Fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-yo silver. The Lone Ranger. With his faithful Indian 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 the great horse, Silver. Silver, the Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, Silver. There's danger on the trail ahead. I'll sell it. For many miles, the guard and driver had sat in silence on their high seat on the westbound stage. One held the reins, the other a rifle. Each man was wrapped in his thoughts. Inside, with the mail and freight, a single passenger dozed. Finally, after a long silence, the guard said, Pete, have you noticed our passenger at all? Nope. To me, a passenger is just a part of the load along with the mail and freight. Pete, I don't have time to study passengers. I've been thinking about him for a long spell. It's just come to me who he is. You know him? Yeah. I remembered his face as being a little familiar, but I couldn't recollect his name until just now. What about it? He's Ben Barton. Barton? Ben Barton. Don't that mean anything to you? I can't say as it does. Dagnabbit, Pete, where you been all your life that you never heard of Ben Barton? Right here in this seat, sometimes riding east and sometimes west. It was the same hill as Ben Barton that I should know all about him. He's only the richest man around here, that's all. Just the richest man that ever lived, almost. He's got so much cash money that he can buy any town he wants. He can't buy a square meal and gunner quick when we get there. There's no square meals in town. Get up there! All right, have your jokes, Pete. Just being rich don't mean so much. I thought everyone had heard about Ben Barton. He's about the meanest tarantula that ever draw to breath. He looks like a young sort of fellow. Well, you couldn't call him old. I always say when a man gets rich young, you better be on guard, because there's always a chance that he's crooked. When a man's got Barton's money, he's never proved crooked. Shucks, he can do just about what he wants and get away with it. That don't say he's honest. Come on! No one ever could prove he's crooked. You know, Pete, I heard that one time Ben Barton got bit on the leg by a rattler. Yeah? And it was the rattler that got poisoned. Well, that's the kind Ben Barton is. Well, he don't look like a dangerous man. No, he don't look like it. He don't have to go around carrying a gun and doing his own shooting. He can always find someone to do the rough work for him. And he can pay for it, too. I wonder if he knows Sid Layton. Why? You know Layton, don't you? Sure. He got himself elected as sheriff of Gunner Crick. He's an ornery critter, too. So I hear. And getting rich fast. I said that when a man gets rich fast, there's something that'll bear looking into. Well, Sid Layton is one of that kind. Our passenger's getting off at Gunner Crick. Yeah. Maybe he's figuring that Layton is getting too much cash. Maybe he wants some of it. Hold on, Pete. Huh? There's a tree across the road. Oh, dread the luck. Must have been the big win we had the other day. Now we'll have to saw that tree in a hunk and move it to one side. Oh, there! Oh! Oh, there, boy! Oh, there! Hey, you know, just when we was making good time, too. I was to fear that wind might have done some damage somewhere along the line. Hold on, Pete. That there tree never blowed over. Look at it. It's been cut with an axe. Huh? I don't like the looks of this. Hey there, driver. Why are you stopping here? Take a look. Do you think this stage can fly over that tree? Oh. Well, get busy, then. You won't move it by sitting up there and looking at it. Barnery critter. You're all covered. You! Steady there. Keep that rifle down. I don't want to open fire. Shoot that masked man. Shoot him, I say. Don't try it. Now, hold up, eh? Look here, young fella. You draw in your horns and let us alone, we'll forget the play you're making. But if you make trouble, we'll sure as thunder see you strung up. I'll take my chances on that. This isn't a regular holdup anyway. All I want is your passenger. Get out of there, Barton. Why, you young upstart? Save it. I said get out of the stage. You and I are going to have a talk. Now, sir, are you... You'd better get to work on that tree. Take plenty of handling before you can move it. Well, I can see that, but what... I'll do it. You're going on without your passenger. He's staying here with me. You'll pay for this. Sure, but I'm willing to pay. They're worth whatever it costs. Now, get at that tree. Barton will help you. The young highwayman kept his face covered and his guns handy as he directed the guard, the driver, and the passenger in the removal of the tree that blocked the trail. Finally, the stage was able to proceed. No more talk now. Get those horses going. You can tell Sid Layton about this when you get to Gunner Creek. I guess he'd be real surprised to know that someone had the nerve to take a man as important as Ben Barton