 A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust, and a hearty high old silver, the Lone Ranger. In the pages of history, can one find a greater champion of justice than the masked Ratter the Plains. With his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, he fought crime and criminals throughout the early western United States. And when outlawed bands and hostile Indians no longer roamed the new territory, he blazed the trail for progress and civilization. Return with us now to those thrilling days when the west was young. From out of the past come the thundering hootbeats of the great horse Silver, the Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, Silver! We're needed in Laramie! Come on, Silver! So, Bulo, Laramie's banker and sheriff Otis, call at the home of Dr. Ewing. Come in! Come in, gentlemen! We got here a little early, Doc, but Mr. Bulo didn't have much time to spare from the bank. That's quite all right. Sit down, gentlemen. Sit down. Bill is in his room. I'll call him. Uh, Doctor... Yes? You, uh, you told the boy. No, I haven't, Mr. Bulo. I've been saving it for a surprise. I wanted you to see the boy's face when he learns about it. Yes, before we tell him, I... I want to tell you something. Yes? I want you to know that Sheriff Otis and I think you're doing a fine and unselfish thing. Well, uh... Something you will never regret. Naturally, I've seen a lot of the boy while he's been my patient. I believe I've come to understand him as well as anyone could. And I can say this, if I had ever married Billy's exactly the kind of a son I would have wanted for myself. I'm glad to hear you said. I was a little afraid. That is, well, after all, Blackie... Sure, don't give that a thought. From the time Blackie found Billy an orphan 10 or 11 years ago and adopted him sort of, up till the other day when he died, Blackie raised the boy just as straight as you or I would. It wasn't until Blackie was arrested that Billy even suspiciously was a crook. And that's something to remember, Mr. Bulo. Billy's young, like all boys, he's something of a hero-wisher. In his case, his heroes are Blackie and the masked man. He understands now that Blackie was an outlaw. But you will never get him to think badly of him. And you never win his affection if you try. It would be better to avoid the subject altogether. Thank you. I'll remember that now if you don't mind. Of course, of course. Billy! What? Oh, hello, Sheriff. Howdy, Sean. Come here, Billy. You know Mr. Bulo, don't you? Uh-huh. How do you do? Hello. What's all this all about, eh? Well, we have a surprise for you. One you like. Have you? How would you like to grow up to be a banker? A banker? Sure! One of them follows like Mr. Bulo here with cash to burn. Gosh, I... Billy, Mr. Bulo has been kind enough to offer you a home. What's more, he's going to take you into the bank with him, teach you the business. Now, how does that strike you? Gee, I don't know. Kind of takes your breath away, don't it? But I always wanted to work on a rent. What? Work on a rent? I think you'll find working in a bank more profitable than the cowboys laugh, my boy. There's plenty of youngsters your age who'd give their right arms for the chance you're getting. Oh, I guess so, but... You want to come with me, don't you, Billy? I reckon so. Of course you do. Now, I've had your things brought in from the cabin. They're packed and ready. Mr. Bulo's in a hurry and has much time to spare. So wash your face, get into a clean shirt, and get back here as fast as you can. All right. Wait. What? Haven't you anything to say to Mr. Bulo? Say? Mm-hmm. Oh, gosh, sure. Thanks, Mr. Bulo. Thanks, I heed. That's all right, Billy. I think I know exactly how you feel. But give me a chance, my boy. I have an idea that you and I will be great friends. The lone ranger and his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, true to the promise they had made blacky when the outlaw lay dying, were camped in the vicinity of Laramie and planned to remain there until Billy's future was assured. It was late in the afternoon on the following day. They were brought to attention, the sound of a rapidly approaching horse. Their horse? That'd be growl camp. Ah. But I get back out of sight. No way, I think that's Billy. Huh? Not him. Hello there! Hi! Oh, boy! Oh! We didn't expect you, Billy. And I didn't think I was ever going to get away to see you. Mr. Bulo's going to be awful mad when he finds I sneaked away from the bank. Hello, Tonto. Oh, the bank? Uh-huh. I work there