With a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty, I owe silver, the Lone Ranger. In the western United States, the bands of outlaws that roamed the new territory grew so strong that they defied the local sheriffs. It was not until the masked rider of the plains started his great fight for justice that law and order was brought to the lawless frontier. His strength and courage was always on the side of right against might, and it was he more than any other man who finally made possible the winning of the West. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. Come out of the past come the thundering hoofbeach of the great horse Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, seal Clarksville! For the coming of the railroad, Clarksville had achieved its destiny. A sleepy village became a booming cattle market, but it still retained many of the characteristics of a small town. The station platform was crowded every night when the train from the east was due. Cowboys and ranchers, gamblers and storekeepers mingled in the light of flares and lanterns. At last, the train steamed into the station. A girl of 18 elbowed her way through the crowd toward the coaches' end. I'll clear the way for you, Miss Jones. I don't want your help, Ben. Well, whatever you say, I hear your brother's coming home from school. Yes, and I'm the only one to meet him. The first thing I had to tell Johnny is that you killed his father. You're talking to the mayor of Clarksville, Miss Jones. I'm talking to a murderer. Every one of the men who broke into the office of the clarion is in jail. When are you going to set them free? They'll be tried by a jury. Tried and set free? You can't afford to have them punished. They took your orders. You knew about that editorial card written. You were afraid to let the people of Clarksville see the next edition of the clarion. If one man could defy her, there might be others who'd follow his lead. You were afraid of my father, Ben, so you ordered your men to kill him. That's a lie. You're a coward, too. You wouldn't dare say that to a man. Jones! Get out of my way. Here I am, Johnny. Hello, sis. Where's Dad? Oh, you've grown. I'm grown up. I wish that were true. It is. Where's Dad? Didn't he come down to meet me? I've got a horse and bubble waiting. We'll pick up your trunk tomorrow. Something's wrong. There's nothing that's right in Clarksville, Johnny. Huh? I'll tell you. I don't want to do it here. Come on. So we buried him yesterday morning. He was a brave man, Johnny. He was a hero. You and I had to prove we were worthy to have him for a father. What can we do? We'll carry on with the clarion. They ran our printer out of town. They broke up the big press. But there's still the small one, and you can set tight. Sure. There's an office up ahead. We boarded it up where the glass was broken. Hey. Hey, there's a couple of men out in front. More of them, Gunman. Get up there. A white man in the paint. Johnny, it's a masked man and an injured. I'll show them. They're gone. Look at that white horse travel. Oh, we can't catch him in this rig. Get up there. Oh, it's no use, Joan. Rain up. Aren't you going to stop at the office? I want to see what they did. There's other business to attend to first. Where are you going? We're heading for the valley outside of town. What for? Bob Sherman's calling a meeting for tonight. All the men in Clarksville we can trust. He's going to talk to them. So am I. You too, if you want to. We've got to get them organized so they can fight back. Did you, Arnie's? Ben Forbes has robbed every one of them, destroyed their property, made a farce of the law. It's time that honest men took the law in their own hands and put those crooks where they belong. Hey, Geronis. Get up there. The valley was rimmed by three hills. On the far slope, Bob Sherman stood under the light of torches stuck in the pine trees. Two hundred men faced him. His voice rang out in the stillness of the night. Joan and Johnny left the buggy on the road and walked toward him. When Bob saw the girl, he stopped talking and called for her to carry on. The girl's white face was determined as she began to speak. You've heard what Bob had to say. I'm not going to make a speech myself. I only want to read you the last words my father wrote. The last paragraph of an editorial that was never printed. Go ahead. This was the heritage our fathers brought to the West. A heritage of freedom. Does the blood of the pioneers flow so thinly in our veins that we can submit to tyranny? Is liberty no longer worth the price the heroes of Valley Forge paid for it? Men of Clarksville, throw off the yoke of slavery. Rid the West of Ben Forbes and his hired gunmen. Answer with Patrick Henry to