A fiery horse with the speed of light, the cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-ho silver, the Lone Ranger. His faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the deering and resourceful masked rider of the plains, led the fight for law and order in the early western United States. 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. Just as dawn was breaking, the door of the Granville Jail swung open and Harry Burgess was marched out. A murmur swept through the people who had gathered in front of the scaffold, but they relapsed into silence almost at once. The footsteps of Harry and his guards could be heard clearly as they climbed toward the waiting hangman and the dangling noose. Harry took his place over the trap. His hands were tied behind him and the noose was fitted around his neck. Then he turned to the hangman. Would I say a few words to the folks down there? Why, uh, yeah, I guess so. I can't go ahead till the sheriff gets here. Sure. Thanks. Friends, maybe there's some of you who don't figure I'm your friend, but I, I never meant to be anything else. Friends, I want to tell you why I'm here, the whole story. They wouldn't let me say much at the trial, and you ought to know about it for your own good. It started long before this last week, almost a year ago. I still had my ranch outside of Granville then. Things were bad, the drought, rustlers and everything. I was pretty near the end of my rope. One Saturday night, when nearly all my hands were in town, I heard some shots out in the range. I rode out to see what was going on. One of my night riders had been hit in the shoulder. It was rustlers again. They were driving off about 200 head. I did what I could for my boy, bandaged him up. Then I went after them. But pretty soon, I heard some horses behind me, so I reined up. There was a big white horse and a paint, coming like the wind. It was too dark to see who was riding them until they got real close. The man on the white horse was masked, and there was an Indian on the paint. Naturally, I thought they were outlaws at first. You're off the trail, Burgess. They're heading more to the east. Follow us. Not so fast. Who are you two? What are you doing around here? We just saw your man back there. He told us what had happened. Looks to me like you're in with a gang. No, Burgess. We want to help you. Well, there was something in his voice. You had to believe him. And a few seconds later, we got underway on the right trail. Ten minutes hard riding, and we saw the cattle. The rustlers saw us and opened fire. But the masked man's gun was kicking dust all around them, so they knew they couldn't get away with the herd. They were following the edge of a steep arroyo. And what did those lonely coyotes do? Stampede the cattle and drive them right over. I lost 200 heads. The crooks didn't have a chance of getting away from the masked man in the Indian law. A little while after, the side winters were all reaching for the sky. We tied their hands behind their backs, and then the masked man said, You can turn them over to the sheriff, Burgess. There may be a reward. No, no such luck for me. Just the same, I'm glad you put a stop to this, even. There are other gangs in the county. They'll all have to be caught. Or we'll all go broke, that's sure. You'll be seeing us again, Burgess. Ready, Tonto? Be ready. Get up, scum. Tonto. I'd heard that name before. And then I realized, the masked man was the lone ranger. There wasn't any reward. I was just about desperate for money. There was a mortgage on the place already. I couldn't raise any more that way. My taxes were long overdue. One night, when my wife Abby and I were sitting around after supper, I thought the end had come for sure. Somebody rode up and stopped. Outside. Land sakes, it's John Shelby. Oh. What's the high and mighty Mr. Shelby paying us a call for? He's going to sell us out, Abby. What's that? You know as well as I do he's been running the tax office ever since Corrigan was killed. The county law says you can't let taxes run for more than a year. Howdy, Shelby. Good evening, Burgess. Evening, Mrs. Burgess. Evening. Won't you come in and sit? Thank you. It's about the taxes. Can't you give us a little more time? Would it do any good, Harry? Be honest. I guess it wouldn't. Is that not? But I'm willing to make you a little proposition. What kind of a proposition? I'm willing to take over the mortgage, pay the taxes, and give you $200. $200? That isn't much, Shelby. It's better than nothing. What's more, I'll let you keep this house and a laker of ground around it. Of course, I'd need the bunkhouse and the other buildings for the men. Well, what's your answer? Take it or leave it? We still have a roof over our heads, Harry. How'd I make a living? Gotta eat, Abby. I've got an idea about that, too. This place is pretty close to Grand Elm. You could live here, work in town. What at? All I know is ranching. I'm thinking of my job, Harry. Your job? A tax collector for the county? That's