"I hope I'm not very late." "They're upstairs." "His heart is perfect." "Hear that, Betty?" "I'm in perfect shape." "How did the new valves work on the heart?" "Beautifully." "They'll give any pressure you want." "Then we'll get the apparatus ready at once." "Yes, Doctor." "Are you quite sure you want to go through with this?" "Yes, Doctor." "You realize, of course, that the possibilities may be unpleasant?" "I studied those possibilities all the time you were developing the mechanical heart." "It's worked on every other kind of animal." "Why should man be an exception?" "He shouldn't, but we can't be sure until we try." "Well, can't you try on a body that's already dead?" "Unfortunately, no." "But if we can revive a man who's been scientifically put to death, then we have the perfect anesthetic." "And in that moment the art of surgery will have advanced a thousand years." "It's the most tremendous thing we've ever worked on." "But what good will that do you if this fails?" "I'd rather take a chance on something this great than to live to be 90, marking time." " Then you're still determined?" " Yes, Doctor." "Oh, Bob, you can't do it." "I won't let you." "Now take it easy." "There's nothing to be panicky about." "But don't you realize he's going to kill you?" "You're going to die." "That sounds a lot tougher than it is." "I'll be under anesthetic." "That's all." "There's nothing to it." " Well, what if he can't bring you back?" " He won't miss." "Why, inside of two hours, we'll be eating chop suey and fighting about where we're going to go on our honeymoon." "Now don't worry." "Nothing's going to happen to anybody." "Oh, please don't, Bob." "All ready." "Now, don't forget we got a date for chop suey in two hours." "All set." "No, please." "You stay here." "And we're not to be interrupted on any account." "Pulse, 47." "Forty." "Respiration, 15." "Dropping fast." "He's dead." "Now to draw out the vital heat." "It'll take at least 30 minutes for the body to chill." "I'll test the heart." "How frail a thing to solve the riddle of death." "We're really very stupid, Lang." "We lived surrounded by working models of this machine, and only now it occurs to us to duplicate them in machinery." "The heart is nothing but a pump like this." "Veins and arteries are only tubes like these." "So what could be simpler than to use the glass pump to force the real pump into action after it has stopped?" "Maybe we should have made this of steel." "No, then we couldn't watch the course of the blood from the machine into the body." " We must see in order to learn." " But if it should break?" "If anything fails us now, our lives, as well as his, are lost." " I don't understand." " We've taken a human life." "If we don't restore that life, the law will call it murder." "Now look, Lieutenant, all I want is a little statement for the morning edition." "Is the Mayor guilty of that bribery charge or isn't he?" "Listen, if I told you newspaper guys what I really thought, they'd snatch my badge right off me." "Officer, Dr. Savaard's going to kill someone." "You've got to stop him." " How do you know?" " I'm his nurse." "I work there." "He's going to kill a young medical student." " Where's all this happening?" " At Dr. Savaard's house." "Hurry!" " What's the address?" " 8700, Post Road." "I'll show you the way." "Shane talking." "Get hold of Dr. Stoddard and have him meet me at the Savaard home as soon as he can." "The address is 8700, Post Road." " Does Dr. Savaard live here?" " I don't know if Dad's in, but I'll see." "This house is so rambling, we have a regular phone system." "He's not in the library." "I'll try the laboratory." "Hello, Dad." "There's a gentleman here to see you." "No, no, Janet, I must not be disturbed." "I'm in the midst of a crucial experiment." "Send him away and don't let anybody else in." "Careful." "What's causing those gas locks?" "They'll wreck the whole thing." "There's the trouble." "Those tubes." "Why, they should curve down, not up." "Betty, what's the matter?" "In there." "Open up." "It's the police." " The police?" "How did they get in?" " I don't know." "Hand me the shears." "Take this and hide." " I'll face this with you." " No, I'll need you later." "Hide somewhere." "I'll be able to get in touch with you." "What'll I say if I'm caught?" "Say I sent you away before the operation started so you wouldn't see how the machine works." "Where will I go?" "In the cellar for now." "But hide, and stay hidden." "Open up, I say!" "Break it in." "Betty, what's the matter?" "What's happening?" "He's killing Bob." " All right." " Over here." "He's dead." " Dad, what happened?" " That's what I'd like to know." "It's very simple." "I've created a technique for restoring the dead to life, and that young man volunteered to be my first subject." "Now, if you gentlemen will be so kind as to leave my house," "I'll go on with my work." " Did you kill him?" " I told you, he volunteered." "How did you kill him?" "I made use of certain gases that end life without poisoning the tissues." "That's just what