 A fiery horse for the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty howl silver, the lone ranger. With his faithful Indian companion, Toto, the masked 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. From out of the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse Silver, the lone ranger rides again. Wilson Peak was a mountainous region of hope fulfilled and contrasting disappointment. For each of the lucky men whose goal claims proved of value, there were scores who found nothing but utter defeat, poverty, and despair. Lides Jenkins was one of the latter. If it wasn't for the fact that my daughter picks up a little money teaching the kids of the lucky operators, we'd likely starve, Mr. Daggart. Well, I'll tell you Lides, that's the reason I came here tonight. Abby's a fine girl and she deserves a few things in life. Only I hadn't lost the use of my legs when my tunnel caved. I ain't worth a hoot. You did a lot of work on the claim while you had men on it. I know. I reckon I've got the biggest hole in the ground that you could find in these parts, and the emptiest. How long did you work the claim? I dug her alone for a year in a hired man to dig. You sold some stock shares. Yeah, while back there were men around here who'd buy a few shares in anybody's tunnel in the chance it'd be paid hurt. I sold some stock and that's how I got cash to hire men to dig. I came here tonight to make a deal with you. What kind of a deal? I'll buy your tunnel. Buy my tunnel? It's no good. I know, but you can use the cash, can't you? Sure can. Have you got the rest of the stock here? Yeah, whole pile of certificates right here in this table. But they ain't no good. Here they are. A deed to the land, the claim, everything else. I'll pay you $1,000 in cash for the whole business. I'm telling you, Daggard, no matter what you might suspect, there's no gold in the land. I know that. Don't let it worry you. Here's the cash. You just sign these over to me and it's a deal. By ginger as long as you know the true facts, I sure will sign them over. Might be glad to get the cash. Yeah, let me see now. I sign right here, don't I? That's right. Oh, here's Abby. Hello, honey. I've got some fine news. Dad, what are you doing? Good evening, Miss Abby. Good evening. Look at that cash. What's it for? Mr. Daggard's buying our tunnel. Oh, no, he isn't. Abby. I heard that you were buying all of the odd shares and dads mine, Mr. Daggard. Mine? That's no mine. It must have been something or you wouldn't put any cash in it. You never put money in anything in your life if it wasn't a sure thing to show you a big profit. Now, Abby. Why have you bought all the outstanding shares in Dad's tunnel? He wants to help us, Abby. That's all. He might be helping us by paying you cash for your stock, Dad, but it certainly won't help us for him to buy the stock other people held. She's just a girl. She knows nothing about business. I know what I'm doing, Abby. You're not selling that tunnel to Mr. Daggard. Oh, you'll see here. Please listen to me, Dad. He's got four men waiting outside. Four of the hardest, roughest, crookedest looking men the moon's ever shown down on. There's strangers around here, too. There's something back of this. I don't give a hang what's back of it. There's a thousand dollars under my nose. I'm taking it. Give me that pen, Daggard. I like a man that stands on his own feet. Huh? I mean that as a figure of speech. Dad, you're not signing. Like fun, I ain't. Give me those papers. Here, Abby. Stop. Daggard, get her. Come back here, you little fool. Boy, stop her. She's taking my horse. Hold on there. Wait a minute. Hey, where you going? What's the hurry? Wilson's Canyon was deep but narrow. The floor was covered with jagged rocks that made uncertain and dangerous footing for a horse. That's why the Lone Ranger and Tonto, riding by moonlight, kept their horses to a slow walk. There's a town ahead where we'll stop nearby for a while. I want to ride Dan and wait long enough to get a reply from him. Uh-huh. That'd be good. I think that I owe him a zombie. What is it, Tonto? Horse come. Horse come. Yes, I hear it. Come too fast. Ground plenty bad. Horse fall. Look ahead. There's the rider. Let me see. It's a girl. That's right. She'll break her neck. Come too fast. She's either running away from someone or trying to kill herself. Neither cage will stop her. Come on, Silver. Get him up. The Mask Man's big white stallion raced ahead to meet the oncoming horse