Presenting the transcription feature, Superman! It's a gun! 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, raise a speeding bullet to its target, bend steel 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. When Clark Kent was arrested and placed in the city jail, he made no attempt to clear himself, because he knew of a plot against the life of Henry Benson, former city treasurer, also in the jail. It was Kent's idea to remain on the spot and prevent the killing, and at the same time capture Curley, the man assigned to do the job. But following a conversation with Lois Lane in his cell, Kent discovered a dictograph hidden under his mattress. Realizing that District Attorney Warren was now aware of everything he knew concerning Benson, Kent broke out of jail as Superman. Meanwhile, Duke Renard, leader of the gang responsible for getting rid of Benson, has received new orders from someone he calls the big guy. In a room above the Swan Club, Duke gives Curley the orders. But unknown to either of them, Dr. Roebling is listening with his voice machine, and immediately reports to Kent back in Editor White's office at the Daily Planet. White lifts the phone to call the District Attorney, but Kent stops him, saying he wants to tackle it alone. For a moment, White looks at him, and then... Are you crazy, Kent? No, but I think I can tackle this on my own. Well, who do you think you are? Superman? Well, not exactly. Oh, not exactly. Now, don't be a stupid fool. I wouldn't mess with Duke Renard's gang of hoodlums unless I had half the police force behind me. They don't frighten you, Mr. White. I've dealt with their kind before. I know, but one bullet and the deal's over. You don't get any second chance. What was the exact conversation Dr. Roebling picked up on his voice machine? Well, he didn't give it to me word for word, but the gist of it was that Benson was being transferred from the city jail to state prison at nine o'clock tonight. Yeah? Two of Renard's men, Curly and Spud, were assigned to see that he never reaches state prison alive. Uh-huh. They're going to stop the car Benson rides in on the Conway Turnpike just before it reaches the Red River Bridge. Yeah, and you want to tackle them alone. Now, you're out of your mind, Kent. What? I'm calling the DA's office. No, no, wait a minute. Nothing doing. If you call the DA, Mr. White, Benson's goose is cooked. What do you mean? Just this. Benson is a marked man because someone is afraid he's going to talk. That someone is the big guy, the higher up who gives Duke Renard orders. It doesn't take a genius to figure that out. Well, all right. Now, the original plan, according to what Dr. Roebling and I heard over the voice machine, was to send Curly right into the city jail to do the job on Benson. However, suddenly someone decides to switch Benson to the state prison. Why? Well, you tell me. I will tell you. It was Warren, the district attorney, who ordered Benson transferred after he heard me tell Lois Benson was on the spot, after he listened in to our conversation over the dictagram. Well, so what? Do you blame him for getting Benson out of the city jail and sending him someplace where he'd be safe? Well... After all, if anyone knows who robbed the city of that million dollars, Benson does. Dead men can't talk. Exactly. Now, the question is, how did Duke Renard learn Benson is being transferred to the state prison at nine o'clock tonight? Who tipped him off? I never thought of that. Did the big guy tell him? If he did, who is the big guy? Kent. You don't think Warren... Well, it's happened before, hasn't it? Ninety-nine percent of city, state, and government officials are honest as the day is long. But every once in a while, a crooked one crops up. Ah, that's ridiculous, Kent. Warren can't have any connection with Renard. He was the one who got the indictment against Henry Benson. Well... He was the one who nabbed Renard in that building scandal and hooked him with a fat $85,000 fine. I know, but I still don't think it's safe to tell him too much. Not until we're sure. Sure of what? Well, sure of where we stand. If I can lay my hands on either Curly or Spud, or both of them, we might get some valuable information. As it is, we know that Renard uses some sort of identifying code when he talks to the big guy. You never told me about any code. Well, I just heard it once. But Dr. Roebling said he used it again this afternoon. What sort of code? I don't know yet. I haven't figured it out, but when Renard called the big guy this morning, the first thing he said was, What are you getting for fish today? Evidently, the big guy's identifying answer was all right because Renard's next words were, Okay, Chief. What are you getting for fish today? Yeah. Are you sure it's code? It must be. Dr. Roebling said the call this afternoon came to Renard, and his first words were, The same price we got for thimbles yesterday. I'm beginning to think you and Roebling are ready for straitjackets. This is all on the level, Mr. White. That's why it's so important not to let any of our plans leak out, even to the district attorney. What's going on out there? I don't know. I'll see. There we are, mister. We tried to keep them out, Mr. White, but they pulled gunshot. Shut up. Wait a minute, you two. Just because you're wearing police uniforms, you have no right to bust in here. Oh, no? Who are you? I'm the editor of this paper, and... There's no place to tell him, Joe. Right? Keep your hands off me. Kent. Oh, so you're Clark Kent. No, my