 A fiery horse with a speed of light, a cloud of dust and a hearty hi-yo silver, the Lone Ranger. The masked rider of the plane fought crime and criminals throughout the western United States. And hi-yo silver became the battle cry of justice on the frontier. The honest settlers realized that without law and order their new homes would never be safe. And they gave the Lone Ranger all the help they could. They were powerless to act, but they made sure that the news of any injustice reached the masked rider, and he never disappointed their confidence. Return with us now those thrilling days when the West was young and adventure lay at the end of every trail. The Lone Ranger rides again. Lee Padre at the Spanish mission was a great friend of the Lone Rangers, and at one time he stopped every traveler who passed the little chapel and gave them a message. I would like to speak to the Lone Ranger. The Lone Ranger, Padre? Yes. If you should see him, ask him to come to me. I have heard of more injustice in the Gold Hills. The people there need the Lone Ranger again. I will let the word be spread. The Padre wants the Lone Ranger. You see him? Tell him. Get out. Get out. By word of mouth, the message was spread among the pioneers. The ranch is a half-breed and even the Indian tribes. Until finally a great white horse raced from the north carrying the masked rider. Come. Where'd it reach me, Padre? I hear many stories of unfairness, Amigo. It is a friend of yours who lives in trouble. A friend? Who is it, Padre? A gold miner named Bixby. Caleb Bixby and Sarah? Yes. They may lose their mind. But Padre, that claim jumper who tried to take it away from them is in prison. There is another. The man who runs the bank. Oh. He holds the mortgage just as he does on many other claims. I understand. It has been a hard year for many people. They are unable to repay their loans and they lose their land to this greedy man. But Padre, that isn't the code of the West. This state can't be made great by such methods. But banks have got to help people over the lean years. It is true, Amigo. That is why I sent for you. I do not know what you can do. But perhaps if you call on this banker, you can persuade him to be lenient. What's his name? His name is Taylor. Padre, I left signs along the trail for Tato. He'll see them and come here. Tell him when he comes that I'll be waiting for him. Thank you, Amigo. Come on, Silver. We're heading for Warsaw County. There you are, Sherry. They couldn't do nothing to me for that. Shucks, there ain't no law against killing the snake. And besides that, self-preserving is the first law of human nature. Save your win, Caleb, and chop that wood. It's self-preserving to keep your roof over your head, ain't it? I reckon so. All right, then. Taylor's a snake in the grass, ain't he? Chop that wood. Now, why can't I go and sort of shoot up Banker Taylor so she can't foreclose the mortgage on us? Because you can't. Fine business for a fellow that owns a good mine like me, chopping wood. If things was only different so I could operate that mine and give them help, and one thing and another, we'd be rich. Well, it's been a hard year, Caleb, and you won't get no place complaining about it. Taylor's plumbing earnest about foreclosing them driving us out. I never see the man as ornery and disagreeable as he is. Caleb, if you don't button your lip and stop your tongue from wagging and tend to chopping that wood, there ain't going to be enough fire to boil a pan of water for coffee. Well, I ain't lost the claim yet, and I don't aim to. What you figure on doing? I ain't licked yet. What you go to do, Caleb? I got an idea. You just wait. I tell you, Siri, the sight of that critter just makes my blood boil. Well, your blood's due for heating up, then, because there it comes. Huh? Tall gone. Just when I was working up an appetite. Your appetite ain't never suffered none as I could see. Burn it up! Well! Don't drag back on them rains so hard. Can't you see you're hurting that horse? It's none of your business, Sarah. And look at the bit you're using. Dad, rat your tailor. You treat a good horse same as you do, folks, at all your money. Now what do you want here? I got a mortgage on this place, as I suppose you know. Ain't anyone in town that don't know it? Well, what about it? Five thousand dollars. That's the sum. Might as well be a million. Sam's due tomorrow, Caleb. Tomorrow, six o'clock in the evening. Gonna have the money? No, no, no. You don't know? What do you mean you don't know? If you ain't got the cash now, you won't have it then with you. You want a new mighty bag to file pay-up or not, don't you? Don't matter to me if you do or not. You will pay or it'll take over your goldmine. And not a whole lot sooner have the mine than the cash. I know that. I'm going to get that cash for you by the time that mortgage comes due, and you can count on that. You ain't getting it. You're