ridden by Abbey Jenkins. The girl, seeing the Mask Man on the brilliant moonlight, tried to dodge to the side. She guided Daggard's horse close to the canyon wall. The Lone Ranger angled to intercept her. He raced to her side. Rain up. You kill yourself. Leave me alone. Get away or I'll shoot. You've got no gun. Take your hand off my bridle. Get away. Get away. Get away. Leave me alone. You've got no gun. Silver, set it back. Get away. Someone chasing you? You should know. I suppose you're another outlaw riding the town to meet Dan Daggard. I never heard of Daggard. Who's the Indian? How many cutthroats has Daggard hired? Horse come. Hope I hope. Hope I hope. I'd like to hear about a man who's hiring cutthroats. Hold on. What are you going to do? Let go of my eyes. I'm sure you don't want to destroy those papers unless you have to, or you'd have done it before. Perhaps you don't have to do it even now. Who are you? Who I am is unimportant. The important fact is that I'm not one of Daggard's men. You certainly don't speak like a cutthroat. Hmm. These look like stock certificates. There isn't light enough to read the details. They're shares in a gold... oh, worthless tunnel that we thought was a gold mine. I'm sorry to have grabbed your wrist, but you were going to destroy them. I didn't want them to get into Daggard's possession. Who's that Indian? His name is Tato. He's my friend. Tato? I've heard of the name. I can't remember where. Did you read or hear of Tato in connection with the Barbary Coast? That's it. San Francisco newspaper. Maybe you hear of Lone Ranger too. Lone Ranger? Yes. Well yes indeed I have. Him no friend of crook. Oh, you. You with a mask. The white horse. Well, you're not a crook. You're the Lone Ranger. Abby poured forth her story. Her hatred for Dan Daggard. Her suspicions when the cafe owner tried to buy the land. I know he wasn't honest about it. If he simply wanted an excuse to give dad money, why did he buy shares in the tunnel from other people too? You're absolutely sure there's no gold in the tunnel? Yes. It must have some value. It has or Daggard wouldn't want it. I know for a fact that he's associated himself with Crooks from the West Coast. You saw them? For them came to the house with Daggard. They waited outside. I thought they were chasing me when I rode into this canyon. Abby is away by which we might learn something of their plan. Tell me. I will need your help. Now you'll have to go home and you'll have to act repentant. Well, Abby. Oh, Abby, thank goodness you've come back. I'm sorry, Dad. Where'd you go? Abby, what did you do? I just rode into the canyon a little way. I didn't want you to worry. I did worry. Worried most at death. I was only away from here for an hour. Did Daggard say he'd be back? He didn't say. He rode double with one of the others that had come here with him and went back to his cafe. At least that's where he said he was going. Maybe that's him coming back. Abby, I wish you wasn't set against me. A thousand dollars is a lot of money. Yes, I suppose it is. Well, so you're back. You'll find your horse outside, Mr. Daggard. I saw it. I'm not concerned with a horse. I'm sorry you don't want to let me help your father. Mind if I open the window? Daggard, I guess Abby's changed her mind. I'll sign these papers. Daggard brought two of the men back with him, Tutto. See them near the door? Ah, me see them. You stay right here with Silver. I'm going closer to that open window. Ah, girl, do her part. Yes. She's handing the papers over to her father. Daggard's getting out the money. It's time for me to step in. Maybe and maybe not, but a thousand dollars means a lot to me right now. Well, there's where you sign. Right there. Not tonight. Put the mask. I'll take those. Wait, hold on. Stop. Daggard, shoot him. Come back here. Stop him. Stop or I'll fire. Not with that gun. Yarn. I'll cramp your style when you're due from the bottom of the next day. Boys, boys, come in here. Get him. Stop him. Get the mask man. Daggard, what's the matter? That window, the mask man, he got the paper. Come on, we'll get him. You see him? No, but he's riding somewhere. Get out and find him. Get after him. For some time, Daggard's men tried to find the trail taken by the mask rider, but without success. They returned to meet Daggard. His hand bandaged and a clump of trees not far from the house. He got away, huh? Yeah. But what was his idea? That's what I don't savvy. What good will those papers be to him? No