Silver! A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-ho silver! The Lone Ranger! 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 hoofbeats of a great horse, Silver! The Lone Ranger rides again! Come on, Silver! Let's go, big fellow! Come on, Silver! Cheyenne was named by General Dodge after the Indian tribe. It sprang into prominence when it became the western terminus of the Union Pacific, and within six months was one of the most lawless towns in the new frontier. Every Saturday night, there were fights between the railroad men and the cowboys who crowded the cafe. Why, you honorary maverick! No railroad is going to talk that way about Wyoming! Come on, boys! Let's get them! Sometimes in the dead of night, the Cheyennes would swoop down to the new community, killing and looting. And outlaws were attracted from all over the west to a town where the only law was gun law. The horse is mine. If you want to argue about it, go for your gun. But there came a time when the majority of Cheyenne's population revolted against bloodshed and violence. Quiet down, boys! Quiet down! Well, it's time this meeting came to order. Big Bill Thompson presided at a meeting of men who hoped to make Cheyenne a law-abiding community in which they might make permanent homes and raise their families. Gents, it's time we had some law. The only law we can count on is the law we make for ourselves. It's high time we began to make some. It's all right to talk that way, Thompson, but you can't have law without a majority in favor of it. Well, what about it? Here in Cheyenne, the majority don't want law. Well, it's up to us to change things. I tell you, gents, we have the makings of a city right here. We can clean out the crooks, the gambling, the robbery, and murder. We can make this town attractive to people from the east. Not while Jake Lorenzo's around. Lorenzo's been flying too high and wide. It's time someone clipped his wings. Lorenzo's not the only one due to get his wings clipped. There's a lot of other crooks just like him. Mr. Chairman. What is it, Joe? I've been here since the beginning. I've been watching things, and I say we're up against a hopeless proposition. Why do you say that? If we're just gamblers and crooks, there might be a chance for us to make something to Cheyenne. But we've got more than that to lick. I refer to the Indians. If you doubt what I say, look in the graveyard. Half the graves are filled by men who are massacred by the Cheyennes. Well, what's your suggestion, Joe? I'm for packing up and taking the next trade east. Let the outlaws have the town, says I. Let them fight it out with the Indians. Hudson, may I speak? Eh? Who's he? I'm something of a newcomer. Well, we were all newcomers one time or other. Go ahead, speak your piece. If you don't mind, I'll step up there on the platform. Come ahead. Thanks. All eyes were turned on the tall man who strode toward the little platform. But no one in the meeting hall suspected that the stranger was in reality the lone ranger who had attended the meeting wearing a disguise in place of his familiar match. Ma'am, ma'am, Joe Frisbee suggests quitting. You can always quit. You can always admit the job is too big for you and go back to the east. But the builders of the railroad could have quit as soon as the going became rough. There were times when a lot of the Union Pacific officials were tempted to give up. But they didn't do it. And they're not going to do it now. Surveyors and graders are working west from Cheyenne. They're fighting every known obstacle, including savage Indians. Well, several have already been killed by Indians. And others will die. But the job is going to continue until Omaha and San Francisco are connected by the railroad. Now, you men came from the east because you wanted a new chance in life. You made your homes here. Now you can make Cheyenne whatever kind of a town you want to live in. But Jake Lorenzo just about controls things. Then take that control away from him. The outlaws stick together. So do the builders of the Union Pacific. They've managed to lick the outlaws and the Indians as well. But we don't even have a sheriff. Have you ever heard of vigilantes? Say, that's the ticket. Let's organize the vigilantes. Set yourselves up as representatives of law and order. And punish those who violate the law. That makes sense. And let it be known that we hang the next man who's caught at murder. And the next one after him. And every other one. And thieves as well. Hey, gents. Gents, just a minute. Stranger has the right idea. We'll organize the vigilantes. And every doggone one of us will act as a lawman. Now, first of all, we've got to organize ourselves. Establishment. The law-abiding citizens found new strength in organization. One after another, the crooks were brought to trial without delay. And juries never disagreed. Those like Jake Lorenzo quickly realized that the vigilantes meant business. Boys, we've got to do something and do it right away. Lorenzo met two of Cheyenne's most ruthless outlaws in the back room of his cafe. So far, the vigilantes haven't gotten anything against us. The only reason they got nothing against us is because we've been lying low since it got organized. You're right. Just