A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-oh silver, the Lone Ranger. With his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the Masked Rider of the Plains fought crime and criminals throughout the western United States. Whenever a local sheriff encountered a case which was impossible for him to solve, his first thought was to obtain the help of the Lone Ranger. The strength and courage of the Masked Rider were only equaled by his resourcefulness, and his name has come down to us through the generations as the greatest champion of justice the West ever knew. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, selling for Painted Wells! Passers-by on the street that ran past the small cottage of the Widow Lickett at Painted Wells were startled one afternoon by a loud scream. Who's that? It's the Widow! Hey, what's happening? Davey! Oh, he's been certain! It must have been that crazy fellow again! Davey's the third one! I tell you, if something ain't done, there won't be a one of us safe. We've got the one, everybody. Tell the sheriff! Three days later, in the office of the sheriff, a committee of men from the town was in conference with the lawmen. And, Sheriff, we... we don't want to be too hard on you, but you can see for yourself these things can't go on. You bet they can't. It was bad enough before Davey disappeared, but it's a heap worse now. Fellas, just a second. Friend, I'm tired. I'm dog tired. I've been in the saddle for 48 hours without a stop except to change horses. I ain't had no sleep for another 12 hours on top of that. I don't blame you for coming here, but I just can't take much more. You mean to say that in all this time you found no clue to this fellow? Mr. Lee, I ain't. First it was Bat disappeared. Then old Cy Frost, and after him, the widow's young'un. How do we know it's going to stop there? How do we know one of us standing right here won't be next? I'm doing everything a man can do. Well, it ain't enough. I know that as well as any of you. We've got to have a promise that you'll get that fellow behind bars. You know how I felt about Bat, don't you, Sheriff? It's been a month since he was seen last. Sure, Grimes, I know. Then we're on Thunderation's tangent. We're not helping things by assuming this stone. Myself, I'll confess I'm disappointed in the progress that's been made toward apprehending this kidnapper, madman, whatever he might be. But I feel certain the Sheriff has done everything within his power up to this point. Perhaps another man might have done better, I can't say. But I have a suggestion to make. Yes? Give the Sheriff another week. Refrain from criticism until the week is over. And then if no arrest has been made... Time to get out, huh? We'll say that you'll step aside. Just a more polite way of putting it. Well, I can't say I feel much like putting up a fight. If that's the way you want it, let it ride. Do you agree with me, gentlemen? Sounds fair enough, Lee. Yes. I'm glad that for once we find ourselves in agreement, Grimes. Very well, Sheriff. We'll say good day. Sure. But recollect, Sheriff, you get a week. And that's all you get. You're in a bad spot, Sheriff. Mask! Keep your hands from your guns. I warned you. That call. Oh, I didn't come here for trouble. I came here to help you. Give me your word you'll not try another draw and I'll holster my guns. What choice have I got? You'll give your word. Stranger, I ain't got the gumption to argue with anybody. I'm too all in. You got my word. Good. How'd you get back in the hall, then? I came here while you were out. When I saw you coming with those men who just left, I got out of sight. What do you want? I've told you that. To help you. How? There's been a lot of talk around the country about the kidnappings here at Painted Wells. They say the man or men responsible can't be found. Well, up to now they ain't. But what's it to you? Here. Huh? Put out your hand. What do you got there? Take a look. Look at it. Well, I'll be... Say, is this a bullet of silver? Yes. I don't savvy. I ride a horse called Silver. I have a friend, an Indian named Tonto. Silver? Tonto? You mean you're... Do those things mean anything to you? You're the Lone Ranger. Right. And you came here to help me out? I have. Well, stranger, you listen to me. Maybe this is a trick. Maybe he ain't the Lone Ranger like you claim. But I tell you, I'm so beat I wouldn't turn down help from Billy the