good. Jenkins will just declare them stolen, get new ones issued. He can still sign a tunnel over to us. How long will it take? Not long. They won't start shipping the gold here from San Francisco right away. We better have the tunnel ready to store it when it does come. The boys are stolen. It'll be plenty mad if we fall down in our part. We'll be ready for them. How soon can we spend that cash? Don't be too anxious. It's all got to be stored in the tunnel. Then we got to make believe we're working the tunnel and make out that we struck a new load of pay dirt. Then we can bring the gold out of the ground. No one will connect our good luck with a theft of the gold in San Francisco. It'll be a dog on a long time before we cash in. There's a million dollars, Bates. That's worth waiting for. Yeah, yes it is. Wait a minute. I wonder if Abby Jenkins had anything to do with that mass man's escape. Abby Jenkins? She opened the window he used to get into the room. Come on, I'm gonna question her. But Dagger, what makes you think she had any reason to let the mass man have those papers? Has she already got away with them? I know, but she couldn't stay away forever. The mass man can. Maybe she met him somewhere and asked him to take them. We'll mighty soon find out. It's me, Jenkins. Dan Dagger. I thought you'd be coming back, Dagger. I want to ask a few questions. Jenkins, I think your daughter knew that mass man was going to steal the stock shares. Oh, Dagger, I don't think anything like that. Well, I do. She opened that window. That was how he got in. Let me ask your point, Blank. Miss Abby, you got a reputation for always telling the truth. Did you know that mass man was going to take those papers? What if I did? You might as well get one thing straight. The papers won't be any good to the man that stole them. And the stealing of them won't interfere with a deal if your father wants to make it. In that case. That's the same window. You don't want another bullet. Here are the papers. If you're determined to sell to that man, go ahead. 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. The Lone Ranger returned the stock certificates to Lides Jenkins. Before Dagger left the house that night, he owned the Jenkins mine. An old Lige had $1,000 in cash. The mask man then traveled on foot to join Tonto in the camp where Silver had been guided. He told the Indian what he'd overheard. Probably on the west coast, a million in gold. Those crooks are gambling for big money, Tonto. A million dollar. We've got to find out where the gold was stolen and how it's being sent here. We go all the way back to San Francisco. No, Kimosabe. We'll send word to Dan. He'll get the information for us. In the days that passed, the mask man and Tonto kept out of sight as much as possible. But each day, the Indian sorted into town for a letter. A letter from the Lone Ranger's nephew, Dan Reed. Dan finally wrote. Dan's done a fine job for us, Tonto. And find out more about gold. He sent us everything that was published in the newspaper about the robbery. And good. The gold was in San Francisco to be loaded on board a boat. It was held in a storehouse and well guarded. One night the guards were knocked out and the gold stolen. A million in gold weighs a lot. It'll take more than one wagon to carry it and a lot of men to handle it. That's right. By this time, we may be sure the gold is somewhere between here and the west coast. If it's to come here, there's only one trail. Heavy wagon, not go through canyon. No. Light wagon and have a bad time and a heavy wagon couldn't be pulled through the canyon. That leaves nothing but the wagon trail to use. We'll watch that trail. Ah, when wagon come, we send law there, huh? No, that wouldn't do, Kimosabe. Well, lawmen get crooks and wagon, get gold. Daggett and the men with him are involved in the robbery. The law must get them too. Oh, and what we do? First, I've got to change clothes and disguise myself. Then I'm going to Daggett's Café. Daggett's was a typical café in Gambling Hall. It was well filled with people when a tall man in the clothes of an Easterner drifted casually in and looked around. It was a long ranger, following each step of a carefully worked out plan. He watched for and found a chance to talk to Bates. If you're what I think you are, I can put you in the way of some easy money, Bates. Just what do you think I am? You'll take cash where you find it without asking too many questions. Laws never found me on the