the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty how silver, the Lone Ranger, whose wealth reached out to develop the vast resources of the Far West, decided to strike at the heart of the Barbary Coast. In an effort to stamp out the viciousness, Gearson sought for and found the Lone Ranger. This masked rider of mystery, though reluctant to leave the plains and mountains of the cattle country, answered the call and smashed the forces of evil in the Barbary Coast. His work in San Francisco finished. Tonto and the masked man headed north for the gold fields in the land of big timber. 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. In coming to California, the Lone Ranger had done many things to win the lasting friendship of Arnold Gearson. And for all his services to the great financier and empire builder, the masked man had requested but one small favor. That his nephew, Dan Reed, be allowed to attend school with Gearson's boy, Bob. The favor was speedily granted. At first, young Dan felt only an overpowering loneliness for the companionship of the Lone Ranger and Tonto. But through his own eager interest in learning, he quickly fell into the orderly routine of scholastic life. I got a letter this afternoon, Bob. From the Lone Ranger? Jiminy, where is he now? I wonder what he and Tonto were... Oh, not so fast. Listen, I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but it's postmarked Placer City. That's up in the gold fields. Gee, that should be exciting. I'll bet those so-called bad men were plenty scared of the Lone Ranger back there on the plains. Some of them are so-called bad men, Bob. And some are really dangerous killers. But one thing, whether they feared him or not, they all had a healthy respect for his fighting ability. Stayed out of his way as much as possible. Hmm. I wouldn't blame him. There was one crook back there, though. A man named Burley Myers. And boy, when the Lone Ranger got after him, I'll bet there wasn't a more frightened outlaw in the whole southwest. Yeah? What happened? Well, it all began in a little cattle town, Rio Junction. And this was a little... Is that on the Rio Grande River? Uh-huh. This fellow Myers worked in cahoots with a gambler named Farrell Frazier, who just about controlled everything in town. One day, the Lone Ranger sent Furtano and me into Rio to meet a fellow by the name of Rocky Larimer, who later turned off the beat. Golly, Tonto, this sure is a small town. Ah, town not big enough. And cowboys come here on payday. Plenty bad. I don't have any law here. I wonder what that crowd has gathered for. Uh, we better stop. Tie horses here. Oh, scout. Oh, fella. Oh. Oh. Oh. And I want to tell you, that robbie this morning was done by somebody right here in Rio Junction. And I reckon you all got your own ideas who that somebody is. George, that's what it is. Sounds like there's been a robbery here, Tonto. Uh, maybe some we'd better go look for him. Huh? Look, Dan. You see big fella in crowd? Uh, yeah. You mean the one standing back on the edge? Ah. That fella we come to meet. That Rocky Larimer. Yeah? Golly, he sure looks like he could take care of him. This town has gone hog wild for long enough. We've asked the governor three times to send us a regular lawman, and so far we ain't got any. So I reckon it's high time we took over the job our own selves. Hey, that's some speech you're making, Ross. Give us some more. Tell them all about the big bad wolf, why don't you? There won't be much speech making, Burley Myers. And you can tell that tin horned boss of yours that I said so. Ed, you passed a word amongst the boys meeting in my house tonight. We either got to stop Pharaoh and his bunch or else get out of town. George is right, fellas. Listen, if we don't get organized against them coyotes now, we might just as well... Shh, quiet. Come on, mister. Finish what you was saying. Might as well, uh, what? Well, I... Get your hand off on that shooting iron, Burley. He ain't packing no gun. Oh, that's too bad, ain't it? Great big full-grown Jasper like him oughtn't to leave the house without a shooting iron. Yeah. Then you could use that, mister, instead of shooting off your mouth. Be careful with that gun, Burley. There's lots of witnesses here. Uh-huh. Sure is. Too many. Now, if I was to, uh, remove that fancy shirt button, uh, over your left-hand pocket, uh, that'd be one less witness in town, wouldn't it? Sort of a pastime of mine, splitting people's shirt buttons. You there. Hey, who's this? Look at my shirt, mister bad man. Lots of buttons. Buttons with six guns and backup. Why don't you like that kind? I don't know who you are, stranger, but you're buttoned into something that's none of your business. Savvy? I'm here to make it my business. Yeah? Yeah. Now, you can either put that gun away or try pulling the trigger. Well, in that case, I guess I'll... Let that be a warning to you, Mavericks. Don't go getting smart with Burley Myers. Well, Bob, it happened just that fast. One minute Rocky Larimer was standing in front of Burley Myers, the next moment he was dead in the street. Chimney. Rocky Larimer was the man you and Tana were supposed to meet, wasn't he? Yep. There wasn't anything for us to do except find the Lone Ranger and tell him what