A cloud of dust and a hearty hi-oh silver, the Lone Ranger. Full Indian companion Tonto, the mask 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 and the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver, the Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, silver. Hurry, big fellow. Fire, silver. Workmen were clearing away the remains of an old mansion on an island in the Ohio River. Lightning had struck the building and the fire that followed had completed the work of destruction. For many years, it had remained in ruinous condition until a new owner of the land hired men to remove the debris. Get your bar against this rock and we'll pry it away. All set. Now, Eve. What's more now? Eve. The cellar of this place was sure put together. Yeah. How old's this house anyway? Do you know, Digger? I don't know, but you can get an idea of the age when I tell you that Aaron Burr lived here at the beginning of the century. That's been more than 60 years ago. Aaron Burr? You don't say. Yep. It was right in this house that he made plans to overthrow the government of Mexico and set up a country of his own with himself as a king. He never could have done it. He didn't get a chance to try. He had his plans all made, but he couldn't raise enough cash. I don't think he could have done it anyway. Now, today, there'd be more of a chance for a man to set up a private kingdom. I bet there's several places in the West where that could be done. Yeah, well, maybe if it was well planned and if there was cash enough. Oh, yeah. Talk won't knock that chimney down, so let's get that next rock loose, Sam. Right. I'll let... What you looking at, Digger? This is curious. Huh? Right next to the base of the chimney, there's a secret hiding place. See it? There. That last rock we moved opened it up. Oh, sure enough. Hey, there must have been some way to get at it from above. I'll reach in and see if there's anything there. Yeah? Is there? I... I've got hold of something. It feels like a box. Hey, maybe it's a treasure. Well, if it's money, I guess it belongs to the man that bought this place, don't it? Well, I always figure that finders are keepers. There we are. Hmm. It ain't very big. Can you open it? Yeah, it's almost rotted to nothing. Hmm. What's that? Ah, take it easy. I'm finding out as fast as I can. It looks like a... Looks like a pouch of some sort. It is. It's an old leather pouch. Look at the name on it. Aaron Burr. What's inside? I'll know in a minute. Papers. A lot of them. Hey, this might be a darn important discovery, Digger. Let's see what those papers say. Ah, now don't grab for them. I'm looking at them. What's the title page say? Read it. Steve, this is a copy of Aaron Burr's whole plan. He's got every step worked out, starting with a handful of men and a lot of money. He uses bribes or blackmail to get certain officials on his side. And gets laws passed to give him what he wants, till he can overthrow the government. Hmm. Hmm. These plans are as good today as they were when he worked them out. If a man had money enough... What are you getting at, Digger? There are sections of the West right now that might be taken over. If the right man had these plans... Digger... I'm getting money. Well, what are you thinking about? Plenty. Well, don't look like that, Digger. Digger, I know what you're thinking. You said Aaron Burr would have had more chance if he'd lived now. Well, his plans are here now. That's what counts. But you can't use them. They've got to be turned over to... Oh, shut up. I know a man that would dispose of these plans. I'll write to Ace Martin. He can sell them. Hey, Steve, look out. The chimney's father. Get back from there. You'll be killed. Oh! Oh! Ace Martin was one of the shrewdest confidence men in the West. When he received Digger's letter telling about the discovery, he read it several times. Then he called it the ranch of Gar Hamilton. Well, I've read the letter, Ace. What about it? I know a lot about you, Hamilton. You've been trying to satisfy a craving for power and more power. You've bought land until you don't know how much you own. You've bought banks and railroads. But you're still having the power you want. In a democracy, you can't get it. What point are you trying to make? Aaron Burr planned to be a king. He was going to own his own monarchy. Remember your history? That was a long time ago. Parts of the West might be seized if the right man knew how to go about it. I'm offering you instructions to own a kingdom. How can I negotiate before I see those instructions? Very well. You shall see them. One thing more. I don't know this man Digger. I don't like the idea of having a lot of men know of my interests. Digger is the only one who knows of Aaron Burr's plans. Digger mentions the man who was with him. Oh, yes. He was killed when the chimney fell. Yes. He was killed. He won't talk, will he? Oh, of course not. But he... Oh, you mean... The poor fellow got killed. But then one can't waste sympathy when a kingdom is at stake, hmm? Hamilton Digger is a friend of mine. We went to school together in the East. I couldn't... How unfortunate. Many kingdoms have tottered because of a friendship. I like men without emotion. I came to you because I sized you up as a man who wanted power