wrong side of the fence. The law would have. The law had been in the right place at the right time. Who are you? Oh, I'm a man who's willing to pay a good price for a job that's well done. What's a job involved? Taking some wagons east. How far east? What's the difference as long as I pay by the mile? What's in the wagons? Well, one of the reasons I'm paying a good price is because I don't answer certain questions. What's proposition? Interested? I might be. I'll talk to you about it later. Leaving Bates filled with curiosity, the ranger found Scar alone and took him to a corner table. Now, when I find the right men, I'll have a first class job for them. I think you're one of the men I want. What makes you think so? You're not so particular how you get money. I see here, stranger. If you sat me down here doing something... Take it easy, Scar. I know all about you. What do you mean? There's a bank robbery in Omaha two years ago. The law never could prove you had a hand in it. But you did. How do you know? More recently, there was a stage robbery west of here. But again, you managed to beat the law. I don't know nothing about those things. Never mind them. I just mentioned them to show why I picked you up for the job. What kind of a job? Scar, I want some wagons driven from a few miles west of here to the east. What kind of wagons? Heavy ones. What's the story? I'll outline it for you, and you can tell me if you're interested. Well, now let's say that some cooks lost their loot. Huh? As cooks on the west coast. They made a big haul, but they were careless. One of them talked about it, and he was overheard. Now, let's suppose I arrange to take the loot from that robbery. I get it. I put my own men on the wagons. They agreed to drive them this far. Do you follow me? Yeah, go on. They don't want to drive them east of here because they're warrants for their arrest in some states. I've got to find drivers to replace them. And you want me for drivers, isn't it? If I did, would you like the job? I'd have to know more about it first. I'm paying a big price because there might be some gunplay. How's that? The men who originally had the stolen goods. You started to say gold. I didn't say gold. I said the men who originally had the stolen goods might try to get it back. You'd have to be ready to shoot. What if the gold was lost? I didn't say gold. Oh, that's right. I forgot you didn't say gold. What if the stolen goods was lost? I wouldn't like it, and you might not like the pay you'd get. Now, let me think it over. Don't tell anyone about it. Where can I find you? Oh, I'm in and out of town. Just think it over and I'll get in touch with you. I mean, while I'll give you a name and address. Now, I'm not saying this is my name, but if you leave town, send word here and I'll know where to reach you. Right. Remember, keep your mouth shut about this. You telling anyone else? I'm warning up drivers. You'll hear from me. Scar, what the tall guy want? I've got to see your private. He talked to Bates, too. Wanted him to drive for him. Let's go to your office. I got something important. Come on. Bates, come to the office with us. Right. I'm anxious to hear what he had to say to Scar. Plenty. Will you hear what I found out? Come on in. That stranger told Bates he wanted to hire drivers to take some wagons east of here. Yeah. He was pretty evasive. Whenever he's got it ain't on the level. He'll bet it ain't. He told me he wanted drivers because the drivers that are bringing the wagons this far wanted by the law in the states to the east. Did he say what the wagons hold? Gold. Gold. Sure. Dead sure. For one thing, he nearly said gold. Then he caught himself and mentioned stolen goods instead. Wagons are stolen gold. I don't like that. That ain't all, Daggett. He said that the men that stole the gold in the first place had overtalked. He said he got wind of what they've done and his gang took it away from him. Go on, Scar. He took a card with an address on it from his pocket. When he did so, this envelope fell out. It's got some newspaper pieces in it. Now, let me see them. They're all about the million gold robberies. Our gold. That crook. He stole our gold. These pieces tell about the robbery. That's what I said. Your pal's lost the gold and is being brought here by the Tolgen's partners and he tried to hire us to take it east from here. How do you like that? Boss, what do we do? Boys, this is the funniest thing yet. I don't see it's funny to lose that