The Mystery of Hangman's Wood: Nick Carter, Master Detective (May 13, 1945)

“The Mystery of Hangman's Wood” is an episode of Nick Carter, Master Detective, the old-time radio show, first broadcast May 13, 1945. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

Listen to Nick Carter, Master Detective free, live around the clock: every episode, in the order it first aired. No sign-up.

What happens

Nick Carter is called to a remote location near the Potomac River to investigate a mysterious phenomenon reported by Professor Markerk, a renowned archaeologist. During a full moon, a ghostly shadow of a hanged man appears on the side of an old barn near Hangman's Wood, though nothing physical casts the shadow. When Nick, his secretary Patsy, and the Professor investigate, they discover fresh wagon tracks leading into and out of the supposedly locked barn, suggesting a more earthly mystery beneath the supernatural appearance.

Hangman's Wood near the Potomac River, Virginia, where pirate caves are being investigated and an old gallows tree stands near an abandoned barn.

Characters: Nick Carter, master detective, Patsy Bowen, his secretary, Professor Markerk, an archaeologist, Harvey, the Professor's assistant

Listen for: The clever deduction about the wagon tracks suggesting a hidden human explanation for the ghostly shadow, and Nick's method of investigating the barn door.

Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.