Fiery horse for the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-yo, Silver, the Lone Ranger. And companion Tonto, the masked rider of the plains, led the fight for law and order in the early western United States. The stories of his strength and courage, his daring and resourcefulness, have come down to us through the generations. And nowhere in the pages of history can one find a greater champion of justice. Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of a great horse, Silver. Silver, the Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, Silver. We're heading for Mountain City. Oh, Silver. Hooray. For years, the fur trappers had come down from the mountains in summertime to Great Meadows. There they sold their furs to the agents of the various companies and bought supplies for the coming winter. In time, a permanent settlement grew up and Mountain City became the fur capital of the west. It boasted a post office, stores and cafes, and the warehouses of the Great Western and the Webster Company. But the town slept through the winter and only came to life with the first stirring of spring. Then the tents of the trappers covered the meadow and Mountain City came into its own. Colorful, exciting and roaring with the vitality of thousands of men released from their winter prisons. Howdy, Al. Johnny Maitland, welcome. The first drinks are on the house. Oh, thanks. When'd you get in? Just now. I haven't even pitched my tent yet. Where are your furs? I got an engine watching him for me. How'd you do, Johnny? Oh, fine. Oh, I'm going to be rich. What's the news, Al? Well, the big news is the election. Election? Yep. You'll be sorry to hear that old Mike died last month. We haven't got a marshal anymore. Oh, that's too bad. So we got to elect another one. But that don't have much to do with those trappers. What I want to know is... It sure does. You see, the folks that live here all the year round had a meeting. And we decided that one of you boys ought to be the marshal for the summer. Why? Why, because most of us are too busy. Well, that goes for the trappers, too. They'll be busy having a good time from now until fall. Oh, it ain't the same thing. And then we want somebody that's young and strong and a dead shot. Somebody like you, Johnny. Oh, thanks for the kind words, but I don't want to be a lawman. Well, you wouldn't refuse the job if you was elected, would you? Hey, you aren't serious, are you? I sure am. Your name's been mentioned a lot. And we got to have a good marshal this year. This year? There's been outlaws at work between here and Salt Lake City. Two of the Great Western wagon trains have been held up. Just last week, the warehouse was raided right here in town. But that was before the trappers started coming in. Outlaws are sure steer clear from now on. Hey, do you know all the men who were camped out in the meadows? Not all of them, of course not. How could I? Neither do I. There's no way of telling, Johnny. That outlaw gang might be camping out there with you. Yeah, they could be, but I... That's why we got to have a good marshal. And whether you like it or not, I think you're going to be it. But there were other men who had different ideas about the election. One of them was Harry Sedley, the mountain city manager of the Webster Company. He leaned across his desk toward the steely-eyed man who sat opposite him. You'll have to learn to smile, Rance. Like this? You can do better if you keep trying. You've got to make the men around here like you. When you hired me, Sealy, there wasn't anything in our agreement about wearing a badge. We've got a job ahead. It'll help to have the law on our side. It always makes it safer. Yeah. That's why you're going to be the marshal of Mountain City. Well, I'll follow orders when they suit me. They'll always suit you if it puts enough money in your pockets. Remember that. Have you been talking to the men, buying them drinks? Sure. What do they think of the election? Not much. But who's Johnny Maitland? Why? Who is he? He's a good man, young, strong as a lion. What about him? He's a man I'll have to beat. Young Johnny Maitland. Uh, tough competition. Yeah, maybe. Just don't sound like him wanting to be a marshal. But if it's true, if he's out to get the job, I think I can handle him. If I can't, we'll get rid of him. Just at dusk, Tonto rode into the camp, high above the meadows, where the lone ranger was waiting for him. Who's Tonto? Who's Tonto? Who? Who's Tonto? Tonto. Tonto. What did you find out, Tonto? Jacob Webster. Not come in on stage today. I