 The building of the first transcontinental railroad was one of the most important steps in the winning of the west. The railroad was of prime importance to the future of the country. But powerful forces, cattlemen, stagecoach lines, and steamship companies opposed it. The old law opposition sprang up, and the Lone Ranger was commissioned by the president to lead the fight against the enemies of progress. 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. Come on, Silver! We're heading for Telegraph Hill! Hill, Silver! Hill repeatedly, in their attempts to halt the westward progress of the railroad, the members of the iron spur decided on a desperate measure. They knew Colonel Parkman, the construction engineer, had left headquarters in Omaha and was riding west on a supply train. And they knew the train would be forced to slow down when it climbed a long hill outside Laramie. This was the key to their murderous plot. Meanwhile, the Colonel and Jeff Barnes, the breakman, sat beside a tiny stove in the caboose. Jeff, we could use a little more wood on this stove. Getting chilly. You're right, Colonel. I'll fire up. That's where the boys up front in the cab have got it over the breakman. Now, we get cold riding with that boiler. Well, it'll work to your advantage during the summer, Jeff. I guess you're right. How come you're making this trip, Colonel? Something special? Trouble again out at the end of track. Are the Redskins? No. The Indians are our friends. Someone else. Who? There's only one answer to that question. The Iron Spur. Ain't that the bunch of coyotes that's trying to keep the railroad from going through? Yes, and we ha- But, Jeff, we're slowing down. Sure. No need to worry. It's a telegraph hill. Pretty stiff grade. Oh, yes. I'd forgotten exactly where we were. What about this Iron Spur gang? There's nothing to tell. We know what they do, but we don't know who they are. Can't you get a line on them? What's that noise? I don't know. Who's riding this freight besides us? The Shorty and Pete in the engine cab. That's 14 cars ahead. Well, I'm sure I heard somebody swinging a hammer. Sure sounds like it. I'll take a look. If there's no water in this hand, but I'll help you, Jimmy. Colonel, the door fits locked. It's locked from the outside. Can't be. Hold up. Wait. Listen. There's somebody between here and the next car. Jeff, we-we've stopped. No, not that. But I- I know what's happened. Somebody's hammered out the coupling pin. Then we're- We had a caboose that's running wild, coasting back to our telegraph hill. The brake! I've got to get through that door to use it. Oh, maybe this axe handle will do it. Oh, so used, Jeff. You couldn't stop this car. Now the hundred brakes. Let's turn to the bottom of the hill. We'll never stay on the rails. Do you mean we're going to go on the way? Men had witnessed the deliberate racking of a caboose. Their way to the stride pony is not over a hundred yards from where the crushed and upturned car was flaming like a funeral pyre. Yeah, the lefty sure did a job of cutting that car loose. Yeah, but I didn't expect you to burn that away. It's got a little wood stove on the inside. Better mosey over there. You know what the boss said. Yeah, yeah. Get up there, boy. Get up, boy. Get up there. Oh, oh, oh boy. Oh, it's there. Hey, nobody can live in nothing like that. The boss said there'd be two of them. Look. Is there somebody over there throwing clear? Yeah. Come on. We'll see which one it is. Well, you don't hanker after these kind of jobs very much. Well, you're getting paid, aren't you? Yeah, but... Then shut up. Here he is. Like he got thrown this far. Yeah, maybe he ain't so lucky. Hey, wait. Miss Andre's still alive. At least he's breathing. Which one is it? The breakman or...? No. It's the one the boss said to bring back if he didn't get killed in the wreck. Come on. Help me pack him over to my horse. Oh, yeah. I'm going to carry him across the saddle. All right. Now throw him over. He looks pretty bad to me. How about the other one? I guess he's still inside that car. Yeah, let him burn instead of our business. Come on. Let's pay our moves. Which way are we heading? Back to the ranch. Get up there. Come on. Get up, boys. Get up. The long supply train pulled into the construction camp at the end of track. And Pete, the foreman, was waiting to greet it. Hi, Pete. Hi, Shorty. Have a good trip. Like a top. This boiler's got plenty of sap. Colonel Parkman with you? Back in the caboose with Jeff. I want to see him. I'll go back. The caboose, you're missing there. You must be crazy. It's not there. Look. Oh, look for yourself. It's got to be. It was the right and all right when I left Cheyenne. I talked to Jeff Barn. Are you sure Colonel Parkman was with him? Only place he could ride was back there with Jeff. Then how could... Who's this coming? I can't see. There's a lot of dust. It's right in the white horse. Oh, wait. Then it might be the lone ranger. Lone ranger? That means more trouble. Oh, no. He's our friend. He's wearing a mask. Oh, Silver, steady boys. Steady boys. What do you want, stranger? Pete, you know who I am, don't you? I know you're a friend. Did Colonel Parkman come in on this train? No, and the caboose he was riding in has