a cloud of dust and a hearty hi-yo silver. The Lone Ranger. 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. A man called Ellis Carter was a strange figure in the small southwestern town of Chanceville. He dressed in ill-fitting eastern clothes and rode an aged horse hired from the local livery stable. Across his back in an oversized open cloth sack were squares of framed canvas, brushes, and oil paints. On his way out of town on his morning excursion into the rugged hills he stopped in front of the sheriff's office and greeted Sheriff Tom Harris. Morning Sheriff. You're up early this morning. Are you expecting outlaws? Nope Mr. Carter. Outlaws don't bother much with this town. They've been playing hob in other towns in the territory but so far they've left us alone. I hope they stay away. Sheriff I I'd hide if I knew there were bad men within ten miles of here. I bet you wouldn't that. You don't like it too much out here do you? I like the people and I like the scenery but the east is my home and I'll return there soon. Sheriff I'd better get up into the hills and take advantage of the morning sun. I'll see you later. Get up. Get up. A few hours later in a cave high in the tree bear hills to the east of town a band of four outlaws sat listening as their leader related a story to them. He was the notorious Frank Grimes from Kansas Territory a man who in the town of Chanceville was known as the artist Ellis Carter. Sure and then I said to him I said Sheriff I'd hide if I knew there were bad men within ten miles of here. Frank you're a guy. He should have been an actor shouldn't he Rat? He should have been. What do you think he's been doing in Chanceville these past three months? That's right and the acting has been difficult but let's get serious about this job tomorrow. The leader outlined the plans for the next day's contemplated robbery in Overland Junction eight miles to the east of Chanceville. When he'd completed the details Grimes alias Carter prepared to leave. I'll be here at sunup. Have my horse and ranch clothes ready so I can make a quick change. He'll be ready Frank. Frank you're not going to leave your paintings here are you? Oh no. Give me that sack. You know nobody's ever seen anything I painted. Well maybe that's because you never painted anything. That's the answer. I've been carrying the same pictures back and forth each day ever since I arrived in Chanceville. So long boys. Till tomorrow. Get back. The Lone Ranger and Tonto were riding in the hills to the east of Chanceville. They were on their way to the Lone Ranger's secret silver mine to the west of the town to obtain precious ore for a minister in Overland Junction. Reverend Winthrop whose need for money was great. Who's who's who's who? They stopped their horses for a moment and used their field glasses to study the hills that surrounded them. The masked man's eyes came to rest on a spot less than a mile away. Otto that's peculiar. There's a man riding down from that knob in the hills. No one ever rides up there. Ah me see him. Him not dressed to ride in country like this. It would be interesting to know what he's doing here. I don't know if he's heading down to the main trail. We ride down to and meet him before he gets to the Chanceville Road. Come on Silver. Come up. The falsely named Ellis Carter stiffened in his saddle as nearing the cross trail to Chanceville he saw the two riders approaching from the hills above. They were a masked man and Indian but their manner and greeting were friendly and he stopped prepared to meet them. Whoa. Whoa. Oh Silver. Whoa. You've no cause to be alarmed sir. You're wearing a mask. That's true. I assure you my friend and I are not outlaws. We saw you and thought perhaps you were a geologist working in these hills. Your guess is wrong. I'm visiting the west to do scenes of this beautiful country. You see I'm a painter. A pseudo artist introduced himself as Ellis Carter and told of the pictures he'd painted since his arrival from the east. He ended by touching the canvas in the pouch that hung from his shoulder. This is one I had just completed. It's a study of that peak up there. Oh steady you crazy coyotes. Keep us off his snake. I got the critter. Fine shooting Carter. It's all right. Oh steady. Very easy. Let me hear a rattle but not see snake right away. I heard and saw him. I hate those sidewinders. Mr. Carter the canvas is falling from your pouch. Here let me put you back. No no keep away. I'll