Fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty high-o silver, the Lone Ranger. Faithful 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. Hi, big fellow. Dan Reed was to meet Tonto in the Totem City Hotel. While waiting for his Indian friend, he sat in the lobby, talking to one of the strangest characters he'd ever known. The fellow was very small, barely five feet tall, and talked with the same nervous energy that characterized his every movement. He called himself Mainspring Charlie. Name comes from the profession. Jewelry is the trade. Mainly clocks. That's my specialty, son. Clocks. Every man should have a specialty, I always say. Mine is clocks. Mainly loud ones. Well, do you sell them or repair them, Mr. Charlie? Just call me Mainspring. That's what everyone calls me. Known from here to the border. You mean the Mexican border? I mean all of them. Choose your border, and I'm known to there. Mexico, Canada, Atlantic, Pacific. Cover lots of ground, I do. But the past years, I've been specialized. Oh, you have? Sure. Oh, no. You don't use them. Yes, I specialize. Mainly the Indian country. Every man should specialize, I always say. Now, take me. I roamed far and wide and never made any money. Then I got to specializing. Selling clocks to redskins. Do they buy clocks? Like hotcakes. Yes, sir. But I'm getting rich off of them. I never knew that. Of course, the time don't mean nothing. They don't care. That's all they care. They think a good loud clock that whams out the hours is good medicine. I see. Now, where I get rich is in the service of the clocks. You see, the best of them runs only about a week or so. Then I've got to fix it so it'll run again. And redskins pay me a steady income for keeping the clocks running. What happens to them? Do they break down? No, run down. I never show the critters how to wind them up. I specialize, and I'm getting rich at it. Excuse me. Missed. I'm what you might call a professional clock winder. That's why I'm called Mainspring. Eight o'clock. Oh, now there's a clock I want. That old grandpappy. I could get a steep price for that one. Old sitting bear would sure like it. Hey, Stearns! Howdy, Mainspring. Come over here a minute, will you? That's Jim Stearns. He owns this hotel. The answer's the same, Mainspring. That clock ain't for sale. I'll see here. You're broke and getting broker. You need cash, you need it bad. Now, why not let me have that big clock? Who says I need cash? I do. Well, I'll need it worse before I'll sell that clock. Is that all you come to town for? No. I'm here to meet Professor Broderick. Broderick, huh? What about it? You don't act like it was a thing to do. Careful, Mainspring. Careful? Careful of what? Professor Broderick's playing with trouble. He's been digging for Indian relics in an old burying ground. Yes, and he doesn't seem to know the dangers. Shucks. There ain't none. No? Well, there's just so many dangers that I've got to ask him to get his relics out of this hotel. Now, don't say I didn't warn you. Golly. I don't like you. An ornery, worried, old, busted dog wheel. Danger is my eye. Where Broderick is digging, the tribe's been dead a thousand years. That's why he's found stuff that's worth a fortune. Mainspring. Oh, it's good to see you. Well, Betty Broderick. Well, you've grown to a beautiful woman. Oh, how are you? Fine, fine. Where's your dad? I come to meet him. He said you were coming. He's anxious to have your opinion of some ancient pottery and early metal he's uncovered. Well, she'll be glad to see it. Oh, Dan, this is Betty Broderick, professor's daughter. Dan Reed, Betty. How do you do? Are you here in town with Mainspring, Charlie? No, I came to the hotel to wait for a friend of mine. We just met here in the lobby and started talking, Betty. Oh, I see. I guess I didn't tell you, Dan. I made a special study of Indian relics. You did? Oh, yes. Mainly pottery and metal things. Dad always said you should have made a career of archaeology, Mainspring. You have a special knack for it. Yep. I always say a man should specialize. Well, where is the professor? Upstairs in his room. He's arranging the things he found. He told me to meet you and say he'd be right down. Fine. He's really found something, eh? Oh, I think so, and so does he. We looked up the references, and it seems that a couple of the things he's found are worth a fortune. Doggone, I'm glad to hear it. Mighty glad. Fire! Did you hear