Hello, and welcome to another episode of nostalgic mystery radio. I'm your host Stevie K. And it's my

honor to bring you the radio shows of yesteryear. For today's episode, I bring you Secrets of Scotland

Yard, episode titled The Lucky Murderer, originally aired July 31st, 1950, or a chance of luck saved a man from being sent to the gallows. So sit back

and relax, and I hope you enjoy this nostalgic mystery radio. Thank you for listening. From the Longhorn Radio Network,

Adventure and Mystery,

classic series from radio's Golden Pass.

The Presenting Clive Brook in the Secrets of Scotland Yard.

How do you do? This is Clive Brook.

I was going to call this week's casebook history the case of the lucky murderer, but that would be wrong.

If a man accused of murder is reprieved, then when it has no right to call him a murderer.

But in this case, guilty or not guilty, a reprieve might not have been forthcoming save for an element of luck quite unique in the casebook histories of Scotland Yard. I use the word luck, but it is not a favourite of mine.

I don't like to think that our lives are governed entirely by chance happenings.

One's efforts become reasonless.

On the other hand, who has not experienced some inconsequential happening that has changed the whole course of their lives.

Instead of luck, shall we call it fate.

Alexander Campbell Mason, a young Scot, stood his trial for murder at the old Bailey in the spring of 1903.

Now, whether it was luck or chance or fate, or whatever you care to call it,

the fact that a shower of rain started on a certain day at a certain hour,

almost certainly saved him from the gallows.

The night. It all began on the night of March the 9th, 1903.

It was a quiet evening at Scotland Yard,

and in the duty room, attention was being concentrated on matters of far greater import than the mere solving of crime.

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