above everything else. I was right. You even want the power of life and death over people. You understand me perfectly, Ace. Very well. I'll bring those plans to you as soon as possible. I'll write to Digger and tell him to be sure and let me know what stage he's taking. Some days later, the Lone Ranger and Tonto reined up alongside the stage trail. Oh, Silver. Easy, old fellow. Easy, big man. We can wait here, Tonto, and watch the stage as it passes. Oh, not right. If Dan's on board, we'll go to Grantville to meet him. It'd be plenty good to see Dan again. Yes, it certainly will be. But he might not be on this stage. He might wait until next week. You hear stage now? Yes. Just around the bend. Maybe Dan see us here and maybe him get off stage. If we see him, we'll signal him to go on to Grantville. I hope he had a good time with his friend. Ah. I want him to spend whatever time he can with boys his own age. It does him good. That's right. Otto. That gunfire. There's trouble at that stage. We go there? Yes. Come on, Silver. Get him up. Stop. As the Lone Ranger and Tonto rounded the bend, they saw three men flourishing guns at the guard and driver of the halted stagecoach. The masked man charged forward, closely followed by the Indian. The highwaymen took one look, then spurred their horses and raced away. If Dan's on that stage, there go Crooks. Oh, Silver. Oh, he's got to hold our hold. Easy. Great day, there's another masked man. Just keep your hands up. I'm not here to rob the stage. I don't intend to let you take a quick shot at me. Hey, they killed our passenger. They didn't give him a chance. Who is he? A man named Digger. He's from the east. Came all the way from Ohio. Keep a gun on the guard and driver, Tonto. I'll have a look at the passengers. Ah, me, watch him. Who the Sam Hill are you? I'm me, friend of masked man. Who's he? I'm him, friend of mine. Why you not put up fight? We didn't have a chance to fight. Besides, there was nothing on the stage worth getting a shot to protect. We didn't think they'd shoot to kill like they did. You better get on to Grantville and report the attack. Yeah, that's what we want to do. All right, go ahead. Hold on. You took something from the dead man. What have you got there? You'd better get to Grantville. All right, all right. Don't reach for your gun. Get going, driver. Get up. Get along, man. Tonto, I found a letter in the dead man's pocket. This letter. Oh, what'd it say? From Ace Martin. Oh, me know him. Him schemer. Him live in Grantville. Ace told the man in that stage to bring Aaron Burr's pouch here. He has a customer. Aaron Burr? But him dead long time. Yes, that's right, Kimo Sabe. Silly big fella. But this pouch contains his plans to overthrow a government. And who want plans? That's what I'm going to find out from Ace Martin. Come on, Silver. Get him up, scout. Ace Martin and his two partners, Jake and Wendy, were in their room at the Grantville Hotel in an ugly mood. It was all your fault, Ace. My fault? Why, you dull brain, right? Wendy's nitty, Ace. Didn't give us time enough to get that stuff off in Digger after we shot him. Time? How long does it take you to reach into a man's pocket? Well, you yelled at us when those horsemen came and started riding away. Sure, you didn't even wait to see who they were. When you left, we had to get away before the guard got a hold of his gun. We'll be in a fine fix if we don't get that pouch. We've got to figure out some way. I don't see why we had to shoot Digger anyhow. If we'd have waited, he'd have brought it to us. He knew too much. Had to die, that's all. It had to be made to look like a stage robbery. Ace. Well? How about us? Maybe me and Jake know too much. Oh, no. Are you different? I wonder if we are. You don't need us now that Digger is dead. His idea wasn't to kill Diggers. Yours are the man you're working for. That's neither here nor there. We've got to think up some plant. Hey, the door. Jake, you stand there on that side of the door. Right. Wendy, you stay right there. Get your guns handy. Got them. Ace, who is it? I want to speak to you, Martin. Open the door. Just a minute. I'll come in. Masked? That's right. What do you want? I came to talk business with you. We got you covered, mister. Yeah, and maybe you better take that mask off. I didn't know you had company, Martin. I have. And they don't like masked men. Tell them to put their guns away and come around in front of me. Show me a reason why I should. All right. Here's a letter from you to a man named Digger. Recognize it? Where'd you get that? Would you like to buy the leather pouch that was with it? How did you get it? Does that really matter? I had your friends to do what I asked, and we can talk business. Ace, we can knock them out and... And then, where would you look for the pouch? Do you think I brought it with me? Would you be a good idea to search in and find out? Do what he says. Come over here with me, boys. And, uh, put those guns away. I still think my way would be better. There you are. What's the pouch worth to you? I'll have to see it. Where is it? Right here. Boss, he did bring it with him. Yeah, we should have knocked him out. Careful. Don't draw. I want to examine the contents of that pouch. If they're what I think, we can do business. Go ahead. Of course, you've looked at it. I wondered who you plan to sell it to. I dare say. Well, are you satisfied? Oh, not quite. I want to check these papers against some information in the dresser drawer. Want to be sure I get what I plan to pay for. Of course. Maybe we can make it... Now, get your hands up. Very clever of you, Ace. I might have known you'd have a gun in that drawer. Yeah. And so have we got guns. Now, mister, we'll have a look at your face. 