disappeared, too. Who was riding with him? Jeff Barn's. Breakman. How could anything as large as a railroad caboose disappear? Couldn't. Unless it was uncoupled. Would you, as an engineer, know if that had happened? Not on a train this long. How about the grade, shorty? Could you lose a car on one of those? Well, might. There's a lot of them between here and Cheyenne. Which is the longest one? Telegraph Hill, south of Laramay. Yeah, that doesn't solve anything. That might. I received a telegram from Joan Barkley. She asked me to see that Colonel Parkman arrived here safely. Ready, Silver? Go on. Meet Tutto. Then we're riding east until we find that car. Come on, Silver. Are you sure he ain't an outlaw? If that man's man's an outlaw, I wish there was more of them. The ranger knew that Joan Barkley would never have telegraphed him if he hadn't been worried about Colonel Parkman's safety. He also knew that the members of the iron spur would consider no crime too great if it interfered with the railroad's progress. How they could have stolen anything as large as a railroad caboose was a mystery. But it was a mystery the masked man intended to solve. He urged his great horse forward and rode hard for several hours. Finally, he reached a prearranged meeting place where his faithful Indian friend, Tutto, was waiting. Oh, Silver, whoa, fellow, whoa. Tutto, we're heading east. There's no time to lose. Coming on the railroad to the railway car was lost somewhere between here and Cheyenne. Colonel Parkman was about it. Oh, that plenty bad. We'll follow the rails until we find it. Come on, Silver. Get up. All that day, the lone ranger and Tutto rode eastward, following the steel rails of a great central railroad. Sundown, a great storm blew out of the north, rain thunder and heavy rain. But their pace didn't slack, and as they raced on through the starless night. The railroad car was stolen by our laws. This weather doesn't help us. Rain, bad, wash ground, leave no sign. We're still a long way from Cheyenne. Come on, Silver, hand up, count. Finally, just a day break, the rain stopped and the two horsemen reached the foot of telegraph hill. Glancing rays of the morning sunlight brought a tragic picture into sharp relief. Lying on its side in a gully at the bottom of telegraph hill was the remains of what had once been a sturdily built railroad car. It was smashed almost beyond recognition and its fired charred timbers littered the surrounding ground. The force of the crash had twisted its iron work into fantastic shapes that bore mute and eloquent testimony of the iron spurs' latest crime. Oh, Silver, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. This is the Tutto. It's been wrecked and burned, city big fella. Come on, we'll look it over. How, how this happened? Evidently coasted backward down the hill. Stumped the track here at the turn. How it come down when iron horse pulled it up? Looked our chemo subby. The engineer's guess was probably right. Something kid has knocked out. I don't know, Tutto. That's what we've got to find out. Maybe accident. No, I don't think so. Iron spur? Well, if it is, this is the first time they've tried deliberate murder. A black man, a breakman named Jeff Barnes, is somewhere in that wreck. Now, Tutto, look. How it burned when it rained all night. This happened night before last. Here. This one, man? Yes. It's Barnes, a breakman. Uh, not his fault, him die. No, Tutto, it wasn't his fault. Men like Jeff Barnes are giving their lives to help build the West, just as brave as any soldier who dies in battle. The first Colonel Parkman, he was riding with Jeff. Well, Tutto, look. Him not here. He might have been thrown clear when the car smashed. There are no signs of it. Big rain wash ground. He was in the caboose. Joan Barkley telegraphed me to meet him. Quick, Tutto, behind this rock. Not a close shot. Where'd it come from? Treason Hill, somebody there. I see now. Maybe I can stop them. Ah, shoot at puffer smoke. Tutto used rifle. Now, baby, we get him. Yeah, we're shooting blind. The sun's in our eyes. And trees move, man there. Hey, hey there. Man, come out. Hold your fire. Keep him covered, Tutto. Might be a trick. Ah, hold on. I'm not able to have a gun battle with your kind of shooting. Who are you? Oh, just, uh... Why were you shooting at us? Well, you're an outlaw, aren't you? What if I am? Well, I kind of figured it... All right, man. Reach for the earth. Drop them guns. What was a trick? Another man behind us. I said drop them guns. They have no choice, Tutto. Ah, that's better. Now, what are you two ombreses doing here? I might ask you the same question. But I'm doing the asking. Well, not very sociable critters, are you? All right, man, I'll cover them. You get a piece of raw hide and tie their hands. I've got it. Drop your arms. I said drop them. What's the one with a mask? You might try something. Now, with this flipper's tied like this, you won't. Eh, how about the engine? Eh, place tighter in the boot. Now, bring over the horses, Matt. All right. Now, you ombreses. Get on those nags of yours. We're going to do some riding. Very big fella. Yep. Where are we going? That's my business. You two went and climbed on that paint. Uh-huh. Now, listen. We're heading out of here, see? Matt up in front and me in the rear. If either of you try to break, I'll talk with lead. You understand? We understand. All right, Matt. Head for the ranch. The curtain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger story. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Now to continue our story. The outlaws, with the threat of drawn guns, forced the Lone Ranger and taught her to ride with them for many miles. Finally, they came to a little ranch house. Oh, oh, oh. Hold it, Matt. Oh, oh, oh, my, oh, my. All right, hit the turkey, ombreses. There we are, Tutto. Steady big fella. There'll be plenty flowers to hold. Put the horses in the car. Snagged a couple outlaws, boss. Poking around with the caboose was wrecked. Outlaws, eh? I'm wearing a mask. What's your name? Might be Luke Smith. Yeah, that might not. What are you doing around the railroad car? I don't talk much. So what do we expect of the boys to pick up somebody down there but not an outlaw? Who's the red skinned? Me, no savvy talk. Dumb, eh? The white man's mighty fast with a six-gun, boss. Good shot. Yeah, nailed me. At almost 300 yards, and I was using a rifle. So I can use a good ranch hand to can shoot. Want a job? Doing what? Working for me, Collins. You'll ever have a better boss. Maybe I can locate Colonel Parkman this way, Tutto. Stop jabbering with that engine. I, uh, yes, I might take a job. You can use my Indian friend, too. Ain't sure about him. Now, boss, remember what I told you. There's critters greased lightning with a gun. They'll see. And tie his hands. Oh, but, Paul... I want to see for myself how handy he is with a gun. Well, anything you say, but I... Come here, you. Now, turn around. There! Now, have me shootin' eyes. Now, look here, stranger. I'm gonna give you a gun, see? It's just for a little target practice between you and me. Joe here will keep you covered. One falls and one falls. I understand. I ain't such a bad shot myself. If you're even half as good, they might have a job for you. How will we prove it? I'll use my own two guns. You use yours. Matt! Yeah? Throw one of them tin cans up in the air. I'll keep it there. That's it, stranger. How do you like that? Very good. Now, you try it. Matt, toss up another tin can. No, uh... I'd rather not waste too many bullets on one. Yeah? There still ain't seen you do any shootin'. There's that chicken hawk up there. Chicken hawk? Why, he's so far up it take a rifle to nail him. Not necessarily. Well, I'll be... Shut up! Just keep your gun on him. Well, that was a good shot, stranger. Might have been luck, though. Like the cigarette Matt's holding in the air. Your turn to shoot, Mr. Collins? Yeah. I think it's gonna wait, Joe. Sure, boss. Do I get the job? Come on inside. I want to talk to you. I'm glad you liked it. I can use a fella like you. That is, if you want to make some money. What's the job? I guess you already figured the railroad car was no accident. You wrecked it? How do you know? I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. The railroad car was no accident. You wrecked it? Not exactly. You see, one of my boys jumped that fray when it started up the hill. Then he knocked a couple in pain and the rest was simple. There was a man killed in that wreck. Yeah, I guess so. That's part of the business. But the man I wanted out of it is still alive. Who's that? A fellow named Parkman, boss of the building crew on the railroad. Where is he? That's my business, stranger. What do you want of me? Well, I figured you were a single-handed operator, see. And you must work a little outside the law, or you wouldn't be wearing that mask. Well? This Parkman should be worth a lot of money to somebody. Maybe the railroad. You're holding him for ransom. And I need a smart man to tell the railroad people about it. That's where you come in. You could do it yourself. I'm a little too well known in some parts. Why do you trust me? I don't. That engine out there is a pretty good pal of yours, ain't he? Yes, he is. We'll put him where Parkman is. You go to the railroad and tell them I want $50,000 for their boss. If you bring back the money, he goes free. So does your engine. The way you put it, I can hardly refuse. That's what I figured. Where's Parkman? Oh, Lord, don't get so anxious. We're right up there now. Joe! Yeah, boss? I'm about to settle the horses. This new man is going to ride up the hills with Matt and me. You clean up here and follow us, lady. But, Pa... You heard me. May I talk to my Indian friend a moment? Tell him about our, uh, business arrange? Hurry up. We're moving fast. Hello. Oh, hello here. I pretended to join them. Can't take us to Colonel Parkman. All right. You and the engine up ahead. Matt and I will trade you. Pretty big fella. Where do we go? You'll get directions when the time comes. Let's go. Come on, boy. Get up there, boy. Come on. A lone ranger and tonto followed by the outlaws rode eastward for several hours. Then at a signal from the outlaw leader, they turned north along an uneven and sandy trail. The mound drew ravines and across the bed of a dry river. A lone ranger noticed that the prairie's rich topsoil had now given way to hard clay and sunscore sand. Finally, they approached a series of steep bluffs