 A fiery horse with the speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty high old silver, the Lone Ranger. With his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the planes led 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. Tomorrow past him the thundering hoof beats the great horse Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again. The Lone Ranger and Tonto were in the vicinity of Frontier Town where they had made a number of good friends including Sheriff Taylor and Doc Drummond. They were on their way to town from their camp in the Enchanted Hills when a sudden storm broke. The heavens seemed to open, lightning flashed and thunder cracked and rolled through the valley near the Ovaldon Trail. The masked man and his Indian friend saw refuge beneath an overhanging ledge and waited until the worst of the storm had passed. It's passing, Tonto. Ah, thunder far off now. Trail plenty bad. Well, as far goes stage, you'll likely be delayed. I think Scouts and Silver can get over the trail. Well, we try. All right, tighten your cinch. Set it there, Silver. What's happening? Set it Silver. That's not thunder. The blast. Get back. Hug the wall. Look out for those rocks. Tons of rock blown loose. What makes blast? I don't know. Let's get out from beneath this overhang and see what's left of the ledge up above. Stage trail. Up there. Trail was up there. Not now, Tonto. Ah, all broke away. Yes. We go up there and see what makes blasts. We'll investigate that later on, Tonto. First, we better get to town and let Wells Fargo know that the trail's gone. We'll have to make a new trail before another stage can go through. Well, that's right. We got news for two-gun Taylor, too. Yes. Sheriff will be interested in what we have to tell him. Set it, Silver. How we go to town? Have to take the long way. Fast whistling springs, geyser. Through Sagebrush Hollow. You ready? Uh-huh. Be ready. Set it, big fella. Come on, Silver. Come on. Count. In town, the rain had turned the street into ankle-deep mud. Dave Neal, driver of the stagecoach, should watch while the horses were being hitched. Be sure everything's tight. It'll be a tough run through this storm. Don't try it. It's too dangerous. You tend to be in shotgun, Guy. But, Dave... If you're afraid, go on in the office and tell Andrews to send me another guy. It's not that I'm afraid, Dave. It's the risk to the passengers. They don't want to go on until morning. And tell them to take the next stage, next week. Mr. Andrews is willing to postpone the trip. But you think the trail might be dangerous? I'll talk to Andrews. Be sure those horses are hitched tight. It'll be all right. I understand the trail is dangerous and wet weather. The trail's dangerous in any kind of weather, unless you've got a good driver. Are you... Are you going to try to get through tonight? Of course. I've never backed out of a run in my life. Have I, Mr. Andrews? Well, Dave, maybe tonight is... Is what? It's a bad night. There's some bad places in the trail. I can drive it blindfolded. I wish we could wait until morning. Young man, I'd be willing to pay extra if you'd wait. Mr. Andrews will approve. I told the passengers it was up to you, Dave. We're going through tonight. There's a special cargo. The lives of these passengers are more important than any cargo, Dave. Be sure you know what you're doing. The stage is ready. So am I. All right, all aboard. Young man, I'm putting my life in your hands. And I. We all are. If anything happens, young man, you'll be to blame. The stage left frontier town for the determined young driver handling the reins. It was a little later when Doc Drummond sat in Sheriff Taylor's office. Rain like this might go on all day and night, Sheriff. Yeah, well, it might, Doc. I mean, I'm in for trouble. Kind of tough waiting through mud to call on your patience, Doc. That's not the worst of it. No. The worst comes when I get home. Tilda is touchy about her rugs when I track in mud. Hold it, Doc. Wait. Look out there. Look, the mask mask. Mask? I don't know what it is. There's a man with weather don't hinder. There, ready, Doc. If only I could get the lone ranger to settle down and be a deputy. You must have something important to come here in a storm like this. Well, glad to see you. Hello, Sheriff. How are you, Doc? Me, I'm all right. I'm glad to see you. Sheriff, you better send word to Wells Fargo. The trail's out. Trail's out? Yes, where the trail runs close to the edge of the ravine at Powderhorn River. The stage can't get through. Great day. There's a stage due to leaving a minute or so. I better hurry. Will the stage leave in weather like this? Today's stage, Will, young Dave Neal is bound and determined to take her through. Got a lot of money, 15,000 is being sent for the bank. I better spread the word real fast. But, Sheriff, you're too late. Dave Neal left to the stage about half an hour ago. Left? Dad ran to Andrews, what sort of station agent are you? Why'd you let him go? If you knew how eager Dave is, you wouldn't ask that. He had a couple of anxious passengers set out with them to cash in the shotgun guard. Said weather hadn't ever stopped him before and wouldn't stop him now. Oh, you fat-headed fool. Why