 a fiery horse with a speed of light, a clot of dust, and a hearty hail, silver, the lone ring. With his faithful Indian companion, Tato, the masked rider of the planes led the fight for law and order in the early western United States. The stories of his strength and courage, his daring and resourcefulness, have come down to us through the generations, and know where 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. Come on, Silver, let's be bold. The Indian stone walls of territorial prison were cold and foreboding in the gray light of early dawn. In a few moments the sun would rise and flood the scene with stifling, glassy heat, but now the coldness seemed to penetrate even to a small room off the open courtyard. Was the room where condemned prisoners waited for the firing squad to assemble? Was the room where bragged potter had reached the end of a long and lawless trail? Now only one thing remained between bragged potter and eternity. A few words with Fred, his son. He's right in here. Freddy. Oh. Sorry, I can't leave you two alone. There's not much time. It's against the rules. It's all right. We understand. I'm sure glad to see you, son. Glad to see you, Pa. I don't know what to say. You don't have to say anything, Freddy. To be unable to see is good enough for me. God, here as quick as I could. When do they... I mean, when does... Sunrise. That's a label to be in a minute now. It ain't fair, Pa. Why should they kill you when Frank Busby and Chuck are still free? Because the law got me. They haven't got Frank and Chuck. And it won't be a killing, Fred. When they walk in front of that firing squad, it's a legal execution. I don't figure it that way. You were double-crossed into this thing, and I'm going to see that the Busbys get what's coming to us. No, son. That's the law as to you. I'm not yours. Oh, you must be local. I'm talking sense, Freddy, for the first and last time in my life. Well, that's not my kind of sense. I knew you'd feel this way, son. That's the main reason I wanted to see you before I checked out. What do you mean? In the few minutes that are left to me, I'm going to try and change a mistake I've made ever since you were born. No, Pa, you're right. Listen to me, son, your mother died when you came into the world. That was something I didn't expect. It made me a little bit crazy, I guess. I was broke, so I wrestled money any way I could. You raised me all right? No, I didn't. I raised you to be an outlaw, a thief and a killer just like I am. I rode the Alhu Trail together all these years. Now I've reached the end of it. Talk like that ain't making this any easier. I don't want to make it easy. What's your remember? All I can think of is Frank and Chuck Bisbee and how they crossed. I was as skilly as they were. They got away. Well, I will get them sometime. Freddy, don't you understand what I'm trying to tell you? No, I don't. Get right with the law, son, or you'll end up just like me. I'll get along all right. Since I've been out of circulation, you've been running with Matt Clausen's gang, haven't you? Maybe. Please, Freddy. Give it up. Get an honest job. Bunch of cows, mining and everything. So the law's not trailing you. Otherwise you can't win. Oh, I've never heard you preach. I'm not preaching. I'm telling you the truth. Promise me you'll quit, Freddy. Please. You're my Paul. I can't make any promise like that. Not as long as the Bisbees are alive. All right. If you won't change for my sake, maybe you'll do it for yourself. Well, how do you figure? I've done a lot of thinking since I've been in here, Freddy. And this is the way it all adds up. You, me, all outlaws are always in the middle of gunplay. We live by bullets and we die by bullets. If we changed our way of living, we might improve our way of dying. Paul. Don't ever forget that, Freddy. No matter how long you live. Time's up, Bragg. All right. I'm ready. Bye, Freddy. Bye, Paul. Come on, Bragg. You let off for somewhere last night, he hasn't come back. I should be here by now. I know where he went. Yeah? Where? Over to Territorial Prison. Bragg parted the kid's old man on a date with a firing squad this morning. Oh, that's right. He'd clean forgot that Bragg's number was coming up. The law didn't forget. Too bad, too. Bragg was a handy old codger with his guns. So was the kid. I wish he'd hurry up and get here. We've got a big job due for the days over. How about the Bisbee boys? They working with us? Yeah. They've gotten to the idea of working with Frank and Chuck. They'll do whatever I say. Well, I cut the kid in at all. Can't five of us handle a stage hold up? Sure. Freddy's the only one who can handle a team of horses. We need him. They're splitting this thing too many ways. Oh, wait. The job ain't over yet. What do you mean? We're Bosna, ain't we? Hey, somebody coming. Hey, it's Freddy. Both of you