 special recording the lone ranger a fiery horse with the speed of light a cloud of dust and a hotty high on silver the lone ranger with his faithful indian companion total the daring and resourceful mass rider of the planes let 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 hoof beats of the great horse silver the lone ranger rides again the town of gun smoke located near the eastern edge of the arizona desert was shrouded in darkness as jack barton the 20-year-old son of the banker moved softly out the back door of his father's home he closed the door gently then made his way to the stable behind the house in the stable he loaded supplies into a saddlebag then proceeded to saddle his own black horse and while he worked he spoke in a low voice running away blackie that's what i'm doing but i have no choice i've got to go away stay away quiet blackie quiet dad's gonna be mighty broken up but not nearly as broken up as he'd be if i stayed here to hang from murder easy now the son of the banker rode all night heading west across the arizona desert at daybreak he halted the black horse and dismounted oh blackie oh blackie just about star we've covered lighter ground since midnight we've ruined a little rest jack moved a few paces away from the horse then suddenly blackie come back here blackie hold blackie hold on but the horse kept going running at a fast gate toward the town which jack had left god i guess i'll have to travel our foot hungry thirsty with neither food nor water within many miles the son of the banker continued west on foot the mid-afternoon sun was blistering hot as the lone ranger and tautel rode east across a vast expanse of arizona desert toward the town of gun smoke for the past few minutes they had been watching vultures flying low presently they saw a motionless form lying on the sunbaked ground a moment later they dismounted at the side of a well-dressed man who seemed to be about 20 years old bring a canteen to the fellows alive here water i'll hold your head up now take only a couple of swallows and wait before you drink anymore thanks are you injured no you're masked are you going to reject our help because of that no no more water please of course now thanks slowly it's good if you hadn't come out of diet here what's your name barton jack barton i suppose it's no use asking your name if you wanted to be knowing you you wouldn't be messed i have personal reasons for wearing a mask but i'm not an outlaw where's your horse i don't know probably back in gun smoke by this time is your home in gun smoke yes i left there last night oh this morning i stopped to prepare some food as soon as i dismantled my horse bolted ran off with my canteen set of bags everything i had have you been traveling on foot since then yes until i collapse you need food as well as water oh you get food from good jack we're going east after you've eaten we'll take you to gun smoke my horse can carry double no no i can't go back are you dodging the law no it's nothing like that a i just can't go back that's all i must keep going where you can't travel on foot i'll have to even though you could keep walking it would take three days to reach water it's certain death to travel on foot in this country it doesn't matter it matters to taut on me we can't leave a man to die on the desert you'll have to because i'm not returning to gun smoke oh are you afraid to go back no no it's just that i'd i don't want to hurt my dad how would he be hurt by your return it's a long story oh wait i just remembered i've heard of a man named barton who owns a bank in gun smoke is he your father i call him dad a real father died when i was a baby mr barton doubted me he's the finest man i know i'd rather die than tell me why you'd hurt him by going home i don't see why you're interested jack i don't want to hurt anyone least of all a fine man like banker barton but we can't leave you to die on the desert by going to take you to gun smoke by force if necessary you know if you know what that would mean to dad i'm i'm trying to find out all right i'll tell you good yeah yeah put it beside the canteen tunnel uh help yourself jack well you tell us your story thanks look there's a man in gun smoke named reagan harvard reagan owner of the gambling casino oh yes is he a friend of yours no i'm sure reagan's a crook but the law has never been able to prove it i know he's a crook and i can't prove it what were you going to say about him well a short time ago one of his employees came into the bank i worked there for dad the man came to me and said reagan wanted to talk about investments he couldn't come to the bank during office hours because he worked all night and slept most of the day he wanted me to call on him at the casino in the evening did you yes i knew reagan had a lot of money to invest knew his account was worth going after when i reached the casino a man told me reagan was busy in his office he asked me to wait in the private room it was a large room and eight or nine men were playing roulette i didn't know then that all those men worked for harvard reagan i found that out later i stood watching the game when a man called lefty martin pushed in close beside and started to play he lost several times in a row 16 rat the winner i lost again too bad lefty now this umbrae bumped my arm and made me put my chips on the wrong number for you mean me yes you cannot take it easy lefty that's bank of bartons son he's waiting to see harvard reagan he's got no right to bump my arm i didn't touch your arm you're calling me a liar how lefty take it easy no one can call me a liar i'll teach this young youngster slap me will you go you hit me you want to fight i hold on lefty let me go i'll teach young barton a lesson i'll go and let him go he'll defend himself i'll help you you keep out of it let go of my arm within a few seconds after lefty slapped me and i struck back it was a regular free throw reagan's employees fought among themselves on all sides of me and then i heard a gunshot a fighting stop i saw lefty martin lying on the floor and then i heard harvard reagan he approached saying what's going on here what was that shot mr reagan martin lefty had a fight