Dead Man's Letter: Richard Diamond, Private Detective (November 8, 1950)

“Dead Man's Letter” is an episode of Richard Diamond, Private Detective, the old-time radio show, first broadcast November 8, 1950. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

A dying man staggers into Richard Diamond's office and hands him a sealed envelope before collapsing. When two thugs chase Diamond to prevent him mailing it, he addresses it to police and gets it into the system. Later, a beautiful woman named Nancy Lang hires him to guard her party, but Diamond senses something is wrong. The mystery deepens when bodies begin turning up and Diamond discovers the envelope contains half of a map leading to stolen gold bullion hidden somewhere near Key West.

New York City and Key West, Florida

Characters: Richard Diamond, Nancy Lang, Lieutenant Walton Levinson, Sergeant Otis, Julio Ortiz (also known as Guillardo), John Bishop, Bernard Coombs, The Chief of Police (Key West)

Listen for: A complex mystery involving a sealed envelope, a map to hidden gold, and a South American rebel leader using an assumed identity. The story unfolds across multiple locations as Diamond pursues the truth behind the murders and the treasure.

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.