 With action and suspense out of the Old West comes the most famous hero of them all Huffleong Cassidy starring William Boyd The ring of the Silver Spurs heralds the most amazing man ever to ride the prairies of the early West Huffleong Cassidy the same hoppy you cheer in motion pictures and the same California You've left at a million times Raw courage and quick-shooting have built a legend around this famous hero Huffleong is a name to be feared respected and admired for this great cowboy rides the trails of adventure and excitement William Boyd as Huffleong Cassidy and and declined as California What's our story this time offy? It's one that I feel mighty lucky I'm alive and able to tell because it's about a time California and I had our narrowest escape We call it the secret in the hill Early one morning. We were riding through the Chinango Pass country when we noticed a sign nailed to a fence post I pulled off the trail to read it. I Don't like this, California. Listen to what this says $500 reward wanted dead or alive killer of Fred Benson Son of Wade Benson of Chinango Pass by order sheriff if they get a reward up for him He's probably run halfway to hallelujah by now Maybe so but he might still be around playing possum I don't know hoppy seems only reasonable for a killer to be moose if he got the chance Depends on how and why the victim was killed If we find the reason for Fred Benson's murder, we'll find his killer. We will sure You mean that you want us to find a reason? We don't know why a murderer. We don't know killed a man We don't know No, no, that's just too many things. We don't know And we'd better start learning the answers right now. Come on We're writing for Chinango Pass the catcher killer. Nobody answers hoppy. You figure this is the right place Yeah, wait Benson's name is on the gate knock again. I got your cover. What day there? Look hoppy. He's covering us from the window with a rifle and I'll just keep it pointing at you while you state your business here I don't state anything with a rifle aimed at me stranger But if you're Wade Benson, we're here as friends. It ain't saying who you are. I'm hop along Cassidy This is my partner, California Carlson hop along Cassidy. I'll be a son of a gun. Just second. I'll get the door open for you Hmm mighty queer way for Benson to welcome callers with a rifle in his hands with the murderer loose He probably figured on playing safe Well come right in gents. I I apologize for that business at the window I've been kind of leery as strangers lately. I understand Benson. Come on out more. It's all right More meet hop along Cassidy in California Carlson. Well, howdy. Howdy, ma'am. Won't you sit down? Thank you, ma'am Well, you folks may be wondering why California and I are here The reason is we saw the sign down the road about your son being killed You think you can do something about catching the skunk that murdered Fred? I don't know yet First I'd like to find out why he was killed. Did your son have any enemies around here enemies? He didn't know anybody here about Why I'd even talked to anybody before it was shot Well, here's the whole story. Mr. Cassidy More and me come out here just a month ago We had our savings ten thousand dollars and we got a chance to buy this gold mine Fred was studying to be a mining engineer in a college back east and we wanted to surprise him So we bought the mine with our savings a gold mine for ten thousand dollars didn't that seem pretty cheap Well, maybe but the record showed that a hundred thousand dollars and gold been taken out of that mine in two years We're no doubt about it. I see so what happened after you bought the mine Well, we tried to get a loan at the bank in Columbia City for cash to work the mine They told us the mine was no good all worked out I'm here to that happening before the gold vein Peters out and there just ain't nothing left Yeah, that's what they told me. I tried to find the slicker sold me the mine Fellow named slim Daniels, but he skipped out We wrote our boy Fred about it and he'd come out just as soon as he could get here Fred figured maybe there just might be a chance we could get a little more gold out in that mine Maybe get our money's worth back. So the morning after he got here. He set out to look over the mine That's the last time we saw him. Yeah He was found late in the afternoon Shot dead It's sure hard to figure wait Just what did Fred do during the day? Did he go right to the mine? No First Fred borrowed some tools from Rob Black's mine supply store over in town Then went to the mine Oh round noontime. He sent a note for me to the store by an old prospector called Pac Mu Parker Rob Black brung it to me later. He said the mine was no good That's all we know Fred sent a note exactly what it did say Benson Well, I still got it right here my wallet You read it yourself. Mr. Cassidy. I see it says there's no gold at all. It's a dead mine Yes, that's pretty different about the mine being no good too bad You couldn't get something out of it for your 10,000. Oh, Rob Black offered us a thousand dollars Says he can sell his equipment or buckets and rock crushing machinery and such stuff at least that's something So that's the story Fred examined the mines sent this note and was killed. Well, that's it. Mr. Cassidy His murder seems to got away The load down sneak and snake even a snake leaves a trail Benson and I don't intend to let this one get away Now back to hop along Cassidy and our story the secret in the hill Poppy in California are looking into the killing of Fred Benson who was found