The House Of Murder by The Hermit’s Cave

The Horror! (Old Time Radio)

A man relocates to a remote country house for peace, only to experience supernatural phenomena that mirror the tragic past of the home's for

Key takeaways

• The house is haunted by the unresolved spirit of a woman who killed her mentally disabled daughter out of mercy and then took her own life.

Main topics

• Haunted houses
• Spiritual vengeance

Notable quotes

"This is something vital and alive. A thing of power and locomotion."

Conclusion

The episode concludes with the revelation that the house's haunting is

Transcript preview

Speaker 6 (0:01) I Speaker 1 (1:02) Welcome back to the horror. Thanks for joining me this Saturday for a story from the Hermit's Cave, a series that debuted in September of 1936 over station WJR out of Detroit, Michigan. It aired until May of 1947, producing 558 episodes for CBS radio. There was a separate West Coast run of the series from September of 1940 to November of 1944. That one produced 217 episodes. I don't have a specific broadcast date for our story today, but it aired sometime in that mix. It's titled The House of Murder. In Speaker 5 (1:40) the little theater of the air. And Speaker 4 (1:56) now the hermit. The Speaker 6 (2:12) story of the murder. Turn out your lights. Turn them out. Have you heard the story? Speaker 3 (2:27) House Speaker 6 (2:29) of Murder. Then Speaker 3 (2:31) listen while the hermit Speaker 6 (2:33) tells you the Speaker 3 (2:34) story. Speaker 7 (2:51) I'd like my wages, if you please. Speaker 4 (2:53) What's that? Speaker 7 (2:54) Yes, Mr. Burton. Speaker 4 (2:56) Well, Millie, you're dressed to go out. My breakfast hasn't been served. Speaker 7 (2:59) That's right, Mr. Burton. I'm leaving right now, and I'd like my wages, if you please. This Speaker 4 (3:06) is preposterous. Speaker 7 (3:07) Oh, it's something bad, all right. You Speaker 4 (3:09) can't go without giving me more notice than this. Speaker 7 (3:12) I'm sorry, but I can't stay. Speaker 4 (3:15) What's it all about? Speaker 7 (3:16) This house, Mr. Burton. It's this house. cruelly haunted... Speaker 4 (3:21) Nonsense. It's just because we've only been in the house for a few days. It's strange to you yet. Speaker 7 (3:27) Don't get over being strange. It gets worse every night. Speaker 4 (3:31) Ridiculous. Speaker 7 (3:32) Well, you can say all you want to, Mr. Burton, but I'm leaving. I'll work for you in the city. I've been faithful to you for a good many years, and I'll go right on being faithful if you'll move back to the city again. Speaker 4 (3:45) Millie, I can't run my life to suit those who work for me. I purchased this house in the country in order that I might have... Peace and quiet for my work. Speaker 7 (3:54) There's a little peace here. Every night the sound. Last night, last night I... Oh, I don't want to talk about it. Please, Mr. Burton, I've got to be leaving this morning. Speaker 4 (4:09) How are you going to get into town? Speaker 7 (4:10) I took the liberty of calling one of the stores and the owner's sending his son out with a car. Speaker 4 (4:17) All right, Millie. As Speaker 7 (4:18) soon as you give me my wages, I'll wait outside. I'm afraid to stay inside any longer. Speaker 4 (4:25) Why, of all the absurd... If you Speaker 7 (4:26) value your life, you'll get out too. In Speaker 4 (5:06) the room here with me. As if something brushed past me. I could swear I felt it touch my shoulder. Pages of my ledger turning. As if a hand moved the pages. Caused it. And he went in here. It's utter nonsense. Sin. Speaker 4 (5:53) experiment. The test tube's knocked to the floor. I'm not dreaming this. This is too real. Speaker 5 (6:02) You'll solve this. Speaker 4 (6:03) I want to put in a long distance call. I'd like to speak to Lyman Carmer in New Carden. Yes, you've got it right. Lyman Carmer in New Carden. The telephone number is... We Speaker 5 (6:27) have to drive into the wilds, young man. We're almost there now. Speaker 3 (6:35) This new man ain't been out there but a few days. A few days too many, if you ask Speaker 5 (6:39) me. I drove out here yesterday. I picked Speaker 3 (6:42) up a woman who'd been working out there. Wanted to go back to the city. Speaker 5 (6:46) Not Millie. Speaker 3 (6:47) Seems like that was the name she'd give. Speaker 5 (6:49) Well, Speaker 3 (6:50) what's up? Couldn't rightly tell you, mister. Just couldn't tell you. Look, mister. You can see the lights of the house now. See you about 8, 10 right away through the tree. Oh, yeah. What sort of a place is it? It's quite a place, mister. Really something in a day. Old house, hmm? Yes, sir. I guess no one's lived in it for years. Old man Chimler knows it. He's lived in town as long