didn't you hold him back? Weather like this. We've got to get after him. Try to stop him before he hits the place where the trail is gone. He's gone. Half an hour ago. Half an hour. Come on. Come on. I'll follow you. There, Dusty. Get along, flaky. Get up. Go on, Rain. Can't hardly see the trail. I don't like it. What's the matter, guard? You scared? Well, there's nothing to laugh about. Take a look at that drop. What had happened to us if we went over? From the storms turning the trail into gumbo. We could slip off the edge as easy as nothing. We'll make it. Get up there! Come on, get up! Veil's mighty close to the edge after we round the turn. I've been handling stages on this division long enough to know what I can do and what I can't. Yeah, but how many times you're driving weather like this? Listen to that. You said to rain and let out, but it's getting worse. Come on, Dusty. Put your sword and lay into it. The superintendent didn't want any delay with the cash we're carrying. More delay? More likely roll the agency to get wind of it. No one said you had to take the stage out, though. They asked you if you figured you could make it. You said no, you got to wait until tomorrow. If you don't like it, climb down and walk. Get up! Get along there! Look ahead. Look at that curve. Come on, if I don't have a notion to walk. Forget it. You figure you can make that their curve? Sure I figure to do it. You can't. It's mud. Nothing but mud. The trail slants toward the drop. If we start slipping, it's going to be... God, John, shut up and let me handle the rain. We ought to turn back. Get up there! Pull up! Flashes! Get up! Come on there, you horse. Get up! Doctor, give me that rain. Let go of the rain. You fool, hang on tight. We'll never make that curve. Yes, we will. We're making it right now. Hang on. Dave! Dave, look ahead. The trail's gone. There's no trail. I've never had around here. There's a long drop, Sheriff. The passengers were killed instantly. How about the guard and driver? Just looking at the guard. I saw you when I rode up. Is he... Dead? Driver, not dead. No? Come on, Sheriff. Here, young driver. Tim alive. Teddy there, fella. Oh, my fault. Oh, my fault. Oh, my fault. He's raven. How about him, fella? Him not seem hurt. Bad. No bones broken. All right. Curious how things work out. We've come through without even a busted arm. And all the rest killed by the fall. I wonder if it's safe to move him. Can't do much for him here in the rain. We can rig up a litter and take him to Doc Drummond's house. Well, that's what we'd better do. I don't know how to fix a litter, Sheriff. Meanwhile, you might see if you can find the cargo and the wreckage. I'll go on a little chance, but I'll have a try. In the home of Dr. Drummond, the young stage driver rolled and tossed on a bed. While hallucinations tortured his fevered brain, voices seemed to whisper. Haunting voices that came out of darkness. Stage. I can't see the rain. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. It's a lie. No. It's a lie. It's a lie. It didn't. No. No. What's the matter with him? He's local of what? Hallucinations, Sheriff. He blames himself for the tragedy. Will he get well? No, it's hard to say. He's been like this for two days. Not exactly, Sheriff. He sobs and tosses in his sleep. When he wakens, he's all right, except for blaming himself. I tried to tell him that it wasn't his fault, but he wouldn't pay no attention to me. Just kept saying that the guard tried to stop him, that he should have known better to try to take the stage through in that kind of weather. Yes, we'll leave him. Come into the other room. You, the mask man. I'll deal. Just the same, but where'd you come from? I've been looking around, Doctor. Around where? The place where the stage went over the ledge. Sheriff, the other day, when we came to town, I intended to tell you about a certain crook that came here. Yeah? Why didn't you tell me? Didn't have a chance. We rushed to the Wells Fargo office from there to the Overland Trail. After that, we were quite busy. Sure were. What about that crook you mentioned? I think he has the money that was shipped aboard the stage. Yeah? He has. Sheriff, you didn't find it when you looked? No. Well, I didn't find it either. Well, that's easy to understand. Lots of stuff from the stage was washed downstream. Nevertheless, I think the money was stolen by the crooks who blew away the stage trail. I tried to tell Dave Neal that someone blasted the trail. Yes, old man. He insisted that the accident was his fault. And it was my fault. What? Well, you're out of bed. I'm out of bed. I'm leaving here. I'm going away. No, hold on. I'm leaving, I tell you. I'm no better than a murderer. Everyone around Frontier Town knows it. Where are you going? Who cares? Just a minute. Take your hands off me. Let me go. You're going, but I'm going with you. We're going to expose a man who would have blamed that accident. The man who stole the cash from Wells Fargo. 