just talking big, that's all. Now listen to me, you sort of ball-headed, hop-nosed, stove-in coyote. I don't have to talk big. If Caleb says he'll have the cash for you tomorrow evening, at six o'clock he'll have it. Don't believe it. I don't care to believe it or not. Now get off my land. Just thought I'd remind you that's all, Caleb. I says get. Well, get. But I'll be back tomorrow evening and I'll have the sheriff with me. And you'll get your cash. Get up there. This man I ever hear, dawg. He's an ordinary pole cat. Linden cash. Making us think he'd be fair about it. Same as other bankers out in this part of the country are. He's double-cost for Hula Wachow County, Sarri. I know, Caleb, but I don't think you can do much about it now. I'll get the cash all right. Well, you're going to get it. I'll tell you when we get inside the house. You'll go along in now. Sarri, I'll be right with you. Well, move fast, Caleb. We've got company heading this way. Company? Linden cash. This is our mask for you. Hold us over. Oh, boy, oh. Landstakes alive, stranger. You're as welcome as a man can be. Caleb, take care of the horse before you come in. I will. I sure will. It's an outright honor. I've been hearing a lot of things about conditions here, Caleb. Well, there's plenty to hear. You come on inside now. Stakes alive. It's been a long time since we've had eyes on you. The Padres sent me here. He told me about a banker by the name of Taylor. I don't know what the Padres said, but he sure don't know the right words to tell you what sort of quitter Taylor's turned out to be. Is it true that he's going to foreclose on your goldman? I reckon so. Unless we get $5,000 before six o'clock tomorrow evening. He does hold the morgues then. He sure does. My junior is good to see you. Be careful like Kindlewood. It slips, sir, to be honest. But anyhow, mister, she can. How have you been, Caleb? Oh, just thinking about the way Taylor's been taking the gold claims away from folks does things to my innards. I declare I ain't had a good appetite since the first heard about him. Is the mortgage he holds legal? Gosh, I don't know. I suspect it is. He made a lot of promises to me when he let me borrow the cash, but he didn't put him in writing so I can't hold him to him. I'll have to pay him $5,000. Can you pay it? Nope, but I know where I can borrow it. I just had a letter through the mail last week from an old part of mine, a critter I grub-staked once, and he struck it rich. He wants to let me borrow the cash to pay off Taylor. Caleb, you can't borrow from somebody else. Who shares so? You won't be no better off that way. No, he won't lose the claim, will he? He's got a heap of money, and he knows this claim. He's willing to let me borrow now and pay back when we get the ore out. I'm glad you won't lose your mind. But, Caleb, isn't there a chance that he did put some of the promises in writing? I don't think so. Haven't you a copy of that mortgage? No, we only signed one. He got the mortgage and me the cash. When I give the cash back, he gives the mortgage back, that's all. I see. We're glad you come here, mister. Maybe you can do something to show Taylor he ain't doing the right thing to folks around the Gold Hill. I'm going to look around, Sarah. You may have been so greedy that he stepped outside the lawn drawing up his mortgages. Anyhow, whatever you say, I've got to get ready for a ride. A ride? A ride to where, Caleb? I've got to see Jim Barton over to Red Pine. Red Pine? That's a powerful long way from here, Caleb. I know it is, but I've got to see him. I've got to start tonight so I can get back here by the more evening with the cash. Is he going to lend you the cash? Yeah, he written said for me to come and get it. I figured it would be better for me to go myself and to try to send someone. Ain't no one you can trust, except in maybe the masked man. I'd better go myself and leave the lone range of free to sort of look around town and see what he can find. I'll get ready now if you'll excuse me, Mr. You go right ahead, Caleb. I'm going to look around town for Tatto. He's to meet me. In the cafe that evening, Taylor met Squint. They met in the cafe that evening. Squint. A man who did a great number of odd jobs for him. Squint had a way of learning things and told the banker that Caleb's getting the cash from Jim Barton at Red Pine. You know that because I've seen a letter he got from Barton last week. Dang it. I figured I'm getting the claim. I hate to lose a chance to foreclose. Well, what are you going to lose it for? What do you mean, Squint? Shucks. You didn't even let him get that cash? No. Caleb's riding for Red Pine tonight. He'll be coming back tomorrow afternoon, late. Hey, go on, Squint. He'll have him rubbed on the way back. It would be $5,000 a Jim Barton at Luz and Bixby would still lose a range. Meaning? Meaning that if you've got the range, you'd be satisfied and I'd be willing