 It's Papa Long Cassidy with action and suspense out of the Old West comes the most famous hero of them all Papa Long Cassidy starring William Boyd The ring of the Tildesburgs heralds the most amazing man ever to ride the prairies of the early West Papa Long Cassidy This famous hero thrills his 60 million fans with action and dangerous adventure In the role of Papa Long Cassidy is the popular star of the motion picture series William Boyd and appearing as that laughable old character California is Andy Clyde Now to our story the Phantom Bandy Doe Hoppy's furs at the moment are jingling down the bought walk of Council City The railhead where hundreds of common come from every direction once a year to sell and ship their cattle And Council City does everything in its power to accommodate them The honky-tonks, the hotels, the gambling joints, the buzz with activity The Marshal and his deputies on double duty and the common too many of them looking for a handy place to squander a year's wages Concherned Hoppy I'm reaching the end of my time, I wrote that take it easy California ain't we partners right ain't I Sided you clean from falling junction to fake us and she was the greenest hand in the bar 20 And every time some alcohol run us up a tree who was right there hanging to the next branch California Carlton he writes then why intonation are you keeping secrets from me secret Don't give me them innocent blue eyes and and don't tell me we're here in Council City just to sell them cats Now you know as well as I do the fake is crossing the Dern site nearer the bar 20 you've been selling cows there for 10 years Here we are The arcade saloon No, what's that got to do with it run by mr. Sanderson California the man who wants to buy a cattle. Come on. Let's look inside. Yeah, better check with a bartender What'll it be chance? We're looking for mr. Sanderson In here right now. He's out looking over some steers. I'll be back any minute. You want to wait? No, guess we'll take a look at the power and come back when What's the matter up? Hey, uh, who's that thought huh the bar down there? Oh him That's young buyers on the ranch south of here Changed my mind. I guess we will wait bring us a couple of stars for others. Will you have without the snake juice? You boys sure you want them straight might fix up a little chase it Poppy look at that fires. Well, it's wrong. Don't stand looks like he's lost his last friend Worst than that if I saw what I think I saw Hey, hey, look what he's a right here. I Wouldn't do a lot of fire you Let me alone will you I do is my own business. I'm just asking you to think it over a minute I thought it over all I want you now beat it. Will you get out of here? Not till you give me that Nobody's gonna stop me now. Do you hear I'm afraid that's just what I'm gonna do Look mister, I didn't like that. I didn't like that at all Okay, sonny I hate to do this The big man from out the way I'm sorry I didn't want to raise a rocket, but what come on you This boy over in our room at the hotel put him on the bed. I'll be over a minute sure I'm still asking my questions that brothers what's this all about take a look at that glass at your feet sure You bought a drink one of our glasses only look at what he poured in it, huh? Let's see that Gosh old hemlock poison the kid was trying to kill himself Now back to hop along Cassidy I Hoppy in California are in Council City to sell 500 head of prime bar 20 steers to a mr. Sanderson or at least that's the story hoppy's given out But now as he hurries back to the hotel His mind is mostly on the young cowboy who almost succeeded in poisoning himself in the arcade bar The boy is just coming to his hoppy arrives at the room How's he getting along? Oh, he's coming around. All right. Yeah, you sure didn't pull that punch I didn't want to stand there and argue it out in front of all the customers All right, what happened? Are you walking to mr. Cassidy's good right hand son? I'm sorry kid. I had to do it Now, why don't you tell me what the trouble is? I? Don't talk about it Now you never can tell you might be able to help you seems like we do more of that sometimes than shell and cows You can't help me now. I don't suppose it'll do he Honda tell you Broke see nothing wrong with being broke. You need a job. Why I got a job got a ranch too Well, I had one what do you mean? Thousand acres prettiest range land you ever saw I come here to console city six weeks ago of my first cattle 300 head of perverts Everything dependent on the money I got for him then what I sold them for $20 a head that's $6,000 cash. I was pretty happy and pretty foolish. I guess I started home that afternoon Ranch the circle B is 20 miles south of here four or five miles out of town out near stone Canyon Suddenly found out how foolish I was. Oh come Sombraero Negro the black hat huh gone by her. What about the black hat? Well, he was waiting for me at a narrow place in the trail before I knew it There was a gun in my back and the six thousand was gone. Did you get a good look at the bandit? Not very he's dressed in black black shafts shirt Sombraero black mask on his face right the big black stallion must be the fastest horse in this part of the country I was crazy mad after it happened even though