Kid. You'll give me all the information you can? What do you want to know? Everything you've learned about these disappearances. Well, it ain't much. Won't take long to tell, and I won't be giving away nothing you couldn't learn from most anybody else. So start listening. That's everything? Everything. I see. And the first person to disappear was this man you called Bat, huh? He was. Tell me something about him. What was he like? What did he do? Well, Bat was a funny kind of a fella. Yes? Big, hulking, black-haired brood he was. Reminded you more of a dumb animal than he did a human. Hardly ever had a word to say. The kind of fella that can take orders and carry them out to the letter, but can't do no thinking for himself. If you get what I mean. I think I do. He worked for a fella here in town named Grimes. Grimes? Isn't he a rancher? Used to be. But the bank foreclosed on him. He lost most everything. Now he spends most of his time down at the cafe gambling. I see. Bat, he used to follow Grimes around like a dog. I heard once that Grimes saved his life a long time back, and that accounted for it. Never took no wages. Just worked for gratitude in his keep. Cy Frost was the second to disappear. What about him? Him? Oh, Cy was just a town roafer. Close to 90 he must have been. But you'd never guess it. Seemed to thrive on laziness. He doesn't sound like the kind of man who'd have enemies. Shucks. Folks had a sneaking liking for the old idiot. And as for that, they did for Bat, too. He weren't half as fierce as he looked. And the third? Davey? Just a boy. The Wither Liggett's youngin'. He was ten just a month ago. Surely a boy couldn't have enemies? Of course not. Nah. This is one of the strangest things I've ever heard of. Ain't it so? It doesn't make sense. There's no pattern to it. There's nothing to connect those three people together. None of them could command a ransom. None had an enemy. No one could possibly gain by their abduction. That's what makes it so hard. There's nothing to go on. I heard those men tell you you had a week in which to produce results. That was Mr. Lee's idea. But I guess maybe the others wouldn't have wanted to give me even that much time. Isn't Lee the banker here? Uh-huh. I see. Well, Sheriff, don't give up hope. You're not out of office yet. And you meant that about helping me? I did. Then if you're the Lone Ranger, I'm going to quit worrying. But if I was the fellow behind all this, then it'd be time for me to start. It didn't take long for the rumor to circulate throughout Painted Wells that the Lone Ranger was in the district. I got it straight from the sheriff. He told me himself. The sheriff weren't lying by thunder. Things ought to start humming. Friends, I've got a hundred dollars here that says the Lone Ranger catches the fellow. Two days later, the masked man and his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, rode slowly across country. It was just at dusk. The route they followed had brought them within a half mile of Painted Wells. The town was hidden from their sight by a high bluff, crowned with a dense growth of trees. Two days, Kimo Sabe, and we've made absolutely no progress. Not bad. But I don't know how it could have been helped. There's nothing even to hint what's happened to these people. Who's responsible for their disappearance? Where they've been taken? It's impossible to search the entire countryside. The sheriff couldn't even with a posse to help him. You think Feller is dead? No, Tonto, I don't. It's not as easy to kill and hide the victim as might be supposed. In this case, there would be three victims to conceal. Almost certainly, at least one of them would have been found. That's right. That's been gone between four and five weeks now. Cy Frost disappeared two weeks ago. The boy was taken three days before we arrived. And in all that time, not a one of them has been heard of again. That heap's strange. I thought the sheriff might have been mistaken. That there might have been a motive for these kidnappings that he'd overlooked. Ah. If there is, it's as well hidden from us as it is from him. Hmm. Perhaps the townspeople are right. Perhaps this is the work of a madman. Maybe. I still don't believe it, however. The fact he could take those people without once being seen shows he's well acquainted with the district. Which means he must have been around for some time. In that case, if he were insane, he must have