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. I took a great deal of persuasion to convince Dave Neal to accompany the Lone Ranger and Tonto on a trip through Sage Brush Hollow, past Whistling Springs Geyser, and to the canyon where huge rocks blown from the rim lay in confusion. Dave, Tonto and I were right here. That's a few hours before you had the accident. What about it? They heard the blast. The explosion that blew hundreds of tons of rock from the rim up there. The sheriff tried to tell me they'd been a blast, but I thought he was only trying to make me feel better. No, it was true. Well, then... I'm not all to blame for the deaths of the passengers and the guard. I don't think you're to blame. Everyone in town thinks so. They'll change their minds when they learn the truth. But how? How will they learn the truth? Teddy Silver, what's the matter? Oh, Silver never. Teddy there, boy. Are you thinking of the blast the other day? Teddy Silver, I... He must have a look. Man, not bad. Hey, he's shooting. This way, get back. He's shooting at us. Get beneath the ledge. Hurry. But you, what about you? Join you in a minute. Man, it's something to think about. No, but I don't think you'll stick your head out to fire on us again. Who was it? Why'd he shoot at us? Dave, I think he's one of the men who came to Frontier Town to steal $15,000. But shooting at us? He must realize that we suspect something. Why, they had warned me... That gives me an idea. Dave, how far would you go to prove that a crook was a cause of that accident? How far? I'd go all the way. Just tell me what to do. Good. You're as game as that. You just listen to what I tell you. It was dusk when Dave Neal returned to the home of Doc Drummond. The kindly old physician smiled a hearty welcome. Well, Dave, by golly, I'm glad to see you back. Then his smile faded as he realized that the young stage driver was more grim than ever. I won't be here long. What led? I just came to get my guns, that's all, Doc. Your guns? Yeah. They're here on this page. Dave, why do you need guns? What's the trouble? You know the trouble, Doc? I've heard things all over town. Everyone says I'm no better than a killer. I'm a murderer that the law can't handle. Oh, nonsense. It's being said that if I hadn't been so bullheaded about taking the stage out in bad weather, there'd have been no accident. Dad, Ratty, Dave, you've been listening to them gossipy old women like Henrietta Knott. Oh, no, Doc. Everyone says the same thing. So I'm pulling stakes. I'm leaving. I'm hitting for some place where I'm not known. Now, Dave, listen to an old man. Sorry, Doc. Put the lone ranger. You spent some time with him. You went to the canyon with him. Didn't you, Dante? Doc, nothing the lone ranger, you and or anyone else can say will change my plans. Why not wait until tomorrow? It'll be dark in half an hour. Nope. If you want to leave here, wait until morning. Wells Fargo will start an eastbound run. I'll buy you a ticket. So long, Doc. Thanks for everything. The sheriff and Big Bill Andrews agent for Wells Fargo were in the office of the stage line with a former driver named Jensen. Yeah, Jensen? We've had a lot of changes around here since you left. Yes, I've seen most of them, Andrews. You aiming to stay long in town? Well, that depends, Sheriff. I... Well, to be frank, I'd like to go back to work for Wells Fargo. You, Jensen? Oh, why not? Well, thought you'd given up driving. Going in for ranching somewhere in the penhouse. No, that didn't suit me. A man gets driving into his blood. How about it, Andrews? You need a man? Well... The fact is I do. I don't know when Dave Neil will be coming back to work, if ever. You'd trust him after that accident he had? Well, I tell you... Wells Fargo was more particular in my day. Jensen, I've got a stage out back. It's due to start east in the morning, but it'll have to take the old south trail due to the overland need and repairs. Andrews, I'll be glad to handle the rains. Why, Dave Neil. Howdy. Neil, I didn't expect to see you here so soon. No. Well, hello, Jensen. What are you doing around here? Came back to see about a job. My job, huh? Well... Forget it. No hard feelings. The Sheriff, you and Andrews are wanted outside. A couple of friends of yours are there to see you. Who? Why don't they come in? They want you to step out. Come on, Andrews. I'll wait here and have a talk with Jensen. Right. I don't see where we got a club. Come on, my job. Well, Neil, I've been hearing lots of talk about you. Yeah, Jensen. I expect you have. But you won't have to hear much more talk about me. No? How's that? Because things are going to be changed by tomorrow morning. I've got a few plans. The curious thing is they include you. Me? What do you mean? You will see. A gun. Put that down, you fool. Steady. Don't move fast. It's sore because they aim to take your job. Is that it? Maybe. Now, don't try gunplay. Remember, the Sheriff's right outside. My friends are taking care of the Sheriff. Andrews as well. Your friends? Yeah. They're taking care of him so you and I can take a ride. You aim to drive stage again, huh? Well, you better take a lesson first. Sort of brush up on the way to handle the six in hand. See here, what are you up to? Get up. I said get up on your feet, Jensen. That's it. Now, go out the back door. The stage is already and the horses are waiting. Now look, Dave, I'm... Shut up and walk. Open the door. All right, go on. There's the stage. Now