the threat of oppression. Give me liberty or give me death. My father died to bring you that message. What's your answer? Wait, Ben. It's the mass men and the injured. What do you want here? He's one of Bob's. That isn't true, Joe. Let me have a look at him. Hello, Mackenzie. We've met before. Aye, that we have. You listen to him, man. Every one of you. It's the Lone Ranger. That means you're on our side. You'll help us get rid of Forbes. If you do it in the right way. There's only one way. Didn't talk too fast, lad. We let him tell us what the right way is. You all know, don't you, that Clarksville is supposed to be governed by a town meeting. That way in the old days. There's no been a town meeting for close to three years. But the law's never been changed. There's no even been an election. Well, you can have one right now. This meeting was called by a taxpayer. You all right, I pay taxes. We all do. Too many of them. And all the money goes to line Forbes' bucket. You have a majority here. A majority of all the taxpayers in the town. Aye, we have that. Then elect a new mayor and a new sheriff. And you can put an end to Forbes' government tonight. Hey, did you hear that? Will it work, math men? It's the first step. Well, aren't we going to have any vigilantes? You'll have a sheriff and his posse. The law will be on your side. Come on, Silver. Get him on, Silver. Adios, math men. That's a good idea. Yes, but there'll still be a fight. The law doesn't mean anything to Ben. Well, who's going to be sheriff? Bob Shumman's the man for the job. How about it, lad? Aye, that means you're elected, laddie. How about Mac for mayor? Yes, Mac for mayor. Mayor McKenzie it is. Sure, sure, right. What should I be in your posse, Bob? I'm appointing every man here, deputy. We'll ride back to town and order Forbes to clear out. What's that? Forbes and his men, they're charging down the hill. Take the cover, but hold your ground. Hold your ground. Our men are running away. They're going for their horse. Hold your ground. No, you. I'll stop them. No, Bob, you can't. Our men are no fighters, lad. You cannot blame them. This attack, come as a supplier. Joan, Johnny, get down behind these rocks. I won't. That's Ben riding this way. Gosh, we're the only ones in a land. Hold your fire, laddie. Trulganus, not for you to get killed. We'll stand our ground and show them there's some who aren't afraid. Look at them, Slick. The two omnis that are trying to do us out of our jobs. You heard what we did? Most of it. We were waiting just over the rim of the hill. And you know that from now on, you're outlaws. Maybe so. But I can't see where it makes any difference. I still run this town, and what I say goes. Look around you, Bob. You've got an old man and a boy and a girl to back your play. I got a hundred men and two hundred guns. If you're calling for a showdown, we aim to oblige. You're the kind that needs the odds with you. I'm not complaining, Miss Jones. Give me fifty men and I'll wipe you... Fifty of those jackrabbits that just hightailed out of here? They're Anders Larabite and citizens. They're not hired gunmen. They'll learn to fight, and sooner than you expect. I'll see to that, Ben. You'd better stay home where you belong, Miss Jones. I belong in the office of the Clarion. You killed my father, but you haven't killed the paper. And we won't stop fighting until you're driven out of town. You're asking for trouble. We don't have to ask for it with you around. The Clarion's due to come out day after tomorrow. It'll be published on time. And I'm going to deliver your copy myself. Your name will be in it, in ink as black as your heart. Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha. The following night, Joan and Johnny and Bob Sherman were in the office of the Clarion. Johnny was running off the last few copies of the one-page edition of the paper. Bob stood guard at the door while Joan held one of the still-damped pages up to the lamp, the only light in the office. There it is. Part of the editorial and the whole story of what happened last night. It sure ought to make everybody that ran away ashamed of themselves. I hope so. Can you see the golden slipper, Bob? Yes. Are there any of Ben's men hanging around? A few, but they're just standing there. Watching the office? Hard to tell. They know what we are doing. Even if they can't see this light, I told them what we were going to do. They haven't made a move. Maybe they won't. Ben laughed at me last night. Well, he won't be laughing tomorrow. I wonder. After all, I read the editorial to the men we counted on, and then they ran away. There. That's the last one. A thousand copies. Good work, Johnny. I'll wash your hands and face. There's nothing to do now