A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-yo silver, the Lone Ranger. With 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 hoofbeats of the great horse, Silver. Silver, the Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, Silver. Let's go, big fellow. Are you still there? Go away! Dan Reed, the 14-year-old nephew of the Lone Ranger, had arranged to meet his masked friend and Tonto in the town of Mackville. He reached there ahead of schedule, put his horse Victor into the stable, then rented a room in the hotel. There's the key to your room, sonny. It's number four. You'll find it right straight back down the hall. Thanks a lot. If it's too early for bedding down, you're welcome to join the others here in the lobby. I guess I'll do that. Might as well sit here for a little while. Several men sat around the stove in the hotel lobby. Two of them were youthful-looking and not much older than Dan himself. Another, a grizzled old-timer with a leathery face, hailed Dan Reed. Hey, there, sonny. Come right in. Join the circle. Thanks. Sit right there next to the Tentafee. I guess we are Tentafee. You can call me Bob. This is my partner. Dave Larrabee's a name. That leathery-faced galoot's called Hard Rock, and the gent next to him likes to be called Lucky. Thanks. My name's Dan Reed. How are you, Dan? If you're a tenderfoot, don't go around advertising the fact. I'm not exactly a tenderfoot. Well, Dave and Bob are tenderfeet. They've been out in this country only a few weeks. Don't advertise it, boys. Especially when you're prospecting. And more especially when you've got likely-looking gold ore in your pocket. You're likely to get into the hands of a couple of swindlers. Oh, I guess we can take care of ourselves. Hey, looky. What do you mean by gold ore? Haven't you heard, Hard Rock? The tenderfeet of Struckett Rich. Oh! Struckett Rich, have they? What are you laughing at, aren't they? That's a good one. Well, jeez, they're more tenderfoot than they thought. Now, you see here, Hard Rock. Struckett Rich, huh? I declare, nine out of ten hombres that come back here from the hills think they've Struckett Rich. And all they've got is a pocket full of parietes. Parietes? Fool's gold. That's the real thing? There's no gold in this part of the country. This is silver country. Hey, tell me, Lucky. Did you ever hear of anyone finding gold around here? Matter of fact, I haven't. But that don't say these young fellas mightn't find an outcropping. We'll know when we get the sample of sade. Bob, why don't you show that sample to Hard Rock? He'll tell you right off if you're as lucky as my name. Yeah, now, maybe the boys would sooner not show what they found, Lucky. Oh, I don't mind. It's all right. Here. Here's a hunk I'm going to have a sade. Hard Rock's been prospecting all his life. He knows the value of ore better than any man I've ever seen. What about the stuff, Hard Rock? Yeah, just as I thought. Sorry, Bob. This is nothing but fool's gold. Oh, no. I don't feel bad about it. A lot of old-timers have made the same mistake. Fool's gold? Yeah. You mean Bob and I, we got nothing? Gosh. You can be mighty sure Hard Rock is right. And we're sunk. We'll never get another grub's sake. And I'm sorry I laughed, boys. I'm downright sade. Don't take my word this fight, huh? Go to the assayers' office in the morning and find out for sure. I could be wrong. You? Yeah. Out of chance, Hard Rock, you're never wrong. I guess we're sure enough greenhorns, Dave. Yeah. Tender feet. Yeah, yeah, yeah. This looks like possum hollow rock. Is that where you found it? No. That ore came from Turtle Creek. Turtle Creek, huh? Yeah. Don't look like Turtle Creek stuff to me. You know, I know this country so well. I can generally tell where a hunk of rock was picked up. Yeah. Turtle Creek. You sure? Yes. Yeah. It's curious. At this side of the falls? No, it was above the falls. Oh, above the falls, huh? Well, we found it in a gully just off the creek. All right. You've been prospecting the wrong place, boys. You ought to go high on the hills in the painted rock section. You said there was no gold around here. Yeah, that's right. But up around the painted rock area, you might find yourself a piece of silverbearing land. Thanks for the advice, hard rock. That's all right. Well, I reckon it's past the bedtime. I'm going to say goodnight. Goodnight, hard rock. I'll go with you, hard rock. Goodnight, boys. Night. Night, Lucky. Remember what we told you, boys. If you do hit it rich, don't take up with any strangers that look like confidence men. We won't. Night. Goodnight, boys. Well, looks like we spent a month getting