betrayed some sign of it first. Ah. No one can name such a person. Maybe. Oh. You get shot. In my shoulder. Tonto, look. No, it's not. Oh, me, look. It's nothing. It'll be all right. But the man who fired that shot is the man we're after. Huh? He must have fired from that woods on top of the bluff there. That right. Go after him. Get him before he can reach town. You heard. I'll bind this up, but go on, Kimo Sabe. Hurry. You wait here. Get him up, Scout. Get him up. Less than 30 minutes later, the masked man saw Tonto and Scout returning. Tai. Oh. Oh, sir. Oh. Oh. Him. Him get way. What I was afraid of. The road there. Not fine trail. Him in town now. You couldn't help it, Kimo Sabe. I only sent you on a long chance. You had the circle to reach the top of the bluff. You had less than a quarter of a mile to ride to get to town. Isn't that right? He picked that place carefully, Tonto. He must have figured on the very thing. And he didn't overlook the fact the stage road would cover his sign. Ah. But at least it proves he fears us. How do you feel? A little weak, Kimo Sabe, but nothing to worry about. He can replace this bandage later. Ah. But now I have a call to make. Where we go? The sheriff and I are going to have a talk. Come on, Silver. Get him up, Scout. Come on, Silver Boy. You better have that woman looked at. You call that nothing? It'd put most of the fellas I know to bed. Never mind that now. That's not why I came to your office. No? You've been talking. What do you mean? You told about my call the other day. Everyone in the district knows that I'm here. That's why I was fired at. Stranger, I can't deny it. That day we talked, I guess I was too done in to think straight. And too glad to know you was on my side. I was careless. And I'm apologizing. Don't misunderstand me, Sheriff. I'm not concerned about that shot. No real harm was done. And it's in the past. Then what? I'm concerned with the fact that you put this fellow on his guard. He'll be just twice as hard a trap. You're right. It might be a good idea for you to circulate the story that I've left. That I've given up. I will. But I'm scared it won't work. No? Well, the trouble is, stranger, you can't convince folks that once a Lone Ranger set out to do something, he'd quit on the job. Do what you can. I will. Hey, there's someone coming. Quick, get out of sight. I'll be in back. Why, Shari, what's the matter? My father, Sheriff. Huh? He's gone. He's disappeared. The curtain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger story. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Now to continue our story. Later that same night, while Tonto changed the bandage on his shoulder, the Lone Ranger repeated what he'd overheard in the Sheriff's office. The girl was Sally Lee. Her father's the banker. He's the fourth person to be taken. Oh. Now that's enough, Kimo Sabe. This bandage will hold. Oh, he fixed it good. Thanks. What do you think now? I've been thinking it over. Poor persons have been taken. An old man, young boy, bat. The banker. There's still no pattern to these kidnappings. And yet, Kimo Sabe, you've got an idea this last capture has given the game away. Me no Sabe. Think back, Tonto. Remember the order in which they were taken. Huh? First bat. Then the old man. Then the boy. And last, the banker. Huh? We can't blame ourselves for not realizing the truth earlier, because until now there was no motive that anyone could have seen. You no crook? I'm positive I do, Tonto. Oh, that good. And if I'm right, I doubt we've ever met anyone more clever. Perhaps in a way he is mad. But if he is, it hasn't kept him from being as shrewd as a man could be. You've got proof. I haven't, but I will have. I'll get it. We're riding back to town. Ride now? Yes. Here, Silver. Here, Scound. Better Tonto go. You stay. You've got deep, bad wounds. What I have in mind, Kimo Sabe, calls for both of us. What we do? I'll tell you as we ride. Come on, Silver. Get him up, Scound. Hurry, old fellow. The cafe at Painted Wells, the social center for the men of the town, was filled with excited ranchers and townsmen discussing the disappearance of Banker Lee. The sheriff was there as well, rounding up a posse. But the noise and gossip suddenly stopped when a masked man strode through the swinging doors. He's masked. Maybe it's the lone rings. Wonder what's up with you. Yeah, or me. Come on, son. Hide. You get to lead to where the