 A fiery horse with a speed of light, a clot of dust, and a hearty hi-o-silver, the Lone Ranger. With his faithful Indian companion, Toto, the daring and resourceful Mask 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. The naked bolts of lightning streak across the sky as night riders revved on on the small ranch owned by Cephas Gilder, and when they left they took the bar-sea cattle with them. Come on! Get going there! Come to the south! The herd was driven into a rope corral in a nearby valley where men were waiting with fires to heat their running irons. All right, you men have your orders. Hurry up and change those brands. I promise delivery of this stock by daybreak. We'll make delivery all right, Mo. We get a lot of time. The settlers were headed by the Barton brothers, three in number who had settled in the town of Sagebrush in the heart of the cattle country. They had achieved power and influence as well as money in an incredibly short time. It was generally supposed that cattle stealing played an important part in their progress, but this could not be proved. Everyone, including the sheriff, found himself helpless against Mo Barton and his brothers Jake and Hank. Tato, the Lone Ranger's faithful Indian companion, had gone into Sagebrush to investigate the rumors. The masked man was waiting in camp. When he saw Tato returning, he knew that he had brought news. I wouldn't push his horse at that pace unless he'd found trouble. We'll settle up, Silver. It's any boy easy. What is it, Tato? There's plenty trouble, Timo Savi. You get ready to ride. Yes, I'll have Silver settled in just a minute. What did you find out in Sagebrush? I'll me learn all about three brothers. They're as bad as we heard. Well, them worse. Some ranches already leave town. Others plan to go. What about the law? We'll share with him helpless. A fellow named Gilder. Him need help plenty quick. Gilder? Ah, on way to town you see cabin near Bending River. That's where Gilder live. Anything else to tell me? Well, you'll learn plenty at Gilder cabin. All right, Tato. I'll go on ahead. Easy big fella. Cephas Gilder had known happiness in a small cabin near the river bend, but that was before the coming of the Barton brothers. Hunger, discouragement and defeat were the dominant forces in the Gilder home. Pam, I've thought it over from every angle. Cephas, please. I've sat for half an hour just like I promised. But instead of being calmed down a matter and ever, look at Billy there, sick and hungry. Look at you, starving. Cephas, I'm not starving and it isn't hunger that's wrong with our boy. Billy is sick. Of course he's sick, but the right food would help. I'll tell you Anne, Mo Barton is trying to lick me. And it looks like he'll do it unless I get... Maybe it'd be better if we just leave here and go somewhere else. That's just what Barton wants. That's why he stole my cattle. You can't prove that he... You can't prove. You can't prove. That's just the trouble. Nothing can be proved against the Bartons. But I know who stole my cattle. I know who cut off our credit at the store. It's Barton. He and his brothers want me to vacate so they can grab this land. Please, please, Cephas. If you've got to see Barton, don't take that gun. If you're unarmed, he can't shoot you. He's been asking for a showdown and he's going to get it. I'll call on him in his cafe. No, no, please. If he could only realize that one man can't beat the Barton brothers. Never. Mother. Oh, Billy. You're awake. Mommy, where's Daddy going? He's gone into town, dear. He had some business to take care of. Now, how do you feel after your nap? I guess I'm all right. But it's so hot here. It's not too hot, Billy. It's just your imagination. Why, it's cooler today than it was yesterday. I'm hot. I can hardly breathe. I'll fix you some broth. I'm not hungry. You're a horse. Maybe your father's changed his mind. Maybe he's come back. Mommy, he's mask. I came to see your husband. No, no, please go away. My son isn't well. Tell Mr. Barton to send you some other time. Later. Or later, please. Any time, but not now. Barton didn't send me here. We have nothing worth stealing. Please, Mr. I didn't come here to steal anything. I came to help you. Perhaps I were it so the Barton brothers won't know the identity of a man who sides against them. You're siding against the Barton brothers? What's the matter, son? Are you under the weather? I'm all right. Let me feel your forehead. Billy has a fever. How's the doctor been here? There is no doctor in sagebrush. I'm all right. I don't need a doctor. How old are you, Billy? I'm 12. I have some medicine in my saddlebag. It'll make you feel much better. Will you step outside, Mrs. Giller? Yes, of course. Good. Do you think Billy is... is seriously ill? Here's the medicine. Give Billy a teaspoon full of it right away. I'm sure it will help. I don't understand you, mister. An Indian is on the way. He's my friend. You stay with you and Billy. But who are you? I'm talking about the Barton brothers. I'd heard that they were trying to take over this community. And I wanted to learn if that was true. It's