had happened. But first, we went over to the general store, which was run by George Ross, the man who had been talking against Pharaoh Frazier when the trouble started. I tell you, this town ain't fit for decent folks no more. Ain't never been any law here, likely never will be. No. You wrong, fella. Law here today. Well? What are you talking about, Injun? You good man, me tell you. Fella get killed in gunfight. Him, Rocky Larimer, United States Marshal. What? That stranger, a United States Marshal? Why, you... And you not let... George, listen. That fellow just got killed in the gunfight with Burley Myers. Burley never shot him at all. What that? No, sir. That stranger was shot in the back. Someone in the crowd working in cahoots with Burley must have fired the shot. And all the excitement and everything, we all figured Burley shot him, see? Why, that dirty murder? Here they are, looking for more trouble. Watch out what you say. Well, what's on your mind, Pharaoh? I, uh, Burley here said you had a message for me. Must be I didn't get it straight. I figured I'd give it to him straight enough. Oh, must be some mistake. Now, Burley said that you said it was time for some action around town. The way I figure, you're doing right well here with your storekeep and all. Ain't nobody bothering you, as I can see. And whatever action's called for in this town, me and my boys can handle without no help. You understand? You're barking up the wrong tree, Pharaoh. I don't scare easy. But that's too bad for you. Burley, see if you can scare George just a little bit. Watch me, Pharaoh. I've been wanting to lay into this loud mouth for quite a spell now. Don't start nothing here, Burley. I'm warning you. Yeah, sure. Hey, looky here, Pharaoh. A whole nice shelf full of soap. Now, ain't that an awful thing to have so much of in a rip-roaring town like Rio? Hey, you hammer-headed galoot. You trying to wreck my store? Yeah, see, Pharaoh? He learns fast, don't he? George wants action, Burley. Give him lots of it. By the great Gadfrey, if you hoodlums think he can come in here and pull them high-handed shenanigans, you got another... That the kind of action you've been craving, George? You're gonna pay for that, Pharaoh. Sure. Now, let's see some real action, Burley. Let me see you make hash out of this bunch of groceries. Watch me. I'll just start at one end and clean the... You stop. Mamoose. Pronto. Well, now, look at who's giving the orders. You men, get out. Mamoose. Quick. Looks like somebody else needs educating, Burley. Yes, sir, boss. It sure does. Well, get busy and educate them. I'll bust a mazy critter in two. Come here, you thieving redskin. I'll kill you with my two hands. No. You not kill me, fella. Me looking at you. What? You bad man, huh? You not bad. You only smell bad. Boy, you no doubt. You... Oh! And you keep out in this scrap, Pharaoh. I'll show you hit me with... I'll let you have both bowels and a shotgun if you're on in. When I get through with you... Bad man, huh? You fight like sick squaw. Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! And he still does, if you ask me. Come on, Burley, get up and let's see how many teeth you got left. Come, Dan. We go. Gee, Donald, you gave him an awful going over. Me go get horses. You find Ross, fella. Tell him get many men together. Hold meeting tonight. Hey, where'd that Indian go to? Hey, I just seen him heading out the door a minute ago. Listen, you fellas. You know who that redskin is? He's a part of the Lone Rangers. And he just sent me word by the kid for us to be sure and hold our meeting. Tonight. Get him up, Carl. Come on, picture. Farrell. Listen, I got to see you quick. Hey, what's the idea of busting in my private office that way? Listen, Farrell. You too, Burley. That Indian. The Indian and the kid. Well, quit your slobbering and say what you got to say. What about the Indian, eh? Listen. George Ross and the boys that skinned me alive, they know I'm working for you. Going to their meetings all the time. Never mind, George Ross. What about the Indian? Him and the kid. They're parts of the Lone Rangers. Ranger? Yeah. Redskin left word for us to go ahead and hold the meeting. Tonight, like George was talking about. Then him and the kid high-tated out of town. Which way? They was riding the South Trail. Show him. Oh, they'll be coming back, the South Trail. Burley, get your rifle. Rifle? Hustle up, you big fool. Ain't no wonder that redskin made you look like a ten-cent tough guy. Oh, now listen, Farrell. My foot slipped. Shut up, I seen the fight, didn't I? With a shotgun in my back. Now listen, we've stopped three lawmen from snooping around here, and we sure don't want this Lone Ranger, Aubrey, coming in now. What are you figuring to do? You get your horse. Get out in that South Trail and lay up in the rock someplace, Abby. When you see that masked man and his pards heading towards town, use your rifle. And don't miss. Yeah, but what about you? Where are you going to be? I'm going to that meeting, Burley, and see if I can give the boys some good advice. Six-gun advice. You get busy and tend to your chores on the South Trail. And remember, don't miss. Farrell, I'd never miss with a rifle. Not ever. The curtain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger drama. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments to continue our story. In his room at school in California, Dan Reed was telling his friend Bob Gerson of an adventure he'd shared with the Lone Ranger and Tonto on the plains of the cattle country. Jiminy, I'll bet if Rocky Lerner was a United States Marshal, he and the Lone Ranger were good friends, huh? Yes, Bob. They'd been friends for a long time. And when Tonto told him how Rocky was killed by a shot in the back, the Lone Ranger just got up and started saddling silver. He didn't say a word, all the while we were telling him about the fight Tonto had with Burley Myers, or the meeting the townsman had planned for that night. And then he turned to me and said very quietly, Dan, you'd better stay here and camp and rest up. Tonto and I may have some unpleasant work ahead. Yes, sir. Teddy Bigfoot, he's got me somewhere. You see, Dan, I happen to know that every time the people of Rio Junction wrote to the governor for law enforcement, he sent a man out here. Rocky Lerner was the third one. But why should anyone kill a man for just... For trying to enforce the law? Well, because men who make their living by cheating and stealing from honest men, such men hate the law and all that it stands for. And in the end, they try to cover their own crimes by killing. Ready, Tonto? Huh? You ready? We'll tell you all about it when we get back, Dan. Yes, sir. I'll be watching for you. Better get some sleep and not wait up for us. Come on, silver. Get him up, scouts. I'm silver. Well, Bob, that's how I got the rest of the story. From what the Lone Ranger and Tonto told me later, it was just about sunset when they rode away, and when they'd covered about half the distance to town. Oh, silver. We've got hope on it. Home, home, seller. Tonto, remember that dusk cloud we were watching a few moments ago? Ah. One rider come plenty fast from town. Strange. There's no sign of any rider on the trail ahead. I wonder if there isn't any other trail off this one between here and Rio, is there? No. Hmm. Last we saw, that dusk cloud, it was going with those rocks about a half a mile ahead. Now it's stopped. Ah. Not a bad place for ambush. That's just what I was thinking. Another hundred yards, this trail will be in plain sight from any point up there. Come on. We cut through this ravine and circle back to the trail on the other side. Come on, silver. Get him up, scouts. I sure picked myself an uncomfortable place to watch for the masked man. I hope that mangy redskin's with him. I'll enjoy putting a slug in his carcass. I said, hurry up. Most dark. Yes, sir. I'll take care of that lone ranger gent for Pharaoh. See? Then I'll take care of the engine. You'd better learn to care for yourself, Myers. What? Be careful. I don't want to shoot you until you've answered some questions. You. Sorry we didn't ride up the trail, Burley. I'm up, Toto. I'm good, Toto. Now I think you'd better talk. Who killed Rocky Larimer? Me. I killed him in a fair fight. You're lying. You never saw the day you could stand up to an honest man in a fair fight? Who killed Rocky? Go and find out you're so smart. That's right, Toto. Makes those ropes tight enough to last for a while. I have a hunter of another lawman killed in Rio Junction. What do you know about it, Myers? None of your business. One thing more. Who tipped you off to watch this trail for Toto and me? I ain't telling you. Who? I ain't gonna tell you. Ropes slip, huh? Burn, huh? A little tighter, Toto. No, no, wait a minute. No, it was Ed Hartwell told us. Oh, he's one of Ross's bunch. Just as I thought. That's tight enough, Toto. Come on, let's be going. All righty, Kimasabi. Hey, you fellas aren't riding off and leaving me tight up here, are you? What? Well, I'll be jiggered. I always heard the Lone Ranger was a kind-hearted hombre. Don't believe everything you hear, Burley. Come on, Silver. Oh, but hey, listen. Night's coming on and these rocks is full of wolves. And mountain lions. Yeah, yeah, and rattlesnakes, too. That's right at home. Get him up, Scal. Come on, Silver. Jiminy, did the Lone Ranger leave Burley Myers tight up there in the rocks all night? Yep. And, Bob, when daylight came, there wasn't a more frightened outlaw in the whole southwest. You see, he and Toto rode away from there as fast as they could. And then a short distance away, they stopped. And the Lone Ranger sent Toto back to watch Burley. Oh. Well, talk about so-called bad man being scared. You see, Toto crawled back into the rocks where Burley was tied. Yeah? And honestly, you should have heard the imitations Toto gave. Oh, wolves howling and mountain lions snarling and rattlesnakes buzzing all around the camp. Gee. Burley Myers must have died a thousand deaths before daylight. Meanwhile, the Lone Ranger rode into Rio to attend that meeting. And incidentally, settled with Farrell Frazier. Good evening, gents. Good evening. Yeah. Boys, you make me feel mighty bad. Here I am, one of the leading citizens of Rio, and I don't even get an invitation to this get-together. You've got a lot of nerve busting in here, Frazier. It's about time you fellas learned I got lots of nerve. Anyplace. Now, what I come here for was to give you gents some real