 At the speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty high old silver. The lone faithful 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. From the past come the thundering hoofbeats of the great horse, Silver. The lone ranger rides again. Come on, Silver! The danger of... Gideon West was the law in Bancroft. That was one of the reasons the silver mining boom town was famous. Everyone knew and respected the tall, sombre, crag-faced man whose name meant law and order. True, there were those who hated him. Hated him because he was fearless and fair. That was the reason Gideon West now picked his way through the crowd moving along the town's main street. He was headed for the Three Dice Cafe to give an unwanted stranger some wise advice. Evening, Sheriff. Evening. Had a fine day, didn't we? Yes, we did. How are you, Mr. West? Fine, thank you. Hi, sir. Hi, Yancy. Hi, Gideon. Hello, Sam. Hey, there's a new tin wound in town. Did you know it? Maybe. It's on this afternoon inside the Three Dice here. It says it's going to start dealing the ferrule table. Yeah. What does he look like? Oh, about your size here. Just as kind of slick like. Where's the diamond ring of one hand that's bigger than... I've been to know the gents' name. Hmm, let me see. I think he called himself Baxter. Cole Baxter. Baxter, eh? I figured he might be the one. You know? No, can't say I do. But I know the man Baxter works for. If he's a gambler, he's working for himself, ain't he? Maybe. That's what I aim to find out right now. Come on. Good evening, Baxter. Good evening, sir. Hi, Sheriff. Hello, Baxter. I didn't expect to see you in this part of the territory. It's a free cut, eh? When's you leave, Texas? That's my business. I deal ferrule wherever I please. You also have a sideline, Baxter. That's my business. Yeah. Still working his look out for the Tracy gang? Listen, no small town batch to do is going to... Answer my question. I haven't broken any laws. I don't have to answer any questions. In that case, I think you'd better pack your card deal and not fit and move. Move out of town, Baxter. Now. Watch out, Sam. I'm watching. Did you see that? The gambler went for his gun and get him and nailed him right through the hand. Carry your cards in the other hand, Baxter. Get out of here. If you're not out of town in 10 minutes, I'll jail you. You're a gun in your town, so I'll leave. Good. Handy with a smoke bomb, ain't you? When you've got a cold drop. That's my business. Maybe some account Tracy's gunner hogs are just as handy. If Tracy and his men are in this county, they'd better move out and you move with them. He's got a good memory and a bad name. I'm not interested in the pedigree of a gunslinger. This kid remembers his pa who was a lawman at Texas about 10 years ago. His name is Dude. Can we hear him? Dude. Adios, Sheriff. Who was that hombre talking about, Sheriff? I don't know. Can't trace he must have taken on a new gun hog called Dude. Yeah. Yeah, I guess so. You can handle him, Gideon. Nobody in Bantroff's going to worry about Tracy or any other outlaws as long as you're a sheriff. I hope they're right. What do you mean? Where you going, Gideon? Back to my office. I've got some thinking to do. Thoughts that were crowding the mind of Gideon West didn't wait until he reached his office. Most of them were memories of 10 years ago when Gideon had been the sheriff of a cattle town in West Texas. He remembered one night in particular when someone had pounded frantically on the door of his home. Wait a minute, I'm coming. What's wrong? You better come over to the cafe, Sheriff. There's trouble brewing. Yeah, what's the matter? That fancy dressing kid of yours has thrown his weight around. Some of the boys don't like it, even if Dude is your son. Thanks for telling me. I'll go right over. I remembered how anxious he'd been that night. Anxious to prevent a headstrong and motherless son from making a fool of himself. Dude wasn't really bad. His father would swear to that. He was just young and a little wild. The boy was too handy with his lips and his guns. Older men resented a kid who always wore a shiny black shirt and whose pants were never out of press, even if he was the sheriff's son. Gideon recalled how he'd reached the cafe that night just in time to hear Dude arguing with Jim Salter. All right, Salter. If you're so all fired fast with those guns, reach for him. I came in here to get a drink, not to play games with a baby. Especially when the baby can beat you to the draw. Why, you... See? I've got you covered. You're still fumbling like a blind pig. I could move faster than that in the dark. Let's see you try it, Dude. Wait a minute. It's giving him the sheriff. He ought to raw hide that smart talking kid of yours. Hello, Pa. Put that gun away, Dude. Oh, I was just showing some of these old