true, all right. I'd like to talk to your husband. Cephas. Oh, my sakes alive. I forgot about poor Cephas. He's gone into town. He'll be shot. Shot? He went to the cafe to have a showdown with Mo Barton and his brothers. Barton's own cafe? Yes. Antonio comes to stay here till I return. Where are you going? There were quite a few people in the cafe during the afternoon. And all three Barton brothers were on hand. They looked up when Cephas Gilder came through the bat-wing doors holding his gun in readiness. Mo, look at that fool. Looks like he wants trouble. Well, he'll be accommodated. Thanks for watching. You, Mo Barton. You're the one I want to see. What's the matter with you, Gilder? Have you lost your senses? That's it all. I'm going to stand from you. I'm here for a showdown. I'm here for a showdown. Hang on to him, Hank. Drop that gun. That's the ticket, Jake. No use trying to get away. You're lucky I just cracked your arm. When a man comes waving hardware like you, he deserves to be shot. What's the matter with you, Gilder? You, who three Bartons... I guess I was just playing local to think I could come here waving a gun. I should have known better. But my boy's sick. Listen, Mo. You know that I was cleaned up by rustlers? I know that you said a lot of things around town hinting that my brothers and I stole your cattle. I've got to have cash. I've got to have money enough to get some food and to bring a doctor from North Flat. So you came here with a gun to stick us up, huh? I'm so worried. I don't know what I'm doing. All you've got to do is pull out of here. But the land is all I've got. The land and that house I built. You can't make a living in Sagebrush. Go somewhere else. I can't even do that with my boys. They're sick. Look here, Mo. I know you'd like to get my land. Well, you can have it. Just give me cash enough to get on my feet and get a doctor for my boy. When he's well, I'll clear out. Oh. So you want to sell me your land? Just a little cash so I can get some goods at the store. A little cash won't help you. You owe the store over $100. You can't get food until it's paid up. If you think I'm going to pay $100 for your land, you're crazy. It's worth a lot more and you know it. Not to me. Put them out, Hank. Wait! I'll give you a hand, Hank. We toss them clean over the hitch rail. Who's that? Who are you, mister? What's the idea of wearing a mask in my cafe? You fit the description of Mo Barton. That's my name. You're Hank. Yeah. I'm giving you just two seconds to get out of here. And you can take Gilder along with you. Take me longer than that to deliver a message to you three. I said two seconds, mister. And the time is up. Oh. What are you going to do about it? This! No! Anyone else want to go for a gun? My arms busted! How did you get that gun out so fast? Ask your brother, Jake. He was watching me. You'll pay for that, mister. His arm isn't broken. My bullet hit his gun. Barton, you're the one who's going to pay. That's big talk for one man. I'll try to back it up. Gilder, you better get back to your house. I'll be a man there to take care of your son. Who are you? My name wouldn't mean a thing. But this bullet may identify me. Here, Barton, take a look. What's that mean? It looks like silver. It is silver. Silver? A silver bullet? The men in the café who had been watching Barton's table with keen interest had heard many stories of a tall masked man who was identified by a silver bullet. A ripple of low murmurs swept the room. A lone ranger. Oh, you're the lone ranger. We've heard about you, mister. You've been riding in pretty good luck so far. You said to be a smart hombre. Well, if you're really smart, you'll get out of this town and fast. Is that all you have to say? Hank said all it needs to be said. And it's my turn to speak. Barton, you and your brothers have been driving honest men out of this community to make room for crooks like yourselves. You're calling us crooks? Yes, you've robbed and cheated. You've stolen cattle. You're making accusations, mister, but when it comes to backing them with proof, you did steal Gilder's cattle. Anyone will tell you there's been crooks working around here. And you don't know anything about it? Of course not. You don't know where the Gilder cattle was taken? How would I know? You'd better know, Barton. Because if Gilder's cattle isn't back on his land by sunrise, we'll meet again. All the rest of you men, you heard what I said. I'm giving Barton until sunrise to return the stolen cattle to Gilder. Go on, Gilder. Walk ahead of me. I'll ride back to your house with you. Get going. I wonder if one of you men is going to try a shot at my back when I leave this place. I doubt it. Hank, you've got a gun. I'm not taking any chances, boy. Anyway, he's already outside. Run up to the door and throw a bullet into his back. No, not me. It's too dangerous. He's a lone ranger. The curtain falls on the first act of our lone ranger story. Before the next exciting scenes, we'll pause for just a few moments. Howl to continue our story. After leaving the café and the Barton brothers, the lone ranger accompanied