A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-o-silver, the Lone Ranger. With his faithful Indian companion, Tuttle, 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. Come on, Silver. For six months or more, trouble seemed to hit in and about the town of Morton. A gang was operating in the vicinity, and they were led by someone who was smart enough to know when and where to hit, and also smart enough to cover all traces so that the law couldn't catch them. First, it was the payroll for the mining company a few miles away that was taken, in spite of the fact that no one was supposed to know when it was to leave the bank and who was to take it. In spite of the fact that I'm manager of the company, George, I decided to come along when you got the payroll and to get it two days sooner. Well, nobody would suspect we're carrying it in the buckboard today. Express company always took it out before. I know. Since Mr. Mason at the bank warned us about that notice he received, saying a notorious outlaw gang was known to be in this territory, I agreed to his suggestion that we shouldn't take chances. But, look, up ahead a gang of outlaws, don't they? Turn the horses. Swing around quick. Head back toward town. Try to outrun them. Get around there. Get around now. Get up there. Now, give them the whip. Hurry. Get going there. Get up. No use. We're done for. They're closing in. The payroll had been stolen and both men on the buckboard lost their lives. The next happening was the holdup of the Wells Fargo stage, carrying $10,000 in new paper money for the bank in Morton. We ought to get to Morton in about 20 minutes, Jake. Yeah, we made good time this trip, Hank. After we crossed the wooden bridge at the foot of this hill with... Hank, look, the bridge. It's burning. Great day. How could that catch fire? You better stop. Hold there. Hold. Hold there. Hold. Hold. Outlaw. They burned the bridge and waited to ambush us. Hold. Hold. Hold. Hold. Hold. All right, you up there in the boot. I'll tell the strong box. It'll be quick. Yeah, and don't try any funny business or we'll drill you. I'll throw it down. There it is. Good. Now, get going. You can ford the creek about a mile down to the left. All right, get moving. Yeah, sure. Get up there. Get up there. Then recently, Jet Harrow of the Bar Q Ranch had driven cattle to the stockyard outside of Morton one morning. After receiving the money from the cattle buyer's agent, Jet went to the bank to deposit the several thousand he had received. Well, good afternoon, Jet. I figured you'd be coming in when I saw you and your hands go through town driving those cattle to the stockyard. Yep. Got a good price for them, too, Mr. Mason. And a $4,000 for the lot. Fine, fine, Jet. Now you can step over to the teller and get it put in your account. All right. Don't move, anybody. I'll plug the first one that does move. Masked outlaws. Better not try to fight them. Yeah, I reckon you was just about to put in that cattle money, mister. But I'll take it. Now, see here. Give me a minute. Hey, better come on. I think I see the sheriff coming. Let's get out of here. Yeah, no time to grab any bank money. This will do for now. Adios. Somebody call the sheriff. They robbed Jed. They got scared off before they got to the teller, though. Get the sheriff. It was the following day when Jed Harrow with the sheriff, Mr. Kemper, owner of the mining company, Greg Banks, the express agent, and Mr. Mason all met in Mason's office at the bank. The sheriff is owner of the mining company. I demand that something be done. Two of our men were killed and a big payroll taken. That gang's still free to commit these other crimes since. Yes, that bank money they took from the express stage was quite a loss. Not to your bank, Mr. Mason. Remember, we had to pay the insurance, so we took that loss. That's true. That's very true. But yesterday, we might have had a great loss if they hadn't been scared off. Sure, but they weren't scared off until they got my cattle money first. It was lost here in your bank, Mason. You ought to have insurance to cover that. Jed, I'm sure sorry you had that happen. But since you hadn't deposited the money yet, I can't be held responsible. That's right, Jed. You can't make any claim against the bank on that. It's too bad you didn't get in here a trifle sooner to get that money deposited. I wish our stage had delivered that money box here before those outlaws grabbed it. Then we wouldn't have had to stand the law. Well, Greg, I guess I was just lucky on that like I was yesterday. But right now, we've got to decide what's going to be done about all these robberies and killings. That's all right. Well, I see all of you looking at me. But I'm doing the best I can. In fact, I've got some men out right now still hunting for trace those outlaws. I don't like to stay too far from town myself. There's no telling when or where to strike again. The outlaws stood by the front window yesterday, yelled that you were coming this way, Sheriff. But after they left, you didn't show up at all. I wasn't even in town at the time. That crook must have got nervous and thought he saw me coming. Yeah, I guess that was it. Most fortunate for me and the bank, too. Sheriff, we've got to have more protection here in town. I can't stand the big loss of the bank if they should suddenly hit here and hold us up. I'll do all I can. Can't do any more than