fix it. There. Thank you just the same. If you'll pardon me I'll ride on to town. Goodbye. Adios. Get up. Get up there. Well Toto what do you think? Him strange man. Very strange. He comes from the east yet he handled that horse like a cowpoke. He drew a gun and fired as quickly as any man I've ever seen. Ah name hit snake every shot. Yes. What's more his manner changed during those few minutes. His vocabulary too. Let me hear that. Call horse caillus. Tenderfoot not do that. He also called that snake a sidewinder. Only real westerners know that the horned rattlesnake is called a sidewinder. Ah that's strange. Not as strange as his painting. When his canvas almost fell from the pouch I saw the scene on it. And me see it. Got picture of trees. There's not a tree within miles of here. And he'd already told us he'd been painting that knob of the hill. Peaky called it. Ah Kimasabi may be it good we learn more about him. You stop at Chanceville to see him again? Well Tom Harris is sheriff there. We helped him in the past Hutto. I'd like to speak to him and learn more about that man Ellis Carter. Come on Silver. Hit him up Scott. The man called Ellis Carter left Chanceville before dawn the next morning and rode to the cave where his outlaw band waited. At ten minutes past ten the five men their faces masked held up the express company office in Overland Junction. They shot down three company employees killing two. Come on I've got the cash. Come on. Then they rode away. A lone deputy sheriff Glenn Lassen on foot near the holdup scene fired after the fleeing robbers. I got one of them. Hit him again. Shot him twice. And he was their leader. Hold up. The outlaws escaped and rode back to their cave in the hills near Chanceville. But the leader Frank Grimes alias Ellis Carter had been shot twice in the shoulder and side. The outlaws Doxy and Red laid him gently on the ground ripped off his shirt and using strips of the garment bandaged his wounds. You're bleeding pretty bad Frank. It's not too dangerous in the looks of it but it sure is bleeding. It hurts a lot. I'm sorry Frank. We're doing all we can. The bleeding's stopping some. Yeah but look what you're using to stop it. That filthy shirt you'll poison me. I'll get blood poisoning and die. Ah you won't. You'll be alright Frank. Don't tell me that. I know. I need a doctor. I'm going to a doctor. There are only doctors in Chainsville and you can't go back there like this. They'd ask questions. Get these clothes off me. Don't stand there. Pull them off me. Alright. Toxie. I have this whole thing figured out. I have a story to explain how I got shot. I'll tell it to the doctor and the sheriff. What is the story Frank? I'll tell you while you remove these clothes and get me back into that artist's outfit. Hurry will you? My side's hurting. Dressed once more in his eastern clothes the outlaw chief prepared to ride from the cave to Chainsville. Stay here boys. Alright. Put the money behind the rocks with what's left of the other loot. Alright. Those lawmen from Overland Junction will never find you here. Don't worry about them. What about this Sheriff Harris in Chainsville? What'll he do after you tell your story? He'll go out looking for some outlaws. But I'll have him looking for them in another direction from here. You'll see. Keep cool boys. I'll be back. Sheriff Tom Harris saw Ellis Carter slumped over the neck of his horse as the spavined animal came to a stop before the lawman's office. His eyes caught the sight of bloodstains on the artist's coat and he ran to help the man. Mr. Carter you've been hurt. Here let me help you down for the horse. Easy now. What happened? I've been shot. Get me a doctor. Sure, sure. Tex and I'll carry you over to Doc Tuttle's office. Oh Tex, come out here. They rode north from the main trail. The ones who shot you? Yes, there were five of them. They came from the east. I saw they were masked and I tried to get away. Why did they shoot you? Call me, Tom. What's wrong? Tex, Mr. Carter's been shot. Help me get him over to Doc Tuttle's. Sure. Grab him on one side and I'll get the other. That's it. Carter had actually become weakened. When Dr. Tuttle probed his wounds he lapsed into unconsciousness without telling Sheriff Harris Harris and his deputy Tex White walked from the doctor's office and arrived at their own at the moment a horseman galloped to a stop there. Hey Tex, there's Glenn Lassen, deputy sheriff over in Overland