moss backs. I said, let's see that lighten and draw yours, kid. Get in the dark. Light! Somebody shout out the lamp! Now you snibbling little... Dude. Pa. Bring in a lantern. Light that lamp. Get that lamp over there. Come on. Bring it in here. Wait a minute. There it is. Eh, now maybe we can... Look at Jim Salter. He's been shot. Salter's dead. Well, Sheriff. What do you think of that? Murder. That's what it is. Dude shot him in cold blood. I did not. I shot but not in that direction. That won't help. I saw you do it. Listen, Baxter. No gambler can... Now, wait a minute. I was standing right here. Same as all these other men. I didn't kill Salter, Pa. Honest, I didn't. We'll decide that later, Dude. Well, hey, lady. Can young fancy pants here get away with murder just because he happens to be your son? I didn't say that, Baxter. Dude will get a fair trial. Same as anyone else. Well, do you need a trial when a man's killed in front of 50 witnesses? You're the only one I've heard swear they saw a dude do it. Maybe some of these gents are afraid to talk because dude's your kid. I say, let's strangle him up. No. Well, there'll be no lynching here. Dude's my prisoner and I'm taking him to jail. If he's guilty of killing Jim Salter, a jury will find it out. I didn't do it, Pa. Keep quiet. If any of you gents think the sheriff's going to jail his old kid your local, if he gets out of here, you'll turn him loose. Look out, Pa. Back of you. Drop that gun, Sheriff. I've got you covered. You can't drop it. You ain't very smart for a lawman, Sheriff. The kind of law we believe in is short and simple. Baxter here saw Dude gun Jim Salter, so we're stringing the kid up. You'd better not interfere. No. That's what you think. Oh, hey, look right through my hand. Now you bunch of lynch crazy lobos. I've got the drop on all of you. Dude, you can't. You too, Pa. You were going to let him get away with it. Let him lynch me for a killing I didn't do. No, dude, I... I guess I'm the best one to take care of me. From now on, I'm doing it. Dude, please don't... I'll drill the first one of you that goes for a gun. There's a frame up. The sheriff and dude frame it so he can get away. There's no frame up. Just for your information, gents. From now on, I'm making my own play. He lent my own cart. That was the last time Gideon West had seen his son. He resigned his job as sheriff in the Texas town and came west. As the years went by, he heard indirectly that dude had joined a gang of outlaws, but he'd never confirmed that report. Now, tonight, from the lips of the same Tin Horn gambler who had accused his son of murder 10 years before, came word that dude was with Cal Tracy's gang. Gideon knew that if Tracy was near Bancroft, he was probably holed up in the hill country west of town. Without hesitation, Gideon made up his mind. He stopped at the livery stable, saddled his horse, and headed west. A one-man posse in search of an outlaw son. Come on, boy. Get up there. In the wooded hills west of Bancroft, the lone ranger, Tonto and Dad, rained up their horses and prepared to make camp. This looks like a good place to spend the night. There's a creek at the bottom of the slope. There are plenty of good wood to make fire. I've never seen so many tall, grieve trees growing so close together. There are birch trees, Dan, and a few aspen. You take the horses down to the creek. Tonto and I got a fire started. Sure. Come on, Silver. Let's go. Keep eyeing. It's open all the time. I'm good. Yes, Tonto. One of Dan's best traits is questions and observations prove that he's anxious to learn, which is a sure sign he will learn. I'll scoop out a fire base here. You gather the wood. Do you hear anything when a handful of air reach? Shut away. I recognize the black shirt and white hat dude, even from the back. You know I can shoot as fast as you can. So don't try anything. The curtain falls on the first act of our lone ranger's story. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments. Our two continue our story. With Sheriff Gideon West's drawn guns at their back, the lone ranger and Tonto stood with hands raised, waiting for his next command. Just so you won't get any wild ideas, dude, reach into those holsters with two fingers and drop your guns on the ground. I don't know who you are, but you've made a mistake. Smooth talking won't help you, dude. Yes, I ought to recognize my own son. I'd know that shirt and hat you're wearing anyplace. I think I'm your son. Why don't you let me turn around? And you can see for yourself. I don't want to argue with you, dude. But I can't trust you. Pick those guns out of the holsters and drop them on the ground. Dude, I say you're... Put them off. You're covered. What, sir? All right. I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to drop your gun. I have you covered. Why, you're