A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty high-o'-silver, the Lone Ranger. Heroic deeds and actions of the famous masked rider of justice live on and on, despite the fact that the history of the United States does not record any of his stirring adventures. Today we thrill to another daring ride with the phantom figure of the plains. Here he comes astride the great horse, Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again. Come on! The town of Bixby was a typical mining community of the Old West, supplying the necessary equipment of the prospectors and providing recreation for those who had struck it rich enough to patronize the many cafes lining the main street. Lem Purvis, a seasoned veteran of the hills, was celebrating the sale of his gold claim. And as the action of our story begins, we see him surrounded by a number of his friends. The Lone Ranger, unmasked but wearing a disguise, is also present. Just step right there, boys. The drinks is on me. Come on, boys. Step up. Lem Purvis is buying. What's a celebration? Lem sold his mine. Got $200 for it. Come on. Join the fun. Lem's luck has changed, sure enough. Won't Tom Gordon be surprised when he hears about it? He ought to be. Told me this here sample ore weren't no good. Told me my mine was worthless. First worthless mine I seen to pay $200. Have you had the aura, Saint? Yes, stranger. It ain't even worth the effort of digging it out in the ground. What do you mean? I mean it ain't what it looks. It ain't no good. But that eastern dude, Carter Dodgen, bought my mine lock, stock, and barrel when he seen this here sample. How do you know this sample is worthless? How do I know? That's a good one. I took it to the assay office and had the assay clerk, Tom Gordon, test it for me. That's how. And Gordon, he said the mine weren't worth working. When Carter Dodgen offered to buy her mine, did he know about the assay? Of course not. Dotson come snooping around with that sneering way of his and thought he was putting something over on me, buying the mine for what he paid. I just shut up and let him talk himself into buying it. Never did like that Dotson fellow, no how. He's got it coming to him. About time he was given a little of his own medicine. Slicked up Easterner. Carter Dodgen represents the gold mining syndicate, doesn't he? Yeah, that's right, stranger. Has he been here long? Nope. Come from the east about two months ago. He's been trying all sorts of tricks on the boys here. I'd like to see his face when he finds out that Betsy Ann is worthless. He'd sure be mad. He might come gunning for you, lad. No chance of that. He's an Easterner, ain't he? May I see that sample of all of them? Shook, stranger. No reason why not. Here it is. Say, I ain't seen you around these parts before, have I? I don't suppose you have. You seem powerful, interested in things, and you sort of talk like an Easterner. You ain't a friend of Carter Dodgen, are you? I don't know, Dodgen. That's strange. What do you mean? This ore is rich. No, it ain't, stranger. All it is is fool's gold. I thought it was gold at first, but it ain't. This is not fool's gold. Oh, I had to test it, I tell you. There's Tom Gordon heading this way. He can prove it. He's in the USA office. Tom, come here. Lem wants you. I'm coming. Hey, Lem. Gosh, he's excited about something. Tom, listen. We've been talking enough. That ore of yours? What about that ore? I don't know how to say it. Well, what is it? What's the matter? I made a mistake, Lem. A mistake? Yeah, an awful mistake. I gave you the wrong assay. What? The wrong assay? You mean on my mind? Yeah. You found Lem's ore to be valuable after all? That's right, stranger. Lem, I don't know what to say about it. I heard about you selling the Betsy Ann. You mean to tell me the Betsy Ann is worth something? Yeah? That's just it. It's worth a lot, Lem. I can't believe it. It's the truth. I wouldn't have had it happen for nothing. But I tell you... How valuable is the Betsy Ann? I reckon the ore run over $25 a ton. And I sold the whole claim to Dodson for $200. I wish I'd have found out sooner. I sure do, Lem. You wish? Why, you don't... Lem, you better watch out. So, you made a mistake. Yeah. I told you that I... Seems to me that's a pretty good mistake you made for the Easterner. What do you mean? I'll