force with the speed of light, the cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-oh silver, the Lone Ranger. This 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. The Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, Silver. Hurry, big fellow. It was a hot and dusty afternoon when Brett Aberly, United States Marshal, reined up his roan horse to the hitch rack of the Horseshoe Cafe in Ten Sleep. Oh, oh boy. I hate jobs like this. It's got to be done. Oh, barkeep. Hello, Marshal. What you drinking? Nothing. Nothing. Want to know if you've seen a young gent around here that calls himself Ray Carruthers. Carruthers? Oh, sure. He's been here for a couple of hours. Waiting for somebody, he says. Where is he? Sitting over there. That table next to the wall. Thanks. I want to have a little talk with him. Howdy. Barkeep tells me you're Ray Carruthers. That right? That's my name. Why do you ask? Mind if I sit on? No, go ahead. Maybe I'd better introduce myself. I'm Brett Aberly, United States Marshal for this district. Well, glad to know you, Marshal. Stranger in Ten Sleep, ain't you? Well, I've only been here a few hours. I came in on the stage this afternoon. Waiting for somebody? Yes, I am. My brother's going to meet me here. How'd you know? Your brother's name is Les? Les Carruthers? Yes. Well, there's a family resemblance, all right. You look something like him. Oh, do you know Les? Oh, never met him. Well, then how can you say... Answer one more question for me, Mr. Carruthers. Did you come west to live with your brother? Out on his ranch? What's wrong? Why are you asking me all these things? Did you? Yes, that's true, but I... I hate to tell you this, but it's got to be done. Your brother's dead. Dead? How could that... We found him out in a trail east of town about an hour ago. He was murdered and robbed. You must have been carrying a lot of cash with him because we found the empty money sacks in his saddlebags. Les, I can't... The reason I wrote in here and looked you up was because we found a letter from you in his coat. Yes, I wrote that I would arrive today, but who... I mean, who would murder Les? Can't tell you that, Mr. Carruthers. I don't know, but I do know this killing happened on my range. I'll find out who did it or turn in my badge. One ranger and his nephew, Dan Reed, had spent several weeks in the high mountain country west of Tensley. When they returned to the plains, they found themselves short of provisions. It was two days after Marshal Aberle had discovered a murdered man on the trail, but Dan Reed was unaware of the event as he stood in the kitchen of a large ranch house owned by Luke Dalby. It was a prosperous cattle ranch, and Dalby was proud of it. He also raised hogs and butchered them for nearby markets. Dan was sure he'd be able to buy some bacon from Mr. Dalby. The rancher had readily agreed, and had left Dan in the kitchen while he went to the smokehouse. Shorty, full side of bacon. See, that's fine. That's a good eating there. One of the best slabs I've ever cured. I'm sure it'll taste all right. Thanks a lot for selling to me. Here, here's your money. Fair enough. How far do you have to carry it? No, not very far. Camp's over near the river. It's none of my business, Shorty, but aren't you kind of young to be ramrodding around the country all alone? I'm not alone. There are two of us. Yeah? Another kid like you? No. My friend's a little older than I am. Well, thanks again for selling the bacon to me. I'll be getting along. What the? That sounded like my cold victory. Wait a minute. That your horse, ground hitched by the corral? Yeah, but who are those men past around the lake? Wait, kid. Don't get excited. One of those gents is Sheriff Logan. I don't know who the other one is. I don't care. They can't bother. Hi, Sheriff. Who does that white colt belong to? Ain't yours, is it? No, I... It's my horse. Why? Who's he, Luke? Stranger. Camp near here. Came by, said his grub was running low. Sold him a side of bacon. Ah. What's your name, kid? Dan Reed. What's that other man doing, going through my saddlebags? He's got no right to... Yes, he has. I told him to do it. Oh. You're a lawman, so I guess you must have a good reason. But I got to leave now, so let me... Not so fast, kid. You ain't going no place. Yeah, what's the matter? Oh, boy. Who's this, Sheriff? United States Marshal, Brett Aberle. Find anything, Sheriff? Nothing so far but a kid buying some bacon from Luke. Sheriff Logan, Mr. Aberle. Look what I found in the saddlebags on that horse. What is it, Carruthers? Well, there must be thousands of dollars in gold. Jumping gee hustle. And in the last letter I received from Les, my brother, he said he was going to mortgage his ranch for $10,000. Who does a white coat belong to? This kid. That money wasn't in my saddlebags. Oh, I've never seen that much before. I just took it out of there. You saw me, Sheriff. Yeah. Who's he, Sheriff? Looks kind of familiar. This is Ray Carruthers, brother of Les. Oh, sure. Les Carruthers. You know Les, don't you, Luke? Sure. Sheriff, I don't know how the kid got mixed up in this unless they're hiring killers younger nowadays. But from what the hired man out in Les Carruthers' ranch told us, I think we've found what we want. So do I, Marshal. Luke, you're under arrest. What? For