Mate Bram

Originally Aired: April 14, 1952

Suspense #469, "Mate Bram," presents a chilling true crime story as documented by criminologist Edmund Pearson. Thomas Bram, the first mate of the Barcantine Herbert Fuller, writes to his trusted friend Mr. Cooper about a fatal voyage that began in Boston. Having recently earned his mate's ticket and sworn off drink entirely, Bram signs aboard with Captain Charles I. Nash, second officer August Blomberg, steward Jonathan Spencer, passenger Lester H. Monks, and several crew members. When he discovers that the captain's young wife Laura will be sailing with them, Bram becomes unsettled by her compelling presence and bold manner, though he chooses not to sign off.

Tensions quickly surface aboard the Fuller as Laura Nash repeatedly questions Bram about his abstinence from alcohol during the officers' evening meals, taunting him about hiding his true self. Both Bram and Blomberg find themselves preoccupied with thoughts of the captain's wife, and hostility grows between the officers. By the third evening at sea, Blomberg confronts Bram directly, accusing him of acting superior to the drinking men aboard ship. As the voyage continues, something terrible is about to unfold on this increasingly volatile vessel.