tell you what I mean. Dodson stands to make thousands of dollars out in my mine. Yeah, but I'm... And with two days around the USA office, you didn't find out the mistake till I'd shined over the mine. I know. But, Lem... Shut up! You don't make much money on that job of yours, Gordon. You might be able to stand a little extra cash, mightn't you? Lem, you... I've been slaving for years to get a good claim, living from hand to mouth. And then you make a mistake! I've been robbed, that's what. You robbed me of my rightful money. Careful, Lem. You keep out of this, stranger. I'm beginning to catch on to things around here. He's got a gun! Lem! Don't shoot! You can't do it! I ain't got a gun with me! You can't shoot me down! You change them samples of purpose, and you'll pay for it! You can't rob Lem Purvis and get away with it! Lem, put down your gun! I won't! Gordon, you're gonna pay! Don't! My hand! You shot me! You're not hurt, Lem. I simply knocked your gun out of your hand. I could have got that crook if you hadn't interfered. You'd shot Tom, Gordon. You'd have hung for murder. That's all, but he stole from me. You've no proof of that. It's your word against his. That's right. I swear it was a mistake. A darn convenient one for Dodgson. Quiet! Gordon, whose report did you confuse with Lem? Jeff Solis, mister. He'll be powerful disappointed when he finds out his mine ain't worth nothing after all. Disappointed? That's a mild word for what he'll be, Tom. Maybe he can still take that offer Dodgson made him. What offer? Dodgson offered him a thousand dollars for his mine, but Jeff laughed at him. If Dodgson don't know about the mix-up yet, maybe Jeff can take up that offer. Are you going to tell Jeff about it? You're darn right, mister, and I'm gonna do that same now. I just hope I'm in time. It's some ride to his place. Two hundred dollars. I reckon I'll clear out myself. Hold on, Gordon. I got more to say to you. Take it easy, Lem. I'll see you when you cool off, Lem. The trouble with you is you got a low boiling point. I read it. I bet he'd done it a purpose. If only I was sure... You'll never find out by shooting him. Let him go. See what happens next. When Tom Gordon left the cafe, the Lone Ranger followed the young man. On his way, he met Tonto and told the Indian what he'd overheard in the cafe. Together, they continued after Tom until the young man stopped at a house some distance ahead. He's stopping at the Widow Simms' place, Kemosabe. That's where Carter Dodson is staying. That's right. We leave our horses here and go on foot. I want to hear what Gordon tells Dodson. Oh, Silver. Oh, boy. Oh, hi, Tonto. You must go carefully, Tonto. If he sees us, we'll learn nothing. Oh, that's right. He's going inside now. Dodson, Tonto, open door. Yes, I see. Quiet, Tonto. Well, we have much farther to go. We get near, Winder. Careful. Gordon seems to be excited. Must be telling Dodson everything that happened in the cafe. Here we are. Listen, Tonto. And if that stranger in the cafe hadn't shot Lem's gun away before Lem had a chance to shoot me... A stranger? Who was he? I didn't find out. Oh, what'd he interfere for? I don't know that either. I guess that isn't important anyhow. What else made you think these miners suspect our scheme? Why, nothing else. Then why did you come here? I had to warn you. Warn me that a miner was angry when he heard his mine hadn't panned out like he wanted it to? Why, uh... Get some sense, Tom. Things are working out just like I planned. But I don't see how you figure that. Lem Purvis simply lost his head when he heard the mine he'd sold to me for $200 was worth a lot more. He called me a crook. Did the rest of the men call you a crook, too? No. Then don't worry about it. All right. As long as you stick to your story, they'll think Lem's raving mad about losing money. They may think you're stupid, but they won't think you're crooked. And even if they do, they can't prove it. The least ways not till we've cleaned up and got out of here. That's right. And how about Jeff Salter? You think it's all right to go on like we planned about him? Why not? You don't think he'll get suspicious about the mixed assays? Our scheme is foolproof. No one can prove anything against us. You made a mistake, and I was lucky enough to cash in on it. And that's