nowhere. Let this be a lesson to you, Dan. Golly, I'm sorry you have to be disappointed. Oh, well, that's what we should expect. May I see that piece of rock? Sure, why not? Here. What are you going to do, Dan? Trying it on my hunting knife. You trying to cut it? No. I'm just pressing the flat side of my knife against it. What does that prove? If it's pyrites, it'll stain the blade like sulfur. It'll leave a dull red rust color. Look, the knife is bright. Hey, well, that means it's not fool's gold. That's right. Well, and it might be gold. Yes, or possibly silver ore. I'm sure of just one thing. It's not fool's gold. If it's silver, it should be worth something. We'll find out from the assayer in the morning. Maybe we better go back and stake a claim in the gully where we found that sample. The trouble is, Dave, we picked it out of that old arroyo. We were told that Turtle Creek floods into that gully in the spring. The specimen was washed down from someplace upstream. Yeah, that's right, Bob. Well, what we've got to do is find the place where it came from. We'll get to the assayer in the morning first thing. If this is really gold or silver, we'll go hunting for the source. The two tender feet were in the assayer's office as soon as it opened in the morning. They paced the floor impatiently while they awaited the report on their specimen of rock. Bob's hands trembled when he read the statement of the clerk. Is this on the level? Yes. Silver. If you gents can find the source of that ore, you'll have a silver mine. Wait till we see hard rock. We'll tell him he doesn't know what he's talking about. Say, mister, do you know a man called hard rock? Oh, hard rock Jones? Sure thing. Where can we find him? Well, he left town. I saw hard rock and another man riding out at daybreak. You did? Yeah, they had a couple of loaded pack mules. I guess they're setting out to try their luck once more. Lucky and hard rock were not the only ones who left town that morning. Dan Reed had checked out of the hotel before daybreak and had covered many miles before the sun came over the hills. He had traveled uphill all the time and mid-morning found him high in a remote part of the rugged country. He brought Victor to a halt on the ground that was too hard to show many hoof marks. There were other horses there, tethered near a small shack on a steep hillside. Hello, Scott. Hello, Dan. Hello, Silver. I guess you fellas beat me here. Hello, Dan. Hello, Tonto. Guess I'm a little late. Spent the night at the hotel in Mackville. Where's the Lone Ranger? On him inside. You come in. The shack concealed an entrance to a secret silver mine owned by the Lone Ranger. A trustworthy old man who lived at the mine took out and refined just enough metal to take care of the masked man's simple needs and supply material for silver bullets. I'm glad you got here, Dan. We were just about ready to leave. Where's the caretaker? He's gone back into the mine. He had everything ready for us. We've just been waiting for you. Oh, golly. I'm sorry I kept you waiting. That's all right. I... What is it, Dan? Well, I spent the night in Mackville. I got acquainted with two young fellas there. Prospectors. Yes? They had some ore. I think it was silver. They were going to find out this morning. Oh, what about it? Well, I... I don't know. Maybe it's just a crazy idea. Tell me. Well, last night they showed the ore to a couple of old-timers who said it was just pyrites. Oh? I'm sure they knew better. Even I could tell it wasn't pyrites. I gave it the knife test. Is there anything more, Dan? Well, just this. One of those men, a fellow called Hard Rock, found out where the ore came from. This morning, he and Lucky planned to set out with pack mills. I saw them getting ready. Maybe them jump claim. That's what I thought, Tonto. Dan, what you've said sounds interesting. We may look into it. Bob and Dave began their search in the gully where they had found the sample of ore. They studied the ground on all sides, then worked upstream very slowly, examining the bed as well as the land on both banks. They worked as long as there was daylight, and when darkness came, they camped until daybreak, then continued their hunt for a silver deposit. Dave, I'm beginning to think we're never going to find it. That stuff we found had to come from someplace. Maybe we're just too tender-footed to know what we're looking for. Bob, you're not ready to give up, are you? Let's sit down for a few minutes' rest, and we'll go on a little ways and try some more. That suits me. Yeah. What's the matter, Dave? Bob. Yeah? You know, we're this way. Look at that bank over there, directly