keep shut now. I'll do the talking. Figured you'd want breakfast when you got back. I guess you don't feel so good, do you, kid? That's a tough joke to see your old man. I didn't see it. Just heard it. Too bad. Well, that's the way it goes. None of us ever know when... Yeah, that's what Pa told me. Said we live by bullets and we die by bullets. I guess your Pa had it figured about right, Freddy. Our job is to see that we're the ones who do the living. Yeah. Got something to line up for this afternoon, kid? What is it? Well, it's Fargo Stage. Carrying 50,000 in gold. Sounds all right to me. When do we do it? About sundown. It's a regular stage run. Comes through town here, then heads for Gunnison Pass to Hartville. Shouldn't be much trouble. A little more than usual. There'll be two extra guards riding saddle horses. What do we do? Look at the door figured out. Listen. Curly and Duke and me are right over to Clear Crick. Board the stage here like ordinary passengers. What do I do? Wait a minute. When we're about a mile out of Clear Crick, we'll take care of the driver, the guards, and any other passengers that might be along. No killings. We'll just tie them up and leave them by the road. Sure. Then we'll meet you. You'll be in the only one who can handle a six-horse stage team. There we'll line out for Gunnison Pass. When we get to the top, where the big drop-off is, we take the goal, push the stage over the cliff, and head for the timber breaks. How about the two extra guards riding saddle horses? The stage goes through two towns between here and Gunnison. The law knows about the guards, and they're not with it. That's where we need help. Got that figured, too. Bisbee boys are going to work with us. Bisbee? You mean Frank and Chuck? Who else? Boy, those low-downs. Now wait, Freddie. I know what's eating here. You figure the Bisbee should have gotten the same thing your pa got this morning. Well, they're just as guilty as Paul was. Why don't you forget it? Just doing one job with Frank and Chuck. Don't mean they'll be with us from now on. Well, I don't like those hombres. I don't want any part of them. They're going to be with us. Well, then I'm not. Oh, yes, you are. You ain't forgetting I'm running this outfit, are you? No, Matt, but I... You're going to ride over to the canyon east of town. Frank and Chuck are holed up in a shack out there. You'll meet Curly Duke and me on the main road, right out of clear cricket sundown. All right, Matt, I'll do it. Well, that's better. Mind if I start now? Start whenever you want to. I saw the Bisbee boys last night. They'll be expecting you. And I'll see you later. On the clear, quick road at sundown. Yeah. I told you the kid wouldn't think much of the idea working with Frank and Chuck. Got kind of hot, didn't he? Oh, I'm interested. He was getting at stage at the top of Gunnison Pass. After that, I don't care what the kid does to the Bisbees or what they do to him. You know, Matt, it'd be a lot simpler splitting that goal three ways instead of six. Yeah. That's what I mean. In a small trailside camp near the Clear Creek Road, the Lone Ranger, Tonto and Dan were preparing their midday meal. They need some more water, Dan. Sure. They're a mountain spring near Canyon. Give me the canteens. I'll fill them up. Get back as soon as you can, Dan. I'll hurry. As Freddie Potter rode toward the shack where Frank and Chuck Bisbees were waiting, there was no doubt in his mind as to what he was going to do. He would finally come face to face with the men whom he felt were responsible for his father's death. The minute he sat at the shack, he rained up sharply. Oh, oh boy, oh, there, steady, steady boy. Better leave the horse here so they won't spot me before I see them. You wait here, boy. I'll be back just as soon as I get rid of a couple of rattlesnakes. What Dan is, Tonto? Shouldn't take him this long to walk to the spring and back? Well, maybe water heavy. Him walk slow. It's unusual for him to take so long. Come on, Dan, come out. Got it. I ran almost all the way back. Here's the water, Tonto. What were you running for, Dan? Right over there in that field behind the poplar trees. There's a little shack. In just a minute, a gold man rode almost up to it. Then he got off his horse and started toward the shack. There's nothing wrong in that. Yeah, but he's walking awful slow. And he has a gun on each hand. Come on. Let's see what it's all about. There. See, there he is. He's almost reached the shack. Wait here for a minute. Listen. All right, you good-beast guns. Put your hands and come out shooting. You heard me. I said, come out shooting. Golly, he's going to... Wait, Dan. All right, if you're too yellow to come out in the open, I'm coming in after you. Damn most. You might have known it'd be too yellow to stick around. Watch out, Dan. Don't make any noise. All I want to do is stand up on this dog's leg. Gee, I slept it. It's too late to worry. He heard it. Well, maybe... You over there. You're trying to try, God's me, huh? Come out from behind that tree. And you'd better come and shoot. 