not, dude. That's what I've been trying to tell you. Is it that I fooled him? Good work, Dan. You fooled me all right. You think I fell for that old trick? Well, you're not an outlaw. Why did you sneak up here? Oh, I'm no outlaw. But I guess you are. You wouldn't be wearing that mask. It might mean the same thing as that star on your vest. Sheriff. What? Now that we've settled that, I'll host to these guns. Tell me about it, Sheriff. About what? You thought I was your son. Yeah, I did. I haven't seen dude for over 10 years. Figured he'd be about your size and build. Is dude an outlaw? Well, I just heard tonight that he might be running with Carl Tracy's gang. Tracy's holed up around here somewhere. Then you're out to arrest your own son. I want to save him, by Ken. Hello, and Dan and I may be able to help you, Sheriff. If you'll explain what it's all about. I don't know why I should trust an ombre that wears a mask, but it's something about your voicing. Well, my name's Gideon West. This whole thing started over in Texas about 10 years ago. As the old Sheriff told the Lone Ranger about the incident that caused dude to hit the outlaw trail, the masked man motioned to Tonto and Dan to bring up the horses. They knew then that they were going to ride instead of camping for the night. That's about all there is to it. I haven't seen dude since that night. You think it was he who shot the man in the cafe? No, I don't. Never have figured it that way. Dude said he didn't do it, and I've always believed him. I see. The boy never lied to me, even when he was a little tyke. What do you know about this whole backster? Just a Driflin gambler. I'm sure he's a lookout for the Tracy gang, but I can't prove it. And a Tracy? What does he look like? Oh, small ombre. You got a crooked nose. Have you ever tried to arrest him? I've been after that old hoot for years, ever since I've been a lawman. He's always managed to get away from me. Now he's got my boy. Sheriff, I think we can bring Tracy out in the open. I think when it comes to his showdown, that boy of yours will prove to be all right. What do you mean? How do we do it? Well, the first thing for you to do is go back to Bancroft. Get sick and die. Die? Have you gone local? It might take us weeks to find Tracy's hideout. This way, you'll come to us. What way? I'll explain what I mean later. Then we'll bring you word for me. All right, now it's important that none of us are seen in this vicinity. Steady, Silver. He's a big fella. I don't understand. You will, Sheriff. Just ride back to town and wait till you hear from me. Come on, Silver. Come on, Silver. Come on, Victor. I've got to die to catch an outlaw like Tracy. That critter's not only a mask. He's crazy. The following morning when Dan Reed came to his house and explained the Lone Ranger's plan, Gideon West changed his mind. Within an hour, the report of his illness was known all over Bancroft. What's that you're saying, Bill? Gideon West has got pneumonia. Real bad, according to Doc Hawkins. Pneumonia, eh? That's liable to go pretty hard with a man Gideon's age. Sure it is. I hear somebody say the sheriff is sick. I thought Gideon ran you out of town, Baxter. I've got as much right in Bancroft as he has. It's a good thing for you. He's flat on his back. Yeah. I'm sure it's sorry to hear you. Awful sorry. As the next few days went by, the reports on Gideon West's health became steadily worse. Finally, on the afternoon of the third day, a young boy who rode a white cold he called Victor... Oh, Victor, oh boy, oh! ...brained up in front of the three nice cafes, dismounted and buried inside. What you doing in here, son? This ain't no place for a young one like you. I know it. But Dr. Hawkins told me to come up here and tell some of you men the news. News? Here. The doctor wrote it out on a piece of paper. Let me see. Well, I'll be... What's wrong? Listen, everybody, I got some important and sad news to tell you. What is it? This kid here just brought me a note from Dr. Hawkins. Gideon West is dead. Yeah, did I hear that? You mean the old Mossback Gideon is funny case, didn't he? The funeral will be tomorrow afternoon. Well, I'm sorry to hear it. Muddy sorry. Yeah, you look sorry. I bet you'll have your pharaoh lay out, move back into town for the funerals over. They'll get it with me right now. But it won't start dealing until the night, boys. Why? Scared of Gideon even when he's dead? Yeah. I've got some business to take care of this afternoon. See you later, boys. That no-good side-winder. Say, where's that kid that brought me the note? Must have ducked out. It's funny, I didn't see him leave. Dan Reed had returned to the home of Gideon West. But Hope Baxter, the gambler, rode several miles into the hills before he reached a small and well-hidden cabin. Oh, you're kidding. I spotted ever since you reached