all. Yeah. Maybe you're right. Jeff Salter owns one of the richest mines in the region. And Lem Purvis' mine is almost as good. Yeah. You made Lem Purvis think his mine was worthless, and he sold it to me for $200. I know that, but I can't... Then you claim you got the assays mixed, and tell Jeff his claim is worthless. And Jeff takes you up when that $1,000 offer you made him. Right. He'll think he's putting one over on me by taking me up on the offer before I find out his mine is no good. It's a pretty slick scheme, Dodson. We'll pay Jeff Salter the $1,000, and then when we have the deeds, we'll clear out. Then send men back here to work the mines, and we collect the profits? Exactly. If they ever realize they've been swindled, we'll be so far away they'll never catch up with us. When are we clearing out? All we're waiting for is to get the Salter claim. I told him I'd call on him today to see if he'd change his mind about selling. Yeah? I'll start out for his place in about an hour. That will give that friend of his time to get to him and tell him his mine is worthless. Yeah. As soon as he signs over the papers, we'll start for the East. We can't be stopped now. No. And we get two valuable mines for just $1,200. Mines that'll yield us a fortune. We'll be rich. You'd better ride over to Salter's with me. If he sees me, he's... He doesn't have to see you. You can stay back a ways. But I don't want you too far from me until this is all settled. Why? I don't want you to get scared again and get out of control. You're riding with me. We're leaving in an hour. And you're staying right here until we do. And we've got our horses. Hello. Did you hear what they said? Mm-hmm. Me here. We must get back to our horses quickly. There's no time to lose. You got the plan? I have an idea, Tonto, that might work. If we just told Jeff Salter about the scheme, we'd save his mine. But that wouldn't help Lem Purvis. What we must do is find some way to jail those crooks. Isn't that right? Here, Silver. White fellow. We'll go out and call on Jeff Salter. And then, Kimo Sapi, you'll talk to Carter Dodson. Is my mask tight? Oh. Good. Come on then, Tonto. It's a long ride of Jeff Salter's mine. Come on, Silver. The curtain falls on the first act of our thrilling Lone Ranger drama. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Now to continue our story. Carter Dodson of an eastern mining syndicate and Tom Gordon, the assay clerk in the town of Bixby, plotted to cheat Lem Purvis and Jeff Salter out of their claims by substituting false reports on the value of their mines. Lem, believing his claim worthless, sold to Dodson. But the Lone Ranger in town to overheard the plot to get Salter's mine in a similar manner and decided to do something about it. We hear the horse is coming to a stop in front of Salter's mine. Oh, Silver. Oh. Who's there? Is it Dodson? I want to talk to you, Mr. Salter. A masked man. A mask means nothing. It means just one thing to me, mister. Outlaw. You and that red skin are after my ghoul, ain't you? No, we're not, Jeff. Then why'd you come here masked? You had an offer to buy your mine, didn't you, Jeff? Yeah, and what about it? Are you planning to accept the offer? What difference does it make to you whether I sell my mine or not? Just this, Salter. You heard that your assay was mixed up and your mine really worthless, didn't you? Yeah, but how? What you heard is not true. What do you mean? I mean that it's a scheme to get your mine for a fraction of its actual worth. You mean it's a put-up job with Reed Dodson and Tom Gordon? Exactly. Why those dirty... Wait a minute, mister. How do I know you're telling the truth? Where do you come in? You'll have to take my word for it, Jeff. Then all you're doing is warning me? Not quite. Huh. I might have known a masked man is... Wait. I told you I wanted to warn you against the thieves, but I also want your help. My help? What can I do? I have a plan to catch those crooks so they'll not be able to swindle other people. I want you to help me. Darn this thing I ever see. Mask and not an outlaw. Helping people and wanting nothing for it. I like your style, mister. Tell me what you want me to do and we'll see about doing it. All right then, Jeff. Listen carefully. Here's the plan. I have it in mind. The Lone Ranger and Tonto left the old