right. I have a great many interests. I only took over the job because, well, it didn't seem to be anyone else. But I'm sure you can handle it very well, and I'm sure I can get you the appointment. I'm not without influence, you know. All right, it's a deal. That was that. But I can say I wasn't warned. On the following Monday, I took the job in the tax office. And after I got home that night, I had another caller. It was the Lone Ranger. Hello, Burgess. Howdy. I've heard about your new job. I started today. You know what you're getting into? Well, it's a lot of paperwork, but it'll be all right. You don't have to be told that Shelby runs this county. No. He controls the board, the judge and the sheriff. If you want to keep your job, you'll be taking orders from him, too. Well, I don't see why. All I do is make out the bills for taxes. Arrange for the sale of ranches when they can't be paid. Only when they're a year back. That law's going to be changed. What? The ranchers will get more time? No, Burgess. Less time. Six months. Shelby's keeping under cover fairly well. Every ranch it sold is going to him. With the cattle business the way it is, you'll own half the county before the year's out. I don't see what that has to do with me. You're practically his agent. The ranchers are going to blame you more than him. But if it's the law... It's Shelby's law. Take my advice, Burgess. Start all over as a cowhand. I'm getting on in years. You're not too old. And you'll sleep better at night. Well, that's all I have to say, Burgess. I wish I'd listened to him. I didn't. I just kept on. The work was easy. The pay was good. Then the new law went into effect. I started to lose my friends. Honest. I tried to help you people as much as I could. Tried to postpone the sales. But after all, the law was there. And Shelby's men would put pressure on me. Finally, Shelby himself walked into my office. That was eight days ago. He sat down, lit a cigar. Hey, I'm your friend. That so? I got you this job, so I feel responsible. Is there anything wrong? Well, yes and no. Nothing, sir. It's just a question of duty. Whether you're prepared to carry out your duty or not. You talking about something particular? That's right. How long have the taxes been overdue on the Miller Ranch? By about eight months. Ben's had a lot of hard luck this year, Shelby. But he'll have a herd ready for market in a few weeks. And then he's sure to pay up. Eight months. The law says six. Are you going to sign that notice today, or are you going to resign? It's cut and dried like that, eh? Harry, sign the notice and save your job. It was all a choice I had. So I signed. I didn't know I was signing a death warrant. On the evening of the day Ben received his notice, I found Abby ready to go out when I got home. Miss Jenkins is real sick, Harry, and I'm going over to help out around their place. Your supper's already out on the kitchen table. All right. Oh, um, there was a coward he'd come riding in late this afternoon who wanted a job. Did you tell him Shelby owned the ranch? I told him. Well, since it was so late, I gave him something to eat and told him he might just as well stay in the bunkhouse overnight. He'll ride into town with you tomorrow morning to see Shelby. All right. Now, tell him, Harry. Things may be pretty bad at the Jenkins and I may have to stay all night. Don't worry, nun. She left and I ate supper by myself. About 8 o'clock, somebody rode up. I thought it might be the new cow hand to come over to pass a little time and talk. It wasn't. It was Shelby. They seemed to be in an awful hurry. Burgess. What's wrong? You've got a shooting iron. Why, it's out in the kitchen. No, no, it's right there in that gun belt hanging on the wall. You may need it. I got the word Billard's on his way here. He needs to have a showdown. It must be him now. Talk straight to him. Now go out in the kitchen and wait till he's gone. Well, look, why don't you stay here? It's your job. I let Ben in. Look, man, just walked into the room. And he turned and said, Harry, I came here to fill you full of lead. But on the way over, I changed my mind. You're not to blame. You're just a rancher like the rest of us who's had more than your share of hard luck. You're taking dirty money. If you didn't, you wouldn't eat. I'm not blaming you. It's my job, Ben. All I'm warning you to do is get another job. I'm going straight to the governor, see? I'm going to demand an investigation of this county from Shelby on down. Should have happened a long time ago. Shelby's smart. All this needed to put him in jail is for somebody to get up in his hind. Oh, oh. I didn't see the kitchen door open. I didn't see anything. I was looking straight into Ben's face. I only heard the shot. And then I saw him fall to the floor. 