a matter of time before Thompson and the others begin checking up on where me and Breed came from. And I don't want that to happen. Neither do I. If they find me and Lefty are wanted by the law in Julesburg, they'll ship us there in no time. And what Breed says goes for you too, Lorenzo. The sheriff over at Central City would like to get his hands on you. I wanted to speak to you too because I've got a plan. Good. Either we or the vigilantes are going to be out of business in a month's time. Is that a great deal? Why, sure. The vigilantes are us. That's just about the way it shapes up. Meaning that it's up to us to get the vigilantes. That's what Thompson and his men are waiting for. What's that, Breed? You know what I mean, Lefty. They're just sitting back waiting and hoping we'll make some kind of move. As soon as we do, they'll have us in court. And from there we go to the hangman's tree. And from there to boot hill. Yeah, I reckon you're right. I'm not giving those critters any excuse to put me under arrest. Now look at me. I'm not even packing a gun. Breed! When you get through talking like a yellow liver jughead, I'll tell you my plan. You got a plan, Lorenzo? I called this meeting so as you two could hear it. Go on, talk. It's just this. We're going to make the Cheyennes wipe out the vigilantes. If that's the best you can do in the way of a plan... What's the matter with it? The Cheyennes have been keeping quiet since that last brush with the army. That's right, Lorenzo. They're keeping off by themselves, making no trouble. As long as the whites keep out of their way. Suppose the vigilantes set out armed to the teeth to fight the Indians. Don't you suppose the Indians would fight back? Sure they would. Yeah, maybe if we just asked Thompson to take the vigilantes over and get them all massacred, he'd do it. Maybe he won't. I got everything worked out. Let me show you something. My plans are based on something I've got locked up in this cupboard. What's that? Look at these. Indian airs. That's right. Cheyenne airs. Reed, you and Lefty have a date to meet two of the Union Pacific Survey crew halfway between here and Laramie. Two men of the Union Pacific Survey crew working west of Cheyenne toward the Indian settlement rode slowly back to camp at the end of a day's work. They didn't suspect that two of Jake Lorenzo's killers were waiting at the top of a ten-foot ledge. I'll sure be glad to get back to camp. I'm starved. Me too. Right where we're going, we'll soon be finished with this section, then we can shove on the own Laramie. We can if the Redskins leave us alone. Uh-huh. Reed and Lefty crouched in readiness. Then as the surveyors reached a point directly beneath their lofty perch, they leaped. Take them! This will stop you! I'll fix you! I got mine. Yeah, me too. Got them straight in the head with my gun barrel. Now where those Cheyenne airs were supposed to use? Right here. I'll take care of the airs. You send the horses away. Right. Get up there. Get them off! Go on, you two. Get up! Get on! Now that ought to take care of them. Sure as well. I'll go right back to the camp. You fix the arrows? See for yourself. Yeah. This is one job Jake Lorenzo can't complain about. This is only half of his plan. When we work out the other half, it'll mean a fight to the finish between the Cheyennes and the Vigilantes. The horses of the surveyors continued eastward toward the camp they knew as home, just as the outlaws had calculated. There was a stir in camp when the riderless horses arrived. Something's happened to the boys. Maybe the Redskins got them. We've got to go look for them. Yeah. Pass the word to saddle up. We'll follow the back trail. Hey, boys! Breed and Lefty had made good their escape, leaving two men on the trail killed with Cheyenne arrows. It was there that the Lone Ranger and Tonto found them. Oh, easy. Oh, easy. Oh, easy, fella. Oh, fella. Easy, fella. Easy, fella. Them Cheyenne arrows. Tonto, those are two of the Union Pacific men. Ah. Looked like them hurt plenty bad. You'll soon know. Oh, this fella dead? Yes. So is this one. Be careful, Tonto. They have footprints around here. Don't spoil them. Oh, Cheyenne start more trouble. I'm not so sure about that. Let me take your knife, will you? Ah. Here. Thanks. I want to cut away this man's shirt around the arrow. Teller got plenty hard blow on the head. Yes, I noticed that. Look here, Tonto. Ah. It looks as if these arrows had been used like knives. The wounds aren't deep enough. Is that right? The man was stabbed with it. That's not work of Indian. Neither are these footprints. There's a clear mark of a heel. Cheyennes wear moccasins. You think these fellas killed by white men? Yes. By white men who hoped the Indians would be blamed for the murders. Kemosabe, look east. Wait. Seven, eight, nine. At least a dozen men there, Tonto, and they've seen us. Maybe blame us for murders. These two men are past help, Tonto. All we can do for them is to find their killers. Get to your horse. Them fellas come plenty fast. We can't waste time answering questions to any of those children. Easy, Scout. Easy, Scout. All right, get going. One, two, three, four. 