now. Well, that's news. I'm glad to hear it. Oh, I ain't going to work there long. No, why not? Gosh, would you like to work in a bank? Well, I don't know. I've never tried it. It sounds to me like a good thing for you. How'd it happen? Do you know Mr. Bulo? I've heard of him. Well, he's going to adopt me. What? Honest. Cross my heart. I'm living in his house, and he's getting the papers all fixed. But I wish he wasn't. Well, it seems to be the trouble. Oh, I don't know. Don't you like Mr. Bulo? Oh, he's all right, I guess. There must be something. Oh, it's... What is it? Well, gee, I never asked him to adopt me, and I never asked him to let me work in the bank, neither. I don't see why they couldn't have asked me what I wanted to do. What does Dr. Ewing say about this? Well... He approves, huh? Uh-huh. And the sheriff? Oh, shucks. He'd say anything was all right if Doc Ewing said so. I see. Sheriff Otis, Dr. Ewing, and Mr. Bulo all think this is the best thing for you. But you disagree, is that it? Oh, I suppose... The sheriff and Dr. Ewing are your friends. Billy, you should know that never plan anything that wasn't for your own good. Well, they've been swell. Well, then... But, gosh, I was hoping... Yes? Oh, you just laugh at me. Don't you think I am your friend? Oh, sure, but... And friends don't laugh at each other's problems, do they? No. Then out with it. Well, if you want to know, I was hoping maybe you and Tana would take me with you. I'm old enough to handle a gun and... So that's it. I knew you'd just laugh. I'm not laughing. Tata and I are both proud to know you trust us that much. And Billy, I'm afraid you have a mistaken idea. Huh? Our lives aren't fun. They're not easy either. For the time and circumstances that have been different, perhaps neither one of us would be where he is. And certainly neither Tata nor I would ask anyone to share our dangers. Oh, I'm not afraid. Of course you're not. But you know what it would mean if you insisted on this? No. It would mean that Tata and I had failed. Well, I don't savvy. The West is a great country, Billy. Someday it's going to be even greater. Someday the law is going to be respected and honest people will be able to live and work in peace. That's what Tata and I are trying to help bring about. But in order to do that, we need help from young fellows like you. Me? Right. Nothing Tata and I could do in a hundred years would bring the law to the West unless there were honest citizens on our side. You have a chance to become someone with influence and power. You could show others that it pays to abide by the law. But if you threw away that chance because of us, then it would prove that we were going about this in the wrong way and we were defeating our own purpose. Do you understand that? Gosh, I never thought I would just like that. Then it's time you did. If you left the bank without permission, it's time you got back. Well, you ain't leaving me, are you? And we'll be around for a while yet. And you'll really think I ought to stay with Mr. Builow and do like he says? I think so, at least for the present. Can't do any harm. Well... Now jump back in that settle. When you're home, tell Mr. Builow you're sorry you left your work and it won't happen again. I can come and see you again, though, can't I? You'd better not. We'll lift you up, however, if we have to leave the district. That's a promise. And, Billy... Yeah? Don't tell anyone where we're camped. You haven't, have you? Oh, gosh, I'd never do that. Adios, then. Goodbye. Goodbye, Tato. Get up, boy. Get up there. Him, he, good boy. And I don't like what he told me. Oh, what that? I couldn't say anything to him because I may be wrong. However, I'd rather have been almost anyone but Builow. I'd adopted the boy. What manner? He has a good reputation around here, Kimosabe. But I've heard ugly rumors concerning the fellow other places. So we stay here. Like he trusted us to look out for the boy, Tato. And we're keeping that trust. At the bank, Saul Builow merely smiled when he was told that Billy was missing from his work. So when he reached the privacy of his home, his face hardened, and when he recognized the boy's voice outside, he lost control of his temper completely. He'll settle this once and for all. Might as well have it out now as later. So there you are. Oh, come on, Mr. Builow. Come here. Gee, I'm sorry, Mr. Builow. Honest, I am. I'm so... Oh, little coyote. Oh, please. No, please. I never... You will run away from your work, will you? Who told you you could? Who gave you