 A fiery horse with a speed of light, a clot of dust, and a hearty, high-o silver, the lone Ranger. With his faithful Indian companion, Tonto, the daring and resourceful masked rider of the planes led the fight for law and order in the early western United States. 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. The lone Ranger and Tonto were in their saddles guiding Scout and Silver through a dense stand of timber on the side of Cold Spring Mountain. In the distance they could hear the rush of water. That not sound like water in stream? It isn't, Tonto. It's a flume. Oh, just beyond the trees we'll see the old stamping mill and the flume that Jim Wallace built when he was operating his gold mine. Well, me hear a last chance, mine. For a time Jim did well with his mine. But his luck ran out. Wait, what is it, Tonto? Someone come this way. He can't sound a hoofbeat. Wait, let's see who's coming. He's so dense, can't see more than a few yards ahead. What's come close now? We see him in a minute. Yes. There come Tonto. Hey, who are you? Mask! Get her out of here! Come on, you! Mr. Mullet! Get out of there! Oh, what matter with him? He makes scared. Yeah, that's too bad, Tonto. I guess he saw my mask and thought he was going to be robbed. This took me for an outlaw. I'm getting used to that but I don't like it. Jim Wallace had discovered gold in the hills and had built a house in the nearby valley. Later he had built a stamping mill at the top of his mine shaft. The ore that came from underground was crushed by mighty hammers and much of the dirt and stone removed and washed away. The years had been good to Jim. He had prospered and his daughter Nancy had grown to womanhood. But the mine had petered out and the stamping mill went silent. Matilda Wallace had died. And Jim and his daughter still lived in the small house. Jim's friend, the sheriff, came frequently to share their evening meal. Nancy, you're getting looked more like your mother every day. What? Well, that's the nicest thing you could say, Sheriff. Jim, why in Tarnation do you keep Nancy way out here in the West? Oh, but Sheriff, I like it here. You should be in one of the big cities in the East to meet the right people and really... I have told you before. Nancy and me, we... I know, I know, Jim. You want to stay near the last chance mine. But Dad busted Jim, you don't work the mine. Been played out for two years. Now you've got a chance to sell out. You're sort of sentimental about it, Sheriff. Besides Matilda is buried nearby. Yes, and besides that, Sheriff, Dad built the stamping mill. Yes, sir, he. I got the only stamping mill within 100 miles. What good is stamping mill without the gold ore to feed into it? Well, you wouldn't understand, Sheriff. Is it true that Mel Barton has made you an offer for the stamping mill? Yes, he figures if he owned the mill, he could move it over to that new mine he's working. The other side of the rain. All I can say is you're crazy if you don't sell. That's what you are, Jim. Downright crazy if you don't sell while you got the chance. Come here, Sheriff. Step over to the door. I want you to hear some. What is it, Jim? I'll open the door. You hear that water coming down here? And the waterfall? Sure, I hear it. It's the overflow from the flume up at the mine. I sit here at night and listen to that. Brings back memories. Memories? Yes, sir, he's sure. Memories of when me and Matilda sat here. When Nancy was a baby. The things we talked about and planned. Sometimes it seems like I can hear Matilda speaking to me. You can hear the old stamping mill going full blast like it used to. All right, Jim, I won't say no more. Well, long as I'm at the door, I may as well keep going. I've got to get back to town. Thanks for a fine meal, Miss Nancy. You're welcome any time, Sheriff. Just a minute, Sheriff. Looks like we've got company. Mell Barton. Evening, Jim. Miss Nancy. Good evening. Kind of off your range, aren't you, Barton? I just rode over to see if Jim had changed his mind about selling the last chance. No, Mell. Oh, now, see, Jim, I've offered you a fair price for an old worked-out mine just because I want the stamping mill. The price, don't enter into it, Mell. The last chance is not for sale at any price. It's a sentimental proposition with Jim. You're wasting your time, Barton. All right, then. That's a final word. It's a final word. Then I'll say good evening to you, and you too, Miss Nancy. Good evening. I'll say the same, and thanks again for the fine supper, Nancy. Oh, come any time, Sheriff. Where's your horse, Sheriff? Right over yonder. I'll walk over with you and lead my horse. All right. Come on, boy. Jim Wallace is a fool not to take some cash for that stamping mill he can't use and worthless property that has worked out. Well, you see, Mell, he and Nancy want to stay here. They don't need cash, and like I said, Jim is a sentimental old... Sheriff, there's something you should know. What's that? There's a mask outlaw in this vicinity. And if my man he judge with the way a man wears guns, he's a killer. Yeah? I came face to face with him and an Indian in the woods this morning. You don't say. Before I could get away from him, he asked me questions about Jim Wallace. He was looking for Jim? Oh, I didn't say that. He said he asked me questions about him. All right. I thought I'd mention it if anything happens to Jim. I don't know where he could be. Mask, you say? Masking, riding