All language subtitles for Perry.Mason.S09E07.The.Case.of.the.Hasty.Honeymooner.DVDRip.x264

Thank you, little
lady. I'll be right back.

Now, here's a beauty.

I could give you a
real good deal on it.

Oh, no, no, that's
too rich for my blood.

Say, how much for this
little beauty right here, huh?

It's a one-owner special,
marked down to 225.

I don't have time for
horse-trading, boy.

There's 100 bills right
here, tax included.

Take it or leave it.

I'll take it.

- I'll get the papers for you.
- Thank you, sonny.

Mister...

Don't say nothing.
Don't even move.

Just stand right there
and let me look at you.

Heh, huh, I didn't
believe it was possible,

but you are even more
prettier than your pictures.

Aw, Millie, I sure am glad to
meet you. I'm Luke Tolliver.

I should have known from
your letters how you'd talk.

Oh, I meant every word I wrote,
too, ma'am, you'd better believe that.

- I believe you, Lucas.
- Lucas?

Oh, now, doesn't that
sound just a little stand-offish?

Why don't you call me Luke?

That's more simple,
like the kind of man I am.

You know, just a simple
man with a simple taste.

Oh, I'm such a boob.

Here, I've been thinking about
your coming for weeks now,

and I let you stand in the
doorway like a stranger.

Uh, heh...

You know, you sure do have
to hand it to modern science,

bringing you and me
together like this, huh, heh?

That little old computer clicked
off our numbers just right, didn't it?

Course you're lonely, I
suspect, and I'm lonely, and...

Well, we're going to hit it off.

Look, I have been
here for years.

You ain't been around
for more than a week

and I swear, you can
think up more questions

to ask about this place than...
Well, than I can find answers for.

Fifty-two dozen eggs, heh.

At 35 cents a dozen, seven
days a week, minus feed...

Do you know that's most
$100 a week just from eggs?

Hello?

Hmm.

Uh, like I said in my letter, uh,
this fellow has the way of Satan,

and, uh, I ain't
changed my mind.

Oh, you go right ahead, Hutch.
Don't pay no attention to me.

I'll call you back.

You make these little old felts
sort of like a hobby, do you?

I bet if you was to get hold of a
regular distributor and work at them,

you might make important money.

Don't you ever think
about anything else?

What's eating on you, Hutch?
How come you don't like me?

I've been watching
you this past week,

and I can see myself
before I got the call.

I used to hunger after money,
chase after women, drink.

That's how I got
myself crippled up.

I climbed up on a rodeo
bronc when I was full of liquor.

I don't drink, Hutch.

No, but you lust after women,
and all you talk about is money.

Look, look, look. Uh,
I just made this one.

Right from the book,

"The idols of the heathen
are silver and gold."

But the book also says,
"Money answereth all things."

That reminds me, Hutch,

how much do you figure this
little old ranch is worth, huh?

Of course, it is a
long way out of town,

but, um, subdivision is
getting closer all the time.

What's it to you?

Are you planning on buying it?

Buying it? Heh. Not hardly.

Luke, you'd better get
washed up. Dinner's ready.

Oh, I'm coming
right along, Millie.

Here, Hutch, heh,
I'll be seeing you.

- You talk too much.
- I ain't been talking enough.

You ought to hear
me when I get started.

You watch how you speak to me.

What are you
going to do, fire me?

Coming, honey?

"Honey"? Heh.

Thank you very much, ma'am. I,
uh, found just what I was looking for.

Ahh, ha, I do declare, Millie,
if you ain't something special.

You cook almost
as good as you look.

I bet you stay awake nights

just thinking up things
to make me happy.

It pleases me if I please you,

because, well, I've
been thinking, uh...

About you and me?

Well, ever since I've been
spending these past few days here

on this nice little spread of yours...
It's all you said it was in your letters.

Well, it isn't
anything big or fancy,

but my husband did leave
it to me free and clear.

I expect he left
piles of insurance.

Well, uh, he did
the best he could.

Well, you've got
money and property

and you yourself, you're lots
more than I ever counted on.

Why, thank you, Lucas.

- Oops.
- Millie, I...

I don't want no
secrets between us.

I don't want you thinking
that I'm something that I ain't.

Well, what is it, Lucas?

Well, you don't know
nothing about me at all.

Like for instance that I
got trouble with my liver.

Well, you don't know
all about me, either.

