A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-o-silver, the Lone Ranger. The 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 go, big fellow. I don't know where. Oh, Silver. Oh, easy. The Lone Ranger and Tonto reined up and dismounted. Then they ran toward the canyon and dropped to the ground at the very edge so they wouldn't be silhouetted in the moonlight. Far below, the gunfight was still in progress. It's five or six against one, Tonto. Looked like fellow riding to ambush. We can't tell about that. Those men to our left may be cowboys. The one to the right may be a crook or another. No, he isn't an outlaw. How do you know? I caught a flash of silver on his shirt. Must be Sheriff Dixon from Warren City. Then other fellow's crooks. Now, what do we do? We'll try to help the sheriff. It's too far to shoot from here. There's an outcopping of rack halfway down the slope. We can get there without being seen. Come on. The Lone Ranger and Tonto worked their way down the steep slope of the canyon until they had reached the cover of the rocks. As they set themselves for their first shot, they heard the sheriff cry out. You stopped a bullet, Tonto. But him still shoot? That's even the odds a little. That changes things for the outlaws. Then run for horses. We go back to Silver and Scout and follow him? No, Tonto. The sheriff's still lying on the ground. He may be badly hurt. Tonto have bandage and medicine in Saddleback. And you bring the horses. I'll meet you down below. Me get there plenty fast. The sheriff was lying face down, unconscious. His hat had fallen off, and as the Lone Ranger knelt beside him, he could see the scalp wound that had knocked the lawman out. He bounded with his own neckerchief. And a few minutes later, Tonto joined him. Oh, scalp. Oh, Silver. Easy, scum. Easy, fella. Him still alive? Yes, the wound isn't very deep. He'll be all right after you dress it. Tonto do that right now. Skillfully, the Indian bathed the wound with antiseptic and applied a bandage. When he had finished. Yeah, he's coming, too. Oh, my head. Don't try to move for a little while. What the... A mask, man? Easy. So you... You got me after all. No, Sheriff. The men who were trying to get you have cleared out. Huh. Well, then... And you're the one who was shooting from up above? Tonto and I, yes. This... This Indian here? My friend. I sure find my friends in strange places these days. And I can't find them at all. Oh! Steady, Silver. Better not try to get up yet, Sheriff. What did you call your horse? Silver. And your friend's name is Tonto. You're not an outlaw. I didn't say I was. Well, talk about the dicks and luck. I'll ride into an ambush like the greenest deputy that ever wore a badge. And who should come to my rescue but the lone... Oh, mister, I'm sure glad to meet you. We're glad to meet you. We've heard that you're doing a fine job in Warren County. And you haven't heard the latest news. They've got up a petition to the governor to have me removed. Oh? What for? Because I'm a southerner, mostly. All of a sudden, we've started fighting the war over again around these parts. That's too bad. Maybe I should resign. Anybody who falls for a trick like I did tonight. I'd like to hear some more about this prejudice against you. When did it start? Well, I guess it was when Aaron Grace came to Warren City. That's only about a month ago. He's a lawyer, and he started saying it was a shameful thing the county should have a rebel sheriff. Perhaps he'd like the job himself. Maybe so. Anyway, he's got a lot of folks on his side now. John Harper, the Circle H especially. And that reminds me... Here, I'll help you. Thanks. I've got a few questions to ask John Harper. It was a message from him that brought me out here tonight. Do you believe that he arranged this ambush? I don't know. That's what I want to find out. Do you mind if Tuttle and I ride with you? Not at all. I'll hear your horse. Thanks. Easy. Easy, fella. All right. Come on, Silver. Get him up and get out there. We'll wait here until you've finished your business, Sheriff. Then we'd like to ride back to town with you. You figure those dry gulchers are still looking for me? They may be. We're not in any condition for another gunfight. Mister, I'll be glad to have your company. Get up there. Bob. Hello, Joan. Well, this is a surprise. Do come in. Bob, you're here. No, never mind