off your stage. For the last time, stranger. No, get going. Here, I'll help you with my own whip. Get up there. Steady, boy. Steady. Get up there, boy. Now then, Ben Barton, I guess I'll take this covering off my face so you can see who you've got to thank for taking you from the stage. I don't know you. But I'll know you the next time we meet. I'll have you hung if it's the last thing I do. Maybe that won't be necessary, Barton. You don't know me, huh? No. Look sharp. Folks say my eyes are the same as my father's were. I don't know you. Say what you've got to say and let me go on to town. There's only one of us going away from here, Barton. Uh, what do you mean? We're shooting it out. I'm not armed. You will be. Here. Here's an extra gun. It's loaded. I won't touch it. There it is, Barton, right at your feet. I put mine on the ground at my own feet. Who are you? Why should I know you? You killed my father. What? You must be loco. Oh, no, I'm not loco. Paul was one of the biggest cattlemen in this part of the country. That was just a few years ago. You broke him. He knew who was behind the gang that was stealing his cattle. I'm not a cattle thief. Oh, all you do is hire him. You hire cattle thieves. You and Sid Leighton. You're the one that bought the votes to make him the sheriff. I? Right. Oh, I know it's the truth, Barton, but I know what chance there'd be to try and prove it in court. You could buy the judge and the jury and witnesses and everything else. Now, see here, uh... My name is Dave Sanders. You remember Sanders. Sanders? He trusted you and you double-crossed him. When he found out the truth, you had him shot. Now, wait. You've been hearing things. I remember your father. That's true enough. He taught you all you know about cattle raising. You think I... I don't think I know. I never handled a gun in my life. You're gonna handle one now. I heard it said that you were yellow. Too yellow to do your own fighting. Your hire had done for you. Well, this is one time when you gotta do it for yourself. I waited a long time, Barton, for this chance. I won't touch that gun. There it is. On the ground at your feet. Better take it and defend yourself. I won't. You can't shoot a man who's not armed. I won't touch that gun. You can't shoot me this way. Yellow as a cur. Yellow as they said you were. All right, Barton. I'll let you live. I'll let you live on just one condition. One... One condition? Money? That's what you want. All right, Sanders. I still say I didn't rob your father. But if you think... I know. If you think I did, I'll... I'll pay you what you think I took from your father. His life. Well, of course, that I can't pay. Now, I want a confession from you, Barton. And in that confession, you'll tell the part that Layton has played. But I can't... That's it. I'll have that or I'll shoot your life out even if you won't touch a gun. But I can't do it. I won't wait long. No. No, don't shoot. Hey, what's the matter with you? Bad... Bad heart. You... Here, here. I got some water. Oh! Why, you... When the stage arrived in Gunner Creek, the man in charge of the sheriff's office listened to the guard and driver. We couldn't see who it was, Sheriff. He had a handkerchief over his face, Layton. But he wasn't old. Fact is, he was kind of youngish. What did he steal for the stage? Well, nothing. That's not quite right, Sheriff. He didn't steal mail or freight, but he made our passenger get off and made us come on without him. Maybe the stage line had better get a new guard. She's made somebody careless of you. Careless? Nothing. We didn't have no choice. We couldn't drive over that tree on the road. And there was trees thick on both sides of us. We couldn't watch everywhere at one time. Who was the passenger? Well, I reckon you know him. It was Ben Barton. Ben Barton? Makes a difference, eh? Why didn't you say so in the first place? Hey, deputy, call the men. The stage is roughly on the trail east of us. Yeah. I reckon if it was anyone else but Barton, that sheriff wouldn't have bothered to get out of his chair. The shot that was fired by Ben Barton as he sprawled on the ground rang over the hills and reached the keen ears of two men in the saddle. One was an Indian. One, the other, the Lone Ranger. They lost no time in urging their horses forward and arrived at the scene long before the sheriff's posse. Holy silver wolf, fellow. That fellow on the ground. Yes, I see him. Look him over, Tato. Me take a look. Tato, that's Ben Barton. Ah, Tonto know him. Can anything be done for him? No. Him dead. No sign of a bullet wound. Him not die from bullet. Remember what we heard east of Hiraki Mosabe? They said that Barton had lived too fast a life. He would drop in his tracks. That's right. He's had several heart attacks. This, it seems, was the last. Someone get shot here. Yes. Here's a gun still on the ground beside Barton. Ah. And the name on it. Sanders. Sanders. Him die some time ago. But his