 At the speed of light, a cloud of dust in a hearty high old silver, the Lone Ranger. The full Indian companion, Tonto, the mask rider of the planes 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. Now to the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse, Silver. The Lone Ranger rides again. Come on, Silver, there's danger on the... In front of Pete Lander's small ranch house, echoed with the hoofbeats of Clay Harper's horse as he rained up sharply and dismounted. Oh, oh boy, oh! Well, Clay, what are you doing out here this time of night? We're in trouble, Pete. Worse than we've ever been. Come on in. What do you mean? Sam Marks. He's left town. Oh, whatever. It's good riddance, I'd say. He talked to Sheriff Bingham before he left. What do you mean, talked to Sheriff Bingham? Told the law man plenty. Gave him the facts on what we did before we settled down in this part of the state. You mean about the rustling, the holdups? Everything. I can't understand why Sam would do a thing like that. But the three of us were partners. We ain't partners anymore. Unless you and me move fast, our necks will be in a noose. Bingham wouldn't believe any cock and bull story like that. Sam wrote out a full confession. Confession? Does the Sheriff get that now? Not all of it. Get to the point. What's Bingham got against us? Plenty. Kip Carter was there, and he told me all about it. Carter was where? At the cafe. Seems that Sam sent word to the Sheriff to meet him there. And he gave Bingham a confession named in you and me. Carter saw what was going on, so he started a fight. Now, in the fight, the paper the confession was written on got torn. The Sheriff had half, and Sam got the other half. Yeah. What Carter do? Tried to get to Sam, but he couldn't. Double cross and vomit, vermouthed. Still holding half of the paper? Yeah. Who's got the other part of it? The Sheriff. That's why I lit out for here as soon as I found out. If Sam wrote a confession, there'd be names on it, wouldn't there? Yours and mine. Yeah. Wonder if that's the part the Sheriff's got. There's no way you're telling. Maybe it is, and maybe it ain't. We gotta find out. Bingham, now, if it is, I'll... Hold it, Clay. Don't jump until you're hurt. You gotta be smart about this. Yeah, but it's... Now wait. Oh. Oh. Hello, Sheriff. You got any objections if I come in? No. No, of course not. No, come on in. What brings you out here, Sheriff? Well, I see Clay Harper's here. Glad to find both of you gents together. Would I have a little talk with both of you? Yeah, what's on your mind? You look kind of nervous, Clay. Anything wrong? Oh, maybe I gotta chill or something. Why don't you speak your peace, Sheriff? You know, when you two gents first come to this part of the country, I was kind of curious about you. Is that right? Yeah. I wondered how you happened to have so much cash with you. Thought there might have been a time in your life when you might have been kind of careless about the law. Who said so? Only one man I can take care of. A man who kind of repented. He said that to change his ways. Yeah? Who's that? Well, I guess you fellas know as well as I do. He used to be a partner of yours. I'm talking about Sam Marks. Clay and I ain't stringing along with Sam Marks anymore. That's what he said. And that's why before he left town, he gave me a list of things your boys had been mixed up in. Sam's a lion's sneak. All he wanted to do was make trouble for us. I figured you'd say something like that. You can't believe everything you hear, Sheriff. No. Because I believe in playing my cards face up. I'm gonna tell you the only reason I haven't got proof is because I've, uh, lost half of it. What proof? Sam Marks' confession. I've only got half of it. Sam still can the other part. Why are you telling us this? Here's a warning. I'm going to find Sam and get the rest of the confession. And when I do, I'll be calling the new gents again. That is, if you are still here. What do you mean by that? If you're smart, you'll get out before I get hanging evidence on you. Whatever Marks told you is a lie. Playing me on this ranch and we're staying. Suit yourself. But remember what he said. Listen Bingham, you can't scare us. Pete and me ain't never been seen the inside of a jail and we don't aim to. It's more than you can say in your own family. Which is? I guess you didn't know that we know all about that kid of yours doing time in the territorial prison. How'd you find out that? That's our business, Sheriff. You said you play your cards face up. So do we. If you start any talk about us, we'll do the same about that kid of yours. Are you no good? It'd be nice for all the folks in the county to know that their Sheriff has a jailbird for a son. See now what kind of no good skunks you are. Don't worry about telling any stories on my boy. I'll tell everybody the truth before you get a chance to tell him lies. You can have the same advice you gave us, Sheriff. Suit yourself. I meant what I said about you two moments getting out of the country. He's bluffing, Pete. Sure he's bluffing. Can't prove a thing. Whatever Sam Marks