banker is, stranger? What's up? Quiet. Something's happened that you should know. The banker's gone, but the boy's returned. What? You mean, Davey, the widow's boy? Where's he at? How'd he get away? Come on, fellas. Let's go down to the house and see what he's got to say. Come on. No. He's not at home. His life is still in danger. The only man I'll take to him is the sheriff. Come on, now, wait a minute. You heard the masked man, and what he says goes. If the boy's in danger, don't you fellas make it worse. But don't go on it, Sheriff. You listen to me. If one of you gents tries to follow us, I'll throw that hombre in jail. Ready, stranger? Where's your horse? It's just outside. Then come. The Lone Ranger led the sheriff out of town, but reined up when they reached a grove of trees. Oh, oh, there's a little bit. Oh, boy. Oh, oh, oh. Is he in these woods? No. Then what are we stopping for? Come on, let's keep going. I want to talk to that kid. You can't. I can't. Say, you don't mean he's dead, do you? I have every reason to believe he's still safe. I don't get it. Why don't you take me to him, then? I don't know where he is. Huh? What you said back there. That he'd escaped, I know. But he hasn't. Or if he has, he hasn't made an appearance yet. Look here. Just what kind of a game are you up to? Sheriff, you'll have to trust me and take what I say on faith. But I only... Until tonight, the man responsible for these disappearances hadn't finished his work. Until his work was finished, I have reason to believe, his first three victims went unharmed. Now, however, it's a different story. Unless we prevent it, they'll die. How do you know all this? You'll learn that later. You're holding something back on me. You found out something you ain't told. Sheriff, I'm not in possession of a single fact you haven't got. Huh? You simply fail to see the direction in which those facts point. You mean I ought to know the hombre we're after? Yes. Well, I'll be doggone if I do. You will. You can show me? Yes. Then come on. Let's get at it. I told Tuttle we'd meet him here. We can't leave until he arrives. You can follow after. No, Sheriff. It's just the other way around. Huh? We'll follow Tuttle. But I don't... Wait. I think this is him now. Get him up, Skull. It is. Fire there! I'm waiting on you. Oh, oh, Skull. Oh, fella. Oh. You. You come. He took the bait? Uh-huh. Him right now. Then get back, Tuttle. Get back on his trail. We'll follow just close enough to keep you in sight. Uh-huh. Get him up, Skull. Get him up. Ready, Sheriff? For anything. Then let's go. Ride at a trot at first until the town is far enough ahead. All right. Get up, fella. Come on, Silver. For two hours, the sheriff and the Lone Ranger rode side by side across the night-shrouded prairie in almost complete silence. But finally, the sheriff was unable to control his impatience. Doggone, if you're telling me the truth and we're really trailing that hombre, why can't we run him down? That horse of yours could catch up to anything. We couldn't make a worse mistake. Why? Don't you realize where he's leading us? To the people he took captive. We alarm him. We may never find them. I'd make him talk. In the first place, unless he takes us there, we'll have no real proof against him. Just the same... In the second place, there's nothing you could threaten him with strong enough to persuade him to put his head in a noose. That's what that information would amount to. Blast it. You're so doggone stubborn. Because I want nothing to go wrong. I suppose you're right. I have to be right. If I'm not, four people die tonight who might have lived. Come on, Silver. Another hour, and the sheriff suddenly exclaimed, Why, Gravy, I'll bet I know where we're going. Do you? There's a holler just ahead. There is. With a ranch house in it. A deserted ranch house. Nobody's lived there since the bank foreclosed. Look ahead there. Huh? I believe that's Tato waiting. He's stopped. That don't mean he's lost the trail, does it? It's more likely to mean we've reached the end of the trail. Don't call out to him. We don't know how far away our man may be. Yeah. Tato. Oh. Oh, Silver. Oh, there. Oh, oh, oh. Where is he? Him going ranch house. I don't see no light. Naturally not. I imagine I've got the windows covered so no light can get out. Hey, but you've been talking about just one fellow all the time. Two were in on this, but only one was really to