 The Spanish Tauteau, the Masked Rider of the Plains 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 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 a thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again. The Lone Ranger, Tauteau and Dan Reed had made camp near a small stream just west of Trinity Basin. It was well past noon when Dan asked permission to ride to the nearby town of Kilbane. Victor's left hind shoe is pretty loose. Don't you think I'd better take him to a blacksmith? Yes, I do Dan. The sooner the better. There must be a blacksmith shop in Kilbane. Shall I ride over there? Yes, it shouldn't take very long. Paolo can tell you where to find the shop. Ah, Kilbane, a pretty small town. Just one blacksmith fellow. You find him in the street by corral. Here, Victor. Thanks, Tauteau. Easy boy. The town's that small. I guess I won't have any trouble. I get back before sundown, Dan. We'll pack our gear tonight and break camp in the morning. I won't be long. Come on, Victor. No one in or around the tiny town of Kilbane knew much about Sam Latch, the blacksmith. He'd set up his shop only recently and had made no close friends. Small and slightly stooped. His general appearance belied the firm and rhythmic blows with which he changed the size and shape of malleable red-hot iron. Hi. I said hi. Just a minute, son. That's something I've always wondered about. What's that? The horseshoe you were pounding there in the anvil. Why do you stop, dip it into water, and then heat it red-hot again? Temper's the iron. It makes it tougher. Why is that? Don't know. Yes, iron horseshoes are something like people. They've got to be cooled off once in a while. Else it'll get so brittle they'll break in two. Gee. And that bellows you're working is what makes a fire burn so hot, isn't it? Yeah. Forced draft. Can I do a few, son? My horse. His left-hand shoe isn't badly worn, but it's loose. I'll take a look at it. Nice-looking coat. Where'd you get him? He was giving me. Steady, Victor. You see, two needs, a couple of nails. Bring me that hammer over there with a forge, you sure? Here. Steady, Victor. Solid as a rock now. Golly, yes, and you sure did a quick job. How much do I owe you? Well, can't charge much, River. Wait a minute. Looks like I've got some more customers. Whoa, whoa, whoa! Max Smith. This is my shop. Good. Got a job for you. All right. Bring your mounts in here. Now we're not talking about those nails we're riding. This job is shoeing a whole string of newly broken horses. About 200. That'll take some time. All the time you want. Only it's got to be done at the ranch. Close this place up for a few weeks and move out there. Boss'll pay your price and give you room and grub. How about it? Well, I guess I could. How far is the ranch? Just a few miles west. Yeah. If you want to ride out later, anybody here in town will tell you how to get to the lock and key spread. It's over the lock and key. You know the place? Yeah, it seems like I do. Who owns a lock and key now? Same gentle. Always owned it. Cold Sanger. Cold Sanger? I figured it might be that way. Well, how about the job? Should we tell the boss he'd be out around supper time? No. You'd better find somebody else to shoe your horses. I don't want the job. Find somebody? What's wrong? I don't want the job, that's all. Say, Les, maybe the old coot knows he's the only blacksmith within 200 miles and we'll up the price. Is that the way you figure, Grandpa? I wouldn't shoe any horses for your boss if he paid me $1,000 ahead. You know what Cole told us, Les? That cabby's got to be shot brand old. Don't worry, I'll handle this. Listen, Grandpa. Sign out in front of here says Sam Latch, blacksmith. Now, if that's you, you got a job with your leger or not. I told you you didn't want it. Yeah, I heard that. So I'm gonna do a little persuasion. Look out, he's got a gun. I see it. My answer is still the same. I'm staying right here. That's what you think. Golly, you'll hit that old man. Here's how we are, kid. You want to stay healthy. What are we gonna do now? Exactly what the boss ordered. Deliver a blacksmith to the lock and key. Hey, kid, is that your saddle horse? Yes. Get that rig off and hitch him to that spring wagon over there. Victor's never been broken to harness his kit. Listen, kid, I don't know who you are, but you're in on this deal now, so you... I can't very well argue with a gun in my face. That's right, so get a move on. Harness your neck to that wagon. Slim, you help him. We gotta move fast. Yeah. While you're doing that, I'll throw the old jet into the back of the rig so we'll have something to haul. Steady, Victor. I don't know any more about this than you do, but... Good. Grandpa's still out cold, so we won't know who to ride. Nice ride he's getting. Climb up on the seat, kid. You're driving. You can put that gun away. It doesn't scare me. We ought to knock him out. There's plenty of time for that later, Slim. Straddle your bronc. Steady, fella. We