Uh, like, sometimes
I get train-sick.

Oh!

Ha, well, then it's all
right. It's all out in the open.

I'll just keep on taking my calomel
and you stay off of them trains.

Now, what else were you
going to tell me, Lucas?

Well, the truth is, Millie, that
right now I'm down on my luck.

I don't have nothing
to offer you at all

but a strong back
and, uh, a loving heart

and, uh, a wish to work
hard to make you happy.

Aren't those the
important things, Lucas?

I mean, I have this place
and a little money put away,

but it's no life for
me, alone like this.

I ain't got nothing
compared to you.

What difference does it make?

I know that if you were a rich man,
everything you had would be mine.

Well, uh, if you aren't
just about the most...

If I ain't the luckiest
boy in the world.

Yes, sir, Mr. Mason, when my
old buddy-buddy Clay told me

that you were just about the
best lawyer in all Los Angeles,

I said to myself right flat-out,
"That's the man for me."

Uh, nothing but the
best, I always say.

You travel first-class, you save
money in the long run, right?

- Clay is given to slight exaggeration.
- Heh.

Whoo-eee, you don't have to
tell me nothing about that old kid.

You know, him and me
was in the war together.

Did you know that he was one
of the nicest lyingest dogfaces

in the whole Pacific?

- But you still trust his judgment.
- Indeed I do, sir.

Else why would I take the time to
drive way over here from the next county

just to talk to you.

Mr. Mason, sir, I want
you to draw me up a will.

Uh, pardon me. There's
a message from Paul

on the Sacramento case
and he'd like an answer.

I'm practically
leaving now, ma'am.

Oh, Mr. Tolliver, Miss Street.

Happy to make you
acquaintance, ma'am.

How do you do?

If you'll pardon
me, Mr. Tolliver...

In the meantime you
might give, uh, Miss Street

a list of your relatives
and beneficiaries.

Oh, no, it ain't for me I
want the will drawn up, sir,

it's for Millicent
Barton Tolliver.

Is she meeting you here?

No, sir, she was all tied up, so
I told her I'd attend to it for her.

Uh, you see, I'm leaving
everything to her as my wife,

and she's leaving
everything to me.

Heh, well, Mr. Tolliver, it will be
necessary for her to sign the will

in the presence of witnesses.

Heh, yeah, we got
to get a witness.

Well, I'll take care of that, if
you'll just do up the will now.

Millicent Barton
Tolliver, it'll be,

and I'll be back in touch with
you just as soon as we get married.

Now, wait a minute.

I thought you said the
will was for your wife?

She will be, any day now,

and you'll be amongst
the first to know, sir.

I'm very happy to make
your acquaintance, ma'am.

Thank you.

A will for his wife? Heh.
Before they're married?

I think it's time,
don't you, Millie?

Time for what, dear?

Well, I've been around here
the best part of a week now,

and I ain't got a
doubt in my mind, so...

So, I, uh...

It ain't much, it ain't
nothing like you deserve,

but if you was to put that on,

you'd make me the proudest and
happiest fella in the whole country.

Why I'd just, heh...

And then later on when I had a
chance to take over this ranch...

Well, Lucas, I think
it's just beautiful.

Hutch?

Uh, I've been watching them
since I talked to you on the phone.

- What's going on?
- Well, ah,

I don't know, Mrs. Munford,

but, uh, this Tolliver
is a whole lot different

from what Millicent
said he's supposed to be.

Honey drips from his mouth.

He don't talk money to her,

and you can bet he didn't talk to
her about needing a good lawyer.

You sure about that?

That's what prompted
me writing to you, ma'am.

I heard him call
this guy in L.A.,

asked about a good
lawyer, I hope I did right.

Would I have come here all the way
from San Francisco if you haven't?

Whatever else she
is, she's a client.

We can't have her
taken in by this Tolliver.

You're a good
woman, Mrs. Munford.

Like the book says, "To
forgive is the best revenge."

I'm...

I'm also thinking of what's
best for me in the long run.

I'm going to find out
exactly what's behind all this,

and I think the place for
that is my husband's office.

I'll keep my eyes
wide open, ma'am.

You do that, Hutch.

Alice!

Why didn't you let me know

you were coming down
from San Francisco, darling?

I didn't know it myself until I
checked your reports this morning.

That's when I found our
computer had made a mistake.

- That's impossible.
- I agree.

