A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty hi-o-silver, the Lone Ranger. With his faithful Indian companion, Tottle, 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. Oh, Silver! Let's go, Big Tottle! Are you still there? The Lone Ranger and Tottle were traveling east when they saw a herd of cattle moving north. The herd was following the Chisholm Trail, a familiar route used by many cattlemen who sought the higher prices that were paid in Kansas. Tottle, look who's following that herd. Ha, ha, ha. Old friend, eh? Yes, it's Thunder Martin. It must be Clarabelle Hornblow's cattle. Come on, Silver! Get on, Scal. Hi, Thunder! Oh, Silver, hold. Oh, Scal. Oh, yeah, I'm talking about red. Oh, there. Oh, by golly, it's good to see you. Good to see you, Thunder. And Tottle! How? You're a long way from home. Yep, yep. You see, Clarabelle couldn't get the right price for cattle, so I'm heading north where the market is better. And I'm dead set against it. Against moving north? It's all gone right. You know, I talked to three, four ranchers that started north and come back empty-handed. Their cattle was stolen. Near the town of Panhandle? Yeah. How'd you know? We've heard stories about the situation in Panhandle. What kind of stories? A man named Blackie Bates seems to have taken over the town. If there was any way to avoid it, I wouldn't go near Panhandle. But that trail narrows down to a regular bottleneck between the mountains. You know, I'm telling you, if there's much more cattle stolen around there, it'll mean the end of the Chisholm Trail. If ranchers start moving north, there'll be a shortage of beef in one part of the country and a surplus in another. Someone ought to set up a new trail through the mountain. Someone should make that unnecessary by breaking the bottleneck at Panhandle. Say, that's a good idea. Thunder, when do you figure to get to Panhandle? Well, there's a valley with fine pasture right near the town. Well, I figured on reaching there sometime tonight and leaving the cattle for a few days to put on some of the weight that's been lost. Uh, don't hurry. Huh? No, slow down so you'll reach Panhandle tomorrow instead of tonight. See, that will give Tonto and me a chance to look around. Ha, ha, ha! You know, it looks to me like Blackie Bates is going to have some trouble on his hands. We'll be watching for you tomorrow. Montel! Blackie Bates owned the Silver Dollar Cafe in the town of Panhandle, and he controlled practically everything else in the community. In addition to the hard-faced men he employed in the cafe, a number of others took orders from Blackie. Though they had no apparent source of income, they were always plentifully supplied with money. One of these was called Scar Denton. It was Scar who pushed through the batwing doors and hurried to a corner table where Blackie sat with Mayor Diggs. Hey, Blackie. It better be important, Scar. I'm talking to the mayor. It is important. If it is confidential, I shall be pleased to leave you. Sit down, Diggs. Go on, Scar. Talk. I got bad news about the sheriff. Yeah? His dad. Now, isn't that a shame? My, my. Well, the sheriff was an honest man. Yeah, maybe that's what killed him. Are you sure you're a fax car? You can ask Wendy. It was just after dark. The two of us were together when we saw the sheriff fall over the side of Gray Ledge. We went up close and examined him. Perhaps I had better notify the coroner. We told him. He's collecting the body. Diggs, you'd better appoint a new sheriff. How about Pug Beasley? He's sleeping at the table across the room. Pug Beasley? You're not serious, Blackie. Old Pug is the laughing stock of town. He hasn't done a day's work in 20 years. He's been swamping the floor for me to pay for meals and refreshments. And you want him made sheriff? You heard me. Now stand up and make the announcement. I'll get the place quiet. All right, give me your attention. Mayor Diggs has an announcement to make. My friends, word has just been received of the untimely death of our beloved fellow citizen, our bulwark of law and order, our tower of strength and justice, Sheriff Hawkins. Inasmuch as the office of the sheriff has been vacated, it becomes my duty to appoint a man to serve as sheriff until the next election. Get to the point. For this important and responsible position, I shall choose one of Panhandle's most prominent citizens, one of the pioneer founders of our fair community, a man whose years have taught him much about his fellow men. The mayor of the boys, Pug Beasley. Now sit