at this time. Oh, for the love of pink turtles, am I going to start raining mad? Now, perhaps you can understand why Kent was apprehended, Mr. White. And why he's being held for further questioning? Now, Kent, can't you listen to me? This so-called servant of the people is going to keep you locked up unless you snap out of it and tell him what's what. Do you want to stay in jail? I'm sorry, Mr. White, but I can't say anything now. Why not? I just can't. All right. All right. Run in jail for all I care. I hope they send you up for 20 years. And on top of everything else, you're fired. Well, Mr. White has a bit of a temper. I'm not interested in what Mr. White has or hasn't got. Are you going to talk, Kent, or do we have to lock you up again? I'm afraid I haven't anything to say, Mr. Warren. Okay. Come on ahead. Yes, sir? Take this man back to his cell. Okay. Come on, buddy. All right. When you're ready to talk, Kent, send a message to me through the warden. I'll be glad to. Uh, Miss Carlisle, get me to the mayor's office. Yes, I want to see... Close the door, Lois, so we won't have to shout over the racket those typewriters are making. Oh, good idea. I don't know why I left it open. Yeah, that's better. Now, as I was saying, Kent has lost his mind. You mean what little he had to lose? Well, this is no joke, Lois. Now, I told you what happened at the DA's office. He kept repeating over and over again that he had nothing to say. Gee, gods and little fishes. He knows more about that Roebling mix-up than any man on earth. Now, why didn't he open up when that fish-faced Warren practically accused him of murder? Yeah, it does seem strange. Strange? It's insane. Well, at any rate, something's got to be done about it. I couldn't get anywhere with him, and maybe you can. Go down to the city jail. Get a visitor's pass and find out from Kent what in the name of Blue Monkeys this is all about. But you said a moment ago that you were through with Kent, that you'd fired him. I have, but, uh, well, uh... Now, go on, go on, go on. Now, do as I say, do as I say. What are you waiting for? Okay, Chief. On the way. Shall I get him, your love? No! Hey, mug. No writing on the walls. What do you think this is, an art gallery? Uh, guard. Yeah? What do you want? I just wondered whether you had a prisoner named Benson in the jail. Well, what have we had? Nothing, nothing, except that I read about him in the papers, and was curious to know what happened to him. Well, he still cooped up two cells down from this one. Friend of yours? Oh, nothing like that. Thanks a lot. Okay. Two cells down, huh? I wonder whether he meant this side or the other side of the corridor. I'll have to ask him next time he comes by. We have five minutes, Miss Lane. Lois! Well, what brings you here? Oh, just a routine assignment. I'm doing a series called Great Jailbirds of History. Oh, step inside, Miss Lane. Well, well, then. Welcome to my, my one-room suite. I, uh, sorry, I, uh, haven't had time to put up the drapes yet. Can the comedy talk. Look, I only have five minutes. Now, what's the big idea? Mr. White's having a French fit. Yeah, I know. Never Norwegian one before I'm through. What's the story? Do you like the atmosphere of this loose cow? No. No, no. No. But I've got to be near someone who's in it. Now, look. You can do something for me. Something important. What? Number one, get all the information you can on a man named Benson, who's locked up in here now. Yeah? Find out why he was jailed, his connections, and, oh, you know, everything you can lay your hands on. No, wait. I think I jot that name down. Benson. That's right. Okay. All right, now, number two, check the files and see if you can locate some dope on a racketeer whose first name is Duke. The chances are you'll find some clips in the morgue at the office. This bird might be a big shot in the rackets. What's all this for? I can't tell you now, Lois, but it's important. Believe me. Now, wait a minute, Sherlock Holmes. I'm a newspaper reporter, too. Remember? I work for the Daily Planet. Now, look. There's a story in all this mumbo-jumbo you've been going through, and you can't write it because you prefer sitting in jail. Well, I should do it. There isn't any story, not yet, but there may be, a big one. Sorry, but you'll have to give me more information than just a couple of names, Benson and Duke. I'm not an errand girl. You can trust me, Lois. Yeah, as far as I can throw the Statue of Liberty. I know just what'll happen. I'll run my legs off digging up facts for you, and you'll get all the credit. Uh-uh. Nothing new. All right, I'll tell you. Now, look. There's a man named Benson in jail here. I don't know what crime he committed or why they're keeping him here, but he's here. That much you told me a moment ago. Wait a minute, not so loud. This man Benson is about to be murdered. You've been reading too many detective storybooks, Clark. No, this is on the level. That's why I want you to check on Duke. He was the one who arranged to have Benson rubbed out by drawing lots. The assignment fell to a bird they called Curly. I wouldn't be at all surprised if the job was pulled tonight. Not so fast. How can anybody pull a job like that if Benson is here in jail? That's the very reason I didn't talk my way out of staying behind bars. I wanted to be here, on the spot, if anything's going to happen. And what, pray tell, could you do, locked up? Oh, I don't know, but at least I'd have an eyewitness story. It all sounds a little muddled to me, but I'll try and dig up something on Benson and Duke. Good girl. What'll I do with it if and when I get it? Bring it here. Okay. Still got a minute. How long do you plan keeping this perfectly charming cell? Oh, you like it? You'll be here for any length of time. I'll send you a vacuum cleaner. Oh, thanks, but I don't think I'll need it. My maid comes in every morning and dusts thoroughly. Don't tell me you're going to sleep on that bed. Well, what's the matter with it? The mattress is a trifle lumpy, but it has good strong springs. Look, I'll lift the mattress up and show you. There we are. What's the matter? Look. Attached to one of the springs. What is it? A dictograph. Someone's been listening to every word I said. Who planted the dictograph under the mattress of Clark Kent's jail cell bed? Who has been eavesdropping on the dangerously confidential information he gave Lois concerning the plot against Benson's life? Something's on the fire and it looks exciting, so don't miss a single episode. Listen in with Superman. Don't forget, tune in again for the next thrilling episode with Superman. It's a bird. It's a plane. It's Superman. Superman is a copyrighted feature appearing in Action Comics magazine.
