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. The Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, Silver. Let's go, big fellow. Are you still there? The rain beat down on a small cemetery. The intermittent lightning revealed a boy of 18 who stood beside a new grave. He wasn't aware of a tall masked man who walked through the darkness from his snow-white stallion, which had been left a short distance away. Bob Willis thought he was alone until, in a lull of the storm, he heard a voice. Do you mind if I, too, pay my respects? What? Sorry if I startled you. Who are you? In the next flash of lightning, you'll see that I wear a mask. It's to conceal my identity. You knew my dad? Jim Willis was a good friend of mine. So he was your dad, huh? Yes. But he didn't have any masked outlaws for friends. I'm not an outlaw. Your name must be Bob. I've heard of you. Everybody's heard of me. And most of it's a pack of lies. You hear that, mister? It's all lies. Did you say the things I heard about you were lies? Yes. Dad didn't go broke on my account. Do you hear that? Who says he did? Everybody. I was here this afternoon. I came for the burial. Mom wouldn't listen to me, neither would my sister. They've both been told so many lies that neither of them want me around. Your mother and sister didn't want you around at the burial? What's the difference? It's my worry, not yours. I'll find some way to prove the truth. I don't know how I'll do it, but I'll find a way. Bob, your father was a friend of mine. I'm greatly indebted to him. I want to help you. Help me? If you've heard about me, you've heard nothing that's any good. But your father told me some time ago about a little difficulty you had. You're away from home at the time. That part was true. I got into a jam over at Las Vegas. I wrote to Dad. He sent me $500. That's every cent I ever got from him. That was about two years ago. Have you been home since? No. I just came back when I heard that he died. I thought Helen, that's my sister, and Mom would be... Well, I sort of thought they'd be glad to see me. But instead, they turned on me. Helen looked as if she hated me. I'll never forget what she said. Tell me. Now, what's the use? Please, Bob. Well, she said that she and Mom didn't want to see me. She said I was rotten all the way through. That I'd broken Mom's heart. Yes, Bob. You've not only broken Mother's heart, but you're responsible for the death of Father. You killed him with worry. You spent every dollar he'd saved to buy your way out of the scrapes you've been in. Thanks to you, the ranch is gone. And all our savings. But, Helen, that's not true. Outside of that $500 he sent me two years ago, I haven't taken a cent from Dave. All lies. I'm telling the truth, Helen. I'd rather not here anymore. The kindest thing you can do for Mother is to go away and stay away. Go back where you came from. Neither of us want to have anything more to do with you. As far as we're concerned, you're dead. It was no use trying to talk to her, or to Mom, either. That was before the ceremony. I just went away and waited till tonight to come back here to Fosgrave. It is true, Bob, that your father lost his ranch. Your mother and Helen have moved into town. They're living at the Clayton Cottage. Clayton? You mean Jeb Clayton? Yes, he has quite a bit of property. Oh, he and your sister plan to get married. You mean to tell me Helen's going to marry that scheming polecat? Yes. Oh, she can't. No? He's no good. He got rich by sharp swimming methods, doing people out of the property. Your mother and your sister are living in his cottage by choice. They could have stayed on at the ranch if they'd cared to. They thought there would be more work than they could handle. How could they stay on the ranch if Dad lost the ranch? Jeb Clayton is the new owner. You mean to say he's the one that got Dad's ranch? Yes, Bob. What? Why, they're good for nothing. That settles it. He took Dad's ranch. Now he figures to take Helen. Well, he won't do it. I won't let him do it. I'll kill him. Hold on, Bob. You're not going to kill anyone. Oh, yes, I am. If you do, you'll hang. Do you think that will help matters any? I don't care what happens to me. I don't count. You do count, Bob. You count a lot. Do you think it's easy for your mother to live the rest of her life