The Voice in the Night - Production & Contact Info (original) (raw)

Richard Powell, a newspaper reporter, is taken to task by his editor for inattention to his duties in regard to the furnishing of interesting "copy," and told that unless he can find better "stories" he will have to seek another position. ...See moreRichard Powell, a newspaper reporter, is taken to task by his editor for inattention to his duties in regard to the furnishing of interesting "copy," and told that unless he can find better "stories" he will have to seek another position. On his way home from the office, while racking his brains as to the best way of securing a "scoop," he encounters a lone woman, whose appearance and dress denote that she is not of the kind usually out on the streets at night, and turning on his heels he follows her at a safe distance. Soon he sees an automobile draw up to a curb and depart, having a man standing there as though about to keep an appointment. Then from the bushes a second man appears, masked and muffled. An encounter ensues, in which a pistol held in the hand of the first stranger is discharged, and he falls to the ground. Hurrying to the spot, he is confronted by the masked man, who in a peculiar and strangely musical voice, commands him to proceed no further in the affair, as the man on the ground was justly killed. Immediately the speaker disappeared and the reporter followed, to see him conceal the pistol and mask in some vines overhanging a wall, and then disappear. Returning to the dead man he found a policeman standing over him, who called him by name, and inquired what he knew of the affair. In his duty to his editor he forgot what he owed to a law abiding community, kept his counsel, said nothing and the dead man was taken away in the automobile which had brought him to the Knot. Powell told his story to his best friend, Sergeant Lewis of the police, was rebuked for his treatment of the affair, and a bet of 10wasmade,thathewouldfindthemysteriousmanwiththemusicalvoiceintendays.Ontheninthdayheagainmetthemysteriouswomaninthecase,followedhertoachurch,enteredcloseuponherheels,andintheeloquentclergymanhefoundthesamevoicethathadfascinatedhimonthenightofthemurder.Afterservice,heconfrontedtheclergymaninhisstudy,toldhimwhyhehadcomeandwithremarkablecoolnessandresignation,thenowunmaskedmantoldhisstory.Itwasthatofatendergirl,hisonlysister,enticedfromherhomebytheunprincipledscoundrel,onlytobecruellyinsultedanddeserted,ofabroken−heartedwoman,wholefttofightherbattleoflifealone,becamesecretarytotheGovernorofState,andlaterhiswife,ofahappywifeandmother,foundoutandthreatenedbythescoundrel,whohaddesertedher,whohurriedtoherbrotherforcounselandadvice.Thatbrotheradvisedhertokeeptheappointmentinsistedupon,gottothespotbeforeher,andthenoccurredthetragedyofwhichPowellhadbeenthewitness.Afterthetragicrecitalthetwomenstoodeyeingeachother.Theclergymanspoke:"Well,hesaid,youknoweverythingnow.Whatareyougoingtodo?"Astheclergymanlookeddeepintotheeyesofhisquestionerhecouldseenothingbutsympathyinthemasthereplycame,"Nothing."PowellthenhurriedawayfromthechurchandsoughthisfriendLewis."Time′snearlyup,"saidtheSergeantasheenteredtheroom."Didyoumakethescoop?"Powellopenedthetabledrawerwherehehadleftthemoneystakedonthebet,tookoutthetwo10 was made, that he would find the mysterious man with the musical voice in ten days. On the ninth day he again met the mysterious woman in the case, followed her to a church, entered close upon her heels, and in the eloquent clergyman he found the same voice that had fascinated him on the night of the murder. After service, he confronted the clergyman in his study, told him why he had come and with remarkable coolness and resignation, the now unmasked man told his story. It was that of a tender girl, his only sister, enticed from her home by the unprincipled scoundrel, only to be cruelly insulted and deserted, of a broken-hearted woman, who left to fight her battle of life alone, became secretary to the Governor of State, and later his wife, of a happy wife and mother, found out and threatened by the scoundrel, who had deserted her, who hurried to her brother for counsel and advice. That brother advised her to keep the appointment insisted upon, got to the spot before her, and then occurred the tragedy of which Powell had been the witness. After the tragic recital the two men stood eyeing each other. The clergyman spoke: "Well, he said, you know everything now. What are you going to do?" As the clergyman looked deep into the eyes of his questioner he could see nothing but sympathy in them as the reply came, "Nothing." Powell then hurried away from the church and sought his friend Lewis. "Time's nearly up," said the Sergeant as he entered the room. "Did you make the scoop?" Powell opened the table drawer where he had left the money staked on the bet, took out the two 10wasmade,thathewouldfindthemysteriousmanwiththemusicalvoiceintendays.Ontheninthdayheagainmetthemysteriouswomaninthecase,followedhertoachurch,enteredcloseuponherheels,andintheeloquentclergymanhefoundthesamevoicethathadfascinatedhimonthenightofthemurder.Afterservice,heconfrontedtheclergymaninhisstudy,toldhimwhyhehadcomeandwithremarkablecoolnessandresignation,thenowunmaskedmantoldhisstory.Itwasthatofatendergirl,hisonlysister,enticedfromherhomebytheunprincipledscoundrel,onlytobecruellyinsultedanddeserted,ofabroken−heartedwoman,wholefttofightherbattleoflifealone,becamesecretarytotheGovernorofState,andlaterhiswife,ofahappywifeandmother,foundoutandthreatenedbythescoundrel,whohaddesertedher,whohurriedtoherbrotherforcounselandadvice.Thatbrotheradvisedhertokeeptheappointmentinsistedupon,gottothespotbeforeher,andthenoccurredthetragedyofwhichPowellhadbeenthewitness.Afterthetragicrecitalthetwomenstoodeyeingeachother.Theclergymanspoke:"Well,hesaid,youknoweverythingnow.Whatareyougoingtodo?"Astheclergymanlookeddeepintotheeyesofhisquestionerhecouldseenothingbutsympathyinthemasthereplycame,"Nothing."PowellthenhurriedawayfromthechurchandsoughthisfriendLewis."Time′snearlyup,"saidtheSergeantasheenteredtheroom."Didyoumakethescoop?"Powellopenedthetabledrawerwherehehadleftthemoneystakedonthebet,tookoutthetwo10 bills and slid them over to the winner: "No, I found I had forgotten the voice." 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