I wanted to know." "Unlock my hands!" "I've got to restore that boy to life." " Hello, Lieutenant, what's the trouble?" " Take a look in that box over there." "Look, give me one hour, just one hour to work on that boy." "Why don't you give him a break?" "What have you got to lose?" "Nothing but my badge." "Well, he's good and dead, all right." "This man says he can bring that body back to life." " What about it?" " Fantastic." "Inside of an hour, I can have that boy walking and talking, and explaining it all to you himself." "From what I've seen so far," "I'd say Dr. Savaard has developed a homicidal mania." "Idiots." "Watch out he doesn't hurt himself." "Now, gentlemen, you can think what you like, but give me one hour, just one hour to work on that boy." "I'll get an autopsy order right away." "If you touch a knife to that boy, it'll cost him his life!" "Oh, please let him try anything to bring Bob back." "We'll do everything possible, but I tell you now, it's hopeless." " I'll call the ambulance." " Doctor!" "Now look, that boy trusted me." "He put his life into my hands." "I've got to have one hour to work on him." "Just one hour." "You must!" "Not a chance, Doc." "Please, it's Doctor Savaard who's asking you this." "A man whose opinion is honored throughout the world." "He'd never have attempted this unless he could see his way through to the end." "You've got to give him a chance." "Oh, come along." "Dr. Stoddard, how long have you been a police surgeon?" "About 14 years." "Calling your attention to the night of May 2nd, were you called by Lieutenant Shane to investigate an occurrence at the clinic of Dr. Savaard?" "I was." "Would you tell the court what you saw, please?" "I found the body of young Roberts in a sort of casket." "He was dead and cold." "I reported his death to Lieutenant Shane officially, then had the body removed to the morgue for autopsy." "In your opinion, could any power on Earth have restored young Roberts to life?" " No." " Thank you." "Your witness." "Dr. Stoddard, is it not a fact that Dr. Savaard begged you for a chance to restore young Roberts to life," " and that you refused?" " It is." " Why?" " Because the idea was fantastic." "Have you never heard of dead persons being revived by drugs?" " Certainly." " That's all." "Dr. Savaard, will you tell the court very simply just what you hoped to accomplish by placing a man in a so-called state of death?" "Today, the surgeon is forced to work against time, because the patient still lives and breathes, and the bloodstream is still flowing." "But think what it would mean to the surgeon if there were no loss of blood, no race against time, no nerve shock, and no fear of death on the table." "It would mean more time for work, work that's undreamed of today, on the heart, on the brain, on the..." "Perhaps the jury may find it a bit difficult to follow that explanation, Doctor." "Could you make it even simpler?" "To operate on a living body is like trying to repair a motor when it's still running." "But with a motor you can turn the power off." "You can take it apart, find out what's wrong, replace the worn and broken parts, it can be put together and made to run just as good as new." "And you hoped to be able to do that with the human body?" "But for the treachery of a stupid woman, my discovery would be part of the knowledge of the world today." "And you really believe that such a thing would be of great and lasting benefit to humanity?" "I can think of nothing nearly so great." "This body, this mechanism means nothing." "The mind is all that counts." "But when the body dies, the mind dies with it." "But this we can prevent." "So our first great objective is the replacement of vital organs that have worn out." "And with the body scientifically dead, the surgery of such operations is simple." "But the real secret lies in the pumping of an artificial bloodstream through the body by means of a mechanical heart until the life functions pick up their own rhythm, the heart begins to beat, and life is restored." "Oh, believe me, all this and as much more as the mind of man can encompass is ours for the asking when once we've found the way to make death our servant, and not our master." "Think of it." "The Edison or the Pasteur of tomorrow need not die merely because his heart is worn out." "We'll give him a new heart, taken, perhaps, from the body of a young man who's been killed in an automobile accident." "And our great genius is awakened to another 60 years of useful life." "You ask me if that's of benefit to mankind?" "I answer, it's the gift of eternal life." "But whether man is wise enough or old enough to receive such a gift," "I don't know." "I don't know." "That is all." "Your witness." "I've enjoyed the lecture very much, Dr. Savaard, but if you don't mind, let's return to the object of this trial." "Did you or did you not personally, deliberately and with planned purpose, put young Roberts to death?" "I've explained all that." "Answer my question." "Well, I..." "That is, I..." "Did you kill him?" "Yes, I