a white horse. Well, speaking of horses, here's my must-have. I'll see you again. Yep. There's a steady that one. Get out there. Mask, man. Well, steady. Get out there. Nancy, I'm going to sit in my rocking chair here on a porch for a spell. All right, Dad. It's good to setting. Most time for the moon to come up. Tonight it'll be full. I like to sit here and look at the hill off yonder in the moonlight and listen to that water. It sort of takes me back a good many years. Yep. It takes me back to the days when Matilda used to sit here beside me. Nancy heard the faraway tone in her father's voice and knew that he wanted to be alone with his memories. She opened the door softly and went into the house. In half an hour, the moon appeared as a silver circle over the hill. It was a night like this, and Matilda walked up that hill with me for the last time. Yep. A night just like this. Same moon. Same smell spring in here. I've been up there since. I'm going to try it. I'll tell Nancy I'm going so she won't worry. The trail to the last chance mine was steep, and climbing with legs that were no longer young forced Jim to stop many times to rest. Finally, he could see the mine. He stopped, and his heart swelled with pride. This was his, the last chance, and no one would ever take it from him. The roar of the flume's waterfall was almost deafening, but suddenly he detected another sound, a sound he could hardly believe. Here's a stabbing mill running wide open. He ran as fast as he could to the doorway of the mill. It's you, Chief. That's what you are. I never thought that you... It was the following morning when Nancy rode hard into town and rained up in front of the sheriff's office. Oh, they're both dead easy. The girl's hair was the shovel. It had been blowing free in the wind, and the dust on her face was streaked with tears. Sheriff! Sheriff! Oh, thanks a lot, girl. What's it to you? Oh, Sheriff. It's Dan. It is old mine at the top of the hill. I found him this morning. What was he doing up there? Mr. Barton, if you have business with the sheriff, can't it wait until later? I'd like to talk to him alone. Wait, wait. Hold on, Nancy. Maybe Barton can help us get the murderer. Last night after you left, Dad sat on the veranda for a long time watching the moon come up over the hill. Then he came into the house and he told me it was going up there. He wanted to go alone. This morning when I saw his bed hadn't been slept in, I went looking for it. I... I found him in the old stamp and mill at the top of the mine. What? Nancy, Nancy. If old John had to go, I reckon that's where he wanted to happen. He was sure proud of that stamp and mill he built. Where is he now, Miss Nancy? I went over the top of the hill to your claim, Mr. Barton. One of your men helped you get Dad back to the house. Maybe we can have that murderer behind bars quicker than you think. You know who it is? Barton's been telling me of a mask man. A mask man? Yes, and an Indian. He met them yesterday and they were asking about your father. I saw them again this morning, Miss Nancy. I came to tell the sheriff where they were camped. It's not far from your father's... from your property. I'll get Deputy Hank Claven right away. Mel will show us where the camp is at and we'll see what that mask man has to say. The mountainside camp of the Lone Ranger and Tonto was not in a particularly well-concealed location. It had been chosen because of a small pool of good water into which a spring cascaded and because of grass on which scout and silver could graze during a few days of rest. The horses needed a rest, Tonto. They're a little lean from the traveling of the past week. Isn't that right? I think that... What matter? Someone coming this way. Move toward me. You can see them through the trees. Ah, me see them. Three fallen horses. That man in the lead, Tonto. He's the one we saw before. Seems to be very interested in us. We meet him yesterday in wood. Yes. He rode past here this morning. Ah, him plenty scared both times. Well, he's not scared now. He's leading the others directly here. Tonto, one of them's a sheriff. I can see his badge. Why them come here? Probably to ask questions about this mask. Oh, there. Oh, there. Hello there. That's the one sheriff. Get your gun done and the Indian as well. What about, mister? We got you covered. You don't need guns. I'll cover them, sheriff, until you and Hague are smart. Right. I've got one pair of hands up, sheriff, and you have another. You mean to say we're under arrest? That's what's generally done with killers. Killers? You made a mistake, mister. You tipped your hand when you asked Mel Barton about Jim Wallace. I didn't ask anyone about Jim Wallace. Oh, yes, you did. Yes, you did, too. You asked me about him yesterday when we met. Is your name Barton? That's right. Then you're a liar. You can't get away with it, mister. We got you dead to rights. Let me get this straight. Jim Wallace dead. He was shot last night up yonder in his stamping mill. Now you keep your hands up. Let us disarm and unmask here. Well, in peaceably, I guarantee a fair trial. You believe what Barton tells you, I can anticipate the kind of a trial I'll get. I hadn't better go with you. You've got no choice. If you resist arrest, it'll count heavy against you. You just try resisting and this gun will stop popping. That's a chance we'll have to take. Adam, solo! 