Junction. Yeah. Glenn, what are you doing here? Sheriff, there's been a hold off in Overland Junction. Crooks robbed the express company and got away with $11,000. They hit it in this direction. Were there five of them? Mask? Yeah, that's right. You mean you've seen them? No, but they shot a man from this town. They're heading north of the main trail. They did. Our posse kept heading west looking for him. I was sent to ask if you'd help us search for the crook, Sheriff. The holdup wasn't in your county, but they shot a citizen of Chanceville. That brings this county into it. I'll round up a posse in a few minutes, Glenn. We'll ride with you and go north after those coyotes. The lone ranger and Tonto riding back from the mine along a back trail stopped on the outskirts of Chanceville's main street. Who's in the scout? Who's in the scout? Tonto, I'll remain here while you ride to see if Sheriff Harris is in his office. May not be long, Kimo Sabe. Get him up, scout. Oh, scum, ho, fella. Oh, no, you're back in a hurry. Sheriff Harris in his office? No, Kimo Sabe. Nobody in town. We look every place, see nobody. If that's the case, something's wrong. I wonder if... Oh, wait. There's a man on the main street now. We'll ride to him and ask if he knows where we may locate the sheriff. Come on, sir. 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. And Tuttle rode into Chanceville and hailed Dr. Tuttle. The elderly man was apprehensive, but the masked man assured him he knew Sheriff Harris. And soon the doctor told of Carter's shooting and the reason for the posse's leaving. He ended... I'd have gone with him, but I thought I'd better stay with Carter. Is Carter badly wounded? Well, he was hit in the shoulder and the side, but unless complications set in, I'd say he's in no danger of dying. No danger at all. Doctor, we met Aless Carter yesterday. He's the reason we're in town today. May we speak with him? Well, if he's awake, I don't see why you can't. Come inside with me. When they entered the bedroom of the doctor's house, Carter was deep in the sleep of exhaustion. While Dr. Tuttle and the Lone Ranger looked at the wounded man, Tuttle, standing behind them, idly studied the clothes that hung across a chair. Suddenly, his eyes gleamed and he handled the garments. Then he summoned the Lone Ranger to one side. Kimasabi, look at clothes on the chair. Tuttle whispered to the masked man, then both examined the blood-stained clothes once more. Then the Lone Ranger turned to Dr. Tuttle. Doctor, do you mind coming into the other room? Not at all. Come on. Something's wrong. What is it? We saw Ellis Carter wearing those clothes yesterday. Did he wear them when he was shot? Bloodstains should have told you that. But they don't. Unless you tell me how it's possible for a man to be shot in the side and shoulder without the bullets penetrating his clothes. What's that? You mean to say... I mean to say there's no sign of bullet marks in Carter's coat, vest, or shirt. Well, tarnation. I was so busy treating him, so taken up by the excitement of their getting a posse together, I didn't bother to look at his clothes. Evidently, the sheriff didn't either. Say, what do you make of a thing like that? For the moment, nothing. But it was suspicion of Carter that brought us to Chanceville. Despite his wounds, our suspicion of him is still great. Bullet business is peculiar to say the least. Doctor, Tonto and I have a quantity of silver ingots in our saddlebags. May we leave the bags here in your office for a while? Sure, bring the bags in here. I'll lock them in the closet. What do you plan to do? Tonto and I have time before it's necessary to continue our journey. The afternoon's still young. So we're riding north to look for Sheriff Harris. The silver ingots were left in the doctor's office. Then the lone ranger and Tonto sped out of Chanceville, crossed the main trail and continued northward. Hold her! Get up, Scott! Sheriff Harris and his posse had found no trail of the five horsemen Carter said had shot him. He turned the posse around and started back to the main trail. Riding beside Glenn Lassen and Tex White, Harris said, Carter must have made a mistake about the direction those hombres took. We'll go back to the main trail and see if we can't pick up their hope prints. We should have done that right off. We thought they'd come this way and then it... Hey, Sheriff, look. Riding this way. Two horsemen galloping like old Nick was chasing