the canyon. I said no yelling. Oh, man. Hello, dude. Hi. Red. Hi. Pete Muddy. Hi, Banks. All right. What is it? A break you've been waiting for. Yeah? There's no more law in bankcroft. Cracking that bank would be a cinch. Yeah, you're a local. Gideon West has been gunning for me for 20 years. That's the break. Gideon West is dead. No. Yeah, dead this afternoon, pneumonia. Well, I'll be a... Are you sure? He's dead, all right. They're having the funeral tomorrow afternoon. I thought after that's over, we could... Over? This is good. Dude, that double-crossing old man of yours has handed us all the gold in the drover's bank. I guess he has. We won't wait until that funeral's over. It's made order for us. Every man and gun in the town of Bankcroft will be at the lawman's funeral. Right then, boys, is when we ride herd on the drover's bank. That's right. What's the matter, dude? This'll be your first job with us. Yeah, I know. Maybe the kid's crying about that sneaking sheriff boy. Shut up, you. Now, boys, boys. No scrapping on the home grounds. Keep your mouth shut, see? What's the matter with him? He'll be all right. Guess you upset the dude a little bit. Now, look, boys, this is what we'll do. Tomorrow afternoon, just when they're planting old Gideon, everybody in town will be out at Boothill. We'll ride straight to the bank. Can I talk to you for a minute? What the... I'll get you. Don't reach for your gun, dude. I haven't got one. Who are you? How'd you get up here? How'd you know my name? I brought you a message. What is it? Here. What's that? It's your Pa's sheriff's badge. I saw him yesterday. He asked me to find you if I could. Why would Pa... I guess your Pa got kind of lonesome for you, dude. He wanted you to have the thing he prized the highest in the whole world. I was gonna go back and see him lots of times, but... Well... He told me all about it. You see, dude, your Pa found out a long time ago that it wasn't really you who killed that man in Texas. Another man confessed the murder. But your Pa couldn't tell you about it because you never came home. Yeah, that's right. Now it's too late. No, it isn't. You can still do what he wanted you to do. You mean this badge? Yeah. I think I understand, kid. You'll do it? Yeah. I'll do what Pa would have done in my own way. Thanks. I bet he'd like to know that. I've sure been a crazy collude all these years. But now... I'll see you later, dude. Hey kid, where you going? He's gone. I guess I'm too ornery to pray. Pa couldn't hear me anyhow. But I can do just what he would have done and wear his lawman's badge while I'm doing it. The following afternoon, almost everyone in Bancroft gathered at the Little Wooden Church and waited for Gideon West's funeral service to begin. There were too many people to crowd into the house, so they waited outside with heads bowed. It wasn't long until the funeral passations started down Bancroft's main street and headed towards Boothill. Then it happened. Several men rode up to the drover's bank and started shooting. Tracy's gang had everything their own way because there wasn't a man in Bancroft carrying a gun. Listen, all of you! Just keep quiet, nobody will get hurt. All me and the boys want is the dinero in that bank. It's Cal Tracy. They're robbing the bank on the day we're burying poor old Gideon. Shut up, you two. All right, boys, go in there and clean it out. All right, Tracy. Let us well just stand here quiet, folks. There's nothing any of you can do. Keepin' covered, dude. No, Tracy. It's you I'm gonna keep covered. Have you gone local, dude? I'm just gettin' smart, see? A lawman's badge. You mean to say that... I just got it yesterday. I guess I came home too late to see, Pa. He's not too late to do his job. Like he'd have wanted me to. Reach, Tracy. Oh, you dirty tubo... Red Pete! Come here! It's dude, he's turned lawman on us! What's wrong, Tracy? I'm just to what Pa would have done. Pa, I thought you were... No, I'm not dead. Never felt better in my life. Keep shooting, dude. We'll soon have more. I can't understand why... I can't do it in the proudest day I've ever known. It ain't every man who can capture a gang out and welcome home his son on his same day. You been better, dude? Sure, Pa. I'll be all right. There's nobody in Tracy's outfit that's a good enough shot to really hit anyone. Just a scratch. They're all in jail, son. Every one of them. I still can't figure it out. I thought you'd died. That was just a trick. So Tracy'd come into town and start somethin'. You knew I was with him? Sure. But how'd you know I'd take over your badge? I didn't know it for sure, dude. I just hoped you would. You see, I wasn't the only one betting on you, dude. Who else? The best friend you and I'll ever have. The Lone Ranger. You have just heard as a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.