mysteriously shot After he had inspected a worthless gold mine his father had bought Having heard the story of the murder from old mr. And mrs. Wade Benson Poppy in California have written to the place close by the mine where Fred's body was found Notice something California all these boulders around here give plenty of cover for whoever ambushed Fred Benson Anyone on this trail could be followed for miles without knowing it Sure why the killer could hide and behind some boulder 20 feet from where we're standing right now, and we never know it Wait What's in suffering blue blazes is there somebody laughing the question is where is it? Skin me for a jackrabbit. Hey, here we come choppy from behind that big rock. Well What were you up to hiding those rocks stranger? All right, you was about a body could hide out these rocks me and Molly been following you for a mile Here's every word you said to me Molly or who's that who's that he wants to know come on out here Molly and say how did Look out there hoppy Molly's a mule. Yeah a pack mule. I guess you're a pack mule Parker then stranger Yeah, that's me pack mule Parker He says you know who I am. I reckon he knows everything around here belongs to me and your trespassing on my property Your property you mean you got title all this land title I don't take no stocking titles I come out here 30 years ago when there weren't nothing but coyotes and jackrabbits living in these here hills I have the first one here for everything all around here is mine by a natural rights I see and so you consider anyone who comes by a trespasser sure keep me mighty busy protecting my property Watching everyone that comes poking around listen Parker Were you watching that mine over there two weeks ago when young Benson came here? Sure? So I'm getting saw him come out Fred Benson gave you a note to deliver it, isn't he? Yeah, he did I come down to warn him off the property But he gave me two bicks to take this note to Rod black store so Rod could give it to his paw He's a real nice boy, too. Are you smiling and happy about something? Anyhow, I just went along and delivered the note to Rod straight away You say Fred Benson was smiling and happy sure was I see you know that Fred Benson was killed right here That same afternoon. Don't you Parker? Sure. I know Hey I'm just admiring this rifle strapped on the mule Parker pretty old beautiful handmade guns But that rifle I can pick a flea off in the skunks here at a thousand yards Did you ever maybe pick off for a trespasser like red Benson and what you call your property? Look at here stranger whether I've dead or whether I didn't ain't nothing as you got to talk about Give me back my gun. Mr. Sure. Here you are No, what's this you got carved on the gun stock? That's my signature. Can't you see oh? Yes, of course Well, California, let's get on the rod black store and you now go pass. I want to talk with him So long Parker Better be goodbye because I don't want you trespassing on my property if you got any notions to go poking around on that mine Yonder, I'm warning you. You might never come out again. That's all I got to say You know hoppy I get two ideas about Pat mule Parker one He's plum lonely and two Be shot Fred Benson California, there's no doubt that you're at least half right Howdy, which one of you men is rod black? That's me stranger You're looking for something in the way of mining equipment. No just now. I'm looking for some information. You don't say Information about what Fred Benson red Benson. Hey Who are you to be asking about Fred Benson? I'm hop along Cassidy and this is California Carlson my partner Hop along Cassidy Now now about Fred Benson they sure have slayed up with a busted leg and being a deputy I'm handling this shooting case myself then I'd like to hear your ideas about the murder black Everybody except for our nose only two people gonna kill Benson. So Well black what about these two people who could have shot Benson and Cassidy. It's this way There's a loony old coot named a pack mule Parker. Yeah, we ran into him He's got the mistaken idea that he owns practically all the mining country around here and has to protect it against trespassers Is it your idea that Parker figured Fred Benson was trespassing on his property and shot him? Well ain't no question Parker loony and of course he might have done it. All right That's one suspect. What about the other now? I ain't sure of this neither But some folks think it could have been slim Daniels slim Daniels Ain't that the fellow that sold that worked out gold mine to old Benson and then skipped out He didn't skip out folks send him skulking around through the hills ain't no mistake in that pinto He rides that's right Cassidy some folks figure Fred Benson met up with slim by accident Fred demands the money back and then goes for Daniels slim pulls his gun and shoots the boy It's possible of course. Yeah, but it's all guesswork. We need proof some evidence Well, how you figure gonna get evidence mr. Cassidy Fred was shot shortly after you've been down looking into that mine I must be a connection. I'm going down into the mine to find it Cassidy we're willing to help you run down whoever done the killing, but you don't need our help poking into that hole Cassidy I personally figure you'll be wasting time going into that mine and Besides it's like to be kind of dangerous seems like the idea that mine is mighty dangerous is kind of popular Old Parker hinted at it, too. That's right black Why is it dangerous and these hills is kind of a loose rock formation? And that mine Benson bought never