I've run these cards
through three times

and I've gotten the
same answer three times.

Lucas Tolliver should never have
been put in touch with Millicent Barton.

In fact, he should have gotten a
form letter rejecting his application.

Why? What's wrong with him?

Tell me the truth, Guy.

Have you ever looked
at this form he filled out?

Oh, I'm sorry, dear. I've
been so darned busy.

The mail's been heavy and
the women drive me nuts.

I'll bet they do.

Guy, it's our responsibility
to watch out for our clients.

One or two more slips like this

and I'll be back selling
cosmetics door-to-door

and you'll be handing
out patent medicine

and ice cream sodas in
that all-night drugstore.

I don't disagree with your conclusion
that possibly we've made a mistake,

but don't you think to a certain
extent we're borrowing trouble?

Are we?

Do you know that all our penniless
client has talked about since he arrived

was how much the ranch is worth
and how much income it brings?

Well, that's a normal concern.

Is it normal, too, for one of
our prospective bride-grooms

to need a good attorney?

- Who told you that?
- Hutch.

We're not letting it go any further.
We've got to protect our position.

"Happy Future Association."

Then you brought Lucas Tolliver
and Millicent Barton together?

My husband handled their
case. I had nothing to do with it.

I was in San
Francisco at the time.

Uh, what is it exactly
that you want from me?

- My wife thought...
- Uh, Mr. Mason, I happen to believe

that we run a legitimate
and honest business,

fulfilling genuine
and heartfelt needs,

bringing hundreds of
lonely people into contact,

- filling otherwise empty lives.
- I'm sure of that, Mrs. Munford.

We take a personal,
individual interest in every client.

We're keenly interested in the
outcome and in their future lives.

Well, it isn't
necessary to sell me...

What my wife means is...

We got to greater lengths
than any other agency.

We're even pioneered in the
computerized data analysis.

So if, rarely, we make a
mistake, you can see that...

Mistake?

I gather you're referring to...

Lucas Tolliver
and Millicent Barton

should never have been
brought together. We admit that.

If you're considering
any legal action...

Legal action against the
Happy Future Association?

You could cause
us embarrassment,

jeopardize our future
ability to help lonely people.

Dear, Mr. Mason hasn't suggested

that he's about to take legal
action on Tolliver's behalf.

- Have you?
- I haven't made any suggestions.

But you have been
retained by Lucas Tolliver?

- In a sense.
- What for?

That would be a violation
of ethics to discuss that.

Mr. Mason, I hope you
understand our concern.

We've been very
fortunate in Happy Future.

But other agencies such as ours
have had cases where they've had...

Well, tragic consequences.

And everything
about Lucas Tolliver,

his attitude, his
questions, his actions...

He doesn't measure up to
the information he gave us.

Well, what do you want me to do?

Stop this marriage before it's too
late, for their sakes and for ours.

If two adults in full possession
of their faculties meet

and decide they're soul
mates, computer or no computer,

whether or not they
marry is their decision.

But consider the consequences.

If I learn of anything
incriminating against either party,

I'll take all the action necessary
to protect Millicent Barton

or my client, as
the case may be.

Woo-hoo!

- Lucas!
- Huh?

They're watching. Put me down.

Oh, well, let them
watch. Let them watch.

I aim to carry my new bride
right across that threshold.

Here we go. Here we go!

Ha, ha. Woo-hoo.

All right, scatter.
You got work to do.

Well, all I know, Perry,

Luke Tolliver and I were mustered
out of the Army together after the war.

Uh, that's World War II.

And when he walked in here
I hadn't seen him in 20 years.

But why send him to me?

Because he said he wanted a lawyer
to, uh, make out his future wife's will

and you're the first one
that popped into my head.

A will for a future wife.
That still sounds funny to me.

Sounds like the Luke Tolliver I knew.
Never missed a trick. Great operator.

We had steaks and ice cream, all
the other outfits were on K rations.

All because Luke was a genius
at making what he called, uh,

"genuine" captured
Japanese flags.

Heh-heh-heh, excuse me.

Well, it looks like your
Mr. Tolliver isn't quite the rube

he'd like you to think he was.

Why did he want to
create that impression?

Uh, is Mr. Mason there, please?

Come sit over here, honey.

Well, come on,
come on, sit down.

Oh, hello there. Is that
you, Mr. Mason, sir?