did." "That's all." "The counsel for the defense is asking you to free Dr. Savaard because he killed in the name of science, for a high and noble purpose, for humanity." "In Dr. Savaard's own statement, stripped of its fine phrases and reduced to its actual meaning, it means we're to butcher our young athletes so their hearts can be used to prolong the life of some doddering old man," "preferably a scientist." "I assure you, ladies and gentlemen of the jury," "Dr. Savaard's fine ideal would never be permitted in any civilized country." "And yet he wants you to set him free so he can continue that kind of experimentation." "He wants you to license him to kill young men and women." "He wants you to suspend the law and give him the right to go on committing murder without fear of punishment." "I have no quarrel with the great army of honest doctors and legitimate scientists who are trying to make life in this world better." "I ask only that you stop this one killer in his tracks, and you must do more than merely find him guilty." "You must make very sure that no way is left for him to squirm his way out of the hangman's noose." "You must deliver this killer not to a court of appeal, but to the hangman's noose." "You must serve notice to the whole world that the law is still supreme, that human life is still a sacred thing, and that murder, even in the name of science, carries the punishment of death." "He killed the boy." "He admitted it." "What more do you want?" "It's not as though he'd shot him with a gun." "What do we care how he killed him?" "The boy agreed to the experiment." "It wasn't murder." "How do we know he did?" "Ladies, gentlemen, we're not getting anywhere at this rate." "Let's get your opinions one at a time, and no interruptions." " Mr. Sutton?" " As a 100% law-abiding citizen," "I say let the law take its course and hang him." "Men like you have blocked progress for hundreds of years." "Mr. Richards?" "I don't think Dr. Savaard is guilty of what we ordinarily consider murder." "What do you call it, then?" " Mr. Watkins?" " I say hang him." "I say hang him, too." " Mrs. Valentine?" " Couldn't we give him life imprisonment?" "And have his lawyers turn him loose in a few years?" " Not while I'm on the jury." " Yeah." "Dr. Avery?" "There's absolutely no reason why life functions can't be restored to a body that's not fatally injured or diseased, providing circulation can be restored." "We're not here to discuss theories, Doctor, but to agree on a verdict of guilty." "Or not guilty!" " All in favor of hanging, stand up." " Right." " I'm standing." " Here I stand." "I suppose you'd pin a medal on Savaard for killing that boy, huh?" "Hanging's too good for him, anybody with an ounce of brains knows that." "How can you even turn a man like that loose?" "It's open and shut." "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict?" "We have, Your Honor." "We the jury find the defendant guilty of murder in the first degree, without recommendation for clemency." "Your Honor." " Your Honor!" " Order!" "Before you condemn me to death," "I would like the privilege of addressing this court for two minutes." "Request granted." "I thank you." "You who have condemned me, I know your kind." "Your forbears poisoned Socrates, burned Joan of Arc, hanged, tortured all those whose only offense was to bring light into darkness." "For you to condemn me in my work is a crime so shameful that the judgment of history will be against you for all the years to come." "You, Mr. Prosecutor, are guilty of murdering not only me, but countless thousands who might have lived, had you not destroyed the only man who could save their lives." "When your last moment comes, always remember that you killed the one man who could have made your life secure." "Although the stupid, unthinking world may approve what you have done, in your heart you know that but for your treachery, the boy you loved would be alive today." "If anyone is responsible for his death, you killed him." "And for that murder you will live and die in the contempt and loathing of your own heart." "When those you love best lie dying, think back to this moment, when you held their salvation in your hands, and threw it away." "Always remember that I offered you life and you gave me death." "That'll be all, Dr. Savaard." "And you who are about to sentence me, after my death you will be overtaken by a punishment far more terrible than anything that you can do to me." "Sentence will be passed on you at 10:00 a.m. next Tuesday, the 15th." "Take him away." "The jury is dismissed." "Court adjourned." "Come on, give her a break, will you, boys?" "Let her alone." "Tell me more about it." "Here, now." " It's all so unfair." " Yeah, it's a rotten shame." "Here's a man who's spent his whole life trying to do nothing but good, and he gets the works because what he did happens to fit the legal definition of a murder." "Do you suppose if I went to the Governor, there'd be a chance for a pardon?" "Look, Janet, nobody can do anything today." "So why not shut off the