to run a risk for that much cash. Half the cash, you mean? Half. Otherwise I'll manage without you. You hate to see a dollar get away from you, don't you, Taylor? Yeah. Could you waylay, Caleb? Yeah. Then why not? Then you'll wait till he's on the back trail and carry the cash to get him. Yeah. Let him collect from Barton and he can answer any questions Barton wants to ask. It's broken country between here and Red Pine. You won't need the dart to protect you. Shucks, no. There's plenty of hiding places. I suppose you do it then. Hey, Taylor. Yeah? That Redskins been watching us close. You think he knows what we've been talking about? Of course not. How could he hear what we said? He's leaving anyhow. He sure didn't like the way he looked at us. The only other part of the matter would be you losing this money. Tonto here plenty. Tell him to ask a friend when we meet him. Maybe meet him. Plenty soon now. Get him up, scoundrel. Tonto met the Lone Ranger. He came into town from Caleb Bixby's home. He quickly told the masked man of the conversation between Squint and Taylor. We could prevent that hold up, Tonto. It would be impossible to prove that Taylor had anything to do with this. That's right. I want to have a look at the mortgages, Taylor Hose. If he's done some crooked dealing there, we can see him jailed for that. If not, we'll have to find some way to link him with the robbery of Caleb Bixby. How you see paper? I'm going to Taylor's office. You getting office tonight? We can get in all right. Come on, we'll go there right now. Well, Taylor's still at the cafe. Get him up, scoundrel. Come on, Silver. Took but a few moments for the masked man and Tonto to reach the bank and gain entrance through a window. They found the mortgages filed in the drawer and put them in the drawer. Yes. Here they are, Tonto. We'll have what I want in just a moment. That's good. There's half a dozen of them here. I suppose every one of these people will lose their land when these fall due. Bixby, this is the one. You got them? Yes. We'll take it with us. Look it over where there's more light. Maybe it's no good. They'll soon find that out. Stand right where you are. What? Mr. Law speaking, Mr. You stand still. Shall I get a light going? The curtain falls on the first act of tonight's Lone Ranger story. Before the next exciting scenes, please permit us to pause for just a few moments with our story. When the Lone Ranger and Tonto entered Taylor's bank to examine the mortgage he held on the Bixby claim, they were surprised by the sheriff. The lawman struck a match and lit the lamp on the banker's desk. You're staying where you are. You're covered. Came to have a look at you, fellas. We're not crooks, sheriff. Not crooks, eh? You spoke in here for the fun of it, I suppose. They're masked you're wearing. That's a part of the joke, eh? What have you got there in your hand? A mortgage. Put it on that table. Let me get him. No, Tonto, back. But him? This can be settled peaceably, Tonto. Make another sudden move red skin and I'll drill you. One moment. Well? I said we weren't crooks. We've been here before. You may have heard of us. Well, likely I have. I know most of the crooks around these parts by name. What are you doing in here? Looking these mortgages over, especially the one Taylor holds against Caleb Bixby. Oh, what for? You should know, sheriff, if you have the interest of your county at heart. Taylor's been foreclosing the minute the mortgages he holds a do. He's a vomit, all right. When he granted these mortgages, he made promises he never intended to keep. In fact, those were verbal contracts that he's illegally broken. He was careful, however, never to make those promises in front of witnesses. I've heard talk. No, he can't be held to them. But he may have overstepped himself. He may have drawn up these mortgages illegally. That's what I'm here to find out. I wish he had. I wish there was a way to jail that fella. We'll see. Let's have a look at these. Yeah. This is the one for the Bixby mine. You should know something about legal forms. Enough, I reckon. This mortgage made the 10th day of March, 1872. Oh, that seems to be an order. It's been signed by two witnesses, as well as Taylor, like knowledge by Caleb. Oh, it's legal enough. Dead reddit. These others appear to be the same. All in first-rate order. No gone, why couldn't Taylor have slipped up somewhere? We can't use these against him, sheriff. Blast it. There's only one way out. Yes. Unless you know about it, the better. Tonneau. Hey, we need to drop him. You grab me, or I'll take your gun. But I can't. I'll leave it just inside the window. You can get it when you leave. Hold on there. You're born to uphold the law. Your duty to jail is rendering the bank. We don't intend to be jailed, however. You're the first fellas I ever got to drop on that got away from me. Out the window, Tonneau. Don't lose faith in me, sheriff. Our methods