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. Knowing that they would be suspected of the murder of the two surveyors, the Lone Ranger and Tonto fled from the approaching workmen of the Union Pacific. They rode in a wide circle. With the pursuers out-distanced, the masked man and his Indian friend returned to the scene of the ambush. Now, Tonto, examine the ground for footprints. I saw a few of them right over here. We got only little time. It soon be dark. Here are marks of white men's boots, field marks. Ah. These were made by the attackers. Lead over this way. Bring the horses, will you? Come, Scout. Silver, come. Plenty marks on ground. Here's where the attackers hid their horses. Steps over that way. Yes. The top of that ledge. Ah. Tonto, those men came from Cheyenne. They went back to Cheyenne. Foot marks plenty new. Maybe we catch Crook before them get to town. If not, we'll get to town almost as quickly as they will. Easy, big fella. Come, come up, Scout. After a hard ride, Breed and Lefty reached Cheyenne and reined up at the hitch rail in front of Lorenzo's cafe. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Steady. You think we'd better go around to the back door? Breed, you know, blame well. That's what Jake told us. Right. It's best to do just exactly what Jake says. That's all right with me. I just thought that being so early in the evening, the cafe would be practically deserted. We could probably walk right through the front without being seen. Anyhow, I don't see what difference it makes if we are seen by some of the boys. Jake don't like to have people go through the cafe to reach his private room. Here we are. We're back, boss. We want to report to you. Hi, boss. Everything sure went just... Now shut up, Breed. Save it till you're inside. All right, sit down in those chairs. Sure. Now you can talk. Did everything go along as I'd planned it? It sure did, boss. Just a slick of silk. Give me the details. Well, we... Waited right where you told us to. Right along the trail. Those surveyors came along just as you said. You jumped them? Sure. We landed on their shoulders and knocked them clear out of the saddles. And we brought our guns down. You didn't shoot? Nah. There's no bullet holes in those critters. We just used our guns as clubs. And the arrows used the Cheyenne arrows just like you told us, boss. Yes, boss. We carried out your orders to the letter. We cracked down on those two surveyors, clubbed them, and stabbed them with the Cheyenne arrows. So far, so good, boys. Just keep your fingers crossed and hope that the railroad men turn to the vigilantes. You want the vigilantes to ride after the Indians. Is that it? That's it. Then we'll give the Cheyennes cause to shoot the vigilantes on sight. Darkness had fallen when the Lone Ranger and Tonto reached Cheyenne. The only light came from that which spilled into the main street from the row of dance halls, gambling houses, and cafes. Oh, sir. Oh, sir. Oh, fella. That is, fella. This is the end of the trail, Tonto. Ah. You sure two killers come into town? Pretty big, fella. They ended this way in a B-line. As long as we can see the tracks of their horses. Now, there's several horses at each rail. Yes, I'm going to look them over. The masked man and his Indian companion moved from one horse to the next until they came to two in front of Jake Lorenzo's cafe. Hey, look here, Tonto. These horses have been ridden hard. Oh. I'll claw, ride hard. Sweaty, foam-flecked, both of them. Tonto, I think these might be the animals we followed. Maybe a killer in Lorenzo's cafe. Lorenzo was mentioned to the members of the vigilantes. Someone come, Kimasabi. Get back here in the shadows where we'll not be seen. Ah. We'll keep an eye on these horses and see who comes to get them. It was the members of the Union Pacific crew who thundered into town and rode directly to the home of Bill Thompson. Mrs. Thompson jerked open the door. What? What is it? We want the vigilantes. Who are you? We're from the railroad camp. Cheyennes are asking for trouble again. No, not again. I thought they'd been put in their place by the army. That's what the army thought when they left this vicinity. Is Thompson around? No, he's not here right now. We're railroad men. We don't know anything about following tracks of Indians. Besides, there's not enough of us to make an attack. Are you sure it was the work of Indians? Our friends were killed by arrows. Well, Bill and his friends are meeting tonight. They're at the hall down the road. You'll find them all together there. Good. Come on, boys. Here's a chance for the vigilantes to go in there. Men, the railroad men have just reported a double murder by Sneak and Cheyennes. Here's a chance for us to show what we can do about it. Are you ready to ride? In a few moments, Cheyenne was clattering with activity. Each member of the vigilantes hurried to his home for guns and horses and word of the plan spread through the street. The Lone Ranger and Tonto hidden in the darkness near Lorenzo's place knew what was going on. They saw a number of outlaws assemble in Lorenzo's rear room. All right, come on, Tonto. If we get closer to that window, we can probably hear what's being said. Boys, listen to me. Vigilantes will be armed and ready to start inside of 15 minutes. They're going