worries?" "Sure, I know it's tough, but you've gotta get ahold of yourself, or you'll crack up." "Now, isn't there a nice quiet place you could go where there'd be someone to look out for you?" "Relatives, maybe?" " My Aunt Lucy lives in Baycrest." " Why, that's swell." "It'll be close enough to run into town if you're needed, and far enough out to lose the snoopers and curiosity-seekers." "Hey, buddy, drive us to Baycrest." "On the flat rate." " But my things..." " Send for them." "Right now, you're gonna hide and stay hidden until this thing quiets down." "You've been very nice to me." "Oh, forget it." "I charge all this to expenses." "I don't mean the money." "You've been my only real friend through all this trouble." "How do you know it wasn't just a gag to get exclusive stories?" "I know better than that now." "Oh, Dad!" "Janet, my dear." "You shouldn't have come here." "Now, you mustn't grieve or be unhappy." "Why, you mustn't even think of me as being dead." "I want you to remember me always as being alive and well and happy, just like someone who's gone away on a pleasant journey." "I've given my body to science, dear." "There'll be no funeral, no grave, and no reminder of my passing." "Now, dear, please." "Well, I guess they're about ready to start." "I've seen eight of these hangings, and each one of them gets worse." "We get many requests for bodies from you doctors, but naturally, we can't do anything without consulting the man himself." "This is by his request." "Dr. Savaard, this man says you instructed him to take your body." " Is that right?" " Of course." "I'm so glad to see you, Dr. Bruchner." "Sorry, gentlemen." "You'll have to keep apart." "Prison rules." "Sorry, I did not understand." "Will you sign this release, Dr. Savaard?" "I have some very special equipment ready and waiting to perform an interesting experiment, Doctor." "One that I am sure you would approve of completely." "I approve of anything that is in the interests of science." "Goodbye, Dr. Savaard, and thank you." "And good luck, Dr. Bruchner." "Good evening." "It seems strange to see you in such good spirits, Doctor." "Strange that I should have no fear of dying?" "Well, I have lived so long questioning the unknown that this plunge into its depths is only the last and perhaps the greatest of my experiments." "Have you no faith?" "As a scientist," "I'm afraid I'm a professional skeptic who doubts everything, even the certainties." "But do you not recognize certain great truths that all men accept?" "I've never found one that would bear analysis." "Can't you conceive of a truth too great for the human mind to analyze?" "Tonight, no." "But tomorrow" "I may know better." "Okay for you boys to go in now." " Aren't you coming?" " No, thanks." "I can see everything I don't wanna see from here." "It's time to go." "And Dr. Savaard was hanged at State's Prison for the scientific murder of one of his students." "The man of science mounted the scaffold with a firm step, betraying no nervousness." "And giving his last message to the world with a clear voice, said," ""Though my life be taken, my work will not be left undone."" "This is thought to refer to his theories in the hands of his students, and not to the so-called death threat he uttered at the time of his conviction to the nine men and three women who condemned him to die." "Sign right here." "Thank you." "Don't try to speak." "Don't try to speak." "No pain." "Can't move." "Paralyzed." "No, you're not." "You're strapped to the table." " Where is instrument?" " Broken." "It burst under the pressure." "The next one must be much stronger to force open the capillaries closed by rigor mortis." "Is the break in my neck very bad?" "Not now." "But it took desperate surgery to make the repair." "It would have been impossible, had you not been dead." "Good work, Lang." "Congratulations." "I only followed your teachings." "When you stand once more on the platform, the living proof of your own triumph, the whole world will pay you homage." "Never." "When they see, they will have to believe." "They won't come to learn, only to stare." "I'll be a freak in a sideshow." "Lazarus II." " Fifty cents to look, a dollar to touch." " Please, Doctor, you must rest." "Yes, I must rest." "Gain strength and power for what I have to do." "Boss, take a look at that." "Yes, it's all been attended to." ""The body of Harley Ross, 40, well-known local businessman," ""was found late last night by police officers." ""No reason was ascribed for the suicide." ""Mr. Ross chose death by hanging himself."" " Well, what about it?" " Well, does it mean anything to you?" " No." " Well, look at this one." "Two weeks ago, Ramsay Leith, salesman." "Another suicide, also by hanging." "I still don't get the point." "What are you driving at?" "Here's another one about Graham Duff." "Hanged himself over a month ago." "Ahead of him was Percy Shore, and here's two more." "Six of them, all by hanging." "So, over a period of time six guys hanged themselves." " What about it?" " Nothing, boss, nothing." "Except all