that? What'd he say? Fire. Get out of here. Get out. The hotel's on fire. I see smoke coming down the stairs. Who's up above? Get out of here. Clear out. Save yourselves. Places on fire. Dad's upstairs. Come on, out with you. No. No, let me go up there. Oh, get out of here. Clear out. Fire. Inferno. Death trap. Let me... Where's Dan Reed? Where's a young fellow who was here? He went up the stairs. He's a fool. Save my father. Let me go to him. We can't save the places. It's going like tinder. Close up above. Save yourselves. Get out while you can. The stairs are in flames. Inferno. Dan went up them stairs. There are plays already. Ah, me go get him. Will you let me go, Sterns? Someone get upstairs. You get out of here. Tonto. Get out quick. They're already burned. There's a man in here, Tonto. I looked in the other rooms. This door's locked. You get out. Tonto, smash the door. I'll help. No time to talk. Hit it. Hit it again. Tonto, do it. Tonto, look. Back, Dan, back. Flame like furnace. It's worse in there. Worse than anywhere else. Back this way. We can't go in. No use go in. No one live in there. Fire the stairs. Look. Here, window. Stand back now. Here, Dan. Go out, window. Tonto. Professor Broderick. We can't help him. We go out now or we die too. They're cooling the embers now. And the best friend, Miss Betty. I could bust out crying myself. How soon can they look? Look through the embers. Well, they'll have them cooled off in a little while, Betty. Oh, you. Oh, Sterns, if you hadn't held me back, I would have... Betty, please don't speak that way. Remember, I was on the second floor when the fire started. Nothing could be done. You came down and left Ed there. There were fires everywhere. I tried the door and it was locked. I called it. Then I had to get out. There couldn't have been fires everywhere. They don't start that way. They do, Betty. When they started the way this one was. What do you mean? I told you, Mainspring, that it was dangerous to tamper with the burial grounds of those Indians. Hogwash. That's my opinion. Hogwash. That fire was caused by Indians. I know. But... I saw an Indian come in just as the fire started. Well, the Indians will pay for this. Now, hold on, Sterns. You start things with the Redskins, you'll have me again. Oh, is that so, Mainspring? Maybe you served as an agent for the Indians. You've dealt with them. Maybe you did. I did what? Well, it's certainly worth investigating. Meaning what? Meaning you might have been paid by the Indians to start that fire. Later that night, when Dan and Tonto joined the Lone Ranger in a small camp near town, Tonto had an interesting observation in connection with the fire. When me break door down, plenty flame in room. The room that was locked? Isn't that right? As soon as Tonto broke in the door, the flames leaped out at us. Fire in plenty other place on second floor. Fire inside closed room. And the fire must have been started in several places at once. Isn't that right? And there are other strange things. Well, what's that, Tonto? No key and lock a door. Are you sure of that? Huh? Me sure. Door fall to one side. No key on either side of lock. It's unlikely that Professor Broderick would lock the door and remove the key. That's right. And fires don't start in several places at once, by accident. Mr. Stearns might have known what he was talking about. What's that, Dan? Who's Mr. Stearns? Oh, he owned the hotel. Oh? I was sitting in the lobby waiting for Tonto. He had to show me where our camp was, you know. I know, Dan. Go on. Well, while I was there, I got talking to a man called Mainspring Charlie. Mainspring? Do you know him? Yes. He's a very good friend of the Indians. Yes. He told me how he sells them clocks, then charges them to keep the clocks wound up. The Indians all like Mainspring. They do? What about him? Well, Mr. Stearns came over and told him he'd better be careful if he had anything to do with Professor Broderick. Because the Indians would resent the fact that the professor had dug relics out of the old burial grounds. Oh, that's not true, Dan. But Tonto... Indian round here now not care what happened to early Indian burial grounds. Damn different tribe. Hold on, Tonto. If Stearns thinks that, he's likely to spread the story. Isn't that right? And if he does, there'll be trouble. Mm-hmm. Plenty trouble. Come on. Get your horse's saddle up. Are we riding tonight? Right away. Here, Silver. Here, Scout. Come