Miss Della done told me I
might catch you over at Clay's.

Mr. Tolliver, we were
just talking about you.

- You're married?
- Heh, huh.

Surprised about that, huh, heh?

You know, I've been
so busy courting,

uh, I haven't had a
chance to get back to you.

There was a little old favor I
wanted to ask you, Mr. Mason,

just so that everything's hunky-dory
before we go on our honeymoon.

I was wondering if you'd had
a chance to do Millie's will?

Yes, Mr. Tolliver,
we have it ready.

But I expect some straight
answers when I see you.

Ooh, why not tomorrow night?

Millie and me, we're gonna
have a real old-fashioned

Oklahoma wing-ding
down here on her ranch.

And you and me, we could
hoist a few and then chew the fat.

Our ranch, Lucas. We're
married, remember?

Heh, as if I could ever
forget. Well, what do you say?

We'd sure like to have
you folks come down.

There's going to be a whole
passel of Millie's friends.

Oh, Clay's coming over
here too. I just asked him.

We're gonna have a ball,
heh! What do you say?

I don't know, Mr. Tolliver.

We won't promise,
but we'll do our best.

I sent you the will earlier
today, special delivery.

Congratulations, Mr. Tolliver.

Married?

Paul, do you have a contact,

- a good contact, in Tulsa?
- The best.

Would you call him?

I think we've reached a
point where we need to know

a little more about
Lucas W. Tolliver.

Swing your partner
round and round.

Lift her gently off the ground.

Everybody, promenade his belle.

Now do that stretch
you know so well.

Promenade around that ring.

Now grab your honey
and let's all swing.

That's the way, that's the way.

Pass to the middle with
that pretty little thing.

Ladies, curtsey. Gents, all bow.

Let's take a rest right now.

Woo-ee!

I'm all steamed up, I tell you.
Oh, thank you, Hutch, thank you.

Oh, no, you'd better not drink
anything so cold while you're still warm.

Oh, well, don't give it any
mind. I'll get us another.

Hutch, did you ever see
such a considerate little wife?

Clean it up, Hutch.

Heh, I'd sure like that little old
dipper when you get through.

Why, you just
help yourself, Pop.

- What did you call me?
- Pop.

You are my father, you
know. That is, my stepfather.

Heh, come on down
here a minute, would you?

Excuse us, folks, heh.

- Who are you, anyway?
- Larry Dunlap's my name.

Cora was my mother.

Oh, if Cora had a son,
she'd have told me.

You didn't give her much
of a chance, did you?

- What are you doing here?
- I'm here to get what's coming to me.

You took Ma's
estate, everything.

Why, you even took her
jewelry. Now that's gone too.

Cora's will was probated,
all legal and proper-like.

If she had a son, Cora cut
you out of the will, not me.

Well, sir, I'm cutting
myself back in, right now.

Because I know what you're
up to. I know how you operate.

Listen, sonny.

I feel like having myself another
dance and when I get through,

you'd better be 10
miles away from here.

Because as far as I'm concerned,
Cora Dunlap's son just doesn't exist.

I just got a report from Tulsa.

There's a lot of oil there, and
guess who owns a healthy share of it?

Lucas W. Tolliver.

So he wasn't a poor boy.

He was married once
before to a Cora Dunlap.

Six months after their marriage,
Cora died from eating wild greens.

Her death was ruled accidental.

And right after she died,

Lucas just happened to find
oil on the farm she left him.

There are ten rigs
pumping it right now.

Here's a full report.

Della, wasn't the Tolliver party
supposed to have been tonight?

But you said you
didn't want to go.

Well, I've changed my mind.

Where's your husband?

He's in the barn,
making a phone call.

What have you done to me?

What have you both done to me?

Guy, I know.

I know about Lucas.

And you've known all along.

I'm married to a murderer and
I've got to get out of it right now.

- Wait a minute, now...
- "He's just right for you," you said.

"Nothing wrong with
him but liver trouble."

- Perfect match, you said.
- Millicent, please, listen.

- We can work this thing out. Ah...
- Oh, no. I'm through.

- Finished. Right now.
- Millicent, please, listen...

Millie, honey,
where you all been?

Come on, let's show
these folks how to dance.

- Oh, no!
- Millie, come on, let's dance.

Let go of me.

Millie, everybody's watching.

- It's a great party, Millicent.
- Thank you.