six of them were on the Savaard jury." "All six were on the..." "What?" "Somebody's paying off for what happened to Savaard." "And six of the jurors are gone already." "Scoop, drop everything and go to work." "Get hold of all the remaining Savaard jurors." "Get statements, work up the biggest story you can get." ""Is the Savaard curse working?"" "Get the DA, the judge, and everybody else he threatened." " Statements, pictures, the whole works." " Okay." "And make it weird, make it dramatic." "And make it snappy." "Right." "Hello." "Hello." "Funny, none of these people answer." "They can't all be hiding under their beds." "You know, there've been a lot of cases where a curse actually did work out." "Hello, I'd like to speak to Mr. Kearney, please." "He went where?" "Are you sure?" "Thanks." "Kearney's wife said he got a summons from Judge Bowman who tried Savaard, to meet him at Savaard's house." "Maybe that's why none of the others are home." "The Judge probably called them all." "Here, call the rest of these, will you, and see what you can find out." "Long distance, Baycrest, 732." "Yeah, it's official business." "I wanna talk to Janet Savaard." "I can't imagine why Judge Bowman should call anyone there." "The house is locked up and I've got the keys." "Hold on a minute, will you?" "Get ahold of Lieutenant Shane at Headquarters." "Listen, Janet, I haven't much time to explain, but there's something funny going on out at the house." "No, don't go out there." "Stay out of it." "I'll investigate and call you back later." "Goodbye." "Okay." "Lieutenant Shane's gone out to Dr. Savaard's house." "That's where I'm going." "If I'm not back for the deadline, call out the Marine." "I'm Mr. Foley." "I'd like to see Judge Bowman, please." " Have you an invitation, sir?" " No, but I've got a message from his office." "A matter of utmost importance that I must deliver to him immediately in person." "The Judge hasn't arrived yet, sir." "I have strict orders to admit no one without an invitation." "Sorry, sir." "Good evening, Your Honor." "Remember me?" "I'm Scoop Foley of the Tribune." " Oh, yes, of course." " What's the meeting for, Judge?" "Meeting?" "Yes, you called all these people here tonight, didn't you?" "Why, no." "As a matter of fact," "I received a telegram signed by Janet Savaard, asking me to meet her here on a matter of life and death." "Well, that's funny." "I talked to her just a little while ago, and she didn't know anything about the meeting." "Well, we'll soon find out what this is about." "If this is someone's idea of a practical joke, we'll soon correct their viewpoint." " I'm Judge Bowman." " May I see your invitation, please?" "You may come in, sir." "I'm sorry, sir." "I can't let you in." "Those are my orders." " I'll give the orders." "Let him in." " Very good, sir." "In there, please." "Good evening, Your Honor." "What's the idea, Judge?" "Are we reopening the Savaard case?" " What brought you here?" " A telegram signed by you." "I sent no telegram, issued no orders." " Good evening, Judge." " Why, hello, Judge." "Good evening, Judge Bowman." "I presume you've all been called here by messages supposedly sent by me?" " Yes." " Yeah." "I was served with a court order." " Well, so was I." " Mine was a wire." " Mine also." " I got a wire, too." "Let me see them." "All fakes." " This is insane." " Extraordinary." "Get the butler." "No, you don't." "You stick around, too." "Evidently, we're the objects of someone's practical joke." "I'll guarantee them very little laughter when we find out who's responsible." " Well, I hope so." " Me, too." "Yes, sir?" " Who is your employer?" " I don't know, sir." "Are you trying to tell us you don't know who hired you?" "That's right, sir." "We were engaged through the employment agency and given orders to come here with food and service for nine persons." "But who let you in?" "A key was sent with our instructions, sir." "We let ourselves in." " Who else is in this house?" " Nobody, sir." "That is, nobody that we know of." "What were your instructions?" ""You will arrive not later than 5:00 p.m." ""Prepare a cold buffet for the following persons," ""who will bear the following identifications."" "Everyone named on this list is here." " That will be all." " Thank you, sir." "I was supposed to go to a business meeting." "What time did you receive your telegram?" " Oh, about 3:30 or 4:00." " That's about the time I received mine." "Hello?" "I understand." "Yes, sir." "Well, if you're smart, you'll scram out of this place faster than you came in." "Six of the Savaard jurors have been killed already, and you're here to get the rub-out as sure as you're alive." "You're crazy." "Okay, wise guy, but I still say scatter, and scatter fast." " Maybe he's right." "Come on." " No, he's just dreaming up headlines..." "Surely you wouldn't leave without speaking to your host?" "Judge Bowman," "I can't tell you how glad I am to see you again." "I trust you'll forgive the unauthorized use of your name to effect this little gathering?" "You can understand it would