and lefty was shot martin must have shot him i did not i have no gun must have used a sleeve gun then tossed it up i know why i had to any of the customers in the main hall here around well i doubt it boss walls and door are thick i'll keep this quiet so bad lefty's hurt and do whatever's necessary all right come on give me a hand martin you come in tomorrow oh mr reagan lefty started the party slapped my face here we are jack step inside sit down and relax i didn't shoot lefty martin i've never used a gun in my life the bad it happened jack a man in your position can't afford to be mixed up in a gambling house for what i'll tell you i'm reagan lefty martin is dead dead huh yes sir we found this sleeve gun on the floor it's been fired once leave the gun with me huh what do we do about lefty nothing until you hear from me wait in the other room yes it's your gun jack no i never owned a gun and i didn't let me give you the straight facts all the men in that private gamer and my employee and my men stick together they'll all swear you'll use this gun and shot lefty martin they can't do that they can't get away with yes they can their evidence will hang you and that would break your father's heart no i've always admired your father jack for his sake i don't want to see you face a murder trial i'll not have to unless those men in the next room lie about who shot lefty martin they stick together they wouldn't let one of their pals hang but they know someone has to hang for that shooting so they'll frame you but i didn't do it well as i see it there's one way out for you well what is it well i have to give the man who really did the shooting enough money to clear out of the country the boys know he's well fixed in mexico i can persuade them to tell the truth how much money about two thousand dollars to do it two thousand i haven't had much money you will have someday you're the bankers there yes for your father's sake i'll loan you the money i'll take your i o u but it may be years before worry about it i'll take care of everything did you sign the i o u yes i was scared i didn't know what to do it seemed like the only way out of the trouble but the next day i learned that lefty martin wasn't dead he wasn't even hurt the whole performance was a scheme to get me to sign that i o u why did reagan want you in debt to him because he wanted me to help his gang rob the bank oh he had it all planned i was supposed to be working there at night i sometimes worked at night especially at the end of the month but on a certain night i was to be working with a safe open when reagan and his men came in i see they were to leave me bound in gags so it wouldn't appear that i'd helped in the robert and if you had refused to help reagan he threatened to show dad the i o u and say i'd lost the money gambling what would your father have done about that he would disown me you see my real father gambled he was killed in a fight over a card game and he was mr barton's best friend so dad i mean mr barton hated gambling i knew he disowned me and worse than that he'd be terribly hurt and disappointed me i understand that's why i ran away jack without that i o u reagan will have no hold on you we must get it away from him on the desert where the lone ranger and tato had saved his life jack barton told of the circumstances which had forced him to leave his home after hearing his story the masked man decided that they should return to gun smoke and get the i o u reagan held it can't be done do you know where he keeps it i know probably locked up in his office maybe in the safe how late is the gambling casino open till three in the morning but reagan stays there he lives in the same building we'll call on him he's never unguarded three men live there with him left him martin and two others and their gunmen three gunmen uh well four warreners four armed what are you going to do well you'll start now and head toward gun smoke ready tato uh be ready i'm sure we can reach the woods near town by three o'clock in the morning you're going with us jack oh but i if reagan can't get your aid in robbing the bank you'll probably take the i o u to barton and try to collect the money so you'll not save your dad from grief by running away easy big fellow give me your hand i'll help you mount behind my saddle all right i don't see what you can do you're going to try to get that i o u away from reagan but why why you're going to help me there are lots of men who'd welcome the chance to fight on behalf of a good citizen like banker barton during the long ride jack barton responding to questions told the lone ranger all he knew about the gambling casino and reagan's living quarters in the same building it was shortly after three o'clock in the morning when the masked man and tato drew rain in the dark woods near the town of gun smoke this man jack i'll see how you expect to get that i o u from reagan i've told you how well he's got a big fella going to try to draw the guards away from reagan and i'll speak to him alone you've got plan came to tell jack you said reagan spent about an hour in his office after the casino is closed for the night well that's right he balances the cash and takes care of the books it's a little after three so he's probably there right now that office is in the rear of the building yes what we do came to copy we're right to the edge of the woods behind the casino you want me to go with you no jack i want you to wait right here until we return give me your word that you'll stay here i'll leave you untied i'll give you my word i'll stay and see you later good we'll see you later um what we do when we get behind the casino i'll tell you how we're on the way tato you just gotta get out of here the short time later the lone ranger and tato drew rain and dismounted in a clump of trees they saw the back windows of the gambling casino less than 50 yards away the lighted window on the left is reagan's office he must have a you take plenty big risk it's justified in their horses at ground hitch the two men walked softly across the open area until they reached the lighted window keep down tato i looked through the window see reagan yes he was seated at his desk