murder. For being behind or part of the Carruthers' killing. Killing? I don't know what you're talking about. Might as well tell the truth, Luke. The Marshal's got you dead to rights. What did you do? Hire this kid to do the job for you? Why, you must be crazy. Les Carruthers was murdered and robbed two days ago on the trail between here and Tensley. What makes you think I... Because the hired man in Les Carruthers' ranch told us that Les was on his way over here to borrow $10,000 from you. Did you loan him that money? Les gave me a mortgage on his ranch, but I never... It all adds up, Marshal. He must have had the kid here do the job for him. I don't know anything about this, so I'm going to leave. Wait a minute. Just stand where you are. Hey, let go of my arm, ornery little young'un. Guess I'll have to... You won't do anything, but take your hands off that boy. What the... The mask? Where'd he come from? To the front door of Luke's house. It seems as though I got here just in time. Take your hands off of him. No mask out, Lord. Oh, my arm. You're not hurt. Drop that gun. I... I... Get your hands up, all of you. You can't get away. Get them up. Now then, what's this all about? I don't know. I bought some bacon, and just when I was leaving, the sheriff and that man were examining the saddlebags on my horse. We found $10,000 in stolen gold. That's proof enough. Quiet. Go ahead, then. That's all. Then this man, the Marshal, wrote up, and he accused Luke and me of killing and robbing somebody named Les Carruthers. He was my brother. Marshal, your name's Aberle, isn't it? How do you know my name? You're a lawman and a good one. But, uh, this time you made a mistake. If you didn't have me covered with that gun, I'd show you how much of a mistake it is. I see. Call the horses, Dan. Silver's on the other side of the house. Sure. Here, Silver. Here, Victor. They're going to get away, Marshal. Now, they're fired. Keep your hands up, Marshal. Unless you want another reminder on the other arm. You... You can't... Your gun on the ground there. Kick it over here. Throw your gun down with the chair. There ain't no... Hurry. Get in, Marshal. You murder an owl hoot. The only place I'll see you is on the end of a rope. Ready, Dan? Yeah. Sure. Come on, Silver. Get up, Victor. Dirty cop. At least we've got Luke, Marshal. Wait. You can't arrest me. I didn't have anything to do with killing Les Carruthers. You wish you didn't. Get your coat and hat, Luke. We're taking you to jail. Your partner with a mask and the kid got away. But we'll run him down. I never saw that masked hombre before. Stop lying. You've played out your string. You might as well admit it. How will you ever get those other two, Marshal? Don't worry. I'll get them. I've been trailing owl hoots for 20 years. It'll take more than a pair like that to stop me. After escaping from the threat of arrest by Marshal Averly and the sheriff, the Lone Ranger and Dan rode hard for several miles. They were familiar with the countless back trails that crisscrossed the flat country surrounding Tensley, and they were reasonably sure they could avoid being trailed, at least for several hours. The Lone Ranger realized that Dan had innocently become involved in a murder. He also knew that his actions in disarming officers of the law had made him equally suspicious. True to his code that in most cases action is more important than words, he had rescued his nephew. The problem now was to escape the consequences of that act and find the real murderer. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. You let the horses rest for a minute, Dan. Yeah, sure. Golly, I sure walked into a lot of trouble when I tried to buy a piece of bacon. I was afraid something was wrong when you didn't come right back to camp. So I rode to Dalby's ranch and walked into the house from the front. Gee, lucky thing for me that you did. That Marshal and sheriff are convinced that Luke Dalby hired me to kill somebody. Did the brother of the murdered man really find all that money in your saddlebags? I guess so. But I don't know how it got there. Whoever put it there needs a good alibi. I wasn't in Luke's house long enough to say. What is it, Dan? When Luke went out to the smokehouse to get the bacon, he could have... Yes. Could have been Dalby. We'll find out. The sheriff and the marshal have taken him to jail by now. Where would that be? Ten sleep is the nearest town. We'll... Listen. Golly, that sounds like an army. Look at the dust they're raising. It's a posse, Dan. The sheriff and the marshal haven't lost much time. You mean they're after us. Oh, you're going to see... We can't risk capture now. We'll have to run for it. Keep your head down and follow me. Come on, Silver. All right, Victor. Oh, the kid. Break out your guns, boys. Nail them. By racing their horses at breakneck speed and doubling back on little-used trails, the lone ranger and Dan Reed finally outran the sheriff's posse. Oh, Silver. Oh, boy. Oh, boy. That was really a run. Steady. I think we've lost them. Listen. What'll we do now? Go back to camp? You go back, Dan. Wait there for me. Where are you going? To ten sleep. Gee, wouldn't that be awfully dangerous if the sheriff and the marshal and their posse... It has to be done if we ever hope to clear you of that murder charge. I'll change clothes and disguise my face. Oh, sure. But isn't there some way I can help? Keep out of sight, Dan, until I can find out exactly what we're up against. All right. I'll see you at the camp before morning. Come on, Silver. Seems like running away from trouble just to go back to camp and wait. But I guess the lone ranger knows best. Come on, Victor. 