fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-yo silver, the Lone Ranger. After the Civil War, great sections of land in the western United States were open to homesteaders. This meant the end of the open range, and the cattlemen not only resented the coming of the farmers, but tried to drive them out. Bloodshed and violence might have followed if it had not been for the masked rider of the plains. It was he more than any other man who made an understanding between the two factions possible. 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, Silver! We're heading for the range country! Ben Bates was tired, and when his wife Mary saw the lines of fatigue in his face, she hurried out of the cabin to meet him and... Oh, Ben, you're tuckered out. You must stop working so. Come on, now, let me help you to the house. Leave your axe right here by the door. Well, I'll sit right here for a little spell, Mary, out in the sun. But I gotta get back and finish that fence. Not today, Ben. That fence can wait till tomorrow to be finished. Can't, Mary. I gotta get her done. Crops are showing now. Be just like them cattlemen that run their critters through our land of purpose. I gotta fence her. Better to lose the crop than work yourself to death. There, now. You sit down and rest, and I'll fetch you a drink of nice cold water. That'll freshen you. Here, wipe your face off. Oh, it feels good to sit. Then you should do more of it. You can't work all the time. Got to. Mary, we had a dream for a good many years. A little place that we could call our own. A fence to mark her out. Crops. Maybe a cow and some chickens. I know, Ben. And we'll have it, too. Now drink this. Lay in a store of berries and things. Plenty of firewood for when the nights get cold. Drink your water, Ben. Oh. Then we could just sit and watch the fire. Hear the rain on the roof. The wind howling around. We'll have it, Mary. We'll have it yet. Sure we will, honey. Where's Jen? Oh, we needed a few things from town. She went over to the store. Be back soon, I reckon. Jen, we were just speaking. Well, what ails your child? It's the cattle men, Pa. Pa Lodge Newsome's talking him up to things. Well, what do you mean? They've already told Jim Hastings to clear out of here. But Jim had a homestead, same as us. They didn't care about that. They told him to clear out or they'd clear him out. Oh, Pa, they can't make us give up what we work so hard to get, can they? Not legally, can't. By Juniper, Drew, we ain't going to go. Who is it? Oh, what's the matter, Dan? Boss, I aim to pull stakes. What? I figure I ain't cut out for farming, Bates. I reckon I'll ride west. You can't leave me now, Dan. What's the trouble? Ain't to pay enough? Ain't to pay, Bates. Anyhow, you couldn't pay more if you wanted to. I'm just pulling out, that's all. Now, Daniel... I know the trouble. You're scared. You're afraid there might be a fight. Well, I... You're yellow. Maybe so, Miss Jen. Maybe that's it. You'll even cause you're afraid of Lodge Newsome. Is that it, Daniel? Oh, maybe so. Why, you ordinary yellow puppy ain't over... Bates, I don't hanker to push up the sod at my age. Country around here has always been cow country, and the cowmen don't like the homestead. But why not? We ain't using up much land. There's a plenty of land on all sides for rain. I figure this should all be open range. But the government... Men like Newsome cleared this country of redskins and made it safe, and they don't care for the government anymore than they did for the redskins. That's a story, Bates. Oh, the... They figure they fought redskins to hold their cowl in. They've got to fight the new homesteading laws, the homesteaders, and the government to keep it. They'll do that. That's what Newsome was telling the men in town. They'll be fighting, Bates, and shooting. Likely some blood will be shed. I don't want to be in on it, that's all, so... So I'm riding. All right, Daniel. Nothing I can say will change your mind? Nothing. Ben, you can't handle it alone. I've got to. Dan was the only man around I could get to help me work the farm. Now he's gone, I'll work it alone. I'll finish up that fence to start with, and... What's that? Some horses come in here. I'll go and... See here, what's the meaning? We've come to have a few words with you, Bates. Lige Newsome, you get out of here. We don't want you round... Downright sorry, Miss Jen. We've come to speak to your old man. Looks like you already spoke to the hired man. Dan? Well, yes, we did. So you chased him while you're overgrown bullion... Mrs. Bates, what we got to say is for Ben. Well? We don't hanker for trouble, Bates. We'd hate like Jen to have to show violence. But you can't