permission to leave the bank without my knowledge? No, buddy, Mr. Builow, but I only... Where did you go? Just for a ride. You were raised by a thief, and you've got thieving blood in your veins. You should be in jail, not in a decent home. Mr. Builow, I'm awful sorry, but it won't happen again. I promise it won't. You're right. You're quite right. Oh, I'll do anything to make up for it. You've been awful good to me, and honest, I appreciate it. It was real good of you to adopt a fella like me. Adopt you? Who said I had you? Well, I know you ain't yet, but... And never will. Aw, gee, can't you give me another chance? Just one more. Who said I ever intended to adopt you? Well, what do you mean, Mr. Builow? You'll find out very soon. If I'm not mistaken, you ran away to see that masked friend of yours. I never... Don't bother to lie. I guess as much when I learned you were gone. And look in your face proves it. Think quite a bit of him, don't you? I think he's the swellest fella there ever was. That's what you say, but I know you're kind. And if he were in trouble, you'd run to save your worthless hat first. You think of him second... I would not! Besides, he ain't no trouble. He isn't. He ain't. I know he ain't. And I'm not quite so sure of it as you were at first, eh? What are you saying things that ain't so far? I know it. To save a misunderstanding, I believe I'd better make certain things clear. Huh? I think I made it plain I never intended to adopt you. I had, however, a reason for bringing you here. A reason for putting you into the bank. Well, for what reason? Not so fast. I'll explain myself very shortly. But before I do, I want you to understand one thing and understand it so well you can never say afterwards that you didn't have your warning. Yeah? If a word of what I say to you here is ever repeated to anyone. To anyone, Marjo, your masked friend will hang sky high. That ain't so. No. You step over here. I'll show you the proof. One night a week later, Billy left Saul Bulo's home and met his way to a wooden bench built around the trunk of a great oak tree as he slumped to the seat. A ray of moonlight showed his face streaked with tears. I gotta go through with it. If I don't, then the masked man will be hung and I'll be my fault. I gotta go through with it. I just got to it. Billy. It's you. Sit down. Go away. Don't stay here. You and I are going to have a talk. Well, what about? I've been watching you. You weren't happy. I... I told you I never wanted to work in a bank. It's more than that. There's something else bothering you. Look at you now. You've been crying. I ain't neither. Tell me about it, friend. Go away. You don't mean that. I do. I do too, meano. You've frightened it, something. You're frightened now. You're so frightened you don't want to talk even to me. Just leave me be. Not until you've told me what this is about. No. Then there is something. I won't talk. I won't. Let go. Let me go, please. Can't you see I don't want to talk? Can't you do like I ask you? No, I... Don't fire me. Don't come after me. You can't make me talk no matter what you do. You just stay where you are. Let me get him. No, tunnel. We'll always have frightened out of his wits. Try and make him talk now and only frighten him more. Must be a better way to get to the bottom of this. It's up to us to find it. The curtain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger drama. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Now to continue our story. For years it's been Saul Bulo's custom to arrive at his bank a few minutes after it had been opened by his employees. The morning of the next day was no exception. At this time, as he opened the door, Mr. Bulo... Good morning, man. Why haven't you stripped out? Oh, Mr. Bulo, something terrible's happened. What's that? Who is... What's everyone doing at the safe? We were just going to send for you, sir, but I... I said see you in as hard as... Can't you answer a plain question? What is all this? We've been robbed, Mr. Bulo. Oh, it's terrible, sir. Oh, just look inside here. Good. Stand aside. Empty. Empty. They're all empty, sir. Cleaned out. Who haven't opened the bank this morning? Has the sheriff been informed? Where's Billy? What... I opened the bank this morning, Mr. Bulo. That is, I think I was the first one here. Peek! Don't you know? Well, I thought I seen Master Billy leaving the bank just ahead of me. But, of course, I must have been mistaken. What's this? You saw Billy leaving this bank? I don't like to say it. Oh, stand there, stuffing like an idiot. Did you or did you not see him go out of here? I... Yes, sir, I did. Then why couldn't you have said so in the first place? But I didn't want to harm himself. Shut up! You are a blathering fool. Who's checked on what's been stolen? Anybody? I... I tried to, sir. Well... Of course you know his head. It ain't easy to tell right off what... Are you trying to tell me my business or trying to excuse your incompetence? How much is missing? It must be close to 50,000. 