name is Elmer Brown. Don't kid me. Stig out your mitts. I tell you my name is Brown. I heard him call you Kent. Come on. Don't resist. Let him arrest us. I'll sue them from here to Singapore. I'll make them pay through the nose. You wait and see. Okay, now hike. Go ahead, Joe, and clear that gang of rubbernecks out of the way. Turn back, sir. Come on. Get back. All right. March, you two. Miss Barber. Miss Barber, call my lawyer. Tell them to leave me in the district attorney's office. I don't blame you. You're just a couple of cops who have to take orders. Oh, that's a hot one, ain't it, Joe? Well, make it hot for your boss. You can bet on that. Listen to him. You're wasting breath, Mr. White. They're not city policemen. What? No, and they're not taking us to the district attorney's office either. We're going in the opposite direction. You ain't so dumb, Kent. But why? What's the idea? Calm down, Grandpa. Who are these men, Kent? Probably two of Duke Renard's boys. You know too much for your own good, Kent. Give it a gun, Joe. Okay. And remember, Grandpa, and you too, wise guy, I'm watching every move you make. Okay, last stop. Get out. Where are we? Never mind. Get out. Come on, Mr. White. Now, through that door, out the steps. Lead the way, Joe. You follow him, Grandpa. If I didn't have these handcuffs on, I'd show you who's a grandpa. Yeah, bet you're handy with your Dukes. But right now, get going. You'd better, Mr. White. Open the door, Joe. Come on, stop stalling. Move. Okay, inside. Here they are, Duke. Both of them. Nice work, Curly. Come in, gentlemen. Oh, so you're Curly. Yeah, I'm Curly. Any objections? That'll be enough. Get those uniforms off and wait outside, you and Spud. Okay. So long, Grandpa. Why, you dirty little... Your name's White, isn't it? Yes, and... And your clock, Kent. Sit down, both of them. I prefer standing. I said sit down. I guess you know who I am. I'm warning you, Renard. You're carrying things too far. I'm not a cheap politician who can be reached with a few dollars. I know your kind, and I... You can't tell me to shut up. Shut up, or I'll damn your tongue down your throat. Around here, I give the orders. Understand? Don't argue with him, Mr. White. No, it ain't smart. All right, but there'll be a reckoning. And when there is, you'll pay and pay heavily. Don't make me laugh. What do you want with us, Renard? Nothing much. I just like your company. You might as well come out with it. I said I just like your company. You're going to sit with me until maybe 10, 10.30 tonight. Oh, I see. What do you see? Uh-huh. Well, we're going to sit with you until 10 or 10.30. You figure it'll take about an hour or an hour and a half. What'll take an hour or an hour and a half? A little job you're engineering. Yes. A little job of murder. Both you wise guys got good imaginations. You've been going to the movies too much. It ain't healthy. What you're doing isn't healthy either. Never mind about me. I can take care of myself. Now, just relax. You just wait until I get out of here. Just wait. I'll run you and your hoodlums out of town if it's the last thing I do. Relax, brother. Relax. You've got a long wait. Have I? You might be mistaken. I don't think so. Not this time. Today? Today is Friday. And if you're not behind bars by Sunday, I'll eat my hat. Well, you better start chewing, pal. What time is it, Renard? Five o'clock. You've got a good long stretch ahead of you. Now, this wouldn't have happened if your nose wasn't so long. Oh, you're right. And it wouldn't have happened if you weren't doing somebody else's dirty work. That's my business, mister. Yeah. And it's bad business, Renard. You're just a sucker. Watch what you're saying. You know it as well as I do. You're a sucker for the big guy. Shut up. You'll take the rap if anything happens. The big guy won't. I said shut up. You'll go to the chair for murder. All right, you asked for it. Now, will you keep that big mouth shut, or do I have to smack you around a little? Too bad we're not in this room alone, Renard. Just you and I. You wouldn't be so free with your hands. You talk big, Blabbermouth. At least he's not a yellow dog. He doesn't hit a man whose wrists are handcuffed. That's enough out of you. You're lower than a snake's belt. I said that's enough out of you. You see this little gadget? It's a blackjack. One tap behind the ear, and you're out for a long time. Don't say anything, Mr. Weissner. I'm not going to sit here and take his foul abuse. I don't think we'll be sitting here very long. Oh, no? No. I just happened to think of something. Do you mind if I send a friend of mine a message, Renard? Are you nuts? No. No, just hopeful. You can listen to the message. Dr. Roebling? Huh? Dr. Roebling, this is Clark Kent. A man named Duke Renard is holding Mr. White and myself prisoners... What's this? ...on the second floor of a frame house located at 10th Street and Marlowe Avenue. This guy's crazy. Dr. Roebling, a man named Duke Renard is holding... Gambling on the chance that Dr. Roebling is listening in on his voice machine, Kent, to the amusement of Duke Renard, sends the inventor an urgent message. The odds are against Roebling picking up the message, but unless he does, Kent will have to devise another method of escape without revealing himself as Superman. Either way, there's bound to be excitement, so listen in. Don't forget, tune in again for the next thrilling episode with Superman. It's a plane! It's Superman! Superman is a copyrighted feature appearing in Action Comics magazine.