fence land around here. Who can? Nobody. We don't stand for it. If I don't fence it, your cattle will be running all over my crop. Can't be helped, Bates. That fence you're building will have to come down. You got water on your land. What of it? There's a plenty of water all around. The cattle on the range have been using your water holes for a good many years. We don't aim to let them critters be fenced away from the water by no unwelcome sod buster that moves in where he ain't wanted. I got this land from the government. It's mine. They used to be Redskins. It figured the same way. We chase them Bates and we'll chase you. Now, will you take down that fence or will I? I'm hanged if I take her down. I know my rights. Steve, open that there door and tell the boys to take the fence down. They want to use the split rails of firewood, they're welcome to them. You can't do that. Sorry, miss. We got to watch out for our own interests. You take that fence down. You so much as touch your hand to it, now start shooting. Rip down the fence, boys. Rip it down. Ben, no. No, don't. Put that gun down, Bates. I won't do it. Now get and leave me alone. Let's put it down. Oh, please. Don't start nothing. You can't fix it. They're ripping down my fence. You can't. I won't stand for it. Ben, Ben. You shot Paul. Oh, Paul. Paul, you hurt bad. You better fix that wound. When he comes to, tell him the next time he threatens me, I'll shoot to kill. Come on, boys. Jim, is he hit bad? I don't know, Ma. I don't think so. Ornery skunks. Oh, Ben, thank goodness you're alive. Drill me. Lead me up. Get up for days. Can't work now. Crops will be gone. Head up by cattle. Tromp down. Never mind the crops, Ben. Just get well and admit when you're up against something you can't lick. Place we call our own. Fence to mark her out. Cow, chickens, store of berries. Set watching the fire. Hearing rain on the roof. Snug and cozy. While the wind howls all round. Howls and can't get in. Cause we're snug and cozy. How own place. Oh, dad ratted all. Dad ratted all anyway. From the top of a distant rise, the lone ranger and Tonto could see the activity on the farm. The Indian shaded his eyes, and then... Tullers, there. Take Pence down. Taking it down? That's more trouble, Kimisabi. The man there got land all plowed. A homesteader, Tonto, and getting the usual treatment from the cattlemen. They've had a hard fight to make their homes and a harder fight to keep them. Come on, Tonto. Tonto. I'll still bring it down, boys. Drag every last stick of that, they'll wood away with you. If this don't teach Ben Bates a lesson to him move out, we'll burn down his house. We'll keep homesteaders out of here. Let's burn the house down now. Come on. No way. Come on. Look at what's coming. Who are them two riders? One's an engine. Hey, one mask. What do they want here? Hold on, boys. Stop your work and get together. We'll see what's coming off here. What are you doing there, men? Getting rid of a homesteader? That's right, stranger. You want to make anything of it? Who is he? The name's Bates. Now, what do you want in here? What's the idea that they're masked? So Bates isn't welcome here. Has he proved up the land and been granted it legally? Mister, as far as we're concerned, there ain't no legal homesteading. What's more, we don't like strangers. Now shove on. It seems to me that you're the ones that'll have to shove on. You're trespassing on private property, and you've stolen a fence. What? You'll bring back that fence and put it up as it was, and then get off the Bates' property. Well, I'll be home tired. Say, stranger, just who do you think you are? That doesn't matter. You working for Ben Bates? Perhaps I am. Well, I know different. Now, get going. Get going before I get mad enough to start shooting. You'd be foolish to start shooting. Stranger, that's a plenty. Now draw your gun. Now I'll have plenty of time to draw mine after you start drawing yours. That's enough! Oh! Hey! The stranger sure out-drawed light. Oh, my hand. My hand's busted. Thanks, mister. Thanks for doing that. Newsom shot my paw. He has? I ain't that serious, stranger. Have you been Bates? Yep. Do I get a job working for you? Oh, gone strange. I'd admire to have you. All right. You heard that, Newsom. And whatever your name is, I'm representing Bates now. I don't care who you represent. You're biting off more trouble than you can handle, and you better get while you've got help. What about putting that fence back, Newsom? Put back nothing. We'll be back here tomorrow at this time, and you'll either be gone by then in the whole Bates outfit with you, or we'll come shooting. Come on, boys. This here calls for a meeting in town. Get