that rose sharply from the level land and whose faces were worn smooth by countless years of rain and wind. They were slashed at uneven points by what appeared to be erosion. But closer examination would have proved the cuts to be man-made and that each one concealed in narrow trail just wide enough for a man and horse. It was directly opposite one of these openings that Cal, the outlaw leader, shot at a sharp command. Hold that path on your right. Up the center of the bluff. Keep following the path straight ahead. All right, hold up. Far enough. This is it. That hit the dead. Maybe this ain't such a good idea, boss. Sit up. Don't see any signs of a camp. Right behind them trees. Follow me. It's pretty slick, ain't it? You just pull these bushes back and you're in a, uh... Yeah. Where's Parkman? I can't see him. Sir, there's no lamps in this place. He's there all right. Titan gagged. How about the engine, boss? Keep his hands tied. We'll all be here for a while. Now, what do you want me to do? Fight after that railroad camp. There's a foreman there named Pete. Tell him a telegraph to come near that'll cost $50,000 if they want to see this hombre alive again. Suppose he won't send a telegram? It's up to you to see that he does. You have my guns. I, uh... might need them. Yeah, you might. You'll find your guns at the bottom of this trail. I, uh, just dropped them down there. Thought I was a regular member of the gang. You are, but I don't trust you with a gun on your hand. You'll wait here until I return. Right here. No harm will come to my Indian friend. We'll touch a hare's head if you bring back the money. And I'll go. Good luck. Thanks, sir. Maybe you're the one who'll need the luck. Lone Ranger retrieved his guns and had just reached his horse Silver when he heard the faint echo of approaching hoofbeats. So he hid in the shadows and waited quietly. Oh, oh, boy, boy. Carl! Carl! You want the whole world to know about this hat? Carl, look at this. Remember when that masked man shot the cigarette out of Matt's hand this morning? After you left the ranch, I found the bullet he used. Dug it out of the ground. Well, look at it. That ain't no ordinary bullet. It's Silver. You're right, it is. You know what that means, don't you? That masked man you hired. He rides a white horse and uses Silver bullets. He's a lone Ranger. That's right. He's the one you sent to collect ransom money. I knew something was wrong when he handled a gun the way he did. Shut up. You've got to do something quick. You'll tip off the lawn. Come on, both of you. Carl, you can't. Hit him off. Beat him to it. Get your horses. Right. The Indian or the other critter? Never mind them. They're tied up. Let's get gone. The boss had ridden away, and he hurried back into the cave. Hello. How are you? Colonel Parkman here. I'm here by tunnel. Turn around, tunnel. I'll untie your hands. There. Now, Colonel Parkman. You've hurt pretty bad. Yes, I know. I can get this gang out of his mouth. He can... There. Thank you. Untie his hands and feet, tunnel. How do you feel, Colonel? I'm afraid one of my legs is broken. Those men, I think they're the ones who caused the wreck. I know all about it. Do you feel well enough to ride a horse to the railroad camp? Anything to get away from this place. Hello. You help Colonel Parkman out of here and ride double on your horse. Be very careful. His leg may be injured. Where are you going? I'll meet you at the camp. Three men expect to see me there when they arrive. I'm not going to disappoint them. Here, Silver. Long race ahead. We'll make it. Come on, Silver. There are a few provines across rivers and up-wooded rocks, ruin hills. The Lone Ranger raced on the Great Horse Silver. Come on, Silver. Come on, boy. Although he made use of a secret shortcut known only to him, many hours pass before they reach the railroad camp. Oh, Silver, oh, boy. The Maskman. The Lone Ranger. Peter, the three men been here, pass for me. No one asked for it. It'll come in a very few minutes. I'll wait by the side of the bunkhouse. Now, what do you suppose he... Listen. All right This is a reconstruction camp sure is anything of a mask. I'm right in the white horse. No no any outlaws beat him to it Listen, mister. I'm right handy with the skin. I've got here This is where the boys behind me. What do you want? You're gonna send a telegram to the headquarters of this outfit you work for no Collins Pete isn't going to send a telegram You're going to drop that gun. What hi, it's him boss up the gun Oh He shot it right out of my hand you two Joe Matt go down the guns Pete get some rope and tie these men keep them covered. I'll tell the sheriff to pick them up Yeah, but who are they murderers and amateur kidnappers? They were holding Colonel Parkman for ransom. It's Colonel He's all right, and he's riding here with Toto. Can you handle these men until the sheriff gets here? Sure we can be careful Yes, I know come time to meet me later But how would you know these crooks were the ones that kidnapped Colonel Parkman? They made the mistake of hiring me Pete. That's all Can't understand it. He's got me worried nothing to worry about as long as the loan rangers around Just heard is a copyrighted feature of the loan ranger incorporated