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 to continue our story. The sheriff, his deputy and Mel Barton, held guns on the Lone Ranger and Tonto. The masked man realized that capture would mean unmasking and jail to await a trial for murder. He decided that there would be less danger in a sudden attack. Acting with lightning speed, he slapped aside the sheriff's gun as he charged in close. The sheriff's pry of surprise was cut off sharply by a jab from the masked man's fist. I'll show you he picked some fun. Tonto's hard fist cracked against Barton's jaw. Hank leaped to the side so he could shoot without striking one of his companions, but the Lone Ranger had looked for such a move. He pushed the unconscious sheriff at the deputy. Here comes the sheriff. Both men fell to the ground. I'll take that gun. Wait, great. Let me go. You can't. Sorry, deputy. Listen, mister, wait. Don't hit me. You can't hit a man that's down. I'm not going to hit you. Just going to toss this gun aside so you won't hurt someone. There. I'll use these handcuffs to hook you to your boss. The time you get a key out and unlock them, we'll be away from here. How about the other one, Tonto? Me knock Barton out. Then bring the horses. You get them. I'm telling you this is just as good as a confession. The sheriff and me will find you no matter how far you travel. Drag the sheriff over to that pool of water. Lashie's face, and I think you'll recover in a few minutes. And when he comes to, give him a silver bullet. Silver bullet? It may mean nothing to him. On the other hand, it may convince him that I'm not a killer. Silver, ready. All right, Tonto, hit the saddle. We're going to find out about the death of Jim Wallace. Easy, big fella. Easy, big fella. Come on, silver. Come on, scoundrel. The Long Ranger knew where Jim Wallace lived, and with Tonto, he rode to the house. Nancy was alone. When she saw the masked man, she accused him of murdering her father. But you're mistaken, Miss Nancy. Your father was a friend of mine. I knew him years ago. But... I want to help find a man who killed him. I'd like to see where it happened. The Long Ranger's manor was kind, and his voice was reassuring. There was something about him that inspired confidence, and the girl found herself believing what he said. Finally, she agreed to help him. I can take you to the Stampin Mill. You may have seen it. It's the building near the top of the hill. It was nearly sunset when the girl opened a creaking door in the old building. While Tonto concealed the horses, the Long Ranger and Nancy went inside. I don't know whether you've ever seen a Stampin Mill like this. That machine over there crushes the ore. Then water is brought in from the flume, and the crushed ore is washed onto copper plates. Yes. How long has it since your father used this machinery? Two years. That's the reason everything's so rusty. Oh, but these crushes on the Stampin machine aren't rusty. In fact, they might have been used as recently as yesterday. Someone has been using the machinery. But why, and who could it be? Your father thought this mine had run out. It's possible that someone found a new vein. What? It would be almost impossible to take out tons of ore without being discovered. But by crushing and washing the ore, a great deal of gold could be removed, and secretly. Perhaps that's why Dad was killed. Maybe he caught the thieves in the act. You leave horses in good place, Kimosami. All right. Yeah, Miss Nancy, we're going down into the mine and see if it shows signs of recent operations. There's the shaft right there, but... This bucket is used to bring out the ore. The bucket is operated by the hoist, but the hoists need steam. Wait, we'll carry the bucket down. You can control it by the winch over there. Yes, but I'll have to have a fire in the boiler to get steam pressure to bring you up again. I think we can climb the rope if necessary. We may find another way out. Maybe we need lanterns down below. There are lanterns on the wall. All right, good enough. Is there oil in the lanterns? Yes. Uh, you wait here, Nancy. I'm sure you'll be all right. Anyone is stealing gold. I think they're working after dark. I don't expect anyone would dare come here in daylight. I'm not afraid. Take one of the lanterns, Tonno. We'll light it when we get below. Uh-huh. Now, Tonno, get into that big bucket. Move over a little. Nancy, you go over there and stand by the winch so you can let the bucket down. Where shall I stop it? There are three levels. Which was the newest when the mine was closed? The lowest. Let us down there. I'll wait for your signal. All right, let's go. We'll be almost there, Tonno. This is the bottom. Come on, Tonno. We'll light the lanterns here. That's better. Which way we go now? We'll have to look around. Come on. The lone ranger and Tonno spent the next hour walking through a labyrinth of underground passages. The advance of direction became distorted, and they weren't surprised to find they had completed a circle in the deserted mine and were almost back to the base of the main shaft. Suddenly, as they came around a sharp corner... Hello, look. This is the evidence we've been searching for. See the side of this drift? It's all freshly mined. Let me see it. This must be where the thieves have been working. Tonno, we're on the track of something. In the meantime, Nancy Wallace had made a startling discovery. She was waiting impatiently for the return of the masked man and Tonno when the sheriff came into the building with Mel Barton at his side. Sheriff! What are you doing here? Oh, there's time for that later, Sheriff. I came with a masked man and an Indian. Oh, I know, Sheriff. You mean you're saying they're here? Yes, down below. And my deputy's leading a party to look for them. I know how you accuse them of killing my father, but Sheriff, you're wrong. I found something here on the floor. You see, I know the murderer. You do? Yes, I do, Mel Barton. And I know now why you've been so eager to buy this property from Dad. What do you find, Nancy? This. It's a gold coupling. Let me see it. You'll recognize it. Sakes alive. Why, Mel, this is one of yours. Is it? You know very well it is. You had these made special, and you've been wearing them steady for as long as I can remember. You mean to say you found this here, Nancy? Yes, Sheriff. Well, Barton, it looks like you've been tapping on the last chance mine. Last night when you found out you couldn't buy it, you figured that sooner or later you might kill old man Jim. So you told me about the masked man. You thought he could take the blame. Then when Jim came up here, you found him. You shot him. That's good reasoning, Sheriff. You're under arrest, Barton. Yes, again. Sheriff, look out the doorway! Let him have it, Ed! Oh, that's it. Now you, Nancy, stand over there and don't make any fast moves. I just came over to get a fire started in the boiler. I saw you here with a sheriff. I figured I'd better stand by the door and see what was going on. Glad you did. Sheriff, Sheriff, are you badly hurt? No, I guess not, Nancy. Got me in the shoulder. Keep the girl and the sheriff covered, Ed. I'll find some rope. We'll tie these two for the time being. Why not let me finish them off? We've got to work things out, Ed. I think the deputy is already half convinced that the masked man is the one who killed Jim Wallace. We'll set this up so there'll be no doubt about it. He'll be blamed for killing this girl and the sheriff as well. And we'll be a couple of heroes who'll be the ones who got the masked man and his Indian pal. I serve you, but how are you going to work it? Leave that to me. Nancy, how did that masked man get down below? You think I'd tell you anything that would help you? I know. Wait, I'll make her talk. Come here. Don't go with me. Most any girl will talk if you twist her arm a little. I wouldn't give in to you if you twisted my arm out of the socket. Wait a minute, Ed. Can't make her talk that way. The sheriff's arm. She'll talk to save him pain. Don't you do it, Nancy. I'll try it. No, no. You've already vomited him. I asked you a question. He... He and the Indian went down in the bucket. That's better. How did you think they'd get down? I just wanted to find out, that's all. Is there another way to reach the pay dirt down below? Don't you wish you knew. Now, Nancy, how did he plan to get out of there? There's no fire in the boiler, so there's no steam to turn the engine and bring the bucket up. Well, are you gonna answer me? I... Don't answer, Nancy. Don't you do it, Ed. Right, boss. I... Wait, leave the sheriff alone. The masked man planned to come up that rope. Climb up, huh? Yes. And the Indian the same, eh? Yes. Good. Now we better gag you and the sheriff so you can't sound the warning. There's some rope over there on the floor. Ed, go get it. Right. Don't bother. Hey, what the... Thank goodness. You'll never take me alive. Stop him. Stop me going down that rope. Like a rope. It's breaking. Barton's going down. You're still better off than Barton. He just reached the bottom of that shaft. Well, how long a fall is it? Three levels down, sheriff. It's far enough so Barton is beyond the reach of any hangman by this time. Well, the critter was slated to die by the rope. Looks like the one that broke has done a good as job as one with a noose in the end. Oh, thank heaven you got here. We learned a lot while we were down there below Miss Nancy. We found a tunnel at the third level. There's a new vein. That's what Barton's men were working. But how did you get here? You came through the door. How did you get out of the mine? The third level tunnel goes through the Barton's tunnel on the other side of the hill. We came out that way. Well, you came just at the right time. My arm, my arm's busted. Ed, stop your whimpering. Your arm's not hurt as bad as my shoulder. The tunnel will dress your wounds. In the meantime, I'll ride in the town and send your deputy up to help you. Well, sure. That mask man. You know, I'm so glad I was right about him. You see, I trusted him. You did the right thing, Nancy. It's too bad I didn't know who he was before I charged him with your father's murder. Oh, God, it's a lucky thing that rope didn't bust when he was on it. You look at ender rope. What's that, Indian? That fellow there, fire shot at mask man. Bullet go through rope. Thundery's right. Ed, it's your bullet that weakened that rope. Looks like fate sort of had a hand in keeping Barton from making his escape. Yes. Sheriff, I wonder who that mask man is. Perhaps his friend will tell us. I can tell you, Nancy. He left a silver bullet with my deputy. He's the Lone Ranger. This is a feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated. Created and produced by George W. Tremble and directed by Charles D. Livingston. Tonight's story was written by Fran Stryker. A part of the Lone Ranger is played by Brace Beamer.