50,000? And a lot of you stand here doing nothing? You, get the sheriff. Yes, Mr. Buehler. Right away, Mr. Buehler. And you, get down to my house. If Billy's there, which I don't expect, tell him to get here at once. Yes, sir. Now wait. Yes, Mr. Buehler. If he isn't at the house, scour the town for him. If he isn't at town, try to find someone who saw him leave. If you can't do that, consider yourself fired. Knock it on with it. Yes, sir. The rest of you close your mouths and try to stay out of my way. 50,000 dollars stolen from under your noses. If I didn't know how stupid you are, why thunder, I'd say you would help. Joey, however, was not found. When it was reported that he had been seen racing swiftly from town with a satchel under one arm, a posse was hastily gathered. In the meantime, the lone ranger unaware of the bank robbery but urged to haste by another discovery drove his great white stallion toward his secret camp. Silver thundered across country with the speed of light, leaping arroyos, crashing through saddle high underbrush. Till at last, the masked man pulled him to a sliding stop. Oh, oh, Silver! Oh, fellow! Oh, oh, oh! Saddle, I've been through Buehler's home. Nothing I found was frightened, Billy. And me got news, too. News? A fellow robbed bank. What says? A law-blame boy. Posse, hunt him. Buehler's bank was robbed and they think Billy did it? Huh? If he did, then I know the reason. What that? I haven't time to explain. Silver and I have a long ride ahead of us. I have work for you. Huh? Try to find Billy before the posse does. Him head for swamp. Then ride there. Find him if you have to ride through the center of it. Time to do it. Here's Count. Tell Billy to surrender. Tell him not to be afraid. Then I'll get him out of this. Huh? Tell him he may have to face trial before I can get back. But trial or no trial, he has nothing to fear. Me tell him. Then on your way. And see that Billy comes to no harm. Get him up, Count. Get him up. Come on, boy! Silver, away! Billy, who had been familiar with every foot of the swamp since early childhood, spurred his laboring mount over the only trail that offered solid footing. His quirk rose and fell, and he pleaded with his horse. Get up, boy! Get up! If we can get through here, fella, maybe we'll have a chance. Get up there! Get up! To the left, boy! We got a circle and a log there. Straight ahead again. Come on! Come on! Take much further! Get up! Get up there! Him say, him know what matters. Him know why you take cash. You let law take you. The mask man said that? Huh? Then even he's again me. No, that's not true. Him your friend. Well, then why? Him say, him fix up trouble. You not worry. He doesn't know. He can't know. If he knew he wouldn't have met him. There! There comes the posse now. Tonto, I'll go to jail, and it'll be your fault. You not worry. Oh, that's easy to say. Skin's got him. Oh, go and sorry about this. I ain't going to put up no fight. Nope. Don't reckon you are. Son, wouldn't tunk it made you do it. Didn't you know that if ever there was a time when you needed cash bad, I'd give it to you and never a question asked? Didn't you know you had friends you could bank on? I ain't got nothing to say. Blessed at all, kid. I never so hated to make an arrest in all the time I've held office. Dog gone now, son. He's hid the case somewheres. We look through his saddlebags and it ain't there. And find a satchel he was staying with neither. He must have hid it someplace in the swamp. Care to tell us where, Billy? I ain't got nothing to say. Kind of foolish, ain't you? You know, being just a youngster, if you give back that cash, it likely wouldn't go so hard with you. You won't tell where you hid it? I ain't got nothing to say. Well, then I reckon I ain't either. Get back on your horse. Injun, you'll have to come with us. You'll be wanted to give testimony. Always get leather. We're heading back for town. The crowd that had pushed into the little courtroom was distinctly unfriendly. It was soon clear the trial progressed that even the judge