on, Victor. Steady, there, boy. Stearns. First one with horse saddled. Throw water on campfire, huh? The townspeople think the Indians burned that hotel. They'll rise up against them. The Indian not burning it. Yes, that's the point. Steady there, Silver. The Indians won't stand for an attack. They'll fight back. War will break out all over again. No one knows how far it will spread. There, Silver. You're ready? Scout ready. Now me put water on fire. Really ready, Dan? Just one second. Just have to tighten this cinch. There. That does it. I'm ready. Come on. Steady, big fella. Come on, Silver. Get him on. Get him on. Get out, Victor. Though it was long after midnight, the town was wide awake. Heavily armed men gathered in small groups in the streets. Everyone was angry about the fire and the death of the professor. Stearns helped to inflame the citizens. It ain't just my hotel. It's the priceless collection of ancient relics that the professor had. And most important of all, it's the life of the professor. Now someone is going to pay. The Indians must pay. They must be made to pay ten times over. There's just one law they understand. Gun law. Those Indians to the north have got to pay for the cost of a new hotel. And they've got to pay for the relics they destroyed. And they must be made to pay for the life they took. Boys, I'm going to talk to the man in the jail. I'll offer Main Spring Charlie the chance to go free if he'll admit the Indians sent him to start the fire. He shouldn't go free, Stearns. He ought to be punished. If he don't confess, he'll hang. And you get all the rest of the men together. Get horses and guns. Get ready to start out in one hour's time. All right. Come on, Sledge. You'll go and see what Main Spring has to say. You stand guard while I talk to him. You sure got all the boys riled up, Stearns. Well, it's the only way to make them go after those savage redskins. Come on in the jail. You really think Main Spring Charlie started the fire? He's too thick with the redskins to suit me. Yeah, he's thick with them, all right. And he sure tried hard to keep me from making a move against him. Tried to shield him. That's what he did. That makes him look guilty. Well, he can admit he started the fire and go free. Or he can stick to the story that the Indians and he didn't have anything to do with it. And hang. 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. Stearns arrived at the jail with the deputy who stayed outside to stand guard while the hotel keeper went inside to talk to Main Spring Charlie. It's the most outlandish thing I ever heard of, Stearns. What have you got against me anyway? All I want from you, Main Spring, is the truth. I gave it to you. I specialize in telling the truth. I don't know how the fire started. I know how it started. I'm not asking that. I saw it at the start. I saw a waste paper burning in a dozen different places on the second floor. Well, I was near the second floor. Not near it. Never went beyond the lobby. Not that anyone knows about. But you were on the second floor. You just said so. Maybe you started it yourself, for all I know. Do you think I'd burn down my own hotel? You'd do anything if there was a way to benefit by it. Maybe so, but there certainly is no benefit in burning down the hotel. I'm wiped out clean. Now look here, Main Spring. Let me out of this jail. You've got no right to keep me here. We all know the Indians were back at the fire. They wanted to get Professor Broderick. That's a downright lie. Out and out untrue. Maybe the Indians didn't do it themselves. Maybe someone did it for them. Maybe they paid for the job. Now, you're close to the Indians. Yes, I specialize in them. I know them better than anyone. That's just the point. You do business with them. You bet I do. Now, if you'll confess that they hired you to do the job, we'll let you go. We'll make them pay for the damages. Yeah. Bring back the professor's life, I suppose. You'll make them give back the father of that fine girl. Well, at least they'll be made to pay. Well, they didn't hire me. Oh, come, come, Main Spring. You don't want to hang, do you? I tell you they... Sign your confession. And I'll not only let you go free, but I'll let you take your wagon and team and all your stock and trade from the stable along with you. But if you're going to be stubborn... You'll persuade the boys to hang me, eh? Well, they won't need persuasion. No, I expect