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. To continue our story, Fred Potter didn't know that the Bisbee brothers had lost no time in dashing from the neighborhood and were at the moment far away and going farther to avoid being shot. He didn't know that they'd fled that part of the country for good. He thought the many heard in hiding were the Bisbees. He shouted a challenge at the Lone Ranger, Dan and Tonto. Come on, I tell you. Come on over there. I got you covered. Before the Lone Ranger answered, Fred Potter's challenge, he spoke quickly to Dan and Tonto. Dan, both of you, hug the ground. I said to come shoot me. All right, I'll... Oh! My gun! I just shot it out of your hand. Don't try to use the other one. I have you covered. You Bisbees are too yellow to shoot. All right, you've got me. Go ahead and shoot. I don't want to kill you. You're a Bisbee, aren't you? No, I'm not. And who are you? Maybe you'd better answer the same question. It ain't any secret. Fred Potter. Are you sure these men you wanted to shoot? Frank and Chuck Bisbee. Any reason for it? Because a double cross and scum turned my paw over to the law. I see. He was executed this morning in territorial prison. You and your father were out, Lousa. Well, what of it? It's over you or you wouldn't be wearing that mask. Maybe. There's one thing you can be sure of. My name isn't Bisbee. You don't talk like one of them. You could have shot me. I owe you something for not plugging me. No, you don't. Say, I know what I can do. You want to grab some money? A lot of money? Grab? If you're playing alone a hand, you'll fit right into this thing. What is it? Wells Fargo stagecoach, carrying 50,000 in gold. We're going to take it over tonight. Oh, who's we? Matt Clausen's gang. I've been working with him ever since Paul was sent away. You've been in outlaw quite a while, haven't you, Fred? All my life. You must not want to live very long. A bullet will get you sooner or later. What's that? I say every outlaw should know that a bullet will get him sooner or later. That's funny. Paul told me almost the same thing this morning, just before that. Oh, what did he say? He said, we live by bullets and we die by bullets. And then he said, if we'd change our way of living, we might improve our way of dying. Oh, there must have been a very smart man, Fred. Yeah, I guess he was, but... Well, what do you say? Do you want to be delin on the stagecoach's job? When's it going to happen? Tonight, right after sundown on the Clear Creek Road about a mile west of here. You see, Matt and Duke and Curley are going to take over first. They'll get rid of the driver and the guards. Then I drive the stage up to Gunnison Pass. Oh, I go up there? Well, so we can have plenty of time to get the gold out of the strong books and then get rid of the stage over the cliff. Why can't you and I reach the stage before Matt Clausen and his gang take over? You mean cross them up? No, no, it's too late for that now. They've already met it. Then we'll have to wait till later. Yeah. Say, you'll fit right into this thing. Oh, you think so? Sure. You see, I was supposed to get these two ombres, Frank and Chuck, to go in with us. But I figured my business with them was more important than this. How are they going to help you? Well, they're two saddle guards traveling with the stage. That's what they were going to do. You can do it alone just as well. I have a friend who can ride with me. Oh, yeah? Well, that's better. Matt's riding the stage so he won't see you. No need to tell him till we get to the pass. All right. Get your friend and meet me on the Clear Creek Road in about an hour. We'll be there. Adios. Hey, wait! You still haven't told me your name. Does it make any difference? No, but you didn't shoot when you could have nailed me. Forget it. You want to remember anything? Think of what your father told you. Now, we haven't much time. You're riding to Clear Creek, Dan. See the sheriff. Tell him what we've found out and ask him to form a posse. Sure. Here, Victor. I'll now meet the stage coach and ride with it. That's as Fred Potter wants us to. It's a long way to Gunnison. I suppose you're gone when the sheriff gets there. There's any way possible. We'll hold them. Now, hurry. Come on, Victor. What do we do now? You must hurry. Go to the road and wait. Here it comes, Tunnel. Ah. Follow the driver. Him, Fred Potter. I think so. We'll know in just a minute. Yes, it's Potter and he sees us. Oh, oh, you crazy. What's the idea? Can you please... This is where we pick up the Busby boys. They're right over there. Get up, you! No way! Because I just