didn't really expect him yet. Tonto, ask about him at company store? Then think Tonto local. Our information is better than theirs, Kimo Sabe. We know he'll be here sometime soon, and this will be our chance to get evidence against him. Ah. Hey, Kimberly Drexel and Benjamin Steele are in jail. The only two leaders of the Black Arrow left are Webster and Brunson Page. There behind bars, we can feel sure the Legion will never spring up again. That's right. What's the talk about the election? Let Johnny Maitland get here. That's good. I hope he'll take the job. Tonto watch first for him when he'll go to town to meet other fellow. Has any other name been mentioned? Ah. Rance Corby. Him friend of Sedley. I don't like that. I think Sedley's as much of a crook as a man who hires him. When you consider that only the great western wagon trains have been held up, it's possible that Sedley himself was behind those robberies. Maybe so. We'll have to keep a close watch on him, and on Rance Corby, too. Here, you better help me with the disguise, Kimo Sabe. We're both going into Mountain City tonight. It's your duty to be Marshal, Johnny. I'll be a dog if I want to. The election's on Saturday. I'd like to shake your head, Johnny Maitland. Huh? Oh, sure, but I don't place your face exactly. You don't know me. My name's Rance Corby. I just happened to hear you and Al talking. About the Marshal business? Yeah. Some of the boys have been asking me to run. Oh, is that right? Well, listen to this, Al. I'm listening. You see, I was one of Wild Bill Hickok's deputies in Abilene. Why, then you're our man. But I don't want to be Marshal any more than you do. It's your duty. Back me up, Al. One of Wild Bill's deputies. What more could you ask for? There seems to be an awful lot of deputies from Abilene floating around the country. We had a big job to do, Al. You can't get out of this, Rance. We won't take no for an answer. The election's on Saturday, and you're the only one that's going to be nominated. How do I write here? Bad news, Kimosabe. Johnny Maitland isn't going to run for the Marshal's job. What, Pat? He's young. He doesn't like to accept responsibility. That isn't the main reason. And what do you mean? Rance Corby told him he was one of Wild Bill Hickok's deputies. Oh, that's not true. If they ever rode the same trail, then Bill was chasing him. Ah. Ah, but we can't prove that. We've got to make Johnny change his mind. And how you do that? We'll need some help. There's a friend of ours inside who can give it to us. Ah, who that? Oh, Jeremy Blackwood. He didn't recognize me in this disguise, but he'll know you. You go in and get him. Meet me on the edge of town where we left the horses. Ah, time to do that. Hi, Savvy. I make sure Johnny can hear me. Then I start asking Rance all those questions. I'll make myself so plain obnoxious that Rance will have to get mad at me. I've been watching him. It won't take much to get him on the prod. And afterwards? I know. Johnny ain't the kind to stand by and see a poor, weak old critter like me get abused. You just leave it to me. So you say your name is Rance Corby. That's right, old-timer. Now buy you a drink? Nope. I'm sort of particular about the armies I drink with. Meaning what? Wasn't you called Black Pete once? No. Didn't you get rid out of Cheyenne on a rail? No. Well, Black Pete sure did. You're just about the same builder as him. Got the same sneaky look around the eyes, too. You're looking for trouble, mister, and you're going to get it. Yes, sir. More I see of you, the surer I am. That's just the way Black Pete had talked to a poor old man like me. I never heard of Black Pete. I've never been in Cheyenne, and I'm not a crook. I want you to know I was one of Hickcock's deputies in Abilene. Uh-huh. In 72? Yeah, in 72. Well, Bill wasn't anywhere close to Abilene in 72. He was in the east with Bill Cody. That just shows you're trying to make yourself out something you ain't. Shut up. Ah, not me. I'm just old enough I can speak my piece whenever I'm a mind to. And the army that lays a hand on me is nothing but a low-down, sneaking coyote. So now I'm a coyote. I'll show you what... Help! He's going to kill me! Take your hands off him, Rick! Hey, did you hear what he was talking to me? He seemed to me he got you dead to rights about Abilene. You saying I'm lying? You sure got mixed up on your dates. Well, what if I did? Anybody can make a mistake, can't they? That's their privilege. But they can't lay a hand on Jeremy when I'm around, no matter what he says. That's right, Johnny. You stick