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. After he had changed clothes, removed his mask, and disguised his face, the lone ranger rode into ten sleep and mingled with a crowd of cowpokes and townspeople who had gathered in Sheriff Logan's office. Without attracting tension, he edged through the crowd until he was near enough to the jailhouse to overhear the lawman and Ray Carruthers talking to their prisoner. Might as well tell us the truth, Luke. It'll work out better for you in the long run. I've told you a thousand times. I'm innocent. No, Luke. Every murderer I've ever jailed says the same thing. It's true. Who did the killing for you, Dalby? The kid or that mask, Aubrey? I never saw either of them before this afternoon. I'd like to run down that fancy shooting critter. From the way he handled his guns, I'd say he was the one who killed Les. What's his name, Luke? Told you I never saw him before. Sheriff, don't I get a fair trial before a judge? Sure, sure. I just thought of something, Dalby. There's one way you might save your neck. What is it? If that owl hoot with a mask killed Les Carruthers, why don't you tell us who he is? If you do that and swear he's the killer, the judge might be more lenient with you. You mean you'll turn me loose if I do that? Well, maybe not right away, Luke. But if you turn state's evidence, I'll guarantee you won't hang. Hanging's a mighty unpleasant way to die. You say Les gave you a mortgage on his ranch for the ten thousand you loaned him? That's right. What kind of a mortgage? Just the ordinary kind. Here, I got it here in my pocket. Let me see it. I've never seen anything like this in my life. What's it say, Sheriff? It says if anything happens to Les before the money is repaid, the ranch goes to Luke, free and clear. No, no, no, no. I don't believe it. Les wouldn't be fool enough to sign anything like that. Ain't that your brother's handwriting? Let me see. Yes, I guess it is. Dalby, you're even more loco than I thought you were. When the judge sees this mortgage, he'll know you're guilty. I didn't kill Les Carruthers. Maybe not, but you hired that masked critter or the kid to do it for you. No. If you want to hang, it's your own business. If I swear that the man with the mask killed Les Carruthers, would you promise I won't die? No, you're getting smart. If you do that, I'll guarantee you won't hang. All right. I'll confess. Good. It was him. The man with the mask. He killed Les. Because you told him to? No, it was all his idea. Of course you'd say that. You and the marshal ain't going to back on your word, are you? No, we'll keep our word, Luke. Thanks. Now that you told us it was the mask varmint who did the actual killing. The Lone Ranger, after overhearing Luke Dalby's confession, slipped through the crowd in the sheriff's office and less than an hour later was back at his hidden camp where Dan was waiting. Oh, host, Teddy. What'd you find out? Easy, big fella. Dan, within a few hours, every lawman in the state will be looking for us. What? What happened? I overheard the confession that Luke Dalby made to Sheriff Logan and the marshal. Confession? Then it really was him. He told him that I killed Les Carruthers. Why? Why would he do that? To save his own skin. Golly. What are we going to do? We've got to discover the truth, Dan, some way. But how can we? Suppose Luke was telling the truth in the first place. He just confessed and blamed it on me because he's afraid. Who would profit the most? I don't understand. Neither do I yet. But I'm... Saddle your horse, Dan. We're going for a ride. Where? To the Carruthers' ranch. Come along. With the Lone Ranger's help, Victor was quickly saddled and the mask man and Dan Reed started toward the Carruthers' ranch. They had to travel slowly for the night was pitch black. They kept off the main roads. And only the sure-footedness of Silver and Victor made possible their passage over the narrow, rock-strewn back trails. After a while, the land leveled off. And they knew that just ahead of them lay the Carruthers' ranch. The Lone Ranger pointed to a small clump of cottonwoods silhouetted against the single light in one of the buildings. Dan nodded that he understood. And a few moments later... No, he's Dan. We'll leave the horses here and go the rest of the way on foot. Sure. Moon, it's so dark I can hardly see. Watch out. You nearly walked into that tree stump. Yeah, I know. I couldn't see it. Now we'll stop for a minute and get our bearings. Yeah, but what are you going to do... Wait. That must be the main building. The ranch house right ahead of us. The bunk house is a little to the left. Yeah, I guess so. We'll circle the house and see. What are you looking for? I don't know exactly, Dan, but... Wait. Somebody just opened the back door. Coming this way. Quiet. Let's stay close to this wall. Gee. Man carrying a bucket. The way he walks. Where have we seen a man walk that way before? I don't know, but... He must be going to the well to