that. It's a surprise, is it? Isn't there anything wrong out here? Oh, I know nothing that I know of. I'd like to see your pa. Really? I was hoping you'd come to see me. Joan, it's been made pretty clear that I'm not welcome at the Circle H except on business. That isn't true as far as I'm concerned, and you know it. Well, tonight I want to see your pa. Where is he? He's in his office with Aaron Gray. Excuse me. Bob, you're mad about something. Don't say anything you'll be sorry for. I'm trying to talk some sense into Paul. You better keep out of it. Well, speak of the devil, Dixon. The devil, Harper? Maybe you thought I'd be a ghost by this time. What does that mean? You sent for me. Your message said that I was needed out here right away. Joan says there's nothing wrong. There's plenty wrong. I don't like rebels in my house. I realize now the message was a fake. To get here, I'd have to ride through Crystal Canyon. That's where you had your ambush waiting. Bob, what are you saying? It's true. Half a dozen men tried to dry-gulch me. But, Paul, you didn't do anything. Of course I didn't. The man's out of his mind. Did you send me a message or didn't you? No, I didn't. Who was it, Bob? Who brought the message? Well, as a matter of fact, I never saw the man before, but there was a Bar H brand on his horse. Oh, wait a minute. May I say something, Mr. Harper? Well, if you can make any sense of this, go ahead. Well, we've been considering what we'd say in our letter to the governor about the sheriff. This is something else that should be added. A crook riding a rustled horse leads him into a trap. You're mighty quick at figuring that out, Grace. That's because it's obvious. You allow yourself to be tricked and then you accuse an honest man of trying to commit murder. There's a case for slander there, Mr. Harper, but I suggest a word to the governor will be sufficient. Bob, Paul didn't. I mean, he couldn't have. I guess I know that now myself, Joan. I lost my temper and I apologize. Good night. The sheriff left the Bar H ranch house and rejoined the Lone Ranger and Tonto. He told them of his interview with Harper and his conviction that the rancher had nothing to do with the ambush. I've just made a fool of myself. Well, I guess I should resign and let Grace take over the sheriff's office. You may be right. What? Oh, don't misunderstand me. I'm on your side. There are evidently people who are trying to get rid of you. Sure. Harper? Well, he's trying to do it legally. There are others who don't want to wait for the governor to act. They must find out who those men are. Grace, maybe? It's possible. Certainly the men who tried to kill you tonight. You didn't recognize any of them? No, I didn't. And the man who brought you the message? I never saw him before. What did he look like? He was dark. There was a scar on his left cheek. He was big. Must have weighed 200 pounds. And his horse, the one with the barrage brand? A buckskin. Good. Tottenham will try to find him. Ah. But there's plenty of place for outlaw to hide in badlands. South of the valley. Yes, that's a good idea, Kimo Sabe. And we may as well start right now. Oh, are you feeling all right, Sheriff? Never better. You go ahead. You'll be hearing from us. Monsensile! Get him up, stop! The following night, long after midnight, the sheriff was awakened by someone knocking at the door of his home. He slipped into some clothes and hurried to the door. Now, mask, man. Come in. Thanks, Sheriff. We found the man with the scar, Sheriff. Where? Tonto and I followed a trail into a canyon last night. There were a few hoof prints. That was enough to make us investigate. The canyon opened up into a long valley, and there were some men camp there. Yeah? Yes, we went up to the top of the ridge so we could look down on their camp. I used my binoculars, and I saw... The man with the scar. Someone else, too. A tall man who wore broadcloth and a black stetson. Yeah, that could be Aaron Grace. It was. We followed him back to town, and Tonto found out who he was today. Where is this canyon? I'll round up a posse. Wait, not so fast, Sheriff. Those men could be wrestlers. I believe they are. The valley is not only well hidden, it's large enough to graze a good-sized herd. There are two entrances, the one we used and another to the south. Cattle could be driven in there. Their brands changed and allowed to heal, and