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 and the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse, Silver, the Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, Silver! Faster, boy, faster! I'll settle there! The first to enter the Cattlemen's Trust Company when the doors opened at 9 o'clock was an ordinary-looking man wearing the usual clothing of the cow country. Ordinary in every way, except for the flashing eyes that somehow seemed to match the blued steel of the .44-6 shooters at his hip. The man shoved a message under the iron grillwork to the cashier. Yes, sir. What can I do for you? You can read what's written on that piece of paper. Huh? Oh, why, sure. Ah, let me see. You, uh... Steady, partner. You're sitting right between the devil's horns. You can't get away with this. Besides, what makes you think... What makes me think you got that much? Because old man Appleby just finished a trail drive to Abilene. He got back yesterday with $50,000. I'll get busy, Jasper, while you're able. But I tell you... Shut up and do what the paper says. Open that vault and start counting it out. You're taking a big chance, mister. You're the one that's taking chances. Standing there wagging your lip. You gonna open that vault? Or would you like Dr. Stevens to lend a hand? Doc Stevens? Mm-hmm. You can open the vault, can't you? Yes, yes, yes. Of course, I'll open it. I guess you know that this will break Mr. Appleby, don't you? I suppose it will. I'm wondering how many men he broke getting that money. Mr. Appleby is an honest man. Yeah. Owns a fine big ranch. Owns half the town. Got a first mortgage on the other half. Owns his bank, doesn't he? Yes. Just be careful when you reach in there. Be careful what you come out with. Don't you worry. I'm not trying any gunplay against Doc Stevens. Oh, sir, not for any amount of money. Reckon you're smarter than you look at that. Is this all of it? Don't look like 50,000? Yes, it's all there. Count it if you want to. Count it? Why, shucks, what'd I want to count it for? Everybody knows that banks are honest. Adios, Jasper. And keep your hands up there in the counter for a minute or so, will you? Here, here's the note he handed me. Now, let me see that thing. Open the vault. Hello? Ah, it says open the vault and loan me $50,000. The collateral is in my holster. Uh-huh, that sounds like Doc Stevens, all right. Well, I've been expecting it. You've been expecting it? Well, what are you going to do about it? Well, why in blazes didn't Appleby have sense enough to leave that money in Abilene? Just like writing an invitation to every crook in the country. It's just like... Go on, Sheriff. Finish what you were saying. Oh, Mr. Appleby... Sure, I'll finish. You come lugging $50,000 cash into that cracker box bank of yours and expect me to protect it. Certainly. And while you stand here arguing, that impotent renegade is running away with my money. Why aren't you organizing a posse? Because Doc Stevens would like to have a posse on his trail. He'd get ten times as much fun out of fooling ten men as he would fooling one. So I'm going after him alone. Then I'd suggest that you get started, Sheriff, before your term of office expires. Oh, Silver. Oh, Silver. Lucky Musabi. Big reward notice. Doc Stevens. That's the fourth one we've seen this morning. Ah. That fellow wanted by law plenty bad. Yes, Tonto. Stevens is probably the smartest outlaw in this part of the country. Want him dead or alive? This reward is offered by Thomas Appleby, president of the Cattlemen's Trust Company. I wonder. Ah. For the first time, I think I see what's behind this spectacular criminal career of Doc Stevens. You know Doc Stevens? I know something about him, Tonto. He was a doctor in the army. Surgeon and a good one. Oh. Why him leave army? Well, he left the army and went into private practice about a year ago. Then he turned outlaw. As to why, we'll have to learn that from Doc Stevens himself. Now, Kimusabi, you try fine Doc Stevens? Yes, Tonto. But first, I think we'd better have a talk with the sheriff at Red River. Come on, Silver. I'm up to scout. Hey, listen, Appleby. I've been out every day for a week, from daylight to dark. Ain't found a trace. Right now, I'm tired and I want some sleep. So, just clear out, will you? Hey, you've deliberately let that outlaw escape. For all I know, you may be working hand in glove with him. Refusing to take a posse with you. Refusing to... Right now, I'm refusing to give you the punch in the nose you're asking for. Better clear out before I change my mind. The voters will know about this next month, Sheriff. And you'll be looking for a job when the election is over. Uh-huh. It suits me fine. Means that somebody else will be looking for Doc Stevens and your filthy bankroll. Well, I... Listen, what was that? Huh? I didn't... Look, right behind