gold. Wouldn't you think it's funny if you got it back? If we can. If we can, we will. We can watch the trail. Sure we'll watch the trail. Those critters don't suspect that the original idea was to bring the gold here and they're doing it for us. Yeah, that's so. Now we don't even have to split with the other boys. That's so. Hey, this is a piece of good luck. Sure it is. Maybe that's why we ain't had no word from them. I told them not to write letters. It ain't safe. Letters sometimes get lost. Now we watch the trail and when those crooks come here, they'll get a hot reception. The Lone Ranger and Tonto also watched the trail but several miles west of the town. They watched it day and night for several days and then the Masked Man saw the wagons. They were coming at sunset. It would be dark before the heavy load of gold reached town. The drivers in fact had planned their travel to reach town after dark. The Lone Ranger waited only long enough to confirm a fact. They are heavy loaded, Tonto. Plenty heavy. There couldn't be two such groups of wagons. I'm going to assume that those are the ones we're waiting for. Study Silver. Let me stay here. Right a little ahead of the wagons and keep out of sight. Ah, me too. Come on, Silver. The Lone Ranger dashed to Lides Jenkins' home and brought news to Abby. Take that information to the sheriff, Abby. But if you take it too... I want you to. You'll learn why later. Very well. Tell him just what I told you. I will. I certainly will. Come on, Silver. The wagons rolled eastward. Lying in weight and darkness, Dagger and his men held their guns in readiness. Just a couple of seconds now. All right. Rain up there. Get your hands up. What is this? Call it a sticker. Get off that seat. I'll let you get down from there. We've always no time pulling. Oh, hold on. All right. I'm getting down from the wagon. Don't shoot. But this is the craziest thing. Dagger, what's the idea of sticking us up? Huh? You! You dog-gone fool. What's the matter with you? You were taking this gold right to you. Why'd you have to meet us on the trail and scare the daylights out of us by holding us up to get what's yours? You got the gold. I thought you'd lost it. I... Dagger, there's a lot that's out of line here. These quitters are supposed to have lost the gold. All of you, get your hands up. You heard what I said. Heistam, Dagger, we want you and Bates and the others. This here was highway robbery. Close in, boys. If anyone makes a move, shoot. Keep your hands up. Get ropes on them. Watch everyone of them. No, wait. No, wait. Now listen to me, Sheriff. There's a mistake. Looks like there's a lot of mistakes, Dagger. All of them yours. Dagger, you had a highway robbery. This is the time you're fooled. These men in the wagons are my friends. They've got goods that belong to me. How can I steal my own goods? That's right, Sheriff. How can Dagger and me steal from ourselves? These men in the wagons will tell you that stuff's ours. Thanks. That's what I hoped you'd admit. What's that, mister? You say you wanted them to admit that the stuff in the wagons were their own stuff? Yes. Now look and see what the wagons contain. Take a look, Pete. Hey, Sheriff. Great day. These wagons are filled with gold. Gold bars must be a million dollars. Gold? That gold is a million dollar loot from a San Francisco robbery of a few weeks ago, Sheriff. I remember. I heard about it. Boys, these critters admitted they were all in cahoots. Take the pack of them to jail. Well, Lige, it was the gold earnest thing you ever see. I acted on Ms. Abbey's information. The Lone Ranger sent me to you, Sheriff. He was there. He was on the job to help us. We nailed Dagger and four of his pals for sticking up the wagons. Then we find the men on the wagons had stolen a million in gold from California. They were in cahoots with Dagger. Then why'd Dagger stick them up? Because the Lone Ranger wanted them to. What? That's the long and short of it. The Lone Ranger wanted Dagger and the others caught along with the ones from the west. The scheme, Lige, was to put the gold in your old tunnel and make believe they found it there. That's how they figured on getting it in use. So they bought the tunnel and couldn't even use it. Ms. Abbey, there's a nice big reward coming. It's yours. Oh, it's the Lone Ranger. No, it's yours. Why do you think he wanted you to be the one to come for me? So you'd get the reward, of course. The story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.