son isn't dead. I remember Dave Sanders very well. Him do this? It looks as if he'd been hit hard. The trail won't be difficult to follow. Ah. What we do now? I want to find a Dave Sanders. We'll hear what he has to say about this. Kimo Sabe, horse come this way. Yes, I hear it. Let me take a look. There, Tato. It's Dave Sanders. He's coming back. Who with him? I don't know. Get away from that man. Get away from there, you. Sanders. Hey, it's two of you. What are you doing there? Don't you touch that man. I don't want it said that I went through his pockets and robbed him. We're not robbing him. Take a look, Doc. And make sure there's nothing can be done for him. We've already looked at him, Sanders. He's beyond help. He is, huh? Take a look anyhow, Dave. Keeping the drop on you two? But you're going away, Sanders. Are you the one who cut down that tree to stop the stage? Yes, I am. He's done for, Dave. I'm sorry. Well, I'm not. At least I didn't kill him. No, you didn't do it. But you'll be blamed. Sid Layton will hang you for this. That dirty crook. He's as crooked as Barton was. He helped him all along. I wanted to make Barton confess to Robin Pond. Having him shot. Doc, I told you that was why I stopped the stage. I know, Dave. The law can't accuse me of murder. All I wanted to do was get the truth from Barton. Now you'd better go home and get to bed. That wound of yours is a bad one. Never mind my wound. Sanders, how did you get shot? None of your business. He told me how it happened. He tossed a gun to Barton, inviting him to draw. But Barton let it drop to the ground. Then when Barton fell, he grabbed the gun and shot Dave just before he died. Oh, I see. Sanders, you're coming with us. I'm what? I'll take that gun before you hurt someone. You're there. Come along now. Someone's coming. A lot of horses. Let me put Dave on horse. Let me go. You redskin. Hey, Aaron, you'll hang. Sheriff Leight will make sure of that. Hey, that's the sheriff coming. Look, it's a whole posse. Little big fella. Tell him anything, doctor. But don't try to hide the fact that it was Dave Sanders who escaped. But you, who are you anyway? Let me go. Ready, Tonto? Be ready. Stop. Let me be. I can take care of him. Come on, Silver. Get him up. Get him. Kill those critters. Keep after him till you run him down. 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 held Dave in his saddle and urged the great horse, Silver, to breakneck speed in running from Sid Layton and his posse. Tonto was close behind when the masked man reached a camp deep in a remote woods. Move there, Silver. Move, fella. Move. This will do, Tonto. Move, fella. Move, fella, move. Dave, I'm sorry we had to give you such a rough ride with that wound of yours. Never mind that wound. Here, Tonto. Lower him to the ground. See how badly he's hurt. No. Me take him here. I'm not bothering about that wound. I just want to know what in thunder you figure I'm doing now that you got me here. We had to get you away from the sheriff. That was the most important thing. I'll take my chance in court. I didn't kill that crook. Layton would have no trouble proving that you did. But he can't be... By the time he had your case before a judge and jury, the doctor would have been a long way from town. And there would have been marks to prove that Barton had been shot. Well, Layton wouldn't go that far. He'd go farther than that, Dave, to prove that you're a killer. You seem to know a lot about it. I do. I, uh, knew your father. But who are you? Why are you masked? Your father called me the Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger? Did he ever speak about me? Oh, golly, yes. I, uh, oh, I might have known when you called that horse Silver. Now let Tonno have a look at that wound. You'll be safe enough here for a few days. What good will that do? Meanwhile, we'll see if we can pick up where you left off. Meaning what? Dave, you wanted a confession from Barton. Yeah. You wanted to prove that Sid Layton was as crooked as Barton. But now I... Now you still want to prove that. You also want to get back some of the cattle your father lost. Those critters are a long way from here by this time. But there was money paid for them. Perhaps you can collect something for your mother. You... You know about my mom? Yes. Oh. She's had a hard time since your father was killed. And now, just when I'm old enough to help out a little, I've got to make a full plan, make a fugitive of myself. Oh, it's no use. I'll never be able to show myself in town again. Layton won't let himself be trapped. Maybe he won't have anything to say about that. But... Will, uh... Will you help me? Help you? Trap Sid Layton. What can I do? I'll tell you what you can do. And if things work out as I hope, you'll be able to go back home and give your mother some of the money that was stolen by two of the cleverest cattle thieves that ever lived. Sid Layton was in his office the next day, still in