you. Easy, Sheriff. Mast, what the... Who are you? Oh, we'll discuss that later. I came to talk with you about Doc Stevens. Stevens? You're one of his confederates, huh? You know very well that Doc Stevens is a lone wolf, Appleby. I'm, uh, wondering if you know why. Huh? Just what do you mean? Do you know this man Stevens? Know him? Know him? Certainly not. Oh? And I know that he's a thieving, murdering, renegade that deserves to hang. I didn't know he'd ever kill anyone. Well, I do. And let me tell you. Yes? What do you want here? I think I've gotten what I want from you. Sheriff, do any of the reward notices you have on Doc Stevens accuse him of murder? No. Every last one of them accuses him of robbery. But believe me, he sure shines at that game. And Mr. Appleby must have some inside information. When he says he knows Doc Stevens to be a murderer... I never said that! Oh, didn't you? Sounded to me like you said that... I don't care what it sounded like. Are you going to chew the rag with this outlaw all night, or are you going to arrest him? I see you're wearing a shoulder gun as usual, Appleby. Well, what about it? Well, if you're saying she was to arrest this man, I could swear you in as a deputy and let you try your hand at it. I'm leaving here right now. Well, I'm personally going to organize a forcing and start the biggest manhunt this country has ever seen. We'll see if this country can't be made a fit place for honest men to live in. You step back inside, fella. You leave when Lone Ranger tell you leave. What? What'd you say? You heard him, you old skin flint. If you'd use your eyes as much as you was using your mouth, you'd have noticed his cartridge belts. What? Full of silver bullets? Yeah. If you'd tried to throw down on him with that pea shooter you're packing, you would have been full of silver bullets. You can go, Appleby. Let him out, Tonto. Why? Say, don't you trust that, Buzzard. You'll have the whole town here in a minute. We'll be gone in a minute, Sheriff. We'll see you again. Come on, Tonto. The following morning, Thomas Appleby was speaking to three men in his office at the Cattlemen's Trust Company. Forget about Stevens. Forget about the Sheriff. From now on, make it your business to locate either the Lone Ranger or the Indian that travels with him. You bet. You figure the masked man will find Stevens, eh? I'm satisfied that he's looking for Stevens. And if anyone can find that renegade, the Lone Ranger is the man. You're asking for a lot, Mr. Appleby. As far as I'm concerned, it'll be easier to find Doc Stevens than either the Lone Ranger or his Indian partner. Oh, hello, Martha. Come in. Hello, Dad. I didn't mean to interrupt. Oh, that's all right. I was just giving Keeler and the boys some instructions about work at the ranch. You fellows follow those instructions, understand? Yeah, we will. That's all. See you later. Well, Martha, what brings you to town? Dad, I... Is there any word about Paul? No. And what's more, you get that outlaw out of your head. Paul Stevens is a criminal. A dangerous criminal. Anyone can be dangerous when... when they're hurt badly enough. He hasn't tried to see you. No. And if he had, you know I wouldn't tell you about it. That is certainly a fine spirit, I must say. A man murders your own brother and steals $50,000, a fortune from your father, and you want to protect him. My love for Paul Stevens is more important to me than... than any amount of money. If I could only see him just once more... You'll see him dancing on the end of a rope. And soon. The fugitive, Doc Stevens, stopped at a distance and studied his hideout for several minutes. Then, satisfied with what he saw, he rode forward and dismounted. A moment later, he was tugging at a large, flat rock. Money enough here to build a city. But it can lay on the ground and rot as far as I'm concerned. There. I never... Why... It's gone. That's right, Doc. What? Steady. You think you are. I'm fast enough. Possibly. How did you find me? Who are you? Never mind that. We were able to follow your tracks. We've been on your trail four days. We? Who's with you? An Indian who knows how to read signs better than you know how to cover them. He isn't here at the moment. Well, the first time in my life, I'm going to kill a man. Better wait. The money you took from this hiding place, I got without ever drawing a gun. People were afraid of the terrible reputation of Doc Stevens as a gunslinger. Well, it so happens that I'm not afraid of you. That's your misfortune, mask man. Listen. That's just a coyote. I know. And the next time he starts barking, I'm going for my gun. You better be ready to do the same. All right. I'll be ready, Doc. You better be. 