ought to... As long as I'm driving the wagon, do you mind telling me what direction I'm supposed to go? You follow Slim. He'll lead off. All right. Watch your driving. Remember, I'm riding right behind you. You try and eat tricks and you get the same treatment the old man got. You understand? Yes. Get up. Easy, boy. Come on, man. Get up there. Whoa, whoa, whoa, Victor. Slim. Yeah? Heard the kid in the wagon right on into the barn. Bucket of water in the old coop's face. I ought to bring him around so he can go to work. Sure. I'll go on up the house and talk to Cole. All right, kid. Straight ahead into the barn. Barn? You mean that big hill right in front of us? It doesn't look like a barn to me. You're too smart for your britches. Drive this rig through them double doors. Get going. All right, Victor. Place such a chance for you to get rid of that harness. Come on. Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Golly, it's dark in here. I'll fetch your lantern. Wait right there. Victor, you're my only chance to get out of this mess. If I can get you started before he comes back, go on, Victor. Find Silver. Find Silver. What the? Hey, what kind of shanag are you trying to pull? I just took the harness off my horse. He's glad to get rid of it. I don't blame him. Well, one nag more or less won't make any difference. Yeah, take this lantern. Your friend the blacksmith's still asleep here in the wagon. Now bring him around. Tell him there's about 20 head of horses back in the stalls that need to be shot, so he'd better get busy. How's he going to shoe horses? There's a forge back there. There's an anvil and plenty of horseshoes. If he knows what's good for him, he'll start to work. So are you. See, I don't see how you... The boss wants the job done proud of. Slim and me figured there's no other way to do it, Cole. You had to have a blacksmith. And we brought one. This was all right. The last man you had on the job hadn't had that accident yesterday. Actually, neither some of you drunken horse wranglers hadn't started a free-for-all fight. He'd still be alive. Well, you still needed a blacksmith, didn't you? So we brought the only one within 200 miles of here. Where did you have to gun with him? Bring the kid along. It was the only thing we could do. You didn't want the job. The kid was with him. Guess he's the old coot's helper or something. What did you say the blacksmith's name is? Latch. Sam Latch. It's the only one him killed being. You ever heard of him? Where's he and the kid now? Well, Slim's got him locked up in the barn. Well, they'll start to work all right. Ain't no that's the only way they'll ever get out of here. I hope so. The boys are driving another caviar stuck through the basin tonight. Yeah, I know. You want to have the cook house and eat yourself with him? I'll stop by the barn in a few minutes and see how the new blacksmith is making eye. Oh, what happened, son? Those men, after they hit you, they made me harness my saddle horse to a spring wagon. They put you in the back and we drove out here. Oh, yes. Yes, I remember now. They put you in the back and we drove out here. They put you in the back and we drove out here. They put you in the back and we drove out here. They put you in the back and we drove out here. Oh, yes. Yes, I remember now. I'm sorry you had to get mixed up in something like this. That's all right. It wasn't your fault. What's your name, son? Dan. Dan Reid. Oh, yes. Where are we now? At the Lock and Key Ranch. Locked in a barn. At least they call it a barn. It looks more like a cave to me. A Lock and Key. So Cole Sanger's gun slingers brought me here. One of them left me a lantern. I've been looking around. This is an awfully big barn. There are lots of stalls in the back. 20 head of horses. And over there on the side is a watering trough with running water. I don't understand. It's an underground spring, Dan. Almost a river. Runs right under the building. How do you know? Have you been here before? I homesteaded this place, Dan. Build all the buildings with my own hands. My wife and I call it the Lock and Key because Lock is my real name. I changed it to latch after the trouble. After she died. What kind of trouble? 15 years in territorial prison. I was framed on a murder charge by a man I trusted. A man named Cole Sanger. Cole Sanger? Isn't he the one they sent? Sure. Cheated me out of everything. The worry caused my wife's death. How long have you been out of jail? Almost three months. I learned the blacksmith trade in prison. So I changed my name and came back here at the basin. Hoping I might get enough evidence against Sanger to have a showdown. Gee. I haven't had any luck. Now he's caught me without a door-grown bit of evidence. Maybe we can escape. Get out of here before they even... Not a chance. I built this barn myself. Those doors are solid oak. It is back against the side of a mountain. Oh, there isn't a chance of help coming from the outside. Yes, there is. What's that? Just after I drove in here, I sent my horse home. Sent your horse home? And after he gets back to camp without me, my friends will find us. I'll bet anything they will. 