then driven on through the south pass to the border. But, Sheriff, we saw no sign of any cattle. You can't arrest those men. I can make them clear out. Do you want to? And what's Grace's connection with him? Wouldn't you like to find out about that? I sure would. Then why not give Aaron Grace enough rope to hang himself? I don't understand. Let him take your place as Sheriff. Let him feel sure the law won't touch him. Resign, you mean? No, there's a better way. Suppose you disappear instead. Huh? Just ride out of town and forget to come back? No, there's a little more to it than that. And we'll need the help of some friend of yours. Someone who has influence with the mayor. Matt Bennett? What's the matter with Matt himself? He's a friend of yours. He doesn't resent the fact that you're a southerner. Not a bit. And he's our man. I'd like to have a talk with him tomorrow night in the woods at the edge of town. I'll see that he's there. Good enough. We'll make our plans then. And so at 9 o'clock the next evening, Bob Dixon rode out of town with Matt Bennett, the mayor of Warren City. They met the lone ranger in the grove and the masked man outlined his plan. When he had finished... Enough rope? Man, I don't know. Give some ornary causes enough rope, they'll kill you. We'll keep him on a shorter lead than that. You'll be watching him in town and we'll be watching his men out on the range. So I'm to appoint Grace as Sheriff in Bob's place. That's right. All right, I'll do it. Now about this story I'm to bring back to town. I'm riding along with Bob and we meet a masked man on the trail. You have? Up with your hands, both of you. Hey there. Up with them? Yes, sir. All right, I'll take your gun, Sheriff. And yours, Matt. Is this a holdup? You can call it that if you like. You're riding with me, Sheriff. You're taking me a prisoner? That's right. Get moving down the trail. Get up there. Bon, silly. Matt hit the ground running in front of the last chance to pay. Ben! Ben, two of your horses! What's happened? What's wrong, Ben? I was riding along the trail with Bob Dixon. A masked man got the drop on us and he made Bob ride away with him. Come on, we've got to rescue you. Come on, Ben. 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. Matt Bennett organized a posse and rode out of town after the Lone Ranger and Bob Dixon. They caught a glimpse of them as they rode into the hills. But shortly after that, the trail was lost. And after trying to pick it up for several hours, the posse returned to town. Oh! Oh! Oh! Well, man, we'll have to try again tomorrow in this light. My guess is we'll never find Bob Dixon alive. Well, maybe not. Looks bad, I'll admit. But one thing is sure. This town can't get along without a sheriff. Grace, you've been hankering after the job, haven't you? Why, I won't say that. If I were elected, I'd feel duty-bound to serve. You feel you're qualified? I was one of Masterson's deputies in Dodge City. Well, you handled yourself all right tonight. I'm appointing you, sheriff, till such a time as Bob Dixon shows up again or we can hold another election. You accept? I do. All right, then raise your right hand. You swear to uphold the laws of this community and perform the duties of sheriff to the best of your ability? I do. Men, you heard me. Till Bob shows up or we hold another election, Aaron Grace is our sheriff. During the next few days, Aaron Grace gave every appearance of trying to find Bob Dixon. But at the end of a week, even Bob's friends had decided the search was hopeless. And then one night as the Lone Ranger, Toto, and Dixon were watching the hidden canyon from the ridge, they saw Aaron Grace ride toward the outlaw's campfire. There he is. Let me take the glasses for a minute. Here. And that Grace. Hunt a noise horse. You're right. We won't have to wait much longer, Bob. It was true. Aaron Grace had told the rustlers in the canyon they could start driving off the rancher's cattle and they went to work the following night. The masked man, the Indian, and the sheriff watched them rounding up a herd that had bedded down near the badlands. We've got the goods on them now. We've got to rest them tonight. They won't be satisfied with a few ahead, Bob. This is only the first of their raids. They won't start driving south until that canyon is filled. We're not going to wait until then, are we? No, but you want to