Here you are, honey. That
ought to make you feel better.

I expect that dance
was too much of a storm.

All right, let's get the
party rolling, now. Come on.

I don't feel so well.

Lucas!

Millie!

- Millie!
- Somebody get a doctor.

Clay, what's happened here?

Millie got overheated
from dancing, I think

and she had something to drink and
then she got awfully sick and fainted.

Oh, no.

- What did she have to drink?
- Just lemonade that Lucas gave her.

Perry, I think she's dying.

You ain't running out
on me, Mr. Mason?

Not now when they got me
charged with a murder I never done.

You need a lawyer, certainly,

but as I told Clay when he asked
me to see you, I'm not that lawyer.

Now, why not?

That jalopy of yours,

the hick movie clothes, even
cornpone accent, is phony.

I can't defend a man I can't trust
and who apparently doesn't trust me.

All right, Mr. Mason.

I have been playing a part but I
had my reasons, good reasons.

- And they were honest.
- Honest?

Posing as a simpleton
and a poor man?

Well, I'm not rich.
Not real rich, anyway.

Not yet.

Well, how did I know that some
woman wouldn't wanna marry me

just for my money
and not for love?

Did you tell Millicent that
you'd been married before?

Oh, you found out about Cora.

Well, the circumstances were...
I didn't want to upset Millicent.

You didn't tell Millicent
that you had a stepson.

I never knew that.
She never told me.

You show up here
posing as a poor man.

You insist I draw
up a will immediately.

You marry a wealthy widow.

The ink is hardly
dry on that will,

when she dies of
mercuric chloride poisoning.

Dies after drinking a glass of lemonade
you gave her at your wedding party.

I know. I know.

You also know that you stand
to inherit everything she had,

a ranch worth perhaps $200,000.

I didn't kill her, Mr. Mason, I
didn't know Millicent very long,

but, well, I grew
very fond of her.

I didn't kill her,
and that's the truth.

Look, I'm in the worst spot
I've ever been in, in my life.

I need a good lawyer. I
need him bad. You know that.

Now, please, don't let me down.

Don't let you down?

All right, Lucas,
just one thing.

Don't let me down.

This simple country boy is in
reality an actor of consummate skills.

Now, he came here playing the
part of a kindly, generous soul,

whose only interest, he says,

was to find a woman who
would love him for himself alone.

But he had one other requirement in
a prospective bride: money, property.

Now, we shall prove that Millicent
Barton Tolliver's quick death

was not the first to
leave our actor a widower.

Her murder followed
an established pattern.

Her killer had struck before.

Well, they finished dancing
and they came off the dance floor.

- It was a warm night...
- Mr. Clay,

what did the decedent
and the defendant do then?

- Then she had the lemonade.
- Oh, I see.

She went to the bar, and
she ordered a lemonade,

not a beer or liquor or a
soft drink, but lemonade.

- Well, no...
- A tray was passed with lemonade,

- and he selected a glass?
- Uh, no...

- She called a waiter for it.
- It wasn't...

Well, Mr. Clay, where did she get this
poisoned lemonade, the fatal potion?

He handed it to her.

Who, Mr. Clay?
Point him out to us.

The defendant. She
was thirsty, I guess...

No further questions.

Uh, Mr. Clay, you testified
you saw the defendant

- hand lemonade to the victim.
- Yes, sir.

Where did he get it?

Did he go to the bar
and ask for lemonade?

Not beer nor liquor nor a
soft drink, but lemonade?

No, sir.

A tray was passed with
lemonade and he selected a glass?

No, sir.

- He called the waiter and asked for it?
- No, sir.

Then, Mr. Clay,
where did he get it?

Where did he get this poisoned
lemonade, this fatal potion?

Well, he went over and picked
it up and he handed it to her.

Picked it up? Where?

It was on the bench right
next to the record player.

And this was immediately

after they'd finished dancing?
- Yes, sir.

So that while they were
dancing, someone else

could have filled the glass or
replaced it or added something to it?

Yes, sir, they certainly
could have, sir.

Thank you, Mr. Clay, that's all.

Uh, just a moment, Mr. Clay.

You say you didn't actually
see who filled the glass.

That's right, sir.

It could have been anyone at
the party, including the defendant?

Yes, sir.

But you did see who gave her the
lemonade and it was the defendant?

Yes, sir.

It couldn't have been anyone
else but the defendant?

