The Big Story
Sixteen Year Old Misfit Kills Out Of Fear
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The Big Story dramatizes real-life newspaper reporting, bringing stories from the press to radio through acted scenes and narration. This episode centers on a young man whose 1909 bank robbery in New Albany, Indiana, ended in violence. Thomas Jefferson Hoal, then 17, was caught while attempting to cross the Ohio River after the crime.
The account follows the case through Hoal’s trial and life sentence, as well as his parents’ attempt to help him escape. He later escaped prison with other inmates in 1919 and was never found. The episode’s title frames the story as one of a troubled young man acting out of fear, while the events trace the consequences of the robbery and the family’s efforts to evade authorities.
Al Aronson, a reporter for the Louisville Courier-Journal, is identified with the story. The result is a crime drama rooted in newspaper reporting, combining a specific historical case with the suspense of a radio reenactment.
This recording is part of the Old Time Radio collection.