them. Whoa, whoa, whoa. All right, boys, hold up. Hey, one of them's an Indian. The one on the white horse's mask. Sheriff, this could be a couple of the coyotes we're in. No, wait, wait, man. Don't start reaching for your guns yet. We got them man on a white horse and an engine riding together could mean that... Oh, gone, that's who they are. I see them playing now. Move aside, let me through there. Come here. Man, these are friends, not crook. The lone ranger and Tonto greeted Sheriff Harris and told him what they knew about Ellis Carter. Harris was stunned. You mean he's a real dead shot? He told me he never handled a gun in his life. It's possible he never handled an artist's brush either. Sheriff, do you have any explanation why there were no bullet holes in his clothes? No. See here, do you think he had anything to do with the robbery at Overland Junction? I know none of the details. If you give them to me, I'll tell you what I think. Glenn Lassen here saw the holdup. Even plugged the leader of the gang. Shot him twice. I was... Sheriff, I hit him twice. You say this Carter... Yes, Glenn. He was shocked twice also. I see what you mean. Things continue to add up, Sheriff. They sure do. Imagine that polecat making me believe he was a tenderfoot namby-pamby. He was using me, that's what he was. Well, I'm going back to Chanceville. Sheriff, Todd and I saw where Carter rode from yesterday. Those rocky hills, especially up near the knob, would be an ideal spot for a gang to hide out. And a perfect place to hide stolen money. You got something there. How far was the place from the Chanceville Crossroad? Not more than two miles. Carter, wounded like he is, can keep. We'll look into those hills before we go back to town while there's still some daylight. Take us there, will you please? I'll be glad to. Come on, sit there. Tonto led the posse into the rock-strewn hills where they had seen Carter the previous day. It was there that Tonto caught the first sign of life above them. Look, up near peak. Yes, I see, Tonto. Sheriff, there's smoke rising from a spot behind that high rock up there. Yeah, it's just a wisp. But it's smoke, nevertheless. Someone's up there. And it's not hard to guess who they are. Well, let's go up and take them, men. No, wait, hold them, Sheriff. The way these hills are laid out, the chances are whoever's up there hasn't seen us approaching yet. Well, that's good. Only as long as they don't see you. That'll be bad. There are no trails up near the knob and the hill narrows up where the smoke is. If we try to ride their head on, they'll mow us down. That's my thought. Sheriff, let Tonto and me go on alone. Just the two of you? If those are the crooks, there's at least four of them up there. That's the chance we'll take. Now listen, here's what I have in mind. We'll go ahead. The Lone Ranger outlined a plan by which he and Tonto would ride to where the smoke was rising. Sheriff Harris agreed. In line with the plan, the posse would follow on foot. A few minutes later, the Lone Ranger and Tonto started their ride upward. Come on, sir. Get them up, scout. It was the crook named Doxy who, standing at the entrance of the cave, saw the masked man and Indian approaching. Red, Casey, Slim, get your guns, quick. There's two hombres coming here. Keep them covered. The four outlaws with guns leveled stood in the entrance to the cave. The Lone Ranger and Tonto showed no alarm as they rode up and dismounted. Doxy spoke as the strangers walked forward. Stand right where you are. Come another step and we fire. That would be foolish. You're making enough mistakes as it is. What? What's he mean by that? I mean you're foolish to have a fire inside that cave. Smoke's coming out to the top. It's a wonder the posse hasn't seen it by now. Casey, stop on that fire. All right, Doxy. Now, stranger, who are you? Why'd you tell us about the smoke? Yeah. And what's this stuff about our posse? There's a posse from Overland Junction after you. You should know that. Don't stand out here where you might be seen. Let's go inside. Don't move. I ask who you are. If I told you a friend, let's call him Carter, if I told you he's the reason I'm here, what would you say? Carter? He sent you here? Hey, Doxy, this hombre knows something. Slim, keep your gun up. Yeah. All right, you two. Come on inside. Now stand right there, both of you. Casey, you put the fire out, huh? Yeah. Now bring that lantern over here. Sure. Here you are. Leave it on the