down, dig your throat. Pug Beasley? That old song? Yeah! Hey, Pug, wake up! You're sharing! The Lone Ranger and Tottle drew rain at the hitch rail in front of a cafe. They could hear the shouts and laughter from inside. Hello, this is the headquarters of Blackie Bates. If you want me to go inside, bring Blackie on to Tottle. Just a minute, easy set of me. Philip, something's going on inside. Let's find out what it is. Quiet down, folks! Quiet down! New sheriff wants to make a speech! Did you hear that, Tottle? The new sheriff? Ah! Wait right here by the door. You'll see what the new sheriff has to say. You better make a speech! You better make a speech! I know why Blackie Bates made me the sheriff. He figured I'm a no-good old galoot without the gumption to do any kind of a job. Well, Blackie, maybe you made a big mistake. I lived in this town when there was law and order. When cattlemen could stop and rest a few days, then shove on with their herds intact. Well, I'm hoping to live to see the day when we'll have law and order once again. That's enough, Pug. You've made your speech sit down. I'm not sitting down. I'm leaving here. And the first thing I'm going to do is investigate the death of Sheriff Hawkins. The Lone Ranger and Tottle, standing just outside the cafe door, had heard the old man's speech. Tottle, I've changed my mind. Instead of talking to Blackie Bates, I'm going to talk to the sheriff. Yeah. Him come out. Yeah, stand back until he gets outside. Pretty smart. Picked me because he figured I'd be no good. Figured I'd be worthless. Well, I'll show him. Sheriff. Huh? Who said that? Right here. Oh. I want to speak to you. What? Hey, you're wearing a mask. Yes. And by Juniper... Steady, Sheriff. Don't finish that draw. Lightning fast. I want to talk to you. Go to your place. At the small house where Pug Beasley lived alone, Tottle remained on watch outside with the horses, so the masked man would not be disturbed while he talked to the grizzled old-timer. I heard your speech, Sheriff. I liked what you said. Well, that righted who are you? This town's poison full of crooks, but you're the only one who wears a mask. You didn't keep your hands so near your holster. You'd pull a gun on me. You're doggone right. Because I wear a mask. Sheriff, I want to help you in your new job. Then take off that mask. Maybe I can explain it. Here. Look at this bullet. It's made of silver. Silver? Does a silver bullet mean anything to you? Silver? Well, yeah. It does. Now do you know why I'm masked? You're the Lone Ranger. Doggone, mister. This town sure needs your help. Ever since Blackie came... What's his game? Well, he wants to run the town. So his thieving pals can have a hideout. He heads a gang of rustlers. Can that be proved? Oh, lawmen don't live long enough to get proof. Oh. How does Blackie operate? Well, when a rancher drives a herd north on the trail, he generally stops here in town. While his cattle is grazing to put on some weight. Blackie gets the rancher talking and learns about the herd. How big it is. How many men are on watch. Then Blackie's men go out and steal the cattle. They move it to some secret hideout. Aren't there any honest men in town? Sure, sure. But what can they do? Take Tom Wills, for instance. He runs a newspaper. He tried to expose Blackie. What happened to him? Last week, a gang of Blackie's men smashed up his newspaper office and beat up Tom. From now on, Tom has to be downright careful what he publishes, or he'll be killed. What's more, his death will look like an accident. Same as the sheriff's. So Blackie runs a town as a sanctuary for cattle thieves. Yeah, that's the idea. Where do they take the stolen cattle? Oh, that's another thing. No one seems to be able to find out. Blackie's men have some sort of a hideaway up in the mountains. Could you line up some of the honest men to work with you in the hope of bringing law and order back to Panhandle? I could get eight or nine. That might be enough. Pug, will you swear me in as a special deputy? You? Yes. Then swear in other men you can trust. Tomorrow night, we'll move in on Blackie Bates. But I... I think I know a way to trap that crook. I'll outline a plan and see how you'll like it. Pug listened to the plan and liked it. Then he and the lone ranger joined Tonto, who was with the horses. Tonto, we're going back to meet Thunder Martin. The sheriff and I will need his help. All right. Once it's ready. I'll get the keys to the sheriff's office in the morning, and I can give you a deputy badge. All right, sheriff. I'll