that. Well, I've got to get back to my office. I'll appoint a few more deputies and we'll really keep our eyes peeled. All right, sir. Sooner or later, we'll get a line on that gang and the killer that leads them. And when we do the law, we'll hang them for what they've done. That evening, the Lone Ranger and Tonto had arrived in the vicinity of Morton and had pitched camp in the hills. Tonto went to town for supplies. It was dark when he returned to the camp. Any news in Morton? Me hear men in store talk about outlaw gang. Outlaw gang? What have they done? Well, me hear them say outlaws hold up stage, take money box being sent to bank. I see. And then them take mining company, payroll. Them shoot two men who ride on buckboard. Yesterday, outlaws take cattle money from rancher and bank. You mean they robbed the bank? No, no, them not rob rank, bank. Them take money from rancher who go to put it in bank. Outlaws think sheriff coming, them leave. And get away with rancher's money, not take bank money. I'd like to know more about those robberies. I me hear plenty about them, me tell you. Seems like no one know about payroll, then... As the Lone Ranger listened attentively, Tonto related the details of each robbery as he had heard them in town. When he had finished telling everything he had heard, the Lone Ranger was thoughtful for a moment. Then he spoke. Strange if no one but the banker, the mine owner, and the two men on the buckboard knew about the payroll. The outlaw should learn of it. That's right. And the shipment of bank money on the stage. I wonder how they knew about that. Me wonder, too. Seems their timing was perfect when they walked in the bank and took over the rancher's cattle money. That is, it was perfect for the banker. If the rancher had made the deposit, the bank would have had to stand the loss. That's right. You may not think of that. The gang must have a spy in town who tips them off about such things. It looked that way, Kimo Sabi. Someone could find the one who's doing the spying. Maybe him lead the way to gang, huh? Yes, yes. That's what I was thinking. Maybe you have ID? Yes, I do have an idea, Tonto. It might work. Then again, it might not. Oh, what do you think of doing? My plan is this, Tonto. First, I'll disguise myself as a cattle buyer. And I'll go to the next town and ride this stage into Morton. You can bring Silver back here. I'll talk to each of those men who are most concerned in the robberies. After disguising himself as a prosperous cattle buyer from St. Louis, the Lone Ranger rode with Tonto to the next town ten miles away. There, he boarded the stage for Morton, and Tonto took Silver back to the camp in the hills near town. The following day, Mr. Kemper, owner of the mining company, looked up as a tall, prosperous stranger was ushered into his office. Someone to talk to you, Mr. Kemper. A gentleman from St. Louis. Show the gentleman in. Yes, sir. Go right in, sir. Thank you. Have a chair, sir. Have a chair. Thank you, Mr. Kemper. You're Mr.... Call me Brown. That's easy to remember. Yes, yes. Yes, it is. Well, Mr. Brown, what brings you here, if I may ask? You might say I'm a cattle buyer, but I heard about your mining company and thinking that I might like to invest some of my cash. I came out to talk to you. I see. Mm-hmm. I suppose it could be arranged for you to buy some of our stock, but I'd have to think it over. Yes, of course. Where could I get in touch with you if I decide to go into the matter further, Mr. Brown? I'll be at the hotel in town. I believe in carrying plenty of cash with me, so if you do decide you want to sell some stock, the deal could be closed quickly. I see. Well, as I said before, I'll have to think it over, sir. I'll get in touch with you at the hotel. Well, I won't take up any more of your time, Mr. Kemper. Thank you for seeing me. Oh, not at all, sir. Not at all. Glad you came out here to see me. You'll hear from me within a day or two. Good. I'll be waiting at the hotel. Goodbye, sir. Later that day, the Lone Ranger, still disguised as a prosperous cattle buyer, entered the express office. Good afternoon, sir. What can I do for you? I'd like to inquire about shipping a rather large amount of money to St. Louis. Could you handle it? Of course. Where would we pick it up? At the bank? No, I have it with me at the hotel. Oh, you insure it against losses? Yes. Yes, that's right. How large a shipment would it be, sir? Oh, perhaps $10,000. Hmm. Well, it's a large amount. But we can send it for you and guarantee safe delivery. Fine. I'll let you know if I decide to send it by express. Thanks very much, and good day. That afternoon, the Lone Ranger made still another call. He went to the bank in Morton and was shown into Mr. Mason's office. I beg pardon, Mr. Mason. There's a man outside and wants to talk to the owner of the bank. Mr. Brown from St. Louis. All right, all right. Show him in. Yes, sir. Mr. Mason will see you, Mr. Brown. Thank you. Good afternoon, Mr. Brown. I understand you want to see me. Yes. Since you're the local banker, I thought you would know something about the cattle market around Morton. Oh, so you're a cattle buyer, huh? You might say I am. Yes, I can tell you anything you want to know. But first, how much do you pay per head? And do you pay spot cash? Oh, I'll pay the current market price, of course. I always pay in cash. I have enough to pay for any cattle I may