A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty high old silver, the Lone Ranger. His faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the daring 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 hoof beat of the great horse, Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, Silver. Let's go, big fellow. I'm still there. Hooray! When Tonto camped alone, he was even more completely hidden than when he made camp with the Lone Ranger. Tonto was alone in an arroyo, and unnoticed by two men who met in a clump of cottonwoods on the level ground a few yards away. Well, here's half the cash ticket. You and Red will get the rest when the job is done. All right, Jacob. You just make sure Tom Carter's in the tunnel tomorrow morning. Then we'll do the rest. He's there every morning. He's working the might alone for the time being. There's, uh, another angle that maybe you didn't think about, Jacob. What's that? Tom Carter's got a wife. If he's killed, won't she inherit his share of the gold mine? She will if she's alive. Then how can Tom's death help you and Paul now? That didn't concern you, Taggart. Oh. Then make sure you blast between 10 and 11 tomorrow morning. That's all you have to do. You'll get the blast. There's a very good chance that Dory Carter will be in the tunnel with her husband. Hmm. That's heavy. I should have known that you and Paul Nell wouldn't overlook anything. Maybe me and Red should charge you more, being as there'll be a double murder. You're hired to place and fire a charge of Potter, that's all. If anyone is in the tunnel, their death will be, uh, accidental. Don't worry, Jacob. We won't raise our rates. I'll be around at noon tomorrow to collect the balance that'll be due us. Adios. Adios. Get up. Get up. Jekyll and Taggart rode in opposite directions. When they were gone, Tonto brought his paint horse out of the arroyo, mounted, and raced toward the top of a nearby hill. Get him up, Scout. There he built three fires. Towers of smoke were noticed by several people who saw no reason to become excited. They were also seen by a masked man who knew they were Tonto's way of saying, You come quick. They're trouble. All right, Tonto. See you, big fella. Come, Silver. The Lone Ranger held his great horse, Silver, to a steady lope that covered a lot of ground with a minimum of energy. He went through a lush valley then to the top of another hill. Again he saw the signals rising against the setting sun. Twilight lengthened into darkness, and then instead of smoke, there were three distant dots of firelight for a beacon. The masked man pushed on through the night, pausing briefly from time to time to give the gallant horse a chance to rest. Morning found him at the burned-out fires. Tonto was gone, but the Indian had left tracks that could be followed down the shale-covered mountain. In the side of the mountain, two men watched their place of concealment. They saw Tonto approach the mouth of a tunnel and look around carefully. How about it, Taggart? Should I drill that Redskin? Not yet. Hold it, Red. But he's snooping around. Look, he's right where we got the fuse burning. The shot's likely to bring Tom Carter to investigate. It looks to me like the Redskins put out the fuse. Wait, Red. He's going away. I still think I ought to shoot him. Let him go. What's the sense in killing someone unless we're paid for it? Getting to his horse. Riding uphill toward the place where he had built signal fires, Tonto saw a powerful white horse and a masked rider coming to meet him. Hold, sir. Hold, Scotty. He's a big fella. Oh, fella. Oh, you see signal? Yes, Tonto. What's going on? Three fella. Own gold mine. Two fella hire killers to murder a third one. Look down there. You see entrance to mine? Yes, I see it. Who's supposed to be killed? Young fella who worked mine. Him named Tom Carter. Blast set near Motha Tunnel. We'd better warn him. Him not in tunnel now. He's stopped him on way to tunnel. Send him to wake and camp. Good for you. You know the men who arranged the murder? Fella named Jekyll hire two killers. There's a couple of men down there heading for the tunnel. Are those the ones? And them fella who set blast. Blast go any minute. Me see fuse burning. Then why are those men heading for the tunnel? Maybe think Tonto put fuse out. We've got to try to stop them. Come on, Silver. Get him up, Scout. You got matches, haven't you, Tiger? Yeah. I'd like to club that red skin for snuffing out the fuse. It don't matter, Red. We can light