prove that Aaron Grace is the leader of the gang. You'll come back to the canyon some night and that's when you'll go after them. We haven't given them quite enough rope, huh? No, not yet. But the trap is set and sooner or later Grace will ride into it. The raids continued for several nights. Every day the rustlers worked at changing the brands on the stolen cattle. Saturday night came and they moved out of the canyon earlier than usual, confident that nearly all the ranch hands would be in town. The lone ranger, Tonto and Bob Dixon allowed them to get out of sight before they started following their trail. This is Barre's range. Yes, when Harper finds out that Grace has been stealing his cattle, he may be ready to admit it's better to have an honest sheriff, even if he is from the south. I'd like to be friends with John. Matter of fact, I'd like to marry his daughter. Things may work out. Kimo Sabe. Those must be the rustlers' guns. I'm not far ahead. Over next ride. Come on, Silver. Get him out of there. When the masked man and his companions topped the rise, they saw the rustlers racing across the range toward the west. But near a milling herd, they saw a man lying on the ground. Must be one of the Barre's night riders. Ho, Silver. Ho, easy. He's a big boy. The three men dismounted and hurried to the fallen cowboy's side. Tonto examined the wound. Him hurt plenty bad. Yes, but he's still alive. Tonto, not know. Maybe not live long. We can't let those rustlers get away with this. No, Bob. I thought they'd avoid gunplay. This means you have to round up a posse and go after them right away. They headed west from here. Only to confuse their trail. You'll find them in the canyon. Get back to town fast. Right. Get up there. We'll see you later. Anything I can do to help, Tonto? No. There's not much to do. Me bind wound, try to... Kim Sabe, you hear? Horses. Ah. Them come this way plenty fast. Perhaps some of the barrage hands who heard the shots. Look, them come over hill. Better we not stay here. Them not know you. Think you outlawed. Yes. They'll take care of this man. Let's go. Steady. Easy. Easy, Scott. Easy. Come on, get him up, Scott. Matt Bennett saw Bob Dixon as he raced down the main street of Warren City and pulled his mount to a sliding stop in front of the sheriff's office. Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hey, it's Bob Dixon. He's come back. You're right. Come on, boys. Bob's back. Hi there, Bob. Where you been? What happened to you? We thought you were a goner. I'll answer all your questions later. One of the barrage hands has been shot. We're going after the man who did it. Just a second now. Who's giving orders like that around here? I am, Grace. I'm back and I'm taking charge. You're through, Grace. I only appointed you until Bob showed up again. Hey, here comes John Harper, some of the barrage hands. Oh, oh, oh, oh. Hey, Dixon, in, Gurley. What's the idea? You're a crook. Stay where you are. I got you covered. Now, what are you talking about? Well, listen, everybody. Curley's been shot. Maybe he'll die. I don't know. He was shot in a gunfight with Dixon here. That isn't true. With Dixon and the mask man and the Indian who were with him. We shot him. When we came over the rise, Dixon was hightailing it. But the mask man and the Indian were still standing over, Curley. They shot him. There was nobody else around. That mask man is a friend of mine. You admit it. He didn't shoot Curley. It was rustling. There was no sign to rustling. Men, I don't care whether Dixon's still sheriff or not. He's guilty. Now, what are we going to do about it? For a moment, Bob Dixon faced the angry men. He had no intention of using his gun against them. As they started to close in, he urged his mount straight toward them. Get up there. The men sprang aside. Bob raced up the main street. Stop him. This proves he's getting here. Stand aside. Let me get a shot at him. You'll have your chance to get a shot at him, Grace. You can lead the party. That's a good idea. If Bob's a crook, you're still sheriff. Right. Into your saddles, men. Bob Dixon was racing along the trail to the west when the Lone Ranger and Tonto rode out of a small woods and hailed him. Bob! Whoa, whoa, boy. Whoa, he just got it. Where are you going? Where's your posse? They're after me. They think you shot the bar age hand that I was in on. Men right out of