buy. I see. Why don't you go to your hotel and wait? I'll find out what ranchers are ready to sell, and I'll get in touch with you. All right, sir. I'd like to leave Morton tomorrow, so the sooner you can find out for me, the better. You'll hear from me within a few hours. I promise you that, Mr. Brown. You know, we Western bankers are always glad to see our ranchers move their cattle on a good market, and especially for ready cash. I'll get in touch with you. Never fear about that. A short time later, the Lone Ranger met Tonto on the edge of town. Me wait, then see you walking out from town. Silver, glad to see you. I'm glad to see him, too, a big fella. Tonto, I'm going to the hotel now and wait. You come there and wait out back. I think before the evening's over, we'll find out who's behind the gang that's been operating around here, and then we'll go into action. 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. The Lone Ranger, disguised as a cattle buyer from St. Louis, had visited all the men who had been involved in the robberies that had taken place recently. To each he had given the same impression, that he was a prosperous cattle buyer from St. Louis, who had plenty of cash in his hotel room. After meeting Tonto at the edge of town and telling him to be on guard, the masked man went to the hotel where he waited in the room he had engaged. Meantime, Mr. Kemper, the mine owner, had left his mining office and had gone into town to confer with the banker, Mr. Mason. The two men were talking in Mason's office at the bank. Now, just what is it you want advice about, Kemper? Well, sir? There's a man in town from St. Louis. He's stopping at the hotel. Well? He's a cattle buyer named Brown. Um, has a lot of cash with him. Came to see me, too. Thought he might like to buy some of the mining stock. I see. Are you going to sell him some of it? Well, I haven't decided, but if I do decide to sell him some of the stock, I, uh... Well, I wondered your opinion on what you think is worth for Sheriff this time. Let's see, uh... I really could use some money right now. Well, I should say about $100 per share would be a good price. $100 a share, huh? Mm-hmm. Well, I'll think it over. Thanks for giving me your opinion. Don't be hasty, Kemper. It'll be time enough in the morning to make your decision. Yes, yes. I guess you're right at that. Well, I'll sleep on the idea. Good night, Mr. Mason. Good night. A short time later, the Lone Ranger heard a knock at the door of his hotel room. Mr. Brown, hear a note. Thanks. Thanks very much, Mr. Brown. Can you come out to the mining office tonight to talk over the sale of some of our stock which you desire to buy? I'm sure we can come to some agreement so that the matter can be closed in the morning. Truly yours, Jay Kemper. I seem to be getting into something there. I'll get Tonto and ride out anyway. Half an hour later, the Lone Ranger and Tonto rode along the trail toward the mining company office outside of town. Why you go see mining company owner? You not want to buy stock, Kemper Sabi? This may be a stall, Tonto. If it isn't, and he's on the level, I can talk myself out of it. Oh, that's right. It isn't very far from town. We'll soon be there. After I have the talk... Oh, fella. Oh, fella. That shot came from the arroyo over there. Did you see someone? I saw some movement, but I... Look, down to the left, someone's riding away fast. There are two of them. Them right down arroyo. All right, let them go. We'll continue on to the mine office. Come on, tell me. A short time later, the Lone Ranger and Tonto reigned to a halt before the mining company office. Oh, fella. Oh, easy. Wait here, Tonto. I won't be long. I received your note, so I came right out. Oh, you, Mr. Brown. You speak of a note? Well, I didn't send you any note. You didn't? No, sir. I went to town, conferred with the banker, Mr. Mason, about your proposition to buy stock from me, and he agreed that I should think it over. I see. Is that your signature? Hmm? No. No, sir, it isn't. Strange that you should get a note like that. I don't understand it. I think I'm beginning to. I have to be sure, Kemper, about this signature. If you have something you've signed or if you'll give me a sample of your writing, I... Well, I'll get several papers on which you'll find my signature right here. There we are. Now, look at these company papers. My signature's on all of them. Yes. That's conclusive proof that the signature on the note is not yours. Thanks, Kemper. I won't keep any longer. Thanks, and I'll see you in the morning. Yes, sir. Now, I'll let you know in the morning. Sorry you came out here for nothing. I'm sorry, too. Yes, it was a mistake. Good night, sir. Good night. Not go in. No, Toto. Kemper didn't send me a note at all. Easy, big fellow. I'm beginning to see the picture now. Let's hurry back to town. Come on, sit there. Come on, sit there. Racing back to town, the lone ranger and Toto entered the rear door to the hotel and went to the room the masked man had been occupying. The room was a shambles. The bag I left hidden behind the bureau is gone. Oh. And what you have in bag? Well, in Stockton, I had the banker there fix two rolls of one-dollar bills with a ten-dollar bill on the outside of each roll. Me not savvy. Why you do that? Each of the bills is marked, Toto. I put the two rolls in the small bag. A casual glance, anyone would think there