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. For more than three years, the legend of Doc Stevens' prowess with a six-gun had been unchallenged. Now the man stared unbelievingly at his gun lying on the ground. Slowly, he rubbed the numbness out of his hand and spoke to the Lone Ranger. You... I can't believe it. You shot that gun right out of my hand. But how? How could you do that? Maybe I've been practicing longer than you, killer. I never killed a man in my life. There's a man in Red River who says you did. Appleby, huh? And, uh, I'd like to know more about the grudge between you and Appleby. Why he hates you and why you hate him enough to try to ruin him. Why not? He ruined me. Besides, what business is it of yours? Are you trying to say that you are better than I am? At least I don't wear a mask on my face. No. You take pride in hurting people who have hurt you. And you like to have them know who you are. You act as though you knew a lot about me. Well, I know that you were stationed on the border as an officer in the medical corps. I know that you and Thomas Appleby were acquainted there. Yeah? What else? For some reason, Appleby denies knowing you except as a bank robber. I wonder why he put a price on your head, dead or alive. Because I stole his money. And money hurts deep with that old buzzard. Well, you've got it now. And you can have it back on certain conditions. What? I want you to tell me the true story of what happened between you and Appleby. And then I want you to promise to return the money to the people you took it from. Well, this sounds fantastic. I don't understand. Here, Silver. Come here, boy. The money's in my saddlebags. I have no more use for it than you. But if you don't agree to return it... Steady, boy. Easy a second. There, now. And I will. Well, I'll be... You can take your choice. All right. I'll tell you the story. Good. It started down on the border a couple of years ago when I was in the Army. Tom Appleby was a powerful man then. More powerful than he is now. He lived with his only son and a daughter. Uh-huh. Go on. The girl, Martha, was... like an angel. Her brother, Jim, was the most worthless man that ever lived. Martha and I were keeping company. And her brother, for some reason, disapproved of me. We quarreled many times. Yes, yes. I retired from the service and went into private practice. Martha and I planned to get married as soon as I was established. But her father refused to give his permission. And she wouldn't go against his wishes. I see. Jim took to gambling and drinking, disgracing his father and sister. One night as I came up to the house to call on Martha, I heard Jim and his father quarreling in the library. You ungrateful wealth. I ought to boot you out of my house. Why do you always have to be picking on me? What have I done? What have you done? Nothing. Never in your worthless life have you done one thing of value. No. You're no good, Jim. No good to yourself or anyone else. You're a disgrace to your family. A disgrace, am I? I guess you've got reason to feel proud. Getting mixed up in crooked politics. Cheating on your contracts with the government. Stop! Yeah, stop. Just you try and stop me. I'll show you who's a disgrace around here. Girl, help me! You say another word, I'll kill you! Yeah, you and your big talk. Always putting on those holier-than-thou ears. Always making yourself think you're better than everyone else. Always... Shut up and get out of my house! Oh, you... You was going to kill me, huh? Well, I'll show you something that does a good job of killing people. Jim! Put away that gun! Give me... I rushed into the house and Jim was shot. Dying. His father had run out when he heard me enter the house. I was alone with Jim when Martha entered the room. Did you tell her what had happened? Her father came in and accused me of killing his son. He had no way of knowing what I'd seen. And Martha? Well, I'd picked up the gun and was holding it when she entered the room. She believed what she saw, I guess. Along with what her father said. I see. And you chose to hurt her by letting her think you had killed her brother. Rather than tell her the truth. I didn't tell her anything. I just left. Left everything in the world that meant anything to me. For this kind of life. What about the others you've robbed? Four of them. All wealthy. And all as crooked as Appleby. They lied against me. Said they'd heard me making threats against Jim. One of them testified the murder gun was mine. So you set out to hurt them through money. I've hurt them. Plenty. Money's the only thing they love. And I've got their money. Or rather you have. It's yours to return. You hurt yourself and Martha more than anyone else. Now Appleby's got a price on my head. Now listen. There's this Tonto. Coming from town. Tonto? Who's he? My Indian friend. The one that found my hideout? He must be clever. He is. Who's gone? Ho, fella. Ho. Ho, fella. What's happened, Tonto? You and Dr. Fala better come plenty quick. Big gunfight in