up there. Get up there. Come on. Get up there. I thought we were in for something now. That man, Newsom, seems to be the leader of the cattlemen. That's right. Stay here with the horses for a minute while I speak to Bates. I don't know how I'll ever tell you how much good it done me to see you handle Newsom that way, stranger. Oh, mister, I could kiss you for it. Come in. Do come in, and bring the redskin with you. Anything we got is yours. You seem to have been here for some time, Bates. Long enough to plow my land, start my crops, and build this house. Now, Newsom, the rest of the cattlemen are making us move. There ain't a thing we can do about it. The cattlemen feel that they've won this part of the country. I know. There's a lot to be said for their side of it, but... There are many places where the homesteaders settled and tilled the ground, found who wouldn't support crops, and moved away, leaving weeds where they'd been grazing. That sort of thing has made the cattlemen hard. But what can we do? We figured when we got this landed, it'd be worthwhile to cut all our strings and come out here. You've got to stay. I know. I know it seems we should stay, mister. They didn't fight it out, but we can't. That's all. It isn't worth it. Why? They'll burn the house next and likely kill Paul. They have killed some men, men who wouldn't move out from their toad. They already shot Paul once. How many of the men who were here do you know? Me? Well, no, most of them. I could name them. That's what I want, their names. But what for? They've broken the law. Oh, shucks. I thought for a minute you had some sort of scheme for outwitting those cow men. Outwitting them? Oh, licking the daylights out of them. You're talking about broken laws. That's right, Miss Bates. Well, there ain't no law here. Those men make up the law, they go along. They don't know anything but the law of might makes right. We can do one of two things. Stay here and die or get out. Now, let's wait a little while and see what happens. Pardon there, it ain't no use. I sure appreciate what you've done, and I'm for you, mask and all. Well, but that pack of wolves will be back. I suppose they will. What's that? When they come back, let them come. You come. Come quick. What is it, Tonto? Oh, Pa, Pa, this is it. Look, there must be a couple of hundred head of cattle. They're stampeding cattle this way. Bring the horses close to the house, Tonto. Come on, Silver. Come on, boy. They're driving the cows right out on the field. That's the end of all pods, plows, and things. They're dirty polecats. They're snakes. Look. Look at that cattle. It's being drove right toward my crop. Listen to me, all of you. Watch those longhorns. See what brands or ear notches they have. We want to know whose cattle that is. It don't matter whose it is. It's the end, as far as I'm concerned. Let me get my gun. I'll shoot some of those critters anyhow. No, no shooting. Do what I say. Find out whose cattle that is. Look at my land. Look. It's torn up for keeps. 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. The day after Ben Bates' fences had been torn down and his crops trampled by a stampeding herd, Lodge Newsome and his friends gathered in the cafe. It's the best I ever heard. Hey, boys, we're to be arrested. Sheriff, tell the boys what you figure to do, eh? I've got to put you all under arrest and you've got to go before the judge and have a hearing. If the facts, as charged, are true facts, then you'll have to be punished according to the law. Ain't that the limit, boys? Bates thinks the judge and jury made up of you boys are going to jail us for taking down the fence and for driving cattle on his plot of ground. Well, when will that trial be, Sheriff? Well, Lodge, right now the judge is downright busy and I don't figure he'll be able to hold court till along about the first of the year. Let's have it quiet in here. I've been waiting for you, stranger. You and that mask of yours and that fancy shooting. Steady, Newsome. I'm not here alone. Gotta get to the right side of the room. Keep your guns handy in case anyone tries to draw. Me watch them. Stranger, as the sheriff, I demand you unmask and hand over those guns. Sheriff, in this court, you'll take instructions from the judge. The judge? Come in, Bates. Bring the judge. You men have heard of the circuit judge. He hasn't been here before now, but you've all heard of the fair decisions of Judge Plumlee. Judge Plumlee? Plumlee? It's much easier to hold court in this cafe than to move all of the prisoners to the meeting hall. You can use our table, Judge Plumlee. Very well. You're Judge Plumlee? I am. You can put away the guns now, my friend. I've only had one