The Conquest of David Rugg (A Story from The Devil’s Scrapbook)

“The Conquest of David Rugg” is the only surviving episode of The Devil’s Scrapbook. All the others appear to have been lost.

At the beginning of the show, a man named Sidney recalls the horrific events of the night before. He was driving home when he was caught in a sudden storm. The storm was so bad that the lights of his car were useless and the windscreen wipers could not even begin to do their job. Then he became aware that he was no longer on a paved road, but an old dirt track instead. To make matters worse the engine of his car must have got some water in it because it died. Sidney would have been stranded if a horse drawn buggy had not been passing by.

The driver of the buggy took Sidney home with him so that he could warm himself by the fire, but the house had a penetrating coldness inside it and was filled with old-fashioned furniture and fitments and, as Sidney was soon to discover, with ghosts.

The Devil’s Scrapbook: The Conquest of David Rugg

(Listen to the Full Episode)