he took my gun. I went after him, but it was hopeless Got my money in the ranch. It went with it. What could I tell my wife, Mr. Cappity? Sorry, Janie. I got robbed. I lost the ranch. Sorry, but it's gone. Take it easy fire Six weeks now. I've been after him. I swore I'd get him I've covered stone Canyon down to the last clump of grease wood. It's like chasing a phantom What a night I Guess I gave up. Hmm. That's a tough one buyers the answer you get on over. They are catered in the right one Guess I know that now. You say you locked your ranch. I got two weeks left. There's a loan on it That has to be paid off. Who holds it? Mr. Sanderson. I see that you asked for an extension Why should he extend it? He wants that land find a piece of cattle range in the county. Yeah Who'd you sell the cattle to? Sanderson. That's interesting Why didn't he run off the loan right there? Why'd he give you the cash? I thought it was funny at the time. He said I'd better take the cash But he had to send away for the papers. He come down to the ranch on the due date and close it up official You know hoppy. I'm beginning to see why we come to council city to sell never mind, California You keep fire company for a while. Will you about time I looked up an old friend So you think it's gonna be tough Marshall Tell me hoppy if I ever sin for you on an easy case Excuse me for living. No, it's a tough one. All right hoppy and more ways than one Some Brero Negro they call them the black hat More like a ghost Smell money like a bloodhound knows just who's carrying it and who isn't it's hard and fast Four times in the last three weeks have you seen him twice thought we had him once ran him up stone Canyon right to the end One minute. He was there and the next he was gone disappeared almost before our eyes Yeah, that's one of the things that makes it tough and what's the other one Sanderson? That's what I thought he runs this town hoppy you suspecting Well, there's been five robberies all together all of them cattlemen who just sold their stock to Sanderson and we're leaving town with the money Don't take much of a detective to add that up, but it's still only suspicion We've got to catch the black hat in the act hoppy the only way Mmm, and that's why you wrote me to bring my next batch of cows to council city right Who's that there must be miss man Sanderson secretary. She said she wanted to see me tonight. Wait a minute I don't want anyone to know we're working together. I'll be in the next room Marshall come in I Can only say a minute. I can't let him know I'm here. You heard about Fred Byers Tried to kill himself in the arcade an hour ago. I see how much longer are you going to allow this to go on until I get Proof miss Vance. Well, I don't need any more proof. What do you mean? Well, Sanderson is out this afternoon. I went to his desk I found this Well Black mask that proof enough for you. I Don't know well, I do the town's people are ready to leave someone Marshall They're tired of waiting and so am I if you insist on sitting up here in your office That's just a minute miss Vance until the United States government tells me different I'm in charge of the law here and I'll conduct my office as I see fit When I get a case against Sanderson, I'll move and not until All right, Marshall, but I hope for your sake you move Good night. Good night. Oh, what do you think copy hard to say there? It is prettiest piece of evidence a man could want. Hmm wonder if Sanderson's in his office now I'm sure the arcade runs till midnight. Why don't I might run over and talk business with him after all He's the boy who's gonna buy my cows, isn't he? Nice for you to drop in tonight Cassidy. Yeah, have a cigar. No, thanks, Mr. Sanderson. I hope you don't mind if I do Yeah, I always think better with a cigar in the mouth. Yeah, now we'll close at 20 in 20 satisfactory to you That's a fair price. Good hate to haggle. I could see you hate it too Cassidy The minute you came in and I decided myself now There's a man who's got a price in his mind. I meet it fine. I don't know do you Got of an amateur student of character Cassidy usually come up pretty close And you're a mighty good business man aren't you Mr. Sanderson? Oh, I do my best. Make a pretty good go at the candle broker or run a couple of saloons. Yeah, I like to keep busy And I see you play around with mining too You mean the map on the wall? Yeah, and those gold nugget cufflinks you're wearing. Well, I'll tell you secret, Cassidy As a mining man, I'm a flop, but a lot of money in it too That map on the wall up there is to remind me I can lose money faster than I can make it sometimes. Is that so? It's called a gold arrow few miles out of town just over the ridge from Stone Canyon spent a fortune put in six miles a tunnel But all I got was a pair of cufflinks Pretty expensive cufflinks Well back to business. Here's the bill of sale and 500 head at 20 is 10,000 Yeah in cash So why not? Seems like a lot of money for a fellow to pack around in green bags. How about a check? Sorry, I don't do business that way Cassidy. Don't even carry a check in account. Any particular reason? Yeah, I don't trust banks Father lost everything he had in 73 and I don't intend to do the same. I see. So if you want to do