wrote, it's a cinch. The Slamans only got half of it. What if he finds Sam? Let him. You're crazy, Pete. If he finds Mark and gets the other half of the paper, we're as good as hung. No. We ain't. I just got an idea. What is it? It means framing the Sheriff's kid. What's his name? Hugh? Yeah. It means framing Hugh Bingham. And maybe beef in one of our boys. The Lone Ranger, Tonto and Dan Reed had made camp that morning near the little western town where Sheriff Bingham lived. The masked man was aware of the old lawman's predicament and the fight in the cafe. He had decided to lend his aid in an effort to find the missing Sam Marks. Consequently, the trio had split. The Lone Ranger to cover all trails westward, and Tonto and Dan spent all day on the sandy flats east of town. We've made good time, Tonto. We ought to be back in camp at the time the Lone Ranger gets there. The only thing I'm sorry about is we've spent all day and haven't found any trace of the three men. That's right, me. Hold it. Tonto, what's wrong? I can't see as well as you do in a moonlight, but it looks like a man lying on the ground. How could anybody get this far into the desert without a horse? He couldn't carry enough water to last this long. Come, we'll find out. Get him up, Scout. Come on, Victor. Look, I can see hoof prints, Tonto. Huh? Of course, come this far with, Teller. It must have been riding east and got thrown or something. We know plenty soon. Most got hoofed out of the hole. Oh, Victor, oh boy, oh boy. Tonto. That man is dressed like the description we have of one of those three men. Tonto, take a close look. He has dark hair. Tonto, this is Sam Marks. One of the men the Lone Ranger's been searching for. Ah, and him dead. Maybe him leave town in hurry. Yeah, and came out here without food or water. He must have fallen from the saddle and was too tired to... Ah, that's right. Him not got wounded. Got it. Guess he was so exhausted. Tonto, there's a paper sticking out of his vest pocket. Ah. This man of Sam Marks, all right. His name is signed to this paper. And what paper say? Don't know exactly. Seems to be only part of what... Tonto, here are the names of the other two men a Lone Ranger was talking about. Where are them Tellers now? Doesn't say. But it does tell a lot of things that Clay Harper, Pete Lander and Sam Marks did together. A Lone Ranger would be plenty glad to know that. Yes. There's only half of it here. Maybe the other half in Saddlebank of Teller's horse. Yeah, it might be. Here's Scout. Tonto, what are you going to do? You wait here, Dan. Watch. Me train in Teller's horse. All right. Then we'll go right on the camp to tell a Lone Ranger. Ah. Get him up, Scout! Hugh Bingham, the Sheriff's son, was a boy in his early twenties. A few years before, he'd been involved in a shooting scrape. Although a jury had cleared him of the murder charge, they'd held him partially responsible for the trouble and levied a sentence of two years in the territorial prison. Hugh had served the time and learned his lesson well. He'd resolved to stay out of future trouble at all costs. In this decision, he had the help and counsel of his father. But the Sheriff hadn't told his son about Pete Lander and Clay Harper, nor did he know that the boy's gun had been mysteriously stolen. Hugh hadn't known himself until late in the afternoon. That was the reason he now rode anxiously toward the small shack, not far from Pete Lander's ranch. I can't figure out how that Kip Carter got hold of my shooting iron. The story tells, don't make sense. He says he's got my gun. I can get it back by coming out here to his shack. I guess this is his place here. I wonder why Kip Carter should do me any favors. What's wrong? What's going on here? Kip, what's happened to you? Kip, you've been shot. Who did it? Try and tell me, Kip, this is Hugh. Hugh Bingham. I came out to meet you. Get your hands up, Bingham. I've got your cover. Pete Lander and Clay Harper, where'd you two come from? Riding by and heard the gun play. Look, Pete, the kid drilled Carter all right. Looks that way. I didn't shoot him? What do you mean by saying that? There's a gun on the floor. It sure looks like you're shooting iron, Bingham. Who put that there? Who shot Carter? Clay, seems to me we caught a murder. Red handed. Wait a minute. You men can't accuse me of murder. Kip's dead. Ain't he? I didn't do it. I just rode out here to get my... Didn't somebody start a story around town about Hugh Bingham serving time in territorial prison? Oh. The way I recollected, kid Carter was doing the talking. And that explains this killing. The kid here killed Kip because he knew too much. I did not. I tell you, I didn't... Save it. This is one time your pa, the sheriff, has got to arrest his own flesh and blood. For murder. Well, to frame up. I've been framed. We're going to take you into town, Hugh. If your pa don't know what to do with you, I guess some of them vigilantes will. Vigilantes? No, you can't. Wait. Just thought of something. What? Listen, kid, there's just one way you can keep from getting your neck stretched. The curtain falls on the first