her again. Hey, look. The fuse is burning. Get back, run. It's almost to the powder. You two. Get away. Hurry up, Red. A landslide, following a blast, swept Silver off his feet and threw the Lone Ranger to the ground. The landslide increased in fury. The Lone Ranger and Tonto and their horses were carried into the valley with a sliding shale of gravel. The Lone Ranger lay momentarily stunned against a massive boulder. As he regained consciousness, he heard an angry voice on the other side of that boulder. And for that, I'm killing you. Carter, you plenty fool. Put gun away. If I was a fool, I'd let you send me away from the tunnel. If I'd gone home, my wife wouldn't have been killed. The only reason I don't shoot you right now is because I am to get some information out of you. And you better talk and talk fast or I'll start nipping your ears with lead. What do you want to know? Why did someone trick my wife into going in the tunnel before it was blowing up? Here, take it easy. What the... Put the gun down, Tom. Fast. So you're in cahoots with this Indian. The gun. I'm not putting it down, see? You can shoot me if you want, but even if I'm hit, I'll manage to get this Indian. Let's put it this way, Tom. Your finger tightens on that trigger. You might get Tonto, but I'll certainly get you. Now let's talk it over. Or him make big mistake. Wife not in tunnel. Then where is she? She's not at home. How do you know that? I was just there. I saw the note that someone sent telling her that she was to meet me inside the tunnel. Why you go home? Come, me tell you to go camp. Wait there. Yeah. Yeah, that's the way you'd have liked it, huh? Tom, I was trying to tell you that your wife was not in the tunnel. You see, Jekyll hired a couple of men to kill both you and your wife. Jekyll? No, I can't believe him. He's always been a close friend. I won't believe it. Why, he and Mr. Pornhill grubstaked me for a long time before I struck gold. Now that you've struck it, they begrudge you your share. They hired two men to close the tunnel with you and your wife inside. Who are the men? They look to me like a couple of men who make killing a profession. Where are they now? I think they were caught in a blast. The last I saw of them, they were near the mouth of the tunnel. I think they were trapped with a landslide. I... Where's my wife? You'll see her plenty soon. Tom, listen to me. Well? The men who tried to kill you and your wife will try again, unless they're exposed. The only witnesses against them are dead. It'll take a lot to convince me that my back has double-crossed me. It'll take even more to convince the law. That's why everyone must think that you and your wife are dead. Late that afternoon, Sam Jekyll sat in his office with another successful businessman named Henry Pornhill. You examined the mountain there, Pornhill, and... That's right. And it'll take at least two weeks of digging to reopen the tunnel. Hmm. Two weeks, Sam. If Carter and his wife weren't killed by the explosion, they'll suffocate or die of starvation before they can be released. My, my. Isn't that a shame? Some men from town are digging around, but they're not getting very far. There's an awful lot of loose rock to be moved. Well, partner, it seems as though we've increased our holdings in a valuable piece of property. Yeah. Mm-hmm. What about the men you hired to work for us this morning? What about them? Is there a chance they might talk? Well, I don't do business with anyone who is likely to tell everything they know. Uh-huh. Taggart and Miss Powell are murders. I have this signed confession of a murder they committed a month ago. Oh, I see. They won't turn on me, eh? They don't want to hang. I, you see, uh, I make it a practice to get something I can, uh, hold over my associates. You should know that. Yes. I know. How did you get the confession from them? The same way I got one from you, partner. They wanted to borrow money without security. I gave them a loan, took their confession. They know if they don't pay me back, I can hang them. Uh, speaking of the money I borrowed from you... What about it? Are you ready to repay me? No, but I have other security now. I have quite a bit of property. I'd like to give you a mortgage on my property and take back the, uh, document I signed. If you died suddenly... I don't expect to die suddenly. No, but if you did, the sheriff might get that confession. That would be unfortunate, wouldn't it? You'd, uh, better do all you can, Pornel, to see that I don't