be back by morning. Easy, sir. Easy, sir. It was suppertime the following day when Thunder Martin, acting on instructions from the lone ranger, sat down at a table in Blackie's cafe and ordered a meal. Blackie joined him and forced a quick acquaintance. Thunder told him how large a herd he had and about the valley where it was grazing. You're smart to leave your herd to put on weight. It means dollars in your pockets. You alone in town? Yep. I had to leave my men to watch the cattle. How many men are you using? Eight. Yeah. Excuse me. There's a man over there who wants to see me. Sure. Beg yourself at home. Order anything you want. That's right. All right, buddy. Are the boys around, Joe? Outside, boss. The man over there has eight men watching his herd. It's four miles west of here in the valley. Get the boys and get going. You know what to do. Sure thing, boss. We'll take care of things. For the next half hour, Blackie did his best to win the confidence and friendship of Thunder Martin. Then a stir swept the crowd. Blackie saw that a tall masked man had entered the cafe, followed by an Indian and the new sheriff, Pug Beasley. He leaped to his feet and hurried forward. All right, hold on, mister. We got no room for masked men. Not even one who wears a sheriff's badge. That badge? Beasley, what's this mean? He's a special deputy. And I came to serve some warrants for the arrest of the man who assaulted the publisher and smashed the printing press. Also, the man who hired them, Blackie Bates. You came to arrest me? That's right, Bates. I'd advise you to go quietly and set an example for the others. You know, the last man who came here to arrest me went out horizontal. He was carried to the coroner's. You're coming, stranger. Good work, Jake. I'm covering the rest, get on Beasley. All right, take the guns, boys. We'll show the sheriff and his masked deputy who runs Panhandle. The curtain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger adventure. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Now to continue. Everyone in the cafe grew tense and moved out of the line of fire when the Lone Ranger, wearing the badge of a lawman, came to arrest Blackie Bates and the man he had hired to wreck the newspaper office and assault the publisher. One of Blackie's men drew a gun on the masked man. Another covered Tonto and the new sheriff who had followed the Lone Ranger. All right, get your hands up while my boys disarm you. Then we'll see what's behind that mask. Bates, I expected you to resist arrest. I didn't come unprepared. A number of men in this room are on my side. What? Let's look around. Better not start anything, Blackie. We're covering your men. Drop the gun, Jake. You too, Wendy. Hey, boy. Do as you're told. Drop the gun. Jake and Wendy, as well as several others, looked to their leader for instructions. Blackie glanced around the room. He saw at least half a dozen of the townsmen who favored law and order standing against the walls with guns in readiness and knew that resistance would be useless. Better drop your guns, boys. We'll surrender temporarily. We'll see what my lawyer has to say. The prisoners were herded into one large cell in the stone jailhouse. The sheriff took the handcuffs from Blackie's wrists and untied the hands of the others while townsmen watched from beyond the door with guns drawn to put down any uprising. Then Pug Beasley backed through the door and slammed the iron drill. Now, boys, we can go outside. Blackie, what are we going to do about this? We'll be out of here by noon tomorrow. Yeah, I wish I could be sure of that. You can count on it, Jake. So can the others. I was supposed to meet Joe and the boys at the hideout after they'd moved that cattle. If I don't show up by daybreak, Joe will come to town to find out why. You'll hear about this fool move the sheriff made and then... Then he'll go back and get the boys. Yeah, then what? They'll come here and take this jail apart. Now you're talking. Hey, hey. Beasley's coming back here. With me, I'm backing him up. The other coward won't take no chance. I'm taking one of you out of there. Now, don't try any tricks when I open the door. Who are you taking? Jake, I want you. Come on out and move careful. What do you want of me? We aim to question you critters one at a time. Come along now. I don't like waiting. Go ahead, Jake. Might as well do what they want. Yeah, I don't see why you should choose me. Where are you taking me? Well, you've got a cell in the sheriff's office across the street. We'll hold