Finger Man: Tales of the Texas Rangers (July 13, 1952)

“Finger Man” is an episode of Tales of the Texas Rangers, the old-time radio show, first broadcast July 13, 1952. Listen free on Stupid Potato.

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What happens

When prisoners Leon Desser and Carl Foley attempt a jail break at the sheriff's office, they take the deputy hostage. A Texas Ranger arrives to help contain the situation, but discovers the deputy has been murdered during the escape attempt. The ranger must now identify which prisoner committed the killing using forensic evidence.

A sheriff's office jail in Texas with cells upstairs

Characters: Leon Desser, Carl Foley, Deputy Joe, Sheriff, Texas Ranger Jason, Ted

Listen for: The tense jail break sequence and the discovery of the deputy's body; the ranger's investigation into who wielded the murder weapon

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.