but lock up and go home. Not me. What? No, ma'am. I'm going to stay here all night. You think I'm going to let them break in here and steal the papers? I don't think they'll even try. Well, I'm not going to take any chances. And besides, I'm the printer. A printer always sleeps in the shop. What do you think, Bob? I'll stay here, too. I'll take you home and then come back. Swell. There's a couple of cots upstairs. All right. I'm tired. I can't argue about anything. Ready? Oh, yes. We'll go out the bank way. Remember, Johnny, wash your face and hands. I will. I promise. Lock this door. Good night. I sure will. Nobody's going to get in here tonight. There goes Bob and Joan, Tutter. They left the boy in the office. Oh. Him stay there? You may plan to stay the night. We'll have to stand guard. That's right. It's possible that Ben won't act until tomorrow, but we can't take any chances. One thing is certain. Joan's defied Ben, and he won't let her get away with it. Ah. Not if he can help it. It's up to us to see that he can't help it. You see those cottonwoods in back of the bank? Hmm. Tutter, see. Take Silver and Scout down there. And what you do? Ben's office is on the second floor of the Golden Slipper. There's an outside stairway that leads from the ground up to it. I'm going to get as close as I can to the office and find out what he's planning to do. Tutter, not like that. It's a warm night. His windows will be open. I may be able to hear a lot. Yeah. Plenty dangerous. There may not be any guards in back of the cafe. Tutter, meet you here? Yes. But if I'm not back and they try to break into the office, get the boy out. Ah. Adios, Kimisabe. They've gone, Ben. Sure. Light's gone out. All right. Pick out about a half a dozen men. Get over there and clean the place up. Yeah? Wait. The paper's been printed. Bring me one. Pile the rest in the middle of the street and set fire to them. Tell the boys to start shooting. Wake up the town. Why not set fire to the building? Not a bad idea. Give them a real bonfire. Go to it. Look, that paper's like blasting powder and the girl's the fuse to set it off. If we could only get rid of her. Just say the word. Not yet. Hey. What's the matter? Take it easy, boss. I saw a face at the window just then. A man with a mask. The same one we saw last night? Maybe. I'll get him. He shut out the lamp. Where's that door? I got it. There's a mask man outside. Everybody after him. Don't let him get away. Come on. 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. When the Lone Ranger was discovered outside the Golden Slipper Cafe, he shut out the lamp in Forbes' office and then slipped away into the darkness before the outlaw's man had swarmed out of the cafe after him. A moment later, he had reached Tonto's side at the rear of the clarion office. What happened, Kimo Sabe? They saw me, but I got away. Outlaw, come here. Yes. We've got to save the boy. Johnny, as far as the Lord. Who's there? Is that you, Bob? There, boy, upstairs. Get down here and unbar the door, Johnny. It's the mask man. Hurry. Sure thing. I want to get inside. I'll hold them off until you and the boy have made your escape. You come with us. No, Tonto. As soon as the firing starts, the town will wake up. I want the honest men around here to think that Johnny's holding off that gang by himself. Maybe all they need to make them stand up and fight. And what happened to you? What's the matter? Go with Tonto, Johnny. He'll see that you get home safely. But I don't want to go home. Forbes' men are planning to burn down the building. Then I'll stay here and fight them off. You leave that to me. But what about the papers? They're all printed. I can't leave them here. Take them with you. Tyler will help you. Ah. Inside. We've got to move fast. When they were unable to find the Lone Ranger, Forbes called his men together and started down the street for the newspaper office. That must have been the same masked man we saw in the valley last night. Yeah. He told them to elect a new mayor and a new sheriff. I'd hate to tell you what I'm thinking, boss. You don't have to. I saw that white horse, too. Yeah, the Lone Ranger. We'll get him. He heard what we planned to do to the office. That's it just ahead. I got a hunch that he's inside there right now. Huh? Watch yourselves now, men. Hold it. Get your shooting irons ready. I got a hunch the masked man is inside that building. We're going to surround it. Then what? You brought those torches along? Already the light. We'll smoke him out. If gunfire won't do it, those torches will. Hey, boy! Hey, boy! Oh, God. He almost got me that time. He's coming close, but he hasn't hit anybody yet. Let him have it. Here comes a girl in Sherman. Calling for the kid. He