friendly advice, see? What kind of advice, Farrell? Shut up, Hartwell. We don't want any, Farrell. Now, get out. Get out and stay out. Ross, you've been bothering me a long time. Too long. I tried to reason with you once before today. This time, I intend to make you see things my way. I'm not afraid of you, Farrell. Even with the six-gun in your fist. And I know you're skunk enough to shoot. So you better either shoot or get out. Either way, you'll be all through in Rio Junction. Yeah, how do you figure? Never mind. You're coming up against a man pretty soon who's been exposed to snakes like you before. And he knows how to handle them. If you're referring to the Lone Ranger, George, you're betting on a dead horse. But how? How'd I know about him? Never mind, George. He won't be here. And if he was, I'd settle his hash just like I'm going to settle yours. What's that? Huh? Now's your chance, Farrell. The Mashed Man. It's him. He's come. The Lone Ranger. You have a gun in your hand. Let's see you use it. Sure. Sure, mister. I'll use it. Right now. No! Gee, over there. Did you see that? Shot the gun right out of his hand. Farrell had the drop on him to begin with. Oh, my... Shut up, gamblers. You're not hurt. Vash man, you sure got here just in time. Another minute, that buzzard would have drilled me for sure. You must be George Ross. Yeah, that's me. Which among you is Ed Hartwell? Ed Hartwell? That's me. What do you... The men can thank this traitor for Fraser's success. What? Well, hold on a minute. You mean that he... Ed Hartwell is on Fraser's payroll. Told him everything that took place at these meetings. Why, you dirty dog, Ed. Oh, wait, George. That's not true. That's fair over there. Don't ask me. Sure, it's true. Hey, you... All right. I saw you shoot the stranger in the back this morning. You still got that dance in your sleeve. I reckon we'll reach for it. George, I... I never meant... That's the end of your traitor. Well, he ain't leaving alone. He sure took Pharaoh Fraser with him. Wherever he's going. The only justice these men ever knew was six-gun justice. And I, for one, hope that's the end of six-gun law in this town. Just one thing, masked man. If these two critters both did, we still got to clean up the rest of the gang. Too bad one of them couldn't have lived long enough to tell us the names of the rest. I think I can help you get that information. Yeah? How? Who from? From Fraser's right-hand man, Burley Myers. Get your horses and meet me on the south trail. I have an idea Mr. Myers will be more than willing to talk. Well, Bob, the Lone Ranger and the Townsmen rode out to that place in the rocks where he and Tonto had left Burley Myers tied up. And on the way, the Lone Ranger told them about how he left Tonto back there to watch Burley and to scare him as much as he could. When they got near the place, Tonto rode out to meet them. I don't know how good that engine is at imitating mountain lions and rattlesnakes and such, but he sure gave Burley a good imitation of a wildcat in action down to my store yesterday. Here comes Tonto to meet us now. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa, Scott, whoa, Tonto, whoa. Whoa, Tonto, whoa. Well, Tonto, did Burley appreciate your entertainment? Oh, him, plenty scared. Oh, then maybe he'll be willing to talk. Well, Tonto, think him willing to do anything to get away from here. Come on, let's find out. Get up, get up, Scott. Come on, men, this way. Hey, don't talk to me. Look out, the place is full of wild animals. Hello, Burley. Oh, listen, Massman, please, please untie me. Let me get out of here. Well, no, not yet. We were just riding through, Burley, and thought we'd stop to see if you were all right. Looks all right, doesn't he, Tonto? I'm sure him look fine. No, no, no, don't leave me here no more. Well, we could untie you, Burley. That is, if you think you'd care to talk to Marshal Ross here. Marshal Ross? How about it, Burley? Care to talk? Yeah, yeah. Only get these ropes off of me. I'll talk. I'll talk all you want. Oh, wait a minute, Massman. What's this Marshal Ross business about? Here. This is the United States Marshal's badge that Rocky Larimer was wearing when he came to Rio Junction. I took it from Pharaoh Fraser's body. You see, the governor did send three men. Each time you wrote for help, he sent a man to Rio. Rocky was the last one, and the governor sent me along to help out. I'm sorry I didn't get here in time to prevent Rocky's murder. But what about this Marshal's badge? The governor gave me full authority to establish law and order in Rio in case anything happened to the regular Marshal. Well, and the way you talked to Pharaoh Fraser, I know that you have the honesty and courage to do the job. Here. Take this badge and wear it. It's all gone. Now we gotta build us a jailhouse, and Big Burley's gonna be our first customer. Man, I ain't never seen a human being so scared in all my born days. Hey there, Marshal George. Ask the Massman. Ask it yourself, Jed, if you can catch him. Well, dog gone. He didn't even wait for us to thank him for what he done. Well, I reckon the Lone Ranger gets his reward from seeing a job done like it should be. Adios, Massman. You have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