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. With Tonto waiting outside Martin's hotel door, the Lone Ranger, not knowing that Martin and the men with him were the stage robbers, allowed the crooks to get the drop on him. Just keep your hands and shoulders level and don't make a fast move. I thought we were going to discuss terms, Martin. Is this what you call discussing terms? There's nothing to discuss. Just drop that pouch to the floor. Yeah, and be quick about it. There you are. That's fine. I'll rope him, Wendy. We'll figure a way to get rid of him without gunplay. Right. Hey, look. The door. He fixed. Jake, a knife. Duck. You too, Ace. I'll get you. Oh, you're shot. I'll get him, Ace. Ace, stop him. This way, Tonto. He smashed my gun. All right. Hit the saddle, Tonto. Come on, Silver. Come on, Silver. Oh, who's got hope for that? Easy now. Plenty of good hiding place in these woods. Yes, we'll be all right here. Did you knock out one of those men? No. Slug him one on chin. He'll go down fast. You hit Jake's arm with your knife. That's right. You leave pouch for Martin? Yes, he has it. Well, he'll have a good story for the men who investigate the gunplay in his room. Then he'll take the pouch to the man who's buying it. We follow him? Yes, Tonto. That's all there is to it. Steady, big fella. Now, let's make a camp. Then we'll find a way to keep an eye on Martin's mood. The Lone Ranger didn't anticipate the hitch that was to ruin the simplicity of his scheme. By the time the masked man and Tonto got back to town in possible disguises, Martin and his two pals were in jail. Sheriff, you've got no real evidence against us. The guard and driver think you three are the ones that held up the stage. That's evidence enough. Those two old fools. Sheriff, that guard and driver would have identified anyone to put someone in jail. You'll have your day in court. If it hadn't been for the attempted robbery and the gunfire, no one would have thought of connecting us with that murder on the stagecoach. I ain't here to argue the point. You're in the jug to state on your trial. They didn't find the pouch, did they? No, I saw that it was well hidden. Well, you sent me out of the room to call for help while you hit it, huh? Yeah. Wendy was unconscious. Now, don't worry, boys. The evidence against us is pretty flimsy. They can't convict on the identification of the guard and driver. Tonto, we should have known that those three were the ones who ran away as we approached the stage. Well, but we not see him close. We should have known it anyway. Now Ace Martin can't contact his customer. The law not find Aaron Burr's plans. No. Martin must have hidden the pouch. Maybe we find him, huh? He didn't have time to go far. It's either in his hotel room or very near. If we can find it, I'll show it to Sheriff Jackson. And what him do? Oh, he's a square shooter. He'll listen to me. I'll not need a disguise any longer. Ace, Jake, and Wendy had been in jail but one day when the sheriff unlocked the door. I don't savvy it, boys, but one of you is to come with me. So you didn't have as strong a case as you thought, huh? I'll see you later, boys, and don't worry. Hold on, Ace. Not you. It's Jake I want. Me? Come on. Oh, wait a minute. There must be some mistake. I'm just following the orders. I don't get the idea. Go down the hall and turn left to my office. There must be a mistake. You think someone paid out bail money? I know someone who has a lot of influence, but he'd use it to get me out, not Jake. I can't understand it. The more Ace Martin thought, the more convinced he became that the sheriff had made a mistake. The next day, 24 hours after Jake's release, the sheriff came again and unlocked the door. Oh, you did make a mistake, huh? You let the wrong man go. No, that wasn't a mistake, Ace. You want me now? No, it's Wendy. Me? But sheriff... Look here, sheriff. Is someone going bail? I can't tell you a thing, Martin. Come on, Wendy. But what are you going to do with me? You'll find out. Go right down the hall and turn left. Why are you taking Jake and me and leaving Ace Martin? I'm following orders, that's all. Turn left. Well, what are you going to do with me? Open that door. That's my office. There we are. The back door is open. If you go right out there, you can get your horse at the saddle shed. What? You mean... Look out there. You can see it saddled and waiting. Who's that Indian? Oh, he's new around town. He was sitting there yesterday when Jake was in this office. Is that paint horse his? Yep. There's your gun and belt, Wendy. Your hat, too. Hey, that's Jake's hat and gun belt. Oh, then this one's yours, I reckon. Here you are. I'll get going. I got things to do. Did you send Jake out like this? I can't tell you a thing. If you did, why