die suddenly. Hey, Mr. Jacobs. Well, what do you want? Well, I just come from over the mountain where there was that landslide. What about it? I was there a little while ago. Have they broken through to our tunnel? No, sir, but they found two men who'd been buried by the slide. Two men? Yeah. Was Tom Carter one of them? No, sir. One of them was Lefty Taggart, and the other was a redheaded fellow that had been seen around town with Taggart. How did they get caught in the landslide? Well, gosh, nobody knows, Mr. Jekyll, but they sure was trapped. They're being taken over the corners for burying. What about the tunnel? Well, men are working on it, but it'll take a couple of weeks of digging to get her open. What a shame. Yeah, it sure is too bad for Tom Carter. Most unfortunate. I guess there's not much hope for him. Worst of it is, I guess his wife was in there with him. Well, you better get back and give a hand with the digging. Well, yes, sir, I'm going right away. I just thought I'd better tell you about Taggart and his friend. Thank you. You heard that, Pornel. I heard it. That disposes of those two. Did you have a hand in it? The death of Taggart and Red? No, that was just coincidence. A lucky coincidence. Now then, you better go over to the tunnel and keep an eye on developments. All right. But how soon do you think we can readjust the stock issues? Not until we have proof that Carter and his wife are dead. There must be proof, huh? I mean to say their dead bodies will have to be produced. Certainly. Well, I'll get over to the tunnel. I'll keep you posted. Please do. Well, I've been waiting for you to come out of Jekyll's office. Mast? Has your horse, old saddle, and waiting. Not up and keep your mouth shut. Who are you? It doesn't matter. We have a job to do and we need you to help us with it. Get that saddle and keep quiet. But I tell you... You don't understand. Yes, yes, I am. Put that knife away. Easy, Silver. They're going to ride between us. But where? And why? What do you want to be? You'll find out. Start your horse. Get up there. Come on, Silver. Get up, Silver. 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. How to continue our story. Pornel was surprised when the Lone Ranger and Tonto captured him as he left the office of his partner, Jekyll. During the ride to a camp in the nearby woods, he regained some of his composure. Oh, oh, oh. Oh, there. What's going on? Come on up, Pornel. This is abduction. Is it? You can't get away with this. I don't care who you are. I have a friend, in fact, a partner, who will see that you're punished. Indeed. Yes. If anything happens to me, he'll have every lawman in the county searching for you. What's the name of this influential friend? Jekyll. Samuel Jekyll. I dare say you've heard of him. So you think Jekyll will put lawmen on my trail? He certainly will. Just as he did in the case of the murderers of his other partner. What do you mean? I'm speaking about Tom Carter. What makes you think he's been murdered? Oh, I'll admit it doesn't look like murder. But you've got to admire Jekyll. He certainly plans things carefully. What do you mean? Your finish will look like an accident, too. My finish? Oh, yes. Didn't I tell you? You're not going to kill me. Not exactly. How about the pitfall, Tano? Is it ready? Uh-uh. It's all ready. It's right over this way. Pitfall? There are mountain lions around here, you know, Pornel. Every so often, you'll find a pitfall someone has dug and baited in the hope of capturing a mountain lion. It's quite easy to step into one, but practically impossible to get out. Either way, Tano. I'll bring Mr. Pornel. Now, wait. Well? Did Jekyll pay you to do this to me? You'll have to figure that out for yourself. Now, wait. For what? I have money. I'll pay you to let me go. No matter what Jekyll is paying you, I'll pay you more. You haven't cash enough in your pocket to interest me, Pornel. Start walking. I'll get more. More? You mean you go back to town, get more money, then bring it back here to me? Yes, yes. Oh, no, Pornel. I think the temptation to stay in town might be too strong. But I don't want to die in a pitfall. I don't suppose Tom Carter wanted to die in a tunnel. After all, you'd be better off than he was. You'll have plenty of fresh air and light. You can look at the trees and the sky and hear the birds while you're starving to death. Now, here, pitfall. This is it, Pornel. Well, lots bigger than a grave, isn't it? Oh, no. Deeper, too. Too deep for you to climb