business with me It's cash on a barrel head. I get to leave it. That's what you told Fred Byers? Yeah Anything wrong with that? I think so. You could have written off that mortgage on his ranch with a bill of sale on these cans I'll wait a minute. I'm not through You handle the deal sensibly instead of sending him out of here with $6,000 in his jeans He'd have owned his ranch clear. Now he's wiped out Walks into the bar downstairs and tries to kill himself with poison all because you don't trust banks Or is that the real reason? You've been listening to it too. Have you what? Talk around town about me. I Guess it's the same everywhere Cassidy Man pulls in a town with nothing except the clothes on his back a pair of hands and a lot of ambition It works hard. He builds up a business. He gets rich While he's poor he's a good fellow When he makes his pile He's suddenly a thieving skunk who'd murder his own grandmother for a dime. I'm not talking about your money, Sanderson I just said if it weren't for that crazy note and yours about banks Fred Byers that have his ranch instead of you And I don't think it's gonna break your heart to pour clothes on him. Is it? Seems to me you've come here to sell some cattle You're gonna sign a bill of sale sure There you are Take care of that cash, won't you? You can bet I will Good night, Sanderson. Good night and uh Good luck. I'm a risk to old Jim Harrison. Hand me that bundle of bills there, California Here you are, but dang to know what you're doing. I think if I was not a do-it-marshal We'll leave the rest here and you're safe Unsharned, Hoppy. I wish it slowed down to a fast gallop so a body could catch up What should you do and put in them marks and then bills? Just put in a little black dot next to the serial numbers Sure, I can't help you. Hell, okay Let me sit down beside you and put whiskers and Andy Jackson's picture there. I'm going fishing, California Good lord, almighty. Efficient. And I'm telling you you ain't gonna get a bite, Hoppy And I ain't gonna stand for this another minute. What's going on here? What? There's a big fish swimming around out in Stone Canyon, and I'm going after him with this money of bait Give me give me the black hat. That's right Hoppy figures the bandito will tackle him if he starts back to the bar 20 tonight with that money I don't why not because he's too smart to tackle a hop along Cassidy on a dark trail even Steven That's why you know, he'd get run off with more holes in him than a Swiss cheese Well, maybe you're right Marshall, but it's a century wouldn't tackle you so I don't like the direction this conversation is going now. Now. Why are you looking at me? No California wouldn't work either. Yeah, I reckon not fine. Well, you can't send a boy out to do a man's job No, wait a minute. I and he does a mighty tough Humbrie. Can't tell what might happen. I ain't afraid of California I wouldn't risk your neck for anything After all at your age a man ought to begin to take things easy at my age Now listen here if and if and you think I can't give that bandito coyote cards and spades and hog time with one hand behind my back You're you're you mean you want the job. Yeah, darn to know what the job Give me that money cheese or yours why I wasn't a saddle when you fellas was in the cornered pants and that bandita power, too Sure, let me see him face to face you will California. You will You just got yourself a job You know, I get a feeling that was you carried into this Now back to our story It's now almost midnight three hours since California carrying a thousand dollars in marked money set out on the trail leading north from Council City Supposedly on his way back to the bar 20 Hoppy in the Marshall high on a rocky peak are watching the moonlit valley below Take it easy hoppy. I can't help it Marshall. I'm beginning to get jumpy Oh, you told him to take his time. Yeah, I know but We're in luck in one way at least huh that moon bright as daylight down there I hope you're right about the black hat anything happen to California get at hoppy There are two kinds of outlaws the killers and the smart ones the black hat the smart kind California ain't gonna get hurt. Well, I feel better flies down there instead of wait What's up look where the trail comes out of that shatter down there? Yep, it's California. All right, he's moving into the shatter again. I'll come out on the other side of that boulder There it is just like I said, what do you mean? He isn't a killer. He's shooting high. That's his stopper Let's get going Right up the cliff here and it seemed he dropped out of sight that black stallion of his is the fastest thing on four feet Where's California right behind me? He's okay good Doesn't make sense marshal a man and a horse just don't vanish into thin air. He's got to be around somewhere You sure there's no trail leading up to the rim positive. There's no way out of stone Canyon But the way we come I've been over every inch of it with red bars California Machine you take out after a nice work. I wish I'd done my job as well as you did yours Where'd the varmint go? That's rather an embarrassing question, California seems we are chasing a spook ain't no spook I dealings with down there in the trail what these boys sound like I couldn't