is his gun belt and hat here? Where is Jake? Wendy, I told you... Look at that redskin watching me. He's sharpening his knife. Get going, Wendy. I can't wait all day. I ain't going. I won't leave here. You put me back with Ace Martin. See, Ace, they're sending us out wanted a time to kill us. Jake went out and got killed, and that's why his gun belt was back in the office. Wait, let me think. A masked man could have learned I didn't have the pouch when I was arrested. He'd know it was near my room. He might have found it. Sure he might. In some way, he could have learned who I was dealing with and went there. He'd have been told the same as I was. Get rid of the men who know too much. Like we had to kill Digger. My friend has a lot of influence. He might have arranged for us to be let out one at a time. The way that redskin watched me, Ace, there was murder in his eye. Quiet. The sheriff's coming. I don't know if I'm doing the right thing, Martin. I'm going to let you out. It's about time. You weren't scheduled to go till tomorrow. Well, as long as Wendy wants to stay here, you might as well get. Ace, don't go. Don't take a chance. You mean you're really turning me loose? Yep. You can get your gun and things at my office. Ace, it's a truck. Shut up. I'm warned in advance. I know what's back of this. They won't get me unawares. There's your hat, Ace. Good luck to you. I won't need luck. Any notion where you're going first? I know exactly where I'm going. I've got something to settle. Listen, redskin. You want something? I remember you. Huh? I expect you'll follow me and arrange to meet me outside of town. If I see you, I'll shoot on sight. Is that clear? Ah. That's plenty clear. Good enough. Steady. Get up. Ace Martin went first to the rear of the hotel. He reached among rocks outside the window of the room he'd occupied. Gone. The masked man did find it. I was right. Then, Martin rode west to the big Hamilton ranch. It was after dark when he dismounted and rapped on the door. Hello, Hamilton. Martin. I didn't expect to see you. No, I guess you didn't. I'll step inside. Put that gun away. You don't need a gun with me. That's a matter of opinion. I figure different. Go on into the sitting room. Of course. Have a chair and tell me how you got out of jail so quickly. Is it an escape? No, it isn't an escape. Why do you hold a gun on me? We made a deal. Remember? Of course. Well, now that you've got the plans, where do I come in? I have no plans, Ace. Don't lie. I know different. I heard about Digger's murder. I was pleased that you were following my instructions so well. Then, of course, you were arrested. I wondered what had become of the plans. You didn't wonder long, did you? The masked man found them and brought them to you. But you're wrong, Ace. You told him the same as you told me. Get rid of the men that know things. Meaning Jake and Wendy and me. But I had a warning. I kept watch. Martin, you're all wrong. Now sit down. Let's get this straightened out. Listen to me. The masked man was the only one who could have known I hid the plans. That means he's the one who found them. I don't know how he learned about you. Maybe you contacted him. That doesn't matter. I remember all your talk about not wasting sympathy when a kingdom's at stake. You wanted us killed the same as you wanted Digger killed. You're wrong all the way. Shut up. I thought we might make a deal. I'd settle with you for cash. What, you just... You won't settle that way. So we'll settle with lead. It's one of two things, Hamilton. If I don't get you, you'll get me. Stop it. What? Last time I just hit your gun, Ace. That didn't teach you a lesson. My arm. You obviously saved my life. But where did you come from? The rear door. And he didn't come alone, Hamilton. Sheriff, this man was about to murder me. We know all about that, Hamilton. We heard you two. Sheriff, you've got to listen to me. That masked man and Hamilton... You can't tell me a thing, Martin. Hamilton had you murder the man on the stage. I guess that ties Jake and Wendy up, too. All four of you can hang for it. But Jake is dead. That masked man and his Indian friend... I should have told you. Jake didn't get out of jail. Just moved him to a different cell. What? But Wendy said... Wendy thought just what he was supposed to think. So did you. You mean it was... The masked man turned that pouch and the papers over to me. I felt the same as he did, that it was mighty important to learn what critter had ideas of being a king. Ace, you were a blundering, simple-minded fool. And I thought you were smart. You let an Indian and a masked man outwit you all the way. Sheriff, you can't take the word of a masked man. You've got to give us a chance to tell our side of it. You did. We heard you. As for being outwitted by the masked man, that ain't a sign that you're a fool. Where is that masked man? Why don't he stay and let his story be checked? He told you a lot of lies. His work's done, Ace. Now, wait, Sheriff. If you listen to me instead of a man who hides his face... Hamilton, the man I listened to, and I'm glad I did, was the Lone Ranger. I am still there! You have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated. The Lone Ranger and the Andres. The Lone Ranger Brain Transactional