out. No, no. Don't put me down there. Please don't. I'll do anything. I'll give you all I have. Give me a hand with him, Tonto. We'll lower him as gently as possible so he won't break a leg when he lands. Now, he got him. I'll take his right hand. No, no, please. Please don't put me in there. Over with him. Don't let me go. Don't drop me. Let him go, Tonto. Help! Pornel, in this game, there is no mercy. Within an hour, the Lone Ranger and Tonto were back at J. Kiel's office. The masked man entered without bothering to rap on the door. J. Kiel leaped to his feet. Hold it, J. Kiel. You're covered. I met Pornel a while ago. I saw you through my window. Rope him, Tonto. You'll do nothing of the swords. We try. Take that rope off. Just let me go. How dare you do this to me? Make it tight, Tonto. Make it tight. What's the idea? What do you want? Pornel learned a lot from you, J. Kiel. What? Half of a gold mine is better than a third, but the whole is better than half. So that's it. You taught Pornel a few things when you planned Tom Carter's death. Who says I planned such a thing? Oh, we needn't discuss that. Put a few more knots in the rope. He's Pornel out of his mind. Doesn't he know what'll happen to him if anything happens to me? What will happen to him? He'll hang. That's what'll happen. You tell him that. Tell him the confession will be found. Hmm. That's very interesting. You'd better untie me before I decide to turn that confession over to the law. Perhaps Pornel has found the confession. He has not. Well, he didn't speak of it when I talked to him. I doubt if he's worried much about it. He'd better worry about it. It will probably be destroyed the same time you are, by the same accident. Accident? Perhaps I should say the same fire. What fire? Well, this building will go fast once it's started. Not quite easily when a candle burns low enough to start the paper burning. No, no. You can't do that. A moment ago you told Tonto he couldn't rope you. You're a poor prophet, Jekyll. Put him in the chair, Tonto. I'll get the candle started. No, wait. Listen. Let me discuss this. Sorry. I'll pay you more than Pornel is. I turned down a lot of offers. Don't do this. We can make some sort of deal. No, we can't. Is he tied to the chair so he can't get out? I'm tied. I'm bloody tied. Come along then, Tonto. No, no. We'll come back to you. You have about ten minutes, Jekyll. It's too bad everyone is digging on the mountainside. No one is near enough to hear your cries for help. Goodbye, Jekyll. Him yell plenty loud, huh? He won't yell long. As soon as he sees a knife, he'll use his energy to get out of the ropes. That's right. You stay here at the window, Tonto. The candle burns dangerously close to the paper before he gets out of the ropes. You'll have to help him. Now, he haven't got knife. Stay here until he's free. Then you know what to do. I'm going to find the sheriff and tell him what's going on. Steady, easy, silver. The Lone Ranger found Sheriff Kimberly alone in his office and spent some time persuading the lawman to place confidence in a man who wore a mask. He told Kimberly what he knew and what he had done. Then, by the time he had outlined his plans, Tonto arrived with Tom Carter and his wife. Tom, I'm downright happy to see you and Dory alive. Now you can thank this India. Oh, Sheriff, I shudder to think of the narrow escape we had. Tonto, do forgive the things I said when you stopped me and took me to camp. Oh, not all right. Knowing you as I do, Dory, I reckon you said a plenty. I did. You see, I got a note that said Tom had been hurt and needed me at the tunnel right away. Tonto stopped me, tied me, and took me to his camp. He'd already met me and sent me to the camp. I see. You didn't stay there, though, Tom. No, I left to go home. When I got there, I saw the note that had been sent to Dory. I knew it was a trick of some sort, so I headed for the tunnel. I was in view of it when the blast let go. I suppose you two know about the masked man's plan. Yes. Tonto told us that Pawnell was in a pitfall and Jekyll tied up. Oh, him not tied now. Pawnell should be out of the pit by this time. See, there were some heavy timbers on the floor of the hole. He should be able to stand one of them up and climb out. Go looking for Jekyll, hmm? Each of those men suspects the other. When they meet, there should be some interesting conversation. You see, Sheriff, they might say enough to prove that they planned that cave in the Kildor and me. We'd better go to Jekyll's office