not. I heard you're riling them up. Riling men up. That's your specialty. Mainly lynch mobs. What do you say? I still say you're wrong. What's more, if you attack the Indians, you might get more than you bargained for. I'll take a chance on the Indians. Say, look out that window. Someone's got my wagon and team. Stop them. Bring them back here. Hey, you! Come back with my wagon. That's filled with clocks. Hey, it's Indian. I see him in a torchlight. Get him. He's robbing me. Come on, Phil. Missed. Come on, Main Spring. You, of all people. All right, Tonto has your wagon. This is the last shred of proof against you, Main Spring. Now we know you're guilty. All right, Main Spring. Men are coming on the run. You'll be. Don't try it, Stearns. We'll get you for this. We'll get you and Main Spring and every last one of those savage redskins. Hogwash. Stearns, now you're up again, the Lone Ranger. Come back here. Come back. Lock him in my cell. This way. Someone saw me rope the guard. He spread the alarm. Everyone in town's after me. This way, the rear door. Tonto's taking your wagon. I saw him. You'll ride his horse. Out this door. Hurry. Hurry, they're coming. That horse, Main Spring. Steady, Scott. I'm ready. Stop. Stand where you are. We fire. On your way, Dan. Steady, big fella. Come on, Main Spring. Come on, Victor. I'm with you. Come on, Sylvie. Get up. Get up. The Lone Ranger let Dan and Main Spring in a roundabout route to camp to throw pursuers off the trail. When they finally arrived in the woodland clearing, Tonto was there ahead of them with Main Spring's horses and wagons. Hold on, Sylvie. Hold on. Hold on. Hold on. You'll be safe for the time being, Main Spring. I've got to see if my clocks are all right. Only Buzzard Stearns had the wagon in his stable. Like as not, he robbed me. A specialty of his. Let me inside that wagon. I've got a lantern in there. Tonto, you'll have to ride for the county seat. The deputy in Totem City is weak. Ah. He start right away? Yeah, should better. Deputy Sledge is dominated by Stearns. Ah. Tell the sheriff just what happened. The and his men can get to Totem City in time. They might prevent the attack on the Indians. Ah. Me go now. The rest of us will try to postpone the attack. Get him up, scum. Hey. Look what I found. What's the matter with Main Spring? What is it? Stick your head in the wagon. Look. Look what's here. Old Indian vases and other relics. Where'd those come from? They weren't here earlier when I put my wagon in Stern's saddle shed. This is the stuff Professor Broderick dug up. Are you sure? Oh, I know relics. It's especially mine. These were supposed to have burned up in the fire. Or got busted or something. Who put them there? Have you any idea? Well, my guess would be that someone put them here to frame me. The one that tried to say I started the fire. Sterns? Right. Yes, this would be evidence against me. He could say I stole this stuff, then started the fire to cover the robbery. Maybe you're right, Main Spring. Hold on now. What is it? It don't seem that Broderick would have the valuable things tossed in a box like this. Wait just a minute. Let me look these things over. Are you looking for anything in particular? I'm looking for the priceless things. The rare articles that the Professor found. And they... They ain't here. Are you... Are you sure? You bet I'm sure. Now, Broderick wouldn't send for me to look at this stuff. Oh, where is the valuable stuff? Probably taken by the man who put those things in your wagon. Yes, sirree, I'd bet on it. Look here. Betty Broderick could tell what's missing. The daughter? Yeah. Where is she? With Widow Markheim at the edge of town. By darn, there's a new slant to the fire. Would the missing articles be valuable enough to cause arson and murder? They sure would. Valuable enough for Sterns to sacrifice his hotel? Oh, that place wasn't worth anything. It needed too much fixing. Hey, that's the answer. What? That's why he wanted to blame the fire and murder on Redskins. He wanted to collect from them. Wanted to make them pay for the hotel. Why, he'd win both ways. Get a new hotel and get the relics. Come on, Mainspring. You too, Dan. Yes, sir. Where to? Mainspring, you're going to persuade Betty Broderick to help us. I'm with you. Just a minute, Leon. Hit your horse so as I can ride. Can you ride it bareback? To get the one that killed Broderick, I can ride a Razorback. The sheriff arrived in town