have been indiscreet to use my own." "Shane." "And Kearney." "Good evening, Mr. Drake." "Still skeptical, my police surgeon friend?" "You can't be Dr. Savaard." "He's dead." "As you perhaps know, hanging breaks the neck." "Would you be professionally interested in seeing how it is repaired?" " How did you do it?" " Too long a story to tell you now." "Perhaps, if you're still interested, at dinner with..." "You'll join me in a cocktail, won't you?" "Dr. Savaard!" "Alive!" "My only regret is that your fiancé is not here as a living proof of his faith in me." " Well, what do you think now?" " He wouldn't invite us here to kill us." "That'd be sticking his neck out too far." "Yeah?" "Well, I've got an uncomfortable hunch that we're the ones behind the eight ball, not Dr. Savaard." "Allow me." " No." " Oh, come." "You're not working for me now." "I happen to know you like sherry." "No." "I want to try something." " Dr. Savaard, my name is Foley." " I know." "Scoop Foley." "The young man who gets into places without an invitation." "Well, that's my job." "Now look, haven't you forgotten some of the jurors?" "There was Dr. Avery and..." "And Mr. Richards and Miss Forsythe, who fought for over 60 hours in my defense." "I've no need of them here tonight." " I see." "Thanks." " Not at all." "Won't you join me in a cocktail?" "Thanks, no." "I never drink." "Well, what'd I tell you?" "What can he do?" "We outnumber him eight to one." "Well, won't anybody drink with me?" "I assure you they're not poisoned." "I'm sorry, Doctor, but my time is limited." "If you have anything to say, I'll hear you now." "As a matter of fact, Dr. Savaard, we have more business with you than you have with us." "About those six jurors who mysteriously died." "My dear Mr. District Attorney, your law is shockingly bad." "I have the perfect alibi." "I am legally dead." "Your business is with the living." " lf you have nothing to say, I'll be going." " One moment, please." "I asked you all here because there's a plot afoot against your lives." "That same fiend who killed the six unfortunate jurors plans to take your lives tonight." "Why should you want to protect me?" "I'll explain all that at dinner." "Shall we go in?" "I'm afraid all this is rather informal." "I hope you found your places." "Miss Crawford, you are here on my right." "Allow me." "I thought it best to dispense with the servants, so I dismissed them." "Oh, do sit down, please, all of you." "May I offer you some pheasant, Mr. Shane?" "No, thank you." "How were you brought back to life?" "I thought I described the method very thoroughly in your courtroom." "Won't you try some pheasant, Judge Bowman?" "Mr. Drake?" "Did you know all along you'd be able to do this?" "I gambled that my assistant, Lang, could bring me back." "And here I am, not only alive, but beyond the reach of any law." "Six jurors have been killed." "But what public officer would dare suggest that Henryk Savaard was guilty of the crimes when all the world knows that Henryk Savaard is dead?" "Did you kill them?" "My dear Shane, and if I did, and if I decided to kill all of you tonight, who would believe that I had done it?" "Oh, by the way, your place cards are rather amusing." "If you care to glance at them, you'll find something to your disadvantage." "In this corner is a figure which gives you the order in which you are to die tonight." "And in this corner, the exact time." "You will be the first, Judge Bowman, at exactly 7:00." "In fact, you have a trifle less than two minutes to live." "The man's insane!" " Put him under arrest and lock him up." " Come on." "Judge Bowman, if you attempt to leave this house, it will be the last act of your life." "Judge Bowman, do not leave this house." "Come on." " He's dead." " Well, what killed him?" "No marks of any kind." "Might be heart failure." "The grille's charged with electricity!" "You're telling me." "7:00." "Right on the dot." "He knew the surest way to drive Bowman into that grille was to forbid him to leave." "Hey, where is Savaard?" "Cover the back door, through the kitchen." "Yell if you see anything." "Boilerplate, eh?" "I ran into the same thing." "The window." "More boilerplate." "Don't look now, but I think we're trapped." "May I have your attention, please?" "All the doors and windows that you can reach have been sealed, and there is no way for you to leave this house." "You will now be punished for your disbelief in the order and the time stated on your place cards." "Judge Bowman was taken first out of deference to the exalted office he adorned." "The foreman of the jury, Clifford Kearney, who worked so hard to convict me, will be taken next, in recognition of his untiring efforts to secure my death." "It'll do you no good to search for me." "You can never reach me where I am, but I can and will reach you, once every 15 minutes." "At 7:15, Mr. Kearney, you will die." "Until then, goodbye, Mr. Kearney." "He can't do this!" "You gotta protect me!" "You've worked in this house, miss." "Where could he get to from here?" "Almost