and see it. Hey, look at the window. Jekyll is coming here. Sure enough. We don't want to be seen here. You meet him alone, Sheriff. Yes, but... Where can we go? Back there in the storeroom. You too, Todd. Come on, Dory. What'll I say to Jekyll? See what he has to say to you. In there, all of you. Hurry. Uh, Kimberly, I want to speak to you. Well, come right in, Mr. Jekyll. I'm sorry to hear about your partner and his wife. Yes, it was sad. Very sad. It, uh... Well, it makes one realize we're here one day and go on the next. Mm-hmm. Sit down. Sit down. Thank you. A man should never have anything on his conscience. He never knows how soon he'll die. That's why I came here, Sheriff. Yeah? I, uh... I've been guilty of shielding a murder. You have? I did it because he was a friend and a partner. But I realize he was wrong. And as a good citizen, it's my duty to turn him over to the law. Who is he? What proof you got? Parnell. No. Is he a murderer? Yes, Sheriff. He signed confession. That tells you all about it. Great Scott. Why, this'll hang Parnell. So he's the one who killed Steve. Yep. He did it. Hmm. Of course, you're turning him over to the law because of your conscience. The fact that you get to be the sole owner of the gold mine wouldn't figure in it. Nearly incidental. Mm-hmm. Now, suppose it was also incidental that you didn't get bothered by your conscience till Parnell had used his knowledge of mining to help you. Well, I... Ah, you're not fooling me, Jekyll. Now that you don't need Parnell any longer, you're getting rid of him. I wonder if you want to get rid of Tom Carter. What would you say, Kimberly? Mm-hmm. I don't like to hear a talk like that. Don't make any charges you can't prove. Nope, I won't. I'm... Jekyll. You. Parnell. I was looking for you. Well, take a good look. I'm right here. Put that gun down, Parnell. You've got that paper. Yes, and I'm... There's no more reason for me to kill you, Jekyll. You're a fine one to talk. I'll talk plenty. Sheriff, you'll listen to me. Why... No. Stay where you are. Don't make a move or I'll shoot. Jekyll wants me out of the way, so he'll own all of our gold mine. Well, he paid for the murder of Tom Carter and his wife for the same reason. Yeah. Pay no attention to this raving fool. If you doubt me, Sheriff, you'll examine the cash in Taggart's pocket. It's at the coroner's. What about it? Jekyll paid Taggart and Red to blow up the tunnel. He paid a new folding money. You'll find the money in his cash box. Shut up, you fool. I won't shut up. Now, listen to me, Sheriff. The money in Jekyll's box has numbers that are right in series with what he gave Taggart. Stop it, Parnell. You're in it as far as I am. Maybe so, but I'm due to hang anyway. Well, before they hang me, I'll have a few things to say about you, Jekyll. Taggart and Red are dead because of you. Maybe the law can make a hang in charge of that. How about it, Sheriff? Well, I don't know. If the law can't get rid of Jekyll, I can. No, no, wait. Don't shoot. Why not? I can only hang one. There you are, Jekyll. I'd have got him if you hadn't winged me. Sheriff, that masked man, Jekyll sent him to get me. He lies. Now, listen, Sheriff. Parnell sent that masked man to burn me alive. He's the one who lies. You did, Parnell. You hired him to kill me. You hired him to throw me in a pitfall so it looked like an accident. You're the one who told me... That's enough. That's enough. Both of you be quiet. I wasn't hired by either one of you. He worked on his own. Carter. Mrs. Carter. Surprised to see me alive, aren't you? Sheriff, while we were in the store room, Mrs. Carter compared a certain note with some samples of Jekyll's handwriting. I think you'll find that Jekyll tried to send her to death in the tunnel. That'll help hang him. I guess when all the facts are in, we'll have a plenty on both of you. And then, according to the agreement of the partners, who'll get the gold mine? As I see it, Tom Carter and his wife will be sole owner. That's what I wanted to confirm. Come on, Toto. The horses are in back. Well, hey, wait. Come back here a minute. Hey, Tom, don't let those two leave. We owe our lives to that engine and the masked man. Who was that masked man? Well, why'd he treat us like he did? What's he after? Jekyll, it looks to me like he was after you and Parnell. And he sure got you. Oh, gosh. I wish that masked man was my partner. Imagine, Dory, being partners with a Lone Ranger. You have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.