must be in there, too. Hey, folks. Coming over here. I could pick her off, boss. No! You can't shoot a woman in cold blood. How about Sherman? I got other plans for him. Slip away. Get a few more of the boys and bring them back here. Yeah? When you see your chance, grab Sherman from behind and take him to jail. I got you. Tell your men to stop shooting, Ben. You can do whatever you want to the office, but Johnny's in there. It's only Johnny. He's just a boy. Do you want to murder him? If Johnny's in there, he isn't alone. It isn't Johnny that's doing the shooting. Look up there on the second floor. Who is it? It must be... It is, Joan. It's the Lone Ranger. That's what I thought. He's raking the street with bullets. But, Johnny... Light your torches, men. Watch for your chance. And throw them in those open windows upstairs. You're going to set fire to the place. No, you don't. You're covered, Forbes. Yeah? Tell your men to drop those torches and drop their guns. Get them, Slick. Look out. That's it. Drag him around and back and carry him to the jail. Here's the keys, boss. You lock him up. I'm staying here. Let go of him, you dirty killers. Go on, Joe. Grab the little wildcat. Lock her in. Leave somebody to guard the jail. That takes care of them. Hey, the fire's catching hold. Yeah. Where's the mask man? The last time I saw him, he was upstairs. Let him off. Let go. Hey, who's that? An engine riding down the street. Leading a white horse. There's the mask man. Where? Just caught a glimpse of him in that window. There he is again. Ah, you didn't get him. He's getting ready to jump. Good. We got him surrounded. Boss, that white horse. He's going to jump onto its back. He can't make it. He'll break his neck. Look, he did make it. He's getting away. Shoot to kill. Boy, in here. Bring him out, Tonto. They're him now. That you, Tonto? Hurry up, Johnny. The mask man. I never thought you'd get away. We haven't yet. Where are the newspapers? Tonto have them in saddlebag. You're riding with us, Johnny? I'm going to ride silver. Let me help you. God. Come on, Silver. Get it on, Scout. Did Tonto tell you that Sis and Bob weren't there when we got to the house? I heard the shooting and went back to the office. Ben's gang took them prisoner. Where are they now? Tonto see men and drag them to jail. We'll get them out, but we can't do it right away. Who's there they are now? That's Ben and his gang behind us. Come on there, boy. The children's got to get outrun them. We'll have to lose them outside of town and then circle back. Maybe it better we wait for tomorrow. No, Tonto. Our only chance is to get Joan and Bob out of jail tonight. We'll leave them tomorrow morning. Oh, gosh. We might as well give up. I saw the fire. The office must be burned to the ground. I'm afraid so. What's the good of fighting if the paper's gone? You can rebuild the office. Not with forts in town. Don't forget we still have those last papers you printed. Yeah, but what about... And it's going to be your job to see that everybody in Clarksville has a copy. What do you mean? I'll tell you later. Now we lose them. Yes, Tonto. They're giving up the chase. And go back to cafe. And they won't leave it again. Another hour and we head for the jail. Get them off, Scout. Oh, Silver. How way. Oh, don't, Joan. I'm ashamed of myself, but I can't help it. I almost wish that Bob had been different. If he'd given in to Ben, there wouldn't have been any trouble. We'd have had to take his orders, but what of it? We'd have been saved. That doesn't sound like you. Oh, I won't feel like this tomorrow. Just let me talk it out. Let me get rid of all my weakness so I can fight again. That girl has to do that, Bob. It's hard for you to understand, but crying helps. Go with it. No, I'm through. I'm ready to be strong. I'm ready to remember that they killed them. We are sure. First, Bob, then Johnny. There's only the two of us left, and we're in jail. Max, really? They've got the masked men, too. Maybe. No, there he is. What? Joan, that's Johnny with him. You first, Miss Joan. Johnny! Oh, Johnny, you're safe. Oh, cut out the mush, Joan. How did you get past the guard? They only left one man. Thomas holding him outside. I'd better get to work. What does he mean? Well, we saved all the papers. I'm going to deliver them tonight. You can't show yourself on the street. All the Forbes men are in the golden slipper. He won't go near it. I'll see you when the shooting starts. What do you mean by that? I've read the paper, Joan. You've done a fine job. You ought to put some fight in your deputies, Bob. I've given up hope. But we aren't going to depend on the paper alone. No? Bob, you and Mackenzie must see that all of your men are on the street tomorrow at