prospector shortly before Dodson arrived. The Easterner did not suspect that his plans were known. Oh. Oh. Oh there. Oh. Oh. Hello, Salter. I'm here just as I told you I'd be. Have papers with me and everything. All set aside. I'm sure you thought this thing over carefully. I have. That's good. You can't go far wrong on taking a thousand dollars for this mine of your Salter. Of course it is worth a bit more, but... It's worth a darn sight more than one thousand to me, Dodson. Huh? I told you I'd thought it over. And I still say you ain't buying this here mine. But I thought... Never mind what you thought. I ain't selling. And just to show you how much I'm backing on this here mine, I'll tell you something. What's that? Tom Gordon made a mistake, an assay in the mine. And now he says it ain't worth a cent. You mean... In spite of that, I'm still holding on to it. But if it's worthless... You won't get it. Worthless or not. But I don't see why... I ain't selling. Now get. Very well, Salter. But you may change your mind before very long. Get up there. Come on. Get up. Up there. Get up. So I won't get it. We'll see about that. I can't afford to let Salter's mine slip through my fingers. And there's Tom coming to meet me. Oh, boy. Oh, boy. Steady, boy. Well, Dodson, everything all set? All set, nothing. What do you mean? That old fool Salter won't sell his mine. Won't sell? No. What went wrong, Dodson? Salter doesn't seem to believe the story. He still thinks his mine is worth something. He told me he wouldn't sell for any price. What are we going to do now? I don't know. There must be some way to get hold of that mine. What's that? I don't know. Sounded like something moving. It was right over there. Hey, look. It's a man. He's Herbert, we said. Get him out of there. You come out of them bushes and keep your hands high. Me come. A red skin. And you understand English? Oh, me savvy. Me here. You talk about gold mine. A smart Indian. Maybe me help you. What do you mean? How could you help? You want mine? Yes, that's right. What were you thinking of? Maybe feller take trip. Maybe he could. A nice long trip. I was thinking about that myself. You mean that I... I mean we can't argue that old coot out of his mind. But there's one way of getting hold of it that's sure. You wouldn't... That mine's worth any risk, Gordon. If Jeff Salter was to disappear... You'd let this engine murder him? That's exactly what I'd do. Me fix Salter. You maybe pay me. I thought you might be hired. But Dodson, murder... What the Indian does won't involve us. With Salter out of the way, we can get his mine. How? You will see that folks think he signed his mine over to us and left town. But if they don't believe it, if we're caught, we'll hang. Murder is nothing to fool with. We won't get caught. I don't like it, Dodson. I don't care whether you like it or not. Do as I say. Now listen carefully. Yeah? I have it all figured out. The Indian will go back to the mine now and take care of Jeff Salter. You understand, Indian? Me savvy. I'll pay you when you've got the job done. Tom, we'll ride back to town. Yeah? We'll take the bill of sale with us. You'll sign Jeff Salter's name. Forge it? Of course. Then you act as if you'd been hunting for me all day to tell me about the mixing up of the two assays and ask me if I bought Jeff's mine. What for? When you ask me about the mine, I'll show you the paper as proof that I bought it. Yeah? Then I'll go into a rage about being swindled out of $1,000 by Salter. And then? We'll go to the sheriff. Take him out to call on Jeff Salter. When they don't find any trace of him, they'll think he skipped town with my $1,000 cash. I see. Then you leave town and I'll have someone else making a say on mine and find it might pay me to keep the papers Jeff Salter's sign. What about the engine? Redskin, you're not to leave any trace of Jeff's things. Take them all away. Me do. You'll get what's coming to you after we get that mine. When Dodson returned to town, it was taken for granted he had bought Salter's mine without realizing its worthlessness. Dodson, relying upon this impression, stormed into the sheriff's office. He cheated me, Sheriff. Maybe so, maybe not. He did. He knew that mine was worthless when he sold it to me. Can you prove that, Dodson? I'll prove it, all right. I'll