facing the other way he's alone jack say guards always near i know it goes with a barrel of his gun the lone ranger smashed the window hold it reagan you're covered yes and here on business don't shoot my hands are up if you don't want me to shoot move carefully come over here and open this window very well we've met before reagan what i turned you over to the law in texas when you were a stage robber you the lone ranger right i'll step back to your desk while i climb to the window why are you here what do you want i did my stretch in jail i'm clear with the law i came for an i o u signed by jack barton oh you're dead huh yes where is it i'm glad you came here very glad i've often hoped the day would come when i could pay you for sending me to prison where is the i o u you're not going to get it in fact you're not going to leave this room alive no several men have come here with the intention of robbing me and they've all fallen into the same trap i see no trap no well right now you're covered by three guns held by men behind the walls look closely and you'll see the loopholes there's one beneath that picture there's another over there lefty is he covered yeah boss we're watching him you see that a word from me you'll be a dead man reagan not knowing that the lone ranger had anticipated the trap smiled confidently tonto outside the window took careful aim at the single lamp that lighted the room have you anything to say before i tell my men at the instant tonto fired the lone ranger dashed across the office and opened a door the shots from the concealed gunman were too late the masked man ran through the private gambling room then threw a door to the area behind the building come on tonto the two men were over halfway to the grove of trees by the time reagan's gunman reached the door and opened fire we're gonna start the man thought we'd have them not hit us hey too dark in another moment the lone ranger and tonto reached their horses in the shelter of the trees you know the plan me know tonto leaked to his saddle but the lone ranger remained unmotted he handed silvers rains to the indian both horses raced away but the masked man stayed behind he crouched low concealing himself in underbrush and waited meanwhile reagan's face lived with rage as he spoke to his gunman that was the lone ranger i want him killed but he and his indian pal had horses hidden among the trees boy you heard him riding away go to the stable next door and get horses go after them that lone ranger knows about the barton i owe you if i don't get him he'll make trouble all right boss reagan went with the gunman to the stable while three horses were being saddled he gave voice to his hatred of the masked man who had sent him to prison and i'll pay a thousand dollars if you bring him back dang see that's what don't have things for it and we're ready let's go come on here reagan watched his men ride out the back door of the stable and race toward the woods then he returned to the casino in the main room now empty he helped himself to a drink after lingering for several minutes he went into his office as he opened the door he remembered that the lamp had been smashed by a bullet he struck a match and as he held it to the wick of an unbroken lamp he observed with surprise that the wooden shutter had been closed on the broken window i thought that shutter was open then from a corner of the room he heard a voice your color you yes i returned as soon as your man rode past me in the woods but keep your hands up and i see if you carry a sneak gun an armed yes yes i'm an armed you can't shoot a helpless man i have no intention of shooting you reagan but unless i get a certain i owe you i'm going to make you beg for a bullet to end your misery just to show you what i mean that's just the beginning stand up come on stand up we're alone now reagan no one to save you from this get off the floor no don't slap me again slapping's the least painful but if you say so i'll use my fists come on get up better go please i'll pay you i told you what i want all right i'll give you that i owe you where is it you're the safe that's safe right there and open the safe but don't try any tricks after more than two hours of riding the three gunmen finally gave up the search for the lone ranger and tato tired and disheartened they returned their horses to the stable boss is going to be mighty slower i'm not planning that mass man yeah it's getting daylight you think he'll still be up and waiting for us i'm sure he will you didn't worry about there he is the mass man you're covered here in the stable why do what are you doing here waiting for you follow the sheriff or with me all right boys you're all heading for jam sheriff that don't savvy take their guns follow huh let me get them the mask man persuaded reagan to open the safe did you know what he found there but those papers reagan made a sign yeah tell him all about your past crimes you got those sure did here's handcuffs for you after leading you men on a wild goose chase follow return with my horse i sent him to get the sheriff i was sure surprised when i saw those papers reagan made a sign them yeah i know about that he had to have a hold over here so he'd know that you wouldn't double cross him i knew those papers had made trouble and we have evidence to go with him you crooks i do for a long stay in prison well reagan's going with us i can tell plenty about him talk and i need to he's in jail right now on the strength of some stolen jewelry we found in his safe things that were stolen from the mayor's home when we finish talking he'll be there for keeps follow while you help the sheriff take these men to jail i'll go and tell jack barton his troubles are over i'll watch him burn a slip of paper and send him home to his dad adios adios mister yeah i'll be jack barton get that mask man to help him i don't know lefty but i reckon that any deserving man has a friend in the lone ranger this is a feature of the lone ranger incorporated created by george w twendle produced by twendle cambell mure incorporated and directed by fred flower day tonight's drama was written by friend swiker the part of the lone ranger is played by brace beamer