a bad temper because his posse could not find any trace of the two horses that outrun him. As men came in to report, he sent them out again. Keep moving. Keep traveling till you find those three. I'll hang the masked man in the Indian as well as Dave Sanders. Find him, I tell you. Keep hunting till you find him. You left. Keep watching Sanders' house. Maybe the kid will try and get home to see his ma. Now clear out. Frisbee, we're in a fine situation now. Why'd Barton have to go and drop dead like that? What'll we do, Sid? Yeah, I'm trying to think of something. We've got to work out a scheme of some sort. I don't know what arrangements Barton made. He didn't write you about him, huh? Yeah, he wouldn't run the risk of putting anything in writing. Ah. He's got a mighty big lot of cattle on our hands. It won't be easy to handle it at all without making folks suspicious. Hey, shut up and let me think. Well, maybe it'd be a good idea to sit tight and not take any more chances, Sid. Yeah. Barton was the brains of the outfit. What's the matter with me? Well, nothing, Sid. I don't say there's anything the matter with you. Only, well, you know how it was. Barton made all the plans so slick that we were always in the clear without a thing to worry about. Well, with him gone, well, I don't know. Shut up. I'll figure out something. Just be still and let me think. All right, go ahead and think. Well, let me see. We've got a mighty big herd of cattle rounded up. The boys that did the trick of rounding it up have been paid off and sent to other parts. Yeah. That's the way Barton did things. He'd have one gang of boys bring the cattle together and, well, a second bunch delivered to where it was sold. That's how he kept men from learning too much of his business. Yeah, we've got the cattle. If only Barton could have told where it was sold. The thing we've got to do is find a buyer. That's it. Someone to buy the cattle at a good price. You can't make the price too low or that gets a special. I know. Barton got around the country aplenty. He always had a good market for the cattle. You remember the time we sold the Sanders cattle? Shut up, you fool. Don't mention things like that. If someone was to hear you... Well, all right, all right. Don't get sore at nothing. Frisbee, I don't like the way that masked man in the redskin showed up. Yeah, me neither. The last time I heard from Barton, he told me to be on guard. He did? I don't know what he meant. He was going to tell me more about it when he got here. It seems there's been someone making a lot of inquiries about the cattle that's been stolen. Hmm. I don't know what he could have meant by that. On top of that, the way that masked man rode off with Dave Sanders... Get in there, you young cook. Go on, there's the sheriff. Hey, Sid, we got him. Look what we found. Dave Sanders. All right, you got him. Now, this is something. Where'd you get him, boys? He was at his maw's house, making his plans for a getaway. He had the nerve to go home and try to pack clothes and things. All right, boys. Leave him here with Frisbee and me. We'll have a talk with him before we jail him. Shut the door as you leave. Go, go, go. Sanders, I reckon we'll start by searching you. Go over him, Frisbee. Right. In the meantime, you can say whatever you got to say. I got nothing to say. Where'd you go home? Didn't you figure we'd be on the watch for you? Nothing to say, Leighton. Go on and throw me in jail. Sid, look what he's got on him. Form papers to be made out when cattle sold. Well, where'd you get those? No writing on them. No, but the printing of the form is here. Did you calculate to sell some cattle? Those are just old forms that my pa used to use. You ain't had them in your pocket long enough to get them wrinkled. Must have just got them, huh? I went home to get them, is that it? I'm not answering questions. Seems like there's something between the lining of his coat here. Feel it, Sid? Yeah, that's nothing. And you won't mind if we just take it out, will you? Here's a knife, Frisbee. Yeah, I don't need a knife. The lining's been ripped here at the seam and sewed up with big stitches. That'll do it. Let me see that paper. Here it is. All folded up real small. What is it, Sid? Well, maybe it's nothing at all. Like Dave says. Throw him in jail and make sure the door is locked tight. Hold on. You've got nothing against me and you know it. Doc can tell you that Barton wasn't shot. He dropped dead from his heart or something. We'll see about that when you come up to the trial. Lock him up, Frisbee. Right. Get along there, Sanders. In you go. There, now, that'll hold you. Frisbee, come close here. Sure. What was that paper, Sid? I saw how your eyes went wide at the sight of us. It is to Barton's letter. Yeah? It's from the outfit. It's to buy the cattle. It's all as clear as can be. Barton had the letter in his pocket and Dave Sanders found it there. Yeah? But he didn't know what