as Sterns was just about ready to lead the men in an attack on the Indians to the north. For the time being, at least, the hardy lawman and his posse changed the minds of the townsmen and sent them to their homes. Sterns, disgruntled at the failure of his plan, went to the stable where he planned to spend the night. As he entered the door, he saw a lantern burn. Hey, you. Oh. Oh, Mr. Sterns. Betty Broderick. What are you doing here? Well, Mr. Sterns, I couldn't sleep for thinking about Mainspring Charlie. How's that? Well, he and father were very well acquainted, you know. Well, what about it? Well, after his escape from prison, I got to thinking about him. Yes? And about the charge that he started the fire. Mm-hmm. If Mainspring did that, he'd be guilty of murdering my father, wouldn't he? Well, of course. Well, Mr. Sterns, he wouldn't go that far, not for the Indians. The only thing that would make him or anyone else murder father would be the valuable relics. And that might be the reason. Maybe that's why Mainspring killed your father and started the fire. But you see, if he did, he'd have to hide the box of relics. It was a large box, three times the size of a shoe box. He couldn't carry it with him, and he couldn't leave it at the hotel. He had to hide it somewhere. Probably in the wagon. Well, I don't think he'd put it there. It'd be too dangerous for him if it were found there. I think he might have hidden it here in this shed. It's the only other place. Is that why you're here at this hour of the night? Well, I... I couldn't come at any other time and find the box. Why not? Because. Because of the clock. Clock? What clock? Mainspring once gave my father a clock that... that could be set to make a noise for one minute at any hour of the day or night. It was to waken him from sleep. Well? I'm sure father had it set for one o'clock in the morning. He often went to bed early and then got up so he could work at night. He did his best thinking and writing at night. I still don't see what that... I'm not sure, but father might have had that clock in the box with his valuable relics. If he did, and if Mainspring hid the box in here, I can locate it when the clock strikes. It's nearly one o'clock now. Yes. I know it is. Well, you needn't wait around. I'll be here. I'll keep a sharp ear out. I can wait a few minutes longer. In fact, it's just about one o'clock now. Well, I'm sorry, but you'll have to go. I can't be bothered with you around here. I've had a trying day. But Mr. Strick... There it is. That's it. I was right. It's over there. No. Over there. Oh, where is that sound coming from? You'll know soon enough. Oh, let me go. What do you mean? I'm going to tie you, and the more you struggle, the tighter I rope you. Have you gone, Dad? Let me go, you... You beast! Let me go! It'll hold you. You could have kept out of this and saved your neck. Now you'll have to share your father's feet. What do you mean? There'll be a fire in this place. This time, you'll be the one that's trapped. I've gone too far to get those relics to let a girl like you keep me from having them. You? You killed my father. Yes, I killed your father, and I fired the hotel. And I'll do the same with the shed. As soon as I shut off that confounded clock, if it hadn't been for your smart ideas, you'd been all right. So that's where you hid the things you stole. Where is that clock? Right here, you murdering buzzard. What? I'll shut her off. You! Don't draw. The mask red. We're all here, Stern. The sheriff. You tricked me. Oh, you bet we did, you dirty murderer. Thanks for showing the hiding place, Stern. You won't get me alive. Hey! Who drilled his leg? He had to be stopped, Main Spring. He was heading for the door. Well, I'll put a bracelet on him, and then he can be carried through the door. Miss Betty, you free now. Dan's waiting outside, Toto. Main Spring will take over. Ah. Me help Sheriff Cary Crook outside. Grab his shoulders, Toto. Got him! If it hadn't been for that fool in his clock, sir. Oh, save your breast. Well, Miss Betty. Please. Look, Miss Betty, maybe you and I can take on where your pa left off. Uh-huh. Maybe. Doggone it. I wish that masked man hadn't shot the buzzard in the leg. Well, but if he hadn't, he might have escaped. Well, I wanted to drill the buzzard. Shooting polecats is a specialty of mine. Every man should have a specialty, I always say. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