No, sir.

No further questions.

Yes, when the defendant contacted
Happy Future about six months ago,

he wrote that he was a lonely
widower in search of an attractive wife.

Attractive.

Did he stipulate any
other qualifications?

Yes, he said she had
to be at least well-to-do.

And so the computer
ground out Millicent Barton.

And then the defendant
arrived in the community,

and they were married
shortly thereafter.

Tell me, when did you
first begin to suspect

that things were not altogether
right with that marriage?

Objection, Your Honor.

Mr. Snell is leading the witness.
- Sustained.

I'll approach it another way.

Now, you testified earlier that,
uh, your wife arrived unexpectedly

from your San Francisco office.

Now, what brought her here?

She had discovered
something alarming

about the Barton-Tolliver match.

And what was that?

Their punch cards
were not compatible.

If there is another outburst of
this nature, I'll clear the court.

A man's life is at stake here.

What did you do when
she made this discovery?

My wife and I voiced our
concern to Mr. Tolliver's lawyer

and asked him if there was
information he could give us on Tolliver.

And who was Mr. Tolliver's
attorney at that time?

Mr. Perry Mason.

- And what did he tell you?
- Objection.

He said that if Mrs.
Tolliver were in any danger,

he would take
steps to protect her.

Your Honor, objected to as irrelevant.
- Sustained.

Strike the question
and the response.

Mr. Munford, if the punch
cards were not compatible,

why did you bring Millicent
Barton and Lucas Tolliver together?

Machine error, Mr. Mason.

My wife didn't discover it until
after Mr. Tolliver arrived here.

Still, you took no action.

Instead you stood by while she signed
a will at the behest of the defendant,

a will leaving everything
she had to him.

Isn't that correct?

Oh, I didn't know anything about
the will until Millicent told me,

the night of the party.

Did you advise Millicent
Barton of your mistake?

No. MASON: Why not?

Well, our detailed investigation
of Mr. Tolliver's background

didn't show anything wrong.

Did not your detailed
investigation show that Mr. Tolliver,

far from being a poor man,
was a moderately wealthy one?

Objection.

No further questions.

Now, while you were
overseas serving your country,

your mother met and
married Lucas W. Tolliver?

Yes, sir, that's right, sir.

Then I got a letter said Ma was
dead, poisoned from eating wild greens.

Objection.

The testimony is
immaterial and irrelevant.

Your Honor, I intend to show by
this testimony and other evidence

that the defendant's behavior
in this case is part of a pattern

indicating premeditation.

Your Honor, the district
attorney's intentions are clear.

But that does not excuse his
attempt without proper foundation

to lead a witness to produce
gossip, hearsay, opinion,

- and personal prejudice.
- Sustained.

- Strike the question and response.
- I'm sorry, Your Honor.

Now, Mr. Dunlap, do you
know of your own knowledge

that Millicent Barton Tolliver

knew of the fate of her
predecessor, your mother?

Oh, yes, I told her. - When?

At the party, the
night she was killed.

And what was her reaction?

She went all to pieces.

She looked scared to death.
- Your witness.

Now, then, Mr. Dunlap, you
testified that the defendant, not you,

inherited your
mother's entire estate.

He talked her into it. I blame him.
- You do?

You don't blame the fact
that your mother told friends

that she had disowned you after
you were convicted on a charge

of felonious breaking
and entering?

And wasn't that
sentence then suspended

when you agreed to
enlist in the Armed Forces,

from which you have just been
separated for the good of the service?

Objection.

The witness's past
is not an issue here.

The validity of his testimony is.
- Overruled.

That's got nothing
to do with it.

There's still what he
done to my ma and to me.

What did he do to you?

He turned my own ma against me

so he could make off
with everything she had.

Now, then, Sergeant Woodward,

was your investigation of the
defendant confined to Tulsa, Oklahoma?

No, sir. I also investigated a
report from Springfield, Missouri.

Would you tell the court the
results of that investigation?

Yes, sir.

I learned that two years
before moving to Tulsa,

the defendant met and married
his first wife in Springfield.

She was Agnes Frost,
aged 26, parents deceased.

She was killed in an
automobile accident.

And what were the circumstances
surrounding this accident?

Mr. Tolliver stated
at the inquest

that he was driving
his wife to see a doctor.

The car apparently stalled on a
railroad track as a train approached.