had enough timber and put up inside that tunnel sealant could easy cave in I still think we'll take the chance black after all Fred Benson came out of the mine. All right, sure Sure Cassidy it's your own neck you're risking all right then We'd like to borrow a few things from your stock black a couple of picks and candles and a few sticks of dynamite Well, if you're looking for gold in that mine even dynamite won't help you Here's your stuff Candles Dynamite some fumes and caps Well, I do you yeah, that'll be fine. Well, I'll just take it into the back room I Ain't saying I like the idea going down in that whole hoppy What you figure in looking for down there for whatever it was Fred Benson found that made him happy and smiling when he came out and met Pacmu Parker hoppy a flat refused to go with you. What California? What do you mean? I refuse to go unless first we stop at that hash house down the street and eat a two-pound beef steak a nice star All right, California judging from the looks of that broken down a hash house a good steak will be as scarce as the gold in Benson's mind Candles dynamite fuse all in the sack anything else I can do for you just wish us luck black You sure need luck going into that mine forget the mine black wish us luck with our beef steak now Back to hop along Cassidy and our story the secret in the hill Up here. I feel like we've been walking through this tunnel for miles Well, I think we're nearly at the end of the shaft watch it California. Here's another sharp turn Here we are tunnel widens into a sort of room here as far as the mind goes Yeah, and I'm sure glad it don't go no further Let's set our candles on this rock shelf. I'll give me one of those picks. I want to probe these walls a bit, right? And I'll open the shank and I'll Don't take another step forward move back slow this way just in front of you hoppy rattlesnakes There are dozens of them and dozens look younger hoppy. There's a whole swarm and pile of them Thunder sure enough. It's a dinner rattles. They often pull up in an underground place like this some of them are thrown toward the tunnel We better get out of here hoppy. I ain't hankering the way through rattlesnakes. All right, California Let's move out along the wall here. You don't need to tell me twice Oh The whole tunnels caved in it's blocked solid. What's the snake come over here hoppy We're trapped down here, and we can't kill off all these rattlers Look, they're swarming out of that cleft in the rock quick pick up some of these splinter timbers start a fire Yeah, give me the table. I'll start some of these slivers Now some more of the bigger Yeah for now, but what we do next hoppy Listen I Don't hear nothing but them rattlers were in I hear something beyond that wall What's water? The cave in must open up a fissure. That's an underground stream. Well, I ain't worrying about Dinah thirst Not with all random rattlers ready to get us as soon as the fire goes out. Look notice There's not as much smoke in here as they should be that means air is coming in where look there The smoke is moving toward the wall where the water sound comes from yeah There's an underground stream. It means that there's some sort of tunnel and the air movement means there's an opening You but hoppy are you gone loco? There ain't no door in that rock wall no matter what's beyond but we've got dynamite Sure, but no no no hold on hoppy the explosion in this small space It a killer, but that big brock in the far corner. I'll give us some protection That's not the only risk when we blast open the wall if that underground stream is on our harrow ever than we are The water will come pouring in here and drown us. Well, that'll be quicker and better than waiting for these rattlers to kill us I'll get out the dynamite good scatter this fire to drive the snakes back in the wall Then find a place to wedge in the dynamite Here's the dynamite four sticks, but But no cap we can't explode it without caps no caps. No That tunnel didn't cave in of itself. It was dynamited Somebody removed the cast from a sack so that we couldn't blast our way out of here Who could it took the caps we hit the sack and we didn't actually see rod put the caps in We weren't watching the sack in the restaurant when we first came to the mine We left the sack outside for several minutes while we made sure the tunnel timbering was safe Well, no matter who the dirty barrant was who took him. He's finished us for good Now we we ain't gonna chance hobby. There's one chance, California. Just one. Give me that dynamite, huh? Yeah, yeah, here you are, but what good is it without champs there? I got it wedged in the rock wall. It'll take all four sticks to do the trick though Yeah, but I still don't see hobby. What you're gonna do with that revolver cartridge I'm taking out the lead ball. I'm gonna put the blank cartridge in the end of the stick of dynamite That'll act as a detonator just like a cap. That's how we'll explode the dynamite But you'll have to have some way to explode the cartridge, correct? We'll get behind that rock in the corner Then I'll try to hit the cartridge cap the dynamite with a shot from my revolver that'll explode it if I don't miss If I do miss my bullet will just break up the dynamite. It's one shot one chance one shot There's hardly no light in here hoppy and what little light there is is all kind of way being flickering and It'll be an impossible shot hoppy. I know California, but it's our one chance to escape Otherwise, we'll stay trapped in here. Yeah Yeah, it's rattlesnakes or ground and or the explosion