noon. That's easy. Mackenzie's store just across the street from the golden slipper. At exactly 12 o'clock, Joan will show herself in one of the upstairs windows. She'll talk to your men. What will I say? He'll urge them to fight for the rights. You'll ask them to bring law and order back to Clarksville. Those outlaws will be just across the street from her. They won't dare shoot at her. But she will be shot at. What? I'm going to do it myself. No, you're not. Joan's out of this. Be quiet, Bob. Don't you understand? The bullet may come close, but it won't hit me. I'm not afraid. Oh, I've heard about you shooting mass men, but do you have to come close? I'll only fire in the air. You men won't know that, Bob. You won't tell them. Let them think Bob's men have shot at me. Shot at a woman. The shot will be a signal. Signal for the attack. You and Mackenzie will lead it. Oh, Bob. I'm the chef of Clarksville, honey. It's my job. I know, but just the thing... Don't worry, Miss Joan. Tonto and I have a plan. If it works, the fight won't last long. You... You mean that? And when it's over, Clarksville will be safe for honest men and women. At 11 o'clock the next day, one store after another closed its doors and windows were boarded up. Most of the cafe owners followed the example of the storekeepers. The main street became crowded. Everywhere, the one-page edition of the clarion could be seen. At first, the outlaws walked the length of the street, eager to provoke an outburst, snarling at the quiet men who were content to watch them. But then, as the hours passed and the street became more crowded, they retired to the porch with a golden slipper. A few of them appeared on the balcony above. Altogether, a hundred hired gunmen, wary and ready. Bob and Mackenzie stood side by side. Time after time, the young sheriff looked at his watch. The minutes passed slowly, but at last, 12 o'clock, a window opened across from the golden slipper. Joan stood in full view. She raised her hand. A hush descended on the crowd. Men! I've talked to you before. It didn't do much good, but now I'm going to try again. I'm talking as a woman. For your wives and sweethearts. In a way, they're all standing here beside me. We look up to you as the defenders of our homes. We hate fighting. All we want is peace and security. But when it comes to the safety of harmless children, that's different. Johnny, come here. You all know my brother. Ben Forbes and his men thought he was inside the clarion office when they burned it down last night. He's only a boy, but they didn't care. They threw me in jail last night. They're not men. They're cowards. They use their strength against women and children. Hurry, Tyler. Forbes isn't with his men. Must be in his office at the back. I am afraid. He has caused to be. Up the stairs. Him fight, though. We'll have to break down the door. Him shoot through door. We'll try it once, then stand to one side. Here we are. Now. Six. He'll have to reload. Come on. You got me. My gun's empty. We're in subtle as without our guns. That suits me. I've been wanting to get a crack at you. Stand up. No. Don't hit me again. I'm starting to shoot in the street. Stand up on your feet. Don't hit me. March down the hall toward the balcony. You can't make me go out there. I haven't got a gun. Now kill me. You're going to stop that fight. Nobody can stop it now. Keep moving. No, it's murder. Outside. Please. I'll do anything you want me to do. Don't make me go out there. Will you call your men off? Will you tell them to surrender to the sheriff? They won't do it. Outside. Don't. I'll make them. Hurry up. Slicker. Yeah? That's you, boss? Tell the boys to throw down their guns and surrender to the sheriff. What? Those are my orders. Do it now. They got me. You heard of men. Hold down your guns. We'll give it up, gentlemen. You saved your life, Forbes. I can't answer for how long. The law will deal with you. You and your men will face trial for the murder of Joan's father. That's it, men. Get them all inside. Let's hope the walls of the jail can stand it. They won't have to for long. Aye. Forbes will hang and so will his ringleaders. Aye. You done a good job for your first attempt as a sheriff, laddie. Don't thank me. Blow your nose, Johnny. Won't. Won't. Won't do any good. What are you sniffling about? It's all over. We've won. I. I just said goodbye to the masked man. He's gone before we had a chance to thank him. Aye. That's his way, lass. Maybe we'll. We'll never see him again. We will if we need him, Johnny. It's one thing you can depend on in this undependable country that they call the West. The Lone Ranger always stands by his friends. Aye, aye, aye, aye. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