blame. Yeah? Yep. Come on. We'll leave the horses here and go the rest of the way on foot. I'm ready. Keep your guns handy. You may need them in a hurry. The masked man, Tato, and the sheriff advanced upon the apparently dark and deserted ranch house in complete silence. Their guns were in their hands. Their eyes and ears were alert for any sight or sound that would indicate they'd been discovered. They reached the steps of the porch and then paused. The lone ranger spoke in low tone. Tato. Huh? Go around to the back of the house. We may try to escape that way. If they do, hold them till we get there. How's they doing? Now go. Oh. We'll give Tato a moment to get into position. Uh-huh. When we're ready to enter, we won't announce ourselves. When I give the signal, throw yourself at the door. You'll burst it open before they can get set. Right. Uh, Tato should be ready. Come. You think they'll... The door. Bust it open. Here. Like a bat. Down, sheriff. Like a bat. Throw down them guns. You've got a place. Then take it. My hand. Get him. Out of the door. Tato, stop them. You get back for us, kids. We're covered. Don't shoot. I don't shoot. You skunks. Another break like that, and it'll be your finish. No, sheriff. Wait. Keep them covered, Sheriff. Tato. Uh-huh. Untie those people. Uh-huh. Tato do it. I think it's lucky we got here when we did, Sheriff. From the sound of it, Grimes was getting ready to finish his prisoners without wasting time. No, I wasn't. I wasn't going to harm them. Just throwing a bluff on us. You've got to believe me. We'll see what they have to say about that. He would have killed us, Sheriff. He told us so. He boasted of it. If he'd be much later, he'd be going through with it. That's all. That's all. The rotten skunk. That clinches it. Tato, how's the boy? Him all right. Him tied too long. That all. Take care of him. Let him lie down a moment. Oh, bless you. If it was you, mister, that done this, don't think I'll forget it. You probably won't, Grimes. You seem pretty good at holding grudges. I'll get even. If you do, it'll have to be mighty quick, then. I don't reckon you'll be living much after court sets. Hewitt! And I've heard about all from you I care to. Right now, I'd like the masked man to explain how he figured this out. There could be only one answer, Sheriff. Maybe so. But I couldn't even get that. When Lee here disappeared, it was the first time anyone had been taken we knew had an enemy. Huh? Lee's the banker. You told me yourself the bank foreclosed on Grimes' ranch. That Grimes lost everything. My golly, I never thought. But the others, what'd they have again them? Nothing. Huh? Then why did... You had told me that Bat would do anything Grimes told him. That he followed Grimes around like a dog and worked for Grimes for nothing but his keep. Sure, everybody knows that. Bat disappeared because Grimes told him to. Then while Grimes established alibis for each disappearance, Bat took Cy and the boy and finally the banker prisoner. You still ain't explained about Cy and Davey. They were taken simply to confuse the trail. Grimes had no motive for harming them. You didn't suspect him when they disappeared, so naturally when the time came to seize Lee, you still didn't suspect him. Although you knew they were enemies. So that was it. None of the victims had been found, so it seemed almost certain they were alive. I imagine Bat objected to going as far as murder and Grimes couldn't finish them off before Lee was captured because Bat was still necessary to his plans. Is that right, Grimes? You seem to be running this show. Figure it out for yourself. He doesn't need to. What he said is true. Even Bat, stupid and loyal as he is, couldn't kill in cold blood. It took Grimes to try that. Well, he had his try, but he won't get another. Grimes, this scheme of yours was just about as slick as any I ever heard tell of. Especially when you were smart enough to make it look as though Bat had been captured too. But you wasn't quite smart enough. The mask man here. Hey, where is the mask man? Where'd he go to? Him and the engine went outside. I seen him. My gosh. Well, there he goes. Saves you folks. Gets these fellas. Helps me to hang on to my job. And lights out without waiting to be thanked. That sure don't leave no doubt but what he's the Lone Ranger. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated. The Lone Ranger Incorporated. The Lone Ranger Incorporated.