feeling that her own son is no good? That's what she thinks now. You said the stories about you were lying. They are. And you've got to prove that. And you can't prove it by killing Jeb Clayton. Maybe you've got a better place. I may have. What is it? I have no suggestions at the present, but I may have some after I've had a chance to look around. I want to do some investigating, Bob. I want to get some facts. That's where you can help me. How? Come with me. We'll go to my camp. In a small cave where we can be dry and warm. Tata will have some good food for you. We'll eat and talk. I see here, mister. Why are you so eager to help me? For two reasons, Bob. In the first place, as I told you, I'm indebted to your father. In the second place, because of this mask, I, too, have been misjudged. During the next few days, Tato spent a great deal of time in the community learning what he could about Jeb Clayton and listening to the stories that were circulated about young Bob Willis. There was no one with a good word for Bob. Tato reported that to the Lone Ranger and Bob, who had remained in camp with a mask man. In the meantime, Bob's mother and his sister, Helen, made the best of their new life in a small white cottage owned by Jeb Clayton. Is Jeb coming to call again this evening, Helen? I suppose so. You don't seem very pleased about it. Oh, I'll be glad to see him, of course. He's a fine man, Helen, a successful man. Yes, I suppose so. For sakes alive, that must be Jeb Clayton now. You sit still, Helen. I'll let him in. Good evening, Mrs. Willis. Jeb Clayton do come in. My sakes, you look mighty fine. Brand new hat. A hat I shipped all the way from Chicago. Pretty spanking, huh? Cost me over a hundred dollars. My sakes alive. A hundred dollars for a hat? Yeah. The best is none too good, I'll always say. Hi there, Helen. How's my girl? Good evening, Mr. Clayton. Got a present for you. Here's a piece of yard goods. Right fancy stuff I picked up at the general store. Oh, my, isn't it beautiful? Yeah. I figured Helen could sew herself a new dress. Now, this stuff comes high, but, well, when old Jeb Clayton is buying something, the best is none too good. That's what I always say. Oh, won't you sit down? Yeah, thanks. I sort of intended to. You know, Helen, being as we're engaged, I figured we'd ought to hold the wedding as soon as possible. Don't you think so, Mrs. Willis? Well, of course it's up to Helen. But I thought we were going to be married in the fall. That's a long time to wait. I figured maybe we'd get married in a couple of weeks. The sooner it's over and done with, the sooner we'll be settled down to keeping house. Well, it doesn't matter. I've got a mighty fine place out in the ranch. My house is twice the size than the one your pie had. Plenty of room there to spread a loop. Yes, sirree. I don't suppose you and Helen would care to live on the ranch my husband lost. Ah, I'll rent that place out to someone. We'll all live at my place. You too, Mrs. Willis. I figure you'll be part of the family. Now, how's about arranging for the wedding in about two weeks? If you wish it. Fine. I'll arrange things with the parson. I'd better be getting along. Got a lot of things that need attention. Oh, must you go so soon? Yep. Got some paperwork to do. Never put off till tomorrow what can be done tonight, I'll always say. Good night, Mr. Clayton. Now, Helen, to get the over calling me, Mr. Clayton. I'm just plain Jeb to you. You'll remember that. Very well. Well, I'll shove on. Good night, all. Good night. Good night. Helen. Yes, Mother? Look at me. Yes? Now, tell me the truth. The truth, Helen. Are you marrying Jeb Clayton because you want to, or... Or what, Mother? Or because you think you must to give me a home. Of course I want to marry Mr. Clayton. Whatever made you think I didn't? I didn't call your father Mr. Willis when we were caught in Helen. I called him Jim. Helen, if you have any doubts, break this engagement. Why, I'd rather go homeless the rest of my life than see you unhappy a single day. You'll not go homeless, Mother. I'll marry Jeb Clayton. Wearing his new hat at a rakish angle, Jeb Clayton swaggered along the boardwalk, headed for the cafe and a visit with the boys before returning to his ranch. But to reach the silver dollar, he had to pass the bank. He didn't pass. He