anywhere." "Well, he couldn't have gotten through any of the doors." "Isn't there any way to the balcony except the stairway?" "Yes, it connects with the back of the house." "Oh, that's blocked." "The grille cuts us off." " I tell you, you gotta get me out of here!" " Take it easy." "Getting panicky is not going to help us any." "If we could get through that grille and reach the front door, one of us could get to a phone and..." "Wait a minute." "Look, there's an extension wire." "It runs down on the baseboard and right in here, see?" "And across there." "Dead." "I hope you don't think me stupid enough to leave you any means of calling help." "Can you hear me?" "Please don't shout, Mr. Drake." "I can hear and see you perfectly." " And what is it?" " We'll be missed." "People know where we've gone." "They'll find us." "They'll find you, too, no matter where you go or try to hide." "Aren't you being a little ridiculous, Mr. District Attorney?" "What sane police officer would dare even whisper that what they'll find here tonight might be the work of a dead man?" "Oh, no, Mr. Drake, my alibi is perfect." "Have you forgotten?" "I was hanged three months ago." "And now, Mr. Kearney, time is flying." "May I draw your attention to the clock?" "What time is it?" "What's the time?" "7:10 by my watch." "Only five minutes left." "We've wasted it all by talking." " Get me out of here!" "Get me out of here!" " Take it easy." "We gotta protect him somehow." "Now look, Bowman was tricked into killing himself." "It's a cinch Savaard isn't coming down here alone to face all eight of us." "Let's get in the middle of the room away from the balcony, away from everything, and form a circle around him." "Now you're talking." "And if he so much as shows his face out of anywhere, I won't miss." "You'd better get inside, too, miss." "No, I'll take my chances out here where I have room." "Well, all right." "Join hands, everybody." "Face out and watch your side of the room." "What time is it now?" "Can anyone see the clock?" "He may turn out the lights." "Don't let go of your neighbor's hand no matter what happens." "Quiet everyone." "Don't move, so we can hear if anyone's coming." "I thought you said the phone was dead." "Sometimes you can call in when you can't call out." " That may be a chance to get help." " Don't break the circle." "It may be a trick." "If it's an outside call, we're throwing our lives right down the sink by not answering it." "Let me loose." "I'll answer it, and the rest of you keep the circle." "All right." "Hello?" "Who?" "Mr. Kearney?" "Yes." "Who's calling, please?" "Mr. Cantrell?" "Cantrell's my business partner." "He was expecting me at the meeting tonight." "Stay where you are!" "Tell him to call the police." "Mr. Cantrell, listen closely." "Call the police and tell them Dr. Savaard is alive in his house." "He's already killed Judge Bowman, and he's gonna kill the rest of us." "It's on the level, I tell you." "Here, you talk to him and make him believe it." "Mr. Kearney, don't touch that phone." "Don't let him bluff you, Kearney." "Hello, Frank." "Listen." "Listen to me." "Frank, can you hear me?" "What's that?" "Well, speak louder." "I can't hear you..." " Look at that!" " What is it, a needle?" "Must have worked on a spring inside the receiver." "However it worked, it pierced right into his brain through the ear." "Don't touch that point unless you're eager to leave before your time." "The poison is very active." "You can put the phone back into the drawer." "I'll not need it again this evening." "Miss Elizabeth Crawford." "For your distinguished treachery that caused two deaths, you will be the next to die." "Over my dead body." "That is easily arranged, Mr. Shane." "He must be up there somewhere." "You're quite right, Mr. Shane." "But you'll never reach me." "Come on, fellows, give me a hand with that table." "Over under the balcony." "Move him out of the way." "Stop where you are." "If you think we're just gonna sit here and take it, you're crazy." "Come on, fellows." "Give me that chair." "Stop!" "I warn you, don't jump for that railing." "Let me up there." "I'm not on his list." "You are now, Mr. Reporter." "I can't leave anyone alive to tell what happened here tonight." "It's your move, gentlemen." "Stand back, everybody." "Just as I thought." "The railing's loaded with high voltage, too." "Well, that's that." "You're quite correct." "It makes no difference what you do." "You're completely at my mercy." "In 13 minutes Miss Crawford will die." "Goodbye, Miss Crawford." " What's that?" " Somebody's at the front door." " It's a trick." " Suppose it isn't?" "Yeah, that's what you said about the phone." "Janet, don't touch that grille." "It's charged with high voltage." "Beat it for the nearest phone and call the police." "Hurry, before it's too late." "Hurry." "He's already killed Judge Bowman." " Killed Judge Bowman?" " Yes, Dr. Savaard." "He's alive." "My father?" "But it can't be." " We've seen him and talked to him." " He's trying to kill us one at a time." " Where is he now?" " Upstairs