tell underneath that mask all he said was take Them up and my teeth was chatter and so loud I was lucky to hear that but if while he was relieving me and my money that he left something behind what's that? Here take a look. What is it? I'll be a cuss link. I picked it up Picked it up after he took off he dropped it in the trail by accident. I wonder if it was an accident What do you mean? I'll be I don't know but mr. Sanderson might have an idea to on that subject when I give It back to him tomorrow morning Oh Hello, hello, mr. Sanderson. I was just looking at the map of your your mind here So I see it looks like you tunnel almost through the ridge here from Green Valley to Stone Canyon. That's right I suppose you tell me what you're doing in my office. Oh come now, mr. Sanderson I'm not holding any grudges about yesterday. There's no reason why you should I asked you what you were doing here On it do your favor Ever seen that before Where'd you get it answer my question first? Of course. I've seen it before it was stolen from my home a few days ago Oh seems to me. I saw you wearing a pair of nugget cuff links yesterday. That was the other pair I have to where were you last night at 11 o'clock Sanderson? At home anyone with you no Like to know where you got that cuff link. I know you would see you later Sanderson It's happy this rock walls two feet thick the hole into the canyon. Here's the same way No, I want to see for myself. Let's work up far up the slope. Can they look California nothing down here There's got to be somewhere along here. I wish I were sure of myself as you it's almost dark Hoppy what can we still got a half hour? I have in mind tunnel of Sanderson comes almost through to this side this side of the cliff here goes right under the Ridge between this and a stone Canyon and Green Valley on the other side It can't be coincidence the black hat seems to disappear right at this exact spot I'm a good Lord man a hole big enough for a horse and rider would hold it look up there Oh, where that crack in the granite about 15 feet up. Look what's coming out that? Well, I'll be thousands of them. There's your cave Marshall. Yeah How in tarnation could that thin rock underneath it must shove aside or something come on give me a hand California right behind you this big slab looks like it might Yeah, look at those scratches in the dirt come on now all together Well Satisfied now Marshall. I'm eating crow. Cassidy. Let's go in light up the candle California Yeah, and I'll bring up the rear if you don't mind Just as soon as I don't want to meet that critter face-to-face in his own hole Let's pull the stone back the way it was. Yeah, and leave us all shut up in here. Yeah, sure Okay, let's go How far do you think the tunnel goes happy ties in with that plan? Chris Sanderson told me about from there you could go right through the ridge for the green valley No, I'm really was able to disappear so easy You reckon he went right through or Butcher take a look in this part of the tunnel. Well Cigarette butts land boxes pull the candle Marshall. Yeah, I see what's in this box Oh That's it hoppy There's the world's Fargo pouch the envelope Fred buyers kept his money and it's all there Yeah, it's like we found out where our friend hangs his black hat In the darkness of a cave at the end of stone Canyon hoppy California and the Marshall have found the answer to part of the mystery surrounding el sombrero negro the phantom bandit and the black hat But even though the stolen money is there the most important question is still unanswered What do you figure I'm doing hoppy waiting here for Sanderson to show up? What makes you think of Sanderson? What makes you sure you ain't telling us the bandit somebody else are you I didn't say that I'm just not sure it's Sanderson well good Lord everything points to him He ran the mine knows the tunnels every one of the robberies followed one of his money Do you yeah, what about that roughly that still doesn't mean it's Sanderson Well, who else could have his secretary miss Vance. Oh, what do you she knows all of Sanderson's business? She could have stolen that cuff Lincoln had his plans to throw suspicion onto him and above everything else She hates him and makes no secret. I can't believe that miss Vance another thing I don't think that's her right name. Oh, right if her name isn't Vance. What is it wait? Put out the candle I copy what? Oh Can this who's there put up your hand? That's suicide act was a fake. He knew why I was here and was trying to throw me off great Well, I never would have no I guess he had us all fooled for a while Well, let's get back to town. I think we owe mr. Sanderson an apology and of course we'll have to notify the widow Widow sure mrs. Fred fires otherwise known as miss Vance I'll leave that one to you marshal. That seems to be a matter for the law We hope you'll be with us next time when hoppy in California will again ride out from the bar 20 For another dangerous and exciting adventure of the Old West Hop along Cassidy starring William Boyd is transcribed and produced in the West by Walter white jr The Phantom Vendita was written by Harold Swanton All stories are based upon the characters created by Clarence E. Mulford This is a Commodore production