instance where there was a gun use in my court. Look here, Your Honor, Mr. Judge Plumlee. We never needed... Order in this court. You'll address the court when you wish to be heard. The rest of the time, you'll refrain from causing a disturbance. That means shut up. What is this, anyhow? Who are you? I'm Lodge Newsome. Oh, yes, yes. One of the defendants. Well, one more outburst and you'll be fined $20 for contempt of court. Now, I began to explain that on the one occasion that a gun was fired, the careless man who fired went to prison for five years. The charge was attempted murder. We don't need no outside judge here. Sheriff, I have ways of seeing the law as I interpret it carried out. The mask man who wrote for me last night explained something of the situation in this community. I had enough of this. Throw Plumlee out. Newsome, I fine you $20 for contempt of court. Well, you just try and make me pay it. Bring in my deputies. Come on, boys. Hey, who are them fellas? Five of the toughest, hardest, biggest men I've seen. Now, look at here. They can shoot straight with either hand, Newsome. And if you prefer to argue it with Fiss, they'll be very glad to oblige. $20 is the fine, boys. Twenty bucks. What about it? I'll pay. I'll pay. Now, we will proceed with the trial. Sheriff, produce a defendant. Yes, sir. Lodge Newsome. Now, look here. Step up here. I want all of you to line up so I can see you. Call out the rest of the name, Sheriff. If any of the defendants are not here, get them. Bat Benson, Bob Swann, Pete Logan. Judge Plumlee's reputation as a fair and impartial judge had spread throughout the West, and it was well known that his verdicts were always enforced in one way or another. At last, all the defendants stood before him. There's a lot of them, Your Honor. Well, you don't look like vicious men. You don't even look dishonest. As a matter of fact, you look to me like the sort of men I'd like to know. Judge, they ain't never got... You'll be quiet, Sheriff. Now then. A charge against you is trespass. Also, the charge is made that you willfully and knowingly committed larceny in the theft of fencing. Do you deny these charges? Then you admit they're true? Newsome, you seem to be the leader of these men. Did you or did you not steal Ben Bates' fence? Can I speak for nothing this time? Speak. Well, Judge Plumlee, we took the fence, sure we did. And if it's a crime to drive cows over Bates' crops, I reckon we done there, too. But doggone it, all he and the rest of the homesteaders are spoiling the reins. Why? Why? Well, they just are. Well, the fact is, you've broken the law and you're going to be punished for it. I could fine you, but none of you can afford fines as heavy as I demand. I could jail you. But while you were in jail, your ranches would run wild and soon be worthless for lack of care. In a couple of days? Oh, you'd be in jail for some time. You see, you've broken a lot of laws, and I can jail you for the maximum term on each of the laws you've broken. I think you'd spend about ten years in jail. Ten years? Oh, yes, Newsome. Ten years. You men haven't learned much about laws, have you? But don't worry, I'm not jailing you. Because I feel you deserve a chance to undo the things you've done. I'm going to give you two weeks. In that time, you'll rebuild the fence you tore down. You'll replow the beach land. You'll cultivate it, work the ground up properly, and plant new seeds. There's still time for crops to be raised, and you'll raise them. I'll help that sod buster. Not on your life. $20 fine for contempt of court. Find it all, this ain't fair. Make it $40. Forty bucks. Hand it over. No, no, this ain't fair. Oh, take him into the back room for the collection. Good. Let's go. Hey, hey, let me down. Let me down. I'll walk you, but some of my lips. Let me down, I tell you. Quiet, please. Gosh. Poor Newsome. Odd how long it takes some men to learn. Open that door, won't you, Sheriff? Newsome's across his knee. Get up, will you? Stay open me. Let me go. Spanking him like you would a kid. Oh, that sure will take lives down a peg. Close the door, Sheriff. I think the fine will be paid. Now, you've heard the sentence of this court. I'll expect to find the Bates farm in good condition when I return in two weeks. Or does someone want to argue that point? The following day, the cattlemen arrived at Ben Bates' farm and started rebuilding the fence under the direction of Bates himself. The lone ranger and Tonto worked with them. By noon, the job was half completed. The men trooped into the house, crowding it to capacity and sat down to their meal. Mary and Jen kept their plates filled. Say, Bates, some of this is food I've never had before. We