town now. Wouldn't they believe you when you told them it was a band of rustlers who did it? Harper said he saw you do it. Then come plenty fast, Kimo Sabi, and them see us. That's fine. Fine. You can't lead them to the rustlers' hideout. But we let them chase us there. Is that Grayson command? Yeah, that's right. Better and better. Come on, Silver. Come on, Silver. The Lone Ranger controlled the pace of the mighty Silver so that the three men were always in sight of the posse but still out of shooting range. On they rode southward across the rolling plain and on into the badlands. As the posse neared the draw that led to the hidden canyon, Aaron Grayce tried to stop the ranchers. What's the matter? What are we stopping for? Oh, we can't catch them. Who says we can't? Like if it's not that draw is blind, we'll have them cornered. No, it isn't blind. The horses are too fast for us. Who says so? We've kept them inside, haven't we? We're not going to let them get away with murder, are we, man? Get moving there, Grayce. We are going to catch them and string them up. Get up. Get up. The lone ranger, Tottle and Bob Dixon reined up for a moment at the point where the draw opened into the hidden canyon. We'll keep to the shadows close to the canyon wall. Not good. Outlaws hear us but not see us. We'll ride straight on past their camp to the southern entrance. So nobody can escape that way? Yes. I'd sure like to see John Harper's face when he gets a look at this cattle. Most of it is bar eight stock. Come on, Silver. Come on, Silver. With Silver in the lead, the horses thundered up the canyon. The rustlers heard them. But they could see nothing in the deep shadows beyond the circle of light cast by their campfire. The masked man and his companions were past their camp before they could draw and shoot. The posse was sliding hard into the canyon. Yeah, see the brands on this cattle, Harper? Yes, bar eight. Some of them changed with a running iron. Bob told the truth about rustlers hanging out here. Rustlers, men. Ready with your six-gun? They're camps just ahead. My gun's pointed at you, Grace. Don't try to get away or I'll let you have it. The posse closed in on the rustlers. At first, the outlaws were prepared to make a fight of it. But when they saw Aaron Grace, they held their fire. In a few minutes, the posse rounded them up. A man with a scar dragging his captors with him struggled toward Grace. What's the idea, Grace? What are you up to? Go on, Grace. You're the sheriff. Tell him what the idea is. You're all under arrest. Arrest? Who are you, dirty double-crosser? If we go to jail, you're going with us. How about that, men? Am I telling the truth? You shut up. No chance, boss. Harper, we've been taking orders from Grace. We're nothing but his hired hands. It isn't true. So this is why you tried to stop us from riding in here, huh? You knew you couldn't explain to your men why you were leading the posse against them. I never saw them before. This is a trap. Yes, you're right. You had no choice but to ride straight into it. What do you know about it, Matt? Everything. The mask man isn't an outlaw. He found these crooks were hanging out here. He found out Grace was in coos with him. Now, he figured Grace was just waiting to get control of the sheriff's office before he started stealing you blind. And you were playing right into his hand. What about Bob being taken prisoner by the mask man? A trick to make Grace think he was safe to go ahead with his plans. I was in on it. Well, here's Bob now. Oh, steady, Bob. Well, Hopper, you still think I shot Curly? No, Bob. It must have been these men. I want to apologize. That's all right. I'm ashamed of myself. I realize now that a stupid prejudice can make a fool of a man. You're a good lawman. And as far as I'm concerned, you can be the sheriff of Warren County as long as you please. Thanks. And now that I'm back on the job, the first thing I'm going to do is to take that badge off you grace. Wait a minute. Get his hands tied behind the men. He's going to jail with the rest of his ornery drygulch and crew. But there's still something I don't understand. The Masked Man. You say he isn't an outlaw. Who is he then? He's the best friend an honest man can have. The Masked Man is 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. A part of the Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beamer.