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. It was just before sunset when the Lone Ranger and Tonto in their trailside camp heard the sound of approaching hoofbeats. This must be damn loud, Tonto. I can't understand what could have delayed him all afternoon. Maybe he'll not think of time. Damn it. Tonto. There's no saddle on Victor. Dan must have time up, Tonto. Here's Silver. Need to do it. Here's Scout. There's a full moon. We should be able to follow his back trail. We'll find him. Move, Silver. Get him up, Scout. What'll Cole Sanger say when he sees you? Plenty. He figured I was in jail for life. I still can't understand this place. It seems like it's part barn and part key. You're right. The back of it cuts right into the hill. I built it that way. But not for the use Cole Sanger's putting it to. What do you mean? He's enlarged the back part. Cut away almost half the mountain. More than likely he's doing what he was trying to do when he was working for me. What was that? Handled stolen horses. There's room enough in here to bed down 500 head. But from the outside, the barn doesn't look like it would hold more than 10. Golly, if you could prove to the sheriff and kill Bang that Cole Sanger is crooked. It's a chance I've been waiting for, son. I didn't figure on Cole's gun he's knocked me over the head. Now I'll have to make the best play I can. What'll it be? I don't know unless I try... Wait, somebody's coming in. Lucky thing we've already started that forge going. I'll go back there and pretend to be working. You'll be my helper. All right. The longer I can keep Cole from recognizing me, the better. Rock both doors open, Slim. Or as we trim the caviar stock in here in a minute now. Sure. Where's that blacksmith who's supposed to be here? Back at the forge. Working. Who are you? I'm his helper. I work the bellows to keep the forge clean. Then why aren't you doing it? You've got to have those horses shot and out of here tonight. Yes, sir. Yes, I'll line out for the basin, Cole. Help Les bring in the herd. No, wait. I don't want to bring anything in until those are all shot. After this kid and the blacksmith have cleared out. Yeah, but they won't... Give me that man in. I'm going to talk to that old coot Les was telling me about. No, here. Hey there. What do you... Sham, look. Sort of surprised to see me, aren't you, Cole? I thought you were... In prison for life because you frame me. Then forge the fake mortgage so you could take over the ranch. You crazy old coot. Over that gun and I'll swing this hammer. Slim, Slim, come here. What's that? Push back the ladder. I tried to swing him my head with that hammer. Keep him covered, Slim. Yeah. Better simmer down, Grandpa. What's wrong with him? Who is he? Never mind that. Why don't you tell him who I am, Cole? Not afraid to have your hired hands know the truth. He's local. Get a piece of rope and tie him up. Tie him? I thought you wanted the rest of these horses shot pronto. He's your only blacksmith. Oh, right. From now on you stay here and hold the gun on him every minute. I'll go out to the base and meet Les and the boys. We'll bring him the new herd. Sure. Watch this old codger. He's tricky. See, where's that kid who was standing here? There moves when we left the door open. What's the difference? One kid doesn't make... I guess not. Keep your eye on this blacksmith. I'll see you later. What do you make of it, Toto? The blacksmith shop was deserted. Ah, but signs say, Victor pull wagon. Come this way. That's what puzzles me. But what possible reason would Dan hitch Victor to a wagon and... Keep that something. Look. Looks like it is, Dan. He's a foot in coming this way. Come on, Silver. Come on. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh. Dan. Charlie, I'm sure glad to see you. We've been backtracking Victor's trail. What happened then? The blacksmith, Sam Latch. His real name's Sam Locke. And he's the real owner of the Locke and Key Ranch. After he fixed Victor's shoe, two men rode up and they hit him on the head. Made me hitch Victor to a wagon and drive to the ranch. Is that where you've been all this time? Sam Latch is still out there and I'm afraid they'll kill him unless... Here, give me your hand. We'll ride double on Silver. You can tell me the rest of the story while we're riding. Sure. There you are. Where are we going? Sam Latch is a friend of yours and he needs help. We're heading for the Locke and Key Ranch. Oh, Silver. It amongst us. Oh, Silver. He's a quiet boy. Oh, fella. Oh, fella. He's at the barn over there, Dan. That's it. See? It's built up against the hill. Good. He's a big fella. Now you and I will stay here and see what we can do. Tunnel. Right back into Kilbane Tunnel. See Sheriff Clark? He knows me. Tell him to bring up posse and get out here as soon as he