stopped abruptly. I saw a light in there behind the drawn shade. Maybe if I hunch down, I can see in under the shade. For a moment, Jeb could only stare. He saw a lighted candle on a high bookkeeper's desk. He saw a number of ledgers opened, being read by a tall man whose face was covered by a mask. He tried the door and found it unlocked. At the sound of the door opening, the masked man turned quickly. Jeb's gun was in his hand. Stick him up, you. Stick him up. Not tonight. I've got you covered. Make a move and I'll fire. Here's the move. Now get out of my way. My hand. My hand. Look out. After disarming Jeb with a well-placed bullet, the Lone Ranger pushed him aside, rushed through the door, and rounded the building to where Silver had been left at Ground Hitch. Help! I'm shot! Robert's thieves! Help me, someone! What's the matter, Jeb? It's a masked man. He was robbing the bank. I almost caught him, but he outshot me. Look at my arm. He winged me. I'm shot! Get a doctor! Do something! Now hold on, Jeb. Take it easy. Give us the true facts. Oh, you're not hurt, Jeb. Bullet just brushed your knuckles. You heard the shooting down at the cafe. What's going on here? What's going on in my bank? Here comes the banker. You see what's been stolen, I round up a posse to get after the thief. Sheriff, what's happened here? Looks like your bank's been robbed. But don't you worry. Jeb Clayton saw the thief, and we'll have him in irons by daybreak. 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. A crowd had gathered at the bank, and the sheriff enlisted men to form a posse to go in search of the masked man who had been discovered by Jeb Clayton. Meanwhile, the banker investigated and came out with an unexpected report. As far as I can see, not a thing has been stolen. You mean to say that masked man didn't take any money? Oh, most of the money was in the safe, which was untouched. There was some cash in the drawer, and it's still there. All of it. Nothing's been disturbed except our account books. Your account books? Yes, Sheriff. They were taken from the cabinet, and they're still on my desk. You can see for yourself. Well, doggone. Now, why in Tarnation would anyone want to look into those account books? That beats me. You'll capture that masked man, and you'll probably learn the answer. Well, capture him, all right. There's plenty of moonlight to show his trail. Come on, boys. Let's get going. Steady there. Get up there. Bob Willis and Tonto heard the thunder of approaching hoofbeats. They rushed to the mouth of the cave where they were camped and saw the moonlit figure of the lone ranger riding at top speed. Poser, holly, boom. Great day. What's all the excitement? Are you being chased? Easy, big fella. Yes, and I couldn't take time to hide my tracks. Tonto, I've got to be in the clear. Here, put on this hat. Me? Wear your hat. What's the idea? There's an extra mask in my saddlebag, Tonto. Put that on, and pull off your buckskin jacket and put on my extra shirt. I was in the bank gathering some information. Jeb Clayton saw me there. He raised an alarm. Jeb Clayton again? Now, listen to me, Tonto. The posse will follow the trail to this cave and see you wearing the white hat and mask. Let them arrest you. Let them put you into jail. Say nothing. But the scout not looked like silver. That's all right, Tonto. Silver wasn't seen. Ah, me savvy. I still think you should let me gun, Jeb Clayton. That's not going to be necessary, Bob. The bank records told me what I wanted to know. What's that? I can't go into that now. I've got to start on a long, hard ride. When I return, I expect to clear your name and put Jeb Clayton where he belongs. Do you look all right now? Yes, Tonto, you'll do. Bob, you've got to get away from here. Where are you going? South. Well, let me go with you. Your job is in town. What can I do there? Stay out of sight, and don't make any move against Jeb Clayton. Steady, Silver, easy. You starting out right now? Yes. You've got to get away from here before the posse comes. Easy, big fella. Come on, settle there. Bob Willis left the camp soon after the Lone Ranger rode away, and half an hour later, the sheriff's posse came thundering along the trail that was clearly defined in the moonlight. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. There he is. That's the critter we want. Get him up, mister. You not shoot. We won't shoot if you surrender without a fight. Just like Jeb Clayton described it. Tall and wearing a mask and white hat. All right. The lawmen were surprised when they learned that an Indian was behind the mask. To the many questions, Tonto turned a deaf ear. He maintained his stoic silence when he was taken to town and lodged in jail. Meanwhile, the Lone Ranger rode alone. Come on, settle there. He traveled night and day with a minimum of rest, and his gallant horse responded bravely to the great demands on his endurance. In town, plans for Jeb Clayton's marriage to Helen Willis proceeded with lots of flurry and fanfare. Helen aided in the wedding plans, but her manner was detached. Tonto, meanwhile, sat in jail, steadfast in his refusal to give any information. Bob Willis remained out of sight until the day of the wedding. The cottage where Helen and her mother had been living was crowded with townspeople. Clayton, his wounded hand completely healed, played the part of a genial host as the hour for the ceremony drew near. Everyone was in a gay mood except the bride-to-be. Hey there, Helen. It's time for the wedding. Everybody's waiting. Very well. Come on in to the living room. A lot of boys just came in from my range. Some of the fellas you haven't met. You too, Ma. I hope you don't mind me calling you Ma. Of course not, Jeb. Here, Helen. Grab hold of my arm. Hey there, boys. Here's the blushing bride. Didn't I tell you she was downright handsome? Prettiest girl in the whole territory. But the best is none too good for old Jeb Clayton. Now he's... Bob Willis. Mind if I come in? What are you doing here, Bob? I thought I'd better be on hand. What's the matter? Why are you all looking at me? You're not wanted here. Get out. Jeb, that's no way to talk to a man who's wearing a pair of six guns. Especially when I'm the only one in the room who's armed. Any man that'll wear six guns to a wedding... You shut up. Helen, tell him to clear out. He's not welcome in my house. Please, Jeb. Get out, Willis. Get out before I throw you out. That's big talk, Clayton. Don't try to back it up. I'm here to stop this wedding. Bob. Bob, please go away. Sorry, Ma, but my mind is made up. Throw him out, boys. Freeze! Don't let anybody make a move. I'm holding my right-hand gun on Jeb Clayton. The left is ready to cover anybody who moves in my direction. How long do you think you can stand there holding guns on all of us? Two or three hours. My friend doesn't show up by that time I leave. But even so, there'll be no wedding. Because if I leave, I'm taking Jeb Clayton with me. The room was crowded and every man was tense. Bob couldn't watch all parts of the room at once. And he didn't notice one of Jeb Clayton's ranch hands. A huge hulk of a man called Moose moved silently from one corner and tiptoed until he could grab the misjudged boy from behind her. I got him, let go. Good work, Moose. Hang on to him. I'll grab his gun. I've got him. Now we'll give this young troublemaker something to remember us by. Hang on to him, Moose. I'll part his hair with a barrel of one of these guns. Oh, no, Jeb, don't. I'll show him. Holy Clayton. Mish man. Where did he come from? Who are you? Oh, thank goodness you're here. I seem to have arrived just in time, huh, Bob? You Moose stand back, but Bob will let's go. Yeah, yeah. Clayton, you drop those guns. Who are you, anyway? I'm the man you saw on the bank. The man saw on the bank? Yes, you identified an Indian named Toto as a man who creased your hand by a bullet. But you were wrong. That's a confession. You're under arrest. Take it easy, Sheriff. We'll have a prisoner in a few minutes. It will be the real crook. Did you find what you went looking for? Yes, I did, Bob. All of you will listen to me for just a few minutes. I'll tell you a story of a misjudged man. See, I knew Bob's father. A couple of years ago, he told me Bob had gotten into a fight with a gambler in Las Vegas. A crooked gambler whose name was Drexel. There was some shooting and Drexel was hurt. As a result, he lost his hand. So he could no longer deal cards crookedly. That's old news. Not everyone has heard about it, Clayton. Jim Willis told me that Drexel died as a result of the injury. Blood poisoning, I believe. And so he did. Yeah, Drexel