act of our Lone Ranger story. For the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Now to continue our story. In the shack of Kip Carter, Pete Lander and Clay Harper offered young Hugh Bingham a proposition. What do you mean as a way I can save myself? Nobody but Clay and me saw you kill poor Kip over there. I tell you, I didn't kill him. No need to deny it, kid. Now listen, kid, has your pa ever said anything to you about us? No. But I know you two don't like my pa. Well, then there's no reason why we shouldn't get together. You do us a favor. We'll help you. What do you mean? Suppose Clay and me just forget about seeing you kill Carter. Suppose you just take your gun and leave. Who would know you did it? Well, you'll no blame while I didn't do it. Suppose the Vigilantes get ahold of you. Will they believe that? What's a favor you were talking about? A chance to save your own skin and save your old man, the embarrassing job of having to hang his own son. How? Well, it ain't much. Your pa has a little piece of paper that Clay and me would like to get ahold of. What kind of paper? Ever heard your pa mention Sam Marks, our ex-partner? No, but I know the coyote. Them's our son. It's exactly. Marks is a coyote. He left town this afternoon. Yeah? Before he left, he gave your pa a piece of paper with writing on it. Clay and me, it's sure like to have that paper. Where is it? That's for you to find out. Like it's not, it's in your pa's strongbox. All you gotta do is get that paper, bring it to us, and we forget all we've seen and heard here tonight. If I don't? Clay and me are law-abiding citizens. They'll be forced to take you in and turn you over to the vigilantes. I see. You're a smart kid. Will you get it? I guess I'll have to. That's it. Glad to see you so sensible. We'll give you till daybreak. Bring us a paper by then and we'll never say a word. That's right. Where do you fellas be? At my ranch. You know where it is, just over the hill. All right, I'll do it. Good. But I might as well tell you right now, I know it was you two who framed me. Suppose we did. You're playing our game now. Understand? Yes, I am. Then get moving. Be at my place before daylight with that paper. All right. It worked. Sure it worked. All right, Kip, you can get up now. How did it do, gents? You have a pretty good impression of a dead man? Good enough to fool that kid. Hey, by using our brains, we're in the clear. Hugh Bingham realized the seriousness of the crime. Pete Lander and Clay Harper were compelling him to commit. He knew that robbery represented everything he'd resolved to avoid. But he was also grimly conscious of the fact that these men possessed overwhelming evidence that would convict him of another murder charge. Any risk, no matter how great, was worth it if he could avoid that. What Hugh Bingham did not know was that even now, while he was riding toward his father's house, determined to steal the evidence against Pete Lander and Clay Harper, the Lone Ranger, Tonto, and Dan had left their camp were riding toward the same place. Is that torn piece of paper what you wanted? It's exactly what I wanted, Dan. I'm sure that Sheriff Bingham has the other half of it. That's where we're heading now. There, that Sheriff's house now. Yes, I know. Suppose the Sheriff doesn't have the other half of the paper. Then we'll have to find some other way to prove the guilt of Pete Lander and Clay Harper. Then plenty bad crook. You're right, Tonto. Right? Who? Who's the... What's wrong? Sheriff's house. Someone just put a light in the window. I guess Mr. Bingham must be at home. We can go right up and knock him. I'm not so sure, Dan. That's not Sheriff in room. That's Sheriff's son. I was thinking the same thing, Tonto. We better wait here for a few minutes. He's blown out the light and getting... Who's that? That's the Sheriff. The other man is running out of the house. Stop! Stop! Get out of there! Stop, you thief! Stop or I'll shoot! Sheriff's firing at his own son. He'll not know who he is. What's going on, Sheriff? What's all the shooting about? What's wrong, Sheriff? There's some chaos around me. He's heading toward Pete Lander's ranch. Get your horses and train him. Hey, is that him, Sheriff? Where? Right over there. There's three of them. There might be a trailer. The lone ranger realized that the man whom he had seen rob the Sheriff's home was none other than the lawman's own son. He was also certain that the Sheriff was unaware of the fugitive's identity. He must act quickly. Reach the boy first before the posse overtook them. Calling upon the Great Horse Silver for added speed, the masked man gradually drew closer to the fleeing Hugh Bingham. Rain up there. I want to talk to you. I don't keep your distance. Come on, Silver. Keep back. I'll start shooting. Pull up before I rope you. You won't rope anybody, Mr.... Stay back! You won't listen to common sense. Maybe this will stop you. Teddy Silver's, Teddy Boy's, Teddy. Pull, Silver, pull, pull. Pull! What's the idea? Masked. An outlaw. I'm not an outlaw, Hugh. How do you know my name? Get this rope off me. Let me go. I don't