Cephas Gilder home. During the ride, the masked man outlined a plan. The idea came to me, Gilder, when Tonto told me about the ranches around here. Friends of the Barton brothers who have been able to increase their herds. Mr., as soon as I see how my boy is, I'll do anything you suggest. If necessary, I'll ask Tonto to ride with the nearest doctor. That'd be North Flat. Take a long time to get the doctor from there. We'll see what Tonto says. You could've knocked me over with a feather when the boys in the café called you the lone ranger. I hope that someone would know the meaning of a silver bullet. Someone? Sakes alive most everyone in the café knew what it meant. That paint horse there. Well, that's Tonto's. He's the Indian you spoke of? Yes. There he is at the door. How's the boy? He's got plenty fever. Is it any worse? A mythic cold towel. Plenty blankets. Tonto, you think you'll get well from him sleep now? Maybe fever breaks soon. Gilder, I want you to go to the sheriff's office. What'll I tell him? I know the sheriff Lawson would like to get something on the Barton brothers. If you cooperate in our plan, he may get the evidence he wants before daybreak. Mr., you don't expect the Bartons to do as you told him. All the Barton brothers then have to return the Gilder cattle by daybreak or take the consequences. There are a lot of men in the café and every one of them heard me. The Bartons won't do that. I didn't expect them to. I get back to your horse Gilder and ask the sheriff if he'll line up some deputies and ride with us tonight. All right, I'll ask him. But just one thing. What's that? Will it be all right to tell sheriff Lawson he needs to ride with the lone ranger? Yes. As I can and let you know what he says. He's here. Tato had made a fairly complete investigation in the vicinity of Sage Brush and had gathered information upon which the masked man based his plan. That night after dark a party of horsemen moved across the plain. The sheriff rode between Gilder and the lone ranger. A group of riders all sworn in as deputies were close behind. Right up right here. Right up, boss. Why are we stopping here, mister? Sheriff, this is where we go to action. We'll ride over Yonder and the valley is a boxhole ranch. That's right, Sheriff. The owner is a friend of Mo Barton. His name's Grogan, Sam Grogan. He's an honorary critter. Tato reported that Grogan recently doubled the size of his herd. He did. And it's pretty generally suspected that he bought stolen cattle. Grogan's cattle is all branded with a boxhole. It would be a simple matter to make a boxhole out of the bar sea by using a running iron. That's just what was done. I'm sure of it. If that could only be proved. Maybe we can prove it. What do we do now? Sheriff, just ahead of us, there's a line fence. Yep, there's Grogan. We've got to take down that fence and move some of the cattle out and repair the fence. After that, we're going to use a running iron. Do you have one, don't you see this? Yeah, I made one. Well, there's a law against using her own in a running iron. Tonight we're adapting the law to local conditions. Now come on, let's get the work on that fence. Come on, boy. At the line fence, two of the sheriff's men stepped forward with wire cutters, snipping the wire. There's one strand cut. All right, get the hilly. That's it. I'll pull the wire back. All right, I'll get it. I sure hope Grogan don't hear what's going on. I don't think he will. The house is a long way from here. I'll kill it. Let them over this way. Getting hard, the deputies followed the directions of the masked man, cutting about 50 longhorns away from the rest of the livestock. Keep them close together. Ride them through that opening in the fence. It has shown up, my cattle. Get up there. Get along, you pricks. Go on back home. There was no interference as the night riders drove a closely packed herd through the opening in the fence, then on toward Cephas Gilder's ranch. When the small herd was back on Gilder property, the sheriff and his men built fires, heated a running iron, and went to work with dispatch to help Cephas enlarge and change the already altered marks of identification on the longhorns. The lone ranger, meanwhile, kept a sharp watch in the direction of Sam Grogan's spread. Oh, Grogan and Cephas, I'm sure stretching the law. This plan misfires? I'll be out of a job. I know you will, sheriff. Be out of a job anyway if the Barton brothers became more powerful and have their own, sheriff. I reckon that's right. I wish I knew how my boy was coming. Thought it was spinning the night in the house, Gilder. You come here for your police condition, gets critical. All right, let that critter up. Get out of the next room. Just three or four more, sheriff, we'll be through. Hey! You watching for Grogan? Yes, sheriff. There's been no sign of him or his men. We must have got away from the bark so without being heard. Grogan will miss his cattle in the morning. That's when you can look for him, Cephas. I just hope things work out. Wait a minute. Someone's coming. I hear hooves. He's coming from the direction of my