saw them. They'll follow us. That's what you want, isn't it? Get up, boy! Let's count. How far did Gunnison pass, Tunnel? At any fire, take four, maybe five hours. So I'm sure, Sheriff, that if you'll take some men over to Gunnison Pass, you can head them off. Now, wait a minute, son. You're telling the mighty big story here, and there's nothing to support it. The stage came through town today, didn't it? Sure it did. And there's nothing wrong then. Charlie Grimes, the driver, is a good friend of mine. I talked to him myself. Yeah, but you don't know what might have happened after it left here. No, but... Listen, Bob. I can't go running off on a wild goose chase just because you get to... Sheriff! Sheriff! What's wrong? Cal Pickett just rode into town, found four men bound and gagged on the road west of here. What's that? The stage must have been held up. Three of the men are Wells Fargo guards and the other is Charlie Grimes. Grimes? Get out of my way, son. I'm running for both men to ride to Gunnison Pass. Well, I'm riding with you, Sheriff. Almost the top of the pass, Matt. Climbing steady for the last hour. We'll look out the side and see if those two armbraces are still tailing us. You mean the Busby boys? Yeah, they're still back there. A lot of hundred yards behind. Good. The only trouble with that is they're not Frank and Chuck Busby. What? Not Frank and Chuck? I had a good look at them when we picked them up. One's an engine, the other armbrace wearing a mask. How could they be? Shut up and get smart. Can't you see what's happened? Our friend who's driving his rig is figuring a double cross. You mean putter? Why, Al? Wait, there's nothing we can do now. Have to wait until we stop on top of the pass. I'll drill them the minute we get out of here. No, you won't. You'll listen to me. This is what we'll do. Well, we're here, Matt. This is a top. Get this over with. All right. All right, Matt. Better set the brake on this thing, Freddie. She's mighty close to the edge. The brake's set, all right. Come on, Curly. You and me will unhitch the horses. We'll use the best ones to ride out of here. Wait, I'll help you. No, you won't. Freddie, you'll sit right there. What's the idea? Pull the gun on me. When I get up there next to you, Freddie, I'll explain. Now, yell for those two hombres you passed off, as Chuck and Frank Bisbee. What do you mean? I said yell. Tell them to come up here. And do what I say, you double-crossing coyote. I... Frank! Chuck, come on! Oh, Silverhorn, you made the trip all right. Yes, I... Watch out! I know you're not Frank... Oh! Bring in that gun once more and I'll blow you to a million pieces. Back of us, Tuttle. Ah. Drop him. What we do? Do what he says, Tuttle. We've got to play for time and hope that Dan is bringing the sheriff. Throw down them guns! Now, climb off of them horses. Is that a big fella? Keep your hands up. James, un-hitched, Mass. Good. We don't need one of them coyoses. You and me will ride this here starting in the paint. Duke, do you get hurt? Ah, just my arm. I'll be all right. I'll herd these critters off to this side of the road. You keep Freddie and them covered at the same time? Sure. Curly and me will unload the strong box. Come on, Curly. For a moment, Freddie Potter was unable to realize what had happened. Then suddenly everything thundered into a sharp focus. He knew that Matt, Curly, and Duke intended to double-cross him. As soon as they'd taken the goal, they would shoot him and the Mass Strangers who never killed anyone, even when he had the chance. And Freddie knew he was powerless to prevent it. The blonde end of Duke's gun reminded him of that. He was going to die, just as his father had told him he would. Just as he reached this conclusion, he noticed that his left hand still clutched the iron brake handle where he'd locked the wheels of the coach a few moments before. In that instant, Freddie Potter made a decision. A decision from which there was no turning back. He waited until Matt and Curly were inside the coach, lifting the heavy strong box. You breathed in including short. Stop squirming, Freddie. There's no way you can dodge what's coming to you. That's right, Duke. And neither can you or Matt or Curly. Hey, what the... Hey, what's going on? It's gone over, Tutto. Listen. Did you see what happened? Freddie Potter purposely released the brake. Ah, me see it. Him outlawed, but him brave. It took a lot of courage. Many horse come. Then bring Posse. They'll be able to recover the gold, all right. Here's a little bit. Here's Cout. You think Freddie Potter saved your life? Because you didn't shoot him? No, Tutto. I don't think that was the only reason. Any big fella? No. I think he might have been keeping a promise. He made to his father. Come on, silver. Get him up, Cout. Here is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.