are different, but our purposes are the same. Justice. You double-crossers, you trick me. I'll fix you. Come back here. Hey, they're gone. Better mid in the engine thinks I didn't notice him all set to grab me. Dog gone with them fellas here. Things in Warshall County are going to hum. My gun. Oh, there it is. I reckon I'd better make out like I put up a fight. A couple of shots or... Done my duty. Can't nobody say it didn't fire after them fellas. Now, I reckon a better just sought a slow like over to the cafe and announced that I chased a couple of intruders out in the bank. I wonder what the Lone Ranger's aiming to do. The sheriff returned to the cafe with the announcement that he had driven two outlaws from Taylor's bank. Taylor relieved his think he had suffered no loss. Praise the sheriff for his vigilance. Too bad them pole cats got away from me, sheriff. But being as it was two to one again, yes. Ain't to blame for it, you reckon. At least, I am thanking you for running them off. Yeah, I done that all right. I'll walk over to the bank and see about the window you say they bust it. Come along, squint. I wonder who them fellas was, Taylor. Yes, sneak thieves, most likely. But if they'd had blasted and parted with them, they might have blown the safe and got cleaned away. That dirty crooks. What are you laughing at, squint? Nothing much. Just the idea of you calling them crooks. Funny about that. I reckon you wouldn't see the point. That's your bae. No need to ride just to go to the bank, though, is there? You ain't going to the bank. That was just to get you away from the sheriff. You're going to ride on that job we was talking about. Caleb Bixby? Guess so. Yeah, there ain't no big hurry. Hurry enough. I don't want you wailing in close to town. You can get out of ways. Catch him when he's coming through the hills. You'll have plenty of cover there and there ain't much chance of things going wrong. I reckon. And before you get started, squint, there is one thing I won't understood. Eh, what's that? You ain't touching that cash you take off in him. You're bringing it straight to me. Ain't half of it mine? It is, and you'll get it. But you'll get it when I give it to you and not before. Yes, Abby? Oh, I don't see what's going on. Squint, you're a good man for the things that I need you for. But the only time I'm a trustee is when I can see you. And even then, I've got my suspicions. Sucks, I wouldn't do nothing, Taylor. Men see that you don't. Get that envelope that the cash will be in and bring it right straight back to me. Now you get it. I bet I got your word you're dividing. Eh, you have. Then you can take my word I'm relieving Bixby of that cash. Get up. Get on there. Taylor Bixby rode the red line. Received $5,000 in cash from Jim Barton and set out on the return trail. He had been riding for less than an hour when he heard a distant shout. Well, I heard somebody calling. Must have been from around the bend. Taylor! Leap on cat is the mask man. And Tato. And that's Jim Barton. Hi there! Hold on, Caleb. What's wrong? Hello, hello, hello. What's going on? What's going on? What are you fellas doing here? We've been trying to catch up with you ever since you left Red Pine, Caleb. What for? Jim Barton here. I thought he might have made a mistake. You got that envelope with the cash in it? Sure, right here. Let me have it. Were you, Caleb? Oh, no, Jim. You ain't going back on that loan, are you? Golly, you promised. Don't be alarmed. Nothing like that, Caleb. You see, I had two envelopes were almost alike on hand when you called. After you left, I got to wondering if I've given you the right one. Oh, is that all? Well, let Jim have the envelope, will you? Sure, sure. Here it is. Golly, for a second, you had me scared. I was afraid maybe Jim might have changed his mind. I found he couldn't spare the cash or something. And I sure wasn't looking forward to telling Sarah about it. Well, I reckon we had our ride for nothing. Is that the right one? It is. Here. Thank you. Well, Caleb, you'd better be getting on. You've still got quite a ride ahead of you. Jiminy, it is getting late. I'd better hurry home. Goodbye, fellas. But further on, Caleb was hauled a second time. A man with a drawn gun in his hand and his features concealed by a bandana spurred his mount from the cover of a rock and locked Caleb's way. Reach! Right up there! Reach for the sky. This is a stick up. Keep your hands away from the shooting iron, mister. Hey, Radick, you can't... Hey, dear brother, I won't tell you any good to talk. My God, you couldn't have picked the worst time to rob me. It all depends on how you look at it. Now don't make a move if you want to get back to your claim alive. Caleb returned home and broke the news of his loss to Sarah. As evening approached, they sat on the porch of their little cottage waiting with all hope gone. And on top of everything else, I owed Jim $5,000. Oh, silly. I