town. A gunfight? Ah. Banker, fella. Appleby. Him put men on my trail. Then follow me. Try to find this place. Tonto lead him into hills. Lose him. Follow him back to Red River and watch him. What about the gunfight? It happened in fact. Between Appleby and Outlaw's him hired to kill Stevens. Outlaw's say Appleby double-cross him. Start gunfight. What? You mean that old buzzer actually had hired gunslingers after my scalp? I have all the lowdowns. Now what happened, Tonto? Sheriff, come along. Help round up gunfighters. But too late to save old man. Him, bad hurt. Dying. Need doctor. Him, plenty bad. Well, why come to me? Do you think I care if that poison old snake dies? Do you? No. No, me come, cause girl asked me to get doctor for father. Martha. She asked you. Well, isn't there a doctor in Red River? The nearest is 30 miles away. Otto came here because he knew you were a doctor and a surgeon. Oh, this is a farce. The man who destroyed everything I had ever hoped to have. Who made an outlaw out of me. The man who put a price on my head, dead or alive, is dying. And I'm supposed to stick my neck in the rope to save his worthless life. That's right. It's not right. It's wrong. I... So help me, I swear it's wrong. Remember, you're a doctor. I know. I'm a doctor. My life is pledged to succor the ailments of mankind. To wage a constant battle against pain and disease and death. And Tonto said the old man was dying. Then why can't he die and be done with it? Why can't he die without bothering me? Let's get started if we're going. The townspeople of Red River stared at the strange-looking trio that rode down the wide, dusty street. Stopped their horses in front of the big home of Thomas Appleby. Oh, Silver. Oh, Silver. The masked man, an Indian, and the much-wanted outlaw, Doc Stevens. Steady, Silver. And then the sheriff stepped forward and spoke. Get your hands up, Stephen. Be quick about it. Just a minute. Stevens came to Red River as a doctor to try to save a man's life. What? You mean this fellow's going to try to save old Appleby? The man who put a price on his head? That's right. If you want to be doing something, take those saddlebags off my horse. Put them in the safe at your office. Why? Paul Stevens is returning the money he stole. Every cent of it. More than $100,000. All right, you get back there, you king. Lots of care of those saddlebags. Come back here to Appleby's house as soon as you can. Come on, Doc. You shouldn't have come here. I know that. Where's your father? In the bedroom. But how did you... The Indian you sent for a doctor knew where Paul was. He saved a lot of time by getting him instead of riding 30 miles for someone else. You know what I need, Martha. Plenty of hot water. Bandages. A sharp knife. I'll help you with that coat. Something I can use for a probe. Hurry it up. Sheriff. You can come in now. Come along, Sheriff. Paul. Will he... I've done everything I could. I know. He doesn't want to live. He's not making a fight of it. He's quit trying. Sheriff. Here. He's calling you Sheriff. What is it, Tom? Listen. Stevens. I made him outlaw. What's that he's saying about Paul? Quiet, please. Martha. Here. Yes, Dad. Paul never killed Jim. But you said that... Didn't want you to get married. Leave me. Had fight with Jim. I killed him. Oh, Dad. Framed doctor. Paid witnesses to lie against him. Are you getting this confession, Sheriff? Yes. What else, Tom? That's all. Sorry. Should have told truth long ago. Didn't dare to. Now doesn't matter. Martha. Yes, Dad. Paul. Good boy. Wonderful doctor. Hope you'll be happy with him. Bless you both. Dad. Quiet. Paul, look at him. He's asleep. He's gotten a load off his mind. Now he'll sleep. You mean... Yes, Martha. I think he'll live now. Let's be thankful. Thought I knew where to find you, doctor. Good morning. What's that you got? Give you one guess. Smells like bacon and eggs. Right the first time. I'm hungry. Oh, there comes the doctor. Better fix him up some of the same. Looks like he needs a good meal. Don't you worry. I'm going to be fixing breakfast for Mr. Stevens for a long time to come. That's quite a spread for a sick man. Oh, I'm not sick. I'm hungry. Sit down. He slept for 12 hours. And I feel fine. Now sit down, the both of you. And let's get some things ironed out. Such as what? The sheriff. I suppose he's preparing a murder charge against me after what I said last night. No. You see, there was a witness to the killing. Someone who can testify that you killed Jim in self-defense. A witness? But who? Me. I saw the whole thing. Saw Jim pull a gun. Heard your father ask him to put it away. They fought over it. The gun went off. And never said a word to anyone. Martha, there's the kind of a gent to fry eggs for. Better eat your own eggs before they get cold. Doctor's orders. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