under that willow root that sticks out. Uh-huh. See the reflection? Something's shining there. Yeah. Come on. Bring your pick. Dave, don't get your hopes up. Come on, Bob. Don't mind getting your feet wet. I'm coming. But I'm not counting on anything. Yeah, it was right here. Look out. Give me room to swing the pick. Yeah. That's enough. Now we can see if there's anything... Hey, Bob. Bob, it was an outcropping. Tap right here with your pick. Break off a chunk from here. Right here. Yeah. That's enough. Dave, by thunder. Look at this ore, Bob. It's exactly like the float we found. Except it's not polished by the water. Dave, we got it. We found a silver mine. We've got to move the camp here. We've got to make location markers. Then we've got to hit for Macville and file the papers. One of us should stay here, Dave. One of us should stay on guard. Don't forget hard rock and lucky. I'll stay. If there's any claim jumping, someone will get his head blown. Let's break out some ore of the rock. Yeah, a lot of it. We've got to be sure this is the right place. This will be the first time I ever enjoyed swinging a pick. Stand clear and give me room. Though Bob and Dave had seen nothing of hard rock and lucky, the young prospectors had never been out of sight of the two schemers. From sheltering trees, the older men watched the breaking of ground. Looky. Those tender feet have got it. So I see. I told you it would be smart to hide up here where we could keep an eye on them. Lots easier to watch them than to do our own prospecting. Yeah, but claim jumping is risky business. Yeah. The way I got things planned, those two are going to be charged with claim jumping. And murder. Murder? I'll tell the sheriff I suspect them of murder. They'll be jailed on suspicion and held for investigation and trial. They can't file a claim while they're in jail. By the time they get out, we'll have our claim filed to that land and be working it for all we're worth. Who are you going to accuse them of murdering? You. What? You just hold up for a few days in an old shack I know about and keep out of sight. I'll tell you my plan. But let's get away from here so we can talk. Then I'll show you how slick my scheme is. 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. It was sundown when Bob rode into town. He went directly to the office of the clerk where he dismounted. Oh, hold it. Hold it. He was surprised to see Hard Rock standing in front of the assayers' office with Sheriff Brent. Hard Rock? Well, there he is, Sheriff. That's a good hit. Good. Serious charges against you, young man. I'll have to hold you until I can look into them. Now, wait a minute. What kind of charges? You can't hold me without a mighty good reason. You don't know plain well what you've done. Me and poor Lucky and every suspicion we were talking to a couple of clean-jumping killers the other night. What's that? Clean-jumping? Killers? Bob Dinsmore, you're accused of murdering Lucky Bates. That's the craziest thing I ever heard. You killed Lucky. Your partner helped you. I didn't. Wait. Look here, Sheriff. Sorry, Dinsmore. I'll have to hold you in jail on the complaint of Hard Rock Jones. Now, hold on. The charge is murder. Bob Dinsmore was so stunned and bewildered by being charged with murder when he rode into town that for a time he could hardly speak. In something of a daze, he walked to the sheriff's office with a lawman and Hard Rock Jones. Got a nice, comfortable cell here. Just a minute, Sheriff. You can't arrest me. You've got to have some proof against me, don't you? Sheriff's got proof enough to hold you. Hard Rock was practically an eyewitness. He lied. Just like I told you, Sheriff. He ain't lucky he found this place. He was sticking it out when there was a shot. Lucky, he let out a gasp and then fell down. He was dead before he hit the ground. I got a look at this critter and his partner coyote in the way. That's not true. Not a word of it. I'll make a complete investigation, Dinsmore. I'll find out if it's true or not. Yeah, chances are you'll find his power right there in the bank of the creek. Fixing to hold that claim for himself. Listen, Sheriff. Dave and I found that place. We never fired a shot at anyone. You knew we were about to start out on a trip. You got acquainted and found out more about it. And you followed this till we found that load in Gunders. But, Sheriff, our claim. This paper... That's your claim. Man, looky. That's a lie. If you found it first, why didn't you come here to the town? Because we wanted to make sure it was worthwhile. Dinsmore, Hard Rock was the first to get here with a sketch of the location. That's