grow it all, Newsham, back in the east. Mary preserved it. By extensive its first rate. Sure, it's a mighty big chain for nothing but beef and beans. It is, like. Sure is. Well, pie when you're ready for it, boys. I could eat these here bittles till I can't stand. Most makes working all morning worthwhile. If we work fast, boys, we'll get that fencing all done by sundown. Oh, we'll... That doggone fencing. And tomorrow, we can start plowing the land up again. No, I ain't never done no plowing. You mean to say you can't handle a plow? I ain't said I couldn't. I said I never had. Hey, you'll learn how. I'll show you tomorrow. Thanks, Pete. You ought to be ashamed. Look at Lodge Newsome handle that plow. I'll bet two bits I can make a spade of fur than any one of you. Then I'll plow my paw. He's twice your age. No, give me that thing. Hey, now, it ain't your turn with that machine, Lodge. Stand back and watch me. Get along there. Come on, get along. Get along. How's this, huh? You're making a mess of it, Lodge Newsome out of clay. Let me just get the hang of it and I'll show you. Come on. Come on. As the men acquired skill, they became more proud of their work. And on the evening of the fourth day, the Lone Ranger spoke to Tonto. Tonto, I think those men are getting the spirit. Them work plenty hard now. It's time for you to ride, Kimisabe. Bring the friends we talked about. It'll take you about three days to get back here. Tonto, get back soon. All right. And when you come, stop at the cottonwoods and watch. If you see that Silver's saddled and bridled, you'll know the time has come to make our test. Otherwise, if Silver isn't saddled, camp in the woods with your friends and wait. Tonto, do it. Now ride. Get him up, scout. Ben Bates was worried. He voiced his apprehension to his wife and daughter at the same time that Tonto rode away. Pa, don't worry about it. As long as that masked friend of ours is here, I reckon things will be all right. But when he's gone... Where what? That's when Newsom and the rest will get even. They ain't going to do all that work for nothing. Pa, for some reason or other, I feel that the masked man is going to fix things for us permanent. Can't do it, Jen. You gotta admit that the men that have been working have done a fine job of it. So far. But they don't want to go to jail. That's the only reason. You wait till after the judge has been here and gone. Then see what they do. During the next few days, the men worked as hard as ever. And at the end of the week, the job was finished. Ben's acreage had been finely worked and planted. And gave promise of a rich harvest. Ah, I've never seen a fine field in my life. You've never seen a planted field, Lise? Ah, look at there where I worked it. Don't it look right slick, though? Fellas, I... I don't know how I can pay y'all. Oh, I don't know, Bates. I reckon I sort of enjoyed this here job. Ain't like handling cattle. With cattle, there ain't much to see. With this, a man can look out and watch things grow and figure they're growing because he made it so. Well, there's no reason for you men to stay around now. The job's done. Bates, I'm going to be leaving myself in a little while. Well, Jen, I'd sure admire to have you stay here, partner. I'm sorry, Bates. There's something I want to do here. Let me open this gate and the fence. For what? We've cut off an old Indian trail. See those red men coming? Ain't one your friend? That's right. They're heading west. If we don't let them through this field, they'll have to ride away around the farm. A couple of miles further for them. Now, hold on, mister. Won't the horse's hoof sink into that there soft ground we turned and worked? Oh, they won't hurt it. The seeds haven't sprouted yet. One minute, Tyler. We'll have the gate open for you. That's one. Wait a minute. What do you think you're doing? Stand aside, Nelson. Let the Indians through. I'm hanging, if I will. What? After all we've done and the way we worked that field and got her looking like a big hunk of black velvet, I ain't letting no one go through. But it won't hurt any. It'll mark her all up with horse's hoofs. No, sir. I got a personal interest in seeing this glad-gratted crop amount or something. And my base has promised to fix some preserved parsnips and things. You redskins, clear out! That's it, lads. Go on, engines. You heard them. Now, get. Ah, we go home. You'll do, men. You've learned to share Ben's feeling for his land. From now on, you'll respect his rights and property. You're sure of that? If I wasn't sure, I'd stay here until I was. But I'm not staying. Hello, Silver! Heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated. The Lone Ranger Incorporated.