place. Yes, it's Toto. The Indian, he's coming here. You said he'd come if Billy got worse. Where do we hear what Tono has to say? What is it, Tono? What is it? What about my boy? Me coming with news. Yes, yes, I know. Good news. Did you say good news? I swear. That's a good sign. Now people are broken. Now you know, boy, get well. He's going to get well. He's going to get well. That means I've got to keep this range. It means I've got to make Sagebrush a fit place to live in. It means we've got to put the buttons where they belong. Hurry up, boys. Get finished with that, Brandon. And we'll see what happens when Sam Grogan comes here in the morning. Breakfast time found Billy Gilder in bed, greatly improved and taking nourishment from a bowl of bor-broth prepared by Tonto. Mrs. Gilder was serving breakfast provided by the Lone Ranger to her husband and the sheriff as well as the mask man. Pass your cup, Sheriff. I'll warm up your coffee. That's right. Fine coffee, Miss Gilder. No, we're beholden to the mask man for the food. I... Anne, what's the matter? Look out the window. Over yonder. Let me see. Maybe that's what we've been waiting for. See if those are Grogan's men. Yeah. And there's Grogan himself. Examining the cattle that came in here last night. Well, that's what we've been waiting for. Where are you going? I'm going to talk to Grogan. When he leaves here, he'll head for the home of the Barton brothers. And that's my cue. You know the plan. You bet I do. You can count on me for my part. Gilder, you stay right here at home with your boy. You won't be needed at the showdown. Gosh Anne, what did we ever do to deserve the help of the Lone Ranger? Mo Barton and his brothers Hank and Jake had finished their breakfast. They lingered at the table. Ah, confounded Hank. The more I think about it, the more I wish you'd thrown a couple of shots at that mask man yesterday. Yeah, I saw what happened to you, Jake, when you went for a gun. And that critter's bullet hit my sixth gun. Felt like my whole arm was blowed off. My hand's still lame. You're lucky you got a hand. Hey Mo, what do you suppose he meant by telling us we better return to Gilder Cattle? I don't care what he meant. Think he can make trouble for us? How can he? Would've made trouble if we had returned to Cattle. That would've been the same as confessing we stole it. Maybe that's what he hoped it happened. Speaking of the Gilder Cattle, I just saw Sam Grogan pass the window. Said who rained up? I ain't Sam. What's the matter with you? Put that gun down. I'll put it down when I get what I came for. You're a fine friend, Mo. Did you think I'd let you get away with robbing me like you did the others? Sam, I don't know what you're talking about. That was in the cafe yesterday when the Lone Ranger told you what to do. But I didn't think you'd do it. Return to Gilder Cattle. I thought you were too big to be bluffed by a man that wears a mask. Get him. You're taking orders from the Lone Ranger. Oh, like fun I am. Don't lie to me. I know what I saw. I missed cattle from my ranch this morning. My father cleared tracks right straight. The Gilder spread. And I recognized my own critters. The ones I bought from you. With your boxhole brand? My boxhole brand. The boxholes become the double box lazy eight. I never heard of it. Well, that's a brand and it's registered. And the Gilder owns it. Well, Sheriff, you made my brand and the double box lazy eight. Just the same as you made the bar scene to a boxhole when you sold that stock to me. You sold me Gilder's cattle. It was stolen cattle. And you knew it was stolen cattle. How was I to know? Why, you foreflusher, you knew you weren't getting honest cattle for the price you paid me. You knew it was stolen cattle when you bought it. And you're dead wrong when you accused me of taking it away from you and running it back onto the Gilder brand. Well, that's right, Rogan. There's a mistake someplace. Well, Sheriff, there he is. Over there. That's Wendy. Rogan, boys. Hey, what is this? What are you here for? We came here to see what Sam Grogan would have to say. We had plenty. And last we got evidence against you partners. What do you have to do with that? Neutral, Grogan. You can testify in court against him. You can go on trial along with him. There's been a receiver stolen cattle aiding in the Benton Crooks, being an accessory after the fact. That's long. It's a frame-up. We never stole Sam Grogan's cattle. I just took it back to him with the Lone Ranger helping me. No, I savvy. It was a frame-up from the start. He knew we wouldn't return a cattle. But he figured that Grogan would know you as being yellow hounds. The figure gets stolen back. We got you in at last as evidence. Now, by Juniper, this town will be cleaned up. Honest men will be in charge again. That's the way the Lone Ranger does things. This is a feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated. Created and produced by George W. Trenville and directed by Charles D. Livingston. Tonight's story was written by Franz Stryker. The part of the Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beemer.