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. Harry Burgess had been talking to the crowd below the scaffold for nearly 15 minutes. The east was red with sunrise, but still the sheriff had not made his appearance. The hangman whispered to the guard, and the guard descended from the scaffold. Harry watched him and turned back to the silent crowd. I hope the sheriff doesn't come for a little while more. I haven't finished. When Ben fell, I was down beside him as quick as I could. I did my best to save him. Finally, I realized it wasn't any use. He died. I heard a voice and some horses stopping outside. I was glad, because I knew it was the Lone Ranger, and he'd tell me what to do next. A few seconds later, he was kneeling over Ben. Yes. He's dead. Who shot him? Shelby. He was out in the kitchen. He must have opened the door and shot him in the back. Weren't you here? Didn't you see what happened? I didn't see him. Ben and I were talking. Ben said that he was going to the governor, and that when he finished, Shelby would be in jail. But after the shot? I couldn't take my eyes off Ben's face. What about the gun? Did Shelby use his own? Well, I suppose he... No. Whose then? Mine. It was a missed belt hanging near the kitchen door. It's gone. Otto, take a look out in the kitchen and see if it's there. Ah, look. Did Shelby leave at once? Yes, I heard him riding away. Ben wanted me to go after him, but I still thought there was a chance to save him. Well, you did everything possible. Are you three alone here? Yeah. What about your wife? She's over at her neighbor's. Yeah. They're no gun in the kitchen. Must have taken it with him. You'd better take a ride down to the bunkhouse, Harry. Some of the men may have seen Shelby. I saw him. Isn't that enough? It's your word against his. He'll deny it, and he'll have an alibi. I know how the law works in this county. He'll be accused of murder. We went down to the bunkhouse. There's only one of the boys there, and he'd been asleep since supper. Were you asleep all the time? Yeah, except when that new hand was in and out a couple times. Did you hear a shot? No. What about the new hand? Where is he now? Oh, he's cleared out for good. Cleared out? Well, I thought he wanted to go to work here. Well, I don't know what happened. The first time he went out, he said he's going up to the house to have a talk with you. Little while later, he came back. Said he'd change his mind about working here. Packed up his gear, and he left. Do you think you can pick up his trail, Toto? Maybe so. You go back to the house and sit tight, Burgess. We should be back before morning, and there's no need to report to the sheriff before then. Right. Said he'd use him as a big fellow. All of you know what happened that night. The sheriff didn't wait for any report from me. He said he was looking for Ben Miller when he showed up at the ranch. Said he'd been told Ben Miller had gone berserk. He found him, of course. And he found my gun in that wooded drawer near my place, where he said I'd thrown it. Yeah. Then I went to jail. And the next morning, I was tried. What a farce that was. Is this your gun, or isn't it? I still say the sheriff wouldn't have found it if Shelby hadn't told them where it was. Answer the question! Shelby's the... This court will not stand for you trying to implicate an innocent man. It's already been proved that Mr. Shelby was in Granville Hall last night. He wasn't! Answer the question. Is this your gun? All right. Yes, it is. And one shot fired from it. That's going to take a lot of explaining. Well, give me a chance. I'm not denying that's the gun that killed Ben Miller. But I'm not the one that fired the shot. That gun was in my belt, hanging on the wall. With an easy reach? No, behind Ben's back. But Shelby could have opened the kitchen door and shot him. Did you see him? I can't say I did. Because he wasn't there. Now I warn you not to use his name again. That's the way it went most of the time. Most of you heard it. But you all hated me so much you didn't care. There was only once I figured I had a chance. That was when that cow hand, Len Sterling, showed up. The one who'd hightailed it away from the ranch the night of the murder. The one the Lone Ranger went after. Where I was conducting my own defense, you remember? I was supposed to be able to call any witness I wanted. But I could hardly believe it when they let me put him on the stand. Were you anywhere near my house last night? Yeah. How come? Well, I walked over from the bunkhouse. I wanted to have a talk with you. What did you see? I saw a man ride up and go inside. Is that man in court? That's him right over there. John Shelby. How dark was it? Oh, it's getting pretty dark. And you don't know who you saw. Jury, don't pay any attention to what he just said. Now, what else did you see? Well, I saw another hombre ride up. His horse was a black with a white star. He went inside, too. Tell the jury what you saw. I saw you standing with your back to the front door. Go on. The second hombre who rode up was standing with his back to the kitchen door. I saw the kitchen door open and Shelby... Never mind that name. All right. I saw that man over there reach up and take a gun from the belt that was hanging on