to meet the Cheyennes. The trouble is they're not likely to go shooting. They'll ask for a power with the chief. That's what we've got to prevent. We're going to fix it so the Cheyennes open up as soon as the vigilantes put in an appearance near the Indian camp. How? We'll go ahead of the vigilantes to the top of that rise that overlooks the Indians. We'll wait there until the vigilantes are close. Then we'll open fire on the Redskins. That's a good scheme, Jake. As soon as a few of the Redskins are knocked over, the rest will come up the slope all geared for war. We'll duck out of sight in the darkness. Indians will go right past us and head into the vigilantes and whatever railroad men are riding with them. Now, check your shooting eyes, boys, and be sure you've got plenty of cottages. We're starting out from here in five here plan. Yes, I heard it, Toto. Jake Lorenzo is behind the murder of those two surveyors. And what happened to vigilantes? They'll be caught flat-footed when the Indians come charging. There won't be many survivors. Come on, Toto. What do we do? We're going to try to ride between the townsmen and the Lorenzo gang. Stay there, Silver. You've got plans. Yes, and if it works, we'll prevent a lot of killing with a lot of crooks where they belong. Very big fella. Come on, Silver. Get him up, Scout. Accompanied by the men from the Union Pacific camp, the vigilantes headed west toward the valley where the Cheyenne Indians lived. Bill Thompson was in the lead with one of the railroad men at his side. They covered about half the distance when they saw two men on powerful horses waiting in the moonlight. One of the figures raised his hand as a gesture to halt. We'll rain up and see what he wants. Rain up, boys. There's something familiar about those two. Thompson, I want to speak to you. Hold on. Do I see a mask on your face? Yes, you do. Who are you? Thompson, those are the two men we chased. We chased them from the scene of the murder. I was sure they knew something about it. We'll get them now. Don't finish that draw. You! You men open fire. You'll probably get us. A lot of you will get hurt. You'll accomplish nothing. We run away from you because we didn't want to waste time answering questions. Mister, there's something familiar about your voice. You can think that over later. Listen to me, Thompson. You're riding to meet the Cheyennes. The doggone right. Two of our men were murdered by Cheyenne arrows. You know a lot about those killings. We found your friends with the arrows in their hearts. Those arrows were not put there by Indians. What do you know about it? Jake Lorenzo and his men are trying to make trouble for you. Jake Lorenzo? Yes. He planned the death of the surveyors so you'd ride against the Indians. Right now, he's preparing to make the Indians right against you. We aim to ask those Indians a few questions. You won't have the chance. Thompson, if you let me talk for just about two minutes, I may be able to tell you how to put Jake Lorenzo and all his pals where they belong. Jake Lorenzo and his lawless companions crouched in tangled underbrush on the crest of a hill watching the Cheyenne campfires in the valley while they listened for hoop beats that would signify the approach of the vigilantes. Hey, boss, how long do you think we'll have to wait? How do I know? Seems to me those vigilantes should be here by now, Jake. It'll be a long just keep listening for hoof beats. Hey, I think I heard something. Sounded like something moving over there to the left. Lefty, we're interested in hoof beats and nothing else. All right, boss, you needn't get sore about it. As soon as we hear Thompson and his men, we'll open fire on the Cheyenne. The vigilantes will hear the shots, boys. They do hear them. Before they can start looking for us, the Cheyennes will be kiting up the hill. We just slip into cover where I showed you and watch the battle. Hey, I hear them. Hoof beats. The horses coming this way. The vigilantes. All right, get set. Each of you pick out one of the redskins and let them have it. Stop your right hand. Over there. No, you don't. Look out behind you. I want to fight. A lot of happens. For a few moments, the fight was uncertain. Lorenzo gang, though taken by surprise, heavily outnumbered Bill Thompson, the Lone Ranger and Tonto. Then the arrival of the horsemen turned the trick. Take them, boys. Clean them up. Get your hands up. You too, Lorenzo. You're all under arrest. Thompson, where'd you come from? Right over there in the brush. It was a masked man's idea so he'd catch you crook's flat-footed. We didn't do anything. Wanting to start trouble with the Indians. That's plenty. We didn't start it. That'll be for a jury to decide. I know what that decision will be. Now that the law has come to Cheyenne, we're going to clean things up. Two of your gang will hang for murder. The rest will hang for plotting Indian trouble. That's treason. That mash man. There he is, right over there. Hey, mister. Well, I guess he figures his job's done. That's the way of the Lone Ranger. This is a George W. Trandall production directed by Charles D. Livingston. This story was written by Fran Stryker and the part of the Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer.