you there till we are ready to ask questions. Now get going. In the meantime, Joe and a dozen heavily armed men rode to the top of a small hill overlooking the valley where Thunder Martin's herd was pastured. Ready for a fight, the cattle thieves were surprised when they saw no sign of guards. Hey, what do you make of that, boys? I don't know. Bright moonlight. If there were guards there, we'd see them. There's no place where they could be hiding. Maybe they sneaked into town for the evening. Hey, no use worrying because we don't have a gunfight on our hands. Lefty, you and Tim ride west wing, same as always. You others know your positions. Now ride in hard and use your guns. You see any cow hands, shoot them. You ready? Yeah, ready. Now come on in. Get up! Hey! Hey! Hey! Use your guns, boys! Thieves raced downhill toward the cattle. Their cries and gunfire startled the grazing animals. In a moment, the cattle was on the move, first running fast, then stampeding in frenzied fear. In town, the Lone Ranger and Tonto waited with Pug Beasley outside the door of the sheriff's office. Across the road, the deputized townsman stood guard at the jail. For some time, everything was quiet. Then approaching hoofbeats broke the stillness. Hope that's your friend. It's thunder, all right. No one else has shoulders like his. Sure is a big critter. I mean, hope thunder. Got good report. Oh, there! Oh, oh, oh! Those hornery side hunters, they've moved the cattle from where I left it. And we're ready for the next move. Gee, there's plenty of hoof marks in the valley. Maybe I could trail the critters to the hiding place. All that's been tried before. Trouble is, there's so many hoof marks in all directions, you couldn't tell what ones were made by your cattle. Well, what's more, a couple of cowmen who tried to trail stolen cattle have been found dead. Thunder, are your cow hands where you can reach them? Sure thing. Good. Now, Pug, go and talk to Jake as we plan. Mm-hmm, right. I thought you brought me here to question. I'm going to get to that right now, Jake. First, Beasley, let me tell you something. You've still got a chance to save your neck by letting me out of here. Can't do it. Don't be a fool, Pug. Why should you risk your neck? You know what Blackie will do to you when he gets out. Maybe he won't get out. Yeah, sure he will. Even if the charges can be made to stick, he'll only get a month or so. Maybe there'll be more serious charges, like stealing cattle, murdering cowhands, or killing the sheriff. I can't prove anything like that. Never can tell. Well, now, Jake, you might do yourself some good by turning state's evidence. You mean squeal on my pals. On Blackie? I'm giving you a first chance. One of the critters in the jail is likely to squeal to save his neck. Now, you can... Forget it. Hey, you can't come. You're covered. Now, put down that gun. Take it easy, Sheriff. I don't hanker to hurt you down as long as you do what I say. Who are you? My name is Martin. I'm driving cattle north. I saw you in the cafe. Hey. Yep. I was there when you and that masked man arrested Blackie and his boys. Oh, take that gun. Now you can lower your hand. What's the idea? Blackie treated me right, and I aimed to return the favor. Now, unlock that door. Wait, wait. Blackie's a crook. He and his... Save it. I already talked to Blackie at the jailhouse. I'd have busted him out if there hadn't been so many townsmen on guard. They let me talk to him, and he told me how I could do him a favor. Which same I aimed to do. Now, open that door. All right, all right. I'll open it. Don't shoot. You, Jake. I got orders for you. Blackie says you're to get to the hideout as fast as you can. Take the horse to left outside. The door's open. Thanks, Sheriff. Now, you better get into the cell in my place. In you go. You waste. They'll all catch up with you. Uh, Jake, did you hear what I said? Yeah. What about Blackie and the others? I told you. There was too many guards around the jail. I couldn't get Blackie out. That's why he says for you to ride fast to the hideout and bring back the boys. Now, them's his orders. All right. I'm on the way. I'll get you, Jake. You wait and see. Outside the office, Jake saw a strong horse waiting. He leaped to the saddle. Hold on. Get up. As he rode away, the lone ranger and Toto stepped from the shadows to meet Thunder Martin and coming out of the building with the Sheriff. There you go, Sheriff. Where? Jake's nearly out of sight. Come on, Toto. We'll follow him. Ah. You ready? Meet that