were thousands of dollars in each roll. Oh, now me savvy. Whoever sent that note to me a while ago as Mr. Brown expected I might carry my money with me to the mine office and tried to have me waylaid. Meantime, someone else came to this room and searched. I'm pretty sure who's behind this now. But if we want to catch him red-handed, we'll have to move fast. Come on, Toto. Come on, Toto. As the lone ranger, still disguised as a cattle buyer, left the back door of the hotel, he put on his black mask. Then he and Toto went to their horses between the buildings. I want you to go to the sheriff's office first, Toto. Then you can come back here and join me. There go two riders. Seem like two who ride from Arroyo. Yes, could be. I hope so. It'll help if they go where I think they're going. Now I'll tell you what to tell the sheriff. I'll wait here until you get back. About five minutes later, Mel and Bill, the two riders that the lone ranger and Toto had seen, arrived at the farm of Banker Mason on the edge of town. They spent a little more time putting their horses up for the night. Then they went to the back door of the house. A light was lit in one of the back rooms, and they entered without knocking. Well, it took you two homies long enough to get back here. Yeah, we got here as soon as we could. Yeah, that's right, boss. Did you ambush that cattle buyer? Yeah, didn't get the chance. He had somebody with him, too. Yeah, yeah, an Indian. They spotted the place where we were hiding, and that cattle buyer drew fast and started throwing lead our way. So we got out of there, Prado. Well, when he gets back to town, he'll go screaming to the sheriff about being robbed. He'll get the chance to tell about getting that phony note. I sent a half-breed into the hotel with that note, so they can't connect us with that. From what you just said, it seems like you found his money when you searched his room. That's right, I did. I just took a quick look in the money bag, but there were two rolls of paper bills in there. I waited for you homies to get back before counting it. Maybe we'll get more from him than we've gotten a stage hold-up or from Jed Harrah. I'll get the bag and we'll count it right now. I bet that hombre was confused when he got to the mine office and Mr. Kemper told him that note wasn't from him at all. Yeah, I guess he would be. There, I'll open it. Holy mackerel, two fat rolls of bills. Looks like tens, too. Here, Mal, you'll count that roll. Yeah, I'll count this other one here. Let's see. Wait a minute. Look here. All one dollar bills under the ten that was only outside. Hey, this one's the same. Can't be more than a hundred dollars in each of them. Why that poor flushing hombre I'd like to... Hey, your mask man. He's just one against three. I'll let him have it. No, you won't. Oh, I'm hit. Fight your way out, Bill. Let him have it. Don't move. Either of you. Hey, the sheriff's at the window. Yeah, and an Indian serve beside the mask man. Drop your guns, both of you. Well, might as well. Sheriff, what's the meaning of this? Mask man, maybe you're the head of the gang that's been operating around here. Don't try to bluff, Mason. The sheriff and his men were with us outside that partly open window. We heard your conversation. Hey, that must be the money was taken from the hotel. Oh, wait, wait a minute. You can't prove a thing. Those paper bills are marked with ink. I marked them myself. Look for an X on them, Sheriff. Sure will. Yep, there's an X marked in ink on every one of them looks like. That proves Mason stole those bills from the hotel room. Well, I never saw you before in my life, mister. No, I'll take off this mask. There. Brown, the cattle buyer. That's the name you knew me by anyway. Sheriff, I suspected somebody in town was leading those men in the robberies and killings. I went to those I thought could be the leader. I told the express agent and Mr. Kemper and Mason here that I carried a large sum with me. And I received a note supposedly from Kemper to come to the mine. And when Kemper told me he didn't write it and that the only person he had told about his talk with me about selling stock was Mason at the bank. I knew that Mason was the man we were after. Hard to believe. He was where he could know everything. He sure fooled all of us. Yep, he did. But those bills there that are marked and what we overheard them say clinches things for us. No, no, hold on now. Mel and Bill brought me those marked bills. Don't lie. You planned everything, Mason. Even to the killing of the two men from the mine. Well, we all owe a vote of thanks to the masked man that Indian for what they did. Hey, where are they? Just this minute eased on out, Sheriff. Yeah. He put his mask back on and left. I don't, I don't get that. Why should that hombre brown wear a mask? Oh, shut up, Mason. If you were as smart as you made yourself out to be, you'd know that wasn't any cattle buyer named Brown at all. What? Well, then who is he? The face you saw and recognized as Brown was just a disguise to fool you. nobody ever sees his real face because he always wears that mask. You see, he's really the Lone Ranger. This is a feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated, created and produced by George W. Trendle, directed by Charles D. Livingston and edited by Fran Stryker. The part of the Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer. Brace Beamer.