mighty important. Looks to me like the sketch you drew might be the thing that'll hang you. Sheriff, it's all a frame-up. Get in that cell. Well, I tell you, it's all a frame-up. Yeah. One half the men I jail yelled they've been framed. Unnoticed by the lawman or Hard Rock, a masked stranger had watched Bob's capture, had followed to the sheriff's office, then had stood near a window to hear the conversation that took place. He moved away as the cell door clanged on the young prospector. His long strides took him to a powerful white stallion that was waiting nearby. Easy, big fellow, steady. Come on, tell me. The masked man rode until he was well out of town. Then he reined up at a small camp where Dan Reed and Tonto waited. He told them what he had overheard. And then, followed by Tonto and Dan, he started out to find Bob's partner, Dave, who sat alone at the silver load. When Dave heard approaching hoofbeats, he thought it was Bob returning to join him. He rose and waited in the moonlight. He saw that the oncoming horse was white, then noticed that it was followed by two other horses, neither of which was dark in color like the one Bob had ridden. A moment later, he realized that the leader wore a mask. He drew his gun and stood ready. Hold on, hold on. Hold on there. I got you covered. Easy, big fellow. Put that gun away, Dave. The mask. I'm a friend of Dan Reed. Hold it, Joe. Hold it, hold it. Dave, Dave. Dan Reed. Now, listen to me, Dave. You've been double-crossed. Your partner's in jail. What? And the sheriff is on the way here to arrest you. Bob in jail? They're both accused of killing Lucky Bates. The charge was made by Hard Rock Jones. Why, we never... By the time you prove you're innocent, Hard Rock will own that claim. It's ours. We found it. Bob went to file our claim. Hard Rock was ahead of him. He's filed a claim. He and Lucky followed us. They can't get away with it. He says you and Bob jumped his claim. Dave, you've got to fight Hard Rock with his own weapons. I have a plan and it might work. Who are you? Dave, he's the Lone Ranger. You? The Lone Ranger? Yes. Now, listen. The sheriff is on the way. What's your plan? One minute. Dan, you and Tano get the horses out of sight. Stay with them. Right. Come on, Victor. This way's going. The Lone Ranger talked rapidly in a low voice, outlining a plan that equaled Hard Rock's for sheer audacity. It was a plan that called for utmost confidence on the part of the bewildered Tenderfoot. But as he listened, Dave felt that he could put implicit trust in the masked man. You're asking a lot, mister. When you're asking me to admit a murder. Yes, I know I am, Dave. But I think it's your only chance. I hear two horses coming this way. Probably the sheriff and Hard Rock. You've got to make your decision. And I've got to get out of sight. I've made my decision. I'm trusting you. Thanks, Dave. The law will be here in a moment. Now, all is up to you. There he is, on my land. See where you are. You're covered. The sheriff. Didn't expect to see Mrs. Sun, did you? Well, gosh. No, sheriff, I didn't. Your partner's already in jail. Bob? Hold on, sheriff. You can't arrest Bob. He didn't have anything to do with it. Huh? Oh, he didn't, huh? He wasn't even here. He wasn't? That's not like you told it, Hard Rock. Hold on. Maybe he don't know why we're here. I know, all right. You're under arrest for the murder of Lucky Bates. All right, sheriff. Well, then, Paul, let me... I don't know how you got news of it so fast. But I'll go with you. Hey, I don't know... What's the matter with you, Hard Rock? But I... I never expected to find him so... Ready, sheriff? Now, don't rush me. I want to go to the scene of the shooting. And I want to see the body. Yeah, me too. Sheriff, I'll go with you. I can go to jail and stand trial. But I'm no fool. What do you mean? Until you find the body, you can't be sure there's been murder. If you'll never find the body, maybe you'll never convict me. I'm not going to help the law put a noose around my own neck. Well, now... If you find Lucky Bates, you'll find him without my help. I'll find him, all right. I'll be here at daybreak with a score of deputies to go over this area with a fine-tooth comb. Now, get your horse. We're going to jail. It took but a few minutes for Dave to pack his thing, saddle his horse, and start out for town with the sheriff. Hard Rock waited until they'd gone. Then he mounted quickly and rode hard. He followed the bed of Turtle Creek for half an hour, then turned sharply and rode ten minutes longer to reach a small shack at the edge of a wood. Is that you, Hard Rock? Lucky! Are you all right? Sure