Mr. Tolliver testified that he was
not able to get his wife out of the car.

The autopsy revealed she was
under heavy sedation at the time.

- What was the inquest verdict?
- That death was accidental.

Can you tell us to
what extent if any

the defendant profited
from this accident?

He collected $10,000 from a
life-insurance policy on his wife.

He also inherited from his
wife a house and 50 acre farm

which he sold for $60,000
before moving to Tulsa.

Thank you, sergeant.

Your witness, Mr. Mason.

I'm beginning to wonder if you're
capable of speaking the truth.

You lied to your wife.

You lied to me and
you're lying to yourself.

We've been trying to investigate
everyone you've been in contact with

since you came here,

but perhaps we should have
spent our time investigating you.

I know what you must think.

Can you honestly say you've
told the truth to one person

since you've been here?

Well, I told the truth to you.

Sometimes I told
the truth to Millie.

You told her about your
money and your former wives?

No.

I did tell her about my liver,
though. Oh, I've had it a long time.

It gets all jumpy and
uneasy when I'm upset.

Like now. Calomel.

It's an old home
remedy, you know.

Ah. Heh.

Doc laughs at me when I take it,

but it's the only thing that
seems to give me real relief.

You told Millie you
were taking calomel?

I wanted to be honest.

Look, Mr. Mason, please,
please don't give up on me now.

The only reason I didn't
tell you about Agnes was...

Well, you almost quit on me when
you found out I had one other wife.

I figured if you knew there'd
been two, I'd have lost you for sure.

Lucas, are there any more wives?

- You know, if another one appears...
- There are no more.

That's the truth.

He wanted to know
what the ranch was worth,

uh, the income from the
cattle, uh, the truck garden,

- uh, the poultry and...
- I see.

Well, then, would you say his interest
in the ranch was entirely mercenary?

Objection!

The question is
leading and suggestive

and like much of the district
attorney's examination,

- borders on prejudicial misconduct.
- That, sir, is your opinion.

That is also my opinion,
Mr. Snell. Objection sustained.

I apologize, Your Honor.

No further questions.

Now, Mr. Hutchinson,
this hobby of yours,

the financial prospects of which
seemed to interest Mr. Tolliver,

would you tell us about it?

Well, heh, it's nothing much.

It's an old process
for making fine felt.

Uh, they taught it to me
when I was in the hospital.

You've already
testified to that effect.

I'm interested in the chemical solution
you said you used in the process.

- What is the solution?
- Bi...

Bichloride of mercury.

Bichloride of mercury.

That's the lay term for
mercuric chloride, doctor?

Yes. It's also known
as corrosive sublimate.

A deadly poison,
whatever you call it.

But aren't there some
beneficial mercury compounds?

Oh, yes. Mercurochrome,
certain oxides.

Even home remedies?

You must be thinking of calomel?

Yes, calomel actually
is mercurous chloride.

Then isn't it very similar to
the poison, mercuric chloride?

Uh, it contains the same
basic elements, yes.

But bichloride is deadly, whereas
calomel is a harmless home remedy.

Normally, yes, but
under certain conditions,

mercurous chloride, calomel, may
be changed into mercuric chloride

and become poisonous.

Under what conditions, doctor?

Oh, prolonged storage,
particularly in a damp place.

Or in acid solution.

A solution such as citric acid?
Orange juice or, uh, lemonade?

Well, yes.

Mrs. Munford, what prompted you
to come down from San Francisco?

- My husband explained all that.
- I'm asking you, Mrs. Munford.

Well, Roy Hutchinson
wrote to me.

Why should he write to you?

He was working for
Millicent Barton, wasn't he?

No, he worked for
me and my husband.

On Millicent Barton's ranch?

It wasn't her
ranch. She rented it.

Oh, I'm sure you're
mistaken, Mrs. Munford.

I am not.

Guy inherited that
ranch several years ago.

With him in Los Angeles and
me in San Francisco, we rented it.

Mrs. Munford, I have here a
photocopy of a transaction handled

by Valex Realties
six months ago.

For $1 and other
valuable consideration,

transferring to Millicent E. Barton all
title and interest to a ranch known as...

I can't believe it.

You mean you were
completely unaware

that your husband had
disposed of the property?

I had no idea.

I'd like a chance to
explain about the ranch.

- You see...
- We'll return to that.

But first you might be able to enlighten
us on another important subject.