want to talk to you. Listen, there's a posse trailer in me. Yes, I know it. You're an outlaw yourself. You can't take a chance at getting caught any more than I can. Let me go. You stole something from your father. Why did you do it? You hear those horses coming? That's the posse. The Sheriff and his posse won't be here for a few minutes yet. The horses you hear are written by friends of mine. But you don't understand. This is none of your business. You take a look at this paper. Tell me what it means to you. Let me go. I haven't got time to talk. You'll have to take the time. The sooner you talk, the sooner you can ride away. There's moonlight enough for you to see this. All right. What? The other half? Yes. The part you stole from your father a few minutes ago is evidence enough to jail Harper and Lander. How did you know that? Who's that? The friends I told you about. An Indian. The Indian who helped prove you innocent of another crime about two years ago. Remember? Two years ago? What? There must be... Tato. Ah, me Tato? Then you... You must be the Lone Ranger. Talk fast, Hugh. Those crooks must have found some way to make you steal. What did they do? Frame me for murder. Who's murder? A cow hand that works for Pete Lander. A fellow named Kip Carter. You didn't kill him? No. He sent word to me that if I wanted my gun... Never mind the details. Where were you to take this part of the confession you just told? To Pete Lander at his ranch house. The boss is coming up fast. All right, Dan. You, we haven't much time. Here, take both parts of the paper. Sure, but... I'll take that rope off of you. I don't understand. I'll wait here to meet your father. You ride on and keep your appointment with Lander and Harper. Now, listen carefully. You'll have to do exactly what I tell you. A short time later, back at the ranch where Hugh Bingham had been unjustly accused of murder, Pete and Clay, together with Kip Carter, whom Hugh thought he'd killed, waited for the return of the sheriff's son. There had been no sleep for the three outlaws that night. They had to have the confession involving them. They'd framed Hugh to steal this confession and bring it to them at daybreak. It should be shorn up any minute now, Clay. Ah, it's almost daylight. What if his old man catches him trying to steal it? He won't. But suppose he does. Ah, shut up, Kip. All the rules, you're supposed to be dead. Yeah. There's any worrying to be done. Let it couple alive, man. Huh, Clay, and may he do it. Even if he is caught, it'll just be his word against ours. If the old man gets tough, we'll say that the kid tried to sell us the paper. That'll give some folks around town something to think about, especially when they find out that the kid's in a bad mood. They'll figure out that the kid's an ex-convict. Somebody just rode up. It's the kid. Yeah, maybe. Wait a minute, I'll see. That you, Bingham? Yeah, it's me, all right. How'd you make out? Give me a chance to get my breath. I've been riding hard. Did you get it? What? Kip. Kip Carter. Hi, you kid. You're not dead? Never felt better in my life. Hand over that paper. Let's have it. Then you did frame me. Kip fake being shot. Well, what of it? You dirty, double-dealing... Shut up. Give me that paper before we put you where you thought Kip was. I won't. Search him, Clay. I'll keep the little on-brake cover, sure. You needn't go through my pockets? The paper you want's right here in my shirt. He's right, Pete. Here it is. Both pieces? Yeah. Better look at it good so you can be sure I haven't double-crossed you. How come you got both parts? That worries you, don't it? Start talking. You've seen Sam Marks, haven't you? No, I haven't. But a friend of mine has. He found Sam dead out in the desert. What do you mean? A friend of yours. I told him about you. So he told me to deliver both parts of that confession to you and Clay, so you'd know what you're going to be hung for. What's that? Now when I find out that Kip Carter's alive and kicking, there's no need to waste any more time. Pete, the window! Put a pen for me, sir. I won't let you... Oh, my hand! You'll grab paper and him drop. I've got a tunnel. All right, you all please reach. The chair. Keep your hands high. We'll do the first one to move. I can't raise my hand. The right one smashed. You all need it, Pete. There's a rope waiting for you. Far. Don't talk, sir. And get busy with the rope and tie up those coyotes. Sorry, I stole a paper from your strongbox bar, but these men... And all about it. I forgive anything you've done because you've proved you've got the nerve to face these coyotes. Somebody tricked us, Pete. You tricked yourselves. Erick and Kit Carter's pretty sorry for stringing along with him. You haven't got anything on me. Enough to jail you for a while, Carter. Well, these two killers are convicted. Gosh, Pa. I guess I should have known better than try to put anything over on you. Well, son, you're getting another chance to shoot square with me. Thanks. And it's all because of one man. The lone ranger. I'll steal you away! The one you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.