somewhere." "We can't get at him." "Janet, don't!" "Janet, keep away from him." "Dad." "What brought you here?" "You are alive." "What brought you here?" "Dad, Dad." "Oh, Janet, my darling." "What are you going to do with that gun?" " You must leave here at once." " Did you kill Judge Bowman?" " He killed himself." " Dad, why did you do it?" "Are you gonna throw this miracle away only for a cheap revenge?" "Not revenge, retribution." "But why anything?" "Isn't your mere presence alive rebuke enough?" "You only have to show yourself and the world will beg your forgiveness." "Not this world of savage cruelty." "We gave them wings to fly, and they rained death on us." "We gave them a voice to be heard around the world, and they preach hatred to poison the minds of nations." "Even the medicine we gave them to ease their pain is turned into a vice to enslave half mankind for the profit of a few." "Oh, Janet dear, don't you see?" "Every gift that science has given them has been twisted into a thing of hate and greed." "But not this one." "That instrument is perfect, the secret of eternity." "But it dies with me after I've made them pay for all they made me suffer." "The shame, the months in prison, the hopelessness, the hideous waiting, knowing the exact hour and moment of the end." "Dad, you're not the man that said goodbye to me." "They killed the man I was." "All that's left is the will to hate and to destroy." "Now go." "All right." "Don't try to send for the police to help these people." "It's useless." "Now, those switches control the lower floor, the grille, the railing, the telephone, everything." "And if there's any interference, I have only to throw that switch to destroy them all instantly." "But after this is over they'll hunt you down, no matter where you hide." "Oh, no, they won't." "All the clues I'm leaving point to Lang." "They'll hunt for him, but they won't find him." "Lang is dead." "You..." "You killed Lang?" "He threatened to expose my plan to destroy these people." "I had to." " And you'd kill me too if I tried to interfere." " Oh, Janet." "You're the only thing in my life that's never hurt me." "You've never brought me anything but happiness." "I don't want anything to hurt you, ever." " So go away from here, away from me." " No, I'm not going." "Janet, I have no time." "You must go now, or stay here till the end." "I'm not going." "Then stay out of my way until this is over." "Dad, you don't know what you're doing." " Janet, you must." "You must." " Dad, wait, wait!" "Let me out!" "Let me out!" "Let me out!" "So, you thought you could escape me by turning out the lights, huh?" "So, there you are." "You make a beautiful target, Miss Crawford." "What have you done with Janet?" "She's perfectly safe." "I only kill my enemies." "In just a few seconds, the clock will begin to strike." "No!" "Let me out!" "Let me out!" "Dad, come and let me out!" "Let me out!" "Dad, let me out!" "Please come and let me out!" "Please let me out!" "Dad, let me out!" "Let me out!" "Oh, I can't stand it!" " Are you all right?" " I'm all right." "Nice going, kid." "I wanted to spare you all this, Janet." " You'll go now?" " Yes." "It's better that way." "Goodbye." "Go, dear." "You will please not endanger my daughter's safety by making any foolish appeals." "I am sending her away to spare her any unnecessary shock or pain." " Are you all right?" " She's quite unharmed." "Miss Savaard, when you get out, call my office, tell them what's happening." "My daughter may call anyone, because her discovery of what is happening here has made it necessary for me to change my plans." "I can no longer wait and to kill you one by one." "As soon as she is out of this house and her car has left the driveway," "I'll end this matter for all of you at once." "Janet, get away before he changes his mind." " We'll get out of here somehow." " We'll be all right." "Your pity is wasted, Janet." "Nothing can save them." " Dad, can you see me?" " I can see every move you make." " Dad, can you see my hand?" " Yes." "I'm going to open this grille." "Janet, don't touch that grille!" "You only have to throw a switch to save my life." " I'm going to open this grille." " Don't!" "Don't!" "What happens now is for you to decide." "The juice is off." "Break through the grille." " How does it open?" "Get a light, somebody." " I got a flashlight." "Hold it so I can see." "This time I'm not gonna let go for anybody." " Save Janet." " She's beyond saving, thanks to you." "Get her upstairs." "The laboratory." "The heart will save her." " Do as he says." " Yeah, let's go." "The heart's picking up." "It's getting stronger." "Turn off the machine." "Disconnect." "Sterilize." "Bandage her arm." " Is she all right?" " Yes." "It's a miracle." "Believe now, Doctor?" " Dad." " It's all right, Janet." "You're through the faint of the excitement." "Take her away." "She must rest." "We better call an ambulance." "He'll need it." "I'll do it." "You stick here." "Drake." " Get Dr. Stoddard." " Sure." "Dr. Savaard!" "Don't!" "Why did you destroy it?"