don't know why it is. When I get hard luck, it all comes at once. Nothing you can do about it, Caleb. You'll just have to get a job with some sort working for somebody. I'm sold. I don't know who'd hire me. You've got to pay Jim Barton back that money. Look, look under, Sarah. This is the end. There they come. Banker Taylor and the sheriff with him. He ain't taking no chances on not getting us out. No, Banker Taylor don't take no chances. Losing the ranch is bad enough, but owning Jim Barton $5,000 is... is... Oh, drat it, Sarah. Nothing you can do, Caleb. Oh, there, Caleb. Oh, there. Good evening, Sheriff. I reckon we know what you're here for. I'm sorry, Caleb. Go and go and sorry. Are you ready to pay up? I can't pay you, Taylor. Oh, can't pay you? No. Ain't that too bad? Well, I reckon there's just one thing for you to do then. You'll have to clear out. We're ready, Mr. Taylor. Sorry, I'd like to give you more time on your loan, but cash is scarce right now, and I can't take no chances. He ain't taking no chance. This claim is worth a heap of money. If it wasn't, I wouldn't have lent you the cash on it in the first place. Come on, Sheriff, enforce the law. Get rid of these people. No one's positioned here. Take your time, Taylor. No, we'll clear out. Not so fast, Caleb. All right, so be it. Come along, Tuttle. We've been around and back at the house waiting for you. Why, there's Jim Barton, too. Poor these men. I reckon we'd best wait and see what'll happen now. What do you mean, see what happens? Suppose, Taylor, you produce the mortgage before you and the Sheriff turn Caleb out. Mortgage? All right, sure, sure. If you have a mortgage... I got it, right here. Yeah, be bringing along all right. There. Sheriff, take that mortgage and examine it. He can look at it all he wants to. It's legal. And there ain't nobody can say it ain't. Sheriff, is that mortgage initials? Let me see. Jim, what initials are on the mortgage? You'll find my initials there, Sheriff. J.B. Uh-huh, that's so. But what do you mean? Sheriff, I think you heard that Caleb was held up while returning from Red Pine. Yeah, I got the report. It was reported that cash was stolen from him. It wasn't, however. That mortgage was taken. Oh, yeah, it was taken. It was the cash it was stole. Why don't you recollect? You was with Jim when he stopped me on the trail to make sure he'd give me the right envelope. When we stopped you, Caleb, we changed envelopes. You handed Jim the one with the cash. He'd put the mortgage in another envelope just like it. That was the envelope you got back. Don't pay no attention to that, Mash, fellow Sheriff. Wait a second. There's something funny here. Strangely, you say the mortgage was stolen from Bixby? It was. Then how'd Taylor get it? That's just it. The fact that he's got it proves he hired squint for the holdup. He thought Caleb would be carrying cash. It would enable him to pay the mortgage. It's all a pack of lies. Well, you'll see if it is. Traeger, can you prove it was the mortgage that was stolen? It was necessary. Jim will go to court and testify. He initialed that mortgage and gave it to Caleb. I think any jury would take his word for it. Then why didn't Taylor do something when he found out it wasn't the cash that Caleb had on him? What could he do? He had to show the mortgage in order to take over the ranch. Even if he did suspect it was a trap, he could do nothing. The mortgage hasn't been out of my bank since it was signed. Sheriff, if you remember what happened in the bank last night, I believe you'll know just when the mortgage was taken. Well, I'll be switched. I said things was going to home and they did. Now, look here, Sheriff. Taylor, the loan ranger fixed up a trap and you fell into it. You can argue all you want. But Jim Barton's word will go a long ways and then he'd court in this part of the country. And I reckon when I get through working on squint, we'll have confessions of plenty. Here's over. Oh, and seas. I don't know what to think. I never figured on nothing like this. Now you don't have to pay back no money to Jim Barton. But the mortgage still isn't paid off. If Taylor wants to force the terms of his mortgage, he can do so. But I think a lot of people in court would be glad of the chance to get even with him. He may need a few friends. Look, look, let me talk. You stay on here, Caleb. Stay on as long as you like. Pay back the cash when you're able. There's been a big mistake here. Give me a chance to sort of make a few frames. You better work fast, Taylor. Then we don't have to get out. No, no, no. Stay here. Friends just saved our house and mine, Frank. He sure did. And turned up a couple of first-class crooks that's been in our midst for two blame-along-a-time. Ready, fellow? Now wait. I'm not ready. Wait a second. I want to tell you. Hello, Silver! This story you have just heard is a copyrighted feature of the Lone Ranger Incorporated.