horse. Oh, wait, wait. You and Toto can't go alone. Get your men together and follow us. We'll leave a clear trail. Thunder, you get your cow hands. Right. Now, now, hold on, mister. If you find the hideout and the rest of us are delayed, you'll have no chance against Blackie's gang. We'll hope you're not delayed. Near horses, King of Shabby. Good enough. Now, we'll see about smashing the bottleneck on the Chisholm Trail. Easy, steady. Big close. After riding some distance from town, Jake made many turns weaving among the mountains until he came to a narrow pass between sheer walls and high cliffs. Beyond the gap, he came to a vast expanse of level land that was hemmed in by steep mountains. He rode past a vast herd of cattle and drew rain at a cabin that was close to the base of a steep slope. Ho, ho, ho, ho. The door swung open as Jake hit the ground. Hey, it's Jake. What are you doing here, Jake? Boys, there's trouble in town. Blackie and some of the others are in jail. Blackie, jail. I was locked in the sheriff's office, but I got out. Blackie wants you to come to town right away. It's likely to be a showdown fight. Come on, boys, get ready to move. Hank, take Pete and Lefty outside and saddle the horses. Right, come on, fellas. Hey, who's that? Who are you? The law. You're all under arrest. What? It's a masked man. I know his voice. Who? He led to capture Blackie and the boys. Where is he? Come on with your hands up. He's over there, back of that rock. Jake, you fool. He must have followed you here. Are you going to surrender quietly? Here's my answer. Let him have it, boys. That rock over here. Guns barked at every window of the cabin, and bullets glanced off the rock that gave hideous shelter to the masked man, and another rock nearby that Tonto was using as a fort. After several exchanges of gunfire, Joe knew that his gang was opposed by only two men. If there's others, we'd have heard from them. Yeah, what's the next move, Joe? We'll go out the back door. Fan out and move on those rocks from the side. All right, Joe. Now, three of us will stay here and keep up the gunfire. Thunder and his cowhands had joined forces with the sheriff and the townsmen to follow a trail left by the lone ranger and Tonto. Where the ground was too hard to show hoop marks, bits of torn paper shone in the moonlight. It was slow going through the mountains, but the horsemen progressed. Then distant gunfire sounded. Hey, it's over yonder. We gotta get there fast. Get up there. Get up there. The lone ranger and Tonto, protected by rocks, returned the fire from the cabin. They could have gone on for a long time, but when guns spoke on both sides, they knew the end was near. Down, Tonto. Hug the ground. And to both sides. The cattle thieves were moving closer, taking cover behind each stone and hillock. Suddenly, new guns joined the battle. For a time, the outlaws tried to meet the new attackers. But Thunder and the sheriff had the strength of numbers. Several rustlers went on dead or wounded. Then the others realized the hopelessness of further resistance. No, no, no, no, don't shoot. Don't you find it. Don't you find it. Don't you find it. Prisoners were handcuffed and wounded men were treated. Then Thunder entered the cabin and Jake cried out. You. You're the one who set me free. Ha, ha, ha. Sure thing, Jake. We did that so as you lead the way to this here hideout. What about that cattle, Thunder? I looked it over. It's mine all right enough. Jake, we have you for cattle stealing. Possibly for murder. Oh, no, no. Wait, listen to me. Park, you said I could turn state's evidence. That was back in town. I can still tell you plenty about Blackie. I don't want jail for life. Who killed the last sheriff? I didn't do that. It was two of the others. Windy and Scott. Blackie made them. Are you squealing yellow, poor kid? He's going to save his neck by squealing. Well, I got a few things to say. You'll all get a chance to talk. The publisher will take your statements. But you better talk fast. We got to get back to town and file some new charges against Blackie Bates. Sheriff, the bottleneck is broken. You don't need me any longer. Come on, Tuttle. No, wait now. The town owes you... Never mind, Park. He won't wait for thanks. What? You see, he's a lone ranger. This is a feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated. Created by George W. Trendle. Produced by Trendle Campbell Enterprises. And directed by Charles D. Livingston. Tonight's drama was written by Fran Stryker. The part of the Lone Ranger is played by...