prove it if you'll come out there with me. Well, I... All of you come. I'm going to have the law on Jeff Salter. He can't swindle me like this. Are you coming or not? All right, Dodson. They can now have to. That their bill of sale looks binding, though. It won't be if we can prove a swindle. If he confesses. We'll see, we'll see. Come on, boys. We'll go call on Jeff. Anything to please this gentleman. It wouldn't do for an eastern dude to be swindled. It's different when the shoe's on the other foot, ain't it, Dodson? Come on, let's go. Get on your horse, man. I'm coming, too. It'll be right enjoyable seeing Dodson face Jeff's shoulder. I'll prove I'm right. Come on. Tom Gordon has to come, too. He's the one who can prove that Jeff Salter knew about that mine. Yeah, I'm coming, Dodson. Get up there. Come on. Get up there. Come on. There's the mine now. Your mine, Dodson. Looks kind of deserted, don't it? Jeff was in that shack where the mine entrance when I left. He ain't around there now. Maybe he's inside the shack or down in the mine. Hold it. Get him. Get him. Get him. Jeff. Jeff Salter. He don't answer. We'd better look around inside. Yeah, you look in the shack and I'll take a look in the tunnel. Maybe he's run out with the money. Don't go speculating. We'll find out for sure where he is. Sheriff. Yeah? Sheriff, Jeff's thing was mostly cleaned out of the cabin. The tools are gone. So is his extra clothes. Is he in the mine? Jeff's not in the mine, Sheriff. I called down the tunnel and didn't get no answer. That proves he swindled me. That proves it. It don't prove anything of the sort. Since Jeff ain't around here to talk for himself, Dodson, I'm afraid you're going to have to keep this mine. Keep it? That there paper looks legal enough, and I don't see there's a thing I can do about it. But if Tom Gordon tells you that... I reckon that signed paper means more than Gordon's word. This is your claim now. I reckon we can start back for town, boys. What's that? Sounded like stones sliding in the tunnel. I'm going to see. Yeah, sure. Let's hold it. Come on, Dodson. We'll see what's going on in there. Yes. Yes, sure. Come on, Gordon. It's an engine. What's he doing here? Drag him out. What were you doing in Jeff's hole in his mind? Me, not tell. Maybe he was stealing ore. Maybe Jeff didn't run off after all. Maybe this redskin killed him. That's right. Make him talk. Where's Jeff? What about it, engine? You better talk. Because we ain't none too friendly with redskins in these parts. Don't, son, fella. Tell me. Come here. Take care. Salter. That's a lie. If anything's happened to Jeff Salter, he did it. Yeah. The engine planned it. He's the one. Shut up, you fool. There was a plan to kill Salter. Yes. No. No. Tom Gordon was talking to the redskin. Maybe he planned to kill Salter. What? It was Dotson's idea. He wanted Salter's mine. It was him schemed it all. He schemed to get Lem Purvis mine, and then schemed to kill Salter to get his. Sheriff is lying. I ain't lying. He made me sign Jeff's name to that bill of sale, and he hired the engine to kill Jeff. You double-crusher. Shut up, Dotson. So you swindled Lem Purvis out of his mine. I killed Jeff to get his. That's right, Sheriff. He did it all. Time up, boys. I got a rope right there. You got to prove Jeff's dead. We can jail you for fortune's name to the bill of sale. We don't need to find Jeff. Have you evidence enough to convict them without murder, Sheriff? Who are you? If you're one of them. I'm not one of them. I asked you if you could jail them without proving murder. Jail them and hang them. All three of them blame schemers. You can't hold the Indians, Sheriff. Who says I can't? He's done nothing wrong. He's the one suggested that... Jeff! Jeff, he's dead. Here I am, boys. I was in that tunnel, too. What the masked man says is right. What are you doing here? You're supposed to be dead. Well, I ain't. You see, Sheriff, this masked man and a friend got me to help and them show that Dodson Tom Gordon was crook. Why, you? For the sakes. And I reckon he done it. He sure did. They won't need no minds where they're going. You and Lem are sure lucky the masked man and that engine showed up. Say, where did they get to? Hey, hold on, you two. What you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger, Incorporated.