Lucas Tolliver's liver.

- What?
- There's the bait. Watch Snell.

Lucas Tolliver's liver trouble.

You, uh, were aware
of it, were you not?

Mr. Tolliver noted it on his application
to your, uh, Happy Future service.

Now, surely you read
those applications.

Your Honor,

if Mr. Mason is deliberately
attempting to confuse this court,

well, then, at least as far as
I'm concerned, he's succeeded.

He took it.

Where's he going?
What's his explanation?

Now, we've been treated
to courses in felt-making,

real estate transfers
and chemistry,

but I draw the line at the discussion
of the defendant's internal complaints.

Your Honor, the question of my
client's liver trouble is quite germane.

I'll admit the confusion
has seemed monumental,

but when we accept one simple,
integral fact, it all becomes quite clear.

The defendant, Lucas
Tolliver, was not the murderer.

He was, in fact, the
intended murder victim.

Now consider, as the prosecution
pointed out, Your Honor,

the defendant came
here posing as a poor man,

hiding his other two marriages
in order to win a loving wife.

That is what he claimed, and,
strangely enough, that was the truth.

Far from being a fortune hunter,

his fortune was being
hunted by Millicent Barton.

Your Honor, is this Mr. Mason's
idea of cross-examination?

- It sounds more like a lecture.
- You asked for an explanation.

I'm giving it to you.

Mr. Snell, I'm
going to allow it.

- You may continue, Mr. Mason.
- Yes, Your Honor.

Now, Mr. Munford,

think back to the
night of the party.

After talking to Mr. Tolliver's stepson,
Millicent Barton Tolliver spoke to you.

What was the substance
of that conversation?

She was terribly upset.

Larry Dunlap had told her that
Lucas had poisoned his mother.

And she believed that she
was married to a wife-murderer.

What else was said?

I told her I was shocked
as she was. Uh...

You were shocked?

Yes, you see, Happy Future
had brought them together...

But you already
knew all about Lucas.

If necessary, we can subpoena the
records of your detailed investigation

of Lucas Tolliver before he was
put in contact with Millicent Barton.

Therefore, you had to know.

But when my wife
and I came to see you

it was because we
were terribly concerned.

Your wife was concerned for
the reputation of your company.

But that wasn't exactly
what was bothering you.

- No, I was concerned for...
- Concerned for Millicent?

Or that your plan for
fleecing Mr. Tolliver might fail?

You were concerned the
night of the party, weren't you?

Didn't Millicent say she was frightened
and wanted out of the marriage?

She may have.

That would have destroyed the plans
you and Millicent had carefully made,

finding the right man,
transferring the property

so she could appear wealthy.

At first you only intended
to fleece Lucas Tolliver.

But now you had to kill him.

Millicent and I
loved each other.

Why would I kill her?

You didn't intend to kill her.

You intended to
kill Lucas Tolliver

by giving him a fatal dose
of bichloride of mercury,

so it would appear
the liver medicine,

the calomel already in his system,
had been changed by lemonade

into poisonous
mercuric chloride.

What were your
thoughts, Mr. Munford?

What were your thoughts when
Lucas picked up the fatal potion

and instead of drinking it himself,
handed it to the woman you loved?

I didn't mean to kill
Millie. I didn't mean to.

I didn't mean to.

Buddy-buddy, you
really did me a good turn

when you put me
on to Mr. Mason here.

Well, then, do me a good turn. Put
me on to one of those oil strikes of yours.

Ha, I'll do that.
I'll sure do that.

I'm going to clue you
in, too, Miss Della.

Oh, well, I have
about $35 to invest.

She's a real plunger.

Honey, anybody looks as pretty
as you do, doesn't need any money.

All you've got to do is find
yourself a rich husband.

Before you introduce
Della to a friendly computer,

we have one more
legal transaction, Lucas.

Ah, the ranch. You have
the papers, Mr. Mason?

Just as you wanted.

You've given up all claim to
the property to Mrs. Munford.

Well, that's only fair.

Well, there goes $200,000.

You know, I've never
known a woman yet

who could handle
money by herself.

A woman needs a man around,

somebody to do things
for her, someone to...

Ha, you know, I've
been thinking lately,

before I get head back home, maybe
I ought to just stop off at that ranch

and see if I couldn't bring a
little comfort to poor Miss Munford.

Poor lady's been
awful broken up lately.