the wall. Then he shot the gent who was doing the talking square in the bank. That's all I saw. I got away as fast as I could. That's enough. Judge, I demand you throw this case out of court and charge Shelby with the murder. Hold your heart. We're not finished with the witness yet. Hugh Sterling, why'd you run away? Do I have to answer that? It's contempt of court if you don't. Well, I just got out of another mix-up over in Clayton County. And I didn't want to tangle with the law anymore. What kind of mix-up? It was a poker game and a man was shot. Did you shoot him? No. And I've been cleared. They got the man who did it. Jerry, forget about his testimony. This is just a case of one killer trying to help another. Sheriff, jail this hombre on suspicion. But you remember, before the sheriff could make a move... I'm here, Sterling. Yes, sir. You've done your best. You've told the truth. I'm sorry it wasn't enough, Burgess. No, it's no use. They aim to hang me. They won't hang you. Your name is going to be cleared. Most of you thought the masked man rode straight out of town then. But he didn't. He called me to the window of my cell that night. Burgess? Yeah? Come here. Oh, it's you. Yes. I've heard the verdict. I told you. Have they set the date? The day after tomorrow at dawn. That gives us time. Who received all the money you collected for taxes? I turned it over to Baldwin. He's the treasurer. Where's his office? We don't rightly have one. He's in the building where Shelby makes his headquarters. Good. Are you going now? Yes. Tonight. Well, looks like the end of the trail. No, Burgess. We'll be back in time. Believe me. I believed him when he said that. I believed him up till this morning. Now it's too late. But I'm glad I had this chance to speak. Uh, you finished? Yeah. Might as well get on with it. Well, I'm still waiting on the sheriff. He's got to be here. I'll get it over with. Uh, I know how you feel, but I got orders. Uh, I want you to know if there was anything I could... What's the meaning of this? Is that you, Sheriff? No, it's me, Shelby. Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Shelby. The light's still kind of bad. Why haven't you finished with your job? We were waiting for the sheriff. He left my office a half hour ago. Well, he hasn't come here, and I got my orders. Well, I'm giving you new orders. Hang that pat at once. Yes, sir. You better say your prayers, Burgess. I'll pretend like I'm affixing the rope. Please, Scott. Take care of Abby. Is that all? That'll be enough. Ready, Ed. I am. Who fired that shot? I saw a flash. It came from the back of the crowd. Yeah, here's where it hit. Just six inches away from me. Bring that track. I'm not going to stay here and get shot at. There's someone on a big white horse back there. Yeah. I know that horse. It's Silver. That shot was fired by the Lone Ranger. And look beyond him. I'll bring that track myself. That man's going to hang. Stand back, Shelby. That masked man is shooting close. Troopers came over the hill to join the Lone Ranger. Shelby, standing on the scaffold, saw the surprised crowd fall back to make a path for the oncoming horsemen. The ringing voice of the masked man rose above the shouts of uniformed men who reined up the foot of the hangman's platform. Oh, Shelby. Oh, Shelby. Oh, Shelby. Stand right where you are, Shelby. Let us bring the trap and I'll break your eyes. He made it. He got here in time. Come on, Captain. Power me up those 13 steps. He made it, Shelby. He made it. Now there'll be some justice done. He's got a captain with him. We want you, Shelby. Let me see here. What does this mean? The next time you're on this platform, you'll wear that noose instead of Harry Burgess. Guard, remove that noose. Oh, yes, sir, Captain. Since when there's a militia? Help a crook defeat justice. Shelby, if you have any complaints, report them to the governor. Yes. The governor. I have here the governor's order for a new trial for Harry Burgess. Thank goodness. Don't worry, Burgess. A new trial would mean complete exoneration. It will be a fair trial. Meanwhile, we'll build our case against the real killer. Now, we... I mean you, Shelby. You can't. Oh, yes, we can. This town is under martial law. The governor has so declared. Oh, Burgess. You're untied. Oh, thanks. Good thing the sheriff was late. Yes. I must go and tell the town to release the sheriff. What? You mean you? We had to delay him until the troopers arrived. You people of Granville. Effective since last midnight, this county's been under martial law. I propose to hold all of your present officials under military guard until we can make a thorough investigation to determine what charges there'd be placed against. You're going to have a chance to elect a new official. I'll let you go. Mrs. Burgess. You... You did it. You saved my husband. You'll soon be free. Why don't you go up those steps? His arms are untied. His arms? Yes. Yes, I must go. Very big fella. Mom Silver. 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