was convinced of Billy's guilt and was restrained from saying so only by the position he held. When Billy himself was at length sworn in, the spectators became almost unmanaged. No more noise like this in our play of the courtroom. Now, hush yourselves. Get on with the witness. Your honor, there ain't no use wasting time on him. He refuses to talk. He says nothing can make him say anything. Then call your next witness. Will so bureau please to take the stand? Don't waste my time any more than necessary. I have business to attend to. I do. Now, Mr. Bulo, so folks will get the complete picture, I'd like, first of all, for you to tell the court in your own words. Just what was your relationship with the defendant? I had planned to adopt him. Eventually, of course, he would have been my heir. And did he seem grateful to you for your generosity and kindness, Mr. Bulo? I'm not so sure I understand the question. What I mean is, how'd he act at home? He proved sullen and vindictive from the first. I began to doubt the wisdom of my action almost at once. But persevered in the hope that his attitude would change. I don't believe it. That's a lot of nonsense. Billy's a spina boy. Dog gone, can't you, folks? Hush up. Doc, you started it. You sit down and keep still before I have to ask it to leave you. Folks, I'm not trying to prejudice you against the defendant. Nevertheless, it must be plain to all of you that he repaid my kindness with treachery. He could claim no relationship to me. And yet I was willing to adopt him. He was the ward for years of the most notorious thief known to this district. And yet I was willing to take him into my home. But no one has your reasons, Bulo. A bastard! You shouldn't have come here. Run for it. Don't let him catch you. Please, man. Hey, won't bother me, Billy. Listen to me. If anybody tries to prevent me, I'll know how to deal with him. Folks, show the Masked Fellow the respect of them low-hanging guns of his demands. Keep shut and let him speak his peace. How many of you here recognize this man beside me? That there's crime place at lower Jonesville Way. High Court! The Masked Fellow brought me here in a dog-gone big hurry for a dog-gone good reason. Now, let him tell it to you. I still don't know the entire truth of this affair. But I do know this much, knowing Billy. In the first place, he didn't steal that money from the bank. Billy's as honest as anyone here. Of course he stole it. Everybody knows it. Billy, can you guess why I brought Clem to Laramie? Well, my gosh, he's the fellow that wrote the letter that Mr. Bulo showed me. Exactly. Clem, tell him about it. Billy, I never wrote no such letter. You take it from me if that Polk out there ever said I did. He was lying. Now, wait! Listen! Here now. What's all this about on that? Billy took the blame for that robbery to protect me. Bulo showed him a letter he claimed was written by Clem that stated it could be proved. I had murdered two deputy marshals. Because Bulo must have threatened to show that letter, Billy fell in with whatever scheme it was Bulo suggested. I found the letter when I went through Bulo's home on the day of the robbery. Are you people going to take the word of an outlaw? Are you? It's Clem's word they're taking, not mine. Billy, just what did Bulo force you to do? It was Mr. Bulo who stole the cash. He stole it and said if I didn't run away like I was to blame, then he'd fixed it so as to mask man it hang. He's got the cash hit away out of the floor in his barn. You can go there and find it. And the forced letters and the strong box he keeps at home. Where's the Polk at? Hey, he's run to the door. He's running to the door. Rightfully, he was going to beat it out of the country after Billy was jailed for stealing our cash. Well, he'll leave all right by way of the rope. Arrest Bulo, sir. The skunk. Using a boy to help him out of the bank. Because he knew Billy would be too frightened to check on the lies. If he doesn't get the rope for this, I'll shoot him myself. And shoot away. Hey, hold it. Where'd the mask man go? Did anybody see which way he went? Hey, where's the mask man? Listen, Billy. It's him. He's gone. But I've got a notion you'll see him again, young fella. You have? Honest, do you think so? Mm-hmm. Didn't he make Blackie a promise? Didn't he tell Blackie he'd look out for you? Oh, sure, but... Well, son, the way you and Trouble seem to meet, I'd be surprised if his job's half finished. You have just heard, there's a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.