get some water. Evidently, but... Listen. That's what he's doing. Drawing water. Yes, I know. But if it's so dark we couldn't see the well, how did he know where it was? Hey, golly. I never thought of that. Here he comes. Back to the house. Get ready, Dan. We're going to take him. Sure. Just a minute to stand where you are. What the... I'll keep him quiet, Dan. Get a rope. We're taking him back to camp with us. The Mone Ranger's camp was well hidden, but several times during the night as Sheriff Logan's posse scoured the countryside, the masked man and his nephew were forced to lie quietly in the underbrush to escape detection. Their prisoner was bound and gagged beside them. The following morning, most of the people of Ten Sleep were again gathered outside Sheriff Logan's office. They knew that within a few moments, Luke Dalby would be led to the courthouse for trial. Sheriff, don't take me through that crowd. They'll lynch me. Don't worry. There won't be any lynching. But listen to him. Come on. Here's the marshal. He'll walk with us. Morning, marshal. Morning. Just taking Luke over to the courthouse. Yeah. I wish he was that masked, Armory. The real killer. That crowd don't know I'm innocent. Maybe you'd better talk to him, Sheriff. Yeah. There he is. Standing right between the sheriff and that other lawman. We don't need no law to tell us what to do with murderers. Now, wait a minute, folks. There's not going to be any lynching. He's the buzzard who killed Les Frothers, ain't he? Sure. String him up. Wait. Wait. Luke Dalby's in the hands of the law. He's going to the courthouse and get a fair trial. Come on, marshal. Let's keep him between us and start walking. Sure. Let's go. A few moments later, inside a packed courtroom, Judge Larkin pounded his gavel for order. Order! First case on the docket is the state against Luke Dalby. Charge, murder, and robbery. The jury hastily drawn. Listen to the swift presentation of evidence against the jury for less than half an hour. The jury gave its decision without leaving the courtroom. Well, James, have you reached a ready? We have, your honor. And what is it? We find Lou Burter. You heard what the jury said, Luke. It's now my duty of judge of this court to get... What's he doing here? The critter with the mask. You see that, marshal? I see the kid, too. Come on. The fellow with him, he's... No, it can't be. What are you talking about? Marshal, I must be seeing things. That fellow looks like Les Carruthers. Get your hands up, Omri. It's me that's holding the gun this time. You're under arrest. Why? For murder. You mean for killing Les Carruthers? You and Luke Dalby. One of you is as guilty as the other. You can't arrest me for killing Les Carruthers. He isn't dead. What the... Come on up here, Les. No, it's a lie. How can I be arrested for killing a man who's still alive? How in the name of the tale? What's the meaning of this? Give me a chance, judge. I'll explain. Quiet! Quiet, Mr. Port. Quiet! But this gent can't be Les Carruthers. I found Carruthers dead on the trail myself. No, you didn't, Marshal. You found someone you thought was Les Carruthers. A dead man, yes. You found papers on him that seemed to prove his identity. Yes, I did. You came into 10 sleep, told the sheriff about the murder, made a few other inquiries, and met the man you thought was Ray Carruthers. That's right. Everything you found out seemed to point to Luke Dalby as a murderer. So, two days later, you went out to his ranch. That's where you found the stolen gold in Dan Reed's saddlebags. Either you or the kid must have been behind it. No, you're mistaken. If Les Carruthers wasn't killed, who was? I don't know, Sheriff. Probably a stranger in this territory. This man that you know as Ray Carruthers did it. He also put the money in Dan's saddlebags. That's not true. Luke confessed to the murder. He did that only because you and the marshal scared him into it. Isn't that right, Luke? Sure. Don't you see, if Luke was convicted of the murder, the cash, the ranch, everything would go to his brother Ray. Now, just a minute. Who's that man standing next to you? Ray Carruthers or Les Carruthers? Judge, he's both of them. What do you mean? It's a scheme that he worked to get $10,000 and still keep his ranch. How do you know this man isn't who he claims to be? He claims to be a man from the east. My friend and I proved that was a lie. How? We went out to his ranch and watched him draw water from his well. Are you a loco? What does that prove? You see, it was pitch dark. Only a man familiar with the grounds of the Carruthers ranch could have walked directly to the well. He was too sure of himself. That made me suspicious. But this man, Ray or Les, he looks... Now, wait a minute, Judge. If you look at him closely, you'll see that he's wearing a disguise. He changed his appearance just enough to pass himself off as an imaginary brother. Well, are you convinced? I am. Me too. Carruthers, you sneak in double-crossing polecat. I'm going to put you in jail for life. You won't arrest me. I've got him. The biggest crook intensely. Now, wait. Wait a minute. Hey, where's that fellow with the mask? And the boy who was with him? Yeah. Where are they? They must have slipped out. That's funny. I wonder who they were. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