to do about it until he met that masked man on the redskin. Then they saw there was a quick sale for a lot of livestock, so they planned to get some cattle and deliver it to this place. Oh. Oh, so they had to have papers to show a bill of sale. And Dave stopped at his ma's house to get some of the forms his pa used to use. That's it. Frisbee, now we're all set. Now all we got to do is deliver the cattle and collect the cash. I'll round the boys right up and go along with them to handle the collection. I'll attend to that. But you always stayed here in town. Let Barton do the collecting. Maybe you better stay here and guard the prisoner. I can collect the cash. So can I. All right, then. We'll both go. Oh, you're afraid I'll cheat you? No. Only I'm going to be sure you don't get tempted. I'll get the boys ready and we can start moving the cattle tonight. That night after dark, Sid Layton did something he had never done before. He threw caution to the winds in his greed and went out personally to take charge of a gang of men who met in the valley some miles from town. There were hundreds of steers grazing in the valley, watched by men who knew their trade. With a word from Abel, the men drove the cattle into a close-packed herd then started on a long trip south. Get down there! Move that critters! Get down there! All right, get down! When the herd was on the move and traveling at a good pace, Layton ranged alongside a Frisbee. I left a note for the deputies and told them I was called away in a hurry-up trip. Yeah? Where'd you say you was going? I said I was out to try and find the mass man in the redskin that helped Dave get away from us. That's good. That'll hold water. You think we can reach this Powder River Ranch for sundown? Tomorrow? Sure. We'll keep going all night and all day tomorrow. Sundown should get us to the Powder River Ranch. But we don't have to wait around too long for that cast. Yeah, Barton arranged the deal. There shouldn't be no trouble. Toward sundown of the next day, the herd reached Powder River, in a shallow stream of water between two counties. Sid and Frisbee afforded the river first, then signaled to the men to drive the cattle through. Here come the cruddies. That's the rest right ahead. Yeah, that's what it is, Sid. It's just about sundown. Time enough for us to start back and get away from these parts. That's right. Hey, look, Sid. There's some men riding up to meet us. I reckon they've been expecting us. Frisbee, look at that white horse. Hey, that's the mass man. And the redskin. Keep coming, Sid Layton. You're expecting us. No, wait a minute. Come on, keep going straight ahead. Don't reach for your gun. He got gun on you. Hey, what's this? Where'd you two come from? There's someone else here waiting for you, Frisbee. You too, Layton. Good for you. You got him. Dave Simmons. That's right. We let him out of jail soon after you left. You scheming snake, Layton. You stuck your neck right into the noose. Hey, look at here. Listen to the others, Dave. You'll bet I will. Hey, that'll bring him. It's too bad your men are behind the cattle and can't see or hear what's going on, Layton. They couldn't stop it if they did know. There come the association, Rand. Who are they? What sort of stunt is this, anyhow? Those men belong to the Cattlemen's Association in this county, Frisbee. They posted a nice big reward for the return of cattle that had been stolen from them and another reward for the capture of the men who stole the cattle. We didn't steal any cattle. You got them just like you said you were. The masked man kept his word. Now, wait, wait, man. Let me speak. There's nothing you can say, Layton. You're here with the cattle that was stolen from these men a short time ago. You didn't know that you were going to bring it right back to where it came from, did you? We've been trapped. It's a frame-up. I didn't steal the cattle. I'll tell that to the judge. I heard the cattle in, boys, and corral those fellows that's driving. Now, this squares things with you, Layton. You must have thought I was mighty loco to go back to my house when the law was hunting me. You wait. I'll get square. You'll be in jail too long to square anything. The Lone Ranger has a reward coming, all the rewards. The rewards go to Dave Sanders. He's lost enough to the work of this gang. But wait, hold on. You've got to prove that this cattle is yours. Oh, we'll prove they're ours, Layton. The brands are all registered. That's the only thing we were afraid of when we fixed this scheme. The Lone Ranger said he didn't think you'd take the time or trouble to check on the brands. You'd be too greedy and anxious to get the cattle here. What's that? The Lone Ranger? The Lone Ranger? That's who he was. And there he is over there. You better look fast if you want to see him. We'll see. Bye. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of The Lone Ranger, Incorporated. The Lone Ranger, Incorporated.