I'm all right. Why shouldn't I be? You're not dead? Hard Rock, have you gone loco? Hasn't anyone been here? No, Dad Ratton. What's the matter with you? What's happened? Something going wrong with your plan? I don't see. I don't see what's going on. But I'll blame you and find out. You stay right there, Lucky. You stay there in the shack until you hear from me. For how long? I don't know. I've got to fix so as they think you're dead. As soon as we're sure of the claim, I'll figure out a way to bring you back. I'll see you as soon as you can. Lucky stood for a moment, shaking his head in wonderment. He little suspected that the Lone Ranger and Tonto had been close at hand, that they had followed Hard Rock, heard the strange conversation, then waited until the schemer went away. Lucky was about to go back into the shack when he heard a sharp voice. I want you, Lucky. I'm here to get you. Now, wait. Listen. Put down that gun. Why are you wearing that mask? What do you want of me? Can't you guess? Now, wait. Don't shoot. Don't shoot. Please, mister. Sorry, Lucky. I've got nothing against you. But then why? The stakes are high, Lucky. Hard Rock can't prove a murder without a corpse, so... Well, that double-dealing, triple-twisted sidewinder, so that's it. He sent you here to kill me. Means a silver mine to him. Now, wait. Wait, listen to me. Please wait just a second. I can't wait. I should have taken care of this some time ago. Now, I see it. Now, I see why Hard Rock was surprised to see me alive. He wants a whole claim. He wants a tenderfeet to hang for my death. Listen to me, mister. You're a hired gunslinger. You're doing this for money. Well, wait. I can pay you more than Hard Rock. I've got some money here to wait. How much? That's better. We can make a deal. I know we can. I'll outbid that double-crossing partner of mine. Now, hold to that gun and we'll talk business. Later the same night, Hard Rock sat in his home alone and bewildered. Dave's ready confession and the subsequent finding of Lucky, alive and well, were more than he could understand. Yeah, he's got me. Oh, Connie, I can't figure it out. What's it? You! Lucky! Yeah. Surprised, huh? Thought I'd be a dead duck by this time. What are you doing here? I told you to stay at the... You told me to stay at the shack till that mass gunslinger got me. Now, who's talking, Loco? Well, I can hire a gunslinger just as well as you can. Calm down, you case you... You hired him to kill me. Well, I outbid you. I hired him to let me stay alive. Buddy. Ah, you double-crossing skunk. I'll deal with you. Hey, Lucky. Put that gun down. I wondered how you could get those tender feet convicted without a corpse. What are you talking about? You didn't figure to do it without a corpse, though. You figured to have one. Namely me. No, no, Lucky. Better leave you with a claim all to yourself. You double-crossing... Ah, don't shoot, Lucky. Don't shoot. There's a mix-up. But it'll be ironed out. Things are going all right. We got Bob and Dave in jail, and I'll get their claim filed in the morning. No, no, Lucky, don't. Drop the gun. What? No! Mask, man. There'll be no more gun. My hand, my hand is busted. Shit. That mask, man. You double-crossed me, too. We heard enough, Hardrock. Lucky, you don't look dead to me. I guess we got the wrong men in jail. Hey, Sheriff, listen. Hey, Hardrock, I heard enough to know that you aimed to do a couple of tender feet out of their claim while they were in jail on your testimony. You and Lucky are both crooks. But that mask, man, he's the one... Fixed things so Hardrock would show where you were hiding, Lucky. Then he fixed it so you'd come here gunning for Hardrock. And then he told me a few things. Now, listen, Sheriff. Just give me a chance to explain. You can do your explaining after you're in jail for attempted claim jumping. That mask, man. Wait. Stop him. Come back here, you. I gave you all my cash. That cash you turned over to me, Lucky. I'll see if you get it back. You'll need it for lawyers. But he took me in. That's what he did. He fooled me. He tricked me. He tricked you both. And he could do it easy. Because each of you is a crook. And each one had plenty of cause to suspect the other of underhanded play. It was easy for the Lone Ranger to... Lone Ranger? Yes. It was easy for him to give you enough rope to hang yourself. So that's who he is. The Lone Ranger. This is a feature of The Lone Ranger Incorporated. Created and produced by George W. Trendle and directed by Charles D. Livingston. Tonight's story was written by Fran Stryker. The part of The Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beamer.