up for the old man. If you want to get this settled, you can do it with me. Guns or fists, it don't make no difference. Name your poison. I take care. You there, Rance. You got no fight with Johnny. Settily, you sure aren't asking me to back down with... You got no fight with Johnny. Just a few minutes ago, you were telling me how much you liked him. But that old maverick called me a crook and a coyote. You'll just have to put up with Jeremy the way the rest of us do. Now offer your hand to Johnny and tell him there ain't no hard feelings. There ain't no hard feelings, Johnny. Will you... Will you shake? Yeah, I'll shake. But I've changed my mind about one thing. What's that? You aren't the man to be our marshal. I'm going out for that job myself. You're a man, so fool. Let that old coyote get your coat just when we had it in the bag. With Johnny Maitland behind you, you couldn't have lost. But now what chance have we got? Well... Well what? You got an excuse? You said if we couldn't handle him, we could get rid of him. I'm waiting to hear how. Huh. You're so smart it ought to be easy. Wait a minute. I think I got it. Johnny's partner. What's his name? Ed, uh... Ed Lafferty. There's nobody with that name around here. Oh, he's got a girl named Rose O'Brien. Her father owns a ranch somewhere between here and Salt Lake. He went to see her instead of coming to Mountain City. What about it? You've got a sample of the way Johnny acts when his friends are in trouble. Now if he was to get a message from Ed, or from the girl, that would be better. Like he'd be in a saddle on his way there in ten minutes. Well what good does that do? He don't have to be here to get elected. He won't be coming back, Rance. There's a hundred places between here and Salt Lake where you can ambush him. You can take your pick. Al, Jeremy, I've got to be leaving town. What's up? An engine brought me this note this morning. Read it. Just a second till I get my specs out. Never mind. I'll tell you what it says. It's from Rose. Ed's in some kind of trouble. He wants me to get to the ranch as fast as I can make it. So long, James. Hold up there, Johnny. There's no stopping him now. I don't like this, Al. I don't like this one little bit. I'm going to find that engine that brought the note. What did, Mask Man? I found this running fox and he admitted he gave Johnny the note. But I'm willing to swear I saw the same engine in town not three days ago. He had a scar on his cheek. Right about here. Ah. Tonto see him, too. Then he couldn't have brought any message from the ranch. Right. And here. Take a look at the note. This doesn't look like a girl's handwriting. That's what I say. Quick, Tonto, into the saddle. Tonto ready. That's a big fella. We'll try to overtake him, Jeremy. Go to it. Come on, Silver. Get him up. Come, get him up. Help, Silver. Away. 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 Lone Ranger and Tonto urged their great horses along the trail to the south. They had left their camp at noon and raced on and on until the shadows began to lengthen. Then suddenly, a volley of shots rang out. The masked man raised his arm to signal to rain up. Steady, Silver. Steady, steady. Oh, fella. Those shots came from up ahead. Ah. And not far away. And no more of them. And we'd better. You look, King Masabi. A horse without a rider rounding the bend of the trail. That Johnny's horse. We're too late. Tonto afraid so. We'll catch the horse and find Johnny. And if we can't do anything for him, we'll go after the crooks and fire those shots. Come on, Silver. Give him up, Scal. King Masabi. They're men right in the forest. I saw them, too. Not long enough to make out their faces. Ah, light not good now. My heart is coming. Maybe so. Rain up. Easy, boy. Easy, easy. We can't go after them yet. Oh, there's Johnny at the side of the trail. Ah. And him not move. Yeah, we're too late. He's still breathing. That's a bad wound. King Masabi. You put bandage on him plenty quick. Yes, Tonto. There, plant over there. Tonto know how to make medicine from it. Maybe that saved Johnny's life. Hurry, King Masabi. You hold him up. Tonto make him drink. Easy, Johnny. He's too far gone to open his mouth. Ah. And get some. Not enough for now. You let him back. Is there any chance, Tonto? Well, heart's still beating. Pretty soon it beats strong. Let's hope so. There's plenty strong medicine. The important thing is to pull him through. But we won't be able to pick up those crooks' trail and follow them now. Tonto think it Ranch Corby and men. So do I. But you didn't see