died all right now. Jim Willis told me he was going to do all he could to protect his son, even though he didn't know where to find him. I wrote and asked Dad for $500. He sent it to me. I gave it to Drexel, and after that... After that, Bob, you disappeared. No one knew where you were. Your father asked me to help you if I could find you. I told him he was making a mistake in trying to cover up a killing. I told him if I ever found you, I'd turn you over to the law so you could square yourself. The law will take him right now. There's a murder charge against you, Bob Willis. Sheriff, you're jumping the gun again. Wait until I've finished. All right. Go ahead. During these past two years, Jim Willis made repeated withdrawals from his account at the bank. Those are a matter of record. I saw them in the bank ledger the other night. He drew out all his money, then he sold his property. Can any of you guess where that money went? What about you, banker? I, uh... Well, I could venture a guess, but it wasn't up to me to say anything without proof. We've wasted enough time. Sheriff, take these two into custody. You'd like to call an end to this, wouldn't you, Clayton? You know what I'm going to say. Hey, you know that every time Jim Willis drew money from his account, a similar amount was deposited by you to your account. Now, hold on. Willis was paying that money to you. You were blackmailing him. I say, hey... You are probably the one who started the story that Willis was sending all of his money to various places to get Bob out of trouble. The truth is, Bob Willis made just one mistake. He got into a card game in Las Vegas. It led to a fight, and he shot first. He made amends for that mistake. He gave Ace Drexel $500 to buy a small ranch. Drexel died because of that shooting. And Bob Willis' guilty of murder. Can you prove that? You're doggone right I can prove it. I'll admit Jim Willis paid me money to keep what I knew secret. You brought that out in the open. So Bob's murder can come out in the open at the same time. What's your proof of murder? Affidavits. He was sworn to by Moose and Blink and Jake. Two other men in my ranch were with Drexel when he died. Drexel died on your ranch? Yes, he did, and he was buried there. Showed the grave and the affidavits to Jim Willis, and I can show the same to Sheriff Taggart. I can show you something more convincing than that. I can show you Ace Drexel alive and well. Come in here, Ace. You! Yes, it's me, you blackmailing bullcat. Drexel, tell the Sheriff what you told me. Bob Willis shot me in a fight. He was sorry for it afterward. He got me $500 in cash so as I could give up gambling and buy a ranch and settle down. Jeb Clayton there, he owed me money. So I came up from Las Vegas to collect. I told him why I wanted the cash, to buy some stock for the ranch. He paid what he owed, then he gave me an extra $1,000 if I'd agree to settle across the border in Mexico. That was so he could fix up the story about you dying at his place. He didn't want anyone to see you in the States. That does it. Jeb Clayton... Nobody's going to take me. He grabbed a dog. I'll get you for this. Good shooting. That's twice in the same hand, Clayton. By this time, you should know better than to pull a gun on me. My hand... My hand is broken. It's more than a scratch this time, Clayton. Now, come on. You're going from here to jail. I'll put you in and let that Indian Tonto out at the same time. Home again. Oh, it does seem good to be back on the ranch. You'll stay with us now, won't you, Bob? Helen, I'm going to do my level best to take Dad's place. Is it true that we'll get back all the money Pa paid over to Jeb Clayton? We'll get it back, Mom. Clayton's going to do his best to square things as much as possible before he comes to trial. And to think I might have married that schemer. Oh, Bob, we've been so mistaken about so many things. Son, there's just one thing I don't understand. What's that, Mom? How did that masked man know about Drexel, know he was alive? He met him in Mexico, and he remembered that Pa thought Drexel was dead. So he came up here to investigate. We met beside Pa's grave. Beside Pa's grave? Yeah. That's where I first came face to face with 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. We'll be right back. We're back. Thank you.