climb up to the seat. Where are we going? You're a local, stealing the coach like this. I said climb aboard. Hand me them rings. Here. You'd like to know where we're going, Jensen? Yeah. You recollect the Oberland Trail? You recollect where the stage I was driving went over? I recollect. Well, that's just where we're headed for. Get up there! Get along with him! Get up! Come on! Get up! With Dave Neal flying the whip and shouting to the horses as he had done so many times before, the huge stage went lumbering out of town and threw the night on the Oberland Trail. Get up! Get up, boys! Get up there! Jensen perched on the seat beside Dave, held tight as the coach rolled and swayed. Get out of your head, Neal. We're getting into the hills already. The place where the trail caved in was just a few miles ahead. You'd rather rain up. Come on there! Get along! Get up! Get up there! You hear me? I'm going to pull up somewhere this side. We can't get through. The mountain trail can't be you. Get up, boys! Get up there, Neal. Neal, listen to me. Listen! You don't know what you're doing. Well, what's got into you? What's got into me? Why are you sneaking murder and schemer? It was you that blasted out the trail so as we turn over that day, and tonight I'll pay you back. Get up there! Oh, no! You were waiting for the stage to go off the trail. When it did, you stole the can. You're wrong, Neal. You're wrong. Get up! Come on, boys! I lied to you. It's not so. You tried to kill me again today. I don't know what you're talking about. Jensen, tonight you're finished. You must be loco. Yeah? Well, why wouldn't I be? Passengers and guards killed and I get to blame? No one will have a thing to do with me. They call me a killer. I'd like to see me hung. No, because of you, Jensen. No, wait! I've been done for ever since that accident, Jensen. Now the two of us are going to go out together. Get up! Come on, boys! Get up! Get up there! Herds on by their driver. The straining forces thundered along the trail. The trail met and followed a canyon that became deeper as the trail climbed higher. Jensen's panic steadily molded. There's a needle rock! Right! Get up! Get along! Look at the curve! This is the place where the trails go through just beyond! Shuler! Keep moving, boy! Get up! Don't be killed! Don't be killed! Stop! Stop, I tell you! Hold it! Hold it! Hold it! Hold it! Hold it! That's a wee day, boy. I knew you'd stop. I knew you'd stop. Shut up and listen to me, you skunk. As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing to live for. I've got no job or friends or money. It's a case of go out quick or let out for the badlands and wait for starvation. Well, I'm taking the quick way. The same way the guard and the passengers went the other day. Dave, let me out. Let me off the stage. Sit still or I'll blow your head off. I'm taking the quick way, Jensen. And you're taking it with me. You're the one who wrecked the trail. You smashed the stage and sold the cash. No, Dave, that's not true. It's true and I know it's true, but I can't prove it. So I don't aim to try it, Jensen. I'm taking you with me. Dave, I'm trying to tell you that... If I had cash enough to buy a farm or something, it'd be different. As it is, I've got nothing but starvation. Well, Jensen, I stopped just to let you know why you're going to die. Now I... Wait. Wait, Dave, listen. For what? You said something about cash. Maybe I can fix that. I've got cash. Sure you've got cash. $15,000 cash from the stage erect. Only you won't get the chair suspended. All right. No, Dave, hold on. I don't want to die. Leave it to them others. You've got to listen, Neil. Neil, I'll divide up with you. I'll give you half of all I got, Dave. There was 15,000. That means over 7,000 just for you. 7,000. You mean that? I do. I give you my word. Just don't kill me, Dave. You admit I was right about you blasting the trail? You were right. That's just what I wanted to hear. Huh? You better get down, Jensen. It'll do you good to stretch your legs. You don't look to me like you feel so good. So you'll pay over half of what you stole, huh? I'll pay. I... We thought you'd break, Jensen. Come ask me. Right. And here are some others. The sheriff. Andrew. They were riding with us right inside the stage. They could hear everything that was said. We heard it all right. You figured out a way to make this skunk talk in front of witnesses. And you can believe me, he's going to get everything he's got coming. With full measure. Wait, I... I never confessed anything. Get inside your breath. We heard plenty. Jensen, you will hang. Neil, you've got my word. Everybody's going to hear the truth about this. But wait. That mask man was some Andrews. We heard some of what we needed to, Jensen. There comes Tata with my horse. Right up here, Tata. Your idea sure worked, firstly. I bet it did, Dave. Say, you're coming back to town with us and Miss Crook? You'll not need me any longer. Come on, Tata. Say, big fella. We'll go back to the hills. Get him up. Come on. That man. That mask man. Yeah, Jensen. He's the man you fired at. You were one more crook that made the mistake of shooting at the Lone Ranger. The one you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.