can. Hurry, Tunnel. Get him up. Scout. Now, Dan, there are no signs of life, so we'll have to take a chance of what's going on inside the barn now. What do you mean? Listen to what I'll explain. Better get a move on, Grandpa. The boys will be back pretty soon. We've got to move these horses out of here. Working as fast as they can? He's coming in that door. Oh, it's a kid. Where are you, Ben? I'm coming. Yeah? I thought you were this old geezer's helper. I am. Say, sit over here in front of me. No danger of you and Grandpa starting anything, but I always play safe. Sure. I don't mind standing in front of you, Slim, because... We're done. What the... Get her up, then. I'll use this handkerchief for a gag. Mask. Another round, Tom. I guess Cole's sang his horse thieves as so crooked they double-cross each other. He's not an outlaw, Mr. Latch. He's the friend I was telling you about. Well, I... I'll be done. There. That'll hold Slim for a while. We'll carry him over here by the wall. Sam, I've heard about the ranch here. And how Cole's sang her cheated you out of it. That's the truth. But I can't do nothing without evidence that sang her is a crook. Right now, I'm holding the short end of the rope. Maybe not. I've sent word to the sheriff. That won't do any good. Cole's coming back here with a lot of horses. Probably twice as many gunhands. Good. Nothing could be better than catching Cole's sang her with stolen horses. How are you going to catch him without a fight? That critter you've got tied up over there is only one of Cole's gunnies. Well, I'll admit the odds are against us, but Sam told me something about a watering crof here in the barn. He said you explained it was part of an underground stream. That's right. He also was quite impressed with the way a blacksmith tempers iron by dipping it into water. Don't savvy what you're saying, mister. A horse thief like Cole's sang her is much more dangerous than red hot iron. Maybe we could temper Cole and his gang in the same way. I still don't savvy. And there are only three of us. But if we work fast, we could tear a part of the floor here on the barn. But we have to dig very far then to reach the underground river. Not over two or three feet? Why, that would make an open trench right across the barn. Exactly. You mean you'll try to herd the crook into that? Well, they'll see it. It'll take more than herding, Sam. There's worth a trial. Come on, Dan. Let's get to work. What's wrong with Slim? Told him to have those doors propped open. Slim here with the old man. He can't let out. He let before I did. Come on, we're getting... Oh, wait a minute. I gotta hunch something's wrong. Maybe Slim had some trouble. He's gonna have trouble? I'll get a hook. The barn doors are supposed to be opened and they're closed. Slim's supposed to be here and he's gone. Before you open those doors, you better get the boys up here. Play it safe. Yeah, yeah. Leave me a ride. All the way. Right, Dan. Come over here. Break out your guns. These doors are closed. We don't know what's inside. All right, ladies. Let's open them up. All right. Make a light. Somebody get a lantern. I can see the forge burning back there, but it's still... I mean, where's Blacksmith? That's just what I was gonna ask you. Keep your guns handy, boys. All right. Slim! Slim, where are you? Can't figure it. Hey, Cole, look out. What? You see right ahead of us. Stitch clear across from all to all. Your poop must have figured we'd walk in here in the dark. Well, Pete, as if we'd fall for anything like that. Not fall, but you might be pushed. All of you. Hey, what's that? Hey, back of us. Look up in the hayloft. Somebody's got a beam swung on rope. Swing in this way. Look out! That's all of you. Hey, that ditch ahead of us is full of water. He brings Sheriff Kimosabi. Good. Here. What's this all about? Hello, Sheriff. We've got 15 or 20 half-drowned horse thieves. I'm sure they'd appreciate a nice dry jail. Well, if it ain't Cole Sanger and his crew, what's all that stalk milling around out there? It's probably stolen from every ranch in the basin. Everything in here looks as though he used this as a brand blotting stable. Always have been suspicious of Cole Sanger. It's the first time I've had any evidence. I wish you'd have the county clerk look up the mortgage and bill of sale on this ranch, Sheriff. I think you'll find evidence of forgery. It rightfully belongs to the original owner, Sam Locke. I wouldn't doubt it. Just proves that Cole Sanger has finally played out his string. I'm sure of it. Well, come on, Dan. Hello. Hey, wait. Just a minute, stranger. Oh, God. Say, who are you? Locke. Sam Locke. Sam Locke? Well, you must be the one who's... Yes, that's right. For a minute, I thought you were that new blacksmith we've got over to Kilbrane. His name's something like yours. Oh, not anymore. We're the same from now on. Thanks to the Lone Ranger. Here you have just heard, is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporate.