Canned Death: Tales of the Texas Rangers (April 22, 1951)

“Canned Death” is an episode of Tales of the Texas Rangers, the old-time radio show, first broadcast April 22, 1951. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

Listen to Tales of the Texas Rangers free, live around the clock: every episode, in the order it first aired. No sign-up.

What happens

When rancher Bob Farrick and his family die after eating a meal, a Texas Ranger is called in to investigate. The autopsy reveals the deaths were caused by botulism from improperly canned sausage meat, but no canning equipment is found in the Farrick home, suggesting the contaminated food was a gift from someone else who unknowingly prepared it.

Texas ranch country and town, January 1940

Characters: Ranger Jase Pearson, Sheriff, Bob Farrick, Doc, Mike Howdy, Mr. Burton

Listen for: The investigation into a mysterious poisoning that turns out to be accidental, the search for the source of contaminated homemade canned meat, and the arrival of an insurance investigator with questions about the heavily insured family.

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.