itself might kill us. Yeah, well What are we waiting for Shoot hoppy. All right crouch down behind me You ready? Here goes Oh now back to hop along Cassidy Gonna feel like I've been through a rock pressure after squeezing up through that crack the blast opened up But you're seeing this daylight is all that you're in need Well, somebody didn't attend that we should ever see daylight again Somebody took those caps Somebody blasted that mine tunnel so that we'd be trapped in there for keeps and just let me get my hands on the low-down Sneak and crawling murder and son of a skunk and I'll Do what I'm gonna take this nice big jagged rock along with me to souvenir and bounce it off on the varmint skull But we got to find out who it is first Say hey, wait a minute. Let me see that piece of rock. Huh? Sure. There you are Yeah, that's it. Let's get to our horses. I got the answer to everything now I Like Rod black come out here to the front of your store Cassidy Carlson. I didn't expect you back so soon the murderer didn't expect us to be back at all What do you mean just this black Fred Benson's killer saw to it that there was no dynamite caps in that sack When we got down into the mine then he blasted the tunnel trying to bury us alive But why should he want to kill you because the murderer figured we'd find out what Fred Benson found down in that mine And what was that? It was what Fred Benson wrote in the note. He sent you to give to his father Why the note only said there wasn't no gold in the mine that it wasn't all the way he put it a dead mine No black what Fred wrote was there's no gold at all. It's a lead mine Someone changed the L and lead to a D That's the reason Fred was killed so that only a murder would know that the mine was full of lead or were the fortune Then what you saw in this chunk of rock a picked up was lead. That's right, California our blast uncovered a big vein of lead That's what Fred had discovered That's why he was happy when Parker met him and that's what he tried to tell his father in that note Oh, then that settled it packed mule Parker bring me the note He must have changed the word lead to dead He must have shot Fred Benson to protect the secret and he easy could have swiped the caps out of the sack when he weren't looking Why sure no black it wasn't Parker. I examined that antique rifle of his it won't shoot the hammers rusted tight And what's more Parker can't write he's got what he calls he's signature carved on the rifle stock It's an X a mark a man makes instead of a signature when he can't write Well, now that being so it throws it right back to slim Daniels. Wouldn't you say no? I wouldn't say the idea of the fight between them won't stand up Fred couldn't have recognized dangles the man who sold his father the mine because he'd never seen Daniels. Why are you never now? Who is the murderer? Why I just can't guess you black You're the only one who had a chance to change the note me then you offered to buy out old Benson for a thousand dollars It wasn't for the mine machinery and equipment well I just because you knew the secret in the hill that there was lead in the mine worth a fortune show He's the killing bar now now. Hey, that's just a guess. You've got no proof. You can't accuse a man without proof You said that yourself custody Black I want to see you. That's old pack mule Parker. What do you want Parker? We're busy. Well, I want to ask I'll tell you what I want damages payment for damages from you rod black get out of here You crazy old fool get out. He says I'll get out when you pay me another four with my own eyes I seen you dynamite that mine tunnel blowing up my personal property. Hey, he's reaching for a gun. Stand back all you You're not gonna take me. I tell you I'll shoot you all before you Hey, he's out cold. What hit him just that chunk of rock from the mine a flung at him hoppy Our shadow is gonna bounce it off in the skull of whomsoever was the murder environment Good work, California. Now will you time up all ready for delivery to the US Marshall for arrest for murder Hey, rod black is gonna be arrested. How I collect my damages you'll collect all right Parker You're saying you saw black dynamite the mine was all we needed to prove his guilt. You'll get the $500 reward me $500 sure Molly can have all the old sick and eat forever Yeah Well the $500 will take care of back mule Parker their lead mine will take care of a mr. and mrs. Benson and the law will take care of rod black There's just one more thing you ought to be took care of before we leave chinango pass hoppy What's that California my appetite today? We come so close to never eaten again. I'm hungry all over Ha ha ha ha California. You don't mean to say you want another two-pound beef steak. Nope and this time I'll take a four-pounder California's appetite doesn't entirely run along the lines of adventure does it but when hoppy and his sidekick go after snakes Whether they be murderers or a mine filled with rattlers You can be sure that a snake of any kind is no match for them Our next adventure with hoppy in California takes place in Abilene where a beautiful redhead becomes the victim of a murder and The guilty man might have got away with it if it hadn't been for the memory of mace. Milot. Don't miss it Up along Cassidy star a William Boyd is transcribed and produced in the West by Walter White, Jr. The secret in the hill was written by Paul Adams with original music under the personal direction of Albert Glasser All stories are based upon the characters created by Clarence Mulford This is a Commodore production