them any more plainly than I did. Oh, that's right. If Johnny does live through, I... You've got a plan? Yes, and it might work. Yes, the heartbeat is stronger. We'll try it anyway, Tonto. What do you mean? We'll turn Johnny's horse loose. He'll head back for Mountain City, and everyone will think he's dead, including the men who tried to kill him. Them think so now. Yes, and so will everyone else. They'll send out a posse. But they won't find him, King Masabi. They won't see Johnny again until the night before the election. It was less than an hour before daybreak the following night, and the Lone Ranger pulled Silver to a sliding stop in front of Jeremy Blackwood's tent in the meadows. Ready, Silver. Easy, boy. Jeremy. Say, what... Quiet, quiet. I don't want anyone to hear us. It's you. Yes, Jeremy. You don't have to tell me you got there too late. But what I'd like to know is, did you see him at all? When we rode out today, we couldn't find a sign of him. Johnny isn't dead. Huh? But his horse come back here without a rider. I know, but he isn't dead. Don't tell anyone else that, though. Not if you say not to, but... But leap in captive, you really mean it? Not so loud. You've got to keep it a secret until tomorrow night. Oh, Keno. What's the game? You ride up to our camp on the ridge tomorrow, and I'll explain everything. Tonight, I want to talk with Rance. Where is he? In the marshal's cabin in town. What's that? Yeah. When the posse started out, he just naturally started giving the orders. He's just elected himself to the job. And when we got back, he moved into the cabin. He won't hold off us long. Adios, Jeremy. Until tomorrow. Until tomorrow. Does it silver? I hope the door is unlocked. Good. That must be the bedroom. Wake up, Rance. Hey. Don't call for help. You're covered. You're masked. Yes. What do you want? You think there wasn't a witness to that shooting on the trail the other day. But you're wrong. What are you talking about? Johnny Maitland. You saw it? I said there was a witness. He's going to talk unless you buy him off. Me? What have I got to do with it? That bluff won't work. Do you want him to talk or not? And it wasn't you? I'm working for him. What's his proposition? That won't be made to you alone. Huh? Here's a message. Get all your men together and lead them out of town tomorrow night. Follow the trail that starts at the Twisted Pine. Keep on going into the forest until you reach a clearing. There'll be a campfire burning there. But there won't be anybody around it. Just sit down and wait. I don't say anything. You will. And the time's important. Don't hit that trail until ten o'clock. What if I say no? You don't have to ask that question. Why can't you tell me how much he wants and what have the men got to do with it? You'll find that out tomorrow night. I'm leaving now. Don't try to follow me. Because if I don't get out of town, your chance is gone. What shall I do, Sedley? One thing you've got to understand right now. You can't involve me in Johnny Maitland's death. Does that mean you're going to double-cross me? No. I want you to be the marshal of Mountain City. I'll give you the best advice I can. But if it isn't good enough, you can't take me to jail with you. You wrote the note. You got running Fox to deliver it. You planned the whole thing. And you and your men did the shooting. Now, if there's trouble, just be smart. Keep quiet and maybe I can help you. I'm going to clear out right now. No, no, you're nuts. You say this hombre wore a mask? Yeah. That means he's an outlaw. He wouldn't dare talk to anyone around town. That hombre with a mask wasn't the one who saw us. It's somebody else. Maybe and maybe not. Anyway, if there is somebody else, you've got a chance to meet him tonight. He wants me to bring the boys, too. That's fine. That's just fine and dandy. Don't you see, Rance? Follow his instructions like he told you. Listen to his proposition and then... And then you let him have it. How much farther, boss? How should I know? Until we reach the clearing and the campfire. The trees are thick. It's awful dark. You could hide an army in there. Yeah, this hombre hasn't got any army or he'd play the game a lot different. There's ten of us. That's plenty. There's a light up ahead. Must be the clearing. Come on, boys. How long do we wait? As long as we have to. Listen to hear somebody coming out. Just one man. Just one man, boys. I see you followed orders, Rance. Uh, yeah. Aren't you... Aren't you coming any closer? I'm keeping out of the light. I can see you got a mask on your face. It looks that way. I have. But you aren't the same hombre that talked to me last night. No, I'm the witness who saw the shooting. Oh, then you're the one we came to meet. What's your proposition? I want all the stores and the gold you got from those raids on the great western wagon train. Oh, sir. Well, you're local on this, too. We never raided any wagon trains. You can have most of the stores. They don't interest me much. Where's the gold hidden? We haven't got any. Don't forget, I, uh... I can send you all to the gallows. That's right, boss. Now that you're a marshal, we can pull some other jobs. Let him have the great western gold. Shut up, you fool. Now do you see why I wanted you to bring the men along, Rance? I know how they'd feel about this. Uh-huh. Well, where is it? A long way to the south. We'll take you there. Oh, no, thanks. You go and get it. Bring it back here tomorrow night. All right. If that's the way you want it... Don't reach for your gun, Rance. What are you laughing at, boss? Took me a long time to get on to it, but now I'm sure. We aren't paying anybody off. And if you hadn't talked so much about the gold, we'd be sitting pretty. Huh? Now we've got to finish the job. What do you mean? That's Johnny Maitland over there. That's what I said, Johnny Maitland. I know that voice. Sure he was a witness to the shooting, but he wasn't sure it was us or he would have tried this trick. You've admitted everything now. And you figure that's going to do you any good? Oh, no, mister. You aren't going to get out of these woods alive. I've got you covered. Shoot, Slim. Yeah. Oh! That flash came from over the right to somebody with him. Not just somebody. It's the lone ranger. Don't go for your gun. There's only two of them, boys. We can shoot our way out. Scatter that fire. It don't work, Rance. The whole clearing's surrounded. Surrounded? It's a trap. You let us into a trap. He's bluffing. Not this time, Rance. Close it, man. He's telling the truth. You haven't got a chance. Throw down your guns and reach for the sky. Don't shoot, mister. My gun's on the ground. You shot it out of my hand. You've got them, Johnny. Got the whole mangy crew. Yes, Jeremy. You can't arrest me. I'm the marshal here. There ain't been any election yet that I can remember. No, sheree. Dad, we're holding one right now. And Johnny Maitland's our man. How about that? Yes, sir. And here's your star, Johnny. I'd never have turned that over to Rance. You're under arrest, Colby, in the name of the law. All right, go ahead and arrest me. You got no proof it'll stand up in a court of law? Yeah, you plum loco, mister. There were 20 men close enough to hear everything you said tonight, Rance. There's another witness against you. Huh? Bring him here, Tonto. You come this way. The engine. Yes, running fox. He's admitted delivering the note that was supposed to send Johnny to his death. Double-crossing crook. He didn't do anything wrong. And he didn't know what was in the note, and your message meant nothing to him. Sure, he told Johnny he come from Rose. But he thought you was Rose. Running fox, you'll tell the same story to the judge that you told us, won't you? Rance, his testimony will send you to jail for 20 years. Good riddance, I say. There's only one way. You can lighten your sentence. How's that? Tell us who gave you the orders. We got our orders from Rance. It wasn't our idea. None of it was. And you, Rance? I got nothing to say. Your only chance. I got nothing to say. Take him away, men. Now, wait. Wait just a minute. Let go of him. Well? I've heard of you, mister. Sure, I gotta admit that. Maybe you met up with some tough hombres in your time and come out the winner. But you don't know what you're up against in the mountains. I think I do. You couldn't. If I wanted to, I could mention the name of a man who ain't never been beat. He's got money and power. Not just around here, but all over the United States. Now, where do you suppose you're gonna end up against somebody like him? That remains to be seen. You don't even know who I'm talking about. If you did... Yes, I do. And if you don't want to mention his name, I will. It's Jacob Webster. I guess I tipped you off. Well, mister, maybe I'm going to jail for 20 years, but you won't live that long. Come on, I'm ready. All right. We'll be on our way then, Tonto. Gramps is taken care of. We still have Sedley to watch. And after Sedley, Webster. Sedley, big fella. Come on, Silver. Get him up, Scout. Get him up. Come on, Silver. All right. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