rock there. Now, masked man, what's this about Carter? I saw him in Chanceville a few hours ago in the doctor's office. He wasn't dead when I left him, but I'll tell you this much, he hasn't a chance. They're wise to him. They are. You mean they know he's Frank Grimes? They'll know it in a short time. I came up here to find you. Is the money safe? Yeah, it's still here. Hold it, Red. Why are you asking about the money? Why does anyone ask about money? I asked about it because I... Did you hear that? Hmm? Hear what? Outside. I heard someone outside. Hey, what is this? Red, go out there and seize this hombre. Right. Right. Red hurried outside the cave and returned about a minute later. I see there are men coming out of it here. I can see them among the rocks about 50 feet downhill. They're coming up slow. Don't let them. Get your guns out. Let's not be trapped in this cave. Now, look, I'm in charge here. Don't try to take over. You men want to get trapped in here? That's your business. I see. It's better outside. Well, he's right about that, boys. If it's a posse coming, we'll have to fight him outside. We can hold him off out there. Well, let's get out there, then. All right. I'll leave the way. Out of the way, engine. Stay here. We'll take care of this. Fred, you get behind the big rock to the left. Right. You, Casey, sprawl out behind that ledge over there. Right, Doc. Slim, you stay with Casey. If you mind, I'll stay with you. Get down, you crazy fool. They'll see you. Now, sprawl out, everybody. And don't shoot till you have a target. All right, stranger. You come over behind this rock with me. We can see him at any angle there. I'm with you. Is this the spot? Yeah, this is perfect. Now, kneel down here. And I'll take your gun. The Lone Ranger's gun descended on Doxy's head as the man sprawled unconscious. The Lone Ranger grabbed his gun and, crouching low, ran to where Red had taken his position behind another rock. Red. Now, what's the matter? What are you... I had to do it that way. He took Red's gun. He turned and saw Toto step from within the cave where the Indian had been left, ignored. The masked man signaled to the Indian and together they moved quietly to the boulder where Casey and Slim were crouching. Their guns pointed downward between clefts and the rocks. The Lone Ranger spoke. You'll not be using those guns. We'll take them. What's here? Casey, shoot! Oh! You're too slow, Casey. I'll kill you both. You're not! My wrist! It's bleeding! You shouldn't have tried to shoot. If you hadn't, you'd have enjoyed a short sleep like your partners are taking. Toto, call down to the posse. Tell Sheriff Harris we have some presents for him. A surprised posse in response to Toto's summons scrambled to the spot where three unconscious and one wounded man were spread out on the ground near the cave. There they are, Sheriff. From what one of them said, you'll find the express company loot in the cave. These are the crooks then, eh? Carter's men? They're the ones we're after. But they're Frank Grimes' men. You've heard of Frank Grimes? The bad man from Kansas territory? Why, sure. Well, your friend Carter is really Frank Grimes. Hey, there's a big reward offered for him. And he'll go to you. You and nobody else. Well, if you think I'm entitled to the reward, I'll accept it. But I'll donate it to the Reverend Winthrop in Overland Junction. He's building a church there and he needs financial help. Hale, if you say so, that's what we'll do. He and all the people in the territory will be grateful. Now, Sheriff, you have your crooks and the leaders in Chanceville. While you're marching these men down to where your horses are, I'll take Tonno back to town. We'll see that Carter, Grimes, I mean, makes no attempt to escape. That's perfect. Will you stay overnight? No, Sheriff. When Grimes is in your custody, we'll continue our journey. We have an appointment with Reverend Winthrop in the morning. We'll see you. Come, Donno. Doggone, Sheriff, there goes a man. After all he did in a couple of hours, I'd say he was an army of men all rolled into one. And when you say that, there's still much more to say about him. You see, he's the Lone Ranger. This is a feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated, created by George W. Trendle, produced by Trendle Campbell Muir Incorporated, directed by Charles D. Livingston, and edited by Fran Stryker. The part of the Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beamer.
